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Baden, PA

Old Economy Park DGC

2.135(based on 15 reviews)
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10 0
The Red Death 30
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 26.9 years 81 played 36 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Really Not a Bad Place to Play 9 If Your Expectations are Low

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2023 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course was an Eagle Scout project and that complicates things. It feels like a jerk move to be tough on a course like that, but we can all recognize the value in the service provided while still being honest with one another about the overall quality.

This course does actually have a number of things going for it that bring me back here often. Let's start with location. If you are in the Cranberry area, this course is right in your backyard. I live downtown and it's still an easy half hour drive for me. Compare to the other courses in this area ... Knob is always packed, NoBo is NoBo and while I love Linbrook, this course will give you a place to go play 9 holes pretty much unimpeded. There is never anyone in your way slowing your pace and that is a positive.

The course is also one that I like returning to frequently for practice. There is almost no trouble to get into here. Ironic because I also find the most unclaimed discs in the rough here, as well, and see comments on multiple app reviews about the rough. I guess, in fairness, the rough is VERY rough, but it's also very avoidable. For the most part this course is 9 wide open fairways and while that can be boring, it also provides good practice and a place to work on winding out drives without worry of consequence. The upkeep helps here too. This course is pretty much always kept mostly fresh mown. You don't ever come out here to shin high grass like I play on other courses.

Okay ... There isn't that much to get excited about on the course, but it is not without its' charms. The 4th Hole is a tricky little number that I seldom par despite its' relatively obtainable length. It requires a shot from one fairway lane to another and then a nice straight carry to the pin. It needs good shots. The 6th Hole is another good one, though I'll take about a few risks in the cons. It's a downhill shot that needs anny glide, but not too much. It's a touch shot that can be a bird or bogey depending on how you play it. The 7th Hole is the "signature" here, as it is the only Par 5, a hole that needs you to keep throwing consistent long fairway drives and runs up past some little abandoned shack that I have not been able to find any information online about? Actually old, fake old, what was it? I don't know.

Cons:

The tees are non-existent. They are just dirt patches. I'm old school and this doesn't bother me so much except on wet days they naturally puddle. The 3rd tee, in particular, is the worst. It's a downhill drive, so you are standing on a downhill piece of dirt - that is eroding on top of it - with a gulley developing in the middle due to water run off. It's actually a dangerous shot if you plan to x step as you could easily trip and lose footing. The tee signs are pretty much useless as well. Hole 1 is even marked wrong on most online apps so information here is spotty.

The first 3 holes feel like an afterthought, or maybe intentionally put where they were to get notice, but you play a loop inside the park road. The 1st Hole is just a boring fairway shot. The 2nd Hole is pretty much also except for massive elevation change throwing up a steep grade. After a couple of really nice holes, the final two are also very forgettable. The 8th is pretty much standard 90s style tunnel shot and the 9th is a putter run on the slope of a hill.

What everyone will mention and I will too is the overall design. There are two places I see you can park. The "main" parking lot is in front of the 1st Tee. I actually recommend parking in front of the barn which puts you between 3 and 4. Now you play the initial loop and then start wandering from the car. The problem, as many have mentioned, is that the course never returns. You continue walking away from the lot and finish at the furthest point. It's probably a half mile walk or more back to the lot and up a fairly good size hill. It doesn't make you want to walk it again. My recommendation after playing here a dozen times is that I do Player A and Player B. I just literally play each hole twice as I go and eliminate the walk. Also, rather than dropping down from 9 basket to the road, you can save yourself a lot of elevation in the walk by just walking the course back to the lot. Don't worry, no one else will be golfing, I can pretty much guarantee.

The crowds at this park are always friendly and that's a positive, but there is a good amount of foot traffic here and they are not all that disc golf savvy. For the most part this means dogwalkers on the fringes of your fairway and no big deal. Just let them out of the shot. Up on the Hole 6, though, the fairway runs along the park road and it's often used for parking at the tennis camps and things. For those who don't have precise aim on drives, it can lead to risk of dinging a car.

Other Thoughts:

There is a portable toilet in the lot by the playground. I am not aware of any running water. I bring a cart to this course all the time. That's not an issue.
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5 0
Blobfish
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 7.8 years 24 played 13 reviews
2.50 star(s)

9 holes off into the sunset 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Decent workout for nine holes
+ Fun bomb on #3
+ Terrain is used to make the short holes a lot trickier (#9)
+ Some holes force you to really think about your shot because an errant one will be lost for good (#7)
+ OB helps increase the challenge on this course in a good way.

Cons:

- The basket for #9 is the furthest point from the start of the course. You'll have to take a path to a road to get back. This path might be overgrown with thorny weeds and/or poison plants.
- There are no teepads.
- Hole 4 is tough to find if you didn't look at a map beforehand or have one available.
- If you are worried about losing discs when you play, then don't try to overthrow your shots on 5-9

Other Thoughts:

I had fun here. I didn't go with huge expectations, and I wasn't let down. A quick breakdown:
Holes 1-3: These are all in that "courtyard" section above the parking lot, surrounded by Forcey Rd. The #1 teepad is kind of near the entrance to the parking lot and you go counterclockwise. There's nothing special about #1, but #2 is a good way uphill. Then on #3, you get to bomb around a big tree (or right into it if you're me and your disc faded prematurely). It's a very satisfying hole.
Then you cross the road and have to find hole 4, which I wouldn't have found if I didn't have Udisc's gps showing me where to go. It's a decent enough hole, where you have to shoot through an open gallery of trees, but it's a pretty easy par 4.
Hole 5 is slightly shorter and climbs a hill and is only a par 3, but with the OB road on one side and dense vegetation on the other, it's the tougher hole.
Hole 6 takes you up by the tennis courts and you have to again stay centered on this fairway. If you go off the fairway to the left, you'll be in dense vegetation. If you veer too far from center on the right side, you'll be in the OB road.
Hole 7 is the par 5 that ate one of my OOP discs which bummed me out. As there's no teepad and there is a big hanging tree branch in front of the tee sign, I chose to play "safe" and throw a thumber over the hanging branch to the far side of the fairway (which I thought couldn't be as dense as the near side). WRONG. I also underestimated my thumber on that disc and it sailed far into the other side, hitting nothing. I ventured into the dense vegetation only to find that once you penetrate the first layer of brambles and weeds, you find more of the same as well as a steep hillside full of same growth as far as they eye could see. So yeah. Stay on the fairways. It's not the longest hole for a par 5, but control definitely trumps power on this hole.
As for #8, again, the advice is to STAY ON THE FAIRWAY. It's easy to want to gun this for 2, but if you stray from the fairway, you'll be sorry you did.
Finally there's #9. It's so short! And so wicked! It sits on a steep hillside that slopes down to the left. For RHBH, if you come in hyzer, you could sail all the way to the bottom. If you try flicking, you could set it up on edge and roll to the bottom. Oh, and to make things that much trickier, overshooting takes you right into that same nasty dense vegetation.

All in all, it's more challenging than the first three holes would indicate. The OB on 5 and 6 add some needed difficulty and the rough is brutal. This course rewards control. And then once you're done and patting yourself on the back for playing a smart round, you have ample amounts of time to relive the experience as you make the long walk back to your car :)
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1 0
Jags
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.7 years 84 played 42 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not bad, not great. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Not a bad course in a park style setting. Good signage with some nice basket placement. Easy to follow once you find hole #1.

Cons:

Tee pads are dirt/grass. Some tee pads have roots/rock's sticking out so watch your footing so you don't break your leg. DO NOT THROW IN THE WOODS FROM HOLES 4-9 ON!!! Solid poison ivy as far as the eye can see. This is the only course that all the baskets were completely rusted, chain's and all. Idk..... After hole #9 you have a 1/2 mile to 3/4 of a mile walk back to the parking lot.

Other Thoughts:

This course is not bad other then the forementioned cons. Nothing amazing but not bad. With cement tee pads and some TLC this course could be quite nice. Don't go out of you way for this one but if your in the area why not.
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1 4
nytrate
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not bad 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is open, quiet, and sunny. A handful of decent holes. 3 and 4 are great holes.

Good place to practice because it is never crowded.

Cons:

As everyone else said, the 9 holes end abruptly. The course is almost too open. If they had even a few holes through the woods leading back to the parking lot, even if not another 9, this course could be great. Three great wooded pins would do it, and make this worth the drive from knob or linbrook.
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4 0
jhilton
Experience: 12.8 years 61 played 17 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Small improvements could make a real difference 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 3, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

1) Some nice variety of shots. long, short, left, straight, right
2) Designed in a way that allows players of many skill levels to play
3) This park isn't much so the DG course gives people a reason to come here

Cons:

1) Missing basket on #2
2) Missing Tee Sign on #1 and #7
3) Only nine holes - looks like it could be 18 with some time spent in the trees after hole #9
4) Dug out teepads - at the moment they are not good, but if they are dug out to make room for gravel, flypads or concrete, then this may turn into a positive

Other Thoughts:

Hole #1 - This is a mid length right turn on a hillside that requires some skill in landing a disc well to avoid a big roll away

Hole #2 - This basket is missing, but it appears to be a mid length, uphill/sidehill drive to a spot near the top of the hill

Hole #3 - This has both a left and a right line around a big tree to a basket about 330 away. This was a fun hole. We threw from the street rather than the tee pad to get better footing. The dug out teepad looked really dangerous.

Hole #4 - This may be one of the most scenic, with tall grass to one side and some nice rows of trees. The main line is a tunnel down the center but there is a sneak RHBH hyzer line out through the right.

Hole #5 - Longer uphill par 3 with some nice road OB on the right. Good use of terrain.

Hole #6 - This also makes great use of the road for OB. Par 4 with OB all right, nasty brush left and a big tree to negotiate on the approach.

Hole #7 - This is a cool wider tunnel hole that ends near some old looking shack (although we imagine more recently built, given the nature of the cuts in the wood). This hole gives you some nice birdie chances at par 5 if you can bomb a disc fairly straight.

Hole #8 - This is a straight tunnel drive to a basket left. Be aware that any dispersion into the trees is gonna have you in a place with more thorns than your grandmother's rosebushes.

Hole #9 - Very cool shorter par 3 on a sloped hill. If you go for the ace, you risk a massive approach shot from a painful place.

Overall, this course shows real promise. We took the advice of another reviewer and played holes 8-4 backwards from the #9 basket to make the long walk more worthwhile. There appears to be room and some paths for some neat woods holes below hole #9. If there really are plans for PFDS to expand this course, that would be great. Until then, with the damages to the course (Holes 1, 2, 7) and the awkward dugout tees, this course stays near average.
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2 0
timbur3
Experience: 16.9 years 101 played 51 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Alright 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 24, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course flowed well and had good signage (except #7 was missing its sign). There were a few long holes and a few short which can test your tactical shots. The baskets were very nice. On the first 3 holes the wind makes for an exciting challenge. Pars are very fair that are on the signs.

Playing this course backwards is almost more fun than forwards. Even going from the #4 basket all the way back across the road to the #3 basket.

Cons:

The tee pads were basically holes in the ground which made for some tough footing sometimes. There was a 10 minute walk from hole 9 to the parking lot. The woods are very thick and it can take some time to find your discs if you stray too far from the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

There is absolutley room for 18 holes on the land. When I played in a high school tourney here with J. Gary Dropcho, he set up 9 more good holes, with portable baskets, to make it 18. So it is possible.
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7 0
chris deitzel
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.7 years 286 played 54 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Just wait for the improvements to come..... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 27, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is an interesting little course that is located in a beautiful park that is very close to Knob Hill and Linbrook Park. This course does not get much use at all and is a great place to come and practice or to get away from the crowds of some of the other courses in the area. The grass on the course is beautiful as well and it is a nice walk in the park with some spectacular views as you play.

The holes on the course are actually fairly decent holes. Hole 3 is a great downhill shot that is always fun to unload your bag on. Hole 4 is one of the nicest holes on the course with a row of trees, a sloping fairway and fast green. Really makes for a great hole. Really all of the holes are good holes and have different challenges.

Nice park with some good amenities.

Hardly anyone ever there.

Cons:

The biggest problem with the course is that hole 9 finishes about a mile from the parking lot that you started at. Which isn't so bad if you just play the course backwards. 9's basket to 8, 8's basket to 7, etc etc. Playing the course backwards makes for some beautiful and fun holes. Since nobody is ever there, you can actually do this.

The tee areas are not the best. And on the first few holes, they are placed way too close to the previous basket.

Missing a tee sign on 7

Other Thoughts:

As is Economy is worth playing if you are in the area. It is a nice place to play when Knob Hill is muddy, as this course has good drainage and stays dry. The course definitely has some challenge to it and the holes are fun to throw. But with the big walk at the end of the course, it just discourages people from playing here.

Plans for additional 9-holes have stalled. Who knows if it will ever happen?
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5 0
jblough
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15 years 85 played 85 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not a Bad Eagle Scout Project! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Parking is very close to the first tee and bathrooms are a short walk/drive away on another part of the park. There's even a pool nearby if you want to take a swim after your round! (Tempting for me, considering I played midday when it was in the mid 80s!)

The openness of the park and the fact that the course closes at 11pm would make it GREAT for glow disc golf!

Signage is good and well-marked. Even without the signs, the holes wouldn't be too hard to find.

This course is very open, but there are some nice downhill/uphill/fairway shots. Decent lengths on some holes give you a chance to really test your power! Very wooded roughs on 5,6,7,8 and a giant tree hazard on #3 keep you on your toes when throwing.

The barn and other old historical structures are nice scenery when playing.

Cons:

As mentioned in another review, the last hole is very far away from the parking lot. I recommend playing another 9 holes back to your vehicle!

The dirt tees are very uneven and impossible to get footing. Because RHBH x-steps were not possible, I had to resort to forehand drives.

While this may not be a con for all, I found the course to be a little too open. Should the course be expanded to 18, I hope that they utilize the wooded areas of the park more.

Other Thoughts:

I'm surprised the PFDS (Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society) doesn't list this place as one of its courses -- especially considering it's better than Monroeville, the other 9 hole one listed on its website. I enjoyed myself here and will come back sometime.

Since this park is located near Knob Hill and sort of on the way to Moraine, you should definitely stop here on your tour of Pittsburgh's great courses! Keep this place in mind if you ever want to play glow golf!
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