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Pleasant Grove Park reviews
14
0
Over the Hills and Through the Woods, but Please Don't Throw Me in the Briar Patch 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 11, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
Serene wooded landscape, upkeep, balance of skills required to succeed, way finding aids to keep you on the right path.
Cons:
Thick, punishing rough on many holes.
Other Thoughts:
Pleasant Grove Park is full up on outdoor opportunities: swimming in the Rivanna River; extensive hiking trails; ball fields galore; playground; and of course, disc golf. The disc golf course takes full advantage of the landscape, playing right to the sweet spot of those players (like me) who love the space where disc golf and hiking meet.
The course starts out on the long and open side, a legit par 4 through mown grass, uphill and to the right. A nice paver tee pad and sign point the way. But #2 is more typical of the course - straight ahead into the woods, and working around a huge tulip poplar, a truly impressive specimen. Then #3 sets the first of several holes where you must really consider your tee shot, as the fairway bends left downhill to a small gully, with the basket hard to spot on the other side. The course has excellent balance, in terms of uphill and then downhill, and fairways going right and left. You'll get more practice than usual throwing uphill here. You'll also get more exercise than usual scouting each hole as most baskets are not visible from the tee.
The course stays mostly in the woods until the back nine, and loses the pavers and nice signs along the way, stepping down to gravel tees and small signs on the tee boxes. Wayfinding is excellent, however, with plenty of directional signs where needed. Otherwise, this course would be a real challenge to get around, as it overlaps with the trail system in many spots.
The back nine features a few nicely groomed, picture perfect holes. #14, for instance, is the bookend to #3; a short and pretty manicured hole that could be a disc golf postcard. But the postcard would not show the thorn-filled rough that awaits your disc if you veer off of that picture-perfect fairway. #18 finishes with a hole like #14 x2 - longer, beautiful fairway, and with tougher penalties for leaving that fairway.
The rough is the biggest negative to this course - thorny brambles, thick undergrowth, and cedar trees galore, all ready to eat your plastic. We stood on one tee and remarked that the entire hole looked like the rough, just the fairway was a little less rough.
Overall I rate Pleasant Grove as Good, and well worth checking out. The plus side, for me, is the serene arboreal environment, the exercise, and the consideration off the tee for most every hole that the course requires. One must be mindful of disc choice and approach throughout this course, and thus it is the kind of course that has the ability to grow on a player as they learn its ways. The negative side is the downside of veering off course and thus spending a fair amount of time disc hunting. In terms of way finding and upkeep, Pleasant Grove is first time friendly, but in terms of lost disc potential and blind shots off the tee, less so. Yet I keep thinking about a return trip and how it will play better the next time around.
The course starts out on the long and open side, a legit par 4 through mown grass, uphill and to the right. A nice paver tee pad and sign point the way. But #2 is more typical of the course - straight ahead into the woods, and working around a huge tulip poplar, a truly impressive specimen. Then #3 sets the first of several holes where you must really consider your tee shot, as the fairway bends left downhill to a small gully, with the basket hard to spot on the other side. The course has excellent balance, in terms of uphill and then downhill, and fairways going right and left. You'll get more practice than usual throwing uphill here. You'll also get more exercise than usual scouting each hole as most baskets are not visible from the tee.
The course stays mostly in the woods until the back nine, and loses the pavers and nice signs along the way, stepping down to gravel tees and small signs on the tee boxes. Wayfinding is excellent, however, with plenty of directional signs where needed. Otherwise, this course would be a real challenge to get around, as it overlaps with the trail system in many spots.
The back nine features a few nicely groomed, picture perfect holes. #14, for instance, is the bookend to #3; a short and pretty manicured hole that could be a disc golf postcard. But the postcard would not show the thorn-filled rough that awaits your disc if you veer off of that picture-perfect fairway. #18 finishes with a hole like #14 x2 - longer, beautiful fairway, and with tougher penalties for leaving that fairway.
The rough is the biggest negative to this course - thorny brambles, thick undergrowth, and cedar trees galore, all ready to eat your plastic. We stood on one tee and remarked that the entire hole looked like the rough, just the fairway was a little less rough.
Overall I rate Pleasant Grove as Good, and well worth checking out. The plus side, for me, is the serene arboreal environment, the exercise, and the consideration off the tee for most every hole that the course requires. One must be mindful of disc choice and approach throughout this course, and thus it is the kind of course that has the ability to grow on a player as they learn its ways. The negative side is the downside of veering off course and thus spending a fair amount of time disc hunting. In terms of way finding and upkeep, Pleasant Grove is first time friendly, but in terms of lost disc potential and blind shots off the tee, less so. Yet I keep thinking about a return trip and how it will play better the next time around.
30
0
A Pleasant walk in the Grove 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:May 13, 2020
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
+SERENITY: Fluvanna county is a rural area, so the course is quite serene. As soon as you get into the woods, starting on hole 2, you are out in soul refreshing nature, and you feel secluded and away from everything.
+BEAUTY: there is an inherent aesthetic beauty to the woods and land that I find pleasant and refreshing. I especially like the rock and boulder formations on holes 6 and 10.
+There is an active maintenance team that has been keeping the course in immaculate condition! When the leaves fell last fall, they were quickly blown off every fairway and path. I think this was largely the work of one dedicated guy out with his leaf blower!
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Design</span></span>
+FAIRWAY SHAPE VARIETY- There are very solid bones in place with nice fairway shape variety! 7 Left/ 3 Right/ 6 Straight/ 2 S shape.
+All fairways are well cleared and fair.
+ELEVATION VARIETY: The ideal mix of 9 up and 9 down. Most elevation changes are moderate.
+TERRAIN VARIETY: predominantly wooded with some more open holes. 13 Woods/ 5 Mixed. They vary in openness from the mostly open hole 1 to the tight tree corridor on hole 16, to the more open hole 18 bordered by thick trees, thorns, and rough. The other holes are on a spectrum of woods shots (2-11, 15-16) and more open with mowed grass surrounded by trees and rough (12-14, 17-18)
+NICE GREENS: especially on the woods holes. My favorite green is hole 5 where the basket is surrounded by trees. I also like the approach into basket 10 with the rocks and small boulders.
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Amenities</span></span>
+BENCHES- There are already a few benches (on 1, 4, 7), which is nice on such a new course.
+BEAUTY: there is an inherent aesthetic beauty to the woods and land that I find pleasant and refreshing. I especially like the rock and boulder formations on holes 6 and 10.
+There is an active maintenance team that has been keeping the course in immaculate condition! When the leaves fell last fall, they were quickly blown off every fairway and path. I think this was largely the work of one dedicated guy out with his leaf blower!
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Design</span></span>
+FAIRWAY SHAPE VARIETY- There are very solid bones in place with nice fairway shape variety! 7 Left/ 3 Right/ 6 Straight/ 2 S shape.
+All fairways are well cleared and fair.
+ELEVATION VARIETY: The ideal mix of 9 up and 9 down. Most elevation changes are moderate.
+TERRAIN VARIETY: predominantly wooded with some more open holes. 13 Woods/ 5 Mixed. They vary in openness from the mostly open hole 1 to the tight tree corridor on hole 16, to the more open hole 18 bordered by thick trees, thorns, and rough. The other holes are on a spectrum of woods shots (2-11, 15-16) and more open with mowed grass surrounded by trees and rough (12-14, 17-18)
+NICE GREENS: especially on the woods holes. My favorite green is hole 5 where the basket is surrounded by trees. I also like the approach into basket 10 with the rocks and small boulders.
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Amenities</span></span>
+BENCHES- There are already a few benches (on 1, 4, 7), which is nice on such a new course.
Cons:
Since this is a new course you need to give it some grace. There is still work to be done, and there have been course work days. Since the course is still in progress, there are undoubtedly plans to work on many of the following areas...
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Design</span></span>
-BLIND BASKETS: 8 holes have baskets that are not visible from the tee (1, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 18) so they require some scouting up the fairway. That makes these holes low on being First-Time-Friendly (FTF).
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Basics</span></span>
-NAVIGATION is the most outstanding difficulty, so this is one of the biggest challenges for first timers (low FTF rating here). Since there are many hiking trails that cross there is great potential for confusion because at intersections you don't know whether to turn or continue going straight. This may change one day with next tee arrows. [I have posted navigation notes on the Wall and in the Course Description.]
-ROUGH, especially THORNS. On some holes you do not want to go off the fairway because you will land in thick thorns! Hole 13 has many thick thorns on the right and left where your drive could land, and hole 18 has thorn patches for short drives and closer to the basket. Hole 1 has a thorn patch too, on the approach on the right side. I would highly recommend only playing in long pants, and make sure to stay on the fairway. Many thorns have already been cleared out, so I am hopeful that ongoing course work will get rid of even more.
-TEES are currently only wood frames filled with fine gravel. They are wide enough and long enough, so they work fine for now, but over time they may get uneven. They also may be improved in the future.
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Amenities</span></span>
-Restrooms are minimal. There is a pit toilet fairly close to the course, near the playground. This is a minor factor to me.
<span class="underline">Items to work on:</span>
-HOLE LENGTHS: 8 holes still needs lengths measured and marked on the tees (1, 4, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18). I'm confident that this will be completed before long.
-TEE SIGNS: as of May 2020 there are no signs, but they will most likely be added in the future. Right now the course is still in it's initial settling in period.
-NAVIGATION AIDS: a COURSE MAP would help tremendously, and Next tee signs would be a great help.
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Design</span></span>
-BLIND BASKETS: 8 holes have baskets that are not visible from the tee (1, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 18) so they require some scouting up the fairway. That makes these holes low on being First-Time-Friendly (FTF).
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Basics</span></span>
-NAVIGATION is the most outstanding difficulty, so this is one of the biggest challenges for first timers (low FTF rating here). Since there are many hiking trails that cross there is great potential for confusion because at intersections you don't know whether to turn or continue going straight. This may change one day with next tee arrows. [I have posted navigation notes on the Wall and in the Course Description.]
-ROUGH, especially THORNS. On some holes you do not want to go off the fairway because you will land in thick thorns! Hole 13 has many thick thorns on the right and left where your drive could land, and hole 18 has thorn patches for short drives and closer to the basket. Hole 1 has a thorn patch too, on the approach on the right side. I would highly recommend only playing in long pants, and make sure to stay on the fairway. Many thorns have already been cleared out, so I am hopeful that ongoing course work will get rid of even more.
-TEES are currently only wood frames filled with fine gravel. They are wide enough and long enough, so they work fine for now, but over time they may get uneven. They also may be improved in the future.
<span class="underline"><span class="italic">Amenities</span></span>
-Restrooms are minimal. There is a pit toilet fairly close to the course, near the playground. This is a minor factor to me.
<span class="underline">Items to work on:</span>
-HOLE LENGTHS: 8 holes still needs lengths measured and marked on the tees (1, 4, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18). I'm confident that this will be completed before long.
-TEE SIGNS: as of May 2020 there are no signs, but they will most likely be added in the future. Right now the course is still in it's initial settling in period.
-NAVIGATION AIDS: a COURSE MAP would help tremendously, and Next tee signs would be a great help.
Other Thoughts:
Course Level = White (most suited for Intermediate players rated 875-925)
<span class="underline">You be the judge-</span>
My FAVORITE HOLE is 16. Even though it is only 160 ft, and one of the shortest holes on the course, it also has the tightest fairway in a narrow tree lined corridor. It is easy to kick off a tree into trouble, so it still takes great finesse and a well-executed drive to get to the basket. I also enjoy hole 5, a slightly downhill woods shot. Hole 18 is a nice challenging finishing hole; you must keep it in the more open fairway. It is a short par 4, really a tweener, but you have to execute two exceptional shots to get a birdie 3.
CEDAR TREES: there are quite a few disc eating cedar trees scattered around. They are very scenic obstacles, but it is easy for discs to get stuck in them as well. Holes 1, 13, and 18 have quite a few.
MUD: the dirt walking paths can get muddy and slippery after rains, so watch your step. The trail to hole 10 and then tee 10 are on low spots that collect water.
WIND frequently blows very strong, so it can be a factor. Wind is strongest on hole 1 because it is the most open, and it is usually a head wind in your face on an uphill drive. Wind also comes into play on all of the more open holes such as 13-14 and 17-18.
WATER: there are no permanent water hazards; there are only dry creek beds for seasonal storm runoff.
My rating is currently slightly inflated because I gave the course lots of grace for what it will become. I assume that one day there will be tee signs and with them hole lengths for every hole. My rating is actually 6.8 out of 10, so it is currently just short of a 7, or a 3.5 on DGCR. I also expect to increase my rating when the resources are there to add some more of the Basics.
DISClaimer- this is my new home course, but I am trying to be objective and overcome home-boy bias. The course has great terrain, nice elevation variety, and a solid challenging design. I really enjoy the course, so I am thankful to the designers and the crew who did all the work to install and keep it maintained! Even though the course is kind of out in the country, it is well worth making a trip to play. If you can make the time to play Walnut Creek on the same day that is a very satisfying combination
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<span class="underline">A note about my rating:</span> My rating is a subjective measure of my <span class="italic">enjoyment</span> of the course, on the day I played it, and it is NOT intended to be a measure of the <span class="italic">quality</span> of the course. My Enjoyment Ratings are given "on the curve" in relation to all other courses I've played.
Look in the "Links/Files" section for my files with Hole-by-hole ratings and more detailed Overall review notes. You can also read more of my review philosophy and rating notes at Disc Golf Course Reviews
----------
I'm always trying to improve my reviews, so if you mark this review unhelpful or if you find a mistake, please send me a Personal Message here on DGCR to tell me what is wrong with it. I'll be grateful for the feedback.
<span class="underline">You be the judge-</span>
My FAVORITE HOLE is 16. Even though it is only 160 ft, and one of the shortest holes on the course, it also has the tightest fairway in a narrow tree lined corridor. It is easy to kick off a tree into trouble, so it still takes great finesse and a well-executed drive to get to the basket. I also enjoy hole 5, a slightly downhill woods shot. Hole 18 is a nice challenging finishing hole; you must keep it in the more open fairway. It is a short par 4, really a tweener, but you have to execute two exceptional shots to get a birdie 3.
CEDAR TREES: there are quite a few disc eating cedar trees scattered around. They are very scenic obstacles, but it is easy for discs to get stuck in them as well. Holes 1, 13, and 18 have quite a few.
MUD: the dirt walking paths can get muddy and slippery after rains, so watch your step. The trail to hole 10 and then tee 10 are on low spots that collect water.
WIND frequently blows very strong, so it can be a factor. Wind is strongest on hole 1 because it is the most open, and it is usually a head wind in your face on an uphill drive. Wind also comes into play on all of the more open holes such as 13-14 and 17-18.
WATER: there are no permanent water hazards; there are only dry creek beds for seasonal storm runoff.
My rating is currently slightly inflated because I gave the course lots of grace for what it will become. I assume that one day there will be tee signs and with them hole lengths for every hole. My rating is actually 6.8 out of 10, so it is currently just short of a 7, or a 3.5 on DGCR. I also expect to increase my rating when the resources are there to add some more of the Basics.
DISClaimer- this is my new home course, but I am trying to be objective and overcome home-boy bias. The course has great terrain, nice elevation variety, and a solid challenging design. I really enjoy the course, so I am thankful to the designers and the crew who did all the work to install and keep it maintained! Even though the course is kind of out in the country, it is well worth making a trip to play. If you can make the time to play Walnut Creek on the same day that is a very satisfying combination
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<span class="underline">A note about my rating:</span> My rating is a subjective measure of my <span class="italic">enjoyment</span> of the course, on the day I played it, and it is NOT intended to be a measure of the <span class="italic">quality</span> of the course. My Enjoyment Ratings are given "on the curve" in relation to all other courses I've played.
Look in the "Links/Files" section for my files with Hole-by-hole ratings and more detailed Overall review notes. You can also read more of my review philosophy and rating notes at Disc Golf Course Reviews
----------
I'm always trying to improve my reviews, so if you mark this review unhelpful or if you find a mistake, please send me a Personal Message here on DGCR to tell me what is wrong with it. I'll be grateful for the feedback.
