Pros:
+ Practice basket, information board and payment slot right next to hole1.
+ Concrete pads are all flat and sturdy.
+ Tee signs are informative and plainly visible.
+ Most of the course plays in a cozy forest, but...
Cons:
- ...It's too cozy and condensed. For instance, holes3 through 8 all feel as though they are right on top of each other with many different holes' baskets in close proximity.
- Some redundancy issues. Why bother having two baskets on hole3 that are so close together? Why bother having two tees on hole4 that are so close together? And so on.
- There are no 'next' signs to help players easily find their way.
- No system in place to tell players which position the basket is in.
Other Thoughts:
This review is based on the long layout.
I thought that the prettiest hole was also the most annoying to play. Hole12 is a tall woodsy tunnel with nothing but natural quiet all around you. That's a nice place to close your eyes, breathe and enjoy the peace. It's just a shame that when you open your eyes, the hole demands a near ninety-degree left turn from you just a few yards away from the tee! I enjoy matching wits against tough and unusual fairways, but that's just a little ridiculous. What's the deal, there?
Hole18 was my favorite to play because it gives you one last upsloping tunnel before launching you out into the open back to civilization.
On paper, Pohick Bay has a lot of the things that I would normally go crazy over at a disc golf course. It is a mostly wooded course with some satisfying tree puzzles. There are a few fun elevation features. There is even a tiny creek to deal with towards the end, though some players might not even notice. So, why didn't I fall in love with it?
Firstly, it's kind of on the short side. From either layout, the absolute longest hole is 326 feet. That's not so bad considering most of the holes play in the woods. In many cases, a wooded course needs to be shorter to compensate for the higher number of obstacles. But these are a bit too brief with most fairways hovering around 200 feet. That doesn't give the player much opportunity to savor the course.
Secondly, the course starts to feel samey after awhile. The player never leaves the one area of pine woods, so the holes start to blend together into a homogenized experience. I look at the pictures I took, and I still can't really recall playing some holes. It doesn't help that most of the course plays flat. A few hills and slopes try to liven up the experience, but they're over before you know it.
Thirdly, some of the design choices turned me off. Hole3, for instance, has a perpetual left turn protected by a mando. There are a few baskets so close to one another that it is unclear which is meant for the hole you're playing. Hole4 plays too closely to a road according to my overly fretful mind. And I've already mentioned hole12.
But for all of that negative stuff I've brought up, I want to continue and end on a positive note. After all, some of the stuff that I just brought up could easily sound like a good time to some players. Shorter fairways have a certain appeal of their own- especially to newer players. Flat woodsy fairways can certainly make for good training. And who doesn't love a wild and unconventional fairway challenge once in a while?
Whatever you take away from this review, don't think that I view Pohick Bay as a bad course. It's fine. It didn't make me mad or frustrated like some courses have. I don't remember getting lost despite the lack of 'next' signage. If you play here, you can expect to find a decent challenge more geared towards novices and recreational players and a basic refresher for more experienced players. It's not a great course, but you can do worse.