Bristol, VA

Sugar Hollow DGC

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3.935(based on 15 reviews)
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10 0
Puckstopper
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.5 years 36 played 36 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Trying something new here... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 13, 2022 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Please read bennybennybenny's extensive review for a very comprehensive list of these.

One place I disagree is his point regarding how easy the course is being a pro. This is clearly personal preference, but I'd like to see this course have more aggressive pars. Having 5 par 4's on this course feels generous.

Cons:

Again, I'll defer to bennybennybenny's review, with only one point of disagreement:

Hole 6 is dam cool! Having only a 3 foot wide flat ridge to land on made an otherwise boring hole VERY interesting (especially when you factor in the crossbreeze that was blowing downhill both times I played. If I lived in the area I suspect this would be the first hole that separated scores in a group as smart players should get an easy birdie here, but there's quite a bit of potential to take a 4 or 5 with a bad kick that rolls 100' down hill.

Ok, I lied, two cons to mention: Hole 11 needs one tree cut down. I don't care which one, just pick any tree at least 50' down the fairway and cut it down. That's all it would take to open a line on this hole.

Other Thoughts:

Sugar Hollow as it sits today is a fun course that will provide an ample but fair challenge to rec level players. Intermediate players may be a little bored here, but on a day where the wind is up they'll have their hands full as well. There's a great variety of shots here with open bombers, tightly wooded technical holes, up and down hill, and a tricky water carry to an island green all represented. The aforementioned hole 6 is a fairly unique hole that has potential to produce memorable shots of both the good and tragic variety.

On top of all of that, this course has SO much unrealized potential! Most holes have room for a second set of tees and an alternative basket position. If a designer wanted to add alternate tees, there's plenty of room, not only to add "long" or "short" tees, but to add a tee that would genuinely change the challenge level of each and every hole by forcing a harder or easier look at the basket. This is a very good course that has the potential and land to be a 4-4.5 star destination course.

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16 1
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.6 years 1176 played 760 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sugar Hollow DGC is as pretty of a course as you'll find anywhere. It has all the bells and whistles your look for as far as amenities. The course plays near some of the park roads, but otherwise plays in pretty much disc golf exclusive areas. It's a public park, so anything goes, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

The baskets are beautiful looking Innova Discatchers. These are all in great shape, mounted nicely and catch perfectly. Not compaints here. One position per hole on most.

The tee pads are amply sized, brushed concrete. Couldn't ask for anything better here. These more than get the job done. One tee per hole

The tee signs are fantastic. Some of the nicer ones you'll ever see actually. They have a bright, detailed hole map that shows the intended line/lines, and OB and even walking paths that are denoted as not OB. They also include the hole #, next tee arrows, distances, and par. Not just par, but Pro, Am and Ladies pars. Don't recall seeing that anywhere else.

The course is definitely moderately hilly. There's nothing crazy here, but it's persistant throughout the round. The woods are used well towards the middle of the course. It helps to break things up a bit. These holes are generally flatter and give your legs a reprieve.

The course is permanent and free to play. Water can come into play hole 13 with the creek running across the fairway.

Cons:

Some of the woods holes are through rows of pines. Think of the famous BRP hole 4. Some people like this, I'm not a fan. It's cool for the top 1 percent of players that can throw a putter down a ten foot wide hallway for 300 feet. It's just plinko for the rest of us.

Some of the holes are kinda meh. #6 is kind of just a "get you over here" hole. Even the first 2 holes felt like they were a way to get it up to 18 holes. Pretty lackluster start to the round.

There's a few longer walks between holes, luckily the arrows on the tees show you the way. But if you forgot to look you'll probably need to break out the Udisc map.

It would be nice to eventually see some alternate tees and/or pins. Even just some alternate sleeves would spice it up some.

Other Thoughts:

Don't get me wrong, Sugar Hollow is a nice course. It looks the part. Tees, pads, signs etc. The golf just felt kind of bland though. It just felt like more filler than I was expecting I guess. I feel it's a solid 3.25. It's better than just "good", but it's not "very good" either. I gave it the bump up to a 3.5 because of the amenities and the beauty of the park itself. Worth a play for sure, but there's more stimulating options nearby.
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15 1
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 322 played 303 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A Sweet Ending 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 16, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

-This is not what I would call the "Carolina Average." Appropriate since this course is in Virginia! Many different holes here; that may only be a thought since it's a different atmosphere. #2 is pretty open until the final 200'. A difficult birdie since it's about 640' long. If you can really smash, you'll have a solid chance as long as you avoid the OB road. The green is past a fairway spaced several trees to the right. #6 plays entirely on a flat ridge, #7 is a great hole requiring a clean shot past the pines and across a field. You must be accurate immediately off the tee pad, but you also need to give a good pull. Hole is 385'. The front nine is pretty open and gives many long drive opportunities for players who love max distance throwing. However, a lot of those holes have obstacles (bushes, steep slopes, a tree orchard, etc.)

-The back nine has some interesting holes too. Starts off with a very tough but fair par three. #10 is 310' and downhill pretty significantly. The entire hole is through rows of pine trees in the woods. The fairway isn't very wide, so you'll want to throw the most stable disc you have that won't sail. #13 utilizes the creek very smartly if the pin is in the long position. The tee shot is a little bit frightening since it has you throwing through the tree rows. A forward tree kick could bring you to the creek. It's about 190' ahead, so just short of the 238' pin placement.

-#14-17 consist of the best elevation changes on the course. All are over 20' (#16 is probably barely past that). #14 is up maybe 35'. Doesn't appear so on the media but it's up there! The rising angle is pretty low, but it's continuous in the open. The basket is tucked in the woods on the left. You could hyzer over the road risking OB and be left with a longer but more manageable upshot or go straight and risk being short of the woods and be left with a weird upshot angle. The basket placement has some room for rollaways, making this a very tough par four for it being under 500'. #15 is a long par three through pine rows, downhill the whole way. This has my vote for being the signature hole. I enjoyed #16 more so than some of the other reviewers. The tee shot has you throwing past one row of trees. The one to the left kind of hovers to the right on the top, so you have to throw below it while throwing significantly uphill. Advanced players will find this hole pretty easy while intermediates may find it deceivingly hard. The elevation on #17 drops more quickly than the three previous holes. Only 180' long and plays a lot less because of the steep hill.

-Shreddable: Advanced players will be able to birdie most of the holes here without much trouble. The harder holes, such as #7, #10, #12, #14, #15, and #18 can probably be parred routinely if you don't do anything too risky. If you birdie one of them, you'll have a good chance in scoring low. Intermediates will find some of the shorter holes easy as well and average below par in tournaments. My recommendation would be to really analyze the easier holes and figure out the best way for you to birdie them. The harder holes are still birdieable (I got a three on #14 and a two on #18) but they have more room for error. It's not a course that you have to really know before you shred, so it's easier to figure out.

-For a course with only one set of pads and pin positions, the variety is pretty good. Some nice wooded holes, some ace runs, many accuracy testers, and opportunities to really launch a driver (#3).

-The fact on how well groomed it is really stands out. Even the dam by #6 is clearly cut. Being on a steep hill, it has to be tougher to maintain.

-Tee signs are really cool. They give a intermediate par and a women's par, automatically changing the skill level of the course using the same layout. The tee pads are nice and fairly long.

-The course kiosk is very close to #3 which is where you park.

Cons:

-Playing Sugar Hollow is like taking one of the EOCs in high school. Generally speaking, There's a good amount of questions that are pretty difficult but fair and there are a few that are very hard. #11 is a weird poke and hope ace run. #12 is like that question on the state released test that is so insanely hard and terribly worded to the point where you, your teacher, and parents hope the creators of common core fall off a cliff, get eaten alive by a crocodile, struck by lightning, hit by a train, etc. This hole is like 355' and has no legit lane to the pin in the woods.

-A few filler holes, making Sugar Hollow seem more like "Sweetner Hollow." #6. I know it's interesting being entirely on a ridge. The walk to #7 is really long uphill. I was very disappointed with #6 being a 295' straight shot when it could be maybe a big 850' uphill par five with serious risk of gliding down the hill to the right. It'd be a real blast to play! The short ridge design shows wasted potential. A guy I met from Western Carolina told me the park has some major elevation. He's right, and it isn't used as much as it could. #8 is okay and all, being nicely downhill, but it is pretty bland being wide open. #11 and #12 just need some trees removed and #13 is a boring 161' toss down a small hill when it's in the short pin.

-Only one set of pads and baskets when more could be arranged. #1 could have a long pin with the fairway continuing along the road and curving right. I parked very close to #3 and instantly wondered why the pad was pushed down the hill and not on the top of it. That could be a real pro par four! More downhill, a little longer with the trees near the actual pad being more in play. I could go on and you'll see what I mean if you've played here. I didn't really taste the sweetness of Sugar Hollow until I got to #14. Not saying the course is bad until you get to #14 (or #13 if it's in the long pin). I'm just saying most of the holes are solid at best. There were a few really good holes before #14 that I really liked. But you'll definitely see room for improvement.

Other Thoughts:

-Sugar Hollow is a course you can see through easily. Very un-opaque and forgiving. Pros will be able to shoot below 50 without a whole lot of trouble on a day that isn't windy. The weather usually dictates the challenge of this course. You don't have to analyze the consequences as much as you would for some other courses. But it wouldn't hurt to really analyze each fairway and the rough. That could still shave off a couple of strokes. It was windy when I played, so I shot a 53. I wasn't playing very well until I got to #13. I think the rise of my enthusiasm really improved my round here. I was pretty indifferent about the course until I got to #14. Course ends really well with a challenging #18. 350+ and slightly wooded over a small rolling hill beside the road. The last five holes boosted my rating from a 3 to a 3.5.

-If there are long pins and extra tee pads, this rating could easily jump to a 4.5. There's a lot of extra space for better holes and an even more advanced layout. I think it's a little bit overrated unfortunately, but it's still a fun course. I REALLY hope #6 will be implemented into a much longer hole up the hill. The use of the ridge is brilliant, but the walk to #7 is pretty disappointing. You'll see different possibilities for long pads and pins here and I hope that can happen. As of now I like this course, but I don't LOVE it. Many of the previous reviewers love this course and you might as well if you haven't played here yet.
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2 11
tmann87
Experience: 9 played 2 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Excellent Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 13, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Tons of variety, really enjoy playing holes 9-11 as they have some really fun lines between trees.

Cons:

Could use more benches

Other Thoughts:

If you are in the area visiting or live here and have never tried Sugar Hollow its worth checking out.
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3 9
Baysinger
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.5 years 98 played 55 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Sugar Hollow DGC 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 25, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Other Thoughts:

Sugar Hollow DGC is one of my absolute favorite disc golf courses I have ever played... out of over 70 different courses! Everything about this course is amazing. It has concrete tee pads, great signage and discatcher baskets. And as far as the actual design of the course, you can't ask for much more than what you get on this course. It has beautiful rolling hills on long open drives where you can really air one out. It has long, tightly wooded holes where line hitting is key. It has short downhill and uphill ace run holes. Literally everything I ever want on a disc golf course has been designed into this layout! This is one of those courses that I absolutely love playing each and every time I go there. If you are anywhere near this course, you have to get to this one and play a couple rounds, and I promise you will want to go back as soon as you leave. If you are outside the area and traveling for some disc golf, make sure you hit this one in your travels because it's going to be one that you will remember! Don't just take my word for it... get out there and play it! If you want to see this course on video, check out the video of my crew playing this course (along with course designer Tim Barr) in the video below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPHc-Dj8Nqw
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11 5
thrembo
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 49.6 years 245 played 198 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Refreshing 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 3, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really like this course. At least one person in my foursome liked this course better than Harmon Hills. The course is set in a very nice park with plenty of elevation changes. One tee and one basket per hole, but different pars based on skill level or sex. Decent concrete tees and very nice tee signage. The course is truly diverse, with a good mix of hole lengths and types. The course has some cool looks and is fun to play. There are disc golf warning signs on the periphery of the course. Hole 6 (a flat spot on the side of a large hill).The course is maintained at the highest level. The grass was mowed, didn't see any trash etc.

Cons:

Not too many cons here. There could be a few more benches on the course, especially after a steep climb. There are a couple of holes that throw near roads.

Other Thoughts:

Fun and scenic, this is one that I feel is a little underrated. It sure is sweet and is a blast to play!
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15 0
blake833
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 161 played 142 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sweet enough to remember, but not dote upon 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sugar Hollow is an 18 hole course just across the border of Tennessee into Virginia in Bristol. It's an easy to find course in a large park with ample land for a full disc golf course that doesn't interfere with other park activities.

For me, the biggest pro of this course was its diversity. Just on the front 9, you play through lightly wooded fairways, across a levy, open field, and dense woods (but light rough). I don't think there was any three hole stretch that didn't change terrain in a drastic and intriguing way.

All of the holes were challenging, but achievable. The uniqueness of the design kept everything fresh and captivating. If there's one thing I loved about this hole, it was that even if I didn't use my whole bag, I will always want to keep trying different things.

Baskets and teepads were great. Signage was superb. Navigation was easy (i think i had to pull out the map once or twice, but mainly my own fault).

Cons:

Some of the rough is pretty rough, but you know, don't throw in it and it's not your problem (I say, even though I threw in it plenty and couldn't find one of my discs for 20 minutes even though it was only one small island patch of rough).

The biggest con that just limits this course to a 3.5 is the lack of "wow" factor. Many holes I think are great. But as a course, it really is just "very good."

Other Thoughts:

There's nothing uniquely overly spectacular that sets this course apart as a "must play," or top-tier above the rest course. It IS a Very Good course, and an exquisitely fun round that makes great use of the land it's on. But I don't know. Maybe the lack of any real 4's or 5's were you have to really pick your path carefully and not just be able to throw long.

Also, fun-fact, I caught up with and played a few holes with a couple locals who legitimately did not know there was a hole 17. Apparently they had always gone from 16 to 18 and not realized they were skipping a whole this whole time. YEARS they've been doing this. The tee signs are well marked, the baskets are well marked, the map is easy to follow, and they still took a long walk from 16 to 18 every time, and didn't realized they'd only played 17 holes of disc golf. Don't be those guys. Hole 17, as was every hole here, pretty fun

I did really enjoy my round here, and am itching for another chance to go back and play it even better. It's a challenging course which will test you, but treat you. As it picks you up, it will crush you down. And I love that.
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13 0
mshelton
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.6 years 145 played 32 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Dam? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained park
Nice tee signs
Concrete tee pads
Nice mix of some bomb drive holes and tight wooded shots
Water and restrooms (at park entrance)
Park has a leash law, 6' max (though some country club woman did have her poodle running free and crapping on #2's fairway)

Cons:

Could benefit from another set of tees
Holes could be mixed a little better but would require a rework

Other Thoughts:

Played this on a weekday passing through, pulling in I saw the large earthen dam and was expecting some carry shots over water. Got to the tee pad for #6 and realized I was on the backside of the dam I saw coming in, seems there's no lake at all. I checked it out later and seems that it was built for flood control, here's a brief article about it;

https://www.heraldcourier.com...fbac1d05.html

The course is set towards the back of the park and almost by itself, there are a few running/walking trails through the area but they really don't interfere with the holes. Starts off with 8 fairly open holes, one has a decent fairway gap to hit and one has some trees to navigate near the basket but nothing too technical. Then the Preparation H gets applied on hole 9 and things tighten up If you screw up 9 and think "I should have thrown x", don't worry, 10 is the same shot only downhill so you've got a chance to redeem yourself. Course loosens up 15-16, 17 is a cool little down hill wooded putter shot and 18 is openish finisher.

Nothing here is going to punish you terrible or have you deep in a thicket cursing but there are some good challenges. It's nice to have open big drive holes on the same course as technical shots and I think they have a good mix here leaning towards the big shots.

It would have been nice if the tight holes were mixed better with the open ones instead of being strung together but given the layout of the land I don't know how feasible that could have been.

Overall a really enjoyable course, stop in and play a round if you're on 81 in southwest VA.
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15 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.9 years 707 played 686 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pour Some Sugar On Me 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 21, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

(3.322 Rating) A solid course that will entertain most skill levels.
- ELEVATION - The terrain here is the perfect balance between fun tee shots and walkability. Several shots have a grade change of 30 feet or more in them. Just about all of this sloping terrain is manageable with a cart and the slope angle never exceeds 25 degrees. Hole (6) is a very interesting open hole. The play is halfway up along the embankment of an earthen dam. This brings in both the hilarious and terrifying death role. Hilarious when it happens to your friends but terrifying when it happens to you. A disc that lands on its edge here could easily roll a hundred feet away and be down 30 feet in elevation.
- UNIQUENESS - In addition to elevation, there are water elements and a good tree density mixture. There is also a nice hole distance variety and a few twisting holes. Hole (7) is a neat tunnel shot out of a shoot and into an open field that's a valley. This hole also twists a good 30 degrees right. Hole (14) is an uphill par 4 that starts lightly wooded only to level out and it is buried deep into a wooded pocket. (17) is a downhill chip shot ace run where several trees block off most 30 foot putts coming from the left side.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - As mentioned, very nice elevation changes. This park is also a great mix of light, moderate and heavily wooded holes. Holes (9-12) are all nice looking tunnel shots. Hole (13) is a play in front or behind a perfectly sized little creek depending on the pin placement.
- CHARACTER - Above average. Adequate 4.5 foot by 11.5 foot concrete tees. Benches are at a few tees and most tees are shaded. Recently upgraded tee signs and they're done in a very impressive wood crafted country club style. They would make my top thirty on aesthetic appeal (289 course played as of this review). They show the obstacles clearly and also a hole number and par info. Nice course map at tee (1), however no practice basket. There are also no multi-tees and the only alternate basket location is on (13).
- CHAINS - Newer looking DISCatchers with typical large viewable number always orientated correctly.
- CHALLENGING - Despite listing of the word "Pro" for the par structure on the hole signage and course map, this is not a pro level course or anywhere close to one. I'm an intermediate level player and I'm fairly confident that I would average below 58 which is the suggested pro par structure listed on the course map. All stated, this layout is still a touch more challenging than the average layout and it requires modest distance off the tee and an occasional needle line to thread.
- NAVIGATION - Not perfect but close. Take a picture of the nice course map, I checked it twice, after both (12) and (13). Many, if not all holes have a blue painted spoke on the top portion of the basket indicating next tee direction. There are also a few navigational cues in the tricky areas. Most of the paths between holes are intuitive.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - This course manages to find the perfect middle ground between too easy and too hard. The one set of tees will work good for 800s thru 935 rated players.
- LOCATION - Located a 5 minute drive from I81.

Cons:

I have to get very picking to find any flaws with this layout.
- HOLE 12 - I thought every line was realistically achievable except on hole (12). The line starts off well defined. At about 270 feet out, the fairway unfortunately dissolves into a poke and hope with 80 feet remaining. 63 rounds have been posted here on DGCR as of this review and not one records a deuce for this hole.
- PARKING - Only gravel parking adjacent to the course map. The parking area is a good 150 feet from tee (1) and basket (18). The gravel parking spots are also parallel to a steeper incline. When I opened my door it just slammed back shut on me. All started, parking makes almost no impact on my ratings.
- SPACING - Holes (3), (4) and (5) are all sort-of sandwiched parallel to each other. Discs could find the wrong fairway in this area. Otherwise the course spacing is pretty good.
- NO ADVANCED CHALLENGE - Advanced players will be able to throw rounds here routinely in the low 50s.

Other Thoughts:

A really hard course to review. There's really nothing here that's gushingly awesome, but at the same time there are no epic fails either. If I lived in Bristol, I would structure my search for apartments or house buying around the location of this course so I could be here all the time. Is it worth checking this course out? Absolutely, for those day tripping along I81. Sugar Hollow should be able to please just about everyone with the exception of the higher advanced level players and above. Beginners through lower advanced will all really like this place.
- TIME PLAY - It took me about an hour solo. This seems to be about average among the 18 hole courses I've played. Figure about two hours for a foursome.

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11 1
jjtwinnova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.4 years 284 played 97 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sugarcoated Disc Golf! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 14, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is set in the middle of a beautiful park on the Virginia side of Bristol, not far from a wide variety of family/adult activities, good restaurants, and of course, other disc golf courses. The park has a good variety of activities for you and your family to relax, as well as stuff for others to do.

The course starts out with holes that are almost synonymous with well-designed park courses. Open, but challenging holes, with sporadic tree placement. The first hole, a relatively easy par 3, is followed by a couple bomber par 4s. You will be tested for accuracy and distance off the tee.

Since the course is relatively new, the baskets and tee pads are in fantastic shape. The fairways and rough were well cleared, and everything was mowed. It was easy to tell that a lot of work is being put in to make this course worthwhile.

There was a good mix of lefty and righty holes, challenging both players off the tee, and the course had a good variety of open and wooded holes. The wooded holes were strategically placed in the middle of the course, making for a good pace setter.

There were a few holes that I felt were feature holes, or nice holes. Hole 5 was an open to tunnel par 4, which forced accuracy off the tee, as well as distance, followed by either an escape shot, or an up and down for birdie. Hole 6 was the opposite, a 300ish foot par 3, that played on the hillside of a dam. The fairway was about 20 feet wide, with a steep downhill to the right, and a steep uphill to the right. There were a few others, like 13, and 18, that I enjoyed as well.

Cons:

My main con is the lack of variety. I don't mean lack of shot variety, but layout variety. There is only one tee pad per hole, and most of the holes only have one pin position. For a player driving through, or staying for the weekend, this is fine, but for the local player, this can become monotonous. With an extra tee pad, or three pins per hole, I can see this being a 4 star course for sure.

Some more navigational signs could go a long way, as some walks between holes can be long. For me, the worst offender is 6 to 7, an arduous walk up a hill. If this was later in the round, I might have had to take a nap halfway up.

Being new, there were a few spots that could afford to be cleared up. I didn't see any poison Ivy, but it was mentioned in an earlier review, so please be aware. There were a few thorn bushes here and there, but nothing too bad.

Lastly, there were a few filler holes, or holes that didn't wow me. Some of these holes were wide open easy hyzers (8). Or too tight to be fair (11). 9 and 10 were nice tunnel shots between the trees, but it sucks that they were back to back.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Sugar Hollow. I have relatives that live close, so it will for sure be a frequent stop on my trips. I will be sure to update this review as the course improves, as I am sure it will, and I hope to see bigger and better things for the Bristol area!
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12 2
Cerealman
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.4 years 665 played 192 reviews
4.00 star(s)

More fun in the Tri-Cities 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 29, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Sugar Hollow is an excellent course that offers much variety (short versus long, open versus wooded, flat versus hilly, uphill versus downhill, and tees on the left, right and straight ahead). Nearly every hole seems to provide a unique challenge, and even the wooded holes are different enough to be enjoyable.

The course is also fairly easy to navigate and Sugar Hollow rates high for "traversability" -- most of the holes offer plenty of nicely mowed areas and clean ground for the fairways. Having to navigate roots, tree branches, brush, poison ivy, thorns, rocks, sinkholes and fiery lava pits can really affect one's level of fun -- fortunately, those obstacles are few at Sugar Hollow.

The pro par of 58 seems fair. As was noted in an earlier review, bad drives aren't always punished, as good recovery shots can salvage many pars.

Sugar Hollow offers nice teepads, excellent signs and plenty of exercise.

Cons:

Hole #12 seems like the most difficult hole on the course -- the heavily wooded par-3 is a "poke and hope" and could use a few more trees removed.

I thought two holes on the course could be considered "filler" holes: Hole #8 (long and open for about 400 feet) and Hole #16. But "filler" doesn't mean they're easy birdies. They're not.

Sugar Hollow could benefit from a few more trash cans and benches.

Other Thoughts:

The Tri-Cities offers several excellent courses (Harmon Hills, Warriors Path and Winged Deer), and Sugar Hollow is one of the nicest and perhaps the most diverse course in the area.

Another user also pointed out a helpful navigational tip: "One of the spokes supporting the top rim of each basket is painted blue. That blue spoke is pointing to the next tee."
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13 1
BrotherDave
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.4 years 192 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sweet! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a newer course so I'm gonna provide a hole-by-hole, bear with me. It looks like it's in its prime already with no awkward break-in period being evident. Plays mostly open through a great park with mature trees dotting the fairway here and there, classic park golf style. However, unlike a lot of open, park courses, Sugar Hollow's trees are a little more than just nice to look at. Most holes have enough shape, distance, good pin placement and obstacles to require line-shaping and not mindless bombing. There's a fair bit of in-out of woods action and all-wooded holes to balance out the course. It plays around a dam (literally for hole 6) with clever utilization of the elevation change that creates. Not a lot of "blow you away" holes but you have a scenic creek, pine-lined tunnels and fun elevation to be thoroughly entertaining. Baskets, tees (concrete), and signs are perfect and the course is easy to navigate.

*Hole 1: Straightforward par 3 with just enough of an early gap, sloping elevation and proximity to OB road to be interesting. Could be spiced up for more score separation but it's not a bad thing for the 1st hole to be a little forgiving.

*Hole 2: Long dogleg right requiring a long drive then approaching the moderately wooded green via an angle. Great hole, solid par 4.

*Hole 3: Another long par 4 that s-curves and finishes right. Scenic but distance is really the only skill tested as OB road isn't close enough to worry.

*Hole 4: Good test of hitting a gap with some power, avoid grove of trees mid fairway and easy putt. Maybe a bit too similar to hole 1.

*Hole 5: Par 4 that requires long, sweeping hyzer through the gap, over the hill's crest, then slopes down into the open. Being a par 4, score sep. might be better if the pin was to the right of the gap (like hole 3's pin locale) so RHBHers would have to throw a flip-to-turnover or RHFH/LHBHers a flex shot. Or move it more to the left to make it a dogleg.

*Hole 6: Plays along a narrow shelf, midway across the dam. Immediately felt that this hole needed tweaking, particularly a longer tee. A tee at the bottom near the trees you pass could create a nice par 4 with cool elevation change. Big arms could dare for an Eagle, most can try to place their drives on the shelf to make their 2nd shot easier.

*Hole 7: Tunnel to a downhill, open field. There's enough elev. change to feel dogleg-ish but it's really a strong turnover through a fairly tight gap. Slightly fast green. Tough but fair par 3.

*Hole 8: Downhill open bomb. Weird to think of a ~400' hole as a filler hole but it sorta is. The only obstacle is distance.

*Hole 9: Short wooded tunnel through pines, slightly uphill. Not a gimmie but the shortness is a nice change of pace.

*Hole 10: Another gauntlet of pines but longer and slightly downhill this time. Repetitive? Eh, not too much to me.

*Hole 11: Short hole through skinny trees. Too much randomness in the fairway that favors luck over skill, needs a choice tree or two removed IMO.

*Hole 12: Longish hyzer through the woods. Maybe a bit too wooded/long for a par 3. I'd check scores over time and see if it would be better off lengthened into a legit par 4 or thinned out the green a bit to make it more reachable off the tee.

*Hole 13: Picturesque, short, downhill putter shot with a lovely creek as OB. Great hole.

*Hole 14: Reverse image of hole 2, kind of. Slightly uphill with a basket tucked into a pocket of woods. Good design; this is the kind of hole Schwarz tries to do a lot but fails miserably b/c he doesn't give you an approach to the green.

*Hole 15: Really pretty downhill hole, just tight enough to make reaching the green off the tee a little tricky.

*Hole 16: Short turnover shot made deceptively long by goodly amount of elevation.

*Hole 17: Deuce or die downhill shorty through some woods. Filler hole maybe but downhill is always fun.

*Hole 18: Was in the tourney pin placement when I played, making it a subtle dogleg left. Moderately wooded and feels tighter due to rolling slope of the fairway that winds to the left, requiring a sweeping hyzer that apexes over the crest of the slope. Really nice, technical hole.

Cons:

Longish walk uphill from 6 to 7 and also a bit of a walk from 18 back to the parking lot but not too bad.

Could really use some more doglegs or multi-shot par 4's for a bit more variety.

No alternate tees and not many alternate pin placements to make up for it.

No bathrooms near the start/end of the course, nor a shelter or anything, making tourney hosting harder (doesn't loop back after 9 holes either).

Other Thoughts:

Just a few tweaks or alt. tees away from being an easy 4 star course IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to returning, easily the 2nd best course I played in the region behind Harmon Hills. It's not going to be a major challenge for Gold level and upper Blue level players but there's enough here to keep them engaged. Everybody else should have tons of fun and difficulty to go around.

Reminds me a little of Brent Hambrick's in Columbus, Ohio.
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splatbaseball51
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 182 played 59 reviews
4.00 star(s)

So good, so convenient! Why haven't you played yet? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 7, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course will easily become one of the local favorites, and with its convenience to I-81 and plenty of shopping/restaurants, it'll become a favorite for the traveling player as well.

As for the course itself, you'll start with the first 5 holes playing mostly open and long, with some mature trees and thick rough dictating your throws. You'll get to open up and crush shots on 2 and 3, but after that you won't get that opportunity again until 14 and 15.

Sugar Hollow passes the sniff test for a well-rounded course. There are a few wide open holes, a few bombers with mature trees, a few in/out of the woods holes and several really fun wooded shots. Many people have commented that the two similar tunnel shots (9/10) are too repetitive. I'll be honest, it didn't really fell that way to me. I liked those shots as they play differently despite being very similar looking. One's slightly uphill and short, the other slightly down and long. Being that those shots are nowhere else to be found in this area, I think having two of them was just fine.

I probably play a 50/50 mix of flick and backhand, so counting my tee shots can be a decent gauge of how well rounded the shots are. I counted only 5 flicks from the tee pad, but several holes could easily be approached with either shot. It didn't really feel like it favored RHBH, but by the numbers it has that appearance. All in all, however, a decent mix of left/right shots.

The amenities are very nice in this park. There are plenty of benches with nice matching trashcans. The tee's are plenty big enough and are concrete. The tee signs are extremely professional and give you all the information you need. I saw the course information board being built which will hopefully have a map and other things soon.

Cons:

I wouldn't be doing Tim nor the locals in the Bristol area any favors by not providing some constructive feedback.

Firstly, there are a few holes that felt like filler holes to me. Hole 8 is probably the biggest offender. It's not a bad hole, but it's not a good one either. Wide open, zero risk/reward, a gimmie 3 but will be 2'd more than it isn't.

There are a few walks between holes that are on the long side. The walk after hole 12 comes to mind as an example. Obviously this course is brand new and I'm sure improvements are on the way, but I'd suggest some navigation signs on the longer walks.

The course could benefit GREATLY with alternate pins and tees to help increase the difficultly level for tournaments. I noticed several holes had alt pins, but as of now no alt tee's. Don't get me wrong, I'll play a tournament here all day, but for advanced players and up it'll feel more deuce-or-die than I think it should. Some more challenging pins and tees can greatly increase the risk/reward for the more skilled players. Simply too many of the holes rewarded great shots but didn't necessarily punish mediocre/bad shots. Hole 12 is an example of a hole that really punishes a bad shot. I wish there were more holes like that at SH.

A small con would be that this is not two 9-hole loops. For tournaments and local events, shotgun starts will mean some long walks to and from your hole. It also means it's tough to just play a quick 9 if you don't have time for a full round. Again, not the end of the world.

Other Thoughts:

My Score: 50. I feel like the biggest drawback to SH is the lack of punishment for a bad shot. I felt like it was simply too easy to get up and down after an errant throw, which led to my scorecard having a lot of 3's. This can easily be remedied later with longer tees and alternate pins, but for now it's the thing that sticks out the most to me. (Update: I've since changed my review from a 4.5 to a 4. After considering everything again, the lack of multiple configurations that leads to the lack of punishment/difficulty really holds this course back from being a 4.5. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly revise my review in the future to a 4.5 if these things are fixed, but for now it's too much of a one-trick pony, albeit a very fun and gorgeous one.)

Wear Pants! There's poison ivy everywhere off of the fairway and you're almost certainly going to find yourself there once or twice.

As I alluded to earlier, this park is in a great location. There is an abundance of shopping right off the exit if your SO doesn't want to play as well as plenty to eat when you're finished.

I've already heard talk about comparing this course to Greenfield DGC, Warriors Path and even (dare I say) Harmon Hills. While I have a special place in my heart for Greenfield and Harmon, I could (maybe) buy someone's argument that Sugar Hollow is superior, but it'd need to be a good one. The thing that separates Harmon, Warriors and Greenfield, is they all have a little extra difficulty available to the player when compared to SH. SH likely has the best amenities and one of the most convenient locations, but shot for shot I still prefer Greenfield and Harmon, but I would rank it higher than Warriors.

These types of comparisons are probably in vain anyway. The bottom line is, however you feel about any other course, Sugar Hollow is one that shouldn't be missed. I don't give out 4.0+'s like candy. Get out to Bristol and play this beautiful course on this beautiful property and then you be the judge.
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2 3
Tonester
Experience: 69 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice variety of hole designs. Tests both your power and touch shots.
The tee pads are very nice and are long enough to allow for a good run up.
There are several holes that reward a good tee shot allowing for an easy setup for a birdie.

Cons:

Tee signs were not up yet when I played but if you use the DGCR app it provides the distances. Hope they get the signs up soon. If they put the same amount of effort into the signs as the course, I am sure they will be awesome.

Other Thoughts:

I see this course really gaining popularity over the next few years.
I really enjoyed playing this course. Will definitely be back.
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2 2
asksmity
Experience: 16.9 years 7 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great addition to the Bristol area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 26, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well laid out with variety of hole types. Very clean and well trimmed. In the open areas, grass is cut at different lengths for fairways and roughs. Course progresses nicely starting easy with open shots for warm up and increasing in difficulty.

Cons:

Signs are not up yet but posts are in place. Looks like signs are coming soon. Until then, use the map in the files section or you will get lost. Hole 9 does not end back at the parking lot, so if you want to play 9 it will be a decent walk back to the car.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this course is top notch and impressive. I will be playing here a lot. I hope to see additional holes in the future.
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