Play a USWDGC Course
12 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Co-Hosted the 2019 USWDG Championship with Hawk Hollow.
-Loriella Park has 11 heavy wooded holes with 2 water carries, and the rest open. Elevation with sloping fairways and uphill as well. A few open fairways with rolling hills, and some baskets with roller greens. Open fairways some playing tees thru tree gaps or open tees to gaps in the woods or even gap to gap. Baskets had some guardian trees in the open holes.
-Wooded holes are narrow with gaps testing your game, but fair. Water carries are manageable depending which tee pad or pin you're playing.
-The rough in the woods was clean, meaning no or very little brush. You could pretty much walk right up to your disc not having to look for it. Very unusual for wooded fairways.
-Turf tee pads are in outstanding shape, likely installed for the 2019 Championship. Baskets catch well. Most holes have two tee pads, and some holes have as many as three pin placements. 15 out of the 18 tees I played were long. I played a few of the long pins when I could see them. A good variety of distance and pars depending on what tee pad you're playing from.
-Navigation is counter-clockwise. Even in the woods you could see basket to tee for the most part with a few signs to help when needed. Very good walking experience from 1st tee to 18th basket. Your best navigation aide is going to be the DGCR map, take a picture of it.
-Tee signs had very good graphics with map, hole number, and distance.
-Beginner and recreational players will find short tees and baskets fair enough. Intermediate and advanced should be thrilled to be tested on a championship course. Prior to playing for the first time, I recommend watching the championship coverage to study up, and again afterwards to compare yourself to the FPO's lead card. They played a mixture of shorts and longs.
Cons: -The tee signs had no par information on them. I could figure it out for most of the holes from long tees and pulled up a few past tournament score cards to verify later.
-I didn't see any indication on the tee sign or anything else whether the long basket was placed at B or C pin. A few holes didn't have a second basket in either position. After #3 I decided just to play short basket if I couldn't see a long basket from tee, in the wooded holes just about all I didn't play, and a lot of missed opportunities. Even UDisc was no help, it was a mess of distances and pars. It would also be difficult to keep track of on DGCR hole information tab.
-Some of the wooded holes were not memorable, but they have their own uniqueness from each other, it could take a few rounds to become familiar. The open holes were just good to play. #4 long tee to basket was open all the way uphill and nothing in the way.
-Lost disc potential can be high with the two water carries. On the day I played you would be far more likely to lose your disc in the open field, the grass was almost up to my knees in some places, and I had walked by my disc a few times before turning back, compared to walking right up to my disc in the woods. I was waived thru on #1 in the open by a guy who was having a hard time finding his disc in the grass.
-From what I understand Loriella Park can be very busy on the weekend, so if you like playing quick rounds may want to try a weekday. I played on a Monday morning was allowed to go ahead on the tee by a single on #1 and waived thru by the guy looking for his disc on the same hole. Saw no one else afterwards.
Other Thoughts: I played Loriella Park just 5 days after playing Hawk Hollow wanted to get the feel of what it could have been like playing in a championship. Both courses separate themselves. Loriella much tighter in the wooded fairways with some breathing room in the open. At Loriella found the course very challenging, but fair. It was fun watching the championship after playing my round and comparing to the Final Round lead card on disc placement. I had also watched the championship more than a year ago. I can say on #1 where I parked my tee shot, I would have won CTP, but after that would have been left behind by the two Paiges, Catrina, and the winner Kristen.
The biggest con was my intention to play long tees and pins. Brought down by lack of knowledge of pin placements on the tee, so after no long basket on #3 decided to stick with shorts unless long pin could be seen from tee. I did find it frustrating but got over it quickly. I will be better prepared next time I play there. Course knowledge by playing regularly here would be a huge advantage.
With the heavily wooded holes having their own settled uniqueness and finding that stretch with the creative gap play, water carries, A few open holes with gaps to baskets, and the joy of playing a course that hosted a major championship, my overall rating is anchored on a 5.0. The time to play my round was 80 minutes with a leisurely pace to take it all in, and some moments of frustrations trying to figure out basket placements while camping out on a few tees trying to figure it out before abandoning it.
Notable Tee Pad:
-No. 17 is an open tee to an open basket with a tree line from the long tees at 140 feet out. The gap was about 20 feet and I parted thru it; the rest of the way home free. Watching tournament coverage, the prior year, the look of the tee to gap was one of a few holes I remembered prior to playing my round. The gap looks bigger in person, than watching on tv.
Notable Holes:
-No. 5 Par 4 at 639 feet long basket is a downhill hole with a lazy dogleg right. Heavy trees to the left, and open to the right. Short basket is in the open, long basket sits in the woods. The gap into the woods is at least 40 feet, and the gap sits at C2 edge. Long Basket has guardian trees. Need to hug the left line all the way down fairway, right side of fairway you can be pinched from reaching basket. Very scenic looking from tee. Put together two good shots and parked the approach.
-No. 12 Par 4 pin A 357 feet both pin B & C at 525 feet. The long tee is shooting thru a wooded gap that must be thrown straight out to open fairway that doglegs right and downhill. Difficult to hit the dogleg from tee, the angle is just awkward, and heavy woods on the right. Your approach down the hill pin A is in the open in front of you, B and C are tucked in the woods in two different locations on a down slope with C the most difficult to the right. The woods were dark and couldn't see baskets, ended up playing the short basket. The long basket was at pin C tucked in the woods at about 40 feet with guardians very scenic setting would have loved to of played but didn't see it until I completed the short basket.
-No. 13 Long Tee Par 4 at 490 feet is a down slope to a pond with C pin on the other side of pond, its also a dogleg left at about 200 feet out. Water edge is at 350 feet, and a water carry to pin is at least 475 feet and difficult. Fairway opens as you approach the pond and short basket to the left short of water is a good mark to place your disc for an approach. From the tee is a straight narrow tunnel of trees limiting throwing options. Basket has a few trees around it.
Signature Hole:
No. 3 Par 3 Long tee at 377 feet short basket what I would call the "hallway hole" is a straight tunnel gap with heavy trees on both sides with a gap of 20 feet all the way down. From the tee a gentle down slope and basket looks a long ways down but sits open within the tunnel. On a sunny day streaks of sun light power their way into the fairway thru the pine trees and is scenic and airy. Gotta keep it straight, I hit trees from tee and on approach. This hole is considered iconic. Saw no basket in the b or c pin position.
Trouble Hole:
No. 10 Par 3 long tee to long basket 387 feet across the pond. From tee shooting down slope thru a heavy wood gap straight down, the gap is also 20 feet wide. Waters edge is 150 feet, to reach across water is about 290 feet roping it. From the water to the basket is upslope and a possible roller back to water. Basket has a few guardian trees. Very scenic hole that can also be trouble. I decided to keep my disc and played the short tee.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Best in Fredericksburg
2 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Rating this course from the long tees only.
Hole 1 is a fantastic starting hole..short par 4 that the first half is woodedish and the 2nd half is wide open.
Hole 2 possibly one of my top 3 here. Big teeshot that fi bbn wishes as far right as you can manage ..roller or anny.
Hole 3 most call this the signature hole, because of how it looks. A 300' straight tunnel shot along the evergreens. Field to the left if you dont want to play plinko down the alley.
Hole 4 is a semi boring hole, but it does let you turn lose on the biggest drive you have off the tee.
Hole 5 is another great short par 4 that demand a good tee shot to have an approach into the very fair green area.
Hole 6 depending on where the target is this is a fair to good hole, winding short par 4 that snakes back and forth the entire time.
Hole 7 and 8 and 9 are all wooded holes with fair fairways, but nothing too exciting.
Hole 10 one of the 2 holes with water at this park. 300' shot through a large window over a small pond and onto the green and you have a putt.
Hole 11 12 more short par 4s the tee shot on 12 is more restricted than it needs to be.
13 fun little par that finishes over the water, getting a 3 here takes a great tee shot.
14 15 16 least fav holes here filled with random spaced trees with a mandatory on 14.
17 18 more short par 4s but this time in the open.
Fun course overall and every hole is different from the tee but a few bad tee shots and you feel like a lot of the holes are the same. Most memorable hole here for me is either 2 or 5
Best teeboxes you could hope to have
Cons: Lots of what I would call tweener holes.
1,6,8,11,12,13,14,16
Sometimes you are not able to play 1 or 2 long because people doing picnics.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
South DMV gem
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Might be up there with Seneca Creek as my favorite course so far in my short disc golf "career". The course and the park are beautiful and very clean for a public space. I was pleasantly surprised about that.
I'm a beginner and found the layout fun and challenging. While I played the open, meadow holes better than the wooded stuff, I gradually improved as I went along. I didn't attempt no. 10; just don't have the power and skill yet to get over the lake/pond. Par+4=7.
I like that 17 and 18 are feel-good ending holes. I managed to par both the first time I played here. Great way to end the round.
Rolling terrain has distinct uphill and downhill shots, especially in the two meadows.
No entrance fee!
Cons: I play the forward tees to the A basket. I originally felt some holes should be par-4 versus par-3 (4, 12, 17, 18). Over time, I think I was wrong. Just no. 4. I've parred 12 and 18 twice now. Being the mediocre player that I am, if I can par it, then it needs to stay par-3 (smile).
No. 3 is crazy-tight. Maybe a hyzer flip with a low-fader? I keep trying... I think the trick is to stop looking at the trees...
"Next tee" signage is minimal. Print out the lovely, informative map here on DGCR.com.
Needs a footbridge at mud-prone zone of hole 9 (there is now one at no. 6 - an earlier complaint of mine). Both holes can have "ponds" of mud in the fairway.
Other Thoughts: If you do want to make a day of it in the park, there are tennis courts, a soccer field, other large fields, hiking paths, a playground, picnic tables and pavilions.
Woods will make you learn to drive with a midrange or putter or learn to hyzer flip your fairway driver better. If you don't already.
My guess is the property used to be a dairy farm. Open meadows were pastures perhaps. It's a very scenic place with a red barn and stately former residence (now serving as the park office).
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Lots of Love for Loriella!
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Loriella is a multi-use park with a pool, baseball fields, tennis courts, walking trails, and a fantastic disc golf course!
Driving into the park on a grey and rainy morning, I was not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. This course is definitely better than I thought it would be.
For starters, the course plays for most every type of player. There is a heavily wooded portion, that takes twists and turns through the thick forest, and a wide open portion, that let players throw big drives. There is a great variation in distances off the tee, requiring both the use of drivers and putters alike.
On top of that, every hole on the course has two turf tee pads now! The turf tees are definitely a great addition to the course, and provide a great teeing surface. I believe every hole has at least an A and B pin position, and some holes even have multiple baskets. This gives the course a plethora of possible layouts. For example, the tournament I played, the first round a 50 was rated 996, and the second round, a 61 was rated 998. There was a huge difference in the difficulty of the course, depending on the layout.
Tee signs were descriptive and provided a helpful map and distances. They were very nice considering I was playing the course blind.
There were a lot of recent additions to make the course more aesthetically pleasing, such as new wooden bridges, some rocks here and there, and mulch in a few places. This made my experience on the course much nicer, and drier.
There were a few holes I would consider signature:
3: a 250-400 foot dead straight tunnel shot depending on the tee you play
5: A downhill, long right-handed backhand hyzer that takes about 400 feet of power to reach, depending on the wind.
10: A 250-350 foot par 3, with about a 150 foot water carry, with the basket only 30 feet past the water. It takes a controlled, straight shot
13: A tunnel off the tee, with the basket about 15 feet from the ponds edge. However, the C-pin is across the pond, and requires two great shots to get a three.
Cons: Loriella is a great course, and has a lot features that make it a great course for casual play, as well as tournaments, but it isn't free of cons.
Some of the wooded shots are too tight, and some of the open holes are too open. Depending on what tees you play, the course can be really tough. The longer tees bring more trees in to play on both the open and wooded holes.
As a lefty, I felt like I was throwing a lot more backhands than the rest of my card. I wasn't complaining, but I feel it played more to my strengths than the right-handed player.
I can't really fault the course, and I don't know how bad it usually is, but the area has gotten absolutely slammed with rain. So much so, there was a lot of standing water, creeks that aren't always there. Thank goodness the course has turf tees, because I imagine natural pads would be destroyed.
The course was secluded from the sports in the park, but there were a few dog walkers that took a stroll around the course. It wasn't too much of a problem, but more a precaution.
Navigation was mostly intuitive, and there were a few signs, but a map helped, and playing with locals helped as well.
Other Thoughts: I believe Loriella is underrated, and with the turf tee pads, tee signs, and more work put in from the club and local parks department, it is truly a better course than the rating indicates. Maybe it's overshadowed by the Blockhouse, or Hawk Hollow? I can't say for sure, but I would add this to your trip to the Spotsy area.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Great course for intermediate-advanced players
0 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: I love this course. It's a lot of fun and still remains challenging. It's got a great mix of open throws that require a big arm, and a number of tight holes that require very technical shots and tough approaches. The course isn't super forgiving, but if played well it allows for some great confidence building scores. Get out and play, but leave the beginners at home.
Cons: There aren't a lot of benches along the course to take a break and rest. The signage for the holes isn't always spectacular but it does allow for the course to be navigated fairly well. I would recommend bringing someone who has played the course before for your first run through.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Very fun 18 hole!
1 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: 100% not a beginners course! (Back nine)
This course is my all time favorite! Has plenty of holes that are long and open. Also has plenty of holes that are VERY tight and straight. One shot over a pond that's about 200+ feet. Another hole that next to water but is far enough away you can play aggressive!
Cons: Not a beginners course.
Natural Tee-pads/Carpet. Not a lot of benches through this course. For someone who hasn't played it before, can be hard to navigate through.
Other Thoughts: Probably one of the funnest course's I've played. very calm, quiet, long but not too hard. Highly recommend!
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Great Course in Spotsy, VA
2 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -This course has a great deal of diversity and elevation. There are open holes and there are wooded holes. Some are uphill and some are down.
-The tee-boxes are in OK condition and it appears that they are updating a few of them momentarily.
- There are multiple tee-boxes for additional difficulty if desired and even several holes that have permanent secondary baskets.
-The baskets are in great condition and have crisp yellow paint to guide you through the course.
-The navigation was pretty seamless. Most of the holes have a visual representation of the hole layout and there were only a few holes that did not have such a visual aid.
I really liked the diversity in length and shape. Some were really straight narrow and wooded, while others were of the dog-leg variety. Hole #10 over the water completely was pretty awesome. Bring your swim suit if you don't plan to throw straight on that hole.
Overall, well maintained, at least in the fairways. Some of the open holes can tend to grow grass that is a bit higher, but if you keep them straight you will have no problem keeping an eye on your disc. There are multiple pin placements and long and short tee boxes. I have played this course 10+ times and I do not think that it has been the exact same once.
Cons: As I mentioned before, some of the grass in the fields can get a bit long and if you miss the fairway off the tee box you could lose your disc in the tall grass. Some of the tee boxes show some good wear and tear, however this is one of the best courses I have ever played.
Other Thoughts: I have played this course countless times and at all times of the day. My favorite time is around 3pm-5pm. Its still pretty light out, but the wooded areas provide just enough shade to prevent you from getting too hot.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Loose in Loriella
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: 18 challenging holes with two tees and multiple pins per hole. Nice rolling elevation over a split of open and wooded holes, and a pond coming into play in the woods. The two tees vary the holes quite a bit, and the basket positions also vary the shots a good amount. The open holes feature some long uphill and downhill bombs and the wooded holes feature more shorter technical lines although there are a couple legit par 4s in the woods. Signage and navigation were ok. Disc golf only area of park.
Cons: Natural/carpet tees. Some of the wooded holes are a little too tight. One big loop back to parking lot. Traffic can be bad getting to course.
Other Thoughts: Loriella is the best public course in the Spotsy-NOVA area and is conveniently located just off I-95 for travelers and anyone stuck in local traffic. It has great balance of challenges and variety throughout the course and overall fun to play. In the summer it must be nice to cool off in the pool after a round.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Loriella
1 Helpful / 3 Not
Pros: First few holes give you some good long shots and work more into the woods and get more technical. 10 is an awesome set up and a fun hole. Several holes have more 2 tee boxes and baskets. Course is well maintained and fairly easy to follow.
Cons: Basket placement changes often, which is a good thing but some of the holes are hard to place the basket. The fields could be cut a little more often to make it easier to find you disc after your initial drive.
Other Thoughts: Better course for newer players and helps get your throws lined up before the harder holes further into the course.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Underrated Challenge
13 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: I have no idea why this course is not rated higher? It has elevation, woods, water, tight lines, open bombs, short holes, long holes, dual tees and dual basket positions.
It takes some skill to play here as you're either carving or riding the winds up and down huge grassy hills or managing the woods or hitting specific lines on forested fairways...distances are advanced to pro worthy. Lot's of thinking and strategy out here as well...with a premium on smart play and execution due to some baskets and tees nestled in interesting nooks...The real joy here for me was the contrast between reckless bombing and then hitting fair golf lines. Hole #3 is the only hole I have ever come across like it......a true hallway of trees downhill....pure it and you're getting a bird or par...shank it and you're going bogey with some creative save shots. The water carry is also a lot of fun as are the downhill bombs in the fields. I think there is a great amount of fun as well as challenge here to keep you enjoying yourself even as you might struggle in the woods or with the wind. The dual tees allow for not only easier quicker play but also more variety......there could be 4 different layouts due to dual tees and pin positions...this saves erosion and keeps things fresh and appropriate to skill level or amount of time a local may want to spend out there.
Tees were not an issue and signage was well done. 1 mando on the course that didn't really affect your shot but was more for idiot shot prevention and safety. The course is far away from other activities and users of the park....I never felt like I was in a park at all...has the feel of an excluded disc golf course.
Cons: Much of the woods might seem too difficult for macho beginners or lower rated players....hint use the shorter tees and play for bogey. Some of the field distances may also overwhelm shorter arms...I'm not picking on lesser players...I am one of them but the course is designed for a higher level of player......hole 4 has a way of making you feel really small and wimpy lol....Course may lack a few signature holes to make it top echelon outside of the pond holes and #3. A top course might have 9 or more dramatic type holes.
Other Thoughts: This is an older course but still delivers. IMO it should be a 4.25 rated course. I fear many bypass it when traveling to the blockhouse on DG vacations when in reality this is a worthy destination on it's own merit.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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3 / 340ft. 
5+ 
11/27/2020 
5/12/2019
Review By: DumfriesLizzie 
This review was updated on 1/30/2021
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