Great course but Blair Witch is on #12
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: - two concrete tee pads on every hole with very different play from each (not just additional distance)
- very nice metal tee signs which should last
- bright orange baskets which were easy to spot
- flags on top of baskets 8 and 14 making them easier to spot
- good quality scorecards with course map and individual hole maps and pencils at the kiosk
- plenty of parking
- course is isolated from other park activities (for the most part)
- port-a-potty, two pavilions with lots of picnic tables and a playground
- dogs welcome
- good challenges (for the non-pro) from the blues
- good mix (mostly wooded holes but a few open ones)
- good ego boost from the reds (if you believe the par values)
- good replay value (will be even better if they offer multiple pin locations in the future)
- park is very attractive and close to Front Royal with all its services and attractions
- easy navigation (mostly)
- mostly short walks from a basket to the next tee
Cons: Not many.
- on 2 of the holes, the blue tee seemed easier than the red
- no amenities at the park (e.g. water fountains, real bathrooms, food, disc golf shop)
- some poison ivy but not as bad as Pennsylvania courses
- pars on some of the reds are ridiculous even for beginners - e.g. par 5 on a 281-footer and a 309-footer;
going by the pars, I shot -12 from the shorts (3 eagles, 7 birdies, 1 bogey); I shot even from the blues (2 birdies, 2 bogeys); I am a Rec level player.
- had a weird experience at #12 (see below)
- lots of spiders that survived swatso's visit including one that started a web across my bag when I set it down
for a minute
- #7 is probably the only legitimate par 5 on the course (from the blues). With a few more rounds, I think I could play everything else in 4 or less (at least once).
Other Thoughts: Hilly - could be a positive or negative depending on the player. Good sense of fun - interesting basket placements on some holes. Finishes with two open holes
which helps shut up that guy in your group who says "I'm not great in the woods but can really rip it in the open". Has a pond off to the left on 18 which is no issue from the red but could get you if you RHBH meathook it from the blue. After 14, backtrack down the fairway about 20 feet from the basket for the turnoff to #15 (not marked).
After 16, go straight at the fork to get to blue's tee for #17.
Blair Witch 12
From the reds (short), the fairway to basket #12 has two sets of trees about 2/3 of the way down. I threw my drive and watched it skirt by the first pair on the right and then split the second pair and skip ahead a bit farther. I walked down the worn path in the middle of the fairway and spent 10 minutes looking for my drive. I even checked the gully which is 400 feet from the tee (if you believe the tee sign) which is well outside my range. I was getting very frustrated as the undergrowth was not very heavy. Eventually I was going to abandon my disc but decided to walk back to the tee and reconnoiter. I walked back to the tee but couldn't see anywhere that my disc could have gone that I hadn't already checked. Walked down the dirt path again toward the basket and there was my bright red disc in the middle of the path about 20 feet short of the first pair of trees. If anything, the fairway slopes gently down so there's no way it would have rolled back up hill 40 feet. There's also no way I could have missed it on my first two trips down and up the fairway. Spooky. I was alone on the course.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Down, Up, and All About
8 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros:
Two 12-feet long, concrete teepads per hole.
Teesign showing both tees, basket, and next tees.
Two nine-hole loops. Map, scorecards, pencils at kiosk.
Amenities less than five minutes away.
Cons:
Teepads seem a bit narrow, not quite 4-feet.
Only one sign per hole, typically located between holes, which sometimes isn't a problem, and sometimes is awkward.
Thick shule along open fairways, some quite narrow.
Lots of spiders - I think I ran into as many webs as I made putts.
Too long on short number-6 may find the walking path not too far behind the basket.
Other Thoughts:
This new course is set in a new public park at the end Fishnet Blvd. There's parking for ~60 cars, two pavilions, a port-a-john, and a large playground for younger kids. A gravel walking path meanders through the woods shared with the course, but shouldn't come into play (often).
While a few of the holes are open, they are not easy, as thick shule narrowly funnels as the fairways nears the baskets. Most of the holes play in the woods, containing variable-sized trees, thickly scattered across the rolling slopes. The most prominent features of this course are the elevation changes - I think there is only one flat hole (#12, with its trench-guarded basket). Only a few of the holes have up OR down elevation changes - most are up AND down, with valleys outnumbering humps.
Some holes are tough because they have early, sharp turns. Some holes are tough because they have a lot of random trees mid-fairway. Whether these holes are fair or not is for you to decide, but for the most part, the majority holes are achievable, but challenging. Holes of note / favourites include:
#1 Throws the gauntlet down immediately - sharp turn, thick woods, steep drop, regain of elevation to an openish fairway, flanked by thick shule.
#4 A double-jointed, 2xmild-left, with subtle up-down-up elevation changes.
#7 is similar to #4, but longer, with more severe elevation changes, but wider fairways
#13 A short right-turner (from short) or left-turner (from long) from one small rock outcropping to another.
#14 Upslope to a narrow passage through rocks, with the basket some length down the passage, sitting in a large dip.
#15 Right+upslope. Repeat. Repeat again. Eventually get to basket.
From a shot-shaping perspective, there were a few meathooks, but most turns were subtle. From the shorts, the disc I used most often was my gentle right-turning fairway driver. From the long, distance drivers and left-turns came into play more often. Overall, used a variety of discs/shots against the course.
While there are certainly some par '4's and challenging par '3's on this course, the overall par of 71 seems a bit high. As data points, I consider myself a lower Advanced player, and shot -14 from the shorts, and -6 from the longs. That said, this is not a course for recreational/lower intermediates, given the thick shule and dense trees.
A good course which should improve as it breaks in, providing yet another solid option in NoVa near I81.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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2-4 
8/2/2015 
8/2/2015
Review By: Crooow 
This review was updated on 8/30/2015
Hole #8 (Taken 6/2015) 
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