Cowansville, PA

Sugarcreek Park

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3.695(based on 13 reviews)
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6 0
The Red Death 30
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 26.8 years 78 played 31 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Few Courses Have This Much Personality

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 23, 2023 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

One of the biggest things that will stand out to you after playing Sugarcreek is that this course exudes personality. The designers of this one clearly had a good time designing their course and it shines through in the play of the course. It would be the wrong impression to call this one "goofy golf" but in many ways it really is just that. The baskets are neon colors with aliens on top. There is a basket in a tire, a basket on a picnic bench, a basket hanging from a pavilion and a basket nestled in a tree. There are plenty of kitschy elements around the course, as well. There is a big bullseye (now sadly in disrepair) sitting on a fairway tree. There are bigfoot cutouts hanging around. People have left ornaments and knick knacks in clever places. See if you can find the tiny elf village though I think vandals may have wiped it out.

The fun doesn't just stop with eccentric basket placements, either. This isn't obviously the work of hired pros when designing but they went in and created holes that any of us would have fun playing. You get a water carry right on the first hole. They created a fake island green using railroad ties to create a walled effect. One of the holes has an elevated platform that tees to a double mando over some rough rough where I once encountered an angry buck in heat. On one of the final holes, they intentionally left a well placed vine hanging in the path of a drive. It's these little touches that separate this course for me so much. There are a lot of courses out there and too many are same ole same ole, so anything memorable is worthwhile.

It's not all about kitsch value though, by any means. This course plays hard in a lot of ways, some negative, but mostly this is a course where tight throws can land you pars and the right shots will birdie. There are big tight corridors to carry that will challenge a lot of golfers.

For those of you like me who are out here for the nature, this is one of the best I play in the Pittsburgh area. It's a natural moraine area, so you get a lot of interesting rocks and formations. It's also deep into the woods on a slope, the result of which is land that is usually always damp. It's full of ferns and cool wildlife like newts if you know where to look.

Cons:

Let's just go ahead and say it, the course is a mess. Even in its' best day, I imagine that this course was never all that well kept. It's DEEP in the woods in a small town with almost no way to get real park maintenance out there. I don't know how big the local club may be, but judging by rounds on apps, there aren't many and it does show. The course, much like the park itself, is falling into disrepair. It is, also, sadly one of the most littered courses I play and I rotate through a LOT folks. Schenley downtown doesn't have the amount of careless waste I see left around this place.

Because it is so deep into wet woods, it is usually always damp. I've played when tees were covered in water and even on good days, it's a wet place. The rough is pretty much always overgrown as well, so beware your bugs here. The very nature of that rawness makes for a challenging play on the course, as well. There are absolutely a lot of holes that are just unfair. As some have pointed out, most courses need to grow into themselves but that logic assumes a course is getting use and has regular maintenance, neither of which are happening here. The vast majority of holes have fair lanes, but there are absolutely a few that a birdie is a matter of sheer luck because there is not applicable pat to the hole.

While there are multiple tees on each hole, they are carpet tees and also in disrepair, so expect moss-covered fabric.

I like that you get a few bonus holes, but they could almost fit more. Unfortunately, the parking lot is a good walk down to the 1st Hole, but the final hole ends you up back at the car.

Other Thoughts:

If you come in the winter, the park gate is closed. You can park and walk in but it's a haul down to your car from the last basket. There is a hole in the ground toilet here,but no sink to wash hands or run water that I have seen. There is a large park that literally no other person has ever been in while I was there, so you have your run of picnic shelters.
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11 1
coolbrees15
Premium Member
Experience: 19 years 1983 played 15 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Passion and Effort Not Enough 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 3, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sugarcreek disc golf course is set on the wooded edges of a large park. The designers clearly have a passion for disc golf and put in a tremendous amount of effort to put the course in. Unfortunately, the passion and effort did not equal a good or even decent course.

The flow of the course worked fairly well. The baskets all had arrows pointing to the next tee and there were signs showing the way to the next set of tees as well. One note is that once you are on the course it does not come back to the parking lot until you finish the entire loop.

Each hole has at least two tees with tee signs.

The baskets on the course were varied in the model and brand. There were easily visible and caught the disc well enough.

The tee pads were carpet and were fairly good shape and provided decent footing even in the light rain that I played the course in.

Tee signs were adequate. They listed the distance and showed the general layout of each hole. The distances listed were suspect on several of the holes. Some of the holes were clearly longer than the listed distance and others were shorter. I checked several of these holes with a laser range finder and it confirmed the discrepancies.

Cons:

There are two major issues with the course. The hole design and general upkeep of the course.

The hole design was the biggest failing of the course. Most of the holes from the long tees did not have actual flight lines that a disc could travel on. Several of the short tees had the same problem. Hole 4 would be example of the bad design. Both tees had no real flight path. The part of the hole that looked like a flight path was actually a walking path that leads away from the basket. Once you reach the hill that the basket is on there is no path to the basket and it is make a throw and pray your disc gets skinny and avoids all of the trees.

About half of the holes had gimmick tied to them. Basket on top of a picnic table. Basket on top of a set of tires. Basket inside a picnic shelter. Some people may find the gimmicks entertaining but I found them to generally detract from the overall course.

Some of the shorter holes in the middle of course were better designed but they could not make up for the design problems found in the majority of the course and suffered from upkeep issues as well.

In general, the course upkeep is not good. The fairways needed to be mowed/trimmed. There were many fallen trees and broken branches. I think most of the upkeep issues stim from the course not getting enough play and for it being a labor of love for the few dedicated souls who put the course in.

Other Thoughts:

I would not recommend stopping and playing this course since there are much better option in the greater Pittsburg area.
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7 0
LDHagen
Experience: 12.5 years 16 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Great ideas, lackluster performance 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Sugarcreek is a course that COULD be borderline great but falls pretty short when it comes to the overall execution. The course lays out around a seemingly abandoned park with a good variety of holes. I think the par 3's are really the gems of this park in its current form. The par 4's and par 5 are conceptually interesting but this course could use hundreds of trees removed from the "fairways" here. All to often, you are throwing a full power shot on the longer holes, only to have your well-thrown shot end up crashing into a tree and shooting off into the abyss. The par 3's could be seen as simple but the execution is what counts. There are actual lines that reward accurate shots and the greens on most par 3's are also very unique and fun. There is a fun island hole, a par 3 with the basket hanging from under a small, old pavilion, and another the the basket is suspended between a set of three trees.

The course also is nice due to few people being here and therefore pace of play is never an issue due to long back-ups.

Cons:

I don't blame anyone for this but again, the longer holes are largely throw and hope holes. I never played Moraine or Deer lakes 15 years ago but I have a feeling that some of the holes there were very unfair early on due to the excessive trees and undergrowth in the fairways. The tee pads are also very, very bad when wet. I have seen more than one person slip and fall when throwing drives. This course is too crowded with vegetation to really be considered a fair test,

Other Thoughts:

Sugarcreek seems to be a labor of love and hard work by just a few people. I applaud them. Few have the vision, time, and effort to craft a really solid course with so much potential to improve over the years. I would be surprised that in a few years, this isn't one of the better and more popular courses in the area, once the fairways get cleared up and possibly concrete teepads get installed.

This reminds me a of a great older home that was neglected for a long time. It has amazing bones and fantastic character and memorable features but still has awhile to go before reaching a Moraine or Deer level of quality.
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10 0
BigAl724
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.6 years 178 played 144 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 20, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sugarcreek is a unique course with a lot of personality. Driving in, it seemed that this was going to be a typical, small town park course - but this wasn't the case at all. The course mostly plays throughout thick woods, with a couple more open shots here and there. A lot of attributes cause the course to stand out. There are numerous holes with mandos, an island hole, elevated pins, and a hanging basket. At some courses, this may feel a little putt-putt-ish. But being combined with a good, balanced design, it gives the course character.

It is commendable just how much work went into the design. A ton of clearing has been done in the woods. The holes here aren't placed around preexisting paths. Rather, holes have been carefully carved and constructed to form a nice mix of multiple long par 4's and a par 5 that are multi-stage holes, as well as ace runs with one or two routes to choose from. One of my favorite aspects of the course is that there are often multiple lines to get to the basket. This is all done on purpose, not just random basket placement.

Elevation changes are well used throughout with a couple of downhill and uphill throws. Pins are well placed on the available slopes and gentle hills.

The navigation is some of the best I have seen and arrows are color-coded based on tees. The red baskets do a nice job of standing out in the thick woods.

The highlight holes for me were 1 (a fun, and pretty safe, water shot to kick things off), 12 (island hole with a drop zone) and 15 (finishing with a hanging basket in a pavilion).

Cons:

There are no glaring cons, but a few worth mentioning:
Still being a relatively new course, there are extra stumps, branches, etc. still on the ground throughout the fairway. However, this is also a positive because it shows how much effort has been put into clearing and shaping fairways.

Not sure how common this is, but hole 1's fairway was pretty marshy.

The carpet tee pads might not be to everyone's liking.

Probably could still use a little more clearing out of the fairways.

Other Thoughts:

This is an up-and-coming course that is welcomed in the immediate area, and compliments the already established courses in the area. It's a really solid course that I think will truly get better over time. I can't say enough how much work appears to have gone into the course. Well done!
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2 3
toddnick
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 5.8 years 86 played 31 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 14, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

- You can tell that a lot of love has been put in this course...
- You need to have all your shots, good challenge in mainly wooded holes...
- Lots of variety in baskets, hanging baskets, elevated baskets, and one in a shelter...
- I had the course to myself on a beautiful 70 degree day in April...
- Easy to navigate with well placed signs...
- Good use of elevation...

Cons:

- Carpet tees...
- A few too many easy par threes...

Other Thoughts:

- I really like this course...it is not Deer Lakes (my favorite in Pittsburgh) or Moraine but is a really fun course... I played Slippery Rock afterwards and liked it much less than Sugarcreek...
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2 0
Blands42
Experience: 24 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Sugarcreek in the Snow 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 17, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Easy to find course and 1st tee.

- There are multiple birdie opportunities, along with difficult par 4s and a winding par 5 with an elevated basket.

-Multiple lines on a lot of holes make playing the course more than once a must.

-#5 has a double mando that, oddly enough, has multiple lines off the tee and basket is sitting in the middle of 2 high tires.

-#7 the par 5, is a downhill winding hole that finishes on top of a 5 foot stump with a latter to retrieve your disc. One of the best holes on the course.

-#15-17 are easily one of the most intriguing and challenging 3 hole stretches. #15 ( short par 3) is through a narrow alley to a hanging basket inside a pavilion. #16 tee shot flies over prickly brush, past sasquatch ( cut-out) and sails down hill to a hanging basket inside a triple truck tree. #17 an extreme, snaking par 4 up the hill with the basket sitting on the crest of a drop off.

Cons:

Not many if any.
-Some next tee signs were difficult to find or read
( this may have been due to recent weather).
-#19 and 20 seemed to be put in just to get you closer to the parking lot.
-#13 and #14 tee are back to back.
- Maybe add 7 more for 27 holes?

Other Thoughts:

This course is a hidden gem even in the snow. I wish I lived closer to the course because I would play it frequently. Easily one of the aesthetically pleasing and challenging places I've played.
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2 0
Jcmb
Experience: 16.6 years 25 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Unique, Fun, and Challenging. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 4, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good mix of shots. Forehand, backhand both needed.
Heavy woods and Narrow gaps make for a good challenge.
Very good Signs Make it easy to Navigate.
The course has its own personality. (watch out for Sasquatch) Unique Pins: Elevated, Island, Hanging in pavilion, Hanging in a tree.
Its evident a lot of effort went in to making a fun unique and challenging course to throw.

Cons:

Holes 1-4 can be a little swampy after rain, but that is the only place. Thick ferns can make it hard to spot discs on several holes and off the fairways can be rough as it is a fairly new course.

Other Thoughts:

Quickly becoming one of my favorite courses to play. Its been improving as I played it all year. At the rate its going it will only get better.
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6 0
Lachendr0
Experience: 8 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Secret Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 14, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tight PA woods course.
Great variety of shots needed.
Plenty of unique basket positions.
The woods were so quiet it was a great afternoon.
The park is the perfect place to have a family reunion.
There was a bit of mud on just a handful of holes, but it was easy to avoid.
Navigating between tees was easy thanks to the crazy number of signs the locals have posted. We played the course blind and it was never an issue finding our next hole.

Cons:

The course is rather new, but you really wouldn't know that except the trees don't have the tell tale marks on them of older holes.
Being newer it may need some minor clearing on a few fairways, you can tell the locals are working hard already, to make this place perfect.
On just a very few occasions we had trouble determining where the basket was, the distances helped clue us in, and never spent that long looking.
Sure the carpet tees aren't great, but the majority of them were holding up just fine.

Other Thoughts:

We played the white tees and my kids (3 & 6) made the whole course, the elevation changes aren't extreme so they manged quite nicely.
I really look forward to playing the blues next time.
I will be back soon, I hope there are events planned here because it really should be mentioned along side the areas other great courses.

Thanks to the locals again it isn't easy to have that many holes in the woods and maintain that level of quality through out the course both in design and general maintenance.
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3 0
Prostar47
Experience: 13.6 years 201 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

needs some love 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 25, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Excellent use of the land
- use of all shots needed
- challenging woods course
- unique use of elevated/hanging baskets
- who doesn't like throwing over water?
- great signage with next tee markers everywhere

Cons:

- While the course is newer, it still needs some love. Lots of leftover roots,stumps,vines as tripping hazards
- There are a few holes that have the poke and hope off of the tee, but once to a "landing zone" you have a more fair lane to the basket.
- no concrete but has carpet/turf tees, would be nice if they were a little longer

Other Thoughts:

Great to have a course in an area without a lot of options with courses being about 45 minutes or more away. This course has a lot of promise if you open up some lanes. You can still have a hard course while being fair. I found myself several times where i thought i had better than good drives only to have to throw a thumber for an escape shot because i didn't have clear lines to the basket
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8 0
jhilton
Experience: 12.7 years 61 played 17 reviews
4.50 star(s)

SO CREATIVE!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 23, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is exceptional. I am so surprised to see it here as it really reminds me of some of the newer/well known courses showing up along the eastern seaboard. My group and I will be back to play this many times and to watch it develop over time.

The pluses essentially come down to this.

1) This course has a ton of variety. Each hole is unique, the shots are a balance of distances and shapes (starts out favoring RHBH/LHFH, switches to RHFH/LHBH for awhile, then back to RHBH/LHFH). You even have an island green here. That's worth half a rating right there. And 20 holes? Even the number is unique.

2) Almost half of the baskets are elevated or hanging, including one you need stairs to get to. Makes for some nervous putting.

3) Multiple lines. There are multiple lines cut in on many holes making for some great options.

4) This strikes me as an advanced player's woods course (I like that). That said, hit the lines and birdies are available all over, but go off the line and welcome to bogey land. For me, I like precision as much as distance, and this course certainly favors precision.

5) This course clearly has an active work crew. They have done a ton of work clearing small brush, creating lines and improving the course. This course is only about two years old and already is beginning to look mature. They will clearly work to continue to improve this course.

Cons:

These cons are super tiny and given the hard work of this work crew, I am sure they will are in process. Once fixed, this is a solid 5.

1) Carpet pads for now (12/23/16). They are nice and flat, but they will probably need an upgrade as they get water on them that freezes and ices in the cold. No doubt concrete pads or something similar are coming.

2) It looks like a bit more brush work is probably coming to the back holes, given the look of the majority of holes on the course.

Other Thoughts:

This course is so imaginative and such a great test of precision. Great shots are rewarded with bride throws, bad tosses really set you back.
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1 6
kcexotics
Experience: 8.8 years 5 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Refreshing change from the norm 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 20, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Unlike any other local courses very unique. Water hazards, elevated baskets, hanging baskets, Island Hole, mandos. This course will test all your shots.

Cons:

Course paths a little thick, and small stumps. But that should all improve with time. Some holes have no clear lines.

Other Thoughts:

Wear bug spray, an be sure to check for ticks
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5 1
Jags
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.6 years 84 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very heavily wooded course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 12, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is like no other that I've played. I feel that I have to say right from the start that this course is VERY wooded! Hole #1 is the only non-wooded hole on the course but you do have to play it over a pond. This course is rather technical and tests how your accuracy is. The course has several raised baskets and a few hanging baskets also which I've never seen the same amount on any other course I've played. There are also a couple mando's and an island hole. A lot of time went into the building of this course which shows. This was a MUCH needed course in an area lacking anything even remotely close. Plus it's 20 holes...20!!!!!!!

Cons:

The course has come a long way since first opening and its starting to get seasoned in nicely. It is a fairly rugged trek being 20 holes but flat for the most part. The fairways are well defined and breaking in nicely. Tee pads are a work in progress so they are carpet mats for now. Paths are well defined, making the course very easy to navigate. The first 8 baskets are Salient baskets that are painted dark red and hard to see in the dark/shaded woods if your not familiar with pin placement.

Other Thoughts:

This course is cart friendly for the most part but there are a couple spots you might have trouble with. There are some really nice things in store for this course in the upcoming future. If you do not like very heavily wooded courses, I'm not sure if this course is for you. If you do though you HAVE to give this course a try. I think you will be hard-pressed to leave here with a very good score. It's that technical...at least for me.
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5 0
Pigme
Experience: 17.1 years 30 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Lot's of personality 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Difficult and tricky holes. Design is well thought out to increase difficulty without increasing length. A lot of holes are very memorable and the course has an abundance of personality and character. While most courses have one or maybe two signature holes, Sugarcreek has what feels like half of them that could be signature holes. Many holes are elevated on tree stumps or similar increasing the difficulty in putting. Hole #15 may be my favorite, being a short tunnel shot, with a basket hanging inside a pavilion. Course is well signed.

Cons:

Course is still pretty new and fairly rugged. While the fairways are clear enough for play, going off the fairways can be pretty unforgiving. Tee pads are still being worked on, so for now they are just carpet mats. Some of the pathways from hole to hole are still new enough to not be well traveled, making them easier to miss, but following the signs will still get you there.

Other Thoughts:

This course is just fun. It may not be a pro styled course, but it's silly and kinda strange and does things a lot of other courses don't. Overall I love the place, and enjoy the break from the normal it provides. Great for anyone looking for a more technical or skill shot type of round.
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