- It's certainly a unique backdrop. Teeing off on hole one steps away from the chapel was a little surprising. I think off of hole 10, there's a hidden pathway that leads to a shrine.

- There's a significant amount of elevation that does test your endurance a bit, and there are a couple of fun downhill shots on the front and back nine that bring the elevation into play.

- Newer Prodigy baskets.

- Favorite hole: #16. Left to right blind shot that has a cool lead up to the pin with some stone columns.

- Course design. There are two sets of holes that cross fairways as #5 and #6 cross right in the middle, and then #9 basket is 40 feet in front of #10 tee. I can't understand the second one for the life of me. The rest of the course is uninspiring save for a hole or two.

And a good number of the holes on the front nine use a walking path or road as OB. I made sure to say a couple Hail Marys before throwing in case I hit one of the nuns on their morning walk.

- There's so much land and not one hole over 400 feet. Would have really broken up the monotony of 250-350 foot shots a bit. Back nine is completely wide open.

- No tee pads (I can't imagine they'd put any in here) and the tee signs looked like someone carved a line into a scrap of wood and put a hole number on it. I probably would have been lost on the front 9 without UDisc.

Get ready to hike a bit. I was trying to squeeze in this course while on family vacation at Holiday World, and underestimated how much elevation and hiking there would be. Definitely enjoyed the workout!

All in all, there aren't many other courses around, so it's nice that there's 18 here. But I found it very hard to find hole 1, signs were basically non-existent, and there wasn't a lot of shot variety. In 2000, this would have been a great course, but courses have evolved since then.

This is a brand new course on the grounds of the Archabbey. As far as 9 hole courses go, especially those on church grounds, I was quite pleased with the course as a whole. The backdrop of the church was an interesting sight throughout the round. The baskets are top notch! They spared no expense there, getting the top of the line Prodigy baskets. There's some holes that play close to and have water that come into play. The property is very hilly, and they used the terrain appropriately. It was a good hike, even if it was just 9 holes. I've felt that I've walked less on an 18 hole course before.

Being new, it's rough around the edges. The signs are the bare minimum, but from what I've been told, they will be upgraded soon. There are no teepads, and the course hasn't been played enough to have an established area to throw from. I threw from the right side of every sign except hole 4, which forces a throw on the left hand side of the sign, and the lines seemed appropriate for the throws. The course is a little too open for my liking, but there are plans to expand the course to 18 holes in the near future, and I've been told the deacons are looking to capitalize on the extensive woods that they also have on their property. The flow was quirky, there were many long hikes between holes, but I never got lost or had to turn around. It's a pack it in, pack it out course, no trash cans on it at all. I'm a smoker, but I didn't smoke playing the course, treat it like you would any church grounds. All in all, it's in its infancy, and the cons are mainly because of that. As this course grows, I can easily see it getting a 4, or possibly a 4.5

The Archabbey in itself is quite a sight. There's a visitor's center where you can learn all about it. I suggest not parking there like I did today, as hole 1 begins down the way, closer to the student/visitor parking lot. The course ends close to there as well, so I would drive all the way to the back parking lot. The scenic views are what makes this course very good in terms of a 9 hole course, and you will get a hike. Couple this course with the DuBois County Park course like I did today, it's a great 27 holes of disc golf. I can't wait to see this course grow!

UPDATE: I played the full 18. They did not unfortunately incorporate any of the woods on their property. They added a couple cool downhill and uphill shots, but they just renumbered some holes and added more around the front side of the open area. I will update the pictures as the layout has slightly changed on the Front 9. Overall, still a fun course, and the sights are nice for a church based course. The downhill shot on 17 is fantastic! But overall, too open for my liking, and they wasted potentially great holes by not building into the woods. The tee signs are still the basic signs, and I believe teepads won't be installed due to rules on the property.