Pros:
At Farm Life, the sum is greater than the parts. I had a wonderful time on the property, even before my first throw. Reflecting on my round, I realized there weren't many great holes. Yet, it's still going to be a must play for many players.
- Location. Location. Location. A course that is close to nothing, is a long drive from where you're coming from, and is only close to a small town somehow turns that into its greatest strength. A reminder: the course is called Farm Life. It's not going to work in a metro setting. It's meant to be rustic and rural.
- You turn onto the course's road, and in case you're unsure if you're going the right direction, a reminder is thrown in your face in the form of a giant Farm Life disc golf sign on the side of a barn. That's followed by two more large signs on the way to the parking area.
- The course and the surrounding area are an entire family affair. The course's designer, Kent Roberson passed away in 2021. I was able to get in touch with his daughter, who happily welcomed me to the course. At the course, I ran into one of Kent's friends, and (for lack of a better term) current course manager and tourney director, Perry, aka "Wheat." Wheat made it clear after Kent's passing; his family was adamant that the course remains open for public play.
- Now, to the course: scenery is outstanding. Fall on wooded farm lands. Can that be beaten?
- Holes #1 - 3 are a gentle start to the course. Hole #1 is one of the easiest birdie chances on the course. #2 is the longest, most open hole on the course. #3 is another open hole, that if you actually play correctly, is an easy 3 at worst.
- Starting at #4, you're in the woods through #17. To summarize these 14 holes, let's just say if you can't throw accurately, you're going to have a miserable round. Coming from Charlotte, I felt right at home with some of these tight, wooded layouts. I threw lots of mids and a couple fairway drivers, giving myself plenty of birdie chances.
- #10 & 11 sum up the entire course in two tee shots. For the regular baskets, neither hole is longer than 218 feet. On both holes, you can have either an ace run or a struggle for bogey. Trees come into play, forcing players to throw around them (on #10), or keep your disc dead straight (on #11). Standing on #10's tee, I thought I was going to be able to get my tee shot close. I ended up smacking a tree, needing a decent second shot to salvage par. On #11, I was just hoping to keep myself from getting in trouble and ended up landing my disc under the basket. Go figure.
- You're in the middle of nowhere, at a private course, and you have quality disc golf facilities. The baskets are all in excellent condition with Farm Life stickers on them. There's a covered area and clubhouse for player meetings/hangouts. Basically, the course is in better shape than many public courses in larger municipalities that I've played.
Cons:
I told you being secluded was a great feature of the course; however, let me remind you it's secluded. You're 90 minutes to two hours from Raleigh, Virginia Beach/Norfolk, and the Outer Banks. You're two and a half hours from Richmond and four from Charlotte. You're just under an hour from I-95. In other words, you're close to nothing.
- Disc golf-related facility is top notch; however, some of the basic amenities are lacking. That's where being a rural, private course can be a negative.
- Course is lacking a true challenging and/or signature hole. It would be nice seeing a couple holes longer than 400 feet. It'd be nice having a station-to-station par 4 where shot placement off the tee is crucial for the next series of shots.
- If you throw relatively straight, the course isn't overly tough. Even when I hit a tree or branch, I was throwing soft enough that I never had bad kicks into the woods. I had a lot of simple ups and downs from the 40 - 75-foot range if I wasn't seeing birdie putts. I didn't think I played well, and DGCR rated my round rather generously.
- Conversely, if you're slightly off-line, be prepared for lots of hit trees. It's a thin line between great and terrible shot on many holes.
- A reminder about amenities, and the lack thereof. Pack it in. Pack it out. Bring drinks and snacks. Come prepared.
Other Thoughts:
I'm glad I finally played Farm Life. I had avoided playing here for years because, to be frank, I thought it was overrated. I didn't understand how a short course could be rated so highly. After playing here, I see how there's more to this place than just the 18 holes.
- There are better courses I've played that I've ranked lower than Farm Life. The ambiance and good vibes of this place give it a major boost in my book.
- The closest thing I can relate this to is the defunct Woodlands Nature Preserve in Charleston. When you have a great piece of land that gives you a tranquil setting with lots of positive vibes, it's more appealing than a lot of courses in metro settings. A round of disc golf where the only sounds are birds or nothing is more appealing than the sounds of cars, airplanes, traffic, other people. Instead of a hike, my retreat to nature is on courses such as this one.
- The course ends on a high note. #17 is the longest of the wooded courses. One more tight fairway for those who aren't fans of the type. #18 has the appeal of playing over a small pond. There's lots of landing space on the other side so it's not a high risk shot. But you're wanting to do better than simply landing on the other side.
- Wheat was a great impromptu host. We stumbled upon each other on the course. But, in our brief conversations throughout the course, he reminded me of why this is such a great sport. Me being 250 miles from home, and Wheat being five minutes from home, we shared stories of common courses we've played across the state. He's sharing stories of rounds of disc golf he's played with some of the legends of the game. It was a fantastic bonus to my round.
- I drove nearly two hours from the Outer Banks to play this course while on vacation. It was worth it. If leaving your place at 5:15 to play here and be back before the family cares, it's worth it.
- I'm giving this an easy 3.5 rating. For the disc golf alone, it's lower than that. When all the extras are thrown in, I'm giving this course a nice bump. It's fun. It's rustic. It's what disc golf should be. Take your pro level, 8K foot layouts. I'll take my stroll through nature and be just as happy.