Fontana Village has a surprisingly high quality and well maintained course laid out on the Fontana Dam Resort property. I've always loved the Southern Appalachians, so playing disc golf in this kind of terrain is a real treat. The mountain views, the pleasant weather (at least this time of year), and the lush green mountain foliage, combine for a lovely environment to throw in. Given the mountainous setting, there is a lot of elevation to keep things interesting throughout the course, including many holes with elevated tee pads either playing long, sailing, downhill drives or drives across a valley. There are also a number of holes that play uphill the whole way. There is no chance of getting bored on this course.

You will need to pay careful attention to your drive placement here, not just because of elevation, but because of the high-risk shule just beyond the well-maintained grassy fairways. The fairways are plenty wide and clear on every hole to reward good shots with good lies, but if you miss the fairway, prepare to be punished. This course is long and open enough to reward long, powerful throws, but only if they are well controlled. If you can't throw over 400', there are a limited number of birdie opportunities from the long tee pads, but a player throwing 300' to the choice landing spot is going to beat a big arm who doesn't keep it in the fairways. This is the kind of thinking man's risk/reward tradeoff that we should see on a disc golf course.

There are several holes that might be considered "signature" holes, but probably my favorite is #2. It is a looong, steep, downhill hole that I could probably reach with a driver, simply because of the steepness of the hillside, but my preferred shot is to sail a midrange or slow fairway driver down to a landing spot that gives me a comfortable approach to the basket for a 3. This course will really show off the flight of a disc, especially on this hole. #16 is a similar hole, but its fairway has a bunch of trees down the middle, so you really have to think about placing your drive before running down to the basket. 16 is probably the toughest hole on the course.

Another favorite of mine is #13, about 350' across the crest of a hill. The fairway slopes away sharply to the left, with terrible shule below it. There is also big danger on the right, with the hillside dropping even more steeply towards the road below. With these dangers on either side of the fairway, which itself narrows to a point near the basket, you have a decision that matters: how close to the basket can I risk throwing my disc? Getting to within a putt is a legitimate, fair option, but the closer you try to put your drive, the riskier the shot gets. Once you're safely in the fairway, the approach and putt is no problem, so it all rests on the accuracy of your drive.

Pardon me while I try to rein in my long-windedness. The only underwhelming hole on this course is #1. Clearly the designer is a disc golfer and knew what he was doing, though as another reviewer commented, it looks like they laid out 17 holes and oops, they needed one more. There is a lot of room for creativity, but you'll be playing real disc golf lines to real landing spots, not pitch-and-putt, poke-and-pray, or boring flat upshot after boring flat heave. I could almost give this course a 4.5, but for the cons below.

The most significant downside to this course is related to one of its best features, the terrain. While I love throwing from elevated tee pads or up long slopes to a creatively set putting zone, I don't so much like some of the walking paths that get you from tee pad to fairway. There are several places where I would have liked to have had my trekking poles with me, or at least a good walking stick. I didn't fall, but I slid or nearly slipped several times, and that was in the fairways. The rough shule would be even worse in many places. To graduate towards a 4.5, this course would need to get some steps or better trails installed in a number of places.

While the rubber tee pads are well installed and level, I played on a rainy Friday and the following sunny Saturday. Not only are the rubber pads dangerously slippery when wet, but many of them seem to take a couple of days to dry out. In the Smokies, you may be waiting a long time for a fully dry, safe set of tee pads. Brushed concrete pads may have been a better choice here, or perhaps some kind of rough or astroturf-like surface on the rubber pads. The tee signs also listed distances for two tee pads at every hole, but I only found the "long" ones where the rubber pads are. Eventually I figured out that the "short" pads are supposed to be natural pads marked by a couple of Innova brand stakes in the ground, but many of these have gone missing or have been misplaced. With this situation, you'll basically only have one option on the course. That shows a bit of neglect, even though the fairways themselves are generally very well cut and maintained, and the baskets are in good condition.

Walking this course is a workout, but you may be able to mitigate the effort of walking by renting a golf cart on site at the resort. You can do a 5-hour rental or an all-day rental of the cart, which will get you all over the resort property, as well as into most of the disc golf course, since there are roads and cart paths snaking throughout it. It won't take you right up to every tee pad, but would get you close to most. There is also a pretty good restaurant on the property, so you can break for lunch if you're here all day. You can also rent discs with a bag at their rental building. The fee for renting equipment is $5, and is good for a full day of playing, but if you bring your own equipment, nobody is going to charge you $5 to play here. I literally had the course entirely to myself for two days.

There is a lot of other stuff to do here besides play disc golf. In addition to the nearby hiking and site-seeing, the resort itself hosts a miniature golf course, features a couple of game rooms, and has daily activities to keep your whole family entertained. If you're staying overnight with family or significant other, you might give these activies a try.

Great rubber tee pads, nice hole signs, and very well kept grounds. Good mix of long rips and tight shots. I love the elevated tees on 2, 3, 4.......lots of really fun drives.

No hole layout map on tee box. If you haven't played here before, it's hard to tell where the basket is located on 5 or 6 holes. Once you have played the course a time or two, this should no longer be a problem. Also, there are a few holes where you can miss the basket and way down in a ravine....a little warning would be nice.

One of the most fun courses I have played. The drive up to the Fontana resort is a lot of fun too.....if you have a sports car, you are in for a treat!

Wonderful diversity

Excellent elevation

Varying lengths and angles

Stream runs throughout course

Gorgeous, well maintained land

All proper amenities present

Some rough was very dense - I did loose a disc on hole 13 (pink Stalker, if you find it, show it love)

No obvious faults for me

This course will provide fun and challenge for any level player.

The advanced player can play it all 3's and have his/her hands full, while the beginner or intermediate player can play course par and be challenged but not abused.

The layout winds up, down and through a very beautiful park. There are plenty of guests on site that have other interests, however, there was no interference whatsoever on the course.

The blend of open to tight holes is quite nice. I would have to say it is more of an open course, but certainly not plain. The elevation, stream and rough kept even the most open holes interesting. You rarely shoot flat here. You gotta love the NC terrain! This ground was meant for disc golf.

I loved the length. I threw mostly drivers off the tee. None of the holes had "2 drive" type length and there were very few pitch and putts. Don't be fooled by hole one, it is by far the most simplistic hole on the course. I used every disc in my bag. Booyaa.

This is a high recommend. Bring the family. There is a lot to do here. The natural beauty and course design is worth a road trip.

Well, I think the best part of this course is the diversity of the holes. I used every disc and every technique in my bag to finish off this course at 1 up on the pro par. I do not think there was one hole on this course that I disliked. I really liked hole 3 for the beautiful valley that your throwing across and the cool placement of the cage. Hole 8 was very unique and technical. A serious hyzer flick and getting it through a small window in the trees to come crashing down over a road to the cage was a teeth clinching experience. Great hole! 9 and 11 were great grip and rip holes. Hole 10 had a sweet putting challenge with rocks and trees partly in the way. 14 had some nice plateaus going upward towards the basket. 16 was by far the toughed hole for me. downhill with trees and elevation change, creek and rough high grass made this hole extremely hard. 18 was really cool too with pocket fairways and nice scenery. Best course I've been to yet.

Wish the golf carts were more affordable. 35 dollars for 5 hours is to much to me. They could move hole 1 closer to hole 2 so you do not have to climb all the way to the top of the hill. As short of a hole as one is.... they could easily put 1 above 2. whatever, its a great course.

Top 10% of all courses I've played. Great shot variation, good distances make birdie or boogie possible for the advanced player on many holes.

big arm course, if a 350-500 foot shot doesn't excite you you might want to stick the the pool.

Overall excellent resort in the smokies. If you fly fish, get a campsite, evenings are killer for trout on the adjacent river.

Excellent use of terrain for a course. Friendly staff. Beautiful setting. Quiet, peaceful and remote. If you are in a hurry to get to this place, it is not for you. Take your time and enjoy the mountains.

The grass could have been cut. It was getting a bit tall.

I drove 2.5 hours to play here. It was a muggy 75 degress since it had just rained. The drive up Deal's Gap was great. They did charge me the $5 even though I had my own discs. Well worth 5 bucks. I will be back again.

- This is GOLF. This course is set up like a ball golf course. It gives the feeling of ball golf... manicured, beautiful, resort atmosphere, open fairways with punishment for poorly placed shots, etc...
- You are in the Smokies and the scenery is amazing.
- There is a considerable LACK of Poison Ivy. Someone had to have been hard at work to eradicate it so meticulously. I only saw it in a few places.
- The Par 4's. The Par 4's were nicely done. 500+ footers where 3's are extremely gettable with two excelent shots... Holes 2 and 16 were awesome - creek right, OB road left, and moderately treed fairways where accuracy and power are rewarded. Eagle 2's could be likely.
- Great uses of elevation. I think Hole 1 is the only hole where the basket is on the same elevation as the tee-pad... everything else is up or down at least a little bit.
- Even though this course is a little wide open... there are opportunities to be punished for poor shots. Baskets on hillsides, OB roads and creeks, and thick disc eating brush on some of the holes.

- This course could be a little bit too open. However, I like the manicured grass fairways and ball golf feel of the course.
- A few of the Par 4's could be 3's. (Hole 18 and 11). However, in a resort where there are lots of people who are being exposed to DG for the first time... there is no need to discourage them by calling everything a 3 when they're shooting 6's and 7's. And, since the other Par 4's are legit, it adds a nice flavor to the course giving it that ball golf feel.
- Hole 1 is probably the biggest con. It just doesn't fit in. However, after thinking about why they put it there and trying to contemplate what else they could have done, it makes sense. The only other option would have been to split Hole 2's fairway into two holes; but, since Hole 2 is a gem... Hole 1 turns out to be in the best spot.

- The food at the woodside grill is awesome. One of the best French Dip sandwhiches I have ever had. Take the road to the right side of Hole 1's tee-pad over the hill and the restraunt is on the left.
- The Random Sunday tournament they threw was extremely fun. They had a golf cart with a pony-Keg rolling around to the various groups and filling up cups. And it wasn't some crappy beer either... it was great beer - Pizgah Pale. The beer was included in the entry fee. If you haven't been out here, I highly recommend coming up for the next tourney. The beer tournment is definitely worth the 2+ hour drive from Aseville; I'm coming back.
- The locals were super cool.
- My Score: -10 (using the Par 4's)

* A great layout in
* A beautiful place with
* No crowds

The layout itself features some really great holes, with variety from multi-shot to birdieable. Many, even the open holes, have thoughtfully-placed obstacles or pin placements to keep them challenging. A couple of par-4s are on long downhill fairways full of trees, with reasonable gaps to reward accuracy along with power. There were only 2 holes I didn't particularly care for.

The resort itself is a small town of cabins & hotels set deep in the mountains and a long way from anything. The course is mostly on land away from the main resort activities, with a few holes along entrance roads. It is beautiful and peaceful. Even if you're not staying there, as we weren't, there's a country store and several restaurants right on the premises.

We played on a 75 degree saturday in summer, presumably a busy time, and only saw 2 other disc golfers.

The baskets are new and signage is great; you can almost always see the next tee from the basket.

Unless you're staying there, it's a LONG way from anywhere. More than an hour away from Cherokee, the closest tourist area. Of course, this remoteness is also part of it's charm.

Hole 1 will start you off on the wrong foot---a very short shot, then a fairly long walk to Hole 2. It gives you no idea of what the rest of the course has in store.

We too asked at the lodge and they weren't sure, but thought there was no charge if we had our own equipment. Had they charged us $5---it would still have been a bargain!

Though tucked deep in the Smoky Mountains, it's not a mountain course in the sense of a ski-slope with huge steep hills. There is elevation on almost every hole, but more like what you'd find in a very hilly area.

Praises to the designer who acquired rights to a great piece of property, where anyone could make a good course, but tweaked the tee and basket locations into an excellent course.

This course is set in the beautiful and cozy Fontana Village Resort. The views of the Smokey Mountains are all around and they lend themselves to some pretty decent elevation changes. Some hills are more pronounced than others but you really won't find much flatness to speak of. You'll find mixtures of open to somewhat wooded holes on the majority of the course. Nothing is really heavily wooded but lots of holes have little features to add difficulty to them and they were fun to discover. A few stuck out in my mind. Number one which was comparatively short has a creek which I played as OB and it's tucked behind a few boulders. It was a nice way to be introduced to the round. Two is a long downhill shot that also plays near a creek. Six stood out as an open fairway that plays into some trees and up and over a stacked stone wall and can challenge you putting skills nicely. Hole nine was the most memorable of all to me. From the tee the fairway goes strait in a fairly wooded area for about 100' or so and then cuts hard right and goes down hill another 200'. It loses about 60' or so in elevation in the last 180' and ends in a field across a street. It offers a good risk/reward if you want to go for it. Eleven was also nice for a big open downhill shot with the basket tucked down a slight bank to the left and again added some personality to the holes. The rest of the holes finish out with some more variety and leads you back to hole number one/parking lot.

The friendly staff at the rec center was happy to give directions, score cards, pencils, etc. The course was fully stocked with benches an almost every hole. The tee signs were in great shape and pretty informative although I was a little confused by them a bit. I am not sure how accurate they are in terms of lengths. I think some things may have changed out on the course since they were installed. The main tee pads seem to be built on some type of wooded platform and covered with rubber mats and serve their purpose pretty well. The short pads are natural with nifty Innova markers. The baskets are in great shape and are numbered to help with an already pretty easy course to navigate.

The course is clean, well maintained, and seems that the course gets a fair amount of use. Overall it's very fun and will leave you wanting to come back for more.

There are a few roads that cross the fairways so look out for cars or even a chance of damaging a good disc. As you look around the area you can't help wondering what the course could have been if it had crept into the woods a bit. It should be noted that walking the hills can wear you out if you are not in shape.

It's not the course's fault but it is out of the way if you are not from the area.

Besides some personal pet peeves defined by some individuals personal preferances, there really isn't any majors cons here.

The resort has some other activities that might add to the attraction to visiting the area. Check out Fontana Village resort for more info, www.fontanavillage.com . Others have mentioned $5 per round but I was told to help myself for free. They told me the $5 fee was only if you are renting discs/equipment from the rec center. It didn't really probe the issue but it might be because I was a guest at the resort. With that said there was no way the guy at the counter in the rec area could have known if I was staying there or not. I can't imagine anyone not liking this course. It should appeal to beginners and seasoned players as well. Enjoy!

It's a dry county but beer is available at the restaurant and general store on site for those who are interested.

Simply a beautiful course tucked in the middle of no where essentially. It would test any type of player in my opinion. Plenty of holes with wide open fairways which makes it a lot of fun. Why bother getting a golf cart when you can take a nice days hike?

Though well maintained, some areas could use some clearing of brush. Hole 11 in particular.

Beautiful Course and wonderful resort area. This is a very well designed course which takes full advantage of the elevated mountainside, aswell as a creek that runs thru most of the course. Several holes have you throwing from a wooded elevated area to a open field below.

A couple fairways run close to one another. This wasn't much of a issue when I played it, but if the course was busy it could slow play down.

The resort is great, so if your not from the area its a great weekend getaway. The "Village" has everything you want from tennis/putt-putt/stores/pools/etc. Also, playing disc golf with golf carts was pretty fun.

very challenging elevation changes....a mix of different types of holes. a couple of holes where you literally tee off from the side of a cliff!

didnt like the rubber tees....

a nice course in a nice village resort...you can even rent a golf cart if you wish!!! ha!

The remote natural location in the Nantahala Forest of western North Carolina, near the Great Smoky Mountains, has plenty of great vistas of mountains and trees.
• Elevation Galore! (Fans of The Princess Bride movie can envision Inigo Montaya in his Spaniard's voice saying to Miracle Max-- "Elevations galore!")
• Good tee signs, good rubber tee pads, and new double chain DISCatcher baskets.
• Length variety is very good. 1of 138/ 5 of 200-299/ 7 of 300-399/ 5 of 400-499. (Hole 1, the short one, sticks out from the rest.)
• Water- not a whole lot, but a creek is in play or in view on holes 2 and 16-18.
• Golf carts are available, except in the winter.

I wish there were more holes in the woods. The mixed layout I played had 4 Woods/ 6 Open/ 8 Mixed foliage. For my preferences there are too many wide open holes for a course in that kind of terrain. There could be some awesome holes in the woods up on the hillsides, but they'd have to cut some trees.
• Beware of potential safety issues. Resort roads come into play on 5 holes and 3 holes have tees too close to the previous basket so errnant drives can hit the tee.
• Fairways shape variety is low- on the layout I played 12 St/ 2 Lt/ 3 R/ 1 L.
• The lengths on the tee signs don't always match the lengths on the score card.

Course Level = White. The level is a tweener between longer, higher scoring White or easier Blue. (White CR Par = 59, and White est Score Avg = 58; Blue CR Par = 56 and Blue est Score Avg = 54)
• My favorite hole was #11. At 468 ft with a 40 ft elevation drop, and a quite open fairway, it's fun to let it rip. Other fun holes with huge elevation drops were 2, 8, 18
-I'm very glad to see that hole 1 has been redesigned since I played there.
• It's the westernmost course in NC. Being a 2 hour drive west of Asheville it's probably a long drive for most NC players.
• Pay to play. $5 per round; $10 all day

You can read more of my reviews at the Yahoo group "DG Course Reviews", http://sports.groups.yahoo.co...urseReviews/. Look there in the Files section for my Overall Rating notes and Hole-by-hole ratings.

1st of all it's worth going to because it's at fontana village which is very beautiful and a wonderful place to stay. It's got plenty of holes over 500 ft for the folks who throw the long bombs. You don't have to wander around looking for the next tee either. It's well marked. There's a good mix of open and wooded fairways and was very fun to play.

Not as wooded and tight as i had hoped for and the golf carts were unavailable due to winterizing. Other than that it's great.

Still young so I can see this becoming a 5 star course with more tees/pin placements. Plus Fontana village has enough room and woods to make it 36 holes or more if they wanted. It would be nice if they put at least 9 in the woods for some tight line shots.

Moderately long at over 6000' from the pro blues. Only 1-2 shorter holes. More moderately open fairways with fewer narrow wooded lines. Ride a golf cart , drink beers, and get 72 holes or more in a day. Very challenging roughs in some places. Lodging available overlooking the course. Somewhat significant elevation change on this mountain valley course. Young course with mucho potential.

New course, open summer 07 at private resort. Still much fine tuning and beautification to do / in progress .Pay to Play+cart fees but packages available.. Some sports car and motorcycle traffic in the summer on Tail of the Dragon.

Great layout from Disconcepts, just needs some tweaks and polish. Multiple pin placements and alt tees to come. Easily expandable/changable in the future for some solid tournament action. As interest in the course/area grows, additional courses are projected.