18 holes of private disc golf set in a near perfect piece of land. When I parked and looked out over the landscape at Hawk Hollow I knew that I was about to experience something special. The view showed large hills, a good sized creek and lots of woods with some large open pasture land scattered about. Just about everything a savvy course designer would need to create a fun and challenging layout.

The key to Hawk Hollow in my humble opinion is the perfect balance and variety created with all the features available. Mr. Biscoe didn't get enamored by one cool feature or shot, and beat it to death. Instead, this course challenges you in many ways, and never gets boring or repetitive.

Hawk Hollow has holes from 210' to 975', and every hole uses some feature to add to the design. Some holes use elevation up or down, some use the trees, and some use the large creek that meanders throughout the course. Seldom is there a hole without a risk/reward feature or some additional challenge. But sometimes, as in the case with the 975' hole several of the hazards can get in your way all on one hole.

Open holes have either enough elevation, trees or creek to keep a power player from simply bombing a drive without control. The shorter wooded holes offer tight lines, risky greens or OB water to keep them from being easy ace runs. Every hole is simply well done. Fairways are all well defined, and always offer a decent path to the basket.

The fence lines and the creek offer abundant OB to force players to play smart golf. Risky shots here can lead to some ugly scores.

Tee pads were all flat and playable, and baskets were of mixed variety, but they all caught very well.

Private course that is not always available for play. It's a farm first, so the cows rule.

Cow patties. They are there. Watch where you walk.

Pads and signs could be improved. But if you are there you are probably playing with the host or someone that has played it before. So this is a very minor issue.

I didn't expect to enjoy this course as much as I did. I knew it was great from other people's comments, but expected the length to overly challenge my noodle arm, and the cow poop to mar my pretty discs. But neither really happened. Sure I could have used another 100' of arm a few times, but my poor execution on wooded shots hurt me more than the length.

This is probably the best course I have played that blends length with the more technical aspects of disc golf, and forces a player to be well-rounded to score well. You can't be limited or a one-trick pony and do well here.

There are mostly open holes that are 975', 804', 693' and 654'. There are also mostly wooded holes that are 210', 240', 291', 354', 228' and 400'. Variety of length and hole type is simply awesome. There is also a tremendous mix of shots that must turn left or right. And of course there are nice ups and downs. Probably more elevation than any course I have played not in a mountain region. The course is so varied and well done that I didn't even notice how bad my score was until I finished. I got battered, and smiled the whole time.

As with most private courses this course is not a city park. There are no benches, trash cans or paved paths for your baby stroller. Pack it in, pack it out like it's your land. This course is all about the golf, not gimmicks or amenities.

If you are anywhere close, and you have the chance to play Hawk Hollow, do it. This is definitely one of the best courses you'll ever play. It's scenic, challenging and fun. There aren't many places in its league so enjoy your time here. Even if your score isn't what you hoped.

- Phenomenal piece of property
- Incredible Elevation
- Great basket placements near creeks
- Very fair
- Par in the mid 60's
- Very challengeing

- Cow poop everywhere (it is a working dairy farm)
- Barbwire in some areas and if you throw OB, you have to crawl under it to get the disc
- If it's wet, the tee pads are pretty slippery
- Some baskets, while being replaced, are not the greatest.
- The tee signs, while giving distances, don't really help with knowing where to throw - which is very important on longer courses
- No distances from certain points (i.e a par 4 that plays to the creek, it would helpful to know how far that creek is to the pin).

Here are the letter holes.

Hole A - This hole is played after hole 9 and tees between 9's basket and 3's tee pad. This downhill par 4 is open for 99% of the hole. The 1% comes from a small double mando found 5 - 10 feet off the tee. Once entering the field, it is best to be as far as possible. If you can't throw 500 feet, it' s better to miss left as it gets you the best angle to the pin. The pin is found near the front entrance of the property and is surrounded by OB. Most upshots either flirt with the pin on a hyzer line, or are sidearms or anhyzers around the fence line.

Hole B - Tees right by the entrance and just to the left of hole A's basket. This downhill par 3 plays approximately 290 feet, but is very deceptive in distance. An OB fence lines the right side and narrows as you get closer to the pin. A swampy area behind the pin is OB as well and it's easy to both overdrive the pin and go OB as well as putt OB. The basket sits in a corner between the two OB areas.

Hole C is a shorter uphill par 3, roughly 240 feet and tees just to the left of hole B's basket. There are multiple options here. You can throw straight it between a few narrow gaps, throw an overhand over everything, a big sidearm around everything or a big hyzer over everything. This hole is probably the easiest 2 on the course and it's rare to see a score higher than 3.

At this point, you then go to hole 10, found at the top of the hill behind C's basket.

After playing 14, you go to hole D, which is found beside the chorale behind hole 15's tee.

Hole D is a 300 foot, roughly, par 3 across a field. The only true challenge comes at the basket as the basket sits about 30 feet on a down slope in a narrow opening. It's very easy to come up short here and putts roll away pretty easily. Most players throw a soft hyzer and hope to enter the mouth.

Hole E tees just to the right of D's basket back in the field and is about 430 feet. An initial gap off the tee brings challenge, but after that, no challenges unless you throw a very poor shot (OB well right and if you hyzer out early, you are in the woods). The basket sits behind three mature pine trees and offset to the left. Most players try to bomb it up to the right leaving a shorter approach. A big arm can get around the trees for a putt at two. The pin sits on a drop off and it's easy for putts to roll away. 2's a great score and 3 isn't bad either.

Hole F tees just behind E's basket and is a 570 foot par 4. This is a fantastic hole and brings in the true risk reward element of Hawk Hollow back into play. OB runs the entire fairway on the right and eventually narrows parallel with the pin and squares off behind the pin. The main set of woods are well left, and another set of woods show up just off to the left at about 375 feet or so. The fairway, defined by these woods and the OB Line, narrows the closer you get to the pin. A huge drive brings OB into play, but leaves a very simple 150 simple hyzer to the wide open pin. A safe drive hyzers out and leaves a very hard second shot.

Hole G tees just to left of F's basket in the woods. Roughly 500 feet and a par 4, the tee shot starts in the woods and requires a very accurate tee shot to get out as the a tree in the middle of the fairway narrows the margin for error. Once you get out of the woods, most players prefer to be on the right, but too far right puts you back in the woods. From there, there is about 200 or so feet of field before a very narrow opening on the left side that leads to the basket. This ceiling is also very low which makes it even more challenging. The basket sits up a hill about 100 feet past the opening.
Hole H tees to the left of G's basket and behind F's tee throwing in the opposite direction. A shorter more open par 4, the only real danger off the tee is the same fence line from F on the left side of the fairway and a larger tree about 350 feet offset to the right. Most players try to hyzer around this tree or in front of it. Your second shot is usually only about 200 feet, and wide open, but uphill. The pin sits in a chorale which forces very accurate upshots. Thumbers and big spike hyzers are common here as cross boards in the chorale block the pin.
After playing H, you are now back at 15's tee.
The final added hole is hole I, played after 15. Instead of walking directly left towards 16, continue walking down the river about 100 feet or so to get to I. I is a shorter uphill par 3, but wooded and challenging. The pin is up and slightly right so most players choose a flippy midrange or even a thumber. The only real challenge on the hole is missing the trees off the fairway. Almost every kick goes left and out of the kicks, probably half of them go all the way back down into the creek.
After playing 15, you now walk to 16's tee to finish the course.

This is one of the few courses that I truly get excited to play. Everyone I tell about it I istantly tell them it will be in your top 5 and so far, no one has disagreed. The landscape, the challenge, the variety of shots. Just amazing. If you haven't played the course do two things. 1. Slap yourself. 2. Go there yesterday.

I have played many nice courses - this was one of the best I have ever been privileged to play on. I do consider it a privilege, given that the owner and the locals have clearly put a lot of time into setting it up and maintaining this beautiful piece of land. The holes are long and challenging, but fair. If you have a decent set of shots, you can hit the right lines and feel good about your score, even if you are getting 4s and some 5s. The cows you see on the holes are also unlike anything you would see anywhere else.

Not really any cons here - except one semi-con. This property is primarily a working farm and secondarily a disc golf course. Because of this it is not a place that one would call their home course. It is more of a treat for the passionate golfer. Again, not a con, but i would love to play here often but do not want to disturb the farm environment.

A big thank you to the owner and the great local players we met while playing here. It made the trip and rounds at Hawk Hollow that much more memorable.

Secluded, no picnickers, dog walkers, or other disc golfers to get in the way.

A lot of variety: elevation changes, tight tunnels, wide open areas, great use of creek, good variety of right vs. left holes, and holes ranging from under 250 feet to a long 900 footer with a moderately wooded beginning.
Several of these holes would be signature holes if they were transplanted into another course. The land is well suited for disc golf and the course design emphasizes all of the best qualities of the land.

Course can be played as 18, or add the lettered holes for a tough 27.

Playing just feet from large Angus cows was a unique experience that adds a little novelty to a serious course.

Course is challenging enough for serious advanced players, while not being frustrating for experienced recreational players.

Awesome astroturf-like tee pads and decent tee signs on some of the tees.

Course is well maintained with superb bridges to help cross the water. The aesthetics of this course would rival many state parks.

Course map available

Nearly everyhole has a risk vs. reward opportinity.

Cow poop; you will step in it, your disc will land in it, so bring an extra towel, maybe a moist towlette

Beginners may get frustrated with the out of bounds areas and the difficulty of some of the holes.

Choose your breakfast carefully, no bathrooms and this is a long course.

Course is not open year round due to the cows. cows also tend to knock down some of the signage.

This course was an amazing 5 hour experience; Biscoe is a great host and this course is top notch. This course is a MUST PLAY for anyone who gets the opportunity (like the October 2010 DGCR meet)

*Private course are rated differently that a public course (navigation is not taken into account because you should be with Biscoe or be familiar with the course, Basket quality is slightly less important because baskets are part of a private collection, less expectation for facilities on a private course)

Wow is the way your day will start when you pull to this beautiful working farm and step up to the first tee that overlooks much of the property. Get used to saying wow, you'll say it again. No finer way to start a round than with this 420+ foot bomb off of a large hill over an unobstructed fairway, but then you notice that the pin is just close enough to the creek to give you pause. You get to enjoy the hill again the next hole when you go up it and then to the right to a nicely protected pin. This just sets the tone for the rest of the round. You will get no breaks, but every hole has a reasonable solution, IF you execute. #6 looks like a nice short respite, then you notice that the pin is at the end of a rock outcropping that drops down about 15' immediately after the pin, if you run you better hit metal. #7 brings another wow, 940 feet worth that starts in the trees and then through a large open meadow where you find the pin protected by that darn creek again. This is a recurring theme throughout the round. #10 brings another wow with another epic bomb off a large hill, this time your goal is to get it up near (but not in) the creek to set up another 400' or so to the pin guarded by (guess what?) Mr. Creek again. #15 is is another epic hole that plays atop the hill that borders the creek, you go about 450' or so before you hang a right and go down a 250' tree lined opening to a pin guarded by you-know-what. The rest of the holes are a mix of flat, uphill, downhill, sidehill, long and somewhat short shots through a forest of large deciduous trees with surprising little underbrush. This is a 5 disc layout without a doubt.

Most of the cons are somewhat tempered by what I'll call extenuating circumstances. The track isn't very well marked, but since you'll have to call for access, chances are good that you'll have a guide that knows their way around. biscoe and vegan ray were kind enough to be our guides the day zenbot and I visited, and you won't find a more gracious host. Many of the pins can't be seen from the tees, but then again, this is an honest par 64 course with a number of legitimate par 4s, if you could see all of the pins from the tees chances are there'd be a number of boring holes. Another thing I came to understand is that if you just pause and survey the surrounding terrain and ask your self 'where would I hide a pin here', chance are good that you'll hit upon the right lane. How much cow flop is there? To paraphrase Elwood Blues when Jake asks him how often the El comes by, so much that you'll stop noticing. I made a promise to myself at the beginning of the round that I wouldn't step in any, well I quickly lied to myself. Fortunately, they dry very quickly so unless you find a really fresh one it's no big deal. Then there are the tees. These are a mix of natural, rubber and turf tees that aren't always graded very well, this is probably the only thing that I would say needs to be improved to be perfect to me. Well, maybe put some roses in the cows feed too, the holes near the corrals are kind of ripe.

Several times throughout the round John mentioned how easy the course was to layout. Not to diminish his skill as a designer but when you look around it's harder to imagine a piece of property better suited for disc golf. I really believe him when he says he just walked the land and let the course design itself. I'd characterize this course as a more doable Paw Paw. I love The Woodshed and The Whipping Post, but any good round there will include an element of luck (and a LOT of skill). There are openings here that you can actually see ;-) Speaking of which, I asked John before the round how hard the trek was, he replied that it was more strenuous than Paw Paw. I remember my intial reaction was disbelief. Let me tell you that I'm now a believer. Wow.

There is no way to quickly sum up this course, so settle yourself in, grab some popcorn, and pull up for a long review that will read like disc-porn: halfway through you ought to be ready to quit your job and roadtrip to Spotsylvania, since you'll be fantasizing about Hawk Hollow's lush rolling hills, carefully crafted holes, and about playing one of the most epic sets of shots in the country. I'll start with the broad outline, and will include a hole-by-hole write up to help guide you through the letter holes in the "other thoughts" section.

The greatest pro of being out here is the bucolic splendor of the place. John Biscoe is the course contact and course designer, and when you're at Hawk Hollow, you're on his nephew's land, and those rolling hills and aged trees are home to cows as well as hawks. John lives up the street, and a lot of the family is within a mile or two of where you are standing. It's that deep sense of rootedness, of family, of people connected to the land. There's love you can feel standing there, and that same care and attention has been put into designing this course, and John and his nephew are gracious hosts, making such an amazing place available to disc golfers. But keep in mind the top rule at Hawk Hollow: cows are more important than you are, so don't throw if you might hit a cow.

You drive down miles of little two land roads to get to this place, and parking on the grass by an old silo, the view looking out over the hills and streams is a balm to anyone like me who spends to much time stuck behind a desk or stuck in a noisy city (DC). The rushing wind over those hills blows out all the dust of urban life and makes you glad to be alive.

Hole 1 starts atop a huge hill. I'd guess the vertical elevation drop is close to 80' -- maybe more. And the 429 hole is reachable with a putter if you huck it right, but you'll come up short with a max-distance driver if you're even the slightest bit nose-up on your throw. The basket it crouching back by a bend in the stream adding some excitement to the shot. It's an amzing place to start the day, because you'll want to unload half your bag trying to park this pin, and there is room to let every disc rip. Watching that mad hangtime off that hill is just a joy to behold. Not a single tree in the way -- you're just playing the elevation and the wind -- and it's harder than it looks to park that hole when you need to. But it's so much fun trying. So after you're arm is loosened up, you hike down the hill, gather your discs, can your deuce putt, and then the challenge begins...

From there, the regular 18 holes is a mix of every shot you can imagine. Substantial elevation is offered on 15/18 holes, and it's a great mix of wide-open, tight-woods, and mixed-woods shots, with plenty of true par-4s, forced placement shots, and OBs to light up the round.

One of the greatest things about HH is that it will never play the same two rounds in a row. In theory, it would be possible to shoot in the 40s out there on the original 18, but it's never been done -- I think the course record from tournament play is a 52 from Craig Gangloff in 2007... Brian Schweberger is there every year for the Hawk Hollow Open, has won it twice, and has never carded better than a 55 on the course. And the way the Hawk Hollow Open is played, it's three rounds on the same 18 holes, so no one has an excuse that they don't know the course or the conditions. It's just that hard, but it's always fair. There are wide lines on almost every hole, but it's a course with penalties for every mistake, and a lot of holes that are true par-4s, requiring well-placed layup shots to have a hope for the birdie-3. Having played all across the country, It's hard to think of any course that is more "fair." The course is a perfect measure of your game on any given day. There is minimal underbrush, and almost no "luck" involved on this course. It's a pure test of skill, and requires every shot in the bag. This is disc golf at it's finest.

And if the regular 18 aren't enough, the 9-letter holes add in some new shots and challenges, a few more birdie opportunities, and a chance to shave some strokes off your round... along with a pair of my favorite holes in all of disc golf (F&G, see below). No end to the challenge.

Well, the cons -- there are a lot of them, but all the cons added up still don't take this course out of earning a 4.5-rating. Maybe they should, if I could be purely objective, but the intangible "feel-good" quality of a place can make up for a wealth of objective shortcomings, and Hawk Hollow makes up for any drawbacks by the sheer experience of being there.

The biggest drawback for first-time players will be the lack of real tees on many holes and the lack of clear signage. Most holes are marked with a couple of painted rocks in the ground. Tees are dirt/grass/carpet/turf/etc... a whole mix. So there are no "best" shoes to wear, and no guarantee of having good footing on every teebox. This is one of the drawbacks to some private courses, and it's a drawback here. Most of the tees are very good dirt or hearty grass, so there's plenty of traction when you need it, but the inconsistency will bother some people, as will the relatively poor signage. On the bright side, the course flows well and since it's private and you'll have to call John to play anyway, he'll make sure you know how to find your way around, and it really is easy to follow.

The biggest con for regular players are the cowpiles everywhere. This place is a cow pasture, despite the hills and trees and streams, and it shows. Cowpies all over the place, and you're discs will land in them, or you'll step in them at some point in the round -- it's just inevitable. So bring some old shoes and an old towel, and just prepare for it. On the bright side, I've never really found the smell to be a problem -- plenty of breeze and cowpies don't really smell that bad -- they dry quickly on the outside and seal it in.

The next con is going to be the mixed baskets. Holes 1-18 are mostly very good baskets, but the letter holes get a little sketchy, with some homemade and portables mixed in that are harder to putt on. The mix of baskets evens out the game -- you've got to putt on everything -- and it's fair, since everyone plays the same baskets, but it does detract some from the aesthetic of the course. On the upside, the baskets are slowly being replaced through donations, and the new baskets are sweeeeet looking black Discatchers with the Hawk Hollow cow-skull on them. Gorgeous baskets. So given enough years of fundraisers by VA clubs, the baskets here will eventually be some of the best around. It just may be a while, but as new baskets appear, it does allow the homemades and portables to be cycled out of the course, which helps play.

The cows themselves will be a drawback sometimes, when they "get in the way" on a hole. You have to remember that this is their home, and you're the crazy, disc-hucking interloper. So don't get annoyed when there are cows in your way. The first hole I ever played at HH was in a tournament and we walk up to the 800-ft hole 10, throw our drives, get down to them, and I can't see the basket because there whole herd is in the way, surrounding the basket. A little noise and they moseyed on their way and let us play, but it was a pretty funny intro to the course. Just be aware that cows come first, and never throw when you might hurt/hit a cow; they are more important than you are at HH.

As with most private courses, there are no bathrooms, water, or other facilities available. Just come prepared...

And be prepared for a LONG round. 27 holes across this much length and elevation is going to tire you out. Four hours for 27 holes is not unreasonable. And if you get in two full rounds in a day, you'll be wiped out. Especially in summer. The fact that the course is private means you can drink on the course, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should... if it's a hot day, just carry as much water as possible and stay hydrated. You're going to need it to finish out the round.

The biggest con of all is that -- because this is a private course -- you can't just drop in and play anytime you want. Sometimes the course is closed for calving season. Sometimes the grass is grown up. Occasionally the bridges to cross the streams have gotten washed out by storms... all of these are limitations of a private course with limited manpower and limited resources, since the course doesn't generate revenue -- it's a labor of love for the disc golf community. So give it some grace. Dodge the cowpies. Pick up after yourself. Respect the course. And you're in for the round of your life.

GUIDE TO THE LETTER HOLES:

Holes A, B and C should be played after hole nine and before hole 10.

A - Plays from behind the trees near the cow feeder at the top of the hill (not the big manger but the little upright mineral feeder) - kind of off to the right of the teebox for hole 3. The pin is in the cluster of cedars down the hill, 650' away (plays like 550'). On your teeshot, you're better off landing higher on the hill on the right side than down the hill on the left. The best opening through the cedars to the pin is on the high side and is a pretty simple RHBH-hyzer, but precision is required. The cedars surround the basket pretty well and the branches are hard to putt out of if you miss the open green. (Estimated Scratch Scoring Average for 1000-rated pros: 3.3)

B - Walk uphill from the previous pin and shoot down to the basket near the fence. This hole is 290', but plays like 230' because of the slope.The basket is near the fence. The swampy area 15' behind the basket is OB, as is the fence 15' right of the basket. The swampy area has a yellow string marking it, but last time I was there, the string was broken, so use your best judgment if it's missing. Also, the basket on this one leans a bit, so extra care is required on the putts. This is a tricky deuce because of the landing area so close to OB, but pretty much a gimme circle-3. (ESSA: 2.6)

C - Plays to the "practice basket" on the hill near 10's teebox. Tee off from behind the cedars at the bottom of hill, about 100' left of the pin for B. This hole is 240' (plays closer to 280) and is the easiest hole on the course by far. You can get there with a putter anhyzer (or spike-flick) around the left tree, a Roc up the gut, or a RHBH spike hyzer around the right cedar. All sorts of ways for the birdie on this hole, but you need to take the birdie. (ESSA: 2.2)

After C, walk to 10 and play holes 10 - 14. After 14, walk up the hill and through the gate to your left. The tee for hole D is directly in front of you.

D - Short hole at ~ 280', straight shot across an open field down into rough, sloping terrain -- fairly easy two. Hill dips down enough that you can't see the basket from the teebox, but it is marked by a flag in a tree. Watch out for some loose barb wire on this hole, and some non-OB barb wire that can eat discs if your drive comes in too far right of the basket. (ESSA: 2.3)

E - Tee is in the field, to the right of D's basket. Hole is 425' over a small valley, finishes silghtly uphill of the launch-point, so distance plays closer to 460'. Drive is through a fairly wide window of trees by the box - just enough trees to force a low, flat shot helix shot instead of allowing big-arms to bomb a hyzer; the window and slope also make rollers tricky to execute well. Basket is hidden behind the left tree of two large cedars that form the best entry window for deuce putt at the basket. Sloping OB fence is probably 35' behind the pole, just enough to slope to make you cautious on long putts. (ESSA: 3.1)

F - One of the new true pro holes. Tee is in the open near the far fence, uphill from the previous basket. This is a 600' bomb off the top of a low hill, OB fence all along the right side, thick trees along the left, basket is hyzer left past the treeline with OB 15' behind the basket. The fairway narrows as you get closer to the pin. It is a wicked, beautiful shot that a pro might could deuce with a perfect drive, or easily double-circle 6, or anything in between. This is the most impressive of the letter holes, with the highest risk/reward ratio. (ESSA: 4.1)

G - Another top-shelf hole. This one is 450', flat for the first 320 feet, throwing out of an alley in the woods to a wide open field, then sharp uphill through a very tight, high-vertical walls of trees guarding the basket on both sides. Everything on the left side of the uphill alley is jail, everything on the right is jail sloping down to OB. Taking a birdie-three one this hole requires a set of precision shots with high risk/reward. The safest option (since no 2-meter rule is in effect) is to place your tee shot out in the field to the left and bomb a RHBH spike hyzer over the guardian trees and down into the tight green. (ESSA: 3.7)

H - Tee is in the open along the main fence, left and out of the trees from the previous basket. This is a 600' open hole that goes down a hill and up a hill with the basket in the middle of a corral, OB all the way down the hole on the left side - it's an easy 4 with a conservative drive; reasonable 3 if you spike-hyzer your upshot into the corral; a 5 if your drive or upshot hyzers OB. (ESSA: 3.3)

After hole H, walk through the gate and out of the corral (make sure all gates are secured behind you), and play hole 15. After hole 15, walk along the stream to the tee for the last letter hole.

I - This is 210' shot up a very sharp incline through trees; vertical elevation change of ~50'. Flick a driver or slight anhyzer on a mid or putter up through a tight-treed alley to the basket. If you miss and kick left, you're in the drink. Watch out for the banks of leaves, as they can be almost two feet deep in places during the fall/winter. This can lose discs and offers tricky footing walking up the hill. (ESSA: 2.5)

The letter holes are a great way to spice up the course. When I have time, I'll try to amend this review to add a writeup for all the holes, but since the letter holes are the trickiest part of navigating the course, I thought it would be helpful to at least include them in this review.

The best thing I can tell you is to get out to Hawk Hollow as quickly as you can. There are few comparable places in the country to test your mettle as a disc golfer. And there are few more beautiful places to play. A day at Hawk Hollow will be one of the best disc golf days of your life... and remember that even if you're shooting in the mid-60s, you're still playing pro-level (~970) golf. And if you're not doing so hot, you're still at Hawk Hollow, and that wind whippin' over those hills is still gonna' whisk all your cares away. Enjoy!

This course is amazing!! Beautifull rolling hills and creeks through a pasture in Virginia. This course has it all, long bombs and short precision throws. The course plays nicely and is easy to follow, great map available as well. I have been playing for less than a year, so for me this was the best I have played. A bit challenging for a newby, I spent a little time fishing my disc out of the creek! But hey, it's my rookie season! There are several uphill throws that test your arms and legs. John, the designer of the course has done a great job incorporating his course with nature. Playing along side the cows was very fun and was a nice change to the courses I usually play near roads and subdivisions.

I can think of only one con and that would be that the cows occasionally knock over baskets and signs. This really isn't a big deal, hell, it's their place we are playing in!

John, the designer was cool and actually played half a round with us. He definitly has the best kept secret in Virginia. Be sure to bring comfortable shoes and water. If you do play keep the exact location on the down low per the request of John.

Beautiful land. Long, open bombs (2 800+ holes) and short, technical ace runs. The ridge that 1 & 10 tees are on is huge, and allows for many of the elevation changes throughout the front 9. Playing up that hill on 2, 5, & 9 was minimal relief on my arm, but killed my legs (the hill is freaking huge, I don't know how the cows do it?) I really enjoyed 12, 13, 14, weaving through the woods and over the creek. #7 might have been a little too long, but when looking at the land, it's pretty obvious why he put it there...it just makes for better flow to get to the back holes. I really liked that even though some of the holes (7, 10, A, B, F) are kind of wide open, the pin placements are challenging/tucked away in not so obvious places. And the creek that flows throughout the whole course (in play on 1,7,8,9,10,12,14) is almost pristine in that it's about 10 feet wide throughout and provides a bit of an obstacle without being so dominant and scary as to prevent someone from throwing all out...it's there, but it doesn't really impose too much, but it can kill your score for sure.

the only cons are because of it's remoteness/roughness
- cow pies...not having grown up around cows I'm not 100% used to dodging crap, but it's not that big of a deal
- tee signs, these are put up everynow and again, but the cows tend to knock things over, including baskets sometimes
-restrooms, these weren't expected because it's private property

First of all, John Biscoe is a very gracious host. He played the second half of this monster course with us, showing us the way, although with the maps provided it flowed rather easily.
The course is on his nephew's property, who is just as gracious as John, and for this reason the directions to this course are to remain "private"...if you want to play it, just shoot John an e-mail and i'm sure he'll work something out with you...

I've been playing for 15 years, and other the YMCA course just west of Denver I can think of no other course where I worked my body so hard, and got to play along side livestock...i loved this course and can't wait to go back, but i'm gonna need to do some kind of hiking regimine the weeks leading up to it...it's a hike...

coming from St. Louis I'd say this is a cross between Sioux Passage & JB...but longer than Sioux and more technical than JB & Endicott put together