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Liberty University - Camp Hydaway reviews
12
0
The Underdog
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 23, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
-Hydaway is the Underdog in the area. It's the better of the two courses at Liberty. The main course at Liberty has more capacity, a little more elevation, and more variety, and a better mix. But it has a ton of flaws. Hydaway is still very hilly, has many different shot shaping fairway. The main reason why Hydaway is better than the main course at Liberty is the fact that there was so much more initiative. The lines are logical and fair. There's little to no interference with other activities.
-20 hole course. Just like at the main course! The main course has a couple elevated baskets (one hanging). This course has a basket on a stump, a few of them near or over a creek, and #10 has a very neat green on a mound cropped with rocks. Nice change of direction with prodigy pins here at Hydaway.
-Hydaway has a great diversity of fairways. The first hole is a nice anhyzer. The second one is completely straight. Three is a dogleg right. Four is a nice RHBH fairway driver shot over a valley. Five is a sweet backhand up a hill. #6 is really cool under a canopy and up a trail. It doesn't stop there. This is the main reason why this course is better than the main campus course. The tee shot for #5 at the main campus could be one of the most memorable holes in the whole area but the line to get out of the clearing is just weird. Same with #11 long at the main campus. It's through a corridor that's too small then down a huge hill. #18 at the main campus doesn't have a full established fairway and a few of the holes there are wide open and tasteless.
-Elevation is very well used here. Great mix of uphill, downhill, valley. Just like there is at the main campus. It starts off pretty mild and slowly builds its way up. Holes #6 and #7 are both pretty significantly uphill. #8 is a good bit downhill. #9 and #10 offer a little more elevation than #8. #11 is a little more downhill than the previous two holes. Then #14 comes and the major elevation starts to take place. #14 is only 200' but is effectively much longer because its up a 40' hill. 40' is a lot when the hole is only 200'. #16 is an extreme downhill. Has a 70' elevation drop. #17 is back uphill (maybe 30') and it's under a canopy so it feels like it's up a lot higher due to a low ceiling in place at the gap. #19 is a super fun gauntlet down a steep hill (53' down).
-Two sets of pads on just about every hole. The whites are well suited for intermediates. The blues are still very attackable and give many birdie opportunities. Since there is more distance from the blues, there are higher accuracy standards and higher risk for bogeys. If you are able to throw 300' accurately on different lines, you have the capacity to score very well on the blues. It is punishing, but still forgiving. The opportunities to recover are frequent from the blues. The whites have more birdie opportunities due to them being more reachable, which could mean your score could be heavily influenced by your putting game rather than your scramble game.
-Alternate pin positions on most holes. Don't know if they are moved often, but they do look fun. The baskets were in the shorts when I played and even is probably over 930 rated from blue pads to short. So this course can get quite difficult. Blue pads to long pins would be at least an advanced level course that rates over 960.
-#15 blue was unique. You have to throw over a wooden rail that is nailed between two trees. So it's a triple mando where you throw over rather than under. Nice creative design here.
-20 hole course. Just like at the main course! The main course has a couple elevated baskets (one hanging). This course has a basket on a stump, a few of them near or over a creek, and #10 has a very neat green on a mound cropped with rocks. Nice change of direction with prodigy pins here at Hydaway.
-Hydaway has a great diversity of fairways. The first hole is a nice anhyzer. The second one is completely straight. Three is a dogleg right. Four is a nice RHBH fairway driver shot over a valley. Five is a sweet backhand up a hill. #6 is really cool under a canopy and up a trail. It doesn't stop there. This is the main reason why this course is better than the main campus course. The tee shot for #5 at the main campus could be one of the most memorable holes in the whole area but the line to get out of the clearing is just weird. Same with #11 long at the main campus. It's through a corridor that's too small then down a huge hill. #18 at the main campus doesn't have a full established fairway and a few of the holes there are wide open and tasteless.
-Elevation is very well used here. Great mix of uphill, downhill, valley. Just like there is at the main campus. It starts off pretty mild and slowly builds its way up. Holes #6 and #7 are both pretty significantly uphill. #8 is a good bit downhill. #9 and #10 offer a little more elevation than #8. #11 is a little more downhill than the previous two holes. Then #14 comes and the major elevation starts to take place. #14 is only 200' but is effectively much longer because its up a 40' hill. 40' is a lot when the hole is only 200'. #16 is an extreme downhill. Has a 70' elevation drop. #17 is back uphill (maybe 30') and it's under a canopy so it feels like it's up a lot higher due to a low ceiling in place at the gap. #19 is a super fun gauntlet down a steep hill (53' down).
-Two sets of pads on just about every hole. The whites are well suited for intermediates. The blues are still very attackable and give many birdie opportunities. Since there is more distance from the blues, there are higher accuracy standards and higher risk for bogeys. If you are able to throw 300' accurately on different lines, you have the capacity to score very well on the blues. It is punishing, but still forgiving. The opportunities to recover are frequent from the blues. The whites have more birdie opportunities due to them being more reachable, which could mean your score could be heavily influenced by your putting game rather than your scramble game.
-Alternate pin positions on most holes. Don't know if they are moved often, but they do look fun. The baskets were in the shorts when I played and even is probably over 930 rated from blue pads to short. So this course can get quite difficult. Blue pads to long pins would be at least an advanced level course that rates over 960.
-#15 blue was unique. You have to throw over a wooden rail that is nailed between two trees. So it's a triple mando where you throw over rather than under. Nice creative design here.
Cons:
-I can't think of many. For the design itself, I don't think I have any complaints. It's not the best course in Virginia. There are some funner courses in Virginia, but Hydeway really lives up to its potential. Some of the holes are more on the average side, but none of them are poorly designed. I think they did incredibly well with what was offered here. I only have a couple the vagueness of where the first hole is. There's a parking area for disc golfers with a kiosk, but the first hole is a quarter of mile down the trail. I honestly don't know if it's a better idea to park at the parking lot further down the road or not.
-The tee signs give hole info but no hole diagrams. So you'll be walking up the fairway before you throw your tee shots on several holes.
-Could use an open hole, I guess. Just to show a change of appearance.
-The tee signs give hole info but no hole diagrams. So you'll be walking up the fairway before you throw your tee shots on several holes.
-Could use an open hole, I guess. Just to show a change of appearance.
Other Thoughts:
-I'll bring up the three big downhill holes here and the three at the main campus. #11, #16, and #19 here are all downhill. #11 is around 500' long and down a good thirty feet at least. It's like a tighter version of #13 on the main campus. #13 on the main campus is pretty open and drops probably twice as much as #11 at Hydaway. #11 at Hydaway has a better green over the creek and offers a little more forgiveness if you land off the fairway. Both #11 at Hydaway and #13 at the main campus give good birdie opportunities and could potentially be reached with one big accurate drive. Both are great holes with their own perks.
-#11 at the Main campus and #16 at Hydaway: #11 at the main campus has two pads. The white pad is the better of the two. The elevation on this one is similar to #16 at Hydaway. Both have steep elevation drops. #16 at Hydaway has the greater amount of elevation and has a much more logical line to the pin, despite the fact that it's wooded and #11 on the main campus is primarily open. The green on #16 at Hydaway is over a small creek after being down a 70' hill. #16 at Hydaway is without question, better than #11 at the main campus.
-#16 at the main campus and #19 at Hydaway: #16 at the main campus is probably the funnest hole. 300' and plays probably less than 50' because it's so downhill through a row of pines. #19 at Hydaway is about the same length from the blue pad. The elevation is not as severe as #16 at the main campus, but it's still over 50' down. The line is a little bit tighter and the rough is hard to get out of, and if you fly through the rough at all, you probably won't sneak out. This is a very fun hole, but I like #16 at the main campus a little better.
-This is a better design than the main campus. Even though, the main campus has a better mix of open/wooded, and maybe a little more elevation. The main campus falls short on many basics. Hydaway meets all the main standards and has many creative features.
-I'm not sure if the expansion to 27 holes will ever take effect. Hopefully it will. But either way, it's a great course. It's well suited for most players since there are three sets of pads on some holes. Some of the hole distances can be deceiving due to elevation. Some of the par fours might seem like easy birdies, but they aren't that simple. #5 especially. I threw a driver and it got me stuck in the rough. I barely scrambled to save bogey. The tee shot from the blue pad isn't much longer than 400', but the line is pretty tight. You may want to throw a mid in order to have a better chance for birdie.
-#11 at the Main campus and #16 at Hydaway: #11 at the main campus has two pads. The white pad is the better of the two. The elevation on this one is similar to #16 at Hydaway. Both have steep elevation drops. #16 at Hydaway has the greater amount of elevation and has a much more logical line to the pin, despite the fact that it's wooded and #11 on the main campus is primarily open. The green on #16 at Hydaway is over a small creek after being down a 70' hill. #16 at Hydaway is without question, better than #11 at the main campus.
-#16 at the main campus and #19 at Hydaway: #16 at the main campus is probably the funnest hole. 300' and plays probably less than 50' because it's so downhill through a row of pines. #19 at Hydaway is about the same length from the blue pad. The elevation is not as severe as #16 at the main campus, but it's still over 50' down. The line is a little bit tighter and the rough is hard to get out of, and if you fly through the rough at all, you probably won't sneak out. This is a very fun hole, but I like #16 at the main campus a little better.
-This is a better design than the main campus. Even though, the main campus has a better mix of open/wooded, and maybe a little more elevation. The main campus falls short on many basics. Hydaway meets all the main standards and has many creative features.
-I'm not sure if the expansion to 27 holes will ever take effect. Hopefully it will. But either way, it's a great course. It's well suited for most players since there are three sets of pads on some holes. Some of the hole distances can be deceiving due to elevation. Some of the par fours might seem like easy birdies, but they aren't that simple. #5 especially. I threw a driver and it got me stuck in the rough. I barely scrambled to save bogey. The tee shot from the blue pad isn't much longer than 400', but the line is pretty tight. You may want to throw a mid in order to have a better chance for birdie.
8
0
Camp Hydaway 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Feb 10, 2016
Played the course:once
Pros:
-The elevation present on this course is amazing, especially on the back 10 hole of the current 20 hole course. The top-of-the-world shots here are great.
-This course really has that private, secluded feel that I love. Just you, disc golf, and nature.
-This is the first course I have played with Prodigy baskets and I loved them. They stand out well in the woods and catch great.
-There are a variety of pin positions making good use of natural features such as hills and creeks.
-There are three tee pads on every hole making it a true "Choose-your-own-adventure" course.
-This course really has that private, secluded feel that I love. Just you, disc golf, and nature.
-This is the first course I have played with Prodigy baskets and I loved them. They stand out well in the woods and catch great.
-There are a variety of pin positions making good use of natural features such as hills and creeks.
-There are three tee pads on every hole making it a true "Choose-your-own-adventure" course.
Cons:
-The biggest flaw of this course is that there are currently no tee signs and no directional signs at all. This is okay at most spots, but the baskets are not even numbered, so I lost track of what hole I was on after a little bit.
-There is a fair amount of mud present on the course especially along the gravel road and near creek beds.
-While probably not a problem for most, I was not a big fan of the turf tee pads.
-I wish this course had a little more variety in hole type as I felt like I was throwing a lot of RHFH shots.
-There is a fair amount of mud present on the course especially along the gravel road and near creek beds.
-While probably not a problem for most, I was not a big fan of the turf tee pads.
-I wish this course had a little more variety in hole type as I felt like I was throwing a lot of RHFH shots.
Other Thoughts:
This is your typical tight and technical course, but the extreme elevation and winding creek really bump this course up another level.
I would say that I disagree with the directions provided on the course info page. My advice would be to park in the large lot by the wooden "Camp Hydaway" sign. Then walk down the hill and past the lodge. You will then see a basket ball court and a zip line in a large open field. Walk below the zip line and into the woods on the trail behind the course. You will walk around a curve and the basket for hole 20 will be on your left. Continue walking past the creek and the tees for hole one will be on your right.
I would say that I disagree with the directions provided on the course info page. My advice would be to park in the large lot by the wooden "Camp Hydaway" sign. Then walk down the hill and past the lodge. You will then see a basket ball court and a zip line in a large open field. Walk below the zip line and into the woods on the trail behind the course. You will walk around a curve and the basket for hole 20 will be on your left. Continue walking past the creek and the tees for hole one will be on your right.
