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Meadowbrook Orchards reviews
16
0
wolfsbro
Experience:
9 played
8 reviews
Great new course! 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:May 26, 2022
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Hey cool I get the first review!
Meadowbrook Orchards is in very advanced condition for a course that's been permanently open for just a few weeks. The hole designs need no revision. Most of the tee pads are pavers. The baskets are legit. The tee signs are all present and have lovely custom graphics depicting the layout of the entire hole. There's a next-tee arrow inside of every basket. If this is the new standard for the state of courses when they open, we are in for a very good time as disc golfers! I'm so used to courses opening with less than 18 holes, holes that need to be redesigned, no signage, no tee pads etc. etc. It can take years to get all of that squared away especially at public courses. But on private property where someone has the dedication and the resources... wow things can get done fast!
The overall design is excellent. The holes are almost always linear, one leading to the next. Holes never interfere with each other and never even abut each other except for 14/15 and 17/18 just a little bit. The course is super safe to play. I guess this could make for a somewhat boring tournament or league night since you'll never see anyone not on your card except maybe the card in front of you or behind you if you catch them, but whatever. For casual play it's ideal!
This is a monster course. Noodle arms need not apply. At 7,000 feet it's the same size as Wickham Park longs and just a little less than Maple Hill Blue's 7,300 feet. There's no water or other mandatory carries, but if you can't throw 250 feet it's going to be a long round. There are also some long 300-600 foot walks between holes. Not all of them, but several. Especially at the end... hole 17 is long, the walk to 18 is long, hole 18 is long, and the walk back to the car is long. I can't think of any other course where you have so much ground still to cover from the 17th tee. You better bring some energy! I like the workout so I consider this a pro, but if you're not into physically demanding courses I guess you might consider this a con.
Hole 14 is a legit signature hole. Downhill shot with a big valley view behind it. As soon as you turn the corner and it comes into view, it's a showstopper. Hole 18 is also back from the temporary course that was here in the fall and it's also quite scenic especially in the fall. Another standout hole to me is 9, which is a long, narrow, wooded, twisting, uphill par 4 bruiser. I 4'd it but it took my three best shots to get to the circle. A birdie would be phenomenal for anyone. Another fun one is 6 with two completely different lines through the woods; a completely straight but very narrow shot, or the much longer but wider sweeping RHBH line. They even made the tee pad V-shaped so you have a full box for either shot. Nice touch!
With half the holes being open air bombs, the overall amount of open air disc golf is much more than we are used to here in New England. It's refreshing to have this much opportunity to air it out in one round and not have to thread a tree line for 18 straight holes. The wooded holes also have more space than most around here.
Most astray drives are easy to find. I don't think there are any spots on any holes where if you go off course it's "oh yeah that disc is gone." There are a couple of holes where the rough is tough to search, but overall it's really not bad.
The onsite cafe/farmstand makes very good sandwiches so you won't have to go anywhere for that post-round grub!
Meadowbrook Orchards is in very advanced condition for a course that's been permanently open for just a few weeks. The hole designs need no revision. Most of the tee pads are pavers. The baskets are legit. The tee signs are all present and have lovely custom graphics depicting the layout of the entire hole. There's a next-tee arrow inside of every basket. If this is the new standard for the state of courses when they open, we are in for a very good time as disc golfers! I'm so used to courses opening with less than 18 holes, holes that need to be redesigned, no signage, no tee pads etc. etc. It can take years to get all of that squared away especially at public courses. But on private property where someone has the dedication and the resources... wow things can get done fast!
The overall design is excellent. The holes are almost always linear, one leading to the next. Holes never interfere with each other and never even abut each other except for 14/15 and 17/18 just a little bit. The course is super safe to play. I guess this could make for a somewhat boring tournament or league night since you'll never see anyone not on your card except maybe the card in front of you or behind you if you catch them, but whatever. For casual play it's ideal!
This is a monster course. Noodle arms need not apply. At 7,000 feet it's the same size as Wickham Park longs and just a little less than Maple Hill Blue's 7,300 feet. There's no water or other mandatory carries, but if you can't throw 250 feet it's going to be a long round. There are also some long 300-600 foot walks between holes. Not all of them, but several. Especially at the end... hole 17 is long, the walk to 18 is long, hole 18 is long, and the walk back to the car is long. I can't think of any other course where you have so much ground still to cover from the 17th tee. You better bring some energy! I like the workout so I consider this a pro, but if you're not into physically demanding courses I guess you might consider this a con.
Hole 14 is a legit signature hole. Downhill shot with a big valley view behind it. As soon as you turn the corner and it comes into view, it's a showstopper. Hole 18 is also back from the temporary course that was here in the fall and it's also quite scenic especially in the fall. Another standout hole to me is 9, which is a long, narrow, wooded, twisting, uphill par 4 bruiser. I 4'd it but it took my three best shots to get to the circle. A birdie would be phenomenal for anyone. Another fun one is 6 with two completely different lines through the woods; a completely straight but very narrow shot, or the much longer but wider sweeping RHBH line. They even made the tee pad V-shaped so you have a full box for either shot. Nice touch!
With half the holes being open air bombs, the overall amount of open air disc golf is much more than we are used to here in New England. It's refreshing to have this much opportunity to air it out in one round and not have to thread a tree line for 18 straight holes. The wooded holes also have more space than most around here.
Most astray drives are easy to find. I don't think there are any spots on any holes where if you go off course it's "oh yeah that disc is gone." There are a couple of holes where the rough is tough to search, but overall it's really not bad.
The onsite cafe/farmstand makes very good sandwiches so you won't have to go anywhere for that post-round grub!
Cons:
The course is not too beginner-friendly due to the length and elevation changes. There's one layout and it's called Blue appropriately. There's definitely an opportunity to get some shorter red or white tees going here eventually. For now, probably take the newbs somewhere else.
The rest are really just nitpicks; they're not any reason to not come or anything:
Holes 5, 7, and 8 are pretty much exactly the same.
There's a lot of OB marked off by stakes but no rope or line. If you're taking things seriously, it can be hard to tell if your disc is on the invisible line between two stakes. If you're playing casually this really doesn't matter, just make a call and move on. For a tournament they might want to rope off all the OB but this would require literally miles of rope. Anyways like I said, nitpicks.
The cafe does not serve beer and it's not clear if it's okay to drink your own on the premises. If they ever did offer beer onsite this would be a grand slam for all disc golfers who enjoy a post-round beer.
The rest are really just nitpicks; they're not any reason to not come or anything:
Holes 5, 7, and 8 are pretty much exactly the same.
There's a lot of OB marked off by stakes but no rope or line. If you're taking things seriously, it can be hard to tell if your disc is on the invisible line between two stakes. If you're playing casually this really doesn't matter, just make a call and move on. For a tournament they might want to rope off all the OB but this would require literally miles of rope. Anyways like I said, nitpicks.
The cafe does not serve beer and it's not clear if it's okay to drink your own on the premises. If they ever did offer beer onsite this would be a grand slam for all disc golfers who enjoy a post-round beer.
Other Thoughts:
The most similar course in the area is definitely Wickham Park because of the distance of the course, the distance between holes, the unusual amount of open air holes, the relative openness of the wooded holes, and the signature downhill-with-a-view holes. You'll feel like you got a workout in when you're done!
If you played the temporary course here last fall, the three wooded holes are all back as are 17 and 18. The rest, I think, are all new and now you don't play through any of the areas where people pick their own fruit nor do you play over the pond, so it's a lot safer!
I can't believe what a great addition this course already is to the Massachusetts disc golf course inventory. Load up and get ready to crush!
If you played the temporary course here last fall, the three wooded holes are all back as are 17 and 18. The rest, I think, are all new and now you don't play through any of the areas where people pick their own fruit nor do you play over the pond, so it's a lot safer!
I can't believe what a great addition this course already is to the Massachusetts disc golf course inventory. Load up and get ready to crush!
