Landscape, signage, tees, multiple baskets

Moneta Park is a scenic multi-use park not far from Smith Mountain Lake. Discers may have to work a bit to get there but the course and the surrounding area are well worth the effort. The reward is a destination disc golf outing with excellent scenery, all the key amenities, wide shot variety, a decent workout, and a course design that should suit an array of skillsets.

For my taste, Moneta Park presents a nearly ideal disc golf landscape: rolling hills with broad vistas and enough trees and woods to keep it from being an entirely big arms, open course. The course has all the variety one could wish going from hole to hole across this landscape: downhill chucks into the scenery and uphill grinds; a few wooded holes or wooded finishes including a couple along the creek bed; excellent maintenance (at least when I visited) in terms of grass being low; plenty of rough and trees to make every hole worthy of careful consideration and not just a long-throwing contest; distances varying from 225 to 745. Based on the ratings here, I guess there are plenty more scenic, distinctive, and definitely challenging courses in the hills and mountains of Virginia, but for beginning to end consistency I have to think Moneta is hard to beat.

Add-in here the amenities. First, a great map at holes 1 and 10. Decent concrete tees and excellent signs at every hole. Only one set of tees, true, but two baskets per hole, with the whites extending things meaningfully.

Overall, the course at Moneta Park is Excellent, and worth making a journey to play. Wayfinding is a breeze. The course is probably a bit long for beginners along with some lost disc potential with the rough, but otherwise should suit all skill levels, even this noodle arm. Yes, you'll need your walking feet, a snack, and ample hydration, but it's a long walk in the park, not a hiking boot kind of adventure. I have many great courses in Virginia yet to play, I admit, but of those I've played, this one is near the top of my list. You'll enjoy your outing here, I promise.

This is a very polished course fairly isolated from nearby courses (I wanted to say "in the middle of nowhere" but it's near Smith Mtn. Lake which isn't like the sticks or anything). Morbeus from the Matrix offers you the red baskets or the white baskets. If you choose the red baskets, you're going to have an easier time of getting birdies and avoiding bogeys, with distances that are more manageable. If you choose the white baskets, you may be awoken from the fantasy of being a good player with a big arm. The white baskets have considerable length to them, especially the par 3s, and the lines to reach them are noticeably trickier. They usually have greens that prefer to be approached from certain angles if you want to have an actual putt.

That's basically the differences between the two layouts but it's fairly subtle honestly since both baskets share like 90% of the same fairway on every hole. This is a very open course mostly but with tree-lined fairways so that it feels vaguely like a wooded course. The rolling hills and elevation change is what keeps the course from feeling too much like a grip and rip snooze-fest. Hole 5 for example is a straightforward par 4 that seems like an easy birdie but that deceptive right to left slope just vacuums RHBH drives straight to the OB tree-line on the left. The terrain at Moneta doesn't beat you over the head with tremendous elevation change but there's enough to give your scorecard a death by a thousand cuts.

Both basket options are Dynamic Veterans which I really like. Often at courses with multiple baskets per hole, they can be drastically different models so the uniformity is kind of nice. The tees are just solid, especially the poured concrete ones. I had no issues whatsoever navigating the course thanks to the little arrows on the baskets plus it's just kind of obvious for the most part. They even have a big map at hole 1 AND hole 10 which is rarely seen. Suffice it to say that the front 9 and back 9 both loop back to the parking lot so playing either nine is a breeze.

The design is really solid. There isn't anything terribly remarkable about any of the holes but there weren't any real stinkers or weird lines either. Hole 3 is probably the most head scratching fairway but it's an average hole at worst. Hole 5 is a really slick and scenic par 4 that has just enough challenge elements to make you think, hole 10 is a memorable downhill bomber with a cool hanging basket green. It's also a course that pulled just about all my discs out of the bag, not just drivers or putters, etc. The more wooded holes are shorter but often have a good amount of technicality or significant elevation change to keep them honest par 3s. Even the holes that are absolutely wide open like hole 18 have a well thought out OB line to keep from being too easy or boring.

Although the course has some decent length to it, especially the white layout, the openness and clean fairways makes it a very accessible course for novices as well as vets. It's also just a very enjoyable and secluded walk with nice foothill views from multiple holes. Other than a small creek on one hole there's not much water but it does have a train track nearby which is neat.

Some of the paver tees need to be worked on a bit.

It is a really open course in general so don't expect a Hornet's Nest type of challenge.

Not really anything to complain about. If you do find the rough, it can be very thick due to the infrequency of people landing in it.

The back 9 is a bit more hilly than the front so you may want to tackle it first while your energy level is optimal. To give you an idea of what to expect, the front 9 is very cart friendly. The back 9 is very not.

This is a pleasant place to kill an afternoon. It's not as nice to look at as nearby Mayflower Hills, but Moneta certainly has her charms. The train that runs alongside the hillside parallel to hole 5 can either be neat or loud and distracting depending on your mood I guess.

This is the type of course that is nice to play if you're in a group with players of varying skill levels. It's open enough that noobs won't get overly frustrated and long enough that good players won't get bored.

Moneta is off beaten path in central/SW Virginia, but it is absolutely worth the trip. Smith Mtn Lake, only a couple miles away, is a beautiful, clear lake. I highly recommend a lake vacation here and a road trip to Moneta Park.

+ This is a mostly open course with lots of elevation -- which the course designers made excellent use of -- with numerous holes to bomb drives. As open as it is, accuracy is a must. Errant shots will absolutely punish you as the rough is no joke.

+ I love the set-up of one set of tees with an Intermediate-ish short basket (the reds) and an Advanced long basket (the whites). While many of the of long basket layouts are the same as the shorts, only longer, quite a few are placed in different spots to make the hole a totally unique layout. Also, some of the whites are just much tougher greens (hanging/swinging baskets, fast greens with baskets on steep hills, more tightly guarding greens, etc.).

+ Excellent, large concrete tee pads, brand new Veteran baskets, terrific tee signs with accurate layout pictures and distances, simple navigation with next tee signs on every basket.

+ Beautiful piece of property with mountains in the distance, grassy rolling hills, a few wooded holes, and all well-maintained.

+ While this is a more open course, it's not easy by any stretch. It's challenging. Accuracy is rewarded. Distance is also a plus, but with going for more distance comes the risk of going into the absolutely punishing rough.

+ With all of the elevation, massive downhill drives, and a couple of par 4's, the Fun Factor here is a solid A.

+ I like the use of well-marked OB on a couple holes (but nothing over the top) to add to the challenge.

+ Great mix of hole layouts: left to rights, right to lefts, tunnel shots, uphill, downhill, fast greens, guarded greens. If you don't enjoy this course, I don't know why you play disc golf.

This is an excellent track and I highly recommend it, but it's not for everyone...

- Beginners and sub-850 rated players will get tired of the extreme rough in a hurry. There are tons of tall grass (not in the fairways), briars, thorns, and places to lose discs.

- While a beautiful course, I struggle to visualize what the stand-out, signature hole is. Still excellent though.

This is a must-play and worth going out of your way to bag.

-Moneta is a cheval glass, at least for competitive PDGA players. It's mostly open and the concept is simple. If you hit the fairway, you'll probably breeze through with a par at worst. If not, then you probably won't save par. The glass can tilt from a clean and pleasant image in the living room to a messy part showing dirty clothes, shoes, and the part of the rug that needs to be vacuumed. That being said, Moneta is very challenging but very fair and within reach for players over 900 rated to score under par on as long as they don't get too comfortable with the open. Pros with a 970 average in a tournament will probably average three or four under. Assuming par is 56.

-It's open. There's more freedom to show off distance. Especially on the par fours since both of them are long and quite open. Even a few of the par threes require a real mash off the tee. Some of the holes are wooded, more so on the back nine but they still offer more space then most challenging wooded holes. Doesn't mean that they aren't challenging. They still have lines you need to hit and spots you need to land in to get out with a par. Birdies did not come as easy to me as they seemed, even though they were definitely within reach. The easiest hole doesn't play more than half a stroke under par and there are a few holes that play nearly a stroke over par for the average player maybe 900 rated.

-The setting is really cool at Moneta. It almost seems that there's history we don't know about on this land. To me, the atmosphere felt like an old fashioned downtown in the west in the 1920s. Especially on the first five holes. Loved that feel to it. That feeling continued for me some on the back nine. If Farmville on facebook had a disc golf course, Moneta would be a possible nominee.

-A huge fan of trilogy. Loved the tee signs and the red dynamic veteran baskets. Some pin placements were very cool too. #1's pin was under a wide pine. A few were tucked into wooded greens while the hole was primarily open. #10 and #12 were in my opinion the neatest. #10's basket is hanging from a tree on the bottom of a large hill. #12 was really sweet too being next to a boulder and over a small creek. I'll get to these holes more below.

-It seems that they went the extra mile to make the downhill holes even funner because those holes are the ones with the unique greens. Course starts with a very high note. #1 is a long 490' downhill bomb. May be long but the elevation decline makes it effectively shorter. The basket being under the tree makes this hole one of the hardest ones on the course. There's a lot of rough as well as a lot of open. #10 is probably the signature hole being wide open and down a very big hill. The hanging basket is the icing on the cake.

-The correlation between challenge and hole length with the par threes is very strong, almost 90 percent. Going back to greens, #12 is one of the shorter holes being under the average par three length of 310'. The huge is very steep downhill too so it's very reachable with a putter. However, the line is very tough. You throw through two gaps essentially. One is right off the pad and wider, the second one is at the green next to the creek. If you don't pure both gaps, you'll be in trouble. This hole was quite difficult for its length, and is one of the main reasons for the correlation between hole length and challenge not being that perfect 100 percent.

-After mentioning #12, I must say that hole is the only one where you have more than a remote chance of going OB. The next one (#13) has a creek in play too. The other sixteen holes do not have any OB. If stroke penalties are your least favorite part of the game, you will more than likely love Moneta. The rough is the main antagonist here. It can be unforgiving, but it is more avoidable.

-I really loved the longest hole on the course. That is #5. It's 745' long and slightly downhill. It's a great opportunity to bomb a drive but there is some danger on both sides of the fairway. Even if you land in the fairway, you could be behind some trees like I was. The fairway gets a little less wide in some parts, meaning if you go far on the right or left side, you could be right behind some trees on the edge. This has my guess as the hardest hole. A pro division with an average rating of 970 would probably average nearly a quarter of a stroke over par. #13 was another favorite. It's one of the easier holes and is only 262' long. I threw a stable putter and it hit the green perfectly. I got a tap in birdie on this hole. The hole is wooded, and is next to a creek the whole way, so it has some danger.

-Concrete tees. So run ups are not hazardous.

-My least favorite thing about this course was the change on #16. I never played the original but I saw it in the pictures and I instantly saw its old fairway and the steps to get to where the basket used to be. Looked like a very fun little ace run up a steep hill. It's now a 240' anhyzer on top of the hill around a cluster of trees. Not that the new #16 is bad, it has some interesting features, but doesn't have any "wow" to it unless you kick right and roll down that hill.

-The appeal may be limited. I'm a big fan of Moneta but there aren't really any big birdie opportunities for newer players. That can be frustrating. Any birdie here will leave you feeling good. #14 is probably the easiest hole on the course and is a great hole don't get me wrong. It's only 225' and slightly uphill teeing off on a wooded edge entering a wooded pocket. This is still a good birdie that takes a lot of accuracy. If you are a starter, your options will be more limited because distance is a need here.

-Risk of discs getting stuck in pine trees. I love pine trees and they make a course look better and all, but I don't like to climb them. After all, you have to drive home. Don't want any pine sap on the steering wheel. ALL JOKES ASIDE, it probably won't resort to a difficult time driving home. I'm just exaggerating a little bit.

-The rough at Moneta is no joke. It can be unforgiving at times. On the more wooded holes, it's actually a little less difficult to escape from since the trees are more spaced out. The open holes demand more accuracy than they appear to. Don't let them fool you. The rough is harder to get out of on the open holes. This is a course where it doesn't hurt to over analyze a little and contemplate whether it's worth it or not to throw a full distance shot. You'll see that from the get go on hole 1.

-Every hole is fair, nothing is real bizarre here. A few shots, notably #8, #16 and #17 were different and a little bit funky, but not in a negative way. Just required more time for thinking.

-Course is hilly. Has more elevation than normal and is almost used to its fullest. I really liked that about Moneta. I drove four hours to play here, Venhorst, and Mayflower Hills and enjoyed my day in the area.

Moneta Park Disc Golf Course is going to be a drive for the traveler , but it will be worth every minute of the trip . Nice amenities at this course . Modern looking benches throughout the course . There is a nice kiosk with map up at the front of the parking lot . The tee pads are cement and the signage is informative and nice , with hole# , distance , par and flight path . There are 2 baskets per hole , Dynamic Red baskets for the shorter and white Dynamic baskets for the longs . Ifirst saw this system in Florida and was hoping it would catch up further north . Print the map , but you won't get lost .Arrows on the basket bottoms help with navigation . The biggest walk is from the front 9 to the back 9 , though a path with high grass on either side .
There is a good mix of open holes , open holes with tight fairways , and wooded technical holes . Good mix or right or left handed holes . The course is popular with the locals ., so there may be causes for waiting between holes . It can tend to be windy here , so a few of your drives will be moving around on the open holes .The park is well taken care of , and the disc golf course is set far enough away from the rest of the park , that you shouldn't be bothered by the dog waling or picnic crowd.The course seems well taken care of and the fairways were mowed . There is plenty of elevation to contend with . #1 starts you off with a long downhill drive ( 490'+ ) with the white basket tucked tightly against the tree line ( #9 does the same , downhill with a large tree in the fairway . .I don't think there were any Throwaway holes here , just holes better than others here . Pin placement is at a premium for this course . Nature has a karma way of punishing you , just like some of the fir trees and high grass in the rough . I was filling out some notes while stepping onto tee #13 and almost stomped a 5' long snake laying across the tee pad . Yes , you will possible see some nature here .Many risk/reward holes My signature hole : #12 , a blind downhill right to left drive to a narrowing fairway with water all along the right and behind the hole . Great pin placement . It took me about an hour and 15 minutes to play this course . Figure a good 2 1/2 hours for a foursome .

#1 the rough . The rough is very unforgiving . You will spend some of your time here looking for your drives because of the narrow fairways and high grass . A lot of blind shots will tend to make you guess where your drive went . Bugs can be bad here . You may want to spray on a warm day .
#2 Distance . With the course being in under the 6500' total mark , I am sure there are cries of inserting a couple of par 5's at the expense of a couple of the par 3's . The course was plenty long for me , but I get it .
#3 safety . Because of the blind holes and dense rough , you could easily hit another disc golfer over a hill and out of sight that is looking for his disc . Be courteous and careful . Watch for navigation , maybe 5-8 . The guys in front of me that I was playing faster than , saw a tee pad and threw from #8 before realizing that they missed 6 & 7 .
#4 Disc Risk . High . many blind shots through trees and coupled with very high grass running alongside long fairways can make for a bad day . I threw my drive into the tall grass of #18 just to the right of the fairway and spent 5-10 minutes looking for it . Taking turns spotting will help with both time and effort .

A lot of effort has paid off for the keepers and developers of this course . I talked with some of the locals and a few like it better than Mayflower . The course doesn't have that polish to it , but it does have unique holes and a lot of fun factor to it . The course is only 3 years old , but can contend with the better courses within a 50 mile radius of here . I heard that they have made great strides in turning . this from a 9 hole course to what it is today . Bring your water bottle ,,,, along with your nerves and your A game .You are going to need it .
My Recommendation : Tough course for newbies , and I was next to a man and his date trying to play . WHAT ?! Not the course for that . Not your family course , either . But if you are an enthusiast , local , getting together with your disc golf buddies , course bagger ( slow, but great course ) , intermediates or pros , you will really enjoy this course . Attach this course with Mayflower Hills and you have a great day of challenging disc golf . PLAY THIS COURSE IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE . Thank You , Moneta Park and Bedford County Disc Golf for letting me play this course .

- Absolutely beautiful course from start to finish. The view from 10's tee especially is really special, with a wide vista overlooking the foothills and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the near distance. Holes 1 and 10 are epic downhills that are fantastic, dramatic ways to start those loops.
- Though most of the course is wide open, there is plenty of natural OB from thick woods and tall grass, that force you to creatively shape your shots, demand both accuracy and distance, and test your risk-reward decision-making.
- Cleverly, there are a number of fun downhill throws, and very few (if any) frustrating uphill ones. It seems like most of the uphill work is very cleverly relegated to the between-hole walks, at least from what I can recall.
- Good teepads, very good signage and navigation (arrows on basket spokes), two basket options (the short reds seem far more reasonable for almost everyone), and distinct 9-hole loops all appreciated.

- On a surprising number of holes, the tee shots will be expected to fade out of view, with thick rough in the vicinity. Make sure everyone in the group has hawk eyes on where discs might've gone.
- This, plus the tall grass rough on many of the open holes, makes it very easy to lose discs. I felt like I played reasonably accurately, and still had to search 15 minutes for two of my discs, and completely lost two more after giving up the search.
- Not a fan of the gully running alongside hole 13, where it seems like many/most tee shots could funnel into, and is very steep and muddy. Not sure what the easiest remedy could be, other than an entirely new hole.
- At the moment, the open holes' fairways are mown beautifully. If maintenance on those fairways were ever to falter, this course would quickly become nearly unplayable. Again, not an issue at all in the present, just a longer-term concern for this small public park.
- While many of the open holes are memorable, unique, and fun, none of the wooded holes were particularly interesting.

There are things about this course that I really, really don't like. The wooded holes aren't very good at all. And be fully prepared to lose discs around blind corners or in the abundant tall grass rough.

But despite those things, I was incredibly impressed. Playing this course feels so much like an epic journey, like a disc golf version of Lord of the Rings. By the time I tapped in on 18, the front 9 felt like a battle from years ago. This is definitely not a course that you quickly run through on your lunch break, it's something you should mark on your calendar and prepare for. It is demanding of all of your physical skill and mental strength, but thoroughly rewarding for those that make it through.

Highly recommended, but do know what you're getting yourself into. And bring extra discs.

-All tee boxes concrete-trail is improved with bridges over creek crossings- 2 baskets on every hole-nice tee signs

-lots of ticks,stay in the short grass-hole 13 has a gnarly gully tight along left side

Overall great course. The redesign makes it much more enjoyable

Moneta Park is a newly updated 18 hole course located just off of Smith Mountain Lake and nestled about halfway between Roanoke and Lynchburg. This course is very well taken care of, with groomed fairways on every hole. The local club obviously takes great pride in the property, as the course has turned from a single pin position 9-hole course with natural tees into an 18-hole course with two permanent pin positions per hole and concrete/concrete paver tees on every hole in a relatively short amount of time. In the week between my two trips here the signage for each hole has been replaced and a nice set of stairs to 16's tee was added. The course has great amenities.

As for design, to my understanding the course has went through multiple redesigns. The course has decent flow with short walks from pins to tee on most holes. The course is definitely on the longer side, especially in comparison to most Central VA courses. There are only two marked "par 4s" on the course, but six of the "par 3s" require an absolute cannon to get anywhere close. The shorter red baskets are somewhat easier, but not significantly. The course has four or five holes that are exclusively wooded, which are nice breaks in between the bomber open holes. Some of the standout great holes are 1 (A huge downhill par 3), 5 (a 675'-750' straight par 4 with woods on the right and fence on the left), and 10 (a 550'-660' par 4 with a massive amount of downhill elevation change).

As with many courses in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains (Mayflower Hills, Liberty University - East), the views are absolutely amazing. Even on my second visit, I had to stop and admire the view from 10's tee. The course has natural beauty of its own, with a creek in play on some of the back nine and a lot of upward and downward elevation changes in the field holes.

With a course this long having only two stated par 4s is a stretch. There are a lot of "tweener" holes, especially to the longer white baskets (1, 9, 15, 17, 18). Some of these are just straight up par 4s that even a huge 1000-rated arm is unlikely to reach. A couple of the back nine wooded holes have some unrealistic lines (12, 14 short, 16) that seem to be tight lines just for the sake of being tight.

The newness of the course is very evident on the younger back nine, as the roughs are extremely thick even in winter. My group lost a disc that we saw hit and just disappear into a pile of sticks and leaves. Because this course is so far out of the way, it is going to take a lot longer than usual to beat in. Hopefully whoever is responsible for mowing the course keeps the holes in their current state year-round, Otherwise, some of the open holes are asking for lost discs if you land off of the cut fairway.

Much like nearby Falling Creek Park, a lot of the roughs are defined by pine trees. For most of the holes this is fine because the fairways are so big. But a bunch of pin placements, particularly on 1 and 2, are less than 30' from the woods. Landing in there is a guaranteed pitch out, and I personally think someone shouldn't be forced to pitch out inside the circle.

As for safety and flow, the course does stay away from the main park, but does have some concerns. There is an unmarked path that I found just behind hole 8's baskets that is essentially invisible off of the tee. Also, there is a barbed wire fence no more than 10' behind 3's red basket. I was hoping it would be marked on the new signs, but it was not. The course flows well within each individual nine, but the long walk from 9 to 10 makes it feel like two separate nine hole courses.

Moneta Park is definitely a hidden gem of Central VA. It is a testament to what a great local club can do if they are given the right resources. Hopefully they are able to get some other tees in at some point. If you are traveling through the area and have some time to spare, I definitely recommend checking it out. It's length, elevation, and comparative openness is very unique to area courses. If nothing else, I recommend checking it out just for some of the amazing views.

Single tee, almost half are rubber. Single white Veteran basket positions are easy to spot. Decent tee signs and navigation. 2 loops of nine holes back to parking area. Fairways are well maintained/mowed.

The available terrain and elevation is well integrated into the design with almost 50/50 open vs wooded holes. Good variety of line shaping and distances with a couple legit par 4s. Some nice views of the mountains from the top of the course, and some aesthetically pleasing and fun downhill holes.

Nice restrooms with running water. Some benches on the course.

Some of the natural tees are a bit unleveled, I somehow slipped and ended up on the ground on hole 10 tee pad and tossing my disc airborne about 75' and hard into the rough and spent like 30 minutes searching for my disc.

Some of the rough off the fairway is rough and not hard to lose a disc. Holes 4 and 5 really need the trees trimmed back, the gap is really tight now. Some blind landing areas I'm not a big fan off. There is some poison ivy to beware of.

The course map in the parking lot is not up to date, the one DGCR is up to date though.

Moneta could be so money with better tees, a little TLC and some alternate tee pads and or basket positions. I really liked the front 9 for the most part, except holes 4 and 5 needing some tree trimming. I liked most of the back 9 except for 12 and 16, and 17 and 18 were a little bland finishing holes. It would be nice if to have a longer wooded hole or 2.

Interesting side note, within about a mile of the course I ran into a peacock blocking the road and playing chicken with me. Never had that happen to me before anywhere else. My GPS also decided to take me the back way into the park down some windy gravel road.

Like the reviewer below, I had the entire course to myself, in-fact I had the entire park to myself. Overall this is a tough course to rate and recommend, probably too harsh for rank beginners and a little odd for more experienced players, but has a couple great holes. IMO there is more good than bad here and enjoyable so long as you don't have to search in the tall grass rough, or slip on the tee like me.

Now has second set of baskets(Red DD Veteran) and several of the holes on the back 9 are different. Basically 13-18 play different or are completely new. #13 is particularly tough. White baskets plat longer and tougher than the Red baskets. Tees are still mixed but I was told that most are going to be concrete by Spring. Beautiful piece of property with rolling hills. This course has several 400'+ holes(1,5,10, 17&18) requiring long drives and moderate control from the tee for legitimate birdie opportunities. Most of the rest of the holes are less than 350' and require control off the tee with some shot shaping. An ace may be achievable on 12-16(with some luck on 14 &16). Baskets-DD Veteran Baskets are awesome and there is a matching practice basket too. I find that the course requires a variety of shots both from tee and approach. Favorite hole was #12, a 255' blind hyzer with major down hill elevation change. #3, 10 and 13 are close 2nd to favorite.

I have rarely seen another player out there, would like to see a weekly or tourney here to get a nice course more publicity.
There are a few benches(#5 tee #7 tee and #10 tee) but I'd like to see more, especially on the back 9.

I really like this course even though the new back 9 usually puts me way over par. I will play here a few times a month probably since its about 25 mins. from me.