Great Course, period. Excellent flow. Challenging but fair (more fair to big arms, but hey). Excellent mix of open and wooded. If visiting Virginia Tech, skip Golden Hills, which is nice but not epic. The views at 16 (where the old Stone House is) are spectacular
As are the last three holes looking west.

Because it is literally on top of the Mountain, if the road is chained off, you walk to the top. Worth it. Boxes are natural and could be a bit muddy, worth it. Some of the older benches are falling apart, suck it up, bring a stool, so worth it. No trash cans, not much of a problem because it seems everyone knows it's worth it and packs trash out. Saw very little if any trash and I packed out the few items I saw.

Wish I knew about this gem earlier. No water as the name might imply. Blah blah Dirty Dancing, this is a destination course. Just go and enjoy.

Mountain Lake is one of the best courses I've ever had the pleasure to play. Eighteen solid holes offering plenty of challenge, plus throw in some amazing scenery and elevation changes, and this a destination course.
- An elite course needs to incorporate many factors. Among them are a mix of challenging, creative and enjoyable hole layouts; great use of the terrain, including elevation, woods and/or other natural obstacle; a course that's both challenging and fair, rewarding good shot making; and sometimes, something as simple as that 'it' factor. Mountain Lake meets all of that criteria. Plus it has some of the best views of any course I've played.
- Going through the points listed above, I was amazed just how well this course played. I came in expecting a decent course that just offered some cool elevation. It's at a resort, one that probably isn't normally appealing to the same crowd as disc golf. Think the wine crowd vs the craft-brewery crowd. That said, this course is awesome in and of itself.
- Hole #1 is a simple warm-up hole, with a basket protected by small trees. Then you get to #2 and 3, and you see how quickly the terrain plays a factor. Both holes are downhill shots, #2 at 430 feet (from the shorts) and #3, a 203 foot, dogleg that plays much shorter. You follow that up with the uphill, basket on a rock, #4 at 160 feet (very similar to #12 at Robert L. Smith in Charlotte).
- The challenge takes full effect with holes #5 & 6, with #6 being one of the course's better layouts. This is an uphill, 425-foot, dogleg left that starts out with a narrow fairway, widening up as you make the turn. This is a solid, station-to-station hole, rewarding players who can hit their targets, and not necessarily the longest throws. You'd rather throw 200 - 250 and get around the bend than go 300 feet and end up in the woods.
- Two other holes I'll highlight. On the fun end of the spectrum, is #12, a 303 foot (433 foot from the long, blue tees), sharp downhill, dogleg left hole. The fairway bends to the left in between two stretches of woods, while still offering enough fairway for you to be aggressive. The longer layout is far more enjoyable, so my buddy and I both unloading a couple shots from the tee. One shot ended up in the woods, while another landed 25 feet from the basket, so I got a good taste of what the hole can offer.
- As for a hole that combines every aspect - fun, challenging and creative - you don't have to look any further than #9. It's a 669 foot, downhill layout from the shorts (1027 from the longs) that starts in the open field to an opening in the woods. From there, the fairway narrows until you get to the basket. This is one the better holes I've ever played anywhere. I absolutely loved this hole and all that it offered.
- The scenery is amazing. Ignore the fact that you take a 7-mile ride on a narrow winding road to get to the resort. Or that you then take a 5 minute, bumping, and bouncing ride on a dirt road just to get to the course. Once you get to the course, you're on top of a mountain without anything else around. The first thing I noticed when I got to the top was the silence. No cars, no planes, no people. Just nature and an occasional bird. Standing at the top, near hole #1, looking down the open field, which you later walk up with the closing four holes, it's a sight that's to be appreciated. The view of all views however, is in the closing stretch. After finishing hole #15, take a walk behind the old, stone building and look at the open expanse of the valley below. At an elevation above 4000 feet, and nearly 2000 feet above the valley below, you can see for miles. To realize just how high up you are, you can notice a substantial temperature drop from below (saying driving in on 460) to up on the mountain.

The biggest negative about the course actually has nothing to do with the course itself. It has to do with the hassle/adventure/potential carsickness of actually getting to the course itself. As stated, it's a seven mile winding mountain road to the resort, then another two miles of a deteriorating road that ends in a bumpy dirty trail to the course. You may already be feeling sore, nauseous, or warn out just getting to the first tee. The dirt road at the resort is best navigated by a truck or SUV.
- As for the course itself, these are going to be nitpicking points. The course is a classic already. So, here goes the nitpickery:
- The course could offer a few more epic, challenging holes. Sure, some holes are beasts, but there's plenty of potential for different layouts/looks from the longs vs shorts. In the woods, you see lots of untapped areas that could replace some of the simpler, field holes with more 'wow' holes. We can play field holes anywhere. We don't get many chances to play wooded, undulated, mountain holes that often.
- The course is very rustic and simplistic. As such, there aren't benches or trash cans. Benches would be nice to relax, or at least take in the surroundings.
- With the resort being so isolated, make sure to pack in your food, drink, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. There's a basic shop at the front of the resort, but I only spotted a limited selection of energy drinks and granola/energy bars.
- Some of the list elevation variances seem pretty far off. For example, holes #3 & 4 are listed as having a decrease and increase, respectively, of around 30 feet. Neither hole seems to be a 2.5 - 3 story change from tee to basket. I only bring this up if you're trying to factor in the adjusted distance of a hole based off its listed elevation. For example #3 short (white tee) is 203 feet with a listed 32 foot drop. If you do the 3:1 ratio, that would make the adjusted elevation at 107 feet (203 - 96), and the hole plays much longer than that!

Mountain Lake is an instant classic in my book. For mountain course, I had that same feeling of awe playing here that I did the first time playing Sugaree and Ashe County in the North Carolina mountains.
- With the course being out of the way, it's a perfect excuse to have to stick around for a while and play multiple rounds. Coming from I-81 and Blacksburg, it seemed pretty close to town. Leaving the course, my buddy and I went west on 460. Heading that direction you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. Well, I guess that's because you are in the middle of nowhere.
- I loved how this piece of land was being used only for disc golf. Whether it remains that way in the future, remains to be seen. At a resort, you would almost expect disc golf to be cramped in with a bunch of other outdoor activities. It is impressive how much disc golf is valued here that it gets such prime real estate, all to itself.
- It would have been nice for the course to end with more of a bang than a couple of mostly open holes - #17 is wooded, but 15, 16 & 18 are mainly open. Also, standing on the tee of #15, you're looking back up hill and realize you've got a long, long walk back to the first tee.
- I'll make myself clear. This is now one of my new favorite courses, along with being one of the best I've played. The course had me hooked and showed its greatness throughout. It's now an absolute, must-play for anyone in the region.

I know a course is something special when I literally stop in my tracks to soak it in. This can be a product of a well constructed shot or the environment in which the course is placed. In the case of Mountain lake, there was plenty of both!

You'll drive up to the resort area which is basically at the top of the mountain, but don't be fooled, you still have to drive up another paved-then-dirt road to reach the course. If you're looking for seclusion while playing, this course is for you. You know, usually I prefer to play golf with others, but in the case of Mountain lake I honestly enjoyed the solitude.

Words can't really describe the beauty of the place. Suffice it to say, you need to see this for yourself. Now for the golf.

Hole 1 opens up with a basket placement in the back of a grove of trees. A cool hole which may or may not be blind during summer. I knew from the onset that I was in for a treat.

If I wasn't already on cloud 9 (literally?) by the time I made it to hole 3, my ace run was sure to elevate me even further. I wasn't let down from there, moving on to the most eclectic hole on the course, 4, which is precariously placed on a rock formation high on the hill.

Thinking back, there seemed to be a fairly even amount of wooded and open holes, with many being combinations of the two. If I had to guess, I was throwing downhill more than uphill, but not an overwhelming amount.

Dual tee pads allow for Intermediate through Open players to be challenged. This course may be a little tougher than average for a rec player, to whom I'd suggest practice a little more before heading here in order to get the most out of the course.

Despite being on the top of the mountain, there aren't many spots to lose plastic. Just like any wooded course, you could become buried in leaves, but the undergrowth isn't overbearing. I can't speak for how thick it is in the summer.

There were a few benches in the right spots, but honestly on a course of this caliber I'd like to see every hole have a bench. It's a literal hike to play this thing and it can take a lot out of you.

The course, despite the accolades I listed above, does suffer from a few downfalls. If these were to be corrected, this course could easily be a 5/5.

Firstly, in typical Southwest Virginia fashion, the tee pads are a combination of natural/gravel-rock mixture. Although amply sized, they still lend themselves to poor form and potential injury. I'm a sucker for concrete pads so it's always a bummer throwing from something else. To get concrete to these pads, however, would require mixing on site as I highly doubt a concrete truck could make it up the road.

There was a slight feeling of repetitiveness. Not overwhelming, just present. The entire course careens through a solitary field (apparently cut out for a ball golf course) which makes you see double.

There aren't any tee signs at all. Zero. Surely with some of the money the course generates they'll be able to remedy this, certainly a lot easier than concrete.

There are a few "filler" holes. Namely hole 11. I was really disappointed with that hole, as others have pointed out as well. It sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise well laid out course. I highly suggest a redesign.

There may have only been 1 sweeping dogleg (6). Many of the shots felt too "straight" although you typically had to throw hyzers to reach the basket.

Although there are white/blue navigation arrows posted on trees, without a map you might walk up to the wrong tee pad (I did on a few instances). Just consult your map before you walk.

Be sure to stop at the gift shop to pay before playing the course. You'll want to stop to get directions anyway and the staff is friendly and will provide info, a course map and trail map.

Another thing to note, if you're expecting lunch directly before/after playing you better pack it. In fact, a picnic would be really awesome with the views from the course. Other than that, there isn't any food other than what may be available at the resort for at least 20 minutes.

One last thing that may matter, remember you're going to the top of a mountain. It will be significantly colder up there than down in the valley. Dress appropriately as well as have the right plastic in case it gets windy.

I really wish they allowed camping on site because this place would be perfect for that destination golf getaway. It's the only time I've truly felt alone with nature on the course and man was it an awesome feeling. Soak it in!

1. Peaceful and serene. I felt like we had the entire course to ourselves (we did). We played the entire round in the fog and it was awesome! i can wait to come back when visibility is over 400'. The natural beauty alone makes this course a must play in my book.
2. The course is very well maintained. My hat is off to the folks that maintain the course. Grass was short in the fairways and long in the rough. There is very little underbrush.
3. Length- there is a great mix of long and short holes.
4. Variety- Bring all your favorite discs you will need every shot in your arsenal. There was so much variety, I just could not wait to see what the next hole would bring.
5. Elevation- The elevation is managed well. There is a lot of climbing but it always complemented the hole design.
6. Benches- beautiful benches on several holes

1. No trash cans. I know the park staff must work their tails off to keep the course in such great shape and unfortunately a few rude players decided not to carry their trash out. Maybe a couple of trash cans would encourage those folks to put trash in its proper place.
2. Golf course road- It had been raining all morning which made it fun. Several muddy spots and low clearances were a challenge for my Sentra but we made it just fine. The road could use a little help.

We like to stay properly "hydrated" on long rounds but carrying all that extra "water" gets heavy on a long course. We carried our little coole rto the 2 basket and were able to park it on the #8 tee pad then leave it on the 18 tee to pick up at the end of our round. It was nice to have ice cold water to start the back 9.

Mountain Lake DGC is outstanding. I talked to the friendly staff at the Mountain Lake Outfitters next to the lodge before hitting the course. Glad I did because they gave me directions to the course, a nice scorecard/map, and I learned that Dirty Dancing was filmed there. I liked disc golf way better than their cinematic history. The course has a good bit of spacious wide open meadow with trees on the edges or rough patches, and it also has good woods holes also. You know with "Mountain" in the name it will have elevation change, it is a considerable factor on most of the holes. The second hole is a great example, 701' and -51'. Third hole is under 300' in distance, and -41' of elevation, another really fun hole. 4 is not the toughest, but maybe the most memorable. The basket is uphill 35' on top of a big boulder 185' away from the tee. Great pin position. Holes 5 and 6 are also really great holes, lengthy and with wooded fairways, 5 way downhill, and 6 uphill. 8 comes into more open area up a hill. 9 is epic, 1045' par 5, starting in open, and moving into trees. A long way through both, and dropping 63' downhill. 13 and 14 are also very good holes. The last few are set in the more open areas, but still using the edges of the trees and change in elevation well for strategic purposes. There are multiple tees, I played the longer blue tees, and refer to those distances. The DISCatchers are in nice shape. There are ruins of an old building after hole 15, that are on a scenic overlook, worth stopping for a look.

You can drive to the course, but the dirt road was muddy when I was there, narrow and pretty rough in places. It does save you a hike up the hill. The tee boxes could be improved, but are not terrible.

Overall I was impressed with Mountain Lake DGC and would say it is a must play for serious disc golfers, if you are close enough to swing by. It is out of the way, worth the drive for sure. Pretty challenging on the blue tees, a par 65 course. I made two birdies (holes 3 and 7) and I finished at five over par (70).

Private 18 championship caliber holes on the mountain top featuring 18 Discatcher baskets with dual white and blue natural/gravel tees. The course has some excellent variety of holes with par 3, 4 and 5s over lots of elevation with a nice mix of open and woods holes and plays in and out of the woods, Phenomenal use of the unique land features, terrain and elevation. Once on the course navigation is pretty breezy, there are blue and white arrows on the trees and paint on the baskets to point you in the right direction to the next tee. There is nice bright orange tape around the trees to mark the intended fairway of the hole for you to see from the open tees that play into the woods as the baskets are blind and far away. I liked the elevated tee on hole 18, guess it used to be a ball golf tee, and the green is slightly raised from the slope. Seems to be well groomed and has little underbrush. Lots of wildlife and bugs I've never encountered before, there was a giant hawk soaring over the course most my round. Remote mountain location with views!

Just a warning that you are in the middle of nowhere and unlikely to see other players or people and on top the mountain that is hard to access, so if there is an emergency you may be SOL. No tee signs although its really easy to figure out with everything else well marked. There is a little deja-vu on some holes, especially the last 4 all going back uphill with the basket to the right. The course is basically one giant counter clockwise loop although you could hike back to the golf parking lot after hole 8 and might as well play hole 18 back if needed for refreshments. If you hike it from the outfitter store you best prepare with everything you need for a very long round and long hike, bring lots of H2O.

I don't think I've ever driven uphill non-stop for 8 miles before let alone to get to a course. Make sure your brakes are in good condition for the drive back down. The drive features many blind curves and switchbacks up the mountain with drop offs the side you don't want to think about. Once you get to the resort, you still have to go another mile uphill OFF ROAD either by HIKING or driving if you can. If you hike it from the outfitter store it is a HIKE! For some reason my GPS thinks the speed limit is 55mph going up the mountain, yeah right, I could barely go 25mph with the turns. Follow Mountain Lake Road all the way up until the first turn and the outfitter store is right there.

Mountain Lake Resort reminds me of the Black Course in the Moundsville, WV but Mt Lake is fairer with the basket placements and has less dramatic elevation slope on the course although it's still plentiful and just as extreme if you somehow venture off the fairway/course. It's pretty cool to play around on top the mountain and there are some spectacular views, especially the overlook by the basket of 15 with the old golf club house. Apparently there used to be a ball golf course there, follow the signs to the golf course/golf course rd when you see them and I think it was the signs to Blue (Ridge or blue something) on the off road path before golf course rd.

This monster course is definitely worth the 45 min or so detour from I-81 in Blacksburg and probably the best course in a 2 hour or so radius. There are lots of other fun adventures to do at the resort as well. I would definitely play again and recommend to anyone that likes championship style golf with gorgeous views!

Long course in a beautiful location.
Good hole variety with wooded and open fairways.
Blue and White tees.
Course map available at first tee.

No signage yet.

This course is a blast. Some wooded holes and some open with long fairways through a mountain top meadow. Bonus scenic overlooks. Check it out bro.

1. Length- A great mixture of reachable holes and holes that require well placed approach shots.

2. Variety of Shots- Left turns, right turns, uphill, downhill, open holes, wooded holes, and everything between.

3. Scenery- On top of a mountain with beautiful views.

4. Multiple tees- Most courses have this, but at Mountain Lake the designers did a wonderful job of making the different tees different approaches. Instead of just adding length to the harder tees they actually made some of the holes completely different approaches.

1. Tee pads. They are dirt but have gravel laid down now to help when wet.

2. No tees for beginners. The white tee would be a little difficult for someone starting out.

3. Not a lot of signage, make sure you have a copy of the available map or you could get a little lost

This is my new favorite course. It is quite challenging but at the same time very rewarding. Bring different types of discs, chances are you will need them.
The course is wooded and open. Several holes take place all in the woods, several all out in the open. There are also holes that start in the open and go into the woods and holes that start in the woods and end up in the fields.