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Red Tail Run reviews
16
0
Primitive yet with some fun quirks
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 8, 2024
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
The artificial turf tees are well built. They are flat and dry although some have been cut open, maybe to fix drainage. Didn't affect play though. The photos on here appear to show cement tees and some decent signs, maybe those were there when the course was first put in. It's definitely not cement tees and decent signs now.
If you're an older guy, the hills and slopes are very gentle.
Almost every basket is strategically placed to have something in the way, even though the place looks like it's an open cornfield.
It doesn't look like much on the card, or when you pull into the parking lot near the first tee, yet every hole gives you something to think about, and the design forces you to work the disc in both directions.
Whoever set up this place clearly did it with very little money, but they like disc golf and disc golfers because I think it's pretty equal for both left and right handers and forces you to do more than you think you have to.
If you're an older guy, the hills and slopes are very gentle.
Almost every basket is strategically placed to have something in the way, even though the place looks like it's an open cornfield.
It doesn't look like much on the card, or when you pull into the parking lot near the first tee, yet every hole gives you something to think about, and the design forces you to work the disc in both directions.
Whoever set up this place clearly did it with very little money, but they like disc golf and disc golfers because I think it's pretty equal for both left and right handers and forces you to do more than you think you have to.
Cons:
The signs are a little white piece of wood on a stake, with the hole number and distance written on it in black sharpie. So you don't get a lot of info. Then again, every hole is a par 3 other than 18, and it's right there for you to look at. It's a good thing the signs are there though, because otherwise it'd be tough to find the next hole. The turf tees blend right into the ground.
It's not the prettiest course in the world. It's flat, not very many trees so it's surely sweltering in the summer, and the design winds in and out of cornfields, maintenance sheds, athletic facilities and drainage ditches. Then again, the college doesn't ask you for money, not even a donation. Just go have fun!
While there are a few pretty cool holes, there are a few bland ones too, no more so than the last hole, which is the only par 4. It's a flat, open field for all 630 feet. There is a stone path near the basket you could play as OB if you want although there is no mention of OB anywhere on the signs or UDisc. I imagine a tournament there would play the cornfields, ditches and vehicle paths as OB.
Your first time around you'll need UDisc to find the next tee on most of the holes. There aren't a lot of long walks between holes, it's just tough to see where the next tee is or where the next hole goes when you're in an open field most of the time.
It's not the prettiest course in the world. It's flat, not very many trees so it's surely sweltering in the summer, and the design winds in and out of cornfields, maintenance sheds, athletic facilities and drainage ditches. Then again, the college doesn't ask you for money, not even a donation. Just go have fun!
While there are a few pretty cool holes, there are a few bland ones too, no more so than the last hole, which is the only par 4. It's a flat, open field for all 630 feet. There is a stone path near the basket you could play as OB if you want although there is no mention of OB anywhere on the signs or UDisc. I imagine a tournament there would play the cornfields, ditches and vehicle paths as OB.
Your first time around you'll need UDisc to find the next tee on most of the holes. There aren't a lot of long walks between holes, it's just tough to see where the next tee is or where the next hole goes when you're in an open field most of the time.
Other Thoughts:
I've been here twice now and while it looks really bland from the parking lot, with no amenities and hardly any shade or elevation, the course always gives you a little something to do on each tee. Hole 1 seems like a nothing hole, until you stand on the tee and realize you have to squeeze through an early gap, down a little hill, across a ditch and keep it straight for 275 feet to get to a basket on the far side of a retention basin. Then you turn around and play right back up the same hill, with a basket on a fairly steep slope.
The course continues on this path, giving you a series of par 3s mostly in the 275-300 neighborhood, although there is one over 400 and a couple of short ones here and there. #1-3 are all pretty similar, 275 feet or so with some scattered tree problems.
The first shorty is #4 which gets your attention right away with the big M painted on a tree. "I have to go through that gap?!?!" You do if you want to go straight at the basket...but is there maybe another way? Look around.
The weakest section of the course starts with #5 where you play several par 3s in a row that are pretty long and pretty bland, although if you play the drainage ditches, and corn as OB, now you have some problems to deal with.
The course starts to perk up again with number #10. The 403 foot distance gets your attention, plus the fact the basket looks like it's on the front steps of an old farmhouse. Don't worry, it's all part of the college. And it's not 400 feet if you go directly at the basket, although there is a lot of pretend OB to carry. Again, there is no OB mentioned, but pretending it's there adds some drama.
#11-#13 are also fun. #11 is pretty much smack in the middle of the maintenance area, and is a left to right dogleg around a shed. Clearly the shed has been hit a few times. #12 is another one with the basket on a pretty severe slope, and #13 is another very fun little hole, less than 200 feet, but you have to navigate between the cornfield and a hillside, with a shot that curves to the right, and crashes through a little grove of trees
#14 is clearly the signature hole, a very short par 3 but filled with obstacles, to a basket hanging from the roof of an old shed. This is about the only time you're in the shade. It seems like nothing on the card, but getting through the row of trees halfway to the basket is no gimme, and now there's construction going on right in front of the tee that a shorter person is going to have a tough time avoiding. Moving a few feet to the side is probably a good alternative.
After the peak of #14, the course gives you one more enjoyable throw, #15 is in the prettiest part of the routing, and sets the basket in another little grove of trees, across the drainage ditch. It's OB if you want it to be.
After that, #16-#18 return you to your car. I was getting worried the course would end miles from nowhere, but no, you do finish right back where you started. Much appreciated!
As for difficulty, the course doesn't seem difficult, you can make tons of pars, but it isn't as easy as it looks to get decent short birdie chances. The second time I played, UDisc had ratings, and +1 was rated 191. I was surprised it was that high, because this seems like a place where you can make 13 birdies on a good day. Yet it's just long enough and just technical enough that you have a lot of 60-footers for birdie.
I looked on PDGA and it doesn't look like there's been any rated events there yet. There is a Red Rose Roundup scheduled there for June 1. The corn might present some real problems by then, and not just because it'll probably be OB.
It's a great course for beginners who have a little distance, and it's challenging enough so that we intermediate people have the occasional problem. Especially if you impose a bunch of OB. It's a decent course and thanks for putting it in.
The course continues on this path, giving you a series of par 3s mostly in the 275-300 neighborhood, although there is one over 400 and a couple of short ones here and there. #1-3 are all pretty similar, 275 feet or so with some scattered tree problems.
The first shorty is #4 which gets your attention right away with the big M painted on a tree. "I have to go through that gap?!?!" You do if you want to go straight at the basket...but is there maybe another way? Look around.
The weakest section of the course starts with #5 where you play several par 3s in a row that are pretty long and pretty bland, although if you play the drainage ditches, and corn as OB, now you have some problems to deal with.
The course starts to perk up again with number #10. The 403 foot distance gets your attention, plus the fact the basket looks like it's on the front steps of an old farmhouse. Don't worry, it's all part of the college. And it's not 400 feet if you go directly at the basket, although there is a lot of pretend OB to carry. Again, there is no OB mentioned, but pretending it's there adds some drama.
#11-#13 are also fun. #11 is pretty much smack in the middle of the maintenance area, and is a left to right dogleg around a shed. Clearly the shed has been hit a few times. #12 is another one with the basket on a pretty severe slope, and #13 is another very fun little hole, less than 200 feet, but you have to navigate between the cornfield and a hillside, with a shot that curves to the right, and crashes through a little grove of trees
#14 is clearly the signature hole, a very short par 3 but filled with obstacles, to a basket hanging from the roof of an old shed. This is about the only time you're in the shade. It seems like nothing on the card, but getting through the row of trees halfway to the basket is no gimme, and now there's construction going on right in front of the tee that a shorter person is going to have a tough time avoiding. Moving a few feet to the side is probably a good alternative.
After the peak of #14, the course gives you one more enjoyable throw, #15 is in the prettiest part of the routing, and sets the basket in another little grove of trees, across the drainage ditch. It's OB if you want it to be.
After that, #16-#18 return you to your car. I was getting worried the course would end miles from nowhere, but no, you do finish right back where you started. Much appreciated!
As for difficulty, the course doesn't seem difficult, you can make tons of pars, but it isn't as easy as it looks to get decent short birdie chances. The second time I played, UDisc had ratings, and +1 was rated 191. I was surprised it was that high, because this seems like a place where you can make 13 birdies on a good day. Yet it's just long enough and just technical enough that you have a lot of 60-footers for birdie.
I looked on PDGA and it doesn't look like there's been any rated events there yet. There is a Red Rose Roundup scheduled there for June 1. The corn might present some real problems by then, and not just because it'll probably be OB.
It's a great course for beginners who have a little distance, and it's challenging enough so that we intermediate people have the occasional problem. Especially if you impose a bunch of OB. It's a decent course and thanks for putting it in.
13
0
A few gems on a mostly "meh" course. 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 4, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
This course does make decent use of the space they had. There are a few holes that really stand out as fun/interesting (4, 11, and 14), and few others that at least made you think about your shots (7, 13). Hole 14 was really creative, and it's worth playing the course once just to enjoy that hole. The tee pads were carpet, which I found surprisingly pleasant under the feet.
Cons:
Maybe I'm just spoiled because south-central PA has so many really good disc golf courses, but this course seemed to be lacking compared to so many other courses in the area. Signage was one factor. There was no real clear indicator for the first tee (to the left of and beyond the practice basket when standing in the parking lot). The tee signs were really small, and while it appears that someone drew images on them, many of the images have been weathered away. Often the only information I could glean from the signs was distance to the basket. Some of the "Next Tee" arrows were half falling off the baskets, but navigation between holes was not really a problem.
The bigger issue though was that so many of the holes were just straight shots to a basket that was directly ahead of the tee (Holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, and 18). While there may have been some technical component to these shots (narrow gaps, slight elevation changes, defender trees, and the dreaded OB corn fields that want to suck any errant discs into an oblivion never to be found again), the objective was always the same: throw straight, don't hit anything. By the end of the course it felt tedious and I was playing just to finish, not for the enjoyment of it.
Finally, as far as accommodations go this was pretty much a bare-bones course. No benches, no trash cans along the way, and no bathrooms available that I could see.
The bigger issue though was that so many of the holes were just straight shots to a basket that was directly ahead of the tee (Holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, and 18). While there may have been some technical component to these shots (narrow gaps, slight elevation changes, defender trees, and the dreaded OB corn fields that want to suck any errant discs into an oblivion never to be found again), the objective was always the same: throw straight, don't hit anything. By the end of the course it felt tedious and I was playing just to finish, not for the enjoyment of it.
Finally, as far as accommodations go this was pretty much a bare-bones course. No benches, no trash cans along the way, and no bathrooms available that I could see.
Other Thoughts:
Final Thoughts:
If I were a college student living on this campus and I had access to this course at a short walk from my dorm, I'd think that was a great perk, and I'd probably play this course frequently. As an adult recreational disc-golfer with over a dozen other much nicer courses within an hour from home, I doubt I will choose to play this one again.
If I were a college student living on this campus and I had access to this course at a short walk from my dorm, I'd think that was a great perk, and I'd probably play this course frequently. As an adult recreational disc-golfer with over a dozen other much nicer courses within an hour from home, I doubt I will choose to play this one again.
