The Blockhouse is a phenomenal disc golf "country club" located a few miles off I-95 in the Virginia countryside. If you are in the area, passing by, or if you reside a drivable distance from Fredericksburg, make plans to get here! And of the 3 extremely fun courses -- and 2 traditional and very challenging courses -- Sunnyside is my favorite.

+ Sunnyside and Darkside are both technical, mostly wooded courses. I would say that the difference between the two, and the reason for the name choices, is that Sunnyside does have some open holes where you can bomb. But it's still a technical, wooded course. Even the open holes have tree-lined fairways, guardian trees, OB or other obstacles to contend with.

+ This is what disc golf is all about. This course is super fun, extremely well designed and challenging, and aesthetically beautiful.

+ Navigation is simple and intuitive. There are descriptive tee signs and helpful next tee signs. Albert was very gracious about coordinating the logistics of me being there, but I played a solo round and didn't have any issues.

+ Fantastic mix of hole designs and shots required, from very long to very short holes. I used drivers, fairway drivers, mids, and putters off the tee. There are hyzer lines, anyhyzers, flicks, and thumbers. Bring every shot in your arsenal.

+ Risk/reward elements on some holes. I'm thinking specifically of holes 15 and 16: 15 is uphill with a berm and OB area right in front of the basket. If you go short, you're OB. Hole 16 is downhill with the basket right in front of an OB pond. Go long and it will cost you. These are two of the most simple holes on the course, and certainly not my favorites, but I mention this because there are challenges and wrinkles thrown in on every hole.

+ I really like the par 4's on this course. They are not just long par 3's. They require a good drive to a landing zone to set up the second shot. Great hole design.

+ The wooded holes are terrific. The fairways are the appropriate length and width (i.e. they are fair). Good technical shots are rewarded. Bad shots can kick in unforgiving ways. Birdies are out there if you play smart golf.

+ Challenging, but not punishing like Darkside.

+ Different layouts for different ability levels.

+ I should mention the other amenities at the Blockhouse. You've got to play all three courses. There's also an arcade with old school games.

Not many to mention here. This was one of the top 10 courses (out of 147) that I've played.

- The only hole I really didn't like -- or think fit with the rest of the course -- was hole 17. It's basically a short plinko hole (133 feet) with no discernible fairway. You're best options are an overhead shot or just hope to get lucky. Not a fan of this hole. It doesn't fit with an almost perfect course.

That's all I got!

Make plans to get to the Blockhouse. You can make a case for why each of the 3 courses are the best. My choice was Sunnyside. All 3 are fun and worth the trip in their own right.

Aesthetic-- plays on a DG exclusive property. 'nuff said there.

Baskets-- all there and in great shape, flags and LED's add visibility on the more wooded and long holes.

Teepads-- Turf. Normally I hate turf but these were longer tined turf and really didn't provide any issue for traction even after rain.

Routing and nav-- fairly straight forward. Follow the worn paths to the next tee which is usually fairly visible from the previous.

Teesigns-- great. Full color. Only gripe is they could use some "exit" arrow to help guide you out of some stickier places.

Challenge and variety-- I found this course to be a little bit more vanilla than the darkside course. #1, 9 and 10 are definitely the signature holes here. Also, oddly enough, the wooded fairways here seemed much tighter here than Darkside (#2 for example).

Shelters/benches-- nearly every hole as a shelter or bench which is very welcome on the hot days we played.. Also, water coolers were spread throughout the facilities.

Facilities-- top-notch. It's unfortunate that people haven't honored the facilities as they deserve and they have "closed" the course.. Truly truly a shame. Three 18 hole courses on one property that is disc golf exclusive and you can't respect that? seriously...

Variety/challenge-- a little more vanilla than the Darkside course. The challenge factor here isn't as high as the obstacles aren't as many as the other course.

I really can't think of any other cons..

Contact them through the Facebook page and see if you can make it out.. seriously, enjoy the honor of playing here.

With two 18 hole courses on the property this place is very cool. The Sunnyside was my favorite of the two. It has a great mix of wooded and open holes. Elevation and water comes into play. There is a small pro shop on site, pool, and camping. This course was very fun to play.

The property is well manicured and clean. They've put a lot of work into sitting areas around the tees.

There are several unique greens. Hole 9 and 10 come to mind.

Excellent tee signs. Very descriptive.

DGA Mach 3 baskets.

Large and level astro turf tee pads. I liked them a lot.

There is an awesome mix of distances. I threw the entire bag on this course. A lot of traditional par 3 holes with a handful of par 4's.

Navigation was pretty easy. I did not have to use the map one time.

Most holes have only 1 pin position and only 1 tee per hole.

Some baskets had flags on them. All the baskets could use flags or bright tape on them. Some were hard to spot.

Hole #17 is the only hole on the course I did not like. It's a 133ft prayer shot thru the trees.

This was well worth the stop during vacation. With the 2 permanent courses on site and the super fun tiki course you have to check it out.

Where to start? Sunnyside the course when I played it for the first time was in excellent condition. Great tee pads even though they are turf. Great tee signs. Great course flow. Beautiful course and fun holes. Good balance of wooded and open holes. Grass was perfectly mowed. Big hyzers and anhyzer shots make it very fair. What I didn't know was this course is on like a "Disc golf park complex" that exists on someone's private property. They have 3 courses counting Sunnyside. with places to camp , disc golf store, fun tiki bar with tiki night course all adding to the overall enjoyment of this place.

For the course itself this may be nitpicking but mostly every hole has benches but some of those benches seemed to have been ripped out of an old movie theater and school bus and those benches though nostalgic are in pretty ratty condition. One hole could use an updated bridge or stepping stones around the pond.

Well I would start of saying if you have never played here, you need to come at some point. When you come you need to take it all in and you have to camp here. It literally feels like your at disc golf chucky cheese, but the courses themselves are legit PDGA championship courses. What a great combo! Sunnyside is the most open of the courses here and my guess because of that slightly easier than the darkside. I would love to participate in a PDGA event here.

Greens were excellent - many had bushes, trees, ponds, ect clustered around the green making for interesting puts.

Great use of elevation.

Great distance on many holes - great for big arms.

I thought the Tee Pads were great.

You'll be throwing all sorts of shots.

Not that "sunny." Front 9, excluding hole 1, were very tight and wooded

I like it more every time I play it.

Really fun course. Great design and layout, with good signage. Lots of shot variety and a good amount of elevation change.

None really

Really nice private course with 2 other courses on site. One of the best I've played.

Sunnyside is everything I look for in a course.

The terrain and hole design are terrific with a great blend of tunnel shots, open bombs, over water shots, manicured fairways, creative pin placements, short holes, long holes, no RH or LH bias and elevation (both up and down). There is tons of variety through out the entire course with a leaning towards woods golf which I love. You will get a chance to use a lot of different discs and having both a BH and FH will help. The course can provide a nice challenge but if you hit your lines you should be able to get under par here.

The course is very pleasing to the eye. The wooded holes through the mature hardwoods, the rolling hills of the open holes and the manicured bushes on #10 all make for an aesthetically pleasing experience.

This course has personality. There is a personal touch through out the course that I think is missing from some of the more "polished" courses. The astro turf tees, the strange monster/mannequin at 3's tee, the surplus stadium seating that is on most holes, all seem to let you know that this a course built by disc golfers, maintained by disc golfers, for disc golfers. The effort to maintain this course is very apparent. All of the grassy areas were mowed and the wooded holes were completely clear of all debris. The condition of the course when I played could only be described as immaculate,

The tees are fantastic. They are large, firm, level astro turf tees that surprisingly felt much better than concrete and I would imagine are easier on a disc golfers shoes.

The signage at each hole was superb. Even though they are missing the signature "Grange" and Sunnyside indicators that were on the previous signs (before the change to the Blockhouse) that gave them that little extra personality, they give a clear overview of the hole with the distance.

All of the baskets were in great condition and had some large flags on top of them to help aid spotting, especially on the wooded holes.

Navigation is easy even without a map (which I did not have) after you find hole number one. Since I did not have a map and there was no one on the course we just tee'd off on the first hole #1 we could find hoping it was the Sunny Side. After that it was smooth sailing.

The Blockhouse pro shop/arcade/clubhouse area is awesome. It was a great place to chill out between nines and between courses. There are lots of baskets around to warm up your putting (tiki course)

After playing the awesomeness that is Sunnyside you have the completely separate 18, The Darkside on site to play plus the super cool Tiki putter course and a mini disc course that is really widespread.

There is camping onsite.

There is only one set of tees. This could be a bit of a downer for a beginner since the course is not all that easy even for quality players.
Never did find a map of the course even at the clubhouse check in area.

The mini baskets are sort of in the way and can be confused for the real baskets if you are not looking closely enough.

Not really a con I guess but there was a guy that was around the club house after we finished and he never talked to us at all. I have no idea if he was the course pro or something but I told him how awesome the courses were and he gave me blank look and continued his Pacman game. Very strange since my buddy and I were the only people there all morning and were around the clubhouse area for a while playing tiki etc..

I cannot say enough positive things about this course and the Blockhouse in general. It really is a great destination for disc golf. When you take the entire Blockhouse complex together, you are provided with a wonderful, all day, disc golf experience. I appreciate all the time an effort that went into establishing this oh-so cool place. The $7 dollars is easily worth what you get back from this facility.

Sunnyside individually has a very high fun factor with just the right touch of difficulty so that I would love to play here every day.

I am now more than willing to make the drive down here from Pittsburgh to play some of the PDGA tournaments here,

Amazing turf tee pads and great signage.
Benches at nearly every hole.
Great variety utilizing all natural features:elevation, water hazard, tight woods, and manicured bushes.
On site camping available!
Back 9 is often lit up for glow rounds at night.

Course starts out serious with a 600 foot anhyser shot over water followed by 7 tunnel shots.
9 uses the cow pens for a small novelty feel
Great use of water hazard on 16.
Pro Shop (Stupid Store) on premises
Music playing the entire time near the stage, stage set up for live music at night.
Arcade and snack bar on site.
Baskets in great shape with large flags to make them easier to spot in the woods.
Most holes have very clear fairways and clear well maintained paths.
Water coolers scattered through out course (I did not check to see if they were filled, but I am sure they are for events)

So many 300 ft tunnel shots.
17 is loved or despised, super short hole with no line, just pitch and pray.
small chance of disc loss on a few holes.
Only 1 tee pad, so there is no option for true beginners.
a couple times the mini baskets looked like distant baskets, look for the large flags, not the little orange flags.

This course is clearly the priority of the Blockhouse, It is a great course at a one of a kind location. $7 a day, $5 after 5, Stay and play glow. Glow discs, and various types of LED lights for sale on site.

loved this course. open and wooded. not ridiculously hard. very well designed. i could've played this course all weekend. it treated me a little better than the darkside did. big but not too big. very fair. still challenging.

eventually i had to stop playing it.

+ Navigation is easy after hole 1, although relatively unmarked. Just follow the worn in foot paths between each. Hole 1 is down to the right of the white building between it and the lake.

+ Fantastic variety of hole layout and line options. Up hill, down hill, over crests, over gullies, dog legs, tunnel shots, plinko shots, ace runs, and open bombs. Evenly fair course design for Righties and Lefties.

+ Great use of environmental hazards to increase difficulty. Hole 16 is a measly 210ft straight shot with one skinny tree planted in the middle of the fairway. It is enough to ruin a straight run at the basket. Hole 4 at 170ft has a splattering of small trees no more than 3 feet apart from each other making it a head-scratcher. And small water hazards on 15 and 16 add a bit of extra novelty to the already engaging downhill and uphill drives.

+ Golfers will most likely use a large variety of disc molds; putters, mids and drivers. Understable, stable, and overstable.

+ Impressive tee signs and tee pads noticeable from hole 1 until end of course. Hole 1 is concrete, while the rest are sport-turf-esque. Benches near every tee pad.

+ Spectator huts with interesting seating built near signature hole tee pads make this a great course to watch a tourney. They are shady and have comfy padded second-hand seating.

+ The course is well groomed and maintained for the most part. Nearly trash-free. If you see a piece of litter, pick it up!

+ Camping allowed. Call ahead and clear it with the staff ahead of time.

- The only missing shot variety is an immediate dog leg off the tee. While there are both DLL's and DLR's, all begin turning after a lengthy drive.

- One tee pad per hole. They were in the process of installing an extra tee pad on hole 1 to optionally avoid the water hazard.

- Poison Ivy growing on/near fairways that you normally wouldn't expect to see. It should be taken care of soon before it gets out of hand.

- No trash cans to be found out on the course, but maybe I didn't look hard enough.

- Didn't see any printed scorecards/maps, but again maybe I didn't look hard enough. I printed a scorecard from DGCR, but noticed the distances varied slightly.

- Mini disc baskets can easily confuse first time players if not being careful on the tee. The mini-disc course is interlaced in with the back nine holes.

This review was written when the Blockhouse was still named The Grange.

Stupid Disc Golf Utopia! Other reviewers have gone into how cool this place is, and most of it is worth repeating. The Blockhouse is easily worth a $7.00 -$10 donation.

- The "Stupid Store" (http://www.thestupidstore.com ) is a small pro-shop with a huge variety of Innova plastic, small variety of Discraft, and an even smaller selection of Quest and Previously Own discs. Most discs are custom stamped with a Grange moniker or pattern. T-Shirts and other items also available. Prices are competitive. It'll be easy to find something to buy in support of their efforts.

- Hospitality is top notch. The local staff is friendly, inclusive, and willing to help out first time visitors and spend a little time chatting about recent events and course records (currently held by Brian Skinner).

- Correcting previous reviews:
THEY DO NOT SERVE ALCAHOL.
THE POOL AND HOTTUB ARE PRIVATE AND ARE INVITATIONAL ONLY.

- They do keep a large water cooler on the countertop for refilling your bottles. Monthly tournaments feature specific prepared food items.

- Free classic arcade games. Ask a local, they'll show you the secrets.

- No dogs allowed, but you're sure to run into Corndog, the courses free-roaming black lab mix. He escorted us from hole 1 to 14, making sure we stayed on the right routes and didn't lose our discs.

- The Tiki Course, albeit not as cool as playing at night, is a great way to warm up before taking to the courses.

- There is also a permanent 9 hole mini disc course to tickle your fancy further.

Extremely challenging with some tight fairwas and some open drives as well.

Well designed

Some good distance holes.

None

When playing the Grange be sure to bring plenty of food and water or other drinks because there are no stores nearby and once you get there you will not want to leave. For sure.
Bring swimming trunks and bathing suits for the pool and hot tub.
Be sure to bring a tent or something in case you drink too much because they really don't want you drinking and driving.

Plan to make a full day or two of your trip.

Be sure to make friends with mike the dude with the Jester hat on most of the time. He is the owner and one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet.

It has been a while since my trip to the Grange, but it was a memorable trip and I will be returning as soon as possible. The Sunnyside is one of two full-length, 18-hole courses on site, and it was my favorite of the two. As the name implies, it is the more open course - but there are still plenty of wooded holes. The course design here is very creative, making this one of the best rounds of disc in the state. The course gets off to a great start, throwing over a pond into an open field on #1, followed by a series of wooded holes. The highlights for me were #1 and #9, which plays slightly uphill to a basket in a small fenced area.

There is little to complain about at the Grange. The teepads are all excellent, the signage is great, and most holes have a place to sit (some even have little huts built behind the tees to provide shade on hot days). Clearly a lot of work has gone into making this place what it is today - bridges, benches, huts, and all kinds of decorations make the courses at the Grange truly unique.

With a name like "Sunnyside," I expected this course to be more open than it is. Looking at these 18-holes alone, the variation is as good as it gets. However, in contrast to the heavily wooded Darkside course, I was hoping that there would be more open holes here. It doesn't take away from the experience, though.

Both courses on site are also longer than the average course. This isn't a problem for me at all, but it's something to keep in mind when planning your trip.

The course is pay-to-play, but considering all the work that's gone into the place, and the fact that it's on private property, I can't list that as a con. There is a clubhouse area that provides a great place to rest between rounds, and while there was nobody there when I played, it looks like they sell drinks (beers!) there, probably during big tourneys. There is also a huge inventory of discs at the entrance, so you can stock up before your rounds (or replace whatever you threw in the pond on #1). Between the Sunnyside, Darkside, and Tiki Course, the Grange is a disc golf oasis, and one of the best places to play in the state. Highly recommended.

The Grange is a privately owned "Disc Golf Resort" located in Spolsylvania, Virginia. The Grange features three Disc Golf Courses, The Sunny Side, The Dark Side and the mini Tiki putting course. In addition, The Grange also has an outdoor bar, with live band stage, video games, a swimming pool with hottub and camping. If you're in the Central Virginia area, a stop at The Grange is a must.

I played the Sunny Side on a hot, sunny day...how appropriate. Here's a hole by hole review of the course:

Hole 1: 615 feet, a long, open right fading hole, with a large pond that comes into play over the first 165 feet. You need to throw with power and accuracy to clear the pond, and get a good location for the up shot.

Hole 2: 324 Feet, runs you from the clearing into the woods. The entrance to the wooded area is flanked by two, count 'em, two sets of two trees, making it a challenging "thread the needle" hole. Once you do thread that needle, there's another needle threading to be done for the hole.

Hole 3: 304 feet- is a snaking hole with a tight line to the hole. A hard wrist snap, and a fast disc are key on this hole.

Hole 4: 192 feet- sounds easy, right? I mean, 192 feet and straight, should be able to ace it every time...but not so fast, my friend. the fairway is tight as a hookers skirt, and the hole is hidden behind a wall of leaves...so if you ace this hole, you're a stud.

Hole 5: 363 feet- The basket is located right in front of you...unfortunately, the tight fairway bends left, then right, with large trees constricting the fairway to a narrow window at 151 feet.

Hole 6: 363 feet, another hole with the basket right in front of you....but this is the grange, so it can't be easy, right? First theres the narrow fairway 136 feet out, then there's the huge tree in the center of the fairway, 233 feet down, then a coprse of trees encroaches into the fairway from the right, making the putt have to come from the left side.

Hole 7: 240 Feet- A nice, right turner with some trees about 105 feet down making the turn a challenge to hit, just right.

Hole 8-272 Feet- 98 feet out, coming from the left is a large OB swampy area, then a pari of large trees behind the marsh make this a litte more challenging. In addition, there's an OB stream bed running down the fairway on the right side. Be careful of the mud...I almost lost a shoe walking to my tee shot!

Hole 9: 272 feet- Probably the signature Grange hole, first you must clear a nasty scrub marsh area, out to 130 feet, then you are throwing into a basket located inside a corral, with a pig chute, fences and shed. Fun stuff!

Hole 10: 535 feet- A great hole to rear back and throw, the basket is up the hill to the left, flanked by a set of firs making the putt and excercise in precision.

Hole 11: 550 Feet- is a fairly straight shot, with a narrowing fairway with low brush on the flanks.

Hole 12: 247 feet- A slightly wooded hole, with a snaking fairway, this hole features to basket placements on either side of the fairway.

Hole 13: 210 Feet- Is a straight fairway, and fairly short...but as usual, the course has some nasty surprises... like a large tree smack-dab in the way of your tee shot, and the smaller trees flanking the basket making the up shot harder.

Hole 14: 289 feet- has a large tree 158 feet in the middle of the fairway, and scrub brush on both sides.

Hole 15: 210 feet- Nice and short, so should be easy, right? No way! First there's the nasty mound covered in brush blocking the hole, and curving in around the mound can land you in the thick woods on either side of the basket. Saw a nice big Black Rat Snake here, so beware!

Hole 16: 210-320 feet, depending on tee used (three choices) The hole is located right behind a large, brackish pond, making this hole VERY risky. If you come up short, your disc is getting wet.

Hole 17: 163 feet- Heavily wooded fairway with almost no clear path to the basket. All the trees are very young and thin, so it's even more frustrating, as the hole is so tantelizing close...I think it was laughing at me.

Hole 18: 250 Feet- A gorgeous, long hole bringing you home, with three large trees arrayed down the fairway, at 119, 186 and 259 feet. Also, beware of the small streambed that runs across the fairway at about 195 feet.

Not too many cons, just be careful of widelife.

A wonderful "must play" for anyone in the area, and a great Disc Golf Destination.

Old school feel. This course is on private land owned, I'm sure, by Disc Golf enthusiasts from the old school. Baskets everywhere! Not even counting the ones on the courses! A tent clubhouse with old arcade video games and a Lost & Found for missing dics. It has an honor system box for Pay to Play ($5) and just feels like its owned by one of the original Frisbee Golfers (Didn't get to meet the owner, got there early and it was in winter!)


Now on to the Course! This course is a good mix of wooded and open holes. Unlike its Sister (?) Course, the Darkside, it is much more forgiving. More of a traditional DG course and a lot of fun. Not as challenging as The Darkside, but I'd say more fun for DGers of all skill levels. Yellow (light) flags mark all Sunnyside baskets. Benches on all or most tees. Good markers and maps at each tee. Nice use of water hazards on a few holes. All of the OB (out of bounds) are clearly marked when used. If your disc lands inside the roped off area, then you are out of bounds! Very scenic and excellent basket placements make Sunnyside a classic! Perfect flow from one hole to the next.

No restrooms to be found. No distance or par markings on the Tee maps. Again it was assumed the entire course was Par 3. Some holes on Sunnyside, it can be argued, could be Par 4. Other than these nit picking statements, Sunnyside is a near perfect course.

A great course for all skill levels! I'd have to slightly rate this higher than Darkside simply because it is fun for all without being daunting. Sunnyside is a near perfect course, where Darkside is almost the same while maybe being too tough for the casual player. A great day out of DG either way!

Favorite holes: 9, the basket is found inside a high fenced in area.

16 (I believe it was), had the basket just across a small pond. The Tee is placed in a wooded area, throwing out to the open. Once across the pond, watch your approach or you'll be in trouble. A great hole!

Two full challenging courses and 18 tiki holes you can play at night. Excellent use of two small ponds and one of the only sand traps I've seen on a disc golf course. #9 pin on the Sunnyside is inside a pen which gives the course character. Nice mix of right, left and straight holes, mostly tight but a few open bombs thrown in for variety. You start out with an open field bomb but then you enter the woods for some classic tight Virginia disc golf. Some of these holes aren't all that long but there's a real sense of accomplishment when you birdie one, particularly when you turn around and look at the fairway you just negotiated! Just when you're beginning to wonder if you're ever going to get out of the woods you get out to a clearing for another bomb. Everyone's in a good mood at the Grange!

No concrete tees but the carpet works amazingly well. There can be some nasty flies in mid to late spring, bug repellant just seemed to serve as a condiment for them. Keep a close eye on your disc on the back nine of the Darkside, some tough rough back there.

There's a real premium on accuracy here on most holes, if you get off the fairway it can be a tough recovery for par. The place is constantly improving, when I first came here 10 years ago there was just one 19 hole course. Proprieter Mike is good people.