Orefield, PA

Wehr's Dam/Covered Bridges

Permanent course
3.25(based on 37 reviews)
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Wehr's Dam/Covered Bridges reviews

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11 2
bcr123psu
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.7 years 85 played 64 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Beginner Course not for Beginners 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The covered bridges make a nice scenic backdrop for a disc golf course, as does Jordan Creek in the background (the actual body of water, not the fantastic disc golf course of the same name 5 miles down stream). The baskets were in very good condition as were the (few) concrete tee pads.

Overall, there is a little variety to the holes and elevation changes. Some holes are ace worthy while others require a more well-thought approach and a thoroughly refined skill set. There were a few holes that were very unique and posed solid challenge. So much so that a more seasoned player would be scratching their head regarding how to approach.

Cons:

Course navigation is an absolute nightmare. There is a map by the first tee box and that's it. At the time of this review, no known published map was available, creating frustration. Further, tee boxes are marked occasionally with an actual tee sign, a 4x4, or nothing at all. This made it difficult to figure out where the next tee was, which basket to throw toward, or if you were even pointing in the right direction. Actually getting from tee to basket to the next tee is difficult due to unmarked, unmaintained, or non-existent paths. The baskets on their own are in good shape, but are poorly labeled, making it difficult to know which basket is which. Some attempt had been made to spray paint the baskets, but without indicating what the paint actually meant, it appeared to be more vandalism than useful.

The flow of the course is also a mess. Instead of a natural flow from hole to hole, this course has a zig-zag of bounces up and down steep and muddy hills and cris-crosses other fairways. Baskets for certain holes are directly in the drive path for other holes. This included a few spots where the tee box is so close to another basket that, given enough people on the course, it could get dangerous.

Other than the 4 or so concrete tee boxes, the tees were a rough, muddy mess. Not a hint of mulch or gravel to be seen. The tees for 16 and 17 can be very easily confused and you could start your drive for 16 from the wrong tee box.

While elevation change is nice for the sake of variety, some of the basket positions at Wehr's Dam/Covered Bridges are situated in unreasonable spots and create approach and putting situations that are unnecessarily punishing.

Other Thoughts:

I get the impression that this course was designed as a family course for beginners, but it appears that somewhere things went awry. There are some very technically challenging aspects to this course that would be a turn off for a noob and might prompt a "WTF?" from an experienced player.

For me to ever consider playing this course again over either of the other two world-class courses in the Lehigh Valley (Jordan Creek and Little Lehigh Parkway), I would recommend converting this course to nine holes to accommodate longer drives and a higher par. In so doing, some of the strange basket placements could be corrected. Further, it would be easier to maintain nine tee boxes, signs, etc. than the 18 that are currently lack-luster.
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