Montgomeryville, PA

Windlestrae Park - Original

1.115(based on 18 reviews)
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Windlestrae Park - Original reviews

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5 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 6.8 years 216 played 182 reviews
0.50 star(s)

More Like 'Wander-Stray' Park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 16, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ All baskets that you find are clean and numbered... even the ones that aren't in play!
+ This is a fun place to get lost in. (No, really!)
+ There are tee signs for seven of the nine holes, I think? But...

Cons:

- ... The tee signs are pretty bent and damaged to begin with. The signs for 5 and 6 are missing altogether.
- Only seven of the nine holes have a basket at the end of their fairways. (There are no baskets at the conclusions of 8 and 9.)
- The tee areas are just dirt or gravel.
- No 'next hole' signage at all to guide you along the long walks between holes. It's up to you to find your way.
- Since this place has so many forest paths and similar-looking walkways and bridges, players WILL get lost here!

Other Thoughts:

Right off the bat, I want to say that this is the most fun I've ever had getting lost at a course! I know how weird that sounds, and I definitely think that this course is easily one of the worst I've ever played. However, it reminds me of one of those movies that starts out so terrible and continues being terrible that it starts to make you laugh in that ironic enjoyment kind of way a la Tommy Wiseau's "The Room."

For instance, I wasn't laughing because I was throwing pars on these short distances. Instead, I found myself laughing because there is a section of the course that has five or six baskets within the same 50-meter radius: all of them numbered, all of them facing different directions, and all of them almost certainly in the wrong place.
I wasn't laughing because I hit exactly the line I was aiming for on these wide and forgiving fairways. Instead, I was laughing because one of the wide open holes has you throw right past a gorgeous grove of tall pine trees that would have been wonderful to play through.
And I wasn't laughing out of enjoyment of the quiet and contemplative scenery. Instead, I was laughing because within that scenery there were inexplicable baskets tucked in corners, long and winding paths that take you to who-knows-where and wide open areas of forest that looked as though they were purposely cleared out for disc golf fairways that were never finished. This course is a mess, but it's so bewildering and random that I found it weirdly endearing.

Just for this paragraph, let's ignore all of that and talk only about the holes in play by their own merits or demerits. The course at Windlestrae Park is quite bad- one of the worst. The walks between holes are much longer than average. There are no guiding signs, so players will not have any idea where they are going and might not uncover the entire layout, not that they'd be missing anything. The holes that exist are quite boring, flat and samey with their wide tree tunnels or open fields. Maybe hole 4 is the best one because it has a scenic putt area near a strong stream. But that's like picking my favorite kernel of corn in a turd. Some of the tee signs are missing, so you don't know where to start some holes. Some of the baskets are missing, so you can't end some holes. And there are so many other baskets in random places. There are dirt tee areas in random places. Nothing about this course makes sense.

During my session, I'm pretty sure that I counted 18 total baskets. They were in the weirdest and most disconnected of spots, but they're there. I would love to see this place turn into a proper 18-hole course someday, if that is the intention. This park definitely has the acreage and natural features for it. If someone reading this does eventually turn it into one, please reach out. I would love to give this place another chance! There are a few streams that could come into play, too. But as a "9-hole course" in its current state, Windlestrae is a joke. So maybe that's why I was laughing.

In closing, I think I was disappointed more than anything. The big forest and fields tricked me into setting higher expectations-- even after reading some of the previous reviews. Come here only if you want to see what failure looks like or if you enjoy a peaceful walk in the woods.
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4 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 382 reviews
1.00 star(s)

So Much Wasted Potential 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 23, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ A beautiful setting that could offer a variety of wide open holes, wooded holes, and grass fairway holes (but make sure to read the "Cons" before you head out there!)

+ The holes that are there (about 6 of them) aren't bad, but the negatives about the overall layout outweigh the positives of the individual holes


Cons:

- There's no getting around the huge amount of walking between holes you're going to do here. The layout starts at one end of the park and finishes at the other, and there are some very long and confusing walks between some of the holes. Some reviewers parked by hole #1 and walked back after finishing. We chose instead to park in the lot by #9, and start with the long walk up the layout, crossing over the stream on #8, and basket-to-tee on # 4, 3 and 2. We didn't bother walking the additional gap to play Hole #1: we just played Hole #2 twice, and worked our way through #9. I suggest this is the better choice, because you're likely going to end your round frustrated with all the unnecessary walking - and if you do it this way, at least you finish near your car!

- Missing tee sign on #5 - use uDisc to approximate the tee location

- No baskets on #8 and #9 - but there are about 4 "extra" baskets in sight from the seventh tee. So maybe you could play a bunch of those as if they were holes


Other Thoughts:

~ The tee signs seem to indicate big plans for the original design: there are some holes with designed to have multiple tees, and some show multiple baskets. Unfortunately, none of that is actually in place

~ There were randomly-placed baskets that seemed to indicate a back nine, but I think baskets #13 and #14 were at opposite ends of the park! Standing on tee #7, you can see at least four baskets that aren't part of the 9 hole layout. Add all this to the fact that we never saw another person throughout this huge piece of property and we ended up with the feeling like we were playing in a ghost town

~ So much beautiful land. So much potential. Such a waste
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4 0
itsRudy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 7.7 years 73 played 62 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Too Much Effort for Too Little DG 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 13, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

My real recommendation is to simply go to the nearby new Windlestrae Henning Field course and skip this one altogether.

Now for the course baggers amongst us, I had fun here last year but it was a lot more walking than throwing. Right now it's basically a 4 hole course at its best, perhaps 6 if you're persistent and bored.

Treat #5-6 as optional out-of-the-way side quests that aren't worth it. 7-8-9 basically no longer exist so forget them as well. This cuts down on that infamous Windlestrae Frustration.

The course is a mix of open grass with sporadic trees playing interference to forested holes with generous fairways and nasty brush on the sides. This is no elevation on holes.

+Baskets that exist are in good condition, double chained DGAs.
+It's shunned by most DGers, so it's empty!
+Plenty of soccer fields for field practice too.

Cons:

This course was originally planned and executed as an 18 holer but complications quickly decimated it down to a ragtag collection of nine random remaining holes shortly after opening with long, oft-confusing hops in-between with no navigational aids. Now it's been whittled down to six.

Excessive walking for a course this size and confusing hops in between. It deserved the abysmal ratings as a niner, now frankly it's no longer really worth the hassle. The worst thing is that it doesn't loop at all so at the end it's one long trudge back to the car, passing by almost every previous basket played.

This course took me a good 2.5 hours originally because I also got lost in Blair Witch's woods back there, even while using a phone app as a guide because, despite paths being drawn in straight lines, those straight walks were simply nonexistent when a creek is in the way. I'm tempted to bring a fat bike next time.

The course clustered (5-6) and (7-8-9) away from the first four and from each other. (7-8-9) was much closer to #4 than (5-6) but since they no longer exist at this point it's moot. 5-6 was a far walk and I didn't look this year if they still existed because of low payoff. #5 was a long, long straight tunnel shot and #6 a short shot that added nothing to the round.

-The still-existing layout isn't terribly hard to understand afterwards, but they sure don't make it easy to learn it for newcomers and the course map online isn't accurate. A few signs would help tremendously.
-Some signs and gravelly tees still exist, many don't.
-Nasty brush on the sides if your disc misses fairways.
-The forest holes are often muddy.

Other Thoughts:

Terrain Potential: XXX - Good. Flat. Open, lightly wooded, and forested variations plus creek.
Actual Execution: x - Bad. Layout was chopped up after neighbor complaints.
Upkeep: x - Bad. Navigation has been a nightmare for years. No navigation aids.
Difficulty: Xx - Finding the holes are harder than playing them, tbh.
Fun Factor: x - Bad. Too much walking for pedestrian holes.
Overall: x - Bad. This is a curiousity course rather than one you'd go to play as a DG player.

Starting Point: Make sure you park at Windlestrae Zehr Tract on Stump Road and not at the William F. Maule Park parking lot on Kenas Road, where this course once ended (#7-8-9) but no more. Head southeast from the parking lot, the first tee is on the field corner past the soccerfields at 40.244909, -75.209443 (google maps).

Amenities: There was a portapotty in the parking lot. There's a nice picnic area in the woods left of basket #2 with three concrete tables.

Layout: #1-4 are in a line, one after another. After #1, follow the forest line, it's a long walk to #2, about 800'. #3 will start on the right of the previous basket. #4 will be after the land bridge. I recommend ending the round here.

After #4 basket, backtrack a little and there will be a bridge over the river. Cross it. Less than a minute's walk is an intersection with paths left (#7-9 when they existed), right (nowhere), and straight (#5, 6).

#5-6. I call this path Pointless Alley. Go straight on, it leans right and will eventually curve left. (If you ever hit #14 sign, it's the end of Pointless Alley. Backtrack. No #14 baskets exist.) The first significantly wider forest route that opens up on the right can take you to basket #5 but it's not the fairway. Go further on Pointless Alley and another forest route on the right will appear, with a singular tree in the middle about 25' feet in, spray painted with a blue 'X'. This is #5's official fairway. No sign nor tee. Tee off as far in as you want because it's a stupid straight tunnel shot many hundreds of feet long, until it opens up into a muddy grass field. #6 is easy to find in the next corridor left over. Ignore the "Next Tee" direction arrow on this sign, it has no basis in reality anymore. Go straight after the basket and it'll bring you back to Pointless Alley. Head back to the bridge.

#7-9. Extinct. If you chose left just after the bridge near basket #4, you will see a similar bridge just a few steps in. This deposits you in middle of what once was #8. Far to the right is the tail end of the much better, new Windlestrae - Henning Field DG course.
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2 3
dave greene
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
1.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

its a course...lol

Cons:

was 18 at one time,they wrecked it,first couple holes ok,then 5,6 long walk back in woods ,then walk back cross brigde walk down to 7 play 8 then 9..then walk way way way back to car....thick rough...at one time when it was 18,maybe was not so bad

Other Thoughts:

not worth playing
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5 0
DiscFlicker77
Experience: 11 years 8 played 8 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Just terrible but... Tons of potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 3, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

I couldn't give the course a "0" because atleast it has baskets and its a place to practice. Like others said; hole 1 - 3 arent terrible. 4 was easy to find and that's where the "fun" ends.

Cons:

Punishing rough (Although I kept all throws on fairway/not deep in the rough, I could see how it could be bad for other players, especially beginners). After hole 4 it's just kind of a guessing game to find the next tee. My brother and I took the logical trail after hole 4 and ended up at 11. Confusing since it was supposedly a 9 hole course. We walked ahead to try to find the basket and couldn't. (Luckily my wife decided not play and stayed in the car and sent us a pic of the map and we eventually found "5". And even better is that she drove to the other parking lot to pick us up after hole "9".)

Other Thoughts:

Super muddy. Terrible signage. Terrible rough.
Could potentially (maybe it used to) be awesome.
They could easily fit 2 holes before the first tee. And atleast one long hole in between hole 1 and 2.
If signage was fixed and maintained a little more it would be pretty fun.
Also if more holes were added in between other holes there could be a lot of ace attempts.
Until then, I would never go back nor recommend to any other players.
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10 0
Zunz
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.4 years 85 played 21 reviews
0.50 star(s)

3 courses in 1! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 28, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

10 baskets

Cons:

The layout
The layout
The layout
The thorny rough
The mud
The disappearing tee gravel

Other Thoughts:

3 courses in 1... 1 park that is, housing what for all intents and purposes are 3 separate courses. If you are trying to play this course in order 1-10 you are going to have a really long walk for not a whole lot of disc golf. There were 18 holes here originally, but then the neighbors sued to have the course removed, they seem to have gotten 8 baskets. The ten that are left are in a well maintained park, I've seen storms make fairways unplayable with fallen trees but they are always cleared and the grass is always mowed everywhere. The rough though, is completely insane! I have a friend that learned to play here, he said he just thought it was normal to lose a disc every round, like losing a ball or three in that other game that calls its self golf.


Holes 1 and 2 are super short little straight throws. The walks from the parking lot to hole 1 and then from hole 1 to hole 2 are at least 4 times longer than the holes themselves. Don't lose your throws left into the woods, you might not see it and even if you do, you might not want to get it (Yes, the thorns are that thick!)

Hole 3 is a decently long shot with trees choking down the fairway about half way to the hole. The rough is super rough so stay on the fairway.

There's another sizable walk between 3 and 4 bringing you to another really short hole.

It's a crazy long walk to hole 5. Holes 5, 6 and 7 play in a remote section of the park, the only group not accessible from a close parking lot. They are longer, relatively straight fairways with 7 having a hyzer finish to the basket. If you just want to go somewhere that you can be totally by yourself and throw 3 decent up and back holes for a while to work on some things, this is a great spot to do it. One quirk here is that hole 7's tee sign says hole 14 and the next tee arrows point to parts of the course no longer there. If you're playing a round, this is where you walk back to hole 4... Yes, all the way back to hole 4 and then over the bridge to the back 3. The gravel tee pads in this section have long since washed away, can't even tell where 7's should actually be so I just throw from next to the sign (that says 14).

Again, the walk from those 3 holes over to 8, 9 and 10 takes you all the way back to hole 4 to cross a bridge. You are almost at 9's tee (labeled 8) when you cross the bridge, but if you turn right and go past first tee you will find basket 8, keep walking up the fairway and eventually you will come to 8's tee (labeled 7). Whatever you want to number them, these last 3 holes play up a manicured grass fairway with a creek running along the left side.

8 is an anhyzer (rhbh) throw with the pin being about 30' off the fairway to the right in the woods.

Hole 9 has some brush and trees guarding the basket offering a couple of lines depending on which side you want to go around them.

Hole 10 is basically a straight throw/slight anhyzer that finishes very close to a parking lot. Unfortunately, it's not the one you're parked in... You're about â…” of a mile from there. I've parked on this side and just played these 3 holes before, but it's a one way walk and not really playable in reverse.

I don't know what this course was like before the other baskets were pulled, I bet it was pretty decent. What they left behind really isn't. There are some nice holes here in a nice park, but the ridiculous amount of walking between holes and after you're done makes it not worth playing. The next closest course to me is more than double the drive that Windlestrae is and yet I never even consider this one when I want to go out and play. Ever. Basically the only time I stop here is when I'm on my way home from the disc store and don't have enough time to get to a real course before dark and I can't wait until the next day to hit trees with my new plastic.
At this point it's been 8 years since this course was put in and probably almost that long since the configuration was changed to the frustrating mess it is now. The "Course Guides" section was recently updated for the first time since then and now says that people are working on the course. YAY! Like I said, some of the holes here are really nice, it's mostly the flow of the course that kills it. The only thing I could see making this a course worth coming to is adding back enough holes to get rid of the 5 minute walks between holes in the middle and not leave players with a 20+ minute walk at the end of their round back to where they parked. There is a new map online showing exactly where the holes are and how far you have to go between them. It doesn't show old hole 7 (8 in the current ten hole form) though. It makes navigation much simpler, but it's still a major hike for a minor course.

In the end, I would love to come here because of how close it is to where I live, but it's so bad I almost never do. Having played 3 actual 1-10 rounds here and throwing at different parts of the course 3 other times over the past 2½ years, I honestly can't imagine coming here to play another round. Might still stop by when I just need to throw at a basket for a few minutes, but even that's pretty doubtful. Did I mention how muddy it can be?
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2 1
owvanguard
Experience: 15.8 years 170 played 34 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Needs Help 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 27, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Holes 1 - 3 are actual good holes. They are short and in the open. Holes 7 & 9 are decent if you can find them.

Cons:

This used to be an 18 hole course and many of that signage is still around making life confusing. I only found 10 baskets. I think the park only 'maintains' 9 baskets now. Most of the fairways have had no maintenance and they need it. The flow of the holes makes no sense and sucks.

Other Thoughts:

Lost my Kite.
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2 0
alpaca16
Experience: 14.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Windlestrae Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 19, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Majority of the holes are short, par 3s. Great for practicing, as the park is usually empty on most weekdays. Most of the tees are easily visible and made of crushed stone, and the baskets are in good condition. There are new, helpful tee signs beside the tee on each hole.

Cons:

Holes are very spread out, with minimal direction in between. The fairway on holes 5-9 Is unkept/overgrown, with low hanging branches and thorns on either side. There is a long walk back to the parking lot after completing hole 9.

Other Thoughts:

I hate to reiterate what many others have said, however I wanted to give an updated review of the course.
To start, there is often nobody at the park. The parking lot is empty at most times on weekdays. This is good, as I often just play hole 1 to practice putting and mid range shots, but I miss the community I may get at other courses.
Once you locate hole 1, holes 2-4 are pretty easy to find, however they are quite spread out. After hole 4 you can see hole 8 across a creek, however if you follow the largest trails you can get to hole 5 (another option is to just go to 8 and walk beackwards to get to 5). There is no signage along the way.
The fairway on 5 is overgrown, with tall grasses and low hanging branches. Holes 6-9 were more of the same, I almost lost my disc on the fairway a few times. After hole 9 it's a long trek back through long grasses and pine groves to the big field and the parking lot.
Windlestrae is a large park with tons of potential for an 18 hole course. I'm disappointed that the locals were not more committed to the course, which is falling into disrepair. I will not consider playing holes 5-9 until those holes are maintained into good condition again.
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5 0
CZaslav
Experience: 24.9 years 271 played 6 reviews
0.50 star(s)

needs to be redesigned 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

very nice park, easy to get there, park has lots of potential. those are all of the pros. First few tee pads were very nice.

Cons:

Horrible signage. This is something that could quickly improve this course. At least proper navigational signage would be a huge improvement. The layout is also a large con. They could have fit at least one if not 2 solid holes between holes 1 and 2.
Fairways are a descent size and you must stay on them or you will have a very long day looking for discs and avoiding poison ivy.

Other Thoughts:

This course was ridiculous from the begginning. Sign at front has map of course that is absolutely useless. First hole is about 150 yards from that sign. First few tee pads are nice made of crushed rocks. Tee signs are average. Hole 1 sign has an arrow pointing into the woods for the next tee. next tee is actually 500 yards down the perimeter of the woods. Whole course is like this. basically just wandering around until you happen on a tee pad. Like others I found hole 8 while looking for 5. I eventually found hole 5 and then happened on a tee sign for hole 15 which was useless. After reading previous reviews I figured that this course could not be as bad as everyone is saying. I quickly found out that they were all correct and that this course is awful.
Here are some directions if it helps anyone.
Hole 1. Directly behind sign in parking lot about 150 yards.
Hole 2. Follow woods until you see tee sign in the distance. Do not enter woods.
Hole 3. Directly right when facing Basket 2
Hole 4. Over bridge
Hole 5. Take bridge to the right of basket 4. Take the first possible path to the right follow path for about 5 minutes until you might happen upon hole 5
Hole 6. To the left around trees from basket .
Hole 7. Not sure this is where I got lost
Hole 8. If you go past the turn off for hole 5 you will end up at tee 8. Go find basket before you throw.
Hole 9. Back to the fairway after hole 8 then is is on the left on the edge of the woods.
To return to the parking lot I had to retrace my steps past baskets 4 - 1
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14 1
bcr123psu
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.7 years 85 played 64 reviews
1.50 star(s)

So Much Wasted Potential...If You Can Find the Next Hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The park itself is very easy to get to as it is located on a well-known road. The open areas of the course, park, and bridges are well maintained. The baskets at Windlestrae park are in great shape. The tee signs look nice (see below). There is some variation to the fairways from length and doglegs. The portions of the course that were playable seemed to be a safe distance from other pedestrian areas of the park.

Cons:

Navigation at Windlestrae Park is the biggest hot mess of a train wreck I have ever seen. The problems start as soon as you leave the parking lot. There is a small sign that points you to the first tee, but it fails to note that it's probably 1,000' or more. Going from hole 1 to hole 2, there's no indication that it's another 1,000' to the next hole. After that, you need to turn around to get to the third hole. Going from hole 4 to hole 5 is an excercise in poking around in the woods and following paths until you stumble on the 8th hole or the 5th hole (if you're lucky). Another wandering walk (possibly through someone's back yard) is required to find hole 6. The tee for hole 7 isn't as tough to find as hole 6, but the location of the basket is a total mystery. While searching for the 7th basket, I came across a tee sign for the 14th hole...which blew my mind because it's supposed to be a nine-hole course. When (IF) you finish your nine holes, it's a 15-minute walk back to the parking lot...without any signs to get you back there.

The rough on this course was pretty rough. There are tons of briars and overgrowth; enough to swallow a disc thrown off the fairway while slicing and sticking the thrower trying to find it.

In terms of design, the course is flat and doesn't really incorporate any elevation changes. Further, there is water running through the park, but from what I could tell, it doesn't really factor into the design of any of the fairways.

Most of the tees were overgrown. Some to the point where they had virtually disappeared.

Other Thoughts:

With all the room available at this park, it's really hard to figure out why this course was limited to nine holes and why those nine holes were seemingly dropped into the park at random. Moreover, it's terribly disappointing that the course is riddled with such serious navigation problems. Several attempts were made to contact the township to find out additional information about the course and its layout, but no response was received.

This is the first course where I got fed up and walked off before completing my round, although I was able to walk the whole course because I was so turned around due to the navigation mess that is Windlestrae.

If the fairways could be cleaned up, the remaining holes added, and for god's sake, if they could publish some kind of map, this course would have potential to easily be a 3.0 in an area sorely lacking solid disc golf. That said, despite the length and challenge of many of the holes at this course, unless being frustrated and pissed off is your thing, I'd recommend playing any of the other short, mediocre nine-hole courses in the area for a much more enjoyable round.
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4 0
Drago
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Makes My Heart Sad 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 13, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful fairways, old structures and wooden bridges, lots of potential.

Cons:

Longs walks between holes and from finish back to the car. Difficult to navigate. Holes are generally short and straight, with a few exceptions. Poor quality tee pads, except on the first two holes.

Other Thoughts:

Being the closest course to my house, I would love to see this develop into a playable course, but as it stands now it's in pretty sad shape. The key word is potential. The park is big, and could easily have 18 great holes. If the parks dept put back in the original 18, the course would actually get visitors, a club, and people (like me) willing to volunteer to keep this course nice.
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14 0
Tolbert
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.8 years 341 played 32 reviews
0.00 star(s)

First Walk-off 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 19, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Park was nice, quiet and clean. Old wooden structures made the environment on the course interesting.
The crushed stone tees were nice.

Cons:

Navigation was very confusing (Even with a map) After the 3rd or 4th hole you come to a creek with no clear way across. I could see a tee on the other side, but but no way to cross the 25ft of water. After consulting the map It seemed there were holes in another direction with a more narrow place to cross. From there walking trails went in multiple directions with no hole in sight and no clear marker for which direction to go. Next hole turned out to be a couple hundred yards away down a small muddy trail.

Confusion continued this way, not helped by the fact that the course is in a trial period and not all holes have baskets on them (From what I understand the baskets get rotated around.) Now I'm not saying the trial period is a con, if baskets moving around from hole to hole is how it has to be then alright. The problem was there is no way of knowing which did have a basket and which didn't. Marking the tee signs would be simple and could save a lot of wandering around, checking multiple pin locations.

Also confusing and possibly do to redesign (?) The signs at the tees did not go in numerical order and led me to believe I had missed holes, though I could not find any other obvious trails.
The holes were not very interesting. Basically wide, straight shots with intense rough on both sides (except for first to holes which were near the woods but straight open shots.) The single wooded hole I played had no real fairway to speak of. The drive was a toss and a prayer. After that I came to a section of parallel holes divided by dense trees and rough that were straight away shots with not much to them.

The course starts a good hike from the parking lot, which isn't a bad thing, but the current layout has you finishing way far from where your car is. The layout isn't anywhere close to a loop and I'd have to say you'd be looking at a good half hour to walk back once completing the course.

Other Thoughts:

All of this, confusing layout, lack luster holes, getting lost and the inevitable long trek back to the car led to my first ever course walk off. Perhaps if I had all afternoon to spend there I would have taken to time to figure it out, but I was spending way more time looking for holes and baskets than playing and the holes I had played were not inspiring me to look for more. And I'm pretty good with maps and finding my way around. I sometimes take part in orienteering competitions.

The course has a lot of problems, and it seems that if the park won't embrace it, improvements can't be made. Not just help with navigation issues, but clearing of fairways (possibly even carving out a few from scratch) to make more interesting holes and the addition of signs and bridges. I hate to say it, but some land just isn't suitable for DG and some courses just weren't meant to be.
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14 0
DWill
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 322 played 45 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Middle of nowhere 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 23, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

It's in a nice park with several soccer/football fields. The course is segregated from the fields, so little to no other foot traffic on the course. It has 10 holes (a bonus hole between #4 and #5). Excellent tee signs with hole number, distance and next tee location. There isn't a map available, so this information was very helpful traversing the course.

Cons:

There were a few things I didn't like about this course. To begin with, the walk from the parking lot to the first tee is very long. In addition, you must make this same long walk back to your car from the course, so it's impractical to leave supplies/food/water/etc in your car while playing, you have to bring them with you.

There seemed to be unnecessarily long walks between holes. Several times I thought, when going to the next tee, this area would make a cool/unique hole, only to find I had to walk way past it to get to the next tee. Not sure if this is a park restriction.

Although there are next tee signs, they are small and seem to blend in to the background/vegetation quite well, and are sometimes difficult to see. Course navigation is kind of confusing. There are two hole #5 (one's a bonus hole I found out later) and tee for hole #14 in the middle of nowhere.

Other Thoughts:

This wasn't an overly difficult course, it does offer a nice mix of wooded and semi wooded holes. You will need to be able to throw both left and right shots, and there is some water that needs to be avoided.

My biggest concern was that hole #9 ends in the middle of nowhere, with no direction on how to get back to hole #1 and/or the parking lot. Being from out of town, nearing dusk and being a little disorientated playing the course, I was a little concerned about getting back to my car. I was dreading traversing the course backwards to get back to hole #1. Luckily, near the tee for #8, is the basket for #3 across the creek.
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14 0
optidiscic
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 156 played 147 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Once, A Fine Idea....Now, A Fine Mess 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 10, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Could fill a serious void in an enormously populated area that is an underserved area for disc golf. Tyler and Sedgely are both crowded courses and 45 minutes to the South.....while Tinicum and the Lehigh Valley Gems are also 45-60 minutes away to the North. Hole #3 is quite a nice hole. Seems to have a chance to be something special with fields, woods, a healthy stream and thousands of potential players in the area who are craving a new course.

Cons:

Confusing Layout! Maybe 9-10 holes. It gets particularly difficult to find your way around after hole #4..Hint don't cross the creek...just go to your right and look for a path. Many of the holes simply utilize a walking trail along a pipeline. It makes for a nice little fairway but the potential for disturbing walkers and neighbors is unlimited here. #1 is a long walk across the athletic fields from the parking lot. There are several long walks between holes and it makes little sense at times, especially with the course ending so far from the start of the course. There are huge expanses of woods, a wonderful stream, some neat little undulations in the woods etc that all could make for first class disc golf. There is even a cedar grove next to hole #2 that is screaming to be made into a tight cedar hole. God Forbid Them! So much wasted potential here.

Other Thoughts:

The neighbors ruined this course out of selfish interests before it could even be finished. Seems they wanted their own private exercise trail and did not want the public dare to use public land! How dare we..oh the nerve. I suggest they look at other local parks like Whispering Falls in tiny Atrium Township or Roland Park in tiny Akron PA or basically 75% of the courses on this site which are well received by disc golfers and the public alike. Basically they chased the original layout out and have pretty much tied the designers hands. A mistake was made when the designers attempted to use existing walking trails and areas near homes.....unfortunately no matter how much the PDGA tries to tell you otherwise the Public does not want to understand disc golf. They never will. For every young politically inactive dude who watches someone play disc golf and will be curious there will be 50 politically active old ladies who are annoyed by it and think it's bad for the environment etc. It is for this reason that courses must be kept away from the public at large. Disc Golf is best played away from dangerous public spaces anyway. It is also better served if it is discovered and introduced to someone through friends and not by the guy who is trying to explain why his Xtra long driver hit somebody's kid in the neck! Sorry bad rant. Seems a few have complained enough to have the course snipped and we are left with an mpotent half course that is very confusing to navigate and enjoy. So sad.I really wish there was a naturalist who could explain that the wide open soccer fields do more environmental damage and cause more noise pollution than any disc golf course will. Oh thats right Soccer Clubs are well organized and funded.
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3 7
bwags75
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
0.50 star(s)

So Confusing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 8, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of challenging holes

Cons:

This was course number 3 for my brother and I, we were totally lost after hole 3, luckily a local, tom, stumbled upon us and guided us through the rest of the course. We were ready to give up, but were able to get through with the help.

Other Thoughts:

Without better information or a map, maybe it should be shut down until better set up.
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6 3
JurkyBoy
Experience: 22 years 53 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Windlestrae - Lots of Potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course was nicely kept. The greens and fairway grass was kept cut and the individual hole maps made the baskets easy to find. There is a nice variety of holes, from open field holes to long, straight holes between two wooded areas and even one densely wooded hole. The scenery is gorgeous. Not very difficult to find shots that get away in the underbrush.

Cons:

Only 9 holes exist in an area large enough to accommodate AT LEAST 18. Oddball "Hole 11" found on the path in-between holes 4 and 5. Most holes very short, 200-300 feet. Very, very long distance between holes 4 and 5 - probably a quarter mile or more!

There is no easy route across the creek between hole 6 and hole 7, causing a player to have to backtrack through 3 holes, cross the creek twice, and be just a little lucky to find hole 7.

THE VERY WORST PART... is that hole 9, the final hole, is no where NEAR hole #1, where your car will inevitably be parked. You need to walk the entire course backward after playing.

Other Thoughts:

The course has a TON of potential. There is room for more holes in the field before hole 1, to the left of hole 3, in the woods between 5 and 6, and near hole 7. Bridges across the creek desperately needed for two areas near hole 4 and between holes 6 and 7.
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8 0
Asvetic
Experience: 25.9 years 28 played 8 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Needs serious layout help 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 31, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

All the holes are marked with an illustrated map and estimated distance. Tee boxes are large red terracotta stone/gravel pads. Baskets are marked and have a large number indicator on the top. You'll definitely get your exercise on this course (not sure that's a pro.)

Cons:

Where to begin... this course is in serious need of a layout designer. This is easily the longest short hole course I've ever played. All the holes play between 200-300ft. But the navigation distance between holes is easily 3-4 times that, and it's not always clearly marked (there are small wooden arrows pointing the way, but no distance indicated between holes.) Most of the holes play deep in the woods, and travel between holes can get hairy, crossing over a creek several times (no bridges on most crossings.) This course easily covers 20+ acres and it really doesn't need to. The real pisser was after finishing hole 9, I realized I was on the complete opposite side of the park, about a mile or so from my car. Also, no water on the course, and I would advise not playing this course close to dusk, if you're in the middle of the course when darkness falls, it's going to be a real pickle finding your way out.

Other Thoughts:

This course apparently is going through some legal issues with the local community and the local government. I ran into a scout master who over saw the courses development, and was told that most of the holes were removed and replanted... I assume this is the cause of why this course is a major mess.

I really wanted to like this course, but it's in too much disarray to enjoy.
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7 1
maf763
Experience: 21 played 13 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Windlestrae 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 2, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Some of the holes are very nicely designed; good variety of lengths and open/wooded holes; tee signs helpful

Cons:

Sometimes hard to find next hole, especially when several are skipped; a couple of holes are very narrow and overgrown; some holes aren't mowed - check for ticks after walking through high grass
Update - holes much better marked with signs pointing to next tee now, and better general upkeep; unfortunately, looks like holes 1,2, 4 and 6 are now permanently shorter

Other Thoughts:

A little like orienteering finding holes; it's a nice park and a good addition to Montco - way better than Ft. Washington; the gravel tees make the course play short compared to where the tee signs are - I liked the original tee positions better
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