Elverson, PA

French Creek State Park

3.795(based on 49 reviews)
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9 0
jamespenn
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 4.1 years 33 played 34 reviews
3.50 star(s)

If you think it's narrow now.....

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

The tees make the place. They give you such a nice first impression of every hole, along with the handmade wooden signs. Pretty much every tee is slightly elevated, with a frame. They are absolutely level, with a very grippy rubber mat surface. And long enough that most people don't have to start behind the mat. They also have a broom at every tee box, and usually at little homemade bench of some sort.

The new baskets are excellent. The disc sort of just gathers into the chains with no sudden bounces. The baskets seem low to the ground, although maybe that's my imagination. I didn't mind

Every hole you have a choice....do I want to play the short, but still usually difficult basket, or do I really want to torment myself and play to the long basket

While the fairways might be really narrow at times, the rough isn't bad at all. I threw one on number 10 that I was sure I'd never find again, but I just kept walking in the general direction, miles from the fairway, and sure enough it was just laying there in the open. There isn't much in the woods to obscure your disc. It does take a while to get back to the fairway though if you get off line.

If you play the gold course (the longest), just when you think you can't take another gauntlet, the course gives you a break, as if to apologize for brutalizing you for the past 3 holes.

Cons:

Holes 1-3 and then 18 are in relatively open areas compared to the rest of the course, and are the only holes that aren't extremely rocky. It is a tough walk. it's not particularly hilly, but you have to constantly watch what you're putting your foot on.

The short course is all par 3s, to bright pink baskets....except for the holes where they don't have a bright pink basket yet. The older baskets are silver and blend in perfectly to the back ground. The club is replacing them though, never fear!

You can park your car very close to #1 tee. However, when you get out of your car, notice how big the parking lot is and look all the way to the other side. In the distance about a quarter mile away you might see a yellow basket in some trees. That's 18. You're never very far from the parking lot on this course, but that last walk from 18 back to your car near #1 is a bruiser.

Cell phone service is a bit iffy here, so it might be the case your phone won't work once you move away from the parking lot. You'll definitely want a photo of the course map before you head down number 1. The routing is pretty intuitive until you finish #6 It's not easy to find #7 without UDisc, and you'll never find #8 without a map. Hint, turn left and walk about a quarter mile up the road. After that, it's not too tough if you're going it blind.

Other Thoughts:

This is a pleasant, enjoyable place to play some disc golf. It was built in 1983 and it's an old fashioned, well taken care of test of patience. The long course to the gold baskets is tough but not unreasonable and par is a good score on most of the holes. However it's not so brutal that you'll make a bunch of 10s. If you can keep your disc straight and keep throwing it 250 feet down the tunnels, you can make a lot of pars and there's 3-4 holes you have a chance of a birdie. But if you try to gas one a little and get it off line, well, now you've done it. You'll have a shot, but it'll usually be sideways back to the tunnel and now you're staring at a quick double bogey.

None of the tunnels are what I'd call wide and friendly. Hole 18 is definitely the widest hole, as you are finishing up in a little picnic area next to the parking lot, throwing up a roadway. Until then, you are firing it down corridors of various widths, some of which you're sure you can't do (until you do).

As is often the case with courses that are all woods, it can be hard to tell the holes apart sometimes. Every hole is hit the gap, stay in the little fairway, and eventually you'll run into the basket. This place does have some decent variety though and unlike some woods courses, there aren't any nasty surprises if you hit the corridor. Some places leave little pencil thin trees in the fairway, so even if you hit the tunnel line, a 1 inch wide tree you didn't see still deflects you into the rough (For example, Iron Hill)

Here, holes 1-3 are all pretty memorable. 1 is a fun, downhill shot to the left. 2 then confronts you with a massive cliff to fire up, with an easy gap and a hard gap. Which ever way you go, the gold basket is a brutal par 3. Hole 3 is an real treasure...943 feet downhill, down a grassy corridor. I looked at the sign and looked at the 30-foot wide chute and thought maybe I'm in over my head here, but 4 smooth Leopards later, I had a decent look at par which I of course donked.

After this, the holes tighten up considerably and pars are hard to come by. #7 is your first real breather hole to the golds, 240 feet or so with a friendly corridor, just a little gentle curve to the right. After this, the rest of the course is on the other side of the road, near the edge of the parking lot.

Hole #8 is the next standout, an awkward, short par 4 curving to the left. If you throw an excellent 225-foot gentle hyzer down the narrow corridor, that crosses the dirt road, You take the walk of Fame! Everything else will hit a tree and end up in the ditch, where you pitch something across the road and then try to get up and down for par. Like every other hole here, you have to throw perfect shots to have a chance at a birdie, but making par is definitely possible if you're careful.

Another real winner is #12. Your careful play is rewarded here. It's nearly a right angle dogleg to the left, so you have a little more room than you think. The next shot is a very satisfying laser down a gentle slope into a clearing. After being pummeled unmercifully by three very difficult par 3s in a row, #12 is where the course starts to ease up a bit. You'll find 13, 15 and 17 also follow this general template, although 15 and 17 dogleg to the right.

After 17 pretty solid efforts you emerge from the woods to a finale that doesn't really fit in. #18 tee is built on the side of a road, and then you fire one up the roadway into a picnic area. Not that it's a bad hole, it just feels like something to get you slightly closer to your car. At 400 feet, uphill, par 3, it's not the most exciting finale. I'd recommend moving the basket 150 feet to the right and/or, move the tee back down the road another 100 feet and make it a par 4.

The short baskets here, as I mentioned, are all par 3s but you aren't getting any shorter of a walk. The short baskets are all placed on the way to the gold basket. The short baskets are not easy though. There are quite a few tough 300-foot shots. Number 2 is 144 feet straight up a cliff.

I went at 3 pm on a Tuesday, on a nice day, and nobody else was there. Overall, it's definitely more friendly to a right handed player, there are a few holes that curve right though, mainly at the end. And while it is listed as moderately hilly, the only really tough hill to climb up is #2. There are some stairs on the left side of the gap, use them.

I looked on PDGA to get some idea of ratings. There was a tournament there in June that played Odd holes gold the first round, Even holes gold the second round Even par the first round was 966 rated, and even par second round was 962 rated.

Last fall there was a tournament that played the short course both rounds, even par was 924 rated both rounds. The short course is no pushover but I wouldn't hesitate to bring a beginner golfer here. There are no water hazards, and really not much chance of losing a disc although not impossible.

I couldn't find any tournaments that played all gold baskets in the same round, but playing half golds adds 40 rating points to the all short layout, so even par would be about a 1000 rated round on the golds.
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13 1
itsRudy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 7.7 years 73 played 62 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Think of it more as a hike with Discs

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2022 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I can't think of a more appropriate place to review than French Creek for my 50th write-up. It was one of the first courses I played and got to embarrass myself on, heh, and subsequently hated initially. Didn't help that I left a prized disc on some fenced-off utility shed from a bad tree hit'n'skip by #4 my first time out. I also avoided reviewing a course so far above my skill level til now.

There are a few star holes, especially on the first loop (#1-7) but otherwise the holes individually become a blur. I just played yesterday, fifth time out, and for the life of me, I can scarcely remember any hole's layout specific after #8.

It's not a dig at the course either. Comparable level courses like Green Lane, I can remember every hole, a series of different challenges and constantly going up and down to reach them. French Creek is much more relaxed, less out to impress you with variety, just like a smooth hike in the woods where you happen to throw discs. And that's sometimes exactly the type of higher level course I want, easier on the body while still being difficult.

Everytime I come here, I enjoy it more and more, mixing the silver (short) and gold baskets and taking challenges one at a time as they come. I don't just measure my improvement over the years by distances here, but the fact I can mostly avoid the sheer number of trees now and reach silver in one shot. Wasn't like that the first four years. The nice thing is it's tall (and so, dark before dusk) forest with very little heavy brush, so off-course bright-colored discs are typically found quickly.

Honestly, if I were to change anything, it would simply be the numbering, 8-18 loop would come first and 1-7 later, just to end on a more memorable final stretch than have it right up front. Like a hike with a final destination.

If you're more of a community courser in distances or openness, give the silver baskets a try until you find your legs on this course.

+Holes 1, 3, tunnel 4, 5, and 12 are pretty good. #3 is the star of the course imo.

Cons:

The ground is really rocky. Like a million head sized rocks jutting out of the ground. Not for everyone.

The insects really love to nip here. Repellent is much more a must than normal courses, probably because of the lake.

Other than that, I didn't really have much of a problem with the course as it plays. There are annoyances, the gold baskets are really bright, but the silver baskets are a dull graying zinc coating that camoflage into the background and really need to be brightened up.

Navigation can also be a pain. Silver baskets have arrows but the golds don't for some reason. Most of the time the next area is obvious but it still would have helped out at points. Speaking of which, Silver has no finished course map on Udisc, Gold does is not the default "Main", which is some weird hybrid averaging between the two that left me confused initially.

It's also a shame that the mega-pool is closed for 2022, it'd be nice to play this place and then cool off afterwards.

Other Thoughts:

Course loops 1-7 on one side of the parking lot and 8 starts way up top (where you drive in) and ends at 18 on bottom. 13-18 is loop within that.

Terrain: OOOo - Very good. Extremely rocky Pennsylvania forest at its finest with elevation, but not in your face about it.
Execution: OOOO - Excellent. Over time, I've seen the changes that indicate this place has an active club that made it the course it is today rather than one that stagnates after opening.
Upkeep: OOOo. Very good. Good tees, signs, but silver baskets and some navigation needs work.
Difficulty: OOOo - The amount of trees makes good shots worth something and bring consequences to bad ones.
Fun Factor: OOOO - I unexpectantly have more fun here every time I play and get better.
Crowded: XXx. Hm, not here enough to accurately gauge but a bit less than average given the off-hours I go to. The fact that French Creek State Park is pretty much a drive just to get in keeps it less busy than it should be. But there's often players/groups about.
Overall: OOOO - I think this place is a 3.75 but I will bump it up.
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15 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 382 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Pretty woods, though pretty monotonous 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ French Creek is a wooded course set in a huge, beautiful State park. The layout features some elevation changes (initially dramatic, then gradual). It appears to have an active club, and it enjoys a good reputation among the courses in Eastern PA


+ The tees are well-constructed with rubber surfaces. There are some touches that give French Creek personality: the signs are large hand-painted and hand-carved maps of each hole. A short par 3 on the back nine with a narrow gap features signage pointing to the "Walk of Fame" (directly to the basket) or the "Walk of Shame" (into treekick land)


+ The opening holes are fun: downhill slight dogleg into the woods #1; uphill #2; If you're playing the long baskets, #3 is a fairly amazing throw down a long wide fairway like a ski slope; #4 along a rocky dried creek bed. But then the course settles down and becomes monotonous - pretty, wooded, - indistinct - holes. A lot of "samey-samey" after the memorable start


Cons:

- Old baskets with some rusting chains don't catch well. They're hard to spot in the woods. The park would seriously do well to invest in new baskets


Other Thoughts:

~ COURSE AMENITIES SUMMARY: Good tees, unique hand-carved signs (which would make hole changes a bitch), old baskets. Bathrooms and other facilities available when park/beach is open

~ Huge park - with a very long drive to the parking area. PRO TIP: You will pass a small grass area that fits a few cars on your drive in - almost a full mile before reaching the main parking area. Jump onto the back nine here


~ The layout is a good flow of two loops with few interruptions. After the first 7, you come back out of the woods near the 1st tee, and head up the road to find hole #8


~ The 18th is a long uphill walk back to the 1st tee. But the parking area is so large you can choose: do I want to walk at the beginning, or walk at the end?


~ A good wooded course, but nothing very distinct to make it a standout. Not worth the tip by itself, but French Creek is close to Kerr Park and Camp Sankanac to make a great day with lots of variety



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10 0
discNDav
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 37.8 years 436 played 91 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2 baskets on all 18 wooded holes 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 28, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

2 baskets with one nice rubber tee pad on all 18 holes. The longer baskets have a yellow flag on them while the short baskets do not. An arrow on the bottom of baskets pointing you to the next tee.

The 900+ foot #3 is beautiful and fun to play downhill the entire way, it's the only signature hole.

#12's green - beautiful and open circle 1 putting area with a drop off surrounding it.

French Creek St Pk is a great park, it's free, it's clean and has many other activities available for non golfers. The DG course is definitely challenging and not really beginner friendly.

The longer baskets have a much different line to hit sometimes than the shorter silver baskets, nice design job.

Cons:

The very long walk to start if the upper parking lot (pool area) isn't open. I had to park near the playground in late April and had an idea where to start yet it was still difficult to find #1.

The very tight tee shot on #4, hated it.

The tee shots are rather repetitive, long and straight over and over then a turn to get to the longer baskets. Very few right to left hyzer shots from the tees.

The hike to play this course is not smooth at all, even the main path on most of the fairways have rocks in them. Wear appropriate shoes! #2 is a very steep climb.


Other Thoughts:

I used to play here in the 90's when it was 2 courses and it took me 10 years to finally play this version. It's simply not my preferred style of play, long and tightly wooded holes. Having said that, it was better than I had expected. I'm a tough reviewer, I could see many rating it 4 stars.

"Course Map II" on this site is better than Course Map, use it to find #8 which really isn't easy to find. The rest of the course is easy to follow.

Cell service within the park is generally not available. I came across a golfer trying to find other family members without a cell signal and I couldn't do a Facebook checkin until the drive out on hiway 345.

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9 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 6.8 years 216 played 182 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pardon My French Creek 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ All 18 tee pads here are great! Each one is a stable and sturdy slab of thick rubber anchored atop a bed of crushed gravel housed by a wooden frame. Plus, they are extra long for people like me who take needlessly drawn-out windups.
+ Two pins per hole make for two wildly different difficulty settings, and they are visually distinct. Gold baskets for expert/pro players have an eye-catching yellow flag on top and the silver baskets for anybody else are more readily seen in the first place because they are positioned closer.
+ White wooden arrows are attached to all baskets to guide the player to the next tee.
+ From start to finish, all tee signs are bright yellow for visibility within the woods. They clearly feature the layout ahead with hand-carved and painted planks of wood. The distances to each pin are prominently shown.
+ The venue is peaceful and contemplative. I had the whole course all to myself and felt dwarfed by the immense trees, steep hills, and muffled silence all around.
+ Those hills and trees combine in different amounts at this course. Trees are always around you, and there are a few big elevation challenges.
+ Virtually every tee area has a bench for players to sit and relax as they wait for their turn or just to recover a bit from the strenuous walking.
+ Hole 7 ends right next to the parking lot in case a player needs something from their car or has to leave early.
+ The parking lot is enormous.

Cons:

- Every single hole takes place in the woods, which means no real chances to let rip at full power. And with nothing really memorable outside of the occasional elevation shift to differentiate the holes from one another, they felt very interchangeable. Very little about the course sticks out in my mind.
- Why don't the tee signs have pars on them for the two pins?
- Some of the fairways seem a little too constricted in my opinion. Holes 4 and 6 jump to mind as examples of that.
- Most holes are flat or, more accurately, the elevation shift is gradual enough to make them feel and play flat.
- Any slight deviation from the fairways leaves little to no chance for a recovery. The course is quite unforgiving with the density of its forest.

Other Thoughts:

Before I go any further, I'd like to make it known that this review is based upon my experience with the long layout (golden baskets).

My favorite hole at this course might have to be hole 17. It was a nice downhill glide with a wide tunnel that felt equal parts fair and challenging. My least favorite hole here might be 6? It's hard to be sure when they feel like different variations of the same hole.

But as for the course in its entirety, French Creek State Park is a great place to train for wooded disc golf. Every throw needs to be spot-on, or you'll have a tough time fighting out of the rough. This is the kind of course I wish I had regular access to. And maybe I ought to have played the silver layout for my first time here. It certainly would have been easier. I could tell that I would have made par on most of them, but I won't be back this way for awhile, and I wanted to have the full experience. So, golds it was!

The tight wooded corridors and occasional elevation obstacle force the player to get better on the spot. It would certainly provide excellent training for the disc golfer to deal with just about any wooded course out there.
It is a double-edged sword, though, because there is absolutely no wiggle-room. One error, and you've got an instant bogey at best. But something tells me that's the whole point.

Wide open courses challenge the power players to throw their farthest each time. Courses like this one challenge the precise players to throw intentionally each time. But even when a player goes in equipped with this knowledge, it is no less frustrating to smack into the skinniest tree in the whole forest fifty feet away from where you just were. I hope the squirrels will forgive my choice of words during such times.
And it's rinse repeat, really. Holes 1 through 18 are different plays of wooded disc golf. Some tunnels are wide, others narrow. High ceilings, low ceiling, a few no ceilings. Left, right, center. Uphill and downhill. It's all here in different combinations deep in the woods.

Bottom line: French Creek State Park has a very good disc golf course that excels at forcing the player to plan ahead instead of just throwing for maximum distance. Such an approach will get the player into trouble. Sometimes, it is best to break up the hole into digestible chunks.
If you find yourself at French Creek, forget about flinging your furthest and instead have fun dealing with the immediate things in your way.
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13 3
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The World’s Largest Disc Golf Parking Lot! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 5, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

French Creek State Park is a huge state park where one the main attractions seems to be this humongous swimming pool. Actually maybe, some of these parking spaces might be for the swimmers. The disc golf course seems to e painstakingly well taken care. Someone cares about this course. At the start is a kiosk complete with map, info, etc.

The tee pad area is pretty amazing. Besides the benches at just about every pad, the rubber mat tee pads are a thing of beauty. They are "absolutely center plum level." I think some person used a level to make sure every pad is perfect, not a dimple on any of them. Plus many of them are surrounded by a perfect crushed gravel border and then a board. And a broom to sweep as needed. The yellow tees signs are hand written but easy to read. Each hole has two baskets, the longer championship Golds and the more intermediate Silvers. The Mach II baskets have the next tee arrows hanging below. The Golds play much longer and with these tight wooded lines, can sometimes make for treacherous, dangerous holes. An extreme example is # 3. It's a fairly simple 295' hyser to the Silver but a whopping 930' to the Gold baskets. That's has to be one of the biggest discrepancies between the Long and Short on any hole in the disc golf world.

No one hole completely blew me away. Rather, they are a series of wooded, technical holes not really ridiculously but more along the line of fair. There's always a line available. Hitting it is up to you.

I was kinda impressed with the bench on # 17. The back rest is composed of old tee signs from holes 2-11-12-18.

Another benefit here is there is no entrance fee for the state

Cons:

Not enough available parking.

I did see a bottle cap and one plastic bottle deep in the brush. They really need to work harder keeping this course clean.

Not much elevation.

No water hazards.

Doesn't have that one memorable hole or basket placement.

Other Thoughts:

French Creek is a beautifully maintained course that with the use of two baskets is like playing two different courses. It would make for an interesting tournament format playing one round Silver and the next on the Gold baskets. Might separate the men from the boys. I could have nightmares playing some of Gold basket holes.
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1 1
Blands42
Experience: 24 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

French Creek 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 15, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very Challenging course with multiple pin locations
(Gold and Silver). Tee signs and arrows effectively display holes and direct you throughout the entire course. Requires most or all of your shots to complete a subpar round.

Cons:

Some lanes off the tee are narrow and go into blind landing spots, creating more opportunity to lose discs when leaves are on the ground. #1 tee is far back if you are not familiar with the park layout. Local groups occupy the course most of the weekend.

Other Thoughts:

I have played this course, both gold and silver since its inception. This place is well manicured and mentally tests you throughout. One of the best courses in Berks County.
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7 0
jjtwinnova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.7 years 246 played 97 reviews
3.50 star(s)

All Gold Everything 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 18, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I played this course blind, in a tournament, all gold baskets, and in the middle of a hot summer day.

And I loved every second of it.

French Creek is a perfect example of Pennsylvania woods golf, with magnificent rock structures, thick trees and punishing rough. Every hole winds through the forests withing the wooded walls of French Creek State Park.

The rubber tees were the best of the kind that I have played on, because even after a slight rain the day before, they stayed very grippy allowing for safe drives when you need both power and accuracy.

The baskets were older Mach III's that caught well, and with two per hole, you have a large variety of layouts that are available to play!

The design of the holes was amazing, as you were throwing shots around all different trees and rocks, with different lines to hit on every hole. You played up hills and down the hills, and with left turning and right turning shots.

Navigation was quite easy, with some signs to lead you down the mostly well marked paths, and the flow of the course was well done, with no holes leading to a super long walk afterwards.

The rough was clear, and the lines were there, even if they were small. You had a lot of different ways to get throughout the hole and escape with a par, and if your lucky you could get a birdie, as some of the holes are able to be gotten!

Cons:

There is nothing too major that keeps this course from turning into a true destination, but maybe within the next couple years, we could dust off the old gem and turn it into a diamond.

The Mach III's are fine baskets, but when you have tight lines through the woods, an extra color could go a long way towards fixing any navigational issues. Maybe even new baskets?

Tight lines through the woods are some of my favorite holes in disc golf, but some holes led to me being very angry, with many trees causing severe problems for the less skilled player.

Also, tight lines on every hole can lead to some repetitiveness, which there isn't a whole lot of, but there are some holes that seem similar to each other. The design is well done, but there are a few holes that are just the same throw and pray type shot, especially for the shorter silver holes.

The gold tees are hard. Not a con, but more of a warning if you are hoping to come here and shoot under par, you won't, unless you are somewhere in the 1000 rated range.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the course at French Creek State Park! A lot of tight fairways and sneaky lines lead to a fantastic course, a course that I could see becoming a true destination along with the other fantastic courses in Eastern PA!
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2 2
PhotoGuy98
Experience: 18.8 years 64 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great challenge for all skill levels 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Multiple pin positions for all skill levels, technical, a wide variety of fairways (uphill, downhill, dogleg left, dogleg right, tunnel, low ceiling), peaceful location, scenic, well maintained, nice tee pads/baskets.

Cons:

Course can be frustrating and unforgiving for some, poor cell phone service!

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course for those looking for a technical challenge. Placement is the key here. The club does a great job on the upkeep and holding tournaments. Although this is a great course, I still miss the old courses.
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4 0
Brandon Ottaviano
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great getting better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is a tournament style course. Single rubber tee pads on packed types of gravel which are never muddy, slick, or slippery. They drain very well and the maintenance is top notch. There are two baskets per hole, silver "short", and gold "long", which gives a great variety of options for all playing skills. It is a tight wooded course, but there are plenty of fairways, lanes, and approach shots, so do not be deterred. there have been many improvements to help enjoy your round. There are next tee signs under each basket which helps at this place as the next tees are not directly next to the last basket every time. There are brooms at every tee pad to clean them before throwing which is a great idea due to dirt, stones, and leaves in the fall. At the kiosk at hole one, there is a box with score cards, and each one has a map of the course on the reverse side. Very little, if no trash at all, which only shows the type of volunteers that come through on a regular basis. The round plays in basically three loops, 1-7 / 8-12 / 13-18. Top notch course. There are benches scattered throughout to rest when needed.

Cons:

Signage at the park office and in is needed to show where to go inside the park to easily get to hole one, but a local club member said they are working with the Sate Park on that. The walk from 7 to 8 is not far but is up a decent hill. The walk from 18 back to 1 is a BIG parking lot with a hill, as the course plays over a very large portion of the park. if you carpool, have someone park at 18 so they can drive back to your car at 1.

Other Thoughts:

This course is what it is billed as, a PRO Style Disc Golf Course!
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9 0
Zunz
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.4 years 85 played 21 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Awesomely relentless! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 22, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Amazing tee pads
Great tee signs
Nice flow
Relentless

Cons:

The walk back up the hill to where I parked by hole 1.

Other Thoughts:

I played my round early in the morning the day after a tournament in late February... The course was in perfect condition. I have never seen flymat tee pads looking so perfect. The upkeep of this course is top notch, the paths between basket and tee were clear and some even seemed 'decorated' with lined up stones.
I'm a rec/am level player and didn't find anything about this course to be unfair or impossible, but it is relentless! I played the gold pins and the only time I felt in any way frustrated by this course was when I parked the silver basket with my drive, my scorecard would have looked A LOT better with all those birds on it. With that said, these are some of the tightest fairways I have ever seen and they just keep coming.

Holes 1 & 2 play down and then back up a pretty steep slope. I was a little concerned that this might be foreshadowing of the entire day, but was happy to see the elevation changes were a little more gradual over the next 16. I don't mind throwing the ups and downs (love throwing the downs), but it would have made for a tough hike.

Hole 3 is about as open as it gets here, almost 900' along what was probably a fire road with a steep drop off to the left. My second throw missed the fairway right, I was only about ten or fifteen feet out and when I say I had no shot to even get back to the fairway, I mean I had NO shot! I threw horizontally to the fairway giving up a shot just to get back and it still took me 2 throws to get out! Behind that wall though, the rough is wide open, I had no trouble finding my disc and my movement to throw was unrestricted, there's just no clean way to get back to the fairway... It's damn impressive! Eventually the fairway turns gradually left and goes downhill to a basket tucked off to the right inviting one of the coolest forehands I've ever thrown.

Hole 4 is might be the longest, tightest perfectly straight fairway I've ever thrown (after the initial curvy bit off the tee). After 4 or 5 throws and still having half the hole left, I finally realized what kind of course this was going to be and I pulled out my star leopard (the only premium plastic I had with me and a straight flier that will hold whatever line I put it on) and pretty much threw it for the rest of the day.

Hole 8 is farther up the hill than it looks on the map (just keep following the road)

There were a couple of times on the back 9 that I had to look at the map to find the next tee, but nothing that took more than half a minute to figure out.

Final thoughts: This course is rocky! Wear good shoes. Don't bring the cheap plastic, I did and several of my discs were a lot less stable after my round. This is a Great course if you like tight throwing lanes with a major premium placed on accuracy. I would say based on the tightness of the fairways and how thick the forest is around them that this is not a beginner friendly course. But if you're up for a challenge, this course is on par with some of the best I've played. I don't think a course needs big open holes peppered in to be considered a 'great' course, French Creek is tightly wooded and unapologetic about it. I thoroughly enjoyed my round and will certainly be back. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like in the summer when the lines get even smaller and errant shots wont make it through like they were today. I'm giving it 4 discs after one time around, I have a feeling that will go up after I play here a few more times and also see what this park is really like with the pool open and a concession stand after 18 so I can fuel up for the hike back up to where I parked... or more likely, another round on this awesome course!

Edit: I played another round and a half at French Creek this week and I'm already bumping my review up to that 4.5 just based on how great this course is. I wish I lived closer!
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3 4
beardlikeabe
Experience: 8.7 years 45 played 10 reviews
4.50 star(s)

One of my All Time Favorites 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 10, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Overall, this course is amazing.

This course has a great deal of diversity and some elevation. There just a few open holes, however majority are wooded.

-The tee-boxes are in amazing condition. The rubber pad is virtually brand new and provides excellent traction for driving. On each of the tee-box markers, there is a broom handy to brush off any debris. These were the first thing I noticed and its always really nice to not have to worry about footing off the tee.

- There are multiple pins (silver/gold) for additional difficulty if desired. Par information can be found on each tee-box for the different pin placements.

-The baskets are in great condition and have crisp yellow paint to guide you through the course.

-The navigation was OK. Hole 1-8 are extremely easy to follow but 9-18 was a bit more challenging. Not a "Con" but I wanted to be clear that we followed the map and had no issues, but if you do not have a map you could get turned around easy.

-I really liked the diversity in length and shape of the holes. Some were really straight narrow and wooded, while others were of the dog-leg variety.

-RHBH Players: this is definitely a course you want to check out. There are several really straight holes that just finish to the left. A nice long hyzer and you are dropping the disc in the basket for a bird.

Cons:

-If you have never played the course before, a few of the holes can get confusing but download the course map here and you will be just fine.

-Wish there were a few more open holes to just break the course up a bit. I played this course back in 2005 and it was a bit different since it has been redone.

- Should be a few other signs near the main park to show where the course starts. Once you find the swimming pool its really easy to locate. (top left corner if you are standing in the pool facing the parking lot)
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2 3
wookieebeck
Experience: 10.7 years 72 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Newer Review to Show Course Progress 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Teeboxes look brand new. Very nicely maintained. Good new signs with both baskets easy to find. Download the course map from DGCR and you are all set.
There is one teepad and two baskets per hole (long and short). Fun to play.

Cons:

Rocks. Not just mountain stones (which there are alot of), but the grushed gravel in the fairways is not cool. To keep the weeds down, mulch would have been better here. Giving your discs road rash on every throw is just not right.

Other Thoughts:

It is the woods. Getting off of the fairway can lead to some thick underbrush.
Very pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness and upkeep. I will make many return visits.
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1 1
xjwigluszx
Experience: 9 years 7 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beginner's Perspective 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is really well maintained and have good tee pads. Being almost entirely in the woods makes for a very fun and scenic round. Another positive is that despite being heavily wooded, French Creek lacks the brush and bushes making disc finding relatively easy. Also some fun variations of holes with some fun hills both up and down early on. Fun enough to offset the frustrating aspect of the difficulty level.

Cons:

The biggest con about French Creek is the lack of directions after holing out. If not for playing with an experienced friend, I may still be looking for hole 8. Only other real complaint is the 'silver" baskets are sometime hard to locate from the teebox, the simple orange tape around the post isn't always enough and you really have to look. Not an actual con, but as a beginner this course is very challenging. Some holes can be downright frustrating.

Other Thoughts:

This is a really technical course that's really hard to negotiate. But despite the frustration from playing, the course is a lot of fun to play, even as a beginner... because your more experienced friends will probably be slamming trees as well. Definitely go out with someone whose played before to work as a guide because the next tee isn't always given.
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1 7
patlgn
Experience: 10.7 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

French Creek 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 8, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Varied, challenging course. Lots of woods and distance. Pretty well laid out, easy to navigate.

Cons:

While the woods can make for a fun course, they can also make for an unpleasant experience for newcomers that simply don't have the accuracy for long, tight fairways.

Also, the course is kind of hard to find, especially with the old signs.

Other Thoughts:

Not bad, could be loads better though.
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1 2
revans1009
Experience: 10.5 years 13 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Super challenging for new player 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Super technical and doesn't take a big arm to be effective.
Beautiful area and vast layout were extremely well maintained.

Silver and gold baskets play like two different courses and offer variable layouts, keeping it very interesting.

Cons:

Super technical. Yes, pro and con. You simply have to focus on clean technique as trees abound everywhere.
I would have been completely lost from hole to hole if not for a great group of others leading the way.

Other Thoughts:

This was a very tough outing for me personally but I really appreciated the course.
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1 4
Dublicious
Experience: 10.7 years 6 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 22, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Technical holes. Seems to be well maintained. Tee box markings are super useful. Brooms on tee pads are a nice touch. Quite challenging but not really cheap. If you're good enough you can expect to make the shots (I can't).

Cons:

Exactly 0 open holes. Not always clear where you're going after holing out (easier on silver, seems like gold was an afterthought).

Other Thoughts:

This course is a lot of fun. If you're in the area you've definitely got to get here once or twice. Hole 3 is SUPER long and it's easy to lose your disc down a hill to the left. Be careful and/or prepare to look for ages.
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0 6
Improbably
Experience: 17.8 years 56 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Almost entirely positive 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course requires both accuracy and distance on every single hole. That's a good thing.

Cons:

I hate flymats! I can't stand flymats! I loathe flymats! All kinds of flymats! I hate black flymats! I hate green flymats! I hate flymats with brooms! I hate flymats without brooms! I hate them sanctioned and non-sanctioned! I hate flymats in bunches, one at a time, or playing in groups of twos and threes! I hate flymats!

Other Thoughts:

Parking situation is unfortunate in off season. I blame DNCR the course designers routed it well.
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2 0
Fishfood
Experience: 23 years 25 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Seasoned Disc's after 18 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

18 holes of wooded elevation change, dual baskets on most holes, rubber tee pads, good tee signage, bring your seasoned discs, b/c if they aint chewed up....they will be after a couple rounds..it's rocky.
Brooms at every tee pad...two thumbs up!
I had a blast playing here while camping at French Creek Campground. Well worth taking a trip to this fine PA park.

Cons:

First time I played here I had a hell of a time figuring out where the next hole was when playing the long baskets. I don't think there was any signs directing you where to go. Even log lined paths would be helpful.

Other Thoughts:

Great course and fun to play multiple rounds. Besides disc golf, this park offers many activities for the family, so if they don't play, there's so many other activities to suit their fancy.
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2 2
Nathan Stahl
Experience: 11.7 years 18 played 12 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Poison Ivy 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course will make you appreciate the open courses a little more. Very well marked tee boxes with signs to guide play to the baskets. Every hole has two baskets to play, silver (short distance) and gold (long distance). The silver markings on the baskets are hard to see, but they are all present. We played both the silver and gold baskets in different days. The gold will make you work and adds at least an hour to your time on the course. The under brush is kept down by the amount of tree cover, so finding a disk off course is easy. But getting back on course is normally difficult. Great course for a sunny day with the amount of tree cover you do not need sun block.

Cons:

Watch out for the poison ivy. We saw most of it and tried to steer clear, but I still ended up with some on my lower leg. To make the perfect course there needs to be next tee signs. I had the map to help guide me to the next tee box, with out the map some of the tees can be hard to find.

Other Thoughts:

It was a load of fun and will make you a better controlled disk golfer. If you love to play long holes then the gold is your game. The gold 3rd basket is marked at over 900 feet and I think that is even short. It would be nice to have one open throw throughout play, but I guess I could get that at most other courses.
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