Spotsylvania, VA

The Blockhouse - Sunnyside

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4.165(based on 38 reviews)
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The Blockhouse - Sunnyside reviews

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17 0
lee76007
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 4.6 years 112 played 111 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Variety and Scenic

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 13, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

-On James Conrad's MVP page, he's asked favorite event "Anything at the Blockhouse Disc Golf and Country Club".

-The Sunnyside course has variety with wooded fairways, open basket placements mixed with gaps off of the tee, water, elevation with upslope and downslope, and a few roller greens. The course is scenic.

-Holes 9 and 10 offer back-to-back unique features, and iconic.

-The wooded portion of the course offers a different experience than the Darkside course. Just as narrow, a few holes more distance, and some doglegs mixed in. No hole between the two courses look alike. Sunnyside is longer with a mix of par 3's and 4's.

-Tee signs offer hole number, distance, and a colorful map. Navigation is counterclockwise with a few next tee signs to help out. A few holes have multiple tees.

-If you've played here in the past, a few of the wooded holes on the front appear to have been re-aligned. Both courses also lost about 200 trees from a 2022 winter storm, which I hardly noticed.

-From the bag on the tee mid's, fairways, and driver.

-Beginners and recreational will enjoy the experience and scenery but will find difficulty. Intermediate, and advanced will be challenged.

-There are two other 18-hole courses on the property Darkside, and a Tiki putter course. Camping is offered with other activities.



Cons:

-The wooded stretch of holes 2 thru 7 run together and not memorable. Nothing wrong with the holes there difficult. I've played other courses like Sunnyside with variety such as Lake Marshall and Willow Creek and have no problem remembering hole by hole 15-21 months later.

-#17 a poke and hope at 140 feet just doesn't fit with the rest of the course, and its flow. I like to see strong finishing holes on a unique course.

-#16 at the lowest elevation of the course, the basket sits next to a pond and after a night of rain the green areas had standing water, likely to be a consistent problem.

-#3 and 4 turf tees had overgrowth growing thru the turf, but still able to find a good spot to throw from.

-A few tee signs missing, distances seem off on a few holes, and on #8 a few extra tees or perhaps leftover turf tees, hard to tell. A next tee sign in the woods from 4 to 5 would of been useful, did a little wandering around trying to find the tee.

-Grass was high on some holes such as 8 and 16. It would be a chore to keep the grass cut for the owner, who was doing course Maintenace as I played.

-Loss disc potential will be high with water a few ponds, and a few ditches. The wooded portions some overgrowth and some very little. Larger Cedar bushes as fairway bunkers or basket guardians. All of it scenic, and I would lose a disc in that scenery.

Other Thoughts:

The Blockhouse, what an outstanding morning of disc golf the variety of Sunnyside was stimulating, and the hallways of the Darkside woods kept me focused. Sunnyside was one of my favorite walks on a disc course, the elevation wasn't tiring, and the variety kept me wondering "what's" on the next hole as I picked up my disc from the basket. I like to pick a personnel signature hole on the courses I play if warranted, and the Sunnyside had been the most difficult to choose between 9 and 10. I decided based on which hole had the best unique feature in play, and which hole I will likely remember 10 years from now if I never play the course again.

My personnel con would be the lack of memorable holes 2 thru 7 which may take a few course visits to nail down, and #17 just seems out of place, both cons prevent an overall rating of 4.5.

My overall rating is anchored on a 5.0 based on the variety of the course, unique holes in 9 and 10, and a pleasant walk from first tee to 18 basket. The time to play taking a few photos was 95 minutes.

Featured Tee Box:

-The #1 tee provided a feeling of dread looking at a gap 80 feet in front of you and about 12 feet wide with cedar branches sticking out both sides of the gap. The left cedar creeping more towards the middle, the gap plays a left to right line. The pond is about 170 feet out with a 70-foot carry. The rest of the hole is to an open basket. It's a heck of a tee throw to start a round, and watched my disc clip the branch on the left and into the pond. Hole 11 tee looks like 1 but is dry.

Feature Holes:

-#10 Par 4 at 444 feet is just a gorgeous hole from the tee to basket which the cedar bushes surrounding the basket in C1 can be seen from the tee. From the tee about 15 feet providing scenery is a rock lined garden with plants nice touch. Its going to be an elevated tee shot that looks open, but its not until you reach more than halfway down fairway. About 100 feet out are two trees to hit a gap of 25 feet. About 60 feet past to the right is a barn that protrudes out into your line. Halfway down fairway is the bottom of hill with a ditch that crosses covered by a group of trees left, and another group of trees right. At this point back up hill to the basket that has a flag showing its location in the cedar bushes, and you'll pass by a flower bed left center fairway. I had watched the 2019 2-days in May that included Paul McBeth and Chris Dickerson, and when I was on the tee, I had no memory of the hole.

-#16 Par 3 272 feet is an elevated tee to a basket on the other side of a pond that covers C1. From the tee basket can be seen, includes a tree gap of 10 feet, and 40 feet in front of you. Trees cover behind the basket; fairway is open after gap. Very scenic look from tee. I would clip a branch at the gap and kept my disc dry.

Signature Hole:

-#9 Par 3 at 259 feet is an elevated tee that swings back up hill 100 feet out into the open, and a slight dogleg left. The basket is placed in the second corral further up hill, the first corral is a guardian. Fencing in front of the first coral at C2, and fencing in front of the 2nd corral, basket just 10 feet past fencing, and fencing has a narrow opening to reach basket. Fencing on both sides of both corrals. The barn you'll see from #10 tee is sitting to the right from corral and can come into play. From the tee 50 feet out is a fallen tree across fairway. At bottom of hill is a narrow creek with a foot bridge and a tree gap of 25 feet, and overhanging branches. From the tee your line has a down angle into the open fairway, and very scenic. This was the only hole I could remember from watching the 2-days in May a few years before.

Trouble Hole:

-#15 Par 3 at 347 feet is a straight uphill open air shot with a tree line to the right, a plant garden in the middle of fairway to clear at 200 feet, to reach the crest of a hill at 300 feet. The hill crest has heavy trees both sides, and a 30-foot gap. The basket sits protected downhill for 50 feet on the left and sits on a knoll for a roller green. There is heavy brush both sides of gap, and behind basket. When you clear the gap whether from the tee or approach, your disc will disappear. I spent a few minutes looking for my approach in the brush.



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9 1
KenanFlagler01
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14 years 195 played 190 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Destination disc golf experience 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 9, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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!

Other Thoughts:

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.
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13 6
Hix007
Experience: 22.1 years 120 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

The Good, The Bad & The Decay 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 25, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Large tee boxes with picturesque signs for hole layout and yardage indicated. Two courses on one property for $5, down from $10. Lost and found box for lost discs. Camping on-site. Super Challenging for all levels; parents aren't bringing their kids here to learn to play.

Cons:

Unforgiving fairways. You could literally throw a great line and you'll likely hit a tree at 200-250' and have little to no hope of any kind of recovery shot...and that's on 80% of the holes. The TURF grass (people reviewing this course misidentify this as AstroTurf, which is far superior for this application) on the tees grab your shoes and make it difficult to rotate through the shot and follow-through. Can be confusing to navigate by yourself; a course map would be a welcomed addition as there are many trails in the woods that don't lead to the next hole. Course definitely could use some maintenance, tree-trimming and clearing of debris.

Other Thoughts:

At one time this course may have been phenomenal, as it's rated #2 in state, however living on reputation alone eventually dissipates, much like the upkeep on this course. Think of a Hilton that eventually got sold and is now a Travel Inn. The foundation is there, but the furniture is outdated, the pool is closed and they're letting folks rent as an extended stay. The aesthetics are distasteful as trash is littered throughout the entrance, the pool water is green and un-leashed dogs are running amuck and barking like they're ready to bite. There are lots of holes with seating at tees, but much of it is either rusty and mossy bench seats from the back of old Chevy Blazers or school buses, or some kind of theater seats that have been outside so long, that all the vinyl seats and cushioning are long gone so they only make a good seat for your disc bag. As for the course, it's challenging, especially when they use multiple pin placements but some of the tee signs only indicate placement and yardage for one. Hole #17 is only 133 feet long, and you can literally close your eyes on the tee and have just as good of a chance of getting near the basket as you would actually trying to navigate all the trees. Just about all the landscape timbers on every tee box are rotting away or have been consumed by termites. On holes with OB, sometimes it's an actual guessing game of the boundaries as poles/ropes are either partially there or maybe buried. There are also cardboard signs that might be tournament leftovers indicating for you to head in an incorrect direction of the next hole. I just played the #3 course in the state, Greenfield, last month, and this course can't compare. Loriella Park and Cannon Ridge which are nearby, easily outshine these two courses in terms of aesthetics, pace of play, maintenance and are almost as much a test of your skills. Plus they're free.
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3 1
mike3216
Experience: 8.6 years 13 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Challenge at My Level 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging mix of open big-arm holes and tight technical wooded holes, with the emphasis on the latter. I needed every shot in my limited arsenal, and many more that I didn't have. The wooded areas are open enough to create no problems finding or getting to your disc, but they are often jail with the only option being to pitch out. And that stinking holly, which is everywhere, is picky!
A lot of thought clearly went into this layout, and every hole presents its own challenge.

Cons:

I have been playing about two years, I'm working on accuracy off the tee, and I don't have a workable forehand flick at this time. Thus, many holes on this course exceed my capabilities. If you are at my level or below, you will be playing plinko off the trees quite often.

A couple of holes with multiple potential basket locations can be confusing.

Other Thoughts:

The course beat me down at my current level, but I see it as a course I will like more and more every time I play it.
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1 3
jsemales
Experience: 19.8 years 91 played 39 reviews
5.00 star(s)

One of my All Time Favorites 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The Lightside of this course is another fantastic addition to the Blockhouse. It involves plenty of big arm throws and incorporates a nice balance of technical shots through the woods. There are few courses I've played that compare to the Blockhouse and would gladly bring anyone to play here. The astro turf tees are a great addition to the course. This course comes with my highest recommendation for any level of player.

Cons:

I don't like paying to play, but it's totally worth it here.

Other Thoughts:

Bring bug spray and enjoy the company of the hosts.
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5 0
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Sunny side up 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

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...

Cons:

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..

Other Thoughts:

Contact them through the Facebook page and see if you can make it out.. seriously, enjoy the honor of playing here.
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9 0
sidewinder22
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.7 years 297 played 197 reviews
4.00 star(s)

It's Always Sunny Compared to the Darkside! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The private 18 hole Sunnyside course consists of more variety than the Darkside as it plays over a little different terrain with some more open areas, grass fairways, interesting greens, a berm, corral, and also plays through the same thick Virginia woods, rolling elevation, creeks and ponds. There are two loops of 9 holes, a couple ace runs, a couple par 4s, and more variety of distances, use of elevation changes and danger of water. The Sunnyside is more suitable for players of all skill level.

The large astroturf tees here are my favorite, nice Mach III baskets with flags, navigation and signage, tee area shelter and interesting nicknacks. Very nicely maintained mowed grass fairways and little underbrush in the woods, which is amazing given how thick the woods are.

Other amenities on site include a second professional 18 hole course, awesome Tiki course, arcade, concerts, camping, pool and bathroom.

Cons:

Holly in the rough. Deer flies. Some of the wooded holes are unfairly tighter compared to the Darkside. Couple deuce or die holes. Hole #17, I'm not a fan of this short 133' hole of plinko.

Other Thoughts:

It's alway Sunny compared to the Darkside! The Sunnyside is more fun with it's variety of terrain and distances, but still a very technical course. This is probably most people's favorite of the courses on site and I'm in that camp. I wouldn't call Sunnyside an open course, but it's open holes are where the course really shines and provides some truly memorable signature holes...

Hole 1 - an open par 4 with the tee shot over the pond,

Hole 9 - a short open downhill par 3 with the corral surrounding the basket,

Hole 10 - a par 4 with undulating elevation with somewhat open tee shot and my favorite green scattered with sculptured shrubs,

Hole 11 - a somewhat open par 4 with sloping elevation,

Hole 15 - an open uphill par 3 with a berm/bunker protecting the basket on a shallow green,

Hole 16 - short downhill par 3 tees from the woods into the open and across the pond with the basket just across it.

The Blockhouse(formerly Grange) is a true country club experience for disc golf. If you get the chance to play here, consider yourself lucky.
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1 3
Shamis
Experience: 13.7 years 74 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

good variety 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very nice mix of open and wooded holes. The turf tees are surprisingly good. Several really tight fairways and some long bombs. Also had a good mix of elevation changes and hazards. Some very unique holes such as the cattle chute hole where the basket is surrounded by fences.

The staff was friendly.

Cons:

Only con would be that based on the terrain they have there they could have easily added a few really cool watershots that would've spiced things up a bit.
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9 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 351 played 175 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Sunny Day! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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.

Other Thoughts:

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.
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2 6
krob190
Experience: 10.9 years 12 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Place 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 15, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Sunnyside Course uses a great combination of wooded and open holes to always keep you guessing. There is a challenge to the course, but it plays fair at the same time. The conditions are excellent and the facilty is accomodating of all skill levels.
The maintenance of the facility was quite impressive, a lot of time and thought go into the design details which makes it well worth the $5 price to play all day.
The pro shop on site had Innova and Discraft discs to purchase at prices that are cheaper than most retail stores.

Cons:

There was the occasion where I was not sure how to get to the next hole. But, a long look around allowed me to figure it out pretty quickly.

Other Thoughts:

I have only been playing disc golf for a couple of months, but I am really impressed with the Blockhouse facility. Great pro shop, friendly staff. I feel like this course was difficult enough to challenge an experienced player yet not so tough that a beginner would get frustrated in the least. I will definitely be returning here.
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6 1
Kent18
Experience: 15 years 193 played 17 reviews
4.50 star(s)

WOW, great course and time! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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.

Other Thoughts:

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.
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3 8
ARIK HANZIN
Experience: 12.8 years 9 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 31, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

Other Thoughts:

I like it more every time I play it.
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9 0
New013
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 179 played 120 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Keep on the Sunnyside 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Layout - Good mix of hole types and a solid mixture of distances. Gives you a lot of different looks and makes you work your disc.

Good use of the elevation and other features on the property. Some really good uphill/downhill shots. They use the creeks/ponds on the course very effectively to create risk/reward.

Lots of interesting basket placements; one in a corral, one surrounded by tall bushy plants, some near a creek and water, a few guarded by trees.

The course has a really good flow to it that brings you in and out of the woods and keeps the round interesting. It's also pretty easy to follow the course as paths are defined.

The open bomber holes are fun to let some discs rip but also forces you to be accurate. The shorter holes usually make you work a disc through some tight gaps.

Equipment - Large astroturf pads, could be a problem for some but I had no problem with them. Most of the baskets are in good shape and had big flags making them visible which helps with the blind shots. Good signage on the course and benches at most holes.

There were water coolers set up on the course with some fresh cold water as well.

Atmosphere - The Blockhouse as a whole has a good feel to it but the Sunnyside course just has something extra that makes the round super fun.

Lots of great looking shots on an amazing rolling hills property which is maintained at a top notch level. Some cool decorations are thrown in places along with hole themes.

Some cool facilities on the property as well like a pro shop, bathrooms, arcade...

Cons:

Layout - Possibly a few to many 300ish wooded tight holes. Going in to it I figured there would be more open to the Sunnyside. There are some holes that aren't anything special. 18 is on that list and isn't the best way to finish such a great course.

There were a few confusing spots where at first it seemed like you were playing to a mini basket. Look for the flags on top of the baskets.

Atmosphere - A few muddy marsh type areas you have to avoid, they're usually marked off with flags as OB. Some holes didn't look as great as others.

Equipment - The pads could be an issue for some being that they are astroturf. I thought they were appropriate. Some of the baskets weren't in the best condition.

Other Thoughts:

Easily my favorite of the three courses on the property. Much funner round than Darkside while still providing a stiff challenge. You'll use more of your repetoire on this one. Really is a special place.

They also use the back 9 of Sunnyside for glow along with the Tiki course. Played that and had a blast, encourage everyone to experience this place at night at least once.

This course is pay to play and it's worth it. This is a must hit if you're in the area.
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3 0
VistaDG
Premium Member
Experience: 12.8 years 108 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sunnyside Up 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Obviously, it's been said a number of times, the course is very well maintained. Fairways are trimmed and in pristine condition.
- Signs on the tee box make it easy to find the direction of the basket from the tee.
- Artificial turf tee boxes were really soft on the feet.
- Loooots of land, not a lot of overlap on holes.
- Challenges you to use all shots, threw a tomahawk on #1 after I ended up behind the group of bushes.
- Baskets were all in great shape.
- Plenty of spots to sit down if you want to take a break during the round.
- Very quiet peaceful setting.
- Baskets indicated by huge flags.
- Not far off of 95 so if your on the road, it's a very easy stop off.
- Multiple courses on property

Cons:

- Was a little more wooded that I was expecting from the "Sunnyside". Most of the front plays entirely in the woods.
- No indication of the next hole once completed. Most weren't too bad, but a couple of times I was searching around for quite a bit to find the next tee. Tee 6 and Tee 10 were particularly frustrating.
- No course map to help in figuring where everything is.

Other Thoughts:

Clear to see that this is setup for tourneys. Really nice course and is worth a trip to if you are in the area. I only got to play Sunnyside when I stopped there, but is definitely set up to where you could make an entire day. Plenty of space to sit and relax and lots of disc golf to be played.

I would just suggest maybe some small printed maps of the layouts to help with navigation.

Can't wait to go back and try out the Darkside.
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2 2
J-Mo
Experience: 28.9 years 27 played 7 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Sweet course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course was so much fun to play. Awesome variety of open and wooded holes, close and far holes. The grass fairways were well groomed, the tee boxes were set up nicely, and some of the bushes were even hedged. You can tell that the owners take care of this course alot!

Cons:

Tee pads were horrible. They were all of different materials and it seemed like none of them were the same size. Some were dirt, some artifical turf, some carpet. Kind of annoying, especially when there isn't a place to the side of the tee to throw from...so even if the tee was muddy or wet etc, you couldn't even throw from the side of the tee box to prevent injury.

I didn't see any trash cans. Not a big deal, but might be nice.

$5.00 greens fees is a little pricey for this course. I would go to this course again, but at $5 a pop, I wouldn't be going here that often.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, and well worth the drive to check it out if you have never been. I'm glad I made the trip.
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1 7
Mincus14
Experience: 14.9 years 26 played 26 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 11, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

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

Cons:

None really

Other Thoughts:

Really nice private course with 2 other courses on site. One of the best I've played.
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3 1
telusive
Experience: 10 played 10 reviews
5.00 star(s)

This course was a blast! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really cannot express how much fun this course was. There's a ton of variation in both elevation and left to right orientation. You play through several instances of water.
The best best part about this course is that the people who maintain it are the ones who play it, so it was immaculate when we arrived. The grass was short, all the baskets had flags and clearly marked fairways.
You play 4 holes that include water, including putting over a pretty sizable lake.
I love his basket placements, there's a hole on this course that the basket is around 250' from the tee enclosed in a wood fence with an opening just small enough that someone could ace it, but if you didn't end up inside this corral area, you had a real hard putt to make over top of a fence.
Was very easy to navigate without a map, but very rough to play. A lot of elevation and a very long course.

Cons:

Not for beginners
Somewhat hard to find, from the road it looks like someone's house, because well it is.

Other Thoughts:

The people here were amazing, he has a small pro shop on site that sells stamped discs. There's also a light up tiki course that is really awesome! Really can't express how much fun this course is! It's like the Disney World of disc golf!
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11 0
tistoude
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 198 played 60 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Sunny? It was a little cloudy when I played. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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..

Other Thoughts:

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,
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11 3
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 755 played 414 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Luke 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 8, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

On the same site as another 18=hole course, tiki course, disc shop, clubhouse.

Two nine-hole loops.

Cons:

#17. I closed my eyes, turned my disc perpendicular to the ground, and threw, ending up in a much better position than my friend who actually tried to navigate this extreme-pinball offering.

Other Thoughts:

The course consists of two nine-hole counter-clockwise loops, starting behind the house. The open space (minimally) and woods (primarily) forming the front nine sit upon fairly flat land, while the open space (primarily) and woods (minimally) forming the back nine play up, down, and across a slope.

About half the holes, mainly on the front nine, play within the woods formed by the tall hardwoods at the back of the property. On these holes, the narrowest parts of the flightpaths come at different locations - early/middle/late/duration, and a blend of no/left/right/S-turning shots are needed head towards the basket. Because the trees are only moderately close together, there typically will be opportunity to recover from a drive that doesn't hit the initial optimum line.

About half the holes, primarily on the back nine, are fairly open, but offer some type of problem to surmount - extra length, water, elevation gain, bushes/rises to throw up-n-over - even a basket within a paddock!

Nice course with a good blend of openness/tightness, distance, and shot-types needed, while (mostly) avoiding any extremes - worth a visit if near the area, especially considering the other courses on the same site.
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14 1
prerube
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.8 years 274 played 235 reviews
4.50 star(s)

The main event at a the Blockhouse 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

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)

Cons:

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.

Other Thoughts:

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.
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