Adlacro's October/November Excursion

[adlacro]

I made a few changes to my scheduled PTO at work and now will have two weeks off. I'm visiting family in PA and also going to a retreat in TN. Here's what I have for a time frame:

10/21: leave Ft Lauderdale for Rocky Mount, NC. Course stop: Tom Triplett in Savannah, GA.
10/22: Rocky Mount to Allentown, PA. Course stop: Seneca Creek in Gaithersburg, MD.
10/23-10/31: Allentown. Planning on hitting some familiar area courses, as well as AGA Farms and maybe Camp Tecumseh in NJ.
11/1: Allentown to Bristol, VA. Course stop: up in the air, looking for suggestions (planned route is I-81).
11/2: Bristol to Murfreesboro, TN. Course stop: Harmon Hills in Fall Branch, TN.
11/3-4: Retreat, drive back to Ft Lauderdale. Looking for suggestions (planned route is I-24 to Chattanooga and I-75 into northern FL).
11/5: finish the drive in the morning as I'm back at work on the sixth.

Help me fill in the suggestions with some ideas. Thanks!

 

[biscoe]

Sugar Hollow in Bristol is very good. Mayflower Hills outside Roanoke is excellent. Almost everything near Winchester VA is good but not great. (Jim Barnett, Limestone Ledges, PoorHouse Farm)

 

[thrembo]

Another vote for Sugar Hollow. One of my traveling bagger buddies liked it better than Harmon Hills when we played in the area. Harmon is great and all but can be tedious for low level recs.

 

[Olorin]

For the Virginia course off of I-81...
I've played every VA course west of Blacksburg and I'll suggest a hidden gem with The Ridge in Big Stone Gap. For context, I have a noodle arm, but if I was driving that way The Ridge is the only course out there that I would play again. Personally, I like it more than Sugar Hollow, but I also prefer technical woods courses with elevation over more open courses. YMMV. A really fun thing about the Ridge is that they are tricky and they try to sucker you into throwing a shot that follows the fairway shape but with numerous slide sloping fairways those apparent shot shapes will easily skip far away past the basket. The course really requires you to think and it is more difficult than the shortish hole lengths would seem to indicate.

tl;dr Tastes vary, but The Ridge is the main course I would play in SW Virginia. It's worth the detour.

The Ridge

www.dgcoursereview.com

 

[Olorin]

I made a few changes to my scheduled PTO at work and now will have two weeks off. I'm visiting family in PA and also going to a retreat in TN.

Help me fill in the suggestions with some ideas. Thanks!

What do you enjoy in a course? How far do you throw? What is your primary distance driver?

 

[Olorin]

After Harmon Hills then Fontana Dam in Fontana NC isn't too far, but it is in the mountains on winding roads. Fire Mountain Sanctuary in Cherokee is not too far from there too.

From Chattanooga, Little Mulberry in Dacula GA (NE of Atlanta) is a little out of the way, but a great course.

 

[Monocacy]

Sugar Hollow in Bristol is very good. Mayflower Hills outside Roanoke is excellent. Almost everything near Winchester VA is good but not great. (Jim Barnett, Limestone Ledges, PoorHouse Farm)

^ Agree with the above

Options for the Allentown to Bristol, VA run:

Mayflower Hills would be my #1 recommendation. Gorgeous course, I had a blast playing there, and not much of a detour. Sugar Hollow is also very good but between the two I would choose Mayflower Hills, no contest.

Ditto Farms in Hagerstown MD is also on the way – challenging, varied, and fun.

Freedom Center – Clark's Run is an excellent woods course, and not much of a detour if you drive down US-15 through PA and MD. As a bonus, Scattersville is a fun 9-hole putter course on site.

Course guide services are available for Ditto and Freedom Center, if you wish.

Edit: I loved Harmon Hills, and as you have seen I am a pretty mediocre player

 

[adlacro]

Loving some of the suggestions from everyone. If I was still a playing PDGA member, I'd probably be around 800 rated. I can drive decently, up to about 300' or so but my short game has been a major let down. So, I'm going to be playing some of the shorter layouts of these courses if available.

Monocacy, are you planning on meeting up at Seneca on the 22nd?

The drive to Bristol might be a bit much, I'm thinking about lodging in Roanoke and then just leaving at six the next morning to head to Harmon. That should leave me enough time for Mayflower.

 

[Olorin]

The drive to Bristol might be a bit much, I'm thinking about lodging in Roanoke and then just leaving at six the next morning to head to Harmon. That should leave me enough time for Mayflower.

Is The Ridge in Big Stone Gap VA too far out of your way? Is it of interest to you at all? Honestly, from what you said, I think that you might enjoy The Ridge more than Mayflower. I know that I did!

 

[Monocacy]

Monocacy, are you planning on meeting up at Seneca on the 22nd?

Yes I can meet up. Guessing early afternoon?

Just shoot me a text or PM when you have an ETA and I will be there.

 

[adlacro]

Is The Ridge in Big Stone Gap VA too far out of your way? Is it of interest to you at all? Honestly, from what you said, I think that you might enjoy The Ridge more than Mayflower. I know that I did!

Yeah, I'd prefer to stay pretty close to I-81, especially with Harmon being right off I-81 on Thursday. I'm lodging in Roanoke the night before, so Mayflower looks to be the best play there.

 

[adlacro]

Yes I can meet up. Guessing early afternoon?

Just shoot me a text or PM when you have an ETA and I will be there.

Yes, that's awesome! Will do when we get closer to the trip.

 

[adlacro]

Just a couple of weeks away from my two week trip up to PA, then over to TN and back to SE FL! Here's the current course rundown:

Driving Up: Tom Triplett
Seneca Creek (with @Monocacy)

While in PA: Jordan Creek
Lehigh Parkway
Nockamixon S.P. (back 9 opened!)
Lenape (if not too far from Nocky)
AGA Farms
Harmony (new course in P-Burg, NJ)
Hackett
NCC DGC (9 holer at community college not far from Hackett)
Hanover Township Community Rec
South Moutain (the course I first played DG at)
Ace Eight at DeSales University
Camp Olympic
Upper Macungie Park

On way to TN (Murfreesboro): Mayflower Hills
Harmon Hills

Leaving TN to come back to Ft Lauderdale: Etowah

Subject to change, of course. Seven of these will be new reviews and then others will be updates.

 

[Shadrach3]

Sounds like a great time!

I did the Murfreesboro-ATL drive dozens of times. If you are considering adding extra stops on I-75 north of ATL, the three I'd suggest you choose from are:
-Edwards (near TN border) - hard, technical course. Like Etowah but longer.
-Westside (near TN border) - mix of open and woods, a little of everything with some good par-4s.
-Perkerson (downtown ATL) - older course but one with some fantastic elevation and woods plays. Slightly sketchy area around nightfall FYI.

Etowah is a fun course on a beautiful property and while I'd take Westside or Perkerson over it, I'm in the minority

 

[porkturtle]

Love it! I would just like to add a note about Little Lehigh Parkway. It takes a lot to annoy me when it comes to course conditions, but Little Lehigh is truly in a neglected state. The course is a hike and still fun to play, I think. However, please take caution at holes 6 and 7. 6's fairway is an absolute jungle and very overgrown - we last threw here back in July but it's been this way every time we've been here since last year the first time we played. 7 is ridiculous too - short par 3, but finding the basket amongst the weeds would be a nice picture game for young'uns - "Hey kids! Can you spot the disc golf basket in this picture?"- I think you get the point. Whenever I play this with me brother, we ALWAYS run up and spot each other on both these holes.
Some people gripe about hole 10, and I guess the gap uphill you gotta hit is overgrown but for some reason my noodle arm loves this challenge - so close to birdie-ing this at times - I swear I'll get it one of these days. Also, if memory serves - holes 12 and 13 have no tee signs. As for the whiners losing their minds over the long walks between some of the holes here, I don't mind in the least - I love hiking and I love having the chance to throw plastic outdoors in our wonderful parks!
Anyways, have fun on your trip and hopefully you can hit Lenape Park too!

 

[HyooMac]

Just a couple of weeks away from my two week trip up to PA, then over to TN and back to SE FL! Here's the current course rundown:

Driving Up: Tom Triplett
Seneca Creek (with @Monocacy)

While in PA: Jordan Creek
Lehigh Parkway
Nockamixon S.P. (back 9 opened!)
Lenape (if not too far from Nocky)
AGA Farms
Harmony (new course in P-Burg, NJ)
Hackett
NCC DGC (9 holer at community college not far from Hackett)
Hanover Township Community Rec
South Moutain (the course I first played DG at)
Ace Eight at DeSales University
Camp Olympic
Upper Macungie Park

On way to TN (Murfreesboro): Mayflower Hills
Harmon Hills

Leaving TN to come back to Ft Lauderdale: Etowah

Subject to change, of course. Seven of these will be new reviews and then others will be updates.

Damn - I'm out of the country when you're in PA!

My comments:
I agree with the criticisms of Little Lehigh - lots of time that could be spent better elsewhere
Lenape / Nocky are within a half hour of one another. Upper Salford is now 18, and you pass by it
Harmony is fun
NCC DGC is at best a bagging stop. Very dull. If it takes you out of your way, consider other places
If you haven't played the redesign at DeSales, you'll really enjoy the back nine
Consider adding Ryan Kelly Green Monster - but I just noticed you've already played it...
Fields of Dreams in NJ takes you a bit farther East - but now with 2 baskets and revised layout, it's worth at least one round

 

[adlacro]

Damn - I'm out of the country when you're in PA!

My comments:
I agree with the criticisms of Little Lehigh - lots of time that could be spent better elsewhere
Lenape / Nocky are within a half hour of one another. Upper Salford is now 18, and you pass by it
Harmony is fun
NCC DGC is at best a bagging stop. Very dull. If it takes you out of your way, consider other places
If you haven't played the redesign at DeSales, you'll really enjoy the back nine
Consider adding Ryan Kelly Green Monster - but I just noticed you've already played it...
Fields of Dreams in NJ takes you a bit farther East - but now with 2 baskets and revised layout, it's worth at least one round

Damn, would have liked to meet you.
May look at Upper Salford again if I have time, chances are that these will be 1-2 round days, and if so, I can't hit everything.
I enjoyed DeSales, and will be doing a review of it this go around.
I liked Green Monster a lot, but the guys I normally play with aren't into the super long courses (they do enjoy Jordan, so I take them there).
I played FOD a handful of years ago. But it is a bit more out of the way, closer to 75-90 from Allentown, trying to stay 40-60 tops (Nocky and AGA are right at the cusp of a full hour from Allentown).
I will probably still hit Lehigh anyway, just to scathe it in the reviews. Damn shame, it's a good complement to Jordan when it's in pristine shape.

Have they removed the baskets at Neff's yet for that planned 18 holer off of 329 south of Slatington?

 

[HyooMac]

Damn, would have liked to meet you.
May look at Upper Salford again if I have time, chances are that these will be 1-2 round days, and if so, I can't hit everything.
I enjoyed DeSales, and will be doing a review of it this go around.
I liked Green Monster a lot, but the guys I normally play with aren't into the super long courses (they do enjoy Jordan, so I take them there).
I played FOD a handful of years ago. But it is a bit more out of the way, closer to 75-90 from Allentown, trying to stay 40-60 tops (Nocky and AGA are right at the cusp of a full hour from Allentown).
I will probably still hit Lehigh anyway, just to scathe it in the reviews. Damn shame, it's a good complement to Jordan when it's in pristine shape.

Have they removed the baskets at Neff's yet for that planned 18 holer off of 329 south of Slatington?

According to uDisc, Neff's Valley is getting new tees. It's now an 18 with a different layout. It's been a few years since I played it - but it looks like it still plays around that spooky old empty public pool.

 

[adlacro]

That's not too far from Allentown, so I'll add that. Also adding a favorite, Moore Township in Bath. It's no destination course, but it's a great mix of short and long holes.

 

[adlacro]

Weather looking great for the weekend! Shorts in Savannah and sweats at Seneca. Seeing that it is dark by 6 ish up in MD, I'm thinking we need to start no later than 3 for all 27, right, Monocacy?

Next week looking great as well for the Lehigh Valley portion of the trip. A little chilly during the evenings/nights for this former northerner, but should be a blast with lots of disc golf.