Let's talk Deer Lakes

[Beable]

Fatheads is my favorite restaurant in the burgh and has the best burgers I have ever had. I like it so much, I actually based where I was going to live in the city on its location so that I could walk there. Not to mention the south side is a fun area in general

opcorn:

I like Fatheads, too, but I find myself at Mike&Tony's more often if I go to the Southside. By far the best gyros in the area.

 

[Ripper]

Fatheads is my favorite restaurant in the burgh and has the best burgers I have ever had. I like it so much, I actually based where I was going to live in the city on its location so that I could walk there. Not to mention the south side is a fun area in general

opcorn:

Man, I loved the South Side. When I go back going to check it out more as love those non commercialized areas and tight knit urban communities!

 

[Stud Muffin]

I played Deer Lakes today. It is the best course I have ever played, that is for sure.

 

[jblough]

I was at Deer Lakes for the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open last week. It was really fun following Doss and Locastro around, who were in the same group. It's also my favorite park to play in the peak of the October fall foliage.

 

[vslaugh]

I played Deer Lakes today. It is the best course I have ever played, that is for sure.

Great to hear you enjoyed the course! I think Maple Hill can give Deer Lakes a run for its money--both are similar in their design--but it certainly is a wonderful course and a wonderful park.

 

[vslaugh]

With the course looking so great for last weekend's tournament, I've been trying to update/upgrade the course photos for Deer Lakes. Let me know if you have any suggestions or if you think of something missing, and please add any of your own photos that would be good for showing the course. I am by no means an accomplished photographer, so I won't be offended if you have better pics than mine. (By the way, the really nice pics I uploaded a couple months ago are really from Jerry Gotcher of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society.)

 

[vslaugh]

Speaking of Jerry Gotcher and Deer Lakes, here are some photographs for anyone who ever wondered how the course--at least its teepads--was made. From this thread:
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?p=987667#post987667

Here are several photographic slideshows of the 5' x 13' tees installed at Deer Lakes Park near Pittsburgh, PA. Using a Gator to deliver concrete to wooded/sloped locations proved to be extremely efficient. Kudos to the volunteers of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society for building some of the nicest tees in disc golf.

 

[Mando]

Granted, I was rained out on Deer Lakes before finishing the only time I played it, but, from what i saw the course was, what's the word, too homogenous ? Moraine was the course that wowed me
in the Pittsburgh area. Deer lakes=interstate driving. Moraine=US 1.

 

[Chiefstang]

I just roadtripped from NY to CO, playing courses like Idlewild and Moraine. I honestly only hit Deer Lakes because it was near Moraine and I had time for two courses in the area.

Deer Lakes was THE best course I played on my whole trip... Period.

Every tee makes you just pray that you have a good shot. Not because of your scorecard, but because you RREEAALLYY want to see that shot!

Ironically it was the first course on my trip, and it was P.E.R.F.E.C.T.

Three immaculate concrete tees at every hole, great signage, easy navigation, great baskets, breathtaking views hole after hole, big holes, little holes, wooded holes, ravines, fields, hills... I could go on forever.

I rarely rate a course after only playing it once, but I will be doing exactly that for Deer Lakes. You guys deserve every 5-star rating this course gets.

BIG thumbs up for the designers and the club for keeping it up.

I'm really pissed I never took advantage of this course before I moved out west, but glad I hit it up before I did.

 

[Tyler_McGinnis]

Granted, I was rained out on Deer Lakes before finishing the only time I played it, but, from what i saw the course was, what's the word, too homogenous ? Moraine was the course that wowed me
in the Pittsburgh area. Deer lakes=interstate driving. Moraine=US 1.

Did you really think the holes at Deer Lakes were all that similar? Just wondering, seems surprising to hear because since the first time I've played Deer Lakes I've just been amazed at how much variety the course offers. Short, medium, and long technical holes; Short, medium, and long open holes; constant elevation changes being presented; and so many different types of shots needed to traverse the course. Don't get me wrong, I think Moraine is awesome as well (I may be biased being from the area), but I typically find Deer Lakes to be a little bit more of a challenge (though Moraine's PFDO layout seemed pretty difficult) because Deer Lakes is about constantly executing different golf shots well and good shot placement. I typically find Moraine to leave me with more options from hole to hole (but that's just me).

 

[vslaugh]

Granted, I was rained out on Deer Lakes before finishing the only time I played it, but, from what i saw the course was, what's the word, too homogenous ? Moraine was the course that wowed me
in the Pittsburgh area. Deer lakes=interstate driving. Moraine=US 1.

Around Pittsburgh, it seems like 50% of disc golfers prefer Deer Lakes to Moraine, and the other 50% prefer Moraine to Deer Lakes, so it's fine to like Moraine more than Deer Lakes. Moraine certainly is superior in some regards, such as decision making off the tee...Moraine has multiple thought-provoking but ugly-looking shots you have to consider, whereas Deer Lakes has only one beautiful shot for you to throw. I personally prefer Deer Lakes as I find the terrain more attractive: bigger trees, streams, rolling hills of well-maintained grass, etc vs. gnarled young trees. Plus the blue tees at Deer Lakes offer the perfect challenge for me, while Moraine blue is exactly my rating (so shooting above par is depressing) and golds are much too difficult.

With all that said, I can't really think of any criterion by which Deer Lakes could be considered homogeneous. Variation in tree density, elevation, hole length, righty/lefty advantage all seem to be the course's strength. Just Hole 9 alone has more variety than some courses. In what way did you mean homogeneous?

 

[vslaugh]

I just roadtripped from NY to CO, playing courses like Idlewild and Moraine. I honestly only hit Deer Lakes because it was near Moraine and I had time for two courses in the area.

Deer Lakes was THE best course I played on my whole trip... Period.

Every tee makes you just pray that you have a good shot. Not because of your scorecard, but because you RREEAALLYY want to see that shot!

Ironically it was the first course on my trip, and it was P.E.R.F.E.C.T.

Three immaculate concrete tees at every hole, great signage, easy navigation, great baskets, breathtaking views hole after hole, big holes, little holes, wooded holes, ravines, fields, hills... I could go on forever.

I rarely rate a course after only playing it once, but I will be doing exactly that for Deer Lakes. You guys deserve every 5-star rating this course gets.

BIG thumbs up for the designers and the club for keeping it up.

I'm really pissed I never took advantage of this course before I moved out west, but glad I hit it up before I did.

Glad to hear you liked it. I'll have to find some way to pass some of these comments on to J. Gary Dropcho and the park manager.

Once again, credit for making it look nice really goes to Mike Dutch, park manager. All told, it's really only been a small group including WillGrrr and Beable of the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society (we're an overextended club, in terms of work per member) working on the park. While many many hours were devoted 2007-2009 while teepads were poured, we've probably only logged about 150 volunteer hours on the course this year, so that's a testament to how much the park has cared for the course.

 

[discNDav]

I absolutely hated driving by Deer Lakes late yesterday on my way from Chicago to central PA and beyond. The weather simply didn't cooperate. I played Knob Hill and then Flip City twice last week and was looking forward to hit Deer Lakes a 3rd time. October is my next chance at it. Deer Lakes is in my top 10!

 

[chris deitzel]

It's not a bad thing to wake up and wonder should I play Deer Lakes, Moraine, or Knob Hill?? And soon it will be maybe I should go play Linbrook instead. They are all great courses. All have challenges to overcome. My only wish is that Deer Lakes had gold tees as I find the blue tees to be just ever slightly too easy for me to shoot under par.

The worst thing about having these courses to play everyday is that is is very hard to travel across the country and find a course to play that can even come close to being as good as any of these three courses.

 

[ProFiction]

Yes let's talk Deer Lakes... like Gregg Barsby did in the interview in this thread:
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44448

Saying that Deer Lakes is the kind of course he'd like to see more of :thmbup:

Keep up the great work there, guys!

 

[denny ritner]

definitely looks like pittsburgh has got it going on course design-wise. i've only played knob hill back in the day and it was set up short, so i'm jonesin' to make a trip up there someday. looks like a worlds contender.

i especially agree with the use of several tees for each hole, the same par for each tee, adherence to the pdga color skill standard and only one basket on each hole. then there's the great terrain, beauty, etc.

some people get it!

 

[gotcha]

We are definitely spoiled here in the 'burgh.

 

[tistoude]

This weekend is the annual PDGA event The Hunt at Deer Lakes. I am looking forward to seeing all the trees with the autumn colors and playing a sweet course!

 

[snowren24]

It's not a bad thing to wake up and wonder should I play Deer Lakes, Moraine, or Knob Hill?? And soon it will be maybe I should go play Linbrook instead. They are all great courses. All have challenges to overcome. My only wish is that Deer Lakes had gold tees as I find the blue tees to be just ever slightly too easy for me to shoot under par.

The worst thing about having these courses to play everyday is that is is very hard to travel across the country and find a course to play that can even come close to being as good as any of these three courses.

I thought I was spoiled to live so close to Roscoe Ewing, and fairly close to Lincoln Park, then i went to Pittsburgh and played

 

[HarkeyPuck]

I thought I was spoiled to live so close to Roscoe Ewing, and fairly close to Lincoln Park, then i went to Pittsburgh and played

Wait til the new course is open, gonna be sweet! 3 championship courses within 20 miles of each other! Woot