Northeast states

[DoWork]

Vermont: One could easily spend a few days down south doing Chester, Magic, now Bromley, then Manchester and Bennington, then hop up to BCO @ killington on your way up to Smuggs for Fox/Brewster.

It's growing quickly up here. A few years ago it was just 9 holes in Chester and 9 in Manchester. Now all these courses are a full 18, and Bromley you even ride the chairlift twice.

 

[Monocacy]

Firstly, have a great trip!

Tue: 8 hr drive to Iron Hill (DE)
Wed: Stafford Woods (NJ), Wickham Park (CT), Willow Valley (RI)

If you are heading up I-95 and want to add another course near Iron Hill, Mill Brook is a nice spin, playing fairly quickly from short tees to short baskets.

I just returned from a New England loop. Willow Valley is a fun way to bag Rhode Island. For Connecticut I preferred Nichols Field to Wickham Park. Wickham is a pretty park but crowded and mostly wide open bombers. Nichols Field was a nice mix of short, technical holes with wooded bombers mixed in, and I had the course to myself on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.

Thu: Maple Hill (MA), Smuggler's Notch (VT)
Fri: Sabattus (ME), Salmon Falls (NH)
Sat: 10 hr drive home

For Massachusetts, consider 501 Disc Golf in addition to (or even instead of) Maple Hill. Either is a great day of disc golf. Rapscallion is near 501 - fun spin with a brewery and food truck.

And BT's Smokehouse in Sturbridge MA had some fine BBQ, worth the long lines.

Sounds like you have chosen a logical route. I hope you have a blast!

 

[Discette]

Well, it's official. I'm leaving for this road trip in... 4 hours.

Tue: 8 hr drive to Iron Hill (DE)
Wed: Stafford Woods (NJ), Wickham Park (CT), Willow Valley (RI)
Thu: Maple Hill (MA), Smuggler's Notch (VT)
Fri: Sabattus (ME), Salmon Falls (NH)
Sat: 10 hr drive home

Overall about 2500 miles give or take and more rounds than I've played all year this far (3?). Will be a last minute getaway from work and will be playing mostly conservative, pretty quick golf to preserve my arm and keep things moving so I can get to all the courses. Will bring my total states played to 46 with Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Montana remaining.

Thanks to everyone who gave valuable input into my travels. Catch you on the flip side.

Good Luck on the trip. It looks like a compact route. You should be able to make that drive to Smuggs. That far North you get more daylight. At Smuggs and Sabattus, the sunset isn't until 8:40 pm and sunrise is at 5:15 am!!



Enjoy! :hfive:

 

[kenjiac]

Well, it's official. I'm leaving for this road trip in... 4 hours.

Tue: 8 hr drive to Iron Hill (DE)
Wed: Stafford Woods (NJ), Wickham Park (CT), Willow Valley (RI)
Thu: Maple Hill (MA), Smuggler's Notch (VT)
Fri: Sabattus (ME), Salmon Falls (NH)
Sat: 10 hr drive home

Overall about 2500 miles give or take and more rounds than I've played all year this far (3?). Will be a last minute getaway from work and will be playing mostly conservative, pretty quick golf to preserve my arm and keep things moving so I can get to all the courses. Will bring my total states played to 46 with Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Montana remaining.

Thanks to everyone who gave valuable input into my travels. Catch you on the flip side.

Thursday is gonna be tough. Maple then smuggs with a 4hr drive in between

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

Thursday is gonna be tough. Maple then smuggs with a 4hr drive in between

Yeah thats what I see. It's almost as long a drive from Maple Hill to Smuggs, as it is for me to get to Maple Hill. I don't think I could do it, but I'd be doing it in reverse (Smuggs is 2 hrs from me, but only 66 miles almost exclusively on back roads), and I'd probably not want to leave Brewster. Let me know how Smuggs looks, as the Brewster Ridge Open is next week. I'm gonna try to see if I can get over there for a practice round, maybe I can do Thursday.

 

[DoWork]

Thursday is gonna be tough. Maple then smuggs with a 4hr drive in between

With that kind of drive I'd just go to Magic. More like 2.5 or less from Maple Hill and all kinds of VT feel, good views and such.

I could also give you a personal tour, point you to some great food & beer, maybe even another area course or stop by a swimming hole, and likely send you on your way with a bunch of really sought after 4-packs too.

Just putting it out there- not that I don't love Smuggs, I just don't know I'd drive 8 hrs round trip to play it if I'm not doing both courses and staying overnight. Just my .02

 

[atl scott]

...if you're only going around once add Stafford in the late pm

I did manage to play both Iron Hill and Stafford today. I liked both parks. Iron Hill is a fantastic course. I lucked out and had good weather and traffic and light course traffic. I played well but my knees are killing me after only day 1. Gonna be a long 3 more days!

Thu: Maple Hill (MA)(If you get a hot, humid day and play the long layout here Maple Hill is a MONSTER to walk/play. It's way harsher than the pro's make it look on video and throw in any precipitation -- good luck getting to VT)

Yeah, there was supposed to be another day mixed in there so I could take a full day at Maple Hill and get Pyramids in too, but my trip got delayed a day and I had to squeeze it all together and hope it all works out.

 

[atl scott]

..sunrise is at 5:15 am!!



Enjoy! :hfive:

Good tip on the early daylight! This will come in handy...

 

[atl scott]

...BT's Smokehouse in Sturbridge MA had some fine BBQ, worth the long lines.

Sounds like you have chosen a logical route. I hope you have a blast!

Thanks for the BBQ tip! I'll be stopping in if at all possible...

 

[atl scott]

With that kind of drive I'd just go to Magic. More like 2.5 or less from Maple Hill and all kinds of VT feel, good views and such.

I could also give you a personal tour, point you to some great food & beer, maybe even another area course or stop by a swimming hole, and likely send you on your way with a bunch of really sought after 4-packs too.

Just putting it out there- not that I don't love Smuggs, I just don't know I'd drive 8 hrs round trip to play it if I'm not doing both courses and staying overnight. Just my .02

computing... dangit I'm trying to figure out how to pass up this offer. This is a whirlwhind of a trip... I'll try to put some thought into it tomorrow.

Today was:

9 hrs drive to Iron Hill
1.5 hr round (hustled)
1 hr drive to Stafford Woods
1 hr round (hustled)

Planning on starting early and getting CT and RI in easily and up to Maple Hill area to stay the night to be ready at sunrise for the long day.

 

[DoWork]

computing... dangit I'm trying to figure out how to pass up this offer. This is a whirlwhind of a trip... I'll try to put some thought into it tomorrow.

Today was:

9 hrs drive to Iron Hill
1.5 hr round (hustled)
1 hr drive to Stafford Woods
1 hr round (hustled)

Planning on starting early and getting CT and RI in easily and up to Maple Hill area to stay the night to be ready at sunrise for the long day.

No pressure at all, just putting it out there! Lots to do around here though, and when you leave if you go through Keene on your way to ME and play Otter Brook, you will not be disappointed! Dare I say their trees are as good if not better than Brewster Ridge?!? Certainly harder! It is a must-play course for any tree golfer, that much I'm sure of!

 

[Discette]

computing... dangit I'm trying to figure out how to pass up this offer. This is a whirlwhind of a trip... I'll try to put some thought into it tomorrow.

Today was:

9 hrs drive to Iron Hill
1.5 hr round (hustled)
1 hr drive to Stafford Woods
1 hr round (hustled)

Planning on starting early and getting CT and RI in easily and up to Maple Hill area to stay the night to be ready at sunrise for the long day.

If you do have any flexibility, you may find it easier to go to Sabattus on Thursday (tomorrow) and save Vermont for Friday. Sabattus is "only" 3 hours from Leicester and a much easier drive.

 

[kenjiac]

Thanks for the BBQ tip! I'll be stopping in if at all possible...

BT's is a must stop!!

 

[atl scott]

If you do have any flexibility, you may find it easier to go to Sabattus on Thursday (tomorrow) and save Vermont for Friday. Sabattus is "only" 3 hours from Leicester and a much easier drive.

Not a whole lot of room for adjustment in my last minute plans. Full days from sunup to sundown every day lol.

I did manage to play Wickham, Willow Valley, and Maple Hill Golds today!

Wickham was a great course, Willow was incredibly fun and one of the most beautiful places I've played, and Maple Hill is right up there with the best courses I've ever played. I can't emphasize how impressed I was with Maple Hill. It lived up to my expectations even after watching videos 10 years ago and always wanting to play there. I can't wait to go back one day when I have more time!

Tomorrow will be driving 4 hrs to Smugglers to play around noon, then driving to Sabattus to play, then staying in Portland. Looking forward to the drive almost as much as the golf.

 

[atl scott]

BT's is a must stop!!

Unfortunately it was closed by the time I finished my round at Maple Hill and checked into my hotel. It's going on my list of things to do next time I'm here.

 

[atl scott]

Got home from my trip late last night!

Maple Hill was the highlight. Been wanting to play there for a decade and finally got to check it off. Incredibly well done navigation and the gold course is truly tough.

Fox Run at Smuggler's Notch was a really amazing place and a well done course as well as a fun round.

Salmon Falls was a special round and I'm glad I played it last. Very quiet and serene and just a great place to be.

Sabattus was the disappointment of the trip. Wasn't impressed by the course. Navigation was tough. Hole signage was independent of reality. It's the only time on the trip I thought to myself "I drove all the way here for this?"

Willow Valley was fantastic, Wickham Park was big, Iron Hill was tough and long but not as scary as I'd imagined it would be, and Stafford Woods was a good time.

I ate a dozen oysters in Baltimore, several lobsters in Portland, a couple of Philly Cheesesteaks on the way through Philadelphia, enjoyed mostly sunny weather, paid a lot of tolls, got stuck in Manhattan and DC traffic going both ways, saw a deer, a porcupine, a rather large eagle, a skunk, a black snake, several frogs hiding near where my disc landed, dealt with 3 blisters including one on my throwing hand, and overall just had a total blast. I did buy some VT IPA's that I finished off last night when I got home.

I'm not sure I'll ever have quite the opportunity to just hit the road and go somewhere new like that and just play for a week. Lots of memories and I'm glad I got to go. Thanks to anyone who helps make these courses a reality.

5 days. 2455 miles traveled across 13 states. 8 new states played (46 total now). No lost discs (2 thrown in the water but at the edge both times).

I'd do it all again.

 

[KenanFlagler01]

Rebooting/hijacking this thread to see how the trip went and any other feedback the forum has. I am in Raleigh, NC and haven't played any northeastern states. I have a potential business trip next year (you can't start DG planning too early) in New Haven, CT. Options...

Drive there and hit any of the following...
Iron Hill (DE #1)
Stafford Woods (NJ #1)
Thompson Park (NJ #3)
Leonard Park (NY #17)
Cranbury Park (CT #2)
Veteran's Memorial Park (CT #5)

Drive back and hit any of the following...
Greystone Woods (NJ #2)
Jordan Creek (PA #7)
Little Lehigh Parkway (PA #22)
South Hills (PA #12)
Pinchot State Park (PA #10)
Seneca Creek State Park (MD #1)

These two dream Virginia stops can be added to either leg:
Hawk Hollow (VA #1)
The Blockhouse (VA #4, #7, #12)

OR a slightly more feasible option is to fly to Boston and drive to New Haven to hit...
Maple Hill (MA #1)
Pyramids (MA#4)
501 Disc Golf (two reviews away from being MA #1 or #2)
Wickham Park (CT #1)

Maybe I'll just take a month off for this trip and play all of 'em.

 

[KenanFlagler01]

Would love to hear anyone's thoughts on the above wish list -- any you'd skip, any you'd add, any way of prioritizing.

Thanks!

 

[atl scott]

Iron Hill (DE #1) - Course is great and well worth your stop

Stafford Woods (NJ #1) - Good course but don't miss other better ones for this one

Seneca Creek State Park (MD #1) - On my list of favorites but haven't played there in years

Hawk Hollow (VA #1)
The Blockhouse (VA #4, #7, #12) - Both places worthy of stopping for sure


Maple Hill (MA #1) - Yes.

Wickham Park (CT #1) - Great course but again not worth missing other better courses for

Maybe I'll just take a month off for this trip and play all of 'em. Well duh... here is your answer!

 

[biscoe]

Hawk Hollow (VA #1)
The Blockhouse (VA #4, #7, #12) - Both places worthy of stopping for sure

Hawk Hollow will only be playable sporadically going forward- Spring and September for the most part.

Lake Marshall is like a gigantic bastard child of Hawk Hollow, Iron Hill and Selah Ranch- add the courses there.