This review is based on the white tees to the orange baskets.
Agape /ah-GAH-pay/ Farm is a great place to enjoy our sport. The grounds are well maintained. During my round, I had the privilege of talking to two of the course overseers Bruce and 'Romo.' Through those conversations, I learned that a lot of energy, effort, time and expense have gone towards transforming this land into the nicely crafted disc golf course they have now. They tell me that the ultimate goal is to transform the place into a full-blown disc golfing resort with camping and so on. How cool of an idea that is. The property is so quiet and desolate that I imagine it would be a very restorative place to camp.
My favorite fairway to play was link5 because it starts with an eye-catching valley that's half open and half wooded before spitting you out into a downhill approach over an open slanted field with a nice view of some miniature mountains on the right.
Honorable mention goes to links8 and 15 for being stark downhill tee-offs. Those kinds of throws will always be thrilling.
Not everything here is thrilling, though. My least favorite was link6 because it is just a straight, flat and wide-open connector fairway. Link17 is kind of the same way except it finishes uphill. Also, I wasn't thrilled with the possibility of hitting any of those three crosses at the top of the hill near link18's tee-off. Yes, the odds of it are quite slim, but I'd rather not have the thought of accidentally vandalizing one of the holiest symbols of Christianity weighing down my mind while trying to throw a frisbee down a hill.
In addition, I was kind of bummed when I realized that there wouldn't be any dense tree cover in between me and the basket. I was happy with the woods that this place has, but there weren't any paralyzing tree challenges to stop me in my tracks and make me scratch my head. What did make me scratch my head two or three times was the location of the basket during the course's longer fairways. For example, link8's basket wasn't obvious. I took a few throws towards basket10 before understanding my error. Similarly, basket13 was nowhere to be seen after a few throws, which caused some doubt in my mind if I was throwing the right way. On multiple occasions I said to myself, "Well, I know it's that way somewhere, right? Just throw." Perhaps some taller color-coded flags could be installed on the baskets to aid in visibility?
That said, the infrastructure here is otherwise pretty great. Quality tees. The baskets do catch the eye when you are close enough to spot them. I always appreciate a robust 'next tee' system, which this course has. I never felt lost walking between links. The tee signs are even special because each one traces the optimal line from the tee box you are playing from. That's a nice subtle touch that indicates a strong desire to create the best experience Agape can be.
So, overall, how is the Agape Farm playing experience? Well, at time of writing, I've played 240 courses, and I would definitely place this course in my top 15%. I like how the course incorporates its various attributes into many of the fairways. For some examples: Link9 has a flat and mostly open start, but the fairway throws a bunch of trees in your way along a steady downslope that concludes with a death putt not too far away from a pond behind it. A little bit later, link15 has a profoundly downhill profile and just a line of trees but a nice stream cutting across the fairway. Link16, while completely flat and basically treeless has you up close and personal with that stream you just crossed. Aim true!
Most fairways here don't have water but enough elevation and obstacles to keep you grinning. Link4 combines a downslope with a peppering of trees that are just dense enough to make you double-check your line. Watch out for a nasty rollaway on the left. And link10 has a generously wide tunnel along a mostly flat fairway before a surprising uphill finish. And don't forget that the whole entire time you are far, far away from any sort of pesky parkways and packed public parks. Don't forget to look around, breathe deep and admire the setting.
In closing, I emphatically recommend Agape Farm to all players. There are at least three layouts, so all skill levels can earn their scores here. If it has been raining, bring some boots to withstand the marshy flat areas. (Maybe one day some elevated walkways will be installed?) Perhaps the power players might get more of a thrill than the tacticians, but regardless of what flavor golfer you are, you'll be glad you made the trip. There is a donation box by link1, and it is obvious that this course makes good use of every penny. Come experience it for yourself!