Faylor Lake is located near the small town of Beaver Springs in central Pennsylvania. The 18 holes of disc golf here were originally established as a DiscGolfPark, but apparently the sponsorship recently changed to Discraft. This review is based on the infrastructure as of late June 2024 when I played the course.

The design here is incredible. The park covers a beautiful piece of hilly property surrounding one side of the namesake lake, and that terrain is utilized to THE FULLEST. The course starts off with some nice sloping holes that have wide-ish grassy fairways pockmarked with tree trunks. I really liked hole 4, which is a gentle right turn that starts mostly open and flat, but then dips downhill and plays through a moderately wooded valley the rest of the way to the basket. The long basket is on top of a little ridge with rollaway potential in both directions.

But then I reached hole 6's long tee and my jaw dropped. I haven't ever seen a top-of-the-world throw quite like this. You are throwing off the top of a huge hill, with an enormous field about 100' vertically below functioning as your landing zone. In that field the fairway continues sloping gently downhill for what looks like miles and miles. The long basket is actually "only" 1000' away on the edge of a little pond. What's even more wild is that I just described hole 15 too, minus the pond. On both of these you can turn back halfway down the fairway, look back at the huge flight of stairs you just walked down, and your jaw will drop a second time. (Do be aware, there is some very thick rough off on the left side of hole 15 that is kind of hidden off the long tee, but that your disc will find if it fades too early. You will be sad if your disc flies in there, and you might not find it. Don't ask me how I know. )

Although those two holes are the most extreme, there are great elevation changes and water hazards in play throughout the course. I think the only place where players actually HAVE to carry the water is hole 7 off the long tee, and that will be a pretty easy carry for players choosing that tee. Another epic hole is #8, which starts in the open and then dives through a little tunnel in the woods angling downhill to the long basket just on the edge of the lake. The long tee also requires players to throw around or across another corner of the lake. All four of the holes so far mentioned are memorable, but my favorite was actually #12. This is one of the shorter holes in the course, but it plays up and over a wooded ridge to the basket perched right on the edge of a steeper drop with a great view looking out over the lake, the more open areas of the course, and the rolling farm fields and Appalachians beyond.

The baskets are currently DiscGolfPark Pro models. There are two installed per hole - the short ones are painted blue and the long ones white. The tee pads are the DiscGolfPark turf. They are nice and big, level, and well secured to the ground so I can't really complain. There are two of these per hole as well to create four playable layouts. The long to long layout is comfortably over 10,000' and will challenge the best of players. The short to long and long to short layouts are each great options that provide two different challenges to intermediate level players. The short to short layout could be manageable for recreational players in good physical shape. I was happy with the short to long layout, and would have played the long to short as well if I had the time and energy. Regardless of layout, there is a great overall mix of open vs. wooded, left vs. right turning fairways, and longer vs. shorter holes.

The practice basket is apparently the first thing that was converted to Discraft, as that is a red Chainstar Pro. It is also on a narrow peninsula jutting out into the lake at the parking lot. This is cool, but I don't think I have ever thought about losing a disc before the round even begins before! (The peninsula is that narrow). There is a pavilion at the end of the parking lot that appeared to be still under construction when I visited. The pavilion will have restrooms, and it looked like possibly also a concession stand and pro shop. Hopefully there will also be a water bottle filler.

Neither a pro or con:
- There are a few really nice benches, branded with "Faylor Lake DiscGolfPark". But these are only at some of the long tees. A course this grueling would benefit from at least a cheap bench at every long and every short tee.
- There are only a couple of trash cans, and none at the parking lot. The ones that are present are in good locations, but more would be good.

I guess I just care about signage more than many other reviewers. The signage here as of my visit is bad, full stop. I needed UDisc to even find the first tee, as it was not near the pavilion as I would have imagined. It's closer to where you pull into the parking lot. There are a couple of different styles of tee signs, but all were temporary and inadequate. The best ones I saw had all 4 distances, but with only a rough line on a plain white background and only one tee position indicated. Most holes had something worse than that. I threw at the wrong basket for #7, and didn't even realize it until I found myself throwing at the same basket again on #17.

The navigational signage isn't enough either. I did not see a kiosk or course map anywhere. "Next Tee" arrows are welded on the bottom of baskets and there are a few extras (again, in a temporary style), but more are needed. Also, I believe that the arrows in the baskets might be lost when the baskets are replaced with Discraft models (as I think those are a DiscGolfPark basket thing), so that swap has potential to only make things worse. More navigational signs are needed to minimize walking in the wrong direction.

Also making things worse - unless you're playing the long to long layout, there are huge walks between holes. I think some walking is inevitable with four layouts on a long course, but even some of the transitions for the long to long layout looked pretty...well, long. To be as explicit as possible especially for players thinking of playing the short to short layout: Don't look at the hole distances for that layout and think it will be a quick or easy round. Just walking the course is a strenuous 3-4 mile hike. No one should attempt it who isn't in good physical shape.

Other tee pads are in play on both of the huge downhill bomber holes. Since it's line of sight and the potential landing zone from those bombs is so large, only a minor concern. The park drive is also arguably in play on hole 1, but again only a minor concern since it would take a very poor throw to find it.

Between the long holes and the long hikes between them, this is not a quick round. It took me almost three hours to play the 18 holes solo. I didn't have to wait for anyone, but I did spend about 20 minutes looking for discs. I will say, it is possible to play only holes 1-7 and 17-18 if short on time. I hope that a porta potty and another water bottle filler are added somewhere around the middle of the course eventually, as I could have used both out there the day I played.

This is an absolutely incredible course. If the signage were better, I probably would have given out my fourth ever 5.0 rating. I hope that the course only flourishes under Discraft sponsorship and that I return one day to play it at 5.0 state! As is, obviously worth a visit if you are anywhere close by. I basically took a day trip from the Allentown area just to play out here and it was 100% worth it. If you're a travelling player looking for great courses, Faylor Lake should be on your radar!

+ A lost disc box, course map and info board are nearby link1.
+ The practice basket is on a daring peninsula in the huge lake by the parking lot.
+ DiscGolfPark baskets are different colors depending on which layout you are playing. They have the built-in guiding arrow.
+ It's such a pleasant and quiet place to be. There are nice views all over the place with its large lake, calm woods and breezey fields.
+ Insane elevation features.
+ Intimidating water carries.

- As of late June 2023, the tee signs were just laminated paper on stakes.
- No truly dense forested holes to make you stop and think.
-/+ As of late June 2023, the tees were just turf anchored to a wooden frame. They were wide, long and flat, though.

The disc golf course at Faylor Lake has been around for only a couple of years, yet it already has a reputation that precedes it thanks, in no small part, to some high-profile figures singing its praises. This review will mostly echo those praises.

Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way.
This course is astounding to look at. Before you've even finished parking the car, you get smacked in the face with a lovely view of the titular lake right there in front of you and surrounding the practice basket. Then, once you start playing, you are treated to wonderfully crafted fairways with crisp lines, healthy trees and leisurely greenery. I enjoyed the calming optics of link2 the most because of its shady oblong tunnel. It looked like a great place for a picnic.

Little did I suspect that just a few fairways later would be one of the most jaw-dropping downhill tee-offs I have ever encountered in my disc golfing career so far. From the start I decided to play the gold layout, and I'm so glad I did. (You should, too. Forget about skill level.) Link6 has a long tee that puts the player on top of it all. You can see for miles from up there. Snap a picture or two. Where's the basket? Who knows. Probably to the right or something. Disc golfing temporarily takes a back seat while your brain comes to grips with how high off the ground you are. Then, once you gradually gather the courage to tee off, throwing from such an elevation is a thrilling moment that most courses I've played can't match, and I loved it.
If I'm cold and critical about it, the actual disc golfing part of link6 is pretty bland and straight-forward because the fairway after the tee is wide open and basically featureless. That is easily overshadowed by the fact that you have to descend dozens of stairs just to meet up with your drive. Then, once you do, you can't help but look back and feel dwarfed by just how high off the ground you were. Yeah, link6 was my favorite to play in spite of its open fairway.

There are a few stinkers, though. Link9 is a basic gentle upslope through a too-wide tunnel. Link11 plays pretty wide open alongside a wheat field. And link16 was a slog of a fairway because of how long and monotonous the fairway was in contrast to the rest of the course.

That's as bad as it gets, though. The rest of the course is an adventurous and satisfying circuit dealing with sufficient woods, water carries and tricky topography. At link8, we are placed atop a dam and tasked with hitting the fairway without rolling endlessly down and into the water below. A little bit later at link10, the land slopes dramatically down to the right, and the trees threaten to send our throws into the shadow realm. I would say that this course accommodates the power players over the tacticians because of the lack of any meaty tree puzzles, but any disc golfer can find something to love about this place.

This place was not crafted for the sport of disc golf. Rather, the sport of disc golf was invented for this place. It's a new course, yes, but you should definitely add it to your wishlist. Pennsylvania already has some killer courses. Still, Faylor Lake shines bright as an emminent example of the very best that PA and, if I'm honest, the northeast at large can offer. Emphatically recommended!

P.S. What was with all of that caution tape? In late June 2023, on links5 and 8, the long baskets were removed and their circles surrounded by caution tape. Did I miss something?

***Before reading this review, I recommend playing the prelude to the Sound of Music***

-Absolutely beautiful place. Like it'll make a city mouse reconsider being a country mouse kinda pretty.
-Remote setting that while isn't exclusively used for disc golf, it might as well be
-Bright baskets in good repair
-Large level teepads (not Conrad long, but plenty long for the average golfer) for the longs and smaller, also level tee pads for the shorts
-Tee signs have enough information to get you going where you are needed
-Kiosk at the parking lot with a lost disc return box
-Perfectly well kempt throughout. Grassy fairways, well trimmed trees, and very fair fairways
-Rough generally wasn't too bad, but also punishing enough that you didn't want to go in there
-Two of the most epic downhill throws I've ever seen. Both over 1000' of pure fun. Literally the shots that dreams are made of. Bet you didn't know DMT stood for Downhill Mountain Throws. These shots are unique and force you to think how to best attack them.
-Consistently good looking greens
-Very fun water shots that allow you to question how good you are and where you'll need to bail out or go for it. The last hole being 1005 foot water carry 'U' shaped hole where the green is on a peninsula is just insanely cool.
-Makes a good loop where beginning and end are close to the parking lot (which is especially nice because you can see exactly how big the peninsula to 18 is before attacking)
-This is a championship level course that also has a well designed short layout that surprisingly has great paths to cut out walking from the longs
-A free course that is freaking immaculate

-I really didn't care much for hole 17. I think the design is going to really favor the pros, but was meant for the intermediate player. There are a lot of weird cheater gaps through the trees that reward bad tee shots and big arms will just go over the trees anyways.
-Some of the walks are a bit on the sketchy side, but that is mostly because you are walking down those giant tee shots mentioned earlier, so bring your mountain goat shoes... whatever those are. Definitely not a sport mode crocs kind of place
-There were a couple filler holes that were not bad holes, but just not quite up to the rest of the standard of golf here, but the layouts made sense and the land used very well, so I'm not really knocking it here. They can't all be bangers... usually

This place makes my heart flutter, and not just because I'm winded from the hikes or have high cholesterol. It's just stunning golf in a stunning setting. Had I not just played some of the best dimes in disc golf all in one trip, I might have even given this place a 5.0, because really it's probably a 4.75. I truly think it will get there. You can see the teesigns and the kiosk signs are all temporary signs and that they are experimenting with some alternate pin locations to really make the place grandiose. I can't wait to make this place a yearly stop. It's destination worthy. Absolutely. Don't let life pass you by and Faylor to get here.

But all in all, these hills, these shots, they are just a few of my favorite things.

Faylor Lake has two sets of turf tees and nice new baskets. The holes are all very-well designed with a large variety of shapes and distances. A lot of elevation comes into play with two 1000 foot downhill shots that rival some of the most-fun I've played anywhere. Kind of has some Throw Down The Mountain vibes at some points. The holes are all fair with distinct fairways that are difficult but not overwhelming. Birdies can be had on both sets of tees for any advanced level player. The two sets of tees are gold and red, which to me felt more like blue and white, but either way, they allow players of all skill levels to play the course and enjoy themselves. There are some epic holes here that will be forever etched into your brain after playing. Nice mix of grassy areas, woods, water, it's a really nice course design and I had a lot of fun even though it was hailing for some of my round.

The parking lot and no bathroom at the lot stink, but word is that that is being fixed and will be expanded in the coming year. There were 3 holes that were somewhat flooded when I played through. 16 and 17 were by far the worst with the tee pad for the short tee on 16 completely underwater. There is some slightly weird routing between 17-18 I felt also. With the wetness in the fairways I basically just skipped over those two holes. If it's wet out, you could just go from 15-18 and not have to deal with those two holes. A few sketchy downhill walks at the moment also. I'd leave the cart at home. Wasn't a huge fan of the wood borders underneath the turf tee pads but the pads themselves were excellent as long as I stayed away from the edges while releasing. The first big downhill hole could have drives landing near the short tee and fairway of 18, easily avoided if not crowded.

I really liked Faylor Lake. I liked the views, the holes, and I thought the course design was well executed. It's one of the better courses that I have played and that's with it only being in it's infancy. In time, I imagine this course will become better and better as I imagine the locals will take great pride in it. The two downhill holes are completely epic and memorable and among the best downhill holes out there. It's always fun ripping drives downhill. The par 5 with the lake on the left was an amazing hole. I imagine someone who throws 500 feet could actually clear the lake and land on the green for the albatross. I'd love to see it. The rest of us mortals might just play to the short tee from the long tee or try to cut off some of the lake.

Faylor Lake, depending which way you are coming from, is out there in the hills of central PA. It's a beautiful course that I believe most people will enjoy playing. there is some beautiful scenery that abounds while you are throwing your discs on some beautiful, well-thought out disc golf holes. I can't wait to come back and play it again.

I played the long layout here for my round and the review will reflect that. The short layout appears to have a par that significantly too high.
+Turf teepads: was raining heavily during the round but the pads held up nicely.
+DiscGolfPark Pro baskets
+Beautiful views of the lake off of multiple holes
+True gold level course from longs: for the first event held there, even par rated at 1009
+Course challenges accurate placement shots into landing zones: the course allows the big arms to open up but doesn't reward inaccurate distance
+Not a lot of heavy woods but utilizes what woods there is well: hole 16 is a 871 foot par 5 that plays down a wooded corridor the whole way, very similar to hole 6 at Moraine State Park
+Two top of the world shots on holes 6 and 15

-No benches or trashcans at any tees: this course has just opened so these will likely be coming
-Drainage can be an issue on holes 16 and 17: there was places where casual relief had to be designated because of water overflow
-If you aren't prepared, it's a BIG course, 10,155 feet and 50 flights of elevation change (not a con for me but potentially for others)

IMO this course jumps up into the conversation of top mid-Atlantic courses with Iron Hill, Stafford, Muddy Run, AGA Farms, and Jordan Creek. It is picturesque, well designed and maintained, and challenging to boot! If any infrastructure can get put in the surrounding area, A tiers and tour events could follow.
Only reason I'm not giving it a 5 is because it has only been open for a week and I want to see how much farther the course can grow.