Other Thoughts:
Sherando Park is a real secret gem among Virginia disc golf courses. I was most reminded of Seneca Creek while playing the course; it's very well maintained, it has a nice balance of open holes with woods holes, though with well-defined fairways, and it has lots of cedar trees. Unlike Seneca, though, the course is pretty much strictly a par 3 course, and does not feature multiple tee pads or basket placements. Like Seneca, however, there are no bad holes on this course and picking a favorite is difficult. All told, playing "Seneca Lite" is still better than most other courses in the country.
The Sherando course starts off pretty straightfoward, with two holes playing in the wide open fields, both reachable with your tee shot. But then it moves into the woods for a couple holes, plenty open still but with steep penalties for errant shots. Sherando is also an interesting challenge in that it calls for many right-turning shots - of all the courses I've played thus far, only Kilborne in Charlotte is comparable in this regard. While Sherando lacks any of my favorite course features - towering views, scenic water challenges, or even downhill shots, its appeal builds with every hole, because I just kept thinking, wow, this is a pretty cool hole. So like Seneca or Patapsco, the cumulative effect is that by the end I really felt like I'd played a great course, even though no one hole really excited me. Overall, the course ranks toward the easy end, with only a couple holes over 300 feet, though control is a key skill for many of the woods holes.
I think lots of disc golfers equate hard with good when evaluating a course. For me, though, Sherando is pretty as a course, has lots of interesting challenges, and in the end left me with a wide smile. While I think it's lack of length and flexibility keep it from elite status, its definitely one of the better strict par 3 courses in the region. I can't wait to play it again.
Favorite Hole - #3 - Moderately tight fairway over steep depression and up other side, with sharp wooded drop all along left side of fairway.