Stoney Hill, quite simply, is a special course. If you're not careful, it'll beat you down, eat you up and spit you out. Yet, I'm betting you're like me, and wanting to do it all over again.
- The course offers one good hole after another. Maybe it's because I played the quartz, 24-hole layout, but there was a much slower, grind-it-out feel to my round than what you'd expect at most courses. Because of that slower pace, and the fact it's easy to lose track of hole numbers (hole numbers don't align up properly for the quartz layout), there was a lot more time to focus on the hole at hand rather than looking ahead. David and Chris did an amazing job taking advantage of the land, and the wide variety of terrain, to create some great holes. You can tell a ton of hours have gone into this making this place what it is.
- The course offers a ton of variety. Holes with elevation? Check. Open holes? Check. Wooded holes? Check. Holes with water? Check. Risk/reward holes? Check. Holes that might require a smidgen of luck? Check. About the only thing the course doesn't offer is a lot of chances for rollers. But, so what?
- There's a very natural flow to the course and each hole. No holes really felt like they were there simply as filler or transitional holes. All offered different looks, from one hole to the next. Of course to achieve that, there were some long walks between some holes; but, I think most disc golfers would rather have to walk an extra minute to play a great hole, than have no walk between holes and play lesser ones.
- Solitude, solitude, solitude. No sound of cars or highways. No airplanes overhead. No park goers to deal with. It's you and nature out on this course. When you have to drive on two dirt roads to get to the Sauls' property, you know you're in the middle of nowhere. See how many hunting stands you can locate while playing.
- This might seem very contradictory, and it probably is, but the course will reward both aggressive and conservative play. For smart, conservative play, if you throw straight and stay out of the rough/trees/water, you're going to see a ton of easy pars, along with some real birdie chances. For aggressive players, many holes are either open, or open enough (if they're wooded), that you can see some real birdie chances if you're willing to throw big. Even on some of the narrowest holes (fourth hole on the quartz layout), you can throw over the trees to reach the basket.
- Then, there is the level of genuine risk/reward, perhaps best exemplified on the course's shortest hole (13th hole on the quartz layout). The 167 foot hole has a creek running along the left side of the fairway, with the fairway sloping towards the water. You can play safe, throw to the right, and have a relatively easy chance for par. Or you can make a run at the basket, but also bring the creek/OB into play.
- Now to the best part of the course, the whole reason to come to this course, the quality of the holes. A quick disclaimer that the number system is somewhat out of whack. Because there are two different layouts, with a different number of holes, hole numbers don't necessarily mean a lot until you play the course. You'll see 1a, 1b, 1c, etc. on the quartz layout. You'll also see the final hole listed as #18, when it's the 24th hole on the quartz layout. For the sake of my review, when I list a hole, it's in the order I played it, and may not necessarily match the number listed on the tee sign. For example, when I talk about how much I loved the long, downhill hole, with a basket in an opening to the right of the fairway, it's listed as 1c on the tee sign, but I'm referring to it as the third hole, as in the third hole I played. To add to the confusion, the pictures on this site also don't all match up to the correct hole numbers, so you'll already be lost if you haven't played the course before.
- That said, here are some of the goodies. I've already mentioned the 3rd and 13th holes:
4th hole - 285 foot, uphill, slight dogleg right. It's a tight, tight fairway off the tee, but it opens up halfway down the fairway. Steer clear of the trees, and you can really be aggressive.
5th hole - 315 foot, downhill, dogleg right shot. Hole includes the first hunting stand you'll spot on the course. You can be aggressive, but don't go long, or you'll end up in the shallow creek.
12th hole - 236 foot, uphill shot. Tee off in the open to an opening in the woods. Basket is at the edge of a drop-off towards a creek.
17th hole - My favorite hole on the course. 476 footer, tee off from an open field to a wooded basket on a peninsula green. A well place tee shot gives a chance to reach the basket in two shots. Having a creek on three sides of the basket add a huge risk/reward element to this stellar hole.
24th, and final, hole - 492 footer to a basket on a hill, protected by a large hole, a la #18 at Renny. A well placed tee shot gives you options on how to play your approach shot. Even with two great shots, you'll still have to nail a put up the hill. Just a wonderful finishing hole, one of the best I've played anywhere.