Last week during my vacation, I had the pleasure of replaying one of the most iconic disc golf courses in Virginia. It's most recognizable by it's signature Hole 1.
(Photo credit: www.pdga.com)
Before I ever played here, I recognized this tree because I saw it imprinted on two different tournament discs that I found at another park. Unfortunately, I only got to play here once before and I was throwing solo. Without someone who knows the course, it can be be a bit confusing. There are 9 holes, but each have 3 separate tee boxes of increasing difficulty and a few have multiple baskets, making over 30 different throwing positions. I remember the signage being pretty poor when I first went so it wasn't always clear where I was supposed to be throwing from and to where. Luckily this time I had my good throwing buddy with me and the park added some of the best signage I've seen.
I left with a much better impression of it this time around. Despite be jam packed into a relatively small space, Bluemont packs a considerably challenging course. My friend and I only played through twice, hitting the novice tees the first 9, and the advanced the second time around. I managed to finish a respectable 54 but my friend beat me by 1! A couple of uphill holes add an extra challenge no matter where they're thrown from. It has a good mix of open drives and tight wooded fairways as well, making it fun for all styles of players.
Bluemont is definitely worth checking out if you're in the Northern Virginia area, just outside of DC. According to www.pdga.com, it was established in 1980, making it one of the oldest courses in VA. If you have time, and it's not swampy summer day, get as many of the different tee/basket combos in as you can.
Happy throwing!