We stopped in West Virginia to visit our good friends, Joe and Jenny, on our way to Colorado.  On the first day of our visit, we played disc golf at Fayette County Park.  The course was big, playing through fields and in the woods, with water hazards on three holes.

We played the pro tees, nice concrete pads, not realizing until later that there are also shorter tees available.  The short tees, marked with pink flags, are grass.

The first hole is just past the swimming pool from the parking lot.  It plays uphill, into the woods.  The second and third holes are in the woods, with the fourth coming back out and playing around the pool.  I was happy I stayed to the right, avoiding throwing into the fence around the pool.

The course has beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.  On the fifth hole, we were surprised to see a dozen turkeys at the bottom of the hill.  It is a long throw downhill throw and then up into the woods to find the basket.

The sixth hole is a long downhill bomb with a sharp right to the basket next to the road.

The eighth hole is a dogleg right around a bend, with a severe drop on the lefthand side.  I managed to roll off the edge and down the hill.  Chris was worried for my safety, so retrieved my disc (he was down there anyway) and allowed me to play from the top, taking a stroke.

As we played back into the woods, we found a jackpot of shrimp mushrooms, which we took home for a snack with dinner.

I was thrilled with my drive on the 12th hole.  It is a narrow passage with a sharp left turn at the bottom.  My disc made it to the bottom of the hill with a straight shot to the basket.  Unfortunately, I overthrew my second shot, ending up in the bushes.  Instead of par, I had to settle for a bogey.

Holes 13 through 15 play around water hazards.  A pond is on the left side of 13. Fourteen throws down a large hill, with a sharp left and then a right across an isthmus between the two ponds.  There is an optical illusion playing this one.  We could all swear that we watched Joe’s disc plunge into the water, but then found it around the corner, safely on the grass.  Chris was not so lucky, ending up in the middle of the drink.  The 15th hole plays to the right of the pond.  An errant shot can quickly end up there as well.

Hole 16’s basket, perched on top of large rocks, is challenging. It plays into the woods, with a lot of trees. With the elevated basket, you can quickly add one or two strokes if you miss the putt.

We started the 17th hole just as the park security let us know that it was time to close the gate.  He was kind enough to let us finish the hole.  I launched my disc, a little too far to the right, over the bog.  I watched it fly, but I was unable to find it anywhere.  It was as if the marsh had sucked it down under the grass.  I was disappointed to lose the double-stamped disc our son had given me many years ago.  I have my name and number on the disc and hope that someone will find it and return it to me.

The best score of the group was 22 over par.  Not a great showing for any of us, but we had a blast.  I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.