One of the most important parts of any tournament is the course that you find yourself playing at. For the Lebanon Amateur Championship, we will be showcasing five unique courses set within the Lebanon Valley. These courses contain a wide variety of shot requirements, elevation, landscape, and difficulty. Below, we will look at each course separately, in preparation for the event.

For a detailed breakdown of holes and OB, check out our Caddy Guide!

Coleman Memorial Park

Coleman Memorial Park is one of the newest courses in Central Pennsylvania, getting established late in the year in 2023. The course was designed by Lebanon legends Michael Dunkle and Charlie Greco. With two very distinct layouts, Coleman will challenge players at all levels. One of the major requirements for success at Coleman is the ability to combine gap hitting, landing zone placement, and distance control. This is the type of course where you can just step up and throw, expecting to get par.

Coleman has a solid combination of a few “park-style” holes where you are playing in the center of the park, but the predominant design of the course takes you through the surrounding woods. Both yellow and red layouts sit at over 6,000 feet (yellow) and 9,000 feet (red), with the red layout extending many of the tough par 3 yellows into technical par 4s. Players will find success on this course if they take their time, avoid the rough, and trust their shots through the gaps. Taking your medicine and pitching out may be the difference in success or finding yourself with a blow up score.

There are several holes to be aware of with Coleman. Hole number 1 is an important start to the round, where the tee shot takes you downhill to either the yellow basket or setting yourself up for your second shot to head to red. One of the big mistakes to avoid on the first hole is to keep the elevation change in mind and not throw something too high that will inevitably find the OB road on the left of the fairway. Hole 5 is another one to watch out for because of its subtle difficulty off of the tee. While it’s not a typically difficult shot, it’s all about placement. You need to hit the dogleg corner and keep your disc in the narrow lane to give yourself a chance to progress up the fairway on your second shot. Leave it too short or push it too long, and bogey instantly comes into play. Hole 15 might as well be the “signature” hole on the course. Often dubbed the “Ruins Hole”, the baskets find themselves in unique locations atop ruins that run along the hillside. This forces some awkward elevated putts and can really challenge the confidence of the players as they step up in the green.

If you want to go check out Coleman Park, you can find it here: https://udisc.com/courses/coleman-memorial-park-2nBf

South Hills

Established in 2013, South Hills may very well be one of the more beloved courses in Central Pennsylvania. The course has a diverse set of requirements, adding fun and difficulty for players at all levels. The classic yellow layout, sitting at just over 5,500 feet and with a par of 56, is a solid track for players of all skill levels. Finding success on the yellows requires accuracy off the tee.

The more challenging red layout adds about 1,500 feet of additional distance and 5 extra strokes to the par. In some places, the additional distance and par make for some must-get birdies on some shorter par 4s. Where this layout gets its teeth is its consistent extension of “get-able” par 3s into very long par 3s. A prime example can be seen on holes 16 through 18 where the yellow layout averages out to 300 feet per hole, but the red layout averages about 412 feet per hole, with the same par.

While all the holes at South Hills are memorable and fun to play, there are some distinct standouts worth being aware of. When playing the long layout, the key holes are the par 4s and single par 5. To have a successful round, you will want to have the birdies on holes 3, 8, 9, and 15. As for the yellow layout, an important stretch can be holes 4 through 7 where you have 4 straight holes under 300 feet.

If you want to go check out South Hills, you can find it here: https://udisc.com/courses/south-hills-txg4

Twin Grove Campground

Established in 2012 and seated on the grounds of the Twin Grove Campground, this course offers some beautiful views, tight wooded fairways, and plenty of elevation changes. At Twin Grove, you’ll be throwing up hills, down hills, over crests, and above valleys. There are very few holes that don’t incorporate some degree of elevation change. This brings its own set of unique challenges, requiring shots that not a lot of players find themselves throwing normally.

With 1 main layout, the course starts you off with one of the more interesting hole 1 tee shots you’ll ever have, throwing down through a wooded gap and out into the open. Twin Grove can often feel like the tail of three courses. You start with a few hybrid holes, but quickly find yourself in the woods. Just as you get used to playing through the tight gaps, you leave the forest and end up in the open for 5 consecutive holes before diving back into the woods to finish off the round.

More so than most courses, knowing the lines to play and the location of the baskets can be invaluable. There are a lot of blind tee shots and unique line requirements. The holes to take into consideration are the 5 holes out in the open. They are beautiful to play and sport a clever design when looking at them from above, but they tend to throw a lot of players out of their rhythm. You get used to playing in the woods, focusing on committing to your lines before being forced out into the open where the wind rolls over the hills. Just as you get comfortable, you’re shoved back into the woods and asked to throw down tight gaps again. The players who can manage these changes will find success.

If you want to go check out Twin Grove Campground, you can find it here: https://udisc.com/courses/twin-grove-campground-zIzO

Lenni Lenape Park

First established in 2013, Lenni Lenape has a shot for every disc in your bag. You’ll be throwing in the open and in some very dense woods with tight lines and small gaps. Lenni will surely put you through your paces on the course and challenge you to keep your throws on the fairway. There is one main layout with 4 holes that have long baskets. The course is very straightforward, starting you in the open with a very unassuming par 3. Beware of that OB line on the right!

As you navigate into the woods, you are presented with elevation changes and some tough blind shots. With only two par 4s, on the standard layout, the course challenges you to be clean off the tee and put yourself in position to strike. The long baskets on holes 4, 7, 10, and 13 add an extra dynamic of length and shot shaping to the equation.

There are a bunch of holes to be aware of on this course, but the biggest stretch to be aware of is holes 6 through 9. The average length of these holes is 200 feet. You need to be picking up birdies in this stretch since there aren’t many opportunities to do so in other points on the course. Finally, you’ll need to be ready for holes 17 and 18. For bigger arms, these are possible birdie opportunities, but for the rest of us, they are must get pars. Leaving something short or throwing into the rocks on hole 18 will do nothing but net you a bogey.

If you want to go check out Lenni Lenape Park, you can find it here: https://udisc.com/courses/lenni-lenape-park-IjBx

Jackson Recreational Park

Jackson Rec is a very classic disc golf course, with its standard layout being a traditional par 54. Established in 2011, this track of 18 holes moves through the park with Tulpehocken Creek winding in between many of the holes. This course is a true testament to what disc golf is all about, pure shots. The entire course averages under 294 feet, which is inflated due to 2 very long par 3s with holes 10 and 11. Take those away, and the hole average drops to 279 feet.

Jackson is a true “birdie or die” type of course where you need to keep your feet on the gas pedal the whole round. However, don’t let the shortness of the course lull you into a false sense of security. There are some hidden teeth on this course. If you consider the creek and a few very specific holes, you can find yourself with a couple of double-bogeys before you know it.

The holes that I mentioned before are holes 1, 5, and 17. All of these have you throwing over parts of the creek, containing very specific gaps either right off the tee, down near the basket, or in 17’s case, at multiple points throughout the “fairway”. These three holes get even more difficult when you play the long layout for each of them. While the shots aren’t very long and the gaps aren’t too small, having three tighter shots on an otherwise open course can really throw players for a loop. Survive these three, bag a few more birdies, and leave Jackson Rec with a solid score.

If you want to go check out Jackson Recreational Park, you can find it here: https://udisc.com/courses/jackson-recreational-park-z5Gt