Website has been updated to show pictures of holes as they are created:

Stoney Hill (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill)

Or sort of. The photos were taken back in April. Changes have been made since then, but it gives a better idea of how things are going.

For those unfamiliar, this is a private course being constructed near Newberry, SC (between Columbia & Greenville/Spartanburg). David & Chris Sauls welcome disc golfers to visit, play what's available so far, contribute ideas for course construction.....or even lend a hand if you feel like it!

The course is currently playable in the form of a 9-hole loop (or play 2 rounds for 18 holes). This consists of permanent holes # 1-5 & # 7, plus 3 temporary holes. It will be a 10-hole loop as soon as we haul a basket back to #6.

The 10-hole loop is now in, with permanent holes #1-7 and 3 temporary holes, all playable.

Thanks to Mike Martinez for helping out with clearing #6 Saturday. Sorry that a trip to Urgent Care---a near-weekly experience---kept us from playing a test round. Chris and I did play Sunday.

What David was trying to say is that he has a gun shot wound to the head.

Okay, let's see if I have this straight. Weekly visits to Urgent Care due to gun shot wounds.........? I may need to rethink the disc golf/bird hunting trip I had considered after reading the Stoney Hill website. :confused: /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

No one has been injured playing disc golf there....yet.

We had a rope swing break, gashing someone's leg to the bone. During barn construction, someone shot himself in the hand with a nail gun. And my gun accident was from the safe side of the gun---the scope hit me in the eye, to the tune of a dozen or so stitches. We just leave it at "gun accident" because it sounds more dramatic (or less stupid).

The only injuries on the disc golf course so far have been to egos.

Okay, let's see if I have this straight. Weekly visits to Urgent Care due to gun shot wounds.........? I may need to rethink the disc golf/bird hunting trip I had considered after reading the Stoney Hill website. :confused: /msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif



On the other hand....

Haven't you ever felt like shooting your putter? This is rather frowned upon in public parks, but at Stoney Hill we'll not only allow it---we'll understand!

Actually most of the issues I have had with my putter require a much more personal sort of disposition - bare hands, knives, shallow water drowning.......... I wanna see the bugger suffer before it's lights go out. :eek: :o Switching to decaf now.

If anyone is interested in hunting deer in the morning and discs in the afternoon, let me know. 7 more weeks left in deer season. We even have a camper that is available most weekends. For reservations call 803-364-2098. Skeet shooting also available. If you can't hit the skeet, I have some old putters I can throw.

No one has been injured playing disc golf there....yet.

We had a rope swing break, gashing someone's leg to the bone. During barn construction, someone shot himself in the hand with a nail gun. And my gun accident was from the safe side of the gun---the scope hit me in the eye, to the tune of a dozen or so stitches. We just leave it at "gun accident" because it sounds more dramatic (or less stupid).

The only injuries on the disc golf course so far have been to egos.



And............

A tree falling on tractor operator's head this weekend. The only disc golf course with a "designated driver" program---someone's always assigned to be available to drive to Urgent Care.

In the past two weeks 2 more permanent holes have been installed, so the front 9 of the permanent course is now in and playable. There are also two temporary holes (in areas which won't be part of permanent course), so there are a total of 11 holes that you can play.

8 Pt 143 lbs buck taken down Friday after Thanksgiving. Only 4 weeks left in the season for anyone interested in hunting and golf, call me 803-364-2098. Chris

The website has finally been brough up-to-date, more or less, with lots of photos of the course as it now stands (or at least as it stood in early November). This should give a much better of idea of what's been done, and the variety of holes being designed and built.

Stoney Hill DGC (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill.htm)

OR WOULD HAVE.....
IF I'D ENTERED THE RIGHT URL
(that was a very old version)

TRY GOING TO

Stoney Hill DGC (http:/www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill)

Sorry, this is getting out of hand.

I think you'll find the website and new photos at the following, though at this point I'm starting to have my doubts I'll ever get it right

Stoney Hill DGC (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill)

Work day this Saturday Christmas Eve at 10 am for anyone interested in helping out. Lunch is provided, however, byob.

Early forecast is for great weather. A rain-free week for the ground to dry out, and highs in the 60s. If you've finished your shopping and don't have Christmas activities on Saturday, come on out! It's about as far from mall traffic as you can get. Not only will you get a chance to destroy things---by tractor, chain saw, handtools, and fire---but play the current 11 holes, and test any others we may finish.

We also expect to be out there working or playing on Monday, December 26 (day after Christmas), as we're both off that day.

For anyone interested in coming by, note that contact information, detailed directions,and a map are on the website (see link above).

The website has been updated so the photos will include pop-up captions on the thumbnails. Hopefully this will give a bit better idea of the evolving course.

A big thanks to James Stevenson for coming out and contributing his labor. We were able to clear a large area where errant throws on hole #3 seem attracted---it's now MUCH better.

Also, thanks and congratulations to Ed Garris, who shot a current-course-record of 35 on 12 holes. With the course constantly evolving and configurations changing, it's a record that may last for eternity!

Thanks to Travis and and Coral for coming out this weekend to take a run at the "course record" in the current configuration....which would gave been a permanent record had we worked instead of played and added the next hole, creating a new layout.

Also thanks to Steve Hall for dropping by and checking out what could be his "home course" when he's able to play again.

We have now installed Hole 18. Not to be confused with our 18th hole---we now have 12 holes to play, 10 of the permanent course and 2 temporary. We've still got some holes to fill onthe back 9. Nevertheless, it helps close the loop and gives us what should be a great finishing hole.

The hole will drive some 150' down a level path, through a gap in the trees, and into a 180' open landing area. The hill drops steeply to the left, so drives that hyzer too much or catch the wind could find themselves sailing downhill. From there, a choice of 3 gaps (hyzer, anhyzer, straight), then over a deep quarry to a basket located just on the other side. Undershoot and you're 15' deep, looking straight up at the basket; overshoot, and the 15' dropoff is just behind the basket on your comback putt.

With this reconfiguration, the old course records are moot. First round of 10 permanent holes and 1 temporary produced a best score of 39 on 11 holes (+6).

We lit one of the huge debris piles* afire Saturday morning and, at least as of this Monday morning, it was still burning. If the rains don't finally put it out, or if they don't stop so it can burn itself out, we may have the first disc golf course with a bonfire as a permanent feature.

Which was interesting when we later played it, because hole 9 involves a drive off a hill, over a great deal of debris, and (hopefully) into a cleared landing area to set up the next throw. Which meant that on Saturday we were throwing into a smoke cloud and presuming to come out the other side.

Except Coral, who landed way up on the debris pile, on the edge of the burning crater that had formed in the middle, coming within about 2 feet of voiding Innova's claims of the durability of the Champion plastic.

* - for those who haven't seen, this property was timbered a few years ago and there is debris everywhere....in huge unsightly piles and in the way of the course designers. They've been cleared from the finished holes and rarely come into play. The pile we lit was perhaps 10' high, 30' across, and 100' or more long.

Anyone not superbowling, come on out Sunday. We're back from Cross Canyon, and it should be interesting to play---cool, and even windier than usual.

Thanks to Travis, Coral, & Taylor for coming out Sunday and putting in a big day of work. We cleaned up the initial landing area on #5 (or, more precisely, the mis-landing area), and installed a great new hole (permanent #9). This now gives us 11 permanent holes, 13 total.

Also, congratulations and thanks to Travis---congratulations on his 3rd-place finish at Cross Canyon, and thanks for taking his winnings in the form of a Sport and donating it (you can aim for it on the new hole).

The website has been updated to show new holes #8, #12, & #18. You'll have to take our word for it from the description of new hole #9.

Stoney Hill DGC (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill)

Hole 10 has been completed, meaning we now have holes 1-11 & 18, plus 1 temporary hole, available to play.

Its a 255' birdie shot, with a few twists. Tee out of woods, through a window and across a pasture. It's slightly up and then down over a hill, so the basket can't be seen from the tee. A fence comes across the middle which must be cleared; 4' high but, because its at the top of the hill, it appears to be 10'. Obstacles at the tee prevent a big hyzer or anhyzer, so some sort of s-turn, clearing the fence, is the only option. And you're throwing from woods out onto a wind-swept hill.

This is the time of inaction at Stoney Hill. Between the Earlewood Classic, March Madness, and moving into new homes, little should change on the course in the next 30 days.

Work / Play Day scheduled for this Sunday at 10:00. We'll work for a couple of hours, then play a round or two.

Thanks to Ed, Greg, & Jason for coming out this weekend to knock out a lot of clearing on #9, trails from 8 to 9 and 9 to 10, and playing the course, which give us imput by both watching results on different holes, and valuable outside opinions. Our sympathy goes out for Jason, playing his first round every on such a course!

Not a lot of changes in the past 6 weeks. The temporary baskets have been removed, so the course has settled into a 12-hole format (#1 - #11, and #18). As with everywhere, trees leafing out in the past couple of weeks have tightened it considerably, and beautified the course as well.

We have shortened #5, the tough par-5, to make a 3 possible with a couple of great shots. We've lengthened hole #10, the over-the-fence shot, to a more interesting length. We've also been clearing a series of holes behind Chris's house, to give us some moderate-length (275-350'), wooded, multiple-route, and nearly-FLAT holes---a welcome relief compared to the hills most of the course scales---though we're uncertain how these will fit into the routing.

In an old familiar story, just as the grass started growing and the ground hardened enough to cut it---the tractor broke twice. Not yet a problem, though a few fairways look like wildflower meadows, but it has slowed us down a bit.

As always, we invite disc golfers to come out to play, lend us your ideas, lend us a hand if you're so inclined, test potential new holes, enjoy a day out in the country---but with these provisions:

* PLEASE CALL FIRST! This is, after all, a private course, and especially if you haven't been there before, one that requires a guide.

* The course is really not suitable for beginners and rec players. It is being designed for top amateur and mid-level pro players, and while others are welcome, you may not enjoy yourself and may lose discs.

Due to eventful events* in our lives, for much of this summer the course will not be available on weekdays. Exceptions for those regulars who know their way around without escort.

Weekends are much more reliable, as one of us should be available almost every weekend---but still, call first.

See website for contact information, and maps.

* - Chris will have a newborn in the home any day now, so you can understand his schedule going topsy-turvy. My home is under construction at this time; once I move in, course availability will get back to a regular basis.

14 holes now available---the aforementioned 12, plus 2 "temporary" holes. The descriptions on website are accurate, but the photos are lagging behind. These "temporary holes" have completed fairways, and will be permanent eventually, as soon as we complete 1 more hole to fix the routing, and get better baskets than the M-14s we're using to test these 2 holes.

The website ( Stoney Hill DGC (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill) ) has been updated with a bunch of new pictures, showing the evolving course and all 12 permanent holes. In addition to the 12 permanent holes, we have 2 completed fairways with M-14s, 1 completed fairway without a basket, 2 fairways needing only a little teepad work, and 3 others designed, two of which will require minimal work to complete.

In these we have a variety of open "crusher" holes, tight wooded holes, and long, challenging, hazardous holes, with O.B. on half the holes. Not to mention the pleasure of a private course well out in the country.

We do have to caution that, for aforementioned reasons, we are only available on weekends, and then with prior arrangements. Furthermore, at this point in the course development we do not recommend it to beginners; if you can't carry 250 feet on a drive, or keep throws in the fairway, you will find yourself in some very rough rough, and perhaps lose some discs. As we refine the course over time these issues will ease up (though the course is still being designed as an "advanced" course and will remain very challenging).

The current configuration is 16 playable holes. 4 of these have cheesy baskets (M-14s & portables) until we replace them (near future).

Spotters are needed on a number of holes, especially if you feel you can't keep your drives on the fairways. Almost mandatory on Hole 2, as you can't see the landing area from the tee, and may be recommended on 5 or 6 others.

THE COURSE SHOULD BE FINISHED BY THE END OF THE MONTH!!!!!

However, I am a bit disturbed by the fact that I can't break par on my own course. Looks like the final layout will be a par 60 with six par 4's or possibly four par 4's and one par 5. (until the pond is installed)

For anyone interested in playing and staying: We have a camper that is available most weekends to stay in located a short distance from hole 1.

Thanks to Coral and Travis Sauls for a couple of afternoons of work building hole 17, which will help link up the routing and cut in half the one long walk between holes.

The website is running a little behind in pictures and descriptions, as a great deal of work has been completed in the past 2 weeks. As soon as we get a few more baskets, we'll be renumbering the holes and changing the routing just a bit (3 new holes between current #5 & #6, 1 new hole between current #6 & #7, and the new #17).

The "finished" course will be 18 holes, ready to play, with routing completed.

And while a complete course at this stage, expect expansion, perhaps to 27 holes, over the coming years, as well as tinkering and enhancements to the current design.

We now have 18 holes which should be the final layout until we build a 3 acre pond. With the current configuration, the new course record is 8 over and took just over 2 hours to complete. My 11 over par is also a record.

Website has now been updated with descriptions of the new holes (but no photos yet).

Not only do we have a full 18 holes to play, but the course is in its best condition ever. There is still ongoing work to polish the course, and the rough is still rough in places; and of course the future promises a pond and perhaps 27 holes.

Note that as the fall tournament schedule heats up, it's more important than ever to call before coming. One or both of us may be playing Crooked Creek, Govan, Earlewood, and Timmons. But then, all local disc golfers should be at those tourneys.

The website ( Stoney Hill (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill) ) has been updated to show photos of the new holes (except #17---coming soon), and updated photos of hole #5.

It's a beautiful time to visit if you get a chance, with the views from the tall hills and the leaves changing and the pasture grasses going to seed and, of course, the much better weather. As always---call ahead to make arrangements. Most likely one of us will be available each weekend for the foreseeable future.

The website has finally caught up with construction. It now shows photos of the re-designed #14, the newest hole #17 (a 3-tier climb), and assorted other updated photos.

Coral became the first golfer to shoot 54 ("par" at "par 3") on the course this weekend. Who will be the first to break 54?

Website has been updated with much better pictures of #17, along with improved pictures of the "#18 High" tee view and an "aerial" of #2.

The fall colors have mostly passed (winter comes several weeks earlier in Prosperity than Columbia), and with the leaves falling and the grass and weeds dying, discs that miss the fairways and land in the rough rough are now a bit easier to find. Though no guarantees.

A new hole, #16, has been added, so we are no longer playing both versions of #18 for a full 18 holes. It is a birdie / ace-run hole, breaking up what had been a stretch of 3 grueling holes to finish.

The pictures are up on the web. The tee view looks rough, partly because it is, and at this time of year everything looks a little tattered. However, the tee is elevated so throws are going over all that stuff, and not affected by it.

With a tremendous amount of work this weekend, and the generous assistance of Dave Capps, hole #6 was both lengthened and widened.


We are in the process of getting signs up, and there are maps downloadable for the website. We still remind everyone that, while free to play, reservations are required, and at this time the course is available on weekends only. Hopefully, by April 1 we will be open weekdays after 6:00.

Travis recorded the first ace in course history yesterday.
Sort of.
On hole #11, 1 of the most trecherous 167' holes in disc golf, after flubbing his drive, he took a 2nd, practice shot, and this thumber.....skipped.....and wedged, tacoed, in the frame of the basket!

Hole 18 has been lengthened, and the first 200' of fairway widened, to make the second shots through the gaps and over the OB quarry a bit more exciting. If you're looking for a finishing hole you can really blow up on, this is it.

Bring your own partner doubles Sunday March 25th @ 10 am.
$20 pro team
$10 am team

With a good bit of play recently, we're starting to get an idea how the course is shaping up, score-wise. Our 956-976 rated players have been trying to shoot a 54 ("par" on the "3 is par" scoring system), but coming in around 60 on a good day. Our 901-rated co-owner has shot as well as 61, but also put up several 76s. There seems to be more score separation between shooting well vs. shooting poorly than most courses.

We're thinking of a bounty for anyone that can break 50.

Oh, and Travis rung up the first real ace---in casual competition, not a practice throw---with a thumber on #7.

Thanks for all the help this weekend, and especially Duane Laudermilch, hanging around on his vacation, after 3 hours of battling ridiculous winds, to help us widen the landing zone on #15.

Trying to get a crew together to play Stoney on Saturday, the 10th. Will anyone be around?

Tell Coral to POLISH his Charlotte bag tag!

Coral and Travis are off to Barnett Park in Orlando this weekend. Coral's been serving as our "big arm" hole tester---something Chris and I aren't qualified to do---so we can see if holes designed for the 450' set play as we think. He also provides advice ("Longer! Longer! and remove those trees!"), and he and Travis designed #17 (long AND uphill).

When a time is set, we'll see if we can drag Mike Martinez out. He's been promising he will par (54) the course, but hasn't yet.

[QUOTE]
Trying to get a crew together to play Stoney on Saturday, the 10th. Will anyone be around?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MATT,

BYOB - AND 1 for me.

With the advent of daylight savings time and myself finally moved in, Stoney Hill will now be available on weekday afternoons after 6:00 and all weekends, with a few exceptions. You still need to call first and, unless you've played several times, for one of us to join you the first 2 or 3 rounds. And it's still free.

Reminder that we will be hosting bring-your-partner doubles on Sunday, March 25. This is in conjunction with March Madness at Earlewood on March 24, but open to anyone. It's our way of debuting the course and allowing those who come to March Madness to make a weekend of it, with 2 out-of-the-ordinary events.

This is a great time to play Stoney Hill. With the warm weather the mushy season is over (parts of holes 1 & 2 being particularly messy during the winter rains), but the grass & weeds haven't come up yet so disc searches are a minimum.

NEW COURSE RECORD---

A foursome played yesterday without having to search for a single disc....including multiple test drives on many holes! Not sure if that is a testament to the qualify of their throws, or the improving course condition, but since no one broke 60, the course probably deserves the credit.

With Travis's assistance, hole 13 was redesigned this weekend. The drive is still down a level fairway with tall pines & dense woods lining the right, and a hill rising along the left. However, instead of s-turning under the leaning cedar, the hole now doglegs right at about 250', goes another 50', to a basket perched on the far side of an OB creek. There are two huge oaks right behind the basket, and an OB fence if you go long left.

The website has not been updated so there are no pictures but, trust us, it looks pretty cool. A "2" will entail a pinpoint drive---anhyzer for RHBH---and a daring putt. Can't wait to see the first player who solves this.

Thanks to those who made it to "bring-your-own-partner doubles" yesterday---especially the 4 first-timers at Stoney Hill who joined the regulars. We hope Justin, Steve, Robert, & Danny enjoyed your visit.

Coral hit the far side of the quarry with his drive on hole 18---
that would be about 480 feet away, on a hole that is far from wide-open.

Coral demolished the course record yesterday with a 49....the record had been 54, and that was before #13 was toughened. As if this wasn't impressive enough, he did it (1) in rather windy conditions, (2) after having played a round earlier in the day, up and down all the hills, and some strenuous course work.

David, I know you guys have "normal" work schedules, but if you/anyone plans on playing at Stoney Hill on a weekday, and it happens to be one of my off-weekdays, then I'd like to come out and play. I haven't been there in almost a year-and-a-half and would like to see what it's like now. Unfortunately I am never off for casual rounds on weekends!

We can play weekdays at 6:00 or later. With daylight savings, we have plenty of time to complete a round. Just let us know in advance; at least one of us is sure to be available. We can possibly play a little earlier in the afternoon, with more advance notice. We're not philosophically opposed to leaving work a little early to get there.

The next week or so would be a great time, as the trees have leafed out but the grass and weeds haven't started growing yet, except in one small area.

Most tournament disc golfers are unable to play casual rounds on weekends in spring & fall, due to the full calendar. For most non-tournament (rec) players, the course is a bit over their head. I play a limited tournament schedule so am home most weekends, and Captain Telegram shows up about once a month or so, but otherwise, weekdays work well for us.

....and since you haven't been out in a year and a half, you won't recognize most of it. I think we had holes #1-5, and #11, in fall of 2005; they are pretty much the same but better groomed, and #3, the one you helped so much on, is vastly improved. The rest should be all new to you.

I took about 100 new pictures the past two weekends and should get them up on the website in a week or so. They'll show the progress, or at least be better pictures than what we've got up now.

Chris and Travis will be up there this afternoon, re-designing holes and dreaming up new ones, which is why the website is in a perpetual state of obsolete.

My off days are Thursday and Friday this week (Apr 12,13) and then next week Tuesday and Wednesday (Apr 17,18), so I'd be up to checking the course out if anyone is available. And I thought this was going to be a tough course? If Coral shot a 49 it can't be THAT tough! Oh, wait, I forgot....Coral is a pro! :D

Check with me Thursday and we'll see what the weather's like and when you want to play. I don't think Chris will be available Thursday or Friday of this week, but Travis & Coral might join us.

Hard to tell how tough it really is. Our team of 970-976 rated testers (Travis, Coral, Mike Martinez) tend to shoot 55-59 on a good day. I, an over-the-hill (and it was a pretty low hill) duffer, have shot as well as 60, but as bad as 76. Coral is the owner of about 9 of the 10 most amazing shots so far. I was contemplating posting a bounty for anyone who could break 50, but now I'm glad I didn't.

David-

Just wanted to thank you publicly for hosting a great day of golf following March Madness. (Quite belated I admit, see DGR.com)

Stoney Hill is every disc golfers dream. Give me a bunch rolling country side complete with a quarry, water features, a concession stand compliments of Olivia Saul, and the ability to tweak holes any time you want! WOW! I was thrilled to play and you, Chris, Travis, Coral, Mike and Paul could not have been more gracious hosts.

I encourage anyone who gets the chance to check it out! I was witness to Corals display of prodigous length of the tee all day, but the bomb on 18 topped them all. I must admit I agrre with my guides for the day that the quarry should be in bounds.

Thanks again. I plan on seeing you at Stoney Creek on an annnual basis. Congratualtions on a job well done!

See you in Augusta!!

Steve

Thanks again for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed your visit, and look forward to your next one.

We appreciate all imput from other disc golfers. (Travis and Coral were out Tuesday night, giving us lots of it). The quarry was originally inbounds, as it is such a cool feature. But the shots out of the quarry turned out to be not as exciting as we thought----basically pitch-ups to the basket.

I don't know if you were told, but the grand scheme is to put the basket on top of the large dirt mound next to the quarry. There is an enormous amount of debris to be cleared behind it, and we need to make sure people won't fall off the mound all the way to the quarry bottom. But when we do, we will reconsider making the quarry inbounds, because a shot from there to the hilltop should be thrilling.

I played Stoney Hill yesterday with David Sauls, and it exceeded my expectations! There are some really awesome holes out there, my personal favorite being #15. I was able to shoot a 54, but mainly because there was NO WIND, so the conditions were ideal. I think when more players come out, you will see more and more sub-50 rounds. I think a bigger challenge for anyone playing there will be playing all 18 holes without acquiring a multitude of briar scratches! Both mine and David's legs showed the evidence of what I'm sure will be a typical round at Stoney Hill when you wear shorts. But thanks for the round David, and good job to you, Chris, Travis, and Coral for a course that's only going to get better over time.

Thanks for coming---and you were very wise to choose 1 of the 3 days per year without wind. (2 days later came the windiest day in course history....breaking 100 might have been a challenge!). Only the second person to shoot 54 or better! We're working on the briars a bit at a time; of course, you can always wear jeans, but they seem to make the hills that much higher to climb.

54??? Nice shooting James. I wish I could do that... Thanks for the compliment of hole 15. It was designed after many hours of sitting in my tree stand dreaming of new holes.

also...
Let me know if you are interested in playing again this week.

Chris

It was a 54 using brand new drivers! I've been thinking about it and I think anyone who can throw a disc 300 feet should be capable of scoring at least eleven birdies (2's) at Stoney Hill. Of course that's like saying anyone who can throw 300 feet should be able to score eighteen birdies at Earlewood! Anyway, this week is not good for me to go play again, but next week, Thursday or Friday, would work. Let me know if either of those days work for you or David. Oh yeah and I also like the hole where the basket is in your front yard! :cool:

"Oh yeah and I also like the hole where the basket is in your front yard!"

ah, hole 8...I did it for the kids...

Including testing a Gateway driver, I believe. With which you scored the 2nd-best all-time round. Not that "all-time" is that long. But perhaps they'll give you a sponsorship?

We don't refer to them as "birdie holes", since none are like Earlewood #4 & #11 where you can get them 75% of the time, and are upset if you don't. More like "birdieable holes"---certainly possible to get a 2 if you throw well, but trouble---sometimes, lots of trouble---if you don't.

The layout has 2 tough stretches---#5 & #6, a pair of long, defined-fairway, par-4s, and #15-18, a finishing stretch with 3 tough holes & 1 easy, that has ruined many a promising round. After 5 & 6, there is a stretch of 6 birdieable holes, where you better build a cushion against the finishing stretch.

Throwing 300' will only get you halfway there---you better do it accurately, and handle the wind. Ask Paul Martinez, who throws 300' and shoots in the mid-70s.

James is right, of course, that there are 11 birdies (2) available. There's also O.B., sometimes serious O.B., on 9 of the 18 holes, and 13 of them are seriously affected by wind.

James, just check with us next week, after the Hall-of-Fame, and we'll set a day and time.

"Oh yeah and I also like the hole where the basket is in your front yard!"

ah, hole 8...I did it for the kids...



Ahem. Having a putting practice basket in his front yard had nothing to do with it. Just a sacrifice he was willing to endure for the good of the course design.

The website has been updated to show new and more current photos for Holes #1 - #7. More to follow.

Thanks to Bill Yandell for visiting and joining us to play into the twilight Tuesday night. Hope you enjoyed your round, and will visit again next time your travels bring you through this area.

The website has now been updated to show new photos for holes # 8 - # 13. Should have the rest within a week, to give a better idea of the course.

Most significant in these is all new photos of the recently-redesigned #13 (the "hammock" hole), with the new basket location.

Rest of the photos for Holes 14, 15, 17, & 18 have been updated. For once, the website accurately depicts the course.

Stoney Hill's first ever tournament is being held Saturday, June 9 --- a one-day, two-round, non-sanctioned event to inaugurate the course (with plans for bigger & better things in the future.

Flyer and more information available at

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/challenge.htm

There is a separate discussion group for the tournament itself, under "tournaments" (of course).