Greenville County Disc Golf Courses, A Ranking
Perhaps it’s just because I’m so FAMILIAR with the courses I play most often, and perhaps I take the best of them for granted, but I’m often most eager to play courses that take longer to find and longer to play. I do love a new and challenging frolf course.
But Greenville County is VERY lucky to have the courses it does and, since we haven’t done it here before, I thought we might be overdue for our own Upstate Frolfer Course Rankings.
By my count, there are 6 Greenville County Courses. 2 of them have a unique 18 holes. 3 more are simple 9-hole courses and the 6th, Simpsonville, offers 9 baskets with different front and back 9 tees.
For the purposes of these rankings I’m comparing all 6 as if they were similar entities. That is, the 18-hole courses are OBVIOUSLY superior if only for their additional variety. But in this ranking I’ll try to rank them based also on the QUALITY of holes and not just superior QUANTITY.
Got it?
So without further ado..
#6 GOWER PARK
Welcome to Gower. This is the best part.
Pros : The best thing about Gower? It’s always a surprise. I don’t mean that it’s a challenging course that always reveals itself in new ways…nothing that cool. Instead, I often forget the park exists altogether. Then, I’ll see a listing for it and say “Cool, a new course to try.”
Then we play it and realize what made it so forgettable. When reminded of the details, I really have nothing good to say about Gower.
Cons : The course designer obviously didn’t have much to work with. So, instead of realizing this was simply not much of a place for disc, he/she tried to cram it in to where it just doesn’t fit.
The first hole shows some promise and it winds through trees to the basket. The next 3 are wooded too, but they’re very short, simple and unchallenging.
The most interesting features on this course aren’t ever really the holes themselves, but the non-frolf things they encompass. There’s a WWII-era tank parked in the middle of the fairway on the 9th and final hole.
CHALLENGE : D
BEAUTY : C-
OVERALL APPEAL : D
#5 SIMPSONVILLE CITY PARK
It is, actually, a pretty nice park.
Pros : For folks living in the Southern part of the county this would easily be the most convenient course to play. This course does offer different tee positions for the 9 baskets so there is at least some variety in shots. The course is WIDE OPEN so there is a good chance for beginners to work on getting more distance from their drives.
Cons : The real shame about this course is that it used to be far better. It used to wind all around the park before some fairly realistic safety concerns (there were too many pedestrians in danger of a Dart to the head) confined the course to a single corner. Plus, the same WIDE OPEN features that make it fun for beginners make it awfully simple for more advanced players who will find little challenge here. If you’re in the Southern part of Greenville County then play here when you need a quick round. Folks from other parts of the county will see little reason to drive this far.
CHALLENGE : D
BEAUTY : C
OVERALL APPEAL : C-
#4 HOLMES PARK
This is the first tee right next to the parking lot. A tougher shot for lefties because of the trees.
Pros : I actually struggled with this ranking because, to be honest, I really like Holmes Park. The park is pretty and there is usually well-maintained. The course has some interesting variety with uphill…downhill…straight..open…wooded and whatnot holes. It’s just 9-holes long but I never regret running through it twice…or more…when I visit. Perhaps the most endearing thing about this course…which will appear again in the “cons”….is that you will post amazing scores here. Most people leave Holmes Park feeling very good about their games. Even beginners should play reasonably well on this fairly short and forgiving track.
Cons : As promised, I’ll mention this again : The course is easy. In fact, the one genuinely challenging hole (#4) is also it’s least appealing. It’s a straight uphill shot that’s blind to the basket. If you routinely get the par 3 on that, you’ll finish double-digits below par.
CHALLENGE : D
BEAUTY : B
OVERALL APPEAL : C
#3 FURMAN UNIVERSITY
First, the above picture is of Otis and his older boy at the second basket. It was taken while they did some “field research” for his review of the Furman University Disc Golf Course for this site. It’s worth a read. In fact, let me quote it here for both the pros and cons :
A few closing thoughts: Any new course is a welcome addition to this community and we should all thank Adam for his efforts. He took a fairly small amount of space and made a disc golf course out of it. Top players will probably find the course a little too easy, but for folks of my skill level up to good intermediates, it’s a great diversion from playing some of the other courses in this area. If we can all somehow find a great place to park and don’t whack a mom with a baby on the walking path, we’ve got another fun course to hit.
I’m probably biased because this is the newest course in the county so I’m not tired of it. But the natural beauty of the Furman lake makes this seem more appealing to me.
CHALLENGE : C
BEAUTY : A
OVERALL APPEAL : B
#2 CENTURY PARK
A player tees off on hole #3 which is, by far, the most challenging hole of the front 9.
Pros : I really do love this course. I know I’ve said that about a LOT of courses, but this is the one I now consider my “home” track. I play it almost every single day and am not tired of it. It has excellent variety of holes and many are very tough, especially on the back 9. There are several ways to play each hole and it does require a fair amount of actual strategy to play parts of this course well. Plus, I usually run into other players here who are always willing to play a quick round.
Cons : There are very few things about this course I don’t truly love. First among my limited critiques is there can be a crowd at this park and at times it can be difficult to park. Plus, when the lots are crowded shrieking little league moms will park their cars on the tees and fairways of holes 17 and 18. That’s because, you know, whatever they’re doing is more important that whatever anyone ELSE is doing. Also, like on many courses, the front 9 is FAR FAR easier than the back. This is likely by design as a way to encourage beginners, and I like the concept, however it does make it pretty easy to score low up front. I’m nitpicking here because I didn’t want a tie at the top of the rankings. In truth, this course is nearly perfect.
CHALLENGE : B+
BEAUTY : A
OVERALL APPEAL : A
#1 TIMMONS PARK
Hole # 6 at Timmons. It's not hard unless you're a lefty like me.
Pros : This is probably the crown jewel of Greenville County courses. I mean, most Greenville County players consider it THEIR home course. It’s the one I first started playing after re-learning the sport back in 2001. It’s the home of the Upstate Classic each fall. Every hole has elevation changes that provide the threat of the dink and roll. Most holes have OB water. There isn’t much distance by the holes are generally tight and technical. Even some of the better pros, capable of dominating this course most days, can have embarrassingly frustrating days…and weeks here. It’s deep in the woods, away from the rest of the park, so frolfers can roam without fear of hitting civilians. It’s absolutely beautiful, especially in the fall. This course isn’t super-hard, it isn’t super-long, but it is great.
Cons : Again, the course is short in most cases. Top pros will crush it more often than not. And, um, sometimes the leaves are thick enough to lose a disc. I’m reaching here…not much to criticize.
CHALLENGE : A-
BEAUTY : A
OVERALL APPEAL : A
That’s how I spin it. I’d love to hear other takes. Otis, for the record, ranks them this way :
1. Greer 2. Timmons 3. Furman 4. Gower 5. Holmes 6. Simpsonville
Football Returns, Vacation is Over and this is a Blog Post
Otis, Drohan, and I went downtown last night for a few drinks and a game of cards. I’m not actually drinking alcohol right now for a variety of reasons that all lead back to me not wanting to be a giant blubbery mess anymore.
That said, I still had a very good time. Good company makes almost any situation enjoyable.
It made clear for me the thing I most like about disc golf. I like spending that time with my friends, old and new.
I also like winning.
SOME OF THE TOP PLAYERS are already making plans for the US Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill. It’s the same weekend as my birthday this year (October 7th. Discs make great gifts).
I’m still planning to sit out from actual PDGA sanctioned play until the Upstate Classic.
Lately I’ve had a breakthrough with more forehand drive and have struggled a bit with griplock on my backhand.
Lots to work on…
And finally, Scott says he’ll be happy to fill us in on that Africa trip (if you haven’t seen his video, click thru below) soon…can’t wait to hear more.
Starting Over
It’s been an odd month or 3 for the Upstate Frolfer crew.
Our West Coast blogger has spend much of that time in Las Vegas and on Phish tour.
Otis has been in Vegas too. Plus he’s been at the beach and in the weeds with whatever his day job is.
I’ve been trying to makeover my entire fitness profile and, honestly, I’ve been spending less time on the courses and more time in the gym as the weather has topped 90 degrees the past few weeks.
That took me to the start of September, which is not only the one year anniversary of this humble blog, but also the point at which our web domain was set to expire. I spent some good thinking time over the past week or so wondering whether I’d even bother to renew.
Today, I did.
So I’m firing this post off from work. I have mapped out another half dozen for the coming month and I hope we’ll have at least one reader when October rolls around.
And I want to tie up some loose ends from my previous posts.
First, Trophy Lakes IS a great course. I played it on a Monday when I stayed in Folly Beach earlier this month and then went back to play the next day. Each hole has both blue (pro) and red (am) tees and I played the blue both days.
I’m not sure if it was fatigue or hubris, but I played much better the first round than the second. That said, there WILL be a third round on that course.
Will You Join Me Here On October 16th.
Otis, Pauly and I will all be staying in Charleston on October 15th and 16th. The 16th is a Saturday and, before we head over to watch a second night of Phish, we’ll be playing this course.
Even onetime guest contributer “BadBlood” should be there.
If you’re around, drop us a line and maybe we can work out a random draw doubles kinda thing.
Should be fun.
Also, I’m really excited to be playing in Hawaii with Scott Rief in January. Scott is an old friend and was kind enough to do an interview on this blog in it’s very first month.
Now…look at what Scott’s done!
I’m going to shoot Scott a line and see if he’ll tell us more about what’s he’s up to. I think that video begs a few questions….don’t you.
Until next time…
Best Course In Charleston?
I’m off to Folly Beach for a few days and I’ll be taking my discs for the ride. My guess is I’ll have a few hours to play on Tuesday and I’d like to come back with pictures and stories from the best course in the Charleston area.
So which one would that be?
I’ve done a little homework on the subject and I’m GUESSING this one :
Trophy Lakes Hole #1
Trophy Lakes looks great although it does look like a pay-to-play course as well.
I’ll be there Tuesday afternoon unless someone here or there convinces me to try a different course instead.
See you at the end of the week and I hope to have an awesome disc golf round or two to tell you about when I return!
Upstate Frolfer Contributor Publishes New Book
I’m a little late on this announcement, especially since I’ve already half-finished my copy, but I need to make you all aware of Dr. Paul McGuire’s latest achievement.
Pauly has worked in and around Las Vegas for years and, I can personally attest, has had a profoundly unique experience. He’s a gifted writer and a his life makes one hell of a story.
Two Disc Golf Courses At Armco Park In Ashland, Kentucky
Really the only danger was from the garbage.
You know what’s nice? You know what makes me so happy I dance like Otis at an open bar? I’ve got two really nice frolf courses right near my parents house in Kentucky. One is really really hard. The other is pretty simple. Both have two teepads per hole. Both are at Armco Park.
I played them both on Saturday and thought I’d give ‘em the old write up here.
FIRST THIS OVERVIEW
Armco Park is big and beautiful with STEEP hills and plentiful, and gigantic, Oak trees. It’s physically draining to play this park.
I played on a Saturday and nearly every one of the parks picnic shelters was in use. I did think most of the people I met were unusually friendly and most seemed interested in learning more about disc golf.
There is an unfortunate amount of garbage on the ground. Much of the trash was heaped around the trash cans and strewn around the shelters. I wish the people of Ashland would take more pride in what should be a real destination attraction.
BLUE COURSE
Hole #6 on the Blue Course from the "Long" Tee.
As I said, there are both “long” and “short” tees on each hole. For the Blue Course, I played from the long tees and it was easily the most challenging course I’ve ever played. In fact, I played really really well for the most part…and shot a 69.
I looked on the course review website and found this course rated as a par 70! Usually I play all of every course as a Par 3 if only to keep the scoring simple. This is NOT a par 54 and should not be treated as such.
For one thing, there are several holes longer than 700 feet. Some of the shorter ones (still at least 400 feet) play more like 600 because of the sharp changes in elevation. There are also very different approaches from the two sets of tees as they are not just different in distance but in location.
Hole #4 from the short tee
That picture is the 4th hole from the short tee. Note the pin is placed behind an OB fence leaving a lefty like myself with the option of a long hyzer or a forehand through the forest to the right. The hyzer is risky here because, from the long tee at least, the hole is 800 feet away. I chose that route anyway and saved a 4 here.
When the Ashland Disc Golf Club hosts the annual tournament here (I played last year and will likely do so again this month) the REC division doesn’t play the blue course and instead plays two rounds on the White. There is good reason.
REC-level players can expect to spend two hours on this one. In tournament time, that’s a week and a half.
WHITE COURSE
Hole #1 on the White Course from the short tee.
The ol’ course review website has this one at a Par 58.
It isn’t. It’s a 54 and not a particularly challenging one at that. I birdied 6 holes and was playing this one exhausted after half-jogging the Blue course first.
Most holes are nearly dead straight. There are still some very steep hills and plenty of trees but you can keep your drivers in your bag. I think a guy could EASILY play this with just a midrange and a putter.
I played nearly every hole by teeing off with my dart and had little trouble. If I was comparing this to an Upstate course I’d say it’s most like Timmons. It’s relatively tight and technical but even Timmons offers more of a distance challenge.
This is #13 on the White Course. Doesn't it seem...Timmons-y?
Essentially the idea here is not unlike the concept behind the front…and back 9s at Century Park in Greer.
Just as the front 9 at Greer is easy and open to beginning players, the White course is a great introduction for those just learning the game.
The Blue course, while FAR more difficult than Greer’s back 9, does offer the same idea. If you’re a more experience player and looking for a challenge, I HIGHLY recommend this course.
Chattooga Belle Farm Disc Golf Course Review
The 7th Hole With the 8th in the background at Chattooga Belle Farm
I loved it.
I met Nate and Fran in the parking lot at Century Park and we left Greer at about 9:30 Saturday morning. It was already 85 degrees.
The drive to Oconee County, specifically Long Creek, took a good while. I think this map says it all really :
View Larger Map
Please note….THERE IS NOTHING NEARBY!! This course is in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, it’s worth the near 90 minute drive from Greenville. We met “The Other Bill” and Jamie there and were ready for a 100 degree round that sapped every drop of fluid in my body.
The course is wide open with well mowed fairways and rough on either side that is comprised of rather tall and dense grass. It’s also tick infested as I found when I got home. That rough is, in many places, further lined by produce. The farm has a whole U-Pick operation which the website describes this way :
Due to the extreme heat, the berry season is now over at the farm. The u-pick operation should re-open in September with apples, grapes and muscadines.
Varities Include:
Apples: Liberty; Golden Delicious; Pink Lady; Granny Smith; Gale Gala; Ginger Gold; Honey Crisp; Fuji
Seedless Grapes: Concord (red); Thompson (white); Vanessa (red)
Wine Grapes: Cynthiana (red); Chardonel (white); Zinfandel (white)
Muscadines: Noble (purple)
Scuppernogs: Carlos (bronze); Nesbitt (bronze)
Now, for the course :
Hole 1 : This hole starts at the main barn and is a straight and deceptively short downhill throw. I teed of with my DART and overthrew it.
Hole 2 : An immediate change of pace. This is straight uphill and plays long. Still, it’s like a sandhill in Kansas. Throw your longest disc.
Hole 3 : Back downhill to the road with a ton of great, and heavily burdened, apple trees along the way. I used a DESTROYER and had no trouble scoring a 3.
Hole 4 : The first tight hole. It’s lined by the farms wooded boundary to the right and apple trees to the left. The basket winds as a sharp uphill dogleg to the left. As a lefty, I was able to swing up and over the apple trees and hyzer to the hole.
Hole 5: 800 feet. Downhill/uphill. Hard. Still, very wide open.
Hole 6 : This hole is rather tightly lined by apple trees and the basket is protected by a tree in front. It plays relatively short and both Nate and I misssed birdie putts that caught chain.
Hole 7 : (pictured above) is protected by a line of apple trees to the left.
Hole 8 : Longer than it appears it’s a downhill but wide open shot that I reached with a buzz.
Hole 9 is braced by a large lake about 50 feet behind the basket. Look close and you'll see Fran's birdie putt in midair.
Hole 9 is shown here. The tee is a tough decision. It’s offest to the left and protected by trees. Many righties will play this as a wide hyzer, lefties like me may be better suited to try a flat run through the trees. It’s a challenging hole you don’t want to overthrow.
Holes 10 : A short hole that reminds me a lot of number 4 at Century Park. The hole is guarded by one tree but there is an easy birdie here…or at least there should be.
Hole 11 : Straight uphill and measures about 335 and plays about 450. Bomb big here and hope to be able to use a midrange disc for your layup.
Hole 12 : I should have taken a picture of this great hole but didn’t because I was all ticked off. This basket is on a penninsula extending into the lake you see up there on hole 9. It runs about 300 from the teepad and does present an alternate route around the right side. I nipped a tree on my bomb across the lake and my DESTROYER is gonzo. Nate sent a disc skidding across the middle of the pond too.
Hole 13 : Short hole with room to throw out to the right and a tree lined creek to the left.
Hole 14 : Relatively short and flat but with a slight bend to the left. A righty will play this much easier than a lefty because, again, the left is protected by the creek.
Hole 15 : This wraps around the rest of the creek and has a potentially difficult basket placement. It’s invisible from the tee. Lay up here in the fairway at the end of the line of trees and then hope to putt for birdie.
Hole 16 : WAYYY Uphill and long. Also WIDE open. Rear back and bomb.
Bill, Fran, and Nate hike up to the 16th.
Hole 17 : Downhill and short. This is a potential ace and SHOULD be a birdie.
Hole 18 : Back uphill but reachable. Another potential birdie.
Overall I’d rate it this way :
Difficulty : B-
Variety of Holes : B+
Natural Beauty : A++++
Go see this course. You’ll be glad you did.
eltreedr
Otis
Dr. Pauly
