- Very difficult to lose discs. The course is well maintained from a flora perspective, and even when you hit the first available and shoot off in the wrong direction, you can still find your disc with ease. Water hazards are the type where you reach in, grab your disc and wipe it off.

- Very scenic with the sounds of running water and wildlife. I encountered deer, squirrels, and a bunch of frogs on my outing. Hole #7 was the easiest on the eyes: A short par 3 downhill in a sunny valley with a stream running behind.

- Course is a very nice balance of being simple enough for beginners, while requiring a little more shot-shaping to excel. Yes, about half of the holes are (for a player of my poor skill level) fairway-layup-easy putt, but the rest are more complex. The trees on some holes make for low ceilings, adding more intrigue to what would otherwise be grip-and-rip shots.

- Some of the holes are very close to each other, and there are a couple of holes that you may find yourself targeting the wrong basket. When I holed out from 40' on 8, I let out a bit of a "YEAH!" that was noticed by some players nearby on 4. Sorry fellas. There are also a few blind tee shots, so be sure to check ahead for walkers or people playing ahead of you before throwing.

- The signage--which used to be a great asset of the course--is starting to get weathered and isn't aging well. Some hole markers have fallen or broken. Others have been haphazardly nailed to nearby trees facing the wrong direction. All of the "next hole" markers are made of wood and nailed to trees, making them difficult to spot. There is no signage when you finish 9 to leave the course. So you just look around like the John Travolta gif, pick a path, and hope for the best.

- Every hole has some folding chairs around the tee box. Yay for seating, but old metal folding chairs kinda clash with the rest of the beauty of the course.

This was a nice find for me. It's a short course mostly through the woods, with very little undergrowth or shrubbery. A tiny creek has a presence on a few holes, and as the course winds through several meditation gardens, the scenery is very nice. I did see a longer tee pad on one hole, but not the others. Simple for beginners, but with the added shot-shaping challenges for more intermediate players.

The prevailing feeling of playing this course is that as soon as you get done with 9, you just want to go back to 1 and play again. That's always a good thing. Also, on hole #3 I hit the post on my 258-foot tee shot. Closest I've ever come to an ace in my life. While not relevant to the review, I have nobody else to share this with.

I had stayed in the Winston Salem area overnight and this course was only 4 minutes from my hotel . I never usually expect anything from a course on church grounds . It normally is just for a few locals or the congregation to get together for some bonding .This course is does NOT fit that generalization . .On this trip , I will have played 10 different 9 hole courses and this one is easily the best . Park in the spacious church lot down near the cemetery . The first hole is on the left of that . You will know by the several chairs by the first tee . The tee pads are brick pavers and are big enough . The signage is pretty good . they are mostly white , with hole # , par , distance and flight path . The baskets are yellow banded Discatchers that are perfect for mostly wooded courses . . For navigational purposes , there is an abundance of Next Tee signs throughout the course . There are chairs here and there scattered along the course . Dan Butner , Caleb Flint and Asa Bennett all did a great job with the course design . Nice medium length holes with great pin placements . Example . #2 starts you off right in front of a creek , forcing you to throw between 2 thin trees into a tight canopied fairway . You have to be somewhat precise because your 2nd shot will dogleg right , up an tight embankment to a hole with little of no green.
#6 is a nice light right to left tight fairway 360' drive . #7 is a pleasurable risk/reward downhill left to right putter/midrange shot to a basket with the creek right behind it . 8 is an over a grade that descends left to right in a tight alley with the basket at the very end of the woods . There was a small cement replica of the church next to the fairway . #9 was a great finishing hole . At 465' and very slightly uphill with a not as narrow fairway ., but some trouble on either side , it definitely qualifies as a par 4 . There were some nice benches off to the left of hole #9 to rest and drink a soda .
Disc Risk : low . The creeks won't bury your discs , and the woods and grounds are very clean . Newbies and 1 discers will love that plus on this course .
Signature Hole : I liked several holes on this course , but the #2 was my choice . I just liked the basket placement . It took me a little over 30 minutes to play . Figure a foursome might require an hour , give or take .

Not a lot to pick at here . Maybe some safety concerns . I never saw anyone on the Memorial Day that I was here , but since the course is on church grounds and the course runs close to a cemetery , there might be concern for a walker or 2 ducking in and out of the fairways . Be Aware . A con could be that there are only 9 holes instead of 18 . I guess the bugs could be bad since the majority of the course resides in the woods . Maybe a par 5 ? Most of the fairways are dirt . This might mean that the course can get very muddy . Might have to go to the convenience store to go to the bathroom .

I rarely say I look forward to playing church courses , but this one was special . I was between a 2.5 and a 3 , but in relation to the other 9 hole courses that I have played in the last few months , this one was definitely better . I hope that if I ever have the chance to come to the area again , that they construct a back 9 here . It is so well laid out , is in a serene woods setting .The church must take a lot of pride in it , because it was so clean the morning I was here .The Fun Factor on this course is a notch or 2 higher than your normal 9 holer . Thank You ,Winston Salem Disc Golf Club and especially Bethel United Methodist Church for allowing me to play your nice course . Make sure that you take notice that weekly doubles are played her from April into September on Monday and sometimes Thursday evenings .
My Recommendation : This course can accommodate everyone , from the newbie and one disc player , that won't lose their prized drivers , to the church congregation for unity a,d the locals for something to do in the evenings . Families should have a blast here . This course is even good practice for the pros and intermediates . Play It !!

+ Excellent pin positions. They did a good job of tucking the pins in corners or behind trees, trying to make parking them tricky. 7 in particular was fun, begging for an ace run with water just behind the pin.

+ Good variety. There is elevation at play, both uphill and downhill shots. Left and right turning holes, and straighter shots. A few longer holes, plenty of 200-300' holes.

+ Tons of benches. I counted as many as 4 benches on some holes, they're all over the place.

+ Very scenic. It's a combination disc golf course / walking path / prayer garden, so there are flowers, benches, painted bible verses etc. all around. It's very peaceful.

+ Nice teepads. They're brick, and every hole had them except for 6. The bricks are next to 6 ready to be installed, they just haven't been put into place yet.

+ Good signage. They are bright white signs easy to spot, and accurately depict the hole and line. There are next tee signs all over the course, making navigation easy. One thing I really liked was how the tee signs were mounted on trees instead of generic wooden posts. I thought that really added some character.

+ Ends in a 450'+ par 4, not what I expected at all from this sort of course.

+ Loaner bag at hole 1. Only course I've seen this at. No discs, just a bag, but still neat.

- Hole 6 is marked as a par 4 when its clearly a par 3. Its a straight hole with a mild left finish that's an ace run for anyone with 360' of distance.

- Hole 6's tee has not been installed, though this should be rectified soon as the bricks are right next to the tee waiting to be used.

- The course also serves as a walking path, so you may have to wait for someone to walk by before teeing off. Its crucial to check any blind fairways before throwing for this reason.

Bethel surprised me. I came here after throwing The Rock at Stonewall, wanting a short wooded 9 hole course to contrast with the long, open 18 I just threw. I figured it'd be another forgettable course like most the 9 holes I've played in North Carolina so far, but I was wrong.

Bethel DGC is a perfect example of a well executed short 9 hole course. The course is very scenic, the pin placements are well designed, the holes are varied and it ends in a 400'+ par 4.

It reminds me of Wildwood in Louisville, Ohio. Wildwood was small, compact, pretty wooded, mostly short holes, but managed to be a lot of fun. Bethel is the same way.

This is going to be an easy course for a skilled golfer, but its not full of gimmies. If raw challenge is what you seek there are better choices than Bethel, but atmosphere is here in spades.

It'd be easy to overlook this course, but its worth going a little out of your way to check out. Pair it up with demanding 18 hole course nearby and you've got yourself a great day of golf.

Good DISCatcher baskets, paver stone tees, good tee signs. Well laid out course on the back of the church property.
Good use of the elevation up and down to the creek.
Some fun holes, going left and right and even a couple of Par 4s.
For a wooded course, the fairways were wide enough, not too tight.

Only 9 holes, really wanted to throw across that open grass on the way out.
Can get a little sloppy down by the creek. It was wet the day I was there, but overall, not too bad. I doubt they could do anything else with this part of the property anyway.

A real nice, challenging course. If they build this as a "get some exercise after church", or "kids, go blow off some steam" course, its more than that. This course will challenge a lot of players, a good amount of distance and not just a wide open field of baskets.
I believe it is build over an existing walking path, so this gives everyone another reason to go for a walk in nature.
The paver stone tees are a nice addition, always nice to be to make a run up without having to worry about falling.
#7 was a fun downhill drive, with the basket on the right, just in front of the creek.
I like #4 also, 341 feet, good sized fairway, then over the creek to a protected basket.
Very nice of Bethel UMC to put this course in and have it open to the public. This is the only other course in W-S, so it was great the church stepped up, when W-S P&R has been napping since they put in Horizons over 30 years ago!

UPDATE 7/16/21: 5 years after I first played Bethel, its still in good shape. In fact, some improvements have been made, elevated baskets on #4 and #7 (which is now away from the creek), and better teepads. Oh, that open field in front of the church? Its now on its way to becoming a Fire Station d'oh!! No open holes possible there anymore.

Yeah, I gave a 9 holer a three, get over it. I don't take off for less than 18 holes and neither should you, you elitist!

Seriously though, this is a great example of where an idiot could've crammed 18 perilous/stupid holes into this space but instead put in 9 pretty solid holes. That kind of thinking should be applauded.

This is surprisingly not a dinky course; you won't feel dumb for carrying a bag here. For the most part the midranges seemed most useful but there's enough length and fairway shape to call for drivers. Hole 9 is long enough to warrant a distance driver.

Absolute breeze to navigate thanks to signs and obvious trails. Extremely clean, paver tees functioned well, a little elevation and a creek mixes things up a bit. The tee signs accurately illustrate the line but some of the distances seemed exaggerated. The course weaves along old nature trails behind the church so it's very defined and woodsy. Not all of it is technical though, hole 9 is a respectable par 4 that you can air it out a controlled distance driver on.

Not too much to add here, actually. Hole 6 hasn't a tee installed yet. Not a terribly ideal course for beginners which is the general audience a church course is probably intended for but it's not really punitive either.

Hole 9 is probably a par 3 for most skill levels but for beginners I think the 4 is warranted. It would take a herculean drive for me to hole out in two but good Blue and especially Gold players could probably do it.

Hole 8 is a blind hole and it would be pretty easy to hit somebody playing on hole 9 if you overthrow 8's basket.

This is a really enjoyable course. I stopped here as a warm-up on the way to N. Wilkesboro and it was perfect for that. I'd play here frequently if I lived in the area, make a great course to hone one's putter and mid game. It's also really close to Hanes Mall, I don't know if that's a pro or a con.

Easy to follow this course with good signage. There were a couple of folks out doing some maintenance and emptying trash cans. They were excited to have people playing their course.

There is good use of elevation on this course. The first hole is blind and the basket is downhill to the right. There is a good mix of uphill and downhill shots. I particularly liked hole #4. The basket placement is a bit tricky and a creek is in play on the left. #7 was another favorite. It's a downhill shot with the same creek in play on the right. You can bring the bag for this course. There are all types of shots required.

This is the best church/school course I have played.

A little damp out there, but the course was in better shape than the other three courses we played that day. Tee boxes, such as they were, were not slick. I like the tee on #2 being on the other side of the creek. I don't do much of a run up, so it being short was not an issue. I assume the downed trees will be cleared a bit in the future.

They could have crammed a few more holes in this property. I'm glad they did a decent 9 holes instead of a crappy 18.

#9 is a long (for this course) uphill hole. Not my favorite way to end a course. It is also a prayer garden.

In fact, the entire course appears to be part of a trail system and caution should be used. There was a lady on a blanket in the middle of #4 fairway. The caretaker of the course came through as we were considering what to do and warned the lady that disc golfers would be coming through. That was positive part of this negative.

I think this is a solid course and I don't knock it for being nine holes. If I lived in Winston, I'd play it often. It is not a destination course but if you happen to be rolling down I-40, it's a quick diversion that is worth your time.