My Enjoyment Rating: 9.2 (out of 10)

I arrived with the expectation that I was getting to play a very enjoyable course, and I wasn't disappointed. For days after playing there my "Euphoria Factor" was extremely high.

Design-
*Fairways- There are many challenging and creative holes and no weak ones. There's also a Pro layout that features 2 extra holes ( 5 & 6) and some alternate tee pads with a different routing that avoids crossing fairways. The holes have good fairway shape variety: 8 Straight/ 5 Left/ 5 Right.
*Hole 10 is now one of my Top 3 favorite basket placements in the state of NC. The basket is set into a boulder and much of it has a 15 ft. plus drop off if you miss your putt. That makes for great risk vs. reward. If go for the birdie and miss you're shooting straight up from 15 ft below.
*Elevation changes- There are fantastic elevation changes with lots of variety. 6 Flat/ 5 Up/ 7 Down. There are three uphill holes with +40 to +45 ft elevation changes and some downhill holes with -25 to -30 ft drops. Bring your hiking shoes. The flat holes on the back nine are actually a welcome respite.
*Natural beauty abounds. There are large boulders, woods, a river, a pond, ravines, dry stream beds, steep drop offs...
*Length variety is fantastic! 2 <199/ 5 of 200-299/ 6 of 300-399/ 3 of 400-499/ 2 >600 (606, 678)
*The putting areas are excellent, with some creative basket placements-- in a stump, hanging over a steep rock drop off, implanted in a boulder with a steep drop...
*Immaculately maintained. I didn't see one scrap of trash; no cans or bottles anywhere. The grass was well mowed, and there's an awful lot of it to keep up with. Whoever mows the grass along the power line has quite a job!

Basics-
*Baskets- It's amazing that a private course has mostly Discatcher baskets. There are still some holes with DISCatcher Sport baskets, but I think that these will be replaced over time.
*Tees- the tees are all very good. They're concrete or paver stones. Long and level.
*Signs- Every hole has a nice hole map in a picture frame
*Navigation- It's very easy to find your way, even without a map. Transition paths are well marked. Some have lights.

Amenities-
*Many little touches like a lost disc box, creative hole names, decorative knick knacks on trees, a bridge, a soft drink machine. Hole 13 has boots to put on if you go in the river and a ladder if you need to climb down into the ravine near the basket.
*There's a man made pond, as well as tons of benches and lots of trash cans.

These are really minor issues...
-It would be nice to have an explanation of the Pro layout, and I expect this will come in time. As a first timer I saw the 2 extra Pro holes and some Pro tees with different numbering, but I couldn't figure out how it played. It turns out that 2 Pro holes (10 & 18) also play to different baskets than the regular layout.
-Crossing fairways. There are two sets (10 & 18, 11 & 17) where fairways cross. It didn't bother me, though, because 11 and 18 are so long that it would be easy to compensate for, but I guess it might cause delays in tournaments.

Course Level: White (most suited for Intermediate players rated 900.)

You be the judge-
My favorite hole- 10. You tee off out of chute of trees, downhill (with a -21 ft. elevation drop), cross an open grass area, and go back into the woods to the basket implanted in the boulder.

• Terrain- mostly wooded, but some holes are more open. The epic uphill 18th hole is wide and grassy along a power line. 11 Woods/ 7 Mixed
• Navigation- because of the woods and the layouts you can't see 6 baskets from the tees, so they need a little scouting out, but the hole maps show you where to throw.
• Unfortunately, because some people acted irresponsibly the Bracketts had to change to a members only system. If you go as a guest of a member make sure to leave a donation.

Click on this hyperlink for a description of my understanding of the Pro Layout

This is now one of my Top 2 favorite Private courses and overall it's in my top category-- "My Favorites". (Currently, that makes it one of my all time Top 12.) The Brackett family was blessed with great land, and they've done a mind boggling amount of work out there as well as spending lots of money on good baskets, tees, and other amenities. It's one of those rare courses where I'm already trying to find another opportunity to drive the 3 hours (160 miles) to play again. It's a destination course that I strongly recommend!

To have my reviews delivered to your Inbox join the Yahoo group "DG Course Reviews" . Look in the Files section there for my Overall Rating notes and Hole-by-hole ratings too.

a really well thought out course, you will be tested on almost every hole. being a private course , you get a feeling of privledge to be playing it. great people own the course , and the amount of work they have done is very impressive. the paver tee pads are sweet, and easily movable if desired for alt pads

hole #18 is a long walk up hill, but not really a gripe

ive played a couple of charlotte club tourneys out here, and will say that bracketts is the highlight of each season for me. good folks ,cold beer, and good golf

great length. (a few ace opportunities, and some real long bangers.) i love the elevation changes. button hook holes, straight and narrows, big downhill, big uphill. course has every shot you can think of. a hanging basket, an elevated basket on "the bastard hole." every hole has it's own feel to it, i never got the impression that they were just using up space. doesn't favor RH or LH, backhand or flick, having both is helpful. all the holes blend right into the next one. i could see how there are many alternate tees and holes if you wanted to mix it up for fun as well.

when i first seen this wonderland, my first thought was that i would love to bomb a 1000 ft downhill down the middle of the course under the power lines. sadly you start from the bottom and go up.

while i was playing there my first time i spoke with mr brackett himself. i was told that brackett's is the future home of the 2012 world championships. they are in the process of changing the entire place around. some of the new holes are just plain challenging. i did not get to play any of the new ones but got to see it begin to take form. this family is amazing, if you are respectful and leave a modest donation out-of-towners don't need a membership. i told them i was from oregon and was invited in without another word. amazing course, great family, "the bastard hole" alone is worth seeing. all in all my favorite course i have ever played to date.

someone actually did what you talk about doing so go play it...."man, when I get some land I am building the coolest course..." yeah bet you want do near as good a job as the Bracketts have. This is complete bliss, and pay the troll on the bridge or lose some plastic and strokes on down the line.

The only thing I think needs changing is daylight hours. I mean you cant play this course in the dark, it would get expensive.I call this a boutique course at its finest, a family that loves the sport sharing with all of us throwers...don't litter, or mess this up for the sake of others if not for yourself.

Drive from Charlotte could take no time at all, if it wasn't five o'clock traffic. Even if it was rush hour it would still be worth the drive to play it.Well done Brackett family, well done in deed.Be there Wednesday with my wraith in tow.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18 hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B+
(This course will definitely add strokes for being way off your line, but overall OK shots do not get punished more than good shots in most places. There are plenty of holes that reward only superb shots with birdies. Only 3 or so holes really had me thinking "how on earth am I going to play this hole?")

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == B+
(7-8 of the holes are too long for me to even hope for a birdie and at least 3 holes are so short a birdie is fully expected. So, with over half the holes not being exhilarating in the scoring department, it is hard to feel great about this aspect of the course.....even though a few of the holes perfectly test and reward my skill.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A+
(This course has some amazingly unique and fun holes creatively crafted using terrain, trees, huge boulders, a stream, and even a hanging basket. Tons of different throws are needed to navigate the fairways. Most courses have at least 2-3 ho-hum filler holes, but not this one!)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == A
(This is an amazingly beautiful course and amazingly secluded. My only half-grade knock is the power line running through it and a few holes feel a little swampy/dank. The amount of TLC and butt-busting work involved in making this private course amazing is simply mind boggling. Thank you Bracketts and all who have helped!)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C+
(It is very cool to have several par 4's! In my mind, only 2 add more than just distance: #11 throwing from up high down to a narrow fairway is amazing! Also very cool is #13 along the stream. This hole forces you to land your drive perfectly to be in a position for a good upshot so you have a chance to card a birdie 3.)

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (149 18-hole, 91 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

This course is by far the best i have played so far. Every hole has character and awsome tee pads. I am glad to donate to play there even got to talk to the owner. His wife designed Hole 3. They even have water boots by the water holes just incase your disc goes in the water. You must play this course.

Cant say anything bad about this course...

I drive 1 hour and 50 min every week to play this course and there are 5 coures in my area..

i just played at this course for first time and I like it. Very creative in the layout of the tees. Especially on hole 3 of the hanging basket from the tree. The course was challenging and not hard to locate. The course was well kept up. I also like that at every tee there were somewhere you can sit if you needed to. Who ever came up with the design of the course great job I am recommending it to all my friends.

there's only two things I can say on hole 4 to five i got crossed up there was two paths to take to get to it and another hole i can't think of that also needs a sign pointing to the nest tee pad. That is about it with the cons.

I wanna just say this people please do not leave your trash cause these people are letting you use there land for fun and recreation. So let us do them a favor and keep the course clean and trash free. oh I also think it was a great idea with the disk lost and found at the first hole great idea.

A strunningly, beautiful piece of land for a course. There is everything here from big elevation changes, to wooded technical holes, to booming big air throws to water hazards. The owners have really put their heart and soul into making this a top notch disc destination course. And there's no charge. There is a donation can at the start. Please contribute. The pads were all concrete or patio bricks locked together. Both were great. Most baskets were nice Discatchers but there some of the temporary ones which were bolted down. A couple of unique basket and locations. A hanging basket on # 3 which hangs above some rocks and a small ravine. It's height can be adjusted with a rope. I thought it would've been better if it hung at more the height of a regular basket. And the # 10 basket sits high on a large boulder making for a very unique placement. Tee signs were very informative. There are many homespun little artifacts around the course like trolls, skulls and antlers. Many benches to rest your, by now, very weary bones on. Several signature type holes. I liked # 10 throwing across the power lines to a small opening in the woods down below before leading back up to the elevated basket on the rocks. Hole # 13 is another hole which everyone likes. It's an extremely tough 460 ft. tunnel shot with the basket protected by trees and a steep little ravine and creek on all sides. The Brackets provide ladders and boots at a couple different locations on this hole if you have to go into the creek. Nice touch.

The course is designed for the advanced player on up. As an recreational/intermediate, weanie armed old man, I felt this course was "too big" and too rugged for me. So IMO, this course is not for everyone, certainly not the beginner. A couple of holes cross paths and I understand that will have to remedied before the 2012s. This didn't bother me in the least.

Definitely a major workout along with a very tough, challenging course. The course brought me to my knees, wore out my arm and pretty much humililated me. But if you think you're up to the challenge, then by all means, make the trek to Bracket's Bluff

- The hole variety is what is most stunning about this course. You never get the feeling that the holes are running together, because each of them stands out distinctly. That is first and foremost the sign of a great disc golf course.

- Along that same line, while there are definitely some unique holes, none of them seemed overly gimmicky to me. Even the funky basket locations, like the hanging basket on #3 and the basket on top of the boulder on #10 made complete sense given the terrain.

- The course was easy to navigate, which is a must on a private course like this where you can't check out a course map beforehand. Each hole seemed to flow right into the next tee.

- This is probably the most secluded course I've ever played, although I imagine that can vary depending on whether or not there's a course event planned. If you're able to catch the course when it's deserted, then you're in for a real treat (even moreso than just playing a well-designed course)..

- Most every hole has decorative art to add to the mystique - whether it be a troll, a deer skull and antlers, a Jason mask (on #18), or some other subtle touch. I was so much at home playing this course that I almost felt like a Brackett.

- The elevation is almost mountain-like in some parts of the course, even as early as holes 2 and 3. It really does not feel like you're playing just a few minutes away from Charlotte.

- Any negatives I mention are pure nitpicking, but I wasn't a fan of the few dirt tee pads that were mixed in. I appreciate the variety with the brick, concrete, and dirt pads assorted throughout - that definitely seems intentional - but I just preferred the brick and concrete pads.

- Also, and this may just be a personal thing, but both times I've played here, I've been plagued by gnats - particularly on the back nine. It was quite frustrating, but again I think it might just be me because the guy playing with me didn't seem to have a problem with it.

- Personally, I think this is the best course in the Charlotte area considering its variety, difficulty, aesthetics, elevation, and seclusion. I can't think of another course in the area that comes close to this one in all those categories (some are better in certain categories, but none are as good in all of them). If you are planning a trip to Charlotte or the surrounding area, this is a must-play.

- An observation: It looked like at least one tee pad - and, I suppose, entire hole - had been abandoned between the walk from #6 to #7. It kind of had a ghost town feel to it, as if it wasn't good enough to make the cut. I'm curious about the story behind that one.

- My favorite hole was actually #12 - not so much for its layout or difficulty as for its beauty. The hole was flat and grassy with trees spread throughout, which really was a stark contrast compared to the rest of the course. It's quite hard to believe that a hole like that is part of the same course as the wooded, semi-mountaineous holes that come before it.

- Excellent hole variety: righty, lefty, short and technical, open bombing runs and plenty of great elevation changes.

- The difficulty and overall feel of the course changes as the round progresses, giving you a chance to warm up and see lots of different looks as you move through the round.

- Several very creative hole designs:
--> Hole 3 is 264' uphill with three distinct routes to the basket (two favoring right handers and one for the southpaws) PLUS a basket hanging 5 feet above a very small protected green.
--> Hole 4 has a 315' U-shaped fairway, with a very small landing area about halfway to the hole that is covered with pine saplings, making an accurate drive critical.
--> Hole 10 runs 300' downhill to a very small green and a basket built atop a HUGE boulder (I believe the basket is 10' above the base of the rock). A missed putt is very costly.
--> Hole 11 is a 734' par 5 beauty, with both short and long tiered tee pads, situated in back of the Brackett's home. You throw from the top of a large hill, shooting down a tunnel into a very tight fairway, with a carp pond just to the left of the landing area. You next throw is a more 'typical' difficult wooded shot, but you still don't have a real look at the basket, which is tucked around a corner at the end of the fairway with a 30' green.
--> Hole 13 is a 460' tunnel shot, with large trees on the left and a creek on the right. Your drive must be extremely accurate (and around 300') to have a chance to make a decent upshot at the tiny green, which is protected by an S-shaped ravine in front and left and the creek behind and right.
--> Hole 18 is a "simple" 606 uphill shot, but there are several burms and gulleys throughout the fairway that force accuracy AND distance on each throw.

- Very well-maintained, with trash cans at every tee pad and several "amenities" and special extras that set this course apart. It is obvious that this course is a labor of love.

- Since this is a private course (located on privately-owned land), there isn't a lot of traffic on the course, so you can take your time and don't have to worry about fighting crowds or long waits.

- Some of the tee pads were a little too short for my taste.

- A few tee pads were harder to find than others (although there were "next hole this way" signs very close to many baskets).

I played this course while on vacation in the Charlotte area on the recommendation of several of the locals (and the reviews here) and it definitely lived up to the hype. I'd stack this course up against ANY of the courses I've played and would recommend it to anyone visting the area as a MUST PLAY.

Thank you so much to the Brackett family for oepning up your excellent disc golf course to the community!!!

Well....ok you cant really compare anything to flip city- the course. However what I can compare to flip city is the feeling of gratitude and satisfaction of knowing I have played one of the best courses possible! The Bluff is one of the best and most originally designed courses out there! There is something for everyone from hole #1 which is a nice easy 176 footer with a slight fade to the right, to the big 606' finisher at #18 next to the power lines back up the hill. There are several chances to air it out but accuracy is crucial for most of the course. Bring your straightest flying disc and make sure that it is brightly colored as most of the course has abundant trees with heavy cover that tends to darken the areas that you are looking.

This course offers some of the most unique holes that you will see in disc golf, some of the highlights include:

Hole #3 uphill with the basket hanging above the rocks just beyond a deep ravine.
Hole #6 very cool tee area and troll at the bridge mid fairway area.
Hole #10 out of the woods then back into the woods with the basket perched atop a large (20 foot tall) boulder.
Hole #11 Uber-long albeit downhill for a good portion, stout (mens) tee pad is at treetop level of the large fairway trees.
Hole #13 my favorite with the tight fairway-trees on the left, creek on the right, winding ravine just short of the basket. Sounds ominous but is a very cool hole, be sure to check out the funky growing tree on the right just short of the ravine. I could go on with highlights, but I wont, you will just have to go see it for yourselves.
All holes have a clear lane or lanes to the basket but it bears repeating accuracy is crucial. This course will "tear you a new one" but if you dont focus on the score and just truly appreciate playing one of the coolest courses that you will see, then you will have a great day.

The Brackett's are working feverishly every day to make this a world class course in anticipation of hosting the 2012 worlds tournament. They installed new tee pads on holes 4 and 5 in the 2 weeks that I was in town leaving hole 9 as the only hole that I can think of with a gravel tee pad, which I'm sure will change shortly. All others are either very level and well constructed concrete, brick or brick-like patio blocks. There were trash cans and butt cans on almost every hole so dont litter and putt your butts in their place. THERE ARE NO MORE NATURAL TEE PADS ALL PADS ARE NOW INSTALLED!

This course has a good portion of holes that fade or dog leg to the right favoring LEFT-HANDED throwers, which I am not! I just thought I would put that in here because I see that from so many leftys about "right handed favoring" courses.
Truly there are only 2 cons if you want to call them that, and like everybody else this is just nit picking because it is very difficult to call anything a con here.
1. There are a couple of spots where holes cross. Hole #10 crosses hole#18 and hole #11 crosses hole #17. I believe this is something they will have to address before hosting the "worlds" tournament. It wasnt really a big con to me, I just wanted to mention it so you will be aware in those areas.
2. Parking could become an issue if it gets busy. Pull all the way in and TURN AROUND so your car is facing out before you park! DONT PARK ON THE "TURN AROUND SPOT" and this will help!

Be in shape or this course will get you in shape.
Wear good shoes.
Not a good course for beginners. (IMO)
The puppy IS very cool. I miss MY dog!
I know it has been said before but it bears repeating the Brackett's were very cool hosts, very good people and I thank them profusely for their hospitality.

FINALLY-MAKE A DONATION!!! THE BRACKETT'S ARE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON IMPROVEMENTS TO THIS COURSE ON A DAILY BASIS!!!

PEACE- HAVE GOOD DISCING!!!

wow where to start umm exelent basket locations ,great fairways,very very well upkept,on locatoin disc store,locals and owners very helpfull and friendly,well descpited hole location signs,and friendly k9s!!!

lol none nada zilch absaloutly no complaints!!!

overall this is a very fun well upkept course hard but fun.i would recomend this course to a begginer and pros alike.

great teepads on 3/4 of the holes (emaculantly maintained) you can tell the hard hard work dave puts in, fairways and basket locations are wonderfully designed, will be playing there again within the week, if you play there,

Update:NEW # 5 AND #6, WHEN FINISHED WITH #4(HORSESHOE HOLE) GO RIGHT AND THERE WILL BE A NARROW FAIRWAY FOR NEW #5

DONT FORGET TO DONATE (DONATION BOX IS LOCATED ON TEEPAD ONE) its not cheap to do the work they do for our enjoyment, 100% best course

none... at all

the black puppy was awsome!

dont bring your dog, the brackett family has there on and like it that way

Great course. Great design. Great scenery. Great people. Very nice mix of partly open and fully wooded holes. Elevation change on many holes. Accuracy over distance prevails on this course. Plays much more diffucult than first perceived. Rivals Hornet's Nest and Renny as top course in the area and as or more fun to play than Reedy.

Nothing.

Private.
Favorite Hole -- #9. Huge downhill 300' with basket perched on top of 25' boulder. Missed puts on this hole can destroy a good round.
Hardest Hole -- #13. 450' with a narrow fairway and a heavily guarded basket surrounded by a creek on one side and a deep ravine around the rest. Very tough to par without a great drive and an even better approach shot.

It is really unfortunate what happened with the beautiful land lost at Brackett's. This course used to be in my top 5 and had some of the best and most beautiful holes I have ever played. While the new design is a lot of fun and the course is perfectly manicured and has a very homegrown and unique vibe, the course really doesn't come close to the old course. Definitely give Brackett's a shot if you have a chance and contact Dave about playing if you are not a member.

This course does have some truly unique and magical things like beautiful elevated rock greens, custom teepads, groomed fairways, and crazy gullies and ravines.

Don't play this course if you don't enjoy the homegrown crowd. The course is pretty tight so if you don't enjoy tight fairways you wont like this course.

Beautiful course. Everything you could ask for in a disc golf course. Lots of variety and a need for every shot. Its mostly wooded and requires some very tight throws, but opens up just a bit on the back nine. Tougher than Hornet's Nest but a bit easier than Renny. There are nasty uphill shots where you have to let it go with all you have, but a good downhill shot where youre above the trees and just have to let the disc float. A 606 ft. par 4 finishing hole.There are fairways that look like suburban yards.Beautiful and green. Water comes in to play on a few hole where there is a giant rushing creek, but the owner has set out wader boots along the holes so you can go get your disc if you screw up. Ive played every course in the Charlotte area, and I can say, without a doubt, that Brackett's is the nicest course Ive played. Kudos to the guys maintaining it. They've done a wonderful job. There are chairs or benches at every hole and a mix of concrete, brick, and natural tee-pads. If you decide to play, I would suggest putting a dollar or more in the donation jars throughout the course. It's that good.

None. Zip. Nada. Its a tough course, but it's so gorgeous that you won't mind the fact that its beating you to death. Other than that maybe some trashcans here and there would be nice, but again it's privately owned...feel grateful to play it.

Seriously the best course in the Charlotte area...and that's saying a lot.