Bradley Center is an 18 hole wooded course in Gastonia. The course has nice tees, tee signs, DISCatcher baskets, and benches throughout. The park has a few ballfields, a recreation center, tennis courts, picnic areas, etc.

Bradley Center seems to have been designed with Intermediate players in mind, but in a way that Rec players are still going to enjoy their time and Advanced players will have a blast. The course is fairly technical as it weaves through the woods on the property, shaping its fairways with angles that are going to force a variety of shots. The course will give players plenty of opportunities to get aggressive, but will also force placement shots.

I've heard that the course designers had heavy restrictions placed on where/how the front-nine were designed. I have to say, I thought they did a marvelous job! With a lot of thought needed to make 4, 5, & 6 possibilities, I'd have to say that the time was well spent. These holes in particular require a lot of touch, a lot of thought on angle and height of release, and how quickly a disc turns. None of the holes here felt like they required luck, just accuracy and good angle control. I left the front-nine having thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the course up to that point.

The back-nine does however step up its game a bit. Most noticeably you no longer feel like the course is as congested as you might on a busy day while playing the front-nine. Additionally, the course begins to highlight a lot of interesting elevation features. There is more risk/reward in play back here, with Hole 12 being the ultimate risk/reward hole. (It plays over a deep gully, with rollaways likely being common for missed putts.)

There are six Par 4s to help break the course up a little, and add a bit of flavor into your rounds. I'd say eagle is definitely in play for half of these with well executed drives (4, 11, & 14) while the other half are placement shots off the tee, and then pitch up for tap-in birdies (3, 15, & 18). I didn't mind these holes, they reminded me of a few holes from the old (and defunct RIP) R.L. Smith layout.

I think the course would benefit from really nice tee signs. Right now they seem to just be laminated pieces of paper with maps from MS Paint. While they work, and I appreciate the distances to landing zones being labeled, they make the course feel a lot newer than it is - and don't quite match the quality of the design of the course.

There are a few places on the front-nine where the course feels congested. The tees for 7 & 9 are very close together, and are both close to Hole 8's basket. Hole 8 also plays fairly close to private property, though if you manage to hit the double mando, it'd be hard to bring them into play.

There's a decent amount of underbrush throughout the course, which would likely increase the chances of a lost disc. Seemed very prominent on Holes, 15 through 17. A bad kick, and your disc might find itself up underneath some small plants and become a chore to locate.

A few places on the back-nine are showing significant signs of erosion. A switchback with stairs has been built on the hill for Hole 14, but Hole 12 might benefit from a couple of erosion bars put in around the green.

I have heard people having issues with tees made out of pavers, especially when they are wet. I've never had an issue, but it is worth noting if you're heading out that way after the rain.

Truthfully, I didn't have the highest expectations when I showed up to play Bradley Center. While my friends had all said it was a good course, I don't think their words had done it enough justice. I think it might be getting lost in the shuffle of some of the nearby courses among NC disc golfers, because it doesn't come up as often in conversation as it should when talking about courses people should travel to check out.

I am giving it a 3.5 rating for the time being, it is a fun course that is technical enough for everyone to enjoy, without feeling like the course is just beating you down over-and-over. I do wish it had one bomber Par 4 or a few long tees, but it's obvious that these possibilities just weren't in the cards that the designers were dealt.

This course is a great addition to the Gastonia disc golf scene, and can be paired with Rankin Lake for a fun day of golf. If you are from the Charlotte area and enjoy Squirrel Lake, but wish it were a full 18, I don't think I could recommend Bradley Center enough.

Favorite Holes: 4, 9, 11, & 14

I played this in a tournament for the first time, so I was playing a bit tight. I can't wait to play this one for fun with some friends. It has a great variety of shots with some tough lines to hit. Mostly wooded with a few open shots to hit. The regulars all seemed nice and helpful with the layout. There wasn't any water to worry about. Good elevation change and some really cool pin placement.

As with most courses, signage could be better with a map and score card. Probably best to follow people who have played this course before.

I want to play this one again for sure

Bradley Center DGC is well worth paying a visit if you have a mind to do so. Not a monster, but enough trees to keep you honest, and some fun elevation change here and there. The tees are marked with numbered 4x4 posts, and pads are small but level, paved with block, and laminated signs posted at each tee with hole map, distance, and +/- elevation change. Occasionally there will be notes posted mid-fairway noting distance to the pin. I liked the converging nines, with hole 1 and hole 10 both next to the practice basket and pavilion. There are many chances to put birdies on the scorecard with several short holes, and several manageable par 4's. Woods are prevalent on most holes, 2, 7, 8, and 9 being the most grassy open park style holes. I birdied the first hole, and had a hard time almost every hole after. 3 was a crazy boomerang dogleg left. Drivers are too much off the tee. I bogeyed 3, 4, and 5, all because of bonking into the numerous trees. After 6, you cross the road, and finish the front nine. I birdied 7, an uphill low line drive shot. 8 and 9 are both nice holes, also reachable with a good drive. Back 9 is all woods. 10 is a birdie hole where I managed to miss the putt. 11 is a good par 4 with a dogleg right. 12 is short, but across a fairly deep ravine with trees. I took a bogey on another birdie hole. 14 and 15 are par 4's, and not too long to make a 3. 16 is a downhill through the trees, and 17 is back uphill shorter and steeper. Missed birdie putts on both. Both can be birdied. 18 is another par 4 that turns hard left with a mando, and is uphill before the turn, downhill after.

Really no complaints. Tee pads could be larger. Some blind holes. 3 was especially tough to judge. Funky smell next to first hole. Maybe from the small creek along side it. Water was around a few places, but low and very avoidable. There may be one or two places where the course is close to roads, picnic spots or trails.

This is a solid course, and a nice compliment to nearby Rankin Lake. I might give a 4 disc rating if the tees were larger and concrete. Really nice design for the park space available. The long holes aren't too long, and if you can stay off the trees and make putts, you might get way under par. I did not. Would definitely play this course again.

Course is set in a multi-use community level park of about 50 acres on rolling piedmont terrain. Park as a whole is nearly completely developed and so future additions or expansions to the course should be limited at best, although there is some decent undeveloped acreage across one of the creek's forks which bisects the property on the east side.

Course, in the main, is sequestered from other park activities and features returning 9's. Equipment is above average as are park amenities, but only when the park is open. Otherwise, come prepared with water and proper footwear. Tees are natural and could be an issue depending on weather conditions. Signage, benches and markers are inconsistent, but every tee is marked well enough; way finding is not an issue. The mandatories, 3 by my count, are all well marked and the course also features several 'distance to the pin' markers that are quite helpful. Course conditions overall are somewhat rough (or maybe I'm just spoiled), consisting mainly of tree litter and work day cullings. Should you visit, bear in mind that the stewards of this course request all refuse be packed out.

In general, the course's atmosphere exemplifies the type of east coast technical course that was standard fare in the early-mid 80's. As I played, I had some strong nostalgic flashbacks to the days of my youth when I was just learning the game. Bradley has that intimate old school scale and feel, but does offer some improvements on that model, not the least of which is more length overall. Back nine is several strokes tougher than the front via length and more extreme elevation changes encountered. One of the issues for courses of this type is the buffering between parallel fairways; as foot traffic increases, these areas tend to get 'wallered out'. Negative effects on play result, especially on crowded days. The designers at Bradley Center DGC seem to have foreseen this problem, and their routing largely minimizes this potential issue.

For the 18, average hole length is about 285'. 4 of the 5 longest holes (all >350') are on the back nine. Scoring chances for most players abound as 9 holes are 250' or less. Regarding balance, Bradley is decidedly clock spin centric from the tee and approach, as half the holes favor this spin's stable shot shape from the tee and nearly as many from the approach. Flat, uphill, downhill, 'cross-the-valley', 'over-the-hump' and cross-hill holes are all represented. Greens are largely neutral with regard to spin receptivity, although there are frequent drop-offs and crenellations that strongly encourage prudence around the greens, especially so on the back nine. Generous scrambling and recovery chances also abound, as it seems one must WANT (via reckless play) to find the really tough penal rough or ob areas. Of note thematically are holes # 6, 9, 10, 12, & 14. All to a certain degree all exhibit what I'd call the 'button-hook' shape. Button-hooks are largely straight holes but terminate in a very sharp turn at or near the green. Faster discs with a high fade rating might take easy advantage of this type of hole.

For such a relatively short, tight course, Bradley has several holes of particular note.

#4 - This hole exhibits superior 'geometry'; it is a very laterally compressed 'S' shape. From the tee, the line of play sits slightly offset from the main line of the fairway which consists of a narrow parallel row of pines. The green is similarly offset from the fairway, but at the opposing angle, quite the brain-buster.

#12 - At 190', a very compelling tough short hole - left to right, slightly downhill over a 15' deep gorge with a very tight low ceiling fairway.

#15 - a very unusual fairway shape for a disc golf hole - the question mark.

#18 - A very tough finishing hole, a right to left dogleg with a mandatory right about 125' out. Although this mandatory protects a ramada from errant shots, I feel this particular contrivance unnecessary, as the layout of hole encourages this natural shot shape from the tee. Moreover, this mandatory nearly eliminates the possibility of the 'heroic' play to finish the round. I suggest an adjustment.

Bradley Center DGC, according to the DGCR page has 7 designers, who are most likely the fellows personally responsible for all the work there. In general, I am not a fan of design by committee, mainly due to the dilution of vision and design unity that normally occurs in this situation. I am edified that, in this case, the designers have transcended this pitfall to arrive at a solid offering. The main issue going forward would be polish and refinement, that I'm sure will come in time.

A combination of open land, lightly wooded, and heavily wooded play.

Out of bounds woods is light, making it easy to find lost discs.

Practice Putting Basket.

No maps or signs to designate pars on a majority of the holes.

Many holes make you feel like you're in the mountains with all the elevation changes. Lots of trees so shade is a plus for the hot days

Too many sharp dropoff's alongside many holes. If you don't throw right you may or may not be able to safely treck down the mini cliffs to get your discs

Definitely provides a challenge at any skill level.

Bradley is a very nice course in Gastonia and it's nice to have another course in the town I live in. It has a practice basket which now means you can practice your putts if you need to. The baskets are in great shape on the holes too.

-This course has many different shaped fairways which make this course very tricky and your birdie opportunities can go away very quickly. But lots of room to shoot really well here. I once shot eleven under.

-The use of elevation is also great. Hilly courses are not always designed and you can tell if every hole is uphill or downhill.

-The par 4's are short but all difficult. Hole 3 is a double dogleg and fairway is narrow. 11 is a legit dogleg right and watch out for the giant hill to the left of the fairway after the landing zone. It's hard to get out once you get there. 14 is STEEP uphill and a small dogleg left. 15 plays as an interesting flex shot off the tee pad; it makes the hole shaped as a question mark because the basket is far left. Throw right of mando sign. 18 is another "stationing" dogleg left. Get to the landing zone and you're in the field, it has a mando pointing you right.

-I agree with heelboycraig. #13 and #14 are both the best holes on the course. Greatest elevation. #13 fades left a bit, it's a mess past the basket so on this steep downhill shot can get you stuck in the deep woods. #14 is the hardest, it's UP the hill and has a major gain in elevation (+45). Only 366' but plays nearly 500'.

-The tee signs are awesome. Made by the one and only Ashley Birrittier!

-Word of warning: This is not a course you'll enjoy if you are looking to really push yourself. The fairways are all interesting and there are some bad trees. Not saying it requires all luck. The trees have painfully severe mood swings. Sometimes you could shank a drive and a tree will knock you close to the pin, and other times, well. Bye Felicia!

-There is a ton of underbrush on #3's right side. It's not as dangerous as it looks, but you could lose a disc because of a bad kick. And you don't want to go long on #11 because there is a huge steep hill. It would take a very unlucky shot to get near that hill, but if you land on it, you'll be in someone's neighborhood because there are houses down the hill.

Bradley is great and is a fun course. I enjoy playing here and the course has many birdie opportunies. Just don't miss the fairway because if you do, you will be lucky to save par. It's a decent challenge and if you love wooded courses then this could possibly be your favorite. It's short and VERY technical.

-I like how this course isn't like a Charlotte course. It doesn't have those ridiculous ideas for OB, such as OB stakes marking 10' outside of a ditch. The creek here is typically dry, so it is not OB, but it is enough to mess with your footing. Courses like Robbins, Renny, and a few others in Charlotte have those stakes, so I love how this course is forgiving in that sense. But toward bad kicks, you'll have to work to get out.

Nice setups, tunnel shots and open shots, people who play there are very nice and I've gotten a call back on the only disc I've lost there and respectfully returned the favor on the two I've found.

Needs permanent teepads

Great course for a beginner/intermediate player like myself. Both parts of the course (front and back 9) have a little bit of everything and require an array of shots and discs. Lots of elevation change with a good mix of distance and mostly precision required especially on the back 9. The back 9 are really fun to play and challenging in my opinion. There are several blind shots and also areas where if you overthrow your disc it falls off a cliff so to speak and can be a pain to retrieve.

No concrete pads or signs at the tees. Lots of roots, stumps even in some tee boxes which really makes you concentrate more on your footwork than your throw in some cases. Some areas need more clearing out because they look like snake pits. I imagine that since this course is so new they will be making any necessary housekeeping changes and adding all the other amenities.

All and all this is a good course for a beginner or intermediate player. A tale of two different 9 hole courses in the same park. A good alternative to the more challenging Rankin Lake course which is close by.

Bradley Center is a nice addition to Gastonia's disc golf scene. The course starts out slow, but by the end, I was pleasantly surprised how much fun I had.
- There are some pretty nice holes on the course. It's a good mix of fun, challenging and fun & challenging holes. The back nine is exponentially better than the front nine, almost to the point it feels like 2 completely different courses. The back nine is heavily wooded, with some good elevation holes (highlighted by #13, 14 &16), sharp doglegs and other good layouts. The front nine only had one good hole (#8), a couple decent holes and some in the "other" category.
- The good holes (basically #8 - 18) offer huge "fun" factor, as well as good risk/reward factor. There are plenty of chances for birdies, but trees/woods offer obstacles, plus chances for lost discs.
- Very nice laid out course. Front nine plays in the front of the park. The back nine plays in the back part, behind the rec center. A nice example of the course's flow: tees for #1 & 10 are about 20 feet apart, heading in opposite directions. Also, special mention of the hard work put into this course. It's nice seeing some many steps on up & down hill holes.
- Nice course map. Very descriptive and accurate. The course has good flow, that I only needed the map a couple of times. Each hole has a small sign listing the hole number, and they're relatively easy to spot.
- Great park overall with lots of amenities. There's a nice rec center, ball fields, tennis & b-ball courts, picnic areas. But, my favorite part of the park was the gravel baseball field. Not sure what it's used for, or if the kids are just tougher in G-Town, but it's something I've never seen before.
- Also, because the park gets so much usage, you don't have the issue of men driving through the park looking for *ahem* "companionship" as you do at Rankin. Definitely a more family-friendly park than Rankin.

The cons are pretty much confined to the front 9. If someone only played the front 9 and left, you'd think this was a bad course. And honestly, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to leave after the front 9.
- There are some less-than-stellar hole layouts on the front. The problems range from holes essentially the same (#4 - 6); too much luck factor involved (some holes you're better throwing way off line to avoid trees); lack of challenge (even if you hit some trees, you usually have easy second shot to save par. As said, #8 was the only true above-average hole on the front; 1,2 & 9 were decent; the rest just seemed ho-hum.
- The par 4s all seemed gimmicky. Maybe it was due to a lack of space (all are under 400 feet), but instead of having length, they all had some quirk to them. #3, 11 & 15 all were extreme doglegs, where you were essentially forced to throw a mid-range (in the 200 - 250 range), then throw your second shot towards the basket. As an example, #3 was a poor man's #16 from Hornets Nest without the elevation. #14 was by far the best of the par 4, playing much longer than its 366 foot length. #18 should be a par 3.
- Dirt tee pads. For the most part, it's not a problem; but, on some holes, a flat surface (concrete) is needed for a full, safe run-up.
- There is some lost disc potential, mostly in the back of the course, especially on #11, 13, 16 & 17. If your shot sails long on #16, you could end up past the creek in thick rough.
- #12 seems like a love-it or hate-it type of hole. It's a short, downhill hole (190 feet) with an uphill shot to the basket. Basically, you're throwing down a ravine, and the hole is on top of the ravine to the right. I think this hole would work a lot better if it were longer; but, being relatively short eliminates part of the challenge. It feels like it could have been a really tough par 3 if you were forced to throw a driver off the tee (say, make it 350 feet), but at this length, it's just a ho-hum 3.

Think of this course as your hole-in-the-wall diner/restaurant. You first step inside, see how dark/unattractive it looks, and wonder why anyone would ever eat there. (Here's my shameless plug for Foskoskie's in Charlotte. Google it. Eat it.) That's how I felt after the first batch of holes. But once the food was served, you realize just how good it actually is, and feel like you've stumbled up a nice, little secret. And that's what the last 10 holes do for Bradley.
- I had decent expectations of it before I played, almost no expectations after hole #7, and by the end, I was hooked and ready to play again. It's amazing what a stretch of solid, fun, challenging, variety of holes will get you.
- My two favorite holes were #13 & 14. #13 is a mid-range (242 feet) downhill, wooded, slight dogleg left hole. Throw a good tee shot, and let it sail back towards the basket for a birdie putt. It's the type of hole you feel you should get close on every time, but there's enough obstacles that will bring out the frustration.
- #14 is a short par 4 (366 feet), but plays much longer. Right in front of the tee (maybe 100 feet) is a 20 foot hill, so you need to get your tee shot in the air right away. You also need to keep your shot straight, or you'll end up in the woods, and won't have much of a second shot. If you land in the fairway, it's a decent dogleg left to the basket. Throw in #16 (very similar to #5 at Fox Chase in Albemarle) and you have a great little stretch of holes.
- Underrated course in that it gets lost in the shadow of Charlotte. More diverse and more fun than other courses in the region. It's well worth a visit for a round or two.

A new course in a nice little community park that has all the normal family amenities.

18 brand new Discatcher baskets.

Easy to navigate. No signs are up yet, and I had no problem finding each tee and basket. Decent flow between holes.

Good variety and hole design. Nothing repetitive. Good balance of left, right and straight shots.

Fairways were well defined and cleared. Rough was not to thick in most areas. Not much of a chance of losing a disc anywhere.

Natural tee pads right now. I'm sure this will change as the local club is very active.

No navigation or tee signs yet.

Long walk from #9 back to #10. If you didn't see 10 when you were at 1 it could be confusing.

#7 and #9 play a little too close to the road for my tastes. I am not a big fan of having to worry about cars, and using roads for OB.

There is currently a brush pile right behind #2. I had to fight off a large copperhead to get my putter. I'm sure that pile will get cleared, but if it is there when you play be careful.

The front 9 on this course plays like a typical short, wooded city park course. There is nothing especially memorable or thrilling. #3 with its horseshoe like shape and #4 both are fairly fun and challenging, but most of the holes are mundane on the front 9. 5 and 6 are both very tight tunnel shots through the pine trees and # 6 also has the basket on a small slope leading to the OB road, but all in all the front 9 offers nothing special. 8 is a decent hole, but not exceptional.

But if you can get warmed up on the front 9 then you'll be ready for the back 9. #10 lulls you into thinking that the back 9 is more of the same just in thicker woods. But starting with #11 you get a run of great disc golf. 11 reminded me of Nevin and requires a couple well placed shots to even have a chance at par. And the fairway is tight enough to keep you from just chucking with all your might. Then 12 is a nice little ace run with the basket perched on a hill behind a small ravine. 13 is a fun little downhill shot that you pay for on 14. 14 has a steep hill you must get up and over followed by a more gradual hill before curving left toward the basket. 15 offers multiple curves that force you to make a few different type shots on the same hole. 16 is a downhill ace run, or maybe not if you can't keep it in the fairway. Just enough risk to make you think. 17 plays uphill through the woods and has a deep creek bed behind the basket. 18 is a fairly long hole to finish that comes out of the woods into an open field before re-entering the woods by the basket.

The back 9 offers great variety with lefts, rights, ups, downs and tight fairways to keep you honest the whole time. And only on 18 is there a place where you can criticize the fairway for being unfair or unkind. But that will probably be taken care of as the course gets worked on and ages. Bradley's back 9 is as fun as almost any course you'll play. It offers challenges and opportunities for great shots and aces.

I'd probably give the front 9 on this course a 2 or 2.5, but the back 9 more than makes up for it. It's just a well designed, fun run of holes. With this course and Ranking Lake Gastonia is well worth a visit if you're in the Charlotte area.

July 2013 Update - I have played Bradley a few more times now and it has been improved since my initial review. Pads are still not in, but fairways have been beaten in nicely and a couple nice changes have been done. #4 is not quite as brutally tight as it used to be, but can still kill you if you don't make a really good shot. #6 has been changed from a repetitive tight tunnel to a nice dramatic RHBH hyzer. The basket still sits on a slop with an OB road behind, but the change does mix up the hole shapes nicely.

Hole 18 has also lost the random tree in the middle of the fairway, so that hole is at least 50% better. It now requires a couple nice shots to make a three, instead of simply hoping you didn't nail the tree in the middle of the fairway.

Overall this is still a nice little course. It still needs upgraded tee pads and signs, but the quality of play is very nice. Definitely worth a stop.