This course was just breathtaking. From the awesomely different from our pine forest area topography including many hardwoods and rock formation to the lake and the Nuclear power plant behind some of the most scenic greens I have ever played.

Awesome parking, nice sign and maps, scorecards and trash cans!

Front nine were nice and wooded, a few big holes with large doglegs in them from the pros but very manageable from the Am tees! The back nine open up a little bit along the lake inlets with some nice big hyzer bombs out over the lake then back to land. For me the pro tees here were an easier shot than the Ams.. thats just me! Coming up on 15-18 there are some awesome elevation changes with my favorite hole having the basket be about 20-30 feet straight up at the top of a retaining wall for a little lagoon with VERY little working room if you over shot the basket! AWESOME course!

The cons here have to do with the locals, not the course. We played past 2 guys out there (the only other people we saw ALL day) we said hey and merry Xmas and all that, they wished us a happy game and we played on. I chucked a disc into the lagoon coming down on 17 and we decided to play to 18 and find a stick to come back and get it out. while we were walking back with a stick we passed the locals. by the time we got back to the lagoon they had walked threw the chest high semi toxic pond and taken not only my disc, but a bunch of others. I would have been fine with it if they had called me, but they didnt so i assume they called no one else either. They were driving a dark-lime-ish jeep cherokee (mid 90s) if your a local too and know these squids kick them in the balls for me.

Great course, but get your disc when it hits the water if theres others out there playing!

Technically a great course. It has a lot of good attributes; very well designed course. This is my favorite course by far.

There may be some wildlife you need to worry about. Bring bug spray and wear good shoes; I have encountered a snake on hole 13 about 30 feet from the pin. This course is long.

Things you will need: Bug Spray in the spring/summer/fall, Water, good shoes.

I have lost 3 discs here, 2 at the reservoir at the back of hole 15 off the tee, so be careful with this hole.

Now that I've lured you in with sugary treats,let me begin by saying this course was seriously awesome,I'm just going to start listing why now.

- Awesome mix of holes,seriously,just come here and play this course.
- A nice solid blend of finesse shots + water meant fun shots off the tee,including an ace run for me.
- Almost the entire course is in the woods,so there's shade pretty much the whole round,which is nice in the southern heat.
- I think there was almost a bench on every single hole,which is always nice.
- I really enjoyed the teepads,they were a bit more narrow than what I'm used to,but they were all very long,which is always a huge plus in my book.

- Depending on what you're used to,you can't really let a disc rip here,there was maybe two holes where I really aired one out,but this wasn't a major con for me.
- Not that big of a deal,but I don't remember there being any trashcans,so just take out what you bring in.

I'm really bad at pros and cons so i'm just going to get in depth here.

Buckhorn is a tough course,but fair,you can probably play the whole course with a putter and a mid,I think I did do just that for over 85% of my shots.

I think they said the course was designed by a lefty,and you can definitely tell,there are some holes that are righty friendly,but at least 65% of them you're going to be wanting to throw a forehand,or be a lefty.

I can definitely see how some of the water holes could be extremely challenging,you're throwing over a pretty large lake,and fortunately the wind was very mild,but on a gustier day I can imagine it being near impossible to get really close off the tee.

I wish there was maybe one or two more holes where you can air one out,I think if they were well designed that would bump the course up to a 4.5 for me,but regardless,we still had a great time,definitely make sure to check this one out.

Fun Holes with two sets of tees. Descent size fairways. Well marked!

WATER... (Still not a fan of water on a disc golf course. I mean losing a golf ball is one thing but possibly losing a disc that's another!!! And what fun is it if a beginner goes out and loses the 3 discs they have on the first round?) (And for you idiots that like water and have a problem with my last comment , I DID NOT LOSE ANY DISCS IN THE WATER!)

Great other than 11 and 17

#15 SERIOUSLY WHO DESIGNS A HOLE WHERE YOU CAN BANG CHAINS FROM THE TEE AND LOSE YOUR DISC IN THE WATER..............

Great remote location. If you like to fish bring your gear and your NC license. Lots of tight wood shots. Lots of water risks. 17 if you don't throw 300 and straight you need to lay up or throw an old disc. 15 is really neat where you are shooting uphill at very little landing area. An overshoot and your disc is in the pond. You may also have a disc roll back down and pass you after not staying up top. You have got to see the curved tree in front of, as I remember, hole #2. I would love to know the original cause.

In the winter due to the leaves a bright disc is a plus.

What a lovely country atmosphere. Saw chipmunks, wild turkeys and 2 deer. Since I was playing by myself I could just stop and observe and enjoy nature. I do not have much distance. I played around the pond on 17 for a bogey.

The location is the number one pro. It is remote, peaceful, quiet, beautiful, and it even smells great. 100% under a canopy of large old growth forest, this property is amazing and throws in a lake and pond to boot!
The curved tree on #2 looks like it was made for a disc course. Great job of incorporating it into the design.
There are two to three tees on every hole (#8 has just one tee for all). This spread in skill/challenge is great for courses.
Memorable holes galore on this course. #8 is a short putter drive over a bridge and at a pin perched on the edge of the lake (here's a tip, the water is shallow and clear, run at the pin!). #17 is a downhill 400' throw across a NASTY pond and the pin is perched 10' from the other edge. There is also a bunch of low branches which force you to 'tunnel' through the downhill and straight at the pond while trying to get enough lift to get over. #10 and 11 are decently long hyzers (RHBH) almost entirely over the lake. Lots of reeds and weeds make finding waterlogged discs tough (I shanked my surge in on #10 cus it had too little LSS). There is no decent short bailout area, and the greens each slope back down to the water. #9 is probably the most difficult water hole because you need to be straight and accurate through a 20' wide, 175' long wooded tunnel before sweeping over the lake (shallow bay) and finishing left to the pin very near the edge. #15 is a great short hole from atop one side of a ravine, throwing across the low spot to the elevated pin on the other side with a pond 5' behind it (hint, DON'T go long here). #16 has a great 120 degree dogleg left design. You can pitch up to the short tee and then down the main fairway for 275', you could try and punch through the narrow openings in the trees straight at the pin like I did (and missed). #18 green is under a ton of huge old trees that frame it perfectly.
OB water and fairway edges are in play on a number of holes.
There are no benches and trash cans. Yes this is a pro because sitting on a bench just promotes lazy losers to begin vandalizing or tagging things, and trash cans in this period of cutbacks especially in parks are NOT NECESSARY. Why pay a parks employee for his time to collect your trash when you can take it home yourself (afterall you had room to bring it in) and you can also recycle it then!

Only one pin placement. While many of the pins were extremely risky, having alternate pins just increases variety and shot shaping that much more and makes for an even more rounded experience in terms of available variety.
Most of the tees were unfortunately above grade. These can cause you to roll your ankle off the front and they limit longer approaches from the back. However, most are long and wide enough and texture is good.
Unfortunately many of the holes are all the same repetitive, non glamorous wooded style. Essentially every hole is wooded and the only mix you'll get is via distance or right/left/straight turn. But that balance within the wooded holes is very good. If you crave variety of all kinds of holes like I do (at least 1-2 of every type of hole imaginable), then Buckhorn falls short.

I played blue tees here, and there was just one pin location. Once again I'm torn on this rating, but at a different threshold. I'm thinking 3.75 would be perfect, but need to fit this into the existing scale. While Buckhorn is an excellent course that offers plenty of challenge, a ton of watery risk, and some very unique features, I'm afraid that it is variety that I crave on my courses. You don't get any big elevation here, but there are lots of neat wooded ravines and ridges. You have 6 holes with water definitely in play. You have the very long wooded holes 4 and 6 and some short narrow ones. You get a more than 90 degree bend in fairway 16 but a peak at an alternate fairway throwing straight at the pin through a 4' gap. Oh wait, I can't forget to state once again that Buckhorn is remote, quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. Yeah, I guess for a 100% wooded course Buckhorn offers some amazing variety and plenty of great risk that I love. It's not like it's flat. It doesn't feel as repetitive as Valley Springs. Having an alternate pin location on each hole would have made it a 4 without question, but lack of long/huge downhill and a few open rippers would still keep it from a 4.5. More holes here along the access roads would allow you to open it up a bit and rip on some. Maybe a second 18 could even work its way into a clear area somewhere and also utilize more elevation. Then we'd be looking at a destination course.
There are cross country mountain bike trails all over the park as well.
I'd say this is a Blue skill level course (from the long tees). There are plenty of forced shot types with the water and all the trees. I never play as well my first time through a course, but it did challenge me much more than others in the area with a mix of length, water OB, and tight woods.
(The order of favorites on my Raleigh trip is as follows - UNC, Leigh Farms, Harris Lake, Cedar Hills, Zebulon, Middle Creek, and Valley Springs. UNC and Leigh farms were runaway winners but with vastly different reasons. Harris Lake was repetitive being almost all wooded, but real fun to play and lots of risk. Cedar Hills, Zeb, and Middle creek were all tied around the average for different reasons. Valley Springs was very fun, but repetitively grueling.)

Great elevation changes.
Lots of challenging water shots.
Good mix of short and long holes.
Multiple tees.
Good mix of hyzer and anhyzer drives.

A little confusing to find the next hole a couple of times.

Not for beginners or if you're worried about losing discs into the water.

Challenging course that demands accuracy and distance. Blue, White and Red tees for different levels of skill. Fairways are not wide, but they are wide enough to give you a line. They twist and turn somewhat, so this is a great place to work on your thumber and hammer. Permanent concrete tees and Hole signs.

Not really a con to some people, but lots of ways to lose your discs on this course. The woods off of the fairway can get disc hungry. The forest floor is very loose. Discs can slide out of sight quickly. I probably don't need to mention the water, but it bears mentioning that the water comes into play on about a third of the holes. Park regulations prohibit fishing your disc out of the lake, I believe.

This a fair but challenging course that has all Par 3's on the signs, but a few of them are honest Par 4's or even 5's. I had a lot of fun, especially when I kept the disc in the fairway. Good Risk/Reward. Good mixture of short and very long. Most holes would reward conservative play with a par, but risks were in order for the occasional deuce. There are no facilities for the wives or kids. no playground or bathrooms at the course entrance. A little hard to find. Course navigation was adequate. Occasionally, there are long transitions to the next tee. No practice basket. Bring your A-game, you'll need it.

This course is ten minutes from me so I play it al lot. Doesn't get that busy at least when I've played it. Requires you to throw your lines and hit your fairways. You learn control and finesse at this course. Need to be able to throw a wide range of shots including different putting stances because of all the trees and where your shot could lie. Has everything I look for in a course: elevation, water hazard, technicality, concrete, dual pads. Lots of wild life.

Not a lot of bad things I can say. I would like to see maybe a putting basket close to hole one. Maybe clear out the area around there for warming up. I've seen some snakes out there one I was told was maybe poisonous but watch where your walking. The flys get really annoying out there too. I usually play the longs out here but I don't really like hole 17 long. I think it would be dumb to ever go for the green. I would also like to maybe see more risk reward on hole 16 by making a tough shot to the basket through the trees.

I really like this course and would recommend it to anybody. It's peaceful, scenic and you will leave satisfied.

DISCatchers (YES!!!!), long course for a great practice session, concrete pads, excellently maintained, well-marked, water in play (holes 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, & 17), ample parking spaces, scenic views of Harris Lake, & in park fishing, hiking, mountain-biking, and more!

As previously stated, hole 15 could use a bit of enhancement in regards to the pond which lies approximately 6 feet behind the hole. This probably wouldn't be such an issue if there was a longer landing area & or if the pond didn't drop off to 2 1/2 feet deep in 6 inches. Since the course lies within one of the largest parks in the county, there are often times when families or large groups of people are on the course.

From the reviews I've read before posting this one, and as a local to this course, I must say that people have began to dub this course as "very difficult". I do agree to a certain extent, however, I do feel that this course is an excellent one to learn on. Yes, you may lose a few discs, but without the possibility of failure, advancement is often futile.

great advanced course. techinal and over bearing ruff. tight water nasty alge covered ponds well in the wood. pins placemets are great as well as the pads. felix will fish your disc out of the pond, so if u see a guy of asian decent ask him about your disc he might hav it in his car

in the middle of nowhere

bring your walking shoes, longest walks in between holes ive seen yet

Awesome course. Elevation changes,water,long shots,a couple of short shots,multiple tee pads,excellent location and setting. Relaxed area very courteous players generally. Fantastic fairway upkeep as well as course maintenence do to the regular work of volunteers.

Alot of water on four holes but this is mostly a mental problem as all shots over water are very birdable.extreme rough and bugs in warm months but nothing to keep somone away as the fairways are constantly groomed it seems

This park should have at least two courses with such a nice piece of property to work with.

Challenging.
Water hazards are very well in play.
Very scenic holes.
Great well worn in fairways.
Great range of distances from fairway driver down to putter.
Not much outside of disc golf intermixed in the course.

Wind coming off the water really creates an unfortunate situation for plastic at times.
Some good shots have unlucky kicks back into the water... never to be seen again.
Hole 3 is a WTF hole... needs a little changing.

If you can play good here, you are bomb proof as far as discgolf is concerned.

A great walk through the woods. The course is clean and scenic and not crowded. Very challenging with risk/ reward everywhere. I had no trouble navigating. Multiple concrete tee locations are nice for those really scary shots over the water. If you have good control these shots over the water are fantastic.

It's been said but it's true, this is not for a beginner. Hole 15 seems like a bit more risk than I would like because you need to throw up an embankment to the basket and hiding 10-15 feet behind the basket is a pond covered in algae. The land slopes slightly down past the basket too, so the pond really wants to eat your disc!

If you feel confident with your disc golf skills this is a must play! If you don't feel confident yet, start practicing because you need to play here too!

Tremendous challenge on a tightly wooded course that includes many holes where water is in play. This is amongst the most difficult courses in the area because mistakes are very costly. Buckhorn isn't an especially long course but you must be very accurate to survive. Bring your collection of Rocs and mid range discs and expect shots that cap at around 350'. However, this course is carved out of the woods and the fairways are narrow. I love this course because each fairway is distinct and reasonable, but also very tough to stay within. If you make a mistake, you can end up taking another shot or two just to find your way back to the fairway. Water holes are a ton of fun because they are long and the winds are often adjusting the flight pattern of the discs.

Neither the front nor the back form a loop to the parking lot to allow for playing only 9 holes. Tough for beginners to enjoy if they want to hang around par. No food in general area so you better bring snacks or sandwiches.

Great course for dogs to wander without a leash. Along with UNC, Buckhorn is one of the best two courses in the area. Be prepared for a single mistake to turn a solid round into an average one.

This is the first course I ever played. I have probably played over 50 rounds here this year. Great tee pads. Both pro and amateur on most holes. Good signs. Easy to find your way around. Heavily wooded technical course. You need to use every shot you have to score well. Drives that go in the woods will cost you severely. Water comes into play on 8, 9, 10, 11, 15 and 17. A great challenge, but also a great way to donate plastic to the park.

No real elevation. No bikini girls to retrieve your discs from the water. Not a great place to bring a beginner. Can be frustrating if you don't shoot accurately.

A great overall course. The only thing it realy lacks is a wide open, long bomb hole, or some signature hole with something unique. Watch the wind coming off the lake on holes 8, 10 and 11. I have had some bad things happen to my discs out there this year.

This course makes you use every shot possible. It tests your accuracy and your ability to play around water. Great view of the lake from many holes.

Stay on the fairway, if not you will have to take a couple of shots to get back on the path. Beginners Beware; if you can't control your disc then you might lose it on the holes involving the water and pond. Don't play this course if it's windy, EVER!

Designed by Hall of Famer Carlton Howard. One of the toughest tournaments to play every year because of weather conditions.

DISCatcher Baskets, Concrete Tee Pads, Multiple tee pads for skill, Great variation of hole layouts, Very well groomed, Good use of water.

Blue Tees near impossible to Birdie on certain holes.

Overall not much could be done to improve Buckhorn. Very challenging with beautiful scenery.

Course makes excellent use of the terrain and lakes with a wide variety of hole layouts and shot types. The lake holes always make me nervous about losing a disc but they provide great views and fun shots.

It is a heavily wooded course that provides a good sense of isolation because it rarely has a lot of people playing. The woods make for a very tight course that can be pretty punishing if one strays from the fairways, especially from the blue tees. The positive here is that, from any tee, a good score is an accomplishment.

Baskets are in good condition, there is little to no undergrowth, and almost all holes have signs with blue and white lengths and hole diagrams (as of April 2009 several signs are missing from their posts though, stolen?). There are red, white, and blue tees that (unlike many courses) are appropriately scaled for the skill levels associated with them.

The lakes provide beautiful scenery. However, the inlet around the middle of the course is very swampy and smells terrible. The smell also goes for the pond that the last few holes surround (it is also covered in moss) and small streams that are around.

Hole #15 is particularly frustrating for me. The basket is up a large and very steep rise (10 feet above the ground from the direction you're coming). This would be fine except the rise has only about 6 feet deep of landing area before the pond starts and part of the landing area slopes into the pond. So it's too easy to either have the disc somehow bounce or roll back down the rise or into the pond. The pond wouldn't be terrible if it didn't immediately drop 2 feet or so. It is extremely murky so it's hard to find a disc, and considering the depth, extract it. With a deeper landing or a shallower pond this wouldn't be such a con, but as it is I just never have a good feeling about throwing at this basket.

This is a very expansive park with plenty of walking/hiking/biking trails, fishing, and picnic areas. Nice place to get away for a while.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward -- A-
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities -- C+
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography -- A-
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion -- A
5) Multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them -- C

OK, I admit it.....I am a lefty
That does not help my opinion - especially the water holes.

I ranked this course subjectively based on my own personal enjoyment factor...more accurately my "personal addiction factor". Since I have played a decent number of courses (115 18-hole, 50 9-hole as of early 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they chose courses to play and explore.

Over time, I expect to fill some of my reviews in with more descriptive verbiage...if what I say adds anything to what has already been written. For now, my list is more important to me than the verbiage of my reviews.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me. See my profile for my rating philosophy.