We played Buckhorn for the first time yesterday and were blown away. The course is in great condition. They've done great job of clearing underbrush on most holes (don't throw left on the first hole though). There's a nice mixture of hole types. Some with many trees, but still fair and playable. The water holes are daunting. All but #17 give you a decent chance to play around the water. 17 is just a bear. We saw 4 discs go into the pond while there. We'll probably substitute 19 for 17 the next time we play.

17 is unplayable if you don't want to chance losing a disc. As others have said, there are a couple of other holes with water RIGHT behind the basket. Lots of risk/reward there.

We absolutely love this course. Worth the drive.

Buckhorn plays through a mature pine forest and near/over water on several occasions. It's set in a beautiful park and is the type of course that I would love to have as my home course - a good challenge without being a brutal beat down. I enjoy playing among pine trees because there is often little undergrowth. The park was very scenic and well-kept with virtually no trash or rough to lose discs in.

The best part of the course is that it caters to many different levels and is an almost perfect balance of challenge and fun. You play in thick woods but the holes are forgiving if you miss your line and you will have endless recovery options; there aren't any pitch-outs here. The water that comes into play in the form of a lake (holes 8-11) and pond (15 and 17) is also a great example of this. While the water definitely provides some scary drives and approaches, there are ways to lay up and take a less risky approach. This gives you great risk/reward options.

The two tee positions also do a nice job of changing difficulty and looks. The white tees allow you to constantly make birdie runs and the blue tees make you fight for a birdie or par. The concrete tees were very long and in good shape.

I enjoyed choosing from the multiple lines that were offered on some of the holes. There was usually a clearer lane, but you could still get by if you didn't always hit the main one.

The navigation was easy with very little walking between holes.

Again, this is a very scenic park with the tall pines and great views of the lake. A nice place just to hike through.

Not a ton of elevation, but it was used when present. The course begins with some fun downhill shots and there are some cool pin positions that play on slopes. 15, especially, is a fun ravine type shot with a pin on top of a slope and a pond right behind it. It's well-designed in that it's short enough to tempt you to make an ace run, but landing more than a few feet away from the basket could be dangerous.

You're not going to use your high speed drivers too much. 17 may have been the only one I did. This is a fairly short course with 11 holes being <303' from the long tees.

I really enjoyed the water holes, but if even if your disc falls in close to the edge, you're most likely not going to find it between the thick algae and tall grass.

As I said, I'd love to have this as a home course, and it seems that the locals love it here too. Lots of groups playing during a Wednesday evening.

You had to walk through part of 18's fairway to get to 17.

While I'm not complaining about my own personal preference, it did seem to have a lot of RHBH hyzers/a few too many similar holes in the woods.

This is definitely a course where you can both learn the game as well as still be challenged after many rounds here. This is the kind of place where you can play a casual round with your buddies but you will still have to execute some specific shots and pay attention to your game. A welcoming course still without being too chucker-friendly. Definitely a must play if you're in the area and a great compliment to the less forgiving Rock Ridge only 20 or so minutes away.

Buckhorn is one of the best courses in the Triangle. If you're in the area, it's a must-play.

+ Very high on the fun factor: challenging, lots of variety, great water course. This is a heavily wooded course with the only somewhat open holes being water-carry holes.

+ Easy navigation.

+ Blue (advanced) and white (intermediate) tees. It's a challenging course for rec players, but there are alt tees to minimize disc loss risk on the water holes.

+ Nice elevation.

+ Beautiful course, from the lake to the forest. Peaceful, quiet. What disc golf should be.

+ Nice risk/reward elements on the course. Some examples... Hole 15 isn't long, but the basket is on the edge of the hill with water right behind it. The front side of the hill is a hazard area (must putt from the front of the hazard). Do you go for the extremely small area between the hill and the water where the basket is? Play it safe? Try to have it both ways? Hole 8 is probably the shortest hole on the course and a tempting one to go for the ace. But if you go for it and fly over the basket, you can end up in the lake. Hole 17 is a long water carry (from the short or the long tees). Do you lay up or go for it? Hole 10 might be the signature hole as it's a pure water-carry, 285 feet from the blue tee. You can play a safer shot that hyzers earlier than that, but then you have a tough up and down for par.

This course will challenge your mental game AND it's fun to play. Perfect combo.

My only real con is the bugs and snakes. Nothing you can do about this, but wear bug spray and be prepared to battle mosquitoes and horse files. Watch out for snakes around the ponds and lake.

You've gotta play this one if you live in North Carolina or travel to the Triangle. Destination course for sure.

18 hole course set in a wooded, secluded corner of a large park, close to edge of a lake.
- Secluded - Very serene, nice setting in a quiet, wooded, shaded section of woods in a park with many large, mature trees
- Not crowded when I was there (weekday morning), but appeared to be plenty of parking with a short walk to the first hole
- Bulletin board/kiosk for club/league postings as well as warnings about ticks (no course map when I was there - see "other thoughts")
- Navigation was pretty simple, regardless
- Mailbox near tee #1 houses scorecards for the taking
- Benches and trash cans in a few spots
- Solid tee signs showing colored hole map and distance for each tee pad on each hole
- Multiple tee pads on each (most?) hole to a single basket position - allows for variety if you're a frequent player or short tees can be a good intro to wooded courses for newer players
- Concrete tee pads
- Some tight wooded lines create the necessity for precise shots - there's a bunch of everything here - left and right shots - subtle elevation changes that aren't greuling
- Water throw-overs on #9, 10, 11, 17 - nice change-up as these are more open than the rest of the course (well, 17 is still wooded/tight), but still have a lot of risk - #9, 10 and 11 are over the marshy shore line of the big lake, while #17 is over a nasty, funky pond with the pin perched just on the opposite shore
- Nice course maintenance - no trash, well-defined paths, boards over a couple wet spots or ditches, stairs/planks on #15 help get up to the berm, etc.
- Basket #18 brings you right back to the parking lot
- I thought hole #1 was a terrifc opening hole - nice long, wide tunnel with a generous green near some sporadic trees
- Loved hole #8, short little par 3 pitch to a pin perched up rocks with the lake looming close behind with rocks/ditches creating for some interesting footing on your putt if you come up short

- Only played the long tees, but I remember many of the short tees being along the same lines - I like having the short tees create some new lines or looks
- Decent amount of loose underbrush creates some potential for lost discs - spent about 20 minutes looking for my drive on #4 that hugged the left side a bit too much and didn't make the turn
- Warning for ticks was right on - found 2 crawling on me when I got done
- Course map doesn't show water throwover on hole #9, but it is definitely there
- A lot of people seem to like #15's pin perched right on the edge of the pond - in and of itself, that is fine (like pin #8) - however, I don't like how you have essentially to shoot up a small cliff at the basket (big ditch in front) and anything long you lose in the drink - tough holes are fine, but there is nowhere to truly layup and getting aggressive could cost you a disc - if the area in front of the green was more equal elevation, I think I would like this more
- Maybe there's a reason, but the random roped-off section of OB on hole #18 seemed kind of silly
- Some tee pads aren't as flush with the ground as they could/should be

- Can't decide if I like hole #16 or not - short pitch, then 90+ degree left turn to another long "fairway" - definitely unique and forces a precise "drive", but for some reason I felt annoyed not really being able to go in the direction of the pin off the tee
- No course map online or at site when I played, but I now see that a course map has been added to this site. Although it's not overly detailed, I think a map is a must for all top courses
- Nice view out over the lake on holes 8, 9, 10, 11 - somewhat spoiled by the nuclear plant exhaust stack on the other side...
- I believe this park/course actually closes at dark

This was a very nice course that presented some interesting challenges. The woods make you play very precise golf and the holes at the lake and pond create some danger. Definitely a great stop during my visit to the Triangle.

Two sets of pads that are a good balance. The whites are not overbearing and can make for a funner quick round and the blues will test your game to the max.

There is serious risk reward on this course with several holes that have a fast green or have an OB pond very close to the basket.

The Holes along the lake can be beautiful.

Benches, trashcans and signage are all very nice.

The Water holes are all pretty much the same shot hyzer with the lake on the right.

18's OB is trivial and seems out of place

This Course has several tweener holes which I never like.

Hole 16 long is a poor design. you throw about 150' to a 90 degree turn then its a 300' tunnel. Not a good hole imo

Lots of chances for lost discs.

No real open hole(guess two water holes might count)

Buckhorn is my favorite course in the triangle. It is a very tough layout with several signature holes and pin placements. The course is well worth your time to drive out of your way to play.

-Amazing risk reward
-Gorgeous land
-Up/down - left/right
Water holes
-Alternate tees
-Solid fairways great layout.
-Bathrooms.
-Solid short/long relationship.

-Tee location doesn't change the lane just usually 30-70 ft behind the whites except for a few holes.
-No alternate pins
-Would have been nice to include a LHBH/RHFH shot near water for balance.
-Too many ace runs.

Loved this course. First time out there today all the way from Southern Va. I fell in love with the course and didn't want to leave. I will be back with friends .

Beautiful course. Lots of chances to throw over water. It's a good course to work on the, very important, mental aspect of throwing. Great to build confidence. OB is marked on many holes. Nice concrete tees and disc catcher baskets make this a wonderful course for solo play or with a small group.

Many risk reward shots makes it a easy place for new throwers to lose discs. Due to a lack of signage I missed 16 completely the fist time I played.

Leave your drivers in your bag. This park can, and I personally think should, be played with mid range and putting discs. I would suggest that all throwers bring at least one "sacrificial" disc for those throws that you want to take but do not want to lose good plastic.

I love this course, just to put it out there, so I'm a bit biased.
+Wooded technical course, lots of tight lines that force you to pull out all the tricks in your bag.
+Water used to effectively force you to examine your options. Go for it, and risk the plastic loss, or not. The fact of the matter is, that the water isn't hard. It can make you play conservatively (whether on purpose or subconciously). But for the most part, if you step up with confidence in your shot, disc, and line, then there is no issue.
+Drains well! If it rained the day before, or even that morning, boggy morasses are not an issue. There will be a few patches of mud of course, but for the most part, water drainage on this course is excellent, so don't be too concerned with poor weather the past day or two.
+Large open field across the road (by the mountain biking parking) where you can practice bombers and everything else.

-Not for beginners. Even skipping the water holes leaves you with some frustrating play. Be despite this, I know lots of casual chuckers that enjoy it despite coming out +20 strokes.
-Some blue tees are just silly.
-Doesn't open until 8am. (I get off work at the plant at 6am sometimes, and I REALLY wish I could play it)

10 and 11: Easy huge hyzer with a over/stable disc and you almost can't lose it, even if you're short. Indecently, people looking for open bombers should note that there's nothing over the water...so these are in fact, open to bombing big hyzers....
17: Can you throw a low ceilinged straight and fast 280'? Then do it. No? Practice. Or lay up to the bank and toss the 100' or so over the pond.

Buckhorn is one of the best courses in the Triangle area, if not the best. If somebody wanted to know what NC golf is about I'd take them here. It combines a great location with a solid layout and setup to shell out great rounds of disc golf.

It's located in a park on Harris Lake and it's a great atmosphere. It's very secluded and never crowded. It's primarily very wooded with some slightly open holes by the lake.

The signs, baskets and teepads are in good condition, there are signs telling you where to go where it's not obvious. There are benches and trashcans throughout the course. Multiple tees for most of the holes that change the shots and offer different looks.

The layout is very well done. It offers a great mix of shots and creates a very technical course but fair. It uses the water on the course very well. My favorite aspect of the course is that they designed to have a ton of risk reward shots.

There aren't many but the main drawback is it doesn't incorporate a couple of more open holes to give it more of a mix on hole type. The wooded holes are great but the addition of just one big bomber would make it much better.

Every now and then you run in to non-dg'ers on the course who are up to no good, usually teens but it can be a nuisance. In the summer you might run in to water snakes so be mindful of your surroundings.

Not much elevation to work with on the course but it is what it is.

The one teepad that makes no sense is #16 long (blue). It basically plays 150' up to the short tee (white) then takes a dead left. It's practically impossible to do anything but throw to the shorter tee.

Holes that stand out.

#1 - it's a great starter hole. wider fairway than most of the course, beautiful fairway, gets you in the mood for the round.

#3 - Biggest elevation change on the course, drops down in to a valley and comes back up a bit. Multiple routes on this one.

#4 - Longest hole at 486 feet. Big tight dog leg, you have to start off with a solid drive to score well.

#6 - Another long dogleg from the blue tee which doubles the length of the hole in comparison to the whites. Creates a really difficult drive that you have to land accurately to setup an approach shot.

#8 - It's a short dinky downhill hole right towards the lake where the basket sits on the shoreline. Looks great and puts a fear in you that makes you not want to go for it.

#10 - The blue tee gives you a shot across a cove, another great looking hole.

#11 - This one runs along the shoreline, you have to basically go out over the water and bring it back in right to left to where the basket sits. One of the funnest holes on the course

#12 - Great looking hole that's slightly uphill, past two large trees that make an X. It curves hard left to right then goes back up again a bit. Fun anny hole for righties.

#15 - Huge risk reward hole. The basket sits right on the edge of a pond retention wall. If you go for it and miss you're in the drink.

#17 - The signature hole in my opinion. Long hole that goes slightly down through a tunnel where you need to keep it low where it opens up to the pond which you must cross to hit a sloped bank where the basket sits about 30' from the water.

Not many people can make it across and not many dare.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Buckhorn is not a course for the faint of heart. This is the epitome of a technical woods course. Not overly long - but there are definitley a few "longer" holes requiring good power and EXTREMELY accurate placement to set you up for an approach. There is also a nice combination of left and right turns that force you to perform and be very deliberate with the flight of your disc.
I like the overall balance of this course - as there are definitely a few dinkers you just gotta get, a few more medium shots that are there to get if you execute properly, and a few that you either execute - or you pay the piper.
Well kept, well marked, decent tees, great challenge.

It's an 18 hole circuit - you don't return to the parking lot during the round - not a big CON, but one to be prepared for.
Slightly remote - also not a big CON - but also one to consider as you plan your travel - Buckhorn IS a little off the beaten path. Being that this is a tighter/technical course - I can't see it being beginner friendly.

Buckhorn is the course that forced the Raleigh Area Disc League (RADL) to abandon Cedar Hills as part of the X Town Classic. It is plainly a step above Cedar Hills in both overall quality, and in difficulty. Nice mix of tight and tighter. Nice use of water hazards, nice test of skill. If you're not a woods player - you probably wouldn't rate this course as highly as I have. If you are a woods player, you will immediately appreciate what Buckhorn has to offer. Definitely worth a visit, and one of the courses responsible for the high caliber players coming out of this part of NC.

Very well maintained course. Very challenging course. scorecards are set up in the mailbox at the first course. Very long with lots of walking and scenery to look at.

A few holes with water that can be difficult to cross for beginners. Hole 17 seems to be a lot longer than it is marked for.