Central Park in Cumming has a lot to offer an intermediate to advanced disc golfer without running off the recreational players. Of the courses I've played, Central produces the greatest variety of distance from its tee pads, featuring a set of blue, red, and white pads. The blue pads are nasty tough on a number of holes, while the whites are accessible to beginners. Most disc golfers will probably prefer the red pads. I'm not sure this is a good course for children or raw beginners, but someone with plenty of energy and a willingness to cut their teeth on a relatively tough course can certainly learn to play here without losing all their discs or getting frustrated out of playing.

Central also has enough land for disc golf that they've installed 27 roomy holes. The "extra" nine loop through the woods near the middle of your round, so if you're not feeling up for 27, it's easy to play 18 and finish at the end of the course.

The slope of the hills here is not particularly steep, but there is definitely enough contour in the land to make it interesting. There are a number of open holes on the front nine, and this part of the course is usually very windy. On the back 2/3 of the course, you see more woods, but the holes in the woods all offer what I'd call "legitimate" fairways. Even in the woods, there are no "plinko" holes, and a number of them offer multiple lines to the basket. There is a sizeable creek running through the property that you have to account for on several holes, which adds an element of interest.

Probably the best "add-on" equipment on this course is the set of wind socks that are installed on many of the holes. Since Central Park is always windy, it's helpful to get a view of what the wind is doing at the basket.

This course keeps changing for the better, so it definitely looks like this course has stewards who are taking good care of it and are always looking for ways to tweak the layout to improve it.

The one significant con on this course -- the one thing that bothers me -- is the quality of the tee pads. Yes, there are rubber mats on just about every hole, but no, they are not all level. Check the condition of the pad before stepping up to drive.

Another factor that might bother first-timers is that this course is not easy to navigate without a map or a guide. This is mainly because the course is so spread out around the land, but a few more queues on where to turn after you hole out would be helpful.

I also see a few places in the more open sections of the course where the tee pads are a bit too close to the baskets of adjacent holes for comfort. Although the tee pads are numbered on the tee signs, more cues before I walk all the way to the wrong one would be nice where a couple or three holes converge in the open section. In places it can be tough to tell which pad throws to which basket.

Finally, a design flaw that is minor to me, but might be significant to some players, is that the 18th hole is not at all near hole 1. You've got to hike several hundred yards uphill to get back to the parking area near the start of the course. No big deal for me, but some people on dgcr are awfully picky about that kind of thing.

Central is rather long, so you don't want to play the full 27 unless you have plenty of energy. Also be aware that this is a VERY windy park, at least in the open fields. You're going to want to bring at least a few discs that are good wind fighters, and you will want to have at least a windbreaker if the weather is not hot. You won't need to pack a lunch here, but it's definitely not going to be a 1-hour round.

There are multiple tees (with multiple signs), so you can make this course as long as you want. Openness of the course will allow you to work on your drives. Out of bounds (pavement, water, and some ropes) will test your accuracy. Hole variety is very nice with 5 holes that are wooded and the rest open or on wooded fringes. There are a quite a few elevation changes on the course, so it makes for a great workout.

Download the course map because you will be confused the first time you play the course.
Launchpads. Sometimes they are on uneven earth or roots underneath the the rubber pads.

Not as busy as Wills or E Roswell if your a local.

*Great hole variety with elevations, distances, and obstacles (trees, creeks, OBs, etc.)

*Good scenery all around despite the giant landfill-cover mountain bordering 8 & 9 and a walk underneath the powerlines on the lettered 9.

*Pin location variety. Some tee variety.

*Some signs, some high quality.

*If the weather has been bad, this course can get mushy - though this obviously holds true with many DG courses.

*If the other DG courses you play don't get you in shape, this one will, especially if you play from blue - though this could easily be a pro too.

*Some tee variety.

*Some signs, or lack thereof.

*Pretty long walk back to the car from 18, especially if you've gone the distance and played all 27.

*Rubber/Natural teepads.

Central Park is a fantastic course. Don't question it, just go play it. However, understand that when you do, you will be presented with an enduring walk amongst BIG hills (especially if you're playing from blue) with many elevation changes, digging through thick brush, and potentially getting lost or turned around in the lettered 9 if you're not with an experienced CPDGC player.

There's not a lot of signage at Central to keep you moving in the right direction, however steps have been taken over the past couple months to improve this. The lettered 9, however, seem to keep being neglected. Also hole signage is somewhat limited, and in some instances is just downright unhelpful or unreadable.

Almost every hole has 2 or more pin locations - unfortunately they aren't moved often enough for this to be a major plus, but it's a plus nonetheless. A few people have discredited the tee locations/variety. In some instances I agree with this, but in most I do not. I view tee locations as a method of training for new players. Obviously people new to the game will probably play from the shorter tees, and Central's handling of this is just as good as any other course in most cases. However, the pads are a different story. There are a good handfull of rubber pads, unfortunately most are worn down or degrading. The rest are natural and after bad weather are no fun, but still manageable.

What wins at this course is the length and challenge of the holes and the great walk/scenery you get to enjoy while you're playing. No course feels like as much an adventure to me while I play as Central does. If you're the kind of player that doesn't care about what's around you while you're playing Disc, you probably won't enjoy Central as much as others. If you're looking for the cleanliness and amenities that places like Alexander Park offer, you probably won't enjoy Central as much as others. However, if you like a good hike through the woods and over tall hills while you play some well designed and challenging holes, Central has what you need.

And for players who have been around the Greater Atlanta DGC's - If you've played Sequoyah in Canton and read the reviews and thought those people were crazy for the way they bashed the course, understand that Central gets the same treatment in it's reviews. I loved Sequoyah and decided that it's reviewers must be lazy, out of shape, whiny players who run from anything remotely challenging. If you feel the same, come to Central and give it a go - you won't be disappointed.

Favorite holes (from blue):

3 - challenging tight drive through skinny pines that opens smack into the face of a hill you must cross completely to the pin on the far side.

7 - your tee shot is about 40 feet higher in elevation than the pin and between the two is a depression that drops probably 120 feet. This is a beautiful view from blue.

8 - new hole with a great new pad (wish they would have gone ahead and done concrete since they just made this pad about 2 months ago), tight fit into the channel off to the right - aceable.

A - another high elevation tee over a deep depression - this one has trees and a creek in it though.

H - blind drive from blue, bad shots will end up in the creek not 15 feet from the tee, pin nestled in tall bushes

I - this drive just scares you (the blue tee is over the creek and back towards E's fairway/tee), only the best drives will make it to a good approach location beyond the creek.

15 - I love and hate this hole all at the same time - we used to think the wind killed drives on this hole, now we realize that somehow it's just the hole.

17/18 - favorites because of the challenge - this is possibly even a con of Central - you just went through 25 holes and are ready to head home and Central finishes you off with one last 2-hole F-You to ruin whatever score you had so far.

This course is really nice. I wasn't sure on my rating, but I knew it was at least a 4.0. The holes have great versatility. No real repetative holes. There is even a practice basket with a sort "around the world" set up, with markers at further distance as you move around the basket. There are wide open holes to bomb off of and some very tight "technical shots". The park is well maintained and it seems like they really care about the disc golf course out there. Multiple tee pads, white, red, blue, and some yellow. I played mostly red and some blue and my wife played mostly white and some red. You can really change the perspective from the different tee boxes. The "grounds crew" were all really nice to us and advised us the outlook on incoming rain. The first 18 holes were very fun to play. When you get back to the alternate holes, things change a bit. I still enjoyed them but it was a little more "wildreness golf" than the regular 18. Nice signs at each tee so you knew what you were getting into if you were new to the course.

Although I love this course there are some improvements. The course map is well out of date and can mess you up on the first couple holes. The alternate holes aren't even on the map. The tee boxes need work. I love concrete tees, but it you can't have concrete at least keep the rubber pads in good shape in all spots. Some of the whites didn't have pads at all, and were pretty tough to find on some holes. Sometimes it was hard to find our way from hole, especially on the alternate holes. I could imagine having some issues due to where holes finish and the next tee box is located if the course was busy. There is some overlap. We played at 8 am on a Thursday so there was no traffic.

This course is great, so if they fixed the tees, maybe slapped some new paint on the tee box markers, and made a new map with all the current hole layouts this could be a 4.5 or maybe a 5. The park is really awesome for other things too. Biking, walking, batting cages, tennis. We don't live here, but if we did we'd be up there all the time! There are some "watch out for flying disc signs" which I thought was awesome. So other people have to watch out for you, not the other way around!

Good wide open holes with a few in the trees. Rolling terrain good for leftys and rightys. Away from park traffic most of the time. Lots of tee pad options. Multiple hole locations.

Tee boxes are starting to show their age. Can become crowded on nice days and weekends. Moderate course wear due volume. Lots of speedy mountain bikers and wandering pedestrians.

Watch out for fenced in areas and disguruntled park and county employees who are sick of getting bombarded with discs.

Layout is similar to an actaul golf course. Feels bery professional. Really enjoy the versatility of the holes. Never repetative and keeps you on your toes throughout the game. Some nice stream pass thourghs and some great hole placements, one on the edge of a stream so if you overshoot you're putting from 7 feet below the basket. Really different!

Pretty busy. Lots of folks playing course.

-I helped out some with the recent revamp and this is as close as I can get to an unbiased review....

-Good course with mix of woods for more controlled shots and open spaces to bring out the firepower. A great place to get started out.

-Multiple pin placements and different Tee Pads for different levels of players

-The alternate holes are great!

-The complex is real nice

-The wind flags are a new and welcome touch, especially since Central Park is some type of wind vortex!

-The fairways are well maintained and the park workers and volunteers love the disc golf course, and it shows.

-Benches on every couple of holes.

-The walk from 18 isn't as bad as it used to be....

-During baseball season the concession stands are open....so that's a HUGE plus

-Several holes have new pin placements for them

-Lots of new signs to help navigate the new stuff

-The rubber Tee Pads are a little uneven, some holes don't have any pad at all. Better laid rubber tee pads would be fantastic. Concrete isn't an option since the course changes around so much.

-Though not very many people play them, the white tees are harder to navigate now then they used to be.

-Some of the undergrowth surrounding the holes that run alongside the woods is real thick, and a breeding ground for poison ivey (trust me, I'm covered in it right now), but as revrawlins said it's not to hard to find your disc if you spot where it went

-Even though the course was redesigned to take pedestrian walkways out of the picture, the non disc golf traffic on and near hole 6 is still an issue since there is a creek and everyone loves creeks. I had to deal with kids playing on hole 17 and 18's fairways during football season this past season and it's really annoying. What's worse is the fact that there is nothing that there is no amount of redesigning you can do to eliminate all the pedestrians and dog walkers....

-The tee signs at several of the boxes aren't the one for the corresponding hole, (not an issue for locals, but for out-of towners this could be a make or break to make people want to come back)....hopefully some new tee signs will be in order soon.

-The new hole 18, from red if you throw something too flippy or understable, it still brings the pedestrian walkway into play. Since you're kind of downhill, you can't really see around the corner to see if you've hit someone or not.

The park is great. I love it here! A lot of my cons cannot be helped, but the FOCO Disc golf club has done a tremendous job with the amount of resources they had to redirect some of the course. The scene in Forsyth County is growing. And you better take some walking shoes, the elevation changes make for a great walk. Also on #12A, the words "Disc Golf" are spelled out in stone! That's a little cool touch here. I recommend people to come play here.

Nice layout and challenging for both open fairway shots and woods shots. Friendly locals. Good signage to direct you, showing all tee boxes and pin positions for every hole. Awesome flags with hole #/wind speed and direction indicators on every pin. Mowed fairways are always welcome!

No real cons of any significance. Most blue and all gold tees are very long for intermediate players like myself (not necessarily a con if you throw a 400+ driver, which I don't).

Overall an excellent course. Recently replaced Redan as my course of choice in the Atlanta area. You need to play this one. I will be back a LOT.

Edit: The park itself is dog friendly, but there are signs for holes 3 and 4 that indicate no dogs beyond this point. Not really a big deal as there are 27 holes anyway -- just something to note if you are bringing your four legged friend. Great course now that the grass and trees have come in!

Keep in mind that there is literally a police station right at the front of the park...which is why I didn't take my dog onto hole 3 & 4. Also, there were plenty of signs today indicating that alcohol is not permitted in the park and tickets are being issued to offenders. I'd keep that or anything else (ahem) under deep cover if I were you...

Some very long holes, some short, tight holes, good mix, and you get a lot of exercise here for sure, minimal interaction with other activities.

No much - worst thing to me are the teepads - if they had concrete here this course could be the bomb.

Overall one of my favorites in the Atlanta area - it's pretty darn hard to score well here - you have to be on your best game to shoot low scores, esp. from the farther back tee pads.

This course gives you a little bit of everything. Lots of open space and some thoughtful wooded holes. It's long but doesn't really play that way. Lots of variety of shots can be thrown and are highly recommended. It even plays well when it's wet. It has multiple tees which is friendly to all level players. Many of the holes are forgiving on a bad throw. There is a stream that runs through it and causes no problems. The people walking or running are great. The rarely get in the way. The dogs they have are great too. Both pets and owners like to watch the throws.

Overall it's a good course, but there could be some improvements. The signs are good, but could be better. Many are hard to read or have disappeared over time. The alternate (12a-i) holes could be easier to find. There is a bit of over-growth, but that comes with the territory. The walk back to the car after a long or bad round is no fun. The tees are hit and miss. Some are dirt and some are rubber. The dirt turns to mud after the rain making it tough to keep your balance on drives.

Many of the reviews complain about the walk. I'm not in shape at all and it's not so bad. It is built around all fields and bike trails after all. The worst thing is the walk back to the care after a long round. I just park closer to the last hole and take my time on the start. This is the course I started on and couldn't ask for a better one.

Great course lay out, great variety of holes that require just about every shot you have in your bag. Anywhere from hyzer BH to thumbers and hammers, can use just about any shot you can think of. Great elevation changes throughout entire course. Some holes play through a creek with is always awesome. Locals are very friendly and also they host a weekly tourny or sunday doubles at 1. Mostly open course but also has a seperate 9 holes that extend off hole 12 that was heavily wooded. Majority of holes require some power so the weaker arms might be at a disadvantage somewhat, but they have 3 diff. tee selections for all skill levels. Newly added signs and tee pads are excellent!! A++

There was a biking path that intertwined with some of the course but nothing big just be careful and watch for bikers. The course comes pretty close to some other parts of the park but I didn't go when it was crowded so not much of a problem.

Bring plenty of liquids cause its a pretty long course and this course is so awesome that it is hosting the Atlanta Open this year! Yes, Climo aka the Champ will be there!

This course has everything from tightly wooded holes to wide open fairways. You tee off from huge hills on some holes and then on others you're looking up a mountain. There are three tees for every hole and most holes have multiple placements. The first two holes are fairly open, straight shots, but then you're into the woods for two holes, until you start some longer, more complex holes. Hole six plays over a small creek which is a nice accent. After hole twelve there are nine holes that play through a more wooded area. If you're going to play all 27 holes then you better be ready to walk for a few hours.

This course might not be the best fit for low power players because a fairly large amount of holes are far away. However, the white tees do make teeing off a lot easier. The scenery isn't that great either on about half of the course, but Central Park is a very impressive complex.

This course is one of my favorite courses in the state of Georgia. It might not have the scenery that courses in Appling do, but it offers every kind of shot and makes you a very well rounded player. I can see why the PDGA has added this course to the tour and the Atlanta open was held here in 2007.

wide open course at times and playing in a jungle other times. liked it - some holes were hard to figure out when the tee box was busted but not too bad, lots of tee boxes to play from so my son got to play from the whites - which was closer then the reds and loved it

couple of holes are in the jungle and my son and I got sticker bushes that stuck us and made him cry for several holes after we got out of them - sticky sticker bushes - not really interested in playing those holes again - hole 3 and hole 4 I think

only played the first 18 - there were 9 more holes to play in the back - there were a couple of blind holes that were though the first time but looking forward to playing the next time. I think it is a good course.

Its a course where even if you are a beginner you can have a good time. The Central Park natives are very friendly. Central Park offers a nice course, fun doubles events every sunday. A must play if you are in the area. Offers 27 holes.

It is not very long. Hard to navigate through the holes. Bike course on some holes. Sidwalk path inteferes a bit. You may find yourself having to wait to throw on some holes. Not very challenging to professionals.

A must play. Very fun course. Doesn't require a lot of skill. You can pretty much throw one throw and complete the course fairly easy.

27 holes of disc golf! Great scenic course, some holes (4-6) run along a crystal clear stream. Holes are mostly open holes through green fields with hills. Multiple pin positions and four tees on each hole!

I guess the course can be a long walk for some people. Although I didn't run into this problem when I played, there is a mountain bike trail that runs alongside the course and you may have to watch for bikers before you throw.