Davidson College reviews
11
0
Davidson College 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jan 15, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Davidson College is an 18 hole course in a mostly wooded area of campus with single chained DISCatcher baskets and a mixture of brick and dirt tee pads. The course features a decent mixture of technical tee shots consisting of slight right-to-lefts, slight left-to-rights, and dead straight shots.
Despite having narrow fairways, the course is designed to be suitable for beginners and Rec level players due to an average hole length of less than 220', the course being relatively flat, and listed par being higher than one would expect. (DGCR has the course listed as a Par 54, but the tee signs have it adding up to Par 63.) Intermediate and Advanced players can/should increase the challenge by playing it as a Par 54.
If visitors park in the gravel lot noted in the Location Directions here on DGCR, the course can be played in two separate 9 hole loops. I started with holes 5 through 13, before crossing the parking lot to play 14 through 4. Davidson College has a lot of untapped potential, and is located almost entirely in a disc golf only section of the campus. (Holes 1, 18, and possibly 17 are the only holes that potentially interfere with other areas of campus.) The course has a few holes that really stand out as to what the course could be if given a bit of TLC. Hole 16 in particular was a lot of fun to play, with the basket up on top of a slight berm.
The baskets for hole 1 and 18 would both be perfect for students looking to get in some practice putting or play a putting game at the end of the day.
Despite having narrow fairways, the course is designed to be suitable for beginners and Rec level players due to an average hole length of less than 220', the course being relatively flat, and listed par being higher than one would expect. (DGCR has the course listed as a Par 54, but the tee signs have it adding up to Par 63.) Intermediate and Advanced players can/should increase the challenge by playing it as a Par 54.
If visitors park in the gravel lot noted in the Location Directions here on DGCR, the course can be played in two separate 9 hole loops. I started with holes 5 through 13, before crossing the parking lot to play 14 through 4. Davidson College has a lot of untapped potential, and is located almost entirely in a disc golf only section of the campus. (Holes 1, 18, and possibly 17 are the only holes that potentially interfere with other areas of campus.) The course has a few holes that really stand out as to what the course could be if given a bit of TLC. Hole 16 in particular was a lot of fun to play, with the basket up on top of a slight berm.
The baskets for hole 1 and 18 would both be perfect for students looking to get in some practice putting or play a putting game at the end of the day.
Cons:
Most of the issues with Davidson College is the general upkeep. Much of the course is overgrown, and the rough is fairly thick - making disc loss potential fairly high. The course would highly benefit from trimming the fairways back a bit, possibly clearing a bit of the rough out, and fine tuning some of the fairways. For instance: Hole 7 stood out as having way too many late guardian trees, in the attempt to turn what should have been a Par 3 into a Par 4. Hole 8's green was tucked away behind some plants, but a near perfect drive within 20' of the basket could end up with absolutely no way to birdie, outside of a lucky spike hyzer putt over said plants. I thought it was pretty, but others may find it a bit too gimmicky.
Some of the transitions between holes are a little overgrown, or crossed a street/parking lot, creating slight confusion, but the transition between 5 & 6 required some backtracking and felt quite odd.
The course would really benefit from new tee pads and tee signs. Many of the brick tees were either falling apart, missing, or too short. Some didn't seem to be placed very well. Hole 16's tee is offset at an odd angle, and Hole 6's brick tee literally made zero sense for where it was placed. Though there is an indicated area for where the tee was "meant" to be and the tee sign is next to that area. The tee signs were a mixture of engraved bricks that proved challenging to find and laminated paper on painter stakes.
Hole 17 is currently unplayable. It seems that space is either undergoing some sort of construction or is being used as an easement for construction vehicles. The basket is currently laying on its side on the ground. You can still throw the drive for fun, I guess - but the fairway is a muddy mess.
Located in the grassy field between the dorms, Greek houses, and what looked like the cafeteria - I imagine the fairways for holes 1 & 18 get pretty busy, and thus would be difficult to play on a typical busy school day. I'm honestly a bit surprised the glass on the lampost in the middle of hole 1's fairway wasn't cracked. These offer students exposure to the course, and are easily the holes kept in the best condition, but with how much space was in the woods I was a bit surprised the entire course wasn't kept self contained.
There seems to be enough room in the woods that two or three new holes could be designed, one or two in the space between Holes 9 & 12, and one in the transition between Holes 14 & 15 so that Holes 1, 18, & possibly 17 could be removed since they play around other aspects of the campus. Though that would in turn hinder the visibility of the sport among the students. It would also remove some variety from the course.
Hole 8 plays parallel a main road.
Some of the transitions between holes are a little overgrown, or crossed a street/parking lot, creating slight confusion, but the transition between 5 & 6 required some backtracking and felt quite odd.
The course would really benefit from new tee pads and tee signs. Many of the brick tees were either falling apart, missing, or too short. Some didn't seem to be placed very well. Hole 16's tee is offset at an odd angle, and Hole 6's brick tee literally made zero sense for where it was placed. Though there is an indicated area for where the tee was "meant" to be and the tee sign is next to that area. The tee signs were a mixture of engraved bricks that proved challenging to find and laminated paper on painter stakes.
Hole 17 is currently unplayable. It seems that space is either undergoing some sort of construction or is being used as an easement for construction vehicles. The basket is currently laying on its side on the ground. You can still throw the drive for fun, I guess - but the fairway is a muddy mess.
Located in the grassy field between the dorms, Greek houses, and what looked like the cafeteria - I imagine the fairways for holes 1 & 18 get pretty busy, and thus would be difficult to play on a typical busy school day. I'm honestly a bit surprised the glass on the lampost in the middle of hole 1's fairway wasn't cracked. These offer students exposure to the course, and are easily the holes kept in the best condition, but with how much space was in the woods I was a bit surprised the entire course wasn't kept self contained.
There seems to be enough room in the woods that two or three new holes could be designed, one or two in the space between Holes 9 & 12, and one in the transition between Holes 14 & 15 so that Holes 1, 18, & possibly 17 could be removed since they play around other aspects of the campus. Though that would in turn hinder the visibility of the sport among the students. It would also remove some variety from the course.
Hole 8 plays parallel a main road.
Other Thoughts:
Even though I am only giving Davidson College a 1.5 rating, I do not think that is indicative of how good this course could be. While it's awesome someone had the foresight to use this part of campus to install a course here back in the mid 2000's, the state it's in and how long it has been this way begs the question - does the college still view this as something worth having? I'd love to hear about a group of locals or students who begin working to revitalize this course, with permission of the school of course, because it could be a great compliment to the other courses in the area - providing another great Beginner/Recreation level course. Or in the very least a fun place for students to enjoy themselves on campus on a sunny day.
Favorite Holes: 8, 9 & 16
Favorite Holes: 8, 9 & 16
4
0
fake_mikey_schroeder
Experience:
8 played
1 reviews
Needs maintenance. 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 13, 2018
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
--18 holes, mostly wooded, 1 and 18 in open with lines to let you rip a drive
--Very tight wooded holes demand technical lines and good touch
--Holes 8-10 are arguably best holes on the course in terms of layout and condition
--Opportunities for some ace runs, but just penalty awaits if too aggressive
--Trash cans in place around course about once every 4-5 holes
--Brick paths in place for some tee areas, some concrete signs on ground indicating hole number and distance (only one missing)
--Early generation Innova DiscCatcher baskets, permanent locations
--Has potential to be a good beginner course, with an extra skill-challenge factor to more experienced players
--Very tight wooded holes demand technical lines and good touch
--Holes 8-10 are arguably best holes on the course in terms of layout and condition
--Opportunities for some ace runs, but just penalty awaits if too aggressive
--Trash cans in place around course about once every 4-5 holes
--Brick paths in place for some tee areas, some concrete signs on ground indicating hole number and distance (only one missing)
--Early generation Innova DiscCatcher baskets, permanent locations
--Has potential to be a good beginner course, with an extra skill-challenge factor to more experienced players
Cons:
Many and often, including (but not limited to):
--Signage is still very confusing when trying to get from hole to hole; Hole 5 to Hole 6 especially unclear (have to go back to hole 5 tee and then down crossing path to get to hole 6); Hard to find hole 18 tee (on grass behind building WH, or Warner Hall).
--Course twice crosses a fenced-in gravel parking lot, which can lead to confusion when trying to find opening on other side if there are a lot of cars parked (see map for clarification)
--Brick paths torn up or altogether missing in many places, particularly on holes 2, 7-9, 15
--Trash and litter left around, as some students do vandalize. Graffiti on baskets, but mostly pertaining to Disc Golf related incidents (e.g. Hole-in-one signatures are a tradition).
--Some foot traffic crosses holes 1 and 18, and can lead to wait-times. Also need to watch out for errant tee shots on Hole 1 (particularly lefty hyzer) as there is a fraternity porch close by. Long throwers beware the fraternity on the left side of 18
--Early generation disc golf baskets with only one row of chains can lead to odd chain-outs or bounce-outs off the pole. Some baskets not properly fastened and can slide down pole (jam-a-stick-in-the-missing-bolt-hole is a popular solution for this)
--Course par can be a little overkill for experienced players (too easy). Playing all holes as par 3 greatly alleviates this issue (and can lead to other challenges as well for more advanced players)
--Course is very overgrown and very poorly maintained. Some tee shots, like holes 5 and 6, are so obscured by overgrown bushes and trees that it is nearly impossible to hit the proper line. Downed trees have taken forever to be removed in the past, but all are currently cleared.
--Signage is still very confusing when trying to get from hole to hole; Hole 5 to Hole 6 especially unclear (have to go back to hole 5 tee and then down crossing path to get to hole 6); Hard to find hole 18 tee (on grass behind building WH, or Warner Hall).
--Course twice crosses a fenced-in gravel parking lot, which can lead to confusion when trying to find opening on other side if there are a lot of cars parked (see map for clarification)
--Brick paths torn up or altogether missing in many places, particularly on holes 2, 7-9, 15
--Trash and litter left around, as some students do vandalize. Graffiti on baskets, but mostly pertaining to Disc Golf related incidents (e.g. Hole-in-one signatures are a tradition).
--Some foot traffic crosses holes 1 and 18, and can lead to wait-times. Also need to watch out for errant tee shots on Hole 1 (particularly lefty hyzer) as there is a fraternity porch close by. Long throwers beware the fraternity on the left side of 18
--Early generation disc golf baskets with only one row of chains can lead to odd chain-outs or bounce-outs off the pole. Some baskets not properly fastened and can slide down pole (jam-a-stick-in-the-missing-bolt-hole is a popular solution for this)
--Course par can be a little overkill for experienced players (too easy). Playing all holes as par 3 greatly alleviates this issue (and can lead to other challenges as well for more advanced players)
--Course is very overgrown and very poorly maintained. Some tee shots, like holes 5 and 6, are so obscured by overgrown bushes and trees that it is nearly impossible to hit the proper line. Downed trees have taken forever to be removed in the past, but all are currently cleared.
Other Thoughts:
Yes, it's not very good right now. Very out of shape and overgrown, a lot of trash and litter everywhere, vandalism from students, etc. There is, however, a growing contingent of students who play and a club is forming at the college in the upcoming academic year to accommodate student enthusiasts help fix up the course and bring it back to its former (if there ever was any?) glory. However, in the meantime, do not go out of your way to play this. I'd recommend Robbins Park or Bailey Road Park as a suitable nearby alternative (both within 5 min.)
UPDATE 8/20: Brush and trees have been cleared out on holes 2, 15, and 16. Holes much more playable now.
UPDATE 8/20: Brush and trees have been cleared out on holes 2, 15, and 16. Holes much more playable now.
5
0
Good attempt, lacks full execution 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 8, 2017
Played the course:once
Pros:
Some nice ace runs
18 holes
mostly wooded to escape the heat
with holes 1 and 18, they add open ripper hole variety to the relatively short wooded course
18 holes
mostly wooded to escape the heat
with holes 1 and 18, they add open ripper hole variety to the relatively short wooded course
Cons:
probably not installed by a avid disc golfer or good designer
some ridiculous shaped fairways
pretty disjointed and spread across campus areas with almost no directional signage
no tee signs at all
thick and nasty rough
some ridiculous shaped fairways
pretty disjointed and spread across campus areas with almost no directional signage
no tee signs at all
thick and nasty rough
Other Thoughts:
played this as a break from the normal courses and to check one off the list. It wasn't bad, but definitely isn't good. There are no good flat tee areas, there are no tee signs, there are no directional signs between some of the long odd walks between holes. If you want to just meander around and play a decent little "tinker" course, you could have some fun here. You can throw multiple drives on the many ace run holes because there won't be anyone else playing.
Overall though if you are short on time, you can pass on this one, as there are many better options in the area.
Overall though if you are short on time, you can pass on this one, as there are many better options in the area.
4
0
Dissapointing 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 4, 2015
Played the course:once
Pros:
If I went to Davidson, this course would be awesome! A full 18 hole course on campus.
There are several longer (none over 300ft that I remember) more open holes, but mostly shorter, winding wooded holes.
The course plays through the woods next to the Davidson campus and athletic fields, and requires a lot of various shots. Straight, tight accuracy. Hyzer and Anhyzer lines, and a few winding shots. Patient, controlled shots will be rewarded here, and errant shots will be greatly punished due to the thick woods edging most fairways. If you're drive goes out of the fairway, keep an eye on it!
There is some great potential for a fun, shorter course here.
There are several longer (none over 300ft that I remember) more open holes, but mostly shorter, winding wooded holes.
The course plays through the woods next to the Davidson campus and athletic fields, and requires a lot of various shots. Straight, tight accuracy. Hyzer and Anhyzer lines, and a few winding shots. Patient, controlled shots will be rewarded here, and errant shots will be greatly punished due to the thick woods edging most fairways. If you're drive goes out of the fairway, keep an eye on it!
There is some great potential for a fun, shorter course here.
Cons:
The tee pads...or lack of. There are brick pads on some holes which are a nice improvement over the natural "pads" but they're still too short, and some not even pointing the right direction. The tees where there are no brick pads are just marked by a stone marker, often hard to see.
The up-keep. This course has some great potential to be somewhere between a short "beginner" course and a longer tournament caliber course....but it falls short. The fairways are overgrown, the baskets are covered in graffiti, and there is NO signage
Navigation. There is no signage of any kind directing you towards the first tee, and from there on, good luck! There is usually a semi worn path that leads to the next tee, so with some common sense I was able to navigate my way through the course
Hole #1 and #18 are in a common green, surrounded by campus buildings. There seems to be a good amount of foot traffic through this area, and could be a hazzard for pedestrians....Not to mention the grass was in desperate need of mowing. And the near by Greek life buildings contributed to the ambiance by having beer cans scattered about.
The up-keep. This course has some great potential to be somewhere between a short "beginner" course and a longer tournament caliber course....but it falls short. The fairways are overgrown, the baskets are covered in graffiti, and there is NO signage
Navigation. There is no signage of any kind directing you towards the first tee, and from there on, good luck! There is usually a semi worn path that leads to the next tee, so with some common sense I was able to navigate my way through the course
Hole #1 and #18 are in a common green, surrounded by campus buildings. There seems to be a good amount of foot traffic through this area, and could be a hazzard for pedestrians....Not to mention the grass was in desperate need of mowing. And the near by Greek life buildings contributed to the ambiance by having beer cans scattered about.
Other Thoughts:
Based on prior reviews, I got what I expected. This course really has some potential with just some basic up-keep. Unfortunately, it looked like I was the first person to play the course in quite some time. Even the beginning and ending of the course in the common area of campus was in desperate need of mowing and trash clean up. I expected a lot more from such a historic school as Davidson College...
Unfortunately, until the course gets cleaned up, I wouldn't go out of my way to play this again.
Unfortunately, until the course gets cleaned up, I wouldn't go out of my way to play this again.
4
0
2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 5, 2015
Played the course:once
Pros:
The good news is that brick tees are in the process of being installed. They were in at about two thirds of the holes with piles of bricks placed at a few others. The new tees are pretty small and not much that much better than natural surfaces (when said surface is flat) but they stand out, as opposed to the flat plaques which are impossible to see from more than a few feet away. Hopefully the new tees are the start and more maintenance will follow because there are some nice holes here. Good, solid distances, typically in the 200s and the pars are overly generous which should make new layers happy. Nice fairway shapes, with turns of various directions, tucked in baskets, even a little elevation. There is a solid wooded course here.
Cons:
Unfortunately, it needs a lot of maintenance. A lot of vegetation has crept in, making some of the shots silly for the experience player or inappropriate for an inexperienced player. Courses should aim to please at least one of those target groups. At present, this one appeals to neither, though with some work it could be great for the latter. Part of what needs to happen is next tee signs, unneeded in many places, as the paths between holes are mostly good, but there are several places where a beginner will have no idea where to go. (If I hadn't seen the 18 basket on the way to 1 and mindmapped where the course needed to go to get there in a few places, I probably would have quit.) Once that is done, some major trimming needs to take place. Maybe move a basket here and there, and you have a decent course right on campus.
10
2
It is what it is.... 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 1, 2011
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
There isnt alot much to say about pros but I will give it a shot....
*Tee markers - this course basically has the par as well as the hole # engraved in these stone blocks which are buried in the ground (See cons on teesigns).
* Tight lines - even though the course is short, it gets pretty technical on a few holes.
* Elevation - there wasnt alot of it but the college made pretty good use of what elevated land they could.
* Seclusion - I only saw 2 other guys out there when I went out there on a friday afternoon. Someone said before that this course can get crowded but I didnt see it: I guess the students just straight up get tired of playing it. (Or was it the fact it was a Friday evening?)
* Innova Baskets - Hey.... at least they aint tone-poles or cheesy homemade bamboo baskets for that matter (See cons on baskets).
* Trashcans - there are only two from what I remember (Sigh.... see cons on this one as well).
* It's SOMETHING! - ...for all those college kids that have nothing else to do but drink and spend Daddy's money at an expensive liberal arts college.
*Tee markers - this course basically has the par as well as the hole # engraved in these stone blocks which are buried in the ground (See cons on teesigns).
* Tight lines - even though the course is short, it gets pretty technical on a few holes.
* Elevation - there wasnt alot of it but the college made pretty good use of what elevated land they could.
* Seclusion - I only saw 2 other guys out there when I went out there on a friday afternoon. Someone said before that this course can get crowded but I didnt see it: I guess the students just straight up get tired of playing it. (Or was it the fact it was a Friday evening?)
* Innova Baskets - Hey.... at least they aint tone-poles or cheesy homemade bamboo baskets for that matter (See cons on baskets).
* Trashcans - there are only two from what I remember (Sigh.... see cons on this one as well).
* It's SOMETHING! - ...for all those college kids that have nothing else to do but drink and spend Daddy's money at an expensive liberal arts college.
Cons:
Several Cons on this one:
A MESS! - I am quite positive there has been NO course maintenance on this course since the 1st time I played it back in 2009. There are huge fallen trees and branches on every hole as well as empty beer cans and bottles from the night before frat parties I'm guessin'. The trashcans were flowing over and there was trash throughout the course: that is a definite CON in my book. Also; the undergrowth is now mostly OVERgrowth. Thorns can lurk around here as well.
*Baskets - the baskets are only single chain discatchers and I had a couple of spitouts: and I aint talkin' about the college chicks. ;-) Several have rust on them as well. I felt like I ran into the TinMan back in those woods sayin', "Oil..ME..." Oh, and some kid wrote, "Kyle - PAR" on the side of #4 basket.
* Teepads??? - What teepads? The "tee" is just a worn out spot in the mud that in some spots has gnarly roots impeding your modified "run-up". I am guessing that these worn-out mudspots are just a general consensus on where everyone throws. What do you call that: natural? I call it bunk!
*Tee-signs - There are no tee signs here which would be so helpful so that you actually know where you are throwing to instead of having to walk up 250 feet to check out the hole..... but I'm just bein' picky.
*The CAMPUS COP! - I was about to tee off on one of the holes when he came mobbin' through on his mountain bike; no doubt lookin' for some misbehavin' student stoners and those co-ed students who would likely use the woods for their little alcohol induced tryst. I have heard you can get kicked off of this course if you are not a student but he didnt say a thing and just rode right on by.
* Too $hort - And no I aint talkin' about that Bay Area Hustla: I think every hole was under 300 feet. I basically used my Star Rancho and my Pro Rhyno on this one. That's all you will need on this course. You can keep the drivers in the bag.
A MESS! - I am quite positive there has been NO course maintenance on this course since the 1st time I played it back in 2009. There are huge fallen trees and branches on every hole as well as empty beer cans and bottles from the night before frat parties I'm guessin'. The trashcans were flowing over and there was trash throughout the course: that is a definite CON in my book. Also; the undergrowth is now mostly OVERgrowth. Thorns can lurk around here as well.
*Baskets - the baskets are only single chain discatchers and I had a couple of spitouts: and I aint talkin' about the college chicks. ;-) Several have rust on them as well. I felt like I ran into the TinMan back in those woods sayin', "Oil..ME..." Oh, and some kid wrote, "Kyle - PAR" on the side of #4 basket.
* Teepads??? - What teepads? The "tee" is just a worn out spot in the mud that in some spots has gnarly roots impeding your modified "run-up". I am guessing that these worn-out mudspots are just a general consensus on where everyone throws. What do you call that: natural? I call it bunk!
*Tee-signs - There are no tee signs here which would be so helpful so that you actually know where you are throwing to instead of having to walk up 250 feet to check out the hole..... but I'm just bein' picky.
*The CAMPUS COP! - I was about to tee off on one of the holes when he came mobbin' through on his mountain bike; no doubt lookin' for some misbehavin' student stoners and those co-ed students who would likely use the woods for their little alcohol induced tryst. I have heard you can get kicked off of this course if you are not a student but he didnt say a thing and just rode right on by.
* Too $hort - And no I aint talkin' about that Bay Area Hustla: I think every hole was under 300 feet. I basically used my Star Rancho and my Pro Rhyno on this one. That's all you will need on this course. You can keep the drivers in the bag.
Other Thoughts:
Like I said in the title... It is what it is. Davidson College is a fairly technical course for the most part though and you definitely dont want your disc to end up off of the fairway. It has pretty tight fairways on most holes but dont be surprised when you end up with only a par (or maybe even a bogey) on some of those short holes. Your drives have to be pretty spot-on, on most of the holes. I will admit that for how short it is, there is a little variety mixed in with it such as lefty and righty shots, as well as blind holes and up and down elevation on a few. There are plenty of other courses in the North Mecklenberg County area that blow this one out of the woods, and I would recommend passing this course up if you are only in the area for a hot minute. The closest one to this is Bailey's (Mmmmm... Creamy) which is south down the road in Cornelius. If you only have the time for one round in this area; skip Davidson College and go to Bailey Road. You will thank me later.
I think it's great that there is something there for them [students] to be introduced to DG. I mean, I dont know.... they could probably care less about the course (and it shows!) and they just want to move on to more important things: keg-stands, beer-pong and those easy freshman chicks.... Who could blame them? I wouldnt!
*NOTICE!: YOU DAVIDSON COLLEGE FOLK NEED TO STEP IT UP A NOTCH AND CLEAN UP YOUR HOME COURSE.
I think it's great that there is something there for them [students] to be introduced to DG. I mean, I dont know.... they could probably care less about the course (and it shows!) and they just want to move on to more important things: keg-stands, beer-pong and those easy freshman chicks.... Who could blame them? I wouldnt!
*NOTICE!: YOU DAVIDSON COLLEGE FOLK NEED TO STEP IT UP A NOTCH AND CLEAN UP YOUR HOME COURSE.
