Yesterday was the second time I have visited Dorton Park, the first being when I was 5 years old. The course is pretty much what I remembered, but with a much different perspective now that I am older.
-First off, the park is in a good part of town. There were lots of people there, and they all seemed very chill and nice. They also knew when I was about to throw, and did a good job of watching out.
-This is a perfect course to introduce beginners to the game. The course contains mostly short and straightforward holes, but a couple of longer layouts can help beginners evolve their game.
-The tee pads here are amazing. Every aspect of them is great. I wish all courses had tee pads similar to these.
-Obviously I didn't really enjoy myself since the course is beginner friendly, but I actually really enjoyed #6. It is a pretty open layout, with trees scattered on both left and right of the fairway. If the basket was a little further back, then this hole would fit into any normal 18 hole course (IMO).
-Great for some ace runs, especially #1, 2 and 4. A birdie on these three holes should be expected from any player that's not a beginner.
-There is a large sports field right next to the first tee, which is perfect for warming up and letting some discs rip.

-There really isn't much challenge presented. Although there are a couple of longer holes, it still is overall very easy.
-For me, navigation was a little bit of an issue. I couldn't instantly find the tee for #3, 5, and 7. The transitions weren't as smooth as they could've been. However, these are only issues for first timers.
-The tee signs must have been removed, because other reviewers have said that they are very good. The current tee signs only show hole number, distance and par. No map. I had to walk the fairways of #3 and 5 because of this. Other than these two holes, though, this isn't an issue.
-Holes #7 and 9 felt like holes that I can make in my backyard/forest area. What I mean by this, is that they feel scaled down. If these holes were "up-scaled", then they both would be awesome layouts.
-Although I did say that people will be mindful of us disc golfers, it seems silly that there is a walking/jogging path right in the middle of the course. Definitely injury prone if you're not careful.
-This is nitpicking, but the baskets were not amazing. They are very dirty, and a couple were bent. At least they caught my putts well!

Because Dorton is a beginner friendly 9 hole course, it won't get a high rating. I feel like Dorton could have been a little better, but I think it is good for what is offered. Great place to bring your family to, they can be occupied while you practice for a little. I don't recommend driving out to play here, unless you live within 15 minutes from the park.

- Great location. I was in Concord for an event off Bruton Smith and was able to drive a few minutes and get in some disc golf when I had about an hour down time.
- Nice park.
- Chance for a really quick round.
- Nice baskets and tee pads.
- Course was surprisingly fun.
- Great beginner course.
- A field that you can use for practice or warm up.
- Ace runs!

- The layout was a little confusing. The course sort of zig zags across a walking trial and I didn't find it very intuitive. When you finish hole 2, you see the tee pad to 8 and the basket to 7 and you walk past those to get to 3. Took a few minutes to figure out.
- Parts of the course smelled of sewage.
- Safety. It is a beginner course that intermingles with a walking trail. You are constantly throwing towards a walking path and sometimes doing it blindly and then you walk across 8's fairway to get from 2 to 3. The good news is that every walker when I was there was very aware of this and generally would stop for you.

It is a 2,000 foot disc golf course in a park. If you temper your expectations with that knowledge, it isn't a bad course.

There are 3 really short 100'ish holes that call for nothing other than a straight shot. Hole 3 is a nice hole. You have a ceiling to deal with off the drive, then you have to move your shot left to right to get to the basket. Hole 5 is a massive hyzer. Hole 6 requires that you hit a line. Hole 7 requires a specific line that finishes hard left. Hole 8 is nice chance to lean on a putter a bit and run the basket. Hole 9 requires a specific left to right line.

It isn't all hyzers. You do have to hit a few lines. It also wasn't very crowded on a Friday afternoon with perfect weather.

There is no real reason to seek this course out unless you just want to get your count up, but if you find yourself in the area and are open to short 9 holers, it isn't a terrible play. I'd love to have this course in my neighborhood.

If you follow Google Maps, it will take you past the parking lot and turn you into a subdivision. From there, you can park on the street, next to the practice field in question. The bridge that you see in the back right corner isn't the bridge referenced in the directions on this site. Cut across the field. Or better yet, park in the parking lot that you just drove past before turning off.

Nice course to have in your neighborhood.
Short, quick play course.
Good concrete tee pads and nice DISCatchers.
Interesting mix of short, long, left and right holes.

Course follows and crosses walking path several times. Could be a lot of interference on busy days.
Does have one Par 4, which is followed by a 113' hole. What?? (The short hole, #4, goes straight across the path, to minimize interference, I'm guessing.)
Since its located in the back part of the park, it took me a few minutes to find it.
Of course, I don't know if the walking path was there when HD designed it, but 6 of the 9 holes cross or play along the path. Including #5 with a blind tee shot right up the path.

This is the kind of course that would be nice to have in your neighborhood. In fact, it is build right next to a neighborhood of good sized homes. You could step out here for a quick round, just about any time of day, or just for putting practice. Would also be convenient if your kids are there for soccer practice on one of the many fields.
Its probably used mostly by beginners and families there for other things, even though interactions with other park users, underbrush and a creek, could make it a rough experience.
There are some fun holes, #2 is a short ace run, #5 the blind tee shot hyzer bomb and finishes fun with #9, a gap to hit, then finishes to the right.
I'm glad we have these short, quick round courses, I just hope everyone throws safe and no one gets hurt.

This course is easy to navigate, with nice sized concrete pads and Innova Baskets in good condition. Dorton Park DGC is located in a beautiful neighborhood park with plenty of extras that some courses do not feature. There is a nice, large field near the start of the course where you can air some plastic out and practice your form.

Course was definitely not crowded when I played here. There was only one other person out there chucking discs around. This is an incredible course to bring beginners to so that they can learn the basics of the game, without being overly punishing.

The course is not challenging. If you are above a beginner, you will probably find it hard to find a reason to visit this course. Only 2 holes break the 300ft mark, and most don't even make significant distance past the 200 mark.With it being on 9 holes, this makes it even less desirable as a destination course.

There is a walking path that weaves throughout the course, that you have to throw over multiple times. On Hole 3 you are throwing a blind shot around a turn right next to said path and it could lead to potentially unfavorable conditions if you are playing on a busier day than I did (it was super overcast). Even with as overcast as it was, I had to wait on a few parties to move out of the way in case I threw an errant shot.

Parking is super limited at the park. If you are playing on a busy day, you might not even be able to find parking. Be sure to carpool to this one.

A nicely placed tree, with a tight gap to the left, makes the most desirable line on Hole 5 a truly spectacular place for beginners to have a disc bounce into the creek to the left.

I am rating Dorton at a 1.5. It really is an okay beginner course, but because of the weaving path throughout the course it is hard to give it anything higher. Other than a handful of holes it feels like there are a bunch of filler holes, nice for ace runs, but not great for fun rounds.

Favorite Holes: 6 & 9

Good course for beginners to learn how to play disc golf.
Copious amount of ace runs, although, none for me .
Course is not very busy, so the chance for practice on your approach / short game is there without others waiting.
Beside the course is a huge field that I use to practice techniques for distance. Even times where I'll take my disc catcher to practice putting.
Course is in a nice park and is safe.
Slim to none potential of losing a disc.
Plenty of shade around.

Walkers/joggers can sometimes get in the way. Course is built around a walking path.
Course is by no means for the big arm.
Only 9 holes.
The suggested par could be shortened on some holes.
Didn't notice the amenities other than bathrooms and a few tennis courts that you see at other area parks and courses.
Course could flow a little better.
No elevation change at all.

It's a good course to warm up on for the day. Having said that, North Cabarrus is close and presents more of a challenge for a 9 hole course.

Its in a really nice park and with several holes shorter than 200' is a perfect course for beginners or kids.

You can play it in a matter of min.

Nice teepads and teesigns

The "Par 4s" are not to bad of holes and can be challenging if you play them as 3s

This was the first course I played YYYYAAAAAYYYY

The course flows pretty well.

THis is a busy park and the course is in a walking area with paths running all through it. All it takes is a griplock and someone can get hit.

anyone who is an expereinced player will find this course to be a joke with several holes amounting to nothing more than a long putt.

Every basket is so tagged up with "Ace" or "eagle bitches!" its rediculas.

Chuckers paradise

Dorton is where it all began for me so it still has a soft place for me but it is what it is. A beginer course with very little challenge. I mean there are very few courses that you walk off disappointed that you didnt get an ace. Unless youre a course played junky this course is not worth going out of your way to play

Great place to work on your short game or play a quick round while your family is off shopping at Concord Mills (5 miles away).

Decent warm-up course (though North Cabarrus is better -- see my review of that one).

Short. I don't mind short courses at all -- I do NOT have a big arm, and I don't throw high-speed drivers. That said, I got up to the pad on #4 and looked at the basket and said "Really?!" #3 is the only really long hole on the course, but there's no way it should be a par five (as is listed here). Wide open hole that's barely over 400 feet is reachable (and makeable) in three by anyone who can throw 200 feet semi-accurately. I was embarrassed at taking a 4 on it (missed a VERY easy putt).

Navigation is horrendous. You have to walk across #8's fairway to get to the tee pad for #3.

Dorton Park is a VERY nice park. There is a lot to do for everyone in the family. And there is a lot of potential in this course, if they fix the layout/navigation issues and make some of the too short holes a bit longer (there is room, if you tweak the layout).

If there wasn't a good 9 hole course just a few miles away, this would be a great warmup course. With North Cabarrus just 3 miles away, though, this isn't really a destination course. If you're close and you're bored, go for it. But it's Charlotte -- there are plenty of options out there.

-Nice quite park- -everyone was friendly and helpful when needed to be- -bathrooms at the parking lot are nice and clean- -Nice short course to work on midrange and your putting- -Nice clean concrete tee boxes- - most holes are marked with a sign showing the hole-

Very easy course. At least 2 holes are ace holes Number 4 might not even be 100 feet straight ahead of you. Watch out for snakes along the wood lines.

From the parking lot the first tee is across the bridge going toward the tennis courts. Continue past the courts and the kiddie play ground and you will run into hole 1 tee box.

Great for practice, or a quick game. Great for biginners.

Very easy. 3 of the baskets should be par 2 when par 3, there's a par 5 that would be a 3 anywhere else. Way too easy to loose a disc of hole 9!

- Good beginner course or quiet place for family to play.
- Could be a fun place for an ace run.
- Discatchers and concrete tee pads.
- some decent tee signs.
- hole 6 has dual tees (I did not see the other tee while I was there)

1 missing sign, but it is a 121 feet ace run., so there is no mystery for where the basket location is.
Odd flow, after 2 holes with >125 ft ace runs you hit hole 3 which is a 401 foot which is marked a par 5, which gets to my next point: Graffiti all over the baskets. People signing "EAGLE" every time they get a 3 on what should be a par 3, but then their friends sign the baskets as "witnesses"
For hole 4 you come back to a 113 foot ace run.
Hole 5 has a vague OB. It throws over a circular trail
Hole 6 has a mando that is a clump of trees, but no one tree is designated, so it could be confusing.
The walk from 6 to 7 is another break in course flow and the course has you walk across several fairways.
Hole 8 is a 185 foot shot with a broken basket.

This course is like North Cabarrus's troubled stepbrother . It is lacking the flow, maintanence, and variety of it's counterpart which is only 3 miles away.

Break down: 3 holes under 125, 3 holes between 200-225, a 276, a 276/351, and a 401

One day of course work would improve this course to a 2 disc course.

- A good variety of left-hand and right-hand shots, so it's a decen place to practice anhyzers, hyzers and both forehand and backhand shots.
- A few different technical shots and one tight, tree-lined fairway.
- Course is part of a large public park, with plenty of activities for the whole family, but the course is situated in a pretty secluded area at the edge of the park.
- Plenty of opportunities to practice upshots and jump putts.

- Three holes were reachable from the tee with a long jump putt.
- Hole 9 is a poke and hope through a bunch of small cedars and shrubbery. A deuce is basically all luck, and if you miss your line you could be fetching your disc out of a tree.
- The course flow doesn't make sense - you have to cross over the main area of the park a few times, crossing fairways in the process.

This is a nice course for a quick workout and has a couple of interesting holes. But the available land probably could have been used to make a better course (maybe 6 longer holes). I played the course at 7 AM in the winter, so there was very little foot traffic, but I can imagine that it could get very difficult to play this course if there are any joggers around (as mentioned by other reviewers).

This course kinda confused me. Is it a pitch and putt? Is it a beginner level course? Or was the course designer trying to squeeze a normal (recreational level) course into a very small land area. The course sets on a small area of land with a creek running down the left side. Some of holes are incredibly easy and short like # 1 (121 ft. with nothing in the way), # 2 (114 ft. with just a couple of trees) and # 4 (113 ft. putt with nothing in the way. Then you have a 400 ft. hole # 3 and # 9 is a fairly difficult hole due to trees and thick underbrush on the left. This course has nice oversized concrete tee pads, very informative tee signs and single chain baskets. There are no next tee signs but they're really not needed.

Some very short holes coupled with a 400 footer. In some ways, it's a perfect place to take a beginner. In other ways there are some chances for lost discs and maybe a little frustration factor for the newbie.

The day I played, a 11 year old kid ACED # 4, the short 113 ft. shot. He was thrilled as he should be. So was his father! I'm just not sure who exactly this course designer had in mind when he designed Dorton Park?

Well laid out course. Easy to navigate. Good for a quick round.
- Tee pads are awesome. Larger than most. If every course had tee pads this good, you'd never hear anyone complain about them.
- Great tee signs. Some of the most descriptive I've seen around.
- Great course to introduce newcomers to the game. Course is never crowded, so it's also a good course for practice.
- Beautiful, neighborhood park. I think everyone would want such a great, clean, park nearby. Park has walking trails, soccer field, tennis court, picnic shelters, grills, playground and restrooms. Great for the whole family.

Most holes aren't difficult. Three holes are really short, barely more than 100 feet. Lack of variety among holes.
- Lack of variety in holes. Longer holes are wide open, shorter holes are managable.
- Trails weave throughout course, so you have to watch out for joggers and walkers.
- Rough is thick to the left of #5, also comes in to play on errant throws on #3 (right side) and #6 (left).

Course isn't challenging for skilled players. I only consider several of the holes to be tough enough to be seen on more advanced courses. #3 is the most challenging hole by far. It's the only hole more than 400 feet.
- Course is targeted for casual players, as well as families looking to have fun.
- Worth playing if you live nearby or for a quick stop on your way to some of the tougher, better courses in Charlotte.
- Amenities give course a bump in ratings. The rest of the family can easily be occupied at the park while you play.