Forest Hills Park reviews
1
0
Great tournament course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Nov 3, 2017
Played the course:once
Pros:
Great layout on former ball golf course in the heart of Durham. Not much else in this park away from the main building, used mainly by dog walkers. Great grass throughout and enough trees for shot shaping.
Plenty of long holes to air it out and several short, tight holes as well. They've even added OB lines to make the longer holes more difficult and a couple of island greens.
Used one weekend a year for the Matt Keatts Memorial, 2018 event coming up on Nov. 3rd and 4th.
Temp baskets in use are in great shape.
Plenty of long holes to air it out and several short, tight holes as well. They've even added OB lines to make the longer holes more difficult and a couple of island greens.
Used one weekend a year for the Matt Keatts Memorial, 2018 event coming up on Nov. 3rd and 4th.
Temp baskets in use are in great shape.
Cons:
Only available one weekend a year, even with its limited life, it is a highly rated course.
Natural grass tees, typical for a Temp tournament course.
Natural grass tees, typical for a Temp tournament course.
Other Thoughts:
Many unique holes on this course, my favorite was 18. A 500 footer that starts with a Mando around a large tree with low hanging branches. Saw the guys in front of me practicing their rollers on this one.
The former ball golf course was in about 4 sections, both sides of a creek, across busy University (which goes nowhere close to Duke) Drive and between neighborhood streets. So you are pretty isolated on several holes.
The course is set up on the Friday before the tournament for practice rounds and an open start doubles round, last year was my first chance to play it. Some of the better NC players have played this tournament over the years, Nate Sexton and Barry Schultz included.
SPECIAL NOTICE - Open registration for the 2018 event starts tonight, October 8th at 9:00 PM!!
The former ball golf course was in about 4 sections, both sides of a creek, across busy University (which goes nowhere close to Duke) Drive and between neighborhood streets. So you are pretty isolated on several holes.
The course is set up on the Friday before the tournament for practice rounds and an open start doubles round, last year was my first chance to play it. Some of the better NC players have played this tournament over the years, Nate Sexton and Barry Schultz included.
SPECIAL NOTICE - Open registration for the 2018 event starts tonight, October 8th at 9:00 PM!!
3
0
One of the best temp courses in the Triangle 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Nov 1, 2019
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Forest Hills Park is a fantastic temp course used for the annual Matt Keatts Memorial C-Tier, usually on or around the first weekend in November. Even if you can't play in the tournament, try to make it to the open practice time. It's worth making a special trip for this excellent course.
+ It's hard to believe this urban park has the space for 20 fantastic disc golf holes, including four par 4's and a par 5. It's not as long as the Airborne at WakeMed temp course, but it's much closer to that in length and in feel than to, say, DUO. Of the pop-up courses I've played (Forest Hills, Airborne at WakeMed, Goldsboro Muni, and DUO) I would rank Forest Hills at the top or perhaps 1B to DUO's 1A, simply because DUO is so unique. (And Forest Hills would be much better as a permanent course in that I actually think it would work as a permanent course! That would be impossible for DUO, of course.) If you can't play in the tournament, at least try to bag Forest Hills on the Friday rec play day before the tournament or rush through a round Sunday morning before the finals.
+ Park golf or ball golf style course, with fairways wide enough to match the length of the hole, but enough trees to make fairways challenging and fair. Rope-marked OB adds to the challenge.
+ There are a few excellent island holes defined by OB rope, plus one in a roundabout. The island hole in the roundabout was one of my favorite holes. Hole 17 has a big swath of OB in the middle of the hole: a creek with lots of rough on either side of it. There's a gap to play through over the bridge. It feels like an island hole, if it's not technically one.
+ The finishing hole is the shortest hole on the course, but it's a tricky double mando and a real tester.
+ My favorite hole is the only par 5, playing past a mando tree on the tee shot. I don't have a big arm, but I threw driver, driver, fairway drive, stayed in the fairway, and made the birdie to the elevated basket.
+ There's great variety here in the types of shots you need off the tee: hyzer, anhyzer, straight, flex, roller.
+ This is a challenging course, but it's not so daunting that rec or intermediate players shouldn't try it out (including in the tournament). I shot a rushed +5 without ever seeing, walking, or playing the course before. (I'm a mid-800's rated player right now.) I think par is about a 900-rated round. In other words, par is very doable for intermediate players. Forest Hills is a good challenge, but not brutal.
+ There's not a ton of elevation here, but they used what they had. There are a couple of uphill holes and a couple of very fun downhill holes.
+ The fun factor of this course is super high.
+ Beautiful, well-maintained urban park with lots of mature trees and big oaks.
+ I've played a few hybrid courses on current or former ball golf courses. This is my favorite of all of those courses, both in rating and in how fun the course is. I think the reason is, it's been so long since this park was a ball golf course that there are lots of huge oak trees and other mature trees so that's it's not *too* open. Yet it's also a very long course. It's just right in the sweet spot. Fantastic course. It's not hyperbole to say that if Forest Hills was a permanent course with real tee pads, it would be one of if not my favorite course in the Triangle.
+ It's hard to believe this urban park has the space for 20 fantastic disc golf holes, including four par 4's and a par 5. It's not as long as the Airborne at WakeMed temp course, but it's much closer to that in length and in feel than to, say, DUO. Of the pop-up courses I've played (Forest Hills, Airborne at WakeMed, Goldsboro Muni, and DUO) I would rank Forest Hills at the top or perhaps 1B to DUO's 1A, simply because DUO is so unique. (And Forest Hills would be much better as a permanent course in that I actually think it would work as a permanent course! That would be impossible for DUO, of course.) If you can't play in the tournament, at least try to bag Forest Hills on the Friday rec play day before the tournament or rush through a round Sunday morning before the finals.
+ Park golf or ball golf style course, with fairways wide enough to match the length of the hole, but enough trees to make fairways challenging and fair. Rope-marked OB adds to the challenge.
+ There are a few excellent island holes defined by OB rope, plus one in a roundabout. The island hole in the roundabout was one of my favorite holes. Hole 17 has a big swath of OB in the middle of the hole: a creek with lots of rough on either side of it. There's a gap to play through over the bridge. It feels like an island hole, if it's not technically one.
+ The finishing hole is the shortest hole on the course, but it's a tricky double mando and a real tester.
+ My favorite hole is the only par 5, playing past a mando tree on the tee shot. I don't have a big arm, but I threw driver, driver, fairway drive, stayed in the fairway, and made the birdie to the elevated basket.
+ There's great variety here in the types of shots you need off the tee: hyzer, anhyzer, straight, flex, roller.
+ This is a challenging course, but it's not so daunting that rec or intermediate players shouldn't try it out (including in the tournament). I shot a rushed +5 without ever seeing, walking, or playing the course before. (I'm a mid-800's rated player right now.) I think par is about a 900-rated round. In other words, par is very doable for intermediate players. Forest Hills is a good challenge, but not brutal.
+ There's not a ton of elevation here, but they used what they had. There are a couple of uphill holes and a couple of very fun downhill holes.
+ The fun factor of this course is super high.
+ Beautiful, well-maintained urban park with lots of mature trees and big oaks.
+ I've played a few hybrid courses on current or former ball golf courses. This is my favorite of all of those courses, both in rating and in how fun the course is. I think the reason is, it's been so long since this park was a ball golf course that there are lots of huge oak trees and other mature trees so that's it's not *too* open. Yet it's also a very long course. It's just right in the sweet spot. Fantastic course. It's not hyperbole to say that if Forest Hills was a permanent course with real tee pads, it would be one of if not my favorite course in the Triangle.
Cons:
I have a few cons:
- It's a temp course. (I know I can't be the first person to ask, but is there any way Durham could make this park a permanent disc golf course? Pretty please!)
- Being a temp course, the tees are natural/grass. Every year I've played here, the tee areas have been really muddy and torn up. Rain really impacts this property. It gets very muddy, torn up, and slippery. There are even areas with big swaths of standing water. Flooding and drainage are a real problem here when it rains.
- There is some thick rough and underbrush bordering a few holes. Again, the fairways are very fair and wide enough for you to avoid the nasty stuff, but if you do get in there, there are some briers and there is a risk of disc loss.
- Being an urban park, a few holes are adjacent to streets. There is some traffic noise. And you have to cross the road a few times to get to the next hole. One of those crossings is a secondary road and can be very busy. For the roundabout hole, I'm not sure if the roads are shut down for the tournament or not. (I think not, so you may need a spotter to make sure it's clear.) At least on this hole, they are neighborhood streets and not busy.
- I'm sure navigation is easy for the tournament players, but for rec play, if there are no other players on the course, it's tricky. There are some long walks in between a few holes. I recommend printing off a map before you play.
- It's a temp course. (I know I can't be the first person to ask, but is there any way Durham could make this park a permanent disc golf course? Pretty please!)
- Being a temp course, the tees are natural/grass. Every year I've played here, the tee areas have been really muddy and torn up. Rain really impacts this property. It gets very muddy, torn up, and slippery. There are even areas with big swaths of standing water. Flooding and drainage are a real problem here when it rains.
- There is some thick rough and underbrush bordering a few holes. Again, the fairways are very fair and wide enough for you to avoid the nasty stuff, but if you do get in there, there are some briers and there is a risk of disc loss.
- Being an urban park, a few holes are adjacent to streets. There is some traffic noise. And you have to cross the road a few times to get to the next hole. One of those crossings is a secondary road and can be very busy. For the roundabout hole, I'm not sure if the roads are shut down for the tournament or not. (I think not, so you may need a spotter to make sure it's clear.) At least on this hole, they are neighborhood streets and not busy.
- I'm sure navigation is easy for the tournament players, but for rec play, if there are no other players on the course, it's tricky. There are some long walks in between a few holes. I recommend printing off a map before you play.
Other Thoughts:
When I read the first and only review of this course saying it would be the "Best in North Carolina" if it was a permanent course, I'll admit I was skeptical. After playing it, I would disagree that it would be the "Best in NC," but I was certainly pleasantly surprised and Forest Hills blew away my expectations. To date, I've played over half of the top 25 courses in NC on DGCR and 7 of the top 10. Forest Hills is right up there and in my top 10. Don't miss it when it comes around every fall!
4
9
_MTL_
Experience:
30.9 years
162 played
17 reviews
It's Disc Golf Heaven 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 27, 2012
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
This is one of the most fair and beautiful courses I've ever played. It's challenging and it can whip you pretty quickly, but it's so fun you don't mind getting whipped. Not a single bad hole!! (Ok, I have some designer bias there)
Cons:
Natural tees (temp course) and only open about 5 days a year.
Other Thoughts:
Simply put, if this course was permanent, it would be a 5 and THE best course in NC.
