The Gates County Community DGC is not a track you're going to travel to intentionally. I played it because I had a work trip that took me from Raleigh to Currituck. I went 15 minutes out of my way to bag a course I'd never otherwise play. Northeastern NC is a disc golf desert; there aren't many other options. Ahoskie appears to be far and away the best of very few courses in this region. I didn't get to play Ahoskie on this trip as I only had time for a quick 9. I don't think there will be a "next time" for Gates DGC...

+ There is one fun, memorable hole on the course: #5. It plays slightly downhill from an elevated tee (on a hill), through a tunnel over the paved walking path that circles the park, over a flat field, to an elevated basket perched on a small but steep mound. It makes for a fun ace run. If you miss, you have the only unique/tricky putt on the course.

+ The UDisc map lines up with the course. Tees are natural areas and generally unmarked, but if you follow UDisc, it makes sense.

+ Very short, beginner course with bountiful ace runs.

Unfortunately, the cons stack up on this course...

- Danger to pedestrians and park goers is always going to be a big, off-the-bat, major deduction. The DG course is jammed into this small community park with several other amenities (paved walking path, horseshoes pits, playground, baseball field, and soccer/football field). The first basket is positioned in between the horseshow pits! I literally had to skip this hole because some guys were playing horseshoes. (Kudos to Gates for having the coolest horseshoe pits I've seen. They appear to be well maintained and used often.) Other holes on the course have you fly the disc directly over long stretches of the walking path, near the playground, and in between the ballfields. When I played, the only other park goers besides the horseshoe guys were kids on the playground. They weren't in any danger from me. But if this park is ever in use by many folks, several of the holes would be unplayable.

- Nothing overly challenging, aesthetically pleasing, or memorable about the course. I mentioned the one hole that I really like and threw several discs on out of enjoyment. Other than that, there isn't any elevation, major distance, or fun elements.

- Baskets are old, leaning, or falling down. The tees are natural areas, with a couple concrete or asphalt (shared with trails or sidewalks).

- A couple of baskets are placed right up against chain-link fences in the park with gates. Two of the gates were open when I played. I landed my disc within 15 feet of the basket on these two holes, but the open gate blocked any approach on the putt. Strange design choice!

This course is really for kids in the area (who are mature enough not to throw discs when other people are at risk!) or ultra course baggers. Otherwise, I would not recommend traveling from near or far to play this one.

This course is on a Community Center with many other activities nearby. The course follows a paved exercise trail. The holes are short and every hole is ace-able, probably nothing over 200 feet. The DGA baskets catch great. The course is designed for kids at the community center and a nearby high school.

If anyone is using the other amenities then the course will be unplayable. I hit exercise equipment a couple of times. The equipment actually serves as obstacles many times. My friend overthrew the last hole and landed his disc on a skateboard ramp.

Tee areas vary and sometimes are tough to find. On hole 1 we couldn't find a tee so we teed off from a spot in the grass which was worn. Other holes had square tiles which we teed off from. A few holes had a number spray painted on the walking trail to tee from.

Other Cons:
- no tee signs
- no hole distances
- fences to go around to retrieve errant throws
- several safety issues

Following the course isn't tough if you follow the trail but finding where to tee from is tough sometimes. After #7 you can't see the next hole but just keep with that paved trail and you will come to a point where you see the basket (not sure about the tee though.)

The course stays along the perimeter so sometimes there is a fence a few feet behind the basket. I admit, I enjoyed throwing my disc hard at the basket without fear of overshooting it.

It's a quick round with some fun ace runs but there are just too many cons. Even without the safety issues the course would become boring to a regular player quickly. I hope the course gets kids playing and enjoying the sport. That will be the greatest success.