Have been wanting to play this one for a while but never seemed to have time when in the Greenville area. That changed this week and I was able to make a stop at this well hidden disc golf course/brewery.

Look for the school bus and park behind the brewery and hole one is just off the back porch.

I elected to play the blue tees and some locals waiting to start on the whites warned me "it's really hard!" And while it's not easy, it really is more of a testament to being able to throw several different shot shapes with power.

It's got a good amount of elevation and multi part shots where even the best players are not going to be able to go directly for some greens.

The pond comes into play on three holes. Hole 2 you throw downhill with the pond directly behind, 3 you have to carry it with about a 270ft shot, and on 4 the best line is to hyzer out over it near the hole 2 green. I'm sure the deep and muddy pond claims many a disc.

After those holes it's a pretty wooded course with tight, long lines that in many cases aren't that forgiving. You want to be close to the fairway since the rough is often as oppressive as the Turkish prison where Shadrach3 has been the last two years(hi buddy).

There is a tight 800ft par 5 that is kind of wild, and an uphill par 4 around 500ft where I threw a FH roller due to the crazy shot shape. Don't break that out a ton.

Tees are turf, but mainly just loose laid over what looks like a piece of carpet. Most are in decent shape. Signs are good, full color and very descriptive, though a few of them are damaged.

Baskets are orange banded disccatchers and are in good shape.

The main cons are related to it being a private course that's a little out of the way. It's not as polished as it could be since it's probably just a couple of guys maintaining. Around the hole 2 pad there is an old mattress and though around the pond is immaculate some of the wooded holes are possibly more punishing than would be idea.

A few of the pads have been ruffled and porch ground underneath could use some leveling. I think the lower holes have been underwater in the last month or so.

Navigation is mainly good, but there is one intersection around 11where you see two different pads and neither one is where you need to go next.

It's worth the trip out of the way a bit, and if I ever come back with a bit more time I'd love to sample their wares, the hopps by hole 1 smell great!

Solid design. Fairways are manageable and well defined. Challenging course requires you to have some power from both forehand and backhand. I'm RHBH almost exclusively; a few holes set up for flex forehands to get down the fairways. With just the backhand it forces you to throw a putter or mid for placement so you don't get off fairway. Having a brewery on site is a nice perk. Liked that the pond could come into play for 2 of the holes.

Navigation. Some holes have little arrows, but others didn't. I spent a long time looking for hole 16 tee. If there was better next tee signage and concrete pads, I would score this a solid 4. With that said, all the turf pads were level and in good shape. Doesn't seem to handle rain that well. Might not be very playable a day after a good rain.

Huge score separation type of course. If your timing is just a little off you can have a long day, there's plenty of rough that doesn't give you much room to advance. Challenging layout, don't get fooled by the first few holes, the teeth come out. The layout and challenges are very good, just a few forgettable holes, with more memorable ones to make up for it.

Golden Grove Farm and Brew. A brewery that features a disc golf course? Somebody check the Venn Diagram to see if there is any overlap.
- Lots of high quality holes; well designed layouts throughout. There was a lot of time and effort put into this design.
- Course incorporates the terrain, from holes playing around and over the water - holes #2 - 4 - to field layouts and wooded holes.
- I enjoyed the split fairway layout on #9. I loved the feel of #10. At 530 feet, and with a winding fairway, it paid homage to #8 at WR Jackson at the IDGC.
- Course is secluded from the rest of the site. Other than the someone needing to step outside for fresh air, you shouldn't see too many patrons. You're actually closer to I-85 on #12 than any holes play to the main building aside from #1.
- With two layouts, course will challenge players of many skill levels. White layout plays around 6200 feet; blue plays around 7400. Blue layout has seven holes of 500 feet or longer; white only one.
- On the longer, wooded holes, the fairways are extremely generous allowing players to pull out driver. Just make sure you stay on the fairway. The rough is not forgiving in spots.
- There's a rake with a long rope attached next to the pond. Great to know in case your disc ends up in there.
- For every drink someone owes you during your round - their disc landing on yours, etc. - you can cash that in immediately. The benefits of playing at a brewery.

Course feels like a work-in-progress. A lot of clearing still needed on many holes, piles of debris throughout the course, and better paths needed between some holes.
- Tee pads are needed. Shoot, I'd settle for carpet tees if the ground was completely level.
- Tee signs are needed. Without the online map (UDisc), there would be too many holes playing blind. Even with the online map, I still had to guess which clearing was the fairway versus just a simple clearing on multiple holes. #4 and 14 are prime examples.
- Accurate hole lengths are also needed. There's a variance between the lengths listed on here vs UDisc. Granted, they're usually pretty close.
- Better signage pointing to next holes. And, please do a better job clearing the paths. After finishing #12, I had to walk past #11's basket, down a clearing to #14's fairway, backtrack past #13's basket all the way back to #13's tee. Or, there could be a clearing in the woods directly from #12 to #13.
- There are a lot of hunting stands throughout the course. They were empty, but I'd be worried if they're ever in use.

GGF&B has a lot to like. The negatives drag down the course's overall quality. The good news is that the course has enough quality to be dragged down in the first place.
- There are lots of par 4, multi-shot holes throughout the course. The course gets significantly longer and tougher on the back 9, with both layouts playing between 700 - 900 feet longer than the front 9.
- I think #18 is a solid closing hole. I like the raised green on the hill. I was too worn out to enjoy it, or even attempt to attack it, to fully appreciate its character.
- If you like scenic holes, you'll enjoy playing around the pond. The tee shot on #2 looks great, but it's unforgiving if you're right or long. #3 plays over the pond's corner. Then, before teeing off on #4, take time to turn around and enjoy the viewing looking back at #3's basket.
- The course definitely favors the bigger arms. I can overcome my arm on many courses. Here, I know it costs me multiple shots throughout the round.
- This should be hosting big events frequently. There may an overlap between those who like to frolf and those who like adult libations.
- I feel a year from now the course will either be in a better place or worse off. The in-progress issues will either be addressed, or the course will start showing signs of lacking upkeep. I'm hoping the course reaches its potential. It could become a special course. As it is, my rating is based on how it played in October '20 and not on its potential for '21 and beyond.

-Golden Grove is a great addition to the Upstate courses. Along with this one, you have many different options with different faces. Hurricane, the small abrasive hothead that's a lot like the redneck Glenn who made that one appearance in My Name is Earl, is Golden Grove's closest neighbor. There's Central, the wealthy entrepreneur that everyone loves. There's Foothills in Easley, the scruffy workaholic with four jobs that's been down on this luck for a while. Yet, makes it all bearable. Dacusville, the blunt school custodian with crooked teeth, drives an old camaro with missing hubcaps, and lives in that haunted shed nearby. Yet possesses a lot of grit, and assembles things extremely fast. Timmons, the retired home buyer that lives by the river. Shaver OG, the quiet southern landscaper with cigarette butts all over his patio. And Shaver Championship, Shaver's tall and quiet long haired son that plays the rhythm guitar and does the unclean vocals in his metalcore band.

-Golden Grove blends in with all the guys! He's tall, rugged, muscular, and intimidating! He's a WWE fanatic and takes steroids every now and then. Owns many guns that are illegal in the US, but only displays them for show. He's not active, he lives in that decrepit home that you drive past but never visit. This course from the longs is the hardest course in the Clemson area and probably in the entire upstate. The white pads are still pretty difficult but aren't as hard. About as challenging as Foothills in Easley. Even par on the longs is probably just over 980 rated. You'd have a good chance at an 1000 rated round if you score even or better on the front nine, yet you'd be at risk in shooting below 900 if you don't score under par on the front nine playing the shorts. It's nice to have a real pro level course in the upstate that offers a more forgiving layout.

-Water. There's a nice fishing pond on holes #2 and #3. #2 is an excellent hole down a hill approaching the pond. The pond isn't in play until you are closer to the green. #3 plays completely over the pond, whether you are playing from the long pad or short pad. You can hyzer left to eliminate risk in going in the water if you are unsure if you can make it over. There's also a creek running through the woods beside #3's green.

-The brewery is really good. My buddy and I each got a free cup of water. The beer options are pretty diverse as well and they have some food options too.

-Hole info. The holes on the front nine have tee signs and the back nine will have tee signs soon from what I heard.

-Great hole variety. You start off with three par threes (#1-3). All are very challenging from the long pads. Especially #1 with it's demanding straight fairway and dense woods. #2 and #3 have that higher risk in OB because of water. All of the holes are less difficult from the shorts. #4-6 are all extremely difficult par fours from the long pads with demanding fairways that bend. They are even difficult from the shorts.

-After holes #4-6, you have a few shorter par threes (all under 300') with less potential for trouble, but are still difficult to reach. #8 is a very narrow uphill ace run. Shortest hole from both layouts (210' from the long and about 170' from the short) but the fairway is no more than 10' wide and the rough is thick. #9 has a wider fairway that requires a right fade toward the end of your disc's flight. If it lands too short, you could well likely be in the rough. Even if you are close to the pin, a bogey could still await you. #11 and #12 are also shorter par threes with good birdie potential after playing a very difficult par four that is #10. #10 is more open, but the fairway plays as a double dogleg. I had to throw a right to left SIDEARM because it'd be very difficult to throw a nice flip up on a righty backhand. The approach is into the woods with two possible routes to the basket.

-Course has one par five. That is #14. This is the only hole with one tee pad. Instead of two tee pads, it has two baskets. An MVP basket for the short pin and an orange basket in the long. The long pin is an 810' par five while the short is only about 625'. This hole has a dead end fairway! A term I just invented! You have room to throw a driver and the hole is downhill, so you could very well throw a big drive even though it's pretty wooded. The left route is straight ahead of you and it closes after about 500'. Seems like the easier route but you actually have to switch lanes. There is a route to the right that is practically invisible from the tee, so it's risky to throw an anhyzer. The routes are separated by a long herd of trees. You could land short and try to throw a tomahawk over the herd of trees to get to the other side where the basket is (on the route to the right), or simply lay up just to avoid the rough. Chances are, you'll have to throw a tomahawk or thumber. The MVP basket (625' from the pad isn't too far ahead once you cross over. The orange basket is further down a trail into the woods. Extremely difficult for a par five that isn't entirely long for a challenging course. But this is the second hole I've played where a tomahawk or thumber is the most rational option after the tee shot (first being #11 at Ashe County).

-Orange disc catchers. Golden Grove has some of that Clemson Tiger pride! Gotta have that in this region of South Carolina. All jokes aside, very nice color. #18's basket is perched on a mound. Putting on this final hole is a bit intimidating but you still lay on the mound if you miss. It can be punishing but forgiving as well.

-Carpet pads. I'm not really picky about carpet pads, but they can be a bit uneven sometimes. #7's pad I never found. I had a general sense of where the pad is supposed to be because of U disc. #7's alleged pad location is in a very muddy spot and you won't want to tee off of that. The mud wasn't much of an issue in any other spots of the course.

-Course needs tee diagrams and some new tee signs on the front nine. #4's tee sign was missing. The hole is a dogleg left with the landing zone being right where the deer stand is. I thought the fairway played back up the hill in the open that you throw down on #2. It's actually in the woods on the far left. Course is very unforgiving for starters as a result of this issue. You should probably walk the fairway and analyze the rough a little bit here.

-You are far in the country. The rough part of it. You'll likely see a rebel flag or two in this area, or someone wearing a rebel flag shirt. Something I don't like to see along with many others. Doesn't make this course worth skipping because it's a fun one! But that's worth noting because that kind of crap can be really irritating for you to see.

-Lots of lost disc potential as of now. Be very attentive.

-Glad that there's is a course that better suits pros. It still has that casual atmosphere being at a brewery and having dense rough and carpet tee pads. Beginners will likely hate this course even from the shorts, while others may appreciate the challenge and want to get good at disc golf. The whites are more fun for casual play, but even is still probably near 930 rated. You'll have to do a lot of things right to score under par on the shorts. The longs really show the ruggedness of Golden Grove and you'll have to discern each fairway and consequence to missing because playing safe on a few holes and just getting par could save your score here. The rough is some of the roughest rough I have played. It's not unplayable like Jacob's Fork in Newton, NC but it is very hard to play out of. I've played some courses with very unforgiving rough such as Inverness in Hoover, AL, Renny Gold, Hornet's Nest, and Nevin in Charlotte, and Stumpy Creek in Mooresville, NC. Golden Grove's rough has about that much challenge to it. It's playable but you'll really have to pay if you land in there.

-If your accuracy is on point here, you'll gain some strokes on the field and have a much stronger chance in a lower score, even if your putting is a little off. None of the greens are entirely scary to putt from, but some have a little bit of rollaway potential. If you don't have trouble with #18's green, you probably won't have much trouble with any of the greens here. Hurricane Springs is nearby. It's much shorter in comparison to Golden Grove, but the fairways are still tight and the scoring spread per stroke is probably about twelve rating points, making putting more of an importance there than here at Golden Grove. A few missed birdies at Hurricane would hurt you more there than it would at Golden Grove since it is longer with more room for trouble.

-Playing Golden Grove will encourage you to really analyze your strengths and weaknesses. It's a serious test in disc golf at a casual brewery! It's a fun rugged course!

-Tee Signs
-Challenging layout
-Craft Brewery and Restaurant onsite

-Carpet tee pads
-Navigation tricky at times
-Undergrowth is up a bit
-Newer course that needs play to get beat in.

I have heard about this course for quite some time, but never had a chance to play it. Every time I have gone to the Golden Grove Farm & Brew, it has been a downpour of rain, so the opportunity never presented itself. I figured it was a piece of cake course for people to hold a beer in one hand and throw with the other, so I was not really driven to head over. But, I was wrong.

This is a very high level course that has been carved out of the woodwork behind this craft brewery. Every hole presents a unique challenge and cannot be taken lightly. I would say the signature area of the course is probably the holes in play around the pond (2-4). It is very beautiful and the pond adds extra pucker factor on your drives.

I was trying to keep score for four people on Udisc, so I did not really get to document each hole properly, so I will try to add that to the review later, but this is a must play for any serious disc golfer.

Right now, I only gave the course a 4 due to beginning to be broken in. Tee pads are better navigation easier. However, the sky is the limit for this course. It really could eventually be one of the best in the state.

8/24/21 Update:
Out of the 69 courses I have reviewed, this is where this course ranks along with similarly rated courses:
Rank-Course, Location
7-Shaver Recreation Center Championship, Seneca, SC
8-Tyger River DGC, Reidville, SC
9-N.E. Lions Park, Norman, OK
10-Grand Central Station, Central, SC
11-Chauga Rapids, Westminster, SC
12-Golden Grove Farm & Brew DGC, Piedmont, SC
13-Stoney Hill DGC, Newberry, SC
14-Mekusukey DGC, Seminole, OK
15-Regional DGC, Ardmore, OK
16-Dolly Cooper Park DGC, Powdersville, SC