Eye candy (beautiful property)
Unique greens
Some challenging basket locations
Tee pads

Tee signs not accurate (use a range finder and you will find some discrepancies 25+ feet)
Course design has an odd feel to it. There's a three hole stretch where it feels basic and boring. One hole is open and 170 feet or so, basket is raised on the side of a hill, but it doesn't fit with the theme of the course. The back 9 has some challenging holes with baskets well guarded.
My biggest con is the redesign. I feel it's going to be nightmare to maintain with the kudzu on the property.
Holes:
11: Blind tee shot over an area that has a good chance of getting overgrown. Basket is located in the middle of a bushy triangle.
12: Not a bad hole, but rough is bad and with trees to navigate toward the green there's that risk. Little pond area right of green. Good birdie chance.
13: Basket is in between a bunch of trees where it's almost in a cage of trees. I threw too straight last round, had a 70 foot upshot which I threw to 15 feet and I only had 1/3 of basket visible and missed putt. Not a fan of luck when it comes to being close to basket.

I'm sure course will continue to evolve, getting tee signs accurate, controlling the rough, and tweaking some holes could make this a 4 star course. This course is worth playing, for there's a solid 12+ holes that are very good.

River Run is the shorter of the two North Cove courses, but shorter does not necessarily mean lesser when it comes to disc golf courses. River Run is a phenomenal course that plays along the North Fork of the Catawba. At least when we played, in the peak of summer, the river was nothing more than a babbling brook to where losing a disc in the water would be near impossible but this would likely change after heavy rain or in the springtime during snow melt. (I know further downstream there is a navigable Class II-III section of river where people kayak, before dumping into Lake James.) The course has DISCatcher baskets, decent tees, and adequate tee signs. There are also a couple of practice baskets for warming up near the parking lot. The Pro Shop has bathrooms, sell drinks, and have a small selection of Innova Discs. They also have a lost-and-found which is definitely appreciated.

The course is well suited for a variety of players. Nobody will feel excluded here as the distances are short enough that Rec and Intermediate players will be able to drive the putting greens, but Advanced Players will enjoy the hole designs.

While it is not as hilly as The Boulders, River Run still utilizes elevation incredibly well. Holes 4 & 5 offer a unique one-two punch near the start of the course: with Hole 4 throwing over a significant depression, borderline gulley, to reach the basket, and Hole 5 playing to an elevated basket on the side of a steep hill.

The hole design of River Run offers a lot of variety and has a lot of emphasis on trying to create memorable holes with the space the designers had available to them. Despite being built on the remains of an old golf course, River Run manages to remain interesting by utilizing the obstacles on the course well, having a few wooded holes throughout to mix things up, as well as playing around and across the river multiple times.

I also really enjoyed Hole 12, which incorporate the sand trap as an island. This really allowed you to play aggressive and know that your drive shouldn't easily skip off the island into the OB. (Though I think the whole could use a drop zone.)

Some of the distances listed on the tee signs seemed a bit off to me. As we neared the end of the round, this became less of an issue, but it is worth keeping in mind when you step up to throw your tee shots. (I also don't remember the pond being pictured on Hole 6's tee sign, which is left and long, but I could have also very well just missed this.)

I would have loved it if the course had had one more Par 4 or Par 5. There is nothing wrong with a Par 3 course, but in such a beautiful area, I was left wanting just a little bit more.

The course could maybe use some small tweaks here and there. There are definitely a couple of holes that felt "lesser" when compared to the rest of the course. Hole 7, in particular, stuck out compared to the well designed holes that sandwiched it.

Hole 18 is a well designed hole, but I felt like it ruined the flow of the course right at the end. Having to walk the fairway three times seemed a bit excessive, when for me (and I recognize I'd likely be in the minority here), the hole would have been just as good if the basket and tee pad locations were reversed. Would have ended the course with the most uphill shot on the course, to a small platform that could make things tricky.

Some transitions through the woods are still uneven and full of stumps and other tripping hazards. I am confident this will be addressed over time though.

North Cove is a beautiful complex, and playing both courses back-to-back you'll realize just how well designed the holes on River Run are. I'd argue that some of the holes on this course are the best designed holes on the whole complex, such as Hole 9. The designers did a great job incorporating the river into the course, and you will understand why it is called River Run before the end of your round.

For now, I am going to give River Run a 3.5 rating. It is an excellent course, and would be worth checking out on its own, but I do think there are still ways for the course to improve. I especially think it could benefit from another longer hole to help mix things up since it seems like almost all of the holes fall right around the putter to midrange off the tee.

If you are in NC, this complex is definitely one worth checking out, and I really hope to make my way back out there once the weather cools off again. When you do, bring a few extra bucks for the Pro Shop. Hopefully this place will be around for some time.

Also, I didn't mention this in Pros or Cons, because I personally loved the risk/reward theme the course utilized with a (deadly combination of elevation and OB), but the fact that so many holes had OB within tap in range of the basket is sure to frustrate some players visiting from out of town. So the course might receive mixed feelings from players on this.

Favorite Holes: 4, 9, 12, & 18

-River Run is the shorter of the two courses. Not sure if it's a red level course though. There's a lot of OB that can deter you from going big and some pin positions that play near rivers, or may be elevated, and one is inside an OB sand trap. It isn't one of those shorter courses where you can mess up off the tee and save par easily. River Run is a brain tester. If you are a more analytical person such as myself, this course might be one you play better at.

-It's a good mix for it being on a demolished ball golf course. There are a few wooded holes, and a couple of them are tight with some danger if you really miss. Many awesome greens here that you will see. #4's green is my favorite. Elevated green with the basket in the middle of some rock formations. #6 is a very nice wooded hole with the pond in play next to the basket. #16's green is probably the prettiest being on some rocks next to a creek.

-Mark. I like Mark a lot. I don't know if he's one of the owners or if he's an employee. Very nice guy and very helpful. Both times I came in the clubhouse to pay, I saw him. He also helped run the High Country Throwdown in Jefferson, NC a few days ago and I got to play some holes with him while practicing. Fun guy to be around. The staff here at the North Cove Social Club have awesome ideas on making this place a real attraction in North Carolina. With nature trails, an outdoor restaurant, and they plan to hold concerts here. This place could give the whole town of Marion an upgrade!

-Some very attractive holes. #9 is real gem playing as a fun downhill anhyzer over the pond. #16 is a very tough hole. 338' and sharply left with the creek being very close to the basket and in play on the leftside the whole way. It's a difficult line to hit since it's tucked in the woods. #18 is a nice open finisher on an island green to an elevated basket. Very pretty finisher.

-There are two pink practice baskets near the parking lot on grassy land with enough room to throw some practice upshots.

-The tee pads have little holes in them so that they drain water easily. They can get a little slick, but they also dry off easily and more quickly.

-There's an expected loss. It's $10 to pay one round and $15 to play all day. That to me isn't a con. River Run and Boulders are both a lot of fun. I don't mind paying to play fun courses. But let's say you come here and pay $15 to play all day in the summer. When the vegetation gets out of hand. There's probably a 50% chance you'll lose a disc and maybe a 20% of losing more than one. Your expected loss is somewhere between $20-25 dollars in the summer between the fees and lost disc potential because the vegetation on a few holes, notably #14 and #17 is incredibly bad. Luckily those are the only two you have to look out for, but the pond could eat one of your discs too. It could be costly to play at North Cove for you. If you lose two discs and pay the $15 fee, it'll cost you about $50 in total. That is, if you don't get gas on your way over. There is kudzu on holes #14 and #17 and it's very itchy and very hard to navigate through.

-The sand trap green on #12 I do not like. Sorry, but I don't like it. The bunker is large and will penalize you without question if you miss your putt on #12. Think about it: If you land under the basket, you are taking a par. You have to land in an optimal spot, somewhere near the very left side of the bunker since the basket is on the left side. It's maybe 70' in length and about 20' in width. I saw a picture of that hole at Hyzer Creek in NY where the basket is in the OB creek. There's a big difference. You miss that putt, you still may not be penalized since the creek appears to be narrow. This bunker green to me is too far fetched. It could help with scary putts, and it does play only as a hazard. Meaning that you putt from your OB spot and don't have to take it from where it went out, but if you park this hole you are out of bounds. Not a fan of #14 either. The rough is extremely bad in the summer and the basket is quite close to it. I attempted to throw a flex backhand through the left gap and it never faded left and my saint pro is gone.

-North Cove has two great disc golf courses with a lot of character and appeal. So glad that WNC got a couple new courses with more to come soon! River Run offers more birdie opportunities for newer players while Boulders is a longer layout that isn't too difficult, but consists of more barriers since distance is a must. River Run is maybe a little more forgiving all in all, but it has its mean side and you'll see it if you take too many risks.

-Elevation is pretty mild at River Run. Some holes have moderate elevation changes. Boulders has a lot more elevation and more hole diversity. But River Run has a lot of variety for the majority of the holes being par threes. Different fairways, different consequences, and different looks. There's only one par four (#11). #11 is 455' and slightly downhill out of a clearing in the woods. It's reachable for long range throwers but it's dangerous since there's a creek about 70' short of the basket. If you go over 360' and less than 390', you'll be out of bounds inside the OB stakes. Playing safe could be rewarding while going big could give you an eagle opportunity or fighting to save par.

-My last recommendation, bring back up discs. Throw the ones you care less about on holes #14 and #17.

River Run is the kinder, gentler cousin of the Boulders course. The biggest difference is that distance is not the prerequisite at RR as it is on Boulders. Lots of very reachable holes for most people. The other difference is that RR is mostly around the creek and surrounding valley, lacking as much elevation change as big brother. You can really stack the birdies up like cordwood on this course but most every hole has a bit of trouble like an OB sidewalk or bunker.

For the most part putters and mids are all you'll need but there are a couple of holes with low ceilings, pond carry, or par 4s you might want to bust out a driver for. River Run has some relatively technical wooded holes compared to Boulders as well but for the most part is definitely a ball golf course style of course. The creek and sand traps do a good job of making each hole fairly interesting.

Not much to complain about other than lack of challenge (that's what the other course is for). One hole has the basket actually inside a sand trap and everything outside of the sand trap is OB. I think this was fairly clever but a drop zone would have been very welcome for my card mates that were struggling to reach the inbounds.

The only other con is that the vegetation around the creek can be thick as you can imagine, with poison ivy frequent.

Interestingly enough River Run had some holes that I felt were actually as challenging if not more than Boulders. The pond carry hole is quite a task if you're actually trying to birdie it. I highly recommend playing both courses if you're here and not just Boulders, although the latter is definitely the highlight course.

If you got beaten up on the Boulders, here's the chance to redeem yourself. It is the shorter, less grueling of the two layouts. Not that it's a walk in the park.
- That said, the first five holes are all birdie-able. It's a more calming start to your round than the Boulders. This stretch does feature your first of three elevated baskets on the course on #5.
- Creative layouts. A lot of holes force you to choose. #9 makes you decide if you're throwing over the water or laying up. It's a downhill, 367-foot layout with a basket tucked away on the right side of a pond. It's about 240 feet to the water. Lay up short and you give yourself a good chance for a par. Make a run at the basket and you may see a birdie. More likely, you're in the pond, or deep in the woods. Did I mention it's a tight gap to the basket. So you've got to the gap or go over a small tree line.
- #12 is going to be a love it or hate it layout. The basket is located in a golf course sand trap. It's an island green with everything outside the sand OB. In a normal scenario, it's a pretty simple 240-foot tee shot. An otherwise excellent tee shot, 15-feet from the basket, could be OB.
- #18 is the best hole. You're throwing to an island green with OB all around it. It's a 320-foot downhill layout. Again, you can throw short, in the 225 - 250 foot range, and leave a simple up-and-down par 3. Or, you make a run. It's another raised basket, so that adds another level of challenge/frustration.
- There's a lot of use of OB, adding to your challenge. A small creek comes into play on a series of holes. The pond comes into play on #6 in addition to 9. There's also a double mando on #9.
- Nice flow to the layout. The course does a good job of offering some varied layouts. It's not until the stretch of 13 - 17 that you start sensing that the holes start running together with a bit of repetitiveness.
- Excellent tee pads. I enjoyed throwing off of these more than throwing on concrete. Tee signs are also good.

Does not being as good as the Boulders count as a negative? If someone came here to only play one course, you would (or should) be playing the Boulders.
- Layout is a little wonky in spots. On #11, I threw to #12's basket as it was the only one visible, and the tee sign wasn't completely clear. After #17, you walk the entire length of 18 backwards, getting to the basket first, before heading to the tee. I understand why it's done. You want to end the course on a high note. It's just noticeable, if unavoidable, that you have to walk #18 three times to play it (getting to the tee, playing the hole, then walking back to the parking lot).
- A little more clearing is needed in some of the wooded portions of the course. The transitions from holes could be more defined (from #9 to 10, #11 to 12, and from #12 to 13), as well as cutting back some of the growth alongside the wooded fairways on #6 & 13.
- #16 was the only hole I felt had a 'lesser than' layout. It's tucked a tad too far into the woods alongside the creek. At some point (tee shot, approach, or putt) you're throwing at the creek. Add to that, the circle wasn't cleared out. This is the 'complaining the chives on my baked potato at the five-star steakhouse aren't chopped finely enough' portion of my review.
- No trash cans or benches on the course. They would be a nice addition.

River Run is a solid course. It's fun, challenging but not too challenging, and scenic. What's not to like?
- Nobody would make the drive for just this course. You would for Boulders. That said, it's a great compliment to Boulders to create a full, varied experience.
- There's less that's memorable about River Run. You also don't face as much punishment for being aggressive. On holes #1 -5, and throughout the course, make runs at the basket off the tee. Worst case, you hit a tree, or sail past a raised basket and have a simple up and down for a par 3.
- Only a single par 4. The way new courses all seemingly aim for more length, it's a nice change of pace for a intermediate level course to be installed.
- Regardless of which course you play first, you're going to be comparing these two layouts. This one reminds me more of Paw Paw (Woodshed and Whippin' Post) in that the course feels like one 36-hole layout and less like Elon Angry and Eager Beaver and their two completely separate designs that have no connection other than location.
- You have to play both courses to get the full experience. If not, you'll miss fun layouts such as #8, 14, or 15.
- Check out my Instagram page for more pictures of these two courses (@DiscGolfCraig). I saved the good stuff for there.
- I'm giving this course a 3.5. Boulder is clearly a step above River Run. If this is your inferior course, you've got an outstanding disc golf complex. Enjoy!