On a recently family vacation we were searching for a course to play in Asheville, not being familiar with the area. At first we were hesitant to play Richmond Hill as our group included several children and the description implied the course would be quite challenging, but I'm glad we ultimately settled on playing it. We found it to be a great place for us all to play and I'd love to revisit it.
-Great use of elevation. The most obvious feature of Richmond Hill is the hill part. You're constantly playing up, down, and over a hillside which makes for some pretty fun shots
-Plenty of woods, but defined fairways. My dad commented that no shot ever felt unfair, but accuracy was still at a premium.
-Rough wasn't overly punishing. We played in the winter which was certainly a big factor, but even with a bad kick par always seemed in play
-Tough birdies, easy pars. As mentioned above, fairways required accuracy but a bad shot could still be recovered from.
-A few open holes to open up a bit on, including par 4s
-A few nice ace runs, including a redesigned hole 14.
-Restrooms on site
-Practice basket
-Lots of parking, but it was mostly filled
-Some good signage, especially directing you around the new course flow on holes 14-18
-A few staircases to help with climbing hillside

-Teepads are holding this one back. The first tee is wonderful, large and concrete. After that is a mix of gravel and turf, often with uneven turf that was slippery and covered in mud. This was especially problematic when the front of the teepad was on a hillside and had a drop off. We had at least one slip and fall.
-At times the course felt a bit repetitive. The constant up one side of the hill and across to the other started to blend together. Thankfully there were holes to break up this.
-Hikers around the course. On several holes we saw walkers near the fairways, both hikers and other players. Some holes played near each other while there must have been hiking trails near other holes.
-If the course is muddy be careful walking on the hillside.
-Lots of thorns on some holes
-Course appears to be crowded

This was a great course and a lot of fun. We never felt overly frustrated playing in the woods. Our group of <900 players had birdie looks on several holes and all played close to par. The teepads are the only major glaring mistake I saw. As is I'd score this course in the 3.8 range but I think a 4 is plenty fair. Clearly this course is well loved and I'd come back to play it again.

- on site restrooms and water fountain
- practice basket (notably marked white for clarity)
- phenomenal natural beauty and mountain terrain
- technical, wooded challenge without being unfair
- some of the best elevation change you'll ever see outside of Colorado or similar
- 2 pin locations per hole (only 1 populated at a time)
- nice alternating of yellow and blue discatcher baskets helps with navigation
- navigation generally straightforward
- benches at every hole
- well maintained course with limited rough on most holes
- very clean with no garbage issues
- very cool large woodpeckers were enjoying dead wood all over the forest
- area is mostly reserved for disc golf, although bike path in some areas needs to be noted
- numerous holes with excellent ravine shots, detailed below
- most steep holes have built in stairs as necessary and bridges over typically wet areas
- holes are generally well spread out to avoid interference, with one exception

- turf tees were so-so and some in varying states of disrepair
- at least 2 sets of tee signs in varying states of disrepair, neither with hole maps
- no next tee signs at all
- no garbage cans throughout course, but clean anyway
- despite overall good layout, you have to cross 13's fairway to get to 14, which is a safety issue
- several holes (13, 17, maybe 18) state there's a mando but has zero explanation about what it is - on 18 I'm guessing as the hole signs were missing and deteriorated

I really enjoyed this course and had a great experience with nature - as noted, the woodpeckers here, black and white with red heads, are pretty cool. This course honestly almost felt like a 4.5 to me, but a few things hold it back. I know it's hard to cart concrete into the middle of a mountainous forest, but there are plenty of courses that have done it. The turf tees don't really bother me, but when things are wet they leave a lot to be desired. However, a bigger issue is the abysmal state of tee signs on this course. Some are missing, some holes have 2 signs (but neither have maps of the hole), and some are just in bad shape. This is the #1 thing that could be improved, with next tee signs probably being #2. There was some rough with brambles on a few holes but usually this wasn't too bad. I did see one disc in the brambles and judged it not worth trying to retrieve - so there are some bad spots.

Now for the good: this course is breathtaking in it's natural beauty, and generally has open (though wooded and technically challenging) fairways. The elevation change is the biggest draw here, as you're really playing in the mountains and almost every hole has elevation come into play. Early on I started making notes about how a few holes could use the elevation better... and then noticed the entire rest of the course did just that. The course is definitely challenging, but is super fun and not unfair. I only noted one fairway pushing it, which was hole 3's fairway which expected you to hit a 5 ft gap between trees.

The course has some good amenities with the practice basket, restrooms, benches, etc. The only thing notably missing is garbage cans on the course. As a side note, hole 15 tees off right by the parking lot - a little late to grab something you forgot from the car, but it's an opportunity before the end to grab something.

There were several holes I really enjoyed as follows:
Hole 4 - great uphill shot that makes full use of the elevation
Hole 5 - cool down and up shot over a ravine, but be careful not to lose disc in rough off to the left
Hole 9 - another great shot over a ravine, with excellent built in stairs
Hole 11 - driving on a hillside with notable elevation change
Hole 15 - awesome downhill bomb into ravine between 2 of the hills
Hole 17 - forces a throw at the end up a huge hill the basket sits on which is high risk/high reward

All in all, I REALLY enjoyed this course and felt like it was indicative of what North Carolina has to offer the sport of disc golf. Being from Chicago, it was a really cool experience for me. With a few improvements, I really feel like this course would be pushing a 4.5. If you're in the Asheville area, I strongly recommend making an effort to come play here. I had no issues with bugs as some reviewers stated, but it was early April and still relatively cool, so I expect this could be a bigger issue in the summer.

+Incredible use of the terrain. While this obviously starts with the elevation - no fewer than four shots of 250+ feet across a ravine to reach the same elevation or higher on the other side (holes 5, 9, 10, and 14, plus a shot from way up top to the bottom of the ravine on 15) - it doesn't end there.
+Every hole is framed so well with the trees. There really aren't any poke-and-pray holes here, despite being heavily wooded. However, you have to pick a line and commit on a few tee shots (especially hole 9) or else you're scrambling for bogey at best.
+Holes are not only up-and-down but have used side-to-side sloping so well to make the player think about the approach. You'll use a fair number of flex approach shots to try and avoid a roll-away.
+While having a lot of famous ravine-crossing shots, the holes aren't that repetitive. I didn't really step up to the tee (or what passed for a tee...see cons) and think "I've already thrown this". Even on 9 and 14, which seem similar at first - 9 is much tighter and therefore shorter, while 14 has a wide gap and requires a much bigger throw.
+Pin locations were terrific. Hole 17 (long) is atop a big hill right at the end with a very tricky upshot. Many others had some real death putts depending on where you landed.
+The course itself is just gorgeous. Enormous variety of gigantic trees, up-and-down nature of the course.
+Course loops back to the parking lot (within 150 feet or so) between 9 and 10 so you can reload on water or use the restroom. Always appreciate that.
+All holes appeared to have benches - some in better shape than others - but very useful for keeping packs off the ground or just getting a breather on a hilly course.
+Free to play.

-We have to talk about the tees. I've played in some state parks and other hilly locations where concrete tee pads weren't an option, but these were the worst tees I've played yet. Finding a level tee that wasn't inundated with mud was a rarity. Many had a gigantic hump in the middle or huge mud slick up front that made any kind of a run-up impossible. I nearly tore my ACL slipping on hole 6's tee pad (somehow landed in the fairway...). You might often prefer to either throw from the side of the tee pad (if possible, could be tough after a rain) or just throw a stand-still putter. But something has to be done about the tees.
-Only one tee per hole. Combined with only one basket per hole at a time, I could see this course getting a bit repetitive for locals.
-Directional signs would be helpful. My friend and I - both from out of town - made a ton of wrong turns. Getting from 8 to 9, 10 to 11, (especially) 13 to 14...all not intuitive.
-Tee signs were rudimentary, which is fine, but it would help in some cases to indicate which position the basket was in (especially on those holes that are par 3 vs 4 depending on location). I see that there's a photo showing a white screw on the marker logs at the tee pads to show the basket position, but that was either not intuitive at the course or not in use when I played.
-When we played in August, the rough was ROUGH. We miraculously lost zero discs between two rec-level players across 45 holes of play, but we sure came close on a few times when we weren't that far off the fairway. Poison ivy and poison oak abound.

Well worth the visit from out of town. Probably a 3.8 overall (I rounded up to 4), but with properly-maintained tee pads and maybe a second tee pad option or two baskets in play per hole, this could easily reach 4.5.

Noted elsewhere, and bears repeating - this course is NOT beginner-friendly. The ravine holes and uphill-playing holes will demoralize newer players or really anyone who can't consistently throw at least 225' in an open field. I don't view it as a con - I usually give bonus points for having multiple options, but I won't penalize a course for being difficult but fair, which this one is.

Also, cheesy plug that I'm happy to be review #100 for Richmond Hill!

Very challenging mountain course located above Asheville, NC. I haven't played a lot of mountain courses, so I think this is a little unusual for mountain courses. The main elevation change on this course is due to a large ravine that runs through the property. This creates several ""edge-to-edge"" tee shots as well as up and down the ravine.
Course is laid out very well, its starts with a few mostly flat holes then mixes ravine holes with flat holes and ends with a couple of uphill holes and finally a mostly open hole.
Turf tees (although some were pretty rough), multiple basket positions and good baskets.
Great use of the terrain that is the signature of this course. A few Par 4s, with most of those being uphill.
Close enough to downtown Asheville and the Highways to make it very accessible to anyone visiting.
Benches on most tees, which are very helpful.
Pretty much exclusive DG property, I believe hikers or bikers may use some of the trails, but I didn't see any.

The turf tees are nice, but as I mentioned above, several were muddy and slick. A little work on these would be a great improvement.
Very little signage, I used the map on here and had to refer to it several times. After #5 (and you catch your breathe) go behind it for #6, #9 is the closest tee.
No signage to indicate which basket position was in play.
As many others have said, the erosion here is extensive. Lots of exposed roots and rocks, especially on the ravine holes. Wouldn't want to play this course after much rain, the ravine would be treacherous.
No water or drinks available at the course or within 10 minutes, bring plenty. No restrooms on site either, just a Port-a-John.

This really is a tough, challenging mountain course. While on the ravine holes, its pretty tough to lose a disc, several of the flat holes have heavy underbrush.
The ravine is used on 7 of the holes:
#5 - Par 4 across the valley, then finishes uphill to the far side.
#9 - goes rim to rim, near the parking lot, then turn around and
#10 - goes back rim to rim the opposite direction.
#14 - goes rim to rim again, then
#15 - goes from that rim down to the bottom.
#16 - plays in the ravine, go up, with the basket on the side of the hill, and
#17 - continues up in the ravine to a plateau green near the source of the ravine.
So, the course uses its main geographic feature, while only repeating the same throw a couple of times. The break of mostly flat wooded holes keeps this course interesting and lets you get a breather.
A couple of my favorites were: #5 - the steep uphill finish really gets your attention, #11 - partially wooded hole that is fun to play and #17 - to finally move up the ravine, to its source, and have a tough finish uphill to the green.
I figured I wouldn't play this course without at least one rollaway in the ravine - #10-decent enough drive, short and left of the basket, threw an upshot that caught an edge and started rolling back down, it only got a few feet past me before hitting a tree and laying down!
This is the must play course in this part of the NC Mountains. Coupled with the fact there are numerous breweries in the Asheville area, its a great destination. RH is only a few miles from the east coast brewery of New Belgium, for you Fat Tire fans. Sierra Nevada has also planted a flag in the Asheville area.

(3.857 Rating) A beautiful wooded technical course with lots of elevation change.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - This was a common thread I read from the previous reviews, and my gosh is there some beautiful scenery here. There really aren't any enchanting backdrops like other courses I've played in the Appalachians, but the terrain the course plays through makes up for it. The entire layout plays through an older heavily wooded forest with substantial up and down elevation change. I snapped several tee shot lines and sent them to friends. On (9) I dropped my bag in awe and fear.
- ELEVATION - There are some diabolical valley plays at Richmond Hill. The tees shots on (9), (10) and (14) all play over a 60 foot deep gorge. Hole (15) plays just down the gorge and (17s) approach is up to a protected elevated green. Anyone one who a fan of lots of terrain movement will get giddy here.
- UNIQUENESS - In addition to elevation, the hole type variety is well above average. Lots of subtle moving lines but also some good breakers going each way. There are a couple of par 4s depending on basket placement although no par 5s. I enjoyed the terrifying raised basket placement on (6).... but only after miraculously saving par. I think some could argue that there's a little monotony in all the tunnel shots, but I think the lines are changed up well enough to continuously give fresh looks. Also, no water in play.
- CHALLENGING - The perfect challenge for many Intermediates and Advanced level players. Lots of heavily wooded lines in the 250 to 350 foot range. A few par 4s in the mid 400 foot range depending on basket placement. Richmond Hill requires a steady hand and adequate distance. Advanced players here with technical prowess will bury the Advanced bomber.
- CHARACTER - The vibe here appears to be great. Nothing like showing up before sunrise and not being the first in the parking lot. This course has just about all the bells and whistles one would expect from an established course. Big community board and a course map. Free scorecards and pencils. Practice basket and toilet. There are benches at every tee and 90% are fully shaded. Lots of alternate pin placements and I even saw a shoe scrubber. The only thing I wish they added would be multi-tees and an upgrade of the tee surface to concrete. The turf tees were alright, see cons.
- NAVIGATION - Not flawless, but really good. For one, as noted above, free scorecards with map that works wonders. It's detailed enough that it covers up for the less than adequate items like tee signs. The tee signs were a touch sub-par and could use a complete overhaul. It would also be nice to have some sort of pin placement indicator. I ran up a few fairways, which sucks on heavily moving terrain.
- BILTMORE ESTATE - The main reason my wife and I traveled to Asheville was to go the near-by architectural wonder and also largest house in the United States, The Biltmore. The gatehouse alone is twice the size of my house. The Chateauesque Mansion is 178,000 sq ft and it is owned by one of the most prominent families in American history, The Vanderbilts. Unfortunately, we never made it in. Please buy your tickets in advance online. My wife and I weren't willing to shell out $70 per ticket for "day of" sales.

A solid course that will have newer players begging for mercy.
- FORGIVENESS - There are a lot of tight lines out here. Ricochets in the wrong direction could be quite punishing. My disc found a few areas of some substantial thicket areas and losing a disc is a possibility for those that don't want to conduct an half hour long search.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Way too difficult for beginners and perhaps Novice players. Some Rec players might not like this course as well. If you haven't played over a fifty rounds of disc golf, this course will systematically pummel you. There is only one sets of tees and it plays like a tweener between Intermediate and Advanced. As a player with about a 920 rating, I was humbled and shot +4.
- TEES - Turf tee that have seen better days. Several were inundated with mud. I played at the break of dawn and so a couple of the dirtier tees were a little slick. All stated, they are not a total lost cause. Several were in great shape and the surfaces are large. Probably only a handful need a complete fix.
- TERRAIN - The definition of not cart friendly. The fairway slopes on (5), (9), (10), (14) and (15) are equivalent to old home stairs. Most of these fairways had wood stairs worked in but I think it's needed in even more areas. Players that struggle with steep terrain need to stay away from this course.
- TIME PLAY - I can tell this course gets a lot of play based on the erosion of the fairways. As stated, I showed up at the break of dawn on a Sunday and I was not the first one here. I worked the round in 90 minutes solo, but solo players showing up at a prime time might need two hours. Figure close to three hours for a four-some during prime times as well.
- EROSION - I don't take off points for this directly as not all erosion impact is negative, but the exposed roots in several fairways did have an impact on how picturesque a couple fairways looked.
- TICKS/POISON IVY - there's a sign posted at the community board warning of ticks, poison ivy and poison oak. I saw the poison stuff but thankfully post round I found no ticks.

Richmond Hill is wonderful place for an experienced player to come to and throw a round. Several memorable shots and memories of ricochets in horrifying trajectories. Richmond Hill I think has a lot going for it and it has aged well over time. This course has to potential to be even better with a few tweaks and infrastructure improvements. A second set of tees would be awesome to make the course more user friendly, but also perhaps to toughen up a couple of the easier lines. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like many tweaks have been made in the past 10 years. The scorecard posted on here from 2008 is still the same layout. Kind of depressing to know that a course this established isn't still evolving. I'd be willing to bet that there are some awesome local holes just begging for some tee pad recognition. Regardless, players traveling to Asheville need to find a way to work in a round here. I personally work up 6:30AM and was back at the hotel before my wife even knew I was gone.

+Well maintained fairway and paths
+Great tee pads of concrete and turf
+Signs at tee pads show yardage, par, and shape of hole
+Benches available for rest
+Scorecards available which provide a great overview of the course.
+Wide variety of basket placements, obstacles, and shape of hole
+Almost solely a disc golf area. A few hiking/walking trails but they are almost completely separate, sharing maybe one walkway with a hole.

-If wet, extremely muddy
-Tee pads can be slick with sand/water
-Poison everywhere, but stay on the fairway and you're fine

Great up and down course, with a wide variety of layouts to keep you always thinking. Took my family, who are a mix of avid and novice golfers. One person lost a disc to the brush, but for an avid golfer, that's avoidable.

Most people golfing here know the general layout, but especially know the game. Provided a great atmosphere.

This course is basically the epitome of excellent. Not blow-you-away phenomenal, not a contender for the best-of-the-best, but definitely great and a step above the rest.

Richmond Hill plays entirely through a very hilly pine forest. It does a great job of creating some mostly open and fair lines through some otherwise dense woods, and occasionally dense rough. If you are a fan of the valley shot, where you start on one side and throw over it to the other side, this course will be your favorite because I've never seen so many various valley shots in one course.

But they also have some great uphill, downhill, left/right finishing holes. The tees are.. honestly I don't remember so they were probably concrete and did just fine. The baskets were light blue discatchers. I've never seen light blue before, but that made this course stand out a little bit for me. They seemed to keep their color well (at least better than yellow), but do get scuffed up pretty easily.

The raw beauty of this course reallly makes it. No matter how frustrated I got not being able to find a hole or basket, it only took a minute of looking around to remind myself I was in my happy place: out in nature. This course is pretty secluded, and very scenic. I loved every view from ever hole

Other than not personally liking every other hole be a valley hole, my main gripes with this course are navigation, and too many pins.

There are a lot of small trails through the woods that can easily lead you astray. The map is pretty accurate though, so really this can be totally negated if you are less stubborn than me and just use the map.

What is a little trickier though, and I don't like this on any course, is the three pin placements on almost every hole. They are never far enough apart to make a significant difference, and when they are you don't know where to go because they are all blind. I lost a disc in the underbrush down a steep hill because i thought the basket was left when it was right, up the hill.

The signage in general was just a little unhelpful. It was ok for knowing which hole you were on, and a rough approximation of distance (unless you don't know whether the basket is in A, B, or C placement), but some "next tee" arrows on the trail, and more prominent less tree-brown colored hole number signs would really help out.

This course does a lot of things right, and I would have so much more fun playing this the second and third time around once I know my way around and where the baskets generally are. The unceasing up and down hill wasn't as bad on this course as I've seen in other hilly wooded areas, and most of the time I think the design of the course compensates for how exhausting some of the terrain is. Overall a pretty wonderful round.

Lots of unique holes

Multiple pin locations give a new challenge each one you play

Well maintained

Lots of big groups, most of which won't let a smaller group pass

Steep inclines can turn a great shot into a bad one with an unfortunate roll. I've hit the basket more than a few times on a birdie shot only to end up with a bogey or worse

Front 9 is the easier half if you are only playing 9 holes for the day

Has practice basket

Has turf tee pads

Has tee signs

Has many benches throughout course

Has multiple basket placements for most holes

More wooded than open fairways - which will be challenging to the casual player

Most holes have changes in elevations - some have a steep grade with wooded steps serving as a nice touch

Most of the holes are under shade where this can be really appreciated in the hot and humid summers

Nice split of the front and back nines in case you want to start on hole #10 (that comes in handy when there's a large group teeing off on hole#1)

Porta potty

Free Parking

Needs next tee signs (had to consult the course map for a few times)

Turf tee pads needed cleaning

Some grassy areas needed mowing at holes #1, #13, & #18

This is a nice challenging course that I enjoyed playing while visiting Asheville. This course is pretty solid and will require a variety of shots to shoot a low score. The course is scenic and well established with no shortage of trees and a good amount of shade. Fairways are tight enough here where you will need some control on your drive to avoid hitting a tree and deflecting across a ravine. As others have posted, this course is a workout so make sure you're in shape and have good shoes. I understood why this course would attract a lot of players so I went early Saturday morning around 8am to get a good head start and therefore didn't have to wait on anyone. I definitely recommend playing if you're in the area.

Challenging lines, elevation, uphill shots, downhill shots, and a really beautiful park. It's a fun place to go play if you are in Asheville, definitely worth the trip.

I think the local club could probably do a little bit of chain sawing to make a couple of the fairways a little bit more accessible. And the Lord help us all, please poison the poison ivy! They can also stand to put in some "next hole "signs.

The course was kind of messy, it needed mowing and the tee boxes are in need of new turf. I think they must have had a storm recently because the tea boxes were basically mud and turf mashed together.

Some courses just have that unique feel about them that differentiate themselves from any other course out there. Richmond Hill has this feel. You have to drive through a residential area to get there, but once you make the turn into the parking lot the environment changes immediately. This seemed like its own disc golf sub-community set off in the mountains. There's a huge parking lot, practice basket, porta-potty, and bulletin board with a course map and local club info located near the first tee. The course also conveniently winds its way back to the parking lot to make two 9 hole loops.

It plays up, down, and around the mountain through various degrees of woodenness, with bookend holes that play more in the open. Even though you're mostly in the woods, there's a nice variety of really tight shots as well as lines that are more forgiving. There are elevation changes throughout, sometimes subtle and sometimes DRASTIC. The ravine is very cool and offers some truly epic shots, both extreme uphill and extreme downhill throws. Even the more subtle elevation changes cause you to carefully choose your disc, like 13. It doesn't look too scary from the tee, but the green drops off about 15 feet and continues to slope down past the basket. Elevation factors in interesting ways like this throughout the round.

Pin positions are really well thought out, often tucked away in a corner, behind a patch of trees, or located near a scary slope. The baskets are in great shape and the blue rims do a nice job of standing out among the trees. Multiple pin positions do a nice job changing up the shot off the tee and approach.

It's clear that a lot of care has gone into designing and maintaining the course. I couldn't imagine trying to create and carve holes on this type of land - well done. Great efforts have been made to build the tee areas and steps that help you get around, without which it would be very hard to navigate through. There are 'next tee' arrows pointing you in the right direction.

Plenty of mandos and double mandos make things interesting. 18 is a great finishing hole in that while it's more open, you have to hit one of two sharp lines. Both of which can easily fade way down over the hill. What an awesome view from there too.

There's not much wrong with the course, as long as you like this type of setting. I really enjoyed my round but must take into consideration that the course offers a pretty specific type of round. Not everyone would enjoy playing here with the combo of some really tight lines and drastic elevation changes.

Even with the steps there are still times where footing is kind of sketchy, particularly if you land on a slope near the ravine. I'm sure it gets very slick after rain. The worn in tee pads also can be a little uncomfortable. They are big enough but the carpet was slippery at times. There are sometimes steep slopes at the end of the tee too, so you don't want to slip off past the end.

The fairways are very well maintained, but the rough gets thick in places.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I said, "There's no way all those cars are here for the course." Sure enough, there were just that many people playing. Definitely one of the more crowded courses that I've ever played. Be prepared to get stuck behind multiple groups. Though, it's very cool to see such a dedicated disc golf community.

I can see why Richmond Hill was ranked so high back in the early years of DGCR, it's definitely a unique course with a faithful following. I would love to have this as my home course and appreciated the balance of difficulty. You're bound to hit a few - or maybe a lot of - trees and fade further down a slope than you intended, but recovery is fair and the holes aren't too brutal. This is a course you have to play if you're in the region.

many uphill/downhill shots
mostly wooded
defined fairways
free to play
challenging
very clean

navigation

This course was very fun to play and you are rewarded greatly after a good drive. Elevation change on just about every hole, tight fairways so accuracy is very important. I have never played a course like this and I highly recommend this course to everyone.

Lots of different lines possible on many holes.
Good but not overkill use of mandos.
Challenging without being punishing for a casual/amateur.

Blind tee shots require some scouting for a first timer.
Poison ivy was out in force all around the course.
Course was a bit backed up on a Sunday, a few large groups.

Played this course on a weekend trip to Asheville. It is not to be missed for disc golfers in the area! I met some chill local players on hole 5 or so who helped me navigate the course. A real WNC winner!

Well-thought out holes. Well-maintained course. Lots of variety and challenge while not being frustrating. Very friendly locals.

None I can recall.

I played this over a year ago so my recall is hazy, but I do know I loved playing this course even though I played like crap. The course asked for more than I was ready for that day! Good mix of challenge and fun, leaning towards the challenge side. I do recall some confusion on hole-to-tee navigation a few times.

All I can say is a year later, I may not remember if the course even had tee signs but I do know I want to play it the next time I am in Asheville.

This design is the epitome of a course that is challenging while still being fair. There is a lot of variation between the holes, even though the course is entirely wooded (with the exceptions of 1 and 18). The designers made excellent use of the terrain, with varying elevation changes throughout the round. Errant shots will have consequences when you find yourself deep in the woods, but the fairways are large enough for semi-accurate drives. Also, this course is maintained with plenty of signage, benches, and minimal litter.

Even though this course has a great design, I prefer more of a balance between wooded and open holes. So many of the holes cross back and forth over the ravine, and it seems a bit repetitive.

Richmond Hill is without a doubt the most elite course in Asheville. It's no fault of the course, but this place gets way too crowded! Several times I've left mid-round because the pace of play was so slow. If it's a nice afternoon and you're playing by yourself or a group of two, good luck finishing in less than two hours. There is a large population of golfers in the area, and the city should seriously consider adding at least another course.

There are a few basic reasons for a course to be considered amongst the elite. The natural terrain could be so fantastic that you could throw up baskets anywhere and the course would scream to be thrown on. It could have a killer design and impress with the creator's genius. It could also be how well the course is cared for. That attention to detail and dedication to maintenance. Now, Richmond Hill may have some quality terrain, especially that valley that runs through half the course. It also boasts a quality design, with memorable holes that take full advantage of the terrain. But where the Asheville course stands above the rest is that third category. From the the first hole, it is obvious how much is put into these fairways.

Unless this is the first review of Richmond Hill that you have read, you know about the valley. Four holes cross this valley, each an incredible shot from high on one side to high on the other. Tremendous reward if you make it across. Great risk if you don't, because if you end up on the bottom, it isn't likely you can get up in just one throw. Fantastic natural landforms. But these holes aren't nearly as playable without the hundreds of steps carved into the sides of the valley because the players, unlike the discs, can't fly across the gap.

Beyond the valley shots, there are some fantastic uphill lines that are made all the better by a lattice of logs, keeping rollaways from rolling too far away, and helping the new players keep their cool on some difficult holes. My favorite hole might be 16, in which after descending to the valley floor, the hole follows the valley as it climbs oh-so-gradually towards 18s top-of-the-world viewpoint. It's great and made all the better by the complete lack of brush creeping into the low-lying area. There's plenty of brush at Richmond Hill but thanks to what I assume must be absurd maintenance, it stays where it should be and the often generous fairways remain free for play.

While the first two valley shots were perfect, the second two would be better off with a few trees removed. There is just not big enough a window to reliably make it across and it would be nice if somewhere along that gap, there was a specific aiming point to ensure landing on the other side. Maintain the risk/reward factor but take away some of the chance for bad luck to knock a good drive to the bottom of the ravine.

There also seems to be an excess of straight shots, though different basket positions might have changed that. I used my straightest driver for a majority of the holes and a little more left and right action would be welcome.

Asheville seems like a place that would have a ton of disc golf courses but it really doesn't so I would be recommending this course even if it was mediocre. Richmond Hill is not mediocre. It's a well-kept gem of a course over some pretty terrain with a ton of elevation and some memorable holes. It's also that rare course that could be enjoyed by people of any skill level. Beginners can play here without feeling overwhelmed but vets should find challenge here too. If you're in the area for any length of time, you really need to get out there.

+ Off the beaten path, very worthwhile 18-holer in Asheville
+ Fun hike featuring many scenic, dynamic throws over a valley
+ In fact, a highlight of the course is definitely the dynamic hole layouts and terrain: island greens, hillside pins, up and downhill valley shots, tight woods, gnarly roughness
+ Well-defined lines with a mix of tree coverage and moderate to thick bushes
+ Very visible baskets: blue Discatchers > yellow or Chainstars
+ Not overly challenging first round with pins in a mix of short/long spots
+ Lots of logs and steps to help prevent rollaways and to keep stable footing when climbing up and down the hills
+ Although I did see a little poison ivy/oak (might help to review how to identify), we wore shorts and didn't have a problem
+ Great wood chipped holes #1 and #18 (really liked 18 as the hilltop finish)
+ Busy, but not crowded
+ Great parking/portapotties on site

- Lots of straight shots with baskets in full view
- No directional signage (sometimes really needed), especially for navigation from 6 to 7 and 13 to 14
- Some of the slipperiest tee pads I've ever thrown from
- Only one basket in place for each hole in a random short or long position
- I liked the simple painted log tee signs way better than the full color printouts
- Short pin locations really minimized the risk vs reward

We decided to add Richmond Hill into our last day in Asheville and we were very happy we did. Even after two full days of hiking, this hilly course was exactly the right amount of challenge for my wife and I. Although, there were a couple holes my wife didn't want to throw because she was nervous about the reports of poison ivy/oak (#7 especially, but #13 short as well), she didn't really have any problems throwing the rest. For a quick take-home message, I have to say that Richmond Hill was a highlight of the city of Asheville itself, one that I would consider a must for any visiting disc golfer no matter their skill level.

In terms of scoring, you'll enjoy the round most if you plan accordingly. As an intermediate level thrower, I threw two over par on my first round here with the pins in their current locations. I think perhaps the short position of the pins reduced the challenge a lot. I brought my full bag, but only threw three discs the entire round. My advice for other first time visitors (like we were) is to bring stable to understable discs and throw straight and safe. The holes aren't very long even with the pins in the long positions and even on the two(?) that hit 400' you'll benefit greatly from just keeping your throws as straight as can be. You'll also benefit from not having to navigate around what might or might not be poison ivy/oak.

I have to agree with the reviews saying the tee pads are a bummer. I would rather throw from natural tees than the turf tees, which were slippery even though they were dry. The tee boxes themselves are very nice, so if there is one way this course could be greatly improved, it would be by pouring concrete tees. I'm also a big stickler for directional signage. If it's not obvious which direction to walk, put up a small arrow please #7 is straight behind #6's basket in line with the fairway, and #14 backtracks to the right a little. I do see arrows in pictures here on DGCR, but didn't see them in person. Anyway, there are two types of tee signs here, maybe half were full color and kind of cluttered, and the other half were minimalistic. Just a cut log with the hole #, distances, and intended lines/pins painted in white. I liked the minimal tee signs better.

There's an awesome valley running through here and the slight elevation change it gives the terrain is the biggest hero for Richmond Hill. As a whole, the course plays slightly downhill at the beginning, then slightly uphill at the end, with back and forth valley shots sprinkled in the middle (the hikes down, up, and back down again were a nice little workout). I did miss throwing dramatically uphill and downhill, though. The throws over the valley are basically straight across. I suppose if you hit a tree in the middle of the valley you'll get that kind of throw, though. I didn't pay much attention to the distances on the tee signs, but the valley holes are a lot shorter than they look. Also, it's good to note how much we liked that the holes in the middle play back up towards the parking lot (and portapotties). Considering the overall flow, Richmond Hill is a breeze to play. We were surprised how quickly we got to #18.

All that said, labeling Richmond Hill a "mountain course" hypes its size and difficulty unnecessarily. And you can't see the surrounding mountains from anywhere on the course. The course does shine with a charming taste of the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, but it's not huge or extreme the way "mountain" implies. Especially after you go out for some of the hiking that Pisgah National Forest has to offer. Anyway, even though you can throw straight and score low, the diverse use of the terrain and valley was awesome and memorable and would prompt me to play this course again on a return visit instead of hitting any of the other much lower rated 6, 9, or 18 hole courses around Asheville.

Thanks for reading!

Excellent course. It was nice to see many disc golfers out and enjoying the course. Often when I play, I'll have the course to myself mostly. My wife and I played this course on our way to SC and GA for a road trip which involved a ton of disc golf ;-) Richmond Hills was one of our favorites because it seemed to have more elevation change than we've played yet, (was a great mix of hiking and disc golf) and all of the signage, tee boxes, benches and baskets were in excellent shape. I would highly recommend this course to anyone visiting the Smokey Mountain area....it will definitely put your skills to the test!

A couple of holes seemed nearly impossible to make par (to me).... and seemed to depend more on luck than skill to have even a shot at par.

Would definitely love to play this course again if in the area.

-Multiple pins! I don't think I have played this course twice in a row where the pins were in the same place.
-They have new signs that show the different pins and the footage.
-The tee pads are nice but there is a problem I'll address in the cons.
-It is laid out like a traditional golf course where the front nine and back nine start very close to each other, so if there looks like a large group teeing off on hole one you can start on hole 10
-Nice, light blue Innova Discatchers
-Not too difficult to navigate by yourself but I would still suggest a guide if there isn't a group ahead of you that you can keep up with
-A great mix of elevation and distances throughout the course
-Nice stairs on the steeper parts of the course.

-There are a lot of muddy areas if has rained much any time fairly recent
-The tee pads can be very slick even if hasn't rained very much at all, so do a mock run up if you think they may be wet (I have about slid off the front of the tee pads a few times)
-There is a walking trail mingled in with a few of the holes, so keep that in mind and watch for non disc golfers

I like the challenge this course provides. If you don't have consistent accuracy you will start working on it after playing this course a few times. You will also get worn out if you aren't used to hiking up hills on every other hole. There has been some vandalism on the mirror on hole 6. If you haven't played before, you can look at a mirror behind the tee on hole 6 to see if the basket is clear. It is still usable, but it ticks me off that some punk would do this.

I feel that I rated this course a little higher than I normally would, but there is not much of the course that is shared with something else in the park. I can really only think of 1 or 2 holes that the trail is in play. I really like courses that I don't have to worry about throwing into pedestrian areas. That adds another half to full point in how I rate courses.

Nice tee pads, challenging even for the best of players, lots of change in elevation and different looks at the baskets, *if you enjoy hiking then this is the best of both worlds as you will be climbing up and down many steep hills throughout the wooded course.

Almost too challenging for scratch players, course was somewhat hard to find, even with course map some holes were difficult to find, *if you are not a fan of hiking then you may hate this course as it requires lots of trekking up and down steep hills throughout.

Overall interesting course as it provides a very tough challenge. I would not take a newcomer here for their first time as I could see them getting discouraged quick. I would also recommend using the premium plastics here as your cheaper plastics will get dinged up pretty quick due to the amount of trees on this course.