Level, concrete tee pads (all holes having multiples for different levels of play) Highly visible and "grabby" baskets. The whole course is very well maintained. Has plenty of elevation changes without being overwhelming. Nice mix of open and wooded shots.

The only con is the water treatment facility next door.

Great course, great design, and plenty of challenge for all ability levels.

Rolling Pines claims to be the #2 public rated disc golf course in NC. It sure lives up to it. This course has everything for any player of any skill level. This course is maintained beautifully by the town of Wilkesboro. There is plenty of benches and a place to use to restroom! It has a perfect balance of wooded and open areas. I enjoy the fact that there are long tees and short tees. I've been playing 8 months so the short tees are perfect for me. The short tees are also less wooded which makes it more comfortable to test out/get used to a certain disc. The tee offs are concrete which I personally find to be the most comfortable. Playing at Rollin Pines can really make you feel like an awesome player. It's beautiful and great all the way around.

No practice basket
Bees at the tree nearest the basket on hole 11

+ One of the more demanding courses I've played, shooting from the Gold tees. Few courses manage to challenge me as well as Rolling Pines, especially when you take into account how open it is compared to say, Nevin or Angry Beaver, two other very tough courses. The pars from the Gold tees respected my ability to throw 450+', and often demanded it to have a good chance at birdie. It was demanding without ever feeling unfair in the slightest.

+ Excellent shot variety. Throwing from the longs there is a very well rounded mix of lines demanded. There are both longer holes and shorter holes, left turns and right turns, steep uphill and steep downhill shots, narrow fairways and wide open fairways, low ceilings and no ceilings. The course never feels repetitive from the golds.

+ Incredible elevation use on nearly every hole to create distinct feeling shots. There are dramatic up and down hill shots on a near constant basis, with no hole playing completely flat. #12 is probably the flattest, but its a 40' wide fairway with a steep drop off on either side, so elevation still comes into play.

+ Absolutely gorgeous property that is solely for disc golf. I saw one other group of golfers finishing up on 18 when I started, and saw one group behind me half way through my round. Three groups on a beautiful weekday afternoon including myself, not another soul in sight. Very peaceful.

+ Meticulously maintained. The grass was very well mowed all over, save for #9 where it was a bit long. Great for throwing rollers!

+ 18 new, bright, highly visible baskets.

+ Two sets of perfectly level, generously sized, expertly paved tees for every hole.

+ Most tees boxes and pin positions feature tasteful wooden framing.

+ It's mostly free of rough. Avoid turning your RHBH shot over on #3, keep it on the fairway on #12 and avoid fading out left into the trees on #9 and you shouldn't ever lose a disc.

+ Water, restrooms and electricity available.

+ Numerous benches throughout the course.

+ Superb tee signs showing par, hole length, lines to the basket etc.

+ Navigation is simple and requires no map.

+ Most baskets are readily visible from the tees, even playing from the golds. For a first time player this reduces the amount of time spent walking down fairways to assess lines to the pin.

+ Camping nearby. Ft. Hamby has tent sites and a good course right on the property.

Bear in mind everything I'm listing in this section is nitpicking, and did not detract from my enjoyment at Rolling Pines at all:

- No Practice basket. I usually don't use them so I didn't mind.

- I had one spit-out that shouldn't have happened. Normally I'd chalk it up to luck but other reviewers have mentioned it, so I thought I'd point it out.

- There were one or two holes from the Golds that were listed as par 3's that I felt were bordering on par 4's. I'm not even going to claim that having them as par 4 would be more accurate, just that they were pretty damn tough for Par 3's. Holes #4, #5, #14 and #16, while certainly possible to 2 if you're a gold level player, are among the tougher Par 3's I've ever played. To me this is a good thing since 99/100 times I find par on the easy side if anything, but some might view this as a negative.

- While the overall shot variety is truly outstanding, I did feel the short, straight wooded shot was a touch over played. The elevation changes help make the holes feel different, especially in 13's case, but #2, #6, #10, #13, and #17 all have a lot of similarities.

- For a course full of memorable holes, I felt #18 was completely forgettable. Not sure what I'd have done different, I'd have to think about it, but it was weird playing so many epic, memorable holes like 9 and 12, but ending on such a pedestrian 350' hyzer line. That's not to say its a bad hole, just that many courses tend to end in more memorable or exciting ways.

This is definitely one of the best courses I've ever played. Its long and demanding, but also very fun.

Everything about Rolling Pines is simply superb. The golf itself, the tees & signage, the condition of the course property. There is no reason not to go out of your way to play here.

This course is incredible. It has a nice mix of open holes as well as wooded technical holes. The course is VERY well maintained as this is one of Wilkes County's newer courses. The course is mostly par 3s but there are a few long par 4s to switch it up. Several events take place at this course including glow golf, dubs, singles events and tournaments of all kinds. I highly recommend trying this course out if you are in the area.

One of the top three courses I have played.

- Area is completely dedicated to disc golf (besides the three weeks that have been mentioned already).
- Perfectly manicured grass. I have been here 5 times and it always looks recently mowed.
- Two sets of tees, both with concrete pads that are more than generous and nicely designed tee signs. The longs make it a fairly lengthy course, while the shorts put it in more a recreational feel.
- Holes have a great design, no two holes feel the same.
- Extras. You can tell that a lot of money was spent in the making of this course. Each hole has holders for your bags, drop zones are concrete and stairs look professionally installed. Every hole has been given a name that is placed on the sign and the basket.
- Views on several holes are amazing, especially in winter.
- While being only a mile away from town, the course is quiet and very tranquil.

Very few and very minor, but if I had to nic-pick...

- No practice basket at this point.
- While rarely an issue, I have witnessed some putts bouncing out in peculiar ways. I've talked to some "pros" who say they don't throw quite as hard at these basket to avoid bounce outs.

Every few months I drive 2 hours to visit this course, and never regret it. If you are in the area and looking for a solid course to try, look no further than rolling pines.

Beautiful course maintained on a nice piece of land tucked away right outside of Wilkesboro. The casual rolling hills offer a picturesque terrain and you throw alongside and between an undulating assortment of, you guessed it, pine trees.

The course has two layouts, one short and one long, both offering drastically different shots so you don't feel like the long tees are the same as the shorts, but longer. They truly play as two different layouts.

The short tees offer a great mix of holes that include every type of shot and is a perfect layout for beginners without feeling like an "easy course" for more advanced players.

The long tees are very challenging, but not because of random trees and impossible lines. It's long without being "winthrop gold" long and forces players to play smart and controlled. There are also OB ropes in the ground which offer even more of a challenge when taken into play. I'd love to describe every hole in detail because there is not simply one hole that stands out...every one is equally outstanding. The mixture of hole types is perfect because Rolling Pines avoids the trap that many courses fall into that have you throwing the same shot all day.

The signage is perfect, the baskets are awesome, the tee pads are some of the best I have ever played on, the layout is perfect, and the views are spectacular on several holes. The course is well-maintained and they even have water pumps on the course so if you're out of water you can just fill back up.

Not even really cons, but there isn't a practice basket so you have to practice at either 1 or 18 (which isn't a big deal).

Custom RP scorecards would be an awesome addition at the course.

Other than these two minor things this course is absolutely perfect.

Hit up Ft. Hamby just a few miles away for a great day of disc golf and if you're extra adventurous go up to Jefferson and play Ashe County Park, another one of NC's best.

Rolling Pines could be that course. First and foremost, this is a disc golf only facility for forty-nine weeks of the year. There are three weeks in the Spring when the property hosts a music festival and the course is closed. But as there are other very playable courses very nearby, I won't subtract any points for that.
The grounds...immaculately mown and maintained, except for that kudzu farm/tree trash receptacle of a ravine to the left of #12's green. I won't subtract anything for that either, as that actually helps to impede an overthrown disc's flight to the bottom of that abyss. MAYbe remove a very few of the lower limbs to open up 14's fairway. Though I did throw into one of those trees, it got through, I made a good approach and putt to score birdie, so maybe not.
The equipment...these tee pads are the best from which I've ever driven. Dyed concrete for a more natural, Earth tone color is an additional unnecessary, but aesthetically appreciated feature. All are spaciously wide with a length of 11' to 12', except for 13 White, which is shorter due to topography, and #2, which is the only hole on which White and Gold share a pad, and that pad is a great big, HUGE square. Another feature that I've never seen on a course is the placement of full size pads serving as drop zones for OB and missed mando shots. All pads are perfectly poured, straight and level, with hole numbers embedded in the concrete. I feel sort of badly for somebody, who placed the 9 upside down on the White pad. The number has been removed, but a 6 is imprinted into the concrete there nonetheless. And all pads are bordered with timbers, which serves a practical, as well as aesthetic purpose. They're sometimes SEVERAL rows high to achieve levelness. This was the first time that I had thrown at Kingpin baskets. Early on, I thought that these chains surely spit out a lot of putts, but remembered the old adage that it's a poor workman who blames his tools and realized that it was my fault and not the baskets'. They have a very unique, almost melodically musical tone to them. And with their bright orange poles and yellow baskets, they are very visible. They're all well set and grounded in gravel, with well cut timbers making boxes around the bases. Though previous review mentioned that in places, baskets in eyesight proximity could cause confusion, the very readable number plate atop each basket and the excellent hole diagrams on each Gold tee sign should help alleviate that. As for the tee signs...excellent; just excellent...for the Gold tees, they are among the best of the best I've seen; big, informative and artistic, giving Hole #, distance, Par, a very good diagram, showing both tee positions, hole nickname and some very informative and entertaining local news and lore short articles. I would strongly suggest that any White level player unfamiliar with the course stop for a moment to study on the Gold tee sign, particularly the diagram in the bottom left. Except for just maybe a couple of instances, you're going to be going right by them anyway. The White signs are less detailed, but are still more than adequate. I noticed that all the baskets in the diagrams are labeled 'A'. Are alternate pin placements for some or all of the holes in the offing? More on that in a moment. Other signage is extremely helpful with arrows attached to each basket pointing to the next tee, well designed Mando and transitional direction signs. Though navigation is generally natural, the signs do help.
The design...WCDGC did an amazing job of utilizing flora, topography, and general lay of the land. Rolling Pines offers a wide variety of elevation, effective length, as well as distance and directional differentials. Playing from the Whites, of course, I noticed that the distances of 250" and 290'/295' repeated several times, but never seemed repetitive. Most every hole offers some play up. down, or up AND down, or alongside elevation differences, but none are Himalayan hurtful. I was apprehensively expecting a mountain climbing trek through dense forest, but was over-joyously surprised to be met with beautiful green grass fairways, where tree lines and well spaced mature hardwoods and Pines defined the fairways and occasionally guarded greens. There are several purely wooded holes, often with Pine needle 'floors', but for the most part, this course is truly moderately wooded throughout, after number 1, a perfectly picturesque, slightly down-sloped open meadow hole, which was a wholly wonderful way to begin my round. Many, if not most courses labeled as 'moderately wooded' means that some holes are heave and hope holes through a rain forest, while most are all wide or mostly wide open. But at Rolling Pines (which has maybe more deciduous trees than evergreens), trees are an integral aspect of every hole's design, without ever being overburdeningly obnoxious. Walking up #17 was pastoral, as it is basically open, but bathed in the shade of towering Pines outlining the fairway and guarding and defining the green. Probably my favorite two design features are the bamboo wall (which I'm now thinking of incorporating into our desired redesign of The SPC) and the hanging basket, at a slightly higher height than the norm. I've always loved hanging baskets. They're just cool.
Amenities...they are aplenty. Abundant trash and recycling receptacles that I credit with the immaculate cleanliness of the course. Big, expansive benches with backs set into concrete at many Gold pads and at 13 and 18 White. Hand cranked, cool water pumps aplenty, though I didn't encounter my first one until Hole 8, which was just in the nick of time. Port-a-Johns and restrooms. The Port-a-John I utilized was clean and well appointed. I didn't check to see if the restrooms were open, but I'm assuming that they are. Professionally constructed staircases for a couple of the transitions, particularly between 12 and 13 White, which is a gorgeous tee box in the woods. Innumerable electrical outlets, primarily installed for Merlefest attendees, but I assume can be utilized by disc golfers any other time. Ample parking that's shared with no other other activity participants. Two big picnic tables at the start/finish point.
The people. I was sad and surprised that there was practically no one else there. Two of them were from my home county, over 100 miles away. Finishing up, I met a very gracious local Master division fellow, who volunteered to go look for my brand new, bright red Buzzz, which I had lost over the cliff beside #12. His slightly younger eyes found it in about thirty seconds, as I had searched unsuccessfully for over thirty minutes. May the powers of the universe bless you, Dennis Wilson.

The cons of this course aren't even cons. No practice basket? If you need a practice basket, bring one. I thought of that when I was there, but really didn't see a good spot to plant one. Maybe in the trees above the parking lot? I'll look next time I'm there. The one other missing amenity is score cards. There should be course specific score cards for this course. A course overview sign with a course map would be good, but isn't really necessary, given the hole diagrams on each Gold pad tee sign and easy natural and signage enhanced navigation. There is a nice big sign at the entrance, which kept me from missing the park.
Maybe a few more White tee benches that wouldn't be in the way of Gold tee players. But as you most often pass right by the Gold tee to get to the White tee, plop down there if you need to take a load off for a moment. I gratefully did a few times and enjoyed the long view.
Some, maybe most pads aren't ground level flush, but if you need more room than these pads offer, you need to change your sport to shot put.

I've fought and debated with myself about my numerical rating of this course. It is definitely phenomenal. It IS among the best of the best of the sixty-some courses I've played. Wilkes County and WCDGC should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. Since a 5 disc rating doesn't mean that absolutely nothing can be improved, as some players maintain, I'm rating it a 5. With a stocked score card box, a practice basket and some more White tee benches, there would be no question about this being a rock solid 5 rated course. As a good/maybe very good Red level/mediocre White level player, I thoroughly enjoyed this course, while overcoming many of the challenges of it to score just under Par. And I could see, from standing on most of the Gold pads that it should offer the same sort of fun challenge/ challenging fun for higher skill level players. I shall be playing this course many Fridays to come, after I finish up my sales route there in Wilkesboro.

Course is around some of the finest pines I have seen! This used to be the course's main idiosyncrasy because they are everywhere to be seen throughout the course. They are mature pines! No telling how old they are, but some of them are over 80' tall and they play as fair obstacles.

-I love that they replaced those kingpin baskets. They couldn't catch, even in the center. The new baskets are similar looking, I don't know exactly what they are, but they catch better and don't have those habitual pop ups. And the upside down hanging baskets on #6 and #16 are tests of your putting skills.

-The mix of open/wooded, and in between is great. There are bomber holes, a few really wooded holes, and a lot of holes in between. Like a box of chocolates, you don't know what you are going to get!

-It's an easier course from the whites. Every hole except #2 has a more challenging long pad. There are still some challenging pro par threes (#8, 17, #22) to be had to go with the easy birdie holes (#3, #6, #12). The mix of easy and challenging is just about perfect from the shorts. I usually don't enjoy playing shorts, but I do enjoy them a lot here. Just about as much as I enjoy the longs! Rolling Pines used to be a gold level course, but that was primarily due to a few holes being marked down as par threes when they should've been par fours. Those holes have since been lengthened and are now legitimate par fours. They aren't as hard as they were as par threes, since they are only slightly longer, but they are all still pretty challenging and par rates around 960 from the longs here.

-It's a serious hike here, whether you play the longs or shorts! It's going to make you tired. It starts off easy with the elevation on the first three holes, but then hole 4 comes and really shows you what this course is about! The elevation is even more severe on the back twelve, starting with the roundabout edition.

-The newest editions to Rolling Pines make this, in my opinion, one of the greatest courses in the world. The roundabout adds six new holes that play first down the mountain after #12, (R1 & R2) and then make the way back up (R5 & R6). R1, The first hole on the roundabout (now #13) has a larger elevation change than any of the holes on the first half from the gold tee. Basket is on a small dropoff nearly 50' below your shoes when you are standing on the tee pad. The elevation decline is not as quick, so it's hard to reach this one with a putter. R2 (#14) is maybe the signature hole. Extreme downhill out of the woods under a canopy. Basket is out in the open near the river on the right side. The white tee is 317' and left of the long tee. The long tee is 375' with an 80' elevation drop. The white tee is 317' with a 61' elevation drop. The drop isn't as huge from the white (even though 61' is still a huge drop) but it gives a clear view of the river and makes it play more as a water hazard since it isn't far past the basket. R5 and R6 make the way back up the mountain and bring you to #19 (what used to be hole 13).

Holes #19 through #22 utilize the greatest elevation changes. #19 is an awesome downhill par 3 that's 345' from the gold and 221' from the white but it's a hole where you don't want to throw more than a putter on. It's just as fun on the short pad which isn't as far #20 is slightly wooded. It's a fair par 3 from the short that goes uphill and has great potential for rollaways back down! The long is a real pro par three, even so in the new position. 387' and over 40' up in elevation. This hole used to be a 455' even further up the hill, which was listed as a par three. But was clearly a par four, being an extreme uphill dogleg. The new pin is about 75' shorter and 15' below where the old pin was. #21 long is absolutely breathtaking! It's a long downhill par 4. Elevation drop of 100 feet from the long pad to new pin!! There is a low ceiling, so it's difficult to bite off all the possible distance you can hit, but this par four could potentially be reached! The short pad is a real joy! 65' drop, 492' long with some pine trees to avoid, but more room to work with. You'll feel like emptying your bag here! One of my all time favorite holes in disc golf!!

-#22 from the long is a spectacular par four. Big dogleg left toward the road. You want to throw a hyzer bomb, since there is a gravel lot a few feet ahead of the short pad around the corner. The second shot is up a huge hill around the road and past the bathhouse. A birdie is a bonus one here. 610' and plays over 750'!

-Nice clay tee pads here. They are well marked and even have the hole # written on them and they are either in white or gold depending on which tee you play.

-Course is its own place. It's pretty seldom for people to camp out here but it is available here. The main thing here is the course. I figure that this place used to be a small neighborhood because of the gravel roads and street signs. There is a large bath house on #16 and a treatment plant but it's still more of a hangout place to camp or to just enjoy the heck out of the course. Which I did!! I pulled in and was so happy to see the sign that said "Rolling Pines." Immediately when you pull in, you will see #1 gold's tee pad.

-Intensity: Hole #9 is very treacherous because you don't want to go down the huge rolling hill left. As a 95-99% backhand thrower, this hole was intimidating. Oh, and about 300' past the long pad, there are woods that are very dense and go all the way down the hill. #12 plays along the top of a mountain! It just may be the most scary hole I have played on the long pad. You better throw straight.

-Said this many times but #12 is dangerous! I LOVE this hole. It's not a con to me but if your disc goes right and past the rope. Do NOT try to get it. It's insanely steep down there and it's a long way down! A $17 disc isn't worth a serious injury. I'm terribly surprised that no one brought this up in the previous reviews.

-Tee signs need an upgrade with all the additions.

-No biggie to me but #18's tee pad is 20' behind #8's pad and slightly left. They almost face each other.

-Many holes are epic, not solid! There are so many standout holes here in my book!

There is a gas station close by on Wilkesboro Blvd. Unless you brought something from home, I would advise you to go there to stay hydrated. This place is a hike, but I loved the hike! Not every hole is a signature hole but there are some out here! The main one in my book would be #21. It's beautiful!! It plays along a road and around so many grown pine trees. It's a huge downhill par 4 that just tempts you to rip it. Some of you will probably enjoy #22 because if you want, can throw a driver and get it to skip off the side of the huge hill to the left.

-Course starts off pretty straightforward but interesting enough to excite you with hole 1. It's a good warm up on the short pad, but you go straight to business if you play the gold pads. Those holes are well designed and still very fun to play.

-I've played many rounds here since 2016. I absolutely loved it. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I used to throughout the years mostly because of holes #5 and #7. They are tweeners. The last two are pretty anticlimactic, but at least they are reachable with different shot shaping options. With the new baskets, new pin locations, new holes, AND additional elevation changes, Rolling Pines is back to a 5/5 for me! It's back to being one of my all time favorite courses! It's absolutely fantastic! This should be in the top 20 courses here on DGCR! So glad that they finally made these changes!!

This is the most manicured course I have ever played. When I have dreams about disc golf, they look like this course. The landscape is rolling hills that are grassy or pine-straw covered, making for a very clean disc golf experience. I played the Gold tees and will focus on those for this review. The fairways are generally wide and allow for full-power drives, but trouble can also be found with OB and rough in some areas. Risk-reward is in play on many holes, but some areas could be a little more punishing for errant drives. Luck does not come into play often on this course, which makes the course really fun. For me, the most frustrating part of disc golf is the nearly perfect shot that results in a bogey. On this course, if you throw a good shot you are rewarded. This course will test bomber players' abilities to shape lines over 400'+ drives, which are needed to birdie many of the holes. Each of the holes are subtly unique, and I don't think I threw the same shot twice. During my round, I had to throw flex shots, rollers, uphill, downhill, spike hyzers, sweeping hyzers, straight, and annys. I can't wait until I can get back again.

The local club says the teepads aren't painted, but they seem to be sealed with something that makes them become slippery when wet. They should be power washed to take the finish and leave the bare concrete. I would recommend bringing a large towel for the teepad when you play. Also, I would have liked to see more par 4s that require strategic shot selection. Despite these minor drawbacks, I believe the course is close enough to perfect to earn my first 5 star rating. I am not a terribly tough reviewer, but I have played some other top-notch courses.

Many of the other reviewers have mentioned that the par for some holes are wrong. For gold level players (1000+ rated, touring pros) the pars are mostly correct. Holes 14 and 16 have little chance for birdie, but they would be too easy to be a par 4. The rest of the holes can be birdied by a good throw from a pro player. The course is more fun for people that can throw over 400 ft, so you have a shot at birdie on many of the long par 3s. This course would not be as fun if you are throwing less than 350, but the gold tees are designed for pro players.

You roll in, park and you're looking down the fairway of hole 1. There's no fluff, no playground, nothing but disc golf here.

As you progress into the first hole, you see the reason for the name of Rolling Pines. These beautiful 30 year old pines are everywhere.

The course is a smooth mix of straights, lefts and rights. The terrain is at times rough, but the inclines are slow and gradual and the declines are typically quick and short.

The holes are long!! These distances are obviously set by PDGA quidelines. Maybe a bit on the high end at times, however. Gold is incredibly difficult and challenging, but there's something to be said for a course where par is rating at 990...

The goals are the same Kingpin baskets used at Highland Hills. Great targets, no issues. They've just reversed the colors.

The property has a bath house and offers camping if you're looking for an overnight stay on the cheap.

The tee pads are colored concrete. The brown blends into the "wooded area" way better than gray. Nice touch.

Wilkesboro has done this all in the right way.

Parking lot was overflowing yesterday. But in talking to the town planner (who plays and played the grand opening), they've already arranged to expand it and put a practice basket in the middle of the parking lot.

There was a tree on 7 that needs to go. Bath house was locked.

Really... I'm trying to think of some negatives, but I'm not finding any.!

If you're looking for a challenging course, you've found it... If you want to play a course that will challenge even the local pros, here it is. Take it the easy(er) route and play white for a fun 890 rated course. No matter the tees played, you'll not regret playing a round at the pines.

Simply awesome.