Pros:
Shoals DGC , located on Shoals Community Center grounds , is a 9 hole course sitting with several courses in the Rt 52 corridor near Winston Salem . The start of the course is somewhat hidden . Park next to the bathrooms of this small park , walk towards and past the pavilion , to an opening in the woods . There is a disc golf sign that will greet you when you start to walk on that path . There is also a kiosk near the bathroom , too.
Once you find the entrance to the woods , you really don't need a map . The grass could have used some cutting and branches trimmed here , especially since many of the fairways play tight on this course. The tee boxes are wood with some crushed rock or cinder filler in the middle . The signage is as plain as you can get . a number on a small post next to each tee pad . The baskets are , well , baskets . More about them in the cons section . Whoever was in charge of the course design got pretty creative on some of these holes . A couple of good doglegs , blind shots , and a few risk/reward spots . #1 is a good started hole which is an uphill woods drive , trying to bypass some small trees and rough , to a more open fairway and green to the left ( 360' ) #2 is a more plain short dogleg left . As long as you clear the brushline on the left , and make the band , you will have an excellent shot as a birdie .I won't go hole by hole , but will tell you that the rest of the course goes more narrow and woods . There is a mando on hole #8 , close to the tee pad , put there as a safety valve to keep players finishing up on 7 from getting hit . The course flows pretty well and there are a few technical pin placements after #2 . The course is not right off of rt. 52 , but close enough to be able to find pretty easily . My Signature hole would be #4 ( 420' ) . The starts you off on a flat narrow fairway to about 225' with a string of small trees in the fairway , and makes a 90 degree left turn to a slightly descending tight fairway with a basket at the end . The hole will make you work to get a birdie . The course sits off by itself , so you shouldn't get any traffic except other players . If you don't have to look a lot for a disc gone awry , the course can be played in under 30 minutes . A group of 4 can be dome in an hour .
Cons:
The course has some flaws here .
#1 Safety : There are several blind shots or shots coming off of drives that could hit someone . Also , There is an okay shot on #6 that starts up on a grade and ends on a small hill , but your drive will pass directly over the #5 basket . If you miss the mando on #8 , you might catch a player in the back finishing up #7 . Please be alert when throwing .
#2 Equipment : I can live with the basic number on the signage , and the uneven tee boxes on some of the holes , but these baskets are some of the worst . Rusted out single chain baskets , with no manufacturer identification on them . They probably came by in the middle of the night and scratched them off . I last saw baskets like these at Mundy Park in Tennessee . Pretty much the worst .
#3 Disc Risk : The fairways are narrow and the blind shots can lead you into some deep rough . I would say for a 9 hole course , losing a disc could be medium to high . This is NOT a course to play at dusk .
#4 Course upkeep . It was passable when I was here , but with dragging a mower back here and pruning branches along the course , this course could go downhill in a hurry .
Challenge factor : some interesting holes , but many will break par here with just a midrange and putter on all but hole #1 . It could really use something WOW Factor wise . The course is pretty flat .
Bring bug spray with you . they are all over you with rough everywhere and having to reach down into it for an errant throw . The bathroom up near where you parked was locked when I was here . Maybe they only open it when renting the nice pavilion .
Other Thoughts:
The design is what saves the course here . Even though the cons here leave you scratching your head , this is really an okay play , and I was happy to play here . There is some fun factor , and I could see packing and eating a lunch at the pavilion after a round or 2 . There are so many courses on the other side of Rt. 52 to couple with this course that are a short drive away , that it makes the course seem worthwhile .
My Recommendation : a good course for park attendees , , locals , course baggers , enthusiasts , travelers and even okay for newbies to learn control . Probably not so good for intermediates or pros . If in Winston Salem or passing down 52 , Give this course a look .