Shotwell is an exceptional backyard course on only 3.5 acres that disc golf enthusiasts will enjoy and homegrown course aficionados will savor. Mike is a tremendous host and couldn't be more generous with his time and sharing this course with rando degenerate course baggers like me. I traded emails with him, we figured out a time that worked for me to play, then he joined me and even gave me a beer. As fun as the course was, the overall DG experience was even better!

+ Far and away the most amazing pro of Shotwell is how much course is packed into a tiny amount of space. On 3.5 acres, you're not expecting any "full pull" holes, but there are. There are some sub-200-foot holes too, of course, but some of these are the trickiest holes on the course. Mike did a great job with the design. It's tough, technical, fair, and fun.

+ Elevation and death putts! Another big surprise for me. Mike's backyard slopes down to a small creek. The topography reminded me of the old R.L. Smith in Charlotte and Rockness Monster in Roxboro. Steep! And of course Mike took advantage of that topography by strategically perching baskets on top of hills and ridgelines with big-time roll-away potential. More courses should have risk/reward elements on the putting green. Designers: come to Shotwell to see how it's done.

+ Another characteristic of the design I really appreciate is the use of "common sense" OB: the driveway, garden areas, and the property line of the houses next door. Everything is marked so you can easily see it and it's pretty intuitive.

+ One feature that makes homegrown courses unique is how the owners/designers use a theme or add fun aesthetic elements to the property. Mike added some of the most memorable homegrown features I've seen. For one, he's added full-color hole layout signs at each hole -- something you'd only expect to see on a nice, public course. He also has Next Tee signs after each hole (not that you'd get lost, since most likely Mike would be taking the time to play with you and personally showing you around). There are two layouts: Orange (because Mike's wife is an avid Tennessee Vol) and gray. The Next Tee signs are colored to reflect the layout. But my favorite "just for fun" feature is the amazing directional sign at the Hole 1 tee box, pointing to the dozen or so amazing homegrown courses around the Southeast (all courses Mike has played and used as inspiration in his own course). Think of one of those signs with lots of arrow signs pointing to different cities across the country or around the world...but replace cities with DG courses. I've bagged or *will* bag (one day, God willing) all the courses on these arrows: Blackjack, Brackett's Bluff, Deep Creek Dreams, Harmon Hills, Hawk Hollow, Legacy Trails, Runaway Rocks, Tar River, The Blockhouse, The Country Course, and Unity Farm. I loved this. Also at the first tee, there is a logbook you can sign and a list of records for each layout, singles and doubles play.

+ There's a lot of variety here. You'll need a good flick and a thumber in your arsenal to score well.

+ All of the tee areas are of the homegrown variety: repurposed wood (level), carpet, flattened out natural areas. I'm sure some of these get pretty slick and treacherous in the rain. (Mike confirmed that.) Solution: don't play it after it rains.

+ The property is backed up to a larger natural area -- with the same hilly topography in Mike's backyard (steeper, in fact). Future plans for the course are to (hopefully) obtain that land and expand the course in a larger footprint. Fingers crossed that this happens one day!

The only cons to speak of are due to the limited space available. I can't imagine getting anything more out of this property than Mike was able to design and execute.

- There are 18 unique holes (times 2 layouts), but playing only to 10 baskets. It can be a little confusing. But again, that's why Mike offers to play with you! And I think if I had to rely on the signage, I would've been fine. Not a huge con, just the reality of laying out a full course in a small area.

- The baskets are decent, but all single-chain (adding even more to the putting challenge on this course).

- I worried about hitting the house and cars on a few holes, but managed to keep it clean. The layout is great and mostly avoids dangers like this. Just be aware and respect the property.

Awesome course! Be respectful of Mike's time and the effort he's put into this course. Make plans with him if you want to play it. He'll make it happen. Super cool guy and a course to match him.

18 unique holes on about 3 acres of land!
Variety of holes, left and right turning holes with just about every one having elevation change.
A couple of cool pin positions, with serious death putts.
Tees are varied, but in good shape, tee signs really help for the Orange course.
Owner was very nice to show me around and let me use his property.

Since the 18 play to just 9 baskets, it could get crowded and confusing if several are playing. I was the only one there the day I played, so not an issue.
With so many baskets in sight, you definitely need the map in hand, unless you play with the owner.
It's not my property.

I don't play a lot of private courses, but had heard good things about this one and was pretty interested to see how he got an 18 hole course on 3.5 acres. Actually, he has laid out two 18 hole courses, for a little more variety.
I lost a disc in some deep leaves the day I played. Sent the owner a SASE and got it back in about a week-advantages of playing a private course.
The Orange course plays longer than its listed distance, due to the Mandos and the elevation change. The whole property is used, from the creek at the back of the property, to the fence line bordering the busy country road up front.
As I mentioned in the Pros, the #2 and #11 basket has some real death putt possibilities, great pin placement!
Maybe not a destination course, but it sure shows you what you can do on just about 3 acres of property. Real fun to play.
Be sure to contact the owner before going to play, its a mandatory! The contact info is on the Course Homepage link, available on the Links/Files tab.

Orange layout - shorter, but not easy - there are multiple lines for most holes, although the course slightly favors LHBH/RHFH.

Grey layout - a much tougher layout than the orange - maybe some questionable lines, but places a premium on shot placement and a number of blind pins.

Signage galore - not sure why I added it, but wanted it to feel like a course away from home. Mando signs, tee signs, next tee signs - if you get lost, it's on you.

Variance of shots - the elevation on the property really allows a number of different shots. In addition, the shots in the woods vs the yard/grass area provide a different view.

Risky greens - not sure if this is a pro or con, but most greens have a high difficulty - #2/11 and #3/10 are standouts.

Uniform baskets, signage, tee markers - the OCD took over, but the look and feel of the course is consistent.

Space - it is 18 holes on 3.5 acres of land, so many crossing fairways and throwing to other tee areas - any scenario will multiple cards will cause some delays, but that is a rare occurrence.

Baskets - 8 of the 10 baskets are replica Innova Sports - heavier single-chain baskets. They catch well, but the heavy chains will kick out off center putts and hyzer putts can cut through.

Tees - The tees are mixed - concrete, deck/wood, carpet, natural - some of the natural tees have some roots, but all tees that were on inclines have been leveled. That said, the natural tee pads could always be improved on.

I am the owner/designer of the course, so my input might be a bit biased. The idea was to make a private course available to the local community, which was lacking in disc golf courses before East Clayton was installed. The intent was never to be a top tier course, but provide a challenging track on a smaller plot of land. The course is always in an improvement state, so constant updates are being done, based on feedback. I always welcome players and will never charge a fee to play the course.

With the tee pads in, this is the best the course will play. To me - it is a 3 rated course - limitations due to the space - but a fun track that has repeated challenges.

What this guy has done with a limited space is nothing short of amazing. There is a great variety of shots on this course: hyzers, anhyzers, uphill, downhill, highly technical - anything you could want. The elevation changes were especially well used.

If I was making a course at my home, I doubt I would do much in the way of signage, but this guy went all-out. We were never once confused about where to go next because there were dozens of "next tee" arrows.

Lots of mandos and OB also made the limited space very interesting.

Some people won't like the natural tees.

If I were to rate this course on use of space, it would easily get a 5/5. I'm only rating it as a 4/5 because places like Ashe County Park exist in NC.

There is also a really cool/well-maintained sign-in area by the hole 1 tee with a dry erase board to write down your aces, etc. (I got a black ace - hit the hole six basket from the 19 tee - but didn't record it.)