A course with an unusual number of holes and unusual ideas of what constitutes a good shape.

Squirrel Lake, like a good Charlotte course, has plenty of basic amenities. There are mid-size concrete tees, a mix of single- and double-chain DISCatchers, thorough tee signs, and sufficient next tee signage. The course loops properly and doesn't have major maintenance issues.

A fully wooded course, Squirrel Lake has an enjoyable environment. It's thickly wooded, hilly, and lush throughout…perhaps too lush, as we'll see later.

The conceptual shaping layout here is nice. There are four short par-4s and a variety of tunnels that promote straighter shots and some right turns. On paper, it's a very impressive 12-hole course with interesting tree patterns that provides some challenge and some reward.

To me, it just doesn't deliver.

-Tightness: From hole (4) on, the lines seem unreasonably tight. In some stretches of fairway, it's little wider than a walking path. There are few feelings worse than throwing a beautiful turnover that slices through the first 80% of a fairway perfectly before striking another tree jutting dead into the flying lane. I try not to be overly critical of tight courses, but Squirrel Lake frequently crosses the line in my estimation.

-Hazards: On hole (6), cars parallel parked are tantalizingly easy to drill just off to the right, especially on a shot that begs for a wide hyzer. Then, hole (10), a lovely downhill turnover, has a play area within C2 on the backside of the basket that could be at risk from a smash.

-Upkeep: The paths between holes are not clear with the extensive leaf cover. There are also lots of small shrubs on fairways and rough. The fairways don't feel like "ways" so much as pathfinding.

Squirrel Lake is, surprisingly, the second 12-hole course I have played. The generally open and beginner friendly Dillon (CO) Family course was, unfortunately, better. Squirrel Lake needs a little breaking in and probably more trees taken down. If it did that, it could be a nice course. As is, I consider it Reasonable.

It'd be easy to overlook this course in Charlotte. With all the titans looming in the area, it's easy to miss a squirrel. It's only twelve holes so eyes can easily pass it by on the course browser. I'm not saying that it should be played over the better-known city courses by those with limited time budgets. I am saying that overlooking it completely is a mistake.

It's a fun course that plays quickly despite surprising amounts of challenge and length. Twelve holes can be played in a short amount here because of two factors: the ease of navigation and the short walks between holes. Very little time is spent not throwing here, which is a very good thing. Well three things. The course doesn't seem to get a ton of play so it's quite possible to be the only group there.

Squirrel Lake would definitely fall into short and technical wooded category that is so prominent across most of the state. And it is technical. It was much less beginner-friendly than I was expecting. Eleven of the holes play through the woods and most of them are quite narrow, with tight gaps to hit all over the place. Lines here are not easy. Still, five of the holes are over 300 feet. On this terrain, with the amount of trees present, that's quite a long way to go.

It's also a very nice park, set on a lake. The lake does not affect play but it makes a nice backdrop for a very scenic experience.

I do have to admit, that the fairways need some work. A bunch of holes have no line at all and would fall squarely into the plinko designation. It's not something I minded because the course is more than I expected, but selective tree removal could make this course really good. There are just too many square in the middle of fairways, to the point where its hard to say where the throw is supposed to go at all.

The signs don't help much either because while they look really nice, they only give the length and bear no indication of where the basket might be. On a course with some not-so-easily-discernable fairways, that is a bit of a problem. Many baskets are not visible from the tee so a fair amount of guesswork is mandatory.

But the worst part of Squirrel Lake is hole six. This just needs to go. It's 410 feet, the first 350 of which parallel the park road. The tee is about fifteen feet to the left of the road. This straight throw across flat ground traverses a fairway about twenty feet wide. The road is just to the right of that, meaning if a throw moves fifteen feet to the right of the tee at any point it will be over the road. A road which cars come up a hill from a point where they can't be seen from the tee. It's among the more dangerous holes that I've seen. It would be better if this was an eleven hole course than to have this throw included.

I only played this course because I stumbled across a league day on my Charlotte excursion and had to find a quick replacement course. Glad I did as this was a nice find and a quality round.

Very challenging. Tight fairways, great use of elevation. Holes were very easy to navigate. The woods are not brushy, so you won't lose your disc.

Fairways are VERY tight. Don't play this course unless you're up for a challenge. Requires long, controlled shots.

I generally liked the course, but my game was not up for the challenge. It got very frustrating before I finished. I'm sure it fits a niche, but not mine.