Squirrel Lake is probably the best 12 hole course I've ever had the pleasure to play. That being said, I'm not sure how many 12 hole courses I've actually played. This is better than a surprising amount of 18 hole courses I've played though.

The baskets are Innova Discatchers, all mounted level and catch great. One basket and pin position per hole from what I remember. Discatchers are my favorite basket in thick wooded courses due to the visibility they provide off the tee. Not to mention they catch great.

The tees are concrete. Nice and grippy, level enough and of sufficient length and girth. One tee per hole.

The tee signs are similar to many other Charlotte courses. They contain all the necessary info. Hole overview map, hole #, distance, par, next tee and any applicable OB. Loved them.

The course is essentially entirely wooded. Lots of elevation here. I think the only flat hole was also the only "open" hole, which is hole 6.

Tight lines, which is the name of the game around here. Fair mix of right to left, left to right and dead nuts straight. Best you can do for 12 holes to be honest.

I've seen others mention the lack of "fair" lines as a con. I don't get that. Sure the lines are tight. Gaps are there and require precision sure. This course is as fair as any of the other Charlotte courses I played over the last week. I can't think of a single course that DIDN'T have a hole that made you go WTF? when stepping up to the tee. It's kind of the deal down here it seems. I love it. Other's might see that as a con though. I don't

The course is permanent, free to play and probably not as busy as most other courses nearby due to it only being 12 holes. The course starts and ends pretty close to the parking area too, which I'm all for. The design for the space available is top notch IMO.

The park was very clean and well maintained when I played it. There's a small parking area with a playground and restrooms.

There's a few places that you can get turned around. Using a map isn't a must, but it wouldn't hurt to have one available in a few spots. We missed holes 7 and 8 and had to backtrack after playing 9 unintentionally. I wondered how we caught up to that group so quickly.

Along those lines, a few tee pads are pretty close to some greens. Likewise a few fairways play parralel to each other so it could get squirrely out there it it's ever packed.

Hole 6 has the feel of a filler, kind of get you from point A to point B hole. It also brings the park road into play. It's probably the main con and biggest shortcoming I noticed on the course.

If I lived near here I'd play here all the time. This was honestly one of my favorite stops on my recent trip. Just a damn fun course. Not beginner friendly, but it should slot in nicely for the intermediate and up crowd. Quick play too. I really fits into Charlotte's web of courses perfectly. Harder than most/all of the 9's but a quicker play than most of the 18's.

I'd recommend this one to everybody reading this. Don't judge it strictly by the number of holes. It plays closer to an 18 hole course than a 9 IMO. I'd play this again in a heartbeat. Not as good as the Scrapyard but much better than Crooked Creek Crossing.

Squirrel Lake is an interesting little 12-hole loop outside of Charlotte. It is tucked in the middle of a small nature park. The course itself has one major theme - tight lines!

Almost every hole requires a very precise drive through a tight, but usually fairly defined path. Hitting the lines yields birdie, but as I often found, missing the line can be punishing. The punishment is fair, brush is extraordinary well trimmed in most spots, and disc loss risk is minimal. The trees off the fairway, though, are often thick enough themselves to require punch outs.

This course has a lot of the little things - long concrete tees, nice hole signs (though unfortunately some have been vandalized), and ample navigational signs which help the golfer get from hole to hole. Baskets are in very good shape.

In my opinion, when I played Squirrel Lake I found that overall, for a <18 hole course, it tended to have superb maintenance and the fairways were very well kept.

A few small cons here:

There is a mando on the left of hole one that could stand to be a bit more clearly marked. I didn't notice it from the tee.

Hole 6 is slightly awkward. It shares a tee pad at 90 degrees to hole 4, but it plays right up the park entrance road. It forces shots a bit too close to cars for my liking. Otherwise the hole was a bit refreshing because it is out in the open for the first half.

That brings me to my main con for the course - even for a 12 hole loop the woods got a bit monotonous. It would have been nice to have 1 or 2 more open holes just for variety.

There is also an unsightly trash dump behind #8 tee which is a bit of an eyesore, but it appears to be off of the property of the course so not much the course can do about it.

For a <18 hole course, Squirrel Lake was pretty fun. Layout was probably average, the upkeep was great. I really had a lot of fun playing the course but was left wanting a bit more. In other areas of the country, this course would probably get more traffic. In the Charlotte area, however, it seems to get overlooked. Our group had the course to ourselves on a beautiful weekend day.

I first played Squirrel Lake the day after the concrete pads were installed, since then the park has gone through an almost complete transformation. The course, and my love-hate relationship with it, has not.

You may see the fairway lengths and the amount of holes and show up with low expectations, but this is a beast of a 12-Hole course that will tear you apart if you're unprepared. You know how a lot of wooded courses have that one fairway with a window so small you wonder how you're ever going to park the green? Well, welcome to Squirrel Lake, where 11 holes are all trying hard to compete to become that hole. None of the fairways are ridiculously long, but they are going to require either pinpoint accuracy, creative lines to make it down the fairway, or an incredible amount of luck.

Every hole has a concrete pad, tee sign, and DISCatcher basket. While I wish the Tee Signs were a little more modern, they have all the information really needed: distance, par, and sometimes distance until the fairway turns. You can usually see the basket from the tee, but some have blind turns so, like I said new tee signs would be an added bonus.

While not on the level of a mountainous course, some of the holes at Squirrel Lake do have a noticeable amount of elevation change in play.

The course is in a nice, little park that has been getting a slow makeover since the course was built. It is no longer a small playground and gravel parking lot next to a pond surrounded by a disc golf course. It has a real park feel with really nice permanent structures that can be used for picnicking. There are a few benches, but they are pretty spread out. And the park is really clean, very little litter. On hole 6 you can open up a bit, before slipping right back into the woods to end the hole. Hole 6, by the way, has a L shaped tee combining with 4's, which is a very unique way of utilizing space and saving money.

I personally appreciate this course for what it is, but could see some argue that the fairways are a little too tight. If you don't know the local routes for this course, you will probably feel like you are playing Plinko down the fairway, with your fingers crossed you park the green.

The course is really crammed in there. The design of this course is made so that these holes can only just coexist with each other. There is no room for expansion, and if for some reason a hole is removed, the course will likely just lose a hole. The biggest issue I have is the backtracking nature to get to the tees. After hole 9, you actually walk up hole 10's fairway about 30 feet to get to the tee.

When it was new, Hole 6 was a phenomenal hole. It was your one chance to open up and let one rip on a nice hyzer line. Since then the park has seen improvements, and there is a new walking path, fence, and widened road to accommodate overflow parking. This really creates a potentially hazardous fairway when the park is busy. Which it unfortunately can be. I used to come here and would be the only person I saw in the park the entire time I was there for a round or two. Now I struggle to get into the lot (because it is a pretty small one).

I am updating Squirrel Lake to a 3.0 rating. Over the years the park has evolved, and despite the changes that encroached onto hole 6's fairway, the course has mostly remained untouched. The rough has cleared out, but the course remains overwhelmingly technical. I think that this course is still a blast to play and an extremely unique experience. Just make sure you keep an eye out for pedestrians when throwing Hole 6.

Favorite Holes: 2, 6, & 10

Nice concrete pads at each hole. Signs with distance at each hole also. Navigation is pretty simple. The only place where it's a little odd is using the dual pad for hole 4 and 6. There are bathrooms on site and some benches spread throughout the course and park.

This course is almost totally wooded and in many places it forces you to squeeze a disc through some tight gaps. I'd call it typical tight Carolina wooded golf.

Well balanced course that has a good mix of lefts and rights. Some elevation is used, and adds to the course in the right spots.

Signs are pretty basic, and do not show the fairway layout.

Only 12 holes.

A few of the holes are tight to the point of having almost no line. There are gaps, but these fairways have more of a scattered tree feel.

#8 has a tree about 20' in front of the pad. Dead center. Kind of strange.

Pretty much a technical wooded course. No real length or holes where a big arm could have some fun.

Overall this is a good little course. 12 holes is different, but I could see where with the limited space available the designer decided to make some decent holes that are 300-400' instead of forcing in more short filler holes. I really enjoyed several of these holes. #6 plays from the open field down into the woods, tightening as you get closer to the basket. #9 is a 290' tight downhill shot that was pretty cool. Straight ace run if you can squeeze it through then trees. #10 is also a decent downhill shot that curves right. Perfect FH or turnover line down the hill. Decent little hole.

This course was about 10 minutes from my hotel somI gave it a shot. I'm glad I did because it is a nice short course to squeeze in a putter round if you are short on time. I'd play it again.

Good use of land and a weird number of holes make this pretty cool. You can kill twenty-four holes here and have a great time. This course is way easier in the winter than summer considering the foliage. Tight and short is the way, use your midrange and park holes, or pay for your tree-son.
Might want to flip a couple of thumbers to take out some distance, it is cheap but it is effective.

This is a short course by six holes, or a longer nine hole course with an extra four. Either way you cut it,
she is unique. If it had a couple of par four/five it would rate a four for sure.

I would go back and play this, twice one day. But, I would rather hit up Idewild if I am over that way. Would be a good day to play both. I like the squirrel, it can be difficult and is a short hike in the woods.
This course will teach you how to throw straighter with slower discs.

-Short and Sweet, compact, it's possible to get around twice in about an hour.

-Repetitive look, but good shot variety, with some elevation, and tight, tight lines. All tightly wooded except for 1/2 of #6.

This course is great for 1) midrange practice. total accuracy, hitting lines from hand to basket at a premium. 2) for the beginner to intermediate player, a good intro to what you'll need to be able to do with your game when you play some of the larger-scope, advanced-level courses in the area (Nevin, etc.)

Don't be fooled, this isn't really a rec-level course. There are some of the tightest lines in the county on this course. If you show up thinking about a nice, fun, casual round, you might wind up feeling a palpable sense of betrayal from this course. Luckily, most of the rough is relatively thinned out from all the traffic in there, so finding errant shots isn't too horrible in most places. (missing to the left on #11 is about the worst spot I've seen.)

Tee shot on # 4. it just won't make sense to my eye, and I can't find a shot that'll work for me, other than getting lucky on the local skinny route.

This course is sort of a "tweener," not really a beginner-friendly P & P, not quite a full-on course. May not be room for another 6 holes, but maybe. 6 more brutally tight holes here would make this a great course for midrange-in-the-woods practice, as well as improving mental-game discipline.

Combining this course with the 9-holer at Mint Hill Park, right up 485, is a good mix of golf action for a day, if you're "tired" of the same old dozen courses around town. LOL

A rough around the edges type of 12-holer, this course is predominately wooded. It flows pretty well with some informative signs and paths and has really nice, level concrete tees. Tee signs available at every hole and are aesthetically more pleasing than your typical, 'half-assed drawing of the fairway, taped to a pole'-type of sign.

Playability: Left-to-Right variety is very well done as is the distance so no two holes feel repetitive. A few holes, #1 specifically, require thought about disc placement rather your typical, "spray and pray," holes. Benches and seats are available on most of the holes. Tough but fair is very apt here.

Elevation: Slightly better than average.

Roughly half of the fairways need some foot traffic and defining done a bit, because occasionally you kind of scratch your head a little on the tee wondering where exactly the fairway is. No water holes, which is kind of a let down since it's Squirrel Lake and all. Would really appreciate a picture of the hole shape on the tee signs as it is not visually apparent right now from the tee.

Not necessarily a con, but I couldn't help but chuckle since every tee sign, which consists of engraved wooden pieces, have one piece that reads, "Squirrel Lake" on them, as if we would forget what course/park we were at or something.

Favorite Hole: #6. I'm a sucker for holes that play into/out of woods and this one delivers, tee off in the open and try to hit a gap to the left into the woods with a hyzer if you're RHBH.

Feels Like: Southern Community except with better flair/little things like tees, etc. This is probably what Wellspring in Burlington looked like when it first opened up.

Great terrain for a course. Lots of elevation to play up and down. Great natural beauty. Accuracy is key to playing this course. If you get off the fairways, you can get into some trouble. Luckily, the underbrush is not so thick so losing discs doesn't seem likely. There are simple signs which give the par and distance. A map type sign would be helpful because of the amount of trees. The pads are a little small for my liking. Easily my favorite hole was # 9. It's a downhill S curve and like almost every hole on this course could be birdied with a great throw or just as easily, you could end up with a bogie or double-bogie if you're not accurate with your drive. But really, that describes most holes on this course.

This is not a beginner course. It would frustrate the new player and certainly can (and did) frustrate someone who been playing for 31 years. It's tight as can be. At this time, the park only has a sani-can. It's a very one-dimensional type (wooded technical) course now. I'm kind of nervous about # 6 throwing down the park road into oncoming traffic. Be careful here.

Like Reedy Creek, it's just a real pretty walk in the park. Maybe over time, it'll get cleared out a bit and won't be so tight. As others have mentioned, the L shaped teepad for #''s 4 and 6 is pretty clever and different. Hopefully, they'll find a place for six more holes in the future.

Located in a wildlife habitat park this course offers a variety of right turning, left turning and straight holes. All but #6 are in the woods and #6 has woods on the left before turning left into the woods. Elevation changes abound. Signs at all tee pads with the #4 and #6 sharing an L-shaped pad. Distances are listed on the signs. Very technical with a premium on accuracy, this course was designed to minimize the impact on the wildlife habitat.

Even though the park offers a playground, fishing lake, and picnic pavilion, the only rest room is a Porta-John. Course maps are not available and the tee pad signs don't offer hole diagrams. Sometimes, there is a map posted next to the first tee but it is usually missing. Since this is a wildlife habitat, there are no trash cans in the woods. There is a trash can and bench at the #4,6 tee pad.

There are approved plans to expand this course to 18 holes after the park finishes expansion of the greenway. Also, permanent toilets are planned. If you use Google Maps for directions, the park entrance is NOT Privette Rd. It is about 500' south of Privette Rd. and there is a sign directing you into Squirrel Lake Park. Course maps are available on-line at the Charlotte Disc Golf Club website. Since this is a new course, this review will be updated as improvements are made.

- Not crowded at all. I don't know if it's that people don't know about this course - or park - but it hardly ever has much traffic.

- Very tightly-packed course. You never get too far away from the main road/parking area. I always consider that a plus because if the course ever DID get crowded, it's easy to skip holes or start off on a different hole. For instance, if there's a wait at #1, you could always walk to #4/#6 and start there. Or, you could play 11 and 12, or 10-12, etc.

- The wooded holes are tight and challenge you to keep it in the fairway on most drives. It's a very punishing course if you get deep into the woods.

- Yellow baskets are a major plus on a wooded course like this. I can think of a number of wooded courses where it was tough to pick out the basket among all the trees.

- I saw a family of deer running through the course on one occasion. The official name of this park is "Squirrel Lake Wildlife Habitat," and it definitely stays true to its name.

- Most tees are easy to find, but two in particular are a bit confusing:

1) When you finish #6, you are actually right near the tees for #9 and #10. You have to walk backward a bit to get to #7. There are signs that point you backward to the next tee, but they could conceivably be pointing you to #9 as well.

2) When you finish #9, you have to walk back up that fairway to find the tee for #10. There is no tee anywhere near the basket for #9, so without knowing what to do there, you could walk around aimlessly for a good while and not find anything.

- Some tee pads don't give you much room to maneuver. They are a bit too short for taller players that need more room.

- On a few occasions, mosquitoes and gnats have been an issue. They were particularly bothersome around the tee pads, for some reason.

- A few holes - 9-11 in particular - come up close to the edge of the park near the housing development behind it. With the trees around the basket, you shouldn't have a problem sailing a disc into someone's yard, but it takes away from the secluded feel of the park a bit to see the houses back there.

-12 holes is an odd number for a course, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it feels a little incomplete; but, on the other hand, it's nice to have something a bit longer than 9 but not quite a full 18. Ultimately, I think I appreciate that the designers realized that 12 holes was the best fit for this park.

- One small quirk: #4 and #6 share the same tee pad at a 90° angle.