Use of elevation is incredible, some long tees pushed into the open requiring lacing the gap
Concrete tees
Short and long tee options on some holes
Directional signs for first half of course
Benches
Well maintained with clean lines
Hit the line and get rewarded; I don't recall any poke and hope holes

Directional signs started off strong, but the further into the course it became non-existent
Hole 14 basket to 15 tee pads is over 500 feet away. I thought UDisc had a bug. This is one area that could use a sign and map to get to the 15th tee. If I didn't have Udisc I'm not sure I would find it.
Hole 18 ends a good couple hundred yards away from parking lot, there was a hole 19 that wasn't near 18's basket so we called it quits.

I really enjoyed a lot of the holes. I was throwing well off the tee, but if your off, it could be a long day. Not for beginners as most shots required right straight throws. With some better signage and a way to add a hole between 14 and 15, this could be a top course in the Charlotte area

Stumpy Creek is a sneaky-good course in southern Iredell County, in the Greater "Disc Golf Mecca" Area (aka Charlotte). It may get overlooked due to the abundance of elite and above average courses in Charlotte proper or just down I-77 in northern Mecklenburg County, but don't pass up an opportunity to play Stumpy Creek. It rivals the Charlotte courses and surpasses many of them.

+ One of the best courses I've played in its utilization of elevation -- both off the tee and on the green. There are many fast greens, with baskets perched on steep hills or ridges with great roll-away potential. You may be cursing the course when you miss a circle's edge putt off the basket and it rolls down the hill to 45 feet for your next putt, but this is good golf: putting made more difficult, risk/reward elements on all stages of the hole. And the elevation off the tee is some of the best I've played outside of the mountains or foothills. I was really surprised by how stellar this property was. There are numerous technical (and super fun) downhill hills. There's an equal number of tricky uphill hills that play way longer than their yardage. Simply put, if you like courses with big elevation -- and I personally think this is one of the most fun and challenging elements of good courses -- you'll love Stumpy Creek.

+ Excellent signage and course navigation. It's also one of the best I've encountered in this category. There are Next Tee signs on every basket, number signs and painted trees to direct you in between holes, and good tee signs with accurate pictures and yardage.

+ This is a mostly technical and wooded course, but there are also open hopes where you can bomb. Great variety here, with some par 4's, good mix of distances, right to left, left to right, and straight holes. I used a ton of mids off the tee on this course, not because it was particularly short, but because the holes were particularly challenging and tight. Tree kicks can really punish you. If you can keep it straight in these tight (but fair) fairways, you're winning.

+ Beautiful park and course. Well-maintained. There are ballfields and playgrounds and walking trails for other park-goers. The course winds around in the woods after starting near the other park facilities, then finishing on the other side of the mixed use park area. You catch glimpses of Lake Norman through the the woods...along with some million-dollar lakefront -- and *disc golf course* bordering -- houses. I think I have my retirement mansion picked out.

+ White and Blue tees to challenge intermediate to advanced players. But new players will enjoy the excellent layout, beauty of the course, and get a taste for what disc golf should be about. More skilled players will appreciate the challenge and want to play it on repeat.

Nothing much to pick at here, but I'll list a few that keep Stumpy Creek out of my top 10, but squarely in my top 20-30.

- This is really whinny, but hole 19 ends several hundred yards from the practice basket and main DG parking area. The navigation on the rest of the course is flawless. This is the only time you're really hiking for a bit.

- Maybe a little on the shorter side compared to more modern disc golf tracks, but for a noodle arm like me, it was nice.

- Lots of very good holes, but maybe not a signature hole that rivals others I've played on 4.5-rated tracks.

This is really a must-play in the northern greater Charlotte area. If you're looking for a day trip, Stumpy Creek pairs nicely with the northern Mecklenburg courses Bradford and Robbins, or even a little further south into north Charlotte for Nevin and Hornets Nest. I rank Stumpy Creek right in this mix of outstanding NC courses. Go play it!

Stumpy Creek, located in the park of the same name, is located in the Mooresville area right near Lake Norman. The park features a small playground and multiple baseball, softball, and soccer fields. If you visit the course on a day when the park is relatively empty, these fields can be used to get a few warm up throws in. The course features 19 holes, with concrete tees and Innova baskets, including one practice basket.

The course features 2 layouts, as some holes have two different tee pads. The white tees offer a more condensed, shorter version of the course, while blue tees provide the full Advanced level experience. While I have not yet played the white tees, it seemed like the white tees often changed the angle in a way that they provide new character to the hole by demanding a different tee shot. This will allow players of multiple skill levels the chance to enjoy this course.

This course utilized the terrain of this course in an incredible way, in fact the elevation use of this course is some of, if not the most pronounced I have ever encountered on a disc golf course. Even many of the flat holes make subtle use of elevation, like Hole 1 which will have many RHBH players drift down the hill towards the baseball field if they don't really commit to their drive. This course really has it all: extreme uphill shots, extreme downhill shots, valley shots, fast greens, etc. While the course has seen small tweaks here and there, what is currently known as Hole 15 is a definite standout to me. This top-of-the-world tee shot will really let you air out your disc. (And if you really want to put the extra juice on it, you can play to Hole 16's basket. Which will also let you play only 18 holes instead of 19.)

Not only does the course utilize the terrain well, but it offers a nice mixture of wooded and open holes, with 11 wooded holes, and 8 open holes. The wooded holes are tight and technical, with a lot of them being very straight shots. Taking an early kick will spell doom for your scorecard. The open holes, while not straightforward in their own rights, will give players a chance to take a breather from the gauntlet of challenging wooded holes. Even Hole 19, the final hole - which is also one of the most wide open holes with little, to no elevation to speak of, is made interesting by a mando pole. I could see some thinking the mando is a bit forced, but I actually like this mando. It turns the hole from a mindless rip into a well executed drive. I was able to just barely clear the mando to have a straight open shot to the basket, but if I faded out too early, I would have had to lay up to the mando. I also like the mando, because it looks like it will hopefully keep people from trying to attack straight at the basket and throwing their discs into the playground accidentally.

The course features a lot of what some people would call "natural OB", where if you miss the fairway you'll be pitching back to the fairway, just to have a line at the basket. Luckily, due to the woods the course is located in being so heavily consisting of pine trees, the leaf coverage around the course when I played (which was in the very thick of fall), was almost non existent.This is very nice for golfers, because it means less time looking for discs, and a lot less discs lost by being shoved up under a pile of leaves.

Stumpy Creek would really benefit from some new signage, especially at the tees. Unlike most courses in the area, it wasn't readily apparent what shot was needed from every tee without possibly walking the fairway first. On a course with as much elevation change, this quickly adds up.

The course could really use some newer baskets as well. There seemed to be a mixture of new, double-chain baskets and some single chain baskets. This is something that could really help prevent spit outs on a course that already has a high propensity for roll aways.

I felt like this course, out of all the courses I've played, would really benefit from more benches. Once again, with as much elevation as this course has, it is surprising that there aren't more benches.

A couple of the holes seemed to play fairly close to other aspects of the park where an errant drive/shot could become an issue, such as the playground or the ball fields. I could see this being a potential safety concern during tournaments during peak park season.

It amazes me how little I hear about this course, compared to other nearby courses. As this course truly deserves to stand amongst the best courses in the area. I've played plenty of courses that have been touted as using elevation very well, however, this may be the best in that regard. For all of these reasons, and more, I am going to rate Stumpy Creek at 4.0 for now. Though I could see this course continuing to grow into one that deserves an even higher rating.

Favorite Blue Holes: 2, 5, 8, 15

Probably the best course in lake norman area, good for intermediate, experienced players looking for a challenging round

Too hard for beginners

Loved it, its like a duff golfer getting to play bethpage black. Great fun

-I can't believe I waited 3 years to play Stumpy! It is well worth your time! Elevation changes galore and it's not even in the mountains! There are a few downhill holes that are around 300' but even a putter would go too far because of the huge elevation changes. The long pads are a real challenge and are very capable of destroying your entire round if you are not careful. Many of the long pads are not far behind the shorts but still provide a different "feel" to the hole itself. The shorts are easier, intermediate players are very capable of scoring under from the shorts.
-Dual sets of tees, well there are 13 long pads and #14 has a long pin position tucked into the woods.
-Whoever keeps track of my reviews knows that I love elevation. I don't dig flat. Holes 2 & 4 from both sets of tees are extreme valley shots. #2 is much more challenging. First of all, it is very tight, and it is much more punishing if you miss the fairway, also if you go a little short of the pin while trying to reach it, you will have an approach shot with no line, the basket goes left and short of it is a cluster of trees. #4 on the other hand allows plenty of power. It should be a par 3 from the short because I almost aced it, my driver went too far. The hole is only about 380' from the short pad and feels more like a par 3. The long pad makes it seem like a different hole, it's only about 70' behind the short but that does mean an under stable driver will fade to the left of in a lefty's case, to the right. I threw the same driver on the long that I used on the short. so it had more time to fade. Not a hard hole on the long but still can be rough.
-Very good holes that play steep uphill. #8 is the shortest hole at only 180' but has maybe a 35' elevation increase and to add to it, the basket is elevated. #10 long is a very difficult par 5 for its short length at 538'. It plays as a dogleg left, the tee shot provides ample space just to get all the way up to the hill but the second shot is a whole new look. It is very tight and very punishing if your tee shot is just a little long. A 4 can turn into a 6, 7, or 8 very easily. #16 looks just like #2 at RL Smith except it plays a little straighter, the short pad is just an easy toss up the hill, very aceable.
-Stumpy Creek park is closed on weekends but disc golfers are still allowed to play. There were some cars at the entrance. I tried to call and explain that I wanted to play a couple of rounds because I can't on weekdays, I'm in High School but it seemed to work out fine.
-#14 is my favorite hole. I don't know exactly if the long pad is in use anymore but I hope it is. It's an awesome "Top of the world" shot. The long pin position is also really fun, it's a really cool approach that is tucked into the woods. I don't understand why #15 isn't really mentioned. The long pad is very similar to the new hole 12 at Bradford. Fun anhyzer tucked into the woods.
-Straight downhills! There are many of them. The aforementioned #14 stands out and so does #11! It's much more downhill than it appears on the media, it is also tight but doesn't take much to par this hole.
-Love some of the greens! Especially #7's placed on the hill, I also loved #8 and #17's elevated baskets, the drop off behind #9 and both of #14's pin positions. The short is on the side of the hill and the long is tucked into the woods.
-Very nice bathrooms and there are a couple of soda machines beside them.
-Nice practice basket beside #1.
-There are stairs on the really steep parts of the course.
-Cornelius Road (The Bridges) is nearby. It isn't as good as Stumpy but is still pretty fun.

-Park is closed on weekends. Makes no sense, the place has some other features, for instance a playground. You are not going to see children there because they have school. At least the course is open.
-A few of the holes can be a hindrance to the sports fields and the running track.
-A few of the short tee pads need to be a bit longer.
-Only one bench that I remember. On #7.
-Graffiti on some of the baskets.
-Really could use new tee signs.

-Stumpy Creek Park is a great park in a great neighborhood. I didn't have trouble finding the fairways on this course really, they provide plenty of space but there are trees that give bad kicks but that is what makes a perfect challenge. #12 was a serious test. You must throw left of the tree just straight from the tree and through a small lane. This is a pro par 3, it's very challenging but the fairway is still inviting if you can just get past the tree. Both #17 and #18 allow shots that go right to left. #17 is not as easy as it looks. The mando is very hard to clear because it is a long way from the tee. #18 will accept any throw as long as you hyzer/anhy a little.
-I think this course easily deserves a 4. I can't really nit pick about anything about the course itself and I love extreme elevation and there is some out here! I really like playing Mark Huether's courses, I find them the most fun in the Charlotte area. Hope to see Mark design more courses around North Charlotte, this course is one of my favorites. I waited too long to play here!

Just a caution: Course can get very slippery and muddy.

Favorite hole: #14 long

Signature hole(s): #2 and #4, huge par 4's across valleys. #7, a gauntlet over a small valley, #14 open bomb with two tee pads and two pin positions! Have fun on this one!

Stumpy Creek is a great course! Good distance for both short and long throwers. If you play the blue or white tees, both require control and disc placement. Hole 1 is great to start with due to open field to basket tucked in the edge of woods. After 1 it's time to bring out your tight flying discs until 14 when course opens up again. Elevation is great and good exercise. Stumpy is wooded, but very hard to lose a disc here. You always can hustle out of a bad shot and make good with the next. Fairly clean and always friendly.

Not many cons with Stumpy. I would say that more info would be posted at practice tee about course and course layout. Trash seems to build up in trash cans, but good thing is that almost every hole has a trash can! Hole 18 can sometimes have vehicles on fairway due to soccer games, I guess people don't understand what yellow tape means!

This is my home course and I wanted to post an honest review due to I have played at least 8 courses in this area including some Charlotte courses and Stumpy is a hidden gem! We now have a group of us in the area that will help with some of the cons I mentioned above, so this course will only improve in the future. Thanks to Stan and Mark for creating a great course!!

I'll try to get some new photos of course. Photos uploaded do not show how good Stumpy looks right now.

-Great use of elevation!
-Great risk/reward shots
-Little to no trash on the course
-Trashcans!
-Long and a short layout
-Clean park
-Restrooms
-Little course traffic
-Concrete pads
-14 Long
-Practice basket

-No benches
-2 more pads need to be poured
-10's fairway isn't exactly fair
-17 is boring and too easy in its current configuration
-18 is also easy and boring

I played this course today for the first time in about a year today (both longs and shorts). I have drastically improved my game over the past year and I can say that this course is tons of fun. First I played the longs and was definitely challenged on most holes. The shorts was less of a challenge but hitting your lines is still super important. Leave your drivers in the bag except for holes 1 long, 14 long, 17, and 18 long. This course will teach you how to throw a Buzzz or Roc 300-330 accurately off the tee every time. It would be hard to score well if you cannot do so. The lines are tight, but fair (except 10s fairway). It's a shame it's not in Charlotte because it would get played a lot more but we can't have everything in Charlotte. I would jump all over the chance to play in a sanctioned tournament here. Bring water and be prepared to be worn out after your round(s) due to the extreme elevation. Don't wait, if your in the area give it a try as soon as possible.

No one comes here
Incredible variety (shortish ace runs, huge up/downs, mostly wooded with a few lefts/rights), very chill/friendly area.
A good mix of putter drives, long tight bombs, even a few open bombs. Some tight finesse drives too.
Very pretty, very under-played

It's just a brutal course (at times)
You can lose discs. You can hit trees within 10 feet of the tee pad. You throw into a hornets nest. You can wear yourself out walking up the fairway on Hole 2 (and that's not at all the toughest hike). Soccer fields can come in to play. Holes 14,17,18 can fill up with soccer kids. You can lose a disc (though you can find my 171 Orc on 11 and email me). Mooresville traffic sucks.
Short tees have miniature pads on some holes.
This is one of the least maintained courses in the Charlotte area, though it's in better condition than many courses you'll find across the country. Could use some trimming in the summer and it gets muddy after rains.

The Richmond Hill of Charlotte.
The hidden gem of Charlotte.
It's at least 20 traffic-y minutes off of I-77, and that's once you get to exit 36.
I want to say it's hole 14. You're on top of a hill overlooking a soccer field on your left (longs, or by the gravel track - shorts) - the basket you can see by that sink hole looking pit, that's the old basket, the actual basket is well past that through the two tall pines, another 250 feet.

This course is out of my league (skill wise). You have to be really damn good to score well here. I've held out 6 months on reviewing this course because I didn't want it to get crowded, but it's so remote (and Mooresville traffic is so terrible), I'm really not worried about it. Nice baskets. Nice views. Lake access just past the course.

If you're looking for a Charlotte-area comparison, I'd say this course is like the first ten at Eastway.

I give it a 4.
I'd say it's excellent because of the variety, the challenge, the peacefulness, the beauty. I'd dock it because it gets overgrown, because of the soccer field interference, and because of the traffic.

I'd highly recommend this course if you're passing through.

This course is one of the better courses in the Charlotte area, but seldom has a crowd. It is a little farther away from central Charlotte, but worth the drive. There are major elevation changes, which makes this course unique in the area. This course has the feeling of playing in the mountains without the drive. The Fairways are fairly tight, but not unfair.

The signage could be better on a few holes.

If you have a big arm and like to throw 400+ feet, there are not many opportunities. The last couple holes are open, but most of the course is wooded and somewhat tight.

Stan and Mark did a great job expanding this course. Make sure to bring plenty of water with you, since it requires a long hike up and down some steep hills.

its good for exersice
its a challaging course
its fun with a lot of people
it has an open and closed in setting
the more you play the easyer it gets
holes are spaced out good enough for other groups to be able to play and not worry about rushing anyone
nice park
has scorecards in the box at practice baskets
alwys able to see basket olny one that you can not(#10)
tee pads are nicly done
its a great place to play

no tee signs but they are coming
its alot of walking
you may loose a disc (if you have your name and number on it and it is found you will get it back)
theres not much bad about it

ive played this course a lot its my home course and i no it like the back of my hand its a sweet course and good for a days work out and with a couple of people its a funn place to play i think the creaters did a amazing job at it and everyone that help him put the tee pads in

I really enjoyed the great variety this course offers.

Tight turning fairways in the woods.

Excellent use of elevation changes.

Challenging pin placements.

Good mix of short technical holes, and a few "grip it and rip it" holes.

I can't wait to go back to try and top my score.

There's a mix of concrete and natural pads, the natural pads were really muddy (but...snow had just finished melting, and the mulch kept it from being nearly as bad as i could have been).

The tee maps leave something to the imagination.

Look out for "holes" left from old rotted stumps...some of the terrain is a little treacherous for walking.

This course far exceeded my expectations.

A LOT of fun.

The first tee seems pretty ordinary. Open shot to a tee tucked away in an opening in the woods. Then as soon as you reach the second tee you will probably get excited. There is a 100 foot drop and then probably two hundred feet back up the hill. After you make your putt prepare to do it again as the next hole again drops down and goes back up hill, only this time the fairway is tighter! If you can snake a good drive through these narrow fairways you will score great however prepare to be punished for any errant drives. I was very impressed with the variety of holes as each hole in the woods was memoriable. Once you get out of the woods you have a chance to make up some ground as the open holes are a little easier. If you play the long tees it will give you a chance to let a few rip hopefully letting out all that frustration from the earlier holes in the woods!

Even though it was easy enough to navigate some signs would be nice. Also I really hope that they install tee pads in the wooded holes. At this moment you are pretty much having to stand still to drive as the ground around the tee is not level and has rocks and stumps everywhere. The woods are still pretty thick in spots. My friend threw a disc that went into the creek, took him ten minutes to retrieve it and he was so mad after that that he didnt even finish the hole.

If they installed two sets of concrete tees for the new wooded holes, and put up some signs I would think that it would be one of the top courses in NC. The terrain is pretty rough though so getting concrete to these areas would be a huge undertaking. I actually rated this course with its potential in mind. It has lots of room to improve however still worth an hour and a half drive to play it as it is now.

I recently went back to stumpy and I noticed some work have been done. New hole in the woods, it even looks as if they are preparing some teepads to get concrete.

Wow! What a course. It went from a good 9-hole course to an outstanding, top-notch 18 hole course. The new holes are challenging, but fun. It says something about a course when it's getting the best of you, yet you're still having a blast.
- For anyone who played this course when it was 9 holes, they added 10 wooded holes and eliminated one of the open field holes - 9 original + 10 new holes - 1 old hole = 18.
- Great hole layouts. This course has some serious elevation changes to it, which make for some great holes. It felt like I was walking up and down hills the entire round. If you're not in shape, it's going to wear you down by the time you get to the back 9, especially on a hot summer day.
- Long, challenging holes. Holes #2 & 4 are my favorite holes on the course. They're both long (both 500+) up and down holes with tight fairways, so you can't just let the driver fly. Errant shots will find thick woods that make advancement difficult. All the wooded holes are tight, but because of the course length, you can't get too conservative. This course finds the perfect balance.
- Good pin placements make for interesting shots. Even the original holes had some good layouts.
- Dual tee pads give an alternative/easier shot on some of the more difficult holes.
- Course ends with several open holes so you're finally able to let it rip and let off some frustration.
- Long course that plays even longer because of elevation and tight fairways. Holes average 400ft+ from long tees (7400 ft overall). On the course's longest hole, #10 @ 660 ft, you're throwing up a steep hill on your first shot, which make it's play even longer.

As with many new courses, it's going through growing pains. There's still a lot of small stumps in many fairways; pathways between holes haven't been worn in, so it's somewhat of a challenge finding some holes. The second issue can be resolved with more signs pointing to the next tee. There are some signs, but not one for every hole.
- The wooded holes do not have cement tee pads. On long holes, where accurate shots are crucial, a smooth surface to throw your tee shots from is crucial. Again, I'm sure this is a problem that will be fixed with time, but in the meantime, it is a problem.
- Tee signs will need to be improved. Some only have the distance, some are hand-drawn. On several of the longer holes, I had to walk down most of the fairway to find out where the basket was because it wasn't visible from the tee pad.
- I listed this as a pro, but it can also be viewed as a con. The final two holes are the most wide open holes on the entire course. #17 at least has a semi-difficult basket placement, but #18 is a wide open hole. It's slightly disappointing that (IMO) the two best holes (#2 & 4) are at the beginning and two of the least challenging are the closing holes. You wish it was the other way around.
- You can't easily get to the back nine from the beginning, so if it's crowded, you'll have to do a lot of hiking through the woods. This might be a pet peeve of mine, but it always bothers me when hole #9 doesn't finish near the beginning or at least near an opening that easily leads you back to the front.
- It's a long walk from #18 back to #1. There are also several other long walks between holes. That's not much of a problem because it gives you time to catch your breath, especially if you've just had a bad hole.

As mentioned above, what a testament to the course when you can have a blast while also facing such a tough challenge. Everyone who worked on the new holes did an outstanding job.
- This course is now close to joining the other Charlotte-area elite courses - Renny, Nevin, Hornets Nest, and Camp Canaan. This is one of the best courses I've played, and is a total hidden gem.
- It is a melting pot of many of the best courses in the area: Yadkinville, Hilton Park in Hickory, Fox Chase, and of course, Charlotte's top courses.
- I can only give this course a 4.0 right now because there are some many problems with the new holes. Once they're fixed (cement tee pads, tee signs, stumps removed, etc), this will be a 4.5 rating.
- It's a must play for everyone in the Charlotte, or anyone visiting the area.
- Here's what I wrote in my original review, when the course was only 9 holes "When they make it a complete 18, it's going to fit in nicely with all the other Charlotte-area courses." The course blew away any expectations I had for this.