Newland, NC

Sugaree

4.635(based on 34 reviews)
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11 4
Mike C
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.1 years 168 played 74 reviews
4.00 star(s)

An epic course, but not as challenging as I expected 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 9, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 24 holes!

- Amazing mountain views. Sugaree is situated in one of the prettier parts of the United States. There are giant boulders three times my height, patches of christmas trees, interesting home-made decorations scattered throughout the course and hand made tee signs. The entire course is gorgeous.

- It has a very unique feel to it. The combination of its unique location, carpet tees, hand made signs, etc., gave the course its own feel.

- Dramatic elevation throughout the entire course. There are only a few flat holes, most every other hole is downhill to some degree, with a few slightly uphill shots. The elevation was utilized very well and added a lot to the different holes. #24 is one of the steepest downhill holes I've played, and it was a blast ripping a putter off the tee and parking it.

- Incredibly peaceful. I place tremendous value on feeling totally secluded from noises and people when I play disc golf. For me it contributes a great deal to how much I enjoy a round. Sugaree is one of the best courses I've played in this aspect. I didn't see a soul the entire round, and there was no traffic to listen to. Just the wind blowing through the leaves.

- Some decent variety between holes. Mostly downhill shots, there are some uphill and flat scattered between. There are a few longer Par 4's among the Par 3's, two that have multiple routes! There are a couple of hard hooking shots I enjoyed...#4, #18, #22 and #23 stood out for that reason.

- It was neat shooting on MVP baskets, as a big fan of their discs. This was my first time playing a course that used their baskets.

- Camping provided on site behind hole #6. Tough to beat that! Enjoy the firepit, practice some putts....would have liked to spent the night here but I opted to play more courses with the daylight I had left.

- Easy to find. Driving directions made me think it might be a bit tricky to get to, but I had no issues navigating my way there.

Cons:

- No paved tees. Most were carpet, I think there might have been a few gravel or dirt tees. There were all very level and performed well, but they're probably a bit slick after some rain.

- One set of tees. I would have enjoyed an option for longer tees, but that would add a tremendous amount of work and would not be very practical with the current configuration unfortunately.

- Few par 4's, and many short par 3's. The majority of this course for me was drive & putt, often with a putter or mid off the tee. No holes where I could throw a power shot from the tee. The par 4's required more of a placement shot off the tee than a strong rip. Over 24 holes I feel like two or three 400' tee shots would be nice for variety's sake

- Not as challenging as I had anticipated from a course with so many 5/5 ratings.. There was never a moment that I really felt like the course was testing my abilities. This is not to say its an easy course, or that most people would feel this way, but for me it was easier than I want.

- Leans heavy on straight shots. I felt one or two more hard hooking hyzer lines would have balanced the shot selection better.


- Bit rough around the edges. This course is primarily carved out by one individual, so you can't expect a city park level of maintenance. As long as you know what to expect, it shouldn't be an issue. There will be occasional spots where you'll definitely want to stay on the fairway, but in general it shouldn't negatively affect your round.

Other Thoughts:

Sugaree is a very fun course that has a unique feel. It is definitely a destination level course. Gorgeous from start to finish.

The course feels like a labor of love. While it feels rough around the edges compared to a course with a 100+ member DG club and city parks department maintaining it, when you consider its largely the product of one man's ambitions you have to look at it within context. Its a pretty remarkable accomplishment in my eyes, Rich deserves a lot of credit for the work he's put in.

In terms of pure golf, I would not rank Sugaree with the best courses I have played. It's not a 5/5. Many of the holes are pretty short and straight forward. I threw a putter or mid off the tee on about half the holes, and found most the holes were simple to birdie. I feel more challenged by Nevin, Angry Beaver, Moraine State Park, Portage Lakes etc. This is why I am giving it a 4 rather than the more common 4.5 or 5's it has received. It is hands down a superb course, but it is a notch below the best I've thrown when it comes to the different lines and difficulty factor.

--------------------------------

I'd like to touch on one last thing, but before I do I want to note that this will probably not affect anyone reading this review.

I was in contact with the course designer prior to playing Sugaree, letting him know I intended to make a video. He had seen my videos before, and knew what to expect. I put a lot of effort into filming, throwing, and editing that video, largely to do him a favor to expose his course to a wider audience.

Since posting the video he has asked me to take it down because, in his words, I made Sugaree look like a pitch and putt. He accused me of not including all of my throws, implying there were holes I drove, approached, then putted, and I'd leave out the approach.

The entire experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and made me not want to ever return to Sugaree. It's a shame because I enjoyed my time here and would have made a return trip, but the hostility and rudeness I encountered after spending hours on my video drove me off for good. It's a shame that his actions had to mar an otherwise positive and memorable experience.

To top it off Rich responded to my review with an assortment of blatant lies. For example I offered to help work on the course after I played my round, and he told me not to worry about it. I had tools and work clothes in my car ready to go, so him saying I had no intention of working on the course has no truth to it. If he wants to know my score, he can watch my video and add it up. I don't keep track of that during non-competitive rounds. My PM box has nothing from him, and I let him preview the round before it was posted. He gave me the OK to post it.

"His rating is obviously not about the course, but rather me making him remove his movie. " - If this statement were true I would rate the course 0/5 for how Rich has behaved towards me. Instead I rated it 4/5, which if you check my reviews you'll see I rarely rate courses that high. I have multiple courses in my favorites I did not rate that high, that alone tells you that's BS. If his statement had any truth to it I would not repeatedly state that Sugaree is one of the best courses I have played.

"he just wanted to make a movie to showcase his skill. " - If this were true I would not have driven 4 hours round trip to film Sugaree. I live within walking distance of an 18 hole course and could "showcase my skill" much more conveniently there.

If there is a super course here he made no mention of it, neither does the course page, neither does the course itself.

Despite my extremely negative interactions with him, I gave his course an objective score. It's an amazing course but it is not as tough as I expect from a 5/5 rated course. If I play a perfectly rated course I expect to walk away satisfied in every possible way. That is not how I felt after playing Sugaree. It is one of the best courses I have played, make no mistake about it, but a 5/5 rated course has to test my abilities more.

I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone. I have repeatedly suggested others play it, and commended Rich for the work he did.

I am not the only person who has had negative interactions with this individual. I am merely the only one willing to speak my mind on the matter. I have received numerous private messages from others who have had similar experiences as me. Go check the following link to see the owner of DGCR stating that Rich has had issues with less than stellar reviews in the past - https://www.dgcoursereview.co...;postcount=32

This is not limited to my interactions with him. He has a chip on his shoulder.
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5 7
DiscChainBasket18
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.9 years 98 played 63 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Pro Mountain Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

High mountain wooded course. Quiet & peaceful disc golf only course. Long holes including full length Par 4's & Par 5's. Be prepared for a long round of golf. Beautiful piece of property situated amongst tree farms & camping/cabin rental properties. Rocky outcroppings dot the landscape. I threw all shots here. Left, straight, right. Uphill & a lot of downhill shots. Nice (new) tee signs on every hole with hole #, distance & basic flight path shown. Large tee pads. Unique wire baskets (a majority hanging). Good use of space & the course flows well. Very friendly host. Tight fairways put a premium on shot selection. I drove with a mid-range disc more than once just to keep it in the fairway. Lots of next tee signs made navigation relatively easy.

Cons:

Watch your footing as wet or moss covered stones leave you slipping. Seeing the unique baskets is sometimes hard to do. Look for the little day-glo strips on the baskets. Occasionally, the baskets will fold up or droop over when the disc hits chains. You want to get your disc out of the basket quickly or it may fall out on its own. You also have to 're-set' the chains so the basket sits level for the next shooter. Could use a few more benches. Muddy footing in some spots. Some of the new holes have dirt tee pads. Not many wide open shots here. It's mostly wooded. Some crossing fairways (watch for flying discs). Some tee pads are in close proximity to each other & may muddle direction but just follow the freen arrows & look at the tee sign number. There are lots of rocks here. Hit a rock with your disc & you could damage it.

Other Thoughts:

I was awestruck by the course beauty & landscaping/layout of the course. The place is huge but was very well manicured. The fairways were clear of debris & we didnt really fear losing a disc. Some baskets hang on the edge of a cliff. This really forces you to think about the shot. I love this! Plenty of great camping spots on-site!
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14 0
DavidSauls
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 28.8 years 131 played 68 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A delight 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

I'll start with the aesthetics. This is one of the most beautiful places I've ever tossed a disc. The course is set on a hilltop (or mountaintop), almost all in a lush hardwood forest, with huge granite outcrops. 35' sheer cliffs, boulders rising 15' tall and 60' across, everywhere. Though on a Christmas tree farm, only on a couple of holes do you encounter the trees, throwing over them and having a rather fragrant walk from tee to disc.

As a private course, you're likely to have it to yourself. It is absolutely peaceful, far from the highway or other human sounds.


Not normally part of a course review, but Rich is such a great host and guide that he's one of the amenities, too.

The layout is very fine. Unlike most mountain courses there are not a lot of huge uphill & downhill shots. It mostly consists of tight wooded shots more or less along the contour, some elevation but not extreme. Half the course is "signature holes".

And some of the most memorable basket locations you've ever played. Baskets located near, or on top of, boulders, and near steep slopes or even sheer cliffs.

There are great benches, steps, and teepads (though they are 10', and I have a 12' runup). A lot of work has gone into them. There is no signage, but that is by design.

Due to the course's altitude, and perhaps its shade, its much cooler than neighboring regions. Rich claims that some summers it never gets over 85 degrees; our visit was probably 15 degrees cooler than our home in South Carolina.

Cons:

The cons are generally minor, and mostly aspects of being a private course, and new, and a one-man project. I mention them for those to whom they may matter.

Starting with the fact that you need to schedule a tee-time. The owner is very accommodating, and you're going to need a guide, anyway. No chance you could navigate this course without one.

There are also places with random trees in the fairways, or a few awfully tight gaps. As time goes by, this will surely ease up.

We visited in July and the undergrowth was knee-high in the many fairways---but not real dense, so hardly affected play. Bearing in mind, again, that there's just one person doing the maintenance.

If you have a strong desire to "grip it and rip it", you won't find much chance here. No real open shots; this is a wooded course.

All 18 baskets are homemade, hanging baskets. They catch fine but some people may have problems with non-standard baskets, or the fact that hanging baskets may sway in the wind or spin after the previous putt.

Other Thoughts:

This is a new course; 2 years old; much re-designed; and undergoing constant improvements. Within a year or two it will surely be a 4.5 to me. They're also working on a 9-hole "super course"; essentially combining two regular holes into one monster hole, that should provide as much wooded challenge as any disc golfer might ever need.
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0 7
kslusser
Experience: 8.9 years 77 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Sugaree - Most Excellent Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well layed out and challenging course. Baskets are all hanging and homemade, but catch the discs well. Almost all the tee pads are carpeted and are prenty big to get a good throw off. This is definitely a course worth driving a couple hours to play.

Cons:

Needs some hole signs with distances and sketch.

Other Thoughts:

This course was one of 4 that we played over a 3 day trip. It's a very scenic course with lots of rock formations. Very much enjoyed playing this course and would paly it again in a heartbeat.
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1 3
Doc Hightower
Experience: 39.9 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Sugaree sunset 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 21, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Amazing topography, beautiful rock formations, hospitality beyond belief. I loved this course. We played as the sunset, the ridge faces west so we got amazing optics as we explored this magnificent course. Not a long course but ultra-unique, very fun and somewhat challenging.

Cons:

It is still evolving, it will just get better as Rich, the owner, refines this masterpiece. Not really a con, but I thought I'd try.

Other Thoughts:

I love the fact that Rich has the dedication and vision to build a DG course in such an amazing place. Disc golfers are great people and Rich exemplifies what I love about this sport. Thanks!
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6 1
jchris
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Shake It Sugaree 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 28, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course has been designed with much thought as to the aesthetic qualities of the mountainside location. Each hole is unique, with many opportunities to use multiple types of shots. Except for putting, almost every drive and approach requires a different technique to pull off. Although quite challenging in overall layout, alterations have been made over the last month, or so, to make the course more fair. Basket locations are so interesting, it is difficult to describe. There are holes that provide great distance driving opportunity, holes that require fades, draws and precision on drives and approaches. Basket areas have recently been upgraded with mulching providing for softer landing areas, especially in locations with a basket located on steep slopres. The views form some holes are breathtaking and the wooded course is like taking a hike through a National Forest.

Cons:

Some holes can be very difficult because there are too many trees that require being avoided, causing a hole to get very tedious, very quickly. A couple of holes with uphill approaches provide little reward for good precision shots. The lack of signage and distances make driving decisions difficult on some holes; however, it is my understanding this will be addressed soon. The terrain is, at times, steep and challenging, requiring a concentrated effort to avoid tripping. On a couple of holes, a trip could mean a fall down a slope! Many shots must be taken while out of breath and it can be less than relaxing, at times.

Other Thoughts:

This course is well worth visiting, for the views and walk alone! It will make one home skills rapidly, in order to make it around, and will allow for a variety of different shots to score well. It appears tee boxes are being upgraded, which will definitely improve the course. Overall, its a great track!!!
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