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Chapel Hill, NC

UNC DGC

Permanent course
3.255(based on 4 reviews)
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10 0
Luckj
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.4 years 66 played 50 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Variety Course with some safety concerns

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 5, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

I visited this course last week while in town with my brother and nephew. We wanted a place to throw that wouldn't be overly exhausting but was worth being in town for. I think this course fit the bill nicely.
-Plenty of parking
-Practice basket by lot
-2 possible tees on most holes
-Baskets caught well
-Fairways were well maintained, mowed where they needed to be
-A good mix of woods, open fairways, and hills
-Open holes still had rough on either side of the fairway, keeping you honest
-The elevation changes were nice, rarely did I feel like I was just throwing in a flat field
-I think it was hole 9 that offered a great throw over a valley. My nephew missed his putt and watched it roll to 70 feet. Good risk reward
-A couple baskets have nice placements on built up rocks or retaining walls

Cons:

2 major issues with this course, that definitely knock it down at least half a star
-Distance between holes never seems to be right. On one hole the basket will be 20 feet from the next teepad and puts other cards in danger and on the next you're following signs on a quarter mile hike (12 to 13 was the most egregious).
-Speaking of safety, this course fails on several accounts. Too often holes present a risk to other players or park goers. The practice basket is basically in 18s fairway, teepads are close to baskets, and there's a bike trail that runs near the fairway through much of the park. On the hike from 12 to 13 we found ourselves walking into the outlet of a mountain bike race. Bikers came flying down the hill and crossing the walking path.
-One smaller issue is the odd shape of the teepads. Instead of being rectangular, the shrink as you walk forward. If you're someone that likes to hug the edge of the teepad on your walk-up you'll find yourself twisting an ankle (happened twice in the round).

Other Thoughts:

The course is quite good, lots of variety, without being overly stressful. Really, the only knock I have is the variety of safety concerns. If I came back to the area I would certainly consider playing here again.
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7 0
KenanFlagler01
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.1 years 195 played 190 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Redesign gives the track new (sustainable) life 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 27, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

UNC DGC is like a old house, built many years ago, with different rooms added and replaced over the years. Over time, as rooms get updated and added, before you know it, it's a new house. Eventually, the "old layout" at UNC had to get the RIP and a "new course" was created (at least as far as DGCR goes). In truth, if you've played this course prior to 2021, many of the holes will be ones you remember, some you will want to forget, and there are a few redesigned holes, along with some brand new ones. The holes are also renumbered, starting from the main parking lot at the softball field, which is a great change, as that's where people park to play this track 99% of the time.

#1 - Old hole #7, but the basket is moved down the hill and to the left, making this a short RHBH hyzer, only 240 feet from the blue tee.

#2 - Old hole #8, except the basket is moved forward, closer to the tee, and an easier, less "poke and hope" hole. It's only 230 feet, but uphill and heavily wooded.

#3 - Old hole #9, but the basket is moved about 25 feet to the left, making this hole less of a RHFH or flex hole and more straight with a hyzer finish. There is also a new alt tee pad from much further back (over 100 feet) for a more challenging option. From the short tee, it is 233 feet, slightly downhill.

#4 - Old hole #11, no changes. Listed as a par 4. Long, uphill, decently wide fairway. 467 feet and uphill from the tee. The approach shot is flat.

#5 - Old hole #12 with the basket in the right position, hugging the tree line to the right. Still a big valley shot, but slightly more technical than before since you'll either play a RHFH or a BH flex shot. 400 feet, steeply uphill approaching the basket if you don't carry most of the valley with your tee shot. I'd call this the signature open hole at UNC, at least aesthetically.

#6 - Old hole #13, no changes. Open downhill shot with thick trees and OB to the left. 344 feet.

#7 - Old hole #16, no changes. Very challenging hole with a narrow fairway and guardian trees and boulders near the basket. 380 feet.

#8 - Old hole #17, no changes. Uphill, left to right, 286 feet.

#9 - Old hole #18, no changes. Perhaps the signature wooded hole at UNC. It's a huge valley shot, with very narrow lines to hit. The greet is way up a steep hill on the other side of the valley from the green, perched on a tiny patch of flat ground with a rock wall.

#10 - This is a newish hole to UNC. Short, uphill, wooded on both sides of the fairway. 222 feet.

#11 - Brand new hole. Very tight, wooded hole with a short and a long tee. The short tee is 237, the long is 333. Nothing special about this one, just a flat elevation, run-of-the-mill wooded tunnel.

#12 - Another newish hole to the course, and my favorite on the course. It's 487 feet, par 4, playing slightly downhill to a very open fairway (but if you get off the fairway on either side, you're fighting underbrush and briars). Approaching the basket, the green is slightly elevated and guarded by large boulders. This is a great hole to rip and watch the full flight of the disc downhill on a fairly wide open fairway.

#13 - This is a redesigned hole with the tee pad to the left and in front of the pond that used to be a water hazard on a water carry hole. On this redesigned hole, the water is behind you and not in play. This is basically a wide open, slightly downhill hole. 343 feet.

#14 - This is the old hole #2. Flat, but wide open (again, if you do miss the wide open fairway, you're fighting some thick rough). 321 feet.

#15 - This is the old hole #3 and a fun one. 371 feet from the short tee. It's fairly open, but there is a gap to hit right in the middle of the flight of the disc. Hit that gap and you're on a very large, grassy field green.

#16 - This is the old hole #4. Wide fairway, flat, 321 feet.

#17 - This is the old hold #5 with the basket in the left, longer position. 233 foot RHBH hyzer, blind tee shot do to the woods.

#18 - This is the old hold #6, 280 feet RHBH flex or RHFH shot through an early gap to a wide open approach and green area.

PROS

- Nice variety of open and wooded shots.

- Challenging to Intermediate level players and below. Advanced players will still enjoy the variety and elevation.

- Really big elevation here, the most currently of any Triangle area course.

- With the redesign, the course designers and volunteers have done a great job mitigating erosion and drainage issues that existed here on the old layout.

- New concrete tee pads for most holes.

- This is a very fun course that throws something different at you than most courses in the area: a course that it equal parts wooded and park style, steep hills and valleys to deal with (and opportunities to watch the full flight of the disc) and a couple of interesting and challenging greens. Some of the holes that were pulled were fun and not all were replaced by equally fun or unique holes. That is unfortunate. But at least the course is sustainable now (hopefully) and can be enjoyed by locals and travelers for years to come. And some of the new holes (especially the par 4 #12) are really solid additions to the course.

Cons:

UNC DGC still has some of the same cons on the new layout:

- Very punishing rough with high risk for disc loss. Several holes with lots of thick underbrush and thorns.

- Some of the new holes are pretty pedestrian and ordinary (e.g. #11).

- The tee signs need to be updated to reflect the redesign. Yardage and layouts are wrong on several tee signs.

- Very long walk in between many holes, especially from #12 to #13 (but that's not the only one).

Other Thoughts:

UNC DGC is a solid track. It's not the upper echelon course in the Triangle that it once was, but that has more to do with the amazing additions to the area (e.g. Diavolo, Rock Ridge, Jones) than to a major decline in the quality at UNC. I put it in that next tier of very solid Triangle courses along with Zebulon and Cedar Hills.
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8 0
DiscGolfHero18
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Good course, plagued by redesigns 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+Legacy holes remain well-designed and interesting (15-6) and require careful shot selection
+Lots of parking available
+Has plenty of longer holes/distance
+Good for exercising and other activities

Cons:

-New hole designs are bland/boring with minimal risk/reward. Lots of throwing in an open field or throwing in a narrow wooded tunnel.
-Course has been redesigned which has exacerbated drainage issues as multiple new holes are now in swampy areas (1/2/7/13/14)
-Several holes are fairly dangerous with next hole's tee behind the previous hole's basket (8/9,13/14, 17/18)
-Removal of multiple holes means long, long walks between holes. With recent redesign, I walked nearly double the course's length just getting from one hole to the next. This is especially bad from 3/4 as there is no signage, 7/8 where the 1/4 mile path is overgrown, and 12/13 has a 1/2 mile walk.
-Holes 10/11/12 are particularly poorly designed, with the redesign requiring you to walk across the busy road to get from 10 to 11, then another busy road crossing from 11 to 12.
-Hole 11 is a 400 ft. tunnel that is too narrow (5 ft. at points). At several points I was able to stand in the middle of the fairway and touch both sides of the hole!

Other Thoughts:

Course was once the premier tournament/challenge course in the area but has been headed downhill for several years and continues to decline. It seems like this area is being repurposed for other activities like mountain biking (which has excellently designed trails). Frequent redesigns have removed several good holes (Old #1/2, Old #9/10) and replaced them with less well-designed holes (New 10/11/12/13)
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5 0
David_George
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 3.9 years 50 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course, but has its flaws 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 6, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As a Chapel Hill native and UNC graduate, I have a special fondness for this course. It does have some problems, and I can see how it might deserve a 3.5 rating, but will give it a 4 anyway.
+ Beautiful property with rolling hills on an old ball golf course.
+ Good mix of wooded and open shots.
+ Some longer holes allow for big drives in the open.
+ A few signature holes, particularly the one where you throw down into the ravine and then back up to the elevated basket.
+ Usually isn't crowded, and parking isn't a problem. (see note below)

Cons:

- The course seems to undergo frequent redesigns and can be confusing to navigate. This review is for the course as it was in Fall 2020, but will probably soon be out of date.
- Temporary signs leave something to be desired, and better directions are needed to the next hole.
- Low-lying areas have drainage problems, and a couple of holes probably need to be moved.
- The pars for the holes don't always make sense (par 3 for everything from a flat 180 foot hole to a steep uphill 470 foot hole), and one hole doesn't even have a par listed.
- There are two hole 10s. One apparently is no longer in use, though there is no indication of this.
- There is a good deal of walking between holes, making a round last quite a while. This is even worse since the latest redesign where you have to walk all the way back down the hill past the Outdoor Education Center to get to the old hole 1.

Other Thoughts:

With a little work on signage and possibly a few changes to the layout, this could be a great course. As it stands, it is still very good and is worth playing.
If you haven't played recently, hole 1 is now next to the UNC General Admin parking lot off of Raleigh Road.
Update: Though I love this course, it has gone downhill a bit in the last year, partly as a result of the redesigned holes and partly due to lack of maintenance. Hopefully this is temporary and will improve after the pandemic is over, but for now I am downgrading the course to a 3.5.
Update 2: After the installation of new concrete tee pads, the course has improved and seems to have a more permanent design. Restoring the 4 star rating, with the hope that this is a sign of things to come.
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