I had zero expectations when we bagged this course at the last minute with what daylight we had left. Shockingly, this course is not only not terrible but actually a fun, challenging course. Really neat terrain, beautiful old growth trees, and quiet, verdant woods encapsulate this slept-on course. I expect that if this course wasn't buried in Charlotte's shadow of legendary courses, it would get a lot more traffic.

Usually school courses tend to be deuce or die snooze fests in wide open fields but Union Academy apparently wants their students to be well-skilled in the dark arts of technical woods golf. Thankfully, the course plays well away from ball fields or similar sports facilities that is typical of courses on school campuses. It's fairly secluded in some woods with surprisingly hilly terrain and marshland.

Mostly a technical course with tight lines, favoring gap-hitters and side-armers, there's also some decently open holes on the back 9 and some legitimate 2-shot holes.

Gravel tees

Tee signs leave something to be desired.

Needs a dedicated weed-eater guy in the spring and summer because the course only gets enough traffic to create some goat paths through weeds and marshy grasses.

Lots of tight lines making it very easy to kick into very thick rough.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and I would absolutely play here again, although I'd probably opt for Fall or Winter golf when the undergrowth is thinner and not quite as buggy.

Usually when I hear about a school course, I picture a course that is comprised of 9 holes (or less) that are relatively short, open, straight shots. Where the only real disc required is a putter, and you're realistically just jump putting from every tee. If there are tees, and when they do exist, it is usually just a sign with no actual designated tee markers. That is not how I would describe Union Academy.

This is a full 18 hole course, with nice gravel tees that are doing a good job of staying flat. Each hole also has a tee sign, and navigation throughout the course is very straightforward. The course plays through some tight technical fairways that will definitely do a good job helping players learn how to control the angle of the disc's flight as they weave it through the woods. It is nice to see a school course that is not a simple dink & dunk course.

One of the bigger surprises for me was just how in play the water is on Holes #4 and #18. They create an interesting dynamic that I doubt would be seen on almost any other school course ever. Even if you decide to play the "short" basket on Hole #4, the water is still in play as it runs alongside the vast majority of the fairway.

A few of the holes have very interesting designs, which were very fun to play. This course has a lot of potential to grow into an excellent place to play and hone your technical skills. I had a fun time shaping shots with my midrange here.

This is a newer course, and with any newer course there are going to be growing pains. The rough around this course is really bad. However, I've played many new tight, wooded courses before that suffered from the same issue. If this course can get some TLC and maintain some foot traffic, I expect this issue will mostly be resolved. Though the holes with the wetlands probably will continue to be great places to lose a disc. The other new course issue I see is that some of the distances listed on the tee signs seem very inaccurate.

Some of the holes had really interesting concepts behind their design, but left me feeling like the execution of that design had fallen a little short. One of the worst offenders (Hole #9 I believe) was a really interesting looking downhill shot over a creek, that had a split fairway on the tee sign. But when I looked up, the only way I could reasonably discern to park the green was to throw out my disc and pray that I plinko through the trees. I recognized one or two trees, that if removed would open up the fairway and create a spectacular hole. There were quite a few holes that left me feeling this, or something similar.

On a day when Dry Creek was bone dry, this course was still suffering from a couple soggy fairways. So I am guessing it has a propensity to hold water, since I have occasionally compared Dry Creek to a sponge.

There is what appears to be a walking path that weaves through the course. Since this is not a packed city park full of joggers and dog walkers I doubt this is an actual concern, but feel like it is worth noting so people can be aware.

Being a school campus, please be aware that there aren't really any benches, trash cans, or water fountains. So plan accordingly, and avoid school hours.

For now I am going to rate this course at 2.5. It is a good course that has a lot of growth potential, but currently is suffering from the same growing pain issues that a lot of new, wooded courses suffer from. Some of the fairways felt a bit too cluttered, some of the dogleg ceilings felt a bit too low, and all of the rough is way too rough. That being said, those were my issues with Squirrel Lake when it was first built, and I love that course now. So if this course can manage to get similar traction and foot traffic, it should grow into a great, technical course. If this should happen, it would be a great resource to hook students of the school into the sport.

This course offers something different than Dry Creek and Bearskin Creek and will provide a change of pace when tossing plastic in Union County. Definitely worth checking out, with the added benefit of being in close proximity to other courses (built in a different style) for a fun day out.

Favorite Holes: 4, 6, 13, 16, 17

-I made a last minute decision to play here because I was working in Rock Hill and figured that I might as well come here. It's a ways away from the South Charlotte and Rock Hill area but is closer to there than where I live. I played here before dark, and it's a good course. A really good one.

-There are many parking spaces close to the first hole. Go into the second entrance and go toward the big ledge where the school vehicles are. Don't park there, but simply drive toward it and go left and park there. The first hole is straight ahead in the woods.

-Course is almost completely wooded. This course demands you to throw different shots on every hole and they were all different too. One hole (#17) gives you a chance to bomb a driver but the tee-shot has you throwing out of the woods through a medium gap. Miss it, and you'll have to fight for par on this hole.

-I disagree with the statement that there isn't a signature hole. There were many holes here that stood out to me. Holes 15 and 18 are notorious for their elevation. #15 has you throwing up a hill. It's not particularly a drastic incline, but some pros will be throwing mids to reach this 219' hole. #18 is an awesome finisher. It's open half of the way and is wooded for the remainder of the length. The basket is on a hill just a few feet from the pond. If you were to reach this hole with a driver, your disc may get wet. I wouldn't throw anything more than a midrange here. The finishing hole here is all about accuracy and decision making. However, my favorite hole was the par 5....

-#6 is simply a fantastic hole. It's a 537' par 5 that is down a mildly tight fairway that fades to the right. It's a long 537 feet, so it's not as easy of a birdie as it may seem. Throwing a driver would be risky because the rough is pretty sketchy, but if you're able to throw a long drive, you could possibly eagle this hole. If you miss the line, you could really hurt your score. Not to mention, this hole was probably the prettiest since there's a pasture right outside the fairway.

-Plenty of excellent and intimidating greens. The baskets for holes 4 and 18 are daunting since they are close to the water. A few others were perched on small hills that can make you disc roll if you don't play conservatively.

-Course has nice tee-signs. I thought the gravel pads were fine too. They were raised a little, but they were dry after receiving tons of rain.

-It's a course for everybody. Kids will like this course, and pros will like this course. It's very rewarding when you hit your lines and if you really screw up on a hole, you can still put out a good round because of some easy birdie holes.

-Not being mendacious in a way that makes the main problem seem worse than it really is, but it can get super swampy. For instance, hole 4 is a great hole over a pond in the woods. You gotta love that. But when the pond overflows, the walk to the tee pad is very difficult and you might have to play the other pad which isn't as fun. I had to jump and grab the tees in mid-air so i wouldn't get wet because I wanted to play the long pad. There were many other wet fairways.

-Another problem is that there seemed to have been a critical decision to be made where there are two excellent potential holes but one could not be made. Holes 13 and 17 are basically next to each other and go opposite ways and #13 is at the bottom of a hill. It's a relatively boring 169' straight shot. #17's fairway is on top of the hill. Problem is, #13 could be a really sweet downhill hole but if it was, #17 would have to be out of the way and not be as good of a hole as it is.

-#8 is a 396' dogleg left par 3. This hole should be a bit longer and be a par 4 because the fairway is very tight the whole way. Hole is a tweener. I can't see it being birdied.

-Union Academy is a new and super cool 18 holer that only has room to become better in a matter of time. Along with York Middle School and Dacusville, this is a school course that shocks disc golfers because they expect school courses to be full of short holes that are open. The distribution of the hole lengths are pretty symmetrical while over half of the the holes aren't far from the average length of around 285 feet.

-This is a place to practice different throws. I threw many sidearms, some skip shots, and a few backhand rollers. The rough is challenging for the most part but is still escapable.

-This is one out of three courses I've played in the area. Dry Creek (a great course) would be fun play the same day you decide to play here. Unlike Union, Dry Creek is more open and has some more chances to test drivers. The other course is in Waxhaw but isn't as fun as Union or Dry Creek. Glad there's a new fun course in the area.

Union Academy offers a fun, wooded layout on-campus. This may be a school course, but it's not just for the kids.
- I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this course. It's 90% the level of Scrapyard in terms of challenge and length, meaning you'll see some birdie runs here.
- Majority of holes are in the mid-range length. 10 are listed between 200 - 299 feet, with another (#2) also in that range (tee sign overstates the length) and another at 198 feet (#7). Throw in the shortest hole - #13 at 169 feet - and you can be throwing putter or mid-range off the tee most of the course. That's a bonus on some of the tighter fairways.
- Excellent variety in hole design. Course takes advantage of the elevation, with two of the most daunting approach shots being downhills with water behind the basket - #3 & 18. Two other holes take advantage of the water - #4 & 12 - with the former playing over a pond and the latter having a creek running to the left of the fairway. You have one chance to unleash a big drive on #17 in case you've felt too confined up to that point.
- Course alternates between encouraging smart, safe tee shots and aggressive, go-for-broke shots. #2 & 8 are ace runs. Holes such as #16 have tight fairways where you're better off landing in the fairway and getting an up-and-down par 3.
- Course is easy to navigate. Even with trails interweaving the course, and leaves on the ground, I had no problem finding the next hole.
- Excellent tee signs. Very descriptive pictures of the layouts including bridges, water, and trails. If you need help navigating, signs show the direction (which I never noticed until uploading photos).

Course drains poorly in parts. I played nine days after the most recent rain. Getting to and from #4's tee I had to walk through mud and around standing water. Exceptionally muddy around holes #13 - 15 and 18. Based on earlier course updates, these areas take a long time to dry out.
- Course has some low stumps and roots that can pose as tripping hazards. I'm hopeful they'll be addressed as the course is broken in.
- There are no benches or trash cans on the course. You're on school property so pack out your trash. Don't jeopardize access to the course with ignorance.
- There wasn't an obvious transition from #18 back to the parking lot. I backtracked up #18's fairway and along the school building back to the parking lot.
- Course felt like it's missing a signature hole. #4 or 18 could be that with their proximity to the water; however, #4 is a simple par 3, and #18's challenge seems in part to poor drainage.

Union Academy is a good overall course. It's in the running for the second-best course in Union County behind Dry Creek. Being outside of the jurisdiction of the CDGC, it may get lost in the shuffle.
- Course was very new when I played it. Over time, it will be interesting to see how much attention and upkeep it gets. If it's properly maintained, this will be a fun weekend play.
- I played the course with only three discs, the three junk discs I always carry in my truck. None is a go-to disc. That said, I still shoot reasonably well here - several birdies and no bad blow-up holes. Experienced players are going to have a field day. That said, the course will play differently when leaves are on the trees.
- This is an excellent compliment to Dry Creek. This feels like a course designed for disc golfers, not a disc golf course aimed only at beginners, a la Creekside Park in Indian Trail. Time and effort were put into the design and flow of this course, which I can't say about Creekside.
- Maybe because of some of the other courses in the area, my expectations were low. Instead, I found a quasi-hidden gem in Union Academy. This is slightly above average, comparable to many courses in my 3.0 range. It's worth a visit for players in the area.

tight wooded course,but lines were hittable and fair.maybe 2 par 4's that were legit par 4's. a water hole and pretty easy to navigate. the water hole has 2 pads, 1 throws over the pond , the other throws beside it. good mix of anny and hyzer lines.

gravel pads , no tee signs, or basket numbers. they will come soon, talked to a employee of the school who helped build the course. lots of spider webs, bring a stick to swing the webs out of your way as you walk the course.

was told this was a Harold Duvall design, its a great track, will only get better