I happened to be in the area for work and found that you could play the day to day version of the historic USDGC course so I had to wander over.

The campus is quite beautiful, it reminds me a bit of a compact version of Berry College in GA but Berry could only wish for their courses to be this good.

There is a fair bit of variety here, some pretty good elevation changes and of course the lake to deal with. Only a few holes I would say are wooded and they are more of a "park style" woods than anything typical of a southern wooded course. The majority of the holes just feel very solid, and well thought out, usually offering multiple lines especially if you can "break" a hole with a pro distance power hyzer or roller.

Upkeep is pretty solid, but I feel like it's not as polished as you would see if for USDGC or the AM doubles championship later this year.

Pads are a mix of turf and concrete and I didn't have any issues with them, they were mainly very large and worked great for what you needed on the hole.

The water carries on several holes including a 390ft version of the long par 4 from the gold layout were a very fun challenge. On that hole I threw my drive about 80 long trying to make sure it cleared the water. Course mainly plays shorter though, that was the only time I broke out a full power drive and it turned out to be overkill.

The gate hole is pretty iconic and to be able to say I hit the gap on my first try is pretty cool, though I did do it with a fairway and not the nose up putter shot you see many top pros park it with. A 2 is a 2 lol.

There are also some old school funky holes that you don't see on many newer courses, like 17 that has tree branches almost completely covering the pad, forcing you to throw a forehand or turnover out over the lake. I love a course that isn't afraid to challenge the player.

The main cons stem from the fact that this is a legacy course with tons of old layouts and without a map of the current one navigating it would make you want to jump in the lake.

There are tee signs and even a few next tee signs, that are beautiful stone slabs on the ground. But locals informed me that was for a legacy layout and cannot be trusted at all.

There are a couple of holes that cross close to busy walking paths and once or twice it's blind, so you just really have to be careful since the property is so busy in general.

People fishing don't seem to be as afraid as they should be of a disc going over their head. I was waved on a few times and it was uncomfortable.

Upkeep was good with the exception that all around the lake the are massive amounts of goose poop. I'm not really knocking it for that, but it's everywhere on those holes and you need to be ready for it.

It's a fun time and throwing some of the shots you have seen in video is pretty cool. I think everyone who is close enough to play should try it.

Maybe a 4 is a touch generous, but it's better than a 3.5 in all but amenities. Maybe I'm just a bit sappy about a course I've wanted to play for a decade as well. In any case it was one of the more fun new courses I've played in some time and I think most players would have a blast here.

The property is very well taken care of and the greens are finely manicured. Concrete tee-pads are set level and flush with the ground. Wide open fairways allow you to really rip some big drivers, but anyone at any skill level can go out and have fun on this course. The bamboo hole (#12) is really a test of your skill. If you live anywhere near Charlotte/Rock Hill, play this course !

Most, if not all the baskets are numbered incorrectly. This is due mainly in part because the USDGC is held here every year. After the tourney, maintenance crews replace the nice tournament baskets with older ones, and the numbers never match the holes. So, if you have never played Winthrop, definitely print out the course map.

Bring extra discs (cheap plastic) if you want to throw near the lake. Big winds and large hills easily allow the water to swallow up your throwing stock. Also, be careful on hole #4 as there is a barb wire fence backed up to the fairway, if your disc goes over, it's gone.

I try to play this course at least once every two weeks. If you need someone to guide you through a round, send me a PM and let's set up a tee time !

fun course. i've never been able to play the gold setup. it's worth the drive from charlotte when we go there to play the course though. it's beautiful.

wide open. a little too wide open. take a map if you've never played it before.

Excellent course which has been kept up very well. The holes are very challenging and interesting. Course traffic is low and the locals are very nice. The USDGC Championship is play here. ( the Gold course..slightly differs from the Lake)

The baskets are not numbered nor are the tees so take a local with you!

Wonderful course and I love to play it!

An absolutely gorgeous layout with spectacular views throughout. Long holes that require two full throws at least to reach pins plus some holes where putts for a 2 are possible. Very fun to play the some of the holes you see on YouTube for the USDGC. Would play here over and over again.

My buddies and I showed up hoping to play the Gold layout as seen for the USDGC. The course was wildly difficult to follow and we played some holes that apparently weren't actually a part of the initial 18. Most tee markers were flat on the ground (easy for mowing) but useless for rookies trying to find their way around the course. My buddy put it best when he said, "once you know the course, you don't need the markers. But until you know the course, you can't see the markers. What's the point of them being flat on the ground?" Course takes a long time to play and in the summer, has no reprieve from the sun. Bring lots of sun tan lotion and water!

If you're coming to the course with the intention of playing the famed USDGC course, you will be disappointed. The OB markers aren't in year round and the course is very difficult to follow. That being said, I can't wait to go back and play it again. I will go with different intentions and make sure my map is accurate, but I will definitely be back. The grounds are absolutely spectacular and playing around and over the lake was great!

My buddies and I have always been excited to play this course that is so heralded in disc golf lore. With rapt anticipation we came across a beautiful park/sports complex replete with sunshine and well maintained fields. Getting into the park was no problem. The lake is as beautiful as is it daunting. More than a few carefully designed "signature" holes to choose from, with 5 a long downhill bomb out into the open, 7 better guarded by a ring of cedars than the President at a speech, 10 a long hyzer around a big tree with the lake menacing to the left, and 12 with its bamboo fort around the hole. Adequate tees and well maintained fairways. Good variety of shots, good length to warm up the cannon if you have one.

"The Killer Rabbit (or Duck) of Caerbannog" I had to meet up with a local to get a gist of the course b/c there is NO signage, and every basket is #'d wrong as previously stated. Definitely bring a scorecard/map before you head out b/c the intertwining layouts of this and the Gold version is confusing. After rounding around the lake my guide exclaimed, "There he is!", alluding to a duck he referred to as Satan. A mean little bastard who fortunately was too busy cleaning itself to chase us. Definitely felt like Sir Robin and the shock of seeing this infamous duck almost made me soil my armor. Other than no signs and the confusing layout at first, the course has no cons except some of the lakefront holes are replete with geese shat. We did encounter one lady sunbathing less than 15 feet from a tee but women in bikinis are typically not cons in my book. I didn't notice any bathrooms either.

I was mildly disappointed mostly b/c of the lack signage but this course was a lot of fun and you don't have to be pro to enjoy this course unlike, say, Renny. But with so many big tourneys played here I expected to have at least some decent tee signs. This course is more open than wooded but 13 and 14 are two nice long wooded holes with old oaks lining the fairway. And for the love of Pete forehand your drive on 18 or you're begging to jump in the lake for your disc, mad roll away potential.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == A-
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A-
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B+
5) Bonus points for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (125 18-hole, 64 9-hole as of mid 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

Over time, I expect to fill some of my reviews in with more descriptive verbiage...if what I can add anything to what has already been written. For now, my list is more important to me than the verbiage of my reviews.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

To play over a large portion of what the pros play each fall at the USDGA Championships is a must. Playing a round where the game's greatest have played is a pretty cool feeling. (It would be like playing ball golf at Augusta National where the PGA plays the Masters.)

Each hole is unique, challenging, but fair. The lake adds nice scenery and a wonderful challenge. This course offers a nice alternative to the Gold course- it is still all you want without all the extra distance!

We were the only ones on the course for most of the round since school was out for the summer and we played during a weekday.

It can be difficult to follow, (the course can be played 2 different ways- Lakefront & Gold- some tees and baskets are used for both, others are not used). It is not impossible though, just use a map or play with someone who has played before.

The "mutant" duck! He followed us around for several holes, including swimming across the lake twice to join us. He was somewhat annoying as he was loud, in the way, and kind of scary looking!!!

The disc eating lake- All the fairways have a slight downward slant towards the lake, so be careful, there is a good chance of losing a disc when you play here. (It is called LAKEfront!)

(Both the duck and the disc eating lake apparently are well-known to the locals as people we encountered knew exactly what we talking about.)

All in all it was a terrific experience, and I hope I get to go back and play it again soon!!!

I loved playing Winthrop, and it is cool to look at the pics from the USDGA championship each year and see the very same memorable holes that I have played.

An Awesome course and setting Beautiful, well kept course. Challenging and a must play!

not marked very well hard to find your way around. (non-Gold setup)

Never seen the Gold setup, but the normal setup is still an great course with sunny days being very distracting, but fun!