Wolfman Woods caught me off guard with how good it was, and how polished it felt for such a young private course. Wanting to see the original layout, I chose to play the short tees. Right out of the gate, the thing I want to express the most is the amount of love this course has clearly been given. It was plainly evident to me that Jackson Martin has poured in a lot of blood, sweat, and likely tears in building this track. Not only did it feature DISCatcher baskets, tee signs at every tee, Mandos and OB are clearly marked in every location, seven holes with long tees, and newly installed turf tees, but the rough had clearly been beaten back considerably. Normally on a course that's only a couple of years old, the rough can get pretty bad, but there were clear signs that work has been done to thin it out. There is probably ten to twenty feet of rough cleared out on both sides of the fairways here. If this isn't the course in a tournament ready state, it's going to be sparkling when it is.

Players of most skill levels will be well suited for Wolfman Woods, as it does not require a big arm, at all, to score well. Most holes are going to require nothing more than a midrange off the tee, but accuracy and placement (on the Par 4s) was extremely important. Some of the fairways were fairly tight, but they also all managed to feel completely fair. There were also a couple of open fairways to let players stretch their drives out, but with enough OB that players couldn't forgo accuracy. The course also managed to utilize the land very well, the creek came into play on Holes 1 & 16, there was a mix of downhill and uphill shots, two water carries, and a fun valley shot (Hole 8). Hole 18 was an incredible finishing hole, downhill to an island of OB. This variety will keep even Advanced players interested in returning for more.

In addition to the well designed course, there was also a driving range for players to test their distance with distances up to 400' marked. So bigger arms will be able to outdrive the last marker, fortunately you don't need that much distance here. Even on the Par 4s, it felt riskier to try to bite that much of the fairway off from the tee. There is also a Porta Jon next to the surprisingly large parking lot. The check in process was easy, and at only $5 for a day pass- the course was definitely worth it.

As a unique touch, there were some old abandoned, rusted trucks just off the fairway of Hole 9 and the putting green of Hole 11. Just added a bit of flair to the course, and glad the course directed itself to bring these into view.

Most of the cons I am going to list are a bit nitpicky, but they did stick out to me.

What would likely be considered one of the biggest concerns was that all of the tees were not created equally. I didn't personally have an issue with it, but there are a lot of people who get rather finicky about tees. I will say though, that Hole 1's tee for instance was immaculate, but some of the ones deeper into the course were noticeably smaller and/or narrower.

I am never a fan of trees lining fairways. I understand the visual appeal it might seem to add, but all I see when I come across it is the likelihood of the trees creating an erosion problem by directing rain straight down the fairway. Which is why I was sad to see it on Hole 7.

While the tee signs were perfectly adequate, I feel like they could have been a bit more detailed. I didn't even realize Hole 18 was an island shot until I walked down to my drive and saw the OB markers. Luckily, I had parked the hole. It would have also been nice to see some form of color coding on the tee signs to show if the tee was for the short, long, or both layouts. Who knows, when it comes to Hole 18 maybe the island was a newer addition, maybe it only plays as an island for the long layout, or maybe I am just not observant enough. But there were a couple of times, I wished the tee signs just had a bit more detail to them- that was just the last time I really felt it.

There isn't really a considerable difference between the two layouts. Even though I played from the shorts,I took the time to look at all the long tees. Unfortunately I didn't notice as much of a difference between the two layouts as I normally would like there to be on a course with two layouts. Most were only slightly longer and didn't really change the throw/angle required from the tee. While I am gladly going to travel to the Shelby area just to play Wolfman Woods again, there will be players who would want a bit more of a challenge from a course they travel to. However, if changes are made to increase the challenge of the longs, I hope it doesn't drastically alter the layout of the shorts.

As I stated early, it is clear that a lot of work has gone into Wolfman Woods. Even days later I continue to be impressed by the course, and can't wait to drive back out that way to play it again. I think Wolfman Woods is well deserving of a 4.0 rating. Hopefully the course continues to improve the way it has based on the work that seems to still be going on out there. The easiest way I could see this course deserving a higher rating would be if the long layout could be spruced up/added to without altering the short layout. In addition to fine tuning the tee pad situation.

Favorite Holes: 4, 8, 11, & 18

-Wolfman is a delight. It's the first official 18 holer in Shelby with all the land dedicated to disc golf. A local pro has been reaching out to many people about the upcoming PDGA event here and it seems that he has been convincing others to come out and check the course out. Even though I'm the only course that marked Wolfman as played on this site so far, I know plenty of people that have played it and they seem to share my opinion. It's surprisingly fun. It's pay to play but if you have Venmo, you just have to scan the code on the entry sign with your phone and then pay. Otherwise, there is a facebook page with contact info. So it's very accessible.

-It's well designed with plenty of different style holes that you probably don't see in Charlotte. There are plenty of par threes under 300' that are cleverly thought out with different appearances. Several from the long pads are over 300' Some are heavily wooded or more wooded than others, but the course has many open holes too. The longest hole is #4 at 633'. It's the real grip and rip open hole with OB on both sides making it difficult. Some others are very tight and technical (#7 & #9). #14 and #15 are back in the open, yet consist of many trees in the open that can penalize you. Both play between rows of trees and woods or bushes. Ends with #18, a short 225' valley hole that is straight with a couple obstacle trees that's just begging to be aced.

-There are seven brand new long pads on holes #1, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 16. #6 long gives a Hornet's Nest sort of feel being over 600' and down a tight bending left fairway. It's still pretty challenging from the short pad but the turning point of the fairway is not as far as it is from the long. #10 is a true water carry from the long. 350' and requires a 300+ drive just to avoid the water. The short pad plays on the edge of the pond, making the water carry less lengthy and gives a hyzer option for players with limited distance. #16's new long pad has you teeing off into the open throwing blindly down a steep hill.

-The constant change in fairways is what really plays with your mind here at Wolfman. So it's very rewarding of accuracy and flexibility. Many fairways play straight and many do not. Elevation is present on several holes, but it hardly tests you with the exception of #16. I think #16 will be a favorite hole for many people. It's a steep downhill ace run. Has the most elevation of any hole at Wolfman, exceeding 25' down and exceeding 30' from the long pad. There is a ditch behind the basket, making it possible to lose a stroke by going far. #2 was another hole with elevation being a strong factor. This hole is uphill over a dried creek going right to left. Sign says it's 243' and it's probably 280'. It takes full power on a midrange for me to get up there. Trees are scattered in the fairway but far apart enough to create multiple lanes to reach the basket. Lanes that are fair but difficult to purely hit.

-Many holes are easy to par. Pros won't have a hard time making birdies on most holes here from the shorts. Many great birdie opportunities for less experienced players as well. A few of the holes are very difficult but are all extremely fair and rewarding. #8 is the hardest hole at least from the shorts. It's probably just over 300' and significantly uphill instantly through a challenging gap with a giant tree with a wide limb span to the left that is a bigger obstacle than it may appear. Still, the basket is straight ahead and visible from the tee pad. This hole is in between the two runner ups for the toughest hole. Holes #7 and #9.

-Good use of the water available. There's a pond in play on holes #10 and #11. #10 is about 270' with the water in play to the right. You throw over an inlet of the water. Players with limited distance can throw a safe hyzer to the left away from the water. #11 is the shortest at 185'. Pretty simple birdie here from the short. The long pad is up on a small hill just 30-40' behind the short pad. The line is much more difficult. You have to throw low through the corridor while requiring some height to miss the water hazard. Basket is perched on a very small mound that could cause a roll away if you completely miss a putt. This hole, along with #16 and #18 probably give the best opportunities for an ace.

-Brand new disc catcher baskets.

-Some of the tee pads are uneven. Most of them are fine but a few of them aren't entirely flat and #5's can be a pain to tee off on. #5's tee is on a small mound with a small amount of area on the surface.

-Few minor issues such as some overhead branches that come into play on #11, which increases the risk of a lost disc. Many stems poking out of the ground in some places.

-Hard to navigate without U disc. I'm guessing that it started as a nine holer. Holes #1-4 have tee signs and holes #14-18 do too. #14-18 are listed as #5-9. Holes #5-13 do not have tee signs yet.

-Wolfman is fantastic! Jackson Martin is a wonderful host whenever he's around. He's constantly working on the course. I first played on 12/21st and came back on 12/31st and there were long tee pads on the 31st when there were not any on the 21st. We played in a doubles event from the longs and everyone seemed to enjoy them a lot, myself included!

-A friend told me that he likes Wolfman more than the new Eastway Park in Charlotte. I had a hard time deciding which one I like better on the day I first played Wolfman. The new Eastway is better polished but now that there are long pads that expand the distance variety on the par threes, offer even more intrepid water finesse shots on #10 and #11, and a real blistering 615' par four on hole #6's long pad, I can safely say that Wolfman is a little bit better than the new Eastway. I gave Eastway a 4 when it's in the 3.75-4 range, while Wolfman to me is a definite 4.