Richlands, NC

Richlands-Steed Park

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2.975(based on 16 reviews)
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11 0
Rastnav
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 55 played 12 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A quite pleasant time, but not exactly exciting drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Richlands-Steed Park is a well kept multi-use facility where, overall, the disc course fits nicely alongside the other uses. At the current time, during summer and with enough rainfall, the course is entirely vibrant green grass fairways, shady trees and dappled sunlit forest.

The course seems to have matured quite a bit since it was last reviewed in 2013. When I look at the pictures that were taken then, I can see the bones of the course that exists now, but the young trees have all matured quite well and the course plays as wide, grassy fairways that are lined by a a maturing mixed pine and some deciduous forest. Holes 1 through 3 play much more open, but from 4 on you will have trouble on each side of your line, whether trees or OB. The OB that is present in the course pictures that is defined by scrubby trees and long grass is not listed on any course signage, and it's not clear to me that it was ever actually intended to play that way. Rather it seems to me like these were no-now areas intended to let the forest areas grow up.

The rough in the forest is fairly well beat in and you shouldn't have issue with finding discs and should be able to scramble most of the time, although you also probably won't find yourself in the rough too often. The lines are more than a bit generous. That said, there a definitely a few holes that present more challenging lines. A few examples: #7 is very tight tunnel tee shot, albeit quite short, and #16 is well designed to look much more open than it plays and only a precise low ceiling tee shot is likely to make it to the green.

The course actually plays fairly long overall, at least for a white level course. If you were to play the short tees, the first four holes would give you the sense that this was an exceedingly easy pitch and putt, without a line to hit, but then almost every hole after this doesn't have a short tee and you are mostly playing holes that play between 250 and 400 feet. You will likely enjoy trying to rip some shots here if you don't have a big arm, simply because the lines are so generous.

The other feature is that a significant number of the holes, roughly a 3rd, have significantly elevated greens. Sand mounds have been built for the baskets, ranging from roughly 3 to 10 feet high, with varying overall sizes. These moguls make approaches trickier and present a risk-reward calculation when putting.

Tees are decent sized concrete pads, and the ground around every tee is nice and level, so run ups will not be a problem. Baskets are Discatchers in good condition.

Cons:

The first 3 holes, at least from the short tees, play more like baskets in a field. #1 has nothing around it, #2 has just a few moderately sized trees that vaguely block an errant shot and #3 just has a slightly elevated green. It really is a very boring start to an otherwise good course. 1 and 2 are better from the long tees, but see the notes on safety later on.

Overall the lines are probably too generous. You aren't usually going to be punished very much as long as you avoid going into the road which one has to assume is OB.

This brings up another downside, which is that the signage is generally lacking. There is no kiosk or course map. The tees are marked with posts that have metal plaques that list the hole number and the length, except for a few holes where the plaques are just attached to a tree. Each basket is numbered, however there are no directional indications indicating where the next tee box is, and a few places where the course routing is far from obvious, as there are many basket and tee posts in view. There is no indication whether the tee pad is the long pad, the short pad, or that there is only one pad. Using uDisc to find the next tee pad will save a lot of time. The par 5 as listed on #16s post makes no sense, at it isn't what is listed here or on uDisc.

The course also seems to suffer a little bit from an identity problem. The lengths of the holes doesn't really match with the generosity of the lines. The lines are more suited to beginners, but the holes are early mostly too long for beginners. Although, one could look at this as a stepping stone course that encourages people to develop length, and perfect upshot distance, to enable playing long end tougher courses.

Hole 10 followed by hole 11 really illustrates the dichotomy of the course. Hole 10 plays either as a 350 foot par 3 where the basket is blind from the tee on a significant mound, with woods left and OB on the right threading any hyzer flip that doesn't come back. Or, to the long pin, it play as a 600 foot par 4, it's the same issues in the second shot. Hole 11 is an 87 foot jump putt that theoretically wants to challenge you by putting 10 mature crepe myrtles between you and the basket. But it's really just a jump putt.

Finally, this is in a mixed use facility and that always represents a trade-off with safety. There is a playground, basketball court, walking trails, etc. They've done a fairly good job at keeping the disc flight lines separated from the rest of park, but there are definitely a few issues. The long tee for #2 is the most egregious. You are throwing up over a ridge that blinds you to both the basket, which plays around a few trees, left to right. There is a walking path which runs parallel to the hole, going 5 feet left of he tee pad. You are blind to anyone approaching the ridge on that path. The obvious plays here all have a likely mistake going right at the face of anyone coming towards you on that path. There is no concrete tee pad here, but there is a metal sign deformed around one of the trees that apparently mark the teeing area. It's unclear to me whether this was actually in the original design.

That said, generally speaking, the holes are separate from other uses and otherwise you will have a lengthy and full view of anyone who might be coming into your line.

Other Thoughts:

I didn't play the optional A, B and C holes, but they looked like more of the same.

Overall, I enjoyed this course much more than I thought I would. On a Friday morning the park was lightly used and quite pretty. Overall the round was relaxing, but just stimulating enough.

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7 1
Nemmers
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.7 years 89 played 33 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Take the kids! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Huge open fairways that really allow you to air it out.

- Clean and with plenty of trash cans to dump your refuse.

- Plenty of parking.

- Not very busy. There were only a few other chuckers out there when we played and didn't have to wait at all. Took our foursome about 45 minutes to play a round.

- Nice tee pads and relatively new baskets.

- Impeccably manicured grass. Has a real ball-golf feel to it. Fairways are mowed and the rough is, no BS, the rough -- but no real chance to lose a disc.

- Not a bad layout with a respectable use of space. Gives you enough variation between pin placements to practice not only your long arm but also have to choose between hyzers, anhyzers, and even a thumber or two.

- Nice location in a safe neighborhood. The few people we saw out on the course were very friendly too.

Cons:

- Short. Posted pars are only realistic for children and/or rank beginners who are just learning the concept of the physics behind chucking a disc. As someone else noted, #10 is the only legitimate par 4 on the course. ~350' par 5s just don't happen on an open course in the real world. It's not very challenging -- even beginners shouldn't have too much trouble scoring even on this course.

- Tee box placement on (I think) #7 is pretty ludicrous. Two bushes five feet from the end of the tee with a ~2' gap between them limit your options considerably. Kind of non-sensical, IMHO.

- #11 is a ridiculous 87' hole that's fairly gimmicky. Set in a patch of trees that offer no redeeming challenge whatsoever, it could have been better designed. Seems like it was placed as an afterthought. Just kind of difficult for the sake of being difficult. Throwing from the tee kind of reminded me of having a piece of popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth.

- Weird Parks Department peeps hovering around the course. One girl picking up trash was okay, but she seemed oblivious to the fact that people are out throwing heavy discs around and she had no compunction whatever about just walking across the fairway right in front of us 50" in front of the tee right after she acknowledged we were there and said hello. Later, a Children of the Corn-looking teenage kid saw us playing #17, *watched* me throw a disc, saw it land, and proceeded to go get it an attempt to return it to me. When I told him to just leave it he acted as if Engrish was his second or third language and started to walk off with it as if I said, "Happy Birthday!" Just a little odd.

- No topless Hooters girls frolicking along the #8 fairway.

Other Thoughts:

Richlands is a really nice course with great equipment in a great location. They won't be holding any PDGA sanctioned events there anytime soon, but Richlands was a nice break from the wooded courses I'm used to playing in Wilmington. It's a great course to introduce people to the game though, for sure.

If it's on your way somewhere and you have a half hour to spare and feel like hucking a disc or two, you could do a lot worse than this course. It probably won't end up in your favorites, but I wouldn't mind having this course a little closer to home. Not a bad spot at all for a little break from the everyday grind. It's worth a look and, despite my inexperience, may be one of the best courses in NC to cut your teeth on.
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8 0
New013
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 179 played 120 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ball golfish 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Layout - Overall Richlands has a ball golf type feel. It is more open and the fairways where the trees come in to play are mostly wide with some pines and shule defining the path.

Going in to this course I was under the impression by looking at the pictures that shule/non mowed grass areas that define some fairways are OB. However there seems to be no mention of the course playing as such at the course and the individual tee signs have no map or mention of OB. I will still review the course as those areas playing OB.

The parts I liked about the course were some holes that made you work the disc a bit through the gaps while keeping your placement in mind.

It mixes up some long and short holes and in that sense gives you some balance.

If you like to let some discs fly and not worry about obstructions this course gives you a fair share of that. A few real bomber holes are mixed in but you still have to worry about the OB.

The back 9 is much better than the front and gives you more of a challenge overall.

With the shule OB in play and OB created by roads/farm also in mind this course gives you more of a disc placement challenge than a lot of NC courses where hitting gaps is the main concern.

A few of the greens are on knolls and the longer holes have some OB placement that makes you think twice about running at it off the tee. Good risk/reward in that aspect.

Equipment - Large concrete pads that are level with the ground. The teesigns give you the distance. Baskets in good condition.

Atmosphere - It's a pretty nice park and the area where the course is located is kept away from other park areas. The course is well kept and does give you a ball golf type feel a tad bit like I mentioned.

The park has a playground and bathrooms and the way the course is setup I think it's a good place to bring your family.

Cons:

Layout - If you know anything about Schwarz courses this is a classic example. It gives you some good solid holes mixed in with a bunch of head scratchers that really throw off the entire thing.

You start off with 3 boring mostly wide open holes on one side of the road that are to short to be interesting. Then #4 continues that trend across the street.

7 is a weird hole and I don't really know what to think about it but my first impression was bad. There are two holly bushes offset vertically right in front of the pad. The gap between them is maybe 3' at most however you can easily thumber over the entire thing and make the hole pretty boring. I threw a BH second through the gap and hit my hand on the holly bush and my hand didn't appreciate that.

10 is the only legit par 4 on the course and it's pretty much wide open, the only challenge is the road and shule lining the fairway but it's so wide it doesn't really matter. If you have decent length this hole is an easy 3.

Now this course was my 111th course played so when I say #11 may be the absolute dumbest hole I've ever seen it's not from a lack of sample size. 87 feet is all I need to say.

The rest of the course is decent but as with a majority of the course most shots are pretty much straight on with a pretty wide gap to hit. There are some good holes on the back 9 but it all kind of runs together.

Now as I said I played this course as the shule being OB. However the course seemed to make no mention of that and if played as those areas not being OB this course would be even more boring.

To me this is a course that would of benefited greatly from being designed as a 9 holer with a long and short pad. That would of cut out all the terrible boring holes and still given the possibility of playing 18 holes by playing both pads.

It's not a confusing layout but there are places where you have to stop and think a bit due to some places where multiple baskets and pads are visible.

The pars listed on the signs are in my opinion way off. 10 is the only true par 4 and only hole not a par 3.

Equipment - Teesigns are basic with hole distance listed and no map. Normally I wouldn't really make that a con but if this course is intended to be played with shule OB a map of the hole would be beneficial.

Atmosphere - The course doesn't give you a secluded feeling at all if that's what you like. You play near some roads on a few holes.

Other Thoughts:

The course is a nice change of pace from most NC courses however it's another case of a Schwarz course where I'm left completely unfilfilled. So much more could of been done with it than was. There's to many forced holes where an overall solid design was sacrificed for some good longer holes with challenge.

Again I think this course would of been much better served with 9 holes and multiple pads but it is what it is. There is some fun factor to it but overall I don't recommend this course and see it as highly over rated at present.
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2 1
jeditden
Experience: 13 years 12 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Bring some sunscreen! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice and open. So you can't hit too many trees.
-Fairly easy course, that makes it simple to get par or better.
-Well maintained facilities.
-Change of pace from almost every other course close by.

Cons:

-Wind is rough! That's really the only thing preventing you from dominating . Not necessarily a con. But one hole is only 86 feet. We though it was a joke. But only 1 out of us 4 hit par on it from the wind.
-Being so open, most holes play very similar to each other. Toss it as far as you can, repeat until under the basket.
-No benches or garbage cans at any hole. Pack out your own trash.
-Some tee boxes are real close to each other and almost intersect.
-Almost no tree cover to speak of. It will get hot in the summer months...

Other Thoughts:

-It's an odd course for sure. So very open. But it's the only place I have ever birdied 2 par 5's so take it as you will. Worth driving the 1.5 hours it take us every few months, so long as we do Northeast Creek Park as well.
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2 4
willhoit
Experience: 32.8 years 5 played 3 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Steed Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 10, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Not very busy- Easy to navigate

Cons:

Not too challenging- If you know how to manipulate the wind this course gets boring.. With such other challenging courses in the area I can see why this one is never very crowded. I would choose NE creek or White Oak River over Richlands, unless I was trying to teach a newbie the game.

Other Thoughts:

Very clean and well maintained- Bugs are bad in the summer.
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2 3
chainbangers
Experience: 12.2 years 15 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 25, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Good Signage
-Easy
-Amenities on site
-Trash cans at every hole
-Normally not very busy
-Well defined fairways

Cons:

-Wind can really get going hard due to it being so open
-Sometimes it is too easy
-Plastic devouring OB
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3 1
Jonathan Apple
Experience: 12.7 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great For Newbies Like Me 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 26, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

My girlfriend and I are new to the sport and the "openness" of this course has added confidence to her game especially after playing Castle Haynes course. Clearly defined holes, Clean no trash on or around course, not very busy. A lot of straight shots and just enough trees to keep it challenging. Also Bathrooms clean and there were trash bins in several spots around the course which I really liked.

Cons:

The openess lends itsself to bring in alot of wind. In the rough the grass was over three feet high in some placess so it made finding one of my drivers a half hour task. White disks seemed to blend in with the tall sun burned grass.

Other Thoughts:

In the beginning of our round first shot a guy walking his dog picked up my girlfriends disk and threw it back to her!! ? ha ha
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8 1
Cool Daddio
Experience: 15.8 years 46 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Richlands 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 20, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

One my favorite courses I have played and a great antidote to all the heavily wooden courses in North Carolina. Open does not mean easy if you play the OB and I can't imagine playing Richlands without treating all the rough as OB. The wicked wind and the OB is what makes Richlands memorable. If you are pretty much backhand only or flick only this is a brutal course in the wind and it is almost always windy. Often windy enough that you have to consider more atypical approaches to the mound like sliding it in upside down etc. I recently added the photos which has the OB marked in red and should make it clear this is no bunny course when played in tournament mode. Also #11 I could not photograph in a way to get the feel of it but it is played as an island where any disk NOT on the island is OB. It has ruined some days for players :)

Cons:

There are several birdie 'guarantees' which usually help balance out that double circle seven that snuck on the card but certainly could be improved with a strategic planting or two. There are two places the tees are pretty close together though never truly in the way.

Other Thoughts:

The park itself is quite clean and well maintained with real bathrooms. Bring your best decision making and everything you thin you know about wind, play all the OB, count all your penalties and give it a go :)
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2 2
napoleangunner
Experience: 22.8 years 33 played 10 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Not as easy as it may appear 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 31, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A great course for beginners because most of it is wide open. However, still challenging enough for intermediate players, especially on the back 9.

Great atmosphere at this park, lots of families, etc. Clean bathrooms.

Cons:

Wind can wreak havoc with discs on this course.

Other Thoughts:

Love playing this course, especially when time is limited because I can play the front 9 fairly quickly.
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3 1
KUJO13
Experience: 13.7 years 41 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

GREAT PARK 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 31, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course has nice concrete tee pads, good signage at each tee pad and good directional signage between holes. park is relatively flat with some tree's to add some challenge. Hole #11 was really short, only 87', but has tree's right in front of the basket which is on top of a mound. Mounds were used on several other holes which adds an extra challenge.

Cons:

The only con i could come up with is that some holes are close to each other and a bad throw might end up on another holes fairway.

Other Thoughts:

This is a full amenity park with playgrounds,sport fields,restrooms and picinic areas. This would be a good park for the whole family. Most of the holes are short and would be ideal for beginners. For the more advanced Richlands is an excellent place to practice different shots. This would be an excellent course to have an ace race tournament.
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8 0
billnchristy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.1 years 64 played 56 reviews
3.50 star(s)

One of the best groomed 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 25, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Most defined fairways I have ever seen.
Taking a course from a barren field to this is quite a feat and the designers should be proud.
Cool mounds to keep your putts interesting.
Great placement of trees and bushes to provide a little challenge.
Great tees and adequate signage.
Awesome place to learn how to tame the wind.

Cons:

First 3 holes don't have the same character as the rest of the course.
Hole 11 without the island OB is kind of lame but is still memorable.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this course. On a calm day it would be an absolute birdie fest but it would still serve to be an excellent confidence builder. On a windy day it could make you cry if you do not know how to manage your wind game.
The Hole 4-18 area reminded me of a hedge maze the way it was laid out and it was just a cool kind of atmosphere.
While I listed 1-3 as cons they are great warmups and huge opportunities for an ace run and 3 is a good primer for the elevated baskets you will find throughout the course.
Others have said that the rough was really rough and we found it to be not too bad (though we never went deep into it) and it looks like all the trees and bushes are growing up well and will really add to the course.
For a course that was a flat piece of cotton field it was turned into a really sweet course and is something different than what most courses have to offer...the ball golf comparison is close but with some disc golf flair added.
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2 0
BobStutts
Experience: 19 played 18 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Richlands NC course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I am 65 and do not have long range. This course is excellent. I go early before they even open for day. My dog loves the park also. As a novice player I do get some challenge where my son 33 finds it rather easy.

Cons:

go in rough and meet NCs finest thorny black berry vines as well as other thorny plants.

Other Thoughts:

A beautiful full amenity park out in the country. Just a great place to take ahe kids also.
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4 0
BigJ198
Experience: 22.8 years 94 played 14 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wide-frappin'-open! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 9, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is my "go-to" course. Only a few minutes from my house is sweet. The course is not as open as it was a few years back, but it is still forgiving.

Cons:

Not a dang thing to cut down on the wind which can be a challenge in winter. Not a bit of shade in the heat of summer when you need it either! A good score here can lead to a false sense of sucess that shows up when playing a wooded course.

Other Thoughts:

Great place to let it rip and check your distance without the fear of smacking a tree. A few holes are easily reached in one giving many ace chances!
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7 0
DiscJunkie
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 40 played 29 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Lots of fun, let 'em rip 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 20, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very well maintained. On-site playground, bathroom and walking path. Beautiful setting. Inventive use of a relatively flat and open park. Mix of long and short holes. The wind can make this course very challenging, and if you play the rough as OB (like they do in tourneys) it adds a new level of decision-making.

Cons:

Not really challenging, wide open with little penalty for wayward shots, unless you play the rough as OB. Hot in the summer (no shade), cold and usually windy in the winter (wide open spaces).

Other Thoughts:

I love this course to let 'em rip. Never crowded, so I can throw a lot of 'practice' shots. Watch out for the strollers, several holes require that you throw across the walking path. Requires some accurate length, but no real penalty for missing left or right. I always have fun here. I travel 40 miles to play this course, and it's always worth it.
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9 1
BrotherDave
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.7 years 192 played 188 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Self-esteem booster 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 7, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

EASY, unless the wind is blowing, really nice park. Flat terrain except for some holes on mounds, virtually no trees. You could play this course jacked up on heroin and still score well. I don't think I've ever seen other people play it the same time I played out there. The course flows well, has a nice variety of shots.

Cons:

This is a fairly easy course due to how open it is but wind will play a factor if blowing. The rough is brier-tastic. This course is the most ball golf similar I've played, which I only consider a con because I love wooded courses. I wouldn't plan a trip to specifically play this course but it's nice overall, if not special.

Other Thoughts:

My buddies and I like playing this course after bad weeks of playing at Castle Hayne to make us feel good about ourselves. And downtown Richlands is pretty happening. Okay, not really.
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4 1
caiman
Experience: 20.1 years 56 played 13 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 16, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course is well signed and maintained. It's located in a city park, meaning all park amenities (including restrooms) are available. The course is mostly open, but not completely open. A few targets are located on mounds or hills; otherwise the course is flat. The course features a large variety of hole lengths, anywhere from under 100 feet to over 400 feet. (The under-100-foot hole is actually somewhat interesting, as there are large trees in front of the tee that you must throw over.) Excellent use of the park grounds, a smart design, and most of all, fun to play.

Cons:

Not much in the way of obstacles, but the course is interesting enough to be fun. Lots of tall grass off the fairway that can make disc recovery a minor ordeal. All rough is considered OB in tournament play, although I recommend recreational players disregard that rule, because it makes the course far more difficult. Even with the rough=OB rule in place, pro-caliber players will probably still find the course too short and easy.
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