New Hill, NC

Buckhorn DGC

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3.945(based on 53 reviews)
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1 1
rwgatorfan
Experience: 3.7 years 29 played 18 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Best we've played in the area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 5, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

We played Buckhorn for the first time yesterday and were blown away. The course is in great condition. They've done great job of clearing underbrush on most holes (don't throw left on the first hole though). There's a nice mixture of hole types. Some with many trees, but still fair and playable. The water holes are daunting. All but #17 give you a decent chance to play around the water. 17 is just a bear. We saw 4 discs go into the pond while there. We'll probably substitute 19 for 17 the next time we play.

Cons:

17 is unplayable if you don't want to chance losing a disc. As others have said, there are a couple of other holes with water RIGHT behind the basket. Lots of risk/reward there.

Other Thoughts:

We absolutely love this course. Worth the drive.
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1 2
thumber_guy
Experience: 33.8 years 142 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not great for rec players 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 28, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautiful, for the most part, course. A good mix of holes that go left or right, up or down, etc. Plenty of parking.

Cons:

9, 11, and 17 are unsuitable for rec players, as there is no "safe" spot from which to take a bailout shot. There are no red tee boxes. And you will never get a disc back if it goes in the water here.

Other Thoughts:

Hole 0 is a good replacement for hole 11 except it is too long.
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1 1
34blast
Experience: 26.8 years 50 played 30 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Awesome course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful park in pine forest around a beautiful lake
Lot's of elevation change
Water Hazards
No interference from non disc golfers
perfect amount of challenge with short and longs

Cons:

A bit of poke and pray on a couple of holes with no reasonable / clear path

Other Thoughts:

This is in my top 5 favorite courses. It is awesome and beautiful course with a nice challenge. Every time I'm in town for business this is my must do course.
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4 1
skadoosh0019
Experience: 18.8 years 11 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bring your wading shoes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Fantastically maintained course, clean of both brush and trash. Its in a mature pine forest, so you don't really get much of that nasty underbrush problem that a lot of heavily wooded courses have.

- WATER! Not many courses utilize water hazards, so its a treat to play one that does with some frequency. Makes for great scenery and a new sort of anxiety on your drives.

- Played with a friend who hasn't played much disc golf. Holes were reasonably distanced and reasonably open so both of us had a good time, while still presenting some decent challenge

- Favorite throw was #17 over the pond. Straight shot through some open woods, hit the gap near the pond and make sure you put enough mustard on it to make it over the water. I missed acing it by a foot or two and ended up about 8-10 feet behind the hole, but its a nerve-racking throw until you see it land.

Cons:

- Not much variety in hole design from the white tees, which is what we played. Almost entirely straight or RHBH hyzer, almost all in the woods. There are a few RHBH anhyzer holes thrown in, but not many.

- While I love the fact that water is in play, several baskets are in my opinion unreasonably close to the water hazards that make this course unique.

- #8, I believe it was, is short, has water directly behind the basket, and a big fricking bridge directly in your path to the basket for what seems to me to be no good reason. There is simply no comfortable way to go around that stupid bridge. Really ruined what would have otherwise been a good hole.

- #9 is so swampy its not really fun. Not a whole lot of truly dry ground to work with once you're out of the woods near the tee.

- #15 needs warning signs that there is deep water DIRECTLY behind the basket. Do NOT try to ace this hole, because unless you throw a 1 in a million shot if you clear that hill looking for an ace on the fly your disc WILL end up going for a swim and be gone in that nasty, and immediately deep pond. Buddy lost one of my discs behind it because we had no idea that a mere yard or so behind the basket on top of the steep hill that pond was lurking.


Other Thoughts:

All in all, a very enjoyable course, and if I lived in the southern Raleigh region I would probably play Buckhorn quite a bit. Just be prepared to lose a disc or two, any mistakes near the water hazards will be punished severely by this course.

Oh, and if nuclear power plants creep you out or something, stay away. Directly across the lake is the massive Harris Lake nuclear power plant, billowing huge clouds out of the stack. I thought it was pretty awesome looking, but I know some people don't want to be anywhere near one of them.
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5 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Buckhorn Blast 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 31, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Buckhorn DGC is a wonderful disc golf course. I liked the variation from hole to hole. Mainly wooded, but with reasonable fairways and moderate elevation change on several holes. Mix of short and long distance, with 3 par 4's if you play the blue tees. Both left and right turning shots are represented, with a couple of serious doglegs, as well as some straight shots. Really good layout that keeps the shot making interesting and minimizes walks from one hole to the next. There is a warm up hole between the practice basket and the first hole. It was nice that most of the course is shaded on a hot summer day. There is water in play on a few holes. Equipment was excellent, and you can see the staff of the park crew takes their work seriously. Scorecards were available near the first tee. Tees were large, level concrete pads, with good signs. Baskets all looked to be in good condition. The course was bone dry when I played, but wooden footbridges had been installed to get across areas that tend to stay muddy after rain. I saw no trash on the ground. My favorite holes were 8, 9, 10 and 17. All have water to contend with. 8 is a short birdie opportunity, down hill with the lake lurking just behind the pin. Making the turn by the lake, 9 & 10 both play along the shore, with tall reeds punishing bad drives or unlucky ricochets. 17 is a longer hole, downhill, with a pond before the green. I would like to see someone going for it off the tee, but I chose to lay up a mid range on the landing zone in front of the pond and play it safe.

Cons:

May be unfriendly to new players, due to water hazard on several holes, and some kind of thick woods in areas. Signs prohibit swimming and wading in the water, so retrieving those lost to the water may not be possible. I was not able to play hole 15, because there was a crew installing a bridge over the fairway in an area that held water after rainstorms. It looked like a fun hole, kind of the opposite of 8, shorter and uphill with a basket atop a dam and the pond directly behind it. There were not any trash cans on the course, so pack out what you carry in. They are available at the parking lot. I don't remember seeing benches at the tees, but there may be a couple.

Other Thoughts:

Buckhorn is a real beauty, I kind of felt like I was in Springfield as I looked at the massive nuclear cooling tower across the lake on hole 9. I almost wanted to drop a fishing line in to see if I could pull Blinky out. A fun and well maintained course that you should absolutely play if you get a chance.
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4 1
BigAl724
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.6 years 178 played 144 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great blend of fun and challenge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 20, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Buckhorn plays through a mature pine forest and near/over water on several occasions. It's set in a beautiful park and is the type of course that I would love to have as my home course - a good challenge without being a brutal beat down. I enjoy playing among pine trees because there is often little undergrowth. The park was very scenic and well-kept with virtually no trash or rough to lose discs in.

The best part of the course is that it caters to many different levels and is an almost perfect balance of challenge and fun. You play in thick woods but the holes are forgiving if you miss your line and you will have endless recovery options; there aren't any pitch-outs here. The water that comes into play in the form of a lake (holes 8-11) and pond (15 and 17) is also a great example of this. While the water definitely provides some scary drives and approaches, there are ways to lay up and take a less risky approach. This gives you great risk/reward options.

The two tee positions also do a nice job of changing difficulty and looks. The white tees allow you to constantly make birdie runs and the blue tees make you fight for a birdie or par. The concrete tees were very long and in good shape.

I enjoyed choosing from the multiple lines that were offered on some of the holes. There was usually a clearer lane, but you could still get by if you didn't always hit the main one.

The navigation was easy with very little walking between holes.

Again, this is a very scenic park with the tall pines and great views of the lake. A nice place just to hike through.

Not a ton of elevation, but it was used when present. The course begins with some fun downhill shots and there are some cool pin positions that play on slopes. 15, especially, is a fun ravine type shot with a pin on top of a slope and a pond right behind it. It's well-designed in that it's short enough to tempt you to make an ace run, but landing more than a few feet away from the basket could be dangerous.

Cons:

You're not going to use your high speed drivers too much. 17 may have been the only one I did. This is a fairly short course with 11 holes being <303' from the long tees.

I really enjoyed the water holes, but if even if your disc falls in close to the edge, you're most likely not going to find it between the thick algae and tall grass.

As I said, I'd love to have this as a home course, and it seems that the locals love it here too. Lots of groups playing during a Wednesday evening.

You had to walk through part of 18's fairway to get to 17.

While I'm not complaining about my own personal preference, it did seem to have a lot of RHBH hyzers/a few too many similar holes in the woods.

Other Thoughts:

This is definitely a course where you can both learn the game as well as still be challenged after many rounds here. This is the kind of place where you can play a casual round with your buddies but you will still have to execute some specific shots and pay attention to your game. A welcoming course still without being too chucker-friendly. Definitely a must play if you're in the area and a great compliment to the less forgiving Rock Ridge only 20 or so minutes away.
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5 2
KenanFlagler01
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14 years 195 played 190 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of the very best in the Triangle 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 2, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Buckhorn is one of the best courses in the Triangle. If you're in the area, it's a must-play.

+ Very high on the fun factor: challenging, lots of variety, great water course. This is a heavily wooded course with the only somewhat open holes being water-carry holes.

+ Easy navigation.

+ Blue (advanced) and white (intermediate) tees. It's a challenging course for rec players, but there are alt tees to minimize disc loss risk on the water holes.

+ Nice elevation.

+ Beautiful course, from the lake to the forest. Peaceful, quiet. What disc golf should be.

+ Nice risk/reward elements on the course. Some examples... Hole 15 isn't long, but the basket is on the edge of the hill with water right behind it. The front side of the hill is a hazard area (must putt from the front of the hazard). Do you go for the extremely small area between the hill and the water where the basket is? Play it safe? Try to have it both ways? Hole 8 is probably the shortest hole on the course and a tempting one to go for the ace. But if you go for it and fly over the basket, you can end up in the lake. Hole 17 is a long water carry (from the short or the long tees). Do you lay up or go for it? Hole 10 might be the signature hole as it's a pure water-carry, 285 feet from the blue tee. You can play a safer shot that hyzers earlier than that, but then you have a tough up and down for par.

This course will challenge your mental game AND it's fun to play. Perfect combo.

Cons:

My only real con is the bugs and snakes. Nothing you can do about this, but wear bug spray and be prepared to battle mosquitoes and horse files. Watch out for snakes around the ponds and lake.

Other Thoughts:

You've gotta play this one if you live in North Carolina or travel to the Triangle. Destination course for sure.
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0 16
gbbiv
Experience: 10.7 years 338 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Watch OUT on 15!!!!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 15, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really liked the course and had a fun time playing... Until hole 15. See cons.

Cons:

Very very bummed to walk up to the basket on 15 after an ace run and find that I lost one of my favorite discs in the water.... Need a huge sign at the tee warning about the water behind the basket.
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3 17
danielccockerspaniel
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Very lefty unfriendly! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 8, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice level tees. Clearly defined fairways. Beautiful woods. Lots of parking.

Cons:

This is a righty centric course. It has no balance at all. There are a couple of "lefty holes", but they have wide fairways and don't favor lefty's that much. There are three difficult water holes on the course, all with OB, deep water on the right side. They are super easy natural hyzer shots for RHBH, and very difficult for LHBH. The course designer simply had no imagination. It's like they set up each hole with a left fade in mind. As some others have pointed out, the hole with the basket perched on the damn in front of the pond is interesting, but it's really silly that a chain out ace run would result in a circle 3. And anyone putting from below the damn for the first time might not realize that there is deep water directly behind the pin, and even a slight overshot will result in a lost disc.

Other Thoughts:

Lefty's beware! Beginners beware, you will lose plastic in the water.
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6 3
tom12003
Experience: 30.8 years 152 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Want to return 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 20, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great wooded course in almost total isolation from the rest of the world. There was almost no undergrowth and the fairways are more than adequately wide. From this perspective I would equate Buckhorn to be an equivalent of Kilborne in Charlotte EXCEPT there is water that comes into play both with carries and along a few of the fairways. Water almost always acts as a magnet for my discs!

I played the short tees (alas I had tweaked my back a few days earlier and was operating at about 60%). The longer pads simply added distance (30' to 150') and challenge for most of the holes but did not radically change the shape of the shot; hole 16 was the exception which was an acute dogleg from the long and a relatively straight shot from the shorts; hole 10's short pad allowed a non-water carry but water still was a major factor.

The course was exceptionally clean despite a lack of trashcans (only few were near the beginning); it was obvious the frequent players were responsible to keep it clean. AND, there actually were score cards available at the first tee (always nice)!

Cons:

Most of the holes felt like they had about the same shot shape for the drive favoring the RHBH hyzer; those that required a little turnover were near the end of the fairway (approach shots for me). Many repetitive feeling shots.

I found myself searching for the next tee on many of the holes (and I had a printed schematic map). There was one next tee directional sign I noticed on hole 14 or 15.

I found the concrete tee pads a little lacking--they were plenty big enough but were more that roughly textured (not brushed but textured by the work end of a rake), I nearly tripped on a few of them.

Other Thoughts:

Although not really close to any of the other "triangle" area courses, it is a very solid course that should be on the itinerary of any serious disc golfer when in the area. I want to play it again when my back is in better condition (I might bump the rating up another notch if I felt better).
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12 18
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 278 played 273 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Feels Just Like Carolina 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 11, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

There are so many courses like Buckhorn in central North Carolina, though none as well imagined or constructed. Nice, clean lines on well defined fairways. Perfectly delineated paths leading from hole to hole. It doesn't bring much that hasn't been done before. It just does it a bit better than most.

The one thing that Buckhorn has that other similar courses don't is water. There's not a ton of it. Most holes look like the shore might be miles away. But what it has comes into play quite a bit. The water here is not just aesthetic. There's a pair of holes down by the edge of the lake, where the best path is to hang the disc over the marsh and then fade it left. There is one where a small pond will punish you for being too aggressive towards the basket. Finally, you throw directly over that pond, in a shot which gives you the chance to make a long carry from the tee or lay up to the water's edge for an easier toss across the pond.

Other than that, there aren't a lot of memorable holes here but they are almost all solid. Challenging and fair, it will be tough to stay in the fairway but if you do, there are no single trees left in the middle of your flight path. Good play is rewarded.

It's a bit out of the way. It's farther from the cities of the Triangle than many courses. But it's definitely worth the extra travel.

Cons:

At the same time, while all the holes are solid, few are memorable, and there is a lot of sameness about many of them. This can be a good thing, if you like what you see. But you should know after the first fairway what the majority of holes will be like.

16 and 18 are both strange holes that I did not really care for. They turn at very strange angles (16 is extremely sharp at a very early juncture) essentially to "get to" certain places. 16 takes the path to get from 15 to 17, the two holes that use the pond. 18 is the only way to get from said hole to somewhere near the beginning. It's probably a net positive as it allows the two more memorable holes, but it makes for a strange ending to the course. (And the OB on 16? I say if someone wants to go through those woods and avoid the oddly shaped fairway, it's on them.)

Other Thoughts:

The two sets of tees actually does a nice job of providing two distinct difficulties. Those far tees are far. They probably the most challenge that a player will find for 50 miles in any direction.
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11 1
nyrblue2
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14 years 28 played 23 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Quality Wooded Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 hole course set in a wooded, secluded corner of a large park, close to edge of a lake.
- Secluded - Very serene, nice setting in a quiet, wooded, shaded section of woods in a park with many large, mature trees
- Not crowded when I was there (weekday morning), but appeared to be plenty of parking with a short walk to the first hole
- Bulletin board/kiosk for club/league postings as well as warnings about ticks (no course map when I was there - see "other thoughts")
- Navigation was pretty simple, regardless
- Mailbox near tee #1 houses scorecards for the taking
- Benches and trash cans in a few spots
- Solid tee signs showing colored hole map and distance for each tee pad on each hole
- Multiple tee pads on each (most?) hole to a single basket position - allows for variety if you're a frequent player or short tees can be a good intro to wooded courses for newer players
- Concrete tee pads
- Some tight wooded lines create the necessity for precise shots - there's a bunch of everything here - left and right shots - subtle elevation changes that aren't greuling
- Water throw-overs on #9, 10, 11, 17 - nice change-up as these are more open than the rest of the course (well, 17 is still wooded/tight), but still have a lot of risk - #9, 10 and 11 are over the marshy shore line of the big lake, while #17 is over a nasty, funky pond with the pin perched just on the opposite shore
- Nice course maintenance - no trash, well-defined paths, boards over a couple wet spots or ditches, stairs/planks on #15 help get up to the berm, etc.
- Basket #18 brings you right back to the parking lot
- I thought hole #1 was a terrifc opening hole - nice long, wide tunnel with a generous green near some sporadic trees
- Loved hole #8, short little par 3 pitch to a pin perched up rocks with the lake looming close behind with rocks/ditches creating for some interesting footing on your putt if you come up short

Cons:

- Only played the long tees, but I remember many of the short tees being along the same lines - I like having the short tees create some new lines or looks
- Decent amount of loose underbrush creates some potential for lost discs - spent about 20 minutes looking for my drive on #4 that hugged the left side a bit too much and didn't make the turn
- Warning for ticks was right on - found 2 crawling on me when I got done
- Course map doesn't show water throwover on hole #9, but it is definitely there
- A lot of people seem to like #15's pin perched right on the edge of the pond - in and of itself, that is fine (like pin #8) - however, I don't like how you have essentially to shoot up a small cliff at the basket (big ditch in front) and anything long you lose in the drink - tough holes are fine, but there is nowhere to truly layup and getting aggressive could cost you a disc - if the area in front of the green was more equal elevation, I think I would like this more
- Maybe there's a reason, but the random roped-off section of OB on hole #18 seemed kind of silly
- Some tee pads aren't as flush with the ground as they could/should be

Other Thoughts:

- Can't decide if I like hole #16 or not - short pitch, then 90+ degree left turn to another long "fairway" - definitely unique and forces a precise "drive", but for some reason I felt annoyed not really being able to go in the direction of the pin off the tee
- No course map online or at site when I played, but I now see that a course map has been added to this site. Although it's not overly detailed, I think a map is a must for all top courses
- Nice view out over the lake on holes 8, 9, 10, 11 - somewhat spoiled by the nuclear plant exhaust stack on the other side...
- I believe this park/course actually closes at dark

This was a very nice course that presented some interesting challenges. The woods make you play very precise golf and the holes at the lake and pond create some danger. Definitely a great stop during my visit to the Triangle.
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2 14
Drew.S
Experience: 12.2 years 9 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Grab your swim trunks 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 7, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Its a beautiful course with a lot of terrain and elevation changes. A good mix of short and long holes. Easy to score under par on every hole. Good for any skill level.

Cons:

The swamp, its nasty and will eat your disc.
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7 4
BraveThrower43
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 14.1 years 729 played 59 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 6, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Two sets of pads that are a good balance. The whites are not overbearing and can make for a funner quick round and the blues will test your game to the max.

There is serious risk reward on this course with several holes that have a fast green or have an OB pond very close to the basket.

The Holes along the lake can be beautiful.

Benches, trashcans and signage are all very nice.

Cons:

The Water holes are all pretty much the same shot hyzer with the lake on the right.

18's OB is trivial and seems out of place

This Course has several tweener holes which I never like.

Hole 16 long is a poor design. you throw about 150' to a 90 degree turn then its a 300' tunnel. Not a good hole imo

Lots of chances for lost discs.

No real open hole(guess two water holes might count)

Other Thoughts:

Buckhorn is my favorite course in the triangle. It is a very tough layout with several signature holes and pin placements. The course is well worth your time to drive out of your way to play.
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4 6
alecfalzone
Experience: 13.9 years 174 played 13 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Updated! Older.. And Wiser.. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

If you wish to play classic North Carolina wooded golf without the punishment of Castle Payne, look no further.

Both the blue pads and white pads offer challenge and fairness. No hole is too easy or too difficult. This has become my home course. It is difficult enough to make you a better player but fun enough to make you want to come back for more.

There are straight shots, left to right shots, and right to left shots. I don't understand why people call this a lefty unfriendly course. Admittedly the two over the water tee shots (Hole 10 blue and Hole 11 white and blue) are righty hyzer shots. Other than that, lefty players have just as an advantage as righty players. As somebody who throws both RHBH and RHBH about 50/50, I throw about 50 % BH and 50 % FH at Buckhorn.

The course maintenance at Buckhorn is phenomenal. CADL and Harris Lake have a great partnership which has turned Buckhorn into a must-play course. Local player Royal is a course regular and keeps the place free of garbage. You won't find many courses which look better.

Hole 0 was installed to replace Hole 11 when the water is high. The practice basket installed last year also has a great green to practice all the putts you'll see at the course. All the baskets still catch very well for being as old as they are. I putt decently hard and I do not have any spit-outs or cut-throughs.

That said, Buckhorn was my first NC course played when I moved here in 2012. It is still my favorite even though I have played some of NC's finest. I keep coming back for more. If you're in the Triangle area, this is the course you need to play.

Cons:

When the water level is high, Hole 9 and Hole 11 become unplayable. Not a gripe against the course, but something to keep in mind. Long-term solutions are in the works to make sure both holes are playable 100 % of the time.

If you lose a disc in the drink and don't retrieve it immediately, consider it gone. There are quite a few disc divers in the area who do not call back. Drive with confidence over the water!

Other Thoughts:

Hole 17's distances are updated on the tee sign. 340'-ish from the Whites and 405'-ish from the blues.
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2 2
11abush11
Experience: 14.1 years 82 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of the best in N.C.! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Amazing risk reward
-Gorgeous land
-Up/down - left/right
:) Water holes
-Alternate tees
-Solid fairways great layout.
-Bathrooms.
-Solid short/long relationship.

Cons:

-Tee location doesn't change the lane just usually 30-70 ft behind the whites except for a few holes.
-No alternate pins
-Would have been nice to include a LHBH/RHFH shot near water for balance.
-Too many ace runs.

Other Thoughts:

Loved this course. First time out there today all the way from Southern Va. I fell in love with the course and didn't want to leave. I will be back with friends ;).
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2 6
TheSkid
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

risk/reward 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 9, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful course. Lots of chances to throw over water. It's a good course to work on the, very important, mental aspect of throwing. Great to build confidence. OB is marked on many holes. Nice concrete tees and disc catcher baskets make this a wonderful course for solo play or with a small group.

Cons:

Many risk reward shots makes it a easy place for new throwers to lose discs. Due to a lack of signage I missed 16 completely the fist time I played.

Other Thoughts:

Leave your drivers in your bag. This park can, and I personally think should, be played with mid range and putting discs. I would suggest that all throwers bring at least one "sacrificial" disc for those throws that you want to take but do not want to lose good plastic.
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3 2
forehandfranz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.8 years 226 played 128 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice Woodsy Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 4, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

A nice, secluded course that plays 100% in thick hardwood forest and around the edge of a lake a small pond. It's an advanced course that has narrow fairways and demands accuracy. The choice of two tee pads per hole is very nice for variety.

The water makes things interesting, and it seems that you can avoid it half the time if you choose the short tee pads (except on 15 (see cons). Hole 17 sends you downhill directly to the water's edge, and the smart player is going to lay up short then pitch across the pond for shot 2. The hard thing is to lay up short on a smooth downhill slope without going in the water! I look forward to trying this one again.

Cons:

The water is really only dangerous on about 4 holes, but it can be a bugger for losing discs. Hole #15 is a bit sadistic as the pin sits on top of a little hill with deep water about 15 feet behind it. If you flub your drive, you will have a very touchy approach that cannot go long!

Other Thoughts:

I played in the winter time and am anxious to see how it plays with all the foliage in full thickness - I'm sure the rough will be a little testier.
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5 1
LoPan12
Experience: 13.8 years 35 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My Home Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 2, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I love this course, just to put it out there, so I'm a bit biased.
+Wooded technical course, lots of tight lines that force you to pull out all the tricks in your bag.
+Water used to effectively force you to examine your options. Go for it, and risk the plastic loss, or not. The fact of the matter is, that the water isn't hard. It can make you play conservatively (whether on purpose or subconciously). But for the most part, if you step up with confidence in your shot, disc, and line, then there is no issue.
+Drains well! If it rained the day before, or even that morning, boggy morasses are not an issue. There will be a few patches of mud of course, but for the most part, water drainage on this course is excellent, so don't be too concerned with poor weather the past day or two.
+Large open field across the road (by the mountain biking parking) where you can practice bombers and everything else.

Cons:

-Not for beginners. Even skipping the water holes leaves you with some frustrating play. Be despite this, I know lots of casual chuckers that enjoy it despite coming out +20 strokes.
-Some blue tees are just silly.
-Doesn't open until 8am. (I get off work at the plant at 6am sometimes, and I REALLY wish I could play it)

Other Thoughts:

10 and 11: Easy huge hyzer with a over/stable disc and you almost can't lose it, even if you're short. Indecently, people looking for open bombers should note that there's nothing over the water...so these are in fact, open to bombing big hyzers....
17: Can you throw a low ceilinged straight and fast 280'? Then do it. No? Practice. Or lay up to the bank and toss the 100' or so over the pond.
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11 1
New013
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 179 played 120 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Around the Buckhorn 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 10, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Buckhorn is one of the best courses in the Triangle area, if not the best. If somebody wanted to know what NC golf is about I'd take them here. It combines a great location with a solid layout and setup to shell out great rounds of disc golf.

It's located in a park on Harris Lake and it's a great atmosphere. It's very secluded and never crowded. It's primarily very wooded with some slightly open holes by the lake.

The signs, baskets and teepads are in good condition, there are signs telling you where to go where it's not obvious. There are benches and trashcans throughout the course. Multiple tees for most of the holes that change the shots and offer different looks.

The layout is very well done. It offers a great mix of shots and creates a very technical course but fair. It uses the water on the course very well. My favorite aspect of the course is that they designed to have a ton of risk reward shots.

Cons:

There aren't many but the main drawback is it doesn't incorporate a couple of more open holes to give it more of a mix on hole type. The wooded holes are great but the addition of just one big bomber would make it much better.

Every now and then you run in to non-dg'ers on the course who are up to no good, usually teens but it can be a nuisance. In the summer you might run in to water snakes so be mindful of your surroundings.

Not much elevation to work with on the course but it is what it is.

The one teepad that makes no sense is #16 long (blue). It basically plays 150' up to the short tee (white) then takes a dead left. It's practically impossible to do anything but throw to the shorter tee.

Other Thoughts:

Holes that stand out.

#1 - it's a great starter hole. wider fairway than most of the course, beautiful fairway, gets you in the mood for the round.

#3 - Biggest elevation change on the course, drops down in to a valley and comes back up a bit. Multiple routes on this one.

#4 - Longest hole at 486 feet. Big tight dog leg, you have to start off with a solid drive to score well.

#6 - Another long dogleg from the blue tee which doubles the length of the hole in comparison to the whites. Creates a really difficult drive that you have to land accurately to setup an approach shot.

#8 - It's a short dinky downhill hole right towards the lake where the basket sits on the shoreline. Looks great and puts a fear in you that makes you not want to go for it.

#10 - The blue tee gives you a shot across a cove, another great looking hole.

#11 - This one runs along the shoreline, you have to basically go out over the water and bring it back in right to left to where the basket sits. One of the funnest holes on the course

#12 - Great looking hole that's slightly uphill, past two large trees that make an X. It curves hard left to right then goes back up again a bit. Fun anny hole for righties.

#15 - Huge risk reward hole. The basket sits right on the edge of a pond retention wall. If you go for it and miss you're in the drink.

#17 - The signature hole in my opinion. Long hole that goes slightly down through a tunnel where you need to keep it low where it opens up to the pond which you must cross to hit a sloped bank where the basket sits about 30' from the water.

Not many people can make it across and not many dare.
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