Seemed to be eighteen baskets present.

Where do I begin?

Pretty much every basket is bent, damaged, or broken. Likely vandalism because I don't care how hard you throw a disc you aren't going to bend and break the cage.

The holes seem poorly planned out and the trees throughout the park could have been better utilized. One hole (15?) even brings a chicken coop into play.

Tee signs are present but in poor shape and some are almost unreadable.

Overall, the course gives off a vibe of being abused and neglected for years.

I love playing disc golf. I'll play just about any course and have a good time. I've played plenty of sub par courses and courses that were in need of maintenance and repairs and have always finished my rounds. This is the first time I've quit a course without finishing. I didn't find any of the holes fun or challenging and the general condition of the course equipment just kind of killed all of the fun.

If you choose to go out of your way to play this course, don't say I didn't warn you.

I did give it half a star because having baskets and generally marked places to tee off does make it a course in the technical sense.

Bearskin Creek has more going for it than some would lead you to believe. The course is for the most part an open layout, but manages to make use of large park trees to create holes with interesting lines to the basket. Each hole was designed with both long and short tee positions, which allows for players of various skill levels to enjoy the course.

Even though the course is fairly straight forward, some holes use the natural landscape/elevation to create interesting shots. Holes 6 and 10 are cool blind dogleg right shots that make use of the landscape to force you to play closer to the ground than you might want to, so that you can park the basket. Hole 7 is a fun uphill shot. Hole 12 is basically a death putt from the tee.

The fairways were well manicured, and the park in general looked a lot better than I was expecting. The holes that play alongside the creek can add a mental element to your round.

The park feels pretty secluded, which is nice. There is a gym in the center of the course, but I never made my way into it to check it out. I really enjoyed the park map at the start of the course. I took a picture of it before I started, which really helped with navigation.

Despite not really having any trash cans around the course, this may have been the cleanest course/park I have been to in a long time. Monroe's Park & Rec is doing a great job keeping this park clean.

A new walkway throughout the course has caused a bit of disruption for the course. Maybe not all of these issues are because of the walkway, but I'd imagine some are. Four holes were missing baskets when I played: 1, 13, 16, & 17. A few holes were missing their tee signs: 2, 9, 11, & 14.

The teesigns that do exist are very uninformative and are facing in odd directions at times. I was only able to find all the locations of the white tees, using pictures from the DGCR database. This is a bit of an issue because the white tees have no indicator other than the tee signs. I tried to find the blue tees for each hole because they are concrete pads, but was unable to find all of them. There are also no tee signs for the blue tees.

The creek is pretty disgusting. I threw a second drive at Hole 14 and watched my disc sail into the drink. Since it was a disc I had slowly been falling in love with, I actually went into the creek after it. I would highly recommend nobody else follow in my footsteps. Not only did I not find the disc, but it was incredibly challenging to get back out of the creek. It also shortened my day, as I felt the need to come home and take a shower so I would hopefully not get an infection.

Others mentioned it is not in the best neighborhood, but I did not run into any problems. Other than the obvious vandalism of baskets and tees, I wouldn't have even realized this. It wasn't a major con for me (since I had no issues) but worth noting, just in case.

I never found any benches or water fountains, but wasn't really looking for any because the course played quickly due to the lack of people playing there.

This is a weird course for me to rate, but I think I'll have to give it a 2.0 because of the current state it is in. Honestly, Bearskin Creek seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. The holes that are playable are great, are quite a bit of fun, and are set in an incredibly clean and pretty park. But with 4 holes being unplayable and a few others missing their tee signs (or any indicators of where the tees are) it falls off quite a bit.

I feel really bad rating this course so low, but I can't justify giving it a higher score with so many baskets & tees missing. With some TLC this course would warrant a much higher score from me. Hopefully it gets some work or even a small redesign soon, so that it can live up to its potential. If said redesign happens, I wouldn't be opposed to them changing it to only have one layout, that was somewhere between the two layouts in difficulty and length. This might even allow them to spend less money developing/maintaining the course.

This course could be used in conjunction with Dry Creek and Union Academy for a fun tournament in the Monroe area, if it is fixed up! I think with the right changes/fixes this course would easily stand alongside Dry Creek as a prime example of Monroe disc golf!

Favorite White Holes: 2, 6, 7, 10
Favorite Blue Holes: 4, 7, 11

Open course for beginners

Damaged baskets, vandalized chains and baskets, missing baskets, poorly marked tee pads.

A number of open holes for those of us who cannot throw very far without hitting a tree. For the holes that are there at present, it's a fun course to play - only 11 holes at present are playable, #15 is an if of those 11.

Numbers 1, 12,14,15,16, 17 and the tee on 18 are nonexistent. Many missing tee markers. Gang symbol on #7 basket that should be removed. The left side of #8 fairway is next to the tennis courts, which are normally locked, so if you throw it over, goodbye disc. Murky creek water makes it hard to find discs in the drink.

This course is in the process of being redeveloped. The recent walkway that was put in precipitated the removal of a number of baskets. I am helping soon to add holes (tees too) for 1,11, 12,13,14,15,16,17 and 18. I think when it is done it will be a much better course than it's been in a long time.

Can't say too much good about this course in its current condition.

More than half the baskets have been dug up and stolen from the park. Gentlemen inside the gym claimed the park is constantly being vandalized. The baskets that were still there are fine. Tee box signs lack information other than distance. Tee pads for longs are not marked. No benches, no trash cans.

Sorry to say this but no real reason to waste the trip to this park. Until the missing baskets are replaced, which probably won't happen, it's just not worth the trip.

Sorry to review this course so poorly, just don't want anyone else to wast the time on the trip out here.

It is difficult to come up with something new to say about the course; but, this one is a wonderful course to play to "air it out." To echo another reviewer's sentiment: "What? In Charlotte? Are you kidding?" It is indeed a rare opportunity to be able to play in the open in Charlotte.

It is a great place to see how recently purchased discs will behave in the open without having to go to Mint Hill or the wind tunnel at Rotary Club (not a knock on either of those 2, just nice to have something a little closer to the southside of Charlotte).

Most of the cons here are because the course really is not in the best of neighborhoods (no different than Sugaw Creek, Eastway, or Kilbourne in Charlotte). There are some gang taggings throughout the park; but no one bothered me. Otherwise, the park was very clean. It is obvious the city of Monroe is attempting to clean up things in and around the park. Just be mindful of your surroundings and keep your street sense about you and everything will be fine.

Because of the area mentioned above, the bathrooms off the softball field were locked and barred. And the water fountain after hole 9 was turned off. If the Gym was not open, there would not have been any bathrooms or water available.
And, there are not any trash cans anywhere in the park. The surprising fact here is that there was not much trash in the park.

ONE ADDITIONAL NOTE: A fenced garden with small shed has been placed covering most of the last 1/2 to 3/4 of hole 15. the fairway has been narrowed considerably on this hole. The fairway has not been eliminated, just now makes this hole that much more difficult.

Just like the other reviewers, I basically had the course to myself. Surprising that not many people play here. It has the chance to really regain its lost luster. And remember this park was designed by Stan McDaniel, so the course was not just put together in a haphazard way. It is very well thought out with trees (or that blasted creek that I lost a disc in-HA!) guarding many of the baskets and mature trees forcing good placement of almost all shots.

I am just sorry I took so long to finally play this course. It was in pretty rough shape when I first took up the game. Well, I will be going back.

-GREAT COURSE! All 18 baskets are installed and ready to go!
-I get to use my drivers!!! What? In the Charlotte area? Go figure?
I like the change of pace from the heavily wooded courses in the area (which I love). But sometimes its nice to have some space to throw. Hey, if the pros can do it, why can't we?
This is an open course, BUT it still requires you to shape your shots around some very large mature trees around the park. From the long tees, you get to air out your drivers. However, there are not any easy shots. The trees require you to throw low, curve in left, right, avoid water etc... You have to make choices and hope they are good ones.

-NO ONE WAS THERE? It's a very cool course, not sure why more people don't play it?
-Creek on hole 11. It begs you to curve a shot to the right to get close to the basket, but beware. There is a creek very close to the edge and it is not a creek you want to wade in. Very muddy, murky and I came very close to a large snaper while I was trying to get my disc back.
-Couldn't find long tees for 9 and 10. They may have been on the sidewalk (spray painted) and they have worn off over time.

-It's a fun and fair course, but this is not an easy course. So don't brush it off as a mild mannered muni-course for beginners. It might seem like it for the first 5 holes, but it gets tricky once you work your way to the back of the park for holes 6-13.
-I could see tournaments or local leagues being held out here. Not sure why this course isn't being used as much?
-Go out and play it!

Of course, the biggest pro for me is the biggest con for others. I do enjoy and appreciate a mostly wide open layout with few, if any mountainsides to climb. Largely due to that, I think that this course gets very little play, in contrast and comparison to the many other Charlotte area courses. And that's a shame. Bearskin Creek is a great fun, while challenging layout for Newbs, as well as for old timer Rec players. And it provides ample opportunities for solid Blue and above level players to let them fly off of the tees, while being cognizant of control, because Stan did an excellent job utlizing the scattered trees and tree lines to position tees and baskets and to define fairways and greens, with additional good use of the creek flowing alongside and behind several of the back nine Holes. But at no point, did I think that that disc swallowing creek was unfairly too close or obtrusive, as is the case with so many Holes designed by another famous/infamous area designer. The slight elevation differentials are well used in making upward and downward sloping Holes and creating a couple of very fast and tricky greens. Variances in basket heights also add to the mix. Distance differences demand placement and power driving.
I was dismayed to discover that only the Blue tees have pads. The Whites are easily findable, as they are marked by each Hole's sole tee sign, which are adequate, with their basic information of Hole number, distances from each tee and on very rare occasion, Par. The White tee areas are flat. roomy and well grassed, due, I suspect to my suspected lack of play.
The baskets are old style, single chains DISCatchers, bright yellow from top to bottom, which is helpful to those with less than great vision. Of course, they will occasionally spit out a well putted disc, as number two did to me.
A local Eagle Scout constructed and installed a very fine course overview sign, with map and each Hole's distances. Restrooms and a cold water fountain are available inside the gymnasium building, as long as it's open, or there's someone to answer the doorbell.
Being as open and relatively short as it is, Bearskin is navigable, as most times you can see the basket from the tee and you can see the next tee from the basket. I did have to retee on #4, as I originally drove at the wrong basket. Glad I wasn't playng a tournament.
The course and the park were both well maintained and clean. The only trash I saw was a discarded beer container in the #1 fairway and a very few cigarette butts here and there.

Par assignations. There appears to be discrepency between what's listed here on the site and what is listed on a very few of the tee signs. 10 and 11 are signed as 4's, despite distances tat would generally be too short to constitute such a par rating. Ten is an uphill, hard breaking left to right, narrow fairway between a forest and a paved walkway. 11 is one of the, if not the longest White Hole on the course, with probably the most trees AND the creek, so I called them 4's today, just to make up for the drowned disc penalty stroke bogey on the next Hole, the rattled brain bogey on the following Hole, my mental death on the following deuce or die Hole and my OB penalty following that. In reality, though, by todays' standards, there's probably only one legitimate Par 4 on the course, that being 11 Blue.
There are no benches, though there are plenty of shady grassy areas on which to take a sit, along with several picnic tables between 12 and 13, I believe it is. There is a hot water fountain between 8 and 9, I think, but it's broken. There are restrooms out around 14, but they were padlocked with steel mesh doors.
Though I don't play them, I always look for the long tees and a coupla them were hard to find. The big hardwood at the beginning of #1 needs some serious limbing to make a legitimate Blue fairway.

Dickerson Park is really a nice and pretty park with a variety of activities...the community center/gymnasium building with full court indoor basketball, outdoor basketball and tennis courts, ballfields, picnic tables near the creeek and a contemporary kids' playground. And there was virtually no one there either day that I was, and literally nobody else on the disc golf course.

There are 18 total baskets. Bearskin Creek is an awesome course for open play. Although it may be easy and redundant for advanced players but I definitely recommend you go out to BSC at least once for the experience. Accurate distance posts and not crowded at all. No blind shots. Easy to Navigate. Tee pads are for the long throws and grass for the short throws.

No trashcans and no benches. Not very much of a variety of shots since it is all open. Barely any signage. Only the long throws have pads and you have to look for them its tricky. #7 and #14 share the same tee pad for the long throw. Posts don't have maps

Small creek comes into play on a few of the holes nothing to worry about as long as you alternate your throw.

Bearskin creek AKA Dickerson Park wasn't as bad as I expected. There are still 16 baskets. Shot shaping isn't a priority, however you have to play smart to stay in bounds or out of the creek on a number of holes. This adds to the challenge. I found the long tees which are concrete, by the way, to be a fun play. Baskets are bright old school single chain discatchers, but you just got to love that basket look. There aren't any "hidden" baskets and you know what you are shooting to. I felt the layout flowed pretty good and there weren't many dangerous spots. I was able to use a number of different speed and stability discs to complete the course. Bearskin Creek is pretty much open, as Charlotte Area courses go. You'll see it knocked down a bit for that, but I appreciate the variety and ability to air out some mids or fairway drivers. The long tees are plenty long, they are only about 6' in length but they are all flush so you have tons of run up.

Well, I'm always a bit scared parking here. Youll see some shady cats from time to time. 2 missing baskets is a minus, and there are some holes that could use limbing. The creek isnt a problem for me, but it is nasty and you'll probably be safer letting go of the wet disc. 1 basket was "slightly" bent, but did not effect its ability to catch (Hole7) I did throw to the wrong basket on hole 6 so there is some sightline and navigation issues, however they weren't the worst I have seen. If this park is busy, I can see some crowd/disc golf problems. The course plays around the border so wayward shots could endanger other patrons. I wish the park had replaced the missing baskets, they should be able to through insurance. Near the end pads and baskets get hard to follow, but 1 time through and youll be fine. I felt that it was odd the signage was at the short "grass" tee but not the long concrete tee. Youll have to look hard to find some of the longs because they are flush.

Overall I enjoyed the course. I'd play if I was in the area. CPCC is close by, and will steal a lot of traffic, but there isnt much other DG nearby. 2 missing baskets werent an issue really. 16 was plenty of play for me. I went back and looked at my reviews and this course is definitely above the 2* but below the 3* courses that I have played. I've played 18 hole courses with proper signage and navigation that had worse problems or bad design. The design here was Ok and appropriate for the area designated for disc golf (basically the boundaries of the park). If you are in Monroe and can't drive 40 minutes into Charlotte...check out bearskin creek.

Its pretty open which is rare for this area and even though it is open it is not really easy from the long pads.

The Short pads are great for new players to learn the game.

I felt like there was a pretty good mix of short and long holes and different shot shapes.

Its in a somewhat bad neighborhood although I had no issues

Navigation can be an issue even though the course flows pretty well there can be some confusion from time to time and the long pads dont have a sign showing you where they are so you have to search a little.

Some teesigns are missing which isnt nearly as bad as the 2 baskets that are missing.

Graffiti on a few baskets.

I really thought the design of this course was solid and if it wern't for all of the issues with equipment and navigation I would likely rate this course much higher but alas it has too many issues for me to justify a higher rating.

if you are close by and wanting to bag a course this one is a decent one to add but i wouldn't go out of your way.

As the course is never crowded and the front nine holes are fairly open, you can really take your time and work on your form and distance techniques. Get a few friends and work on trash talking and CTP challenges! Four or five holes run along a deep creek, so keep your throws on the left side of the fairway to ensure that you leave with the same number of discs you came out with!

Several baskets on the course are gone. Some are bent and truly in bad shape. The course winds itself around a park perimeter adjacent to a community center. Not a great area to play solo.

With so many new and wonderful courses around the Charlotte area, this course has certainly been neglected. But, if you just want to go out and throw, and live close, the front nine are worth a drive.

Might be a decent course for kids when starting off. If you are in the area and would like a chance for an Ace you could give it a try.

Course is basically an open field with baskets strewn throughout. In other words there is not much to it...

This would be a decent course for a beginner because there aren't many obstacles and the distances are reasonable.

Other Pros:
- basic tee signs at short tee only
- dual tee areas (short tee is grass, long tee has a cement pad)
- park was mostly clean
- navigation is fine
- some elevation used
- not crowded

I say this is a beginner course because it wide open with a few trees. Experienced players may get bored.

Other Cons:
- old, beat up baskets
- creek has a lot of garbage in some places
- repetitive holes

Problems a beginner may find:
- creek hazard with a steep cliff
- walkways come in play with an errant throw

I was passing through town so I decided to stop. The course isn't really horrible but, after playing some of the other Charlotte area courses I found it boring.

I would play here if the other courses were way too crowded. If you want to play a good course, you will need to go somewhere else.

Dickerson Park/Bearskin Creek DGC is what it is, and I can't say anything more positive about it.

DPBC is equipped with yellow DISCatchers with one layer of chains, one basket per hole. Tee pads are natural grass for the short tees, concrete for the longs. Tee pads are located in the vacinity of the short pads, displaying hole number, distances for short and longs, and par. No map on these signs, but not at all necessary as the course is quite open and very straight forward.

OB comes into play in a few areas, as well as Bearskin Creek, which is in play on holes 11-16. A variation of distances is present. The long tee pads will offer up some challange to this otherwise easy course.

The layout of the course flows well, and efficiently uses its area in the park. Since it is open it is pretty tough to get lost out here.

The layout of this course would be fun for a beginner. I believe this to be one of Stan McDaniel's first projects in the area, and used what the park offered quite well. I'm sure this course wasn't so bad at one time...

Where do I begin? Cons are listed in the order of importance(to me).

Baskets for holes 8 and 13 are currently missing. The tee sign for hole 8 has been spraypainted over, and the sign for 13 is missing completely, which leads me to believe this is now a 16 hole course perminantly.

Course is located in a depressed area of Monroe. My only advice would be to remember the "Safety in Numbers" phrase. Personally, I wouldn't venture to this one alone, and probably not at all during non-peak hours.

The basket for hole 7 is tagged with a "crips" paintjob on the top band(in red, still can't figure this one out). The same basket appears to have been backed into by a truck as the basket tray is bent in on one side.

Bearskin Creek is nonrelenting. The creek averages 5' in depth, and the water is near impossible to see through. Forget any disc thrown into it, you'll just be wasting your time trying to get it out and it will end up frustrating you even more. Bring throwaway plastic for these holes, I wish I did.

Very little technical aspect to the course. The front 9 plays in wide open spaces, with a couple of trees which are easy to contend with and all holes are easily reachable if you can throw around 300'. The back 9 is a little more technical, with the nasty creek to contend with, a dumpster and parking/sidewalks.

As I was playing at Dickerson I was debating the rating of the course. Early in the round I felt at 2 disc rating was right on. The experience got progressively worse, with the vandalism on the basket on hole 7 reminding me what part of town I was in, and then hole 8s basket missing completely. It was a reasonable disc golf course, until hole 13 was missing completely. It was then that I was set on the fact that this course was barely passable.

Totally not worth the trip over there if you ask me. This is the closest course to my job(3 miles away), and it took me over 2 years to finally get out there. Reviews and raitings kept me away from Dickerson. I decided to venture out of the city when the Carolina Clash was happening in Charlotte. Based on my experience here I will never be going back, not with the plethera of top-notch courses Charlotte has to offer. I apologize if this review offends anyone, but the truth hurts sometimes...

It is a wide open course great for a beginner on the first nine which is near the road and seems safe.

baskets were missing and damaged on the back 9, also had gang grafitti which made my wife very uncomfortable. The back 9 is farther into the park and seemed very secluded. It was very empty and not well used they appear to be trying to rehab the park but I would suggest waiting to play here when the construction is complete and probably on summer days when there are more people there. It seems to be in a depressed neighborhood so safety was a concern.

This could be a great and challenging course once they are finished fixing it up. It looks like they are trying to do this.....

mostly open layout that favors big arms. never crowded, except the occassional pic-nic crowd. pretty easy to follow, tee pads are concrete at long posisitions, grass for shorts. the creek is a factor on the last 6 holes.

the creek is freakin nasty... if you lose one in the water, forget it.... probably the funkiest, nastiest creek ive ever seen. this place gets no love, not many people play here. but i like it.

good place to air it out, the wind is usually a factor here, and the creek is a brutal nasty fothermucker

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward -- C (the creek makes it more so for lefties)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities -- C
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography -- C+
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion -- C-
5) Multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them -- NA

I ranked this course subjectively based on my own personal enjoyment factor...more accurately my "personal addiction factor". Since I have played a decent number of courses (115 18-hole, 50 9-hole as of early 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they chose courses to play and explore.

Over time, I expect to fill some of my reviews in with more descriptive verbiage...if what I say adds 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. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

While the Dickerson Course is not set in the most idea surroundings, (the park is located in a neighborhood of lower income housing), the course play very nicely. The site lines for each hole are clear and creative with many ace run hole. Its a great course to practice your tee shots on hittable par 3s. Several large mature trees dot the fairways and pin placements have been set with creative consideration. There really was only one hole that seemed a little awkward (the 10th) it is a short, blind tee shot that doglegs right over a large hillside. A pedestrian walkway traces the leftside fairway and this combination of pedestrian traffic and blind tee shot is a safety hazard; make sure you either have a spotter along the walkway or make sure that no one is coming before you tee off. The tee pad are grass, and usually this is a very unfavorable arrangment but it really isn't a factor @ Dickerson, (perhap the course sees so little traffic that the tee boxes aren't abused).

Dickerson Park isn't a roadtrip course per se but if you're a Charlotte disc golfer, its definately worth a trip down there to shot it. Hope you Ace one.

Open and pretty. Reasonably difficult on the back nine. Front nine is way too easy. Most shots are wide open, so it's a great place to learn how to play DG and throw. There is a good variety between the long and short tees. Most holes play very differently, depending on which tees you use. Good use of elevation. Good use of trees and water to create challenging shots.

I have played the course several times and still haven't figured out Holes 7,8 and 9. VERY difficult to navigate and locate some of the tees. Have not been able to find a guide to tee and hole locations. No tee signs on the course. Very hot in the summer, bring sunscreen and a hat. The course is not in a good neighborhood. I've seen more seedy characters on this course than every other course I've ever played. I don't feel comfortable going by myself. Because the park is mixed-use, it's hard to play the whole course if the other parts are being used (picnics, baseball, soccer practice, etc.)

The course is built on the edge of a recreational area with a baseball, soccer and basketball areas. Best to play early to mid-day on weekdays.
Watch out for the creek that runs along the last 5 or 6 holes.Usually very quiet early in the day, so it's a good place to practice. Don't go to the park in the late afternoon or early evening. The fields on the course are being used for soccer, baseball and various kinds of practice. The course is beautiful and fun but got hits for poor flow, bad signage, impossible navigation, and problems with mixed use.