Marshallton, DE

Carousel Park

3.285(based on 23 reviews)
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0 2
zirex007
Experience: 11 years 2 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Welcome to a real course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 20, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Absolutely beautiful park. Good map available online. All tees are marked.

Cons:

Be ready for some hills!

Other Thoughts:

This was the first full 18 hole course i've played and it was definatlly a shocker. especially with one hole 750+ feet. but i would have to say unlike some of the other courses i have looked at in Delaware this one was free to play and was very clean.
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2 1
zewski12
Experience: 11.9 years 93 played 7 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Wasn't Impressed 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

-Wide Open, you can really see how much of an arm you have here.

Cons:

-To start this course was VERY difficult to navigate. i spent more time trying to find the next hole then playing.
-Signage (if it existed) was horrible. I'm not a fan of the Google earth areal view with lines on it. The lines weren't even accurate. Every hole is so long that you cant see where the basket is you just throw and pray you are throwing in the right direction.
-"Tee Boxes" consist of 2 concrete box buried flush with the ground with a number painted on it. Very difficult to find.

Other Thoughts:

I can't believe there is a PDGA event here annually. The course has potential but it doesn't look like the owners of the farm plan on putting any work into it.
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5 1
Thenshaw
Experience: 15.8 years 71 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Enjoyable and Challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice, Relaxing Scenery. No fee in Delaware. Enjoyable elevation changes. Not crowded on a Saturday afternoon.

Cons:

Extremely hard to navigate. I spent a lot of time looking for next tees and having to backtrack because I had walked in the wrong direction. I had a map and was still lost on holes 6, 8 and 13.

Other Thoughts:

I am definitely an amatuer and have no arm whatsoever. A 250' foot drive is an especially good one for me. That being said, I still enjoy a challenge and some of my favorite courses are said to be truly tough. I really enjoyed the course overall and had fun playing through the scenery. However, I became frustrated at times with so much distance on the holes and felt I had to play the gold tees because they were easier to find. Adding to the frustration was the inability to navigate well and, for me anyway, definitely dampened my experience. I did, however really enjoy a few holes and 3 and 12 really stand out despite having lost a disc to the creek on my approach @ 12. The wooded holes, though very few, were also nicely placed and enjoyable. The maintenance was good for a mid fall day with a lot of down leaves. Not many other players around, but alot of dog walkers and joggers. Had to keep an eye out for them as they were apt to cross fairways often. Carousel is a nice course overall and I look forward to playing through again soon in hopes the experience is better because of some famialiarity with the layout.
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5 1
iHitTree
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 96 played 38 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Don't be hungover! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is really scenic with hills, streams, lakes, horse obstacles and fences, fields, and woods. It is a great course for the difficult end of the spectrum as its pars are very challenging and its distances are huge. Delaware seems a DG Mecca between Carousel, Brandywine, White Clay, and Iron Hill all right in Wilmington area (haven't hit Camby yet). Carousel is a great mix of field and wood and gives an even slice of each, so you'll use all of your shots and discs here most likely. A lot of walking makes this a workout as well as a DG round--a plus for me, as sometimes when solo, I play a running round if the course isn't crowded. FREE. Rarely ever more than a handful of golfers on the entire course (most cars I've seen in the lot is 4). Holes 3, 5, 8, 12, 13, and 14 are A+ holes due to beauty, difficulty, design, and length. They are not only the highlights of this course, but some of the best holes I've seen in the sport so far.

Cons:

A lot of chances to lose a disc here, be careful and come with a handful of distance drivers for your first round here. As big as this course is, the fairway grass is long, and I spent 10 minutes searching for a blast on hole 5 that was a great throw. Hole 3 is a 500+ foot par 3...a little much, but I like the difficulty overall, and this course demands parked approached and one putts to hit par, so this is only a borderline con. There should be a few more birdie opportunities on this course. There are little to none. For those golfers starting after work, there is only a short few month span to fit a round in here on a week night if you can't get there before 5:30-6 since it takes 2-3 hours to play. No scorecards or tee boxes. Tees are colored stones in the ground. Signage is okay at best. Markers to point out next hole could be improved. Lots of first timers get lost here.

Other Thoughts:

This course chews you up and spits you out! The pars are definitely designed for very experienced players. I've been playing for 10 years and throw pretty well. On open tees, 300-350 feet is no sweat RHBH, and interestingly enough, I approach extremely well LHFH (probably due to a left handed baseball swing which essentially combines RHBH and LHFH as you swing through the strike zone and I'm a lifelong ball player). However I have yet to hit par on this course in the 4 times I have played it. I have shot +2 to +6 here and it is my mission to even out on this puppy! This round will take 2-3 hours depending who and how many you're playing with, so think standard ball golf outing time wise for this one!
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3 15
vanzandt
Experience: 12.7 years 11 played 2 reviews
1.00 star(s)

carousel 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

nice scenery and clean...thats it!

Cons:

you cant play if you dont know where your going!the 6 maps they do have are the most confusing thing i ever saw.very inconsistant after hole one its like running around like a chicken with its damn head cut off.not worth going an hour out of your way too play..

Other Thoughts:

The key word here is- POTENTIAL.This can be top 5 in the tri_state area.one day of making maps and arrows on every hole would make this 100% better..just make the course easy to navigate and its top 5 nuff said..very dissapointed
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2 5
Disc Fiend
Experience: 14.8 years 69 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Delaware Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 15, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is beautiful. I love the rolling hills and the constant elevation changes presented throughout the course. I like how water is in play for a couple holes and I also think there is a good balance of wooded and open holes. I Like that you can throw some bombs off the tee on most holes.

Cons:

The course is hard to navigate sometimes. Some of the holes had no signage and it was sometimes hard for me to figure out where the hole was playing. The park was crowded with people, but I am sure it was because it was the first 80 degree day of the year and everybody was out enjoying it.

Other Thoughts:

I am positive you will enjoy this course. You definitely have to play from the long tees to get the full experience but it is worth it, trust me.
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14 2
sloppydisc
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.3 years 201 played 147 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Oh, what this could be! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 9, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course is set in a huge park that has a lake, a few ponds, some woods, hills, and lots of horse pastures. It a pretty cool place with some great land and scenery.

Good quality Discatcher baskets that are in a great shape. Yellow band helps to spot them in a few places.

Lots of open shots and distance where you can really let some discs fly.

A few really good disc golf holes and designs mixed into the course. Some tough shots and some fun shots.

Some good use of elevation. You will be throwing up and down hill. It adds some fun and challenge to the holes that are otherwise a little dull.

Cons:

Tee pads are all over the place as far as quality goes. Some are natural and some have fly pads. Some are marked only by a couple posts in the ground, and some have basic signage. Improvements on the pads would help this course. Same with signs. Especially considering the length and number of blind shots that are here.

Navigation is a challenge. Bring a printed map. Course is long, and there are some walks between holes. While there are some next tee signs, it still can be a little hard to get around.

Too many straight open shots. Not much line shaping. The end of the course is a little dull and monotonous.

On hole 9 and 10 I had to wait for a few dog owners to clear the fairways. There is a dog park in the park, and these holes seem to be between the dog area and a parking lot. Beware of our furry friends when throwing on the holes.

Other Thoughts:

I had mixed feelings about this course. I don't have the arm for the 700' bombs, especially when forced to throw them uphill. But I also thought there were some really good holes here.

# 1 is kind of nice with a downhill throw with a pond behind the basket. Cool hole to start on.

#3 was another fun, long downhill shot that finishes in a clearing in the woods. You need to dodge a scattered tree line on your approach. That approach is kind of a blind shot so lost disc potential could be high in the woods and weeds.

#5 is a fun downhill into the woods shot with the basket located on a relatively steep hillside. Pretty cool hole.

The wooded holes all seemed pretty good to me, but #12 is just about worth coming here all by itself. It a steep, tight downhill shot in the woods. The basket sits at the bottom with a creek behind the basket. It's a truly beautiful hole. Loved it. Just wish there was more here like it.

I really like about a 1/3 of this course. There are some really excellent disc golf holes. The rest of the course though is a little dull. If you want to play a course that allows you to throw drivers through open grass then this is a good place for you. I would recommend it as a great place to work on drives and distance. And as a bonus you get to play a few nicely designed wooded holes.

With a little work on pads and signs, and with some basket position tweaking this could be a very, very good course. As it is, it isn't bad. And every once in a while it is kind of fun to throw out in the open without worrying about accuracy. While some of the open holes finish in the woods, or use enough of the hills and trees to keep things fun, there is just a little too much length and openness for this to be considered an exceptional course.
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15 2
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Could be a lot better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course offers a mix of wooded and open shots over rolling terrain. There are lots of nice elevation changes that offer some fun downhill and tough uphill shots. A creek and a pond come into play offering some risk/reward opportunities. The open shots form the majority of the course with some long bombers and scattered patches of thick rough. A few wooded holes are mixed in and offer technical shots and thick punishing rough.

Most of the holes offer plenty of length, you'll need long accurate drives to be successful here. The technical shots offer a mix of left and right turning holes to make you use some different shots. The baskets are pretty new and in good shape, and the tee signs that are still in place have hole maps and distances.

Cons:

The course is really tough to navigate, with most of the signs missing or broken, and many of the tees are natural making it hard to find some of them. There are some long walks that aren't at all obvious where to go next. The course map online helps quite a bit, but it was still a struggle to figure out at times. Many of the tee shots were blind and long, making for a lot of extra walking to know where to throw.

The maintenance here was pretty bad. Several of the fairways were quite overgrown with thorns and weeds, there were times where discs could easily get lost in the middle of the fairways let alone in the extremely dense and thorny rough. Many of the natural tees were rutted out and not level. The wooded holes had lots of branches and brush on the fairways.

Other Thoughts:

This course has some potential to be a lot better. Better maintenance and clearing, and signage at and between holes would go a long way. The course caters to big arms, so beginners aren't going to have a lot of fun on most of the holes here, especially with the high risk of lost discs. More experienced players will find some challenges, but the course can get a little repetitive with long open shots despite the creative use of elevation changes.
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7 2
KniceZ
Experience: 13.2 years 104 played 15 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Over rated 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- one of the pretties settings I've ever played - well cut horse pastures
- great course for those with 400+' drives
- no fee (Most courses I've played are free but since it's seems to be unique for Del I'll put that in the Pros)
- Good mix of terrain.

Cons:

- Most of the holes over 400, I could not find a lot of the short tees
- As a first time player and no local to tag along with, I spent a lot of time walking up and back so I knew which way to throw.
- Also on several of the drives you will not see where your drives land due to the terrain. In the future I'd play with someone and have them posted 300' down to spot landings especially on the few wooded holes.
- Hole four is a real pain if you don't have a 250+' up hill drive. Anything less and you'll be looking through the brush and briars for your disc.
- Good thing I printed a map before I went. There's no way I could have found the tees and baskets without it. I only saw signs on maybe half the holes with even less "next tee" signs. I guess they disappeared since some of the previous posts.
- Virtually no tee pads, not even rubber pads. (Go check out Signal View near Front Royal in VA to learn how to set rubber pads in open mowed fields)
- Only four truly wooded holes. Several other holes either started or ended in the woods but the majority of most of the holes had open fields for fairways.

Other Thoughts:

Maybe I'm too much of a NOOB to appreciate it but I don't understand why so many folks think this course is Excellent. It's a beautiful setting, BUT with all the listed con - it's Good at best in my book.

I doubt I'll go back till I can throw 350-400'
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4 1
itsthedaubs
Experience: 21.6 years 54 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Has potential 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 10, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is located in a very nice park in Delaware. One benefit is unlike most of Delaware's courses, this is free (no park fees) The wooded holes in the middle of the course make for a nice change of pace. Short and long tees are also a plus. Baskets are in very good condition.

Cons:

Tee signs are minimal, and even when they are present they leave a lot to be desired. They indicate that there is a short and long tee and an A and B basket position, however it does not show you which placement the basket is currently in. Starting at hole 1 we had trouble finding the tee box. This remained a problem throughout the entire round. Hole 3's basket was almost impossible to find (even with the signage) and the surrounding areas were all sticker-bushes. The courses flow is very strange and sometimes results in long walks between holes. This course is LONG. many 600-700 ft holes even from the "short" tees. Tee pads are almost all natural, except for those in the woods, they are rubber and leave you wondering why they didn't use these throughout the course.

Other Thoughts:

With some work this course could easily rate as a 4+ in my book. The most important thing that needs to be addressed is the signage. Teepads would also improve this course as well. Some of the 600-700 foot holes seem repetitive. It seems like you are throwing up hill the entire round. How about some long downhill shots where you can really just let it fly?
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5 1
paramaniac
Experience: 14.2 years 17 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice mix of terrains 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Like my title says, Carousel Park is a very nice mix of terrains. Wide open holes, water hazards, some wooded holes with nice elevation changes.The designers of the course used a beautiful park to make a great disc golf course!

Cons:

The signage leaves a lot to be desired. While there are signs, some are missing, some are out of date or hard to read. There are also a few tee areas that arent marked (i dont remember what hole but the sign is there, but no tee box)

Other Thoughts:

The park was busy with non golfers yesterday but none of them impacted our game. The rough between 13 & 14 is crazy thick and ate 2 discs from my group. Lots of fragrant trees and flowers around made the day smell nice!
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6 0
IAMGT
Experience: 16.8 years 24 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

There are so many positive things to say about this course. Hole number 1 is such a great way to start off a picturesque day of disc golf. When I say day, I mean it. It took our group of 5 almost 3 hours to play this beast. Each hole has something different to offer. You will need a variety of shots in your bag to do well on this course...also being able to drive far will really help! A few of my favorite holes include number 1 and 2 because it is a lot of fun to throw over a lake or near one that has a water feature, which is not a usual thing for a disc golf course. Hole three is a neat hole as you have a great elevation change down towards the basket, which makes for a pretty sweet green to aim for. Another really cool hole is number 12. The hole drops over 75 feet which you don't get to do often, so it was neat to see the disc fly. This course is amazingly maintained as it seems someone who already owned a beautiful horse farm decided to put in the course. The course tries to mix up the holes so you don't constantly play the same type of hole back to back to back.

Cons:

There is not a lot of negative things to say but here I go. The lack of signage hurts this course. A lot of times we needed to run up ahead to get a real idea of the hole instead of just being able to go by the tee signs. There were no score cards at the course, but I was able to find one online. Some of the "next tee" signs were really hard to find, and if I hadn't printed out a map prior to the day, it could have made things even more difficult.

Other Thoughts:

Four of my friends and I took a disc golf day to Delaware to play some really nice courses. If you are planning on playing Carousel, make sure you have plenty of time. You will not want to rush yourself playing this course. This course is extremely long and some of the holes are long and tight. This course is forgiving as there are not too many wooded holes, but make sure you are getting good distance on your drives.
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4 0
roadtrip
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.8 years 200 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 3, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful, challenging, peaceful

Cons:

tough to navigate and easy to lose discs. Not many ace runs.

Other Thoughts:

Variety (shots) - 4.5/5 - very creative paths. Lefts, rights, and straights, with woods, openness, briar-hazards, water-hazards, and pedestrian-hazards.

Variety (distance) - 2/5 - Most all of them are long. I like a course to have a few ace runs throughout the course.

Beauty - 4.5/5 - see for yourself

Trackability - 2/5 - Tees are just orange posts. You have to search for many of the baskets. You don't know where to go after every basket. However, I've played solo twice and I've figured out everything but 13. Directions to the course are accurate though I give extra points to courses that are close to interstates.

Lost-Disc-Hazard - 2/5 - I think the brush by basket #3 is the best pro shop in Delaware. I contributed an Orc, but I pulled out two new discs while searching. You can lose them in the grass, the water, the woods, and certainly the brush. Wind comes into play.

Vibe - 4/5 - peaceful and chill. The people you do see are all laid back dog walkers and joggers. Most holes give some sense of privacy. The times I've been, there haven't been any crowds.

Safety - 4/5 - Teens run the trails alone. The parking lots are open and near the main road. I was shy about taking breaks but they have benches where you'll get the most privacy.

Total - 23/35 = 3.28 star rating
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4 4
disc gopher
Experience: 21.8 years 25 played 9 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 12, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

-great if you can throw 400-500 foot drives consistently, but then again, who can?
-very well cut grass/fairways and there is very little heavy brush and poison ivy type stuff compared to other courses in the area
-braaaand new baskets, gotta love that
-very low chance of losing a disc
-no pay-to-play :)
-its still CLEARLY a work in progress, so it can only get better. this one definitely has ALOT of potential...but still, i dont see why everyone is making such a fuss over this course?...

Cons:

-some holes are entirely TOO long. dont get me wrong, i like a nice 500 or 600 foot hole every now and then, but for the entire course? no.
-there is NO signage. on the back 9 you will spend at least 5 minutes looking for each hole. maybe 20 for some.
-its a long play. took me at least 3 hours to play through only 16 holes because we couldnt even locate 2 of them.
-the walking is brutal. you will be tired by the end of this one for sure.

Other Thoughts:

i WILL NOT be back here until there are signs. i know that the delaware disc golfers have probably done all the work here and i thank them for that; but still....it needs signs. It has great potential. the core course is wonderful. its just quite rough around the edges at the moment.

if i were you, i'd just head over to brandywine or white clay until there is some actual signage here and they tell you where the next tee is.
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7 1
jkdisc
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.5 years 117 played 108 reviews
3.50 star(s)

whoa 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 1, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This place is big and beautiful. You get woods, open, water, hills, wildlife, and great scenery all along.

-great variety
-NO fee unlike some other Delaware Parks
-challenging
-high risk/ reward with so many holes (which I love)
-well maintained and litter free
-so much to do for the rest of the family

Cons:

Once the tee signs are in place this place will be even better. They use the park for cross country meets so do not follow their signs!

Other than that, watch out for goose poo near the water. It is a dog and horse park as well but the animal's waste is cleaned up pretty well.

Other Thoughts:

Bring water and snacks because you will be happy you did. Thorns can get thick if you toss off of the fairway. Other reviews have covered the hole by hole analysis very well so I won't get into that. However, there are spots for different basket placements.
#1, # 12, #14 were my favoites. I will be back to see the improvements in the future!
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11 0
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 755 played 414 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Distance-Drivers Welcome! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 10, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Picturesque. Long. Multiple tee locations. Practice basket. Played the last six holes with Mike Moser, who described many of the improvements planned in the near future, and who demonstrated that ~450' throws are not merely internet legend. :-O

Cons:

Popular park with non-players - nearly hit joggers/walkers on somewhat-blind holes 5-7. Tee locations a work in progress, currently natural. No tee signs yet, although the poles for them have recently been put in the ground.

Other Thoughts:

Beautiful, large park with rolling hills of lush grass, white picket fences, pockets of trees/woods, and a couple of ponds. Very long - mere mortals will have plenty of opportunities to throw their favourite distance driver, a couple of times on some holes (#8 comes to mind). Elevation change, some significant, on every hole - pretty much alternates between up/over hill and downhill/across valley. About 50% of the holes are completely/mostly open, about 25% are fully wooded, and the remainder are mixed. Several basket positions not too far from water - some shallow, some say goodbye to your disc! :-(

Long tees are marked by the solid-orange blocks. The shorter tee locations are orange on top, green at the bottom. When completed (proper tee and other signs, improved tees, a few benches and trash cans), this course will certainly be a great complement to nearby, equally-long, but wooded, Iron Hill, and when combined with the many other solid courses less than 30 miles away, make northern Delaware a top disc golf travel destination.
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4 0
Natural
Experience: 17.8 years 118 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Horses and all 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 28, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really enjoyed this course. I thought most of the holes were well designed. You can tell a lot of thought went into this course. A lot of open air big shots to test your arm and pin placements to keep you honest. Ponds and streams come into play on multiple holes. There are next tee signs to help navigate you to the next hole.

Cons:

Two of the holes share an area with the horse people. The low-lying areas got really swampy. Not sure if this had something to do with the large amount of snow and rain we had the past couple months, but something to keep in mind. Some of the tees are not marked well.

Other Thoughts:

My group had to skip hole 8 because there was a group of people with their horses in the middle of the fairway. This is something that really annoyed me because I have an absolute hatred for horses and most of the people that ride them. Don't know why though. Anyway, the course was really windy when we were there that day. Seems like a place that you constantly deal with some type of wind. All in all a very enjoyable course, absolutely a must hit if in the area.
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11 1
t i m
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 26.8 years 285 played 43 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome land, solid design, needs refinement 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a solid course with awesome potential. It's rough around the edges, but it appears that is due to the newness of the course, and will eventually be fixed. The continuing evolution and refinement of nearby Iron Hill testifies to the dedication and attention to detail of Deleware disc golfers.

This past weekend, my brother and I got up before dawn and did a marathon roadtrip day of disc golf, starting with the longs at Scarboro Hills in MD, then the gold layout of Iron Hill, then the longs at Carousel, then finishing up at Brandywine Creek. Playing that many courses back-to-back helps highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each one, and despite only one round through Carousel, I already have a fondness and sense of great expectation for the course.

The land is amazing -- the grass is sticky, dense, lush green -- just overgrown enough that it makes it trickier to find discs in the field, but not so bad that the get lost. This also pretty much eliminate skips, which can be a curse or a blessing -- on a course with this many drops and thorns, I think the sticky grass is incredibly helpful if you plan for it.

The opening five holes are nice shots -- a few obstacles (pond, OB fence, peninsula greens, etc...) that aren't a problem in calm, but would be very challenging on a windy day. Mostly wide shots for some big air, but lots of elevation change keeps things interesting. The landing area on hole 3 will be particularly beautiful in few years, when fully cleaned up and hopefully grown in with some new grass. Nothing crazy exciting here, but good options for lefty and righty shots on every hole.

The end of 5, on into 6 and 7 bring some serious woods and thorns into play. Fun shots, but all of them are blind (as is a lot of the course). I'm not against blind holes, but blind holes without teesigns makes for challenging play.

Hole 8 is all about the huck -- big field at 800', thorns on the left, with a basket tucked into the edge. Fun par-4 hole that benefits when the wind is high to add some interest.

Holes 9, 10, 11 are a mix of woods/fields, all elevation, with a good mix of left and right throws required. Take you to hole 12, which is one of the signature holes -- a 75' drop down a tightly-treed alley with a stream out the back. Great hole, but the downside is that since the first 60' or so of the hole is flat and the drop doesn't happen until halfway down the hole, there is no way to watch your disc. This hole needs a spotter, but it is also a shame to have such a beautiful tunnel elevation shot without a way to watch your throw. There is something beautiful about watching a disc in flight, carving the perfect line down an alley throw, and here you can't get that thrill... I think a short teebox near the edge of the drop would be a lot more fun/exhilarating for casual players... this is a signature-level hole that has no view from the teebox. It's like the designers got greedy/eclectic and gave up a picturesque hole for a harder shot -- both options should be given.

Holes 13 and 14 are awesome holes. 14 -- especially from the "tournament tee" is a sick shot over the small dam to a long, narrow fairway between awful thorns and an OB-fence to a basket around 700' away. A great par-4 and would be a signature hole as well at most courses.

Hole 14 tees back on the other side of the thorns, back towards the dam and the water. Another amazing par-4 with thorns, a pond, stream and fast green to make it more interesting. Lots of air and room to get greedy on the tee shot, but lots of risk and reward on the upshot.

Holes 15-17 -- see below.

Hole 18 -- Nice hole - not as epic as some of the others, but a good place to finish the round as it offers a lot of potential for greatness and a heavy risk vs. reward mix. 500' uphill with lots of air but a narrow landing area between thorns on the left and OB horse fence on the right. The basket is elevated about 3' on a raised platform green -- hard to land on the small green, and without it, you've got a tricky uphill putt. Again, in wind this will be an awesome finishing hole to test every player's skill.

Cons:

Blind tee shots on almost every hole on the course make this a real challenge. Definitely a course that will give locals an advantage. Not a bad thing, but without tee signs and well-marked distances, the course is hard for beginners to play right now. Hopefully some a-list tee signs (similar to Iron Hill) will be coming soon.

Navigation is tricky. Map available on this site helps, but is not 100% clear in many places. Map lacks distances or elevation or any other helpful info.

Thorns have a lot of beating-in to do in some places, especially in walking between holes 3 and 4 and 13 and 14. Some very marshy places as well. Grass could use a good mowing.

Holes 15-17 are the weak spot on this course. 15 is decent -- an uphill shot that is a tweener for pros. It's a tough 3 or a super-easy 4 on calm days. Much more interesting in the wind... Nothing at all in the way.

Hole 16 feels forced -- it's a short downhill, probably 270' or so, with lots of open air, but the basket is on a steep green, and lots of room for shots to skip past the basket. This wouldn't be a bad thing except that the area past the basket has a walking trail people use for dogs and fishing. Lots of families out when I played, and this hole is asking for a pedestrian injury -- there is nothing to stop errant shots -- especially in wind -- from being a danger to others.

Hole 17 isn't a bad hole, it's just not nearly as refined and interesting as many of the others -- feels like filler -- 15, 16, 17 all feel this way. They are in a busier part of the park and just aren't as much fun as most of the rest of the course... a bit of a letdown, especially coming off of holes 12, 13, 14.

Other Thoughts:

With signs, cleared thorns, bridges, benches, directions, a good map, etc... this will add a half star for sure. If there is a way to add a hole or two somewhere and change the filler holes 15-17, I'd say this course could get to a 5-star rating. The land is there for it, and I trust the Deleware disc golfers not to rest until this course fulfills its potential. A must play if you're within roadtrip distance, especially with Iron Hill just 20 minutes away. Once both of these courses are finished and fully refined, I'd be willing to bet there will be no finer place in the nation to spend a brutal day playing some of the best disc golf in the world. Carousel has all the green grass and open sky that you miss during a round at Iron Hill, and as a pair they are an incredible compliment to one another.

In my mind, Deleware has become a mandatory stop on any serious disc golf tour of the east coast.
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3 1
Godard
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.6 years 65 played 45 reviews
4.00 star(s)

The best of Iron Hill and Brandywine in one 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The design of this course is exceptional. A beautiful balance of woods and open shots, with elevation, shule, trees and water all coming into play at seemingly perfect times. For example, hole 12 could have been a simple downhill ace run with a creek behind it. But instead, the tee is set about 50 feet back of the drop, leaving you no easy way to get your disc down that slope. That next-level thinking is evident all over this gorgeously manicured course. It helps that it's free! Longer than Brandywine, more open than Iron Hill, it's tough but fair.

Cons:

The holes don't fit into an easy par structure... as said below, many seem to be par 3.5. Course is new and has no signage; the tees can be hard to find. Tees are rough. Course is too lefty-friendly, with shule usually on the left side and tight fairways curving right more often than not. Some difficult navigation between holes, like the shule walk between 13 and 14. Low levels get very muddy after rain, and the creek behind hole 3 is a death trap if you're dumb enough to climb down there (like me).

Other Thoughts:

To get a higher rating, the course needs to have its pars established, yardage measured, signs on every tee, and the tee areas flattened and improved. But I can already tell this is going to be my most-played course of the coming year.
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5 1
vslaugh
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.8 years 48 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Championship-Caliber Course with Astounding Shots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 28, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has some really grand shots that really allow you to air it out and challenge some interesting terrain defined by hills, trees, and water.

I really liked how the hills and slope of the land were designed into the course to challenge you to make creative or daring shots. The approach shot to the basket on #14 perched on top of a dam is simply sinister. Other fun and memorable shots abound.

Water, OB defined by fences, trees, and a thick briar patch in one case present clear risk vs. reward opportunities and again test your shot-making resolve in ways other courses don't. There's a good mix of hole lengths, too.

It's also nice how the course has a lot of space but is still accessible to a highly-populated region. It should really boost disc golf's exposure in the region.

Cons:

I didn't like the number of blind shots designed into the course. These would be fine for tournament play, but would be a pain when playing recreationally. For the same reason, some of the rough looks to be a little too rough.

Although I actually liked the grass tees on most holes (they allowed for good run-ups), some were very muddy.

Finally, it seems like the course needs a couple more iterations and tweaks of tee/basket positions before a par is established. Speaking as an advanced am, I felt like there were a bunch of Par 3.5 holes. Also, I really like variety in terms of par as I'm playing, and it felt like playing a bunch of Par 3.5s in a row. Mentally, it would be nice to have a couple ace runs and clearer Par 4s every once in a while.

Other Thoughts:

It's a gem that is worth the trip to play. It will continuously test you, "Are you SURE that's the shot you want to throw?"

Having played championship courses in Western Pennsylvania (Deer Lakes, Moraine), I'd rather have those courses in my backyard to play (more tree cover and less chance of losing a disc). But I'd rather see the top pros play a tournament at Carousel because of the more interesting terrain. I'll definitely be back.

To those who worked to put in this new course, great job!
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