-Many of the old tee signs, back when Laurens County was a nine holer are still in the ground. A good portion of the old course was in the open. The new 18 hole layout is mostly wooded and away from the open part of the course. That right there is a major improvement, because when I came here there were hundreds of people all around the main parts of the park. Several of the old holes would've been unplayable due to them being in the open part of the course near all of the fields. This may have been a family reunion but seeing over five hundred people, it could've been something more than that. Maybe it was a neighborhood gathering. Or maybe a combination of both. All I can say is that I'm glad that Laurens County is now a wooded 18 hole course that is further away from the main part of the park.

-Seems to be coming along pretty well. There's only one layout but it is nicely designed with some very fun holes. The first two holes are more open, while the remainder of the course is wooded and technical. The starting hole was a ton of fun. It's a 530' par four down a row of trees. You could throw a big anhyzer over the trees and try to catch a nice roller if you have a powerful arm. Otherwise, you'll want to throw safely down the line of trees and bite off a bit to the right side, since there are more trees on the left than there are on the right. Ends with a bang on #18 too. The funnest hole on the course! 295' straight valley hole. Throw your straightest disc level, and you might have an easy birdie. Miss, and you'll struggling to save par from the woods. It's tight!

-Great mix of shorter par threes and longer holes. #16 was my favorite short hole. 220' downhill sidearm through a small but fair gap over a small gulley. #12 is probably the shortest hole on the course at about 180' but it's an an uphill hyzer in the woods and guarded by a few trees. The basket is on the edge of the right side, so a sidearmer could throw a nice flex forehand. #10 and #17 were the longer holes, both being around 500'. Both were challenging with tight but fair lines. #10 has an "S shaped" fairway along the ditch. The fairway was pretty tight the entire way through with a low ceiling, so you want to find a way to throw a mid far and low while breaking a bit to the right side. The approach opens up considerably, but there are still some trees to avoid. #17 is a sharp uphill right to left monster up a trail with some room to throw a driver.

-DiscCatcher baskets on every hole.

-Interesting use of water on the greens for hole #13 and #14. It is a factor, as it is in play on the left hand side. Neither of the greens have serious rollaway potential to where you would land near the pin and roll OB, but if your drive goes too far left on #13 or gets an unfortunate kick left on #14, you could be wet.

-If the park is not crowded, you'll have plenty of room to air out some big practice drives on your way to #1. You have to walk across the field to get to the course, but it is nice to throw some big drives in.

-U disc is a must have to play here. There are flags in the ground, but they are difficult to spot. They do not have the hole # written in sharpie. There are no tee signs or concrete teepads except on holes #2, #4, and #5. I haven't heard a lot on the media, actually probably nothing at all about Laurens County being expanded to 18 holes. Usually when courses are quick to evolve, I'll see something on a facebook page. I really hope this course becomes completed because I enjoyed the hole designs.

-Raw course issues. Hanging branches, vegetation, few bad trees that need to go. #15 sticks out. It's a 354' par four, so it's very short but the second half is incomplete. It's hard to par this hole. Too many trees near the basket without giving a real option to reach the pin on an average length upshot. #5's fairway is over a ditch on the right side. There are overhead branches directly above the ditch, making it difficult to reach. This issue is pretty persistent on the course.

-From what I've observed, it can get very crowded. There are a couple of guys riding their motorcycles all around the course, so it was very noisy. There was a man on his four wheeler with his wife/girlfriend and he sat there motionless for a minute or two watching me as I was throwing on hole two. All of a sudden, he BOOKS it at least 25 mph in the field and pops a wheelie with his girlfriend on the back of it. It was almost far fetched (in a very funny way).

Willie P Richardson probably would've gotten a funny prank call idea by calling a local racetrack telling the receptionist that his nephew wants to be a ATV racer and can go 80 mph on his four wheeler and do some famous tricks off of ramps.

-The course design is really good. Laurens County is very raw so it's not at its best but if the public is interested enough, the course could be very special in the future. There's a good mix of elevation, especially on the final four holes and there is plenty of room for long pads and second pin positions. The fact that this new layout is not in the main part of the park makes for a much safer park. You'll see that when you walk to the first hole. The old holes #1 and #2 were near the ballfields. Whenever an event is occurring, that space tends to be used up. I'm glad the new course is on its own separate piece of land now.

-Review will be updated once tees are installed or any sort of navigation aid is added. I like Laurens County. I'm looking forward to seeing it evolve.

Laurens County Park has multi uses , one of them being a disc golf course . There are several places to park , none giving you an advantage on walking to the start of the course or back from #9 . There is a nice enough bathroom near hole #6 near the back of the park . You may want to park your car there and hoof it to the start of the course , so you can dump your disc bag in the trunk in case you have to use the bathroom .
The Equipment - The tee pads here are set up kind of weird . Many are long and thin , only 2 1'2 to 3' wide . The tee sigs are very basic , giving you just a hint of where the basket is ( You want to walk up the fairways to gage where these baskets are . The baskets are yellow banded Discatchers .
The Landscape - This course is anything but flat . Every hole has a slope or steep uphill ( like #1 ) or downhill ( like #4 ) The course could probably have used a trim , but it wasn't nasty . Most of the holes after #2 employ an amount of trees either lining the fairways , or in the middle of them .The first 6 holes favor a park-style course , The last 3 holes are more in the woods .There is a lake that may affect your decisions on the last 2 holes .
The Course Appearance/Atmosphere - The course looks okay . Plenty of room here . The deep rough in Laurens County Park is fortunately not close enough to the course . . I played this course on a Saturday morning at around 8:30 and never saw another player . The woods section is appealing enough when the lake is used as a backdrop .
The Highlights - at 3167' The course isn't lacking in length . #2 is a downhill 542' open bomb with just a couple of bushes and trees in the fairway at the end . #3 is a station to station dogleg where the last half of the hole goes uphill and between random trees to the basket . The trees force low ceiling shots up the hill . #7 is a wraparound left to right hyzer , following a cement walking path to the basket . You can also take your chances with a straight drive through the random trees . #9 finishes you off with a 254' drive from a tee pad right next to the lake , bending your midrange/driver upwards and to the right , passing over a small part of the lake .
The Time - It took me about 35 minutes plus to play the course , and 10 minutes total to both walk to hole #1 from where I parked my car at the bathrooms , and from #9 back to the car .

#1 The Equipment - The tee pads are kind of dangerous . The holes can and will afford runups for all but maybe 8 & 9 . Hitting the edges of these thin pads may afford you an ankle sprain ,,,, or worse . Good tee signs would enhance the course looks from the pads .
#2 Course Design - First hole is throwing almost from the chain link fence of the courts , which makes tee #1 hard to see from the road , to the basket with sits next to the dog park . #4 is a downhill blast through a low canopy of trees . The basket sits to the side of a swampy mess . If your disc rolls in there , good luck . The #5 basket sits less than 30 feet in front of the #6 tee , which the player on the #5 tee cannot see . How would you like to get smacked with someone's driver while following through with you own drive on the #6 tee ? !
#8 will make you wonder whether throwing it is worth the trouble . Use a spotter if you have one . You throw a blind shot through the trees sloping downhill and to the right , to a basket sitting right next to the lake . I'm sure the lake has claimed many an unsuspecting player's putter or midrange from just a little overthrowing , or a rollaway .
#3 " Dude , Where's My Car ? " . This qualifies as one of the longest walks back to a car from the #9 basket . Some say 4/10 of a mile , and I say maybe 2 zip codes away . I am hoping that the parks board envisioned adding enough holes to make a loop and just hasn't done it yet .
#4 It's 9 holes .

This course has some promise to it . I walked the grounds after I finished my round ( No , it wasn't because I was lost looking for my car ) and saw extra land to not only make it a 18 hole course , but possibly loop around to where it is at least close to a parking lot . If you could start it where #6 ends , it would be close to parking , the bathrooms and a nice shelter about 20 yards away . Some of these holes are solid , just that some of them have flaws , too . This course is what the Laurens area needed . It sits almost right at the fork where I-385 and I-26 meet , and some distance away from any other courses . Challenging , I feel that the course favors eft hand forehand throwers (L to R ) , has plenty of elevation and risk/reward shots to keep even the better players interested . I'm hoping that the locals don't give up on the course before the finished product .
My Recommendation - A workout for only being 9 holes, this course might cater to the slightly more seasoned player . Pretty hard for intros , newbies families and dates , this course will favor locals , intermediates , Ams , and maybe even pros . The course is not far off of I-385 and not too far from I-26 , it's not terrible for a leg stretch for travelers or a quick pickup for Course Collectors . I would just tell you the Choice Is Yours !

Laurens County Park is a great scene for a disc golf course. Right next to the airport, and a large natural area, this is a solid park. Just be prepared for a walk.
- There are some good holes. The setup is there for an even better layout.
- #2 & 7 are the only holes that aren't over complicated. #2 is an open-field, downhole 524-foot layout. One of several holes for players to unleash big drives. #7 is a straight layout in between the trees, at 324 feet. Ignore the design on the tee sign, which clearly was drawn by a blind person. The fairway is straight, not a dogleg.
- There's a mixture of open holes, wooded holes, and quasi-wooded holes - three of each. As such, distance is a benefit on several holes, accuracy on others. And better yet, several holes require smart shot placement as they're multi-shot holes.
- There are several risk/reward holes - #4, 8, and 9 - where an aggressive tee shot can lead to a real birdie chance. Unfortunately, all three tilt too heavily to the risk side where the aggressive shot probably isn't a smart choice.
- There's some nice scenery. If you want to get a full appreciation of the park, you're in luck during your 5-10-minute walk from #9 back to the parking lot.

No. No. No. No. No! Easily one of the worst five designed courses (out of nearly 300) I've played. Hole #9 ends the furthest away from the first hole as is possible. The entire course is 3100 feet. You have a 4/10-mile walk (approximately 2200 feet) from #9 back to the parking lot. Any positive feelings I had about the course were lost during that walk.
- The course seems like it was laid out by non-disc golfers. If you did design this, and you are a disc golfer, well then. I was wrong. There are just weird, awkward angles, layouts, and flows to holes.
- Why are you throwing directly at a swamp on 4? Why are you throwing blindly, downhill, directly at a pond on #8? Why are there so many blind tee shots, especially when it's important to know where the basket is, a la #3, 4, 5, and 8? As mentioned above, sadly #2 is the most logically designed hole.
- Tee signs are essentially pointless. The hole distances at least appear correct. The simplistic layout designs offer little to no help.
- In The Office, Season 4, Episode 1, Michael creates a pointless 5K run. At the finish line, we have this exchange:
- Toby: Where are we?
Kelly: I dunno, like 5 kilometers from the office.
Toby: He (Michael) couldn't have made it a circle?

Laurens County Park is a nice park. The disc golf portion needs a massive undertaking.
- I sensed things were going downhill after finishing hole #6. Instead of turning back towards the front of the course, the layout turned left and went deeper into the woods.
- The course would be better, and more compressed, if you were to just play holes #4 - 9 twice. You'd eliminate about 2/3s of the extra walking.
- I don't understand the design of #4. You're taking dead aim at a swampy area just 20 feet to the left of the basket. In front of the basket the ground is muddy. Does that mean this area is often under water? Is it drying out? Just, why?
- #6 is also a simple, decent layout. An open, dogleg left design. Perhaps I enjoyed this even more because my disc never turned over and it flew on a rope directly into the bathroom building.
- #9 is a good closing hole. The water shouldn't come in to play. Ignore the water and the fairway is a little smaller. That said, it's a pretty simple par 3.
- The course gets major deductions for such atrocious flaws. It has the makings of an above average nine-hole course. Simply by adding a couple of wide open holes on the way back to the parking lot would break up that walk. The upstate has some pleasant nine-holers. This is not one of them.

First off, I've only been playing disc golf regularly for about a year. Secondly, I live in Laurens and I'm really happy that there is a decent course within 10 mins drive from my house so there might be a tad bit of bias with regards to this course.

The biggest pro of this course is that it as a decent variety of hole types . It has a little bit of everything, a few long fairways, some narrow straight shots, blind holes, up hill holes, and downhill holes. and some with water involved.

It really requires the player to practice different shots and throws to really do well on the course.

I've been playing this course once or twice a week for this past year and I still haven't gotten bored at all with it.

There are only three real cons with this course and they aren't really about how the course is played.
1. the walk back to the parking lot is like half a mile from hole 9. I've recently heard that the parks department is planning on completing the loop so hopefully this should not be a problem in upcoming years.
2. the tee pads are just too small. you really don't have much room through on them.
3. hole number 8 is dangerous in terms of loosing a disc or two. It is a blind hole at side of the pond. If you are not careful you will drive right into the water. It is a par 4 so it is much better to play safe on this hole then to attempt the eagle and lose your disc. It is not too much of a problem if you have played here before. But if you try it the first time you might not be aware of how close the basket is to the pond.

I think this is really a fun course. If the parks department ever completes the loop then I would most likely give this a 4.

When fairways are mowed it has a nice groomed feel to it.

This course makes you work for a good score.

Good use of elevation here. Water comes into play on the last two holes.

Great use of obstacles (trees, hills, valleys, etc)

***Note: When this course is not mowed it can be a course to lose a disc or two.

The rough can make a few holes not worth playing. e a few discs.

Only 9 baskets. Could put in a second set of tees and make this a better course.

Lots of land here. I'd love to see 9 more baskets go in.

Sadly, this course is tucked in an area of the upstate that isn't necessarily loaded with a lot of disc golfers. I wish it were closer to Greenville. I'd play it more often if it was.

I commend the Laurens parks and rec department for putting it in to attract us disc golfers to the area.

Nice change of paced from most 9 hole courses I've played. Long open holes with nice elevation changes on most. Quite country setting. Nice signs and easy to follow layout.

Tee pads are about 6' by 2.5' and are raised. Possibly, the most frustrating teepads I've ever played on. Hole 4 doesn't really have a fairway and there are too many trees guarding the pin. The line to the basket takes you right over the #5 tee pad which is only 25 ' from the #4 basket. This is a major design flaw. Hole 5 does not have a defined fairway. I know what they were thinking but I don't think they achieved it. More work needs to be done on these 2 holes. The walk from #9 to the parking lot is about 1/2 a mile.

There is a ton of potential for this course and with an additional 9 that completes the loop, it could be a 3.5 or higher rated course. With that being said, for now my overall rating of the couse is 2.66 On a scale of 1-5, with 5 the best. This is my formula.

Hole 1 - 3.50
Hole 2 - 3.75
Hole 3 - 2.75
Hole 4 - 1.75
Hole 5. -1.50
Hole 6 - 3.00
Hole 7 - 2.50
Hole 8 - 2.00
Hole 9 - 3.25

This is not your average 9-hole pitch-&-putt. There are plenty of chances to open up, with holes over 400 or even 500'; not par-4s, but long par-3s. It has plenty of elevation and variety, and most of the holes are good or very good.

The first 6 holes are pretty open; then it transitions into a hardwood forest for the last 3, 2 of which have a pond in play.

Easily navigated without a map.

Close to interstate; easy for travelers to visit while passing through the area.

The biggest con is that the #9 basket is about a half-mile from the #1 tee.

The teepads are quite small, maybe 8' x 3', and raised concrete so it's very hard to get any kind of run-up on them. A number of pads are dangerously close to baskets, and in landing areas for those baskets.

A couple of holes requiring throwng over small trees---there's no real route otherwise. Odd.

It's a new course and will subject to adjustment and improvement over time.

There is great potential with future expansion to 18 holes to have a very good course---one worth driving to check out. The property is well-suited to disc golf; expansion will presumaby loop back nearer #1 and cure the layout problem; and the Parks Dept. is quite enthusiastic about it.

First of all I have to say that I live in Laurens and am very excited to have a course in town that is not only fun but challenging and exciting to play.

The second time I ever played the course I brought a friend, and we met the Director and Maintenance Supervisors of the Laurens County Park (also the creators of the course). These guys were extremely nice and approachable and answered all of our questions about the course development. They were equally intrigued by the sport and asked us just as many questions concerning how the game is played and how the course plays in comparison to other courses. For these guys to have never picked up a disc, (and I'm trying to fix that...) they designed an extremely challenging and exciting course.

The Director also informed me that the course is created from mostly recycled materials from other parks and recreation areas that they maintain. The tee pads are made from old picnic table tops, and are surrounded by mulch or wood chips. Although they may feel short at times, the concrete pads really give a legitimate feel to the course. The posts holding the signs with hole information are made from leftover and reused lumber from a park in Waterloo, SC. I really like, and am thoroughly impressed with the idea of using recycled materials to create the park.

SIGNAGE- The course does not have a sign clearly stating the start but the first tee pad can be found left of the first parking lot beside the tennis courts. The tee box signs map the hole placement pretty accurately. SIgns give distance to baskets in ft., par score, and accurate representation of basket placement, even on blind holes. They offer dotted lines to suggest the creators intended path to the hole, although it may not at all times be your preferred shot with many obstacles in your path.

All tee pads are located within visible sight of previous holes.

The course is easily played backwards to create an 18 hole course and eliminate a long boring walk back to your vehicle. (See my Other Thoughts on back 9 info.)

The course utilizes the terrain of the park to make challenging elevation change shots as well as tight wood shots and even shots over water.

The Baskets are nice disc catchers that are very well installed into the ground and stable.

Pars are very challenging on several holes including many of the par 3's and some par 4's.

There is a slight litter problem on the course but the Director has informed me of his intent to install trashcans as well as benches near the tee pads of many, if not all holes. Hopefully this will resolve the problem with time.

The park does not, at this current time, offer a working water fountain but there are bathroom facilities that are pretty well maintained.

Holes 8 and 9 near the water could offer problems to unskilled players and even veterans at times.... The pond behind basket 8 and beside basket 9 is a fishing pond and has wildlife to be reckoned with. I have seen snakes in the water on more than one occasion, so be wary when retrieving wet discs. Any discs that over shoot 8 and drift left of 9 could potentially be lost in this murky pond as well. Beware, but smart shots will produce great outcomes on these last two holes.

The course does end abruptly at 9 and leaves a very long walk back to your vehicle at hole #1. See my Other Thoughts to learn our created back 9 to get you back to your vehicle with a full round under your belt.

Back 9
My friends and I have realized that the course is very easily played in reverse, with a few modifications, and will bring you back to your vehicle with an extra 9 challenging holes to boot.

Hole 10- can be played from the wooden "Look Out" point built into the bank of the pond 3/4 of the way down hole #9 back to basket #8 as a par 3. This offers a dogleg left in contrast to the dogleg right over the same water as hole 9.

Hole 11 can be played from the left side of the picnic shelter just uphill from basket #8. Shooting to basket #7 as a short par 3 through the trees.

Hole 12 is played from the same picnic shelter as hole 11 but from the right side. (its not a long walk back to the shelter) This shot is played up the "cart path" or circling road, over the short fence to basket #6 as a par 4(suggested).

Hole 13 can be played from the bathroom sidewalk straight ahead from basket 6. This hole straightens out the 90 degree elbow shot of hole 6, but is still played as a par 3 back to basket #5.

Hole 14 can be played one of 2 ways.... The first from the area of the tee pad of hole 6 back to basket #4. Just left of the tee pad offers a small "peak-a-boo" hole to reveal the basket at the bottom of the hill. The other way to play is down the hill from basket #5 which offers a tight shot through "the chute" to basket #4. Either way the hole should be played as a par 3.

Hole 15 - from here the course is pretty much played in reverse... from basket #4 you shoot up hill the basket #3 behind the baseball field. It is a 3 down the hill so it is appropriately played as a par 4 up the hill.

Hole 16 is played from basket 3 back around the fence to basket #2 as a par 5 just as hole #3.

Hole 17 is played from basket #2 back up the hill to basket #1 along the 3rd baseline of the baseball field. It is a par 4 down the hill so we generally play it as a long par 5 up the hill. (its over 600 ft)

Hole 18 is played from basket #1 back down the hill to the post at tee box #1(no basket; just make contact with the post with the sign).

I enjoy playing this course and have talked to the Director of the course in consideration of hosting tournaments to help raise funds for the course and its improvement and further development. They have been very excited and compelled to tell me that they plan to extend the course to make 18 holes.... They are talking of making hole #10 across the pond and further into the woods before circling back to the tennis courts.... I am not sure how this will go but we will play it by ear.... Please try the course for yourself and feel free to message me if you would like a guide for the course.

This was a surprisingly good 9 hole course as far as layout goes. Being a smallish county park, I didn't come in with high expectations. So, there are may pros to report:

There is elevation change on almost every hole (except 6 and 7)

Water comes into play on the last two holes, but it only punishes a pretty bad throw.

They made great use of obstacles (trees, hills, valleys, etc) Also, typically on a multi-use park, designers tend to use the fields or fences as obstacles, but I really forgot that there were fields there at this course.

The holes also vary as to which way they curve, allowing for several different tee shots and not favoring any throwing style.

Another pro to point out is that the next tee box is 100% visible from the last basket making navigation easy.

Unfortunately, I had a few cons by the end of the round.

First there is no signage marking the beginning of the course, nor a course map that would tell you where the course goes. I parked at the first tee box located next to the tennis courts. At the end of the round, I realized my mistake as the course does not circle around to the first hole. In fact, it's about a 10-15 minute trek from the woods and hole 9 back to hole 1 where I parked. Word is that a back 9 will be installed eventually that will circle back to the tennis courts which will remedy this problem.

Also, there were no extra amenities. Meaning no (working) water fountain, no benches, and no trashcans., although I understand these are to come in the near future. There were many beer bottles and trash about over the first few holes from recent softball games. (There is a covered patio off of hole 6 with rest rooms but I didn't check them out)

Although the tee boxes are nice and new, they are concrete slab, not poured concrete, so a few of them move beneath your feet while throwing. Also, they are only approx 6.5x2.5 ft. If it were a normal short 9 holer, that wouldn't matter, but since there are holes over 400 and 500ft, it makes teeing off difficult. They are recycled materials though, making them a neat feature.

Overall, I enjoyed the course. It was a pleasant surprise. Also the first two holes are situated about 100 yards from the end of a airport runway and it was fun watching a plane take off as I putted on hole 1.

This may be just my opinion, but I also thought they overused the "blind holes" on this course. I don't mind a few, but it tends to get a little old having to run ahead and find almost EVERY basket. Sort of a love/hate relationship with these...

Very fun course to try out!