Chapin, SC

Crooked Creek Park - Pro 9

2.865(based on 7 reviews)
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15 0
Shadrach3
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 5.5 years 318 played 306 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Decent Difficulty, Decent Design

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 11, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

A collection of challenging birdies that doesn't have particular appeal.

-Amenities: Rubber tees of varying effectiveness, DISCatchers, thorough tee signs with good maps on one set of tees.

-Difficulty: With mostly par-3s in the upper 300s, the course may not be Pro difficulty, but it's more than a match for a player with only intermediate distance. Similarly, though there aren't holes that you'll add to your all-time most difficult list, a birdie is a good score on most of them. This makes Crooked Creek stand out among 9ers, which typical favor novice or recreational level.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: A basic but enjoyable, lightly wooded layout. Most commonly are holes starting more open then working through the fringes of woods to arrive at the basket. Elevation is modest on a few holes, such as the highly enjoyable (7) which fades 390' through a gap and down a hill to the green. Except for a couple easier, downhill, and open holes, drivers will probably be the norm except for those with pro power. Depending on pin positions, some holes turn in to shorter par-4s which provide the best birdies for sub-350' throwers.

-Multi-Pins: There are multiple basket locations on a decent number of holes, offering variety for return players.

Cons:

-Hazard: Almost constant interaction ballfields, park roads, pavilions, walking trails, and a playground. This can be dangerous (especially on a couple of holes that throw blind towards a sidewalk), sometimes a mid-fairway obstacle, and certainly an eyesore.

-Mud: Substantial mud on multiple holes. I played four courses on the same day and this was the only one with mud.

-Degrading Tees: Several of the rubber tees are paltry. This is a bit of an issue if you're throwing near full power.

-Interest: The holes, while longer and challenging, aren't particularly stunning. This is one of those relatively few courses I've played where the added difficulty doesn't really add interest to the hole, just raises your score. With this terrain and length I could see a 9er rising to a 3.5 rating, but somehow the land and design don't really inspire much from me.

Other Thoughts:

The Pro moniker for this layout at Crooked Creek Park may be a slight over-exaggeration, but it's the hardest nine-hole course I can think of off the top of my head. Some days, this course could deliver a treat with exciting birdie chases, but other times it'll be a lot of drive, layup, putt holes. This variability, to me, is the mark of a Typical course. Perhaps for someone who throws a little farther than me, it'll be tantalizing. To me, it's a mix of good and bad with a lot of ugly park hazards thrown in.

-Multi-Tees: Though tee signs indicate multiple tees per hole, the short tees are natural and not obvious on some holes.

~Similar Courses: The more boring stretches of Perkerson Park (Atlanta, GA); Camp Jordan (East Ridge, TN); Shannon Park (Rome, GA).
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9 0
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 305 played 287 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Too Dangerous

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 29, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

-The work put in here was splendid. There are two sets of pads and three holes have more than one pin position. This final nine is very difficult when windy. It is open and allow many opportunities to rip a driver. More opportunities than you will find on the original 18.

-Tee signs and concrete tees. Long tees are marked with blue paint and the shorts are marked red. Tee diagrams are just like the ones on the original 18. They are very accurate with hole information and give perfect diagrams of the fairways. Nothing misleading.

-#5 was a very neat valley hole over a small retention pond. The basket was back uphill in a more wooded spot. Hole has more trees to avoid, but still allows you to bomb a driver without much thought.

-Excellent disc catcher baskets.

Cons:

-The safety hazards are pretty serious on the original 18. The safety hazards on the original 18 are a kiddie pool compared to the hazards here. I mean are we trying to put locals in danger of flying objects? I remember as a kid, I would walk around in the woods on my grandparents' property and sometimes there would be hunters target shooting with shotguns in the woods. I would always worry about being unluckily shot on accident. Pedestrians may worry about being struck by a disc as I was worried about being struck by a bullet.

I am not trying to catastrophize like an angry activist on the media after finding out that Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty due to literally defending himself. Or like a school principal would after a bully gets hit in the face and then responding by suspending the bullied kid for ten days just for defending them self while sympathizing for and sucking up to the bully, thinking they did nothing wrong by creating a bunch of senseless turmoil from the get go. But I have to say that here, there are ballfields too close to the fairways the walking path runs through, the parking lot is in play on multiple holes. Only holes #4 and #5 are away from ballfields and paths. Hole #6 I literally threw into the ball field. It was definitely a bad throw, but the wind was also crazy the day I played. My driver landed in the ball field during a softball game. No one was hit but I felt pretty terrible nonetheless. Wished I skipped the hole.

Other Thoughts:

-If you want to practice some longer accurate drives, this is definitely the go to. But on a busy day, I would discourage you from playing it. It's clear that they had great intentions and a few of the holes really are fun. It was very crowded when me and my friend played. It was a last minute decision and we didn't know about the softball game going on until we got to hole six. It would be a good idea to look on the park website and see if any events are going on. Either that, or just play early in the morning.

-I think this nine holer is overrated. It's not bad by any means, and my opinion could very well change for the better sometime in the future. It is surprising to me that it was approved. I would've thought that the county would have some concerns about safety. Sure, there can be a lot of penalty areas but that doesn't eliminate the risk of interference with other park patrons because every one goes OB sometimes. We all have our off days on the course. Plan accordingly. If there are park rangers, volunteers, parks and rec committee members, etc, then they should really consider closing the course on eventful days.
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6 0
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.8 years 585 played 539 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not a full Crooked Creek, only slight askew. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 28, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Pro 9 at Crooked Creek is a nice compliment to the Original 18-hole layout. The course offers some enjoyable holes, turning this into a solid 27-hole destination.
- On the hole, the Pro 9 is more challenging than the Original 18. The course is spread out across a big swath of the park, so the designers were able to pick and choose hole layouts, leading to a better overall quality.
- Challenging layouts and/or pin placements. Every hole has some degree of challenge and/or risk. The first three holes play next to ball fields. They're probably the easiest holes on the course, but an errant shot will quickly land OB and force you over the fence to retrieve a disc. From there, other holes have some thick rough or tree lines - highlighted by holes #5, 7 & 9 - that will knock down shots and/or lead to tricky shots back to the fairway.
- There are some solid hole layouts here. I'll highlight two of those. #5 is a 438-foot (long Tee, mid-layout), S-curved shaped hole layout. The tee shot is to a narrow fairway with thick rough to the left and a dried-up retention pond OB to the right. From there is a short approach shot to a tight area around the basket. This is a tense, high risk/reward tee shot. A great tee shot makes this a very manageable three. A poor tee shot will quickly tack on the strokes.
- #7 is a 420-foot (or 390, per the tee sign) open tee shot to a dogleg left basket protected by trees. There's a heavy tree line along the left side of the fairway until the fairway angles 45 degrees back towards the basket. As is the case with #5, a good tee shot, which clears the trees, makes this a simple 3, with even a possible chance at a 2. I had a long birdie putt (50 - 60 foot range) that led to a tap-in 3. If you misplay the lay of the hole, you'll have a challenging approach shot, again leading to possible wasted strokes.
- Good flow to the course. First tee is immediately to the right as soon as you turn into the park entrance. Hole #9 finishes just below the Rec Center building, near the basket for original #5. Course plays over/close to the walking trail on several holes. Other than that, you shouldn't have to worry too much about other park goers.
- The Pro 9 offers more chances to throw driver than the Original 18. The course has more open holes than the Original 18, so there is a different feel and flow to this course. That said, the final three holes feel the most like the Original layout. Not surprisingly, these holes are also the closest to the Original course, so you could also find ways to combine the two courses into one 27-hole loop.

Cons:

- The biggest negative about this course is that it is way too spread out. Depending where you park, you've either got a long walk from the parking lot to #1, or #9 to the parking lot, or both. Several other spots on the course has longish walks. The worst, due in large part to a semi-poor layout is the walk from #3 to 4. After finishing #3, you essentially walk back along the side of #3's fairway to get back to the tee for #4. Very similar to the transition from #11 to #12 on the Original course.
- The course had a rough, unkempt feel to holes #4 & 5. The grass in the fairways were pretty high. It stood out so much because the other holes were in such good condition. It's as if the grounds crew doesn't tend to the grass on these two holes.
- Hole distances and pin positions are inconsistent. Hole lengths are different on what's listed on this site versus what is listed on the tee signs. Holes with multiple basket positions aren't clearly stated as to what position they're playing. It would have been a bigger headache if I hadn't just dealt with the same problem on the Original 18. By this point, I had learned to accept this, and try to split the difference between possible basket positions.
- With the first three holes playing so close to the ball fields, I'd feel a little uncomfortable playing the holes if there were games taking place. #2, especially, is a tight fairway with the left side being the outfield fence. I'm not sure if there's a hard and fast rule about playing during games, but at the very least, I'd use extreme caution to make sure I don't have a disc accidentally sail over the fence and onto the fields.

Other Thoughts:

- Crooked Creek was always one of my favorite courses. With the addition of 9 more holes to the park, it is nice getting even more Crooked Creek disc golfing experience. That said, I'm split about how much I feel this is an extension of the Original 18 versus being a completely unique 9-hole layout. The big appeal of the Pro 9 is that you've got a excellent 18-hole course right there as well.
- There's a simple way to combine all 27 holes into one loop. Starting at #1 on the Pro course, play all 9 holes, go straight to Original #6 and finish up at #5. That's a solid 90 - 120 minutes of uninterrupted disc golf right there.
- This course has one of the better closing holes for any 9-holer I've played. It's a solid par 4, 474-foot, uphill hole. A slightly tricky tee shot, along with a mid-range or longer second shot to a basket back to the right behind a tree line. I learned the hard way the only basket you see on the approach shot (when #9 is in position A) is the basket for Original #5. Combine this with holes #7 & 8, and you have a really good closing stretch of holes.
- I enjoyed playing the Pro 9. By itself, it wouldn't be worth a special trip to play here. Due to the fact it's the secondary course here, it's worth the time playing after you enjoy a round or two at the Original 18. That said, this is a solid course. It's one of the better nine hole layouts that I've played.
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3 0
Bwells18
Experience: 13.6 years 19 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid Course but Could Be Better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Compared to the tightly wooded Crooked Creek original 18 situated next to this course, these holes open up and allow to let loose your cannons (though no true par 5s exist on this course except in very certain pin positions).

Good balance of right and left handed holes. Off the top of my head, counted 4 right hand friendly holes and 5 left hand friendly holes.

While difficult, the holes felt achievable for an intermediate level player while remaining challenging for the pro player I was playing with.

Cons:

Hole 8 has a hideously deep creek fairly close to the right side of the fairway that consumes discs like nobody's business.

Most holes play alongside or across walking paths/baseball fields/playgrounds. It's a common use park.

Transition from 6 to 7 is a little awkward which ruins the flow to the course.

The basket for 9 is situated really close to the basket for 5 on the Crooked Creek Original 18, and somebody unwisely stuck a #9 on the back of that basket. Do not shoot for the wrong basket on hole 9 of the pro course.

Other Thoughts:

It is impossible to review this hole without also commenting on the Crooked Creek Original 18. When this pro course is seen as a compliment to that, this course is excellent at providing the type of long distance diversity that the Original 18 doesn't have. However, most of the approaches are fairly similar and there is not a signature hole or truly memorable drive for this course. That being said, it is a solid and fairly challenging course and well worth your time to play it. I drove 2 hours from Charleston, SC to play this course and the Original 18 and was not disappointed.
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1 7
smierzy
Experience: 13 played 13 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 7, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice use of terrain just outside of fields and courts - could be played backwards for a full 18 .

Cons:

Slightly difficult to find for the 1st time , pads aren't the best , but I've played much worse .

Other Thoughts:

Great additional holes to add to original 18 .
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10 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Change of pace 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 19, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course offers a different set of challenges than the original 18 holes. There's a little more length, and a little more room to throw some drives. This is more of a park style layout, so you have to avoid the scattered trees but you have some different options on most of the holes. You'll have to deal with a couple shots that have protected pins and lower ceilings, but you also have some room to try out different shots or throw some rollers.

Improvements seem to be ongoing, I played the course with natural tees and no signage but it appears that the nice concrete tees and good signage are now a positive for the course.

Cons:

A couple of the middle holes had long grass that didn't seem like it saw regular mowing, losing discs in the middle of the fairway gets a little old. Most of the other holes have walking paths or ball fields in play, on a nice day this park seemed like it got a lot of traffic on other park uses.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners will find this course long, but there's enough room that it won't get too frustrating, errant shots aren't too bad to recover from. More experienced players will find the length here a nice contrast to the more technical 18 on the same property. This course isn't worth going out of your way for on it's own, but when combined with the other 18 it's a great place to play.
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6 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 6, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Crooked Creek Pro 9 is a well equipped, fun and challenging course. It plays middle to long distance shots across light to moderately wooded terrain around the perimeter of baseball fields and playgrounds at a Recreation Center. Elevation changes are noticeable on a couple of holes, but not drastic. Not overly difficult, but not and automatic 3 on any hole. The tee boxes are concrete, and signs have been posted.

Cons:

The other users of the park may be near or on parts of this course. A playground is not far from the third hole. A walking path crosses or comes near others.

Other Thoughts:

I don't play a lot of 9 hole courses, and rarely rate them above a 3. This one deserves better, since it is a fairly good quality, and adjacent to another full 18 hole course that is also good overall quality, with a contrast in style. We played on a week day shortly after schools were dismissed, and park was very crowded with children and pedestrians, causing several delays.
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