Sawmills, NC

Sawmills Veterans Park - Original

3.55(based on 23 reviews)
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11 0
dndelli
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.7 years 134 played 131 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sawmills Veterans Park

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 4, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sawmills Veterans park has nice concrete tees, DISCatcher baskets, and tee signs with hole maps. Near the parking lot there is a practice basket and a short 9 hole pitch-&-putt course that can be used to warm up. There are two layouts that are easily distinguishable because the tee signs and benches are painted to match the corresponding layout: red for the short tees, blue for the long.

Players who sling their drives out like a trebuchet (all power, no accuracy) are going to struggle here. A variety of shot shapes are required to navigate the tight and technical fairways in order to score well. Though there are also a few more open holes throughout the course to give players a bit of a mental reprieve.

Clever hole design is used to goad players into biting off more than they need, then punishing them for doing so. Hole 4 is a great example, that uses its shape to trick players into throwing a hyzer off the tee, but will probably reward them with a skip into the creek down the hill. When a straight thrown putter will usually fade down the hill anyway and find its way under the basket.

Elevation is utilized extremely well here, with plenty of downhill, uphill, flat, and valley shots scattered around the course. Hole 7 is one of the signature holes that plays downhill off of a dock. Hole 10 is a great example of a steep uphill shot, on a touchy par 4. Hole 15 is a fun valley shot that will potentially punish missed putts with brutal roll aways.

I haven't had the chance to play the red layout yet, but it seemed appropriately designed to create a more accessible track for a more casual player, while retaining the fun aspects of the long tees.

Cons:

The course had undergone a small redesign due to construction of new walking paths in the park, so at least some of what I list here are likely caused by this. For instance, the tee sign for Hole 12 was clearly wrong, because the hole had to be reshaped because of the path. Unfortunately, the course interacts with the walking paths around the park way too much for my tastes. Too much risk of pelting pedestrians with plastic.

Some of the basic infrastructure of the course are showing signs of age. The tee signs could probably use a bit of an update. Hole 9's blue tee is on the verge of completely falling apart. Hole 14 was missing its basket. And multiple steps and erosion bars seem to have decayed away over time. For a course with as many hills as this one, having these rebuilt would feel incredibly rewarding.

As others have said, Hole 16's tee is precariously placed right where a lot of drives from Hole 7 are likely to wind up. Especially now that the hillside to the right of Hole 7's fairway has grown in thick, and players try to avoid turning their disc over into the rough.

Some of the holes feel like the designers ran out of space. Holes 17 & 18 are prime examples of this. At least Hole 18 felt interesting, since it plays as an island hole because Hole 17 is probably one of the most bland shots on the course. Some of the holes in the middle feel a little stale, but I think I would chalk that up to being redirected for the walking path construction.

Other Thoughts:

If only this Sawmills Veterans Park was closer to my front door, I'd be here a lot! Every local I spoke to while playing here or one of the neighboring courses was super stoked about this course. There seemed to be a sense of pride, which is definitely deserved, during those conversations. That is a testament to the level of golf you will get while playing here. For now I am going to give Sawmills Veterans Park a 3.5 rating. At its best this course is clearly at the level of an even higher rated course, but at its worst it feels a bit more generic/average. So I chose to average those feelings out when choosing a rating. If the course didn't interact with the walking path so much or had one or two more real standout holes, I think I would have given it a higher rating.

Favorite Holes: 4, 7, 10, 15
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10 0
RayRay
Experience: 19.8 years 156 played 35 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Underrated top course in the area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 8, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- challenging technical lines from the blue tees
- elevation changes
- cool factor / amazing aesthetics
- am tees
- NOT a "pinball course". the lines are clean on nearly every hole

Cons:

- lacks overall length (but has a few elite power shots)
- some of the shots were fun but lacked the challenge of the others
- lacks par4s/5s

Other Thoughts:

Rare to find a course with challenge, shot diversity, and aesthetics but this one has it all. Lacks the length to be "championship quality" but hard to find a better technical course with elevation and unique features. A true hidden gem.
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6 0
mx23ang
Experience: 13.3 years 75 played 23 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Slideways at Sawmills 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 4, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great use of natural landscapes and elevation
Good diversity in terms of hole shapes (right to left, left to right and straight shots are needed)
Bright yellow Discatchers that are well marked from tee to green with solid tee signs
Beautiful forest with a nice little brook on a couple holes

Cons:

Not much space in terms of fairway width, a couple are almost poke and hope holes, hole 18 is pretty unforgiving

Other Thoughts:

I love The sidehill lies you typically encounter at some point in your round here, the forest is breathtaking at times also (play a morning round here if possible)
I typically make an annual trip of almost 2 hours to play this course since it opened. Highly recommended
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1 2
JimmyParker
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 10, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well laid out
Challenging without being impossible
Beautiful area

Cons:

None

Other Thoughts:

A great place for a quick solo round or to take a group and spend a few hours. The place is clean and the actual course is really nice. I'll be back.
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2 0
Docxen
Experience: 5.9 years 8 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

The Beginner 9 hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The smaller 9 hole course is great for beginners are people with kids. The trees keep it really challenging.
Really easy fun walk through the woods course.

Cons:

I noticed a lot of trees down some that were ready to fall. Also mushrooms and thorns so watch that little ones don't get in them. I HATE that 1 is right beside the playground going down hill. If your new like me it would be real easy to loose control of a disk and it to fly towards kids playing there. There are next hole signs but a few are really faded. Would love some more trash cans on the easy course.

Other Thoughts:

Great course for a newbie or someone with kids highly recommend it. If your coming from hickory be ready for some windy roads and a killer speed bump right before you get there.
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4 1
Jethoho
Experience: 6.9 years 20 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Has potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 16, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Well maintained course on a beautiful piece of land. Well built tee pads (that unfortunately don't always point in the right direction). Tons of elevation change and thankfully, they have steps on some of the steeper hills. Red and blue tee pads on most holes give a little more variety in shot type, and provide a challenge for a variety of skill levels. Great course to work on some longer technical throws. I think that this course has the potential to be a top class course with a few changes. If you're in the area, play Glenn Hilton first, but this is definitely a course worth visiting as well.

BIG PRO: they have added a short 9 hole course that is great for beginners or children. I'm glad they did this because this was previously a course I would recommend beginners steer clear of.

Cons:

The first and most obvious con here is that this course is a lhbh, or rhfh paradise. There's just not a lot of variety of shots here. When i heard they were taking out 4 of the holes and replacing them with 4 new holes, I thought surely they would alleviate this. Instead, they took out 3 right to left holes and replaced them with right to left holes.

Another thing that has always annoyed me about this course is that it is obvious some people put a lot of time, energy, and money into building this course, but they screwed up 4 or 5 of the tee pads by not pointing them towards the fairway.

A common complaint is that this is a pinball course. There may be some truth to that, but typically if you find yourself hitting 5-10 trees on the same hole, you probably just need to throw better. However, occasionally you will be punished for throwing a good shot and some fairways could definitely be made more obvious.

Other Thoughts:

I would recommend wearing a sturdier shoe (i.e. hiking shoe) as there can be some muddy places, slippery hillsides, loose rocks, streams, and roots/stumps sticking up. You will literally be hiking. Overall this a solid course with a few design flaws, but has the potential to be great. Maybe one day they will get it right.
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3 0
gregwike
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

One of the nicest courses in the area! It's apparent that a lot of effort has gone into building this course. Well kept with fun and challenging holes. Great layout with the majority of the holes being in the woods. Great course for those hot summer days when you want to play in the shade.

Cons:

Challenging course. Very tough for beginners, but once you've played it enough to learn the terrain, it gets much easier. Holes 6, 10 and 14 are tough because of the rows of trees that you have to maneuver around. If you've mastered tight alleyways you shouldn't have much of a problem.
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3 0
disctildeath
Experience: 17 years 10 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun technical course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 20, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice park location with less traffic than other courses in area. Lots of elevation change and different lines to play. Has secondary short course for kids, beginners, or short game practice.

Cons:

Possible drainageerosion issues, hole 17 poses slight safety/property risk during peak hours being so close to field and parking lot.

Other Thoughts:

Great wooded course that has come a long way from the time the original nine were installed, new holes were improvements over old ones (five was fun though) and layout flows nice and teepads and bridge were good upgrades. I actually prefer this one to Hilton because if you come early or during the week you can have an almost empty course, great to take your time when playing by the lake and enjoy some peace and quiet. Course can be a bit much for beginners or people not ready for a decent walk through the woods, a few holes, 7 in particular can be a hole for eating discs so you may want to give first timers a warning, but overall this has been a nice addition to the Unifour area.
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2 2
Dickie B
Experience: 10 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Lots of different shots. Course is clean. Very well marked.

Cons:

The course appears to have a different layout than what is listed in the "links-files". I was trying to go by the map, and the signs got me confused. I think there have been some course changes . . . even so, following the signs led me correctly to each hole.

Other Thoughts:

Maybe it would be good to change the layout of this course on this site.
This course is a bit of a drive from Clover, SC, but it was worth the trip.
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5 0
Notverygood
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.7 years 76 played 35 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Another great Hickory area course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 20, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

With this review coming on the heels of my review for Glenn C HIlton, again I have to praise the work of the local club.

This course is clean, well manicured and in beautiful shape.

There are benches at most, if not all of the tee pads, and new ish tee signs that really help when playing this course for the first time.

The Red/Blue tees are very clearly marked and usually offer two completely different shots. Unlike some courses where the "long" pad is just that...a longer version of the short pad.

The course design uses every bit of the great elevation in the park. Long, open, downhill bombs from platform tee pads, steep uphill and downhill shots, everything! A great variety of shots required just on account of the elevation.

Much like Glenn Hilton park, this course is in what seems to be a great neighborhood, and a nice quiet park. No worries or concerns about theft, or shady personnel wandering about.

Although this course plays near the lake, the water does not come into play. However, there is no shortage of beautiful fairways. Several small creeks, valleys and shots that overlook the lake make this quite the scenic walk through the woods

Cons:

There are few cons here.

One of the first that comes to mind however is the crossover between the fairway of 5 and the tee of 16. (I may have the hole numbers wrong, but it is obvious which holes overlap) The tee pads, both red and blue, of 16 are just to the side of the middle of 5's fairway. Although the long bomb shot from 5's elevated tee box should easily clear both tee pads, this is still a potential hazard. Not my favorite...

The last two holes seem like the designer ran out of land to work with. 17 and 18 are both near the road and use the sidewalk for tee pads. 18 was kept interesting by the "island green" rules, but 17 just seemed like a filler hole...

Although not overbearing, there seemed to be no shortage of right dogleg holes. I'm ok with throwing a few in for variety, but this course seemed to really favor the LHBH player.

Other Thoughts:

Minor complaints aside, this course is excellent. Shorter hole lengths from the red tees are easily approachable by the novice player, but still challenging enough for the intermediate to advanced player. The Blue tees seem to be an even better challenge for the intermediate to advanced player, and offer a totally different course experience than the red pads. Great design work!

The elevation used throughout the course is a blast to play, and the scenic woods, creek and lake really add to the enjoyment of this course.

Highly recommend making the short trip from Charlotte to play here!
Also, a short distance from Glenn Hilton, so making a day trip out of it is perfect!
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1 1
Ace22
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Duplicate of Glenn 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 12, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Let me start off by saying this course was a great idea. But I f you are in the area to play a course like this please play Glenn Hilton instead. It is very very similar to the course but somewhat better.

Tee signs correctly illustrate where pins are located and distance and that is a huge plus so many courses neglect this part and as a first time player of the course u really need that guidance if you are by yourself.

There are a couple fun unique holes worth playing here that you won't find in many other places

The cours also does a good job of navigating you toward the next tee pad on almost all of the holes I can easily tell where the path is leading me and where the next tee pad is.

Also it has some fun lines to hit on a few holes but after those things that's where this course starts to become shaky

Cons:

So first off distance doesn't really exist at all from the Reds on all but maybe 2 holes I can honestly play the Reds with a putter on every hole but 7 (and still probably could there). And I know others in the area that could easily too.

Another thing is there are some fairways that don't make sense to me at all when I look at them I mean how am I supposed to par holes let alone birdy when the only viable shot is a tomahawk

And this course is step up for about 80% flick. So if you flick right handed you can shoot a hot round. That is what a lot of the holes are set up for. But if u want to back hand right handed grab every Flippy disc you can find before heading here.

This course is like I said a great idea but it's bigger and better brother Glenn Hilton makes the flaws here stand out a lot more

Other Thoughts:

The course design isn't truly that bad it's actually pretty good. But they had a lot of potential with this place and really didn't maximize it and give the town of Sawmills a home run. The course is always kept in pretty good shape. But drive 10 more minutes and you can play a better course with more open lines and better distances to challenge every part of your bag instead of putters and mids.

Like I said a great idea but it's bigger and better brother Glenn Hilton makes the flaws here stand out a lot more
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8 0
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.2 years 306 played 288 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fired up! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice park in a secluded area. Course still has plenty of potential and the capacity to be as good as Glenn Hilton. I enjoyed most of the holes because they are unique and some really stand out.
-Love the tee pads and tee signs. Very accurate and well marked. Signs are accurate and there are two next tee signs on every transition. Navigation is a breeze.
-Dual sets of tees on most holes. The reds looked fun and forgiving but the blues sure were not for me. Some are really good challenges on the blues. For instance #16 is a great uphill shot that goes into the woods and slightly left up the hill.
-#5 and #15 were really fun valley shots! Also scenic! I also liked #7. The long par 3 that plays off the deck and out into the open.
-Practice basket close to #1. There is also a kiosk close to #1.
-Good use of amenities. Bathrooms, benches, some trash cans.
-Elevation is a huge factor here and that never gets old for me! There are a few great valley shots, multiple downhills (one extreme!) and also many uphills!
-Front 9 is really fun! It provides a good challenge from the longs. I enjoyed some holes on the back 9. I loved #15-17! Also liked #10. #10 is an uphill par 4? Really short for a par 4 but plays really steep uphill! It is a dogleg left that demands a clean shot and clear the hill to set up for an easy second shot. I missed a 20' birdie putt!
-Stairs on the steep parts of the course. I can't imagine how rough it would be if it didn't have any!
-Some really cool greens on the course. Several baskets are on hills and have roller potential but not a whole lot. Which I like.

Cons:

-If you play the blues. You will struggle and stumble! I guarantee you! I don't agree with every fairway on the course! Some are kind of silly and great shots will be sabotaged. Many holes here from the longs provide a real challenge but a few (particularly on the back 9) are challenging but not in the way many people would like. Some are way too narrow, some have too many trees in the way and force weird trick shots.
-#14!! Really?!?! The hole with the greatest use of elevation by maybe 20 feet is the most "poke and pray" on the course? How on Earth do you play this hole?!?! I can't find a legit fairway from the long. The short isn't as goofy but if you can't tomahawk, you won't be happy. This could easily be the greatest hole on the course if it was just wider. It's unique but it's plinko gimmickiness!
-If the walking path is OB on #18, you will be pissed. The fairway is not wide at ALL! If you think the OB on #18 at Stumpy isn't reasonable, wait until you see this! This is ridiculous. It said on the sign "Walking path and beyond is OB." Kind of a letdown after playing #15-17 which are all very fun holes!
-#7 and #16 are way too close to each other. My drive on #7 was terrible and I landed on #16's pad! Loved both holes but keep an eye out. I didn't care really but most people do. Especially in the annual tournament they have here in July.

Other Thoughts:

-As tricky as this course can get, I'm a fan of Sawmills and I will be back for sure. It's very majestic and provides a good challenge from the longs and a fun friendly and forgiving round on the reds. It seems completed on the shorts but still needs a little work on the longs. I'm looking forward to seeing improvement at Sawmills. Like the course now but I don't think it is at its best yet.

Favorite hole: 16. Great uphill par 3 that goes into the mouth of the woods.

Least favorite: 18. This hole is a hindrance to walkers and drivers on the road. It's sandwiched in between!

Fun course. Find time to play it!
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4 6
lammersk
Experience: 10.9 years 37 played 12 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Spray & Pray 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really good tees.

Cons:

I really started to dislike this course at pin 5. Shooting over a ravine with no real fairway and praying that your disc bounces off a tree in the right direction does not make a good pin.

Then we came to 7 and realized that we were supposed to throw over the tees for 16. Predictably, two of our discs came down around the blue tee. When we got to 16 ourselves, the guy throwing from 7's tee came down a little past the red tee.

By the end of the course one of the guys with me just quit out of frustration. I played to the end, but would not go back unless I heard there were major improvements.

Other Thoughts:

By chance, I met two people at the course who had never played it before. They were about my level, so we played the round together. One of them quit before the round was over. Me and the other guy were too stubborn to walk away. And, lest you think this is just grumbling from low level players, on 7 a couple of serious players (with backpacks carrying 50 discs and 350'+ shots from the tee) played through and they were griping about the course too.

Look, it's obvious that someone put a lot of TLC into building this course. There were really nice, roughed cement tees in places where someone had to carry in the cement. However, it feels very much like a work in progress and it really needs the work.

5 and 7 should be signature pins. If you want to know what 5 should be like go to Asheville and play Richmond Hill. At least cut enough trees so that there is a viable fairway. 7 would be a great pin if 16's tees were moved somewhere else.

There's a lot of potential here and if I lived close enough I'd probably swing by once or twice a year to see if the potential had been acted upon, but I would not make this a regular part of my course rotation.
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12 0
1978
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 393 played 50 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Confused 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course on a great piece of property. This course seems to have it all, uphill, down hill narrow, wide open, island greens.... I felt that the course was balanced maybe with a slight edge to the right spinning disc...but many of the left to right holes were decieving and actually need an understable BH disc to complete the intended flight path. The course opens with a few relatively open holes 1-4 and then transitions in to beautiful mountain golf. Up and down hills, across ravines. Plenty of signature views, I think it was 7 that throws from a deck at the top of elevation for a 400+' par 3. Really pretty. The course winds through the woods until you emerge and 17 & 18 are open again utilizing some paved areas as OB. I think this could be an issue sometimes but I am OK with it. Trashcans, benches, and signage were great. Tee pads were mostly appropriate lengths.

Cons:

I really struggled with the rating...more than any other course and below is a detailed critique of some of the issues.

Major issues:
I do not agree with the design style of most of the holes. They start wide and then get very narrow at the end, many greens are only 10-15' wide. It is almost impossible to throw the intended line then just land next to the basket. Green areas really need to be widened. Just off memory, I would say that 75% of the holes really narrowed at the end. I found it very frustrating to throw a great shot and navigate tight fairways only to find my disc 20' from the basket with no putt.
3-4 teepads on hill sides end with no run off. Hole 9 or 10 has an 8' tee pad with a 10' drop right after. It is a 300' uphill hole it is very dangerous and hard to throw off.
Use of pine trees. A few holes, most notably the one above ^ use logs as "retaining walls" The log laid down then the concrete frame laid ON TOP of the log then concrete poured. So, in 3-4 years the pine logs (which rot very quickly) will rot away and there will ba 6"-12" void under the front of the teepad. The pad can break once this happens. Not an issue now but will be. Some of the bridges(board walks) also use pine trees and will fall apart.

Minor: Course opened before concrete cured. A number of the holes had the crete worn smooth before it cured. Some tee signs were not creted in, and were installed shallow and are loose. They will be stolen.
When holes were made, the trees were just cut off into the woods or drug in 90 degrees from where they were cut. THey were not stacked in piles. It just clutters the woods and makes it less playable.

Some holes come in contact. Hole 7 throws directly over 16 and all hyzers hyzer directly into the green of 15. Very dangerous. A 30' long 10-12' tall wall along 7's fairway protecting 15's basket would be a great addition.

Other Thoughts:

I decided to review the course a 4 but then be critical. Great course with AMAZING potential. It really needs the greens opened up. Some of the cons will take a few years...but if they are fixed now wont affect the course. I would definitely recommend this course...mountain disc golf is so pretty...and this course really captures that.
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9 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.9 years 550 played 429 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Sawmills Salute 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sawmills Veterans Park is a good course to visit. Not extreme to a championship level, but requires good placement with drives. Mixes up elevation that can be very considerable, and short to mid-range shots on many holes. Wooded, lightly at first and increasing a lot around hole 9, before thinning way out again on 17 and 18. There are opportunities to birdie on most holes. Some casual water and mud in spots. The problem I had was getting good angles to putt. My tee shots weren't bad, but left me in spots where I had to pitch layups around trees just to get a par putt under the basket.

First hole was open and downhill. Walking trail on the right and road on the left. Woods lurking 15 feet behind the basket. I liked hole 2 with a mando 50 feet from the tee and downhill to a basket tucked to the right in some woods. 5 was also a good one. Down a steep hill across a ravine and up the other side through mature trees. I tend to really like those shots. 6 was tough, long, uphill and to the right. Caught a tree coming off the pad and two putted for double bogey. 7 is an elevated tee from a deck built on the side of a hill, crossing an open grassy area. Long, but should be a fairly easy par. 8 and 9 are shorter wooded holes. 10 is up a steep hill with trees and more distance. 11 is another shorter chance at a 2. 12, 13, and 14 all had some tight, twisty fairways. All fun holes. 15 is another one of those peak to peak drives like hole 5, only bigger and better. 16 tees in the open, but into a pocket up the wooded hillside. Pulled back to back birdies on 15 and 16 somewhat miraculously. 17 is open grassy area with the basket perched atop a hill. 18 is along the walking trail back to the parking lot. Requires some shot shaping to get next to the pin.

The tees were mostly concrete, except for the decking with rubber mat on 7, I think. Blue and Red tees on most holes. Baskets all looked to be in fine shape. Laminated signs give a hole map with distances, and directing transitions between holes. A lot of work went into stairs, bridges, and benches to make this park as nice as it is.

Cons:

A couple of the holes are yawners, 4 and 17 in particular. Walking trail is close to holes 1 and 18. Frustrated by the pin positions around corners and on slopes and behind trees that killed my putting game. Several of the blind holes were left me guessing what to do. This is not necessarily a con, it would keep me coming back if I live nearby. I finished one over par, but I think a lower score is definitely achievable.

Other Thoughts:

Sawmills Veterans Park is in a nice park, and has a lot of fun shots for sure. I give a 4, only because I can't do 3.75. Worthy of rounding up. Check it out, I think you'll agree.
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1 15
Quake
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Sawmills 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 23, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great elevation changes. The lakeside view is amazing and the whole park is a beautiful place. The holes are varied and interesting. The reds are easy to play, but the blues can be very challenging.

Cons:

The course could use a little more polishing.

Other Thoughts:

Play this course! You will enjoy it.
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15 4
BraveThrower43
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 14.2 years 732 played 59 reviews
2.50 star(s)

I hate to do it 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 5, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The following review is based on playing the Long pads.

If you like mountainous terrain then this is the course for you. Elevation change is a theme here.

Hole 8 is beautiful. Teeing off of the deck with a 400'+ Bomb in front of you.

A lot of work has been put into this course and it is shown by the stairs, bridges, and other structures(teepad on a deck). If the course was rated on how much work has been put in then this one would be 5*.

There were several holes that were fun and had a lot of potential.

Cons:

However there are even more holes on the course that seem to have perfected plinko woods golf.

As I have stated before in other reviews, I love woods golf and I enjoy it much more than open shots but in my opinion a good woods course has clean and attainable lines that can be hit, rewarding a good shot and punishing a bad one. I feel that most of the woods holes on this course do not meet this concept.

Several holes have lines that are near unattainable and if you do pure it then you have to get lucky and miss trees that are in middle of the suggested line. Others do not really have a line to hit and you have to just throw towards the basket hoping for a clean look of some kind.

While a fast green is fun and interesting when the majority of the holes are on a extreme slope it can get repetitive. Also the greens are so sloped in some cases that you may find it hard to even get a layup to stay.

16's long tee is in danger if a player on hole 8's tee throws a poor shot.

the transition from 16-17 is weird as you have to walk past 7's basket. This is a good way to get hit imo.

You also cross a soccer field which could be weird if a game is going on.

hole 17 might be an issue if the park is busy

Hole 18 is an anhyzer that throws down a walking path which is blind near the basket. This hole puts walkers in danger.

A few normal new course Items. - no trashcans, a lot of growth in the fairways, etc.

Other Thoughts:

I hate to give a course that has had SO much work put into it such a low score but I do not think that the design is worthy of a higher score. The lack of clean lines and the feeling that you have to be more lucky than good take away from this course imo.

The property and the course have a lot of potential but in the current condition I don't think that the course reaches that mark.


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1 2
Warthog
Experience: 11.1 years 9 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

One of the best in area 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Nice mix of wooded and open areas. Easy to go from one hole to the next. Just the right amount of trees to still allow a path to target. I like the hole where you go from the woods into a field (I think it's #8) to the target then back again to the next target. Being new to disc golf I really struggled with the course often very frustrated but always fun.

Cons:

The holes 17 & 18 while nicely open could involve cars or people who are not observant. Some of the tees could be improved but I'm sure that is already planned for. Not much to not like about Sawmills.

Other Thoughts:

A lot like Glenn Helton only better.
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5 1
BrotherDave
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.7 years 192 played 189 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Super fun 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really nice park, really nice scenery with good elevation. The course flows really well and the hole variety is very good. I played from the reds due to time constraints but the blues looked fun as well and thankfully often offered a different line other than just a little longer. The tee signage is excellent and next tee signs do a great job.

For a short round, you can play a loop of 1-7 and then 17-18.

The course is mostly a technical wooded style but there are some open and downhill ones to air it out. Hole #8 for example is a sweet downhill bomb. Also really like the separate fairways for hole 12. Some of the holes are pretty tight but for the most part I think are fair.

Cons:

This course isn't without its flaws but they're mostly minor and a reflection of being new.

Lots of rutted, gravel tees. I really hate this when the hole requires a very precise BH line where sure footing is crucial. Put concrete tees everywhere and this course magically jumps to a 4 rating for me.

#5 has a steep downhill portion that could use some steps or something cut into it for safe passage. Quite a few holes could have some erosion concerns in the future if the course becomes popular, similar to nearby Glenn C.

#8 is awesome but noob hyzers could take out people teeing from #16 or walking to it.

#9-10 could have some swampy issues. #11's blue tee does not look like fun at all.

#15 needs some limb lopping to improve the ceiling. Fun hole though.

#17's tee is on the sidewalk beside the parking lot. The blue tee in particular is a grip slip away from a busted windshield. The basket is on an island green made by the road, a park road, and a ball field. Not a great hole but just be wary of other park users and you'll be fine.

#18 is another sidewalk tee with the road directly on your left. Fun hole though.

Other Thoughts:

Bottom line is this is a really fun course that I will definitely being playing again in the future. It makes a great pairing with Glenn C. Hilton if 24 holes isn't enough for you. The club is doing a bang up job with this one and I look forward to seeing it progress. It's fun, it's challenging, it's a nice walk through nature mostly. It reminds me a little of Scrapyard or maybe a baby RL Smith in CLT. Some basic improvements that should come in time will bump this to a 3.5 at least for me.
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2 5
gvdg jake
Experience: 14.3 years 73 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very nice 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 16, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Wow. Where to start? This was a GREAT course. Kinda a mix of some Glenn Hilton holes and some Richmond hills with the super steep elevation. Very well marked for being a new course. Only time I kinda got lost was 15 to 16. Nice homemade benches on quite a few holes.

Cons:

No trashcans. If they had them I was blind. Other than that nothing else bad to mention.

Other Thoughts:

A great course. Living in eastern nc I rarely get to play courses with elevation so this was a nice change. UFO club has done a great job on making/designing this gem. If your ever in the area or going through the area...stop and play this. You won't regret it.
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