This course made for a very enjoyable round of golf. Some friends and I were in the area and decided to give it a try. The facilities were good. Tee pads were very nice. Signage was quite good. There's a nice mix of wooded and open holes, but there are a few holes with very steep drop-offs if you stray even a little off the fairway. We spent a LOT of time looking for discs.

Overall, the course was fun and fair. Be very careful on #9. My wife rolled her ankle pretty badly on the major right-to-left slope of the hill which is essentially unavoidable. That was the end of our golfing for the weekend :-(

A couple of lengthy walks between holes, but that's really nit--picking. Really, no complaints.

Unfortunately, I had recently played Sugaree. Rolling Pines is nice and well maintained, but it lacks the personality of some of the other courses in Western NC.

Dual tees on every hole, and even a few Gold tees, all in good shape, many have recently been redone. This really helps make the course playable for many levels.
These were probably the first Kingpin baskets that I have seen, they seemed to be fine.
Great use of the elevation on this property. Just about every type of hole you can think of, yet just a few places to lose a disc.
Mostly Par 3s, but the two Par 4s (#12 and #15) were two of the best holes on the course.
Great tee signs with both distances, hole layout and additional information. I believe they also had sponsorships, which explains why they are so well done.
A pretty lengthy course, with open to scattered trees on most holes, serves as a good compliment to nearby Ft Hamby, a much shorter and heavily wooded course.

The main Con I noticed, and my primary reason for lowering the overall rating, is the abundance of gravel roads on the course. Some of them cross near the green, some run the length of the fairway, some are OB bordering the fairway. I counted at least 9 holes with gravel roads in play (or nearby) at some point. The property is used as a campground for a Music Fest each fall, so the roads are necessary for that facility.
A few holes have artificial OB lines, I'm not a fan of these. If you are on the property, its in play. If you want the hole played a certain way, then put in Mandos, which there are several on the course. On #12, the OB may be in place to save you strokes, because if you go down those hills, it could be a couple of shots to recover. That one may be a good idea.

Rolling Pines consistently ranks as one of the highest rated courses in NC, some rankings have even had it the highest rated. I have a tough time rating a course that high that has so many gravel roads in play. Whether your discs are getting beat up, or you have to be careful of your footing on your shot, they just detract from the beauty and playability of the course.
The local club has done a great job with the course maintenance, tee signs, recent and current tee pad upgrades, but there is little that can be done with the roads.
As mentioned in the Pros, the course has just about every type of hole you can imagine, there are only 5 holes listed as Flat and a couple of those have minor elevation changes. Uphills, downhills, extra tight tunnel shots, valley shots and even the top of the ridgeline, challenging #12.
After a healthy uphill walk from the uphill 11th, it plays 405'/605' along a ridgeline at the top of the park, only about 60' wide with a nice view of North Wilkesboro (trees permitting), this Par 4 challenges your accuracy the whole way.
#15 is the other Par 4, mostly downhill, your drive does have to clear a Mando on the right into an open valley, then a little uphill to the basket. #9 is a true Valley hole, steep downhill that finishes back steep uphill.
The course begins and ends with mostly level holes, but everything in between provides different challenges. #6 and #13 are the two tightest holes, #6 is only 8' to 10' wide, through pine trees, double mando downhill, only 165'/265' to a hanging basket. Then #13, plays downhill through a tight, heavily wooded fairway to a finish on the left.
Rolling Pines is a challenging course that can be lengthened to well over 7000', not overly punishing because of the lack of thick woods, that can also be very playable for shorter throwers. It is closed 3 week of the year for the MerleFest, so plan accordingly and schedule your visit outside of that time.

I can only attest to the short tees because I'm old, but this course has a great mix of open and tight, flat throws, up shots, down shots and all creatively arranged in an absolutely beautiful location that is obviously well cared for by people invested in getting the knowledge out. The ups and downs, while tiring are also not laid out in a way to make it brutal to play. There is really no way to handle a course with this much elevation change without it being a workout, but some courses do it in a way that just eats you alive. I was able to play this one without crashing despite all those ups and downs. It may be that the holes are always challenging in a way that keeps you wondering and excited about what is coming next rather than focusing on being tired.

The only real con that I can say about it is the back and forth fairways can get pretty tight. There are more than a couple places on the course where even a dead center fairway shot is one tree kick away from buzzing someone the next fairway over, not that I throw hard enough to actually hurt someone.

Level, concrete tee pads (all holes having multiples for different levels of play) Highly visible and "grabby" baskets. The whole course is very well maintained. Has plenty of elevation changes without being overwhelming. Nice mix of open and wooded shots.

The only con is the water treatment facility next door.

Great course, great design, and plenty of challenge for all ability levels.

Stepping into a world where disc golf is the pure focus of an amazing piece of property, this is surely one of the smoothest disc golf experiences in the world. Step onto the large and smooth concrete tees, study the clear and informative tee signs, and gaze across manicured lawns over the rolling hills, the large pines dotting the hillsides, and the baskets carefully placed amongst them. No pedestrians, cars, or other activities to distract from the pure disc golf here. It's an amazing sight!
+ Two sets of tees differ not just in distance, but also very often in the lines to be taken, and the way that elevation comes into play. The long tees are a true challenge, where even par is an accomplishment.
+ Elevation is a factor through the course. Many baskets are uphill from the tee, and play much longer than the sign distances indicate. A few baskets are placed on hillsides, requiring careful approach angles and rollaway potential.
+ There's very little rough on the course, making for a smooth and friendly play almost no matter how wildly you throw.
+ Hole 12 is one of the few places with threatening rough, but it's one of my favorites here, a beautiful straight-shot par 4. It could be eagled with an outstanding hyzer-flip, though that's a very risky shot if your angles are wrong!

- The long tees don't make much sense for 95% of the players who will come here. Many of the baskets are too far to ever be parked (as par 3s, they'd be too easy as par 4s), so without incentive to attack on the drive, the course essentially becomes upshot practice. That's not very fun. And too bad, because the lines and elevation usage are often very interesting.
- The short tees are a strange mix of difficult-to-attack tweeners similar to the longs, and some dead-simple must-get birdies. Hole 3 for example is wide open and 200 ft., a stunningly easy hole. Certainly more fun than the longs for most folks, but the level of challenge is inconsistent.
- With so much elevation available, it's surprising to have so few long downhill holes to air out an open drive. Hole 15 comes the closest, but tree canopies block the most fun heights, forcing an extreme low ceiling or a blind over-the-top play, neither of which is very satisfying. The other downhill holes are all short and tightly wooded. Seems like a missed opportunity for more fun and memorable holes.
- I can see why many people find the course to be beautiful, but for my personal tastes, I find it to be a little sterile. Even by park course standards, there's an element of wildness that's almost entirely missing.
- Especially from the short tees, where's the danger on this course? There's almost no OB anywhere, and very little rough. If your drive is astray, your next shot will be longer than expected, but you'll probably still have a clean line. There's very little risk/reward thinking involved with this course, because there's just so little risk involved anywhere. Personally I think the course is too straightforward from a mental standpoint, I feel like I could play it in an unfocused stupor and still do okay.
- That said, holes 12 and 3-long do feature thick rough that hide dangerous drop-offs. Compared with how soft the rest of the course is, these moments of danger are shocking and unexpected. Beginners should especially beware on hole 12, given the necessity of a smooth straight shot to stay safe.

I have a simple proposal for greatly improving the issues I have with this course. This will probably never happen, since the reviews here confirm that most people are extremely happy with the course as-is, but I just want to throw this out there, maybe as an experiment to consider for a tournament.

Add a lot more OB! There are already gravel roads running through the course. Let those either play as OB rivers/creeks to cross, or as lake-like boundaries that you must safely play to one side of. Doing so would create some very interesting narrow fairways and peninsular/island greens.

I think (my out-of-towner info could be wrong) that holes 4 and 10 are the only ones where the roads currently play as OB (12 rightly has the off-fairway rough marked as OB as well). At the very simplest level, I think holes 2, 11, 16, and 18 could very easily be improved by playing with the roads as OB in some way.

Going even further, where those roads aren't available, put up stakes and ropes. At a minimal level, those can be extensions of road boundaries. Or, you can play with more creative and aggressive rope boundaries to force specific landing zones off the tee, USDGC-style.

Doing so would introduce far more risk/reward thinking, that I personally think is seriously lacking from this course. This could especially benefit the long tees, where tightened fairway landing zones could legitimize changing many of these holes into true par 4s, and make the long tees far more interesting and playable.

To me, that could elevate this course into one of the best in the state, if not the very best. As it is, I know that's where the course is already rated on DGCR, but it doesn't even make my personal NC top 20. It's too manicured and smooth, I need more danger.

A very well designed course! The layout of the course was both open as well as wooded, so gave you a challenge yet ease of accessible shots!

Try to avoid playing in early morning, the dewy grass was a bit messy...but probably more comfortable than playing in the heat of the day!

Would definitely return if in the area!

Rolling Pines is a public course on a property that is solely meant for disc golf. This automatically makes it special, as it is accessible to everybody, but still has a private feel.

While amenities are most definitely not everything, this course has some of the best I have ever seen. Nice tee signs and tee pads, bag hangers, numerous benches, navigational signs, hole numbers on the Tee Pads. This course also has some great wooden structures around the baskets and tee areas.

The design of this course is a lot of fun. The designers utilized every hill and valley of the property, and created a good variety of uphill, downhill, cross-hill, and flat holes. While the course utilizes a primarily par 3 layout, there is a variety of distances, ranging from the must get 2, to a struggle for par/hope for bogey.

Navigation was a breeze, as there were signs on each basket, and more surrounding, plus, many tee pads were not far from the previous hole's basket. The baskets were bright and highly visible, making navigation to the basket easy as well.

The land was beautiful. The rolling hills, the mature pine trees, and the well-kept foliage provided a relaxing environment. On the downhill shots, you could sit back and look over the trees at the mountains.

Rolling Pines is a super solid course, and a lot of fun, but there are a few things that put it outside the true top-tier courses.

A few holes played close to others, where an errant shot could end up in the way of another hole's fairway. While the course has implemented a few Mandos as well as OBs, discs could easily be thrown in the wrong place, hopefully not at the wrong time. That makes tournament's here a little bit more of a waiting game than at other courses.

The OB markers were cord placed in the ground, which if it was restructured every month or two, it could work extremely well. However, over time, the wire has twisted, causing some uneven boundaries, as well as some places getting covered in mud and gravel, making the OB a guessing game. However, most of these places should be intuitive, and I imagine it is fixed when there is tournament play.

The long tees are a legit challenge. Most holes are long par 3s that are unreachable for mortal arms, throwing less than 450 feet. This makes the local Advanced/semi-pro player throwing a par-filled round. If a touring pro were to play this course, it could show lower scores and more scoring separation, but for most it's get your par and move on.

This course has no Par 5s, and two designated par 4s. You are still going to throw a variety of shots, with a lot of distance, but this isn't a par 70 monster. I would love to play a course like this, but longer.

I had a fantastic time playing this course on my way to Charlotte. It was a great place to throw through the pines and up and down the rolling hills. Note: The pines did not roll, they were stationary during my visit.

In all seriousness, this is a course I would love to play over and over again, perfecting the lines that need to be hit, and working on combining distance and accuracy. It's a must play for local and travelling players alike!

This property is perfect and Taylor Made for Disc golf. It is beautiful , well manicured , and has the perfect amount of openness and trees to make the course interesting.

There are some really picturesque holes here that will make you stop to take it all in and some really great holes as far as DG lines go as well.

Signage and navigation is very easy.

You don't see many holes that are designed with the pro market in mind and this is one of the few who take on the challenge of pushing pro players to test there skills.

Unfortunately I think they are pushing just a little too much in a few places and that causes several holes that are just non-scoring separators. 90% of a pro field will just get a 3 and move on. Most of these holes are 500' uphill holes that most high level players are ending up just outside circle 2 and having a little layup for a 3. Unfortunately not very exciting for the player or anyone watching.

Several pads just end and there is not much room to follow through without falling down a large hill or drop off. The pads can also be pretty slick if wet. There is almost no room on hole 13 short to follow through.

Kingpin Baskets are not that great. I don't know if it's the light chains or what but they do not seem to catch very well.

This course is beautiful and was very unique but I was not a fan of all of the hole just because of the lack of scoring separation. It is still a very good course but just wasn't as exciting as I expected.

Rolling Pines claims to be the #2 public rated disc golf course in NC. It sure lives up to it. This course has everything for any player of any skill level. This course is maintained beautifully by the town of Wilkesboro. There is plenty of benches and a place to use to restroom! It has a perfect balance of wooded and open areas. I enjoy the fact that there are long tees and short tees. I've been playing 8 months so the short tees are perfect for me. The short tees are also less wooded which makes it more comfortable to test out/get used to a certain disc. The tee offs are concrete which I personally find to be the most comfortable. Playing at Rollin Pines can really make you feel like an awesome player. It's beautiful and great all the way around.

No practice basket
Bees at the tree nearest the basket on hole 11

I just started playing disc golf a month or so ago and this course has been an excellent place to learn the basics. There is a lot of very open holes which leaves a little more room for error, especially for those that are new to the sport. I enjoy every hole on this course and believe that there is good balance between open and wooded areas, although it wouldn't hurt to have a couple more wooded shots. The course is very well maintained and has become somewhere I like to go after work multiple days of the week.

- No practice hole! As a beginner, I feel this is something that would be highly useful to have.
-There were a large amount of Japanese hornets in the hole 11 area and looked to be nesting in one of the tree's by the hole. My partner is allergic to bees and those are known to be aggressive.
- A sewer treatment plant is right beside the course. It gives off strong odors that you can usually notice on hole 9,16,17, and 18. On a windy day, the scent is definitely more noticeable.

I have a blast every time I come on this course! I have played 3 courses total in the last month and I can't brag enough how much better this course is than any of the others I've played, I nearly feel spoiled on it because it's so well kept!

Rolling Pines is located on a picturesque former tree farm, with large pine trees dotting it's grassy fairways, giving the course both its name and signature feel. Few courses I have played seem to get the same amount of maintenance this course receives. I played one evening and a large branch had broken on a tree in the middle of the fairway for hole 15, in less than 24 hours that branch was gone.

Rolling Pines features white and gold tees, allowing players to choose their preferred difficulty. While I haven't yet gotten a chance to play the gold tees yet, you can tell by looking at them that they certainly add difficulty while often times changing up the line you will need to throw, which is my preferred method for having long tees on a course.

The tees are definitely noteworthy as well. Every tee is uniform, with the same dimensions and made of concrete. It seems like a lot of effort has been put in to making sure all the tees are perfectly level, which is a nice touch as well. The drop zones also have concrete tees (Hole 10's is still under construction). The tees also have bag holders, which is great! Plenty of benches throughout the course, so you can stop and relax during your round.

The holes manage to all be mostly open fairways, without being a completely open field shot, which is appreciated. The large pines, for which the course is given its name, force you to shape your shot from the tee, but you are often gifted multiple potential lines to make it down the fairway. With a nice mixture of low and high ceilings, this course rewards you for having a good drive, but won't crush your soul the way some NC courses will.

Elevation comes into play on a couple holes which helped keep the course from becoming repetitive. Holes 9 and 14 are interesting uphill throws. Holes 6 and 13 are tight downhill shots. Hole 12 you are throwing along a ridge with a steep drop off to both the left and right.

There are water spigots throughout the course, allowing you to refill your water bottles as needed. As well as preventing the need to carry more than one bottle with you.

I personally found the signage to be somewhat lacking. While it was definitely serviceable, there were a few holes where the signage could have done a better job identifying the OB. This may not have been a problem in the past, but the OB markers throughout the course were all faded when I played. Clearly in the past both painted lines and red cord has been used to mark OB, but these were often located on different lines. If I was not playing with a local - I would not have noticed most of these.

If you've read other reviews for the course, you will know that the baskets are Kingpin - which are known for spitting discs out. I was fortunate enough to have this information beforehand, but I still had a couple of close calls where my discs didn't want to settle in the basket.

I personally would have preferred one or two more wooded hole. I think the course does a great job of keeping a lot of variety in the way its open holes play, but being in the woods every once in a while would have made the course a touch more interesting. There would be more excitement with every playthrough.

The course is situated next to a water treatment plant, which can be seen from Hole 9's green, and you pass from Hole 15 to Hole 16. There is a distinct smell that is clearly associated with this, but since Wilkes County DG Club owns the land Rolling Pines is located on - I personally can overlook the smell. Some other may not be able to.

Overall, Rolling Pines is an outstanding course - and there is a reason it has earned it's high score here on DGCR. I've only played a handful of courses that receive the same level of maintenance that Rolling Pines does. If I lived in Wilkesboro, this would probably be my favorite course to hit up during the week after I get off from work.

Favorite White Holes: 6, 9, 12, 15

This is got to be in my top 5 of all time including courses all over VA, WV and NC.

+signage is amazing, tee pads are legit and bag holders a plus....on every hole / tee (gold or orange)

+Location is amazing! Winding through the trees and open fields is really breath taking.

+Shot selection is awesome and challenging to choose the right disc and flight path to your Pin.

+Trash cans spaced at more than just the entrance and benches along the way as well.

-I don't usually nag because I'm a simple fella but after a couple of holes I was craving a tight wooded shot other than that let the discs fly!

As said previously this is top 5 course I've played ever, very well done Wilkesboro..........this is a heavenly sight for a disc golf fan!

+ One of the more demanding courses I've played, shooting from the Gold tees. Few courses manage to challenge me as well as Rolling Pines, especially when you take into account how open it is compared to say, Nevin or Angry Beaver, two other very tough courses. The pars from the Gold tees respected my ability to throw 450+', and often demanded it to have a good chance at birdie. It was demanding without ever feeling unfair in the slightest.

+ Excellent shot variety. Throwing from the longs there is a very well rounded mix of lines demanded. There are both longer holes and shorter holes, left turns and right turns, steep uphill and steep downhill shots, narrow fairways and wide open fairways, low ceilings and no ceilings. The course never feels repetitive from the golds.

+ Incredible elevation use on nearly every hole to create distinct feeling shots. There are dramatic up and down hill shots on a near constant basis, with no hole playing completely flat. #12 is probably the flattest, but its a 40' wide fairway with a steep drop off on either side, so elevation still comes into play.

+ Absolutely gorgeous property that is solely for disc golf. I saw one other group of golfers finishing up on 18 when I started, and saw one group behind me half way through my round. Three groups on a beautiful weekday afternoon including myself, not another soul in sight. Very peaceful.

+ Meticulously maintained. The grass was very well mowed all over, save for #9 where it was a bit long. Great for throwing rollers!

+ 18 new, bright, highly visible baskets.

+ Two sets of perfectly level, generously sized, expertly paved tees for every hole.

+ Most tees boxes and pin positions feature tasteful wooden framing.

+ It's mostly free of rough. Avoid turning your RHBH shot over on #3, keep it on the fairway on #12 and avoid fading out left into the trees on #9 and you shouldn't ever lose a disc.

+ Water, restrooms and electricity available.

+ Numerous benches throughout the course.

+ Superb tee signs showing par, hole length, lines to the basket etc.

+ Navigation is simple and requires no map.

+ Most baskets are readily visible from the tees, even playing from the golds. For a first time player this reduces the amount of time spent walking down fairways to assess lines to the pin.

+ Camping nearby. Ft. Hamby has tent sites and a good course right on the property.

Bear in mind everything I'm listing in this section is nitpicking, and did not detract from my enjoyment at Rolling Pines at all:

- No Practice basket. I usually don't use them so I didn't mind.

- I had one spit-out that shouldn't have happened. Normally I'd chalk it up to luck but other reviewers have mentioned it, so I thought I'd point it out.

- There were one or two holes from the Golds that were listed as par 3's that I felt were bordering on par 4's. I'm not even going to claim that having them as par 4 would be more accurate, just that they were pretty damn tough for Par 3's. Holes #4, #5, #14 and #16, while certainly possible to 2 if you're a gold level player, are among the tougher Par 3's I've ever played. To me this is a good thing since 99/100 times I find par on the easy side if anything, but some might view this as a negative.

- While the overall shot variety is truly outstanding, I did feel the short, straight wooded shot was a touch over played. The elevation changes help make the holes feel different, especially in 13's case, but #2, #6, #10, #13, and #17 all have a lot of similarities.

- For a course full of memorable holes, I felt #18 was completely forgettable. Not sure what I'd have done different, I'd have to think about it, but it was weird playing so many epic, memorable holes like 9 and 12, but ending on such a pedestrian 350' hyzer line. That's not to say its a bad hole, just that many courses tend to end in more memorable or exciting ways.

This is definitely one of the best courses I've ever played. Its long and demanding, but also very fun.

Everything about Rolling Pines is simply superb. The golf itself, the tees & signage, the condition of the course property. There is no reason not to go out of your way to play here.

Course is a perfect example on how all courses should be built and designed. Great variety of shots, distances, elevation changes to attract players at all skill levels. Contains all the amenities (benches, signage, trash cans, bathrooms, etc.) a course should have.

Couldn't find many flaws on this course if any. The only hole I think could be improved with a more defined fairway would be 15 from the long tees. Maybe a tree or 2 and/or some overhang could be removed.

This course is incredible. It has a nice mix of open holes as well as wooded technical holes. The course is VERY well maintained as this is one of Wilkes County's newer courses. The course is mostly par 3s but there are a few long par 4s to switch it up. Several events take place at this course including glow golf, dubs, singles events and tournaments of all kinds. I highly recommend trying this course out if you are in the area.

One of the top three courses I have played.

- Area is completely dedicated to disc golf (besides the three weeks that have been mentioned already).
- Perfectly manicured grass. I have been here 5 times and it always looks recently mowed.
- Two sets of tees, both with concrete pads that are more than generous and nicely designed tee signs. The longs make it a fairly lengthy course, while the shorts put it in more a recreational feel.
- Holes have a great design, no two holes feel the same.
- Extras. You can tell that a lot of money was spent in the making of this course. Each hole has holders for your bags, drop zones are concrete and stairs look professionally installed. Every hole has been given a name that is placed on the sign and the basket.
- Views on several holes are amazing, especially in winter.
- While being only a mile away from town, the course is quiet and very tranquil.

Very few and very minor, but if I had to nic-pick...

- No practice basket at this point.
- While rarely an issue, I have witnessed some putts bouncing out in peculiar ways. I've talked to some "pros" who say they don't throw quite as hard at these basket to avoid bounce outs.

Every few months I drive 2 hours to visit this course, and never regret it. If you are in the area and looking for a solid course to try, look no further than rolling pines.

Beautiful course maintained on a nice piece of land tucked away right outside of Wilkesboro. The casual rolling hills offer a picturesque terrain and you throw alongside and between an undulating assortment of, you guessed it, pine trees.

The course has two layouts, one short and one long, both offering drastically different shots so you don't feel like the long tees are the same as the shorts, but longer. They truly play as two different layouts.

The short tees offer a great mix of holes that include every type of shot and is a perfect layout for beginners without feeling like an "easy course" for more advanced players.

The long tees are very challenging, but not because of random trees and impossible lines. It's long without being "winthrop gold" long and forces players to play smart and controlled. There are also OB ropes in the ground which offer even more of a challenge when taken into play. I'd love to describe every hole in detail because there is not simply one hole that stands out...every one is equally outstanding. The mixture of hole types is perfect because Rolling Pines avoids the trap that many courses fall into that have you throwing the same shot all day.

The signage is perfect, the baskets are awesome, the tee pads are some of the best I have ever played on, the layout is perfect, and the views are spectacular on several holes. The course is well-maintained and they even have water pumps on the course so if you're out of water you can just fill back up.

Not even really cons, but there isn't a practice basket so you have to practice at either 1 or 18 (which isn't a big deal).

Custom RP scorecards would be an awesome addition at the course.

Other than these two minor things this course is absolutely perfect.

Hit up Ft. Hamby just a few miles away for a great day of disc golf and if you're extra adventurous go up to Jefferson and play Ashe County Park, another one of NC's best.

Rolling Pines could be that course. First and foremost, this is a disc golf only facility for forty-nine weeks of the year. There are three weeks in the Spring when the property hosts a music festival and the course is closed. But as there are other very playable courses very nearby, I won't subtract any points for that.
The grounds...immaculately mown and maintained, except for that kudzu farm/tree trash receptacle of a ravine to the left of #12's green. I won't subtract anything for that either, as that actually helps to impede an overthrown disc's flight to the bottom of that abyss. MAYbe remove a very few of the lower limbs to open up 14's fairway. Though I did throw into one of those trees, it got through, I made a good approach and putt to score birdie, so maybe not.
The equipment...these tee pads are the best from which I've ever driven. Dyed concrete for a more natural, Earth tone color is an additional unnecessary, but aesthetically appreciated feature. All are spaciously wide with a length of 11' to 12', except for 13 White, which is shorter due to topography, and #2, which is the only hole on which White and Gold share a pad, and that pad is a great big, HUGE square. Another feature that I've never seen on a course is the placement of full size pads serving as drop zones for OB and missed mando shots. All pads are perfectly poured, straight and level, with hole numbers embedded in the concrete. I feel sort of badly for somebody, who placed the 9 upside down on the White pad. The number has been removed, but a 6 is imprinted into the concrete there nonetheless. And all pads are bordered with timbers, which serves a practical, as well as aesthetic purpose. They're sometimes SEVERAL rows high to achieve levelness. This was the first time that I had thrown at Kingpin baskets. Early on, I thought that these chains surely spit out a lot of putts, but remembered the old adage that it's a poor workman who blames his tools and realized that it was my fault and not the baskets'. They have a very unique, almost melodically musical tone to them. And with their bright orange poles and yellow baskets, they are very visible. They're all well set and grounded in gravel, with well cut timbers making boxes around the bases. Though previous review mentioned that in places, baskets in eyesight proximity could cause confusion, the very readable number plate atop each basket and the excellent hole diagrams on each Gold tee sign should help alleviate that. As for the tee signs...excellent; just excellent...for the Gold tees, they are among the best of the best I've seen; big, informative and artistic, giving Hole #, distance, Par, a very good diagram, showing both tee positions, hole nickname and some very informative and entertaining local news and lore short articles. I would strongly suggest that any White level player unfamiliar with the course stop for a moment to study on the Gold tee sign, particularly the diagram in the bottom left. Except for just maybe a couple of instances, you're going to be going right by them anyway. The White signs are less detailed, but are still more than adequate. I noticed that all the baskets in the diagrams are labeled 'A'. Are alternate pin placements for some or all of the holes in the offing? More on that in a moment. Other signage is extremely helpful with arrows attached to each basket pointing to the next tee, well designed Mando and transitional direction signs. Though navigation is generally natural, the signs do help.
The design...WCDGC did an amazing job of utilizing flora, topography, and general lay of the land. Rolling Pines offers a wide variety of elevation, effective length, as well as distance and directional differentials. Playing from the Whites, of course, I noticed that the distances of 250" and 290'/295' repeated several times, but never seemed repetitive. Most every hole offers some play up. down, or up AND down, or alongside elevation differences, but none are Himalayan hurtful. I was apprehensively expecting a mountain climbing trek through dense forest, but was over-joyously surprised to be met with beautiful green grass fairways, where tree lines and well spaced mature hardwoods and Pines defined the fairways and occasionally guarded greens. There are several purely wooded holes, often with Pine needle 'floors', but for the most part, this course is truly moderately wooded throughout, after number 1, a perfectly picturesque, slightly down-sloped open meadow hole, which was a wholly wonderful way to begin my round. Many, if not most courses labeled as 'moderately wooded' means that some holes are heave and hope holes through a rain forest, while most are all wide or mostly wide open. But at Rolling Pines (which has maybe more deciduous trees than evergreens), trees are an integral aspect of every hole's design, without ever being overburdeningly obnoxious. Walking up #17 was pastoral, as it is basically open, but bathed in the shade of towering Pines outlining the fairway and guarding and defining the green. Probably my favorite two design features are the bamboo wall (which I'm now thinking of incorporating into our desired redesign of The SPC) and the hanging basket, at a slightly higher height than the norm. I've always loved hanging baskets. They're just cool.
Amenities...they are aplenty. Abundant trash and recycling receptacles that I credit with the immaculate cleanliness of the course. Big, expansive benches with backs set into concrete at many Gold pads and at 13 and 18 White. Hand cranked, cool water pumps aplenty, though I didn't encounter my first one until Hole 8, which was just in the nick of time. Port-a-Johns and restrooms. The Port-a-John I utilized was clean and well appointed. I didn't check to see if the restrooms were open, but I'm assuming that they are. Professionally constructed staircases for a couple of the transitions, particularly between 12 and 13 White, which is a gorgeous tee box in the woods. Innumerable electrical outlets, primarily installed for Merlefest attendees, but I assume can be utilized by disc golfers any other time. Ample parking that's shared with no other other activity participants. Two big picnic tables at the start/finish point.
The people. I was sad and surprised that there was practically no one else there. Two of them were from my home county, over 100 miles away. Finishing up, I met a very gracious local Master division fellow, who volunteered to go look for my brand new, bright red Buzzz, which I had lost over the cliff beside #12. His slightly younger eyes found it in about thirty seconds, as I had searched unsuccessfully for over thirty minutes. May the powers of the universe bless you, Dennis Wilson.

The cons of this course aren't even cons. No practice basket? If you need a practice basket, bring one. I thought of that when I was there, but really didn't see a good spot to plant one. Maybe in the trees above the parking lot? I'll look next time I'm there. The one other missing amenity is score cards. There should be course specific score cards for this course. A course overview sign with a course map would be good, but isn't really necessary, given the hole diagrams on each Gold pad tee sign and easy natural and signage enhanced navigation. There is a nice big sign at the entrance, which kept me from missing the park.
Maybe a few more White tee benches that wouldn't be in the way of Gold tee players. But as you most often pass right by the Gold tee to get to the White tee, plop down there if you need to take a load off for a moment. I gratefully did a few times and enjoyed the long view.
Some, maybe most pads aren't ground level flush, but if you need more room than these pads offer, you need to change your sport to shot put.

I've fought and debated with myself about my numerical rating of this course. It is definitely phenomenal. It IS among the best of the best of the sixty-some courses I've played. Wilkes County and WCDGC should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. Since a 5 disc rating doesn't mean that absolutely nothing can be improved, as some players maintain, I'm rating it a 5. With a stocked score card box, a practice basket and some more White tee benches, there would be no question about this being a rock solid 5 rated course. As a good/maybe very good Red level/mediocre White level player, I thoroughly enjoyed this course, while overcoming many of the challenges of it to score just under Par. And I could see, from standing on most of the Gold pads that it should offer the same sort of fun challenge/ challenging fun for higher skill level players. I shall be playing this course many Fridays to come, after I finish up my sales route there in Wilkesboro.

Amenities

Benches - Top notch and spacious. Some of the best benches I have used on a disc golf course.

Signage - The tee signs were clear and outlined par, distance, and OB when applicable. Where there are mandatories, they are bright yellow signs and have arrows. Not once was anything unclear.

Bathrooms - There are multiple CLEAN port-o-Jons on the course in addition to a bathroom with indoor plumbing adjacent to Holes 10/16.

Garbage Cans - More than enough garbage cans/recyclable cans on the course for everything to be kept clean. If there is garbage on the course, it's not for a lack of opportunity to throw it away.

Teepads - More than large enough to allow even the most ridiculous of run ups. I like Hole 2's teepad a lot. It doesn't limit you to just the RHBH hyzer route. You also have a nice run up for the straight shot (RISKY). Teepads will also show up in my cons, but when dry (any no pollen) they are 10/10.

Water - Multiple water spigots throughout the course with cold water. I am a city guy, born in Chicago and reside in Cary, NC. I am guessing it is well/spring water and it was delicious. No need for water coolers which is a lifesaver for TD's.

Hole Variety

I throw both RHBH and RHFH, almost 50/50. And on this course, I think I threw RHBH and RHFH 50/50. The variety is fantastic. Power shots, finesse shots, risk/reward shots, safe shots, etc.

Fairways

Every fairway was well-defined and well-manicured. This is my biggest gripe against courses (especially new ones) and RP blew me away. For a course that is just over 1 year old, WOW. Impressed. I have been involved with numerous course installs/maintenance projects in the Triangle area and I now see what the benchmark is. Well done.

This course doesn't have many, but no course is perfect; albeit this one is pretty close.

Teepads

Like I said, when dry they are 10/10. However, when they are wet (morning rounds) or have a coat of pollen on them they are very slippery. Holes 2 and 3 especially. I would suggest looking into resurfacing them with something more coarse/textured? Hole 3 was especially bad from the longs, considering it requires a solid drive to reach the pin. I was limited to a RHFH shot in my warmup rounds due to slipping when pivoting RHBH on the pad with morning dew.

Hole 7 Long/Par Issues

Par is designed for the 1010+ rated guys, which is totally fine. But I don't even see the best of the best getting a 2 on Hole 7 from the longs very often. A few of the other holes could use a new par (16 long comes to mind as well), but Hole 7 is the only one I had a slight issue with.

Widow makers Above

When we played the course this past weekend, I noticed quite a few 10'+ limbs suspended in the trees. These may have been new from wind/storms in the area.. I don't quite remember what holes they were on, except the one on Hole 18 by the basket.. But these should be looked at soon! Which I am sure they will be..

Practice Basket Green

I am sure this was looked into by the designer(s), and perhaps it was concluded there was no room near Hole 1 to put in a practice putting basket? Having one or two putting baskets for practice would put this course than much closer to a 5. Not a big deal for casual round(s), but for tournament play having a practice basket or two is definitely appreciated.

Wilkes County and the club should be proud of this course. It is a true gem in the foothills of the mountains. Every course should strive for the execution found at Rolling Pines. I will definitely be back to play this course, hopefully sooner rather than later! Thanks for hosting the Collegiate Tri-State Challenge. Much appreciated and hope to see y'all next year!

Impressive! This course is great in many ways! The tee pads are great and the areas around the pads are well groomed, including some informative tee signs! Awesome use of the pine trees and hills. Playing up hills and playing down hills. The tunnel shot with a hanging basket is now one of my favorite holes! There are no easy shots, but there are birdie opportunities. The same birdie holes, with an errant shot, can also become tough holes!

Every course has some cons, but this one is nearly perfect! I would complain about too many pine needles laying on some holes, but the course is called Rolling Pines!

I've been playing for over 20 years, and played in 9 states and this is one of the best courses that I have ever played! Kudos to the WCDGC on another masterpiece! I played the first tournament at the course and had a great time! They know how to put a tourney together! Thanks guys! I can't wait to come back through town to play it again!