Waterbury Center, VT

Center Chains DGC

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3.345(based on 32 reviews)
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0 0
WhiteysPub
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Decent Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy parking, baseball fields in between parking and 1st hole lets you air a few out before playing. Has some really fun holes in the woods with good elevations.

Cons:

Was very mushy the first couple of holes, leading me to almost bag it after two. Stay the course, it gets dryer. Not the greatest signage to navigate, no signs at tee boxes. No practice basket was seen.
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5 0
Rainbowjon
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Nice for starting out the sport 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

the first real 18 hole course i have played on after doing 9 holes on a local high school course to learn the sport.
3 sets of tees per hole(with gold being added to some) this course is good for beginner and intermediate players

i throw maybe 180-210' and i play from the intermediate tees(white). can park some holes, but like the ability to work on my scramble/approach game when i fall short or hit a tree.
don't hear alot of road traffic on course, usually the rustle of leaves from squirrels or chiming of chains from fellow players. course is very clean and grass height is not really an issue on the fairways. plenty of seating throughout the course.

tees for blue/white are mostly wooden with a few mats on natural ground. reds are all natural. all are solid and level.
plenty of ace potential, but an errant throw will usually lead to a par(seems to be my strategy hehe)

Cons:

Holes 1, 2, and 7 can get a little wet after it rains. but it dries out quickly and there are wooden walkways to help alleviate the wetness.

compared to stories i heard from years back, its alot better today and i can see the improvements (not really a con, just information)

Other Thoughts:

- alot of friendly players who might let you play ahead of them or chit chat for a minute about the course.
-disk lost/found return area between holes 18/1
- definately reccomended for people just starting out the sport.
-great views and a nice time walking through the woods
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2 0
twoods
Experience: 6.5 years 8 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My thoughts 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 29, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is well maintained. Any open grass area was mowed nicely and the "rough" isn't too bad. The new tee pads on multiple holes (1,2,3,4,5,6,10,11,13) are a great improvement. Each hole offers a different shot for the most part. No need for a big arm to enjoy the course. The views from some holes on a nice day are amazing. Even when it is wet out, the majority of the course is hardly affected. If you have the right footwear you'll barely notice.

Cons:

Hole 1 and 7 can get swampy when it rains, but that's nature for you. There are no signs for where the next hole is so if someone is new to the course they may be confused on where to go on some holes. It would also be nice to see a layout of each hole, and how long each hole is at the tee pads.

Other Thoughts:

Overall I like this course, especially when the fairways are well kept, like they have been for the few times I went this past year. I don't have the biggest arm but I don't need it on this course. I can work on a variety of shots from each tee pad and on the upshot. The slight changes to holes 10, 11, and 15 aren't bad, but were necessary due to land acquisition for houses next to the park. I hope all the tee pads are eventually replaced and signage is added to each hole, but that's just something to add to an already good course. I have and would recommend this course to players looking for a free, fun course.
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0 1
david sunoo
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

SWEET 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is so much fun, woodsy but with fun small elevation shots, you can play from 3 different tee positions , well maintained ( I met one of the guys that maintain it very friendly )
Ace run central , challenging wooded shots.

Cons:

Being from Santa Cruz calif where the weather is 74 degrees year round cool with coastal air , it's allittle humid and buggy when I played in July/aug. but not a lot of people so I was able to play Quick not having to wait around and seat mosquitos. Must stay in bounds or you may find yourself lost in tall grass.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course for beginners as the short tees lend to easy play
Love it all and thank you folks that maintain the course without you it ain't happening.
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2 0
HomemadeBasket
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.5 years 64 played 39 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Up down, up down, up down 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice tee pads on most holes.
Good chains that played well.
Fair tee shots and fair looks at pins.
Lots of elevation changes.
Super cool downhill shots throughout the course.
Good use of space here.
Port a pots and trash cans at start/end of course.
Drinking fountains at start of course.
Short challenging layout.

Cons:

Directional markers could be improved.
No tee signs showing hole layout , distance or par.
Lots of uphill climbs.
Long grass throughout the course.

Other Thoughts:

Lots of great shots here. Really enjoyed the downhill holes on this one. It's up and down hills all day, but not really going to kill you like other hilly courses. The climbs are well worth the shots that reward you at the top. Course could use a mow, and some tee signs. All in all this is a great mid sized course that I will gladly play again!
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3 2
mike3216
Experience: 8.6 years 13 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Pretty Course, Short But Challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

I like this course a lot. Fairways tend to be tight, and the baskets are often tucked away under trees and rarely offer a clean line. The course is short, but definitely offers plenty of challenge at my playing level. The course is in a beautiful section of Vermont, and great views abound.

Cons:

Cut the long grass next to the fairways! I threw a bright orange Firebird into the grass, and I was watching it like a hawk when it went down. Still, gone forever. It really limits the shots I am going to take on this course, because I don't have unlimited funds to replace discs that are lost five feet off the fairways.

Need some actual signage out there. Very difficult to see the shape of the hole sometimes, and figuring out where to go for the next hole is tough for certain holes.

Other Thoughts:

It was a little wet after a couple of days of rain. It was messy, but still very playable.
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0 5
sapster1990
Experience: 17 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

really fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 21, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Fun course
Multiple tees for different levels
Multiple elevation changes
Very varied course with multiple shots needed.

Cons:

grass on hole 1 is long
water on 1 can be muddy
Not near anything of merit

Other Thoughts:

Super fun time. Overall awesome.
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1 4
2 Chainz
Experience: 10 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Center Chains DGC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 15, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Long drives, dog legs both left and right, tons of elevation changes made for fun driving. The course has a variety of tees ranging from pro to beginner so there is a spot for everybody. Mainly open so there's not a large chance to lose a disk. Open holes and wooded holes add a nice variety for play style. A few trees are right in the driving line on a few holes which is an opportunity for a hyzer/anhyzer shot.

Cons:

Water hazard at Hole 1 and the stream hole are a problem if your disc curves left on the drive but in both cases the disc is retrievable. Fairway grass is longer than most courses.

Other Thoughts:

Parking on the weekends can be challenging with youth soccer taking place on the fields before the course. Popular course so be patient with other golfers. If you don't spend time looking for discs then this is a fast enough course to be played twice. Every hole is considered par 3.
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4 0
rosh
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

enjoayable round when passing by 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Decent variety of shots, woods, open, dog leg left, right
Pretty course
Next tee easy to find in all but a couple of cases
Multiple tees
Was ther mid afternoon and the course was empty
Course was in good overall shape

Cons:

Lack of signage at tee to show layout of hole, frequently had to walk half way up the fairway to see basket location.
Short course

Other Thoughts:

Was visiting Stowe and played his course on way out. Grass was being mowed when I got there so had no issues with that, nor was there any mud to speak if as others have said. Relatively short course, even if playing the long tees (I played a mix based on how far I needed to walk the fairway to see basket) . I saw red tees that were beyond short, seemed way too short even for kids. Not real challenging but varied enough to be interesting. Not a course I would go out of my way to play, but if I was passing through again I would certainly look to play it.
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2 1
Knowuh
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course I probably the most frequented in VT. It's free to play and is fairly forgiving to casual players but is still enjoyable for more skilled players. There are many rolling hills and elevation to play with as well as old growth maples around some of the greens. There is a nice big ball field area to warm up your shots before heading out except on big youth sports event days. The layout plays out and back on a sort of long narrow route that gives the ability to cut across holes and play a shorter round if one wanted.

Cons:

The big issue with this course is definitely the tall grass. In the early years the fairways were mowed monthly by volunteers but because this is a free to play there is no means to maintain it on the level of mowing needed to keep fairways. Usually by July the grass is 2 or 3 feet high in the middle of some fairways and loosing discs is a possibility.

Other Thoughts:

The design of Center Chains was very well done and on the occasion that it gets a mowing it cleans up wonderfully. It's picturesc and easy to find and is centrally located to other VT courses.
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5 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Center Chains Offers Challenge, Tall Grass And Marshy Areas! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 9, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Center Chains course in Waterbury Center features 18 holes with two sets of pads, the longer Blues and the shorter Whites. The course plays in both wooded areas and some open grassy areas. The tee pads are some rubber mats/some natural on the Blues and the baskets are Discatchers with the yellow bands. The signage was fairly poor. Without a helpful local leading me through, navigation would have been difficult.

Playing from the longer Blues, the course was challenging but fair. It featured a nice variety of distances, although nothing too long. The trees and a little elevation added to the difficulty.

# 6 was a pretty little hole throwing over a valley. # 7 was a sweet little downhill ACE run. I thought # 10 was a pretty cool hole. The basket is almost not visible from the tee as it sits behind a large boulder just about 150' from the tee.

Cons:

Two cons keep being brought to our attention here!

The grass can be quite long making losing your disc a real possibility. Spotters are highly recommended.

And this course gets very wet through much of the year. Small bridges and walkways are build in various places to help get you over some of these wetland areas. Boots or at least, hiking boots, are the footwear of choice.

The signage could really use an upgrade.

Some of the natural pads are in pretty poor condition.

Other Thoughts:

As I played this course in mid-August during the driest time of the year, and it had recently been mowed and I was luckily enough to play with someone who's familiar with the course, I seem to have avoided the worst of the pratfalls which seem to besiege this course. All I was left with was the course, it's charms, it's lovely scenery and it's challenging and most often, creative design.

I liked the course but I doubt if I would've have enjoyed it quite as much had I endeavored to play it alone.
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0 5
tlimanek
Experience: 5 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Vermont Woods Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice views! Interesting assortment of holes and terrain. Easy walk between holes. Nice Vermont woods feel. Free.

Cons:

Can be wet and very muddy. Easy to lose discs in the deep grass.

Other Thoughts:

I've played this course a lot, so not sure how easy to follow for someone new to the course. I played this course as I got back into disc golf maybe ten years ago. Am amazed at the effort that goes into keeping this and all courses going. For free family fun this is hard to beat. More recently, I have found I enjoy park courses more where errant (and good) shots are a lot easier to find.
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1 6
goober
Experience: 20.8 years 80 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Brief Review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

scenery etc

Cons:

Tall grass which makes finding your disc challenging. I can understand when I threw a bad shot. However, I through some very nice discs right in the middle of the fairways (if that is the right word to use) and had to spend several minutes looking

Other Thoughts:

If you want to spend more time looking for discs than actually throwing, play this course. Definitely need a spotter or two.

How anyone can seriously rate this course a 4 or better is smoking some good stuff.
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2 3
rclements
Experience: 11.6 years 13 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun course for beginners or experts 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

- Large variety of holes; you'll see a bit of everything here (elevation change, long open, short narrow, tunnels, left-to-right, right-to-left, water).
- Difficultly level is somewhere between "gold" and "blue" tees
- You can whip through a round with a friend in 45 minutes; distance between tees is often very short
- New professional baskets

Cons:

- At some points in the year the course is not well-mowed; it's easy to lose a disc here
- Often crowded
- Only one set of tee-pads

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoy playing here... the difficulty level is just right and I always have a great time. The abundant foliage and the ability to lose a disc if you're not careful (holes #1 & #9) are something to keep in mind while you're there.
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2 5
Whytie
Experience: 8 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My standby course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 5, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Good terrain
- Good baskets
- Good challenge
- A few holes where you can really just let go.

Cons:

- Can get very soupy if it rains.
- Can get very busy.
- Some holes have some trees very close to the tee.
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0 3
Riords
Experience: 24 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice public course 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

first, I played this course early in the morning on a week day, and had the place to myself, which was awesome. Course was nice. Good layout and design. Woods, open shots thru fields, challenging distances (open and tight fairway shot mixes). free.

Cons:

While finishing my one round the course started to get busy. Poor tees. No signage on course telling distance, direction to baskets or next tees, only things marked are baskets. you can figure most out, like 5 holes I had to walk the fairway to find the baskets before teeing off, first time playing there.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed playing this course.
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6 0
bradharris
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.9 years 90 played 46 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Center Chains is tucked away in a beautiful corner of Vermont. The mountain views at the front of the course really give you a feeling of being removed from the rest of the world in your own little disc golf haven.

The course itself offers a nice variety with a few open field bombs featuring just enough trees and OB to be interesting as well as some tighter wooded holes where line shaping is key.

Elevation comes into play on a number of holes as well to keep things interesting.

Cons:

This course is lacking a bit of the wow factor. While it features some fun and interesting holes, there's nothing that really elevates it to the next level to set it apart from other courses.

There are a few very wet areas, regardless of weather. While boards and bridges help minimize exposure to these areas, errant throws can find their way into some really unfavorable footing.

No real signage. The tee numbers are marked and navigation is pretty straightforward, but it would be nice to have some indication of distance and pin location.

Other Thoughts:

I always enjoy playing at Center Chains. There is a very active community around this course and they are always working to make it better.

Anytime I am in the area, I wouldn't hesitate to play here. However, without any features that really make it stand out, I wouldn't go out of my way to play here.
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0 9
ole3
Experience: 18.1 years 37 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

center chains 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 11, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

chenter chains allows dogs. Fun set up. A good mix of easy hard and medium holes. Plenty of parking.

Cons:

seasonal closure. Some areas off the fairways are overgrown and can be wet. Dogs should be on leash.

Other Thoughts:

Would play here more often if it was not to far from my home
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6 2
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 755 played 414 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Bring Your Wellies 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good location - scenic background, Ben and Jerry's not far afield.

2-3 tee locations per hole.

If the sports fields aren't in use, the open space between the parking lot and tee-1 can be used to throw some practice drives.

Cons:

Closed from mid-March to May 1st due to mud, which offers a big hint that this course stays damp after some precipitation, and it does. In mid-October, after some earlier, moderate rain, many places on the course were water-logged, and others held standing water. Boards have been placed to assist in crossing the wettest of these areas.

Other Thoughts:

Course plays in the grassy open space and up/down/into/out-from/within the hardwoods located on a hillock/slope, which separates a multi-purpose park from a large stream (small river?) No holes are very long - all under 300' from the whites, and under 400' from the blues. There is good variety in the elevation changes (flat, up-n-over, cross-valley), openness (quite to fairly tight, and even blend of primarily open, primarily tight, and mixed, i.e. starting in one environment, ending/crossing another), and shape-of-shot (staying straight and true is most prevalent, but some rights and lefts will be needed from the teepad, especially the blues).

Separate blue tee locations on every hole, except number-8, where it shares with white. About half the blue tee locations are rubber or astroturf, the other half natural. All white tee locations are natural. About half the holes have a third (red) natural tee location. All the natural locations are not so great.

Tee locations are marked by in-ground blue/white/red markers, except blue/white number-8. Its tee location is fairly obvious, to the right of basket-7, near the edge of a steep, wooded slope, and the only opening with a look at the grassy space containing basket-8.

Playing from the blues will often be quite different than from the whites, as, in addition to adding length, they often will add a turn to the initial part of the hole. From the whites, the basket is typically straight ahead, or has less turn/obstacles than from the blues. From the reds that exist, the basket is not far away and pretty much a straight shot, with minimal trees to avoid.

Solid course, on the short side, with decent variety. Try to play when dry, be prepared for wet!
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4 1
hausadisc
Experience: 15.9 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

solid, well-rounded 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 16, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fantastic all around course that is free. The course design is challenging, but not especially so. Good mix of tight and wide fairways, long/huck drives and shorter/accurate drives. There are lots of elevation changes both uphill and down. You will need to utilize most different types of shots, minus the roller (I don't recall a hole where the roller could help you out, and the grass if often too long). The landscape is beatiful - beatugiul VT forest and meadows with views of the Green Mountains. The discatcher baskets are a nice recent improvement. And there are a few more rubber mats on the tees. This place has seen incremental improvements every year that I've played (for three years now). Both power and accuracy are rewarded on this course.

Cons:

Not all holes have pads. A few of the unpadded holes can be slippery when wet, have loose gravel, or roots jetting out. And if you're in to concrete pads, than you'll be disappointed because they're rubber here. Just change your game accordingly. Holes 1 (especialy) and 2 can be really soggy - I'd advise bringing low-top hikers at the very least as runners can get overwhelmed when the course is soggy. The lack of regular mowing and trimmy can be a drawback, making errant drives a nightmare to locate (having a friend spot can really help - esp on holes 1,4,6,17,18). This summer the course has been kept in good shape though. back overgrowth. Par is 54, there are no par 4s or par 5s. Holes 4, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18 are all relatively tough to birdie without a fantastic drive, but none of the holes are incredibly tough to par in 3 shots if you hit the fairway and have a good approach shot.

Other Thoughts:

The course is a short walk from the parking lot beyond the baseball diamond. No fees, open around the clock. It is an excellent all around course, that I'd give a difficult level of moderate (I've played much easier and much more challenging courses). I've played this one more than all other courses combined, and I love coming back. It's beautiful, it's free, there's a great mix of shot selection - what else do you need? Of note, the neighbors have been upset by a few careless golfers over the years and the course has been threatened to be shut down in the past. It is important to keep your dogs on a leash at all times, to respect the rules of the course posted upon entrance, and to pack your garbage out with you (including butts and caps).
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