Pros:
Solidly unspectacular. Don't come to Anderson Creek looking for epic layouts or something you've never seen before. Somewhere in the middle of the round, I realized this was a pretty good course with one nice layout after another.
- If a course can where you down with its quality, this is it. First hole is ok. Second hole is ok. As is the third. It wasn't until #6 that things started feeling different, with the first par 4. It wasn't until #8, a tight 205-foot layout over a slight valley that I realized I liked this course. It's like being a teenager, and one of your friends keeps complaining about a girl. Everything she does bothers him. Or maybe he's picking on her. Then, suddenly, one day, he tells everyone he thinks he like her.
- Excellent use of the terrain. Fairways are heavily lines by pines. Ground is solid sandhills. And, you've got some nice rolling hills throughout. If you stay in the fairways, the course might be on the easier side. If you get offline, you may have to get creative carving a disc around the pines.
- Very good layout and ease of flow. Once I got to the first tee, I had no issues navigating the course. Good paths between holes. Good tee signs.
- Back nine seems to roll up and down the hills. This actually starts on #9, a short downhill run. #14 is a fun, downhiller (listed at 325 feet) with two OB signs just past the basket. It's just a slight bit of extra thinking in case you have a long putt/approach. This is followed by an uphill, 245 foot layout. Despite the listed 80 foot discrepancy, #15 seemingly plays as long, if not a tad longer, due to the elevation factor.
- Pine trees. This is the signature of the part of the state. Throw in the sandhills, and this is a signature layout, in terms of nature, for this part of the state.
- Serenity. This course is in the middle of nowhere. I was surprised to see a park this nice close to relatively nothing. Maybe I came here on backroads. But there wasn't much on my drive from Campbell University's course. Mine was the only vehicle in the parking lot when I got here. When I left there was one couple with a dog and a park ranger here as well.
Cons:
Get through the repetitive monotony of the first third of the course and it gets better. I enjoyed holes #1 & 2 as nice warm ups. When I played the same layout for the next three holes, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. This course gets significantly better from holes #6 - 17, which leads us to….
- I hated #18. The hole is unlike anything else on the course in terms of look, feel, natural aesthetics, you name it. #17 would have been a far better closing hole, and equally far from the parking lot. It feels like a culmination of the first 16. There's enough room throughout the course to add one more fairway somewhere. In short, #18's fairway is either extremely narrow, or 2/3s of it is an ivy ground covering.
- Tee signs are simplistic. Hole number and distance. With a couple of blind tee shots, a nicer sign would be appreciated.
- The seclusion can also be a con. You're 15 minutes back to the town, and the correctional facility. Someone the three closest shopping centers, in different directions, are all anchored by Food Lions. Guess that's where you're going for your snacks and drinks.
- The course doesn't have much variety in terms of length. #6 is the longest hole at 465 feet. #17 is the second longest at 355, and it's downhill. After that, the remaining 16 all range between 170 and 340 feet. In short, you could easily play this course with two or three discs, and play well.
- There's a little bit of a luck factor with the tree lined fairways. I smacked the edge of one tree and it looked for an instance that it might be kicking me back to the basket. I kicked off another tree, and several minutes later tracked down my disc 75 feet deep into the rough.
- #1 &10 tee off on the edge of the sidewalk. Not a major issue, more of something to be aware of.
Other Thoughts:
I surprisingly liked Anderson Creek. It's a solid mid-range course, with holes averaging just under 275 feet, it's not going to wear you out.
- This was the fifth course of my day trip, which started at Diavolo. This trip included bagging a number of out-of- the-way courses. Unlike some of the other courses I played that day, Anderson Creek had some clear thought put into its design. To its credit, you could easily plug this course into any larger disc golf community, and it wouldn't stand out as being less cared for, less well-thought out.
- This really was a course with one decent hole after another. I'm hard pressed to identify a signature hole, or anything truly outstanding. Instead, you're playing one slightly above average layout after another.
- Just past the course, I drove through the town of Barbecue. I was disappointed there wasn't more pomp and circumstance to honor this gem. Even a statue of a pig in an apron would at least acknowledge the obvious.
- It was nice playing a mostly shaded course while not being heavily wooded, especially on a July afternoon. Tall pines do serve a purpose, at least on disc golf courses.
- Make #17 your closing hole. It's a downhill, 355-foot tight-ish fairway. It's a tough par 3. Add another 75 feet, and it's a par 4. As is, it requires a throw-on-a-rope tee shot to ensure par, let alone worry about birdie.
- This is a solid 3.0 in my book. It's in the same ilk as Wellspring, Hinson Lake, and Sugaw Creek as other NC courses I've rated as 3.0s. If you are in the area, it's worth checking out. Otherwise, you're driving completely out of the way for this one.