Pros:
Brittons Neck is in the middle of nowhere. You drive past farmlands and fields, questioning your GPS, and suddenly come upon the park and building. Maybe you should blink and miss it instead.
- At one point, this seems like it was a decent nine-hole layout. Based on the course pictures from nine years earlier, the course didn't receive much upkeep even then, one year after the course was opened. In 2020, the neglect is even more noticeable.
- Here the most shocking part of my round. I was at the course at 7:15 on a Saturday morning. I left Charlotte just after 4:30 for a marathon 9-course day trip, starting my day here. 5 minutes after I get here, another car pulled into the parking lot. She was here to walk the track, not play disc golf. Still, by 7:20, the park met its daily visitor count.
- When I played, only six baskets were still upright. I found a seventh laying on its side under a pile of branches. Don't know about the other baskets.
- There was no indication of tee markers anywhere, so I just teed off near the prior hole's basket. As for #1, I just picked somewhere based on other people's comments.
- Hmmm. Let's see. Other positives. Ok, here's one. This could be a nice practice area. It's a good 400 feet plus from one side of the field to the other, so you can unleash some throws.
- Playing #6 - 9 as I did they're perfectly decent short holes. No obstacles or challenges. Just decent. #2 was the best hole as there was an actual semi-obstacle (tree) that you had to avoid for your easy 2.
Cons:
Just about everything. Just like any meal, you may have all the ingredients but if you don't have the correct proportions, you've got slop for the animals. Unless you like twice as much flour, half as many eggs, 3x the salt, and a spitballed amount of vegetable oil.
- There are six baskets remaining. They are disproportionately placed throughout the field. You have two within 30 feet or so each other while also having a vast expanse of nothingness. Chalk that up to a loss of baskets.
- Lack of signage. Nobody would be drawn to the first basket as the starting point of this course because of its obscure location. Baskets #6 - 9 are much more visible than one hidden on the far side of the tennis court. Alas, the hidden basket is indeed hole #1. There are no tee markers. No signs. No course map. Nothing. Remove the baskets today and tomorrow nobody would have a clue a disc golf course ever existed here.
- No tee pads either. The pictures from 2011 showed (poorly framed) tee areas. Alas, no sign of those in 2020. You notice a pattern yet.
- Based on the old pictures, it's interesting that the two holes with the most personality (basket on a manmade hill and basket in the ground) are gone. Gimmicky yes, but at least it would give this course something.
- You're sort of close to main roads (15 minutes away), but you're also in the middle of nowhere. If you were inclined to be here awhile, come prepared as there are no amenities. Unless you're here for a work day, nobody should ever spend more than 45 minutes here.
Other Thoughts:
You don't have to worry about Coronavirus at Brittons Neck. The course has been overlooked by everyone else, so why would COVID be any different?
- I have a single positive memory of this course. The sunrise. One of the best disc golf pictures I've ever taken was of the course at sunrise, with the water tower as the backdrop. Check it out on Instagram @discgolfcraig.
- With a lack of tees or a full layout, it's hard to take the course seriously. Making my own tee areas, it was hard to put forth a serious effort knowing I probably wasn't close to the actual tee areas. Essentially it was a glorified practice visit to the course.
- #7, with its backdrop of trees and shrubbery, presents a decent setup. It's better than playing next to a rundown tennis court.
- The most recent review was nine years ago. The last round recorded on DGCR was eight years ago. That may be the last time anyone paid attention to the course.
- I wish I had more to add, but this is an incomplete mess. Parks department needs to decided if it will put in additional resources, or call it quits with this course. Why a course was built in the middle of farmlands and fields seems a peculiar choice.
- A baggers course and nothing more. It can become decent with some attention, but it may not be worth it based on the seemingly lack of interest the course receives.