Pros:
Chatham County Community College...or Central Carolina Community College (as the sign in front of the campus actually says)...or Pittsboro Campus DGC (as the course signs actually say) is a 6-hole practice-style course on the campus of, you guessed it, the local community college. I give this course a 1.0 rating because it's only 6 holes and I felt like it missed the mark for what it's trying to accomplish (is it to introduce people to the sport or is attempting to be a legit challenging course for intermediate to advanced players?). It doesn't exactly accomplish either of those objectives, but more on that in a second. The course does have some pro's -- and if you are local to Pittsboro, I recommend that you check it out. (This is not a goat ranch course that you're better off skipping.)
+ This course is way longer that I expected or have seen out of any school campus courses that I've played. The shortest hole is 280 feet; the longest hole is 435. There are two holes at 400+ feet and the average for the six holes is 360. This is a great course for practicing drives. The holes are wide open, no obstacles at all (also a con), so it's really well suited for field work.
+ Baskets are in good shape.
+ Pretty campus.
+ Tee signs show the correct layouts and distances.
+ Very close to the phenomenal Pittsboro-area course, Rock Ridge. The two courses have nothing in common! But if you want to loosen up your arm before you tackle Rock Ridge, Central Carolina CC works.
Cons:
- The major drawback of this course is that I'm not who the intended audience is. Is this a beginner course intended to introduce players to the game? If so, the holes are too long. Also, without really offering any tree obstacles, challenges, or variety (every hole is pretty much the same), is it really going to capture the interest of potential golfers? OR...was this course designed for slightly more serious players? If so, again, it misses the mark: nothing memorable, no shot variety, etc. HOWEVER, as I mentioned in the pro's section, this is a good place to do field work. If I lived near this course, like say within 5 minutes, I'd probably play it often to work on my drives. But I can't see serious players or serious duffers, like me, making a trip to play this course.
- No tee pads except on hole 1, and that pad is too narrow and short.
Other Thoughts:
Check it out if you want a notch on your belt. You won't lose a disc and it won't take long. No underbrush, ant hills, or anything that would make this course more trouble than it's worth. And if you're heading out to play Rock Ridge, use Chatham County CC as a warm-up.