Pros:
Cuthbertson Middle School is a very short, beginner-level course. It's a great course for kids and a solid practice location for more experienced players.
- Very beginner friendly course. The nine holes average only 162 feet. Take away the one long hole - #8 at 314 feet - and the other eight holes only average 143 feet. So, big arms are not needed at all here.
- Course puts a big emphasis on accuracy. For an average-skilled player or above, every hole should be birdie-able. You hit a tree or two in the woods, and it's actually frustrating to not even have a birdie putt.
- Course is very easy to navigate. The hardest part was finding where to park. From there, paths from one basket to next tee, and easy to spot tee signs.
- Tee signs are great. This is a place where you wouldn't need signs and you could still navigate the course no problem. Signs are descriptive, have next hole arrows on them, pretty much everything you need. I wish more course would have signs this good.
- Decent variety of hole layouts, about as good as you can do with such a short course. You've got several open holes, several wooded holes, three doglegs (two left, one right) and three holes with elevation (two up, one down).
- If you live close by, this is a really good spot to practice. There are fields/open to practice throwing longer shots, plus several open field baskets (#1, 8 & 9) for you to practice putting or approach shots.
- This is a very quick course to squeeze in nine or 18, or more, holes. I played through twice in just under 35 minutes. If I hadn't been carrying my bag, it would have been quicker. This is a course you can easily play with only one or two discs.
Cons:
It was really hard to find any problems with this course. The designers did about as well as one could with such a small space and holes being so short. So, to nitpick, here's what I'll point out:
- #6 is a bad hole, even by beginner level courses. 100 foot downhill shot along the walking path. Basically, I let my shot slide downhill to the basket for a tap-in 2. Even pushing the hole 30 - 50 feet further back would eliminate that type shot, forcing a player to throw something a little more challenging. Any average player who gets more than a 2 on this hole is going to feel like they've lost a stroke.
- Natural tee pads. It's only a semi-issue on the one long hole - #8 - where you actually need a run-up. The other holes you can pretty much throw without moving your feet, or just having a one-step run-up.
- This seems like a perfect place for poison ivy and snakes. I wasn't surprised when I saw a black snake on the edge of the tall grass on #7. As for the poison ivy, if you get off the fairways on the wooded holes, there's enough small growth that you have to pay attention to where you're stepping.
- No trash cans or benches. Only stating this just to point it out. Honestly though, if you need a bench while playing these nine holes, it's time to hit the gym.
- And as is always the case with school courses, it's closed during school hours.
Other Thoughts:
In terms of challenge, Cuthbertson is about what I expected. A lot of easy holes, a couple of decent ones, with some fun thrown in. For local comparison, it's on the same level as Fewell Park in Rock Hill and Pinewood Elementary in Charlotte.
- The two best holes on the course, and the only two I could see on a more challenging course, are the two uphill holes - #5 & 7. #5 is a 191 foot straight shot, with trees in the middle of the fairway. #7 is a dogleg left, starting in the open, with the basket in the woods. Both, obviously, play longer because they're uphill shots, so you actually need to put a little effort into your tee shots here.
- As mentioned, this one is clearly for the kids and beginners. More advanced players will have to find other ways to make a challenge here - ace race, practice, safari golf, etc.
- A nice added challenge to the three true open holes (#1, 8 & 9) was that there seemed to be a nice-cross breeze coming from the open field. It's similar to the cross breeze that always seems to be taking place at Mint Hill DGC on holes #1 & 9.
- I understand the reasons why others have inflated their ratings for this course, but I disagree with those. Does this course achieve its intended goal? Absolutely. If that's what this site was for, then I'd completely agree with all the 3 and higher ratings. I'm rating this course overall, so I hope people understand and appreciate that my 1.5 rating isn't a knock on the design, designers or all the work that went into this place. It's simply a reflection of how this course compares to every other course I've played, all factors concerned.
- If you live close by, you should be taking advantage of this course, regardless of skill level. If you live further away, the only reason to play this course is to add it to your 'played list.'