Course located in a multi-use community level park on Charlotte's east side, and plays out over largely cleared piedmont landform with utilities/water catchment earthworks. The park's main feature is a long entrance road, which parallels railroad tracks, and 7 of the courses' holes play out along this road. Due to the 'cleared' nature of this park, not only does this yield a different 'feel' from other area courses but, without a doubt, the time, expense and difficulty of construction was a relative 'breeze'.
The course is predominately sequestered from other park activities and the park's overall scale is large, about 90 acres, which yields substantial opportunities for future course developments.
Amenities and equipment are above average, overall, but the creek fords don't inspire the greatest confidence. Tee pads are inconsistent regarding their size. 15 of the targets are mounted at the standard height. Signage was non-existent at the time of writing, but routing is orderly; the only way-finding issues are minor and exist mainly in quickly finding long tee locations. Course does not have returning 9s, but does offer a nice 10-hole returning loop (1-8, 17&18).
Course should experience a high volume of play, as not only is it extremely 'play-able' but also players here experience some relief from the harsh technical demands of other area courses. Substantial play-affecting wind is a consistent factor here. Few real drainage problems extant 'in the short grass' even after above average rain events. Parking overflows into #7's fairway on busy park days and this park is busy.
Overall the course decidedly favors stable clock spin shot shapes from the tees, however this is balanced by the trouble (read: thick rough & ob areas) for poor fade control of same. Frequently even on straight holes, the tee is set to the side of the fairway which gives a stable clock spin shot shape 'more room' for play. Stable counter spin tee throws strongly favored on 'road holes' regarding ob (ob is on the left); 'road holes' equal roughly 1/3 of the course.
Course will reward conservative play with a strong emphasis on fade control. As is generally the case with courses in this area, there are high rewards for flat straight shots of up to 300' (re: iconic #4). Course uses terrain changes very effectively, blunting the relative uniformity of hole distances. In fact, only a single hole (on the short course) is flat (<2% slope) from tee through green. Eastway also offers 3 very enjoyable downhill tee shots in 'free' air (read: ace runs). Elevation changes are perhaps the single factor most important in creating a 'fun' course, with a returning challenge. Extensive roller play possible when turf is shorn (a roller on these days may be the best scoring option from the tee, which is an unusual feature for courses in this area).
Course is 'fair' in the following aspects: overall scoring chances, few blind holes/landing zones, and very open greens, however long throwers could overwhelm the back nine or the entire course for that matter. Some rough is extremely penal, not always in keeping with the size of the throwing error. Of note are the course's intentionally cleared bailout areas, all of which favor a fading clock spin shot.
Course displays good creativity in green locations and in the main, greens are exceptionally open. Half the greens are flat (< 2% slope) and the other half are either moderately sloped or feature lag-inducing drop-offs. As for spin receptivity, 10 are neutral and another 5 are more 'clock receptive'.
3 greens merit special mention. #5 is a tiny knob, surrounded by ob on 3 sides, which repels both spins, especially at speed. #8 is a clock receptive knob (from the tee), with steep drop-offs on 3 sides, and #17 is specially constructed to dramatically enhance the sheer drop-off along its right side. Reviewer appreciates this trend toward constructed features in disc golf, as not only do they improve the play experience, but also help mitigate safety and erosion issues (more foot traffic = need for more maintenance & more concern for safety).
The differences between the long and short courses consist in the lengthening of 6 holes. Four holes are directly extended and the other two become doglegs, one left and one right. The only potential 'design issue' would be the large ob area in the middle of long #14's fairway. This constitutes a blind carry of roughly 400', which some might consider 'unfair', but since only those wishing a greater challenge would play it, this issue is minor. Once one knows it is there, play decisions follow accordingly, as there is the opportunity to 'play it safe'. #18 long is a terrifically imposing uphill look from the tee.
Eastway is one of this area's most enjoyable courses because it is so open. Not only does it allow experimentation with the different dynamics of disc models in 'free air', but also there is plenty of wiggle room here to experiment with different shot shapes, especially created from the disc's angle, which is a rare offering in Charlotte, where the omnipresent design ethos can be quite suffocating. Conversely, if one's score is high at Eastway, one cannot blame it on the trees.