Pros:
Fox Chase is an amazing course from start to finish. It's one of the best courses I've played, period. It's a perfect blend of being challenging, but yet still manages to be fun.
- Great variety of holes. Up shots, down shots, doglegs, really tight, "open" wooded holes. I loved how you had to shape your shot on many of the holes. Holes #1, #5, 9 & 12 stand out to me as the best example of this. After playing #1, I could tell this course had something special.
- The course starts out with two birdie-able holes, then the only two open/grass holes. If your tee shots are errant, you better have it fixed by the time you finish #4, or you're going to be in trouble for what's to come.
- Course is tough, but fair. There aren't any major blow-up holes, as long as you don't get too far off the fairway. For the most part, you'll be able to get back to the fairway, and salvage a hole without too much damage.
- Tee signs, tee pads, arrows w/ hole numbers (and added plus) are all in good condition. These are the things you take for granted, unless a course is missing them.
- Course somehow squeezes in 18 holes into a small space. There seems to be no wasted space in this area, which also means short walks between holes.
- I love how well the course loops back to the begin after the front 9 and back 9 - #18. This has to be the shortest walk I've had at any course from #18's basket back to hole #1. It's like their trying to tempt you to play another 18. Nothing wrong with that. Plus it there's a crowd teeing off at #1, you can go right to #10.
- #5 is an evil, little hole. 225 foot slight downhill with trees lining both sides, and an OB on the right, so you can't just loft one in there. Oh yeah, and there's a creek less than 20 feet behind the basket so you can't let it fly long. The hole won round 1, I came back with a birdie the second time, but have a feeling the hole is going to win more often than I am.
- I liked teeing off next to the creek on #8. It's your last sense of calmness before playing the rest of your round in the woods.
Cons:
No major problems, only a couple small ones.
- For the most part, the long tees give you the exact same shot/line as the short tees, just a little further back. Only a couple holes have a different look. The two biggest examples are on #3 & #16. But, even no #16, your tee shot is playing towards the short tee.
- Speaking of #16 long, this is the only poorly designed fairway/layout on the entire course. The long fairway, playing to the common fairway with the short tee has a sharp, angled curve.
- The wooded holes have the typical North Carolina somewhat narrow fairways. If you can throw straight, you'll be fine. If not, some holes might get frustrating.
- A couple holes get really close to each other, to the point a stray shot can end up on another hole. For example, I had a shot go slightly left on #18 (I was still in putting range), but I was on the fairway for #10. When the course is packed, you will need to watch for wayward discs.
- The parking lot didn't seem that big. In the summer, when the park is being used for other activities, it wouldn't surprise me if parking becomes a problem.
- Amenities on the course itself are lacking. The course could use a couple more trash cans. If you need to hit the restrooms or water fountain, you need to make a stop after playing the front nine.
Other Thoughts:
Fox Chase has the best elements of wooded courses across the region. It's got length (seven holes are more than 400 feet, from the long tees), it's got hills and good elevation holes, and risk/reward holes. It's well worth the 1-hour drive from Charlotte to play this course. Almost makes me wonder how it took me so long to play.
- The short tees offer both fun and challenge for casual/less experienced players. The long tees present a good challenge for advanced players.
- The front 9 had much more variety in holes than the back 9. It's your only chance to play open/grass holes. The back 9 is more challenging, and plays more up and down.
- The course utilizes the terrain to give you some very interesting hole layouts. Make sure you're in good shape, and have something to drink, because you're going to be walking up and down the hills a lot during your round.
- I couldn't think of one signature hole for this course, it had so many good holes. It's the sign of a great course that I could argue at least six holes being my favorite. Fox Chase ranks right up there with the best mixture of fun and challenge of any course I've played (430 and counting).