The old course at this park, Crooked Creek, was quite easily one of the the worst disc golf courses I'd ever played. A year ago, while I was in the area again, I saw that a brand new course called Holly Run had been put in, and decided to check it out on a whim. I went in without reading any reviews, and had very, very, very low expectations.
To my surprise, what I was greeted with was one of the most stunning, ambitious, and memorable disc golf courses I'd ever played. I've made the hour's drive and returned many times since.
+ This is an extremely long, wooded course, with extreme elevation to contend with. It is one of the most demanding and challenging wooded courses I've experienced. Multiple par 4s and 5s slam their way up and down hills and streams, and will test your accuracy, risk/reward decision-making, scrambling skills, and most of all your mental fortitude.
+ Elevation is used extremely well to create memorable holes. There are ridgetop tees providing great views and fun downhill drives, up-and-over blind throws, across-the-valley shots, and uphill baskets that provide satisfying finishes. Many of these elements are combined together on the longer par 4s and 5s, taking you all across the contours of the landscape and testing all of your shots.
+ The course is carved out of a beautiful old hardwood forest, with massive trees and beautiful ferns lining the fairways. On the front 9, a small pretty creek winds its way through a few holes, while on the back 9, the much larger Northeast Creek looms dangerously on a number of holes.
+ Hole 8 is one of the signature holes on the course, as a long hike uphill emerges onto a sturdy wooden platform near the top of the ridge. Step onto the tee, and you'll find yourself gazing across a valley of ferns and trees, and the basket down below across the creek. This is surely one of the most beautiful holes in North Carolina, but there are several other contenders here at Holly Run too.
+ After the length, elevation, and thick woods of the first 15 holes of this course, you drag yourself uphill one more time, and suddenly find yourself in the sun, standing on the teepad of hole 16, with a wide open field in front of you, and an opportunity to finally open up the taps and crush your longest drives on this par 5. I cannot express how much of an incredible relief it is to emerge onto this hole after so many long and difficult wooded holes. But with that said, the fairway soon funnels into a wooded corridor, and a challenging approach to a guarded basket. Another memorable signature hole. Holes 17 and 18 are also mercifully quite open, providing a great finish to this outstanding course.
+ Just about every single hole on this course is challenging, fun, beautiful, and incredibly memorable. Holes 9 and 10 are probably the only ones I'm not in total awe of.
+ Many holes have two main baskets, a short and a long. The long baskets are the 'true' layout for the course, where the transitions flow the nicest. But the shorts are a very nice option to have for those wanting an easier time, as the longs are exceedingly challenging.
+ A few holes also now have multiple basket locations for both the short and long positions, switched up seasonally. A small screw on the tee signs indicate what position each pin is in. Generally the locations are not vastly different, but nice to have some variety.
+ Navigation used to be a serious issue at this course, but has now been very well-addressed by large blue arrows between holes. I would now put this in the solid plus column, which is great.
+ Benches have been added on a number of holes, which is extremely welcome given the length and difficulty of the course.
+ Large teepads, good tee signs, good quality baskets, two nine-hole loops that return to the parking lot, an informational kiosk, restrooms, and a large parking lot are all nice amenities on top of this ambitious and incredible course.