Hopewell High School is a nine hole disc golf course that plays around the athletic complex of the school. The course features a decent variety of both open and wooded holes and uses mostly natural tees that are marked by wooden stakes that all play to DISCatcher baskets. Some of the tees play from existing concrete, track material, and even tennis court surfaces. One even has a level box built up with AstroTurf as the tee, which could be indicative of the future of the course.

There are two tees for every hole. The short tees are an excellent distance for beginners just learning how to play the game. Even the smallest of arms will have a chance at shooting par from these tees. The long tees are more appropriate for Rec and above level players. The distances aren't all that far, but the angles required for birdie can be tough on some of the wooded holes. I played both layouts to see the difference, and I think the two layouts were both handled very well for what they were trying to accomplish.

The land is used fairly well, and there is a lot of elevation in play. Some of the holes use subtle elevation, such as Holes 2 & 3. Hole 4 plays alongside a hill through the woods. Hole 5 is one of the best holes on the course, playing down a noticeable hill, through a low ceiling tunnel, out onto the practice field, played as a par 4 to a risky green with plenty of roll-away potential. Hole 9 is another great downhill shot playing from the corner of the tennis court platform that is outside of the fence.

The same rules that apply to every school course apply here. Do not play when school or a school related function are going on. There are no benches or trash cans, so any trash you bring, needs to be packed out.

Some of the wooded holes feel like they could use a bit of shaping. The fairways are tight already, which might prove frustrating for young players who are playing aggressively. Hole 7 Long in particular felt a bit funky off the tee.

I played in the summer, so things may be better during the school year, but there was already some areas that needed maintenance. Holes 3 & 9 had their baskets surrounded in extremely tall grass. To where I was worried I might lose a disc after landing in C1. The wooded fairways also have some volunteer trees popping up, but the disc loss potential on these holes is surprisingly smaller.

There are a few fences around the school property that come into play. Hole 3 plays towards a building inside the track fence, an errant drive could easily end up on the building, or inside the fence. Hole 8 plays alongside a fence to one of the ball fields.

There were next tee signs at the baskets, but they didn't always feel accurate to where the next tee was, and didn't indicate whether they were pointing to the Longs or Shorts.

For the skill level of player this course was designed for, the layout does an amazing job at giving players a decent intro to the sport. When I played it was in slightly rough condition, but I think that is likely chalked up to it being during the middle of summer, so less attention is being given to this course. The design itself is good though, and features a lot of variety for players to experience. I think a 1.5 is a good rating for the course for now. If work on it continues and the course were to receive a few updates to the tees, and maybe have the fairways cleaned up a bit - then it would easily deserve a higher rating. If I lived closer to Huntersville, this would likely be my "go to" fun 9 hole course to hit up after work.

Favorite Short Hole: 1
Favorite Long Holes: 5 & 9