Pros:
Robbins Park is a great addition to the Char-Meck disc golf scene. It stands out amongst the other area courses for what it offer: a shorter, technical course that's going to yield plenty of birdies but also punish bad throws.
- This is a great layout. It's not just the variety you get (wooded, open, elevation, long, short, etc.) but it's the entire 'fun factor' that a majority of the holes offer. Holes such as #3, throwing over a fence, to the downhillers on #5 & 7 (with a dogleg factor on #7) to the dogleg on #10, to #14 and it's sloped fairway and #16, being the proverbial long, open hole with a great approach shot...this course offered enjoyment throughout.
- Add to the layout, and one of the two appealing aspects, is that the course is heavily a mid-range level of course. Depending what layout you're playing, the average hole length is around 315 feet. Take away #16 at 675 feet, and the other 17 holes average around 295 feet. The point being if you can throw accurate (or somewhat accurate, in my case) in the 250 - 300 foot range, you're going to play well.
- The other part of this course's appeal is the incredibly high risk/reward factor. Most players, on most courses they play often, have a pretty narrow scoring range. For example, courses I've played often, such as Nevin or Hornets Nest, my rounds are consistently within a five to six stroke window. This course seems like it's going to have a huge window. For intermediate and above level players, I see every hole being birdie-able on a regular basis, with the possible exceptions of #12 and 15 (when it's in the long position). Every other hole offers a very reasonable chance for a birdie with a good shot. The flip side is that if you miss your lines, you'll hit trees, end up in some nasty rough or out of bounds. The point being, I could see many players getting 2 or 4 & 5s on the same holes due to hitting or missing lines by a matter of inches. Holes I thought I should birdie, I ended up bogeying (#11), while get a surprising birdie on a hole I didn't expect to (#10).
- Adding to that, the course does reward smart shot-making. You can take out the whole risk/reward dynamic and just play the entire course cautiously. And in truth, if you do that you'll probably end up with mostly pars with a birdie or two on the card. You can play for a safe round, and probably end up under par for the round. But what fun is that, playing a course like this, so cautiously?
- Somehow 18 holes were managed to be squeezed in such a small plot of land. It gets a little tight on some holes - hello safety wall on #12 - along with holes that play next to each other - watch for discs sailing right on #2 onto #3's fairway. During a normal day this shouldn't be an issue, during tournaments; however, it could get a little dicey.
- Easy to navigate. Lack of space results in short walks between tees. That also means this course is a good one for squeezing in a quicker than normal round. That's assuming you don't have to spend time searching for a disc in the woods or thick rough.
- Nice baskets and tee pads. This still has that new course smell to it.
Cons:
Being so new, the course is still being tinkered with, some slight modifications are expected to take place.
- The rough is ROUGH is spots. The area in between holes #15 & 16 is thick. There's also thick stuff on other holes. I got to know it quite well on #2. Add to that the abundance of trees and tight fairways, which could result in crazy bounces off trees. All of that can lead to long searches for discs. I wore long pants while playing this course in July. Sacrificing a little comfort in the heat was definitely worth it when I was searching for my disc in the rough.
- The flip side of having a course in a tight space is that you have a course in a tight space. Beware of discs potentially ending up on other holes, or having discs from other holes coming your direction. Navigation is really good, but if you're distracted, say you're walking and writing in your scorecard, there are a couple spots where you could easily walk to the wrong hole. The last part is more a matter of DGer error, but it is there. On the flip side, that means it could be easy to skip holes if you're in a hurry or trying to jump around a large group. And as mentioned, when the course is packed, it could present some challenges.
- With the high level of a risk/reward factor involved, there's also a 'lucky vs unlucky' factor. For some, the line is so thin between great and unlucky shots, and good and bad rounds. You get a couple of unlucky bounces in a row, and the frustration level may start simmering. I had what appeared to be a great shot on #3, throwing a shot over the fence and fading back to the basket. It looked really good, until hearing the thud of it hitting something. That something ended up being a small branch that was less than an inch thick. In the end, I'm a believer of the law of averages, so the good and bad breaks should even out by the end.
- As mentioned in earlier reviews, the lack of tee signs present a challenge on several holes. Permanent ones are coming. In the meantime, on holes such as #12, you can't see the basket, meaning you're either walking half the hole/up the hill to see the basket, or saying 'screw it' and just throwing up the fairway to the dogleg right. Huey, or someone else, when the tee signs are in, remind me and I'll delete this note.
- I don't think this is a con, but I'll just mention for the sake of saying it. I could see the overall lack of distance variety being a con to some. I could see an advanced player playing this course with only two or three different discs. That 'lack' of variety is why I'm putting it here.
Other Thoughts:
Robbins really is a fun course. It's not the most challenging course due to the lack of length. Now, if you stretched out the layout, made most of these holes 400 - 500 feet instead of 300, then this course would be brutal. It's an angry tiger on a tranquilizer right now, and I'm not about to anger the beast.
- This is another great addition to the Charlotte-area DG scene. As if we didn't have enough great courses already, Huey gave us another one. Robbins filled a void we didn't know we needed, but now that it's open, it's different than any other course in the area. The closest comp I could think of is Yadkin County Park, an hour north of this course.
- Wow, so hard to find one favorite hole on the course. A lot will have to do with what ones I birdied that day. In lieu of that, I'll instead mention a fun hole I've yet to acknowledge - #13. It's a dogleg right with the hole sloping downhill towards the basket. Don't go long or you will end up in the rough. This is a hole I wish I hadn't hit a tree two-thirds of the way down the fairway because I would have loved to have had a really run at the basket.
- This is in the 3.25 - 3.5 range for me. It's pretty maxed out its ceiling. But, based on its layout, that's fine in my book.
- With this course in the mix, there's now a great one-day disc golf trip to the Charlotte area without being in the Queen City. Take Robbins, Bradford, Bracketts, Stumpy and Bailey, you have an awesome trip all on the north side of town. Check this place out.
Thanks for the review. The plan is to have the rough brush hogged a few times during the year to get a nice consistent grass. Additionally, the long tees I'll be putting in on 1, 2, 17 will really add some bite and will make those holes 370, 415, 310 respectively. In tournaments,there will be island green rules on #16 and temp walls that I dont have permission to have in place all the time. There will be a permanent wall on 3 as well. I play a lot of courses where discs can stray. I think Nevin is the only one where you dont have to worry. I firmly believe in protecting players and will complete them as quickly as possible. If anyone has wire fencing PM me!
*Beware what you ask for...who knows what will be disturbed when the full park is completed... Robbins might fully encompass the entire rim of the park and we will have our 600' wooded par 4's