Pros:
Ah, Shaver. Like a French harlot who's lived a hard life, and smoked two packs a day, time has not been kind. Throw in the fact the course is being overrun by a mud run obstacle course, and this course looks and feels much older than its years.
- Writing a prose would be more appropriate than listing the pros for this course. Needless to say, there were some good things about this course if you look hard enough.
- There is a fair level of challenge to this course. Course has two longer holes (#3 at 555 and #5 at 400) that require a couple of well-crafted shots. Other holes offer their own challenges from elevation changes (#11 is a great downhiller), tight fairways (really enjoyed #14), doglegs and the occasional mud run obstacle to counter (watch out for the climbing wall on #3).
- On many holes, this course forces you to throw good shots. Bad shots, missed fairways and/or bad angles will lead to you scrambling for par or worse throughout your round.
- Add to that, there is a strong risk/reward factor. You'll have to throw well, and be aggressive on a good many holes to see chances for deuces. Failing to hit those shots will lead to the aforementioned scrambles to salvage par or settle for bogeys.
- For the most part, the course does get better throughout. The back nine was much better than the front, with more exciting holes, great layouts and a general overall quality. I thought holes #10, 11, 14 & 17 all stood out for their superior quality. Have about 10 more holes as good as those, and this could be a great course.
Cons:
It's very fitting that Shaver hosts mud run events. That's essentially what this entire course is. On a dry day, this course is predominately dirt. On a bad day, it's mud. Don't expect to see grass here, there is none other than the small patch on #12.
- The biggest problem at this course is the overall quality of the land itself, from erosion problems to the dirt and mud feel. I've played other courses that have erosion problems - Reedy Creek in Charlotte, Johnson Street in High Point come to mind as prime examples. The big difference is that those courses are around 25 years old (built in '89 & '91 respectively), while Shaver is listed as being built in 2004. That could be the year the course was redesigned or something else that I'm not aware of. Add in to that to mud run course that weaves throughout the disc golf course, and it seems this problem may only be getting worse. In an ideal situation, the baskets would be pulled for one to two years, grass and shrubs plant to sustain the land, and the quality and makeup of the design would be greatly improved. Good luck convincing people to make that happen though.
- Course has a bad flow to it. The front and back 9 cross over multiple times. Add to that other awkward transitions, notably trying to find hole #10 and other spots where the closest tee is not the next hole (for example, after finishing #7, you're closer to the tee for #17; after finishing #10, you're closer to #14). Point being, if you're not careful, it could be easy to skip or miss holes. Whereas you can't fix land maintenance problems easily, you can add/improve signage by adding more arrows and signs.
- Some holes are really crammed together. If this course were crowded, on certain stretches of the course, you would have to keep an eye out for errant shots on other holes. In my round, I had a disc land on a different hole twice due to a bounce off a tree. Multiply that by a bunch of hackers, and it could make things interesting.
- The dogtrack feel to the course adds an unnatural luck factor, both good and bad. On the good side, discs can skim along the dirt, adding extra distance to shots. It gives it a ball golf feel, having your shot rolling towards the target on the green. On the bad side, due to the erosion and no undergrowth, discs can easily start rolling down a hill, turning a great tee shot that's in birdie range, into a difficult up and down.
- With this being a dirt track, it only takes a little rain to turn this into a mud.
- Final, it's a major disappointment seeing this course being overtaken by a mud run obstacle course. I guess the mud runs are the new flavor of the month. I hope when that fad passes, this course can turn into something better.
Other Thoughts:
Shaver just feels like a major disappointment, and I don't think it has much to do with any local disc golf support. It really feels like this course has become an afterthought at the park, and I don't know how much support from locals can change things.
- On the walk from #9 to #10 (once I found #10), I did see a basket in the grass by the ball fields. Why not use some of that grassy space to build a couple of holes to alleviate the crowded feel and to distance yourself from the mud course? The course could use some more visually appealing holes, if not just a simple does of variety.
- I was a bit perplexed by this. Near the first hole is a sign that says to not trash the park. To the immediate left of this sign is a humongous mud/dirt field used for the obstacle course. Add to that all the other problems, and I wonder how you can trash something that's already been ruined.
- My other rumination while playing is as follows. If mud runners are trying to be the tough/hardcore types, pushing themselves on artificial courses (don't we all need to know how to climb an inclined wall pulling on a rope?); shouldn't they also learn how to avoid being hit by a disc? What's more practical, climbing a rope course or learning how to dodge a flying object, especially if you're on a disc golf course? We're only adding to the challenge.
- This course just needs some love and attention, a proverbial big hug, so to speak. If the course won't get its proper attention, maybe these baskets could be better served, and a new course built, at some other local park.
- I could see Shaver, at it's optimum, being a really solid course. It's an excellent compliment to the championship layout. Great one-two punch.