Pros:
Waxhaw's first disc golf course is a fun, scaled-down version of a course. Great for beginners with more challenge than most pitch-n-putts.
- I was surprised how much I enjoyed the course. Holes average less than 200 feet; yet, there's still some solid challenge and variety to the design.
- This is more than simply a pitch-n-putt course. There's enough variety in the hole layouts and fairways that you're not guaranteed parking your tee shot. Hole #2 & 3 are fun dogleg lefts; #4 has a small putting area, with a ring of trees less than 10 feet from the basket. The wooded holes - #2 - 9 - all have some varying degree of tree coverage that can either knock shots down, kick your disc off-line, and/or make putting challenging.
- Course is great for beginners, casual players, and even more advanced players who are looking to practice the short & midrange game. Only three holes longer than 300 feet. All of which are open fairways. For the other 15 holes, it's putters and/or mid-range discs off the tee.
- Course has a great flow to it. The front 9 plays in the woods, sans #1. Back 9 is much more open, with few strategically located trees and hills offering the challenge.
- Front 9 does offer a decent risk/reward factor. You can par every hole blindfolded if you choose to be safe. You can also make ace runs at every hole, bringing trees and big kicks into play. You could play this course twice, shoot 9 under and end up birdieing a completely different set of holes both times.
- To elaborate, holes #2 - 5 are all short: all 140 feet or shorter. From the couple times I've played here, I've had a couple ace runs, a couple tap-in birdies; a couple trees smacked leading to unsatisfying up-and-down pars; an ace-run sail OB; and a disc kick deep in the woods leading to a 4. On #12 & 15; a downhill slope can 'penalize' aggressive throws. On #15, I threw a couple of shots that were oh-so-close to nailing the basket, which ended up 40 - 50 feet past the hole, and behind a large tree.
- Great signage throughout makes course easy to navigate. Only slight confusion could be transition from #9 to 10. You're essentially walking the entire length of #10, heading from basket to tee, throw, then turn right back around.
Cons:
Course doesn't have any major issues. It's close to reaching its apex. You're not getting a championship-level course; but, you know that when you play here.
- I guess the biggest con is its limited hours. It's school property, so only plays afternoons and evenings during the school year. Access may also be limited due to other extracurriculars/ball games.
- Course runs along homeowner's backyards. As part of the trail system throughout the course, there are several times where the paths lead into a neighborhood and/or a homeowner's yard. I suspect it's not an issue because the course doesn't get much traffic.
- No benches or trashcans on the course itself. Not that they're needed for a 40-minute round.
- Wooded holes (#2 - 9) have stumps, roots, and/or cut branches to deal with either on fairways, or just off them. Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe a slightly higher concern if you're taking kids to the course.
Other Thoughts:
Waxhaw Elementary offers a fun, quick round. Expand every hole by 50% and you've got a course along the lines of other area courses such as Reedy Creek, Kilborne, and the Scrapyard.
- As it is, there are strong parallels to Elon's Eager Beaver and Crooked Creek in Stallings. You're bringing first-timer players and/or kids to play here.
- The course has a solid flow throughout. Other than (maybe) #16, I don't feel there are any filler holes.
- If you live close by, this would be a great practice course. You practice here enough, you'll learn to master the bail-out shots on wooded courses.
- This is a great ace-race course. You wouldn't even need to change the layout. Just play the short tees on #10, 14 & 17 and let players be aggressive off the tee on all 18.
- For a beginner-friendly course, this one was more appealing than most. I've played the course in both its 12-hole and 18-hole versions. The additional 6 holes are a nice addition.
- This is a solid 2.5 for me. It's a better, more varied course than Creekside in Indian Trail. Thanks to Jeremy and his crew, the Waxhaw Disc Golf Club has a solid beginning. Combine this course with a round at Cane Creek, and you've got a fun afternoon of disc golf in Waxhaw!