Pros:
West End Baptist offers a fun, quick round. Of all the short courses in Rock Hill, this is one of the better layouts.
- Course offered a whole lot more than I expected. I swung by to bag the course, but was pleasantly surprised by the entire layout and the variety offered.
- Hole #1 is a solid opening layout - 318-footer - with an open tee shot to a slight downhill, slight dogleg right basket protected by trees/thicket. From there, you get a legit ace-run on #2; a shoot-the-gap, low ceiling throw on #3; and then the 68-foot fourth hole.
- I'll admit, I actually enjoyed #4's layout. It's a narrow gap, flick shot to the basket. For those of you, like me, who have had to pitch out of the rough after bad tee shots, you're right at home with this hole. It can be a simple up-and-down 2, or you can miss the gap, and must scramble for a 3 or worse. Trust me, plenty of people will get 4s on this hole after thinking ace on the tee pad.
- Hole #5 - 8 are all mostly open with slight variances to make it a decent loop. Hole #9 is a decent closing hole with a challenging enough pin placement.
- Course offers decent length - only two holes shorter than 200 feet; two others longer than 300 feet; five between 200 - 299. I played with a fairway driver, mid-range and putter and that was plenty.
- Course is easy to navigate. I was surprised by others' comments about the difficulty of playing. Once you pull into the small parking lot, you see tee signs on both sides. One is for #1, one is for #9. I walked to #9 first (didn't see #1 at first); but once I backtracked to #1, it was pretty easy to navigate. Keep in mind, the tee sign for #6 is gone - the road construction should be a giveaway. After that, you've got a slight walk around the corner to find #7's tee.
Cons:
Course is just 'there' with little effort put in to the layout and/or upkeep. There's more land in the wooded area behind #1 - 4. With a little clearing, you could make this a really good layout. As is, I get the sense, they lucked into a decent layout.
- I don't know what's up with the house/building near holes #1 - 3 & 9. Is it a rec building/meeting place for the youth group? Does a groundskeeper/anybody live there? I was somewhat expecting someone to walk out and talk/yell when I played here.
- Signage could be better, especially for the transition from #6's basket to #7's tee. Also, would like to see someone decide to re-establish a (semi)-permanent tee for #6. I just picked a spot past the construction fence that was away from #5's fairway. For all I know, #6 is really a 450-foot bomber hole.
- No trash cans, benches, amenities, etc. at the course. Go to any of the numerous gas stations/fast food restaurants within 5 minutes of here if that's an issue.
- 1/24 UPDATE: Course is starting to show its age and a lack of upkeep. New playground in front of first tee means there is no clear tee area. Construction work on building has created piles of trash and natural debris, impacting hole #2, 3, & 9. Hole #4's fairway is completely overgrown. Several tee signs are missing.
Other Thoughts:
West Baptist offers a decent 9-hole course. Based on the numbers on this site, very few people play here making this a pleasant surprise.
- Course had aspects that were like York Middle School's layout, which itself, is an extremely under-rated, under-the-radar course.
- I had fun during my 20-25-minute round. I could have played twice, but I choose to leave after a once-through. That probably is the truest statement about the course.
- From here, there are nine other courses within 5 miles. If you wanted to pad your stats, play all these mediocre 9 holers in one day. Like most of Rock Hill's 9-hole courses, each has a couple decent holes. But in the end, unless you live by, it's most likely a one-and-done.
- 1/24 UPDATE: With just a little TLC (as in 1-2 work days), course can be in good shape again. There's enough room in the woods to the right of #3 that you could easily add 1-2 wooded holes and get rid of a hole or two in the wide open stretch of #5 - 8. As is, there are some fun aspects to the course that aren't nearly as fun as they were several years ago.