Apex Nature Park reviews
4
4
lenfantsuave
Experience:
9.2 years
16 played
2 reviews
A great location undone by poor hole design 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 29, 2017
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
The majority of this course plays in disc golf only portion of the park. Ths is great from an experience and a safety point of view. The fairways are well-maintained and the teepads, although rubber, are in great shape. Each tee is marked with hole map as well as a small sign indicating par and distance. Some of the holes are true beauties, including the holes which play over a winding creek in the middle of the course.
Cons:
Unfortunately, well designed holes are somewhat of a rarity on this course. I'll highlight some of the most egregious designs.
Hole 4: this hole actually used to play as a straight/slight turnover mid. Wanting to spice the course up a bit, it was redesigned a year or so ago. It is now a sharp dogleg left. Unfortunately the addition of the left leg of the fairway is a complete mess. The turn is somewhat falsely indicated by an arbitrary and completely pointless mandatory on the left side of the fairway. I say falsely indicated because just after the mandatory a small cluster of trees blocks any path to the basket. The designers cleared out a small alley between the cluster and the mando, but it's only accessable from a small landing zone. The only landing zone that truly gives hope for a 3 is the exact same spot where the basket used to be, and even from there you'll be lucky to have a clearly defined path to the basket.
Hole 8: this hole features an abrupt twist a third of the way down that would seem to lend itself to a tight flex shot. However, too many trees remain in the path where the disc would inevitably come out of the flex. It's telling when the highest percentage shot is a poke and pray forehand to the left off of the fairway. Perhaps this hole was designed with tomahawks in mind. I can't think of any actual disc golf shot that can actually fly within the parameters of this fairway.
Hole 14: up until now I have been speaking of the long blue tees. The blue tee on this hole is tucked away up the hill and behind the red tee about 100 ft back right. The shot itself is not bad. Throw a turnover mid into the gap and try to land on the fairway. It won't matter of course because the number of trees left on the fairway inside the woods means you're guaranteed to be pitching out from behind a tree and scrambling to finish in 4 strokes. A row of trees has been inexplicably left running 4 o clock to 11 o clock right through the main fairway as if to define a competing fairway for the short red tee.
Hole 15: once again the tee shot is a rather tame turnover mid to a well defined and open landing zone. It won't matter again because the basket is tucked away behind a sea of trees with no real continuation of the fairway. I threw a forehand roller and ended up about 60 ft off to the left. Layed up and hit the gimmicky wooden pyramid that the basket is raised onto and rolled 25 ft. Naturally I missed the par attmept (but that's on me I suppose). On all of the other problems I have written about, at least an attempt was made to carve out a path to the basket. The crew must have left the chainsaws at home on this one or moved on to another hole.
These may seem like the complaints of a middling rec player. And they are. However, the designers have failed to understand that they should have been designing a rec course. Even a fun hole like hole 6 which is a big hyzer flip to flat fundamentally misses it's target audience. It's a fun shot, but most will never sniff the basket. Even a perfect hyzer around the cluster will leave most ams with a 50ft look for birdie. The hole designs reek of an attempt to fit pro caliber hole shapes into rec level distances.
Hole 4: this hole actually used to play as a straight/slight turnover mid. Wanting to spice the course up a bit, it was redesigned a year or so ago. It is now a sharp dogleg left. Unfortunately the addition of the left leg of the fairway is a complete mess. The turn is somewhat falsely indicated by an arbitrary and completely pointless mandatory on the left side of the fairway. I say falsely indicated because just after the mandatory a small cluster of trees blocks any path to the basket. The designers cleared out a small alley between the cluster and the mando, but it's only accessable from a small landing zone. The only landing zone that truly gives hope for a 3 is the exact same spot where the basket used to be, and even from there you'll be lucky to have a clearly defined path to the basket.
Hole 8: this hole features an abrupt twist a third of the way down that would seem to lend itself to a tight flex shot. However, too many trees remain in the path where the disc would inevitably come out of the flex. It's telling when the highest percentage shot is a poke and pray forehand to the left off of the fairway. Perhaps this hole was designed with tomahawks in mind. I can't think of any actual disc golf shot that can actually fly within the parameters of this fairway.
Hole 14: up until now I have been speaking of the long blue tees. The blue tee on this hole is tucked away up the hill and behind the red tee about 100 ft back right. The shot itself is not bad. Throw a turnover mid into the gap and try to land on the fairway. It won't matter of course because the number of trees left on the fairway inside the woods means you're guaranteed to be pitching out from behind a tree and scrambling to finish in 4 strokes. A row of trees has been inexplicably left running 4 o clock to 11 o clock right through the main fairway as if to define a competing fairway for the short red tee.
Hole 15: once again the tee shot is a rather tame turnover mid to a well defined and open landing zone. It won't matter again because the basket is tucked away behind a sea of trees with no real continuation of the fairway. I threw a forehand roller and ended up about 60 ft off to the left. Layed up and hit the gimmicky wooden pyramid that the basket is raised onto and rolled 25 ft. Naturally I missed the par attmept (but that's on me I suppose). On all of the other problems I have written about, at least an attempt was made to carve out a path to the basket. The crew must have left the chainsaws at home on this one or moved on to another hole.
These may seem like the complaints of a middling rec player. And they are. However, the designers have failed to understand that they should have been designing a rec course. Even a fun hole like hole 6 which is a big hyzer flip to flat fundamentally misses it's target audience. It's a fun shot, but most will never sniff the basket. Even a perfect hyzer around the cluster will leave most ams with a 50ft look for birdie. The hole designs reek of an attempt to fit pro caliber hole shapes into rec level distances.
Other Thoughts:
The designers have confused difficulty and challenge. The former leads to frustration, while the latter ultimately leads to reward. It's a shame because the course really is on a beautiful and well maintained parcel of wooded land. I would look elsewhere if you are looking for a well thought out set of 18 holes.
8
6
alecfalzone
Experience:
14 years
174 played
13 reviews
Great Ideas, Poor Execution 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 19, 2016
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
UPDATE: The drainage issue on Hole 8 has been corrected (for the most part). A foot bridge constructed on Hole 17's fairway seems a little excessive, but does work well.
Amenities and Park Upkeep
Everyone who plays here will agree that this course has 5 Star amenities. The bathrooms? Sweet baby Jesus they're better than most of us have in our homes. The pavilions and vending machines? Top notch. The safety of the course and community? It's Apex, duh. Walking trails, amphitheater, practice green? All fantastic. The town clearly put some serious money into Apex Nature Park. Garbage and recycling available throughout the course and they're emptied on a regular basis.
Select Holes
2 - Great downhill putter shot
6 Short - Two fairway options, RHBH or RHFH
10 - Great downhill putter shot
11 Short and Long - Great straight to right finish hole with an OB creek in front of the basket
12 - Great downhill putter shot
14 Short and Long - Pretty awesome Par 4 from either tee pad
16 Short - Solid RHFH drive
17 Short and Long - Pretty good hole from either pad
18 Short - Great uphill midrange shot, albeit not a great finishing hole
Signage
When they're not stolen or vandalized, they have all relevant information and are very clear.
Amenities and Park Upkeep
Everyone who plays here will agree that this course has 5 Star amenities. The bathrooms? Sweet baby Jesus they're better than most of us have in our homes. The pavilions and vending machines? Top notch. The safety of the course and community? It's Apex, duh. Walking trails, amphitheater, practice green? All fantastic. The town clearly put some serious money into Apex Nature Park. Garbage and recycling available throughout the course and they're emptied on a regular basis.
Select Holes
2 - Great downhill putter shot
6 Short - Two fairway options, RHBH or RHFH
10 - Great downhill putter shot
11 Short and Long - Great straight to right finish hole with an OB creek in front of the basket
12 - Great downhill putter shot
14 Short and Long - Pretty awesome Par 4 from either tee pad
16 Short - Solid RHFH drive
17 Short and Long - Pretty good hole from either pad
18 Short - Great uphill midrange shot, albeit not a great finishing hole
Signage
When they're not stolen or vandalized, they have all relevant information and are very clear.
Cons:
UPDATE: The teepads are worse off than they were a year ago with no improvements. The drainage issues on Holes 10 and 16 have worsened. The mando sign on Hole 4, which has been stated to be placed in correctly, is still in the same spot it was last year. The foot bridge placed between 15's basket and 16's pads have dangerous gaps on the turns. Very few tee signs have survived the short time that have been installed. The bridge leading to Hole 13's blue teepad has been washed out for months now, cross at your own risk!
Teepads
They opted to use the Innova rubber teepads, which are fantastic when implemented properly (Jones Park, Rock Ridge, etc.). However, these were not installed properly and already need replacement less than two years into the course. They are nailed onto wooden boards without any filler, which leads to tearing of the pads. Almost all white pads are done, the blues are still in decent shape because not many people play them.
No bueno.
Speaking of teepads, they are all built on gravel mounds which are not level with the ground. The teepads are not long enough to begin with (especially on 3 Blue, 6 Blue, 8 Blue, 11 Blue, 13 Blue, 15 Blue, 16 Blue, 18 Blue). Can see a trend here? Most teepads do not allow you to have a proper run up, especially on the longer holes and the Par 4's. From the whites, (most) teepad lengths are fine, however a lot are awkward and not long enough. Raising them above ground level prevents you from running up from level ground behind the pad. IMO all of these need to be re done.
Hole Execution
1 - Not a bad hole, but also not a great hole 1 for a course.
3 - There are trees in the middle of the line you are trying to hit. Not a good disc golf hole. To make this a "Par 4", they moved the basket back 30' and raised it onto a platform. The hole needs a redesign to make it a real Par 4.. Which brings me to Hole 4...
4 - They recently cut out a fairway to the left of the old basket position, put in a mando, and made it a Par 4. The mando is completely unnecessary and in a terrible spot. You can have a great drive, and miss the mando. If there is ever a PDGA here (not likely from those of us who have looked into it) this will punish players unfairly. Move the hole back 100' (there is room) and get rid of the mando. Make the turn more gradual and not a dog leg.
5 short and long - Not a fun hole. The line is unreasonably tight and the teepads don't allow a proper run up. Not fun.
6 long - They recently moved the hole back 200' to make the hole a "Par 4". I am not a fan of forced Par 4's, and this is another one. Again, the teepad also does not allow a proper run up on a hole that needs it.
7 - This turn angle is ridiculous for most players. 50' forward then a 85 degree righthand turn followed by another 200' with low hanging limbs and trees in the middle of your line. What?
8 long - From the shorts this hole isn't bad. From the longs, a whole different story. There is a tree to the left on the teepad that prevents the RHBH anny shot. Forcing you to throw the impossible RHFH line. Not a fun hole.
9 short or long - There is a dead tree which was left in the middle of the fairway. The top of the tree fell off, leaving the base and about 60' of trunk. Not only is it an eyesore but it also isn't the best line from the longs.
12 long - Another hole where the shorts isn't bad. But due to the teepad and tree right next to the pad, the longs is not a good hole.
15 short or long - Again, teepad issues. There is a fantastic fairway for the first 300' of the hole; then it stops. It turns into Plinko. There is no defined fairway, only random trees, 175' and in from the basket. This seems like another forced "Par 4" as it is reachable from the teepad, but these random trees force you to scramble (from the fairway) to save a 3/4.
18 long - There is absolutely no room for a run up (due to the teepad) to have a good drive.
Teepads
They opted to use the Innova rubber teepads, which are fantastic when implemented properly (Jones Park, Rock Ridge, etc.). However, these were not installed properly and already need replacement less than two years into the course. They are nailed onto wooden boards without any filler, which leads to tearing of the pads. Almost all white pads are done, the blues are still in decent shape because not many people play them.
No bueno.
Speaking of teepads, they are all built on gravel mounds which are not level with the ground. The teepads are not long enough to begin with (especially on 3 Blue, 6 Blue, 8 Blue, 11 Blue, 13 Blue, 15 Blue, 16 Blue, 18 Blue). Can see a trend here? Most teepads do not allow you to have a proper run up, especially on the longer holes and the Par 4's. From the whites, (most) teepad lengths are fine, however a lot are awkward and not long enough. Raising them above ground level prevents you from running up from level ground behind the pad. IMO all of these need to be re done.
Hole Execution
1 - Not a bad hole, but also not a great hole 1 for a course.
3 - There are trees in the middle of the line you are trying to hit. Not a good disc golf hole. To make this a "Par 4", they moved the basket back 30' and raised it onto a platform. The hole needs a redesign to make it a real Par 4.. Which brings me to Hole 4...
4 - They recently cut out a fairway to the left of the old basket position, put in a mando, and made it a Par 4. The mando is completely unnecessary and in a terrible spot. You can have a great drive, and miss the mando. If there is ever a PDGA here (not likely from those of us who have looked into it) this will punish players unfairly. Move the hole back 100' (there is room) and get rid of the mando. Make the turn more gradual and not a dog leg.
5 short and long - Not a fun hole. The line is unreasonably tight and the teepads don't allow a proper run up. Not fun.
6 long - They recently moved the hole back 200' to make the hole a "Par 4". I am not a fan of forced Par 4's, and this is another one. Again, the teepad also does not allow a proper run up on a hole that needs it.
7 - This turn angle is ridiculous for most players. 50' forward then a 85 degree righthand turn followed by another 200' with low hanging limbs and trees in the middle of your line. What?
8 long - From the shorts this hole isn't bad. From the longs, a whole different story. There is a tree to the left on the teepad that prevents the RHBH anny shot. Forcing you to throw the impossible RHFH line. Not a fun hole.
9 short or long - There is a dead tree which was left in the middle of the fairway. The top of the tree fell off, leaving the base and about 60' of trunk. Not only is it an eyesore but it also isn't the best line from the longs.
12 long - Another hole where the shorts isn't bad. But due to the teepad and tree right next to the pad, the longs is not a good hole.
15 short or long - Again, teepad issues. There is a fantastic fairway for the first 300' of the hole; then it stops. It turns into Plinko. There is no defined fairway, only random trees, 175' and in from the basket. This seems like another forced "Par 4" as it is reachable from the teepad, but these random trees force you to scramble (from the fairway) to save a 3/4.
18 long - There is absolutely no room for a run up (due to the teepad) to have a good drive.
Other Thoughts:
UPDATE: I would still rate this course as a 2.5/5.. There are tons of changes which have been discussed and problems which have been identified.. However very little has come to fruition.
I held off on a review because I knew the course had changes coming.. But now that the changes are being implemented I am very disappointed. This course is not fun for a player of decent skill level. The fairways are for the most part unreasonable. The teepads don't allow a run up. And the blues are not fun, mostly due to the teepads. This is the closest course to me, but it is less fun to play than Kentwood. I would choose ANY other course in the area to play over this one.
Again, the amenities of the park are top notch. However the DG course was not implemented properly. This course has/had so much promise.. But to me Apex Nature Park is a huge let down.
This course could be amazing for beginners.. But the lines and basket placements are not beginner friendly at all. Personally, I would not play a PDGA here, not that there will ever be one.. $$$$$
Bring the family out here for a casual round... But the experienced golfer should spend their time at Jones Park in Holly Springs or Buckhorn in New Hill.
I held off on a review because I knew the course had changes coming.. But now that the changes are being implemented I am very disappointed. This course is not fun for a player of decent skill level. The fairways are for the most part unreasonable. The teepads don't allow a run up. And the blues are not fun, mostly due to the teepads. This is the closest course to me, but it is less fun to play than Kentwood. I would choose ANY other course in the area to play over this one.
Again, the amenities of the park are top notch. However the DG course was not implemented properly. This course has/had so much promise.. But to me Apex Nature Park is a huge let down.
This course could be amazing for beginners.. But the lines and basket placements are not beginner friendly at all. Personally, I would not play a PDGA here, not that there will ever be one.. $$$$$
Bring the family out here for a casual round... But the experienced golfer should spend their time at Jones Park in Holly Springs or Buckhorn in New Hill.
8
1
A work in progress 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 3, 2014
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
18 hole course set in a large multi use park. 2 tee pads for each basket plus a spot to play red tees for beginners and kids. Baskets are all nice new disc catchers.
Course is very well maintained, and it is obvious the town of Apex is going all out to make sure this course succeeds. There are stairs, bridges and an unbelievable amount of mulch that has been installed. It is also obvious that some serious equipment and effort has been used to install drainage, clear fairways and help speed things along. If only all courses has these resources.
Course is pretty much 100% technical wooded holes. There are several very tight fairways that require accurate shots over length.
Hole length variety is pretty good given this course's location. There are some nice short ace runs as short as 185' and a hole that is 481'. Most holes play well with a putter or mid, but here are a few spots to let loose a driver.
Course is very well maintained, and it is obvious the town of Apex is going all out to make sure this course succeeds. There are stairs, bridges and an unbelievable amount of mulch that has been installed. It is also obvious that some serious equipment and effort has been used to install drainage, clear fairways and help speed things along. If only all courses has these resources.
Course is pretty much 100% technical wooded holes. There are several very tight fairways that require accurate shots over length.
Hole length variety is pretty good given this course's location. There are some nice short ace runs as short as 185' and a hole that is 481'. Most holes play well with a putter or mid, but here are a few spots to let loose a driver.
Cons:
Tee pads are not great. They are rubber mats on top of wooden pallets. Some are uneven, some have nails popping up, and at least one has broken wood. They are also a little short if you like a big run up. Many of these simply aren't going to last. Or people will be breaking ankles.
Course does not have great variety off the tee. By my count there are 10 shots that favor RHFH shots and 6 pretty darn straight shots. Only one shot really requires a RHBH off the tee. There is a couple spots where an s-curve or multiple shot types might work. Either way, this course is very RHFH or LHBH friendly. Maybe they can have two SSA's for it. One for righty's and one for lefty's.
Not a ton of real line shaping. Many of my discs get to rest in their bag here.
A couple tees that force you to throw over a walking path.
Light poles in 18's fairway.
A few baskets and tees are a little close to each other.
Course does not have great variety off the tee. By my count there are 10 shots that favor RHFH shots and 6 pretty darn straight shots. Only one shot really requires a RHBH off the tee. There is a couple spots where an s-curve or multiple shot types might work. Either way, this course is very RHFH or LHBH friendly. Maybe they can have two SSA's for it. One for righty's and one for lefty's.
Not a ton of real line shaping. Many of my discs get to rest in their bag here.
A couple tees that force you to throw over a walking path.
Light poles in 18's fairway.
A few baskets and tees are a little close to each other.
Other Thoughts:
Overall this is a decent little course. It was squeezed into some wet, low lying land that holds lots of water, snakes and bugs. There has been a decent amount of improvement since it first had baskets in the ground. Given the limitations in landscape, and fitting in around the rest of the park activities, it is pretty good. Hopefully as work continues it will get a little better. They've redesigned a few holes to keep players out of the worst wet areas, and cleaned up a safety issue or two. IMO it will never be an exceptional course due to its lack of shot variety, but it is certainly worth checking out if you are nearby.
