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Waxhaw, NC

Cane Creek Park

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35(based on 8 reviews)
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11 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.1 years 1009 played 580 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 7, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Cane Creek DGC plays through a beautiful park and is essentially entirely wooded. Being as far away from Charlotte as it is, probably not going to ever be very busy. We didn't encounter another player out there on a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon in ideal conditions.

Single rubber mat tee pads on each hole. These were all in good shape and of a decent size. I didn't have any issues with them but it was dry out.

The baskets are Innova Discatchers just like practically every other course in this area it seems. No complaints though, all were mounted nice and level and caught great. As I've mentioned many times before, I love the yellow bands on these for their high visibility in the shade of wooded courses like this.

The tee signs are pretty solid too. Basic hole diagram, hole #, par, distances, any OB and a next tee arrow. Basically all the info you're going to need. There are next tee signs by each pin as well. This made navigation a breeze. I don't think I even had to check the Udisc map a single time. These signs are big and bold red colored so they're impossible to miss.

Water comes into play on one hole, possibly two with an errant shot or bad tree kick. The water carry on hole 9 is reachable by most players. Beautiful looking hole too. The other potential water risk is on hole 10. I almost found it not once, but twice with an awful tee shot that kicked right just barely hanging on to dry land. My equally awful second shot also kicked right but stayed dry.

The course is moderately hilly. Nothing extreme but not entirely flat either. Lots of different shot shapes here. The design doesn't make it feel repetitive even though 17 of the 18 holes are wooded. Hole 2 is the only open hole, the rest are nicely tight yet fair lines.

The course is permanent and very clean. It's just you and nature out there. Very peaceful and serene course. The course was very clean and well maintained.


Cons:

The rubber tees are probably the biggest drawback here. As I mentioned above, I had no issues with them. I will admit that these are probably my least favorite type of tee in general though. And I know lots of players can't stand these.

Hole 2 is the definition of a filler hole and seems out of place compared to the rest of the course.

The course is pay to play by means of a $4 entry fee per vehicle into the park. Well worth it in my opinion, but with so many other free options in the area it's worth listing here.

As has been mentioned in prior reviews, there are some lenghty transitions between holes. Hole 6 to 7 being the biggest offender. Hole 18 ends a ways from the parking area too. Not crazy far, but not close either.

The course doesn't loop back near the parking lot at any point either so be sure to pack whatever you need for the full round.

Other Thoughts:

Cane Creek was a pleasant surprise of a course. I hadn't originally planned on hitting this one since it's so far out there compared to the other Charlotte ones. It was recommended that I check it out and I'm glad I did. Well worth my time.

Not a destination course but totally worth a visit if you're in the area and even worth a little detour to play. Not too different than many of the other courses in Charlotte but it's far enough out that it has a more secluded feel. Very good course.
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17 0
ray1970
Experience: 53 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Kind of quirky but fun drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 2, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Possibly the best "next tee" signs of any course I've played. If you can find the first tee then just follow the 8 1/2 x 11" signs near the baskets and they will easily lead you to the next tee. Half way through my wife was leading us from hole to hole. If you knew her and her ability to navigate anywhere you'd know that speaks volumes to how well the course is marked.

None of the holes felt repetitive. While I'm sure some holes played similarly, overall it just felt like almost every hole was a little unique.

Water in play on one hole but crossing over should be easy for all but the most novice throwers.

Nice restrooms are water fountains by hole one and then again somewhere between hole eight and nine should you need them.

Being outside of the Charlotte area it seems this course doesn't get a lot of traffic so if you want a relaxing round without the crowds it may be worth the drive.

Cons:

Heavy rubber tees. I had no issues with them but I always prefer concrete. I do think they could be slick when wet but it was dry when I played.

If you want to throw bombs this isn't the course for that. There are a couple of longer holes but the fairways are shaped funky and they're in the woods so accuracy and placement is more important than distance.

Although very easy to navigate due to excellent signage, there were a couple of transitions between holes that felt excessively long. Generally the course flowed well but there were a couple of spots where it didn't.

Water in play on one hole and could potentially come into play on another hole. I see this as a positive but some may not like the potential for losing a disc.

Other Thoughts:

Generally fun. Relatively easy with the exception of maybe three holes. Bathrooms and water at the start and roughly the hallway point is nice. Maybe the easiest course ever to navigate due to awesome and plentiful signs.
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14 0
Shadrach3
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 5.6 years 319 played 312 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Don’t Rush around Lush Bush 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 19, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

A scenic course with some quirky shapes and almost enough challenge to be very good.

-Amenities: A lot of thought put into these. The tees are gravel (the biggest con), but boxes are clearly marked, tee signs have all the info, and the DISCatchers are solid. Plus, copious next tee signage, a practice basket, and signs that clearly read "Disc golf, not a trail."

-Navigation: The best I've experienced for a while. Paths, signs, and intuitive placement make it a breeze to get through the course.

-Beauty: Highly rated. The woods are secluded and thick throughout, and the gorgeous lake views from (8)-(10) remind me of the best parts of the IDGC.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: A fair woods challenge with some unusual shapes. Hole (2) is the only non-heavily wooded hole, but among the trees the variety is still good. There are some shorter birdie opportunities, but more common are difficult shapes such as deep doglegs or long tunnel fairways with narrow gaps. Sometimes these seem to push the border of fairness, but more often I find them difficult and unique, requiring unusual disc manipulation. One water crossing on (8) is a great touch. The back half is more interesting, with an equal mix of par-4s and -3s. The par-4s are short, but they're tricky and technical and may not yield easy birdies. The elevation makes every line more interesting in this concluding stretch, as well.

Cons:

-Unusual Shapes: The lines out here are a bit weird. This can be interesting, but more often extremely frustrating. Some sharp doglegs and extremely specifically graded turns require you to stretch the fairway and hope that you don't scrape the back edge, which is particularly difficult for a first-timer.

-Tightness & Scrambling: I don't mind a tight course, but Cane Creek has the killer combo of being tight and being very difficult to scramble on. This means that a tee mistake often puts you with no real line to the basket, a frustrating predicament.

-Length: I would like to see a bit of the tightness traded for length out here. It would be nice to throw a full throw down a woods line, rather than feeling like you have to saw it off to get a precise shape.

-All Woods: No open holes after (2). Not a big con.

-No 9 & 9: This course doesn't return to its start until after the bitter end. Even then, it's a decent walk back to the original parking lot.

-Summer Condition? I feel like this is one that may get way harder in the summer. Add a layer of leaves to the maze of trunks, and this could cross the line some.

Other Thoughts:

Cane Creek is beautiful and cared for well. It's got an eccentric collection of shots on the shorter end, which could easily provoke different responses. For me, it provokes a rating of Good. This is a solid course that, with a bit more fairness in line, could raise itself to a 3.5 and make my list of favorites. As is, it's worth checking out.
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13 0
dndelli
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.8 years 134 played 131 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Cane Creek Park 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 16, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Located in Cane Creek Park is this fun, this 18 hole wooded course has DISCatcher baskets, crushed gravel tees, and a practice basket. The park offers an assortment of amenities, including restrooms, ball fields, fishing, disc golf, a campground (across the lake), paddling, etc.

Seven of the holes on this course have long tees, allowing players of different skill levels to choose how difficult of a day they'd like to have. The course also features a water carry on Hole 9, which is short enough that even beginners can possibly get across, but fun enough to still stay memorable.

The lines here are tight, but the holes aren't very long - so accuracy is the name of the game. Clean drives will often result in a birdie putt - especially early on in the course. While the overall layout is relatively flat, it does seem like the little elevation that was available was used very well.

The course is surrounded by signs indicating that the fairways are not walking trails and are in fact disc golf fairways. This is something that is greatly appreciated, and likely helps keep hikers off the fairways, which is nice since there are a few blind fairways. In fact, the signage overall was fantastic. There were tee signs on every hole, the tees were well marked with whether they were long or short tees, and there was more than adequate navigational signage to help find the next hole.

I am not sure how much the course has changed, but I quite enjoyed Hole 16. If the course is tracked in some and the fairway widened, I agree that it could be called a Par 4 - but as it currently stands I thought it was one of the better holes on the course. The course also started and finished with really fun holes.

Cons:

Course felt very FH favored to me. While I did not necessarily mind this, as I tend to favor FH when playing wooded holes of this distance, it felt like an uneven mix of FH holes compared to BH holes. I would have rather the course tried to mix it up a little more. I don't think I threw a backhand off the tee until Hole 8.

The course also had a few moments where it was hard to tell who the course was designed for. Holes 15 & 16 stood out to me as likely being two of the harder holes on the course. Hole 15 in particular - which at 400 feet long with multiple bends in the fairway felt incredibly out of place as a Par 3 compared to the rest of the course. Hole 16 felt similar, but was at least called a Par 4. Even the short version of Hole 16, which was only 360 feet, was called a Par 4, which further made Hole 15 feel like the black sheep of the course.

There were many long transitions between holes on this course. Likely due to the land that was given to the designer, and the desire to create a loop for the course to play through. This wasn't a huge issue to me, but it does make the course play a lot longer than similar courses would. Coupled with the fact that we only saw one bench along the entirety of the course, it could feel like a slog for people who aren't in the best of shape.

Other Thoughts:

I am going to rate Cane Creek a solid 3.0 - this is a fun course set in a beautiful park with many different activities park goers can partake in before or after their round. The park sets up nicely for an action packed day/weekend and definitely worth a visit if you are from the nearby area. It is set up nicely for beginners & intermediate players, but the lines are tight enough that advanced players will still have their share of fun.

Favorite Holes: 6, 9, 14, 18
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13 1
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.2 years 306 played 288 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Should be "Cain Creek" because it will probably kill you 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 11, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-This course is hopefully a work in progress. It's still really new, and to be fair it does have some nice holes. It starts off really well with a fun downhill putter shot, the hole over the lake is cool too (#9) and holes #13 and #14 were both brilliant. Few others are decent and make you feel like you are at the coast in SC.

-Next tee signs are everywhere, a few transitions are a bit confusing so they were helpful.

-There is a practice basket out in the field by the parking lot (lot #3). If there was a hole out in that field, it would be better than at least half of the holes here. Well, at least in the current state.

-#13 is a great valley shot. It's primarily downhill, so it plays short but there is a low ceiling. Just a neat hole; one that you have to love. #14 is my favorite. It's a 466' par 4 that opens up a bit more and gently cuts right. Gives enough room to throw a driver, and the woods are more forgiving on this hole, still a difficult birdie but a very rewarding hole.

-There is a high voltage power line IN the lake that you see on holes #8-10. That looked pretty cool. Coolest thing about this course.

-You don't have to pay to play if you bring your own discs.

Cons:

-Okay, I liked some of the holes here. But about half, I did not like. I could spend many hours writing about how this course could be better. But since it's still new, I'll only point out what really annoyed me. My name was Ben coming in and my name was Abel coming out. Cane (should be spelled as "Cain") killed me and part of it was my fault, but most of it was because of the odious woods.

-Know why this course has a countless number of signs saying "This is NOT a walking trail"? Because it looks like you are playing on a walking trail! To me it IS a walking trail with 18 baskets. You couldn't drive a coupe car through many of these fairways. You probably couldn't even fit a dirt bike through some of these fairways. This course is too tight and will sabotage good throws that appear to follow the "fairway" and will knock you into an unplayable spot. There's a fine line between punishing and unplayable. Most fairways here are like that one psycho tree dwelling, beet loving, super liberal pothead science professor that doesn't believe in A's no matter how well you do. You won't make a birdie (kinda like an A) if you follow that fairway. "Ya gotta learn to accept defeeeaatt maaaaaaannn!"

-Okay, now THE main problem is hole 6. It's really bad. This is one of those occasions where Stan gets a ridiculous idea and blows it so far out of proportion where every one else is like "Seriously? Are you for real" He did some of that at Angry Beaver but he usually does pretty good with fairway design. Hole 6 is only 522' and it's a par 5. It's nothing more than a walking trail that keeps bending to the right. It's just nonsensical. You will hit a tree I swear, unless you just drop your disc 20' until you get there. Open this hole up by like 15' feet and just call it a par 4. Or just make this into two holes because this hole is just deplorable.

The next two holes are subpar. #7 has potential to be really good, but it requires a turnover and I don't think discs turn over exactly the way this fairway is made. #8 is ridiculous. It's impossible to reach because the fairway is too tight and it hooks to the left. Luckily, #9 keeps you from wanting to storm off because it's a fun hole over the lake. But after hole 10 it starts to get ridiculous again for a bit.

-Some wasted potential here and there. #2 should be lengthened because there is land far back and there is an open circle in the woods past the basket. And #12 and #15's pins should be pushed down the hill to utilize the elevation a little more.

-Many trees have red paint on them; indicating that they need to be removed. The course would be better without all those trees but I don't know if the locals decided to keep them or if they haven't found a good day yet to remove them.

Other Thoughts:

-This course really deserves a 2. It's just a letdown as of now. It's just not as good as it could be. When you put in a course but have serious and specific intentions for who it is designed for, then your mindset needs to change. Always seek to get the most satisfaction out of people. The first reviewer didn't say much, but his review was powerful and more sincere, and you'll probably see that once you play here, if you decide to.

-I usually love wooded courses, as well as open courses. But it seems like this course was designed for a very small audience. People that love really tight and sabotaging. I wouldn't recommend this course if you are used to the other Charlotte courses.

-If you are offended by this review, well chill out because life goes on.
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11 0
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20 years 603 played 545 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Cane Creek: It’s Hot, Sticky Sweet. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 11, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Cane Creek is sprawled out in a lightly used area of Cane Creek Park. This has the makings of a great, out-of-the-way course, making it worth the drive.
- An almost exclusively wooded course. Darn you hole #2 and your filler existence. Being a wooded course, you get all the good and bad aspects of that: everything from being heavily shaded to run ins with wildlife.
- Course gets progressively better. Take advantage of the first five holes all being birdie chances before you get to the course's longest hole, #6 at 522 feet. Despite being the longest, I felt it might be the course's worst.
- By the time you get to hole #8, you get your first look at the lake. Enjoy it being a scenic backdrop on this hole, for it's in play on the next two holes. #9 has you throwing over the water, a very common trope of throwing over a small corner of water back to the basket far on the other side. On #9 & 10, the water isn't a factor unless you hit a tree/branch and get a bad bounce, or just throw your shot WAY, WAY, WAY too far right. Me? I got a double bouncer on #10 and had my disc sink in the water 15 feet out. In December, that disc suffered a hypothermic demise.
- The back 9 is fantastic. Really, from #8 - 16 is a fantastic, more advanced layout; while, the other nine holes (#1-7 & 17-18) are the easier layouts. The most creative layouts are the back nine. The first seven holes are all relatively forgetful, or wanted to be forgotten - #6.
- The course is relatively flat, but it does use elevation smartly when it is used. Most of it is the simpler straight up or straight down layouts - #1, for example. #11 - 13 give you a great taste of smart elevation layouts.
- #11 is an uphill, sharp dogleg right layout. It's only 260 feet, but feels much longer because of its design. Play it conservatively and you should have an easy 3. Try to be aggressive, and you'll be trying to salvage a 4.
- #12 is a longer layout - 376 feet - with a dogleg left starting halfway down the fairway. Course is flat until the green, with a steep drop-off in the couple feet around the basket. It makes a simple approach shot suddenly extremely daunting.
- #13 is a short hole - 203 feet - that plays over a valley. In the winter, the leaves stopped my disc from rolling downhill. In the summer, probably not. A fun, simple layout.
- Fantastic park overall. This is probably the best, close campground Charlotteans have been using forever. When we want to go camping, but don't want to go far, it's been Cane Creek for decades. The park has everything you could want for a family weekend getaway - from swimming and mini golf - to fishing and running trails. You're out in the middle of nowhere, but still 15 minutes from anything you need in Waxhaw.
- 'THIS IS NOT A WALKING TRAIL.' I absolutely loved the amount of warning signs throughout the course telling walkers to get off the course. For as much as the course and its paths intertwined with the walking trails, this was wonderful. Now, if we could get signs like this on some of the Charlotte courses, I'd be even happier.

Cons:

The course still needs to be smoothed out. A lot of awkwardly angled/designed holes. A lot of narrow fairways that will feel narrower when the leaves are on trees. A lot of long walks between holes. A lack of tee signs, benches, or trash cans on the course.
- The course feels like it teeters back and forth between who it's designed for. As mentioned above, it feels like a tail of two 9-hole layouts (1-7 & 17,18 vs 8-16. One of them offers most of the birdie chances; the other offers the challenge.
- If you break it down, the shorter nine is 2477 feet; the longer is 2950, an average difference of 52 feet per hole.
- I played in December, when the leaves were down, and a lot of the holes still felt tight. I was able to take advantage of the lack of leaves on the trees. For the other 8 months a year, this would be a tight course without those bail out lines.
- Too many blind holes for a course of this length and skill level. Without tee signs, I ended up throwing putter off the tee on some of the longer holes, such as #6, and just kept on following the bends in the fairway. All that said, never threw a shot longer than 200 feet and still ended up with an easy par 5.
- Layout doesn't seem like it's optimized. I get why #1 was built - the classic tight, downhill hole. But, because of that, you have a couple filler holes around the outside of a baseball field. With as much great terrain being unused, there's a valid argument to eliminate the first several holes (at least the first 3) and replace them with better land. That would keep the entire course (and parking) on one side of the park service road. More important, it would eliminate some of the ridiculously long walks. The walk from #6 to 7 alone, could be filled with two holes.
- Natural tee pads. A couple weren't completely flat. Throw in wet, slick leaves and I wasn't risking full run-ups on any hole.

Other Thoughts:

I enjoyed Cane Creek more and more throughout my round. Hole #1 was a great start. The next couple holes were ho-hum. After a frustratingly long walk from #6 to 7, the course finally hit its stride.
- The course is out there. Charlotte disc golfers aren't known to travel outside of the county. So, driving this far out means Cane Creek won't be getting a lot of play. (It's a long 35-40 minutes past Elon Park). Organizers will have to get creative with tourneys, taking advantage of the camping, to make this course known.
- I want to see the course make the necessary improvements. Tee signs and tee pads are a must, preferably sooner rather than later. Benches would be nice, especially near the lake. If I'm going to rest, I want to soak in some great views.
- The course, in and of itself, is excellent. I enjoyed an overwhelming majority of the holes. It's all the other 'stuff' that was frustrating. When you're taking long walks through the woods, transitioning from one hole to the next, you notice all this unused space. When this unused space has much more elevation than the filler holes, you can't help but think.
- This is another solid Union County course. Just like Wingate and Dry Creek, this is a great play. It's just so far out of the way. You can play the pitch-n-putt Waxhaw course a couple miles up the road. Otherwise, take advantage of everything else Cane Creek has to offer and make it a fun outdoor day.
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7 0
Schefx
Experience: 136 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Cane creek 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 19, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Cane creek park offers many activities. Park entrance fee of $4 is reasonable. Park in lot #3 for disc golf.

-benches throughout course, I counted 6
-good flow and next tee signs in every hole
-multiple tees offer a short pad for beginners
-fair pars
-practice basket in open area
-typical Stan course. Tight lines, and accuracy is far more important than distance.
-flow of the course is good.
-hole by hole breakdown below. I played long blue tees for these distances
Good course that doesn't require a big arm on any shot.

Cons:

-Bugs! Man the mosquetios were unbearable in a few spots. Huge spider webs on many fairways, course doesn't get a lot of play yet. Bring heavy duty bug spray or get eaten alive here
-fairways have yet to be broken in, some leave you guessing about the direction of the pin
-tee signs have distance, and par, but no hole map.
-gravel tee pads are hard for run ups
-a few long transitions, but all were well signed.
-no trash cans expect in parking lot

Other Thoughts:

#1-par 3 239
Short downhill-two trees in center of fairway makes you chose left or right
#2-par 3 200
Across street to tee pad. Basket is tucked into first woods cut
#3 par 3 268 two tee pads
Tunnel straight pin slightly right behind tree
#4 par 3 219
Straight and then dogleg right. Basket tucked away in the woods tough basket placement surrounded. Next hole to the right of basket
#5 par 3 269
Straight and on a slight incline
#6 par 5 522 two tee pads miosquito haven at bench
Harsh dogleg right off tee; then keeps turning right - then sharp left, basket finishes right tucked away behind trees. Stay on fairway and it's an easy 5. Very long but well signed transition to 7
#7 par 3 313 two tee pads
Right turning but only slightly
#8 par 3 314 two tee pads
Dogleg left off tee, downhill
#9 par 3 258 three tee pads across water
Breaks into the woods right lower elevation from tee pad
#10 par 3 239 dogleg right, water right bad tree in fairway
#11 par 3 260 uphill dogleg right
#12 par 4 376 blind over the hill dogleg left slightly. Really shoot straight up then straight down to the left
#13 par 3 203 short downhill across gully. Fun ace run
#14 par 4 466 two tee pads
Long straight then s shaped
#15 par 3 492 left breaking and down hill-tough par 3.
#16- par 4 432 two tee pads path is unclear from tee . Straight and then s shaped into a open landing area. Basket is tucked back and tight right in the trees
#17 par 3 227 split fairway pick a side
#18 par 3 251 downhill left breaking
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1 2
BubbaFlies
Experience: 10.3 years 15 played 10 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Cane Creek Park Disc Golf Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course has very clear markers to the next tee. There is one hole on the back 9 that is over the lake and is a fun hole to play. Plenty of signs that say, "This is not a trail, but is for disc golfers." Most of the course is away from heavy foot traffic

Cons:

Many of the holes have very narrow fairways. The tees are made from gravel. The distance markers show distance but do not show a graphic of the hole design. You have to pay to get into the park and therefore need to pay to play. There are many stumps on the course, which hopefully will be removed in the future. A few trees in the fairway, really should not be there.

Other Thoughts:

There are only 2 1/2 holes that are not in the woods. The course is strangely designed, in my opinion, and I am not sure the person who designed it is a disc golf aficionado. I would think with the land available to the park, that it could have designed a much better course. That's why I rate it only 3.0
There is not one par 5. This is a disappointment. Hopefully locals will be able to purchase a year round pass to play.
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