Pros:
The review is updated to reflect my second time playing the course, this time in January '21.
Century Park is a solid, enjoyable course. The front 9 more open, the back 9 is more wooded and challenging. As such, more of the memorable, distinct layouts are on the back nine.
- The course has several distinct aspects that create fun looks: railroad tracks and a creek.
- #4 plays parallel to the tracks. That's got to be a fun, albeit extremely loud, layout when a train rushes by. #3 & 11's baskets and #12's tee also play close to the tracks.
- The creek comes into play, to varying degrees, on holes #12, 13, 14, 16, and 17. It's at it's best on #13 & 14 as the creek runs along the left side of the fairway on both holes.
- #16 is a fun, short layout. It's only 175 feet, but you're throwing through some trees, over a boardwalk over the creek, to a basket alongside a short drop-off. Easy hole to throw multiple discs especially if you don't land as close as you expect with your first shot.
- #12 is probably the signature hole. A downhill, split fairway, 300-foot layout. You can take the direct line, which brings the trees into play, or the wider, out-right, line. The only risk of taking the direct line is if your disc fades left short of the basket, it can be a tricky second shot.
- This is a good course for beginners. It's not a long course, presents plenty of birdie chances.
- Course is easy to navigate. A big course map is at the kiosk by #1. Good tee signs, and great angled tee pads to accommodate all shots. There are also plenty of benches and trash cans throughout the course.
- Park has tremendous amenities. There a concession stand (it's not always open), drinking fountains, soda machines, restrooms. Park also has baseball fields (kept in great condition) and the largest playground I can remember for the kids. The whole family can enjoy the park while you're playing. You have to love small towns that have lots of money for their parks.
Cons:
- There are two obvious issues with the course, and both are centered around spacing.
- The front nine is very open, especially with a lack of separation between different holes. On almost every hole on the front side, an errant tee shot can land on a different hole's fairway. For example, #6's tee shot could easily sail onto #3 or 7's fairway. If you're playing when the course is crowded, you'll need to keep an eye out for others.
- The course intersects with other park activities throughout the round. How aggressive are you going to throw on #12 if there's a baseball game going on? What about on #18 if the playground/kids areas is crowded? What if people are just walking through the course, especially considering there is a large apartment complex next door?
- Course plays right up to the edges of the park. There's a fence alongside #2 & 3 blocking the back side of the apartment complex. There's a fence alongside #14 and #17. You may be jumping into or fishing a disc out of the creek. Don't let a disc get run over by a train on #5.
- There are a few too many simplistic holes on the front side. #1 & 2 can both play as simple dogleg lefts, at 264 and 258 feet respectively. #6 at 303 feet, and slightly downhill, also has that same dogleg left vibe. Then on the back side, the creek running along #13 & 14 means you're probably throwing the same shot.
- I wrote this in 2010 after my first time playing: The front 9 has been over-cleared of trees, rough, grass - pretty much everything. It's all dirt. The local message board mentioned the land was originally going to be used for a dog park instead of the front 9. Sounds about right. It really needs some trees, grass, rough to help with the aesthetics and challenge.** 2021 update: some trees are more mature. But, more are needed.
- When the weather is nice, and all the activities for kids, I have a sense the course gets way too crowded. There's an overflow parking lot on a side street, meaning it may be difficult to get in a round, without a lot of hustle and bustle.
- Quite a few holes were missing tee signs to the point I had to keep looking up distances on my phone. I hope when the park upgrades are complete, they remember to address the signs.
Other Thoughts:
It took more than a decade between the first and second times I played Century Park. The second time I played was considerably more enjoyable, and that's even with no #18, #14 being unplayable (but walkable), and #15 barely being playable (probably not recommended). The course had a better vibe the second go-round.
The course is almost 2 different layouts from the front 9 to the back. As soon as I got to #10, and away from the cleared out portion, it was night and day how much better the course got. You're also seeing green underfoot instead of red clay.
- Most of the course is played around/near other parts of the park. It's not until #13 that you start getting a sense of being away from everything else, and get a sense of nature.
- My favorite hole is #12. It's a 390-foot downhill hole, with split fairways, and a big hill on the side. The right fairway comes close to the baseball field, so be cautious if there's a game taking place.
- In '21, several holes on the front caught my eye as being enjoyable. #3 is the course's longest layout at 410 feet. It's an uphill semi-open layout to a basket tucked along the edge of a tree line and railroad track. Nice multi-shot hole. I also enjoyed #5, especially the quality look from the tee pad.
- When I first played in 2010, this course felt off the beaten path. When you now have a large, three-story apartment complex next door, you now have a different look. Based on the observation of one person, be aware of people who use the course as a walking trail for their dogs.
- As mentioned, the park has something for everyone. To the course designer's credit, they used every square inch of the park to install a nice 18-hole layout. But, with so many park activities crammed into this space, that does take away from the disc golf experience.
- In 2021, I liked this course much more than I did in '10. I do attribute that to a little more tree growth on the front side offering a little more challenge, variety, and separation. More is still needed however. Let's hope the course continues getting its due attention.
- I upped my rating after my follow-up visit. I gave it a 3.0 rating, thinking it would be closer to a 3.25. With so many other excellent courses in the Upstate, don't overlook this layout.