-I'm going to express my opinion, and it's definitely more "different" than the other reviewers. I was actually quite surprised with this course and rather overwhelmed. It doesn't feel like a park course at all; it feels like a private course that a house owner put in his backyard. But in reality, this course was designed by two men that I've never heard of, but they are men that seemed to want to work harder than most designers.

-There is a practice basket that you will see before you get to the parking lot across the road.

-When you step on the first tee, you might feel like you are in a camping spot by a lake instead of a disc golf course. The first hole is a difficult par 4 at 513' long. The fairway "twists" but never has a real turn to it. You start off throwing very slightly uphill through a moderate gap. The second hole is a 231' dogleg. But a more fair one, as the fairway is wide enough and allows a huge right skip without major risk.

-One of the highest points is when you play holes 4-6. It's an awesome three hole stretch. #4 is a putter shot with a view of the lake past the basket. #5 is a 342' bomb across the lake, but also has a short pad that seems more forgiving. #6 is a unique par 4 with an elevated basket. It's pretty short and gently fades left, so it can be reached by pros, but there is a lot of risk on both sides of the fairway. Also ends well with a fun hole 18 that plays as a valley across the lake.

-Many unique fairways that are fair, but different. Irritating? Not at all in my opinion. The tee signs are by the long pads, so that's the main layout. There are many available birdies out here, but easily turn to bogeys. I was -4 after hole 13 and finished even par.

-Mostly wooded, but has great bomber opportunities on holes #5, #15, and #17.

-Has room for long pins on some holes. #15 also has room for a short pin right by the lake.

-It's overgrown in a few spots. Especially on #16 as the grass can get very thick. Loved the hole as it is a truly unique par 5 with a creek in play, so that kind of got me to ignore the tall grass, but it could bother you. #11 should probably be widened because of the barbed wire fence completely in play the whole way.

-#9 is kind of like a par 3 distance on a par 4 fairway. It's short but painfully difficult to birdie from the long pad as it is a difficult dogleg right with guarding trees.

-Tee signs are somewhat confusing. Distances seem correct but the fairways do not according to the diagram. Could also use some trash cans, because there is litter on the course sadly.

-I love unique fairways. Fairways that are different, but hittable and easy to pitch out of. And that's pretty much what this course is about. There isn't much elevation, but it is pretty and the design in my opinion is overwhelming. Based on the rating here, I didn't expect too much, but I got a lot of enjoyment here. It felt like Fox Chase and Brackett's Bluff!

-There is not a hole here that I disliked, despite my cons. My college buddy Christopher told me how he loves this course, so I told him let's play it. So we did, and on most tee-pads, if not all, I said "Woah! This is cool!" I loved how it had four unique par 4 holes and a very scenic par 5. I loved how the trees were pretty spaced out, but still offered multiple fair lanes to the basket.

-Signature holes: #4-#6. #16, and #18. And many more. I don't know if I'm the only reviewer that was truly fond of this course, or if it was worked on, but I'd say come on out! It's like a backyard course at a local park.

- A downright beautiful, fun course
- Excellent variety of shots and holes
- Multiple tees
- Fantastic course design and flow
- Absolutely perfect, smooth, large tees. The best I've
ever seen
- Very well maintained

- Not much elevation change
- Missing about 2 1/2 tees
- Some short tees and one basket are not where the
signs indicate
- Only signs on the long tees now, which is fine except
when the tees are very far apart
- No benches and little to no trash cans, leading to
course litter
- A few of the short tees, really all the ones missing,
are just the same throws as the longs but ~35 ft closer

Those cons, they are nitpicking. Go play this course! It's fantastic! The was not much to complain about at all. I know a lot of folks complained about hole 15, the throw over the road and lake. I loved it. It's a fantastic risk/reward throw. My biggest complaint about this course was the late trouble on 7 & 11, and it wasn't a big deal at all. My other complaint, and it was only because it was my first time playing, is that without a tee sign at the short tee on 16, I was unaware there was a 15 foot wide creek in the fairway I couldn't see from the tee. Small thing- next time I'll know about it. But let's be honest, holes throwing over water, some beautiful wooded holes, wonderfully maintained.... this course was a labor of love and it shows. Those reviews below mine with 3's instead of 4's admitted they were taking into account that the course isn't finished. I say play those missing tees from the longs and just go! You won't regret it!

-If you're like me and disc golf is about getting outside and enjoying the atmosphere, you'll love Goose Landing. Mainly a hardwood forest of oaks and hickory. Trees in adolesence and maturity, making for some excellent wooded holes through 2/3 of the course. Beautiful park-like atmosphere and curving lake with reeds. Quiet and quaint. Wildlife seems prevalent, and biodiversity is commendable (I noticed many different kinds of mushrooms when I played). At least two holes backed up against a pasture...really cool to tee off with some confused cows sitting in the shade 15 feet away.

-Nearly every hole has two sets of teepads, which is very helpful because this course can challenge the best of players. Although some pads seemed to be missing despite two layouts on the signage, I'm assuming these will be poured soon (I didn't detract points, this being a new course).

-Excellent hole designs for the most part. Fair but challenging, with a good mix of directionality and open fields and wooded fairways.

-Superb use of water. I'll admit that when I saw this course had ~8 water holes, I debated whether or not it'd be too much for me. But for the most part, the use of the pond is very well done. The water is mainly used as an OB off to the side (a generous distance) off from the fairway. Even for beginner players it's fairly easy to preserve conservative placement away from the water's edge. The exception to this is probably holes 5 and 18...challenging but beautifully designed. Hole 5 long tee is a long drive across the lake, but allows a player to play conservatively and throw mid-way to an island (where the short tee pad is). Very cool hole. Hole 18 involves throwing across a little inlet and may be wide enough to sink the discs of beginner players.

-Solid, appropriate tee pads

-Good signage, and also has signs pointing to the next tee.

-Appropriate pars. Mixed up with some par 4's thrown in, and one par 5.

-Course has a rural atmosphere and I was the only one out here during the week. I would be surprised if Goose Landing ever gets busy.

-Overall a high "fun factor" and a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed playing this when I was passing through Richfield and I'd play it again.

-Good use of elevation, particularly on 16, 17, and 18... although this course isn't too hilly.

-The biggest con for me was a few hole placements. Specifically, two holes' fairways are very close to the cattle fence to a farmer's pasture. Errant shots could easily wind up on his private property--not to mention the challenge of getting through the barbed wire to retrieve your disc. Hole 15 is a hidden basket over the road, and in my opinion it's just too close to where traffic will be coming through.

-Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this course to beginners. It is challenging, and the water is always a looming threat (bring your junk discs). Going OB will kill your score.

-Pond seems like it may get recreational fishers, so could be a small problem.

-As of right now, a lack of trash cans and benches.

-As of right now, fairways still have a little ground growth and the roughs can be still pretty rough. This isn't a big deal and will improve as the course matures.

This is an excellent course, and I commend the designers and everyone that helped out. I have been travelling from Charlotte to the Triangle for some years along highway 49 and I always wished for a disc golf course along the way. I finally got one, and it doesn't disappoint. If you're ever going from Charlotte to the Triangle...skip the interstate traffic and stop through Richfield. Could also be a good day trip for Charlotte players looking for something different.

I think this deserves a 4 rating. It was designed for more experienced players and most of the cons (like water and hole placement) are less of a problem for the skill-level Goose Landing was intended for. Just as well, problems like missing teepads, trashcans and benches are easily remedied and will probably come soon.

Goose Landing is an excellent course at the intersection of just-passing-through (NC 52) and heading-somewhere-else (NC 49). Two years into its existence, this course has established itself as an under-the-radar locale.
- After reading earlier reviews, my expectations were somewhat tempered. But, Goose Landing blew any thoughts I had about the course. This is a great layout, one of the best new courses in the area in a while.
- The course is filled with fun and challenging holes. It can be a grind at times, as noted by having to play your round around the lake, and essentially the entire park. Still, finishing up #18, I was really tempted to play another 18. And this is after I'd already played 99 holes that day, across four different counties.
- There are some really quality holes at this course. I think there are 4 holes that could easily be the signature hole on this course: #5 (the water hole); #14 (402-foot hole that runs along the water); #15 (405-foot hole that throws around/over edge over water, over hole to basket protected by trees) and #16 (648 foot par 5 that seems much longer and bigger than that). In that sense, this course has advanced-level potential, along the lines (to varying degrees) of other area courses such as: Renny, Nevin, Hornets Nest, Stumpy and Fox Chase. All are great courses that come at you with one challenge after another.
- That said, my two favorite holes on the courses were none I listed above, but did also involve water. #4 - really enjoyed the challenge and risk/reward of this layout. It's a 279-foot hole that starts in the woods to an open basket that's only 25 feet or so in front of the water. #6 - it's a 429-foot hole with water (protected by some trees) running along the left side of the fairway the length of the hole. It felt great parking my second shot here for a drop-in 3.
- The course requires a lot of different shots throughout, while also giving you multiple options of how to play the course. The course has decent length, averaging 351 feet per hole, with 6 holes longer than 400, another four between 342 -372 feet, with nothing shorter than 227 feet. That said, on the longer holes, you can pull out driver, or play a couple mid-range shots and keep your shots in the fairway.
- Throughout the course, on many holes, you will be in trouble if you miss the fairway (deep in the woods or in the water) or the smart lay-up spots, as seen on #9. So yes, there's a strong risk/reward factor here, with the scales leaning heavily towards the risk side on some holes. Your round can be simplified, and produce many easy pars, even if not birdies, just by playing safe.
- Tee signs are mostly good. They're very descriptive and helpful, providing important information. On #5, it's great that the sign lists the distance to carry the water. It's good for those of us who are unsure about how aggressive we want to be.

The biggest problem here might not even be a true negative. It's more of an observation. For a course having two different layouts, 8 of the 18 holes share the same layout. So, on one hand, there's not a lot of variance due to the overlap. However; that might be better than the alternative of having forced alternative tee pads.
- I thought the tee on #11 plays much too close to the barb wire fence that runs along the left side of the fairway. It's a narrow fairway, with heavy tree coverage on both sides. My tee shot was running down the right side of the fairway, hit a tree and kicked 50 feet left, and ended up on the other side of the fence. I was able to get my disc back, but I'm probably not the first or last who will have the property line fence become a major issue on this hole.
- Navigation could be improved. Holes cross over at several different points. For example, after playing #5, you can go left to #6, go right to #14 or head past the basket and end up at #9. A few more arrows or signs could possibly keep people from ending up at wrong holes.
- Signage could be more accurate. On holes #10 & 12, for example, the tee sign shows both holes being doglegs, indicating both holes having about the same degree of bend in the fairway. Hole #10 plays very straight, with almost no bend. The fairway for #12, on the other hand, ends up being a near 90-degree right hand turn halfway down the layout. These two holes are completely different layouts, but a first-timer wouldn't know based on the signage. Add to that, #16 long could have better signage, letting players know about the (at-times) deep and dark creek that runs across and along the fairway.
- More benches and trash cans throughout the course will be needed in time. On a hot summer day, once you're on the back nine, I'm sure plenty of people will need to be sitting down and resting quite often. Not me, of course. But others will.

This is a solid course, and my opinion hasn't changed after my second round, 2 years after the first. It's hard to believe that Stanly County now has 3 very good-to-great courses.
- As much as I sing this course's praises, there are still improvements to be made. Maybe clearing out some more trees or moving tee pads or baskets will lead to even better layouts.
- Some people are not going to like some parts of this course, and I can see why. #5, for example, is going to have its critics. If you can't clear the water from the long tee (I wasn't in the mood to chance it, so I wimped out), you either have to play from the short tee (some people, like me, want their entire round played from one set of tees without exception) or have an awkward/difficult layup. I basically threw from the long tee towards the short tee on the island. The problem is that there aren't really any other options to play this hole.
- The other problem I could see some people having is that there seems to be a drumbeat of (nearly) alternating wooded, dogleg left and dogleg right holes from holes #8 - 13. That six-hole stretch yields three rights and two lefts. Maybe breaking up that monotony a little would be nice.
- Course is really convenient for players coming from Charlotte and/or I-85, half a mile from the intersection of 49 & 52. If you're coming from out of town, make it a day trip to play the entire Stanly County trifecta of Goose Landing, Fox Chase and City Lake. It'll be a solid day of disc golf, even if Pat disagrees.