- Excellent variety. While most holes are heavily wooded (15/18), there is still a lot of variety present. Lots of doglegs in both directions, and many holes where elevation comes into play. There's a few holes where water is a factor, presenting interesting risk/reward choices.

- Thought provoking tee shots. There are some holes where I know exactly what I'll throw as soon as I step up to the tee the first time. There are some holes I look at and think of 3-5 different discs I could throw for that line. This course almost exclusively features the latter type, and does a good job of keeping you thinking. I enjoy courses like this that make you really think about your tee shots.

- Practice basket with ample room for approach shots.

- Generous tee size. Tees are quite large and all of them were level.

- Well marked. Next tee indicators on baskets, as well as generous signage. Didn't need to refer to the map at all my first round.

- Hole 9 & 18 both finish next to the parking lot.

- There's a lot of well made bridges to help players navigate the swampy holes. Keep your discs out of the rough and mud shouldn't be a factor in your round.

- Gorgeous property. When cars aren't driving by and no one is taking one of the small planes for a flight, it's quite peaceful and secluded feeling. I had the course to myself, though there was a kid putting on the practice basket by the time I finished my round.

- While every hole does present a fair birdie opportunity, there are definitely some tight fairways. Maybe a touch too tight at times.

- Some awkward angles. #13 for example is a pretty standard dogleg right, but its basically a 90 degree turn as soon as you get past the tree line. I threw a straight to fade rhfh shot and was left with a long putt. rhbh roller would be riskier but may be the best choice for a birdie.

- Could use two sets of tees. As it stands the course is pretty challenging but it lacks raw length. The current tees aren't quite as difficult as I personally enjoy, but tougher than younger players or beginners probably want to play. Advanced players will likely wish for longer holes, while novices would benefit from some red tees. Doesn't look like the current design has space for longs though.

I didn't know what to expect when I drove to this course.

DGCR member reviews hover between 1-2.5 stars, indicating a bad course. "Mission team manager," who's review I expected to be biased, gave it 4/5 stars.

Which score was accurate?

I'm happy to report Mission Team Managers review is most accurate.

This is a good course, and every hole presents a chance at a birdie, though some involve more risk than others.

My conclusion is that older reviews are out of date. This wasn't a "jungle course," and the rough wasn't worse than what I'm used to at other courses.

This is definitely a heavily wooded course and some fairways are less than 25' wide, but none of the holes felt unfair or poorly designed. There are some odd angles, but nothing that can't be managed by some creative tee shots. You might have to throw a flex flick rather than hyzering everything, but that's a good thing to me.

This course wasn't nearly as poke and pray as I expected. Fairways are tight but fair.

If there were some long tees I would consider this a destination level course, and I'd give it 4/5 stars. As it stands it's an awkward difficulty level of being too short for a gold level course, but more devious than rec players are looking for.

It's a scenic and secluded heavily wooded 18 hole course that presents a variety of challenges. If you enjoy tightly wooded courses over raw distance, you'll enjoy your time here.

I found this course more interesting than the more highly rated Cane Creek that's nearby.

This course was begun in 2019. The front nine definitely feel more established than the back nine. It is laid out in two 9-hole loops, allowing you begin and end both at the parking lot. The teepads are all concrete surfaces.
The course is not long, with an average hole length of 255 on the front and 277 on the back. The first two holes follow the edge of the lake and present some risk to those whose discs tend to drift right. Keep your disc low on the first hole, unless you play wide to the left and drift back.
Beginning with hole 3, you're in the woods. The fairways are narrow and require accuracy. Carelessness and overachievement will be punished. The rough is truly rough, with undergrowth, including briars, present. There is a good amount of altitude change, and being in the woods and playing along both sides of a rivulet/creek, you can expect the ground to be soft at times, especially after rain. Plan accordingly.
The holes play to the left and right, up and down hill, and offer shots that will challenge or reward left and right-hand throwing, as well as forehand and backhand. Again, plan your shots carefully; the fairways are narrow, at 10-20ft.
Hole 6 starts with an overlook and a throw across the corner of the lake. This par 4 hole has been extended to 407ft with a mando to the left of the water tank. The basket is elevated on a platform, about 3ft above the ground. Hole 7 is also a raised basket, 6ft off the ground with a pretty severe drop-off behind it. What's 6ft on the front is easily 12 -20 feet up from the back. Hole 8 is a psychological hole: the view from the tee box looks like you're throwing through heavy trees straight into the lake,.The basket is left and close to the edge. Avoiding the trees will make you tend to drift right (where you will go in the lake) and throwing timidly leaves you with a long approach (with the lake still looming behind the basket.
The back 9 are newer, and as such the undergrowth feels a little more intimidating. Holes 12 and 15 are long and narrow, so keep your throws accurate and straight. 13 is a tight uphill right turn. The hill will stop your disc from rolling and gaining any distance. 16 is an uphill left turn--not long but you have to choose which side of the fairway to use as it's divided by a row of trees. Yes, there are a lot of trees--but this course, as a reminder, was designed to use this area with minimal impact on the woods. It has the advantage of forcing more accuracy and improving the game of those who learn from it.
Other helpful additions include several trashcans along the course, and foot bridges back and forth across the wettest areas. There are also directional arrows on the few holes on which it may not be obvious where the next tee box is.

Some of the holes can get muddy, for reasons mentioned above. Holes 9, 15, 17, and 18 cross or are near the creek, and are most affected here.
Another potential challenge is the lack of bathrooms readily available. While there are some in the main building, the Townsend Building, it's kind of a long walk to get up there (and it's only open 8-5).
Five benches are now installed on the course, at holes 1,3,6,9, and 15.
Along the lake you may have to share some space with picnickers or fishers. Be aware, especially on holes 2 and 6, that some people may park on the grass, which means their car may be in the fairway. Hole 6 is the most likely place to have a person fishing right where you want to throw your tee shot.

There are parking curbs for at least 8 cars, and room for more than that on the graveled areas. Signage at each tee gives a general map, distance, par and the name of the group who installed the holes. Volunteers from a lot of churches and schools have helped with this course.
There are other signs through the course that you can QR more information about JAARS itself, if you're unfamiliar with their purpose.
There are a number of young players on the course who live in the area. They regularly mine the lake for discs. Take the time to put your name and contact information on your discs. If they find them, they have a reputation of trying to reach the owner.
Again, this is a technical course with the goal of improving accuracy for players who want that. It's short enough that you can play for fun, and doesn't have long walks between holes. Those trees that seem to be in the way will provide great shade in the summer, and make this a cooler place to play. As it all greens out, it's easy to feel like you've got the whole course to yourself, also!
All in all, while every course has things some people won't like, this one has a good balance of challenge and reward. You can usually see the baskets from the tee, but that doesn't make it easy to get there! Play this course, and you'll discover it makes your game better!

UPDATED September 2023: Having read a positive review from more than a year after I played, I want to add the caveat that the course could well have been carved out a little more. In that case, I could see this becoming a solid 3.0 if it has clear, well-defined fairways that maximize the wooded property. I have left my original review below.

A short woods course that someone is clearly enthusiastic about.

-Amenities: One of the elements that shows a bit of care from the course visionary. Gravel tee boxes (not yet finished), course map and rules, DISCatchers, signage including number, par, and iffy maps.

-Lake: A fun gameplay element for (1), (2), and (8). The first two are the best holes on the course with the water danger on the right and a simultaneous forcing of a right-turning shape towards the water. The lake is also pretty.

-Improvement: Reading reviews on multiple sites, JAARS has had a lot of steady improvement. Due to this, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a better course a year from now.

-Some Holes: A select few of the wooded holes have believable lines that deliver rewarding birdies. (17) may rate most highly among these, a straight shot finishing right that goes down a slope and over a trickle of a creek. There are other shots that have been sufficiently cleared, and these overall rate at a Decent level.

-9 & 9: Two loops finish near the parking.

Trees, trees, trees.

-Trees: Trees. Lots of trees. Too many trees. The disc cannot fly because the trunks constantly knock you down. In my notes, I marked holes (3), (4), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (13), (15), (16) as definitively unreasonable, which is more than half of the course. Some holes are nothing more than a walking path wide enough for one person. Most of the others have a tree most of the way down the fairway that renders any semblance of fairness a sham. A chainsaw is needed to finish the course.

-Disc Loss: The lake is a definite risk, especially on the plinko hole (8).

-Mud: There is very little holding the ground together out here, and accordingly a lot of it came off onto my shoes.

JAARS is a nice little track of woods. Unfortunately, there are too many trees. A simple problem, perhaps, but a fatal one. Overall, it's a Poor course that will beat your discs in more than anybody would want.

-Size: I don't consider this a par-2 course per se, but it's very close. Short, half-throws make up the majority of shots and some players could end up jump putting some holes. This is ultimately what keeps the rating low, as even the most interesting shapes are on a mini scale. Again, this isn't necessarily something I dislike, it's just an explanation for my rating - the course is a novelty. Just like with "novelty" in the food sense, a mini Drumstick isn't 5 stars when compared with a Michelin-starred meal.

-No offense to any fans of Thirty Seconds to Mars, like what you like. That aside, I'm not a fan of Jaars. Just like I'm not a fan of Thirty Seconds to Mars. Now to really set that aside, it seems that wasn't made to be a real quality course and that's fine. I mean, some businesses are nonprofit and they operate for different purposes. The course I started at isn't a great course and it isn't kept up well, but it still got me hooked. Jaars is a par 58 course that is just over 4700' long. So it's short and technical and does have some cool features and a few holes that I did enjoy playing. There is a pond, a mando on one hole, and a few interesting obstacles such as the water tower on #6 and the low ceiling on #14.

-It's a local course inside it's own neighborhood. I had the pleasure of playing with one of the locals. His name was Isaac and he told me how he was looking to play more courses around Charlotte and see what they are like. So, this course is definitely enough to raise interests.

-Some interest shot shaping fairways, most of them just need to be widened a little and they'll be better. #6 is a neat hole around the water tower and instantly over the water. The water is in play only at the start of this hole, so losing a disc shouldn't be much of a risk but the look of this hole is very unique and the design is brilliant. Fairway bends to the right once you enter the gap in the woods. #14 was a neat corridor shot through some bushes and under a limb. The fairway bends sharply to the right on a small hill. Rollers could occur here. Tricky 208' par three. #17 was a cool downhill hole as well. Utilizes the available elevation very well.

-Run by volunteers around the Waxhaw area. I kept up with the course when it was put on site. It was ten holes and holes #11 thru #18 were added quickly. So at the rate in which those holes appeared, or seemed to have appeared, the course has a lot of potential and it shows how effectively the volunteers worked on it and how strong of a work ethic that they have.

-It's not complete. It's very thorny in places. There are far too many trees. Hole #8 has a bunch of trees in the middle of the fairway and the pond is to the right side. You want to fade left in the end. The fairway starts off to the right side close to the water, so if you hit a tree on the right side, you are in the murky water. People tend to fish on that fairway too.

-Gets swampy. There's a rill erosion that runs through, primarily on #15 that catches water. After a rainfall, you better pray you don't land in the rill. The water is an orangey tang like color that makes it impossible to see through. It's no more than a foot deep. I mean, think about it. You could lose a disc in a small rill that's ankle deep just because the water color is that special shade of orange that's impossible to see through when on another day, it could be dried out. That kinda sucks!

-#18 is dreadful. The fairway is less than 5' wide in most parts. #16 was awfully messy too. The trees are super close in proximity throughout meaning that if you are inside the circle putting with trees in your way, you won't have a putt as easy as it should be. I was inside the circle on #11 putting for birdie and I completely missed because there were nothing but bushes around me, thorns stuck to my clothes, and trees all around me.

-Limited parking. There's a gravel lot that can fit a few cars.

-Overall, just a lack of excitement here. It's very dull with the exception of two fun holes and a couple decent ones.

-I try to update my negative reviews as courses improve. Hopefully Jaars will improve as it is very new. It's passable, but it's not worth the drive unless you live in Waxhaw or within twenty minutes unless you have something else to do in Waxhaw.

-This area needs better courses. Cane Creek is nearby and it's not very fun either. Dry Creek is your best option for now if you live in Waxhaw (it's very fun). There's more potential than this and it needs to be seen.

On the JAARS campus in Waxhaw, is the eponymous disc golf course. It features 18 holes, with DISCatcher baskets, tee signs, gravel tees, and a practice basket. While I am typically not a huge fan of gravel tees, I think they seem okay here because the light traffic seems to have kept them fairly even and none of the holes require much run-up anyway. The signage here was great, and it made the navigability of the course a snap.

The course begins on a couple of beautiful open holes, set next to a pond. These are very scenic shots, and give players a lot of room to work with in shaping their shots/warming up. Then the course moves into the woods, and things get tight fast. The course requires a lot of accuracy from players, and different shots are needed. Right handed players will benefit from a wide range of technical forehand shots, as even some of the left finishing holes felt better suited for a forehand anhyzer than a backhand.

While the fairways were extremely narrow, they felt fair in regards to length and par. So even newer players shouldn't feel too discouraged playing here. As long as they focus on accuracy over distance. Despite the distances, the course features multiple par 4s that actually felt like they deserved said par due to the fairway shape and width. And yet, they didn't feel like they were luck based either.

With what limited elevation there is to work with in Waxhaw, this course had a few cool shots featuring noticeable elevation. There's a surprising amount of holes that feature downhill, uphill, and valley tee shots. The holes that play around the pond are very scenic, and Hole 6's tee shot features a water carry (or pseudo-water carry when the water is low) that provides one of the most interesting tee shots of the course. You just want to make sure you time your steps well, lest you follow through into the water below.

The fairways at JAARs seem to have been leaf blown, which while it may seem helpful because the course likely doesn't get enough foot traffic to really fight leaf fall, but I am not a fan of this. The fairways become leaf lined channels that direct water down the fairways, accelerating erosion and will become muddy messes after rainstorms. Plus this means the leaves that are in the rough with much deeper and harder to look for discs in. Not to mention the dead leaves provide nutrients for the trees that line the fairways. You can already see erosion in some spots. Not to mention, by the time I played in mid-December the leaves in the rough were already worn down enough that losing a disc wasn't as bad as it could have been. So if they weren't leaf blown things would have been okay. Whoever maintains the course, might want to try to find a solution to provide a happy medium.

I personally felt like Hole 8's basket should probably be moved about 10-15 feet further from the edge of the water. As it stands, it seems like it is only 10 feet away. Since the course will primarily be played by families on the JAARS campus, this would help the hole stand out, without being overly punishing. In the very least, nice erosion bars should be added as the wear around the basket is already turning the green into a slope straight into the water.

Hole 18 was probably my least favorite hole on the course. Due to the mando, it is a layup to a longer second throw. The idea would be fine, but the distance of the layup is really only a long putt, and there's not enough room to actually swing a shot, realistically, to make much distance down the fairway. I think if the hole was shaped just slightly better, it would serve as a much better finishing hole.

There aren't really any amenities here for people, and the course's parking is very limited. So do not expect anything. This course was primarily made for families living on the campus, but that shouldn't detract from your enjoyment of the course.

Overall, JAARS DGC is a fun course that features a lot of variety and will offer something for players of most skill levels. Beginners and Rec players will benefit from the shorter distances that the course provides on holes, but Intermediate and Advanced players will find enough challenge with how tight the fairways are to consistently score on every hole. I really enjoyed playing here, and not just because my putting was better than it's been all year, but because the course was well designed. My rating probably would have been a bit higher if the course had featured a few benches, and maybe a few minor tweaks to a couple holes, namely 8 and 18.

Favorite Holes: 1, 3, 6, 15

Holes 1-7 are fun to play, along with 13 and 14. Signage and navigation is good. Hole 13 is a dog leg to the right with the tee very close to the road. It's the best designed hole on the entire course (my opinion) Some holes a birdie material, especially 1,2,3, 6 and 13

This is not a beginner level course. Beginners can play it but they will be frustrated in many places if they do. Hole 8 is too close to the water and hole 9 has too many prickly type vegetation to the left of the fairway which is very easy to throw into. Hole # 10 is a bad design unless you like to try and fish your discs out of a prickly bog. Hole #12 is a joke with a very narrow winding fairway. Hole #15 is way to narrow. #16 has you throwing downhill with a bog hard to avoid on the left. #17 has you throwing over a bog and then a very narrow tree scattered fairway. Hole #18, another thin fairway with trees scattered all over again.

I play this course at least once a week and sometimes more.
When I play a course I always think about the design and what the designer was thinking who would play the course. I am a bit confused about what type of player this course was designed to entice. Narrow fareways attract fast hard throwers with lots of experience, too many trees does not encourage beginners to play either.

Remove all the junk from between the tee and basket on #10 and remove some of the trees near the basket and this could be a fun and still challenging hole. Open up the fairway to #12 more. On #15 clear out all the trees in the middle open section of the fairway and this could be a doable hole. If you cannot throw straight because you do not throw fast, this will be a frustration course for you, especially on 12, 13 and 15. I give it a low score because it's not well designed for a beginner or a person who cannot throw fast and hard, but who has been playing a long time. Plan on bringing some old discs or floaters for #8 and #9 and possibly #6 - Approx. 5 holes have water in play - #1 ,2, 6, 8 and 9. Holes 1, 2 are in the open, 6 and 13 are partly open and the rest are wooded. Hole 13 is a dog leg to the right with the tee very close to the road. Very sad that much of the open areas could not be incorporated into the course. The muddy parts of the course convey, this is the best we can do towards the seasoned disc golfer. I've dubbed it "The Course in the Bog".

This could have been a superb course to advertise the work of JAARS, but what do I know. So sad! NOT a course to play after a heavy rain! Only playable holes after a big rain are #1, 2,13 and 14

JAARS is now an 18 hole layout. With a heavily, tightly wooded back 9, you're starting to see why this is the jungle course.
- The rest of the review is from the original 10 hole layout. If I ever get around to it, I'll update to include info on the back 9. If not, this will suffice.
- A good, varied layout. Hole #1 is a simple opener while also featuring the most scenic approach shot. The basket is on top of a ridge with the pond serving as your backdrop. Unlike #8, the water is no factor here.
- Fun, tight wooded layouts. I really enjoyed #3 and 4. #3 is a dogleg left, 192-foot layout. #4 is a dogleg right, 164-foot layout with a pipeline running along the left side of the fairway. You may think this is the most interesting obstacle on the course. Well, just you wait.
- #6 is easily the most creative layout from tee to basket. You're teeing off from a raised platform on the edge of the pond. Be advised footing isn't the greatest, but it is a great view. From there, your approach your throwing to a basket that's protected by a massive fuel tank. Depending where you land off the tee, you may be throwing over, or at least have to redirect your shot around it.
- Easy navigation. You can spot the practice basket in the field, right next to the small parking lot. Form there, you do have signage and/or paths that lead from one hole to the next.
- Tee signs. Simple yet helpful as there are several blind tee shots - #1 & 6 year round and #4 & 7 once leaves are on the trees.
- (Mostly) a good course for casual players. As of this writing, there are 10 baskets in the ground. I'd say nine are good for new players / the 1 or 2 disc carrying types. #8 is where the danger lies.
- Expanding course. The back nine is being installed with a target date of being completed by the end of the year. Once done, Waxhaw will have three 18-hole courses, two of which were essentially (or exclusively?) built by volunteers. Only Cane Creek is a county-run course.

Natural/gravel tee pads. On most holes, it's not an issue. On #6, you want to make sure your footing is good as you are teeing off on the edge of the pond.
- Muddy in spots. There's a major drainage issue all around #9's basket. I'm thankful they built a bridge past 9's basket leading to the next tee and basket, or back to the parking lot. When I played the course was dried out except this area, which was extremely swampy. Note that the problem is being addressed, just be prepared in the interim.
- No amenities on the course itself - benches, trashcans, restrooms, or water fountains. It's a 10 minute drive back into town, so just plan accordingly.
- The basket for #8 will be a love/hate layout. This could easily be the course's signature hole.....however, the basket is too close to the water to fully enjoy this layout. I'm saying this mainly based upon the course's intended audience of families, casuals, and first timers who live in the community. The basket is 10 feet or so from the water. You're teeing off throwing directly at the water. Say you play conservatively and land 30 feet short. That now leaves you a 30-foot putt directly at the water. If the basket was moved 15 feet inland, or a netting was place right behind the basket, I'd love this hole instead.
- Poor drainage around the basket for #9. It's swampy. This is getting addressed and should be fixed sooner than later.

This is overall a pretty nice 10-hole course. In its current form in March '21, I enjoyed the course for what it is.
- I like looking for variety and fun layouts, especially when playing the shorter, 9 (-ish) hole layouts. Big credit for each hole feeling different from the others, creating a nice, flowing layout.
- The water offers some good safari options. Standing on #6's tee, why not make a run at #1's tee? Why not throw some discs from #8's basket back to #2's basket?
- Another nice aspect of this course is that most holes feel as if they're scaled down versions of longer, tougher layouts. Instead of throwing driver off the tee, you can throw putters or mid-ranges, allowing for more margin of error. #3 & 4, for example, feel like scaled down versions of a valley layout on Richmond Hill in Asheville. Instead of 300-foot layout over that valley, you're throwing 192 & 164 foot ones instead.
- More holes!! This will be an intriguing layout once its completed. As of this review, four additional holes are in-progress. Based on the initial 10, this should be a fun layout.
- Just think, before long, you'll be able to play 54 holes in Waxhaw making for a fun half day of disc golf. For people who say small towns can't get courses, Waxhaw (YES, WAXHAW), will soon have three 18-hole courses.
- I expect to see plenty of reviews/comments that will be missing one A. Between spell check and lack of attention, I expect to see people talking about JARS.
- JAARS is a great mission in and of itself. My great aunt worked for JAARS for decades, spending years deep in the Amazon. There will be critics of JAARS for what they stand for. But, if nothing else, search for what the acronym stands for and why it exists.
- My rating is based on the current layout. My rating falls in line with similar 9/10-hole courses of this ilk. Once all 18 baskets are in the ground, I look forward to playing and updating my review.