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Troutman Park reviews
8
0
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
20 years
603 played
546 reviews
Fun, small-town 9-holer
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Dec 4, 2019
Played the course:once
Pros:
This was a fun, work-in-progress course at the time I played here. Some additional work was done to improve the course before local officials pulled a 180 and removed all baskets. Never got a clear answer why the change in attitude. It's a shame, because it offered an excellent change of pace to other area courses. Alas, RIP.
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Troutman is a fun, mid-length, beginner friendly track in the confines of a pleasant small-town park. Hone your skills on this wooded layout, then head south 15 minutes to Stumpy Creek when you're ready to up your game.
- Course is a work in progress. When I played, three baskets were yet to be installed and one hole didn't have an obvious tee area/fairway. The holes without baskets had clear fairways and putting circles, so I could throw from the tee and play a version of the hole. The hole with no discernable tee/fairway (#7), turned into a stroll through the woods.
- Course is a fun mid-range course. Most holes seem to be in the 225 - 275-foot range. #9 will be the course's longest hole, probably topping out around 325 depending on where the tee and basket eventually get placed.
- #1 is a fun way to start your round. There are multiple lines to approach the basket. The main fairway favors LHBH throws, but you can also carve a shot through the trees on tighter lines or going RHBH and throwing over the tiny creek. Even if you don't typically play two off the first tee, good chance players will think about throwing a second disc.
- #2 & 4 both feature sharp dogleg left fairways. As is a theme throughout the course, the fairways aren't nearly as tight as they appear off the fairway. On #2, I thought my tee shot had faded too far left off the tee. Instead, a simple 15-foot birdie putt.
- Course has a tough, but fair element that will be beneficial to beginner & casual players. Barring a completely unfortunate bounce off a tree, players should be able to advance shots from the woods and often have the chance to salvage par.
- Course is easy to navigate. First tee is on the sidewalk next to the parking lot. From that point on, there's only one path that leads players from hole to hole. Only bit of caution would be to keep an eye out for stray discs on several holes if the course were ever crowded.
- I thought #5 is the most scenic hole on the course. And it's one of the two or three best tee shots to boot. If you're looking down the fairway, you feel like you're deep in the woods and not close to homes (behind you), the parking lot, buildings, and the main street through town. There's something about being close to civilization while still feeling you can get away from it.
- Park is very nice. Ball field, playground, picnic shelter, walking trails, rest rooms, and drinks all right there. Depending on one's perspective, having the police station right next to the park entrance is a great thing (for safety) or discouraging (for those who insist on partaking in activities considered illegal in the park).
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Troutman is a fun, mid-length, beginner friendly track in the confines of a pleasant small-town park. Hone your skills on this wooded layout, then head south 15 minutes to Stumpy Creek when you're ready to up your game.
- Course is a work in progress. When I played, three baskets were yet to be installed and one hole didn't have an obvious tee area/fairway. The holes without baskets had clear fairways and putting circles, so I could throw from the tee and play a version of the hole. The hole with no discernable tee/fairway (#7), turned into a stroll through the woods.
- Course is a fun mid-range course. Most holes seem to be in the 225 - 275-foot range. #9 will be the course's longest hole, probably topping out around 325 depending on where the tee and basket eventually get placed.
- #1 is a fun way to start your round. There are multiple lines to approach the basket. The main fairway favors LHBH throws, but you can also carve a shot through the trees on tighter lines or going RHBH and throwing over the tiny creek. Even if you don't typically play two off the first tee, good chance players will think about throwing a second disc.
- #2 & 4 both feature sharp dogleg left fairways. As is a theme throughout the course, the fairways aren't nearly as tight as they appear off the fairway. On #2, I thought my tee shot had faded too far left off the tee. Instead, a simple 15-foot birdie putt.
- Course has a tough, but fair element that will be beneficial to beginner & casual players. Barring a completely unfortunate bounce off a tree, players should be able to advance shots from the woods and often have the chance to salvage par.
- Course is easy to navigate. First tee is on the sidewalk next to the parking lot. From that point on, there's only one path that leads players from hole to hole. Only bit of caution would be to keep an eye out for stray discs on several holes if the course were ever crowded.
- I thought #5 is the most scenic hole on the course. And it's one of the two or three best tee shots to boot. If you're looking down the fairway, you feel like you're deep in the woods and not close to homes (behind you), the parking lot, buildings, and the main street through town. There's something about being close to civilization while still feeling you can get away from it.
- Park is very nice. Ball field, playground, picnic shelter, walking trails, rest rooms, and drinks all right there. Depending on one's perspective, having the police station right next to the park entrance is a great thing (for safety) or discouraging (for those who insist on partaking in activities considered illegal in the park).
Cons:
True biggest con was the failure of local officials to support this course. The amount of time and hours into building this course were suddenly deemed irrelevant as p&r decided the course was no longer wanted. Do better Troutman. Only thing worse about Troutman is having D-list reality star Kate Gosselin living in town.
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Biggest issues are due to the in-progress element of the course. There may never be concrete tee pads (a quasi-issue), but there will (or should be) baskets on all nine holes (a deal-breaker if there aren't). I'd like to think there will be tee signs, or at least hole distances, and additional clearing done on holes in the coming months.
- As for ongoing, potential problems, drainage seems to be one. I played in December, about a week since the last rain, and there was standing water, and muddy areas in several sections of the course.
- Maybe not the greatest variety for a course. More advanced players are going on birdie runs here. And for those players, you should be at Stumpy Creek and not here.
- Parking lot may be on the small side, especially if there are ball games going on during the weekend.
- Tee signs should be a must, especially if you're aiming towards less-seasoned players. A non-regular player probably won't have the same feel or understanding for hole layouts and course flow.
- It would be nice to have a kiosk or some sort of signage highlighting the disc golf course. You are secluded from the rest of the course, so some park goers may not know about the course.
- A simple observation for those types who need it. You probably don't want to do anything that will draw attention to yourself in this park. The police station is 500 feet from the park entrance and, well, you're in a small town and having to deal with small town cops. Just saying that it probably doesn't take a whole lot for someone to call the police and for the police to show up within 2 minutes. So, a group of guys walking out of the woods all carrying cans of beer may draw more attention than at other courses.
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Biggest issues are due to the in-progress element of the course. There may never be concrete tee pads (a quasi-issue), but there will (or should be) baskets on all nine holes (a deal-breaker if there aren't). I'd like to think there will be tee signs, or at least hole distances, and additional clearing done on holes in the coming months.
- As for ongoing, potential problems, drainage seems to be one. I played in December, about a week since the last rain, and there was standing water, and muddy areas in several sections of the course.
- Maybe not the greatest variety for a course. More advanced players are going on birdie runs here. And for those players, you should be at Stumpy Creek and not here.
- Parking lot may be on the small side, especially if there are ball games going on during the weekend.
- Tee signs should be a must, especially if you're aiming towards less-seasoned players. A non-regular player probably won't have the same feel or understanding for hole layouts and course flow.
- It would be nice to have a kiosk or some sort of signage highlighting the disc golf course. You are secluded from the rest of the course, so some park goers may not know about the course.
- A simple observation for those types who need it. You probably don't want to do anything that will draw attention to yourself in this park. The police station is 500 feet from the park entrance and, well, you're in a small town and having to deal with small town cops. Just saying that it probably doesn't take a whole lot for someone to call the police and for the police to show up within 2 minutes. So, a group of guys walking out of the woods all carrying cans of beer may draw more attention than at other courses.
Other Thoughts:
Overall, I thought Troutman Park is an enjoyable 9-hole layout. I enjoyed this course more than most of the 9-holers in the greater Charlotte area (from Charlotte, Rock Hill, Salisbury, and Hickory areas).
- If you're a local, take advantage a course that will sharpen your mid-range and approach game. If this is your home course, you should become comfortable with wooded layouts, how to carve a shot around trees, and how to bail yourself out from bad lies in the rough.
- I've lived in North Carolina for more than three decades and this was the first time I had ever driven through Troutman. There's a very nice small-town vibe with a nice local scene. Looks like some solid, independent restaurant options compared to all the chain spots you'll drive by on your way to Stumpy Creek.
- I'd be interested to see how this course plays when there are leaves on the trees. Some of the fairways may become much narrower and some routes on holes filled in.
- Even for casual players, you should see some birdie chances at this course. Whether it's skill on a more open, straighter holes (#6 or 8), a hole that plays your fade or draw (#2, 3, or 4), or simply a lucky bounce off a tree (#1 or 7), somewhere along the ways, you'll park a shot or two.
- There aren't many chances for lost discs here. From what I observed, the biggest concerns would be right of the fairway on #1 and left of the fairway on #4.
- This is a good introductory course for new players. If you can learn to throw straight shots here, even if you don' have the biggest arm, you'll do well on many courses. Play here a time or two, then head down to Stumpy Creek 15 minutes away. A very nice course added to the Iredell County disc golf scene.
- If you're a local, take advantage a course that will sharpen your mid-range and approach game. If this is your home course, you should become comfortable with wooded layouts, how to carve a shot around trees, and how to bail yourself out from bad lies in the rough.
- I've lived in North Carolina for more than three decades and this was the first time I had ever driven through Troutman. There's a very nice small-town vibe with a nice local scene. Looks like some solid, independent restaurant options compared to all the chain spots you'll drive by on your way to Stumpy Creek.
- I'd be interested to see how this course plays when there are leaves on the trees. Some of the fairways may become much narrower and some routes on holes filled in.
- Even for casual players, you should see some birdie chances at this course. Whether it's skill on a more open, straighter holes (#6 or 8), a hole that plays your fade or draw (#2, 3, or 4), or simply a lucky bounce off a tree (#1 or 7), somewhere along the ways, you'll park a shot or two.
- There aren't many chances for lost discs here. From what I observed, the biggest concerns would be right of the fairway on #1 and left of the fairway on #4.
- This is a good introductory course for new players. If you can learn to throw straight shots here, even if you don' have the biggest arm, you'll do well on many courses. Play here a time or two, then head down to Stumpy Creek 15 minutes away. A very nice course added to the Iredell County disc golf scene.
