Pros:
The course has a little bit of everything: plenty of open holes, wooded holes, long and short ones, holes with elevation. There is a nice flow here that you never feel you're playing the same type of hole too often. For example: #1 is wide open, #2 - 4 are shorter wooded holes with a mix of elevation and doglegs, #5 is open again, #6 is a tricky tee shot....all the way to #27.
- Great use of elevation. There were few flat holes. Almost every hole had some elevation factor, which helped add extra challenge to some of the lesser holes.
- There are some very creative hole layouts at this course. The coolest is #26, a straight hole that plays between rock walls that run almost the entire length. The two longest holes #5 & 21 have great risk/reward factors, which encourage aggressiveness. #15 is a short, downhill hole that had the feel of Glenn Hilton in Hickory, NC.
- Along those lines, I didn't feel there was any real throw away hole. Sure, several could have been improved, but if you're only as strong as your weakest link, Warriors will hold its own against almost any course. Also, there was a good job of mixing in the easier/birdie-able holes with the challenging ones. It wasn't until the last stretch of holes (from #21 - 27) that you had an extended stretch of what I'd consider true challenging holes.
- Nice tee signs and tee pads. There were only two major confusing parts to the entire course: the long transition from #1 to #2, which could be solved by several next tee signs, and the layout for #21 - missing a tee sign.
- Great state park with a little bit of everything: large campground (although not being able to make reservations is a con), nice lake plus all the standards. You could easily spend an entire weekend here and not leave the park.
Cons:
Course could have had a bit more difficulty thrown in. Only 2 of the 27 holes were longer than 400 feet, so adding length could help. Accuracy is more crucial than length, so if you're throwing straight you can really score low here.
- Several of the added holes didn't feel like they fit in with the rest of the course. The stretch of #23 - 25 felt like they were still works in progress, and just had a different vibe to them than anything up to that point.
- Signage could be improved between holes. I listed the two major issues above, but several other spots could also use next tee signs. This is especially important with extra paths in the woods (there's a path leading directly from #9 to 11), and extra/abandoned tee pads (there's an old tee pad between #4 & 5).
- I wasn't a fan of #6. It felt too gimmicky by trying to be different. The hole has no true fairway. There's a nearly solid line of trees, so you have to throw over top, leading to a nearly blind tee shot with thick rough on the right, and woods on the left.
- The rough could be cleaned up/thinned out in some places. I appreciate the reason for rough (I spend way too much time in it), but I spent more time than normal having to search for discs that got caught up in it.
Other Thoughts:
For most of the first 18 holes, this course felt way too much like Kilborne in Charlotte; albeit, with some more elevation. Thankfully, the extra holes were nothing like you'd see at Kilborne.
- If they could ever squeeze in another 9 holes, Warriors could have two truly distinct courses here. Go crazy and make one difficult, a sort of Ultimate Warriors, so to speak.
- Maybe in contrast to what I just said, I really wish the last hole of the course was #26. That really is a fun hole, and would be a great way to end a round. Add in the rock wall factor, and you could end up with a crazy, lucky bounced birdie, or an unlucky, stuck behind a rock bogey.
- Random observation. Why does this site list 4 different layouts, when only one hole (#16) has an alternate tee? Red and white are the same, and yellow and blue are the same, and they're only five feet apart.
- This is easily the best course in the region. I played it during a 3-day, 10 course road trip, and it ranked a solid second on my list, behind only Sugaree, and ahead of some other solid courses.
- This is a must play for anyone in the region: western NC or VA, southern KY, anywhere in TN, or anyone driving on I-81 or I-26. Warriors truly lives up to its name.