Pros:
Windsor is a fun, simple, small-town course. When you're playing 11 different courses in a day, this is a great place to warm up.
- It's short. It's simple. It's very open. And yet, it's generally enjoyable.
- Great course for casuals and beginners. All nine holes are between 138 and 260 feet. Obstacles are enough to present challenges to the newbies while not overwhelming them.
- #2 – 4 all hug the edges of wooded areas. #2 is the best hole on the course, and longest, at 260 feet. Trees line the left side of this fairway with a basket tucked away in a corner.
- #3 has thick coverage along the left side plus a couple of trees/branches that may knock down shots that are too high. #4 is a sharp dogleg right playing around a wooded area. This borders precipitously close to a 'not-good' layout, one of those forced layouts installed by non-disc golfers. I give it a pass as it's the only questionable layout.
- The other six holes are all essentially straight, mainly open. There are slight variances depending on where the occasional tree is situated in relationship to each basket. Think of six birdie chances or ace runs.
- Good for a quick round. I played my round in 20ish minutes.
Cons:
To fit in 9 holes in this space, concessions are made. The weirdest one is that from #8 to #9, then back towards #1, you're walking down a residential street, passing houses. Playing at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, I half gave a look over my shoulder, expecting someone to yell at me for trespassing or loitering.
- From the basket on #8 back towards #1 tee, assuming this is where you parked, the walk is almost as long as the course itself – approx.. 1200 foot walk compared to 1600 foot layout.
- The area around #9, at least when I played, was home to a lot of construction material, from safety cones to a large dirt/sand pile to pieces of pavement. Not sure if this is a regular storage area or a temporary thing.
- Very little shade cover. Will be noticeable on a warm, sunny Summer day.
- Below the skill level of advanced players.
- No amenities here – benches, trash cans, bathrooms, water fountains, etc.
Other Thoughts:
I typically hope for these small town nine-holers to offer a degree of fun. I've played my share of bad ones where the baskets were seemingly installed in the ground at random. Windsor was in the positive category.
- Windsor seems like a total commuter town. You're an hour and change to the Outer Banks. You're 45 minutes to Greenville (ECU territory). You're an hour and a half to Norfolk / Virginia Beach. You're 90 minutes to Raleigh. Point being, expect a lot one-time players to play here.
- I love early morning rounds. I love being on a course when it's deserted. Even on a hot Summer day, I love the hint of the cool in the air while on the course. That helps my thoughts on this course. I think about courses 8, 9, and 10 of the day and how I wasn't as cheerful at the end of the day.
- Holes average 187 feet in length. This is the standard comment that a short like this is good for an ace race event.
- I'd be a little cautious stepping into the woods or reaching into any tall grass to retrieve a disc. You're only a couple hundred feet from the Cashie River. So keep an eye out for snakes.
- Other than the transition from #8 to 9, this course is easy to navigate. Even driving in, the first tee and basket are right along the road.
- This is about as middle of the road as a nine holer will be. Most players will be perfectly content playing a round here. As such, the course is getting my standard 1.5 rating for a nine hole layout.