Albemarle, NC

Fox Chase

Permanent course
4.155(based on 44 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Fox Chase reviews

Filter
12 0
dndelli
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.6 years 134 played 131 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fox Chase 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 22, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Fox Chase is located in Chuck Morehead Park, and it features a variety of technical holes with a lot of elevation in play that you will be throwing up, down, and around. Fret not, for there are plenty of benches. Fox Chase has nice concrete tees, large tee signs for every hole, and DISCatcher baskets.

Fox Chase features two layouts, so it is a great course for players of multiple skill levels. Intermediate and Advanced players will both feel their games tested, and the holes are going to require a variety of shots and release angles in order to score well.

While playing here, you might forget you are in the piedmont of North Carolina. The first several holes are all really fun and well designed, but once you get to the tee for Hole 8, and stare at the hill you'll be navigating to reach the pin, you'll start to get a sense for what the character of the rest of the course is going to be. Luckily, it is designed in a way where you won't just be hiking up and down hills over-and-over again, there are plenty of ridge shots along the way to catch your breath.

The whole course is pretty and mostly feels secluded from the rest of the park. Fox Chase has a nice calming atmosphere amongst the chaos that might be happening on your scorecard if your discs aren't flying the way you want them to.

Fox Chase is located in close proximity to both City Lake Park DGC and Goose Landing, which are both phenomenal courses in their own rights, set in beautiful parks - and can be combined together to make for one exciting day of disc golf!

Cons:

While the signs are nice, and big - it would be nice if there was a sign at every tee pad. While every hole had a tee sign, it was frustrating to have to walk to the other tee to see information about the hole you were about to throw.

Some of the OB listed on the tee signs seemed fairly weird to me. Such as the small OB "creeks" that have been completely dry every time I have played the course. (I am NOT referring to the larger creeks, like the one behind Hole 5's basket.) They are only about 1.5 feet wide and only a few inches deep. They feel like they were forced as OB to create the illusion of risk/reward, but should probably just play as casual - since defining the actual OB lines at these creeks is somewhat difficult and would look cluttered if they were marked with flags or rope.

Some of the holes suffer from being tweener holes and/or having awkward Par listed. Hole 6 from the longs is a prime example of this. It is a long 426' fairway, with a sharp right dogleg, late guardian trees congesting the middle of the fairway, and listed as a Par 3. Even if listed as a Par 4, the distance would likely goad people into trying to eke out extra distance off their tee shot and take horrible kicks into the thick rough off of the guardian trees.

The course seems like it is sometimes shared space for cross country training/races. At least there were signs indicating this on my last visit out here. This isn't a factor all the time, but it is worth mentioning. Just in case you roll up and people are currently using the trails for such.

Other Thoughts:

I am rating Fox Chase at a 4.0 for now. I'll be the first to admit that my initial opinion of Fox Chase would have had me rating it lower. My opinion of the course has definitely improved each time I've played it, despite the course not changing. It is a quality course that deserves a lot of praise, and it brings something unique to the Albemarle area.

As mentioned in my Pros section, if you are not a local - it might be worth checking out Goose Landing and City Lake Park DGC while you're in the area. This will allow you to experience three of the best courses in the surrounding area.

Favorite Holes: 4, 8, 13, 17
Was this review helpful? Yes No
7 0
KenanFlagler01
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14 years 195 played 190 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fox Chase + City Lake = Amazing Combo 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

To date, I have played 14 of the current top 25 in NC and 7 of the top 10. Fox Chase is currently ranked the 7th best permanent course in North Carolina. I have it as the 5th best course behind Rolling Pines, Nevin, Hornets Nest, and Rockness Monster. (Note: I have yet to play Ashe County Park and Renny Gold). Furthermore, the combination of Fox Chase + City Lake Park is one of the best 1-2 punches in the entire state. Of all the courses I've played here, Nevin and Hornets Nest are the best pair of courses within 10 minutes of each other. Fox Chase and City Lake Park are second. In other words, if you could rank "Destination Cities" for North Carolina like the national list of this name, Albemarle would be #2 on my list behind North Charlotte. (Huntersville/Cornelius would be 3rd for me: Robbins and Bradford.)

+ Short and long tees. The short (white) tees are a perfect intermediate level challenge. The long (blue) tees have similar (if not identical) lines and work for advanced players.

+ Nice concrete tee pads.

+ Navigation is simple and intuitive. The tee signs have all the necessary information.

+ Good DISCatcher baskets.

+ Excellent course design. You start off with a couple of shorter, easier wooded holes. They ease you in to it. The next two holes have manicured grass with mature trees. (To me, this is the most aesthetically pleasing type of hole in disc golf: wooded, but with manicured grassy fairways.) After this, the course starts to show its teeth: heavily wooded (but still fair) with lots of tough elevation. This course is challenging technically and physically.

+ I used every shot -- and disc -- in my bag. I threw drivers, mids, and putters off the tee. That's usually a pretty good signal that the course has a ton of great variety and shots required.

+ ELEVATION. Fox Chase rivals or surpasses the mountain and foothills courses I've played with tough elevation. There are some sub-300 foot holes that play like 350-400-foot holes they are so straight up. Very challenging.

+ The property is beautiful, serene, aseptically pleasing, and well maintained. First class piece of property for disc golf.

Cons:

It's hard to come up with cons for Fox Chase. I don't hand out many 5.0's, and I don't here, as it's missing a few pieces that would make it a "perfect course" in my book:

- Maybe some more risk/reward elements, faster greens, or and elevated basket or two.

- If you could transplant a lake to Fox Chase and have a water carry hole, that would probably give it the .5 boost for me to give it a 5.0.

- More courses these days have multiple par 4's and 5's. Fox Chase only has two par 4's. It still holds up incredibly well to the newer, longer courses, but a couple more par 4's would make it even better.

- More benches to sit on (this course beats you down!).

(As you can see, these are nit-picks and basically my excuses for not giving Fox Chase a 5.0.)

Other Thoughts:

Fox Chase is an absolute gem of a course and should be on any North Carolinian's wish list. Don't leave out City Lake Park if you make this region a day trip destination. You really can't have a much better day of disc golf in North Carolina than City Lake Park and Fox Chase.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 2
Javaracer
Experience: 46.8 years 93 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 2, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Woods, creeks, tunnel shots, lots of elevation changes and a great example of North Carolina Disc Golf. Foxchase has a mountain course feel to it on the back nine especially.

Cons:

Recent rains have left some trees down, but the Albemarle Disc Golf Association is steadily moving and cleaning it up. 👍
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
J-Hghar
Experience: 45 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Holy hills 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

If you like Elevation this is the course for you. Fun uphill and downhill throws make this course very memorable.

Teepads are HUGE. Never have to worry about having room for a run up on this course.

I don't have a lot of specific things that I like about this course it's just a layout with a lot of variety and solid golf throughout

If you jumbled a layout out of longs and shorts I think you could make a really cool layout.

Cons:

Some of the holes have almost no line to the basket or are holes with very little scoring separation. Hole 6

Hole 16 long is really weird especially with that mando I do not see the reason for it since it is not protecting a sneaky route or anything.

I think this course has a lot of holes that probably should be a par 4's but because they play on the easier side for a par 4 the designer just decided to call them a par 3 to make the course seem "Harder"

Other Thoughts:

Overall Fox Chase is a solid course you should visit while in Albemarle. The cons really are not that big of a deal and I can see why this course is so popular.

Highly recommend playing this course if you're in the area!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 1
Klingmeyer
Experience: 7.7 years 23 played 18 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Bring your hiking boots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 2, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I enjoyed this course very much. A great variety of distances and elevations. Not too much underbrush. Good variety of open area holes and wooded holes. Distances vary well also, demanding both accuracy and power. signage is adequate,

Cons:

Very hilly for those ill-prepared. Directional signs between baskets and next tee box could be improved.

Other Thoughts:

I played this with my wife and son and liked it so much that I came back next weekend to play twice with a friend. It's worth the ride from downtown Concord.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 2
Par-golf
Experience: 3 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Amazing and fun challenge. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 7, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Makes you think. Great variety of shots. Both power and accuracy required. Easily navigated. Amazing tees.

Cons:

Course can hold water for a couple days after heavy rain fall. Not that it's the worst thing in the world.

Other Thoughts:

Quite hilly. Could be good for exercise or bad for those not in shape. But still manageable.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 305 played 287 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beats work big time! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 13, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Course is well maintained. It's nicely groomed and well kept. Long concrete pads. Nice tee signs on the short pads. Construction is good too. There are many benches throughout the course.

-Family friendly! There are tennis courts, a playground, a baseball field? Also a 13ft deep pool.

-Practice basket beside the field and past the building. Hole 1 is down in the woods. Course is easy to navigate pretty much the entire way.

-Course starts off pretty straightforward. The first hole is downhill and to the right side of the fairway. It's tight so it takes good accuracy to birdie this one but it's not that hard to arrange. #2 short is only 162' and 260' from the long, but plays along a rolling hill. Still a pretty easy birdie from the short. The long is tougher because the long pad faces a cluster of trees but still very manageable and fair.

-Gets interesting with holes 3 and 4. Both are out in the open and are all distance holes from the long pads and are both over 400' long. From the shorts they are much easier. #3 is a downhill putter shot. A big hill is behind the basket so you don't want to go long. #4 is still a tough hole from the short. But is a really fair one. It's a right to left par 3 with some trees in the fairway but gives more than enough room to get it there.

-Many brilliantly designed holes. #7 is simply a great hole from both sets of tees. It's plays along a tight, straight fairway. It gives just enough space to throw a driver. There is danger all along the right side but you are more than likely bound to get a good kick to the left side or to the fairway. A 2 on the short pad would be a memorable birdie. The long pad is about 519' long and plays as a par 4 but isn't much different aside from the distance. #9 is an awesome par 3 from the short pad. The pad is angled toward the left so you need to throw pretty late. The hole is straight downhill down an interesting shaped fairway. Birdies do happen but if you go left, you could lose a few strokes. #12! Great narrow hole that plays along a fairway sloping to the left. If you are a righty like me, you would probably decide to flick, which would be the favorable way to play this hole but I decided to backhand it and I went like 50' past the basket. At 344' and narrow, it seems tough to get down there on a hole like this one but you could, and you don't want to go too far. There is sloping downhill down deep woods past the basket. Challenging, but very fun!

-Course ends grand with an awesome hole 18. It's another challenging hole that plays through a 20' gap and goes into the deep woods slightly to the right. I had an eagle opportunity on this one but missed due to being blocked by trees. The green is guarded by many trees. It's better to be slightly right than left.

Cons:

-Could use a few more trashcans throughout the course. It's clean for the most part but it still wouldn't hurt to add a few more.

-If you come from 485 and merge onto 49 and then onto 52. You may have a hard time finding the course at first. The old address it said on the media was wrong but I think they fixed it. The old address took me to a man's house. Great guy, he drove to the park and allowed me to follow him there. It says to turn left on Knollwood but Knollwood Circle is more than one "street." Turn left on the third one, NOT THE FIRST TIME YOU SEE KNOLLWOOD. This did not affect my rating.

-Imaginary fairways. A few fairways are undefined and require luck to hit. Hole 8 is just irritating to say at the best. It's a huge uphill dogleg left up a fairway that is practically impossible to hit if you don't hit a tree. You have to get lucky on this one. #15 is also silly, it has two really skinny routes, nearly impossible for even a RHBH thrower like me to hit! Leaves you scratching you head saying "Come on Schwarz! Ever thrown a disc that flies like that?"

-If you play the longs, you will probably not agree with holes #4, #6, #9, and #16 being par 3's. They are just too hard to birdie. They are all over 400' and they are very technical and not straightforward. If you have played #12 at Eastway in Charlotte. You know that it's like 440' long but is straight and wide open, it's not hard for me to deuce. These holes, I can't birdie! They can't really be birdied unless you make a long approach shot, which would feel like an eagle. I think it should be a par 62 on the longs, instead of 58. A 58 on the longs has to be at least 980 rated!

Other Thoughts:

-My cons aren't that big of a deal in my book. It gives many opportunities for redemption so you really want to do you best to seize those opportunities. Aside from hole 8, every hole is fair and can easily be birdied with a well placed shot. But it takes critical thinking. This course will make or break you. It broke me, and will bring down my PDGA rating! If I took the time to think harder and watch where I was releasing, I probably would've shot at least even. But I didn't! I had many terrible kicks that got me in trouble. Even on the shorts would be about 935 rated and from the longs about 980.

-#6 is probably the "love it or hate it." It plays along a casual creek with OB to the left side of the rope. There is death all along the right side because of the clusters of trees. As a righty, I usually throw an understable driver really hard and get it to roll. I have that.

-Signature holes. #5. Very cool putter shot that goes downhill. Creek is about 15' past the basket. #18. Just an all around great ending to the course. From both pads it is a par 4. It's a lot tougher from the long pad because it takes a more precise shot but still demands some distance. The gap is about 300' from the long pad and about 170' from the short. It's a little bit more forgiving from the short pad because there aren't as many trees to face and as long as you hit the gap, you should be fine.

-I've played here many more times. It's a good course with great elevation change and hole diversity, but it is somewhat overrated in my opinion. The rough gets pretty bad, some holes need to be updated on their par, and some tee shots expect you to hit small window gaps (#13).
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 4
ncbrett92
Experience: 8.9 years 96 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Worth the drive from Concord! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Awesome tee sighs at all of the boxes both short and long. Pretty actuate to the hole lay outs too. Next tee sighs at all of the holes but 14 going to 15. Hole numbers on top of the tee box sighs as well to help with the couple of holes where you can see more then 1 hole's pads from the basket before.

Holy crap what a hike! The elevation changes are awesome and are a change from what I normally see in the Charlotte metro area.

DIS Catchers that, while some have a bit of rust on them, all catch well. All of the tee boxes were very big and roomy and grippy. All of the fairways were in great shape and grass mowed on the few holes that had grass. I had hiking shoes on and feel good on grip on all parts of the course. The creek behind the basket on 5 was low enough that if you miss you can get your disk back without getting much more then your feet soaked. None of the woods are so thick that you could't get your disks back from a bad kick off a tree.

The fairways are tight but far on all but one hole (13). There is a far chance to pitch out of trouble and still try to save par on most of the holes. Your accuracy will mean more here then a big arm on almost all of the holes. The course gets harder as you go along so as the hike starts to wear you out the last few holes make you really slow your breathing and focus on your shots for an added challenge. 18 is an awesome and really hard par 4 to finish off the round. Like the course giving you all it's got for the finish.

Cons:

None of these cons are big enough to make me not like the course let me say that up front. That being said It did take the course from a 4.0 or 3.5 to a 3 for me.

Neither of the mandos on this course (3,16) make much sense to me. The one on 3 there is no drop zone or word on if you re-tee or not. 16 at least tells you what to do but on both of them there is't any really advantage to missing the mando so whats the point of it being there?

On the Hole info here on this website they have 4,6, and 16 listed as par 4s from the Blues.....well....There are par 3s now going by the tee sighs. I don't know anyone who can drive 498ft and around a tree on 4.... 6 I can understand the argument in changing it sense there is no mando so you try to fire one to the narrow lane to the right of the group of trees or a forehand throw to the left but it would still be a tough 3. On 16 you have to go 200 ft forward, a 60-70 degree turn to the right, then go 200 more ft in a straight and narrow line. Really??? I know a RHFH player that can't make that turn and neither of us know anyone that could make the turn with any shot at Birdie. The mando just makes it that much more crazy to me. Take the mando out and ok it's a 3 that your playing for par on. But with the mando in and the re-tee it just makes it a bit unfair for a 3. Don't get me wrong I get that the Blue tees should be harder and they are but there is a difference between hard and unfair....

Could use one less tree on the tee on 13...Just a bit unfair to me and I made the drive but dang thats forces you to split hairs much more then anywhere else on the course.

No OB stakes to mark any of the OB areas on the tee box maps on any of the holes. Not really a big deal on most of the holes as the creek behind 5 is the only OB that really comes into play. The sigh says the dried up creek bed 20-30 ft short of 14's basket is OB but no OB stakes to mark it sooooo???




Other Thoughts:

The sigh board by the practice basket could use a better map of the course but the next tee sighs make the course pretty easy to navigate so not really a con.

Hole 5 only has one set of tees now and the tee sigh reflects that. Only the White tee is used for both.

My first time here and it was worth the drive from Concord and I will make it again and again. I played the Blues on all but 3,9, and 17 and played 4,6, and 16 as they were originally laid out as par 4s. I hope to get to were I can maybe play them as 3s but either way this course is a really fun challenge and a great hike. I'm going to try to talk some of my Charlotte area disk gold buddies into coming out here with me because I think they will like it too. Would recommend it to anyone!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 1
LastPageDG
Experience: 10.6 years 78 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My local favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 28, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Love, love, LOVE this course. I may be a bit biast since this is my home course but that isn't the reason I love it so much. A good variety of shots that focus more on accuracy than crushing distance. Tight fairways that reward you for good shots but can punish you if you're careless. Holes 2, 5 and 14 give you good chances for ace runs while holes like 7 and 9 demand accuracy. There have been times I've teed off with only midranges or fairway drivers. Holes 3 and 4 give you a chance to crush a drive but still calls for placement on the shot. The elevation changes are worked in perfectly on the back 9 on holes 11 - 14. Bathrooms are at the entrance to the course and there are trash cans on a few holes as well. I love the fact that you can start on the front 9 or back 9 as both meet at the entrance to the course.

Cons:

A few minor things come to mind. Tee signs for the long boxes, all the short pads have them and display both pads, but this would save you the trouble of walking up to the shorts to check distances if you're playing from the longs. There are a couple trees on 6 and 13 that kind of make take away from the line to get up the fairway. Also, some of the holes from the long pads are tweener holes, numbers 4 and 17 come to mind.

Other Thoughts:

A must play if love a great North Carolina course! It will not disappoint and it lives up to the hype!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 2
luckless_pedestrian
Experience: 11 years 40 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

How a woods course should be 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great experience all around. Not crazy long and not crazy technical... but long and technical enough to be challenging and fun for all skill levels.

Once you get into the woods you're under the trees for almost all the time and there's not a better way to spend a summer day in NC.

Navigation is easy. Tee signs seem accurate and are easy to read.

Holes like 4 and 18 give you some fun options, depending on what's in your bag and up your sleeve. Roller? Go for it.

Cons:

A couple of holes (13?) could maybe lose a couple of trees to make the fairway more defined. But that's a pretty minor con. Honestly, there's not much bad to say about Fox Chase.

Other Thoughts:

I played here for the first time in the Trilogy Challenge so it was especially hard not having discs I was familiar with. I can't wait to get back with my own plastic.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
11 0
New013
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.6 years 179 played 120 reviews
3.50 star(s)

What does the Fox say? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 27, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Overall Fox Chase is a more technical style course with solid elevation changes.

Layout - The strength of the course lies in a variety of shot shapes through varying degrees of fairway tightness. That coupled with big elevation changes keeps the course interesting throughout the round.

It mixes up hole lengths in a nice way as well adding in some par 4's here and there. The course has a few more open holes at the beginning but even these holes demand accuracy and placement over distance.

Another thing I like about this course is how it forces you to not only be accurate through gaps but to be able to place the disc well due to the elevation changes around some baskets. You really have to think how you want to approach the green on some holes and not be careless.

Multiple paths on some holes and on a lot of holes you have the option to try different shots.

A number of the holes have a long and short pad and on this course to me the best layout is a combination of both.

There's some OB on the course consisted of a creek that comes in to play once and some OB lines on a few holes.

The front nine to me is the much funner of the two, the back gets more demanding on your accuracy at distances and elevation changes seem to come in to play more.

Good flow to the course, it's not hard to navigate and the short and long pad are not to far away from each other to make it confusing.

Equipment - Good large concrete pads on both tees. Informative tee signs with hole layout and distance for both tees. Baskets in good shape. Bathroom facility and practice basket by parking lot.

Atmosphere - Once you get on the course it's pretty secluded just like I like it. I haven't seen a lot of traffic out there and considering it's location it's probably never crowded. Good wooded area, really enjoyable tromp through the course.

Cons:

Layout - My biggest gripe about Fox Chase is many of the holes are in a tweener limbo. This is why a combination of the long/short pads is probably the best layout. Some of the shorts are to short with very forgiving fairways.

There's also perhaps a bit to many holes that finish or bend to the right from the shorts, it's not lopsided but it's there.

I believe a few of the holes create overly difficult lines from the longs and there's a couple holes where perhaps to many obstacles come late in the fairway.

Equipment - It would be nice if there was a teesign at every pad but some don't have them when there is a long and short.

Atmosphere - The course is right next to the police department so keep your surroundings in mind and don't do stupid things. There are some good uphill walks here so if that's a problem for you or your group keep that in mind.

Other Thoughts:

This is my favorite course on the east side of Charlotte and I think many would agree the best in that area. Definitely one you want to hit if you're on a NC disc golf tour although I believe it is a bit overhyped.

Really solid course that in my opinion could benefit from some new basket positions in a few places.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 3
pfpro
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 55 played 41 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good, challenging course, but was expecting more 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 10, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- challenging layout, decent flow, lots of variation - most notably elevation. As mentioned, there is a large number of "NC wooded" holes, a few open holes. In the back nine there are a lot of challenging wooded. From the long tees, only 4 holes under 300', two are the first two holes, so it's a nice "warm-up" to get you into your round.
- the pads are a plus here. Large, newer concrete pads. Many of the holes have two pads - with the long pads providing a much more challenging, different look at the hole
- flow and signs were good. Especially liked arrows to next teepad, and directional arrows mid-hole when you had a blind shot on the basket.

Cons:

- front nine was very swampy (played on a wet week)
- sometimes where there were two pads, and they were a few hundred feet apart, you have to walk up to the front pad to view the sign. If you're familiar with the course, I'm sure it's not an issue.
- I take issue with some of the assigned pars (especially on the back nine) in both directions (too easy, too hard) - in particular, #16 long pad - to clear the mando, you are essentially laying up to the short pad. - but it's the same par as the short pad?

Other Thoughts:

Based on the ratings, I was expecting more. It was a good course, but I would slot it behind the better Charlotte courses (which I don't think the he ratings accurately reflect). Maybe it was because it was drizzling the round, maybe I slept poorly the night before.... Anyway, the front nine and back nine seem to be two different "animals". The front seemed like the it was well developed, the two pads providing very different opportunities, mostly flat and more open. I felt like the assigned pars were fair with moderately challenging lines. Then you go into the back nine, and it becomes a much more challenging course. The elevation changes are pretty spectacular for a non-mountain (I guess morrow mth is close) course. I'm in pretty good shape but was breathing hard after going up the hills - not a bad thing, just a little unusual. I feel like the second pad was added on the front nine, and they stopped or are awaiting funding for the second pad for most of the back nine? It seems like there is space. Having the two pads on the back would bump my rating up a slot. I feel like many of the back fairways are too tight. The woods aren't super dense, so you can miss your gap, and still end up with a decent shot (which happened many time for me), but I didn't have the satisfaction of executing my shot, I just felt lucky. I'm not complaining, I could just see a very frustrating round if all those shots were a few feet to the left or right. Someone had "cleared" a path from tee to basket. With the wetness it was actually really slick. Looks cool, maybe not safe. If the fairways were a tad bigger, the advantage over the CLT courses would be the elevation changes.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 5
40 love
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 8, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I am a beginner, and I have only played a half dozen courses, but based on my experiences , this is a terrific test for any player. It requires the full bag of shots, left , right, up, down, short, and long!!
And fairways are generally tight, lots of trees, some brush, and sloping terrain , which makes you rethink how you play some shots.
Finally, great exercise in a beautiful mostly wooded setting, and it is part a wonderful city park, with restrooms, picnic tables, tennis courts, and play ground for small children.

Cons:

Long tees need signs/ markers, although they are easy to see.
Could use a few more trash receptacles on the course.

Other Thoughts:

Being a beginner, this course is very difficult for me, but, because of this, it helps when I venture to other courses. I am better prepared.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 7
mateobueno
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
5.00 star(s)

The Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 6, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As the ball golf saying goes, Fox Chase seems to have been found, not built. There is rolling terrain, thick Forrest, open grassy areas, brooks and streams meandering, and elevation changes throughout. The holes are equally varied: some short, some tight, doglegs left and right, and most offer a wide choice for your disc's flight.

Cons:

Please don't litter!

Other Thoughts:

Great test from the tips.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
13 0
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 278 played 273 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Am I Chasing, or Being Chased 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 16, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Hole nine. Hole nine. Hole nine. I don't mean to detract from any of the other holes at Fox Chase, but wow, hole nine is a beast. It's a combination of an over-the-valley shot and a straight tunnel shot. It's like a Richmond Hill throw, only if you had a precise throwing lane just wide enough for it to be possible. It's 300 feet down an tight alley with a climb to the basket at the end. It's an amazing throw that can reward or punish and it's just as pretty to look at as it is to throw on. The trees are so dense and not in the sense of brush, in the sense of the quantity of thick trunks on either side of the fairway.

So other than that one hole, that I'm still thinking about days later, the course merely typifies everything good about Carolina disc golf. It's wooded. It's tight. It's technical. There are courses in the state of this type that are mediocre. There are courses in NC of this type that are good. Fox Chase is one of the greats.

What helps separate this Fox from the pack is the clever use of elevation. There are several holes that treat a sharp ascent or descent as a means to create variety. Of special note is seventeen, which is a long climb. A long, steep climb I should say. (You might be tempted to throw all of your discs, just to be spared carrying the weight on your journey to the top.) Five is also a nice downhill run with the creek just behind the basket.

Almost any positive way to describe a course could apply to Fox Chase. It's tough but fair. It requires a ton of different shots. It goes up, down, right and left. It does it all. There's an incredible variety with no two shots feeling similar.

There are even some open holes. Three and Four traverse a meadow. Six and Seven are wooded but much more forgiving than most of the course, with wide fairways that boast enough sunlight for grass to grow.

Tees, baskets and signs are all off to snuff here. There are some great courses that I play and say something, "glad I saw that one." This isn't one of those. Fox Chase is one of those that you play and say "let's do one more round."

Cons:

It seems the whites were the primary tees, so I played those. It would be great, although, not expected, if the blue tees were as well appointed as the whites. In addition to the signs only being on the whites, it seemed most holes were created with the white tees in mind.

Other than that, there isn't too much length here, with the white tees featuring twelve holes under 300 feet, and the blues only having one hole significantly more than 500. I wouldn't change any of the holes as they are universally fantastic, but length is one of the two elements that this course doesn't cover.

The other is water. It makes sense. Water isn't really a notable part of North Carolina discing. The course does what it wants to do so well, I don't actually mind that it doesn't do a few things.

Other Thoughts:

We raced the autumn sun to get here, and maintained a brisk pace to finish before dark. I was totally stressed that we weren't going to make it but the course was worth the worry. It's a little bit out of the way for most people, but it's worth it.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
nalu222
Experience: 14.1 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Amazing Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Wow what a surprise. Played this course on my way through Albemarle. The course is very well designed overall. Awesome elevation changes and opportunity's to air out the discs as well as required technical shots. The course is very well maintained. Trimmed grass fairways and a variety of terrains. The course flows very well and would say this course is championship worthy.

Cons:

One simple flaw that can easily be remedied. The signs should be on the back tees not the front ones. I had to walk up to the front ones to find out where the holes were like 9 times. Most of the paths lead to the back tees anyways. Seems logical enough.

Other Thoughts:

Great job! I will definitely be back to play this course.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 8
_MTL_
Experience: 30.8 years 162 played 17 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very easy flow, multiple tee pads, great tee signs / signage. Front 9 loops back to the start. 2 tee pads. Very cool piece of property, very nice park.

Cons:

Hole 1 was a bit hard to find.

Other Thoughts:

This is a classic example of a course where the perfect course is a combination of long and short tees. There are so many boring tweener par 4's on this course it's mind numbing. I enjoyed the course but I don't feel the design is that great. saying that, the land and the course are very good, but I just feel that a lot more could have be done. But I will certainly play it again.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 1
Disc Junky
Experience: 12.4 years 91 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Love me some Fox 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 21, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Such an Amazing Park.

Any shot you can imagine apart from water is at this course.
You want a 300 foot valley shoot then its there. You want a 100 foot elevation change hill its there. Left and right dog legs alike.

Signs to next tee are at every basket so navigation is very easy.

Hole 11 was by far my favorite hole at the course with a 305 foot throw over a large valley its just beautiful.

1-7 play out pretty straight forward, but once your past that, you are gonna love the use of elevation at this beautiful course.

You'll go uphill and downhill dog leg left with a 100 foot elevation change.

Plenty of seating at every single hole.

Very clean and well kept course.

The design to me is just amazing. It rivals my favorite course of Idlewild in Burlington, KY and that's saying a lot.

Cons:

Its very hard to find any but there is a missing sign at hole 9.

Some different lines would be nice if they were added. Its pretty much one line to get to the hole.

Some steps could be added for some of the steeper elevation changes. It does get a bit tiring going up and down hills through the back part of this course.

Other Thoughts:

If your passing through NC and are within a couple hours of Fox Chase then do yourself a favor and play this course. I'm happy I live less then an hour away from it. I will be going back many times.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 7
AustnSavage
Experience: 11.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Great layout
-Beautiful area
-Challenging

Cons:

Not many that I can think of. Great course to visit if you're nearby!

Other Thoughts:

Went with a buddy of mine while we were in NC. Had no desire to visit any other courses because Fox Chase is so fun! Highly recommend it!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
albert8fish
Experience: 25 years 17 played 16 reviews
4.00 star(s)

100degrees and counting 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice layout, older forrest means less lost discs. I played the short tees and had a good time, the holes that are short are still cleverly done. This is about shaped shots and a driver was not in my hand much.Buzzzzzz territory for sure. Flick and back hand players equally matched. The long tees look brutal at times, that is a great contrast to the short pins. There is a pool at the park with a high dive btw. Not sure the cost/hours, but after a hot summer round could be good medicine.

Cons:

Signs were pretty good, I think three is missing one, however. I like tight fairways that punish you,so, I can't gripe about that. If you like challenging lines, this is great. Compared to Charlotte courses I am used to, this is higher ranked in my eyes than any intermediate course. (Kilborne/Sugaw/Idewild)
It has a vibe that you don't get at those parks.

Other Thoughts:

I drove an hour or so from South Charlotte to get to this park. I am glad I did. When it is cooler weather I will play two rounds there no problem. The park is nice and clean, and the course reflects that as well. Make the trip if you want something new.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top