Kernersville, NC

Patriot DGC

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3.665(based on 25 reviews)
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5 0
Why are trees
Experience: 5.5 years 5 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Courses like this grow the sport 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 7, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

One of the best courses in the state because it does an excellent job of appealing to players of all skill levels while providing a clean and engaging experience. Suggestions to make the course more "technical" would be disastrous. This review analyzes the course from two perspectives: the average run-of-a-mill recreational player and the more advanced player perspective. This is a solid course for advanced players, but where it shines is for beginning to intermediate players. The proof is ultimately in the pudding as Patriot is usually quite crowded and played by all levels of players. I have seen families with actual frisbees and pro-level players parking 500 foot holes.

Pros:

Atmosphere and Flow: Well-maintained public park where it is difficult to lose a disc. Great tees with some of the best tee signs I have ever seen. The course flows very well, and it is difficult to get lost. Not a ton of elevation, but many holes use it (4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 18). This course is always immaculate, and the park staff quickly responds to any disruptions like a downed tree or a yellow jacket's nest.

Beginner and Intermediate players/Red tees: For someone just starting disc golf or at an intermediate level, this is one of the best courses in the state to play. The red tees are a good mix of open shots, open shots with some obstacles, and a few wooded shots. There are a few longer holes and more challenging holes (12 and 3 come to mind), but even those holes are decently forgiving. You can generally throw RHBH hyzer off most tees and be fine(less true for some of the later holes), but the ideal play is often slightly more complicated, and there is plenty of scoring opportunities for lefties, forehanders, or overhand players. Not many free birdies for new players, but 1, 5, 7, and 16 are all very gettable. The design also does an excellent job of going back and forth between easier holes like 1 and 5 and more complex holes like 3. Three holes are completely wooded from the red tees, but eight other holes bring the woods into play prominently.

Advanced players/Blue tees: The blue tees are challenging because most require premium distance to have consistent birdie looks. A high-level pro would crush most of these holes, but 99% of players are left with risk-reward choices on most holes. Par probably ends up about where it should because of a mix of highly gettable par fours (4, 11, 16) and challenging pars 3s (2, 5, 6, 10, 14, 15). Some of these holes also encourage highly creative play (BH roller on 13 and FH roller on 18 are good examples of solid plays that aren't immediately obvious).

Signature Holes: A couple of holes shine and would probably be part of my dream 18. 6 is a downhill right finishing shot with woods on both sides with a sucker's gap up top that lures you to try and hit it when the best play is to crash through a bigger and less visible gap down the hill. 8 from the longs is a great hole because it is gettable for most advanced players distance-wise, but it requires avoiding the trees off the tee to the left and then hitting a small gap. 10 from the shorts is a fun 240 downhill ace run with some danger if you leave it short into the woods or bomb it long. 12 from the longs is a solid par four that doesn't require a ton of distance but requires hitting a gap of 250 off the tee and not leaking into the woods on either side. 18 is probably the best hole on the course from both sets of tees. From the longs, it is a technical par four that requires both hitting a gap and distance control to have a look at birdie and from the shorts is an eagle opportunity, but also a tricky enough shape where it is not an automatic 3.

Cons:

Advanced players may feel left out: Let's be real, some of us are never going to throw 400+ feet. That means many holes from the Blues are going to be relatively simple threes with little chance of birdie looks (5, 6, 10, 15, 17). At least some of this is mental; at challenging wooded courses, there are plenty of holes that players should also play for a safe three, but don't because they technically have the distance to get a putt at it even if they don't have the consistent shot shaping to justify that play. The longer par 3s rub that in your face by being impossible to get because you can't throw that far.

Open: If you are good at disc golf, you will eventually want to play other courses because Patriot is very open especially compared to many other NC courses. 5 and 9 are basically the same hole and I think the best way to remedy that is leave 5 as is and make 9 into a more challenging hole (probably a par five).

Crowded: Almost definitely the most popular course in the Triad.

Other Thoughts:

This course is an easy 5-star course for beginner and intermediate players. What holds it back is that it is probably more like a 3.75/4 course for advanced players because of the issues I have mentioned. I'm giving it a 4.5 because I think its appeal for a supermajority of disc golfers outweighs the fact that a small minority wants it to be something it isn't.

Patriot is never going to be home to a DGPT tournament, and that is okay. I do think that if I was allowed to move six or so of the baskets and put in a couple of temporary tees, this could easily be good enough and challenging enough to host a "real tournament."
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5 0
Tom_oconnor
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.5 years 63 played 24 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Missed Opportunities 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 7, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great flow, directional signs, tee signs, and tees. Park is well maintained.
A few great holes. Hole 18 is well designed.

Cons:

I'm all for having pro level par 3s that require 450 power in the open. With that said, when you have a par 4 teeing off in an open field, the basket either needs to be 650 or so away or you need to tuck the basket into the trees requiring precision to get inside circle. In one weekend some baskets could get moved 40-50 feet back into the woods with minimal clearing. In the middle of the course were a few filler holes, just wide open that could be anywhere, but some subtle pin changes could add a few obstacles. The course could be 4 stars with just a weekends worth of tweaks and barely any cost.

Other Thoughts:

Close to being really good. I'm surprised the local club hasn't taken advantage of more technical pin positions.
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10 3
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 305 played 287 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Excellent park with a less than halfheartedly designed disc golf course

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 14, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh......dear! Ohdearohdearohdearohdearohdearodearohdearohdearohdeeeeeeaaaaaar!!!! HUGE place. When you get here, it'll take you about five minutes to get to the course because it's a mile away from the entrance. If you were to come here with an open mind, you'd be very enthusiastic and think this would be a 4 star course at worst. Which would be well worth the drive if it's 4 stars. The land here is spectacular.

-It's clear that a lot of work was put into this course. The tee-signs are very nice. Tee pads are lengthy. The discCatcher baskets are superb. The course kiosk is pretty sexy. And the course condition is FLAWLESS. So well maintained. There are plenty of blind shots here but you'll still probably leave with no lost discs.

-It starts off pretty solid with an appropriate kickoff hole. It's a relatively easy hole from the long and is a warmup from the short. The finishing hole is a pretty nice challenge too. Very technical par 4 that is slightly downhill the whole way. A few other cool holes here as well. #6 short was probably my favorite hole.

-Many open bombs on the longs. So if distance is the best part of your game, you may very well play well on the longs. The shorts make a fair accuracy course where if your putting is on and if your up shots are good enough, you could shoot well under par.

Cons:

-I'm giving this course a 2.5 ONLY because of how great the park is, and the astounding work and effort they put here. I actually hate this course. It's boring as all getout. Many fairways are repetitive. Open with limited elevation on the holes that actually have it. And some of the wooded holes are a disaster. New013 wrote a great review that should've caught the attention of the locals around here. That may have been the greatest review to ever be written on this entire site. But sometimes whenever the truth gets difficult or negative, some people get incredibly upset or just laugh, stay in denial, and the right words go in one ear and out the other.

-How in the (insert the word that got me in trouble at summer camp when I was 12, you know what it is) do you play #2 long? You're literally looking dead straight at a limited wooded fairway with so many trees to the left side at the turn. The fairway quickly turns but gently the rest of the way. I wouldn't have been so put off about this hole if this course was brand new. I would've assumed several of those trees straight ahead would be cut down. This course has been around since early 2015 so it looks like it's not gonna change. I know that the fairway isn't too tight, but it's shaped in a way they should never look. Discs don't fly like that.

-SO many anhyzer shots. Why so many? Very few hyzer holes or holes that go to the left. The ones that do are either poorly designed or boring aside from 18.

-While hole 6 is a cool hole from the short, it's really awful from the long. 438' and downhill, so it plays shorter but you still have to put some power into it. It's a good 270' to a small gap where the fairway gently goes right I would guess. But it's awfully small for a gap to hit from 270' away. Either hit that small gap, hit a tree and scramble to save a par on this par 3, or throw a huge flick and pray it goes to the wider landing zone just to have a 100' downhill putt in the woods for a 2 that will rarely be made.

-#9 is a filler in a spot where a long downhill bomb could easily have been designed. The field is huge. #10 is an uphill hyzer next to a hilly wooded area. To be fair, this hole isn't too bad from the long, but it's a feckless putter toss from the short pad.

I was starting to see a pattern here that I hate. Filler, poorly designed hole, filler, filler, and then there's a decent hole.

-#11 isn't a bad hole because it's a downhill bomb. But there were better options to make this more of a legit par 4. There are woods behind the tee pad, and there are woods past the basket. It's not a legit par 4. Just rip it and if you throw far, you might be looking at eagle and just grin for a few seconds if you make it.

-#12-16 is a string anhyzer holes that range on the scale from awful to almost okay.

Other Thoughts:

-The Patriot is like a failing restaurant on Kitchen Nightmares owned by a materialistic married couple. It looks nice, they spend a lot of money trying to compensate for the terrible raw food they serve kept unwrapped in a fridge and they microwave it because they can't afford to fix their stove because all their money is spent on nic-nacs and the bank is fed up with them borrowing money because they basically scammed it. You triad people need to let the Gordon Ramsay out of you, find Russell, and start swearing up a storm (not a fan of Gordon Ramsay, this is just a comparison) But after all, I'm just beating a dead horse anyway.

-Patriot is the ultimate college phony. Seems really nice and is extremely involved with campus ministry, he or she's gonna get all up in your face and give you a hug and pretend to be one of your biggest fans and you're gonna be a little skeptical and think they are on shrooms, acid, or something else, but you go with it anyway and y'all connect with each other about your lives. Then he/she is gonna start slandering you and a hundred other people and two months later, you find out that they just wanted your attention and want nothing to do with you. Y'all continue with your lives and you walk past them and they give you a nasty look and think they are superior to you, even though they have a useless major and are in denial about how they are in serious risk of being in the unemployment line while you're out there having so many awesome job opportunities and are winning awards in campus activities. Course is deceptively bad.

I came here excited to play this course and was underwhelmed for a bit, and then really wanted to get out of here once I got to hole 12.

-I don't like this course at all. If I move here after I graduate, one thing for sure is that I'll fight to get this piece of coal of a course redesigned. You triad people deserve better than this. Y'all need to step up and tell the Parks and Rec Department how much better this place could unarguably be. I don't know if there were rigorous land restrictions or what but if all my best ideas got shut down, I would just move on to somewhere else. Too many wide open holes, whole lot of repetition, and some bad wooded holes does not make a great course.
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1 17
Dgnation2013
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 11, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Multiple tees.

Great layout.

Nice variation of shots.

Bag holders beside each sign/tee.

Cons:

Park hours in the fall and winter can limit playing time.

Other Thoughts:

Beautiful park and course. There are several things to do outside of disc golf there.
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13 0
jjtwinnova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.7 years 246 played 97 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Red, White and Blase 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Patriot-a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors

There you have it, the definition of Patriot. So, what comes to mind when you think of Patriot, George Washington, The American Flag, or Tom Brady?

Patriot DGC is reminiscent of what early America really was, a beautiful park, that is perfectly maintained, with immaculate signs and amenities that screamed, "come to me!"

The tee signs were extremely helpful, included a map, distance, and par. The concrete tees were nice and fair, because, of course. It's America. The baskets were of the highest quality, Discatchers, which caught well, and did their job.

There were a few nice holes thrown in there. From the blues, you had the opportunity to air out a whole lot, and you also had some holes with trees, to give you an opportunity to navigate a fairway or two.

Navigation from hole to hole was an absolute breeze. I never got lost, and even when there was a semi-long walk, there were at least a couple arrows to point you to the next tee.

I mentioned the beauty of the park, but, the beauty of the park! Driving in, and seeing the war memorial, it was mesmerizing. Other things within the park, you could spend a week here without doing the same thing twice.

Cons:

Sadly, the hype, and the overall façade was hiding what this course really is. An open course with untapped design potential, and an overall lack of amazingness. I so wanted to throw down the rolling hills, or through the wooded forests that lined the otherwise lack-luster fairways.

A large portion of the holes were wide-open, with not much chance for a possible scoring separation. An easy drive, up-shot, drop in. Nothing absolutely spectacular.

Not a single hole I played blew me away. Sure, there were a few holes that were well designed, or well thought out, but in a couple weeks, I won't be able to tell you what the hole was, unlike some other course I have played and given a similar rating, or even worse.

With such solid amenities, I was aching for more. I just wanted so badly for there to be a hole that I would love so much, or a hole that made me yearn to come back to Patriot. Sadly, there wasn't really a hole that made me want more.

Other Thoughts:

The Patriot, I think, is something comparable to early America, obviously I am making that overall analogy due to the namesake, but bear with me.

Imagine, you are on the first ship to America, and there it is. A beautiful view of the mountains and forests, with open grassy fields. You can't wait to explore, but you are underwhelmed, because rather than climbing the mountains, or looking through those woods, you are walking the grassy plains, hoping to finally do your own thing, but rather work in the fields to make it better for others. In reality, it isn't much better than others, but you can see the potential in it, so you continue to hope.

That is the same thing you get when you play Patriot. You want more, you need more, but you don't get it. You get perfect amenity filled park golf, but you don't get the best that North Carolina has to offer.

Still, I would play it again. I just think there was a lot more that could have been done for the course to make it so much better.
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4 0
Jurd269
Experience: 9.8 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Well Manicured 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Every hole is well-marked, navigation was a breeze

Large tee pads allowed for up to 5 steps for me

Good signage that shows where the pads and baskets are relative to one another

Two pads per hole to allow for beginner or advanced distance

Reachable greens for a beginner, putted for birdie several times

Some good hole variety

Well manicured, course is in good shape

Cons:

Many holes just repeat the "throw a straight shot through a clear field then get up and down from 50ft" theme

No good choice to just play 9 holes if you wanted to. Holes 9 and 10 are a long way from the parking area

Other Thoughts:

I would definitely play this course again. As a beginner only able to throw my drives about 250ft, this was the perfect experience. The details of the course are well thought-out in terms of raised poles for your group to hang their bags on, especially useful if the ground is soaked.
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2 5
kvillegreek
Experience: 12.2 years 52 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A Must Play NC Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 3, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Large Tee Pads
* Great Signage
* Easy enough for beginners to enjoy it and not get frustrated but difficult enough that seasoned veterans will find it challenging
* Good mix of open and wooded holes. Most holes apply both.
* Plenty of parking.
* Very clean and well kept.

Cons:

There's really not much to complain about with this course. Any complaints are just nitpicking.

Other Thoughts:

I've played a lot of the "top" courses in NC and honestly, this is one of my favorites in the state right after Rolling Pines in Wilkesboro and Ash County Park.
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1 7
EROPPER
Experience: 26 played 7 reviews
4.00 star(s)

best course in the area? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 13, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very well cared for, great signage /markers, 2 sets of tee boxes, Open terrain with some woods/tunnel shots mixed in, nice variety, but favors those with big arms/distance

Cons:

beginners can't throw far enough to have fun here? no chance to Par? Even from the "easy" tees?

Other Thoughts:

Best course overall I've played in the area, highly recommended, would think they should adjust and mark appropriately, the easy/difficult tees, different Par level, so even beginners can hope to make pars here on occasion
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2 8
jsemales
Experience: 19.8 years 91 played 39 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Get Ready. Even Pros will struggle here. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 13, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

One of the finest and best maintained courses I've ever played. Last time I played I was a bit off my game and this course ate me up (I think I finished +8 or +9). This course requires a wide variety of shots and will test your perseverance when you get off the fairways. Power and control are essential when playing here, but putting is what will make or break your game. Due to the open nature of a lot of the holes, playing in the wind can be really challenging, but it's not impossible.

Cons:

Plan your trip. It can be a very busy park so occasionally there will be pedestrians, kids, and run of the mill chumps everywhere. Apparently, nobody understands that these discs hurt if you get hit, they'll learn, but it'll mess up your approach.
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8 1
KenanFlagler01
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14 years 195 played 190 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 26, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Patriot DGC is an excellent new course in the Triad. In terms of open, big arm courses, this is probably in the top 3 or 4 I have played. There are numerous opportunities to bomb, particularly from the long tees.

+ Best navigation and tee signs I've ever seen on a course. There are big next tee numbers and arrows after each basket. And at the tees, there are great signs at the red *and* blue tees. Also, each hole has a bag holder.

+ The signage makes you feel like you're on an above average course, but the overall look and feel of the park takes it to the next level. The course is immaculate. I feel like open, ball golf style courses have to meet a higher standard in terms of maintenance. You want the grass to be short, the fairways beautiful. Patriot DGC delivers. Not only that, but the patriotic theme of the whole park -- the flags lining the road as you drive in, the amazing memorial in view from several holes on the course -- it's just an A+ course in terms of how nice it is.

+ Great concrete tees, big enough for the length of the holes. Good baskets too.

+ Really nice elevation. There are a number of extra long downhill holes. I believe it's hole 6, in particular, with the steepest downhill, playing to a blind basket. It's deceiving from the tee, but when you walk down the fairway, you see how steep the drop-off is.

+ Good mix of hyzer, anhyzer, and straight shots.

+ Good park amenities, in addition to the aesthetic niceties described above. Picnic areas, shelters, volleyball, fields, etc.

Cons:

If you like open courses, I don't see why you wouldn't like Patriot DGC. However, if you feel that woods are integral to good course design, you may not share the love of this track.

- My only negative is the other side of the coin from its main positive: wide openness. There isn't much variety in terms of wooded holes, although they do a nice job of locating baskets near guardian trees on some holes. But if you're looking for a course that covers everything from open to wooded, Patriot doesn't have it. It's simply an open course. It will humble you if your drive isn't long. But if you like this style of course and have a big arm, you won't have an issue with it. For noodle arms like me, it was frustrating at times. Not really the course's fault though!

- Not really a stand-out hole that I can recall. Lots of decent, fun holes, but nothing extraordinarily memorable.

Other Thoughts:

Enjoyable, challenging course (more so for the length than the accuracy required). Bring your sunscreen. Not much shade.
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2 1
Pymm
Experience: 8.1 years 42 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Place to Play 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

The bag hangers, signs, concrete tee pads, manicured grounds and overall look of the course lend a very professional atmosphere. Some money and care have obviously been, and continue to be, put into this course. I really liked that there are no walking trails bordering/running through the course and that the holes seem to be laid out in a logical manner. Had a great round here even with a mediocre score. I played from the reds and found some holes, such as 2, pretty challenging, and others, some short, wide open holes relatively easy. I found opportunities to use, or at least attempt, forehands, hyzers, anhyzers, and even a couple of grenades (tree trouble-not much out there but I managed to find it). I think it's a good challenge but after a couple more times there, I think the reds will be a bit too easy. Overall, a great experience and a course I will definitely return to in the future.

Cons:

Will quickly grow too easy from the reds but that's why you have the blues to play from, right?

Course doesn't come back close to the parking lot after nine, so if you are trying to get in only nine, running out of daylight, you have a hike back.

Bag holders are awesome (wooden post) but would have preferred wooden or metal dowels (which are what your bag hangs from) to plastic. To be fair, I didn't see any broken ones but they don't seem very durable.

Other Thoughts:

Soon, I think I will start playing a mixture of red and blue tees and then, eventually, move up to all blues. That being said, playing from the reds was a lot of fun, if somewhat easy. It's a really good course and I would recommend it to anyone in the area.
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1 3
skadoosh0019
Experience: 18.8 years 11 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course, Fairly Easy 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Easily the best maintained course I've ever played in, and I feel like I've played several good ones. The little bag holders at the tees, no litter, great signage, underbrush isn't a problem, etc.

- Want birdies? This course is chock full of opportunities to bang the chains under par.

- When you're not in the woods, the course is pretty wide open. And I have to admit, that's my kind of course, so I consider it a pro.

Cons:

- If you want a challenge or a lot of holes that strenuously dictate your path because if you don't hit the gap right or hold a perfect line for 200 feet through the woods...then Patriot DGC is probably not for you. Tight, technical play is not the name of the game here.

Other Thoughts:

I've got 3 courses that I play regularly in the Greensboro/High Point area. Patriot is my personal favorite of the bunch.
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2 9
Banner
Experience: 7 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Beautiful Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 16, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well marked and maintained. Nice tees

Cons:

Only played it once and found it fun and interesting. I guess I can see how some are saying it could get repetitive, but if you play any course a lot that could always happen. I really can't think of anything bad to say about it!

Other Thoughts:

Great course in a beautiful park.
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5 0
SnuggieHoarder
Experience: 8.9 years 9 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Incredible quality with unremarkable design 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 25, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is the course that introduced me to disc golf. I'll always enjoy playing it, but some love is tough love.

Equipment:
As many have said before me. The quality of the tees, signs, holders, benches and upkeep is better than any course I've ever played. They did a good job building it and do a good job with keeping the woods under control and mulching it.

Layout:
This is a great place to learn to play. The red tees are a good mix of technical and open shots. The odds of losing a disc are decently low as well.

Cons:

Layout:
The better you get the more monotonous this course becomes. A lot of the holes have you throwing from near or slightly in the woods to a pin that's near or slightly in the woods. It wouldn't be that bad, but oftentimes you can look behind the blue tees and see an alternative spot that would make the hole a lot more interesting.

Other Thoughts:

Rounds generally take 1-2 hours if you're playing solo..

It's a good course in a great park. Play some disc golf, have a picnic and enjoy your weekend.
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8 0
dndelli
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.6 years 134 played 131 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Patriot DGC 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 14, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Patriot DGC is easily one of the nicest courses I have ever played at. There are two tees at every hole and the signage is extremely clear and concise. It is very apparent, even when you first pull into the parking lot at the back of the park, that whoever designed and maintains this course has looked into different courses and players to see what amenities they should include. There are two tee signs per hole, one per tee, and easy to follow signs that point towards the next hole. Each tee, even the short tees, are an appropriate size of nice laid concrete. Each tee also has its own bag post, so that players can hang their disc bags before teeing off, in order to keep them off the ground and out of the potential mud. There are quite a few benches and nice trash cans every few holes.

The course itself is extremely well maintained and manicured. The grass is kept at a very respectable and playable height. There is a good mix of elevation changes here. The two different tees also help vary up the types of shots needed as well as give a different challenge for players of different skill levels. There are a few shots that start wooded and open up into a field and vise-versa.

The large open shots, and there are quite a few here, are perfect for players who are trying out a new disc or a trying to dial in their shots. I hadn't played much for over 2 years when I played here, and it was great for me to touch up the basics on my drives.

As a new course, there are a few young trees that have been planted in order to create obstructions and in a few years will make this course much, much better in my opinion.

Cons:

Unfortunately, as perfect as this course could have been with how well it is maintained, it does struggle to live up to its potential. One of the biggest problems I encountered was the number of times I walked through a wooded section to reach yet another wide open shot. I absolutely love courses that have the long, open, grassy fairways, but this course could have used one or two more fully wooded holes.

As I said, some trees have been planted to create obstructions in the fairways, but personally more of the holes need this added benefit. Hole #11 sticks out in my mind as being way too open, and the only challenge is the elevation change near the hole as well as the tree line behind the basket. It is clear that whoever has built this course wants it to flourish, and I have no doubt that if a few more obstructions can be added to the unobstructed open fairways, this course could become one of the most television friendly tournament courses in the state.

There is a large tract of wooded land that this course bumps up next to around Hole #9, if there is enough room there, it would be lovely if the park put in a more technical course (or even just a few holes) in those woods.

Other Thoughts:

I love the growth potential for this course, as well as the park it is located in. It is clear that this park is well maintained and is kept very clean. Hopefully this trend continued and other courses in the area pick up some of the great ideas this course has implemented. (Such as the bag poles at every tee. The three trees that have been planted in the fairway of Hole #5, will in 5-10 years, make that hole one of my favorite style holes in disc golf. Open fairway, but not a free birdie.

The park this course is located in is extremely nice and the war memorial the course is located next to is absolutely beautiful.

Favorite Holes: 6, 8, 10, & 18
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8 1
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.8 years 584 played 536 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Patriot 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 5, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Patriot DGC is one of the best scenic, ready-made courses, and pieces of land, I have played. Located in Triad Park, this is a solid course...but, oh, how it could be so much more.
- In terms of ease of navigation, this is one of the best courses I've ever played. There's a big kiosk with a course map at the first hole. Each hole has two tee pads with tremendous tee signs from each pad. Add to that the transitional signs between holes are great. Even on the long walks between holes you have no problem making your way through the round. Great job by the course designers and the park for making this course as player-friendly as you're going to find.
- Solid variety in terms of layout. There are some true challenging holes, especially from the long (blue) tees. Hole #6, for example, is a beast of a hole. This is a love it or hate it-type of hole where most players are probably going to have a strong feel about the design one way or the other. I'm not sure if it's a great layout, a poor layout, or a dumb-luck turned solid layout. From the long (blue) tee, it's a 438-foot, blind downhill layout to an open area, setting up the approach shot to a basket to the woods on the right side of the fairway. I really enjoy the challenge of the strategically placed tee shot (as long as the grass is well-maintained), but I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the narrow opening in the woods approaching the basket. Seems like if you don't put the tee shot in a perfect spot, you're probably looking at a 4 here, as I shot.
- There's plenty of other variety here, from challenging wooded holes - #7 & 13; less-challenging wooded holes - #18; longer and/or challenging open holes - #10 & 12; to the easier layouts - #1 & 9. Throw in some good elevation factors, doglegs, and wooded/open combo layouts - and you've got the makings of some good variety.
- I enjoyed the challenge/design of hole #12. It's an open, 480-foot hole (from the longs) that has a row of trees halfway down the fairway. You're supposed to hit the gap to the left of the trees to set up your approach shot. Or, if you're like me, your tee shot lands behind the trees, and you have to waste a stroke getting through them. It's a good example of putting emphasis on accurate shot making while punishing people who don't make an accurate tee shot.
- This course can appeal to multiple skill levels - from beginners to intermediate/advanced players. From the long (blue) tees, the average hole length is 398 feet, with none shorter than 261. From the shorts, the average hole length is 278 feet, with all holes ranging from 165 - 357 feet. Add to that, the shorts offer much easier layouts, especially on the tougher holes, that casual players won't be overwhelmed.
- This is a great overall park. It's a huge park with anything and everything you could think of - playground, ball fields, walking trails, picnic areas and the war memorial - which you and the family could spend lots of time here. It's great seeing a large park that's so well maintained. And with so much space here, I love that the course doesn't overlap with other park activities. Add to that, there's a lot of unused space in and around the disc golf course. Hmmm, maybe a chance to add a second 18-hole layout someday?

Cons:

The biggest con here is the course's untapped potential. Too many times you walk by lots of wooded areas to play open holes. If the course didn't have those wooded areas, I wouldn't be critical of the layout. But, seeing how you play a couple of boring open holes -#5 being the worst offender - you'd like to see a little more creativity. Take a look at the course map on here. This course could be brought up a level if the existing #4 & 5 were removed and you added two holes in the wooded area behind #4's tee. Using more of the woods would also reduce the amount of space the course uses, cutting down on some of the long walks.
- Two holes border on being tough to being poor layouts - #6 & 13. I've already mentioned #6 above. I think that stays on the solid layout side; although, making the opening into the woods wider wouldn't be a bad choice. On the flip side, the layout for #13 needs help. You tee off in a field, throwing to a basket in the woods. The problem is that the fairway opening in the woods is way too narrow to expect most players to be able to hit that gap. If you miss the gap - hit a tree or stay in the open field portion of the hole - there's little room to recover and salvage par. This hole tilts too far on the luck side, in my opinion.
- As great as some portions of the course are - tee & navigation signs, tee pads - I didn't notice many, if any, benches or trashcans throughout the course. Also didn't notice any restrooms near the course, so that means you would have to drive to another part of the park for them. I'll also throw out the idea that because this park is so big and the park is in the very back of the park, it's a long, slow ride, over many speed humps, to actually get to the course.

Other Thoughts:

Patriot is a good disc golf course. Yes, some improvements could be made - as could be said for most courses. As it is, I enjoyed my round here with the exception of one boring hole -#5 - and one poorly designed one - #13.
- Course isn't broken up into two 9-hole loops, so no easy way to bail out if you're looking for a quick nine without a long walk back to the car. The 'best' option for a quick nine would be to play #1 - 6, make a semi-long walk up to #16 and play the final three holes.
- To its credit, for being so open, there was a good amount of variety for the longer hole layouts. I've already described #6 & 12 above. #10 is a good dogleg layout; #11 is a downhill basket, especially on your approach shot; #16 has trees running along the entire right side of the fairway; and #18 is a good risk/reward, wooded-layout closing hole.
- Probably because of the topography, this course had many similarities to other courses in the region. There were many aspects of this course that reminded me of Lake's Edge, Yadkin County Park and (not as close) Randolph Park in Dublin, VA.
- This is a solid addition to the Triad disc golf scene. The area still needs a truly elite course. Like some of the other courses in the Winston-Salem and Greensboro area, this is a good, but not great course. I'll give this course a solid 3.0 rating. I was debating between that and a 3.5 rating. In the end, it's lacking just enough challenge and splash to get the bump. Still, it's solid and worth a play if you're in the area.
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8 3
Cripes
Experience: 19.8 years 22 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Wasted Potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 14, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is one of the nicest parks I have ever played DG in. The whole park is immaculately maintained and that includes the Patriot course. The signage is excellent and looks like it is built to last. The tee pads are perfectly poured and have a nice grippy surface. There is mulch everywhere it is needed, the fairways are mowed, and I didn't see a single piece of trash on the ground.

Cons:

Triad disc golfers are blessed that this tract of land has been dedicated to disc golf. There is ample room to work with, a nice mix of woods and open areas, and a nice variety of terrain features and elevation changes.

Unfortunately when you consider what could be, the design from the blue tees is a major let down. There are several design mistakes that are repeated over and over on this course and it is really sad to see. Near the end of the round I realized that the holes could be grouped together by the most egregious flaw and here is what I came up with.

(#4,11,and 16) Wide open par 4s where 90% of blue level players will take a tap in 3. These holes are really disappointing because moving the baskets back another 50 feet (there is plenty of room) would make them great par 4s. However as they are, you throw a wide open drive, a simple upshot to a nearly wide open basket, and tap in for 3. There is zero risk/reward on the drive, you literally have hundreds of feet of leeway to "place" your drive. There is space and obstacles available nearby to add difficulty but they are not used.

(#3,6, and 13) Par 3's that start out open and finish with a dumb gap into the woods. Good luck hitting the sliver of a gap on the other side of the 300 foot field. If you do then you can celebrate and take a birdie putt, if you don't then find a little opening and toss a 50 foot upshot for your tap in par. The safe play is to disregard the gap entirely and throw hyzer that might crash through the trees to the basket.

(#10,14,15) Long par 3's that the majority of blue level players can't reach. For right hand backhanders 10 is a huge hyzer, 14 is a huge anhyzer, and 15 is slight anhyzer. 15 is the most reachable but does play longer than the 399 feet listed, especially if the wind is in your face. 10 and 15 are wide open and there is no difficulty in placing the drive. Get your easy boring 3 and keep moving.

(#4,5,9) Tees that are barely in the woods throwing out into the field. These tees could be moved back to require accuracy but instead they are so close to the edge it is pointless. On 5 and 9 you just throw a big hyzer to a basket in the middle of the field.

(#2,7) Wooded holes with absurd lines. You could spend all day throwing drives down the supposed fairway on 2 and never get one in the circle. You're better off cutting the corner and praying. 7 is not much better. There is nothing wrong with a narrow fairway but the twist and turns here just don't gel with how disc fly.

That leaves 1,8,12,17 and 18 as the only holes without glaring errors. Even though these holes are decent, there is not a single great hole on a course that should be full of them.

Other Thoughts:

You walk through this course looking at all of the cool holes that could have been. I won't go out of my way to play this course again until I hear that it's been tweaked or alternate basket locations have been added.
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9 0
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 278 played 273 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Solid red-level course that features a variety of landscapes and a whole bunch of elevation. True wooded holes are few and a majority of holes feature wide open climbs or descents, and quite a few holes with some of each. From the red tees, it's a well-designed course that offers those players a different challenge on every hole.
It helps that the park is immaculate, the tees, signs and baskets are top notch. The place looks professional and that is important in a course that caters to newer players in a public park. This is a great experience for rookies or even for intermediates. If the goal was an ambassador course than this was a full success. A bit of light woods. A bit of open fairway. Long climbs. Downward throws. They are all here, even if they cater to those that haven't experienced it all.

Cons:

This is definitely a course that has been planned around the red tees and more advanced players that want to play from the blues will likely be disappointed. Too many blue tees just "add difficulty" compared to the reds and disregard throwing lines or discing abilities of blue players. They just aren't well designed. This isn't the only course to suffer from this: I've played plenty of courses that worked from the white or red tees where it seemed like the blues were an afterthought and added "difficulty" by making it a nags off the tee or something like that. Patriot is an egregious example though.

Beyond that, the course is simply good and not more than that. Way too many open holes for my taste and rarely a hole that stands out in the memory.
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3 1
hoppedup
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10 years 104 played 27 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Excellent signage. Signs are at both red and blue tee pads giving distance and layout. Flow is fairly intuitive, but there are signs pointing you to the next tee at almost every hole anyway. You can not get lost on this course.

Excellent tee pads. They are large and level at both tee locations on each hole. There are bag hangers at every tee pad. Benches and trash cans are plentiful as well.

Course is very well maintained.

I prefer wooded courses and this one is mostly open, but most holes start or finish in a wooded area. The elevation and basket placements on a few of the open holes make them more interesting. The fairways are wide even on the wooded holes. No plinko to be found here. #2 and #7 are tighter than the rest, though.

The two sets of tee pads offer different options for shots on most holes and don't merely add distance as some courses do. I'd probably prefer to play a mix of the two, but haven't played it enough to determine that mix yet. I played the reds and the difficulty seemed about right for me.

This is a really nice park with great facilities.

Cons:

Patriot DGC is a bit too open for my taste. I have no idea what restrictions may have been put on the designer, but there seems to be a lot of wooded areas that could have been utilized more.

There is no single hole that makes you say, "Wow!". But most all of them are fun.

Other Thoughts:

If you are in the area and ticking off courses, we've made a day trip of Patriot>Johnson Street>Creekside>North Asheboro Park and spent less an hour traveling between courses overall.
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4 0
curtis27360
Experience: 8.6 years 30 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good course in a Great Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Good baskets in excellent condition.
-Concrete tee pads in excellent condition.
-Blue and Red tees with excellent signage, very
clear markings. No problems finding the course or
navigating it.
-Bag hangars at every tee are a nice touch.
-Reasonably long and challenging from the red tees!
-Good variety of shots required with plenty of open shots (good for beginners like me!)
-Plenty of parking and restrooms available on site.
-Located in a superb park (Triad park) with lots of
activities on site.

Cons:

Hard to accurately name many flaws in course design since I'm a newer player, but here are some basic observations:
-Quite a few shots with basket not visible, especially
from blue tees.
-Maybe a few too many open holes? Could use a
couple more wooded holes.
-Not a tremendous amount of elevation change.
-Grass was due a cutting in some areas, but not that
big of a deal. There has been a good amount of
rain in the area the last couple month and most all
grass is growing like crazy right now.

Other Thoughts:

-Excellent location near Kernersville/Colfax. Convenient to Greensboro, Winston Salem and High Point.
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