Morganton, NC

Catawba Meadows

3.35(based on 41 reviews)
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5 1
JLudlam
Experience: 28 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 18, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

First I feel it important to say this is my home course, I'm currently the local club president, and personally poured every tee pad with help from other club members. It has been a joy watching our little club & course grow. With the city's support and a grant from Blue Ridge Parkway Foundations Kids in Parks program a impressive renovation has recently been concluded. Upgrades/improvements include trapezoid shaped tee pads, with a launch point six feet wide tapering out to twelve feet wide at the rear and twelve feet of run up. Addition of benches and retaining walls around the tee pads that required them also make great seats as well. Kiosk located between am/pro #1 tee pads houses top notch scorecards with a map of the course & score card on one side & pictures of indigenous fauna and flora on the other.
On to the course review, It's very open, it's where I learned, so imagine my surprise when I played a wooded course. Still all in all a great place to "drive for show". Oh, I still hit these trees too. I've either seen or heard of aces on 1,2,3,9,11,14,16 & 18 so it can be done. Course & club host several charity tourney's each year and a PDGA "C" tier event is currently being held each year also. City planted some trees last year which will come into play as they grow & fill out. Things are looking up at Catawba Meadows!

Cons:

Currently no bathroom once you have begun your round & left parking lot area, however it has been tossed around by city Parks & Recreation to add a restroom.
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5 4
burnin4
Experience: 14.8 years 82 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Catawba review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 29, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Catawba Meadows is a jewel of a course that is spread out over a beautiful peice of geography, green grass and large trees. It plays very casual, little to no elevation, flows nicely from one hole to the next.....and no leaves to lose your discs. The course has freshly paved tee pads that are GIGANTIC and spectacular, quite possibly the best I've ever seen! Better pads then any Charlotte course. This course allows you to comfortably break out your distance drivers and send hyper bombs on a lot of holes, no fear of losing a disc anywhere on this course except on hole 2 and 17.

Cons:

There are only a few cons, all fairly minor. the first is about the lack of signage/direction. Fortunately I found some locals to help guide me but I can imagine this course would be confusing at times. I'm used to playing in the woods so I typically look for a worn path, but CM is one giant field with trees and baskets. Also, there are almost no benches and no restrooms anywhere on/around the course.

Other Thoughts:

I would highly recommend taking the time to go out of your way to play this course. It was refreshing and unique, look forward to playing again soon.
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2 4
Hornberger
Experience: 17.4 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Catawba Meadows 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Very nice course to step back and throw it hard! It's a lot of fun to work on your distance and technique, while still having trees to consider when picking your lines. Holes 4 - 18 are field with tree holes. The grass was freshly mowed when I played, making for ease when looking for my discs. Course is well laid out. Very nice, flat course! Reach back and bomb it!

Cons:

Would love to see true tee pads vs. ground and markers. Markings were sometime difficult to find the first go through

Other Thoughts:

I happened on this course by chance while planning a zip line tour for my kids. The park, itself, is a ton of fun, if you have kids. And, if your kids like to play disc golf, Catawba Meadows is a gold mine.
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8 0
billtvshow
Experience: 17.3 years 75 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Catawba Meadows Review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 5, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

My background on this course: This is my home course, which I have played 200+ times.
-Baskets: The baskets are Innova Discatcher Pros. They are very visible and in great shape.
-Tees: The tee pads are gigantic trapezoid concrete slabs. With run-ups perhaps a bit more important on this lengthy course, the size of these pads is a bonus. These tees were brand new as of October 2012. They were funded by the city and installed by the local club. Many of them have retaining walls that can serve as a bench.
-Signage: Each teeing area has a painted post (red for amateur, blue for pro, both for shared) with a sign attached to it. The signs have a nature trail theme with information about various topics and have nice maps of each hole.
-Maintenance: The course is pretty well maintained and is mowed on a reasonable schedule, especially given the size of the area to be mowed. Often times you will see defined fairways mowed, which frames the holes in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Efforts have been made to eradicate poison plants throughout most of the course. The Parks & Rec department has shown dedication in keeping the course in playable shape.
-Local Support: There is a local disc golf club who helps maintain the course as well. They assist in clearing the course of debris after storms and with construction and general maintenance projects on the course.
-Design: The course has a lot of wide open space, but almost every tee shot has some sort of obstacle to navigate and the course will often leave you with the feeling that you played a slightly more wooded course than it would have seemed upon first glance. In other words, the designer did an exceptional job in utilizing the property available to him. That said, the massive amount of trees that have fallen in recent years have weakened that original design.
-Tee Selection: Having amateur tees helps make the course a bit more beginner friendly, as the pro tees heavily favor players who can consistently throw over 300 feet. I have observed a tremendous amount of beginners playing the course off of the red tees, so this is a positive aspect in growing the sport in this area.
-Alternate Pins: A substantial number of alternate pins have been added in recent years by the local club, largely in response to the loss of dozens of trees on the course. The local club changes the pin positions periodically, which helps to break up the monotony of playing the same shots over and over for the local players.
-Other Amenities: The course is located in one of the nicest parks in the region. There are three massive shelters right next to the first hole, in fact one of the shelters falls right between the practice basket and first tees and is an ideal place for staging tournaments. There's also a nice bathroom near the parking area / playground. The practice basket itself is a nice green rimmed Discatcher located in the most logical location it could have been placed; out of the way of other people in the park, but not too far from the first tees. There is also a huge kiosk with course information and (sometimes) fantastic scorecards. The nearby office for The Beanstalk Journey zipline course has a small assortment of discs for sell, but it is only open intermittently, mostly on the weekends. Lost discs are often turned in / kept there as well. The course itself contains 4 benches on Holes 4/17, 8, 12, and 16 and a trash can on Hole 9.

Cons:

-Navigation: While there is a nice map of the course located on DGCR, the course can still be a bit difficult to navigate for first time players. The angled tee pads should get you pointed in the right direction toward the baskets, and mowing lines have helped, but occasionally it can be difficult to find the next tee correctly.
-Nature: The area around 17 tee / 4 tee / 16 basket floods even after moderate rainfall and sometimes the basket on 16 cannot be reached without getting your shoes wet. Consequently, mosquitoes are abundant here. Consistent mowing has eliminated a lot of the poison oak in the open spaces of the course, but it still thrives on the occasional tree and in the brushy areas along the stream. However, the biggest natural obstacle that the course faces is that it is "bleeding" trees. The grounds that the course was built on used to be a tree nursery, in which the state experimented on the flora, resulting in weakened trees that were never meant to survive for a full life span. New pins and new mandos have helped to keep the design interesting, but without tree replacement, the course will eventually be likened to an open field.
-Other Amenities: Since the course is a full 18 hole loop, you do not return to the bathrooms until the end of the round. Some people have mentioned this as a con. I would say it is a minor one, but there has been discussion about how and where to put some sort of bathroom in the middle of the course.
-Outside Interference: With this being a public park, you may occasionally find some non-disc golfers on the course. This happens most frequently around Hole 1, when people who rent the nearby shelters spill their activities over into the area around the practice basket and even into Hole 1 fairway. A couple of the new alternate pins have brought the greenway into play, so you will likely have to wait for walkers when the pins are in the alternate positions on Holes 10 and 11, although new signs have been installed to let walkers know they are entering the disc golf course area. It is worth noting that the course is usually closed for apx. a week leading up to and during the City's Bluegrass Festival. Visit this site to find out the dates: http://redwhiteandbluegrassfestival.com

Other Thoughts:

Mandos: There are now 4 officially recognized and signed mandos on the course (a double on #11, one on #14 blue, one on #17 blue, and one on #18 blue), indicated by white arrows. Any blue arrows you see spray painted on the trees were temporary mandos that were added without permission and you are not required to play those. There are two yellow blocks installed into the ground denoting the drop zones for the mandos on 11 and 17, while the mandos on 14 and 18 require a re-tee.
Least Favorite Hole: Holes #13 and 15 feel both the most bland and most similar of any two holes on the course. Both have received new pin positions, but remain pretty ordinary.
Favorite Hole: I love hole #8. It is one of the few holes with a significant elevation change and has a beautifully framed, tee shot that opens into (more or less) a meadow, perhaps invoking the namesake of the course.
Outlook: The course has shown much improvement over the years and despite the loss of trees, its outlook is exceptional with the support of the city and local club. The primary focus moving forward needs to be on tree replacement. The club does have plans to add some more alt pins and even some structures on the course to make it more interesting, such as elevated baskets.
Most of the greatest courses in the world have an amazing balance of wooded to open and hilly to flat holes, among other things. Catawba Meadows will always be mostly flat and mostly open and that is the character of the course and that can't really be changed, consequently I feel that this aspect somewhat limits the maximum score that the course can achieve.
The course has experienced significant upgrades in the past several years and is approaching a level of quality that it is going to be hard pressed to move beyond within the scope of a public course. I do encourage previous reviewers to revisit this course and update your reviews.
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3 2
disctildeath
Experience: 17.5 years 10 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Catawba Meadows 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 27, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good location on scenic Morganton Greenway with bathroom and shower facilities and restaurants/bars within walking distance down the path past hole 10, easy to traverse, has 18 holes 11 holes with multiple tees (reds and blues), open fairway type course with intermittent pine trees, great for distance practice. One great advantage though is that the city has all hours access to the park (even bathrooms stay open at night) so glow golf can be done with the city's blessing, get in touch with a local for more info (we tried getting a night tourney together this summer but didn't have enough interest but still looking ahead, have charity tournaments in March and October that raise money and canned goods for the local food bank.

Cons:

Course and club organizing are a work in progress and have struggled with many in the prime demographic of 18-35 are getting out of town due to economy, so there are only natural teepads and the course has only 1 trashcan after hole 9 and the only benches are near the holes close to the Greenway. Tried a couple of years ago to add extra mando's (can still see remnants on trees of blue arrows from tournaments) but people have called the city complaining about the two that were built in (11 and 17/long) much less new ones so the course is limited in terms of technical challenge. Also this park is used many times throughout the year for Boyscout events, concerts, etc. and the city lets them camp on the course so if your from out of town you may want to check with Morganton Parks and Rec to make sure there aren't any events going on so you don't waste a trip.

UPDATE: Due to a recent grant, we have been able to implement a series of upgrades, from the date of the Pumpkin Bowl on we have 6 x 12 trapezoid concrete pads with a kiosk, signs, and possibly more mandos and sleeves coming soon.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this park was a great step up from Bethel Park, and has potential, it just needs more involvement, the city is open to working with clubs and those looking to organize tournaments so while it's not perfect, there is definite potential here.
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1 1
dtomb
Experience: 9 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Simple, Rewarding course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well marked tee boxes, family friendly environment, easy course to get the hang of, usually well kept fairways, nice catchers.

Cons:

Very little terrain variation, natural tee boxes have the potential to be muddy, running track crosses the course at points (can hold up the game).

Other Thoughts:

Overall a wonderfully simple course that is exactly as it appears, many long straight holes for you to practice your driving. Great course for newcomers to the sport, but it probably won't be very challenging for experienced players.
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0 1
WreckDirector
Experience: 13.6 years 7 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Practice Makes Perfect 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Newly built, nice baskets, good for newcomers to the sport due to mostly open fairways, rarely have to wait, and easy to find.

Cons:

Not much of a challenge (too open), no tee pads (muddy holes after a light rain), grass needs to be cut more often than not, and hole 16 can become a swamp after a descent rain.

Other Thoughts:

This is a good course to practice on or to take new comers to the sport so that they can get use to it without losing their (or your) discs.
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7 0
vonDrehle
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.5 years 47 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Still Growing Up 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 21, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- This is a great course for beginners and those that want to work on specific parts of their game without the narrow fairways of most North Carolina courses.
- Several holes have long teepads and many of them not only add distance but they also require a different type of shot than you would use from the shorts.
- Nice practice basket with enough room to get some good practice putts in.
- The course is easy to navigate with tee signs at each hole and has nice DISCatcher Pro baskets.
- The course makes use of the occasional mando which keeps the course from getting too repetitive. (I'm told only to use the white signs for mandos the blue paint on trees are old)
- The course is in a very well kept park with nice facilities including some sort of rope course for the brave that I wouldn't dare attempt. Would be a great place to bring the family out for a round and a day at the park.
- The teepads are very nice and each allows you to take several routes for your drive.
- Each hole now has a very nice teesign at both the long and short tees. The signs give information about the hole as well as cool park information and disc golf tips for the particular hole in question.

Cons:

- Many holes have different routes you can take but no holes really forced you to get out of your comfort zone with a different style of shot.

Other Thoughts:

The courses name is Catawba Meadows so as you would expect you will be playing in an open field littered with trees. While it might not hold much challenge to the more advanced golfer it is still a great course to work on different aspects of your game. This course is still very new and overtime with some local love I see it getting even better. So if you are in the area I would definitely recommend stopping by and giving it a try.

**Update 5/15/2013: Teepads and Benches added to the course.
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3 6
mx23ang
Experience: 13.8 years 75 played 23 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Bland.. but Bomberable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 6, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Starting off I like to let everyone know what Im personally looking for in a course. I love the scenic aspect of disc golf (this includes boulders, lakes, wildlife, and plantlife- I do study horticulture). With that being stated, I rate a course based on a combination of the scenic factor and the overall course aspects (this includes layout, fairway lines, divesity of holes, and amenities).
DISCatcher baskets
-Decent sinage giving length, no map but you dont need one just throw it straight! On like every hole haha where is the diversity??
-Two sets of tees with concrete now so I updated my review to a 3.0
-Bathroom and water fountain with a mini pro shop, very nice overall park

Cons:

-No wooded fairways at all!!! Several pines dot the fairways but if you hit your line they really shouldnt come into play
-No epic/scenic factor here for me because of the overall flat land and no wooded/water/boulders in play
-Its like so strait and no difference in any of your shots, bland and really boring unless you can throw one like 350' dead strait then this is your ace run course.
-17 is a ridicuosly stupid hole, a 537' par 3(do what??!!) that has a mando which doesnt allow you to even have a chance at a 3, its not fair at all. If your gonna have a par 3 that long at least make it playable to air it out, were not all pro's.
-I began playing on super tight rather short courses so this is the polar opposite of what I look for in a dg course

Other Thoughts:

It also felt like you walked a pretty good ways after every hole, to be wide open you would think the tees are in rather close proximity to the baskets
And if you are going to make trees obstacles, you should have them placed where the trunk comes into play, not the lower hanging branches like #1 is tucked under. Its rather stupid to have a good drive and have no chance at a birdie because the branches are so low they are blocking your view of the basket for birdie!
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2 7
BobStutts
Experience: 19 played 18 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Great Park-Disappointing course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 28, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great park with great amentities for everyone in family.

Cons:

Bad signage. Water standing in tees two days after rain. This is a real course for those showing off their distance. Not much of a challenge as to types of shots etc.

Other Thoughts:

This course is actually the only negative in a beautiful property. If you are there and have your discs play. Don't go to any great lengths to get there. This is actually the only time I have given a score this low.
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7 0
digital
Experience: 15.5 years 76 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wide Open 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 20, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great course for practicing different shots without worrying about trees. It's virtually wide open with old pines scattered throughout. Never gets too tight or technical, so you aren't forced to throw much of a variety. While it is open for the most part, there is good use of trees on many holes. You can rip it off the tee from the blues quite often. Several ace runs and good birdie opportunities on plenty of holes. A few par 4's that also provide a great chance for birdie, perhaps an eagle. While being open makes things easier, watch out of the wind picks up. This course can go from one that you'd expect to shoot under par in good conditions to a struggle in the wind.

Cons:

Most old gripes have been solved over the past couple years. Very nice concrete pads have been installed. Some of the best I've seen or thrown from. Several benches have been installed and the concrete walls behind the large pads can also be used as benches on some holes.

Some of the big pines have fallen over time or been cut down. This will happen to even more trees in the future. But this issue has been countered with several new basket positions as well. Most of them add a degree of difficulty to holes, which is a good thing while keeping the original positions as well.

New trees have been planted and there was recently a fundraiser there to get more in the ground.

Other Thoughts:

This course is just fun. Not as stressful as your typical more wooded course. You can build your confidence here and see the lines your discs fly on without much interference. I see it as a great place for beginners to come work on their game without being discouraged. It's also a breeze to play. I get through in an hour or so every time. Playing solo, you could get through within an hour.

Course has improved quite a bit overall due to nice new pads, fairly new signage, new baskets, etc. I bumped it up a full point. Go check it out for yourself!
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3 0
catfishhunter
Experience: 8 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wide open course, good place to rip some drives, some nice "ace runs" holes. Long and short tee pads. Playing the long tees feels like a completely different course from the shorts which I think is great.
There are also lots of fields on the property which makes it a great place to practice. I like to go out and practice in the field and then play a round or two. There are restrooms and water fountain also well.

Cons:

Most holes from the short tee pads are straight. You don't really need a variety of shots to play well here. In the summer time the grass can grow pretty high which is a little bit annoying

Other Thoughts:

The tee pads are natural which I actually prefer but they can get very wet and muddy after it rains. I bought some cleats for $15 which solves the problem.

I only rated this course a 3 because it's pretty basic. It's not very technical. If you've got a big arm you'll most likely find it a little easy. Some of the holes can seem a little long for a beginner but there aren't a lot of places to get in trouble.
This is my home course and I enjoy playing here but I consider it more of a practice course. If I want to really challenge myself I'll play at Glen Hilton Park in Hickory or go down to Charlotte. However, if you're in the area you won't be disappointed.
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1 3
swoop disc
Experience: 9 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 23, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

To be fair this is my home course. I learned the sport on this course with my family, lot of sentimental value. The course is open on the front nine. mildly wooded 12-18. This course is a good course to learn on and also grow in the sport. Favorite hole is hole 8. The design of the course takes full advantage of the terain that it was given.

Cons:

Needs benches, and trash cans, Natural tee pads, Mandos on 2 and 9 are cheesy, not really necessary to play though. The city has events sometimes and blocks off the parking lot and hole 1,2, and 18. WIsh they did not do that. If it is a disc course than it is a disc course not a camp ground.

Other Thoughts:

This is the kind of course that keeps you comng back. This course is great to learn on, and is big enough to realy develope all parts of your game.
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11 1
Olorin
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 45.5 years 1002 played 118 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice pines and meadows 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 19, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

*Terrain beauty. Most of the course is played in grassy meadows with old scattered pines, and some of the fairways also have a carpet of pine needles. I really like this kind of terrain that has trees to throw around but without punishing undergrowth.
*Layout variety. 2 sets of tees.
*Length variety. Blue tees: 5 of 230-290/ 9 of 300-400/ plus some longer holes of 485, 535, 560, 610.
*Good map and scorecard online.
*Very nice, new, clean restroom

Cons:

-Highway noise. On holes 3-10 you can hear lots of traffic from a busy road and this detracts from the natural serenity of the course.
-Repetitive terrain. As much as I like the terrain, it's all the same throughout the whole course, so most of the holes look similar.
-Low fairway shape variety. Too many straight holes. Blue tees: 13 Straight/ 3 Left/ 2 Right
-Long grass. There's lots of grass and the "fairways" are mowed shorter, but the longer grass can hide discs so watch your drives carefully.
-Personally, I thought that the double mando near the basket on 11 was gimmicky

Other Thoughts:

Blue tees Course Level: Blue (most suited for Advanced players rated 950)

~There are some moderate elevation changes, ranging from 2 to 15 ft, but half of the holes are flat. Blue: 9 Flat/ 2 Up/ 7 Down.
~Tees. Since the course is new it's a wise practice not to put in permanent tees so that adjustments and tweaks can be made. Nonetheless, the current tees were inadequate. Only the front of the tee is marked. Also, they're grass and dirt, so they can get muddy if wet. I imagine that they'll eventually put in better tees after the course settles in more.
~Tee signs. Only colored posts, with a sign at hole 1, but hopefully better signs will come with time. They may well be waiting until the tees are finalized to make better signs.
~I think that the mando on 17 would be more fair if it was moved 40 ft to the left.

This is still a new course, so it has potential to get even better. Since I like this kind of terrain I'd like to play it again. It's the kind of course that's worth driving up to an hour to play, or if you're driving by on I-40 it's definitely worth stopping to get in a round.

Note: To have my reviews delivered to your Inbox join the Yahoo group "DG Course Reviews" . More detailed "Overall Rating" notes and "Hole-by-hole Ratings" are also available there in the Files section.
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7 0
_.-Dut-._
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.8 years 111 played 34 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Holy Mando 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 5, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Very attractive course with good course design that takes advantage of the parks elevation changes.
- Great use of Mandos, there is alot of double mandos on this course but they are all very fair and add to the challenge of the course quite a bit.
- Easy to navigate, and multiple Teepads for several holes.
- Clean bathrooms and a nice gazebo right at hole one.
- Great for beginners and more advanced players alike.

Cons:

- Natural teepads.
- Lack of Benches and trashcans throughout course.
- The teesigns are sufficient but could use an upgrade.

Other Thoughts:

At first glance I was afraid that this course was going to become repetitive as most of it is set out in a field, with what appears to be few trees. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this isnt the case at all. The course designer did a great job at using everything the park gave him, and put in several mandos that increased the challenge of the course. I would reccommend playing it to anyone thinking about it.
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9 0
tallpaul
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 36.4 years 936 played 137 reviews
3.00 star(s)

more open than most in the area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 29, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Posts have been added to tees; with blue painted tops for long and red for short.
A solid 3 rated course; nothing brutal (like a number of the Charlotte courses); but, overall, a nice, ball golf type of feel.
Elevation and trees used well.
I enjoyed the mandos; and from what other reviewers have said; I believe we played all of them. (There are, of course, players who find mandos to be kind of gimmicky; and one of our group of four is one of these players....however, I'm the one who missed three of them off the tee; and I still enjoyed them). A just missed mado forced me to make a nicely executed, off hand (lefty for me), forehand shot to save par.
Missing a mando, will force you to execute some unique shots....
We played even holes long tees, and odd, short; thus, getting a feel for both. (Some tees same for both). Enjoyed both sets of tees. Somewhat of a bomber course from longs; and the youngest member of our crew made up ground on the long tees. (Half of the holes 350+ from long tees with 2 at 500+ and one 609 ft.)
Counting the mandos and some other tunnel line designs; Catawba has some definite signature type holes on it.
We did not really struggle with any navigational issues. Pathways to next basket must be worn in well enough....
No tall grass issues either; but we were here at the end of March...before it had a chance to grow much. I may imagine it would add another degree of toughness to upshots (shooting from tall grass inhibits your shots some times; and, I have enjoyed some designer's intentional use of this...but, I can be weird in this regard). I kind of feel a designer needs to use what he has to work with....

Cons:

Natural tees were very muddy and slippery.
Course is somewhat plain, but this is relative to the great ones not far away. Most players would find Catawba comparable to a fairly top flight course; especially if mandos are played.....To sum this up; if you have a 300 foot drive or so dialed in; you are reaching most pins. Long tees, long shots; will be 300 ft. drive and upshot and a 3... Therefore, gold level players will not be impressed; and for blue level, course will seem moderately challenging and kind of plain. (We played best shot doubles here and were quite a bit under par; but, I also believe that of our group of four; two of us, 900+ rated players; that there is the possibility we all could have been over par from long tees; so, do not expect an easy course by any means.)

Other Thoughts:

This course really does have a pretty nice ball golf type of feel to it. Rustic and yet manicured. The sign for the park kind of relays this info in a way. A very nice, and colorful sign; and yet, using natural stone....i.e. rustic and yet manicured....
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12 1
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.4 years 622 played 569 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Fun, open course in a great athletic complex.
- Course is mostly open. Biggest obstacle on course is trees, with baskets/tees/fairways strategically aligned to create challenging shots. Course is mostly flat; although, it's nice 2 of the 3 (slightly) downhill tee shots are on longer holes. Thick brush & creek come in to play for several holes (#2, 3, 17 & 18), as well as mandos on several holes, which is both a good and bad thing.
- There are some really good holes on the course. #17 long for me stands out as the course's signature hole. 537 ft dogleg left, with the creek/brush hugging the right side of the fairway the entire length of the hole. There's a perfectly placed mando, keeping players from cutting the corner. Basket is protected by several trees, forcing players to make 2 good throws to get within putting range. The other holes that play near the basket are also good.
- Course is not overly difficult, but it does require definite shot-making to score low, especially from the long tees. Short tees are going to present plenty of birdie chances.
- Course is definitely beginner-friendly. Lack of obstacles, length (from short tees) will appeal to newbies.
- Great amenities and aesthetics. Very nice, clean park. Even though majority of holes run along road, plenty of nature feel around you. Park, as a whole, has anything and everything you'd want. Along the DG portion of the park, you'll come across restrooms, large picnic shelters, and a walking trail.

Cons:

Only a few issues, but they all make a real impact on the course.
- A real lack of variety for the holes. I don't mind the course being relatively wide open when compared to most of the wooded courses in the region. It's a nice change of pace. The issue is that too many of the holes are straight. There are very few doglegs. As mentioned, course uses its limited elevation as good as possible.
- Course overuses, or misuses, the mandos. There are 2 double mandos in a 3 hole stretch (#9 & 11). Mandos can be used in a better way, such as creating doglegs, which is used to perfection on #17 long. Instead of using the mandos for more straight shot, they could have been used to create/force several more doglegs, leading to more variety.
- Course needs teepads and tee signs. Dirt tee pads are in good condition on most holes, but they're uneven on enough, that's it's noticeable. On most holes, multiple baskets are visible, so tee signs would fix the problem. On one hole I threw to the wrong basket because two baskets were visible, about the same distance away from the tee pad.
- The grass/rough is too tall. The grass has been cut short on some holes to create fairways. Other holes, it hasn't been cut at all, meaning these "fairways" have grass the same height as the rough on other holes. On some holes, the grass is tall enough that you're spending extra time searching for discs, not being able to see them until you come upon them.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great, change of pace course for those looking for a break from all the wooded courses. It still presents enough challenges that you won't feel like you're wasting your time.
- If the course improves any of the problems listed above (tee pads, signs, tall grass, etc), it'll be even better. A positive aspect of not having teepads is that there's opportunity for some holes to be moved/changed with it being a major problem.
- There are a couple holes that you can empty the bag to practice throwing drives - #1, 6 & 8.
- The short tee pads will probably be too easy for advanced players, but perfect for beginners. I played the longs and had enough birdie chances and scramble to save par holes that I felt it was a great mix.
- Anyone driving down I-40 should make a stop here. It's also close enough to Charlotte, Asheville and the Triad to make the trip. Playing this course and Glenn Hilton in Hickory 30 minutes away would make for a great 1-2 punch for a DG outing.
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2 3
shankopotamus
Experience: 26 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 15, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of open flight potential. Good use of mando's - ups the challenge level - but can easily be played casual as well.
Common sense will get you from hole to hole with ease.
Clean park! Keep it that way.

Cons:

Natty pads. Need Trash cans throughout course. A bench or two would be a plus.

Other Thoughts:

Really looking forward to playing this course again in the spring and summer. I live and play in Charlotte as often as possible, but will make the 90 minute drive to catch a breathe of fresh air anytime.
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7 0
Cmdrmack
Experience: 15.8 years 6 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Room to grow 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 5, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very Clean area

Opportunity for big drives on several holes

Mandos on a number of tight shots require accuracy

A good number of forehand-friendly holes

Two different tees (Red and Blue) provide for multiple levels of difficulty

A very good use of predominantly flat terrain. The elevation changes that do exist are used very well.

Cons:

Layout gets a little confusing around hole 7, doesn't flow well for the next few holes after that.

Tee Boxes are currently just two PVC Pipes stuck in the ground. This is great if you've got a big run-up, but if there's been any kind of weather slipping on the drive becomes an issue.

Mandos are inconsistently marked. Some have orange flagging tape around the trees, some are rows of little orange flags, only one hole has actual arrows.

Grass on the course is not mown often enough, can make discs difficult to find.

Other Thoughts:

I'm very glad to have this 18 hole course so close to my home (less than a mile). This is a very new course with lots of room for improvement, but the play itself is top-notch. Almost every time I pass this course there is somebody playing, and frequently there are 4-5 different groups moving throughout the course.

The popularity of the course suggests to me that the City of Morganton will further invest in this course and address the concerns the public has voiced about it.
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8 0
DiscChainBasket18
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.4 years 98 played 63 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Beautiful Park Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 15, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Clean, new park with large gazebos. Air conditioned restrooms with running water. Large parking lot. Nice new tee signs on red course placed out of the way of the tee pad. Brand new Innova DisCatchers. Easy walk with intuitive basket/tee box placement. There are many 'mando's to break up the repetition. The tee box markers are angled correctly towards the target on all holes. This makes it easy to spot the pin. A course map is handy but not totally necessary.

Cons:

Grass/dirt tee pads. Tee signs on the blue course are a little weak compared to the red (hand-written cards stapled to a post). Course layout has many similar looking shots. Not much elevation change. Need benches & trash cans (although I didn't see a lot of litter). There seem to be a lot of 'mando' gaps to hit. But no 'drop zone' area for the shot if you miss the mando. Re-tee? On hole #2 there is a small creek with thick shule directly behind the basket. Dont throw too long! #17 blue is a par 3. This hole is marked at 537'. It should be a par 4 as it is very difficult to get to the basket in one throw from the tee pad. Blue tee pads throw over the red pads on some holes.

Other Thoughts:

Very nice course with relatively easy navigation. The layout is about as good as it could be, given the available land & location. The walkways surrounding the course give a lot of exposure to non-golfers. My favorite hole: #8
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