Chester State Park has color coded tees, tee signs with maps, DISCatcher baskets, Next Tee signs, plenty of navigational signage at diverging paths, and a full park map at the Kiosk near the parking lot. Set in a beautiful state park, the course has a very calming atmosphere and the grassy fairways in the midst of a mature forest with plenty of pine trees felt somewhat reminiscent of the IDGC courses.

The course features two sets of tee pads. The longs felt appropriate for Advanced level players or Intermediate players who were trying to really test themselves. The short tee pads looked more appropriate for Intermediate players or Recreation players who were looking to step things up.

Chester State Park requires various shots and excellent angle control as the fairways are tight, but they still all felt fair and navigable. With the right disc thrown with the right angle - birdie was in play for every hole.

Throughout the round are multiple par 4s and 5s, which help mix things up, but even then accuracy is more important than distance - so a midrange might still be the better disc on those holes. The course makes excellent use of elevation. It seemed like most holes had some form of uphill, downhill, valley, or ditch in play.

The course features two 9 hole loops, and the first one gets an excellent view of the lake for the first few holes, which was really peaceful. It also shares the park with a shorter, 9 hole Recreation level course that was a lot of fun too.

Located within the State Park, the course was clear of trash and looked beautiful. There are no trash cans on the course, but there seemed to be some at the parking lot, which can be visited mid round after Hole 9, and at the end of the round. There were also plenty of other amenities around that you would expect to find at a State Park.

Unfortunately, the course can feel a bit repetitive at times. There are plenty of long tunnel shots where you need the ability to throw your disc on a rope, and a lot of shots that felt shaped for a RHFH - even some of the left moving fairways seemed to be shaped more for a big anhyzer or a flex forehand.

The fairways are all nice and clear, but the rough on some of the holes seemed surprisingly thick. Some of the holes looked like a guaranteed stroke loss for being off the fairway. If some of the volunteer trees could be cleaned up in these areas, the course would feel a bit less punishing for being a yard off the fairway.

While there are a couple of benches throughout the course, they are not available at every tee. So if you like to take breaks during your round, do not skip over them - because it could be a while before the next bench.

Chester State Park is a phenomenal course set in a beautiful forest. If you are driving through the area, or even if you are in or visiting Charlotte, the course is worth checking out. A 4.0 rating feels appropriate. If the first few feet off the fairways were a bit more clear of such thick rough, or if there were one or two open holes on the course - this would have instantly gotten an even higher rating from me. But the first thing I did when I finished my round, was fired off a text to a few friends letting them know they need to check the course out.

Favorite Holes: 2, 7, 13, 15

Two friends and I played this course on a trip to Charlotte. Due to rain in Charlotte, we headed south until the rain stopped and came to this course. It was a very lucky choice.

This is another wooded course that seems typical of the courses in this area of the world. There are no open holes. All of the holes have well defined fairways bordered by mature forest. The width of the fairways varies but, at this course, seemed to be consistently wider than you will find at some of the other higher rated courses in the Charlotte area. None of the fairway widths are what I would consider to be unfair or catering to chance. If you hit your lines and select the right disc, you will likely do well here.

The tee boxes are consistent and textured perfectly. We played when the course was wet from recent rain and had no issues.

There is significan elevation change on several holes, including the first two and include uphill and downhill tee shots. There are two tees per hole with significant distance separation and the course does not seem to get a lot of play, my group had the course to itself.

While not all of the holes are all that memorable, this is a sneaky good course. In my neck of the woods, this course would be the best around. Although there is a seeming repetitive nature to some of the holes - by the back nine I approached several tee boxes, looked at the signs and thought "Oh, another right-turning hole in the woods" - the holes are all distinctive enough that after you finish them the repetitive feel was gone.

Some of the shorter Par 3's, like 1, 2 and another with the green guarded by a small barranca on the front and brush on the back are some of the more fun holes - allowing a chance to park with a putter (for us non pros) but with plenty of obstacles.

Despite being in the woods, there are still a few holes that are long enough and the fairways wide enough to tempt you to pull out your straightest distance driver. I did. I shouldn't have, but I did. Luckily, the surrounding forest is mature enough that the lack of heavy brush made finding the disc fairly easy.

The layout is very straightforward with no significant walks between holes and is very easy to navigate when playing it for the first time.

The course is in a state park with a $3 entry fee. Pay to play is ALWAYS a plus to me. The course was clean, with zero trash, well maintained and in a beautiful mature forest setting.

The course starts very near a lake, but there are no holes near enough to the water for it to come into play. It might be possible to get into the water on hole 2, but it would take a mistake plus a really bad kick to get you there. While this eliminates the chance for losing a disc in the water, it also takes away some of the fun of those types of holes.

As mentioned above, there is a bit of a repetitive feel to the course. There are a lot of holes that require a right turn on tight fairways. This is an atypically LHBH and RHFH friendly course. This is a very minor issue, as I just can't fault a course for testing one skill more than other courses typically do, but to a predominantly RHBH player, this difference is noticeable as you play and provides that somewhat repetitive feel.

My rating on this course isn't really based on its negatives so much as the overall good-but-not-great strength of its positives. It may be that on a trip where other courses like Hornet's Nest and even Renaissance Gold had more signature holes, but were held back by extreme navigation issues, this course had no such issues and no such signature holes. Despite its overall very high quality, there isn't any one hole on this course that really stood out to me as being awesome. Likewise, none stood out as bad or poor.

This course is one of those students who just barely gets an A, but never makes anything lower than a B, for their whole academic career. As such, it is a solid course that is well worth your time to play.

A natural, wooded course of very high quality.

-Amenities: Concrete tees, signs with complete maps, DISCatchers, course kiosk, next tee signs and paths.

-Seclusion/Beauty: A great wooded state park environment. This is one of the most "untouched" looking courses I've been to, where the fairways seem like they've been there forever. It's quiet, private, and lush.

-Elevation: For some reason, when I see a course is heavily wooded I imagine it to be mostly flat. Not so here. A good majority of holes feature notable ups, downs, or valleys. It really enhances the thrill of already-enjoyable carved fairways.

-Challenge: With tight fairways requiring controlled but long shots, Chester SP is a great Advanced-level challenge. The par-5s are especially notable, as any shot that doesn't have a precise finish could easily end up leading to bogey or worse. The thrill of nailing a fairway is real out here.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: A really fun mix of designs ranging from short par-3 tunnels to sprawling par-5s of unusual shape. The course starts off with basic but enjoyable downhill shots, but over time it picks up with some nice par-4s on the short side. There are early gaps leading to downhills, big side sweeps, and gentle straightaways with very specific hyzer-flips required to pure the line. Also mixed in are three big par-5s, which present an ever-changing fairway that will challenge everybody. This is a masterclass on designing woods holes, with an even mix of many hole types.

-9 & 9: A very crisp and classic set of two nine-hole loops.

The big course at Chester SP is great. That said, there are some detractors that keep it separate from my legendary courses.

-Rough: Especially as the course goes on, the rough gets thick, prickly, and hard to get in. Errant shots will receive increasingly aggravating punishment. If I wasn't on my game, I'd be miserable during a round here.

-General Maintenance: In addition to the rough, the fairways could use a little more upkeep. Grass was a bit shaggy and a couple of greens had encroaching bushes.

-Variety: There are no open holes anywhere on the course. When I played, this wasn't a drastic issue. It was more of a "Shoot, I'll probably miss the fairway on this hole too" more than a "Sheesh, I hate this course."

-Insects: Lots of buzzing insects. Those with severe allergies should consider staying away.

-Pay-to-Play: $3 to enter the park is totally worth it to play this course alone.

Chester SP Green is one of the finest woods courses I've been to. There aren't flashy features or the highest variety of terrains, but it's thoughtful, fun, and challenging. It has become a bit rough around the edges, and can pose a relentless beatdown if release point is off, so it's not in the top class of courses. However, I recommend a visit to any serious player at this Excellent course.

~Similar Courses: the tighter version of IDGC Jackson (Warner, GA); Canaan Riverbend (Rock Hill, SC); with Eastern instead of Texas flora, Old Settlers' Park (Round Rock, TX). Some similarities in feel to Cane Creek Park (Waxhaw, NC).

If you want to be one with nature this is definitely the course for you.
They're benches at Tee boxes 4,8,10,12,14, and 16.
Overall course map available with information brochure.
There's a lot of shots between trees and narrow fairways.
You can purchase a personalized park disc for $15 if you want to remember your trip here.

They're "0" trash cans on this course and I was disappointed with it being a state park setting.
There's more cardio between Tee boxes than I care for to be honest.
There's a lot of drainage once you get to holes 11 and up and seem to cross the fairways. Some of the drainage is located the entire course of the fairway. It hasn't rained in 48 hours and still quite a few slip spots.
Very easy to lose disc on this course,
There is a fee of $3 to enter the park.

If you're a beginner do not play here it will only cause you to dislike the game altogether. I felt like I was working on cardio game more than my disc golf game. I feel like there's other courses in the area that's free where I can focus more on my disc golf game than my cardio workout.

Very worthwhile predominately wooded course. Par 4's and 5's were legitimate multi-shot holes and the par 3's were solid on the whole. Fairway widths were generally proportional to their length and par and very well defined. Not a tremendous amount of elevation change but the terrain does undulate some, as you would expect with it being near a lake, and has a tangible effect on play. This is a quintessential Carolina woods golf type of course. The fairways were generally conventional in shape (no weird angles like you see with many Schwarz courses in NC). Most of the holes were "dealer's choice" off the tee, which I prefer, allowing the player some freedom in how to attack the hole instead of forcing a particular line. Basically, the course asks you to thread wooded tunnels for 18 holes, with mature pines making up the primary obstacle. If you're not particularly good at staying on fairways, this course will beat you up considerably.

The course is fairly easy to navigate and there are next tee arrows on the band of the Discatchers which are super helpful because an access road overlaps a few holes and can be confusing. The tee signs do a good job of providing the necessary details and scorecards with a map are available at the kiosk at hole 1. Very rarely if ever were you bothered with a long walk between holes and the course begins and ends right at the parking lot. Splendidly large concrete tees that were nicely flush with the ground, James Conrad approved.

Most of the variety comes in the form of distance, with par 4's and 5's coming in quickly and often. I didn't feel like there was a particular left-to-right or right-to-left bias but I did throw a lot of RHFHs off the tee, which is not uncommon for how I play wooded courses. A few holes had some L>R fairways that I was torn on whether a FH or a RHBH turnover was the best line, which is great for replay value but vexing for playing the course blind. Par seemed fairly accurate but some of the par 4/5s seemed like they could be a little soft while some of the par 3s seemed quite hard. Very solid design overall though.

It pains me to say this because I love to bash Russell Schwarz courses but there's not much for me to complain about. The course starts a little soft, with hole 1 being fairly deuce or die. Hole 2 or 3 has the worst fairway shape on the course, a straight to fade left-to-right where the approach takes an abrupt turn and bottle necks sharply before the basket. It's the worse hole here but a fairly acceptable hole on most courses so not bad.

The only real negative is the rough. It isn't bad in terms of briers or disc eating foliage. What it is though is nigh impossible to scramble from. Seemingly one foot off of any fairway buries you amongst infinite saplings. I don't think the course gets enough traffic to stomp down the rough and keep it from being so punitive, which is a shame because it's a good, fun course. I like a technical challenge but I like throwing overhands, FH rollers, and other tricky get out of jail shots a lot more than throwing pitch outs repeatedly.

Two or three of the par 3s were very long (350'+) and too tight to be reasonable for giving up many 2's for Blue level players. Par at best holes are not my faves but okay if there isn't many of them. These holes required the straightest drives ever or the most technical RHFH slight turnovers to have any hope of reaching the basket. Hard par 3s that require a very specific line are undesirable IMO.

In the Schwarz pantheon of disc golf courses this ranks right up there with Fox Chase (Albemarle) and Pipeline, IMO. I liked Chester St. better than Fox Chase (though the latter has better terrain and variety) but the epic terrain of Pipeline trumps it. But if you just want some really fun, challenging woods golf to weave your mids through or vie for some rewarding birdies then you can do a lot worse than Chester. It's not the prettiest park (no amazing vistas or water views from the course really) but it's still a serene, natural park that provides good escapism from modern life. It's also not a bad drive from Rock Hill so a good course to hit up on your way to scope out the USDGC.

-Informative kiosk with maps, paper scorecards, and pencils
-Accurate signs and concrete tee pads on every hole
-Enough benches spread throughout
-Super secluded, I've played 3 rounds here now and have not seen another person on the course
-Decent variety of pars and hole shapes
-Lots of natural OB with pretty thick rough
-Nice warm up par 3 if you have the time

-Since this course doesn't get as much traffic as it deserves, the rough is super rough and thorny in places and itchy
-I also walked through at least 5 spider webs, on the fairways - bugs everywhere
-I wish there were maybe 1-2 more higher par holes. There are 11 par 3s, I wouldn't mind that number being lower.

I have really enjoyed this course both times that I've played it. I've played it thrice, shooting between +6 and +9. I drive right past the entrance to the park on the 3 hour drive to my parents house and it hurts when I don't have the time to stop. I'm sure that it would get way more traffic if it weren't in such a rural location, but it is definitely worth a trip out of your way. $2 for 2 courses is worth the money.

Beautiful course on dedicated land. No worries about walkers or bikers popping through. Heavily wooded and challenging holes. I won't go into hole descriptions, since others have done a great job on that! Just want to give a review that gives an idea how this course is looking after a good year or so. Signs are in good repair. Blue and red tees on most holes. Benches are now on about every third hole. Rough is easier to get out of as this course gets more traffic, but is still challenging. In the summer it will play tougher. Good beginner course next to the main course, which is great for warm ups and putting practice.

Many of the holes require good placement of shots. Grass can get a little long in the summer before it gets cut.

This course will surprise many people who play it for the first time. It gets very little traffic but is is top notch!! First Disc Golf course in a S.C. State Park!!! Give it some more visits and they might try building more!! Park office has discs to rent if you forgot yours!

Amazing course tucked away inside a beautiful state park. Disc golf is all the way in the back, and doesn't cross over any other park activities. Long course is demanding, and requires accuracy over distance. That being said, I believe the pars are fair, if not a touch too easy on a few. Hole 4 is a par 4 that is an easy 3. Same goes for hole 2. The three par 5s are all very tight fairways, but no need to bomb the shots. I played safe, and pared all three. Back 9 requires much more accuracy, and is less forgiving than the front. Previous reviews state there are no benches, but I counted at least 8 throughout the course, mostly on the back 9. Course is two 9 hole loops. I would highly recommend to any moderate to advanced player in the area, worth the trip, and the $2 admission fee to the park.

Only con I can say is zero trash cans, even in the parking area. Pack out what you bring in.

Really enjoyed a full day here. The park itself lends to the beauty of the disc golf course. Hidden gem tucked away, and is a must play of you're in the area.

-I love Chester State Park because it is secluded mostly and the park is huge. All activities are apart from each other. The disc golf course is far down the entrance road. It costs two dollars to play disc golf here but it's totally worth it and the staff is okay with you paying after you complete your round. You have to pick up an envelope a little ways down the entrance to put your money in. I will definitely say it was worth the $2 because this is a true championship course.
-There are two courses on site. This LONGGG advanced course and a practice nine holer. My friend Mikhail and I just played this course because it rained like crazy once we were done. This course is extremely difficult but also very fair and rewarding. This course has many true holes and some of the par 4's and 5's have eagle opportunities but they can also bump up your score.
-Large concrete pads and I like how the long pads have blue arrows and how the shorts have red arrows.
-Accurate tee signs and diagrams. However, #12's tee sign didn't seem very accurate to me. It's a legit dogleg left but the diagram kind of shows a sort of double dogleg.
-There are scorecards on the kiosk beside #1's tee and the course can also be played in two nine hole loops.
-Ends grand with an awesome hole #17 and #18. #17 is slightly downhill par 3. It's nearly 400 ft so it's pretty long and it is tight but the gap is about 20' wide. A two is very possible but it would take a very well placed throw with a driver. Something stable! #18 is definitely one of the greatest par 5's I have played! The creek plays to the left side so this hole was definitely a challenge for Mikhail and I because we typically backhand. The basket is slightly to the right. A birdie would definitely be a great score on this hole but I don't know about an eagle.
-The three par 5's are definitely pros here! #8 is definitely the hardest hole in my book because the rough is extremely difficult to play out of. This is an 819' dogleg left that takes like 425' to 450' to get to the bend. The approach is less difficult because it is straight but it would be exciting just to par this hole here. I took a snowman on this hole! A birdie can be arranged if you have good control and can get past the short pad which plays 565' but if you honestly eagle this hole on the long pad, I'll buy you a thickburger! #12 is only 618' and clearing the fairway is pretty easy. However, the approach is very tight for like 350' with danger on both sides, especially to the right. A 3 is possible but a 4 would be a pretty awesome score, and #18 is one of the best finishers in SC.
-Elevation is here and there. Variety is amazing here. I love how this course starts off with a tight downhill ace run and then gets a little bit tight with an interesting hole 2. Then you play #3, a straight, medium length par 3 that gives you a chance to give a little power but still requires good accuracy. Between both sets of tees, hole distances range from (153' to 819'!). There is an excellent mix of straight, left, and right fairways, and holes #9 and 10 are both awesome valley shots.
-Camping is available here.

-Really not that many cons for this course but there are a few confusing transitions. A couple more "next tee" arrows could be used.
-After a rainfall, this course can get extremely swampy!! The fairways were soaked today because the course is close to the lake. The water level rose up and there were parts of this course today that were hard to cross. This didn't bring down my rating because this course seems beautiful on a regular day.
-Not enough benches. I agree with 1978 on his review. It would've been nice to have more benches. There was one on #16 but a few more would've been appropriate.
-It's super swampy, marshy and thorny on the left side of #15.

-This course is awesome. I loved it and will definitely make it up there again. If you drive here from I-85, it would be a good idea to go off on exit 17 and just take south 321 for like 47 miles. This place is more secluded than the typical course and the nearest restaurant we passed was like 12 miles away. However, there are some gas stations a little closer than that. There are only six short pads but they do make the course quite a bit more forgiving than they do on the longs. I agree with S. Cann's review and think he summed the course up well. However, I think #18 is definitely a signature hole. It's an awesome par 5. If you know #5 at RL Smith in Charlotte, how it plays along a creek bed and goes slightly to the right, this hole is similar, just a good bit longer.
-Very good experience. I love disc golf on 321! It's full of gems. The course at York school is 20 minutes down north 321. I'd definitely recommend you get both of those courses in. York is a really fun par 65, 20 holer! This course is better one in my book because of the variety. But play both!

It was our first time at Chester and we pulled up to see bright yellow Mach 3's that looked brand new. We had the entire course to ourselves. Course was in good condition, pretty well manicured. Very demanding on precision. We found the fairways to be thin and long distance accuracy was well rewarded. Conversely when you aren't so precise you pay for it.

Course was extremely clean, love that there wasn't garbage or cigarette remnants to be seen. It's amazing how clean the course was, especially since there's no garbage cans to be found. (even in the parking lot)

We also enjoyed the abundance of wildlife to be seen. That was a treat.

Only bench we saw was on 10. Also no garbage cans, that was a bummer. Would be nice to have a spot to sit down and compose on occasion.

Lovely course that was well worth the drive from Columbia!

*Pictures shown are from the spring or fall and DO NOT represent the summer (closed in)look and feel of the course.
I enjoyed my round here, it was an easy layout to follow from hole to hole, quiet and scenic. I rated this course a 4 My gut instinct is a 3.5 for the current design and condition maybe less...but I added .5* because of the second course on property and the great vibe of the park.
-Great tee pads, grippy, large enough, level, and free of debris
-signage, was great, both the tee signs and the decal arrows on the baskets that pointed you to the next hole. The only concern here is that if those wear you could get lost.
-Course map and kiosk was cool.
-The dedicated parking lot, and private bathroom between the advanced and beginner courses.
-I like pay to play courses, keeps out people who would trash the course.
-Where the fairways were, it was well maintained and mowed.
-Holes were long and technical, a lot of shot shaping is required.
-Tight shots benefit more accurate players.
-Short tee pads on the front 9 holes were sufficient for players stepping up from the beginner course. The long holes were definitely more difficult and a challenge.
-Really pretty fauna transition from the clay hardwood of Charlotte to the sandy pines of S.C. I really liked that the flaura seemed to be evergreen and would probably retain much of its color in the fall.
-Discs were easy to find and I can see this being a safe Fall course with little worry of fallen leafs covering up your discs.
-You will have to play this course smart. I do not find it necessary to go hole by hole or section by section. Pretty much each hole is similar. narrow mowed fairways, and unkempt rough. Hole 9's tee shot was one of the cooler looking.
-If you are looking for a quiet shaded, wooded tight course, you will be in heaven here.

-No benches or trash cans. for a longer course, you want to sit down sometimes and this isnt an amenity currently offered.
-I did not agree with much of the design of the fairways. They tended to narrow at the end or take sharp turns. A majority of the holes required a well defined turn halfway down the fairway but then a late finishing opposite turn at the end of the discs flight. In my opinion, this is a poorly designed course, not for layout but to accomodate how discs actually fly for most people.
-There are a number of holes where the basket is protected by groupings of trees too far from the basket. If you hit them you drop well outside the circle. Random trees in my opionion should be inside the circle or around it so you have a chance at a putt.
-The course plays noticeably left to right.
- The fairways are very narrow. Even in a dry month, it is obvious that this course can be very swampy. The fairways are more like raised switchbacks through a potential marsh. The water level is so high that when trees fall over, the hole left behind is filled with water. There are hundreds of these water filled holes just off the fairways that can gobble your disc. Holes that you cannot plan to miss.
-I usually can pick a hole or 2 that I really liked, they all seem to be pretty much the same. Holes 10 and 18 stand out to me. Tight fairway, very difficult flight requirement, and hidden, non visible baskets.
-I was able to identify and use "cheater routes" skipping the intended fairway.
-Most of the greens did not have sufficient putting areas cleared out. I "lost" discs a number of times that ended up being within 15' of the basket when found. Occupying the space within the 20' circles surrounding baskets was tall grass, briars, bushes, low hanging trees, water filled holes, mud, and drag piles. Not aspects that I would expect to find on a finished 4*+ course.

I really thought this course was neat and fun, and a must stop if you are in the area. Play both courses! but.. it is not finished enough at this time for me to rate over 4. If greens were cleared some, benches installed, secret green protecting trees removed and fairways widened slightly the layout and design would warrant a 4*+ rating. It just isnt there yet.

Very nice and well manicured course. All baskets in perfect condition and look like they were installed yesterday!
Really liked the concrete tee pads of which there were 2 for each hole. If playing with beginners or children they could enjoy the round much better from the short tees. Blue tee's are long and Red tee's are short.
There is an 18 hole course (only one I played today) and a shorter 9 hole.
All tee pads very well marked with distance and direction. All baskets have arrows pointing to next tee. Very easy to navigate.
As always you will want to play the fairways. The rough will punish you but it was not so overgrown that you should still be able to locate missedplaced shots. I was in the rough several times and had to use quite a few thumbers.
Good mix of shorter and longer holes. Some dog leg left and some right. One of the longer holes had a S shape to the fairway. Another one of the longer holes was a left fade that seemed to be almost like a horseshoe shape till I reached the basket.
A few holes had some small ravines to add to the challenge. Elevation changes were there but nothing too steep.
Around a lake but water does not come into play which is fine by me. I hate loosing discs in water.
Did not see any trash anywhere on the course.

No trash cans installed. No benches other than picnic tables at the starting area. Bathroom facilities are primitive in this park and I did not use them.

Hole 9 ends up at the parking area as well as 18. If you need a break and wish to sit, the picnic tables are there and are brand new.
Glad I read the review before playing as you need $2 per person to enter the park. Nowhere to get change so bring enough $1's to get in.

Teepads Perfect
Baskets Perfect
Flow Very Good
Signage Perfect
Fairways well defined
Variety of holes very good long short lefty righty
I played this course 1 x reds on front nine and blues on back ...(no reds on back)...the course demands that you hit your lines or you will be chucking it out of the rough repeatedly. Many of the holes tease you into attacking when you should be playing for position. But thats where the fun is right? You really need to play it more than once to appreciate the cleverness of the design.
My wife said I wasnt allowed to review the course until i chilled out from the way i played. See hitting your lines above.

No Benches
No Trash Cans
Needs dead tree and branch cleanup

Would recommend this course to any serious player.

Part of the trilogy of great new courses in SC along with Grand Central Station and Socastee Rec Park.
Played the course twice in February and March 2014 and favorite holes include the following as noted by RHBH,
#1 - Short downhill. Easiest hole on course and great chance for birdie but play it smart. This hole can be tricky if you throw more than a midrange or putter.
#3 - Tight long and narrow but good chance at 2 if you stay in the fairway.
#5 - Great hole with tight slow hyzer up tight gap into fairway. Good chance at 3 if you stay in fairway and not flair left. I would think left would be treacherous during summer with foliage but I threw thumber for second shot both and played and three'd it both times but if it was summer I would have had a 4 or 5 due to foliage.
#7 - Fun uphill shot with a great chance at birdie. Green is guarded by a deceiving front.
#8 - Monster hole which is very tight from tee to 2/3rds up the fairway. Plays all of 800' and definitely stay on the fairway. Best to walk hole first time playing to see and due to placement shots for better scoring.
#9 - Fun hyzer where the hill should not really come into play unless you hit an early tree. If so you will have an uphill shot for 3.
#10 - 18 Here come some great holes
#10 - Stay straight in the fairway and make it up the hill for a chance at 3 on this guarded green. I could see this hole being brutal in the summer if left off the tee.
#11 - This and #15 are the only holes on the back that I think are average. The hole is a bit short for a rhbh due to the anhzyer approach green. Sidearm may get there but the green is small.
#12 - One of the best holes I have ever played. This hole is uphill to dogleg left and plays all of 600'. 3 is a great score here but more 4's likely depending on skill.
#13 - Another really fun hole that is straight and uphill but a valley is part of the fairway. Good chance at 2.
#14 - Accuracy is a must on this hole and I like the anhyzer route but that may change in the summer with foliage.
#16 - This hole is like the scene in Swingers. Inspiration may have come from, "I don't want you to be the guy in the PG-13 movie everyone's *really* hoping makes it happen. I want you to be like the guy in the rated R movie, you know, the guy you're not sure whether or not you like yet." This is a fun hole but definitely frustrating if you cannot throw an anyhzer with a midrange accurately for a rhbh. I did not know what to think about this hole initially and not sure if I like it or not but it is challenging if you play it poorly.
#17 and #18 - Best two finishing holes I have ever played.
#17 - This hole reminds me of #10 at Augusta National. There is something about looking down this fairway that reminds me of a great traditional golf course hole and 2 is a great score if you can make a perfect, long drive.
#18 - Best finishing hole I have ever played. Long hole with elevation, trees, creek and a turn at the end. You have got to be accurate off the tee or you could take a 7 or 8. If this course is ever used in a sanctioned tournament, I could see this hole playing into the results of each division positively and negatively.

The only thing that I noticed missing was trash cans and benches on holes but I may have missed them. The rec course is next runs parallel to #18 and is alright but not near as good as this one.

Great use of land and professionally designed by an experienced course designer which is nice to see due to the trend of many newer players designing courses. Feels like a private course because it is isolated from the rest of the park and you can tell the State Park is behind growing the sport with this type of course. I know everyone wants to hit the gems in Charlotte but this is definitely worth drive and each time I played there was only 3 groups on the this huge course. Looking forward to seeing this course during the summer with foliage. This course can get sloppy due to substantial rain SC has had over 2013 and early 2014 so watch your footing. Plan to spend a few hours if you are playing with a group. Hopefully someone steps up and host a sanctioned tournament here. I think the Sunday after the USDGC would be ideal for one day C tier for those not playing Winthrop or Stoney Hill.

This course is up there in my top ten. It's just a pleasure to pull into the lot, the EMPTY lot, and see this clean, pristine grassy mecca in the woods. Yes it is $2 per car to come here to play, but I'll make the 30 minute drive from Rock Hill anytime someone wants to get a round of golf in.
This course was designed by a friend, and I think it is easily his best design. I also think the Chester SP crew did an amazing job carving this course out of the woods. Walk down the fairways, they are grassy (at least now), root and stump free (even the little ones), and there are very little modifications needed to make this a top notch destination.
When you pull in the lot, you'll have the PERFECT place to warm up. You can throw in the big field just outside the lot (if you want to practice your drives) or practice your upshots around the area between holes 1, 9, and 18.
The Kiosk welcomes you with a big map, State Park pamphlets, score cards for both courses, and a little box filled with pencils!!!
The holes are challenging, especially for those who want to throw nothing but distance drivers. This is woods golf, learn to manage the course and you'll feel like you are on a top notch ball golf course. The fairways are fair, the rough is anywhere from not bad to tough. learning where not to go is part of playing here. but if you are in the fairway, chances are you'll have a decent lie.
I love the par here. 63. 12 par 3s, only one is over 400 feet, 3 par fours all give you a shot at an eagle, and 3 par 5s. two give you an eagle opportunity. Hole 8 is the one true manly par 5. This course could yield some amazing scores. But a round of the mid 50s (55-57) is a really good round. These holes are tough.
No trash anywhere. If you see some, be a gent and pack it out.
Lots of moderate elevation here, with some gullies near the baskets for interesting putting and approaching.
This course plays great in the winter. If you are looking for a winter day trip, this is the perfect place.
Beautiful lake and plenty of camping nearby.
The short course is a great test of skill, the shots are harder than the long course, yet most are under 250 ft! It is probably a good beginner course, simulating par 4 on many holes, teaches people how to play smart.
Baskets are beautiful, as are the tees (with painted corners for blue (long) and red (short)
Tee signs are nice and not too close to the tees. blends in well with nature.
It's quiet out here. You may be the only ones on the course.
Bathroom nearby with decent facilities.
For now, nobody knows how awesome this course is. In time, they will find out.
the front 9 has 6 short tees to make the course a little easier for less experienced players.

A few holes allow tee shots to overlap... hole 5 could reach hole 3 green on an errant shot, hole 8 could hit 10s green.
Benches would be nice if this place got any sort of traffic. but just having a bench for each par 5 would be nice. in case there's a wait. It would be a good start.
Parking -could- become an issue. Not sure if there's designated spots for overflow.
Make sure you bring $2. You won't be able to make change.
There are some piles of limbs along the sides of the holes, nothing crazy. I'd be most worried about snakes... not that I've seen any.
Be prepared, as you are secluded, you may not be able to count on other players if you get in a bind.
I think the back nine could use some shorter tees. there are some very long holes that WILL frustrate less accurate players. Large numbers WILL be taken on 12 and 18.
Benches would be nice. especially on hole 10 (after you just played up the hill on 9).
No open holes to let one rip. Although some fairways beckon a driver, it may not be your best choice.

Such a nice course for being so new.

Hope more people get to experience this gem in the country.

There is no other thing on this side of the park. DG is itnhere and thats awesome.

Great kiosk with scirecards and a map. The course had nice flow and next tee markers on the baskets were great. As for the baskets, you couldn't have better.

Bathrooms were close plus the secluded course makes for a giant bathroom in case you aren't close to the main entrance. There were plenty of tables or areas where you could sit and eat lunch. Bring your own lunch.

This a top level course. It will require shots you may not use on a regular basis. You'll need those shots you probably don't practice often.

The flow of the course is perfect. We also didn't see another soul out there as we were paying. Not a stitch of trash either. This course is well kept.

Overall A+ here.

The course was respective. I felt I threw a lot of RHBH anny shots. I'm okay with that but I felt some holes seemed exactly the same.

The red tees were great. We played three rounds of all red and blue. The holes that had both red and blue seemed to have just unnecessary blue tees. The reds were difficult enough. We also felt like reflecting on three rounds from the same tees would show us our improvement or lack of and that's another reason we didn't play those longer blues. There should be reds from all holes. The blues are championship level (not a con). The reds are advanced level and thus have one for every hole. It's a 5 with the remaining reds added and two or three more hyzer like tee shots.

Swampy if rain. Some fairways would be unplayable.

The course is fair and it will punish bad shots. In some spots your punished for tree kicks and in others you come out fine.

I had a lot of fun and its worth a trip. I'm crossing my fingers other DG course go in at other state parks.

-When you first pull up to this course from the park entry road you see a parking lot marked "Disc Golf" with a nice kiosk with maps and scorecards. Disc golf occupies it's own section of the park and you don't have to contend with other park activities.

-Amenities were great! There are bathrooms located between the 18-hole course and the 9-hole course as well as a fire pit area and shelters nearby. There are also lots of picnic tables surrounding the parking area.

-The course is challenging, but fun. Over the course of a round you will end up using every shot in your skill set and pulling discs out of your bag that you seldom use.

-The baskets and signs are great!

-The course plays in a figure-8 with the parking lot in the center.

-Talk about secluded, this course is way off the beaten path in the middle of a state park.

-The scenery is great with the lake in the backdrop of some holes and grass covered fairways shaded by tall pines.

-The course is not crowded. We were there for several hours and saw cars in the lot and few players walking, but never came into contact with them on the course.

-Very little risk of losing a disc (the rough to the left on hole 15 being the one exception).

-The biggest con for this course is the repetitive nature. There are many holes that require a straight shot with a right turn at the end. You either need a strong FH or under stable drivers if RHBH.

-This course really lacks a signature hole. There are several great holes, but nothing head and shoulders above any of the others.

-Marshy in several areas. Flooding is very likely after a strong rain.

-While also a pro, the fact that this course is so secluded means that there is nowhere nearby for food or drink. You definitely need to pack your own food.

-The rough is rough! Long pants are a good choice!

-There are only 6 red tees, all of which are on the front 9. They felt pretty pointless to me because there seemed to be plenty of room for them on most holes yet they're only present for 1/3 of the course. I could understand if 3-5 shared a tee pad.

The $2 charge may be a deterrent for some, but it is well worth the cost. I would suggest packing a lunch and make a day of it playing both the Green and Burgundy courses.

Brand new course with beautiful scenery set in a state park with a large lake. Mostly wooded holes. Long course layout with Par 4 & Par 5 holes. Awesome!! Two tee pads on some holes give a different look. Some elevation but no mountains to climb. Large kiosk at the front entrance has map, scorecards, etc. Relatively easy navigation through the very quiet & peaceful grass covered fairways. Large concrete tee pads & descriptive tee signs at every tee box (even the short ones!). Very clean park (I didnt see any trash). Lots of challenge for every skill level but I would say geared more towards the Advanced level player.

This place is kind of out in the middle of nowhere so plan accordingly. Bring your own food & drink. They could use a couple benches (there were none!). There is a very nice lake here but it was not utilized in the course design. If you stray off the fairway there are lots of cut trees laying about making footing tricky.

Chester Park DGC stamped discs for sale at the front gate/guard house. Friendly park staff. Camping available! There is a second 9 hole course here that is shorter & would make a good warm-up for its bigger brother. Very cool experience that I can recommend highly!

I see that I won't be the first person to compare it to Nevin and to be sure, there are some similarities. Both frequently require long straight shots. Both sport a distinct feel, a look and feel to the holes that pervades the respective courses. I'd probably describe the advanced course at Chester as a more forgiving but prettier Nevin. More forgiving in two ways. One, the fairways are a bit wider. It still requires those straight shots, but there is a little more room for error. Two, what is off the fairway is lot easier to walk through and search for shots that do get kicked out there. I actually don't see it as all that difficult a course. I found that it fit right into my skill level and walked away thinking it was perfectly aimed at intermediate players. And prettier. Well, Nevin is a city park and the view from most tees is the thick surrounding brush. Chester has the advantage of being by a lake in a sprawling state park. The towering pines that line the fairways at Chester support branches high above flight paths, allowing the eye to see far in every direction, to the lake from some fairways but everywhere, everywhere, tall, majestic pines. And then there's the fairways, which even in March were green. Brown needles and underbrush everywhere else. Paths of lush green marking the fairways. Between the ground and the trees it has almost an unreal, almost Hyrulean quality to it.

So then there's the golf. That's pretty good too. I wouldn't say there is a signature hole, but they are all solid. Some courses are like that. There is some serious length for a wooded course, with a number of holes over four-hundred feet and a pair that top 800. There is definite variety of length though, with a smattering of holes under 300 feet. I'll add that the lines are solid and as a RHFH dominant player, there were numerous holes that were really set up perfectly for me. (Did this bias me somewhat? I had tons of fun watching drives flow smoothly down these fairways.) There isn't a ton of elevation but there is some.

I also want to point out the greatness of the amenities. The tees are perfect. The teesigns are attractive and informative. And on a course where it would be easy to wander in the wrong direction, the next tee arrows are painted right onto the basket. With those, I had no navigation issues and the course flows nicely from glen to glen.

It's not beginner-friendly at all. While there is a beginner nine on the property, the difference in difficulty between the courses is massive. New players attempting to step up will have problems.

More significantly, there is nothing really special. The vibe sticks in the mind more than any particular hole. It's a little bit of "too much of the same thing." Not that the thing that the course does is bad but a true elite course should do more than one thing, if that makes any sense.

Lastly, the short tees that are available on some holes do a lot to make the course more accessible. The holes that don't have a shorter option would benefit from a second tee.

To me, this course is an obvious 3.75 and I swayed between 3.5 and 4.0 for a while. I want to say I had a 4.0 experience but I feel that someone who wasn't as much of a forehander would not have enjoyed it as much as I did. Or I don't know, maybe it's just lacking a truly memorable hole.

Chester State Park advanced 18 is a terrific new course. Beautiful grounds and super clean. In the parking lot there is a directory and scorecards with a map on the back. The woods are prevalent throughout the course, and there are some long holes that bring par up to 63. Fairways are not wide open, and in places pretty narrow. Elevation changes are there on many holes ranging from slight to moderate. Water is in play on a couple of holes, but not high risk of losing a disc. The baskets are still like new. I really liked the arrow decals on the top belt pointing to the next tee. Tee boxes are concrete, and alternate red short tees are an option on several holes. Each tee pad has its own illustrated sign with distance. The fairways seemed like they were well established trails, for a newer course. Very nicely done in terms of layout, there were doglegs to the left, the right, and a couple of straight up the middle shots. Very few looks at a 2 on the scorecard after the first hole. Not any one in a million type disc golf holes, just really solid all the way through. Holes 8 and 18 are 800+ foot monsters. 9 and 14 are cool holes with tees elevated, and baskets about the same elevation, crossing low valley between. Birdies are possible, if you can avoid the trees. We played the blue tees, and I was 6 over on the day. I lost a couple of strokes bonking off trees teeing off the 800 ft 8th hole, and found my disc under water somehow on the 15th for a circle 4 bogey. Miss a putt here and there and you're +6.

Not much wrong with this one people. Not a beginner friendly course, but there is an easier 9 hole course on site also. There was some moisture, and muddy spongy spots, but not in places that affected my game. No trash cans, pack out your trash and keep it clean and pristine. No benches on the course either. Signs indicate alcohol is prohibited and all dogs should be kept on a leash, and if anyone asks, I was in full compliance (wink wink). Cost to enter the park is $2 per person.

This one really impressed me. Major props to the designers and builders. Right at the top of my list of South Carolina favorites. Liked the winter rye grass lining the fairways. Quiet, clean, and awesome disc golfing. Sort of reminds me of the Magnolia DGC at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL.