Pros:
Chester State Park is a wonderful addition to the South Carolina disc golf scene. Being less than an hour from Charlotte, it gets lost in the shadow of the region's more-known courses.
- This is a Carolina classic: Wooded. Long. Challenging.
- I first played here right when it opened. It had that new course smell when I played. Now, in 2018, it's been beechwood aged to give it better flavor.
- I was impressed that the course is still in great condition. There's always a worry that courses, especially out-of-the-way ones, slowly go downhill and get less attention over time. Everything was in perfect condition. The designers and the park itself seem to have put lots of resources into making this a top of the line course.
- There isn't a true open hole. The most open hole is the final third of #18. Otherwise, enjoy the small patches of grass you may see on several holes.
- Course has a fantastic flow to it. You're going through mini-cycles of harder holes following, or preceding, easy ones. In my round I had 3 bogey-birdie (or vice versa) scores back-to-back on my card. Just when you get a chance to catch your breath, a beast is next. Just after a tough hole, you get a chance to make up the stroke.
- That said, there is a lot of variety in length and layouts. From the longs, holes range from 234 - 819 feet. The shorts, even have one hole at 153 feet - #6, a quasi-island layout. Course also offers slight hills on several holes, enough to impact distances just enough.
- Course excels in its longer holes - par 4s and 5s. I loved #8. At 819 feet, it's the longest hole. It's a dogleg left mid-hole with the basket still two good shots away. With several long throws required, you're upping the chances of missing your line and ending up in the woods. If you've played the IDGC, this hole is akin to #8 at Jackson.
- #10 is a slight uphill, dogleg left par four. Whereas the front nine starts with a sweet, simple par 3, the back nine starts with a tougher hole. If there was any doubt the back nine plays tougher, the answer is revealed on the tee pad.
- #18 is a long, albeit somewhat unspectacular closing hole. At 804 feet, you may choose to play it safe with fairway drivers and mid-ranges to simply stay out of trouble. The challenge hear is the dogleg right is more substantial than what appears on the tee.
- The tee signs are great. Very descriptive with pictures of the layout, which is important with so many blind layouts. The tee pads are also nice and big. I love that the baskets have next arrow signs on them, especially when the long and short tees for the next hole are in different directions.
- I thought the short tees on the front nine offered a nice change of pace for casual players and locals. It would really be nice to see short tees added to the back nine. This course has a chance to target a lot of new, local players, and I'd hate to see them overwhelmed by the challenging back nine.
- There is some great scenery throughout the course, and the park itself. Several holes on the front nine offer great views of the lake. Add in the nice drive through the park, and the course really has that great nature feel to it.
Cons:
Very little to complain about here. Only a couple small things that could be improved.
- The course, especially the back nine, is not beginner-friendly. The front nine offers dual tee options. Back nine is all long positions. This gives players the options of playing a beginner friendly 9-hole course, or an 800-foot hole.
- Signage could be improved. There are a lot of crossing paths throughout the course, so more signs between holes, especially on the longer transitions, would be appreciated.
- A little more thinning along the fairways is needed. There are piles of branches along many holes. The rough is very thick with thorns at points. On #13, my tee shot hit a tree and kicked into the thorns. Even on a cold winter day, wearing multiple layers, the thorns were an issue.
- There was a lack of benches and trash cans throughout the course. I didn't notice any on the course. Benches would be nice on hot days, or simply, just to enjoy some of the great views the course offers.
- I don't know where else to put this, so I'll throw it in here. The pay booth is an honor system, stand only. I nearly passed it because a truck was parked in front of it. I don't mind the $2 to get in, I do mind the potential risk of having a park ranger nab you because one could drive right past the pay locale without knowing it.
Other Thoughts:
The first time I played Chester was in its first month of existence. My second go-round was a little more than four years later. Chester was just as good, if not better, in January 2018. That's a sign this course is getting plenty of attention and upkeep. It deserves to be hosting tourneys, if only to draw more attention.
- Think of this course as Nevin with regular-sized fairways. Your tee shots don't have to be perfect, simply good. You're not spending your round pitching out of the rough. As such, the course allows players to be more aggressive while rewarding good shot making.
- I love the idea of this course being in a state park. If all goes well here, this could open the market for more courses in state parks. Imagine the possibilities.
- There's so much to like about the course. The 9-holer is a fun, bonus. The biggest hindrance is that it's so far out of the way. I've lived in Charlotte more than 30 years. Chester is only 50 minutes from my house. Before this course, I had never gone to Chester, only driven through it. I'm hopeful the town will get something else to attract disc golfers - good restaurants, a brewery, art scene - to make the trip more appealing.
- All of that said, the course is fantastic. It's oh-so-close to being a 4.5-rated course. If it were in Charlotte, this would be one of our signature courses. It's currently in South Carolina's top 5, and deservedly so.