Easily my favorite university course, near my top 10% if it had better infrastructure.

-Chains & Signs: Numbered DISCatchers, one good tee sign with info and map per hole.

-Terrain: Great elevation throughout - far better than any other Columbia course. Pine woods define the majority of holes out here. A creek is an important water feature early on, and a lake in the middle is well used.

-Flow: The (13)-(15) transitions are a bit unwieldy, but otherwise the course flows very well. Sometimes ribbons or flags mark the path to the next tee.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: An unrelenting series of big elevation shots, nice woods shapes, and water features. The first handful play up and down the same big slope with varying distances, shapes, and some nice guarded greens (a creek on (2), a late fade on (4)). Then (7)-(8) make their way to the lake, both great holes and (8) arguably a par-5 difficulty traveling down a very long tunnel to a dogleg left. (9) and (14) are the two water carries, both excellent - one teeing off from a dock about 300', the other throwing a shorter distance to a narrow peninsula, and both with bail-out options. The (10)-(13) range gives the chance for short birdies. The final stretch includes two good par-4s and a fun (17)-(18) duo that are essentially the same hole but one steeply down and one steeply up. Basket placements, fairway slopes, and sensible shapes carry CIU a very long way down the road of enjoyable gameplay.

-Tee Pads: Easily the biggest detractor from the CIU course. The tees are terrible. A mix of small, eroding rubber pads not laid level and natural tees. Put in some level concrete or turf, and this is probably a 4.0 in most people's books.

-Slump: Holes (10)-(13) are pretty tight and gimmicky, not in keeping with the rest of the course. Those familiar with the old layout of IDGC Jackson will know of the Turkey Alley (or is it Turkey Run?) with short, tight, and generally disliked holes; this stretch of four holes feels just like the CIU version of Turkey Alley.

-Upkeep: There were some grass-size thorn plants sprouting up on some fairways. The pine straw and small vegetation was generally accumulating a lot. The rough also isn't the friendliest, though I've seen far worse. It wasn't a big detractor, but if the caretakers slack off during the summer then this place could become a mess quickly.

-Dual Tees: Hypothetically there are short and long tees for every hole, but I don't believe it. Sometimes it looked like the short location, sometimes the long. Dual tees with dual pads and dual signs would be a great addition here.

-The Great Fairway Dump: There's a pile of broken concrete? In the fairway? On hole (16)? For no clear reason??? It's actually not a huge issue, but it's ugly and precludes low worm-burning approaches.

-(13)-(15) Navigation: No real cues, so UDisc is a must.

-Access: A semi-private course. Hard to tell how strict they are about non-students/staff showing up. I had a pass for the day since I was brought on to campus as a contractor, but otherwise I probably wouldn't have tried to come.

CIU is a great course, the best in Columbia as far as I'm concerned (having not played Saluda Shoals). The shaping is fun and varied in both type and difficulty, and the creek and lake account for four great holes. Unfortunately, the tee situation is really atrocious, and access is limited. With some enhancements, this would be a no-brainer 4.0 to me. Perhaps they could upgrade the tees and open it to the public as a pay-to-play or something?

~Similar Courses: Carolina Adventure World (Winnsboro, SC); Lake's Edge DGC (Reidsville, NC); Elon Park - Angry Beaver (Charlotte, NC).

-Some courses are put in without much word. CIU was one of them. I've played some course like it. It's one of those rugged hilly courses with several shorter holes and some longer tight holes that play as serious separators. Being hilly and technical, safe play can really offset the dangerous potential. There are baskets near dropoffs, a couple of holes over water, and there are some pine trees in the rough that make scrambling even tougher than usual. But then again, there are many rewards for players that know when to play it safe.

-Tee signs with hole diagrams and hole information. Some holes have dual pads, particularly the harder holes. Disc catcher baskets are in good shape.

-I've played most eighteen holers in Columbia, and I've played the private gem, that is Stoney Hill. The elevation at CIU beats all of those courses. The holes here are a lot of fun. You'll get that impression quick. #1 is an excellent starter in the woods. Downhill about 30' and the hole opens up slightly toward the end. #2 is a almost a deuce or die. It's another downhiller. A little less than #1 but still a ton of fun. This hole has a creek just shy of the green. Go short, and you'll probably be out of bounds. You are then followed by an uphill 195' footer (#3) that feels like 295' and then a huge downhill hole in the open that goes into the woods for the last 100'. #4 is my favorite hole. It's an even bigger downhill than #1. It actually has three sets of pads. The long pad is on top of the hill in the open and is 400' long. The challenge is entering the woods. You tee off high on a hill; the entrance of the woods consists of a ceiling. So the object is to control the height of the disc flight so that it can enter the woods without hitting any overhead branches.

-Water carries. You get to tee off on a dock on #9 and throw a 300'+ shot over water. There is a short pad that is 180' to the basket, making the water carry less demanding for distance. #14 is a scary one. It's a difficult anhyzer, since the water is in play entirely on the left. The basket is just several feet away from the pond, making it scary to putt on as well. Hole is 335' from the back pad, so it's reachable for more advanced players. Can you throw a 335' anhyzer very purely over water? This hole plays psychological games with you.

-Wide fairway of fairways here, and they all make sense. #16 is a fun uphill dogleg right. The fairway is on a ridge that divides between a hill. The approach goes slightly uphill the entire way to a green around some rocks. #8 is the longest hole at 644'. It has sort of a "meat hook" fairway. It's pretty tight, so you'll want to throw something with a low speed. #7, this was an awesome downhill sidearm hole. Tee off by the gravel road in the open and enter a tight gap in the woods.

-Ends well with two big elevation changes. They sum up this course very well. The elevation is a direct cause of the challenge. #17 is steep downhill. Basket is on a platform that drops off. This is a difficult placement shot due to being a long way down and ending on the left side. I threw a shield, and it went 60' past the basket. #18 is severe uphill finisher. Only 333' and is a par four and it feels like a par four. The fairway turns to the right and the initial gap is pretty tight. The basket is out of the woods and the green is edged by some pine trees. As a matter of fact, there are many pine trees just off of the fairway. I tried to reach the green from the tee pad, and I ended up making a double bogey. Playing this one as a stationing par four is the wise call.

-Many college courses seem to get in the way of extracurricular activities. CIU does not. It's on it's own land away from the ball fields. There's no interference. No yielding to pedestrians.

-It is rough in some places for sure. Some of the tee pads are uneven, since they are turf. They are probably very slick after a a rainfall.

-Overparred. Simply an observation. But #14 does not need to be listed as a par four. There's a lot of danger, yes. But it's very reachable, and quite possibly to throw past for intermediate players. Same with #15 and #16. They are listed as par fives and they are both under 500'. What is especially strange is the fact that these two holes have short pads that are both around 250'. Both are listed as par threes. So why would an additional 200' raise the par by two strokes? I'm basically saying from the longs, these holes are just challenging par fours.

-Could seriously use some stairs in some places. There are some tripping hazards down those hills. I never get tired of elevation. It's one of the aspects that I love the most, but I do have a tendency to trip and fall.

-This course is private. I've asked a few people in the area if they have played here, and every answer that I got was a no. They said it wasn't open to the public. I drove in past the toll booth and nobody was in there. CIU is a private campus, but I had no trouble getting to the parking lot. I'm not sure how this course was revealed, or who spoke out about it. But whoever did, I'm really glad you did! I love a fun hilly rugged course in the woods! There's a lot of shock value with the big ups and downs, and the intimidating tee shots over the water. The sidearm shot by the gravel on #7 was a blast to play too! I think #7 could have a long pad further up the hill. That would be incredible!

-The short pads take full consideration of new players. There are some birdie opportunities on the longs too, but they are deceptively challenging. Still very fair and offer great variety. Few holes under 200' and one that's almost 700'.

-I played Crooked Creek after I played here. I thought that course was slightly better, but CIU is easily a 3.5. There are four holes under 200' from the longs and I think those holes could use long pads. Especially #10. CIU has potential to be better than Crooked Creek with its topography and its use of the water. A couple of the short holes could've been a little more interesting.

-Lastly, since it is private, don't make a bad impression. Don't litter. Don't write on the baskets with sharpies, and especially, don't draw disc chargers on benches. It's not funny, it's just obnoxious. They never work. To those of you that think disc chargers work, eat yellow snow. As Nikko would say.

There's a disc golf course at a small, private, seemingly unheard of college. Turns out, Columbia's best course may very well be its least known.
- Columbia International University. If you blink you miss the one sign for it on I-20. If you do mange to drive down the 4-lane road, the sign for CIU won't let you know much about this place. And, say you turned onto campus, and got past the gate, good luck finding the course.
- So, yes. It does take some digging to know about this course. If it weren't for UDisc, I wouldn't know about this course. I'm glad I found it.
- Course has the best mixture of elements of all Columbia courses. It has the elevation factor of Earlewood; it has the design and challenge of Southeast Park; and it's more enjoyable than Owens.
- Course plays up and down the rolling hills throughout the campus. You start with a downhiller on #1; fun uphill layouts on #5 and 12; good downhill layouts on #4 & #13, and then two steep holes to close the round: downhill on #17 & a hike uphill on #18.
- Several good holes play around the water. #9 offers two layouts over water, the longer 300-foot shot from the dock and the safer, 180-foot shot over the corner of the water. #10 is a short, downhill shot throwing towards the water.
- Course offers some challenging layouts, especially for shorter layouts. #6 is a short, tight, walking-path wide, dogleg right shot. I was happy with my 3 here as the risk/reward factor of an aggressive tee shot could lead to a worse score.
- Good variety of hole lengths and challenge. Some legit par 4s and 5s along with some easier birdie runs. Like many good courses, on some holes, you're happy with par and are willing to move on to the next hole.

The rough, rugged layout. Natural, uneven tee pads make extended run-ups an issue on multiple holes.
- Lack of signage at spots. Some holes have tee signs. Some holes have well identified signs and/or markers. There are some next tee markers throughout the course. And then, there are times you're left guessing where to throw from, hole distances, or where to go next.
- There's also a walking trail that weaves through portions of the course. Could be an issue as walkers may get close to, or on, the course. Also an issue as it would be easy to confuse the walking trail with transitions between holes.
- #14 is either a good layout or its absolutely horrible. You throw over the edge of the water to a peninsula that's not even the size of a Circle 1 green. In essence, you're throwing from 275 feet, and trying to land within 20 feet of the basket and stopping on a dime. Or, you can throw into the woods, either directly, or over the water, and try to make your way back to the basket for a par or bogey. I think this is a well intended hole, but I hate its execution.
- Access to the course. I played on a Saturday while there was an event going on and was able to drive up to the course and begin playing unnoticed. I don't know how easily accessible the course is during the week when the campus is essentially students and employees, and your vehicle would be the only one parked in the lower lot by the course.
- Course is essentially one big loop. #9 & 10 are at the furthest point from the parking lot. The only way you're playing an abbreviated round is by going from #7 to 15.

CIU blew me away with its overall quality. Put a course of this caliber under the stewardship of a well run disc golf club (Columbia DGC, Charlotte DGC, Upstate DGC), let them handle the maintenance, and you'd have a gem.
- Lots of quality holes throughout. I loved the straight-ahead layouts of #2 & 4. #2 is a downhill shot over a creek bed with multiple lines to the basket. #4 starts halfway up a hill, playing downhill, dogleg left to a basket back into the woods. You see these types of design on courses all over the place, and I still enjoy them.
- I don't know who designed the course, but I was impressed. This was clearly built by people with disc golf experience.
- There's a high risk/reward component here. The woods are thick so any shot off line can easily bounce far off the fairway. Throw in the water holes (#14 could be a birdie 2 or double bogey and a lost disc or two) and you could see some big numbers. For more experienced players or players who are hitting their lines, you're going to see lots of low scores.
- First time players need a map. It will help in the long/confusing transitions.
- A small but simple touch. The path to the first hole is the also the beginning of the walking trail. On the trail is a sign asking everyone to help keep the course clean by throwing sticks into the woods. There was a young woman beginning her walk just before I teed off. I watched her pick up a stick and toss it aside. Great to see!
- Yes. I can see this being Columbia's best course. It's got to have its problems fixed in order to do so. If improvements are made, I'll listen to discussions about the course's merits. As it stands in October '20, it's the third best, behind Southeast Park and Earlewood. Still, this was an extremely impressive first time playing here. It's worth a visit for disc golfers in the region.