Lots of variety, not many common places to loose disks other the one wading depth water hazard.Some trees and some open shots.

Pathways are a little rough for strollers.

Overalls one of our most favorite disk golf courses in the area.

The recently created Dolly Cooper Park DGC offers another fine option in the Greater Greenville region, as this par-54, 4,830-foot course is more demanding than it seems at first glance.

The course starts with a couple of open holes, including the slightly downhill Hole #1, which allows a chance to warm up the arm before disappearing into the tricky wooded holes on the front nine.

The turf tees were fantastic, though the signs were just a piece of paper with the hole number and distance when I played. The baskets are Dynamic Veteran with a cool two-tone look as the red banner is combined with the blue cage.

Dolly Cooper offers some challenging holes, and a number of the baskets are blind from the teepad. Playing this course multiple times will likely improve one's score as they learn the most ideal lines and landing areas.

Elevation comes into play on several holes, and these are some of the best holes on the course. Hole #9 is a thrilling risk/reward hole; it's downhill and only 160 feet, but the basket is perched on the edge of a drop-off. Hole #11 offers a tight line uphill to a narrow green on the side of the hill. Hole #12 offers the big sky hyzer throw to the valley below. Holes #17 is a challenging, nearly 400-foot-long hole with the basket located on a small hill on the other side of a valley.

Even the shortest holes can be testers. Don't inflate your score expectations when you notice that six of the holes are 220 feet or less. You'll have to earn your birdies on some holes and settle for good pars on others.

You will probably walk more at Dolly Cooper than just about any sub-5,000-foot course. That's because there are numerous short walks between holes. The longest walk is a five-minute hike across the park to get to Hole #10. And if you missed your putt on Hole #9 like I did, the journey will seem even longer.

While the course offers a couple views of the peaceful Saluda River, the waterway isn't part of the park and doesn't come into play on any of the holes.

While Dolly Cooper offers several fantastic holes, there are a few that miss the mark too. Whether it's the overprotected approach to Hole #2 or the near-impossible line of Hole #4 or the tough uphill ceiling on Hole #13, a few of the holes feel forced into the space that was available.

Navigation needs some work. The location of Hole #2 is not immediately clear, and figuring out where the back nine starts isn't obvious, even if you know it's a long way from the previous basket.

On the back nine, Holes #14, 15 and 17 have some undergrowth to contend with if your drive veers off the fairway.

I'm not a fan of arbitrary OB, so the rock-bordered "island" green on Hole #18 gets cool points for its design and appearance but I'd disagree with any penalty strokes here.

Wind might be an issue on several of the most-open holes.

Dolly Cooper Park was the last course of a wonderful but exhausting, three-day, 10-course trip in the northwestern part of South Carolina. I didn't play well here, which affected my initial impression of the course. Upon reflection and reviewing the photos, I'll admit that the course is better than I thought and is a worthy addition to the region.

There a push for new courses to test the limits of players with longer layouts and more extreme challenges. Dolly Cooper reminds you that smart, creative designs are what ultimately make a solid course.
- This is a solid, well-thought out layout. Course has an excellent flow throughout where every 4-5 holes you seemingly get a mix of open & tight layouts, easy birdie chances and tougher, earn-your-par holes, from scenic layouts to not-so-much ones. The course offers about four of these hole clusters throughout the round, keeping things fresh.
- Scenic and isolated. The only other thing at the park as of this writing is a ball field (football/soccer). You're less than five minutes from a main, 4-lane road, but you might as well be 45 minutes out of town based on quiet and calm it is here.
- Course has an easy flow to it with the layout in the shape of a figure 8. The front nine is one loop on one side of the parking lot, and the back nine the other loop across the parking lot. Signage & navigation should be improved as the course gets better established.
- There are some instant classic hole layouts. The first is #5, an uphill, 330-footer that plays over the edge of a retention pond (?) to a protected landing area. From the tee, the only basket you see is #9, but #5 is shorter & left, slightly further into the woods. Challenging and scenic.
- #9 is a fun, short risk/reward layout. A downhill, 160-foot straight shot. The slope picks up and leads to a wide-open field just steps past the basket. An ace here is either a lucky bad-shot or a gutsy shot. If your shot is basket height and misses the basket, you could easily be looking at a second shot even longer than your tee shot. The smarter, yet still testy, throw is low and short, letting your disc hug the ground.
- The course ends on a high note, with #17 serving as one of the toughest tee shots. At 395-feet, the fairway narrows around the 275-foot mark, with a line of trees protecting short and right of the elevated tee. If you end up in this area, it's going to take great shot making to get a 3. A score of 2 on this hole, and on #2, is exceptional. Even getting a 3 requires a couple excellent shots.
- People are going to love or hate #18. It's a downhill 250-foot island green. It's a small island green. Personally, I think have solid OBs is better than the island green concept. Regardless, you'll probably throw a second disc here.

The cons are most connected to new course issues: lack of signage, poor navigation, and a little more clearing needed. Throw in the general lack of amenities on the course, and you can see more work is needed for the course to reach its potential.
- Navigation needs improvement. I already mentioned the confusion about the basket on #5. Besides that, there are bike/walking trails that intersection with paths between holes.
- Also, I threw completely backwards on #15. You stand on the tee, you see the hole length is 150 feet, and you see a basket on a slight hill about the distance away. You then throw to it, finish the hole and then realize the tee immediately behind there is for #18. At that point, you conclude you probably just throw to basket #17, and accidentally skipped two holes. At least it was a short walk back. To be honest, #16 was probably the least memorable hole, a true 'filler' hole.
- Tee signage would help, especially on blind tee shots. I would have shot several strokes better if I knew where the baskets were located on multiple holes. I played the safe 250-foot straight down the middle tee shot on several of the blind holes.
- The biggest long-term issues are the long walks between the front and back 9s. Going from #9 to 10, you hole #1 and the basket for #18.
- It would be nicer to see one or two holes toughened to add a bit more spice to the layout. #10 for example could be a great, multi-shot par 4 if it were 100-150 feet longer. It looks tough from the tee but plays as a simple par 3 as it's an easy approach and putt.

Dolly Cooper is a great addition to the Upstate disc golf scene. Just another solid course to play along the I-85 corridor.
- Copy & paste observation: course will get better with age. Navigation issues will be fixed. A branch or tree will be cut down, additional underbrush will be cleared out. Course will be broken in.
- I like the dichotomy of the front and back nine. Front nine is the 'wooded' half and back is the 'open' half. By that I mean the front side feels like you're in the woods, stepping out to play open holes. The back nine feels mostly open, with a few holes skirting up alongside the woods. Yes, both sides have a mixture of both. It's a feel thing.
- I'm surprised by how close you are to downtown and still feel like you're out in the country. Over the years, that isolated feel many disappear due to urban sprawl. In the meantime, enjoy this rural pocket.
- It'd be nice to find a way to better incorporate the Saluda River. There are some nice encounters - basket on #4, tee on #13 - but it'd be a nice touch to really get up close to the river. Perhaps push the tee on #13 a little further back.
- The course has one the best intangibles for me. The layout has a great flow & feel to it. From a simple warm-up hole on #1 to a tougher close to the round on #17 & 18 (especially if you incorporate the island green on #18), I love the ebb and flows throughout.
- With the split of the front and back, it also allows people to get in a quick 9, perhaps on a lunch break or right after work before the wife gets suspicious.
- Another excellent course in the Upstate. Fun and challenging throughout makes this worth a visit. Job well done!

This is a course I have been wanting to play for a while and was not disappointed. Course reminds me of a slice of all the Greenville/Spartanburg SC course. You have some WIDE OPEN grip-and-rips like Holston Creek. You have fun, easy birdie runs like Timmons. And there are some tiiiight holes that take incredible precision like Foothills.

And there's more elevation here than you would expect. On a mild day you'll work up a sweat playing Dolly Cooper. On a hot blistering July day you will freakin' melt on the open holes. But there is a river flowing by the course you can splash in should the heat get to be to much.

The designers of the course placed the baskets where roll-aways are in evitable (Think Timmons!) Holes 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14 can be bad news if you clank of the cage. That 15' foot putt can become a 45' roller!

# 2 is your first grip-and-rip. A super drive doesn't always work out as the green is well protected. I found staying right of the pin gives the best chance for par or birdie.

The tight shots on 3 & 4 are REALLY tight. These tight short can easily go from birdie to double bogey with a slight tree kick. Not quite a poke-and-hope, but close.

#5 is a CRUSH for the average player. Gotta throw everything you have into an uphil, hyzering back shot. Come in early and you have nada to approach from

#6 is a fun hole For righties is a touch-shot forehand (260') with a fairly low ceiling and close fairway.

#7 & #9 are nice little downhill birdie runs that can become disastrous if you juice it just a bit much. Another place you can go from birdie to bogey with a roll.

#10 takes you back to the grip-and-rips to a protected basket
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#11 HIGH anhyzer, tight rip to a basket on a ridge. Lots of roll away potential

#12 is a flat hyzer rip from a ridge to a basket down below. Not tough to throw, just need the right power to park the basket.

#13 is TOUGH. Sorta tight uphill, right-turning anhyzer shot to a sloping green. If you don't get up the hill you'll be hoping for a 4

#14 is another slight uphill, left turning shot that you gotta smoke high and forward before it turns back to a basket - on a slope! More roll away potential.

#15 is a short anhyzer shot to a basket protected by lots of small trees. This hole might have to be redesigned in a few years if these trees leaf out more

#16 is essentially a classic filler hole, relatively short uphill with a drop off behind the basket. Too much arm and you're going sailing away!

#17 is a long, fun crush of a shot. You're above the basket throwing 390' to a basket on a hill top. Come in short and you're in a mild ravine with briers and other bramble.

#18 is you classic 'let's empty the bag and let 'em fly' hole. You're up on a hill throwing a blind shot to a basket behind a row of trees. it's only about 200' as the crow flies, but you have to clear the trees first. And you DON"T want to come in early!

I know concrete tees are coming, but dirt tees eat me up. When these come in, this course will be even better.

The navigation from 9 to 10 is LONG. Without someone giving us directions, it would have taken us an hour to find 10! Course is two 9 hole loops. Hole 10 is to the far left of the parking lot.

If you play this course in the rain, some of the uphill/down hill slopes could be treacherous

Overall this is a blast of course that will use all your shots. It's a great mix of lefty/righty holes, open/tight holes, up and downhill holes.

-This is a nice addition to the Greenville area. As of now, it's an all par 3 course with holes ranging from 160' to 405'. So it has plenty of easier holes, but some that are very difficult. The river is a nice feature to this park and is open for swim.

-Some really cool open holes as well as wooded holes. Course has holes where there aren't any trees in sight and holes with daunting fairways. The fairway variety is phenomenal here. If you don't have many discs then you'll need to go shopping because many of the baskets aren't clearly visible. You'll see all kinds of fairways for par 3s.

-A few holes have good elevation changes. #8 is a fun uphill ace run, #12 is a great downhill hyzer down the trail with the woods in play if you drive too far and don't hyzer enough, #13 is a beast of a par 3 that's uphill and out of the woods and back into them and you have a great view of the river, #18 is a gem of a finisher. Down a big hill and on a wide island green.

-Tee-pads and signs are currently a work in progress, knowing the Greenville area really cares about the disc golf, to me a work in progress is a pro.

-I'd say this place is notorious for being somewhat fickle at times. It has many dangerous greens that catch rollers. If you go for the putt and make it, then that leaves you with a good feeling. But when you miss, you'll either be somewhat relieved and making vows that you won't go for the scary putt again, or you'll be cursed with a roller that can hurt your score. If anything is holding you back a little from making the putt, the risk is scary. The best hole with a scary green is hole 6. It's a beautiful sidearm hole in the woods. It almost plays as a flex forehand because you want your disc to go a bit left and back right to be on the green. It's not extreme, but it's punishing enough

-The course ends at its highest peak. #17 is a fun bomber hole and #18 is the hole you're most likely to throw a bunch of discs on. Just be careful if you hyzer on #17 because the rough on the right side is pretty sketchy. #18 can be difficult for placement if there's any wind since the hole is very well downhill.

-The holes here I dislike are the longest and the shortest. #2 is, when I'm in the mood and my game is on, a 2 out of 10. It's wide open and the basket is in the woods. Doesn't sound bad, but the entrance to the woods you can either throw the most flawless forehand ever and maybe be close to inside the circle, or more likely drop down from the branches or hit one of the trees inside the gap. You could also try to throw a low shot with a driver and hope it skips over the wide ditch but there are trees everywhere guarding the ditch. If you go just a bit long, you probably won't save par. There's a great hole in here. Just make a 500-550' par 4 to the right side of the woods where the basket is and put the basket near the pond if possible. If not, just make a valid entrance for this green and push the pad back and make it a par 4. There are many different ways to make this hole better than it is.

-I know some people will disagree with me on this, and that's fine. If there weren't different opinions then this game would not be striking as many interests. I think #9 is a lackluster ace run. It's 160' and downhill down a wider wooded fairway. The green is really extreme. You go long, and you are down possibly 30' below the pin. I understand that they wanted a short hole with a daunting green, but I personally think this hole would be funner if the pin was all the way down the hill as it would still serve a purpose. You'd have through a gap 160' from the pad and let it soar, and some players could possibly still jump putt and risk being short, or risk being too long if they don't want to jump putt.

-A couple of fillers. Hole 4 seems inchoate because there's no legit fairway. #16 is a boring wide open toss down a gravel path.

-No restrooms, no trash cans. But there is a QT close by along with many other restaurants.

-If you were to make the decision to play two rounds here, you could potentially have a difference higher than ten between those two scores because this course will give you the rationalization to do what your brain tells you and play safe and not be greedy. It's difficult to not follow your gut instinct to try to capitalize and make the 30' death putt. An intermediate player can shoot seven or eight under here and an advanced player could struggle to stay even par with the danger these greens have to offer, and with the challenges the fairways propose. Some holes here can take a bigger toll on you than others, and ones that are easier are the ones you don't want to miss the opportunities on.

-#18 was probably my favorite hole, even though I really loved #6 as well. #18 has one out of two of the things I love in disc golf, elevation. #6 has the other one, scenery. What's weird is how the hole with both of those features (#9) is a hole that I'm not fond of. It has its positives, and it's the most aceable hole on the course but I think it could be a lot better. Dolly Cooper is a fun course that is relatively basic, but also makes you decide what to listen to and what to ignore. The brain or the heart.

-Good mix of open and wooded holes with elevation.
-Beautiful river runs beside it.
-Course has a ton of upside.
-Outstanding baskets.
-Turf tee pads

-New tee box needed for the new 8 and new long 9
-Needs play to break in new course configuration.

I tried this course out for the first time this week. I would say this course will definitely give up some birdies, but there are quite a few challenging holes as well. There is a great mix of fun open holes with some technical mixed in.

My favorite hole was 17. It was really nice to let a drive fly at this 420 ft beauty. It is not a hard hole, just long and fun to throw to. Hole 1 is a nice starter hole. Nothing hard here except maybe a death putt if you are short, but it is a great place to warm up all of your throws before you start the course.

There were a handful of very tight holes, but overall the course is well balanced. This will be a gem when the tee signs and tee boxes go in, but it is definitely playable as is.

It would be awesome if arks and rec would mow that old baseball field on site. It would be great as a driving/practice range.

8/25/20 Update:

There is now a new hole 2 basket location that is a little deeper in the woods beside the retention pond. The old wooded path will not get you a clean shot at the basket anymore!

The old hole 4 is gone, the remaining holes have been renumbered accordingly and a new hole 8 has been installed that leads you to the new longer hole 9 tee pad.

The back 9 remains unscathed.

Out of the 66 courses I have reviewed, this is where this course ranks along with similarly rated courses:
Rank-Course, Location
9-N.E. Lions Park, Norman, OK
10-Grand Central Station, Central, SC
11-Stoney Hill DGC, Newberry, SC
12-Mekusukey DGC, Seminole, OK
13-Regional DGC, Ardmore, OK
14-Dolly Cooper Park DGC, Powdersville, SC
15-Woodruff Leisure Center DGC, Woodruff, SC
16-Shaver Recreation Center Original, Seneca, SC
17-Foothills DGC, Easley, SC
18-Langley Pond DGC, Burnettown, SC