Located in Wilkesboro, Ft. Hamby is probably overlooked more than it should be. This course is located in Ft. Hamby Park. You do not have to worry about the course being crowded, because parking is $5.

The atmosphere of the course is one of best a course can hope to adopt. It feels very welcoming, and for the front 9 you feel both secluded and like you are hiking around a small mountain town. During the back 9, the lake comes into view, and although the water only comes into play in 1 or 2 holes, being so near the water breathes a new life into the round. I enjoyed the entire course, but Holes 13-18 were honestly the most enjoyable holes of Disc Golf I found in Wilkesboro.

Ft. Hamby features a variety of shots from the tee, and will reward players more for their accuracy than their ability to throw big distances. There is really only one open hole on the entire course, the rest will test a player's skill at choosing and sticking to a line from the tee.

The course features both white and blue tees, allowing players to choose the difficulty level that best represents their skill level. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to test out the blue tees yet. I was in Wilkesboro for a day and wanted to get through all three courses before returning for a tournament that will feature short tees.

Tee signs were all well done, with distances, fairway layouts, and OB all indicated. The course features DisCATCHER Pro baskets, and has 2 practice baskets.

Other courses should look at Ft. Hamby and learn how to finish a course out. Hole 17 is a nice downhill forehand shot, with a low ceiling and a little bit of water behind the basket. It is pretty hard to get the water to be in play, but if you skip past the basket as far as I did you will start to edge up on that line. Hole 18 starts out with a placement shot over a large gulley, that filters down into the lake, or features the lake if the water levels are up. These two holes were very memorable and are a great way to finish a course out!

Excellent use of elevation throughout this course. Hole 13 is a wonderful shot that is a nerve-racking Ace run. Holes 8 and 18 make use of deep gulleys to penalize players with extra strokes when their discs roll into them.

The tee pads are crushed gravel with rubber mats, which would not be the worst thing in the world- but the tee pads are not all level. I flubbed a couple of drives when my footing got messed up on the tee. This is an even bigger con, for me, when you are playing a course like Ft. Hamby where a lot of finesse is needed off the tee, and a bad drive can result into a lot of wasted time searching for a disc.

The rough is a bit too much on this course, at least in the middle of June when I played here. With the fairways as tight as they are, you should be punished for a bad throw, but your punishment shouldn't be half an hour looking for a disc. Luckily I stayed on my lines, but if a beginner was out here, I could see some serious time being spent looking for an errant throw. This is really my biggest issue with this course, because the fairways are about the appropriate length and width to show a beginner what NC wooded courses are like, but the rough is so thick it discourages them from playing here.

The cost of parking at the park isn't that steep, especially for a seasons pass - but it seems enough to where this course really isn't getting the foot traffic it deserves, or needs. If this course received more traffic the fairways and rough would both beat in quite nicely.

Some of the tee signs are rather close to the tees. I never noticed, but my buddy kept saying he was afraid I was gonna hit the tee signs with my hands while I was throwing. This might be something that could affect other players.

Some areas could use better erosion control, with erosion bars and/or switchbacks. This course can be a bit unsettling to play when it is muddy because of the lack of steps in some places. Hole 8 comes to mind.

This was a tough decision, but right now I am rating Hamby at 3.0. It's worth mentioning that I believe this course could/should easily merit a higher rating: the hole are all designed really well, but a huge chunk of this course's potential could be reached by fixing the uneven tees, unkempt fairways, and the really bad rough lining said fairways. Hopefully this course receives some TLC so I can come back and give this rating another look. You could feel the potential oozing out of this course as you play it.

Favorite White Holes: 5, 13, 17, 18

-Know that third course in Wilkesboro? The one you pay to play at and is by the lake? At a campsite? That's Ft. Hamby. It has that Wilkesboro feeling to it, the elevation, the funky hole design, and the danger!

-The road runs right into the park entrance, so it's very easy to find. It's five bucks to play but hey, it's worth it. I didn't personally love the course but many people do so there is a good chance you will too. There are arrows that point you to every activity available here. The course is toward the end of the road, there are practice baskets beside the parking lot.

-Some cool laid out holes here. There are six par 4's on the blue pads. #5 actually stood out the most to me, even though some of the previous reviewers wrote about how it has a "filler" feeling. It starts off steep uphill and turns left out in the open. The short pad is just a toss in the open but the long gives it a different and harder look! There is a drop off past the basket so it definitely had more to it than I thought. That was my favorite of the par 4's.

-My favorite hole at Ft. Hamby is hole 2 long. It's a narrow downhill 333' par 3. Basket is dead straight but gives enough room to get there. It plays along the side of a hill so can be very dangerous if you kick. Can be easily birdied or fived.

-Holes #13-18 all give amazing views of the lake nearby and it can play as an obstacle on #13, if you go long on that hole (which is very likely), you could be wet. Holes #14 through #18 just give great views, which are in general very cool.

-Very easy to navigate, even though there are a few long walks to the next holes. There are two next tee arrows on each transition. That's probably because the blue pads and white pads give different holes. The whites were very easy for me because I'll be 905 rated by May 21st on pdga.com and the blues, believe it or not, can be crazy for their mostly innocent lengths. The tightness, and steep elevation changes make this course terrifying to tee off on.

-Tee signs on both sets of tee pads. The fact that this course has dual pads is a huge pro because that makes the course fun for all players. The whites are mostly short, like under 300'. The blues aren't much longer but they are much different in a tougher way. There are also two baskets on holes 10 and 18!

-The rough is crazy in spots. It is thorny, thick, dangerous, and discs will vanish like it's going out of style! The fairways are not always going to be hit and the spots you can land in will leave you with the "Are you kidding me?!" response. Some holes also seem unfinished because holes such as #3 and #13 have inchoate fairways. They are not completely formed and this course is already played in tournaments. Holes #3 and #4 are both very silly from the short pads.

-I like rubber pads, but if your shoes are too muddy or wet, you might fall. I do it a lot on concrete pads!

-Some hole designs here that I simply can't stand. Hole 3 is ridiculous from the long. You have to throw a very precise skip hyzer and try to have some sort of look for a flick upshot. Hole 7 is a pain. The green doesn't look too daunting but I always roll and get either a four or five if I have some sort of birdie look. The basket is on a very tiny ledge that is connecting to the ravine you throw over. Just a very irritating hole. #8's short tee pad is facing the woods and not where the fairway turns. Why? I could go on, because there are more holes here that I don't enjoy because you'll have to get somewhat lucky to hit the line the way you want. You'll have to barely dodge a few trees and just when you think you do, you don't. Not fond of #10's green in the long pin either. The fairway itself is good but the green makes this hole a bummer to play. The approach shot is drastically downhill and continues at the same declining rate. You obviously have to put some power into the approach but if you throw it nicely down the fairway. Well, you might not be coming down for quite a while because it's really downhill to the basket and past it. You have to hit a tree in order to not go too far. Requires the perfect tree kick rather than a clean upshot. Annoying.

-I had a lot of love/hate relationships with some holes here. For instance #13 long. The extreme drop shot can be fun or a serious nightmare! It all depends on where you land. It's hard to dislike a hole like this but WHERE IS THE FAIRWAY? Many fairways here are just really difficult to solve either because they are weird or the hole in general is tricky.

-You won't always have a good shot up here. It just won't happen and it will be frustrating. I shot like a 65 on the longs because I didn't always hit the fairway, but hey, it is what it is. I made many birdies, many bogeys and a six on #17! The right side is DEATH! If it takes more than one shot to tap out, that means the rough needs to be cleared!

-Aside from the crazy rough, and some not fully formed fairways, the course is a lot of fun. Typically it is a lot of fun to play over roads or to practice tricky upshots but it's important to be as courteous as possible to other people around here.

-Sorry about the minority report, I think Ft. Hamby is fun and interesting for the most part! I just think it's a little too rough at times, but hey, the elevation here is spectacular. This is a course I never score well at and I usually can shred Highland Hills and Rolling Pines. Ft. Hamby and Highland Hills are courses where every player screws up at and has a bad round. Those aren't my style, but they are good for casual play.

This was a nice course with a good use of elevation and alot of different shots you will need to have in your bag. It has teepads with rubber type mats and crushed gravel and has new disccatchers. Offers alot of unique shots that you dont see most places unless you play mountain type golf alot. GREAT teesigns and arrows to each hole. This is always a big deal for me. They also took alot of time to carve trails into the sides of hills to prevent erosion in parts which is neat too. They had a couple practice baskets and a nice course map near hole 1.

I noticed alot of pads are not level. Most of the time I can let it go if it is one or two pads, but this course has quite a few. Wasn't a huge fan of hole 1 and 6 throwing across the roads. Seems it could be a bad idea on a day when the park is open. Not really a con, but they have no trashcans, which is fine with me since I pack it in, pack it out. Some holes have no standing room near the pads which is hard when you're playing with a group. No benches, so take a stool if you think your legs will need a break.

Course can be slick walking after a good rain. I enjoyed the course, but didn't fall in love with it. I still think I liked Rolling Pines better, but the Wilkesboro area has 2 great new courses that most cities would be proud to have. I look forward to coming back one day and see the progression this course will make.