- Nice variety with a good mix of fairway types and shapes.

- Rolling elevation and creek are used well to provide interest both along the fairways and at the greens.

- Mostly secluded setting is pleasant to play through and separate from the rest of the park.

- Too many holes with trees directly in front of the tee pad.

- Multiple spots of confusing navigation.

- Benches and trash cans would be nice for a course that is over 6000' from the short pads.

As others have mentioned, the Keeley Park disc golf course is the perfect pit stop on the drive from Charlotte to Raleigh. Any course would have been a fine diversion to break up the ~2.5 hour drive and let my family stretch their legs a bit, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the course that was frankly a bit of an afterthought and a round of convenience in my brief North Carolina disc golf trip. My wife actually preferred Keeley to Hornets Nest, which we had played two days before. The course has a really unique "wow factor" of a starting hole playing through a narrow corridor of towering bamboo and maintains that level of quality through most of the round.

The starting hole was not the easiest to find, but a large "Disc Golf Course" on the side of a maintenance/storage shed points you in the right direction once you find the right area of the parking lot. There is also a nice pavilion with bathrooms near Hole 1; make sure to take care of business before your round as there are no porta-potties out on the course and you don't loop back before Hole 18. There are also no benches or garbage cans throughout the course, though everything was clean and well maintained. The concrete tee pads are large and grippy and the Discatcher baskets were in great condition with the bright yellow bands as easy to see as always. The tee signs are simple but effective, though I wish they showed all of the information for both sets of tees and baskets as applicable. There were a few spots where I had to reference UDisc to know which way to head to the next tee, but navigation wasn't too much of an issue.

There is a nice variety of fairway types and shapes throughout the course. It plays mostly wooded, but there are enough more open fairways playing across and along the high voltage transmission line right of way to provide a good balance. Straight, left, and right turning shots are all needed, and the creek, a small pond, rolling elevation and sloping and rocky greens all add interest throughout the round. There are long tee pads on about half of the holes, four of which turn par 3s into par 4s, and a handful of holes have B pins as well though only one is in place at a time. Hole 11 was one of my favorites on the course, a long par 4 from either the short or long tees that plays across a shallow valley and creek under the high voltage lines to a sloped rocky green. The biggest issue with the course design is the overabundance of holes with trees very close to the tee forcing an overly tight line. I recall 3 or 4 such holes with 13 being the worst offender, or maybe just the latest. At any rate, I was quite fed up with the design element by this point. It can be overly punitive and in some cases actually dangerous. I also felt some if not all of the holes would have been perfectly fine without the early obstacles, 13 included that has its basket placed precariously with a creek right behind.

In spite of the above mentioned minor design issue I loved my round at Keeley and it is much more than a convenient stop between the disc golf hubs of Charlotte and Raleigh. This is an excellent course in a great park with a bunch of other amenities and definitely worth playing if you are in the area.

Excellent, brand new DisCatchers.
Good concrete tees with two tees on longer holes.
Good signs at each tee also.
Mostly wooded holes, with several holes playing into, or out of Powerline ROWs.
The streams on the property are there for challenge (and one pond), but not a big chance of losing a disc, except maybe #11.
The course looks like another piece of what will be a very nice park. They already have an impressive splashpad installed, pond with walking path and something else was going in when I was there.

A few holes had trees right in front of the tee, it was fine on one, but it was too many.
There are a couple of streams on the course, so it can get muddy at times.
Not all holes had two tees, there were a few that could use shorter tees (7, 17 definitely and maybe 4).
Only a few benches on the course, as long as this one is, a few more would really help.
The first tee is quite a ways from the main parking and any facilities, hopefully future upgrades to this park will remedy that.

This is definitely a championship level course the Triad has been needing for a while. The Patriot in Kernersville tries to be, but it has too many wide open holes. Keeley keeps you moving from heavily wooded, to partially wooded, short, then long. The most open hole on the course, #11, is probably the best hole.
After being in the woods on most of the front 9, and #10, #11 tees at the top of a hill in one of the Powerline ROWs.There is a pond down the right side of the fairway, but this ROW is wide enough to stay away from that. After your drive, you have to cross a wooded stream (you know, the kind that they let trees and weeds grow up on both sides, just itching to grab a low throw), after crossing that, then its up a small rise to the basket on a rocky slope.
Yes, I did say "one of the Powerline ROWs", where else have you seen two, large ROWs that cross each other? This is my first. Typical for a lot of DG courses, they go on land that can't be used for much else. Surprisingly though, #11 is the only hole that plays entirely in the ROW.
You do get a feeling of deja vu on this course, a few themes were repeated on other holes:
#3 and #7 both tee in the trees, cross the ROW, then into the woods, to the left and downhill.
#8 and #16 tee at the edge of the ROW, cross it, then straight into the woods.
#9 and #13 both have trees right in front of the tees, forming a double mando, to a straight, short hole. (#10 short tee also has a very early tree to avoid.)
With that being said, there are also some very unique holes at Keeley, probably none more so than the opener, #1 is a Par 3, straight through a bamboo forest. They had to cut straight through these large (maybe 20 feet tall) plants.
#14 is also a cool hole, you tee down through a small stream valley, with a narrow fairway, pretty unique layout.
#17 should definitely bring scoring separation late in the round, a Par 3 that plays longer than it's 295'. Narrow fairway off the tee, then uphill, finishing on a raised mound. #18 does not appear to be a tough finishing hole, so make your move on 17.
Keeley Park will definitely enhance the Triad, and NC, Disc Golf scene. As this course matures with more benches and the rough getting beat down, I can see players coming from Charlotte and other states to play this course, Johnson St and Pleasant Garden, then heading to the Triangle to play Diavolo, Jones Park and East Clayton. Yes, the well designed, challenging courses are increasing in this part of NC.

A terrific variety of holes, requiring the golfer to keep on his/her toes. There are a number of holes with different tees to give the more experienced golfers an additional challenge but there's still enough of a challenge from the short tees to keep everyone happy. The little bit of elevation to be found around the park is well-used, as are the "danger" spots of creeks and other water hazards. It's also refreshing to have a course set up without the concern of other park functions or patrons potentially interfering in your round. No matter what else you say about it, it's the most interesting course in this part of the triad.

Well, there are signs now, but they are about as unhelpful as one could make- basically a white square with a black line representing the general line to take and the distance to the pin. There are no warnings about OB's or the fact danger exists in the form of water hazards, and there are numerous holes where water comes into play, including a pond from which discs do not return. There are other problems, such as the underbrush you'll be contending with throughout the warmer months, but the biggest con in Keeley is the overall swampiness- it's ALWAYS wet, some of it very wet. It's no fun placing your shot in the fairway of a long hole only to discover you're trying to get distance while standing in, and throwing from, a 6 inch deep mud puddle. You contend with mud and water from the green of 1, the walk to 2, and throughout your round. Since there are no benches or bag hangers either, you're resting your bags in the wetness as well. Fixing these problems would really propel Keeley into a higher level of greatness. And recent heavy rains washed out 2 bridges- but so far only one has been replaced, a problem which Parks & Rec "solved" by telling golfers to skip holes 1-9 rather than fixing the bridges (they've had months to fix them!). The result is one finds himself spending a lot of time walking on logs to cross streams and avoid mud.

Greensboro has been long overdue for a course representative of its size and population. Finally it has one. Most of Keeley's problems have to do with how unfinished it feels, and the lack of what makes other courses stand out. I know Parks & Rec took a long time to get Keeley into the ground and now it's here I fear they'll treat it as poorly as they have Barber Park. I hope that's not the case, because it could be really fantastic with a little more effort.

One of the best new courses in North Carolina is Keeley Park. Out of the courses I've played in the Triad to date, Keeley is now my favorite, edging out Patriot DGC (Triad Park). Lots of pros to this course for intermediate to advanced players:

+ Fun and challenging course with lots of hole and shot variety. There are tight, technical wooded holes; there are open holes to bomb. You will need most every disc in your bag.

+ Two sets of tees for about half of the holes. For intermediate players, the shorter white tees will still pose plenty of challenge. For advanced players, the green tees (no idea why they didn't choose blue here, but okay) provide plenty of distance and challenge.

+ Terrific risk/reward elements on this course, from an elevated basket on a steep mound on hole #17 to several pin placements near an OB creek.

+ Keeley is a modern disc golf course that incorporates par 4's and 5's (from each set of tees). And those par 4's and 5's aren't just long (some are actually on the shorter side from the white tees, but technical and tricky), but they reward accuracy and landing your disc in the best zones to attack the green or the next shot.

+ There's not a ton of elevation here, but there are some fun downhill holes, especially #11 -- a wide open par 4 that plays downhill for the first shot, then back uphill to the pin (over a creek) for the approach.

+ Nice new concrete tee pads (for both sets of tees), baskets, and signage. Once on the course, navigation is not an issue.

+ This is a very tough, technical, wooded course (with a few open holes for variety), but I did not feel like it was unfair. There are some holes with very tight gaps right off the tee. Intimidating? Sure. Infuriating if you hit an early tree? Naturally. but challenging and fair.

+ I used every type of disc in my bag and every throw in my admittedly limited arsenal. High on the fun factor and challenge factor metrics.

I don't have many cons to list. Greensboro Parks & Rec has done a fantastic job with this course. That said, here are my nit-picks:

- While on the course navigation wasn't an issue for me, finding the first tee is challenging. There are no signs and info stations for the course. I had to ask a park employee where to find the course.

- Drainage seems to be a real issue here. When I played, it was quite muddy and there was standing water in placed. Someone laid out some logs that helped get through the mud, but some small boardwalks or rocks or something would be helpful.

- Nothing the course designers can do about this, but there's not a whole lot of elevation to work with here.

Great new course that is easily accessible for out-of-town course baggers and locals alike. Check it out.

-Keeley is something else. You'll know that right off the bat when you pull into the parking lot. This place has a view of the highway on a few holes, but it gives that feeling that you are far out in a frontier when you pull in. The look of the course has a lot of volatility. Many holes here seem to have an old fashioned look with a glimpse of a potential future for disc golf. I instantly saw that when I walked to the first hole. This is something new! At least in North Carolina. 243' par three in a bamboo forest. Hole is straight but very difficult. The bamboo is not spread apart far at all. You'd be lucky to escape with a bogey if you receive a bad kick. A new look for disc golf! Innovative! This is about as difficult as the rough gets here, but it's still very dangerous here at Keeley.

-Old and New. It's like the past collided with the future. All you see is the future on the first hole. Many of the new courses in disc golf look awesome but they aren't in bamboo forests. Maybe that will be more common in the future. The next two holes show more of a mix between old and new. Especially #3 from the short pad. It looks like a plain par three but then you see the green with all the rocks and the creek. The shape of the fairway is pretty interesting too. The long pad is 615' and has you starting off in the open. Hole curves to the left sharply. I haven't played a hole very comparable to this one. An outstanding design from both pads! Another excellent hole was #6. Par five with another rock green! Hole is a dogleg right. Seems pretty easy since it's only 603' from the short. Isn't too long from the long pad either (777'). The fairway is wide enough for the first 400' or so and it closes up a little. The rough is pretty sketchy, so a good tee shot could still lead you to trouble.

-Enjoyable for just about anyone. There aren't many breaks here. You have to be at least somewhat strategic to tame each hole here. A few of them are relatively easy such as #14. Being a 411' par four and pretty straight, it seems like this hole is more of a challenging par three. The creek runs through the fairway just about the whole way so it does spice things up a little. #11 being the longest hole on the course at 852', you'll really love the look of this hole. The view of the pond and the opportunity to smash a driver. I think the previous reviewer was right about you feeling like Superman if you throw a long drive into the fairway. The rough is especially dense on this hole (left and right), so if you land in there you'll feel more like Plankton or MegaMind. Try to stay out of there. This is a par four, but is very fair. There is a small creek you have to cross. It plays as more of an obstacle on the short pad. 543' and still a par four, but the creek is right around the average distance. This hole is especially challenging in a headwind.

-Ends well with #18. I really wish it was in the long pin position because it looks like an awesome par five. But the short pin was nice too. Pretty easy finisher from both pads. A straight and uphill 420' par four from the long and a 258' par three from the short. Hole is just begging to be birdied. Uphill finisher feels like a downhill stride. The long pin is over 700' from the long and is further out in the open, being maybe the prettiest hole on the course.

-Nice new Disc Catchers and concrete tee pads. The tee signs are great too. Navigation isn't difficult either. The next tee arrows are shown by disc minis on trees.

-I think I mentioned this already, but it's very innovative. The rocks and the bamboo hallway alone make this course well worth it. I loved the intimidation as well. #9 overall isn't too difficult. My guess is that pros would average maybe a 2.5-2.6 on this hole. The tee shot has you throwing through a very small gap, maybe two and a half feet wide. It's immediately past the tee pad. So if you don't clear it, you'll go nowhere. If you do clear it, you'll probably get nothing worse than a par. #13 is the shortest hole on the course and downhill significantly. The danger is immediate. Like #9, you throw through a very small gap and the pin placement is just a couple feet from the creek. Only 219' but if you spit out for a birdie, that'll turn into a bogey if the creek is not casual water.

-The scenery and the variety of looks that it gives will excite you. I appreciate the volatility. The first hole is intimidating but obtainable. The second hole is extremely difficult. #3 is very difficult too but is incredibly fun. The next two are very interesting short holes. #5 has a split fairway. The right side is slightly longer but a little wider. Very hard to reach this hole due to big turns. Holes #8 and #9 aren't entirely easy par threes but they are both straight and brilliantly designed. The green for #8 is especially worth a mention. Tucked into the woods over a creek. Course doesn't really show a soft side until you get to #14. That side quickly disappears on #15-17 but it comes back at the end. At the end, you'll see that Keeley has a heart bigger than her bite. She's hard to read but she's beautiful and loves you deep down inside.

-A few of the previous reviewers mentioned #12 long. It's definitely not as fun as most of the holes here because of the weird tee shot. But I didn't necessarily think this hole was bad. The short pad was fun. Cool par three that requires a left turn toward the end of the flight of the disc. #10 long was a tease. I thought you throw all the down the line of trees toward the open because that's what you'll see. That would be awesome too! I did that and then saw a wide opening in the woods less than 200' from the long tee. I realized I did not hit the actual fairway. You have to throw a short hyzer and pray you'll be left with an upshot less than 300'. Not that this hole is unfair. But it isn't very satisfying. The short pad is a 270' in the woods, being a better hole. Neither of these holes are bad. I think my least favorite was #7. It's a skip hyzer. You start in the open and enter the woods. The fairway immediately turns sharply left. The basket is visible through the woods from the pad. So if you throw a bad hyzer into the woods, you could just scramble a little bit and get a ho-hum par three.

-As of right now, the gates close at 3 PM. So if you are in the area and can't play early, your best bet is to play Holly Run. Another awesome course.

-I love #13, so this isn't a con for me. But the pin position being incredibly close to the creek will bother some people. A spit out could possibly lead you to the water.

-Keeley mostly appears to be traditional woods golf on the media and a part of Keeley is more traditional. It's like a modified entree recipe. Many of the same ingredients with a few extracted and replaced with ingredients that never been used to make the entree. It has a similar taste but you can clearly taste the difference too and it's so much better than the original dish. This course and Holly Run have really made a positive impact on the disc golf in the Triad. They are both very different from the typical park course and offer more. I think there may be potential for a big tournament to be held in this area.

-I don't know what my favorite hole is. #11 long was pretty awesome. Downhill view of a pond and over a creek and back up a rocky green. #18's long pin very well could be my favorite hole too. It was in the short so hopefully I get to play the long pin when I get back. That hole looked amazing! There are quite a few holes here that would be the signature hole at a course that is just plain solid. Keeley is better than that. There were a few hole designs that I didn't particularly agree with but none of them were considerably bad either. Most of the holes had something particularly special to them.

-Course is very pretty and will test you on every hole. The longs offer a challenge. The shorts aren't much easier. But you'll have opportunities to make up for any bad holes you may have had. Try not to let your guard down on the hard holes.

There are some very enjoyable courses in the Triad: Johnson Street, Wellspring, Cedar Rock, and Horizon Park among others. Keeley Park has taken that quality to the next level, being a true must-play experience.
- Course easily met all my expectations of being a true, top-level play. The course weaves in and out of the woods, up and down some hills, and back and forth from tough layouts to birdie runs. It all adds up to a fantastic round of disc golf.
- The first hole gives players a challenge right off the bat. A not-too-tight 243-foot gauntlet shot between walls of bamboo is going to set the tone for your round. Does your shot veer off-line into the bamboo and you start with a bogey? Do you keep your disc on a line, and get the juices flowing with an early birdie? Do you salvage par, take your 3 and feel like things are ok? Just don't get too confident or beat-down because more challenges ensue.
- #3 is a beast, and another chance to lose a stroke or two. At 615 feet, your tee shot starts in an open field, to a gap in the woods, where the fairway continues a dogleg left flow all the way to the basket. My tee shot missed the opening, bounced deep in the woods, and took two more shots to get back out to the fairway. Ah, those dreaded double bogeys.
- One of the course's strength's is that there are easier holes where you can be aggressive for birdies and recoup those lost strokes. #5, 6, and 9, all range in length between 252 - 269 feet. Even decent tee shots will offer putts. My favorite of these holes is #9. You're shooting the gap between two trees right in front of the tee. Once you clear the trees, the basket is straight ahead, but there's a wide fairway/putting area.
- Ah, #11. The signature, most picturesque part of the course. Standing on the tee, you've got rolling hills in front of you. You have a small pond in front of you. And you've got 852 feet between you and the basket, which is placed between several rocks. On the tee, we are all Superman. We all know we will unleash a monster drive straight down the fairway. Then reality strikes. Are you going to unleash a monster drive or are you watching your disc sail straight for the pond deep in the woods? Fantastic hole of disc golf.
- The terrain plays more of a factor on the back 9 than the front. You come to #15 & (especially) 17, and those holes feel a lot longer than their listed lengths of 483 & 295 feet, respectively. #15 is an excellent, well designed layout. #17 is a straight-ahead hole with the basket on a mound. Even once you're putting, you still have the roll away factor if you're too aggressive and/or slightly unlucky.
- The park itself is excellent. The course is isolated from all other activities. The park has two separate entrances so you're even more removed from random walkers and what not.

Signage needs to be improved. In the parking lot, it's a 700-foot walk to the first tee. All I knew was the first hole was somewhere in that general direction. I was fortunate that locals were there the same time I was so they could point me in the right direction. A simple sign, arrow, or kiosk would help.
- The other place where navigation is lacking is on #10. The hole starts straight, makes a 90-degree turn to the left, where it eventually dogleg rights back towards the basket. The problem is that from the tee, there's a clearing straight ahead so it looks as if the fairway goes straight. I threw a second shot straight ahead and ended up in a wide-open field (#11's fairway). From there I only saw #11's basket, and I'm thinking, 'this is a whole lot longer than 576-feet. I do some backtracking and found the basket. Again, simple signage, or in this case, better tee signs.
- Course is slow to dry out in spots. I played in January. It was cold and cloudy, so the water wasn't going to drain well. However, based on older comments, the drainage issues can be an ongoing problem. It is, or at least was when I played, horrible around #1's basket and the transition to #2. Muddy areas are around in several other areas in the woods throughout the course. Most of those areas can easily be avoided though.
- No trash cans, benches or other amenities on the course itself. There are restrooms back in the parking lot.
- I played in the winter when there were no leaves on the trees. In the rest of the year, some of these fairways are going to be tight, and the rough even more unforgiving. Some of my fortunate bounces, or lines between the trees, won't be there for most of the year.

Keeley Park is an excellent, top line course. It's going to be a great venue to host tourneys with the challenges it offers.
- Coming from Charlotte, I automatically compare it to our big three beast courses: Renny, Nevin, and Hornets Nest. There are strong elements of all those courses in this layout.
- The course requires you to be patient. Take your pars, or bogeys, when you need to. It might take a couple holes before you have a real birdie chance. But, if you're smart, the course does offer plenty of chances to redeem yourself.
- There were a few too many holes that seemed as tweeners: difficult to get a 2 or 3, but very easy to get a 3 or 4. I think of both #14 & 15. It will take two excellent shots to have putts for 3s. Instead, I had simple tap-ins for 4s and felt I didn't play either hole well.
- #17 & 18 were two of the least exciting holes on the course. It's always feels like a let down when you close your round on a sub-par hole. Again, it was another easy, tap-in par 4.
- This course is close to getting a 4.5 rating. As it is, it's much closer to a 4.0 due to a few glaring issues, mainly signage, both navigational and tee signs. Keeley would be closer to the 4.25 range, just below the ratings of Renny and Nevin. Give it a little more time and this will be the best course in the region. It's a must play for all disc golfers in Charlotte and Raleigh. Seems like the perfect course to meet in the middle for a showdown between the two cities.

The long-awaited Keeley Park finally opened to the public in November 2019, and is ready to play!
+ An epic course filled with memorable holes, and challenges even for elite-level players. Distance, accuracy, creativity, and mental resilience are all tested on this excellent track.
+ Good mix of holes, including open and wooded, left/right/straight, uphill/downhill, and a variety of distances. Again, all aspects of your game will be challenged.
+ The longer par 4s and par 5s are particularly excellent, and provide most of the memorable highlights. Drives require distance, line accuracy, and landing zone accuracy, bringing into play a lot of risk-reward decisions.
+ The longer wooded holes are extremely challenging, but are absolutely fair, with wide clean fairways and reasonable lines. The rough on this course is generally also fairly clean, but it will add strokes purely by cutting off the desired lines. A good scramble game will be of great benefit to players.
+ Many holes feature short and long teepads, that vary not just in distance, but also in the angles and lines required, offering very different playing experiences overall.
+ Some holes have alternative basket positions, to vary the experience even more from time-to-time.
+ Teepads are excellent smooth concrete, and are very large, accommodating all run-ups.
+ Tee signs are minimalist and simple but very clear and informative.
+ Very easy navigation, with arrows on trees pointing from baskets to short and long tees.
+ Hole 1 has already become a signature experience, with its stunning hallway of bamboo. It's rare to see such a short and straightforward hole be so memorable and fun. If you're wondering though, this hole is an outlier, there is nothing else like it on the course.
+ The highlights for me were holes 6, 11, and 18, all par 4s and 5s that feature great use of elevation (especially 11's downhill drive and rocky hilltop finish), and long drives that deceptively require fine angle and speed control.

- There are two short holes that feature large trees right in front of the teepad, requiring you to hit exceedingly tight gaps right in front of the tee. I generally don't have a problem with this design, I like the stress and pressure it applies, but having it repeated twice so similarly, on an otherwise clean course, feels a little unimaginative and gimmicky. I'd be fine with having one hole like this, having a second doesn't add anything interesting to me.
- While I really like the par 4s and 5s on this course, many of the par 3s feel a little plain and uninteresting in design, like slight afterthoughts. Hole 8 is my favorite of the par 3s, and hole 1 is obviously memorable because of the bamboo, but the rest haven't made much of an impression on me.
- Holes 3, 7, and 16 all feature a drive out of the woods, across the open powerline/sewer cuts, and finally through a window in the next set of woods to a guarded basket. This is a good idea for a hole, but as above, having it repeated three times doesn't add very much to the course experience.
- Quite a few holes seem to be tweeners, that may not generate much scoring separation at higher skill levels.
- Even in the shortest configuration (short tees to short baskets when available), this is an extremely challenging course, certainly unsuitable for novices, and maybe too frustrating even for many recreational players. I worry that beginners may see the multiple teepad options and feel that their skill level is addressed by the shorts, when in reality those may still be too challenging and discouraging. Those players do have other options around the Triad, but I do think it'd be nice to add much-shorter white- or red-level tees, even if they're just posts in the ground for the latter.
- Lots of muddy spots after rain will require continuous upkeep and/or engineering, for instance the transition between holes 1 and 2 was a total mess, and the fairway of hole 6 was also in bad shape for a certain stretch.
- Hole 14 features a creek running down the middle of the entire fairway. A beautiful hole, but I worry how heavy rain and foot traffic might affect erosion on the creek banks here. Something for locals to monitor the condition of.

The early word is that Keeley Park is by far the best course in the Triad. Personally, I'm not ready to go that far, as I like Holly Run (at least in the winter) and Creekside more than most, and would put them in a similar tier. Recreational players will probably still prefer something like Johnson Street. But I wouldn't be surprised if across all preferences and tastes, Keeley does emerge as the consensus favorite for the Triad over time. It is certainly an outstanding addition for the disc golf community to enjoy, and I'm grateful for the all the hard work over so many years that went into making it a reality.

2020 Mar 09 update - added small con on tweener holes. Rating stays at 4.0.