Pros:
King's Mountain Point can be summed up very nicely. Come for a nice park with amazing views of Badin Lake and tolerate a poorly designed nine-hole course. Did I mention the views of the lake?
- The locale is second to none. If this isn't the most scenic course I've ever played (out of 140+ played), it's easily in the top 3. Every hole has a wonderful view of Badin Lake. Hole #3 plays closest to the end of the peninsula, and you might be tempted just to stop and take in the view.
- Is it a bad sign I start with the scenery? That said, there are 9 baskets, all in good condition. Tee signs make it relatively easy to navigate.
- You like variety? You'll get it here. There are holes with elevation, a couple dog legs, more open holes and tighter holes. Add to that holes with no realistic layout and/or design, and this course should have something for everyone. In all seriousness, it's actually quite impressive they fit 9 holes, with an average length of 240 feet (from the long tees) in such a small area of space. This could have been, and maybe should have been, a short, pitch-and-putt course. There was an effort to make this course challenging, so at least that was a success.
- There are a couple decent holes. #1 is a suitable hole. It's an uphill hole, with a fairway that's actually defined and clear. #2 from the shorts was enjoyable as well. At 215 feet, it's one of the few chances to actually make a realistic run at the basket; rather than relying on luck. #9 is a good closing hole. Similar to #2 short, both layouts here give players a chances to work a shot to the basket. After all the other frustration on the course, it's nice to end the round with an earned birdie 2.
- This is definitely a course for the outdoorsman. It's quite a haul just to get here, the closest town is 40 minutes away and you're completely out in nature. There are camp sites close by. Chances are, if you play this course, you're either camping here, live close by or just a disc golf enthusiast, trying to play as many courses as possible (my category). You're not going to accidentally stumble upon this locale; although, if you do, questions should be asked why you were driving on a dirt road for 15 minutes to get to this point.
Cons:
This course was clearly not built by disc golfers. I appreciate the park for installing a course, but it's clear they decided to create random and varied angles, looks and layouts for holes without knowing how discs fly.
- There are too many unrealistic holes on this course. When you have a hole that's in the 200 - 250 foot range, and your best bet is to throw two shots in the 100 foot range just to keep it in the fairway, that's a terrible design. There are holes where the dogleg starts almost immediately (always the giveaway it's designed by a non-disc golfer) and ones that have no defined fairway at all. Look at the photos for #3 and 7 to get a sense of this problem.
- Now, add to that the idea that this course has been virtually neglected. There are downed trees and branches throughout this course, adding even more challenge. Based on the most recent course update before I played, fall 2013 versus April 2014 when I played, and the downed trees and branches were a problem six months early. Even if the downed branches were removed, more work would need to be done, mainly more trees cut down to give some holes actual fairways. Look at the photo for #3 short tee and #9 long tee, you'll see boards running along the ground. That's supposed to indicate the fairways. Yeah, good luck with that.
- Add to that, because there are a lack of fairways, the course relies too heavily on luck. You could hit a tree, get a great bounce and end up with the perfect shot. You could repeat that shot, hit the same tree, and have it bounce the opposite direction, deep into the trees and thicket. Some of the rough is solid enough that it's a challenge to just get back onto the fairway. When your tee shot avoids the first nine trees in the fairway, but hits the 10th, then you're having to take three more shots to salvage bogey, that's a pretty poorly constructed hole. On some holes, you would be better off throwing at a 90 degree angle from the fairway, go so far off line that you actually have an approach shot.
- This isn't the course's fault, but I will throw it in here. This course really is a haul to get to. At minimum, you're driving 4.5 miles on a dirt road. The dirt road is in pretty good shape, at least when I played. Still, SUVs and/or cars with four-wheel drive will have an easier time getting here than smaller cars.
Other Thoughts:
I felt this way about this course as I did about the chocolate wonderfall at Golden Corral. I give them credit for trying something different, but who's really going to come here because of that? What new audience are you bringing in with that contrived attraction? You can say King's Mountain Point now has a disc golf course, but if it's poorly designed, you're not appealing to anyone. At least the stains from the chocolate wonderfall blend in with the gravy stains on a t-shirt.
- I'd be hard pressed to see any of these holes appear at any advanced-level course. With some maintenance, maybe you could say a couple holes would be average at best. Really, this is just a course that belongs to itself out in the middle of nowhere.
- I'd be more likely to visit this park with the family for the other aspects - scenery, walking trails, picnic areas, even camping. Even if I were doing that, I don't know if I'd want to waste the time to play this course again without some serious overall.
- I've also used the best title for this course. Anyone trying to steal my title gets the plagiarist thumbs down vote.
- This course could easily get a 0 or 0.5 in my book. I'm giving it a 1.0, due heavily on the scenery and also the fact it wasn't the worse course I played that day. Still, there's no reason to play this course. Save the drive time and play Fox Chase or Goose Landing multiple times instead.