Pros:
This school course turned out to be a pleasant surprise. What starts out as a standard school course (holes #1 & 2), quickly turns into the feel of a decent, wooded course.
- This actually was a fun beginner to intermediate-level course. Hole #1 starts right behind the school, and then you loop around the track/football field and baseball field, with the basket for #12 right by the first tee.
- Good variety of holes. There are standard, beginner-level, way-too-open holes (#1, 2 & 12) and some longer (5 holes between 240 - 294 ft), wooded and doglegs, plus one short hole with a basket strategically placed behind trees (#10). Very little elevation change.
- I like that this is 12 holes instead of 9. With 12 holes, it's much easier to overlook several bad holes because you still have 8 or 9 good ones. On a 9-holer, 4 bad holes is essentially half the course, so it's harder to wash the stink of bad DG holes away.
- There's room in the woods, behind the back part of the course, that would really be inviting for another 6 holes.
Cons:
The course is what it is. It's not aimed at advanced players, who will probably have a birdie fest, so they're probably going to be disappointed.
Not a lot of variety in terms of length. No holes longer than 300 feet (although #7 is 282 uphill), with most in the 150 - 250 foot range. More advanced players can easily navigate the course with only 2 or 3 discs.
- Tee signs for #4 & 10 are missing. Not a problem for #10 because you can see the tee numbers in the ground (and the tee area is worn). I had to walk around for a couple minutes to find the tee numbers for #4.
- Standard issues for any school-course: can't play during the school hours, don't do anything that'll cause trouble (beer, smoking, littering, etc).
- There are no amenities here, unless you're a student. Not a major problem because it's a quick play. There's a gas station and Burger King across the street, so you can get what you need there.
Other Thoughts:
This is the best of the Rock Hill area school courses I've played. Beginners and students will really enjoy the course; not much of a challenge for advanced players. The course really should get students more interested in the game.
- I was surprised how isolated the back-part of the course felt. I never remember schools having that much room and that much of a nature feel to it.
- I wish they would movedthe tee for #4. There's a better layout for the hole that involves throwing over a slight ravine/thick area of rough, instead of the unimaginative layout there is. Move the tee and you turn one of the worst holes on the course into the best.
- I'm giving this course a 2.0 because it's 12 holes and it's clearly a step up from most neighborhood park 9-holers - think Fewell, Dorton Park, etc as local examples.