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Rob Wallace Park reviews
16
0
Rob Wallace
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 7, 2023
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Rob Wallace park features an extremely nice 9 hole course that feels like a solid 18 hole course while you're playing it. This is arguably the best 9 hole course within the Charlotte area.
-There is a set of long tees and short tees on every hole, so everyone can play where they feel best fit. I played the longs, which is what my review will mostly be based on.
-The course terrain/land is very unique, as it is laid out in a grassy field with scattered trees. This aspect presents good obstacles, and shot-shaping is required. Most of these holes are how I want all "open" holes to be like.
-For a 9 hole course, there is a good mix of par 3's and par 4's. I don't think I've ever played a 9 hole course with FIVE par 4's, let alone even one or two. Every hole should be easily par'd, however, birdies are hard to come by.
-I mentioned how the scattered trees is forcing shot-shaping on this course. Because the trees are scattered, there are many different ways you can play each hole. For example, #7 forces you to play either a big hyzer to the right, or play a straighter forehand to the left.
-No real rough or chance for disc loss here. Also, it is very easy to recover from a bad shot. Both are reasons why each hole should be par'd.
-There are multiple clever basket locations. #2 is placed around some trees, so their leaves will withhold the ace run. #3 is placed behind a rock, similarly to #11 at Bradford. #5 is a semi-elevated basket on a tree stump, and #8 is placed on top of an artificially made rock. Putting is tough!
-The course amenities are awesome. Nice big, smooth tee pads. DISCatcher baskets with light blue bands and yellow flags are great. Benches, trash cans, and water stations are present at some, if not all tee pads.
-There is a practice area with two baskets toward the entrance of the course, also next to the parking lot that seems exclusive to disc golfers and mountain bikers.
-There is a set of long tees and short tees on every hole, so everyone can play where they feel best fit. I played the longs, which is what my review will mostly be based on.
-The course terrain/land is very unique, as it is laid out in a grassy field with scattered trees. This aspect presents good obstacles, and shot-shaping is required. Most of these holes are how I want all "open" holes to be like.
-For a 9 hole course, there is a good mix of par 3's and par 4's. I don't think I've ever played a 9 hole course with FIVE par 4's, let alone even one or two. Every hole should be easily par'd, however, birdies are hard to come by.
-I mentioned how the scattered trees is forcing shot-shaping on this course. Because the trees are scattered, there are many different ways you can play each hole. For example, #7 forces you to play either a big hyzer to the right, or play a straighter forehand to the left.
-No real rough or chance for disc loss here. Also, it is very easy to recover from a bad shot. Both are reasons why each hole should be par'd.
-There are multiple clever basket locations. #2 is placed around some trees, so their leaves will withhold the ace run. #3 is placed behind a rock, similarly to #11 at Bradford. #5 is a semi-elevated basket on a tree stump, and #8 is placed on top of an artificially made rock. Putting is tough!
-The course amenities are awesome. Nice big, smooth tee pads. DISCatcher baskets with light blue bands and yellow flags are great. Benches, trash cans, and water stations are present at some, if not all tee pads.
-There is a practice area with two baskets toward the entrance of the course, also next to the parking lot that seems exclusive to disc golfers and mountain bikers.
Cons:
-Biggest issue here is navigation, specifically for first timers. There are no real signs directing you to the first tee, which is kinda in a random spot. No next tee signs/arrows, which is frustrating because you can see multiple tees in sight.
-Tee signs are lacking information, which yields to the navigation issue. Only #1 & 2 had distances listed, and there is no indication if you are at the short or long tee.
-Not much variety. Besides the open feel with scattered trees, there is no other type of hole you're going to be experiencing here. If the course were to be expanded to 18 holes (which would be awesome), there would need to be a couple wooded holes to mix things up a bit.
-The grass is uncomfortably long, making me question the course maintenance. I'm sure they cut it regularly, however, just be prepared for some long-ish grass.
-Tee signs are lacking information, which yields to the navigation issue. Only #1 & 2 had distances listed, and there is no indication if you are at the short or long tee.
-Not much variety. Besides the open feel with scattered trees, there is no other type of hole you're going to be experiencing here. If the course were to be expanded to 18 holes (which would be awesome), there would need to be a couple wooded holes to mix things up a bit.
-The grass is uncomfortably long, making me question the course maintenance. I'm sure they cut it regularly, however, just be prepared for some long-ish grass.
Other Thoughts:
Personally, I think this is the best 9 hole course around Charlotte. It checks off every box that any 3.5-4.5 rated course has, but because we're only limited to 9 holes, I can't see it being rated higher than a 2.5. If a back 9 were to ever be installed, I think this course would be close to a 4.0! Rob Wallace is a beautiful park, with awesome playgrounds, mountain bike trails, and nice, clean bathrooms. This is the spot for a quick 9!
11
0
DiscGolfCraig
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
19.9 years
597 played
544 reviews
Here is no choice but either disc or die 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Nov 9, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
Rob Wallace has the makings of a solid course. It feels like an 18-hole layout that just comes to an end after #9. It's good enough, I'm ready to play the back nine.
- Course has an excellent flow of longer, tougher holes and shorter, easier layouts. On a cold, rainy day, I played the short, 2900-foot layout. The five shorter holes (302 foot and less) were all easy 3s, at worst. The four longer layouts (between 392 - 469 feet) were challenging 3s, but easy fours. Throwing a wet disc, that wouldn't go further than 250 - 275, I still had tap in 4s at worst on these layouts.
- Decent challenge and flow to the course. For a southeast regional comparison, this felt a lot like Victor Ashe in Knoxville. There's plenty of room to air it out on the longer holes. Trees and strategically placed baskets can pose challenging, but there's enough space for recovery shots.
- The course favors big arms. To get a sense of that, I shot a 29 from the short tees - carrying 3 discs that were slippery and wet, I sacrificed distance. I thought my 29 wasn't too bad until I saw it only registered an 879 rating on the DGCR app. Point being, you need to be getting 2s and 3s on your scorecard here. There's not a reason to have any bad scores.
- Nice tee signs and maps. I liked how there were rocks near many tee pads as that became my point of reference in place of the more common tee signs.
- Course has an excellent flow of longer, tougher holes and shorter, easier layouts. On a cold, rainy day, I played the short, 2900-foot layout. The five shorter holes (302 foot and less) were all easy 3s, at worst. The four longer layouts (between 392 - 469 feet) were challenging 3s, but easy fours. Throwing a wet disc, that wouldn't go further than 250 - 275, I still had tap in 4s at worst on these layouts.
- Decent challenge and flow to the course. For a southeast regional comparison, this felt a lot like Victor Ashe in Knoxville. There's plenty of room to air it out on the longer holes. Trees and strategically placed baskets can pose challenging, but there's enough space for recovery shots.
- The course favors big arms. To get a sense of that, I shot a 29 from the short tees - carrying 3 discs that were slippery and wet, I sacrificed distance. I thought my 29 wasn't too bad until I saw it only registered an 879 rating on the DGCR app. Point being, you need to be getting 2s and 3s on your scorecard here. There's not a reason to have any bad scores.
- Nice tee signs and maps. I liked how there were rocks near many tee pads as that became my point of reference in place of the more common tee signs.
Cons:
Navigation is an issue, albeit a work-in-progress issue. A lot of temporary, laminated next tee signs. I don't see that being a long-term solution.
- I really like the maps on the tee signs. I DON'T LIKE the lack of important, relevant information on tee signs - hole numbers, distances, directional aids. On #1, I threw to #3s basket because the map showed a dogleg layout. After my tee shot, I see #3's basket, thinking that's not much of a dogleg, choosing that over the correct, #2 basket.
- While I like dual tee pads, on several holes they're so close, and playing the same angle, it seems like a waste of resources, money, and time to have poured two pads.
- Two many gimmicked baskets, as in two on nine holes. You're giving Mt. Airy in Cincinnati a run for most gimmicked baskets (shot intended). I like the one on #8 over the raised basket on #1. I feel if there are already two on nine holes, we're bound to see another gimmick or two on the back 9.
- No trash cans or benches throughout the disc golf portion of the park.
- Have a sign pointing from the parking lot to the first hole. There is a course map on a kiosk. It's just at hole #1.
- I really like the maps on the tee signs. I DON'T LIKE the lack of important, relevant information on tee signs - hole numbers, distances, directional aids. On #1, I threw to #3s basket because the map showed a dogleg layout. After my tee shot, I see #3's basket, thinking that's not much of a dogleg, choosing that over the correct, #2 basket.
- While I like dual tee pads, on several holes they're so close, and playing the same angle, it seems like a waste of resources, money, and time to have poured two pads.
- Two many gimmicked baskets, as in two on nine holes. You're giving Mt. Airy in Cincinnati a run for most gimmicked baskets (shot intended). I like the one on #8 over the raised basket on #1. I feel if there are already two on nine holes, we're bound to see another gimmick or two on the back 9.
- No trash cans or benches throughout the disc golf portion of the park.
- Have a sign pointing from the parking lot to the first hole. There is a course map on a kiosk. It's just at hole #1.
Other Thoughts:
I was impressed by the quality of this course. There's a vast expanse of land past #5 & 6 that seems like it'll become the back 9 one day.
- My rule of thumb for a good 9-holer vs the rest is simple: does it feel like it could be a real, 18-hole course, or does this seem like a simple 9-hole course. It's like Cheerios versus generic Cheerios. Every child, and most adults, can tell real vs fake in one bite. 9-hole courses just feel different - i.e. Dorton Park in Concord. Nobody wants to play an 18-hole version of that layout.
- The park itself is great. To their credit, the Cabarrus County Parks & Rec department has some fantastic, family-friendly parks - Frank Liske, Veterans, Dorton, and now, Rob Wallace. It's easy to have the rest of the family doing other activities while you play a round of disc golf.
- There are several ace run holes here: #2, 7 & 9 all have that vibe. My tee shot on #9 landed four feet left of the basket. We all enjoy ending our rounds with a tap-in birdie.
- This is near the top of my favorite 9-hole layouts. An 18-hole version of this would be around a 4.0 for me, akin to Gosse Landing. As is, I'll give this a 2.5 rating, putting in the top 10% of the 9-holers I've played.
- My rule of thumb for a good 9-holer vs the rest is simple: does it feel like it could be a real, 18-hole course, or does this seem like a simple 9-hole course. It's like Cheerios versus generic Cheerios. Every child, and most adults, can tell real vs fake in one bite. 9-hole courses just feel different - i.e. Dorton Park in Concord. Nobody wants to play an 18-hole version of that layout.
- The park itself is great. To their credit, the Cabarrus County Parks & Rec department has some fantastic, family-friendly parks - Frank Liske, Veterans, Dorton, and now, Rob Wallace. It's easy to have the rest of the family doing other activities while you play a round of disc golf.
- There are several ace run holes here: #2, 7 & 9 all have that vibe. My tee shot on #9 landed four feet left of the basket. We all enjoy ending our rounds with a tap-in birdie.
- This is near the top of my favorite 9-hole layouts. An 18-hole version of this would be around a 4.0 for me, akin to Gosse Landing. As is, I'll give this a 2.5 rating, putting in the top 10% of the 9-holers I've played.
