Pros -- Super challenging. Great baskets. Sick tight lines and elevation. Good use of the boulders around some of the pins. There are signs on every hole, arrows at the pins, and tree tags on the fairways, so very easy to navigate and follow the course. I wish all courses would do it this good!

Cons - Tee pads are pretty rough (black mats on the ground are uneven and the wooden elevated ones hold water on the mats).
Serious up hill hikes on holes 2, 12, 13, and 14. Lots of roll away issues due to being on a mountain side, and if a disc goes
down, the hike back up to the pins is brutal.

If you like a challenge, woods, and elevation than this is a good course for you. Hole 1 is really the only hole with a view but its a cool place to start the round, the rest of the course is in the woods. Hole 2 is pointless (dumb) and its straight up hill. The only good thing about hole 2 is it takes you to hole 3 which is pretty fun. Holes 3 through 11 are tight wooded lines, and not too bad of a hike. Holes 12, 13, 14 are going back up the mountain, difficult to hike. I had to take a lot of breaks and rest before each shot (and I'm in decent shape). 15, 16, 17, and 18 bring you back down the mountain with 16 and 18 going straight down hill. For a Florida boy, those were really cool and fun to throw.

Overall this course is a lot of fun and well worth playing. If they continue to clear it out and fix the tee pads it could be so much better.

I would have rated it higher if it weren't for the difficult hike

** I did play this in the winter so the leaves were off the trees. I have a feeling in full bloom , with all the trees and bushes bulked up with leaves, it would one of the harder courses I have played

-At last! Sam Brown is playable! There's no more questioning whether or not it'll ever come to life! The crew went above and beyond after August of 2021 to make this an official course and it had me psyched to find out in October how well it was coming along. The course even has it's own facebook page that regularly updates its progress! It's a good course and a serious hike in the Appalachian Mountains that's guaranteed to give you an intense leg workout. Whether you are 17 or 75. This is a great addition to the Jefferson/Wikes County area. There's only one set of tees and pin locations, but there's room for long pads on some holes and some long pin locations too.

-When I found out about it in August of 2020, I was stoked to see that there's finally a course in Sparta. It was still in its planning phase, despite the baskets being installed back then. It now has rubber pads and tee signs. Many of the pads are installed on wooden decks since Sam Brown Park is on a mountain. With all those decks, it shows the extra initiative taken. Most courses that I have played do not need decks, but this one does. And it has them! The tee signs are accurate and give good hole diagrams.

-Nice dynamic veteran baskets that catch well.

-Next tee arrows on many walks to the next hole. Navigation was extremely difficult when I first came here and it's not difficult anymore. Come to think of it, I think there are next tee arrows on every walk to the next hole.

-Extreme elevation and intensity stare you in the eyes here. You see some real intensity on the first hole. It's a huge valley shot across the field into the mouth of the woods. You have to throw a certain height to reach this 267' par three. There are a ton of cedar trees at the ledge of the hill. #2 is 238' and severely uphill. It's a monster and will possibly be the longest 238' you'll ever play. Pros will be throwing drivers on this hole. It's up more than 50' (maybe over 60') and it feels like 100' when standing on the tee pad. The basket is right in front of you straight ahead, but you'll be intimidated for sure just looking at this hole. The final seven holes (#12-18) offer a real adventure having even more intensity and a few of them having more elevation than hole #2. Holes #3-11 offer a decent amount of elevation, but just when you think you've seen the most of it on hole #2, there is #12.

-#12 is a crazy par four that offers the most elevation on the course so far. It's a 455' dogleg right that starts on a ridge that falls on the right side. You have plenty of room to throw a good anhyzer that could set you up for a straight look at the basket up the hill. If you break right too early, you could be off the ridge struggling to lay up. Not only is this hole up an enormous hill, but the landing zone isn't entirely wide. I had a great shot that went a little far. I was a couple feet off of the fairway and was looking straight uphill at the basket, with an uncomfortable lie behind some twigs and a few small limbs. It's even scarier than the uphill on #2. #14 is another huge uphill shot that is tighter than holes #2 and #12 but it is a little more reachable on a straight throw. It's up more than 40', so less than #2 and #12 but still a major uphill par three at 232'. It's hard to throw a driver accurately on a tight uphill hole, but a mid-range probably won't be sufficient to get you a birdie. You have to make a tough decision on #14.

-And now for the downhill holes. A few of the first twelve play downhill. One is a good way down beside a couple boulders (#3) but you don't see the big downhills until the end. Which makes perfect sense because you are almost up the mountain after #14. Only way to get back to the parking lot is going back down. #15 was a daunting downhill 310' par three. It still needs a few trees removed, but I enjoyed this hole! It doesn't offer the most elevation on the course, but it's still a pretty good way down. More so than it appears. It plays on the side of the mountain, on a different ridge that breaks left. A real make or break. The next hole (#16) is a huge downhill putter shot off the deck. This hole has the most potential. I do think there could be a long pad installed in the future placed much higher up on the mountain. That would be insane! The hole now is 257' past a tree in the middle of the fairway. The green is on the right side with some serious rollaway potential. This hole needs some work too, but it's a real blast already! #18 is probably going to be the signature hole for now. It's a 345' extreme downhill par three back out of the woods toward the tennis courts right back where you start. It's begging to be aced. It's similar to a couple of the finishers in the area. #25 at Sugaree, and #18 at Ashe County. If #18 at Ashe had a short pin position straight ahead out of the woods, you get #18 at Sam Brown.

-Some really sweet greens. #3, #5, and #11 offer some tremendous rock formations. #7's green is guarded by a wooden circle around it. Many of the holes on the back nine are on steep hills with serious roller potential, and guaranteed to make your discs slide after a snowfall. Bring your soft putters.

-It's located right outside of downtown Sparta. So there is gas nearby and food.

-It's always colder in Sparta. It's prone to snow more often in the winter. The hills are incredibly unpleasant after a snowfall. As a matter of fact, I was unable to drive up the last hill that takes you to the first hole because the road was still snowy. Needless to say, I hate snow. I mean, it's fun to go for walks in and it's always funny to see the sculptures of private parts that college students build on snow days in the band practice fields but the snow is a real threat at Sam Brown Park. Your discs will slide down the ice all the way back to where you were throwing from or even behind you. Not to mention, the rubber pads can get stacked with snow. Not favorable for play after a recent snowfall.

-Some work still needs to be done and I know it is coming along well. Honestly though, however, I'm not a fan on #10 and #11. Both are par fours somewhere between 400-500'. Both tee shots have you throwing a short layup to a landing zone to have a long second shot. You have to throw like 120' on #10's tee pad. Same with #11. #11 is a pretty steep uphill par four that was originally designed to be a par three. It was originally a 325' anhyzer up the hill to the rock green. They moved the pad about 125' around a curve. So same as #10. Throw a very short hyzer and hope you land in a good enough spot in the fairway to have some sort of look 300' away at the basket. I think this hole should go back to being a par three. I don't like the concept of throwing a short lay up on a par four off of the tee.

-#8 and #9 are EXTREMELY similar. Both are slightly uphill anhyzers over 300'. I think one of them needs a different basket location. The holes are fine, but they are back to back and too much alike.

-It's come a long way. I'm so glad that Sam Brown is finally playable. I was really hoping that it would come along well, and it has. Potential is very high. There's still some work to be done, but it is a delight and I'm more than excited about the first PDGA tournament being held here in April. It's become a nice risk and reward advanced level course with many birdie opportunities that can turn to bogeys much quicker than on a lot of courses. It's an accuracy tester that is much more difficult than it seems being only 5500' long in total distance. Elevation breaks the 40' mark on at least five holes. The big downhill holes that play much shorter are still testers that demand some serious distance control.

-It's a real beast in regards to elevation. Don't bring a cart. It's one of the hilliest courses that I have played and has a little more elevation than the courses in Wilkesboro. But not quite as much as Ashe County from the longs. But if a longer layout ever comes (PLEASE PLEEEEEASSSE MAKE IT HAPPEN!) then Sam Brown could potentially be the biggest disc golf hike in all of North Carolina. The back nine really utilizes the mountain and there could maybe be some long pin positions on the back nine that go further up or a couple long pads that have you teeing off higher up the mountain.

-It's not in perfect condition, but it is a very fun course already. Come see it for yourself! I'm giving it a 3.5 for now. I think the current issues will be gone soon and I think it has potential to be a real destination course.