Springfield Elementary is a course designed to introduce elementary school students to the game of disc golf. So for pretty much any other player outside of completely green beginner, it is just a pitch & putt course. But even for intermediate and advanced players, this course will offer a great place to practice your approach shots due to a well designed course.

The course has 9 tee signs that include the hole number, distance, and par - which is more than some of the similarly designed courses I've played. Each basket is numbered, and the tees are indicated by two PVC pipes that stick up and indicate the front corners of the tee.

Some of the holes have interesting designs. Hole 3 in particular stood out, because it is definitely a shot that can be made from the tee, but if you get a bit too aggressive and go long you could wind up sailing/rolling down the hill. If you play the asphalt as if it is OB, it makes the fairways a lot more interesting, and quite a few of the greens become pinched in real fast. The rest of the holes do a good job using the limited amount of trees to force you to shape shots.

If you really want to air out a driver, there is a soccer field right across the parking lot that you can use to practice your drives in. With the field being there, Springfield Elementary makes a pretty decent place to practice your game.

Once again, this course was designed for kids, so it will never offer up a real challenge to a seasoned veteran. Even if you decide to play every hole as a par 3, because the par at this course is clearly meant for the undeveloped arms of school children. I mean Hole 8 is essentially just a long putt from the tee. So if you're ever looking for an ace, here is a place to try.

The course is not open during school hours, and even when it is available to play there aren't any real amenities around. I did, however, notice that there is a porta-jon right next to the course. So it could be used in a pinch.

This course is going to get a 1.0 rating from me. If it had one or two more longer holes, at least 200', I'd probably bump the rating up. Springfield has the basics a course needs to function, with the added benefit of a couple holes thrown in that are more fun than those traditionally found on a pitch & putt course. Of the courses built in a similar vein that I have played, this one is definitely among the best. If I lived in the area, I might visit this course every so often. Especially since I know the field exists to practice throwing my drives.

Favorite Holes: 3 & 6

- 9 holes with baskets in good shape and easy to find tee signs

- Some minor elevation comes into play on a few holes, notably #6

- Trees are utilized on a few holes, especially #8 and #9 which play along a straight line of mature trees. Most the course is pretty open, rarely testing accuracy.

- Tons of ace runs

- Huge field next to hole 9 where you can practice max distance throws, regardless of how big your arm is.

- Some variety. There are some minor downhill slopes on 3-5, 6 plays uphill, 7 has a bit of an island hole vibe going on thanks to the surrounding parking lot, etc.

- No challenge for anyone above rec, it is definitely geared towards elementary aged kids.

- Rough on the left of #6 can be pretty dense. I've seen people looking for lost discs over there.

- Pars also reflect the intended audience, there are no par 4's here by any stretch of imagination, much less par 5's....there are even a few holes I'd consider a par 2.

- Every hole is very short, putters are all I need here.

- Too many holes are simple straight shots. The first 5 holes are very, very similar.

- Natural tees, not that it matters much at these distances. Stand still tee shots are perfectly viable.

For an elementary course this isn't too bad. You can't expect much length & challenge on this type of course. It fits its intended audience well, so it has that going for it. It's a bit more fun than Lowell or Pinewood Elementary, but to be fair those courses set the bar pretty low.


Usually the only reason I stop by is to film a test video with putters or mids, since it's pretty short, open and easy to film here. It also serves as a place to practice drives in the field when my other practice fields have soccer games scheduled.

Unless you're looking for aces or to up your course count, not much reason to come here.

Winget is close by and is worlds more fun while not being too difficult, and the nearby Lookout Park 9 hole is more interesting than this thanks for additional length and more drastic elevation changes. I wouldn't suggest coming here.

Nice location, lots of parking, signs, tees, and baskets are all in good shape. Virtually no people around on the weekends.

Pars are a bit ridiculous (Par 5 for the 205 foot hole with an open path to the hole.) Closed during school hours.

I think people underrate this course, as it is just your basic school course. That said, everything is built as well as could be expected and all the components are present. You can play it through twice in about 40 minutes.

This is a beginner level course set on the grounds of an Elementary school near the border of NC and SC near Charlotte.

Baskets - 9 grippy Innova Discatchers. Brand new and catch great.

Tees - Tees are natural. Marked by 2 PVC pipes sticking about 3 inches out of the ground. East to find. Grass is starting to wear away.

Signs - Sign at hole 1 tells details of the disc golf. Introduces it to the school. Also, signs at each hole with a map, distance, par, and hole number.

Variety - Holes are short and mostly open. Holes range from 85 feet to 205 feet. Biggest obstacles are trees on holes 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9. The remainder of the holes are in the open. There are elevation changes on 3, 4, 5, and 6. Hole 6 is a blind shot behind tall grass. The holes with trees would be a great challenge for an elementary age student and allowed me to practice one of my new mid range discs.

Easy to get to from highway and easy to navigate.

Ace run for anybody who has played the sport before. Pitch and putt practice.

Confidence builder.

Played course with my fiance and she played every hole with a smile on her face (beginner). She didn't attempt any of the other courses I played on my trip.

Course is not challenging for intermediate to pro level players. The holes are all aceable. In fact, I played the course twice around and got 2.

Hole 5 is very short. The shortest hole I have ever seen in my life.

Course needs a second set of tees to add variety. Most holes have room for a longer hole, others could use a shorter hole. It would add more playability to the course.

Course could use a few more trees.

This is a great course to teach children how to play. It is a perfect skill level for an elementary aged student.

It will not challenge any advanced or intermediate level player but it is not built for them. I played it because it was the closest South Carolina course to Charlotte (where I was staying on vacation) and after playing Nevin, Bradford, Bailey, Robert L Smith, and Renaissance Gold/Grey in a two day span, this was a very relaxing finish.

If you are new to the sport and need to build confidence, it it worth checking out. If you are not new, there are other nearby courses that you would enjoy much more.

For what is essentially a pitch-and-putt nine-holer, Springfield Elementary is a relatively decent course. There isn't much challenge, but there are plenty of chances to hone your short game skills here.
- The course is what it is: a short school course aimed at children and beginners. Average hole length is less than 152 feet, with none longer than 205 feet. In that sense, it achieves its goal of having every hole be easy enough, and mostly interesting enough, for said players. And unlike a lot of beginner courses, this one isn't boring.
- Course has a decent amount of variety, all things considered (I'm ignoring #5 for right now, but will mention in the cons). There are less than 20 trees on the course, but the baskets are strategically placed that those trees come into play on almost every hole. The exceptions being #5 & 6. The trees force you, or at least give you the chance, to throw different types of shots. A couple holes also use a little bit of elevation - #4 & 5 are downhill throws; #6 is an uphill shot.
- This is a really good course for practice. There's enough distance and different angles that you can practice all sorts of shots. There's also a good field for practicing. Also a good course for ace races, match play or various types of games you can play with groups. Anyone looking for their first ace, or any ace period, should play lots of rounds here.
- I've played here half a dozen times over the years. Each time, there's been somewhat of a crossbreeze coming from the open field. That alone can add an extra layer of challenge, just give you a second thought if you're trying to loft a putter down to the basket.
- You can fly through this course. I played through twice in about 30 minutes. This is the type of course that if you bring your bag, it's actually going to slow down your round.

3/24 brief update: basket on #8 has been gone for a long time - at least a year. There's a flag in the ground where it should be. You may as well throw to the flag as you have to walk that entire distance so you can turn right back around to play #9.
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There's only one real problem with this course, and it's the joke of a hole that is #5. It's a downhill, wide open, 82-foot hole. Both times I played, I treated it like a regular putt, not even a jump putt, and was left with essentially a tap-in for a 2. It's such a bad hole because there isn't a reason to create a hole this bad. There are plenty of ways to add enough challenge to raise it to the level of the other eight holes. A simple solution is to move the tee near the tee for #1. It will add at least 60 feet or more, and add challenge by throwing over the school road. At least it will require a good tee shot for your 2. As it stands now, this has to be the easiest, and possibly, worst hole I've ever played.
- I'll throw out the obligatory mention that this course won't be challenging for any advanced player. For good players, anything worse than a 3 on any hole will have to involve a major mistake.
- Here's the other obligatory mention: the course isn't open during school hours. Also no benches, trash cans, bathrooms or water fountains. But, nobody should need any of those in the time it takes to play the course twice through.

Springfield was better than I expected, in that there was good variety for such a short course. Every hole is birdieable, but at least you have to work for your 2s on some holes, especially #6 & 8. (3/24 update: well, not #8 as that basket has been gone for a while).
- The course offers several tempting pin locations, especially if you're being aggressive for aces. A hole like #3 is good because you can play smart and have a birdie putt. But if you're too aggressive, the hole is downhill past the basket, so you could end up with a long putt if you get too greedy for aces.
- The course, in terms of quality and challenge, is comparable to Pinewood Elementary in Charlotte, Cuthbertson Middle in Waxhaw and Fewell Park in Rock Hill, for a local sense.
- Like any pitch-and-putt course, it's not worth a drive just to play here. If you've played one, you've played them all. However, if you're close by, or want to drive 5 minutes off I-77, then check it out.

Every reasonable course serves a purpose. This elementary school nine holer is really good for its intended players: the kids just learning the sport. Most holes are arranged to safely keep the errant shots from endangering peers, while there are not enough obstacles to frustrate the young 'uns. Yet you have the chance to shoot a couple of tee shots out from between trees to the open, and one or two holes that require line shaping to the left and the right. If you play the driveway as OB, you even have that to border one hole. The baskets are nice discatchers, so they didn't go cheap here, and the grass tees are marked by rounded white stones and decent tee signs, with distances marked. On a school property, the maintenance is excellent. In all, these holes, ranging from 82 to 205 feet, offer a reasonable amount of variety for the absolute beginner to enjoy disc golf.

Obviously, even a competitive Recreational player will not be challenged by this course, as it has no distances that can't be reached by a putter, and there aren't a lot of obstacles to force your creativity.

The course should not be visited by 'outsiders' during the school day, which also means you won't have bathrooms, water, benches, etc. But it's a quick play if you want to check it out, and there's always a playground at an elementary school!

I was excited to do two things here while visiting my daughter in Charlotte: 1) get my family out together to play a round without any embarrassment, and 2) easily check South Carolina off my states played list!

clean nice and easy. There are a couple trees in play on most of the holes My kids would like playing this course.

only one hole over 200 feet. no benches or bathrooms course was designed for little kids.