Pros:
***#13 tee raised platform now has turf.
-A course that has had a makeover and realignment on a community college campus. The course is a combination of woods, water carry, open holes, and street play. There is an elevated tee shot, upslope and downslope fairways, and some roller greens. O.B comes into play mostly on the street holes.
-The realignment consisted of a relocation of the 1st hole to an isolated part of campus and away from a pre-school playground, and the 15th hole to old #14 eliminating the risk of hitting someone in a garden/bench area. The two previous holes for street play were stretched out to three holes, making the play more manageable and less risk of hitting a car. #18 has been stretch out. Except for 17and 18, all holes have been re-numbered. #17 is the only hole untouched. IMO far better flow, more manageable and less interaction with the college population. It looks like the realignment and changes were completed June 2021.
-The variety of woods, open, water, street play, passing by gardens and history, and some elevation make the course unique, and I rank #1 for variety. Not to be confused with a #1 ranked course.
-Baskets still catch well. Tees are a combination of concrete, sidewalk, turf, and hole #1 the edge of the parking lot.
-Tee signs are brand new with hole number, par, distance, next tee arrow, and a map. They also state exactly what is O.B.
-From #1 tee to #18 basket very enjoyable walk and scenic. Navigation is clockwise with the help of next tee signs. The mando signs put a smile on my face, the course uses one-way street signs, nice touch.
-From the tee threw mid's, fairways, and drivers. Most holes will require some strategic play.
-Grass fairways will be mowed by the school.
-Beginners and Recreational will be challenged but will find the experience enjoyable. Intermediate and advanced will find some challenges with strategic shot making.
Cons:
-The street play can have interference from cars, but you're playing on the backend of campus where there's a back entry. Holes 2-4 play along the street on narrow grass, more manageable than the previous two holes on the old layout. I was there on a Saturday morning and only saw a few cars turn into a parking lot before basket #4 and were not a problem. On a weekday you may need to pause with more traffic.
-#10 an elevated tee throws over a road, will need to look both ways.
-#18 there's a parking lot to the left of fairway all the way down at least three hundred feet. On a Saturday morning this was the only activity outdoors on campus a motorcycle riding class. I would of like to of skipped my disc down the parking lot to cut down on distance on a long par 4, but not possible. A wild throw to the right on approach could find the child day care playground.
-It's a community college campus, so I think the course is doable on a weekday with classes, you just may need to pause on a handful of holes. Personally, I would only play here on the weekend or semester breaks.
-In the wooded sections lost disc potential is high. Lots of overgrowth in the rough, and then the one water carry on 13.
Other Thoughts:
What a pleasant surprise to show up at Nash Community College course and find a makeover I wasn't expecting. I felt playing the street holes that this wasn't what I was remembering looking into the course, and when I was expecting a water carry on #12, but still found myself in the woods, that's when I realized I was playing a course with recent changes. The street play, open water carry, elevated tee, winding around the garden area, and the home stretch on #18 all open holes won me over. Only the second time an open portion of a course won me over the wooded portion of the course. The wooded portion is very tight and the rough very intimating. IMO this is no longer a 2.80 rated course. The only personal con I have is showing up during classes and possibly being delayed here and there on a few holes, but you'll be able to finish your round.
With the variety of the course top notch, nice tee signs, and a pleasant walking experience my overall rating is anchored on a 5.0. The time to play taking pictures of tee signs only was 75 minutes.
Featured Tee Placement:
-No. 6 in the woods. I like seeing historical things on a course. On this tee area to the right is an abandon home with a root cellar that have had trees growing thru them for decades, and just to your left off the tee is a storage shed. Possibly unoccupied maybe since WWII?
Featured Basket Placement:
-No. 12 a short par 3 uphill heavy woods. The basket lies between two ditches within C1, about 3 feet deep. Any heavy or sustained rain you may find muddy water in them. Fortunately, as I was putting for par from the back ditch it was dry.
Featured Holes:
-No. 3 Par 3 at 420 feet is the second of three consecutive street holes. The hole is a straight away but has a line of small trees all the way to the basket in the middle. On the right side is heavy woods, on the left the street. Fairway is about 60 feet wide. To the right of the basket is a man made pool of water that flows along hole 4 as well. From the tee the street cuts into the fairway. LHBH and RHFH can do a skip off the street and back onto the fairway to by-pass most of the trees. The curb is low and is very doable. I was able to pull it off, only to find myself directly behind a tree. Very scenic hole.
No. 14 Par 3 at 287 feet is in heavy woods and deep rough both sides of fairway shooting out of a gap downslope then a drop about halfway down, disc will disappear towards basket. There's a gap of 20 feet about 40 feet from tee to breach then the fairway opens. A trio of trees in the middle of fairway less than 200 feet out protecting basket. The basket sits on a downslope and a roller into deep brush. Most difficult tee throw out of all the wooded holes. Threw tee shot left side deflected into the rough, maybe lost. Threw provisional watched it disappear right side of fairway over the drop and heard no trees hit. Found primary disc, never saw the provisional again.
No. 15 Par 3 at 388 feet a straight away uphill from a gap in the woods to an open roller basket with hedges behind it. No problem getting out of the gap its quick getting out, but a gap of two trees about 70 feet out and 30 feet wide. There are ivy plants that line both sides of fairway all the way up to about 170 feet and a garden area to the right. The fairway opens the rest of the way. Very scenic hole.
No. 18 Par 4 at 626 feet is a downhill to about 350 feet that meanders right, then dogleg left for an uphill climb to basket. The hole is open except at about 200 feet is a huge canopy tree that will push you to the right. At the basket there are guardian spruce trees with small gaps, best to go up and over, the last tree is outside C1. To the right on your approach is the fenced in playground area for the pre-school only a wild throw will get you there. What you see from the tee is the short cut across the parking lot which is o.b. that will cut off at least 150 feet and come around the left of those guardian trees. I wanted to play that option, but that motorcycle riding class was in the way.
Signature Hole:
No. 10 Par 3 at 385 feet is an elevated tee straight downhill with the basket left center. All open except on the right side a heavy wooded section with trees and brush protruding into the fairway about 150 feet down pushing you to the right. Directly in front of you is the pond very scenic and just beautiful from the tee, and trees wrapping around the pond. The basket has a roller into the pond just 15 feet to the right of it, the pond outside C1. In the background you can see the water carry to Hole 13. A picturesque hole and a fun throw off the tee.
Trouble Hole:
No. 13 Par 3 at 357 feet is our water carry hole and open until you reach outside C1. The tee is a raised platform that now has turf, the basket is heavily guarded by trees, and can't be seen, very difficult to reach for big arms. There are three gaps to the basket. The most direct one provides a leafy window about 12x12 feet into C1, a carry across the water of about 300 feet, to the window 315 feet. Hit a tree you could bounce backwards towards the pond and heavy grass. The safer route is picking your spot across the water, straight ahead is a second gap of about 40 feet between 2 clumps of trees with a water carry a little longer of about 320 feet, you're aiming for another clump of trees basket high to the right, a second gap on approach of about 20 feet. The safest route number three is to the right of the clump of trees on the water line getting far enough across water for an approach either to the right or left of the basket high clump of trees, it's the shortest route across water, but the longest on approach, you can pick your distance. Its scenic, and the most strategic hole on the course for any shot played, and lost disc potential. One of the most thinking holes I've played. An early release took me to the right of the clump of trees on the waterline blocking me off from a safe approach, but I had a play for the window. Threw my trusty Star Leopard for a fade, missed the window high/right and luckily thru the branches.