Pros:
As a ball-golf player, there is a reason why I'm in the Pinehurst area. It's not to play disc golf. However, I thought "why not?" and came out here anyway before playing some real golf. I'm very thankful I did, because this course is a gem!
-There are short and long tees on all but two holes (#11 & 15), but those two had long basket options. I decided to play from the longs, and it was a blast!
-Tons of variety and different looks throughout the course. There were no two holes that felt the same, thanks to the abundance of elevation and a good mix of doglegs and straight shots.
-There were countless holes that benefited because their basket was pushed back to make it more difficult. #10, 12, & 14 come straight to mind; there are many others. If the baskets were even slightly shorter or moved up, it could've made the hole significantly less fun.
-In my opinion, the front nine and back nine were completely different, but in a good way. Collectively, the front had more short, fun par 3's, with some par 4's mixed in. There were also no bad holes on the front. The meat of the course comes from the back nine, however, you find the courses flaws on the back as well.
-The course does get better as your round goes, with the peak of the course coming during holes #14-17. Not saying that the front is easy, but you can definitely tell that the course gets more intimidating as you go.
-Here is why #14-17 is the best stretch. 2 reasons: the elevation, and the scariness. In other words, they're fun and scary at the same time. #14 is downhill but gets super tight toward the basket. #15 & 16 have huge elevation changes, and the rough will punish you more than normal. #17 is the water carry. These four holes really get your heart racing.
-The fairways are well defined, and it calls for accuracy. The rough isn't thick, but it's very punishing. The distances aren't insane, so it's fine to throw some smaller shots that overall help your score.
-Did I mention elevation? The elevation here is great! I mentioned #15 & 16, but also #5 & 6 are both fun mainly because of their respective elevation changes, and all the par 4's have some sort of elevation factor to make them even more challenging.
-About 2/3 of the course could have an argument of being the signature hole. In my opinion, #8 takes it. It's a very gettable par 4 that starts with an uphill shot that goes to the right, and then straightens out by the basket. The basket is placed on a slope that leads down to the pond, which can cause some second guessing while putting. It reminds me so much of #3 at Eastway in Charlotte, just not quite as long and a little tighter.
-#12 is another great hole. Similar to #8, but longer and more downhill, however a little more forgiving off the tee. It also has a great basket location, on a slope next to a thicker part of the forest.
-After playing #8, I wasn't sure if we were going to see the pond again. I was happy we did, and I loved the water carry #17. Ended up being no big deal for me, but it's daunting nonetheless especially with the "venomous snakes" signs everywhere.
-Navigation is pretty easy. From the parking lot, you can see the practice basket and kiosk, and from there, the first tee. All possible hiccups are easily solved with next-tee arrows on the hole maps, as well as some laminated signs in spots where it could be extra tricky.
-Overall course maintenance was excellent. For such a small park, it could be easy for the parks and rec program to forget about the course. But it seems taken care of nicely.
-The course loops back after #9 which is nice if time is short. It also allows you to start on #10 if necessary.
-The baskets were Mach II which are awesome, and there were benches on every hole. The maps did their job and made it easier to play.
Cons:
Most of these cons have to do with a specific hole, not really the course in general. The only general issue: terrain is sand and pine needles. This is what you should expect, but it's still worth mentioning. It's slippery and could get annoying at times, but that's Pinehurst, eh?
-Also, tee signs only existed on the long tee pads. Another reason why I think the longs are better, but it definitely would be better if they added some to the shorts because there are a solid chunk of holes whos short and long tees are significantly different.
-I mentioned how the rough was punishing, almost too punishing (specifically on the front nine). I believe that it shouldn't be impossible to get up and down, but it literally was impossible!
-Although most holes are great, there were two that were pretty bad in my opinion, both on the back nine. #11 is the definition of a filler hole, and 260ft ish shot to the long basket and dead straight with no elevation. Also, #12 tee is a short walk from #10 tee, so there is almost no point in this hole. #13 is the other bad hole, not nearly as bad as #11 but it feels like a transition hole. It plays through the gap created by the power lines, and it feels out of place in terms of the terrain and overall feel.
-#18 has three tee pads. It seems like there has recently been one added as a long option, but for a more straight shot. Even with that, I still played the original long tee, but I was honestly confused and had no idea what the correct tee was.
-The pond is eerie and dangerous, so there is no way you will be trying to retrieve discs of #17. Just letting you know, so don't be sad when your favorite turnover disc sails into the drink. To be safe, either play the short tee, or throw your shot around the water, practically where the fairway is for the short tee.
-There were a handful of holes that had overhanging branches that interfered specifically when playing the longs. It didn't seem like something about the design, so it would be nice if those were cleared to make finding the fairway easier (since it's already hard enough)
-Throughout the course I noticed that the trees seemed burned or had been on fire at some point. Not necessarily a con, but it would be interesting to know why that's the case.
Other Thoughts:
Pinehurst was amazing. Definitely a hidden gem with the obvious surroundings, but still a great course that I wish I could play more
often. I hope the course stays in great shape so that a return to this course can be possible!
I believe that overall, this course is a 4.0. A 3.5 would be an accurate representation from the shorts, but I have a feeling that the longs are the intended tee pads.