(2.621 Rating) A medium sized city park style course with a lot of other park amenities coming into play.
- HOLE VARIETY - The one thing that really stood out to me here was the play variety. The course is mostly par 3s, but 2 holes eclipse 500 feet from the back configuration and another 3 are between 400 and 500 feet long. Holes break both ways, although it did appear to slightly favor RHBH. Water comes into play a few times and there's some substantial elevation change on the back nine. (14) is a killer down shot and (13) is a fantastic uphill dogleg par 4. Even though many holes are forgettable, I somehow remembered all 18 when I finished writing this review months later.
- BASKETS - Overall the amenities package is below average, but the baskets are top notch. Pro 28 DISCatchers, my personal favorite. Basket (17) was tipped over though. Hopefully just a temp thing from a recent storm.
- CHALLENGING - I believe there are five holes with two tees and I threw the short tee 4 times and finished 2 down as an MA2. From the backs, MA1s will be challenged many times, but not always. Some of the OB is a little ridiculous, and it will add some distasteful fake difficulty. I did feel intrigued many times on how to approach shots, and I think most others will as well.

- MULTI-USE HAZARDS - Waynesville DGC plays through a rec center park with lots of other things going on. Walking paths come into play a dozen times. Baseball fields, parking areas and even a dog park is in play. Smart players would be wise to pause play and perhaps even need to skip a hole on occasion. I could see other reviewers harping on this more than I have, and rightfully so. I've seen worse spacing examples, but roughly 90 percent of what I've thrown to date has less conflicts than here.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - The built environment is constantly in view. There is some charm on a handful of holes, like on the before noted (14), but most holes I'd quantify as below average looking. I went with 35 percentile on this aspect.
- LAYOUT AND NAVIGATION - The course jumps around and will require crossing a road twice. After hole (1), there's a 650-foot walk to tee (2). Getting to Hole (10) requires walking across Vance Street again and it is about a 400-foot gap. Tee (17) is a double back. As for the signage, it's adequate. The tee signs show distance, obstacles and par. They are missing a next tee direction however. I did not see a course map posted. Mapless first timers probably won't be able to figure it out.
- AMENITIES - As noted in the pros, the baskets are great. There are also restrooms and shelters in the park. There are a couple extra tees as well. The tees are a mix. Mostly a solid surface, but not them all. Some of the tees are super small, while others are endlessly long. No benches, course map or practice basket. I'm sure many just use (18) to practice putts. The tee signs claim multiple basket locations 11 times, but I never saw an extra pole hole and I looked several times.
- TIME PLAY - I logged 69 minutes from the short tees. The tally of gaps between holes add up. This is not a quickie course for those on a time crunch.

I first played Waynesville roughly 5 years ago when it was in the midst of a re-design. I decided not to review it then. The course was very much in disarray, and I didn't want to thrash-it for all of its issues. Unfortunately, it's still got some of the same issues that I saw, such as other park hazards and the layout flow. Thankfully the tee signage has been completed, and that helps a bunch. Overall, a 2.5 course to me when weighing all the pros and cons. Not a destination course to me. More of a "I'm here in Waynesville, can't go far, and need to feed the addiction" kind of course. Reminds me of courses such as Shorter University in Rome Georgia, Tiger Track in North Alabama, Oliver Park south of Birmingham, TTU in Cookeville Tennessee, Pharaoh's Way in southern Illinois, Grassy Creek south of Indianapolis and perhaps a longer version of nearby Black Mountain just east of Asheville. No reason to go 30 minutes out of your way to play here.

DISCatchers, not the newest but catch well.
Variety of holes, some short ace runs, some long open holes, really no tight technical holes.
Good tee signs, tees were a mixture, some concrete, some gravel, not a big issue on most of the holes.
#14 Signature downhill hole.

A LOT of the holes had potential safety issues, 1-4, 8, 11-12, 15-17. On #1, they moved the tee so you aren't throwing over the parking lot, you are throwing beside a shelter, next to the parking lot. On 2-4, you are using a gravel walking path for either part or all of the fairway. #8 goes over the road and RR track, near another parking lot. #11 goes across a running track that was busy when I was there. You are close to the walking path again on 12. Then, 15 throws beside the track and 16 and 17 either cross the track or throw from the track. I wonder how long you could be standing and waiting if the walking path and track are busy on the day you are there. There could also be delays as you cross the football/soccer/lacrosse fields on 11, 16 and 18.
Course is spread out over two different sections, long transitions from 1 to 2, and 9 to 10. I don't think you could get 18 holes in either section, so this is about the only solution to get 18 holes together.
You have to cross a set of RR tracks twice, throwing over them once. May not be a big deal, but could really slow your round down.

As you can tell, there are a lot of activities at this park, there is also a skate park, a ballfield, tennis courts, dog park, playgrounds, shelters and indoor rec building. It looks like it is the center of outside entertainment for Waynesville, with plenty of things to do. I hope everyone is careful when playing this course.
There are some fun holes here:
#5 - tunnel shot with trees down the left and tennis courts down the right, wider and longer than most tunnel shots.
#9 - nice little elevated, concrete tee pad next to the skate park, downhill 225' with the basket between two large trees.
#13 - multiple tees on this uphill Par 4, beside the building with several trees to get in the way.
#14 - Signature hole of the course. Tee from a hillside above the Rec building, downhill and turning right to the basket under large, old-growth trees. Showers rolled in by the time I got to this hole, I threw a forehand pretty good, except it over shot the turn in the fairway, right into a mess of kudzu vines. I was thinking that one is gone! Got down there, looked around for a minute or so, and there it was, just waiting for me!
The last several holes were fine to play the day I was there, with few others in the park. #18 was fun to rip, Par 4 with a turn to the left.
Park in the lot next to the ballfield and track, if you come in past the Skate Park, go over the creek and park in the lot on the right. The first tee is there. I'm not sure how you could mitigate the risks on several of these holes, but those could be unplayable some days. That, and the various tees, is going to keep my rating lower than it would be otherwise.
Waynesville is the hometown of Riley Howell. Riley and Reed Parlier were the two UNC Charlotte students killed 4/30/19 by a crazed gunman in their classroom, four others were wounded. Many authorities have credited Riley with tackling the gunman, allowing others to escape, until authorities arrived. My son was on the UNCC campus that day, he normally walked his best friend to that very class, but did not that day. Likely because of Riley's actions, she was able to escape the classroom. I don't know if Riley ever played Disc Golf, but if he did, I imagine he would have played this course. RIP Riley and Reed, God Bless you both.