KenanFlagler01

BIO

I played disc golf off and on for years - even designing and building a tone pole course in Costa Rica in my 20s, not knowing anything about the sport - before finally dedicating myself to course bagging in 2015. Now in my 40s, what I enjoy most is playing with my family and bagging new courses. I will play any track anywhere, but when given the chance, I try to bag courses ranked in the top 25 for the state on DGCR. I live in North Carolina, so I have played many, many more courses here than anywhere else. I'm still an intermediate-level player and only get the opportunity to play sporadically these days, but really enjoy challenging courses and good design. I review, rate, and rank courses mostly for my own OCD personality, but hopefully others will benefit too.

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REVIEWS

I attempt to write my reviews with the goal of helping other players determine the opportunity cost of playing that course versus other ones in the area. "If I have one afternoon to play a course in this city or town, which one should I play that's right for my skill level and preferences in a course?" That's the question I seek an answer to when reading others' reviews and that's what I attempt to answer in the reviews I write.

The factors I weigh when reviewing a course:
- Fun factor
- Challenge
- Aesthetics
- Upkeep
- Unique design features
- Course flow
- Variety
- Fairness
- Scoring separation
- Elevation
- Risk/reward
- Wow factor and signature holes
- Tough and interesting greens (obstacles on the green, fast greens, death putts, elevated baskets, etc.)
- Multiple ways to play holes
- Navigation and signage
- Tees and baskets
- Soft spot for water carries and sweeping downhill hyzer holes
- Bathrooms and park amenities can earn a ratings bump, but I won't dock courses without them
- Big points off for poor safety for golfers or other park goers

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RATINGS

I believe that the average course rating across the thousands of courses in DGCR should be 2.5. I also believe that there should be more 2.5-rated courses than any other rating, followed by 2.0's and 3.0's, followed by 1.5's and 3.5's, then 1.0's and 4.0's, and then 0.5's and 4.5's. 5.0's and 0.0's should be exceedingly rare. It should be a bell curve. You can see that my ratings basically follow this bell curve theory, although I don't "force" myself to maintain a perfect bell curve as the courses I play are not necessarily a perfect representative sample of all courses. (For example, if given the choice to play a 4.0 course or a 2.0 course in a city I'm visiting, I'm obviously going to play the 4.0 course.)

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OVERALL TOP 25

1. Black Jack (Sugar Grove, NC)
2. The Fort (Ogden, UT)
3. Rolling Pines (Wilkesboro, NC)
4. Diavolo (Cary, NC)
5. Indian Creek (Huntsville, AL)
6. Nevin Park (Charlotte, NC)
7. Hornets Nest Park (Charlotte, NC)
8. Rockness Monster (Roxboro, NC)
9. Circle C Metro Park (Austin, TX)
10. The Blockhouse - Sunnyside (Spotsylvania, VA)
11. Fox Chase (Albemarle, NC)
12. The Bear (Hickory, NC)
13. The Claytons (Alcoa, TN)
14. Robbins Park (Cornelius, NC)
15. Trophy Lakes (Johns Island, SC)
16. Rock Ridge Park (Pittsboro, NC)
17. Bill Frederick Park - T2: The Turkeynator (Orlando, FL)
18. City Lake Park (Albemarle, NC)
19. Jones Park (Holly Springs, NC)
20. Bradford Park (Huntersville, NC)
21. Sasquatch (Roxboro, NC)
22. Stumpy Creek (Mooresville, NC)
23. Buckhorn (New Hill, NC)
24. Glenburnie Park (New Bern, NC)
25. Moneta Park (Moneta, VA)

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ACES

1. 2010: Buncombe Sports Complex #1, 101 feet (Candler, NC)
2. 01/01/16: Isle of Palms #1, 94 feet (Isle of Palms, SC)
3. 03/12/16: Marcom Woods #9, 130 feet (Morrisville, NC)
4. 10/06/17: Eager Beaver #1, 197 feet (Charlotte, NC)
5. 11/25/17: Downtown Urban Open #4, "The Gap," 42 feet (Cary, NC)
6. 07/02/21: Cedar Hills #1, 218 feet (Raleigh, NC)
7. 07/31/21: The Claytons #2, 238 feet (Alcoa, TN)
8. 08/27/22: Central Park #9, 120 feet (Durham, NC)