Bethel Park DGC
9 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Bethel Park is a small 9 hole course composed of seven open holes, two wooded holes, and a practice basket. The course has concrete tees and a few of the holes have tee signs. The course features DISCatcher baskets. The wooded holes appear to be new, as part of a small redesign. They were actually two of the more interesting holes on the course.
The course is an excellent place for beginners to learn the basics of the game. None of the holes are overly challenging, and the course does make decent use of elevation on the middle holes. Intermediate and Advanced players who live in the area will still likely be able to have enjoyable rounds here, but they'd mostly be fine tuning certain aspects of their game.
Hole 3 is easily one of the more interesting holes on the course. It appears to be a split fairway these days, with the most obvious line being a 90 degree dogleg left and then up a steep hill. Before I threw I noticed from the tee there looked to be a small gap cut through the trees directly at the basket. I am glad I saw this, because at first I didn't realize which basket I was meant to be aiming for, and just assumed the arrow was a mando.
Holes 4 and 5 play in the woods, and are fairly tight fairways, throwing down and then up a hill.
Cons: The course could definitely use some new signage, a lot of missing/incorrect tee signs. I almost missed Holes 4 & 5 because they aren't obvious at all. Hole 6 was the most obvious place to walk to after finishing up on Hole 3. It would have been a shame to miss them, because Hole 5 was one of my favorites on the course. Hole 4 was a bit overgrown, but still fun.
The par on the tee signs is a bit inflated, but that is probably fine for what the course is meant to be. But it would be a rude wake up call if someone starts playing here, then meanders over to Catawba Meadows for a round.
The concrete tees are all the size of postage stamps. They were barely large enough to throw standstills. This wasn't a problem on the holes where they were even to the ground or I was throwing standstills, but the other holes it was very obvious. At least they've prevented erosion, I guess.
Outside of 3, 4, and 5 - the holes are all pretty bland. Hole 2 was okay, but that was partially because there was a deer off to the side while I was playing the hole.
Holes 3 and 7 throw across a walking path, which even in this seemingly empty park I ended up waiting on people at both holes. Hole 6 (used to be Hole I think) is very close to a picnic area. It isn't much more than a jump putt off the tee, but could be problematic if there are ever two groups using these aspects of the park at the same time. Hole 3 is also a blind shot towards the same area. This might be why the line in the trees has been cut, in order to redesign a safer hole. I played both lines, and they are both fine.
The practice basket is a bit too close to Hole 9's basket. Not sure if the course really needs a practice basket, but from the tee I personally couldn't read which was the correct basket, and hadn't looked at them on my way in. I ended up throwing at the wrong one. Whoops!
Other Thoughts: While Bethel Park likely won't offer much for more experienced players, it is a decent place for beginners in the area to get their first chance to chuck some plastic before graduating to one of the other, bigger courses nearby. For now I am going to give it a rating of 1.5 because it serves that purpose, but there are too many potential conflicts with other aspects of the course. While Hole 3 was interesting, I think the highlights of the course were the wooded holes, and would have loved to see more holes in the woods back there, if there were actually room on the park property for that.
Favorite Hole: 5
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Small Niner, that could be useful
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: It has 9 baskets, all were in good shape when I was there.
Several concrete tee pads, although they are very small.
A few tee signs.
Lots of open space for long throws.
Cons: Several holes are near, or on, the walking path and picnic area.
Some short holes, some wide open long holes.
#4 plays right next to restrooms and over a road.
Not much challenge on most of the holes.
Couldn't find #6 tee either, just make your own.
Other Thoughts: Small 9 hole course in an old neighborhood park with a few other activities. Pretty much the exact opposite of the beautiful, large, new Catawba Meadows park on the other side of Morganton.
This is definitely a family/beginner oriented course, even though there are several holes that are long and wide open.
#3 is probably the funnest hole here, drive along the walking path, then a 90 degree turn straight uphill to the basket.
Bethel Park does have some redeeming qualities:
A good warm-up course before heading over to Catawba Meadows, I played it after CM, since there was rain in the area and I didn't want to make this my only course bagged in town.
Would serve well as a practice course, if you lived in the area.
It's also good for course baggers, only 1.5 miles and one turn off of I-40 (Bethel Road exit), with a nice walking path for the family to use.
Park at the far end of the lot and take the bridge over the creek to the first tee.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Well it's pretty.
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -This is a neighborhood nine hole course, so it's there to raise the interest of locals and send them to play The Bear or Catawba Meadows. One thing that stood out was how pretty it was. The photos on the media look nice but nothing compared to what I saw.
-A couple tee shots that are good for practice. There's one hole here that's really interesting. And many previous reviewers mentioned it. Hole 3. It's an uphill dogleg left. You tee off on the sidewalk and the landing takes you uphill. There are hanging limbs on the trees in play so you could try and learn to throw a grenade on. I threw a huge hyzer up about 50' and was left with maybe a 30' putt.
-Hole 2 was a cool right to left hole. I landed literally an inch from the basket. Good ace run hole. You have to throw around a tree with a wider limbspan.
-The signs list some of the holes as par 4s or 5s but if you're reaching the point where your distance is reaching close to 400' then this is good practice on your driving accuracy (so is Catawba Meadows).
Cons: -Navigation is not easy. When you get to the parking lot, cross the bridge with the blue rail through the woods. I took the first one I saw and the first tee sign I saw was #7. #8 was next and I thought it was back down the field. Nope. ALWAYS tee-off to the right side of the pads here at Bethel. Hole is 270' and it was around that to 6's pin too.
-That takes us to nine. I saw the pad and initially thought you threw a big anhyzer around the tree about 450' down the field. That'd be cool but nope. That's 2's basket we're talking about. Instead you have a boring 330' field shot. I saw this and put my hands on my head and pushed my hair back with great force seeing this.
-#4. So dangerously close to the picnic table. Hole is only 125' so it's easy to get close on, but come on! Really?
-Hole 6's pad I couldn't find, and all I saw was a huge field. The next hole is also wide open. Hole 6 can be a good for practice because a two on that hole (if you can find the pad) would be a darn good one. But #7 is just boring.
-And they said it. Too close to other park activities. No need to get in someone else's way of their afternoon walk. I kinda played this round halfheartedly and quickly got tired of it after I played hole 3.
Other Thoughts: -Hole 3 was interesting and you don't see holes like that, so that one was a real challenge, but from a straight line the hole is only about 200' so if you can really spike it up there, you might be able to get close on this hole. But aside from that, this course is very bland. A guy at my school who's from Morganton told me that he played disc golf once. This was the course and he said it was boring. He was right. But if you want to practice your drives and try to deuce every hole here, that would be a way to improve your game. But Catawba Meadows is nearby and it's also pretty open, you could just play there instead. But the scenery here is nice and it's a nice little park. Decide for yourself whether or not it's worth it.
Update: Some locals in Morganton are establishing a few long pins here. I saw one of them on Facebook and it appears to be a neat downhill throw. Not sure where it is, but I'll upvote this course if I like the changes when I come back.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Marshy & Mostly Flat
6 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: 6 tee signs, 8 baskets were in good condition. Fairly easy to navigate.
Cons: The ground had a lot of standing water.
Most holes were in an open field.
Tee Pads are narrow and short.
Tee signs are missing from holes 2, 4 & presumably 6 (see below).
Holes #3 & #9 go over walking paths.
#7 basket welds were broken, so the basket was lying on the ground.
Other Thoughts: I never found hole #6, I ended up walking about 100' past #5 basket onto the walking path just past the telephone pole and threw from there. #6 basket was leaning way over at about 45 degrees, but I was able to push it back upright and stomp down the mud around it.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.
So many things wrong, but a few right
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: I'm going to be honest, the list of pro's here is short.
Firstly, the park seems to be a fairly nice establishment in itself. Disc golf was definitely an afterthought.
If you're anything Intermediate or higher, this will give you decent practice at up shots. Every single shot, except hole 3, is a straight shot with nearly zero obstacles and zero elevation. This is the definition of field work. At the very least you could dial in the distances on your putters/mids and fairways.
The course has nice signs and even has concrete tee pads (although they're way too small), but at least it's something dry to stand on...
The baskets are at least top of the line DISCatchers.
Cons: The cons are a mile long, but honestly I'll try to keep it short because this course doesn't really deserve too much time spent on it.
Firstly, the overall goal appears to be to appeal to recreation players, as indicated by the exaggerated pars and overall difficulty of the course. However, I still think it does a fairly poor job at that. Most courses like that will not have anything over 300ft, whereas this course has several shots like that. Yea they may be straight and easy, but some are still long for the average rec player.
The worst thing about the course is how it flirts dangerously with other park amenities. Hole 3 is a prime example. The only "blind" shot on the whole course has you shooting up into a picnic table area that is around the corner from the tee pad. Additionally, several holes have you shooting across walking paths, courts and other fields that could be in use.
The park itself seems to be located in a flood zone. The entire area was soggy when I played and was holding fairly large puddles making several holes unplayable.
For anyone Intermediate or higher, this course will be extremely easy. You won't really challenge yourself and you likely won't learn anything about your game. The only reason to play here is to check off another course if you're a junkie.
Other Thoughts: I appreciate the local parks and rec putting a course in, as I usually believe that any course is better than no courses, however in the case of Bethel Park, I'd almost prefer it not exist.
It won't appeal to anyone Intermediate or higher, it's slightly unattainable for rec players, it's wet and often dangerous. The only thing it has going for it are the signs, baskets and the fact that there's a dry spot to stand.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Neglected
1 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Good layout. Course makes a circle starting and ending withing a few yards of each other. Hole 1 and 2 follows along the walking track and a creek runs alongside the track. #3 doglegs left up a steep hill and ends near the restrooms. #4 requies you throw between restrooms and tree. # 5 comes off hill. #6 goes across old soccer field. #7,8 are near tennis and basketball courts. #9 goes alongside walking trail.
Cons: Staff at park work hard to keep this course playable as it is low lying and can become muddy after a wet spell. Construction ongoing at site. Walkers and basketball players often interfere with game. Tee pads small.
Other Thoughts: Nine hole course which is best played during dry conditions as it is subject to muddy areas. All in all it is a fun course.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Bethoring
3 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Layout - Has a couple holes with obstacles. Could be a good place for newer players to learn the basics because it's so wide open; might also be a solid practice area.
The layout is easy to follow.
One hole has elevation change.
Equipment - Has tee signs showing distance and which hole your on. Has super small concrete pads but they're there to at least keep you out of the mud. Baskets still in usable condition.
Atmosphere - It's your average small town ball field park with some extra room on the side for disc golf. The course works around the outside edge of the fields/courts; does a pretty good job of keeping the course away from the other park goers.
Cons: Layout - It's basically a bunch of wide open straight forward shots. The one hole that does have elevation and a tree in the way is super short and easy.
Equipment - The tee pads are super small, I don't even know what the point was with pouring them except to get off the soggy ground for a second.
Atmosphere - Holy Drainage problems Batman! Seriously it's bad here, 5-8 was pretty much unplayable. Was hoping for some more hills considering the location of the place.
Other Thoughts: Overall it's a 9 holer suited more for beginners or a place to practice different shots in a field. They did the best with what they had but in the end it's just one more course crammed in to extra space.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Not much to see here.
2 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Nice baskets, grass stays cut, easy to find, over par'd so it can build confidence, plays quick if you are looking for something fast.
Cons: Only 9 holes, tee pads (although concrete) are a joke due to their size, not much of a challenge (no wooded area at all), constantly having to wait to make sure people are out of your way while they are walking on the track if it is a busy day, some holes can become a swamp after a moderate rain.
Other Thoughts: Like the title says, not much to see here. If you have children you can bring them here and allow them to play, while you sling a few discs and still keep an eye on them at the same time.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Ho Hum
2 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: A breeze of a 9 holes to play. Can finish quickly and build confidence. Easy to navigate. Good signage. Ace runs galore.
Cons: Too straightforward. Very wide open for the most part. Overall somewhat boring and monotonous. Several holes shouldn't be par 4 or 5's. When played as all par 3's, it might pose a little more of a challenge. Not much technical skill required. Course is mostly short and wide open. Miniature tee pads are cute...but that's about it.
Other Thoughts: A nice warm-up to Catawba Meadows.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Open and Straight
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros:
*The course is very easy to navigate, and it's so open, with very few trees and little foliage, that it would be hard to lose a disc.
*There's a good map of the course online.
*The L bend fairway on hole 3 provides the only break from the monotony of the other 8 straight fairways. Hole 3, going uphill (+24 ft rise), also has the most significant elevation change, then 4 and 5 are a bit downhill to take you back to the flat lands.
*Umm... the double chain Discatcher baskets were good too
Cons:
-Lots of potential safety issues with picnic tables and a basketball court too close to the fairways.
-8 of 9 fairways are open straight shots.
-There is very little elevation variety.
-Lack of terrain variety. 7 holes are open grass with very few trees or obstacles while 2 have a few trees. Way too open for my taste.
-Lack of length variety: 7 holes are in the 220-340 range, so they feel very similar.
-The tee pads are tiny and detrimental. They're only about 5 ft long x 3 ft. wide
-Hole 3 was hard to navigate with the L bend and the basket out of view up the hill.
-The pars listed on the online score card are bogus Rec pars. The 325 ft hole 3 isn't a par 5, even if it is uphill, and the 430 ft hole 6 shouldn't be a par 5 either.
-There's a discrepancy on the hole lengths between the tee signs and the score card, especially for hole 3.
Other Thoughts:
Course Level: White (most suited for Intermediate players rated 900)
Being so open the course could be good for new players, but 5 holes are too long for beginners.
Since I was already out in western NC I just played a quick round then got back in the car and hit the road again. Don't go out of your way to play here.
A note about my rating: My rating is a subjective measure of my enjoyment of the course, on the day I played it, and it is NOT intended to be a measure of the quality of the course. My ratings are given "on the curve" in relation to all other courses I've played.
~My more detailed "Overall Rating" notes and "Hole-by-hole Ratings" are available in the Files section.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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1 
7/24/2021 
7/25/2021
Review By: dndelli 
This review was updated on 2/2/2022
Hole #3 (Taken 11/2009) 
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