The Ancient Ruins of Carthage
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Pulling into Hillcrest Park, it's clear what is prioritized here. There are top-notch baseball fields and playground & splash area for the kids. And then there's the disc golf course.
- When this course get's proper attention, this can be a decent layout. When fairways are completely overgrown, it's not so much fun.
- There are plenty of open holes. In some ways, these are the best parts of the course. Granted, that's only because you can't notice the neglect. Yes, having clearly laid out fairways is a positive for this course.
- There were two holes that I thought were good, B+-level in terms of quality, design, and enjoyment - #2, an uphill 254-footer and #16, a 265-foot, slight downhill layout with a tree lined fairway. The latter was the only hole that had an actual, well-laid out fairway.
- There are at least a half-dozen holes that would be just as good if this course got proper attention. #9 could be the course's best hole with proper attention. Your approach shot is (in its present state) to a basket that has waste high, or taller, grass three feet to the right of the basket. Cut that height down, widen the green area, and clear out some of the underbrush, and you now have a legit risk/reward approach shot rather than a 'I hope I can find my disc and not a snake' throw, or a safe, 30-foot to the left, bailout throw.
- If you ever want to see the inner workings of a small-town park and rec department, a round here is really a behind-the-scenes tour to see how the sausage is made. Hole #3 plays behind storage sheds and piles of dirt and mulch. #8 plays along the fenced in yard where county vehicles are stored. The walk from #9 to 10 leads you past more P&R equipment. Then, if you're still on the fence about whether you want to work for the county, this recruiting tour's Coup de grāce is the walk through the waste collection center, complete with the opportunity to tee off on #14 right next to one of the dumpsters.
- I was able to spot the tee areas for 15 of 18 holes. In school, that's a solid B or B-. Between wooden posts and some tee signs, you too can play most holes. Add to that, I did spot all but one basket, and even most fairways. And most baskets were still completely upright and not leaning.
Cons: This park offers multiple amenities. All get more attention that disc golf.
- For everyone who says any disc golf course is better than no disc golf course, this will test your beliefs. The directions on the course's DGCR were spot on, even to the point the first tee is a couple steps from the back, right corner of the parking lot. I spot the first tee sign immediately. Solid first impression. Then I try to figure out where the actual tee area is. Don't see markers in the ground. Don't see a frame anywhere. I guess they want you to just throw from that exact spot. And that was one of the easier holes to play.
- Hole #5 is a hole in that it does have a tee marker and a basket, both of which have a #5 on them. What's in between said tee marker and basket is nothing that resembles a fairway. Go to your nearest cluster of trees, underbrush and wild growth. Great. Welcome back. Now tell me, what did it look like? Was it nicely manicured or was it a complete jungle that it'd be difficult to walk through or get a disc through? Chances are it's still easier to get to than it would be from #5's tee to basket.
- #6 & 7 were two open field holes that only served the purpose of giving this course 18 holes. You tee off on one side of the field, play 500 feet to the other side, walk 30 feet away, tee off on the far side, and play to a basket close to where you just were.
- If you go over the fence on #8, or possibly #12, I don't think you're retrieving your disc.
- For a simple course, there were a ton of blind tee shots. As already mentioned, it's not always easy even figuring out where the fairway is on every hole. So, it's not like you can just throw a disc down the fairway and hope for the best. You can throw down the widest area and hope that it is the actual fairway. I guessed wrong on where the fairway was on several holes on the back 9. Can't say I remember ever having to play 'guess the fairway' more than once on a course before. So, there's that.
- I'm sure I could complain about other issues, but I feel I would just be wasting brain cells.
Other Thoughts: Hillcrest was one of the most frustrating courses I've played. The course is clearly an afterthought. There are two good courses nearby so why pour resources into this sunk cost?
- The frustrations mostly stem from the realization that it wouldn't take that much effort to turn this into a better course. One solid weekend of fairway clearing and tee sign / next tee arrow installing, and this course would at least be playable. Just because this will never be an elite course doesn't mean it can't be a solid option for players.
- I really would have been interested in playing the wooded stretch of #9 - 16 were things in more optimal shape. The stretch of #9 - 13 should be the course's best section of holes. Instead, I'm happy I didn't have to search too long for a disc in tall grass, didn't twist an ankle, and only had to walk through two dozen spider webs. #10 and 12 really could be fun holes, and I was disappointed I didn't get a real taste of them.
- When you start playing a lot of courses, you're going to eventually play some bad courses. This course most closely resembles two others that were complete s-shows: Woodward Park in Camden, SC and Lowe Warner Park in nearby Troy. I'd rather see, and play, a course that tops out at a 2.5 rating than just see it completely ignored.
- In this layout, if everything were in good shape - tee pads, tee signs, clear fairways, easy navigation - this tops out in the 2.5 - (maybe) 3.0 range. Based on how the course played in July '19, I'm probably being generous with a 1.5 rating. Based on the fact the most recent course update from a year early, these flaws have been around for a long time. Until things are better, give me Pinehurst or Reservoir Park every time.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Bad, bad, bad
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: There are Innova Disc catcher baskets in pretty good shape.
Hole 8 is a neat tree tunnel shot.There were a few tee pads on the back nine and those holes might be more fun on a replay when you actually know which way to throw and approximate distance
Cons: Navigation is terrible. Course maintenance is non-existent. cars parked in course. Basically a sports complex with a disc golf course as an afterthought.
Some of tee pads that exist on the back 9 suggest there was a re-design at some point because they don't seem to point to any of the baskets.
Other Thoughts: A car was parked on the first tee, so we teed off a bit farther along. There was plenty of parking in the lot but the first tee is shaded so I guess it seemed a much better spot on a 90° day in the Sandhills. There was a car parked in the "fairway" of #2 that we were able to throw around. Hole #3 looked kind of like a junkyard with random items scattered about. Could not find tee for 34 as that was where the tee signs ceased to exist. We teed off in front of a giant pile of sand.
At #5 we realized the tees were marked by posts. There were two rocks on the ground about five feet apart that I thought were possible markers so we threw towards the basket they faced. That was #7 basket so we backtracked and threw to the other basket we could see. That was #6. We never found #5 basket.
#10 tee post is on a hill just past one of the ballfield fences. We couldn't see a basket but there appeared to be a path into the woods. There was a basket in the woods. There were a few red arrows on trees that presumably were intended to aid navigation. Fail. My dad is a man of few words and has never had a negative thing to say about a course. As we holed out on 18 he said, "This is the worst course we've ever played." And we played Springwood Players Course a few weeks ago.
This course could be much better with a little maintenance and signage. Not world class, but I bet it could rate a 3 or so with some work. If I were local, I'd make an effort to give this course some TLC.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
2 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: The back nine has some fun holes when you find them. It varies from wooded holes to sparsely treed holes and there are some good lines there if you can locate them. A few completely wooded holes with clean fairways of good width. A bunch more holes that traverse scattered trees but they are scattered heavily. Lines are tricky and a few verge on plinko but they are fun. More fun than challenging but fun. Underbrush is non-existant and holes are interesting enough for experienced players but simple enough for beginners.
Cons:
The back nine has absolutely the worst navigation I have ever seen. (Not that the front nine is better). Forget scouting the basket. You would have to do concentric circles because from many of the tees, the direction of the fairway is a complete guess. There are scattered trees on all sides. A few of the holes have the tee signs which make that point moot, but for the majority of these holes, the tee sign is missing. All that remains is a post with the hole numbers tacked on. Occasionally there are too flags which mark the throwing line, but that still leaves two options for throwing direction. The poles are also quite difficult to see so it can be hard to find them from the previous basket. All-together, visiting players will do quite a bit of wandering here.
The back nine does end on two holes which play along the park road but the real bad spots of the course are the in the first nine. These holes just aren't much fun. A stretch of holes that play along the edge of the park and among a few piles of equipment and park buildings. Lot of stuff to hit in the fairway and a short fence which separates the course from residential property on the right. After that there is a series of holes which zigzag across an open field. Of course multiple baskets are typically in view and you might throw to one and realize it has the wrong number.
Other Thoughts: For those who know the course, this can be a fun round. But it's not worth the time for players passing by to have to figure it out.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Cool Course in Carthage
1 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: In a nice, easily accessible park. Excellent score cards, without which I'd have probably never made my way through, despite my natural talent for navigation.
A good mix of open and wooded holes. The two Par 4's (6 and 7) will let you let it fly through wide open air. #9 will let you sail it as well, but not as worry free. #8 is a beautifully designed hole, flying through a long tree tunnel, similar to, but longer than #13 on the coming soon Springwood Players' Course.
Cons: Some of the natural tees are hard to find, even with the good map on the back of the scorecard. I never did find #4 and had to make a best guess as to its intended location. Many of the tee signs have evidently been vandalized and are missing from the tall posts on which they were mounted. But hole numbers have been put on most of the signless posts.
Despite its design flaws of crossing a fence and a road, #2 is still a pretty cool hole, making good use of upward elevation. #5 can be misread, as the basket is pretty well hidden in the trees and is much shorter than the card listed distance of 170'. Even with its shortness, it's no gimme, featuring a very narrow gap entering the tree line from the tee, which is in the open.
As noted by other reviewers, some back nine wooded fairways aren't very fair, but are largely discernible and navigable. #16 is probably the worst, but can be easily cured by simply moving the tee about 20' to the left to utilize the beautifully grassy, reasonably wide lane between the two tree stands.
I'll assume that the fallen pine partially blocking #15's green will soon be removed, as the bush and tree on #18 will be trimmed.
Other Thoughts: The sandiness of the soil in the Carthage area should keep the natural tees from turning to mud in the rain. All in all, an enjoyable DG experience. I look forward to playing it again, perhaps on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, along with the other two nearby courses
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Had better days
1 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Nice park, well worth a visit. Skip the DG (see Other Thoughts).
Cons: Numerous missing holes, missing signage. Layout includes several holes in dense pine forest requiring more luck than skill. Overall: not much fun.
Other Thoughts: Doesn't need TLC, needs an intervention. Check out the old fenced-in county cemetery for burying indigents.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Hillcrap
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Layout - It's got some challenge to it; tight tunnels and OB near baskets. The first nine holes are mostly open and the back nine are mostly wooded so it has a balance.
You'll need to be accurate and able to shape shots through gaps on the back nine. The front nine is mostly placement on open shots.
Atmosphere - The back nine has a nice piney feel to it. Not crowded when I played it.
Equipment - The baskets were in pretty good shape.
Cons: Layout - The front nine is terrible. There's a few solid golf shots but overall it's deplorably repetitive and boring. The pics you see are all wrong, it's all open now. You throw a left to right shot towards the basket which sits next to a tall fence more than once.
There's two awkward tweener open holes back to back which just sucks. There's also a crappy little tiny hole. Plus some of the baskets on this side are surrounded by brier and small trees within 5' of the basket.
The back nine is much better but still has some unrealistic lines on a few holes; and still this part of the course is a bit repetitive.
There are some really awkward transitions out on the course. It can be confusing if new.
Equipment - No pads, only a few teesigns showing distance at the beginning. No benches or trashcans.
Atmosphere - You play around some ballfields and near the road in a few places. The park isn't very nice or scenic. You don't feel secluded at all. There's a crap ton of ugly things beside the park like rundown dirty houses, some kind of miserable facility with trashcans leaking trash on the course.
...and there's a graveyard on the course
Other Thoughts: I don't like this place, the back nine isn't enough to redeem how terrible the front nine is. It's funny how people used to complain how plinko the front nine is and how I'm now complaining how terribly wide open and dumb it is.
There's much better options in the area and this place isn't worth your time unless your bagging courses.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Changed
1 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Its a hard course. Holes are a mix of open and wooded. Before this course most of my play had been in wooded areas and I didnt know how much I relied on trees to so me the line.
Not matter how many time I play it kicks my rear.
Cons: Its a dump. You actually do pass by the dump on holes 11-13. And the whole course is in bad need of a trash clean up. Lots of redneck dumping went on in these woods. It is hard as all get out to figure out where all the tees and baskets are. there is no yardage on any whole but 1,2 and 16 i believe.
BEWARE of the fences. You have a fence that run the length of 1 and 3 and if you throw over you are going to have to work to get your disc back. On 8 the fence and barbwire and houses the counties school buses. The last thing you want to do is get bust trespassing on what could be school grounds. Leave the disc and drive around to the facility when you are done. The people there are quite used to being told. "i lost my disc over the fence, can i go get it?" I have never had a problem with getting it a lost disc back. However they do close at 4pm.
Other Thoughts: Over all its ok course that will make you work but isnt a whole lot of fun to play.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
what's left is pretty fun.
4 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Nice Baskets.
Not much undergrowth.
The layout that still exists is actually very challenging and fun. While it does stink that a large portion of the course does not exist anymore (4-9) but If you treat it as any other short 9-12 hole course it's still a fun play.
I really like 10-18 and could find myself playing this layout on a regular basis if I lived in the area.
Cons: The walk from hole 3 to 10 is a long one(walk around the baseball outfield fence)
I do not enjoy throwing over the graveyard on hole 2 kinda creepy if you ask me. I'm not try to get cursed if my disc lands in the wrong place.
There are raised buildings on a few holes that your disc can slide under(as mine did) and it is hard to retrieve.
On holes 1 2 3 and 18 there is a very tall, hard to scale, fence. if your disc goes over and you are not a proficient climber then you may as well say goodbye.
No trashcans
Other Thoughts: this course was a fun layout and if it wasn't for the absence of holes 4-9 I could imagine it being a little more popular in the area. I however think it is worth the play if your around and compliments the other course in So. pines with a little bit of a different look.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Information
3 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Good local course. challanging
Cons: lots of pine trees and still work in progress
Other Thoughts: Just a comment to let everyone know that I have talked with the Parks and Rec department and they are cutting out trees for open space for over flow parking but all baskets in the area that are being cut will be replaced and will open up 3 holes. this will add more variety to the course when complete.
The course is not going anywhere!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
A Shell of its former self
11 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: 18 baskets, yea!
Welp, that's about it. After the park took out the best holes for overflow parking for baseball, you get some less than stellar field holes. Still, it's disc golf and worth a stumble around.
There is a bit of odd character to this course, like the little graveyard in play at the end of hole 2. That and the multiple little storage buildings around give a weird vibe to the course.
No tees but the dirt is okay and you can find most of the tees thanks to wooden posts. Some even have signs on them!
Cons: The worst part of this course is that so much of the course plays around fences. The first 5 or so holes have a fence along the right that borders a neighborhood. Then hole 8 is a crepe myrtle type lined fairway of goofiness with a daunting fence on the right, complete with barbedwire. Then there more than enough tees and holes right next to baseball fences, not ideal.
Some of the new basket locations for the holes taken out by the parking lot are just inside little pockets in the tree line, not awe inspiring design.
Still a lot of broken glass and trash here and there that looks like it's been there for awhile.
Holes #12-14 stink, literally, they're right beside a big dumpster.
Holes #17-18 are just awful. 17 has a good mando to keep you from throwing out into the main park road but there isn't much of a fairway actually. Then 18 is a goofy walk back down the road where you basically have to use the same main park road as the fairway. Just bad.
Other Thoughts: This used to be a solid if not spectacular course that had some challenging in a good way pine tree tunnels of doom holes. Now, those holes are gone. What's left is basically a tour around the baseball field and some filler holes. The good holes here are very reminiscent of OT Sloan, it's that kind of poking around the woods. They did a fair job replacing the lost holes and with a little tweaking here and there they could be fun holes but for the most part they're just wide open field holes.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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1 
7/4/2019 
7/6/2019
Review By: DiscGolfCraig 
This review was updated on 4/28/2022
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