Lots of fun. Jealous of the locals!
3 Helpful / 5 Not
Pros: The nicest signage I've ever seen. Multiple tee pads on most holes and nice over the water shots. Nice baskets. Lots of thought went into the course. Signature hole has to be 9. Shot over the road and you can see the basket through a pipe in the side of the road.
Cons: Probably too easy for the seasoned disc golfer. The back nine was a little plain but I imagine the rough in the summer is much worse.
Other Thoughts: The front nine plays like a beginner course, with more room to open up on the back nine. I scored a -2 so I know this has to be an easy course but still very worth it if in the area. You can really tell people love this place and take care of it. Not far from Asheville.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.
easy, good fun
2 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: a fun little course through a pretty little park along the swannanoa river. the mountain views on the back 9 are beautiful. a nice mix of challenges; trees and water on the front nine, and longer throws on the back.
Cons: right next to i-40, there is considerable traffic noise on many of the holes.
Other Thoughts: this is my everyday course. the different types challenges presented by the front nine and the back nine keep it interesting. the front nine with the trees and water, and the back nine with some longer throws. Aced 18 last time out! i wouldn't drive too far to visit this one, but if you are in asheville or driving by on I-40, do it!
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.
A Tale of 2 Nines
9 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros:
*I like the creek that comes into play on 3 holes on the front 9 and on hole 10. The wooded holes on the front 9 are rather nice.
*Navigation is pretty straight forward.
*I think that the drain pipe in the middle of hole 9 makes it kind of fun. It's like putt-putt in that you can take the safe route over the top or the shorter but much riskier route through the pipe.
*The tee signs are slightly above average. They're hand painted wood.
Cons:
-Most of the back 9 and some of the front 9 are too open for my taste.
-The front 9 is basically flat.
-Lack of fairway shape variety. The front 9 has 7 straight fairways. The back 9 does a little better with only 5 straight holes.
-Ambiance: The course is too close to I-40, so you sometimes hear interstate traffic noise.
-Safety issues. Hole 1 is too close to a soccer field and hole 9 is over an elevated park road.
-The tees on the back 9 are a bit too short.
Other Thoughts:
My Rating = 3.5 out of 10, so on DGCR it's between a 1.5 and a 2.
Front 9 Course Level: Red (most suited for Juniors and Intermediate players rated 850)
Back 9 Course Level: White (most suited for Intermediate players rated 900.)
The front and back nines are very different from each other in topography, elevation changes, and length. The front 9 has some tight holes and the back is mostly open. The front 9 is flat, but the back 9 has some moderate elevation changes. You've got to take the land that you can get, but it feels like a shame that with all the mountains around the front 9 may be on one of the flattest pieces of land in the whole area.
~The back 9 tees are gravel covered with Astroturf. Not my favorite material but they work fine.
~There's a course map of the back 9 only.
~The front 9 is too short for my taste and the back 9 is too open.
Put it all together and the course just doesn't have that much drawing power for me. To give you the picture, every year I attend a conference in Black Mountain and I stay less than 5 minutes away from this course. Even though it's so close, I'd much rather drive over to Richmond Hill instead.
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.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.
I liked it
1 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: Good use of what space was available, several water hazards(#2 had me wondering if I really wanted to throw from the blues). Yes,8 out of the front 9 are short; and the back 9 are totally different, but all in all it's a fun lil course if your passing thru.
Other Thoughts: I was driving thru the area while working, and decided to stop and give it a try; I'm glad I did.Thanks to the 3 locals that I played the last 12 with, it was alot of help with navigating the back 9. I'll definitly stop by the next time I'm in the area.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Overall- This city park course has 18 holes with dual tees, nice baskets, and very nice color tee signs. The course began as 9 holes but is now upgraded to a full 18.
Front- The front 9 is could be described as cute. It is mostly flat but wooded and along creek that can come into play on several holes. #2 is a fantastic hole over the creek to a small landing area in the bend of the creek protected by a large tree. #9 over the bridge with the basket visible through the pipe is also unique.
Back- The land is away from the rest of the park (on the other side of 1-40, through the big tunnel), in a larger area allowing the holes to be longer than the front. The fairways and greens are cut out of tall grass/weeds (at least in the summer). The designers made good use of what few obstacles are there- trees, cables, poles, billboards, etc. There are also a couple of holes that nicely utilize a little bit of elevation on a course that is flat overall.
Cons: Overall- The course is clearly two separate 9-hole courses as they were built in two phases and have 2 contrasting styles. The tees are a mix of natural and turf tees. The turf tees are ok, but are on the short side. Dual tees are nice, but there was not a whole lot of difference between the short and longs on most holes. Some of the longer tees did provide different angles, but most were just a little longer version of the same shot.
Front- The holes 3-6 are narrowly side by side with fairways and tees very close to other holes. A walking trail runs along holes 1, 7, and 8.
Back- It was a little strange playing in what felt like people's backyards on a couple of holes. There is the potential to be really boring in the winter if the tall grass is all gone.
Other Thoughts: The front is great for locals, beginners, and rec players to have fun, as it's not too hard or long. Other than #1, most of the holes can be played with mids and putters. The back has a little more challenge and length, but most experienced players will find this course pretty easy and boring after 1 or 2 rounds. There are lots of birdie opportunities and ace runs here.
It is worth a stop if you are driving by, as it's just off I-40 and is a quick play. But it is probably not worth driving from far away. I wouldn't even highly recommend driving from Asheville unless you are coming to Black Mountain for other reasons.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Short Then Open
5 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Alternate tees, nice tee signs, navigation was easy, nice baskets, good use of creek to make some challenging shots, benches throughout
Cons: Short and lacking variety, walking path goes through some of the front 9 holes, backtracking through some of the fairways to the next tee.
Other Thoughts: I drove 50 minutes from Lake Lure to play this course. I'd suggest stopping by to play this course if passing through, although I'm not sure I'd drive out of my way to play this course.
The front 9 and the back 9 are two different kinds of courses. The first 9 holes play along a creek which make for some interesting shots. The creek can come into play and change your shot decision (risk-reward). A good looking shot can take a bad turn if it takes a bad kick off of a tree and maybe even end up in the creek. When I played, the creek was flowing fast (would have made for a tough time recovering a disc). Hole 2 was memorable where you throw over the creek to a peninsula green. The tree hanging over the creek can bring down any errant throws. Holes 3 and 6-9 bring the creek into play as well.
However, the lack of variety in distance kept nearly all of my discs in my bag except for my putters. I used a driver on the first tee and a putter or mid on the rest of the 9 holes. There are definitely many chances for an ace.
The back 9 holes are played out in an open field. Some of the baskets are tucked away off of the side, giving it somewhat of a challenge. A few mandos added give it a bit more variety.
Even with the course being short and the long tees being not far from the shorts, they do offer a different look and require a different shot for the most part. I'd recommend playing both tees if you have time.
Overall, this course was OK. Not great, not bad. Short and lacking variety. Aces are highly possible and so are good scores.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Big improvement!
3 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: Beautiful surroundings. Very short but fun front nine. After #1 you won't pull out the driver till the back 9. The throw over the water on #2 is always fun. (wear water shoes) Fun shot shaping, aceable holes to finish the front. The back nine was just added to a field on the other side of I-40. These guys did the absolute best job possible with the space they had to work with. The holes are much longer on the back and that tee shot from #16 is a blast!
Cons: The front is short but, it is layed out well. The layout on the back nine is a little confusing the first time but, you are in a field mostly how hard is it really to find the next pad?
Other Thoughts: This is my home course. Since the back nine was added a few months ago, this course has become alot more enjoyable. I would encourage anyone who hasn't played it to come on out. I really don't understand how anyone could rate this a 2 or below. I gave it a five to because it is by no means a 2.5 course. It deserves a 3 - 3.5 now that the back is complete.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.
14 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Beautiful location with mountains as a perfect backdrop. Nice creek that runs along several holes on the front 9. I'd hate having to fish a disc out of the water in the middle of winter. Back 9 plays mostly in a wide open field.
- Front 9 plays on one side of I-40, back 9 on the other side. Front nine plays in the park; back nine is disc golf only. Easy transition from the front to back.
- Great, descriptive tee signs. You can tell a lot of effort went into them.
- Some very cool, unique hole layouts. I loved #9 where you can see the basket through a drain pipe that runs under a bridge, but you have to throw over & around the bridge to get to the basket. I wonder if anyone has ever thrown a tee shot through the pipe or how many have gotten a disc stuck in their attempting to do so. I've also never had to throw around a billboard 30 feet from an interstate before - hole #17.
- Lots of shorter holes mean plenty of chances to make ace runs. Even the longer holes are mostly open, so you can be aggressive for potential birdies.
Cons: Tee pads are hurting. Some are dirt, which is okay because most of those holes aren't long. The other tees are artificial grass boxes, which are only about half as long as they need to be. I couldn't get a full X-step run up on any of the artificial tee pads. The tee pads were also raised up several inches off the ground, which could result in a twisted ankle if not careful.
- The tunnel between the front and back 9 needs a complete guardrail. You can also tell it probably floods pretty easy, so I don't know how easy it would be to access the back 9 if the tunnel is inaccessible.
- Most of the front 9 weaves in and around a walking trail. I played on a slow Monday afternoon, but even then, I had to wait 3 times for walkers to move by before I could throw. I'm sure this is much more of a problem when the course is busier, like on weekends.
- Holes 3 - 5 are essentially the same hole. They're all BHLH throws in the 150 foot range all in a cramped, little part of the park. The whole front really is cramped together in a small part of the park. Now that the course is 18 holes, I would really like to see more use of the land to make some longer, tougher holes on the front 9.
- The back 9 is mostly in an open field. When I first walked out from the tunnel, I saw a bunch of baskets in this open field. Without a map, it'd be really hard to navigate the back 9 without throwing to wrong baskets. Also a note on several holes on the back 9. On #11, the basket is really close to a vegetable garden in somebody's backyard. On #13, you're throwing near, or through, the backyard of an abandoned house to the basket.
Other Thoughts: All in all, the course seems like it may still be a work in progress. The kinks on the back 9 are still being worked out. Better/longer tee pads are a must.
- As mentioned above, now that this is an 18-hole course, it would be great if some of the holes on the front 9 got a makeover, improving the overall quality.
- On the back 9, the fairways and paths between one basket to the next tee are cut grass. Everything else (the rough) is taller grass. As long as the grass is constantly kept short, this strategy will work. If not, it's going to make things more difficult.
- Overall, the front 9 is nothing special. It felt like every small town 9 hole course. As mentioned above, I was surprised the back 9 was better, and more enjoyable than I would have expected.
- I feel a 2.0 is a slight bit generous, especially with the problems noted and the lack of overall difficulty. Still, I was able to manage to play a quick, enjoyable round on my way out of town. It's good that the Asheville area now has a second 18 hole course. And with a course at UNC-A being installed, the area is taking major steps to improving its DG scene.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Open and shut
2 Helpful / 6 Not
Pros: Terrific variety. Legitimate chance for an ace on 13 holes. Multiple tee pads change hole angles and strategy. Plenty of variety.
Cons: Almost too short. Longest hole 325. Can be crowded.
Other Thoughts: Front nine short and tight with some water. Back quite open with most trouble on sides or behind hole. The most fun to play in the Asheville area.
2 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Simple, yet satisfying
8 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: The setting itself is quite nice. Nestled in the mountains, the Front 9 has a handful of interesting water hazards including great one on Hole 2. There are lots of possible ace runs which can be fun. All in all, a short and relaxing course with a little bit of character.
Cons: For those of you looking to test your limitations, this is probably not the place for you unless you're a beginner. The Back 9 is a bit too open for the most part. Because the Back 9 is relatively new, the thick undergrowth around the holes can be a real pain thanks to briars.
Other Thoughts: This is the perfect course to play if you find yourself bored with just an hour or two to spare. You can show up, play a round, maybe get that ace, and be home in time for dinner without being too worn out.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Hole #11 (Taken 6/2009) 
3 / 219ft. 
5+ 
11/21/2009 
9/27/2010
Review By: Olorin 
This review was updated on 5/30/2011
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