Disc Golf Review - Kentwood DGC

North Carolina hasn't blessed us with very good disc golfing weather in the past few months, but with our light snow cover and fairly navigable roads, Ally A. and I decided to take our chances in the snow yesterday afternoon.

We visited the Kentwood Park Disc Golf Course in Raleigh, NC. Weather conditions were approximately 26 degrees Fahrenheit, snow/ice, with 7 mph winds (23 mph gusts) on a mostly-cloudy day.

Course Established: 1983
Holes: 18 Par 3 holes + 2 Practice Baskets
Course Par: 54
Tee Type: Concrete
Hole Type: Standard
Course Length: 4085 ft.

Kentwood is much like many other courses, in that it is placed right on top of an existing City Park. The terrain is mostly flat, with a few baskets on hilly/rocky areas, and there's a few creeks (water hazards) and ditches to avoid. There are only a few holes which are surrounded by trees, but most of the holes are in wide open areas.

It was very difficult finding the first tee when we first arrived, especially since we'd never played this course before. Hint: The first tee is between the parking lot and the playground equipment, facing the street.

There are benches scattered throughout the course, which is nice for those that need a place to rest. Due to space restrictions, many of the fairways cross each other, and so you'll have to constantly watch for stray discs. We played on a fairly slow day, due to the snow, but I've heard that Kentwood Park is normally packed with people.

This is a great beginner's course in the heart of Raleigh, NC and right next to NC State University. The park has a playground for kids, Tennis Courts, and a baseball field for the members of your group that don't feel like playing disc golf.

Considering the land size they had to work with, I think they designed this course rather well, and it is also well maintained. I just wish they had more markers and signage to assist players to navigate the course.

Overall Rating: 4.00
Difficulty: 6
Easy to Navigate: 3
Terrain: 4
Hazards: 2
Thrower Traffic: 5

Pros:
- Well maintained course.
- Benches available all over the course for those in need of them.
- Wide open fairways for 200-300 distance drives.
- (Qty: 2) Practice Baskets.

Cons:
- Hard and sometimes rocky ground tears into discs.
- Some areas are covered in rocky stones, so bring your comfortable hiking shoes.
- Water hazards (after rain/snow) can cause you to lose discs, or you getting wet.
- Baskets are difficult to distinguish from the surrounding terrain and woods.
- No signage, and difficult to find markers/tees.



*Reviewed By James Wong & Ally A., Course Played On: 3/2/2009

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