Basic Information
Course Location: Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center
Geographic Location: north side of Anderson, SC (34.54514, -82.68154)
Dates Visited: many, most recently August 2022
Number of Holes: 18
Course Length: 4170-4465 feet, par 54
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, high
Carts: usable
Potential to Lose Discs: medium; some dense shrubs and some steep-banked creeks
Area Information: https://andersonevents.com/
DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=4054
UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/the-trails-qlTi
Course Walkabout Video, Front 9:
Course Walkabout Video, Back 9:
Driving Directions: From the intersection of US 76 (Clemson Blvd.) and Civic Center Blvd. on the north side of Anderson, drive Civic Center Blvd. south 0.7 miles to the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center, aka Civic Center, entrance on the right. Turn right to enter the Center, and park in the first parking lot on the left. Two practice baskets stand beside the parking lot, and the information kiosk and first tee are located (north) across the Center's entrance road from the parking lot.
Course Constructions:
Tees: concrete; 1 per hole
Baskets: Innova Disccatcher, older but in good shape. 1 basket per hole, but some holes have alternate basket locations.
Signage: course map near parking lot; hole sign at each tee
Amenities: 2 practice baskets at parking lot; 2 port-o-lets at parking lot; bench at every tee
Summary Review: 4 Stars (out of 5)
The Trails Disc Golf Course has a well-earned reputation as being one of the best short courses in upstate South Carolina. The course occupies a rolling densely wooded plot of land. The course is not long, but the large number of large trees forces you to pick a line of play and throw accurately on most holes; a couple of holes are more open. Thus, strategy is paramount here. A bad disc golfer such as myself can enjoy the course, but a good player will still get tested even though the seemingly endless sequence of short wooded holes might get a little mundane. I had no major route-finding issues; I never had to reference the course map posted at the information kiosk to find the next tee. This course gets quite a bit of use: I came here on a cold Wednesday afternoon in January and still encountered several other groups. Mud will be an issue on some holes if it has rained recently. Overall, I enjoyed my time here, and you probably will too.
Hole-by-Hole Review
Distances taken from hole signs. Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.
Hole #1: 324 feet, par 3
Comments: although the opening hole is one of the longer holes on this course, the hole plays down a gradual hill. Also, while there are plenty of trees around, the fairway is wider than some fairways you will encounter later. Thus, this hole is easier than the distance makes it look. #2 tee is in front of and to the right of the #1 basket.
Hole #2: 198 feet, par 3
Comments: the first in this course's collection of excellent sub-200-foot holes. The hole plays over a couple of sandy-bottomed creeks and then curves sharply left. The bridges only serve to carry you across the creek, and they affect your steps but not your throw. A birdie opportunity will be had with a good first throw. #3 tee is to the right; the tee directly behind the basket is #6 tee.
Hole #3: 225 feet, par 3
Comments: this is the only hole on this course that is roughly aligned north-south; the other 17 are more or less aligned east-west. A slight dogleg left, you don't want to get too aggressive due to the creek behind the basket. Some strategically placed large trees also complicate your decision-making. #4 tee is to the right.
Hole #4: 237 feet, par 3
Comments: a slight dogleg left, this is another tight, wooded hole. The approach plays steeply uphill, thus making this hole play longer than the stated distance. #5 tee is to the right.
Hole #5: 249 feet, par 3
Comments: this downhill dogleg right may be the best risk-reward hole on this course: you have to decide how much of the dogleg to bite off with your tee shot. A good and aggressive first throw will lead to a birdie opportunity. #6 tee is behind and to the left.
Hole #6: 232/204 feet, par 3
Comments: the first hole with alternate basket locations; the rear location is behind a small cluster of trees compared to the front location. The basket was in the rear location when I came here. Tight and slightly uphill, there is nothing really remarkable about this hole. #7 tee is behind and to the left.
Hole #7: 234 feet, par 3
Comments: yet another short, tight, heavily wooded hole. The hole plays moderately uphill with a maze of trees to negotiate between you and the basket. #8 tee is to the left.
Hole #8: 168 feet, par 3
Comments: this hole is the next installment in this course's excellent collection of sub-200-foot holes, and it is my favorite hole on the course. A good throw through an extremely tight gap between two trees will yield a birdie opportunity or maybe even a hole-in-one. There is no "safety path" around the trees, so you may as well give it a go. The road behind the basket is OB, and it is close enough to come into play if you overshoot. #9 tee is at the edge of the woods to the left.
Hole #9: 401 feet, par 3
Comments: immediately after the shortest hole on the course, this is the longest hole on the course. It is also the most open hole on the course. There is no need to challenge the trees to the left unless you insist on the shortest route to the basket. The basket is located just in the edge of the woods with a couple of trees in front of the basket. #10 tee is to the right on the blacktop path.
Hole #10: 314/326 feet, par 3
Comments: the only other truly open hole on the course, this hole is tighter than it looks: the soccer field to the right is OB, and disks easily skip off the blacktop into the dense shrubs on the left. #11 tee is to the left on the blacktop path.
Hole #11: 181 feet, par 3
Comments: this is the "island" hole: everything but a 40-foot circle around the basket is marked as OB. A drop zone is provided in front of the basket. I know some people love this kind of hole design, but I find it gimmicky and artificial. #12 tee is to the left on the same side of the creek.
Hole #12: 204-240 feet, par 3
Comments: the creek on the left is the main threat here, so be careful how much you hyzer to get around the trees in front of the tee. Everything in and left of the creek is OB, and the creek banks are sufficiently steep that you will need to be more agile than I to retrieve your disk if you throw it there. #13 tee is to the right.
Hole #13: 200-270 feet, par 3
Comments: a short dogleg right with a refreshingly wide line of play. The road to the left is OB, but only bad throws will land there. The island from #11, which is behind the basket and also OB, is more in play. #14 tee is across the creek/bridge to the right, so the course route crosses itself here.
Hole #14: 286-325 feet, par 3
Comments: the creek on the right grabs your attention, but this hole is actually a heavily wooded uphill dogleg left. The large number of trees combine with the length to make this hole the hardest hole on the course. #15 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #15: 240-157 feet, par 3
Comments: very clever, tight hole that plays over a ravine. The basket's location on the steep hillside makes putting more challenging. Another one of my favorite holes on this course. #16 tee is to the left.
Hole #16: 210 feet, par 3
Comments: uphill and heavily wooded, the road on the right is OB but only reachable with a bad throw. The basket is directly between two trees, so you have to pick your line of approach carefully. #17 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #17: 225-198 feet, par 3
Comments: another slightly uphill and heavily wooded hole with the OB road now tighter on the right. The repetitiveness of the short heavily wooded holes begins to assert itself here again. #18 tee is to the left and in front of the basket.
Hole #18: 180 feet, par 3
Comments: this course has several great sub 200-foot holes, but this isn't one of them: it is a short, heavily wooded, uphill dogleg right. This hole is somewhat anticlimactic as a finishing hole, and sadly the really good part of this course seems to end at #15 or #16.
