Basic Information
Course Location: Grand Central Station Disc Golf Course
Geographic Location: Central, SC; northeast of Clemson, SC (34.71115, -82.78168)
Dates Visited: January 2022, February 2023
Number of Holes: 18
Course Length: 6465 feet, par 59
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, high
Carts: should be fine here
Potential to Lose Discs: low/medium, some heavy woods and disc-eating pine trees
DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=5201
Course Walkabout Video, Front 9:
Course Walkabout Video, Back 9:
Driving Directions: From Clemson, take SR 93 north 5 miles to the town of Central. Turn right on Church Street in downtown Central. Drive Church St. south 0.5 miles to Old Shirley Road and turn right on Old Shirley Rd. Drive Old Shirley Rd. west 0.2 miles to Sanders Road and take a soft right on Sanders Rd. Sanders Rd. deadends at the disc golf course in 0.4 miles. The first tee is to the right of the course map sign past an old wooden farm building.
Course Constructions:
Tees: 1 per hole, mostly concrete pads
Baskets: 1 per hole, Innova Discatcher; in great shape on my visit
Signage: course map at parking area, hole sign at each tee, small signs pointing you to the next tee
Amenities: practice basket, restrooms, drinking water (in season), bench at each tee, picnic tables and shelters, overlook platform (look for the small picnic shelter with a metal spiral staircase leading to its roof)
Summary Review: 5 Stars (out of 5)
Grand Central Station Disc Golf Course is organized into two 18-hole "lines:" the Freight Line and the Locomotive Line. The course's name and terminology are taken from the town of Central's history as a railroad hub: it lies halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte as measured by late 1800's railroad geography. The site features 27 distinct tee pads and 25 distinct baskets, so some holes or minor variations on holes are part of both lines. Some people find the two lines confusing, but I found everything well-marked. I had no trouble following the course route for either line. This park is solely devoted to disc golf, so there are few intrusions from pedestrians or vehicles. This review is devoted to just the Freight Line, while the next review is devoted to just the Locomotive Line.
The Freight Line is Grand Central Station's original 18 hole layout. The course features a nice mix of open, lightly wooded, and heavily wooded holes. The land has enough elevation changes to get your attention but nothing extreme. The Freight Line consists mostly of par 3's, but it also has a few longer holes. The course maintenance was perfect on my visit. Be warned that this course is popular: the sizable parking lot was about half full when I came here on a chilly Wednesday afternoon in early January. The difficulty is about right for a recreational course. The thought occurred to me that adding a set of shorter tees (called the Short Line?) could make the course more beginner-friendly. Also, skilled players seeking more of a challenge might find the Locomotive Line more to their liking even though I didn't like it as much as the Freight Line. Overall, I really enjoyed my round here, and I am making the Freight Line my first 5 star course.
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: 290 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #1 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: a wide, simple, straightforward opening hole that plays slightly downhill. The cedar trees on the right can gobble up your disc if you miss there. The two lines diverge after this hole. #2 tee for the Freight Line is to the right.
Hole #2: 360 feet, par 3 (shares tee with Hole #12 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: another fairly flat hole, but this fairway is narrower with a slight dogleg right. The fairway crosses the park entrance road 238 feet from the tee (distance according to the tee sign), so check for vehicle traffic before you throw. This is the only hole on which cars could pose a problem. #3 tee is through the pine trees to the right.
Hole #3: 270 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #12 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: a slight dogleg right, this hole plays out of a narrow chute of pine trees before crossing a swale. A birdie can be had here with a good first throw. This hole shares its basket with #12 hole on the Locomotive Line, so watch for players on the other line throwing toward the basket from the left. #4 tee is behind the basket atop the hill.
Hole #4: 440 feet, par 3 (shares tee with Hole #13 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: this hole follows a low-voltage power line corridor steeply downhill before doglegging to the right to climb to the basket. The fairway is rather wide, so you can really drive one here. The basket sits on a steep upslope, which makes putting more challenging. #5 tee is uphill to the right.
Hole #5: 315 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #14 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: this dogleg left plays somewhat downhill before entering a narrow chute through pine trees that contains the basket. The pines are dense enough to make for a challenging recovery shot but sparse enough that you should not lose your disc. (Note: I forgot to take a picture while standing on the tee here.) #6 tee is reached via a trail that goes uphill and to the left back toward the tee; it is a couple hundred feet walk to #6 tee.
Hole #6: 740 feet, par 4 (shares tee with Hole #15 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: the longest hole on the Freight Line, this hole plays downhill all the way through a wide high voltage power line corridor. The power line towers are mandatories (mandos) for the Locomotive Line but not for the Freight Line. The basket sits underneath one of the towers, so you need to approach directly from the front to avoid the tower's metal supports. #7 tee is behind the basket and to the left near the tree line.
Hole #7: 500 feet, par 4 (shares basket with Hole #16 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: this hole finishes the downhill glide of the previous hole, but it also crosses a small creek before climbing slightly to the basket. This creek comes into play on several holes, and it might be the most scenic feature on this course. Out-of-bounds (OB) is tight on the left, but there is plenty of room to the right. The creek is also OB. This basket is shared with hole #16 on the Locomotive Line, so watch for other players on the right side of the power line corridor. #8 tee is in the woods to the right.
Hole #8: 455 feet, par 4 (shares basket with Hole #17 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: an interesting dogleg right mostly through a lightly wooded area, but the basket is located on a steep upslope in an area carved out of dense pine trees. Thus, your angle of approach is critical. To make things even more interesting, this hole also plays back over the creek, which is still OB. You need both distance and control on your tee shot to attack the basket in 2. This may be my favorite hole on this course. #9 tee is a couple hundred feet uphill behind the basket; you walk past #18 tee to reach #9 tee.
Hole #9: 280 feet, par 3
Comments: a wide, somewhat boring, gradually uphill hole made interesting only by a light smattering of small trees. #10 tee is behind the basket, as is the parking lot if you only want to play 9 holes.
Hole #10: 320 feet, par 3
Comments: more or less a copy of hole #9 but downhill instead of uphill. These two holes are my least favorite holes on this course. #11 tee is to the right.
Hole #11: 580 feet, par 4 (coincides with Hole #2 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: a long downhill hole. The fairway is wide at first, but it tightens as you enter the woods and approach the basket. A steep drop-off behind the basket means you don't want to miss long. #12 tee is to the left.
Hole #12: 235 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #3 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: a short heavily-wooded uphill hole with a small drainage channel to the left and a cluster of small trees directly in front of the basket. The dogleg left fairway is wider than might be necessary for a hole this short. I chose to go right of the trees to take advantage of my natural right-to-left disc flight, plus there is more room on that side. #13 tee is to the right.
Hole #13: 260 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #4 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: still heavily-wooded but the inverse of #12, this hole is a dogleg right and plays slightly downhill. Again, the fairway might be wider than necessary, but the pines on either side are dense enough to force a tough recovery yet sparse enough to make losing a disc unlikely. #14 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #14: 180 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #5 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: the wonderful (or horrible, depending on your point of view) island hole, everything but the mulched area surrounded by boulders is OB. A drop zone only about 30 feet from the basket still gives you a chance to make 3 and almost guarantees no score higher than 4. While I find island holes contrived, the landscaping and drop zone make this island hole better than most. #15 tee is behind the basket, across the creek and into the woods on the left.
Hole #15: 285 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #6 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: now back in a lightly wooded parkland setting, this flat slight dogleg left plays parallel to the park's north boundary. The creek and points beyond on the right are OB, but it would take a bad throw or ricochet off a tree to end up there. #16 tee is across the creek to the right and back toward the tee.
Hole #16: 195 feet, par 3
Comments: this short hole uses a narrow strip of land between the OB creek on the left and a grassy sewer right-of-way on the right. A mando just in front of the tee forces you to keep your disc left of the sewer right-of-way and take a direct route to the basket, thus forcing you to bring the creek into play. I don't like that mando: why shouldn't I be able to choose a longer and safer route if I want to? Maybe it is there for the safety of players on the #17 tee, but an errant left-to-right flighted disc could still easily get over to that tee. #17 tee is to the right.
Hole #17: 250 feet, par 3 (shares tee with Hole #7 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: now back in the dense woods, this hole starts on flat ground before curving sharply left to climb steeply to the basket. An accurate tee shot will be needed to set up a birdie opportunity. #18 tee is uphill and to the right.
Hole #18: 510 feet, par 4 (coincides with Hole #18 on Locomotive Line)
Comments: a long gradually uphill hole that starts in a dense pine grove before entering an open grassy area about halfway to the basket. An accurate throw off the tee and good distance with the second shot will be required to have a birdie opportunity. That required combination makes this hole a balanced finish to a fantastic and balanced course.
