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: 6770 feet, par 60
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: intermediate
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), benches on 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: 4.5 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 Locomotive Line, while the previous review was devoted to just the Freight Line.
The Locomotive Line is Grand Central Station's newer 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 Locomotive Line consists mostly of par 3's, but it also has a few longer holes. In general, the Locomotive Line is longer and tighter, and hence more difficult, than the Freight Line. 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. I withheld 0.5 stars in the overall rating because I found several of the holes rather contrived, as I detail in the hole-by-hole review below. I realize that what I call contrived other players call clever hole design. Also, I write these reviews from the perspective of a recreational player because I am a (bad) recreational player. Thus, even though I liked the Freight Line better than the Locomotive Line, I can see why a skilled player might have the opposite preference. Overall, while I like both lines at Grand Central Station, I slightly prefer the Freight Line because the Locomotive Line feels more contrived.
Hole-by-Hole Review
Distances taken from course map. 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 Freight Line)
Comments: a wide, simple, straightforward opening hole that plays slightly downhill. The cedar trees on the right can gobble up your disk if you miss there. The two lines diverge after this hole. #2 tee for the Locomotive Line is behind the basket and to the left.
Hole #2: 580 feet, par 4 (coincides with Hole #11 on Freight 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. #3 tee is to the left.
Hole #3: 235 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #12 on Freight 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 to the right. #4 tee is to the right.
Hole #4: 260 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #13 on Freight Line)
Comments: still heavily-wooded but the inverse of #3, 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. #5 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #5: 180 feet, par 3 (coincides with Hole #14 on Freight Line)
Comments: the wonderful (or horrible, depending on your point of view) island hole, everything but the mulched area surrounded by boulders is out-of-bounds (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. #6 tee is behind the basket and across the creek.
Hole #6: 250 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #15 on Freight Line)
Comments: now back in a lightly wooded parkland setting, this flat straight hole 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. #7 tee is across the creek and sewer right-of-way to the right and back toward the tee.
Hole #7: 355 feet, par 3 (shares tee with Hole #17 on Freight Line)
Comments: interesting hole that uses the meanders of the creek to the left in a clever way. Essentially the basket sits on a peninsula with the creek on 3 sides. Points in and to the left of the creek are OB, which could definitely come into play on this hole. This may be my favorite hole on this course. #8 tee is behind the basket near the high-voltage power lines.
Hole #8: 740 feet, par 5
Comments: the longest, most uphill, and most contrived hole on this course. Rather than following the obvious line of play up the power line corridor, a pair of mandatories (mandos), neither of which I could find on my visit, forces you to play through a narrow chute to the right cut through dense pine trees. While I understand that skilled players will enjoy the challenge of throwing through the chute, this hole is too contrived for my taste. #9 tee is in the woods to the right.
Hole #9: 200 feet, par 3
Comments: dead straight and one of the narrowest holes I have ever played, some distance and a lot of control will be needed with your tee shot to set up a birdie opportunity. I really like this short hole after the previous long one. #10 tee is behind the basket and to the right.
Hole #10: 370 feet, par 3
Comments: a narrow downhill wooded hole that gets wider as you get closer to the basket. The basket is placed on a V-shaped wooden platform, which makes putting more difficult if you miss long. #11 tee is to the left.
Hole #11: 260 feet, par 3
Comments: the inverse of #10, a tree located directly in the middle of the fairway less than 100 feet in front of the tee will need to be negotiated. After that is accomplished, this is a medium-width straightforward hole. #12 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #12: 450 feet, par 4 (shares tee with Hole #2 and basket with Hole #3 on Freight Line)
Comments: now the course opens up again, and this hole plays south along the park's east boundary to the left. 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. #13 tee is behind the basket and to the left.
Hole #13: 415 feet, par 3 (shares tee with Hole #4 on Freight Line)
Comments: long for a par 3, this hole plays steeply downhill before climbing slightly to the basket. The hole follows a wide low-voltage power line corridor for its entire distance, so you can really drive one here. #14 tee is uphill to the right.
Hole #14: 275 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #5 on Freight Line)
Comments: this flat and straight hole plays across a meadow 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. #15 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 #15 tee.
Hole #15: 740 feet, par 4
Comments: this hole plays downhill all the way through a wide high voltage power line corridor. The power line towers are mandos for the Locomotive Line: you have to throw the disc between the supports and under the crossbar. As with hole #8, I find these mandos contrived, though I can see why skilled players might like them. #16 tee is behind the basket and to the right near the tree line.
Hole #16: 315 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #7 on Freight Line)
Comments: this hole finishes the downhill glide of the previous hole, but it also crosses a small scenic creek before climbing slightly to the basket. The creek is OB. This basket is shared with hole #7 on the Freight Line, so watch for other players on the left side of the power line corridor. #17 tee is in the woods to the right.
Hole #17: 345 feet, par 3 (shares basket with Hole #8 on Freight Line)
Comments: a shorter and straighter variation of Hole #8 on the Freight Line, a hole I liked more than this one. The tee shot plays through a lightly wooded area, so you have to pick your line of play carefully. The basket is located on a steep upslope in an area carved out of dense pine trees. Thus, your angle of approach is critical. #18 tee is uphill behind the basket.
Hole #18: 510 feet, par 4 (coincides with Hole #18 on Freight 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.
