Basic Information
Course Location: Mountain View Park
Geographic Location: Clemson, SC (34.70100,-82.83907)
Dates Visited: June 2022, November 2022
Number of Holes: 9
Course Length: 1774 feet, par 29
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, medium
Carts: a couple of steep areas, but probably fine
Potential to Lose Discs: medium; short holes but dense woods
Park Information: https://www.clemsoncity.org/Departments/ParksandRecreation/Facilities/tabid/316/Default.aspx
DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=4074
UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/mountain-view-PEJz
Course Walkabout Video:
Driving Directions: From the intersection of US 76 and SR 133 in downtown Clemson, take SR 133 north 3 blocks to Mountain View Lane and turn left on Mountain View Ln. Winding and residential Mountain View Ln. dead-ends at the park in 0.6 miles. Park in the only blacktop parking lot; #1 tee is on the right (north) side of the parking lot near where you drive in.
Course Constructions:
Tees: 1 per hole, dirt and mulch with wood frame
Baskets: 1 per hole, Mach New II. Double-chained and in good shape on my visit
Signage: tee sign on each hole
Amenities: picnic tables, boat launch
Summary Review: 2.5 Stars (out of 5)
The disc golf course at Mountain View Park is a short 9 hole recreational course that plays mostly through very dense rolling woods. While the hiker inside me likes wooded courses, the thought occurred to me that this course would play better if some of the smaller trees were removed to give players more line of play options. As is, every hole except the first and last seems like an exercise in trying to thread your disc through the one narrow gap in the trees. This exercise is almost always futile for weak recreational players such as myself, and you rarely get the chance to really let one fly. There is no course map posted, but the tee signs indicate the direction to the next tee. I had no trouble following the course's route. I saw no major maintenance issues. Most of the course's area is devoted exclusively to disc golf, so outside interference from pedestrians or cars is rare. Finally, while the scenic lake is frequently seen downhill through the trees, the course never actually reaches the lake. Thus, the opportunity to break the wooded monotony with a lakeside hole gets lost. Overall, I can't say I enjoyed the try-to-miss-all-of-the-trees philosophy that almost every hole here employs, but this course occupies a great wooded plot of land near downtown Clemson. A bit of redesign would make this course a very nice half-round.
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: 172 feet, par 3
Comments: a somewhat boring opening hole, the very dense woods to the right hint at what is to come and need to be avoided. The parking lot to the left should be out-of-bounds (OB), but it is not labeled as such on the tee sign. This is the most open hole on this course. #2 tee is in the woods to the right.
Hole #2: 185 feet, par 3
Comments: this hole plays straight downhill toward the lake. A couple of strategically placed pine trees force you to shape your disc flight carefully. Moving the basket closer to the lake would lengthen the hole and add scenic and strategic value. #3 tee is to the left.
Hole #3: 135 feet, par 3
Comments: the shortest hole on this course is also the best ace opportunity. The fairway is wide enough to allow you to shape your disc flight at least a little. This might be my favorite hole on this course, which says more about the rest of the course than it does about this hole. #4 tee is uphill to the left.
Hole #4: 232 feet, par 4
Comments: now the course turns back uphill for one of its longest holes. The narrow fairway gives you very few strategic options, and the narrowness of the hole makes the par borderline reasonable despite the short length. #5 tee is to the right back toward #4 tee; the tee beside the service road immediately to the right is #9 tee.
Hole #5: 195 feet, par 3
Comments: this hole heads back downhill in the opposite direction as #4. An impenetrable wall of greenery seems to stand between the tee and basket, but a narrow passage exists off to the right. #6 tee is to the left.
Hole #6: 140 feet, par 3
Comments: another short downhill hole through dense trees. An ace is possible here but only with a very accurate disc flight. #7 tee is 20 feet to the left back toward the tee.
Hole #7: 194 feet, par 4
Comments: another densely wooded hole, this one plays across a small swale. Holes #2 through #8 offer only minor variations on the same theme. Also, this hole should probably be a par 3 rather than a par 4. #8 tee is to the left.
Hole #8: 194 feet, par 3
Comments: possibly the most frustrating hole on this course, the fairway is extremely narrow, and trees block any direct route between the tee and basket. #9 tee is across the dirt road behind the basket and to the right.
Hole #9: 327 feet, par 3
Comments: the longest hole on this course, this is an odd finishing hole in the sense that it is not like any of the first 8. This hole plays down a wide gated dirt access road with no good places to throw the disc but along the road. No other obstacles stand between the tee and basket. The road is also part of the park's walking trail, so check for pedestrians before you throw. The area right of the road is OB, but the woods are sufficiently dense that you would not want to throw it there regardless. I like closing with a more open hole after the claustrophobic ones before it, but this hole could use a little more thought and creativity in its design.
