I rolled out this morning with a Google map in my hand and adventure on my mind.  I used pbreview to search for fields within 100 miles of my house, found a few, then decided to try one out.  After stuffing the Civic with gear enough for any type of game, I first drove to Premier Paintball Park (P3) in Fort Mill, South Carolina.  Here’s what I found.

There are few things as sad as a defunct paintball field.  Where’s the 40 bunker X-Ball field?  Where the “attack the fort scenario?”  Crap.  I can only speculate as to why a field as nice as the pictures on the website would go under in such a short time, but dang it people - support your local paintball field!

My next stop, Palmetto Hills Paintball.  This is an interesting one.  It’s honestly a three minute drive from one of the premier tournament facilities on the east coast, Paintball Central.  Home of the now defunct Baltimore Trauma and Carolina Gridlock programs, Paintball Central is a smooth, professionally-run field.  Palmetto Hills brings an entirely different vibe, and it has its pros and cons.

The Cons

• If you want to buy all day air, you have to do it at the beginning of the day, otherwise they’ll charge you by the fill.  Huh?  So if I arrive with 2K in my tank, play a game, then decide I want to stay and get all day air, it’s no dice - pay up by the fill?  Bizarro.
• The fields.  They have a packed airball field, a fort field with some woods,  and a few other courses.  Imagine throwing some pallets on a par three golf course.  If you can picture that, you have it to a T.

• Safety.  I don’t like being the narc, but I will not let some kid walk around a shootout with his goggles off.  I was never asked to sign a waiver; the refs dress in jeans and hoodies so they look like players, and they typically stand to the side and quietly observe the action.  I couldn’t tell any specific goggles-on area on the property, and it seemed to be okey-dokey to blast off a few shots no matter where you might be.  In one game I tagged a kid in the forehead - one shot, right in the middle.  He yells something, rips off his mask, throws it on the ground, and boots it across the grass.  Safety?

The Pros

• Price.  $7 field fee, $6 all day air.  BYOP or buy it.  As I heard the owner say, “You get what you pay for.”  So, the field may not be the prettiest, but it’s inexpensive.
• The Players.  You can have a lousy set of bunkers and still have a fun game with the right players.  Aside from the temper tantrum kid, the players at Palmetto Hills were a swell bunch.  They also knew the aspects of the layout that weren’t immediately apparent.  What I saw as a set of pallets in tall grass turned out to be a land bridge with hidden creek beds that allowed me to flank the other team - super fun and unexpected.
• The Fields.  Despite decrepit bunkers and brambles, the fields actually played pretty well.  The sparse cover made for some exciting dashes, and the good attitudes kept the games fun.  Not safe, but fun.

Overall, I wouldn’t bring my kid for safety reasons, but it’s fun to mix things up now and then.   And I also took this artsy photo between games.

The Blue Balls of Palmetto Hills