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Flower City DGC - Orange reviews
10
0
A Challenging Second 18-Hole Course For Palmyra 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 30, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
Flower City DGC - Orange is the second course in the park, utilizing the woods and hills in the back part of the property. This new course provides a more secluded setting than its older brother, and uses elevation, trees, and a variety of shot shapes and lengths to provide a challenging round for anyone that plays here.
Location of Flower City Park is on the Northwest side of town, requiring navigation of a couple local roads after exiting Route 61. This is a smaller town of a few thousand, but gas stations and restaurants are around if you need to stop before or after your round. The orange course is a few minutes' drive within the park from the original course, and provides a much different vibe. The black course provides a setting of houses and other park amenities throughout its 18 holes, while the orange course only interacts with woods, corn fields, and a nature trail. If you drive onto the gravel road in the back of the park towards the nature trail and river access, you will eventually come to Well Shelter 1 to your left. Hole 1 is on the other side of the shelter, next to the pond.
Park Amenities are aplenty in Flower City Park, as this park makes up a good percentage of the city's land. The park has 7 total shelters, three of which have water, electric, and playgrounds nearby. There are bathrooms around the park, though it seems like some of them are seasonal. The park also has a large nature trail in the back of the park, multiple tennis courts and baseball fields, and a community pool. There are county fairgrounds in the park as well, making for plenty of infrastructure for larger events.
Course Equipment is coming along nicely on the orange course, with most of it being in place. The baskets are DISCatcher Champion Targets with 28 chains, all of which look super fresh being only a year or so old. The tee signs have a simple vibe to them, with hole numbers, distances, pars, next tee directions, and a graphic of the hole layout. Like with the black course, each hole has a unique nickname, which is always a fun quirk to a course. Most of the concrete tee pads are installed, and are very nice to throw off of. The folks putting this course together have made sure to keep the tee pads level despite some awkward ground levels, which is awesome to see. A few transitions between holes also have next tee directions.
Course Design
Shot Shapes and Hole Design - Flower City Orange incorporates a lot more wooded holes than the black course while also providing some open holes early and late in the round. The course mixes different shot angles to require you to throw plenty of shot shapes for a good score, with plenty of opportunities to throw hyzers, anhyzers, touchy up shots, and longer bombs.
Distances - Hole distances range from 188 to 675 feet long on this course, with the longest hole being the first one you step up to. The course is a par 61 as of the writing of this review, and mixes shorter wooded shots with longer open drives next to corn fields and wood lines. Most of the longer holes are at the start and end of the round, though hole 10 provides a break from the shorter holes at the mid-point of the course.
Elevation - There is a good amount of elevation variety on this course. While the black course mainly has flat or downhill shots, Flower City Orange mixes flat, uphill, and downhill shots throughout the round. Holes 6 and 8 are the most notable uphill shots, with this course having around 3 more uphill shots overall than the black course. Holes 7, 10, and 15 are the most notable downhill shots. The rest of the holes are fairly level with the exception of the valley on hole 9.
Use of Land - This course really snakes around corn fields and valleys to make up its 18 holes. The land this course sits on is surrounded or shared with corn fields, valleys, creeks, trails, and a railroad track, which results in a course that's very spread out. This could be a pro or a con depending on your preferences, but I will say that playing this course made for one of the quietest and peaceful settings to play a round of disc golf so far in my course bagging ventures (when I wasn't smacking trees with plastic).
Difficulty - This course is more challenging than the black course in terms of risk/reward opportunities and accuracy required for a good score. This makes for a nice compliment to the black course, both in terms of course design and difficulty.
Navigation - This seems to still be a work in progress, but there are multiple directional signs along the course that help with navigation. Despite some longer walks, I didn't have to check UDisc for the location of the next hole more than once or twice.
Highlights - Hole 7 is a very fun downhill ace run that also provides a challenging number of trees between you and the basket. Hole 10 is a very fun downhill drive into a gap in the woods, with plenty of risk/reward if you are wanting a birdie. Holes 17 and 18 are fun par 4s with opposite fairway shapes to end the round, with hole 18 challenging you to navigate the gap between the road and a cornfield, a fun challenge when the stalks are high.
Location of Flower City Park is on the Northwest side of town, requiring navigation of a couple local roads after exiting Route 61. This is a smaller town of a few thousand, but gas stations and restaurants are around if you need to stop before or after your round. The orange course is a few minutes' drive within the park from the original course, and provides a much different vibe. The black course provides a setting of houses and other park amenities throughout its 18 holes, while the orange course only interacts with woods, corn fields, and a nature trail. If you drive onto the gravel road in the back of the park towards the nature trail and river access, you will eventually come to Well Shelter 1 to your left. Hole 1 is on the other side of the shelter, next to the pond.
Park Amenities are aplenty in Flower City Park, as this park makes up a good percentage of the city's land. The park has 7 total shelters, three of which have water, electric, and playgrounds nearby. There are bathrooms around the park, though it seems like some of them are seasonal. The park also has a large nature trail in the back of the park, multiple tennis courts and baseball fields, and a community pool. There are county fairgrounds in the park as well, making for plenty of infrastructure for larger events.
Course Equipment is coming along nicely on the orange course, with most of it being in place. The baskets are DISCatcher Champion Targets with 28 chains, all of which look super fresh being only a year or so old. The tee signs have a simple vibe to them, with hole numbers, distances, pars, next tee directions, and a graphic of the hole layout. Like with the black course, each hole has a unique nickname, which is always a fun quirk to a course. Most of the concrete tee pads are installed, and are very nice to throw off of. The folks putting this course together have made sure to keep the tee pads level despite some awkward ground levels, which is awesome to see. A few transitions between holes also have next tee directions.
Course Design
Shot Shapes and Hole Design - Flower City Orange incorporates a lot more wooded holes than the black course while also providing some open holes early and late in the round. The course mixes different shot angles to require you to throw plenty of shot shapes for a good score, with plenty of opportunities to throw hyzers, anhyzers, touchy up shots, and longer bombs.
Distances - Hole distances range from 188 to 675 feet long on this course, with the longest hole being the first one you step up to. The course is a par 61 as of the writing of this review, and mixes shorter wooded shots with longer open drives next to corn fields and wood lines. Most of the longer holes are at the start and end of the round, though hole 10 provides a break from the shorter holes at the mid-point of the course.
Elevation - There is a good amount of elevation variety on this course. While the black course mainly has flat or downhill shots, Flower City Orange mixes flat, uphill, and downhill shots throughout the round. Holes 6 and 8 are the most notable uphill shots, with this course having around 3 more uphill shots overall than the black course. Holes 7, 10, and 15 are the most notable downhill shots. The rest of the holes are fairly level with the exception of the valley on hole 9.
Use of Land - This course really snakes around corn fields and valleys to make up its 18 holes. The land this course sits on is surrounded or shared with corn fields, valleys, creeks, trails, and a railroad track, which results in a course that's very spread out. This could be a pro or a con depending on your preferences, but I will say that playing this course made for one of the quietest and peaceful settings to play a round of disc golf so far in my course bagging ventures (when I wasn't smacking trees with plastic).
Difficulty - This course is more challenging than the black course in terms of risk/reward opportunities and accuracy required for a good score. This makes for a nice compliment to the black course, both in terms of course design and difficulty.
Navigation - This seems to still be a work in progress, but there are multiple directional signs along the course that help with navigation. Despite some longer walks, I didn't have to check UDisc for the location of the next hole more than once or twice.
Highlights - Hole 7 is a very fun downhill ace run that also provides a challenging number of trees between you and the basket. Hole 10 is a very fun downhill drive into a gap in the woods, with plenty of risk/reward if you are wanting a birdie. Holes 17 and 18 are fun par 4s with opposite fairway shapes to end the round, with hole 18 challenging you to navigate the gap between the road and a cornfield, a fun challenge when the stalks are high.
Cons:
Work in Progress - This course is still under construction, with some tee pads and more permanent tee signposts needing to be added. Completion of these tasks doesn't seem to be far off, and will greatly improve the quality of the course as a whole. With all of the wooded holes, this is a course that will improve with age as it gets played more.
Mud and Drainage was the biggest con I noticed on my round. My opportunity to play Flower City came right after some heavier rainfall, so both courses were understandably soggy. That being said, it seems like parts of this course follow some natural drainage areas, with holes 1, 3, and 16 seeming like their fairways use land that is actively used to manage water runoff. This could be an ongoing challenge for parts of the course, as these areas of the course could be wet more frequently and for longer periods of time. Some areas of the course are also a little more challenging to traverse, including walking down hole 7 and across the valley on hole 9. More infrastructure like steps or bridges may be in the plans for the course, which would improve these areas.
Navigation and Flow are not without cons depending on your preferences. This course is very spread out, with hole 10 being the farthest point from the parking area. There are also some longer or confusing transitions, such as between holes 9 and 10, and holes 14 and 15. Some additional direction signs would be good in these spots, as some folks may start second guessing themselves before arriving at hole 10.
Safety may end up being a concern on this course when it comes to interacting with other park uses. It seems as though multiple holes on the back 9 intersect of run along nature trails, with some of these holes being blind shots. This could end up being an issue long term, and additional signage warning disc golfers and trail goers could be a nice additional touch. I didn't realize hole 10 had trail signage along it until I was on the green and had thrown a blind drive off the tee. Holes 12, 13, and 14 also look like they have some trail interaction. Hole 18 also plays along the road and could be a blind shot depending on how risky you're playing. This road doesn't get too much traffic, but just be careful before you throw.
Difficulty - Newer players may not have as fun of a time on this course as it requires longer drives and more accurate tee shots than the black course. Not a con necessarily, but a heads up for newer players that may try this course out. The black course is more accessible if you're still working on consistency and accuracy.
Mud and Drainage was the biggest con I noticed on my round. My opportunity to play Flower City came right after some heavier rainfall, so both courses were understandably soggy. That being said, it seems like parts of this course follow some natural drainage areas, with holes 1, 3, and 16 seeming like their fairways use land that is actively used to manage water runoff. This could be an ongoing challenge for parts of the course, as these areas of the course could be wet more frequently and for longer periods of time. Some areas of the course are also a little more challenging to traverse, including walking down hole 7 and across the valley on hole 9. More infrastructure like steps or bridges may be in the plans for the course, which would improve these areas.
Navigation and Flow are not without cons depending on your preferences. This course is very spread out, with hole 10 being the farthest point from the parking area. There are also some longer or confusing transitions, such as between holes 9 and 10, and holes 14 and 15. Some additional direction signs would be good in these spots, as some folks may start second guessing themselves before arriving at hole 10.
Safety may end up being a concern on this course when it comes to interacting with other park uses. It seems as though multiple holes on the back 9 intersect of run along nature trails, with some of these holes being blind shots. This could end up being an issue long term, and additional signage warning disc golfers and trail goers could be a nice additional touch. I didn't realize hole 10 had trail signage along it until I was on the green and had thrown a blind drive off the tee. Holes 12, 13, and 14 also look like they have some trail interaction. Hole 18 also plays along the road and could be a blind shot depending on how risky you're playing. This road doesn't get too much traffic, but just be careful before you throw.
Difficulty - Newer players may not have as fun of a time on this course as it requires longer drives and more accurate tee shots than the black course. Not a con necessarily, but a heads up for newer players that may try this course out. The black course is more accessible if you're still working on consistency and accuracy.
Other Thoughts:
Flower City Park is very well taken care of, with the park maintenance and upkeep being very noticeable in just about every section of the park. It's always nice to see nice parks like this in smaller towns, and it makes for some good reassurance that the disc golf courses will be well taken care of long term.
This course is still having the finishing touches put on it, and it should age well overall. That being said, time will tell if this course ends up suffering from ongoing drainage issues or if that was simply just the circumstance of playing after a rainy week. I typically don't worry too much about this, but some infrastructure around the course tells me that some fairways may consistently hold water during rainier periods. Hopefully interaction with the nature trail also ends up being a non-issue long term.
So far, Flower City is my favorite place to disc golf in the Hannibal/Quincy region, and the orange course is a great compliment to the black course to make for a great 36-hole complex. When combined with nearby courses, this area can make for a fun day of mostly chill relaxing disc golf.
Flower City-Orange is a fun course, and has a lot of potential to it. If this course was expanded to add tees and pins, along with additional stairs or bridges, this could end up getting a much higher rating from me in the future. With all of the elevation, woods, and open areas on this chunk of land, I could definitely imagine a destination course in Flower City Park. While this course as it stands is not that destination course, it is a fun and challenging experience, and I would recommend it to anyone driving along Route 61.
This course is still having the finishing touches put on it, and it should age well overall. That being said, time will tell if this course ends up suffering from ongoing drainage issues or if that was simply just the circumstance of playing after a rainy week. I typically don't worry too much about this, but some infrastructure around the course tells me that some fairways may consistently hold water during rainier periods. Hopefully interaction with the nature trail also ends up being a non-issue long term.
So far, Flower City is my favorite place to disc golf in the Hannibal/Quincy region, and the orange course is a great compliment to the black course to make for a great 36-hole complex. When combined with nearby courses, this area can make for a fun day of mostly chill relaxing disc golf.
Flower City-Orange is a fun course, and has a lot of potential to it. If this course was expanded to add tees and pins, along with additional stairs or bridges, this could end up getting a much higher rating from me in the future. With all of the elevation, woods, and open areas on this chunk of land, I could definitely imagine a destination course in Flower City Park. While this course as it stands is not that destination course, it is a fun and challenging experience, and I would recommend it to anyone driving along Route 61.
