Good use of space
Easy navigation
a mix of woods and open
fun use of elevation

Some broken glass on the fairways and greens
A few 'hidden' baskets that blended into the park

I just played once, and only the 'short' holes but each hole had a little something going for it. With only 9 holes the designer really made it not feel repetitive.

A well-designed park 9 with the benefit of alternate tees/baskets and a couple of memorable throws across a valley




+ Most of the holes have an alternate tee ("A" and "B"), and several have alternate baskets instead. The design is good enough to want to play both for the variety


+ Very clear new signs, good DISCatcher baskets, solid rubber/concrete teepads. Top drawer amenities for a municipal park course


+ Much of the course plays along a hillside across a wide valley from the first tee. There's a flat "shelf" along the hillside, providing nice flat landing zones and fairways for several of the holes, but the designer cleverly placed baskets to give this park course some personality:

The "2B" basket sits on a terrace halfway down the steep slope on the right, to put a premium on gauging your shot (if it's long, it's gone)

Holes 6 and 7 play down and back up a hillside that's dotted with tall pines. There are plenty of open lines, but the real challenge is handling the change in elevation

The basket on 8A sits right up against a long dropoff, and the basket for 8B is across a ravine


The real "hero" shots are on Holes 1 and 9 that play across the wide valley with some marsh, tall weeds and water

- The main walking/biking path for the park is pretty much through the middle of the course. You're throwing over it on the first two holes, alongside it on 3 and 4, and at baskets next to it on 6 and 8. Not a problem if the park is deserted, but there's a chance you'll be waiting for, or yelling "fore", at the same walkers several times

~ I did not see any broken glass or maintenance issues noted in the reviews from a few years ago. The park was clean and the equipment was in great shape



~ You need a considerable arm to play for par on a few of the holes, and that's unusual for a 9 in a park. Hole 4B is an almost 800 foot (with a lot of it uphill) par 4, and 9A is 500+ foot par 3 hole "top of the world" type shot (and if you lose it to the left, you're wet). These are not bad holes at all - but unusually challenging for a "9 in a park."



RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:

The obvious choice is Wickham nearby. I strung together a series of 9's from West to East: Pomfret, Garrison, Creaser and Center Springs. Center Springs far and away the best of the four.

The Course is set towards the back and far end of Center Springs park . There is plenty of parking , and the main building that you passed has a nice bathroom . There is A Post O Let in the lot , closer to the beginning of the course . This is a 9 hole course .
The Equipment - There are either 2 tees or 2 baskets per hole , which can make for a mix-n-match 18 hole layout . The tee pads are rubber and in great shape . The small tee signs are good and informative giving info from both tees or to both baskets . The baskets are Yellow Discatchers . There are some benches scattered in the park . A nice Kiosk is at the end of the parking lot with a course map on it .
The Landscape - The park was clean and mowed when I was here . The course is park style , with some trees guarding cleverly placed baskets . There are some grades to the course , And a huge gully that comes into play for both #1 & #9 . The back hill makes for some uphill ( #5 , #7 ) and downhill ( #6 ) . If your drive strays left either on holes 2 or 3 , you might find yourself at the bottom of a steep hill , #4 has some overgrowth on the left , too . A large nice pond could come into play on hole 9b if you pull it hard left , or 9a if you don't drive it hard enough over part of the pond . The course sits on a scenic piece of the park .
The Highlights - I was kicked off of Wickham because of the pro tour in town , but a lot of the pros picked this course to practice and warm up with . #1 at 366' is a great starter hole , throwing from an elevated tee over a gully to a basket sitting on the hill with trees forming a canopy and a barriers to the green . #2 runs through a tight fairway to one of 2 baskets that are on a dry inlet with a steep dropoff on 3 of the 4 sides . There is a large tree guarding the entrance to the inlet .
#5 ( 646' ) starts from an elevated tee to a fairway with a tree midway . The flat midpoint starts to rise to the left to the basket at the end of a treeline . #9 is a top of the world shot from either tee pad . One goes over part of the pond ( 537' ) to a landing area , then to the basket sittin part way up the hill . The other tee takes the pond more out of play , but still a top of The World shot at 463' .
Signature Hole - #8 . You either attack the shorter basket with a long hyzer shot , or shoot through the trees and over a small ledge to the basket ( 470' ) tucked to the right and close to a dropoff if you have a rollaway .
Time - I played this course in about 35 minutes while dodging the pros . A group of 4 will take all 9 holes in about an hour .
Disc Risk - Minimal if you can keep it away from the overgrowth and steep hill on 2 ,3, & 4. and keep it out of the large pond if throwing over it on 9a . Discs are easy to spot everywhere else .
The course is free and not a secret with the locals . Several were mixed in with the pros at 9:00am on a Friday morning .

Equipment upgrade - The course has been round since 2015 . If you like the attention the course receives and the design , change the rubber tees to cement , and upgrade to bigger and nicer signs .
Only 9 - I was looking at the land here . I think that this course could add at least 3 more holes , and possibly make an 18 hole course if some of the woods was given up for it just past the parking lot .
When playing hole #4 , I saw a man entering the park from the other side with a liquor bottle in a brown paper bag in his hand . I hope this isn't the norm here .
Bring bug spray . The pond brings out the worst in the insect world . Also , you might have to dig through the brush for your disc . I saw a local lose his disc in about 1 /2 feet of overgrowth and get eaten alive while he looked for about 5 minutes .

As far as 9 hole courses go , Center Springs is a breath of fresh air . There is a good amount of variety here , and it's challenging without being intimidating . The park is nice to look at , and the elevation makes for a quick but good workout . If the goal was to make a playable 9 hole course in a small section , then mission accomplished . If I lived close by , I would share disc golf time between here and Wickham . Center Springs is the place to go if you want 30-35 minutes of disc golf after dinner , or right after chores . There is a lost disc dropoff slot in a door facing the pound behind the building ( nice touch ) . Make sure you check the course facepage for league or tournament play . I think they have doubles Thursday evenings . The course receives a lot of care from the parks department . Thanks , for promoting disc golf in the Manchester area .
My Recommendation - With the 2 basket or 2 tee system , this is a great course for intros , newbies , families , dates , 1 discers . and locals . long and challenging enough for intermediates , and amusing enough for ams ot pros to either get a quick round in , or warm up for Wickham Park down the road . Travelers will like the short leg stretcher between interstates in Hartford , and Course Collectors can pick this quick one up , maybe Wickham Keney and Ecker Hill all in the same day . It's only 9 holes , But Deinitely WORTH A PLAY !!!

Scorecard/course map available at course entrance
Bathroom available in the main building as well as a port-a-poddy
Great tee pads with nice rubber matting
Innova DISCatcher baskets easy to see and catch well
Nice use of the land...multiple elevation changes and uses large oak trees well
Fair lines and fair pars on every hole
Several holes that let you bomb it, some in the open (1,5,9) and some carefully around trees (4,6,8) and a few shorter technical holes (2,3,7)

Broken glass covers every hole, be careful picking up your discs
Only 9 holes, would love to see this course expanded to 18

Very nice course with a lot of future potential
Tee pads are top notch and should be in great shape for years to come
Grass is mowed short and finding discs is not a problem (unless you go left on 1 and 2)
The ninth hole is a fun hole...537 feet with about 60+ feet in elevation change...let it rip, but be careful of the pond on the left!
A failed turnover or a hyzer that gets caught up in the wind might lose your disc (I had to wade in a few feet to retrieve a destroyer)
Overall, a very nice 9 hole course that is clearly well taken care of. Would be nice to see this course expanded to 18 holes in the future. I will definitely be playing here again

New tee pads on all nine holes. Local club has done a great job cleaning up the area.

Park is not as clean as you would expect. Lots of broken glass and some litter throughout. Hole five usually has you hiking through some tall weeds but the rest of the holes are very nicely situated.

Enjoy hole 9 and watching your drive just sail on down. Hope you avoid the pond! Course designer does a great job running a league here, doing cleanups and has worked with the town to incorporate improvements. I keep coming back, since it's a small gem in the area.

Nice for a quick 9 holes. Fairly open with a lot of tree trunks in the way. Multiple paths to most baskets from the tee's. On most holes with a good drive if you can avoid trees you can get a clear shot to the basket. Holes 4 and 5 play the longest with 5 stretching my capabilities for a par 3. Hole 8 has a nice ditch in front of the basket that's a perfect natural stop for a good roller. Hole 9 has water to the left which I didn't think would really come into play until I had to wade out 15 feet to recover a Katana that hyzered way out on me. Decent layout that lets you air out a drive on 1,4,5,8 and 9.

Tee's are dirt and soft with lots of ruts. There are tons of roots and 4-6 inch sapling stumps on some of the holes that can alter what would have been a good shot. This should improve with time(at least the sapling stumps). Signage could be a little better. Only other Con is like most New England courses in the fall..... leaves on several holes a great drive in the middle of the fairway could lead to a 15 minute search for a disc. The park was finally cleaned up after about 4 weeks. For a while it was so bad players brought rakes with them. Oh there is also a bench not far in front of the 9th tee that if occupied can be shot altering.

For a new course very good. I'm sure it will get better as the Parks department gets suggestions.