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Champions Park reviews
20
0
Flat open ball golf course conversion right off the HWY
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Feb 5, 2023
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
This is a disc golf course bagger's delight: a quality course that is just a few seconds from the highway (course actually backs up to the interstate) that will offer a quick, easy-going round with plenty of challenge despite the open and extremely flat landscape.
Amenities are strong: good Prodigy t3 baskets(****11/23 UPDATE: new baskets have been ordered for the whole course. These T3s have simply fallen apart. This was a bad batch of baskets where chain welds won't hold up despite attempts to repair. So we're dealing with many broken chain assemblies until new baskets arrive, whenever Prodigy is off backorder TBD***) , mulitple tees/ baskets on a few holes, water fountains througout, port-o-potty, detailed signs, good grippy teepads mostly flush with the ground.
Plenty of tight gaps to hit despite the extremely open landscape. Disc Golf HOFer Dave Greenwell loves a good mando in his designs almost as much as he likes to challenge the RHBH hyzer shot. He filled this course with both elements. Double mandos on holes 1, 2, and 4 will seriously affect your scores and make the most of these 180-250ft holes. While there are a handful of open shots, most holes will require some shot shaping to effectively play the hole. (NOTE: the city wouldn't allow trees to be marked with mandos so you will see many metal signs positioned in front of the mando trees. Not ideal but it's workable). The plot of land didn't offer much, but it's maximized for much more challenge than you'd expect.
For such a simple landscape, there will be lots of score separation in competition. For a 900ish player, a good clean day here could score in the low 50s while a slightly-off day could land in the mid 60s. Lots of strategy to consider for course management and lay-ups vs going for it.
It's overall a pretty solid course that offers something very different from all the wooded/hilly courses in the area. Also, Louisvillians have to rejoice that we finally gained a new course within the city limits. It's been nearly 19 years since the last public course was installed (Charlie Vettiner Park).
Amenities are strong: good Prodigy t3 baskets(****11/23 UPDATE: new baskets have been ordered for the whole course. These T3s have simply fallen apart. This was a bad batch of baskets where chain welds won't hold up despite attempts to repair. So we're dealing with many broken chain assemblies until new baskets arrive, whenever Prodigy is off backorder TBD***) , mulitple tees/ baskets on a few holes, water fountains througout, port-o-potty, detailed signs, good grippy teepads mostly flush with the ground.
Plenty of tight gaps to hit despite the extremely open landscape. Disc Golf HOFer Dave Greenwell loves a good mando in his designs almost as much as he likes to challenge the RHBH hyzer shot. He filled this course with both elements. Double mandos on holes 1, 2, and 4 will seriously affect your scores and make the most of these 180-250ft holes. While there are a handful of open shots, most holes will require some shot shaping to effectively play the hole. (NOTE: the city wouldn't allow trees to be marked with mandos so you will see many metal signs positioned in front of the mando trees. Not ideal but it's workable). The plot of land didn't offer much, but it's maximized for much more challenge than you'd expect.
For such a simple landscape, there will be lots of score separation in competition. For a 900ish player, a good clean day here could score in the low 50s while a slightly-off day could land in the mid 60s. Lots of strategy to consider for course management and lay-ups vs going for it.
It's overall a pretty solid course that offers something very different from all the wooded/hilly courses in the area. Also, Louisvillians have to rejoice that we finally gained a new course within the city limits. It's been nearly 19 years since the last public course was installed (Charlie Vettiner Park).
Cons:
I'll further discuss the dog walker and disc golfer dynamic below, but one big issue is dog poop. It's everywhere. Unleashed dogs scampering throughout prevent owners from diligently picking up after their pets (not an excuse, I'll always think you're a terrible human if you don't pick up after your dog). You may even have a situation where a dog snags your disc.
3/29/23 UPDATE: dogs are certainly prevalent but it's really not that bad at this point. They have thinned out a bit since the course was installed and the ones that remain now keep to other parts of the park. I've probably logged 20 rounds and it's not much of a problem now. Still some dog poop to worry about but it's no longer rampant.
Mandos and OB: They're also everywhere--comically, like more than you've ever seen at any other course on this planet. I tend to agree that they're mostly necessary to make a very simple open property more challenging as well as promote throws that don't encroach other fairways or walking paths. However, it's quite a task to carefully read every tee sign and examine the fairways for potential mandos, OB, islands, etc before you throw on most holes. Keeping up with this in a tournament would be especially exhausting.
Navigation: Not totally intuitive. When in doubt, look over your right shoulder for the next tee and pay attention to the black tape on the basket spokes. Especially on the front 9, there are several instances where you'll see what looks like the next tee in front of you when holing out but in reality you'll need to backtrack for the next tee.
Poor drainage and overall bland landscape: This property will flood and hold water due to its close proximity to the Ohio River. The course has utilized high ground whenever possible but expect it to be sloppy in areas after rains.
UPDATE 3/29/23: after a few big rains, the only issues of flooding are in between hole 3 and 4 where a pond will form. It's not really in the way but close enough to add a little extra excitement with these holes. Other than that area, the only other bad spot is around the basket on 15. Not terrible overall.
Regarding the landscape, it's pretty bland. There's non-stop highway noise and acres of open flat fields. Not much serenity here.
3/29/23 UPDATE: dogs are certainly prevalent but it's really not that bad at this point. They have thinned out a bit since the course was installed and the ones that remain now keep to other parts of the park. I've probably logged 20 rounds and it's not much of a problem now. Still some dog poop to worry about but it's no longer rampant.
Mandos and OB: They're also everywhere--comically, like more than you've ever seen at any other course on this planet. I tend to agree that they're mostly necessary to make a very simple open property more challenging as well as promote throws that don't encroach other fairways or walking paths. However, it's quite a task to carefully read every tee sign and examine the fairways for potential mandos, OB, islands, etc before you throw on most holes. Keeping up with this in a tournament would be especially exhausting.
Navigation: Not totally intuitive. When in doubt, look over your right shoulder for the next tee and pay attention to the black tape on the basket spokes. Especially on the front 9, there are several instances where you'll see what looks like the next tee in front of you when holing out but in reality you'll need to backtrack for the next tee.
Poor drainage and overall bland landscape: This property will flood and hold water due to its close proximity to the Ohio River. The course has utilized high ground whenever possible but expect it to be sloppy in areas after rains.
UPDATE 3/29/23: after a few big rains, the only issues of flooding are in between hole 3 and 4 where a pond will form. It's not really in the way but close enough to add a little extra excitement with these holes. Other than that area, the only other bad spot is around the basket on 15. Not terrible overall.
Regarding the landscape, it's pretty bland. There's non-stop highway noise and acres of open flat fields. Not much serenity here.
Other Thoughts:
Champions Park was once a 9 hole ball golf course that has sat vacant for at least 15 years prior to the 2023 DG course installment. In that gap, it's been utilized as a nice fenced-in dog park as well as a popular unofficial off-the-leash dog park. Despite signs spread throughout that remind park users of leash laws, park patrons have used this area as a place to let their dogs roam free (illegally). Now that this course has been installed, it's caused quite a stir with all the dog folks. This has been their place for at least a decade and now the park is filled with disc golfers. There's plenty of evidence they're not thrilled with the new activity in their park. This tension between the dog and DG folks could be an issue for months to come. Please give them the right-of-way, exercise some patience, and remain courteous.
