You gotta have faith you can fling it about 325', minimum. You gotta have faith that you can avoid the lake that borders # 4 for about 200'. You gotta have faith that you can stay on the fairways and avoid the jungles that line these long fairways. You gotta have faith that you can somehow miss the parked cars that just might block your intended flight path.

The Community of Hope United Methodist Church is not your typical little church nine hole course, not with three Par 4's and three very legitimate Par 5's. This is a big boy course playing through and over parking lots, by trailers and other vehicles, beside a lake and a canal and has a couple of 90 degree fairways lined with thick Florida jungle rough.

I happened to meet Jim, the course designer and guru, and in the course of our conversation I mentioned that I had found this course on DGCR. He had never heard of DGCR and was intrigued that all this information about his course was on this piece of paper (course information sheet and map) that I had. He was also interested, and somewhat disappointed, in the course's rating of 2.29 based on the ratings of seven reviewers. Having not yet played the course, I explained to him that 2.5 is average and 2.29 is a decent rating for a nine hole course with natural tees that appears to play over and around parked vehicles, parking lots and some small buildings. He also moved his pick-up which was directly in my flight path on hole # 1. There are plans to build another nine in back where the church has recently acquired the neighboring property. This church must employ talented professional landscapers. The grounds are lovely. You feel like you're staying at an expensive resort.

The course starts in the wooded area next to the church. The tees are natural and are very functional. The signs are old school fiberglass kind which always get trashed in any public park setting. Here on the church property, they have escaped any vandalism. The baskets are standard DGA models.

Hole 1 is a 438' Par 4, playing through the trees, possibly over Jim's pick-up and around a utility/concessions type trailer. The par 3, # 2, is 386' and plays over a large parking lot, a landscaped berm and a large church sign. I didn't particularly care for # 3 or 4. # 4 is 458' and has a canal on your right and I was forced to skip one throw there were cars parked in the way. # 4 is way hard. It's 696', starts off down a fairly narrow fairway between a church building and a fence and then plays down another stretch of fairway with the lake on your left for 300' or so. There was way too much of a chance and drowning a disc here for me.

I asked Jim who was the course designed for? Church youth groups? Beginner church members to play after church on Sundays? He said the course is designed as a community course. As other reviewers have mentioned, the course is too long and daunting and treacherous for any beginner or most recreation players. But intermediate players probably won't play here, there are other more attractive 18's nearby. So I kind of see this course as having no real playing audience.

Natural tee lads.

Holes playing over parking lots and the probably chance of parked vehicles.

I consider 700' holes to be a con here.

A good chance your disc will find water.

Some holes have shared fairways but I don't think you would often have to share them as I doubt that this course would get much play.

As you drive down Okeechobee Boulevard to reach the church, you realize that you must be in heart of the bible belt. They are several mega-type church along the street here and another being built right across the street. Maybe, they'll all put in disc golf courses?

If I were the boss here, I'd chop this course up into 18 shorter rec holes, I'd eliminate the water dangers, eliminate the long holes playing over the parking lots and strive to build a fun little rec course that my church members could enjoy.