A collection of challenging birdies that doesn't have particular appeal.

-Amenities: Rubber tees of varying effectiveness, DISCatchers, thorough tee signs with good maps on one set of tees.

-Difficulty: With mostly par-3s in the upper 300s, the course may not be Pro difficulty, but it's more than a match for a player with only intermediate distance. Similarly, though there aren't holes that you'll add to your all-time most difficult list, a birdie is a good score on most of them. This makes Crooked Creek stand out among 9ers, which typical favor novice or recreational level.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: A basic but enjoyable, lightly wooded layout. Most commonly are holes starting more open then working through the fringes of woods to arrive at the basket. Elevation is modest on a few holes, such as the highly enjoyable (7) which fades 390' through a gap and down a hill to the green. Except for a couple easier, downhill, and open holes, drivers will probably be the norm except for those with pro power. Depending on pin positions, some holes turn in to shorter par-4s which provide the best birdies for sub-350' throwers.

-Multi-Pins: There are multiple basket locations on a decent number of holes, offering variety for return players.

-Hazard: Almost constant interaction ballfields, park roads, pavilions, walking trails, and a playground. This can be dangerous (especially on a couple of holes that throw blind towards a sidewalk), sometimes a mid-fairway obstacle, and certainly an eyesore.

-Mud: Substantial mud on multiple holes. I played four courses on the same day and this was the only one with mud.

-Degrading Tees: Several of the rubber tees are paltry. This is a bit of an issue if you're throwing near full power.

-Interest: The holes, while longer and challenging, aren't particularly stunning. This is one of those relatively few courses I've played where the added difficulty doesn't really add interest to the hole, just raises your score. With this terrain and length I could see a 9er rising to a 3.5 rating, but somehow the land and design don't really inspire much from me.

The Pro moniker for this layout at Crooked Creek Park may be a slight over-exaggeration, but it's the hardest nine-hole course I can think of off the top of my head. Some days, this course could deliver a treat with exciting birdie chases, but other times it'll be a lot of drive, layup, putt holes. This variability, to me, is the mark of a Typical course. Perhaps for someone who throws a little farther than me, it'll be tantalizing. To me, it's a mix of good and bad with a lot of ugly park hazards thrown in.

-Multi-Tees: Though tee signs indicate multiple tees per hole, the short tees are natural and not obvious on some holes.

~Similar Courses: The more boring stretches of Perkerson Park (Atlanta, GA); Camp Jordan (East Ridge, TN); Shannon Park (Rome, GA).

The Pro 9 at Crooked Creek is a nice compliment to the Original 18-hole layout. The course offers some enjoyable holes, turning this into a solid 27-hole destination.
- On the hole, the Pro 9 is more challenging than the Original 18. The course is spread out across a big swath of the park, so the designers were able to pick and choose hole layouts, leading to a better overall quality.
- Challenging layouts and/or pin placements. Every hole has some degree of challenge and/or risk. The first three holes play next to ball fields. They're probably the easiest holes on the course, but an errant shot will quickly land OB and force you over the fence to retrieve a disc. From there, other holes have some thick rough or tree lines - highlighted by holes #5, 7 & 9 - that will knock down shots and/or lead to tricky shots back to the fairway.
- There are some solid hole layouts here. I'll highlight two of those. #5 is a 438-foot (long Tee, mid-layout), S-curved shaped hole layout. The tee shot is to a narrow fairway with thick rough to the left and a dried-up retention pond OB to the right. From there is a short approach shot to a tight area around the basket. This is a tense, high risk/reward tee shot. A great tee shot makes this a very manageable three. A poor tee shot will quickly tack on the strokes.
- #7 is a 420-foot (or 390, per the tee sign) open tee shot to a dogleg left basket protected by trees. There's a heavy tree line along the left side of the fairway until the fairway angles 45 degrees back towards the basket. As is the case with #5, a good tee shot, which clears the trees, makes this a simple 3, with even a possible chance at a 2. I had a long birdie putt (50 - 60 foot range) that led to a tap-in 3. If you misplay the lay of the hole, you'll have a challenging approach shot, again leading to possible wasted strokes.
- Good flow to the course. First tee is immediately to the right as soon as you turn into the park entrance. Hole #9 finishes just below the Rec Center building, near the basket for original #5. Course plays over/close to the walking trail on several holes. Other than that, you shouldn't have to worry too much about other park goers.
- The Pro 9 offers more chances to throw driver than the Original 18. The course has more open holes than the Original 18, so there is a different feel and flow to this course. That said, the final three holes feel the most like the Original layout. Not surprisingly, these holes are also the closest to the Original course, so you could also find ways to combine the two courses into one 27-hole loop.

- The biggest negative about this course is that it is way too spread out. Depending where you park, you've either got a long walk from the parking lot to #1, or #9 to the parking lot, or both. Several other spots on the course has longish walks. The worst, due in large part to a semi-poor layout is the walk from #3 to 4. After finishing #3, you essentially walk back along the side of #3's fairway to get back to the tee for #4. Very similar to the transition from #11 to #12 on the Original course.
- The course had a rough, unkempt feel to holes #4 & 5. The grass in the fairways were pretty high. It stood out so much because the other holes were in such good condition. It's as if the grounds crew doesn't tend to the grass on these two holes.
- Hole distances and pin positions are inconsistent. Hole lengths are different on what's listed on this site versus what is listed on the tee signs. Holes with multiple basket positions aren't clearly stated as to what position they're playing. It would have been a bigger headache if I hadn't just dealt with the same problem on the Original 18. By this point, I had learned to accept this, and try to split the difference between possible basket positions.
- With the first three holes playing so close to the ball fields, I'd feel a little uncomfortable playing the holes if there were games taking place. #2, especially, is a tight fairway with the left side being the outfield fence. I'm not sure if there's a hard and fast rule about playing during games, but at the very least, I'd use extreme caution to make sure I don't have a disc accidentally sail over the fence and onto the fields.

- Crooked Creek was always one of my favorite courses. With the addition of 9 more holes to the park, it is nice getting even more Crooked Creek disc golfing experience. That said, I'm split about how much I feel this is an extension of the Original 18 versus being a completely unique 9-hole layout. The big appeal of the Pro 9 is that you've got a excellent 18-hole course right there as well.
- There's a simple way to combine all 27 holes into one loop. Starting at #1 on the Pro course, play all 9 holes, go straight to Original #6 and finish up at #5. That's a solid 90 - 120 minutes of uninterrupted disc golf right there.
- This course has one of the better closing holes for any 9-holer I've played. It's a solid par 4, 474-foot, uphill hole. A slightly tricky tee shot, along with a mid-range or longer second shot to a basket back to the right behind a tree line. I learned the hard way the only basket you see on the approach shot (when #9 is in position A) is the basket for Original #5. Combine this with holes #7 & 8, and you have a really good closing stretch of holes.
- I enjoyed playing the Pro 9. By itself, it wouldn't be worth a special trip to play here. Due to the fact it's the secondary course here, it's worth the time playing after you enjoy a round or two at the Original 18. That said, this is a solid course. It's one of the better nine hole layouts that I've played.