Franklin, KY

Franklin Simpson DGC

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3.275(based on 22 reviews)
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PastorofMuppets
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 4.8 years 150 played 118 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Franklin falls flat

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 4, 2023 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

1) This multi-use park sits just outside of the Bowling Green area just off I-65. Ample parking, rural views on your drive in, several pavilions and shelters, playgrounds and sports fields.

2) The park/course are very clean and inviting. The park was well loved the times I played, with people utilizing multiple sections of the park. It was still easy to find parking near Hole #1.

3) Innova Discatcher baskets in well used but OK shape that still caught well, Textured concrete tee pads on each hole (2 per hole, one long and one short), and simple, probably a little outdated, tee pad signs that give the relevant information and a crude drawing of the hole shape and features. Course Kiosk with course map near Hole #1 (You will want to take a picture of this now or use something like U-Disc to navigate, Trust Me!)

4) Fairly open bomber course, with some trees in play whenever possible to design a hole around. Mostly flat course, but does take advantage of elevation changes where possible and incorporates them well.

5) Solid mix of interesting basket locations, challenging shot shapes where possible, and variety (which is well done based on the property given to work with)

6) You can play 1-9 (or 10 also really) if you want to loop back to your vehicle after a quick round or proceed on and play the entire course. (Fair Warning - 18 does not end near the parking lot)

7) Definitely a big arm bomber course for those with 400+ power. Even from the shorter tees, if you are under 300+ feet off the tee you will struggle here. A lot of the holes are in that mid 400 ft to low 500 ft par 4's (from the short tees) and you can make a ton of birdies, but it will probably feel like you are playing the same holes over and over on repeat. But if you enjoy letting the disc fly and have the ability, this would be a good course to open up.

8) Simplistic holes with the potential for fun for varying skill levels.
Hole #1 - Easy Putter or Mid downhill with a single guardian tree. Ace Run.
Holes #2, and #3, are pretty much the same, long narrow fairway par 4's that go straight for a while and finish slightly right into semi guarded greens.
Hole #4 - Very similar to a Par 3 version of the previous two holes and just at 250 ft. Short chip forehand or turnover putter.
Hole #5 - Begins your long bomber let it fly holes, slightly uphill and over a rolling hill, wide open. Avoid the fenced in fields to the right.
Holes #6- #10 are very similar, throw hard and far, avoid a single tree, a pavilion, a playground, a parking lot, a basketball court, kids, parents, pets, fishermen, aliens, whatever... Very bland, and nerve wracking when the park is in heavy use. I could see these holes having to be skipped often.
*From here on out the course was flooded both times we played making some holes unplayable. We just looped the front 9 twice, once from each pad but I did walk what I could of the back 9 to give insight.
Hole #11 - (After you find it and make the several hundred yard walk to it) Downhill smash protected by a road and a small rock filled gulley
Hole #12- #14 Are gentle rolling hill wooded slightly narrow tunnel shots. #14 plays next to a creek and seems to be the originating point for most of the back 9 flooding
Holes #15 and #16 are essentially the same hole, throw as hard as you can and avoid the river on the right (another source of flooding if the river is up)
Holes #17 and #18 are short Par 3's one uphill, one downhill with basically the same shape, but alternated elevation.

Cons:

1) SAFETY!!! There are SOOOO many basket locations right next to playgrounds, pavilions, courts, fields, parking lots, and the next tee that you will often be scared to throw a disc. I get it, it's park golf, but I'd rather pack up and go home than risk hitting a child on a playground. Several holes are blind tee shots over small rolling hills directly at pavilions and playground equipment. Nope. Not for me. I don't know how much of these "problem areas" existed when this course was originally put in, but they do exist currently and bring the rating for this course down significantly.

2) Flooding. Both times I've made the trip down to play here all or most of the back 9 has been under water or so muddy with standing puddles that it was impossible to play. Course would have almost been better served as a dedicated strong 9 as opposed to 18 that put 9 holes in the flood plain. The back 9 are much better holes comparitively, but if they are unplayable what is the point.

3) Long walks between holes, no next tee pad directional signs, multiple baskets in view from tee pads without a strong indicator which one you should be throwing to, and as mentioned above, too many blind tee shots that could hit park goers.

4) No protection from the wind or elements. If it's a windy day, this course is so open, and close together in spots, that errant throws will impact others on the course and possibly those using the park for other means.

5) The long trek uphill from 18 back to the parking lot. It's kind of deflating (even though had the hole played uphill back to the parking lot it would have felt different somehow). But after finishing this course and having to trudge your way back up to the parking lot, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Hard to explain, but most of us have been there.

6) Navigation. Beyond the long walks between holes and lack of next tee sign indicators, trying to figure out where you are going next is a nightmare without a picture of the course map or using something like U-Disc. On our last visit we saw that there was a 21 hole layout on U-Disc but we didn't even try and locate the 3 additional holes as most of the back 9 was flooded out again.

Other Thoughts:

Not a skill intensive course and mostly an open bomber park style layout. Will leave most casual golfer uninspired, and some downright infuriated if the park is packed with pedestrians. It's saving grace is the soft par 4's which make shooting under par here very easy for most skill levels. Definitely feels more like a, "just bought a new distance or fairway driver and want to go try it out on a few long lines" course than a really want to work on my game course. Too much course for beginners and I'd say targets the recreational to intermediate golfer with some distance but not refined short games or accuracy. Unless you are local or just trying to bag this course, Bowling Green has better options to spend your day playing.
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12 0
Jaysauls
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 129 played 71 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Grip, Rip and Repeat... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 16, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

I have to admit, when I drove up on a warm, very windy and clear blue sky day, I was enthused. The park is very nice, clean and welcoming. Hole 1 was very easy to find, parking was great and course had a nice vibe. But the warm and fuzzies didn't last long...

#1 is a fun shot down a slope you can run with a putter.

#2 took a moment to find but was a decent - but long - throw to a slightly hidden basket.

Okay, so far, so good.

#3 was a long anhyzer shot, followed by...
#4 being a relatively short forehand shot.
#5 began the flat, straight grip-and-rip-and-grip again. Slightly uphill and over the top.

#6 - #10 were basically the same, throw as hard as you can, as far as you can and maybe have to navigate 1 tree. Sigh.

#11 took me a long time to find, it's a real hike from hole #10 (head with toward park entrance) and was a decent down hill throw with a road to the right and behind the basket. But at least it took a bit of skill

#12 - #14 are the best holes. #12 actually has trees you have to navigate to run the 450' uphill shot!

#13 was a loooong drive to gap in the woods! Now this is golf!

#14 is the best hole in my opinion. Downhill bomber shot that's a narrow shoot to a basket at the edge of a fast flowing river. Nice pucker shot here.

#15 & #16 were essentially the same. Through hard and straight with a river on the right.

#17 & #18 are the last of the chances for a 2. One down hill, one short uphill.

Cons:

I have a real problem with a basket in close proximity to a play ground. With a stout tailwind I sailed a putter to the sliding board. I also had a kid come flying off the playground as another shot was in the air and just about had his noggin' dented

Hole 11 was hard to find and a really long walk. I didn't see any arrows directing the way toward the basket.

Several baskets can be seen from other tee pads, so I through to the wrong basket a couple of times.

Lastly, the walk from 18 is a long one, uphill to the car. So if you've hauled a cart with you, the last thing you want is a long uphill walk to the car.

Other Thoughts:

Course - except for a few holes - is easy to play, wide open shots not requiring a ton of skill. If you can throw 400' you'll love the course. If you only throw 300' like me, it's a long trip around a mostly uninspiring course. But on a positive note, the pars on most of the holes were a 4, so I birdied the heck out of the course ;-)
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6 0
weeman
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.1 years 651 played 61 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not a course for the weak armed 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 21, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As the title suggests, this course is a bomber course even from the short tees. The course sits in a large multi-use park and plays around several of these obstacles. Approximately half the holes are on rolling hills and the other half on level ground. The design uses these elevation changes well throughout the course. Each hole has two sets of tees and large adequate signs. The baskets are in good condition and the grass is almost always well manicured. This is a prime course for rollers as long as you can keep them controlled. A steep cliff drop off comes into play on several holes, making for some interesting putting situations. For course navigation, the tee signs indicate where to go on the subsequent hole.

Cons:

You could fit another hole between each of the holes here with as far as you have to walk. Don't be surprised when you have to walk anywhere between 200-500 feet between a basket and the next tee pad. The long tees add nothing but distance to this course, no character or technical shot shaping added. No trash cans are provided at any of the tee pads besides number 1. Course can become crowded with other park users that aren't related to disc golf, so beware. The basket placement on number 1 is poorly placed due to the kid's playground about 50 feet past the basket. I've seen kids nearly hit with discs and parents picking discs up and throwing them back at the golfers.

Other Thoughts:

Course could greatly benefit from tweeking or an outright redesign. Overall this course makes you drive far and accurately to score well. Not many places where you can get into a lot of trouble but not so much that it would cost you many strokes. Wind can be a big factor here especially on the front nine.
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7 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.6 years 267 played 148 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 16, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is a distance lovers dream, nearly every hole is a crush. There are long and short pads with a good amount of distance between them so players with less D can still get out and enjoy this course.

This is also a great course to work on your up shots. Since the course is so long, nearly every hole takes a good drive, approach and putt to get your par.

Some of the holes have well placed trees and/or nice elevation changes to keep things interesting. Two wooded holes in the back are a nice change of pace. Holes 3, 4, 14 and 15 play close to a large stream which makes a great obstacle. The stream was moving pretty quickly when I was here so stay away from it or lose a disc forever.

Cons:

About half the holes are wide open and can start to get boring.

There's almost no chance of a birdie on most of the holes here (from the long pads) unless you can throw 425+ very accurately. With the exception of holes 1 and 14, the shorter holes seem to be throwing uphill so there's little chance of a birdie without mega distance anywhere.

There are a few very long walks between holes. Next tee is marked on the tee signs so that helps. After hole 18, there's another long walk back to the parking lot.

Bring plenty of water when it's hot out because there is very little shade here.

Other Thoughts:

This is definitely a professional caliber course, but it can be a good place for players of all skill level to work on drives and up shots.

This course is just minutes off I-65.
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