Indian Foothills Park - South reviews
15
0
One For The Rough Riders
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 28, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Hiding in the woods behind the 18th green of more prominent North course sits the entry to the more rugged of the Foothills courses. It retains the big elevation jumps and falls but leaves a little more wanting in hole design and flow.
Tee pads are all large, and all the Monkey Trap baskets are in great condition and catch very well. Purple probably wouldn't have been my color of choice when so many of the pins are in the shade, but in the end, they do the job.
As mentioned, elevation is the biggest pro of the course. Big downhills like 5, 8, 14, 15, and 18; slow uphills like 3, 9, 13, and 16; over a valley on 7; or changing partway through the hole like the drop left on 17 or jumping up to the green of 2. Also hiding to both sides of hole 12's fairway are elevation drops that are going to hurt your scramble percentage. Most of the tee-to-pin elevation changes are extremely significant but happen slowly over the course of the hole except the green of 2 and teeing off of 5.
The wooded section from 10 to 14 is the standout section of the course. Tight lines on 10 and 12, tough uphill challenges on 11 and 13, and 14 with a big elevation drop off the tee, water to avoid, and a tough green to access make for a great run of holes.
Hole 7 is a very unique, highly wooded hole. Off the tee it drops about 30ft of elevation to a 45-degree bend to the left, then goes back uphill to a 45-degree bend to the right and the pin tucked 60ft after the curve making reaching the green in one impossible and getting there in two a positioning challenge. Not a thriller, but a challenge.
Tee pads are all large, and all the Monkey Trap baskets are in great condition and catch very well. Purple probably wouldn't have been my color of choice when so many of the pins are in the shade, but in the end, they do the job.
As mentioned, elevation is the biggest pro of the course. Big downhills like 5, 8, 14, 15, and 18; slow uphills like 3, 9, 13, and 16; over a valley on 7; or changing partway through the hole like the drop left on 17 or jumping up to the green of 2. Also hiding to both sides of hole 12's fairway are elevation drops that are going to hurt your scramble percentage. Most of the tee-to-pin elevation changes are extremely significant but happen slowly over the course of the hole except the green of 2 and teeing off of 5.
The wooded section from 10 to 14 is the standout section of the course. Tight lines on 10 and 12, tough uphill challenges on 11 and 13, and 14 with a big elevation drop off the tee, water to avoid, and a tough green to access make for a great run of holes.
Hole 7 is a very unique, highly wooded hole. Off the tee it drops about 30ft of elevation to a 45-degree bend to the left, then goes back uphill to a 45-degree bend to the right and the pin tucked 60ft after the curve making reaching the green in one impossible and getting there in two a positioning challenge. Not a thriller, but a challenge.
Cons:
While the elevation is fun, that doesn't necessarily mean the holes are good quality. The gaps to get to the green of 3 are just too sharp on both sides, trying to access the green of 6 requires near-perfect elevation control, both 8 and 15 are wide-open downhill shots, and 16 is a wide open uphill.
Playing near a lot of hazards. Hole 4 tees by a playground; the second shot of 7 is kept from the road by an easily-pierced treeline; 9, 11, 15, and 16 all play near or across the road; 15 and 17 play near picnic shelters... there's a lot to stay away from. But something that presents actual danger is the green of hole 9. To the left of the green are a few bushes that hide a 25ft drop... to the skate park. A disc falling in there wouldn't really be the end of the world, just an annoying walk back down the hill, but with no guardrail by that drop... well, let's not discuss that.
The rough on the first 5 holes is unkempt to almost uninhabitable levels. Even when my Buzzz was only a foot into it on hole 1 it was an adventure getting around all the thorns and branches.
There are some unique hole shapes that are just... poor. Hole 4 is the first example. It doglegs right about 150ft off the tee, then you throw down a narrowing 225ft fairway to a green that is only about 10ft wide with that nasty rough on either side. Hole 5 is a short hole with a 20ft elevation drop almost immediately off the tee that requires a shot that goes hard left immediately out of that gap, with rough looming if you miss the green. Hole 17 plays 200ft straight then dives left into a large downhill clearing in the treeline... with rough behind the pin. And while I talk about the rough a lot, even if it wasn't that bad these holes would still not be enjoyable.
Navigation is trash. Long walks from 3 to 4, 7 to 8, 10 to 11, 14 to 15, and 17 to 18. Crossing roads every 5 or 6 holes and only having tee sign posts on 3 or 4 holes made navigation more challenging than it should be. Make sure you have a map.
Almost zero in the way of course comforts. No tee signs, few benches if any, and the one water fountain is at hole 17.
Hole 13 suffers from drainage in the worst way. The tee was covered in mud when I came through and the green has rutted badly from the rains draining through. Not really a lot that can be done but hopefully the basket doesn't get washed away.
Playing near a lot of hazards. Hole 4 tees by a playground; the second shot of 7 is kept from the road by an easily-pierced treeline; 9, 11, 15, and 16 all play near or across the road; 15 and 17 play near picnic shelters... there's a lot to stay away from. But something that presents actual danger is the green of hole 9. To the left of the green are a few bushes that hide a 25ft drop... to the skate park. A disc falling in there wouldn't really be the end of the world, just an annoying walk back down the hill, but with no guardrail by that drop... well, let's not discuss that.
The rough on the first 5 holes is unkempt to almost uninhabitable levels. Even when my Buzzz was only a foot into it on hole 1 it was an adventure getting around all the thorns and branches.
There are some unique hole shapes that are just... poor. Hole 4 is the first example. It doglegs right about 150ft off the tee, then you throw down a narrowing 225ft fairway to a green that is only about 10ft wide with that nasty rough on either side. Hole 5 is a short hole with a 20ft elevation drop almost immediately off the tee that requires a shot that goes hard left immediately out of that gap, with rough looming if you miss the green. Hole 17 plays 200ft straight then dives left into a large downhill clearing in the treeline... with rough behind the pin. And while I talk about the rough a lot, even if it wasn't that bad these holes would still not be enjoyable.
Navigation is trash. Long walks from 3 to 4, 7 to 8, 10 to 11, 14 to 15, and 17 to 18. Crossing roads every 5 or 6 holes and only having tee sign posts on 3 or 4 holes made navigation more challenging than it should be. Make sure you have a map.
Almost zero in the way of course comforts. No tee signs, few benches if any, and the one water fountain is at hole 17.
Hole 13 suffers from drainage in the worst way. The tee was covered in mud when I came through and the green has rutted badly from the rains draining through. Not really a lot that can be done but hopefully the basket doesn't get washed away.
Other Thoughts:
The South course is definitely the rougher option of the two courses in Marshall. Not that it isn't maintained, but it feels a little more shoehorned into the park than North which exposes its issues more. The big elevation changes can't hide the wild rough or below average creativity of many holes. As for which course to play here if you only have time for one, I recommend the North, but if you like your golf a little rougher, South isn't a bad choice.
9
0
Nothing that stands out 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 22, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
The South course has a nice collection of open and wooded holes. OB forms tight fairways on several holes, especially when woods are on one side of the fairway, forcing certain shots. Multiple pins will provide lots of variety.
Even without multiple tees or pins, there's a lot of variety. Holes curve in various directions, up and down hills, and woods or OB on the right side, left side, or both.
The hills, especially on the downhill shots, force you to maintain speed control on drives and approaches. While this can result in a bunch of layups, there's opportunity for really aggressive shots on holes like 4 and 17, which go downhill but have woods right behind the basket.
Even without multiple tees or pins, there's a lot of variety. Holes curve in various directions, up and down hills, and woods or OB on the right side, left side, or both.
The hills, especially on the downhill shots, force you to maintain speed control on drives and approaches. While this can result in a bunch of layups, there's opportunity for really aggressive shots on holes like 4 and 17, which go downhill but have woods right behind the basket.
Cons:
Bad, bad navigation. Many tee signs are missing, and the next-tee indicators are often not good enough. The hole numbers get off from what the map indicates, so play with a local if possible. There's a hole between what the tee sign says is holes 9 and 10, then the entire back nine is marked one off on tee signs verses course map. At least I think that's the case... there's no way to be certain.
Most of the wooded holes have no real line or force some odd line that is pretty unreasonable. Most of those holes also had weeds or undergrowth in the fairways more than I would expect of a self-respecting course. This place needs some work done on it.
The par 4's didn't feel too interesting. They weren't true 2 shot holes, just longer par 3's. There's certainly room in the woods for some more challenging par 4's, and that's where the design effort should have gone.
The baskets don't stand out super well, and aren't great. I found myself constantly running up to see where the basket is, especially when neither pin could be seen from the tee.
Most of the wooded holes have no real line or force some odd line that is pretty unreasonable. Most of those holes also had weeds or undergrowth in the fairways more than I would expect of a self-respecting course. This place needs some work done on it.
The par 4's didn't feel too interesting. They weren't true 2 shot holes, just longer par 3's. There's certainly room in the woods for some more challenging par 4's, and that's where the design effort should have gone.
The baskets don't stand out super well, and aren't great. I found myself constantly running up to see where the basket is, especially when neither pin could be seen from the tee.
Other Thoughts:
Overall, this is a pretty decent course that needs some work to get a high rating. Multiple pins help, but the alternate tees were mostly pointless, especially with the poor signage.
On holes that play near paths and roads (8, 9, 11, 15, 16), watch before throwing.
This course is worth playing, but if you only have time for one round, I recommend the North course. They both start from the same parking lot, so you can park before deciding which to play.
On holes that play near paths and roads (8, 9, 11, 15, 16), watch before throwing.
This course is worth playing, but if you only have time for one round, I recommend the North course. They both start from the same parking lot, so you can park before deciding which to play.
