Leonard Park reviews
15
0
A Terrific Woods Course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 13, 2019
Played the course:once
Pros:
+ Terrific course: lots of elevation changes and heavily wooded, but all holes have fair lines
+ Great teepads and signage. When I played there were brooms at every tee
+ Practice basket at 1st tee. Look for the stone distance markers set in the ground by the practice basket, marking out 5 ft increments from the basket - nice touch!
+ Long and short baskets on many of the holes: make time to play the course twice
+ The course starts out pretty tame with holes #1 and #2. They're wooded, but the fairway gaps are fairly wide. You can use the big tree behind the first basket as a backstop
+ Hole #3 introduces the elevation - pretty dramatically - it's a short hole with the basket perched at the top of a steep hill. Hole #4 is also uphill, but it's longer and a much more gradual change
+ If you're a right-hander, I hope you brought your forehand to hole #6. The basket is off to the right, placed midway up a rocky ridge. The best way in is from the side, so a big sweeping FH is your best bet, knowing the rocks will stop the disc
+ Hole #8 can be devious, because of the way the landscape affects your eye. The basket is off to the right and hidden way down in a valley. All you can see is the dramatically sloped fairway, from high-right to low-left. Plus, there are a couple of big trees off the left side of the tee that can get in your head. This shot will test your ability to concentrate on your line, and not be distracted by everything around it
+ Hole #9 is a big finish to the front. Your drive is up and over a humped fairway, to get down into a wide receiving bowl. The short basket was missing to day I played (you can find the spot for the post in the middle of the fairway landing area). The long basket is off to the left, high up on a rocky ridge. Makes for a challenging approach
+ Hole #10 (and it's little brother Hole #14) are dramatic shots across a valley. This was my first time playing here, so I didn't know it was coming - but I have to think #10 looms in your head for a few holes leading up to it
+ Be careful about going too far right on Hole #11. It's a steep and rocky hill as you get nearer to the basket. Lots of trees and growth. You'll be obstructed and have a poor stance (that's experience speaking...)
+ After the stretch of three or four tough holes, it felt like the course eased up a little on #12 - #14, with #14 being a fun mid/putter across a valley. It's not apparent, but there's a clean hyzer line through the trees on the right
+ #15 is fairly open, but the challenge comes at the "green" - another basket placement on a rocky hillside with possible death putts
+ #16 long is soooo long - I'm guessing the update to the layout combined a couple of par 3's to make this par 5, because the walk from the short basket to the long basket felt like the length of an entire hole
+ The basket on #17 is well hidden in the woods at the base of the hill. It's straight out from the tee even though you can't see it. This is a great chance to open up because it's the first time you're not in the woods. Elevation makes this tricky though, because a disc that turns over will likely keep flying all the way to the OB baseball diamond at the base of the hill. My suggestion is to throw something reliably overstable that's going to hook up for you
+ A fun open finishing hole on #18 - with the option to make it an island green
+ Great teepads and signage. When I played there were brooms at every tee
+ Practice basket at 1st tee. Look for the stone distance markers set in the ground by the practice basket, marking out 5 ft increments from the basket - nice touch!
+ Long and short baskets on many of the holes: make time to play the course twice
+ The course starts out pretty tame with holes #1 and #2. They're wooded, but the fairway gaps are fairly wide. You can use the big tree behind the first basket as a backstop
+ Hole #3 introduces the elevation - pretty dramatically - it's a short hole with the basket perched at the top of a steep hill. Hole #4 is also uphill, but it's longer and a much more gradual change
+ If you're a right-hander, I hope you brought your forehand to hole #6. The basket is off to the right, placed midway up a rocky ridge. The best way in is from the side, so a big sweeping FH is your best bet, knowing the rocks will stop the disc
+ Hole #8 can be devious, because of the way the landscape affects your eye. The basket is off to the right and hidden way down in a valley. All you can see is the dramatically sloped fairway, from high-right to low-left. Plus, there are a couple of big trees off the left side of the tee that can get in your head. This shot will test your ability to concentrate on your line, and not be distracted by everything around it
+ Hole #9 is a big finish to the front. Your drive is up and over a humped fairway, to get down into a wide receiving bowl. The short basket was missing to day I played (you can find the spot for the post in the middle of the fairway landing area). The long basket is off to the left, high up on a rocky ridge. Makes for a challenging approach
+ Hole #10 (and it's little brother Hole #14) are dramatic shots across a valley. This was my first time playing here, so I didn't know it was coming - but I have to think #10 looms in your head for a few holes leading up to it
+ Be careful about going too far right on Hole #11. It's a steep and rocky hill as you get nearer to the basket. Lots of trees and growth. You'll be obstructed and have a poor stance (that's experience speaking...)
+ After the stretch of three or four tough holes, it felt like the course eased up a little on #12 - #14, with #14 being a fun mid/putter across a valley. It's not apparent, but there's a clean hyzer line through the trees on the right
+ #15 is fairly open, but the challenge comes at the "green" - another basket placement on a rocky hillside with possible death putts
+ #16 long is soooo long - I'm guessing the update to the layout combined a couple of par 3's to make this par 5, because the walk from the short basket to the long basket felt like the length of an entire hole
+ The basket on #17 is well hidden in the woods at the base of the hill. It's straight out from the tee even though you can't see it. This is a great chance to open up because it's the first time you're not in the woods. Elevation makes this tricky though, because a disc that turns over will likely keep flying all the way to the OB baseball diamond at the base of the hill. My suggestion is to throw something reliably overstable that's going to hook up for you
+ A fun open finishing hole on #18 - with the option to make it an island green
Cons:
- The only real con is the baskets: the old chainstars are hard to spot in the woods. I carry a rangefinder, and having the scope helps a lot.
- The short basket on #9 was missing when I played (it seems to be in use on #17; I guess they're just down one basket)
- There's some difficulty understanding the courses on uDisc: "Main" seems to be the short baskets, and "New" seems to be the longs, although they both show Par 55. Luckily the on-course signage is really good
- The short basket on #9 was missing when I played (it seems to be in use on #17; I guess they're just down one basket)
- There's some difficulty understanding the courses on uDisc: "Main" seems to be the short baskets, and "New" seems to be the longs, although they both show Par 55. Luckily the on-course signage is really good
Other Thoughts:
~ The terrain reminds me a lot of Veteran's Park in Bridgeport, but Leonard's design is much better
~ One of the aspects that makes Leonard's design a standout is the differing distances of the gaps you have to hit off the tees. A lot of courses use trees to create narrow gaps near the tees. If you clear the big trees 40 feet out, you're fine. Leonard Park's layout features some gaps near the tees (like #2 and #5), but it also has some holes where the gap is 150 - 200 feet out (like #11 and #12). This variety makes every hole its own challenge, requiring its own unique plan for playing
~ With the exception of the two closing holes, this is all woods. I personally think that "best of the best" courses provide a mix of woods and open holes, so I put courses like Brakewell, FDR and Stafford Woods a notch above Leonard Park. But as an almost entirely woods course, Leonard more than holds its own with other woods courses like Doc Cramer, Tyler East, Allaire and Greystone
~ This was my first time at Leonard Park. Reading back through some of the reviews, I have no idea how this course "used to be", but in 2019 it's one of the very best in the area. I don't know if the park employees tend to the course, but the volunteers at WEDGE deserve a ton of credit and thanks
~ One of the aspects that makes Leonard's design a standout is the differing distances of the gaps you have to hit off the tees. A lot of courses use trees to create narrow gaps near the tees. If you clear the big trees 40 feet out, you're fine. Leonard Park's layout features some gaps near the tees (like #2 and #5), but it also has some holes where the gap is 150 - 200 feet out (like #11 and #12). This variety makes every hole its own challenge, requiring its own unique plan for playing
~ With the exception of the two closing holes, this is all woods. I personally think that "best of the best" courses provide a mix of woods and open holes, so I put courses like Brakewell, FDR and Stafford Woods a notch above Leonard Park. But as an almost entirely woods course, Leonard more than holds its own with other woods courses like Doc Cramer, Tyler East, Allaire and Greystone
~ This was my first time at Leonard Park. Reading back through some of the reviews, I have no idea how this course "used to be", but in 2019 it's one of the very best in the area. I don't know if the park employees tend to the course, but the volunteers at WEDGE deserve a ton of credit and thanks
2
4
Tan-Vic-Own-Sim-Moon
Experience:
13 years
93 played
10 reviews
Awesome course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 4, 2016
Played the course:once
Pros:
Great course, ton's of tight holes with good length and huge elevation changes.
Good mix of shorter and longer holes. Very challenging course. Even for the Shawn Simon's of the world.
Good mix of shorter and longer holes. Very challenging course. Even for the Shawn Simon's of the world.
Cons:
Tiring AF! Definitely bring lots of beer and take a couple breaks if you have some lazy bastards with you!
Could use some water holes.
Could use some water holes.
1
2
Distructo
Experience:
18.5 years
1 played
1 reviews
Great Course 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 22, 2015
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
New layout over cliffs
New brick teepads
Easy to follow course
New brick teepads
Easy to follow course
Cons:
Ticks
A little bit of a climb for walking
A little bit of a climb for walking
Other Thoughts:
This course has made a significant turn around after Ryan, the course manager took over. New layouts and teepads made from brick. Its marked well and each hole is true to its hole information.
3
1
safetyman42
Experience:
15.4 years
15 played
3 reviews
Day in the Woods 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Mar 1, 2009
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Lots of diverse shots needed, great scenery, tight through the woods. There is little poison ivy which is a plus in my book. Some great finesse shots strung out all over the course.
Cons:
Hard to navigate if it's your first time, Warn out tees, some new baskets would be nice. Hole three can be a swamp in the summer. Also, during the summer the last hole often is interrupted by a soccer or baseball game. All of the signs could be upgraded.
Other Thoughts:
One of my favorites of all time. I play it a few times a week. The trees either hate you or love you.
