Lions Park reviews
12
4
C = Don't expect a Harvard education on this course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Apr 1, 2010
Played the course:once
Pros:
What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 9 hole courses:
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == D
(There is basically no punishment for errant shots. The wooded holes are pretty open. The only interesting challenges I saw were the low hanging branches on the 164' uphill hole 9 and the narrowish gap in the very fun 315' downhill hole 6, but those will almost never add an extra stroke for a bad throw.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == C
(3 holes are too short to be rewarding and 1 is too long (325' uphill hole 2) for me. The others are pretty good albeit too wide open for my taste.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == C
(The trees for the most part do not add any real challenge. The course for the most part does not force you to shape your shots in any particular way. The use of the sledding hill for 3 holes is really cool. By far the best hole is the 315' downhill (~30' drop) hole 6. It throws between 2 mature oaks, so you basically have to either go straight at it or do a huge hyzer bomb or thumber over the top. A very fun and very cool hole!)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B-
(The mature oaks that half of the course plays through are quite pretty and the cornfield (at least in season) adds some unique beauty. However, the course is in clear view of other park activities or a street at all times - poor seclusion).
5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C-
(The uphill 570' par-4 hole 4 is a legitimate challenge to get a birdie-3 on. The OB cornfield on the left and the huge water tower at the top of the hill makes this a pretty visually striking hole.)
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == D
(There is basically no punishment for errant shots. The wooded holes are pretty open. The only interesting challenges I saw were the low hanging branches on the 164' uphill hole 9 and the narrowish gap in the very fun 315' downhill hole 6, but those will almost never add an extra stroke for a bad throw.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == C
(3 holes are too short to be rewarding and 1 is too long (325' uphill hole 2) for me. The others are pretty good albeit too wide open for my taste.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == C
(The trees for the most part do not add any real challenge. The course for the most part does not force you to shape your shots in any particular way. The use of the sledding hill for 3 holes is really cool. By far the best hole is the 315' downhill (~30' drop) hole 6. It throws between 2 mature oaks, so you basically have to either go straight at it or do a huge hyzer bomb or thumber over the top. A very fun and very cool hole!)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B-
(The mature oaks that half of the course plays through are quite pretty and the cornfield (at least in season) adds some unique beauty. However, the course is in clear view of other park activities or a street at all times - poor seclusion).
5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C-
(The uphill 570' par-4 hole 4 is a legitimate challenge to get a birdie-3 on. The OB cornfield on the left and the huge water tower at the top of the hill makes this a pretty visually striking hole.)
Cons:
I really hope the park moves the unsafe tee for #3 to the top of the sledding hill. That would add much more fun (downhill throws are a blast!), a shorter walk from basket 2, and increase the safety for other park users.
Other Thoughts:
It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well this course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. See my profile for specifics on my rating philosophy.
I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (150+ 18-hole, 90+ 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.
I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me.....and that's the fun of things here.
I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (150+ 18-hole, 90+ 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.
I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me.....and that's the fun of things here.
