Pros:
(1.328 Rating) A basic bland parkstyle course.
- COUNTS AS A COURSE - On the drive here at 5 AM in the morning, I kept saying to myself, "why am I doing this?!?". I knew it wasn't going to be good from reading the past reviews. But, I wanted to bag it anyways. Baggers are gonna bag I guess. Anyways, it felt like a passable course. Chalk up another tally mark. 8 baskets, 9 tees? some tee signs, some missing tee signs. The gameplay is ok, sort-of, maybe not so much, but it felt golfy. Count it. Moving on.
- QUICK PLAY - I logged an 18 minute round. Of which, 2 were looking for a basket I knew wasn't there. Anyways, it goes quick… like one's confidence after missing a 10-foot putt.
- MAINTENANCE - Mowed in the middle of summer. I only list this as a pro because that's an iffy proposition in some regions I've been to when I'm out in the sticks.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Mostly so.
Cons:
Knowing it's not worth driving more than 10 minutes to play, but doing it anyways from 4 times that distance.
- TEES - The tees are among the worst I've ever seen. Typically it's a small pad of rubber haphazardly thrown on the ground. I got a chuckle on (8) with the tee sign adjacent the basketball hoop pole and no markings on court. Guess one should just wrap their arm around the pole then.
- FINISH - Hole (9) is a terrible way to finish. Without question the lamest hole on the course. I could throw hole (9) one-thousand times and it would hit either metal or grass all one-thousand times. It's completely open and 160 feet long. Also, (8) and (1) is a design flaw using a crossing fairway.
- BLANDISH - The ideal audience imo is MA3s and MA4s. Holes range from 160 feet long to 350 feet long. Holes are either open or lightly wooded. Perhaps one of them I'd label as moderately wooded. Terrain is generally flat with subtle 10 foot slides on a few holes. The gameplay isn't going to wow any higher skilled players.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - Players will probably need a nav app to seamlessly get around. I looked at mine 3 or 4 times. Not all the signs are present. Sign (1) is faded beyond usefulness. It needs an update.
- AMENITIES - So it's been at least 4 years now that basket (5) has been missing. The fact that its still gone is very telling. No extras like benches or alt placements or a practice basket. No restrooms or shelter either.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I went with 25 percentile.
Other Thoughts:
Markesan DGC needs some investment, but unfortunately, I doubt anyone cares about it. It's just Meh gameplay with not even all the basic amenity requirements. As is, to me it's a weak 1.5 with danger of dropping lower if it doesn't get the attention it deserves. No need for anyone other than baggers and town residents to come here. Reminds me of courses like the Woodlawn Union north of Milwaukee, Veterans Memorial in Central Illinois, Lifepoint in North Alabama, Extension Park near Pensacola and Confluence in Oregon.