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McHenry High School West reviews
11
3
D+ = Doesn't have much happenin' for a 9 holer 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 25, 2010
Played the course:once
Pros:
This is a very cool idea for a class gift! Thank you Class of 2009! It is great exposure to the game for lots of kids - I love that these sort of courses exist.
Unfortunately, my rating scale (and review verbiage that is there to back that up) compares this course to all the "real" courses out there, so my appreciation seems diminished....but it is not.
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+
(Hole 1 has pine trees guarding the right side of the basket which sits on a berm for a little terrain variety. Very nice start, but after that things are wide open.....other than hole 8 that plays around the outfield fence of a softball field.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == D+
(Less than half the holes are a distance that makes them challenging/rewarding to birdie....but there are no obstacles to add any spice.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == D
(Hole 1 takes a dead straight or anny for a RHBH to park it. And, hole 8 forces a left turning shot around the outfield fence. Other than that, things are wide open.)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == C-
(The high school is new, the grounds are well maintained and very green, and the surrounding neighborhood is tidy. Seclusion is nil although things are spread out enough that you are not on top of people unless there is a soccer game - they put a soccer field right in the middle of hole 3......how rude!
.)
5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == D+
(There is one 600+' hole that is a true par-4. It's wide open, so no real added intrigue. So, no real bonus points in this department.)
Unfortunately, my rating scale (and review verbiage that is there to back that up) compares this course to all the "real" courses out there, so my appreciation seems diminished....but it is not.
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+
(Hole 1 has pine trees guarding the right side of the basket which sits on a berm for a little terrain variety. Very nice start, but after that things are wide open.....other than hole 8 that plays around the outfield fence of a softball field.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == D+
(Less than half the holes are a distance that makes them challenging/rewarding to birdie....but there are no obstacles to add any spice.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == D
(Hole 1 takes a dead straight or anny for a RHBH to park it. And, hole 8 forces a left turning shot around the outfield fence. Other than that, things are wide open.)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == C-
(The high school is new, the grounds are well maintained and very green, and the surrounding neighborhood is tidy. Seclusion is nil although things are spread out enough that you are not on top of people unless there is a soccer game - they put a soccer field right in the middle of hole 3......how rude!
.)5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == D+
(There is one 600+' hole that is a true par-4. It's wide open, so no real added intrigue. So, no real bonus points in this department.)
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.
