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McWilliams Park reviews
10
0
Moderately Interesting, Moderately Difficult, Moderately Questionable 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jan 15, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
A nice city park with good variety and imaginative use of the space.
-Terrain Variety: A lot of different sections of this park are used. Heavily wooded sections for technical holes, pretty wide open fields next to ball parks, and the in-between biome of sparse hardwoods à la old courses like Brahan or Henry Horton. McWilliams has a little bit of everything.
-Hole Variety: Whoever designed the course did a good job of mirroring the diversity of terrain in the shaping. A nice mix of holes turning different ways, going up or downhill, and varying in length. Also a smattering of par-4s that are on the shorter side but still entertaining.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: It's pretty interesting, with a combination of shot shape choices that that has you slightly surprised all the time. I'd pin it at an intermediate level, as some holes are long enough or tight enough to be out of range for most rec players. Very few holes are unfair. On the whole, I enjoyed it and I think it presented a tasteful if quirky course. A couple of holes are especially notable--(1) is a super cool downhill shot playing into the woods and then turning right on the approach, (3) is a gentle downhill ace run, (14) is a straight to right fade blind shot with more ace potential, and the concluding (18) is a short two-shot hole that may prove remarkably difficult to birdie without great placement.
-Flow: I wouldn't consider McWilliams to be easy to navigate, but it actually has good flow. In other words, the paths aren't obvious but on a second playthrough it would be efficient.
-Terrain Variety: A lot of different sections of this park are used. Heavily wooded sections for technical holes, pretty wide open fields next to ball parks, and the in-between biome of sparse hardwoods à la old courses like Brahan or Henry Horton. McWilliams has a little bit of everything.
-Hole Variety: Whoever designed the course did a good job of mirroring the diversity of terrain in the shaping. A nice mix of holes turning different ways, going up or downhill, and varying in length. Also a smattering of par-4s that are on the shorter side but still entertaining.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: It's pretty interesting, with a combination of shot shape choices that that has you slightly surprised all the time. I'd pin it at an intermediate level, as some holes are long enough or tight enough to be out of range for most rec players. Very few holes are unfair. On the whole, I enjoyed it and I think it presented a tasteful if quirky course. A couple of holes are especially notable--(1) is a super cool downhill shot playing into the woods and then turning right on the approach, (3) is a gentle downhill ace run, (14) is a straight to right fade blind shot with more ace potential, and the concluding (18) is a short two-shot hole that may prove remarkably difficult to birdie without great placement.
-Flow: I wouldn't consider McWilliams to be easy to navigate, but it actually has good flow. In other words, the paths aren't obvious but on a second playthrough it would be efficient.
Cons:
-Bad Lines: Some of the holes out here have suspect lines. (1) is a wonderful hole, but the tunnel of the approach has a very particular starting point that is extremely narrow and difficult to get to, especially for a first-timer. (16) is a straight shot over a deep ditch that is supposed to break left at the end, but the angle that the trees are cut out in doesn't make sense. I can't remember any other specific holes, but a couple of them had me doubting whether there was an ace line at all.
-Lack of Direction: This is a mix of it not being clear where the course starts and failing to provide a course map to aid in getting around once you do begin. More of an issue is that a lot of shots are blind and require guesswork off the tee since there aren't hole maps. There's a substantial element of figuring out the course involved.
-Non-Cohesive: The variety at McWilliams is so great that it barely feels like the same course. Playing it is a bit like taking 2-3 holes from 7 different courses and putting them all back to back. This isn't a big strike on ratings.
-Missing Basket: Basket (3) was gone when I played, but hopefully that has already been remedied.
-Lack of Direction: This is a mix of it not being clear where the course starts and failing to provide a course map to aid in getting around once you do begin. More of an issue is that a lot of shots are blind and require guesswork off the tee since there aren't hole maps. There's a substantial element of figuring out the course involved.
-Non-Cohesive: The variety at McWilliams is so great that it barely feels like the same course. Playing it is a bit like taking 2-3 holes from 7 different courses and putting them all back to back. This isn't a big strike on ratings.
-Missing Basket: Basket (3) was gone when I played, but hopefully that has already been remedied.
Other Thoughts:
McWilliams is quirky, and I can understand why some people hate it. I find myself saying many of the things about it that I say about my 3.5-4.0 courses, though, and I think it's fundamentally a Good course that has some issues of infrastructure and line. Its personality isn't the most convincing, but I would call it a solid mid-level course in terms of both enjoyment and difficulty.
-Amenities: Half-decent baskets, navigational cues on each basket, concrete tees. There are some issues (like not having good maps, and the baskets present look really old), but it's not too bad.
-Amenities: Half-decent baskets, navigational cues on each basket, concrete tees. There are some issues (like not having good maps, and the baskets present look really old), but it's not too bad.
2
0
MakAtak3
Experience:
9.1 years
20 played
12 reviews
Good Park Course 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 9, 2017
Played the course:once
Pros:
1. Layout was pretty good with a mix of long and short holes.
2. Good wooded course with narrow lanes.
3. Course was easy to follow even though direction signs were very basic.
4. Elevated baskets increase the challenge even on short holes.
5. Good mix of par 3 and 4 with one par 5.
2. Good wooded course with narrow lanes.
3. Course was easy to follow even though direction signs were very basic.
4. Elevated baskets increase the challenge even on short holes.
5. Good mix of par 3 and 4 with one par 5.
Cons:
1. Dirt tee pads. Some of the teepads were worn and didn't allow for a safe run up.
2. No true hole maps. Someone drew the hole layout on a pole, but had to use UDisc app to determine the hole layout for some holes.
2. No true hole maps. Someone drew the hole layout on a pole, but had to use UDisc app to determine the hole layout for some holes.
Other Thoughts:
This was my first time playing the course, and although the course has some upkeep issues, I will be playing it again. The course offers a nice challenge and offers a variety of hole placements. With a little more maintenance, concrete teepads, and proper course maps, the course could easily rate a 4 out of 5. Definitely worth playing if you are in the area.
