Pros:
- Molex is an odd but fun course tucked neatly into the extremely well-manicured campus of global electronics giant Molex. Private, but playable by the general public.
- The design makes a heroic effort at squeezing out every last bit of potential awesomeness available on such a tiny bit of land. The course plays back and forth over the same stretches of land repeatedly, making this course a utter nightmare of a snarl if ever there were several groups playing simultaneously; however, this is necessary to get nine fairly decent holes and also probably rarely happens, as the course shows very few signs of play. The design even presses one basket into double-duty, serving as both #'s 3 and 9. The flow of the course is fairly obvious, and while tee signs don't exist, things are laid out in such a way that anyone who enjoys disc golf and has an imagination can add, expand, and alter holes as needed to get quite a few more interesting looks than just the intended course layout.
- Enough of the lazily-rolling grassy elevation comes into play to keep things from being two-dimensional. #1's basket sits on a small slope that drops off to a tiny drainage pool. #3's (which also serves as #9's) basket sits between two grassy "landscaping hills." #'s 6, 7, and 8 all have the gently rolling terrain come into play, creating some variety in the topography and instilling a bit of character.
- Great use of the available trees. The dual purpose basket has the branches of a large tree overhead, creating a very low ceiling and adding a nice touch. #5's basket is located by a small shaded sitting area (replete with decorative bushes), #6's fairway forces a shot around several mature trees to the left, and #7's basket sits between a triad of mature trees.
- Decent variety in hole lengths really help this course avoid pitch-and-putt mindlessness.
- Several tees are made of the same crushed red rock that comprises the pathways, kept meticulously in small wooden boxes. The tees were in great shape with the exception of #5's, which was tucked away under some trees and thus completely buried in autumn leaves. No ruts and hardly any signs of wear.
Cons:
- #'s 1 and 2 do not have obviously recognizable tee areas. This was actually kinda cool once we decided to roll with it and make the first two tees up on our own. Several options exist with a bit of imagination.
- There are no signs. The flow seemed pretty obvious in most places, even with the basket that serves as two holes' pin. Those who absolutely need signs telling them where to go and what to do next should avoid this course at all costs.
- The course has to be pretty much unplayable if anyone else is using the park. I'm not sure how often employees use it for breaks and such, but I can imagine it's a major conflict. Might want to save this one for the weekend, a holiday, or another non-workday time frame.
Other Thoughts:
- Considering Molex's employee-oriented approach to this private piece of land, it's obvious that the DGC is merely an enhancement to the land and not the main attraction. As such, I bent my typical grading scale a little bit on this one*. Molex is plain fun. I largely over-looked the lack of signage, the horrible over-lapping of holes, and the blatant disregard for anything resembling a safe layout. I think Molex actually succeeds in the design more than it fails. The design is ambitious considering the available space, the golf is decent enough, and it largely accomplishes what it sets out to do: provide
one or two lucky employees at Molex some of the sweetest lunch breaks available. Kudos.
- *Please note: if this course saw more traffic than it currently does, or was public in nature, I would have rated this course much more harshly, especially considering the hazards of over-lapping and crossing fairways and greens. In my normal rubric for course-grading, it would receive a half-disc rating.