Murdock Park - Old Layout reviews
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Meh... 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 23, 2009
Played the course:once
Pros:
The course plays through a city park that is mostly grassy with some large oak trees. Most holes play through these mature oaks, with several possible flight paths, and not very much brush to punish an errant shot. A couple holes play around a swampy area for a little bit of risk/reward if you go for it over the swamp. There is some elevation here, and it's used pretty well to add some interest to the course.
There are dual tee pads on all holes, and many go at the hole from totally different angles making for a pretty different round from the "front 9" to the "back 9". There are numbered signs at almost all the tees making it fairly easy to navigate. There is a course map on the kiosk at the beginning of the course that also helps with navigation.
There are dual tee pads on all holes, and many go at the hole from totally different angles making for a pretty different round from the "front 9" to the "back 9". There are numbered signs at almost all the tees making it fairly easy to navigate. There is a course map on the kiosk at the beginning of the course that also helps with navigation.
Cons:
There are some pretty big safety issues with this course. A walking trail runs through the park, and is in play on nearly all the holes. It seemed to be pretty well used, and you throw over it blindly a couple times. Even if you are paying attention and letting walkers clear the fairway before throwing, you'll end up waiting a lot during a round on a nice day.
The tees are terrible, they're basically sand boxes. They had some holes and ruts, and didn't make for a good tee surface at all. The signage was pretty basic, with nothing but hole number and distance at the tees, and that was missing on a couple when I played. The baskets are showing their age, and don't catch all that well any more. Some holes play very near one another, so watch for other players throwing your way.
The tees are terrible, they're basically sand boxes. They had some holes and ruts, and didn't make for a good tee surface at all. The signage was pretty basic, with nothing but hole number and distance at the tees, and that was missing on a couple when I played. The baskets are showing their age, and don't catch all that well any more. Some holes play very near one another, so watch for other players throwing your way.
Other Thoughts:
There are some good shots through the oaks here, and if not for the walking path this course would be a fun little track. As it stands, on a nice day when the path is busy, it's not fun or safe to play, so I wouldn't go out of your way at all for this one. Beginners will find all but one hole (the hole that plays directly over the swamp) approachable, and the course has pretty reasonable distances. More experienced players will find a couple challenges here, but not enough variety to really test much of their game.
