Water tower seems to get played a ton and well
Loved by the locals. I actually played the back 9 first and then the front and it doesn't really batter which order you do as they both loop the park and bring you back near the parking area.

The pads are all concrete and a few of them are marked on the walking path, which is nice for the James Conrad's of the world. Baskets are Mach Vs and I actually love the way they catch for the most part but would have loved a little bit of color on a course this wooded.

For the most part it's a mid length FL woods course with winding lines, palm trees and tight gaps to be hit, but there are a few more open shots like 1,10,18 that let you test your arm and being a new angle.

I think every hole had two tee positions and some had a third shorter one, which makes this a little more accessible to newer players.

It's a good time and the locals were mostly pretty friendly. One group wished me good luck this weekend, so I must have a passing resemblance to a local player. Unfortunately for that guy I guess lol. But I'll take the encouragement either way.

Cons are not terrible here but they do exist. From the long tees you throw from or over the walking path a lot. Be prepared to wait on walkers a few times.

It's super backhand heavy for the most part. I threw forehands here, but if you can throw a hyzerflip to mild fade shot I feel like that's the right line on about 14 holes.

Baskets are honestly good, but they need some more color the sliver in the shadows of the wooded holes isn't ideal.

Vandalism is pretty bad here and a lot of pads are tagged and most tee signs are hard to read due to tags or being sticker covered.

I feel like this one is more fun than I'm making it sound like. It's a very solid track with some decent shot variety and a frankly very pretty park setting. The vibe is pretty good and I would play it again.

(3.377 Rating) A challenging and heavily wooded layout.
- CHALLENGING - North Water Tower is one of those courses that demands your accuracy. There are a bunch of tight tunnel fairways. The fairway widths are generally fair with the exception of holes (4) and (16). Those two holes are more or less poke and hope shots. Advanced players should be happy with the challenge, unless they are the type that prefers hole length to be the challenge factor instead of accuracy. Advanced players should typically finish a couple under par from the back tees.
- TEE PADS - Adequately sized concrete tee pads that are in good shape. There should be no footing issues on a typical day.
- CHARACTER - In addition to the multiple concrete tee pads per hole, the course character resembles that of a well established course with a great club following. Most of the tees are shaded well and several also have seating. There is hole signage throughout the course (also see cons) and most of the holes have two basket placements. There are a good amount of trash cans and a few bag holders. There is a practice basket, picnic tables, shelter and restroom facility as well. I also very much appreciated the memorial located on hole (3) regarding one of courses founding club members. It's touches like this, that make a course very special to play.
- CHILL AREAS - Lots of secluded areas to sit and take a break at.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Although probably not the best course for beginners, as nearby Payne Park and Pinebrook would be better choices, the multiple tees do allow for a range of skill and arm strength levels. In addition to the pro and am tees, there are also junior tees on many holes as well.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - The raw beauty was above average IMO. The foliage was vibrant the day I played, and the ditch along holes (6 and 7) looked better than what one would expect it to look, with birds and butterflies zipping around. Not 5 star beauty, but I'd give it 3 1/2 stars.
- QUICK PLAY - The tight layout and resulting short transition between holes allows for a quicker round than one would expect when solely looking at the course length. A single with an empty course should easily complete a full 18 in under 75 minutes. Groups of 4 probably would finish in under an two and a half hours. In addition, if you happen to know your way, you can easily skip around holes to avoid big groups.

No major complaints about North Water Tower but... the course is not for every taste.
- NAVIGATION - I struggled to work my way along the layout here. I had a map of the front 9 and had to reference it on several occasions. There are a bunch of blind baskets so I found myself running up the fairways several times to see where to shoot to. In addition, with the layout being as tight as it is, I found myself standing on the wrong tee a couple of times and asking other groups on where to go.
- HOLE SIGNAGE - Not a major Issue, but the hole signage needs an update. They are all fading away and some are very hard to read. Hole (9's) signage has completely fallen apart. The signage however, does give what appears to be an adequate description and distance of the hole.
- FORGIVENESS - For those that like well spaced fairways, you won't find it here as there are lots of tight fairways. It will be quite frustrating to have a sub-par accuracy day. In addition, there are lots of palmetto bushes lining the fairway, so when you ping a tree you'll often spend some time searching for your disc.
- ELEVATION - Really none to speak of. I know that this is typically for Florida, but this course is flat for even Florida standards. no more than 5 feet of elevation change throughout the entire course layout.
- UNIQUENESS - The holes themselves in terms of variety, are about average. In addition to no elevation, there are also no par 4's or 5's (some may play (9) as a par 4) and there are no open or true dogleg holes. As stated above, just about every drive has to hit a tight gap and also stay low. Several times it will seem that a run of holes are a bit repetitive. There are a couple of raised basket elements on holes (8) and (12).
- SHOT SELECTION - The day I played, the course was definitely favoring right backhand players. Only two of the basket placements pocketed right. Keep in mind though that there are multiple pin placements, so perhaps a few more may run right as well if it's in the other basket position.
- SPACING - Slightly below average. Although the fairways are mostly well defined by the trees and bushes, the bordering spaces are narrow. I found myself in an adjacent fairway a couple times due to ricocheting off a tree.

I very much enjoyed this course. The locals were very friendly to me and helped me navigate the tricky spots of the course. Having played all 3 three Sarasota courses, my metrics place North Water Tower just a little ahead of Lakeview as the top course. I have a feeling that there is much disagreement over which is better among the locals.

Nice Florida foliage covers a well maintained park. Much of the course is a mix of Bermuda grass, palmettos and palm trees with a few small water canals for good measure. There is a nice mix of open and tight fairways and that are lined with palm trees and palmettos with a few trees mixed in to make you shape your line. A couple are so thick with trees, you will be asking "is this a fairway?"

The course is well-signed so you will have a good idea what lies ahead - and the signs will point you to the next tee pad.

Two tee pads and multiple pin positions per hole allow for a variety of challenges and skill levels.

This course rewards accuracy over power as most of the holes aren't terribly long, and hitting an early tree can make the recovery challenging. I would say the course is good for all levels of play, but is a perfect intermediate course. Beginners shouldn't get too frustrated, but pros might find it s bit easy. It's a fun course because it keeps you thinking because there's enough places to get in trouble if you don't execute well.

The course seems to favor the RHBH hyzer shot and the RHBH flex shot. It really lacks one single shot that is hard left to right turn (though this is more of an observation than a negative).

The tee pads are a bit short to my liking, but are grippy nonetheless. The signs are nice, as I mentioned and even have pictures of pin placements, but a picture of the pin unfortunately does not indicate accurately where the pin is. I wish they had a system for telling you which position the pin was in.

Hole 4 is a wall of trees (a poke and hope hole).
Hole 5 is a nice hole except that the entire right side is lined by one of the many paved pathways that pedestrians and bikers use. I like that it's OB over the right of the path, but it's just dangerous, because it's a bit blind about 250' up the path.

The memorial at the #3 tee pad is beautiful and commemorates a fallen club member. I was moved by the club presence in that they have 3 or 4 weekly events (one which was happening when I was there - a putting league which is intended to get people out putting and have fun doing it. Otherwise, who likes to practice putting, unless we have an excuse to?!

-This is your quintessential Florida course. Plenty of palm trees, Spanish moss, and very flat.
-Course is easy to locate.
-Hole 1 is easy to find. Right by the parking lot.
-Park benches, picnic tables, and trash cans are all over the place.
-The course is moderately wooded and uses the woods very well. Most holes require skill rather than luck.
-The creek that comes into play on several holes provides an added challenge.
-Great mix of long and short holes!
-Each hole has several pin placements and tee pads.
-NWTP plays well for both the experienced and inexperienced player.
-This course was established in the early 90s and was one of the first in the SW Florida area.
-The elevated basket was a nice touch!

-Despite there being an abundance of trash cans, there was still trash in several spots on the course.
-The transition from hole 12 to hole 13 is pretty difficult.
-The course was fairly busy. We were there on a weekday morning and there were several other groups. Course traffic picked up as we played.
-Older baskets, some rusted
-No elevation to speak of.
-Walkers delayed us on many holes.

For being one of the oldest courses in the area, this is still a great course! It was well worth the visit. The neighborhood surrounding the park may have been rougher in the past, but seems to be cleaning up. If you are south of the Tampa area definitely make a trip down here and partner this course with Payne Park.

very fun course for any player. easy to get from hole to hole. good variety of tight, open, long and short holes. nice facilities.

this course is made for righty backhanders or lefty flickers. if you are a lefty backhander or a righty flicker you better have some experience. i brought a lefty backhander with me and he strugled a lot as he is fairly new to the sport.

-Water Tower Park is located in a beautiful park in Sarasota. The ambience from the Spanish moss hanging from the Live Oaks will make this experience memorable.

-Multiple concrete tees, signs (w/map, lines, and distance). As well as Alternate pin locations.

-This course is one of the early courses in Florida; there is a nostalgic feeling about playing there.

-DG Billboard with map of the course

-Beginner friendly, fun for all skill levels.

-Plays in and around the wooded area of the park.

-Good fun factor, well designed, and they maximized the use of this park.

-Lines vary from hole to hole. You'll be required to work your line around trees that are scattered throughout the fairway. You will also need to be mindful of the low ceiling formed by the canopy of trees.

-Good Distances for a wooded course. Range from 250 to 325 avg. There are a couple of holes that are 400+

-The trees are spacious enough, and the brush isn't thick. The risk of losing your disc here is low.

-Each fairway comes with its own challenge.

-The park was very clean, and well taken care of.

-Restrooms are available, as well as picnic tables, shelters and garbage cans. Also benches are available in case you need a break.

-Fairly easy to navigate, but a map will help you on a few of the holes. We did have to look around a couple of times, but it wasn't too bad.

-This course is a popular course, so finding someone to hook up with shouldn't be a problem.

-The main one would be all of the walking paths that meander throughout the course. The park goers, for the most part, seem to be fairly aware of Disc Golf.

- (This is an "is what it is" factor, not held against it) The terrain was fairly flat. Then again, this is coastal region so that's the way it is.

-The course isn't in the worst neighborhood, but I was told that it's not the best neighborhood either. However, I was also told that nothing major has ever happened here, and there aren't many issues with the park. There are, however, a number of disc golfers out there. So if you feel leery, you'll be in good company. It wouldn't stop me from playing here.

I really had a good time here. The fun factor was terrific, and the park itself is very enjoyable to walk through. As has been said before, this is a must play course. There is a nice stretch of Disc Golf courses to be played in this area, this isn't one to miss. No special footwear is needed; my Nike's did just fine. I played in May, so I can't really say how the bug situation is. If you come from 75, you'll pass plenty of places to grab a bite before/after you play here. Nothing in the immediate vicinity of Water Tower Park though.
If memory serves correctly, it appeared to be fairly balanced between right/left-handed shots. It's tight, but not to frustrating. Some of my frustration came from a low branch that I wasn't paying attention to, or playing too close to the edge. But it wasn't enough to take away from the fun I was having. Even if you get deflected, you can still salvage your shot with a good approach shot. Go, and have fun here. You'll be glad you did.

The course is well designed and has a good flow to it, for the most part. Helper arrows on the baskets and some next tee signs help with navigation. A good mix of long/short and open/wooded holes.

More than enough benches, tables, garbage cans and a nice pavillion.

A well-established league who host great tournaments!

The course is usually very clean and well maintained.

The course is not in the best of neighborhoods, but it has been seemingly improving over the years. I have seen open prostitution and drug sales in this park.

The course plays through an inner city park with houses on the sides of a few holes and sidewalks that wind through the park. There can be a lot of civilians doing non-dg things in the park.

The course is heavily played and as a result of this, it has greatly improved the park and the area, around it.

One time we saw a lady walking through the course and every squirrel in the park started following her. It was one of the weirdest things that I have ever seen. Like something out of the Twilight Zone.

I almost forgot: Sky Pilots Rule! (thrembo SSP 304)

-Easy parking. Pleasant atmosphere. Clean and well groomed park. Park benches a plenty.

-Practice basket next to 10's tee, with a very long park bench for socializing.

-Excellent tee signs and to-next-tee arrows. Did not have any trouble locating baskets/tees.

-Great hole variation: A fair mix of open holes, wooded holes, long holes, Dog legs and every combination.

-Many drives start in open fairways that dive into wooded area, favoring precision instead of distance.

-Many holes have alternate tee pads, but are either natural or make use of the walking paths.

-Many holes have alternate Pin locations. But locals told me they rarely change. Also, for reasons i do not remember, hole 8 is now permanently in the long pin location.

-Hole 9 is the longest (510 ft) and plays past the water tower, which has barbed fencing surrounding it. But unless you have a completely errant throw, nobody should be landing a disc inside the fence.

-My favorite hole # 4 plays off tee through tight fairway diving into woods with narrow fairways to both basket locations, but abruptly ending by some tree obstacles that requires a skillful approach or precise putt.

-The two water hazards on 6 and 7 are completely recoverable and make them unique to the rest of the course.

-It's a tight course, where many fairways share the same rough zones. Play was interrupted a handful of times by someone throwing back to their intended fairway.

-Walking paths are used as both fairways and tee pads on some holes. While most people in the park are golfers, there are allot of locals walking babies in strollers. This is the biggest factor preventing me from rating this course higher.

-Dirty restrooms. Not that big of a deal. But don't bring a change of clothes and expect to use the restrooms as a changing booth.

-Players camping on hole 10, practicing drives I guess. Not that big deal, again, just a nuisance.

-This is one of the all around funnest courses I've played at due to its mix of hole styles. The course design flaws are preventing me from rating it higher than a 3.5, however I'd give this course a 5.0 for fun-factor.

-Local club is very active. My first time playing this course was overwhelmed by the local club members for their Sunday events. I would have participated if not for being with my girlfriends family.

-Guy selling discs sits on a lawn chair between 9 and 10 with his dogs (very well trained). Looked to have a box of Innova labeled by name. Didn't check prices.

-Sketchy location although nothing that should stop anybody from playing this course. I did however have an interesting run in. While on hole 8, i see a white, beat-up, Cadillac driving through the park on the foot paths, the front bumper hanging off the thing. The man and woman playing behind me called 911. We continued playing and when i got to hole 13, the people in the car we sitting on a park bench by 14's tee (clearly intoxicated) and had parked their car in 15's fairway, right next to the basket. They shortly got up and left, driving the rest of the footpath out. The police showed up 15 minutes later. Of course, this was the day i failed to bring my camera.

Water really never comes into play, so you needn't bring any floating discs. While there are OB ditches, the water usually isn't that deep, so you can get your disc back and take the stroke. The tee pads and baskets also are in pretty good shape, and there is plenty of shade and the parking and bathrooms are nice. The park staff and/or locals have done a great job keeping the understory open. So, if you are off line, you can find your disc easily; you just might not have a shot. Also, the local disc golf community is highly organized, friendly and has a good time together.

Very-to overly tight fairways on some holes. There are about 4 holes where you have to just sort of "poke and hope" (i.e., throw down the pipe and hope for the best). The section of town (by the airport) isn't necessarily the safest, and I was advised not to play by myself, as drugs and prostitution are common.

North Water Tower Park is a nice mid-ranged technical course. NWTP will really test your abilities and force you to shape your shot and throw straight. I would like to see a few cabbage palms and small trees taken out here and there to give a little more options, but overall it is hard, but pretty fair (i.e., a 960-990 ranked player will shoot par or slightly under). Overall I am glad I played it and would recommend giving it a try if you are in the area.

This is a somewhat technical course overall but not too difficult. If you're shooting for birdie it might be tricky at times but going for par is pretty easy. The tee signs are excellent, having distances for all pads and placements and helpful pictures showing the fairway and best route to take and some of them even have photos. It's usually easy to find the next tee and there's a map for the front nine at hole 1. It's very easy to only play 9 holes if you want since the front and back nines start and end right by the parking lot. Chances of losing a disc are minimal, unless you throw it into a palm tree you should be able to locate even errant throws with ease.

Some of the holes are blind shots, you can get a good idea of where the basket is from the tee sign but you can't actually see it from anywhere around the pad. The hybrid nature of the course (short but not too technical) may leave skilled players wishing for a little more challenge. The pedestrian/bike path will cause some waits at busier times.

This is a very nice course to play and makes for a great day of golf when combined with Lakeview Park. It won't wow you but you won't be disappointed either.

This is a traditional course in a great park. The front 9 wraps around the outside of the park and the back 9 meanders through the middle, heavily wooded part. Both the 9th and 18th hole end at the parking lot. There are nice concrete tees throughout the park. The front nine has single tees, except for hole 9 and almost all of the back nine have multiple tees. All of the holes have multiple pin positions and all of the tees and positions are marked on the tee signs that are found at each tee. There is a practice basket right near the parking lot. There are always people at the park and I have been invited to play with someone every time I have been there.

The park is in a questionable part of town, but I have never had a problem and have never felt uncomfortable in the park.

This is one of the first courses that I played when I started playing back in 2004. I really liked the front nine, but the back nine was brutal. There was typical palmettos and heavy scrub. I also came face to face with a black widow spider while searching for an errant throw. I let the black widow have the disc and backed away very slowly. After a long hiatus from the sport, I returned to this course this spring and was elated to find it in amazing shape. The back nine has been cleared of the underbrush and scrub and the course is now a joy to play. Even more recently the local club has done even more work on the course. The wooded holes are still a challenge, but there is now no risk of spending a half an hour searching through painful underbrush looking for a disc. I love the variety of open and wooded holes and the difference in feel between the front and back nine. For you big bombers, you will love hole 9 at over 500 feet. I personally dislike it, but I will conquer it one day.

I highly recommend this course to anyone and, paired with Lakeview Park is a great day trip disc golf destination.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward -- B+
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities -- B+
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography -- B+
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion -- B
5) Multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them -- NA

I ranked this course subjectively based on my own personal enjoyment factor...more accurately my "personal addiction factor". Since I have played a decent number of courses (115 18-hole, 50 9-hole as of early 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they chose courses to play and explore.

Over time, I expect to fill some of my reviews in with more descriptive verbiage...if what I say adds anything to what has already been written. For now, my list is more important to me than the verbiage of my reviews.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

Nice mix of tight wooded holes and open holes. Interesting layout with a distinct tropical flavor. Great vibe with friendly and helpful locals (like HazMat).
Since it was few years ago, I can't recount the specifics other than how much fun we had playing this course.

The hospital heli-pad can be a distraction.

This was the first disc golf course our family played and it was the perfect course to start on. Everyone had a blast.Sarasota in the winter is hard to beat. Don't miss the drums on the beach.