O. T. Sloan Park reviews
4
1
2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 10, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
O.T. Sloan is a fun wooded, mostly very short course that, unfortunately, looks like is on its way to extinction. More on that in the cons, but first, the pros:
+ The front 9 is a very fun beginner- to intermediate-friendly technical course. There's good variety and tight lines for a good challenge. The most similar course that I've played is Cornwallis in Durham. It's old school. Only putters and mids needed off the tee on the front 9.
+ Easy navigation *on the front 9.* I kind of feel like I'm reviewing two courses and then averaging the ratings. The front 9 gets a 3.0 from me. The back 9 gets a 1.0 and the average is 2.0.
+ Despite the short holes on the front 9 and most of the back 9, there is a wide variety of shots needed. Lots of ace runs too.
+ This is a popular public park with other amenities, namely the pool. This is a con too, I guess, as the course is getting pulled hole by hole for other projects like a dog park and community center.
+ The front 9 is a very fun beginner- to intermediate-friendly technical course. There's good variety and tight lines for a good challenge. The most similar course that I've played is Cornwallis in Durham. It's old school. Only putters and mids needed off the tee on the front 9.
+ Easy navigation *on the front 9.* I kind of feel like I'm reviewing two courses and then averaging the ratings. The front 9 gets a 3.0 from me. The back 9 gets a 1.0 and the average is 2.0.
+ Despite the short holes on the front 9 and most of the back 9, there is a wide variety of shots needed. Lots of ace runs too.
+ This is a popular public park with other amenities, namely the pool. This is a con too, I guess, as the course is getting pulled hole by hole for other projects like a dog park and community center.
Cons:
As I said, I really enjoyed the front 9 (front 10, actually), but the last 7 holes (my math isn't wrong: 1 hole has been pulled) we're not as fun and navigation and overgrowth are big issues.
- This course won't be your favorite if you've got a big arm or get bored with pitch-and-putt style courses.
- One major problem on the front 9 was the close proximity to a major road on one hole. An errant shot could easily end up in a heavy-traffic road.
- Anorher safety issue, this time on the back 9, is a hole that would/should be a lot of fun and a break from the style of the rest of rbe course: hole 15, a long, open, downhill hole that happens to be next to the public (very busy) pool. If you grip-lock or accidentally hyzer, you could seriously hurt a swimmer.
- The fatal flaw of this course is the slow destruction of the back 9. A dog park caused one hole to be relocated (making the old DGCR map incorrect in its numbering the rest of the way). The new Hole 10 is a fun, longer, more open hole, but then the trouble really starts. Hole 11 is across a large field parallel to a fenced construction site. The field is completely overgrown with nasty weeds. Also, there's a risk of disc loss in the construction site. To top it off, there are no tee signs and it's a 400-foot hole to a hard-to-spot basket. You have to walk a good ways to even see where you're throwing to. Then hole 12 is no longer there, so you walk back across the field. Hole 13, which you eventually find, if you're lucky (again, no signs or maps) is a basket only; choose your own adventure tee pad. Holes 14-18 are mostly ok (except for 15, mentioned earlier), but overall, not as fun as holes 1-10. The navigation problems get annoying.
- No bands on the opd baskets, so they are hard to see. Combined with a lack of tee signs with hole layouts and you're forced to walk up fairways to see where you're throwing.
- Small or non-existent tee pads
- This course won't be your favorite if you've got a big arm or get bored with pitch-and-putt style courses.
- One major problem on the front 9 was the close proximity to a major road on one hole. An errant shot could easily end up in a heavy-traffic road.
- Anorher safety issue, this time on the back 9, is a hole that would/should be a lot of fun and a break from the style of the rest of rbe course: hole 15, a long, open, downhill hole that happens to be next to the public (very busy) pool. If you grip-lock or accidentally hyzer, you could seriously hurt a swimmer.
- The fatal flaw of this course is the slow destruction of the back 9. A dog park caused one hole to be relocated (making the old DGCR map incorrect in its numbering the rest of the way). The new Hole 10 is a fun, longer, more open hole, but then the trouble really starts. Hole 11 is across a large field parallel to a fenced construction site. The field is completely overgrown with nasty weeds. Also, there's a risk of disc loss in the construction site. To top it off, there are no tee signs and it's a 400-foot hole to a hard-to-spot basket. You have to walk a good ways to even see where you're throwing to. Then hole 12 is no longer there, so you walk back across the field. Hole 13, which you eventually find, if you're lucky (again, no signs or maps) is a basket only; choose your own adventure tee pad. Holes 14-18 are mostly ok (except for 15, mentioned earlier), but overall, not as fun as holes 1-10. The navigation problems get annoying.
- No bands on the opd baskets, so they are hard to see. Combined with a lack of tee signs with hole layouts and you're forced to walk up fairways to see where you're throwing.
- Small or non-existent tee pads
Other Thoughts:
Try out O.T. Sloan while you still can! I recommend playing 1-10 , then skipping over to 14. Skip 15 if you're worried about the swimmers.
