Pros:
(2.122 Rating) A Basic Openish Park Style Course.
- BASICS AMENITIES - There are two things done well here. First, DISCatcher baskets. They catch well, they are in good shape and they are easy to spot. Second, tee surface. Large concrete pads and all of them are in great shape.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Because of the medium length and openness, this course will play well for a wide swath of skill levels. Beginners will not be punished routinely for bad throws. They may never birdie when they first start, but they won't lose any. MA4s and MA3s will be challenged to limit bogeys and MA2s will aim to shoot under par. All of these noted skill levels may enjoy this one as long as they enjoy openish courses.
- QUICK PLAY - The course plays in a loop starting on the southwest corner of the park. It was really easy for me to get around on this one and having to search for one will be rare unless they stop mowing. I finished in 30 minutes on a weekday morning. Perhaps conditions are different later in the day.
- MAINTENANCE - The park grounds were in fantastic shape for my early June appearance.
Cons:
Fields of grass.
- HOLE VARIETY - The biggest reason Quilchena scores a 2.0 in my rating methodology is due to the lack of differential elements. Lots of blandish parkstyle play. A couple have a little flair, like (5) in a thicket of trees for example, but most of the holes were easy for me to forget. I liked (9) in the pocket as well. Hole (11) was a decent par 4 labeled as a par 5 on two sources. Its 590 feet and mostly open. The course has a bit more variety than the average niner I've played, but less variety than the average 18 holer.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Although the park is pleasant and very well kept, it's not an exotic jewel. There is a vast sea of just mowed grass. Yes there are trees, but very few are giants. The course layout dabbles into these trees a few times, but perhaps only a couple I'd classify as moderately wooded. I scored Quilchena a bit below average on this attribute.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - I looked around for a minute or two and didn't spot a posted course map. In that effort, I did spot a pad, but unfortunately it didn't have a tee sign. Just a number flush on the pad. Those work and all, but it was frustrating trying to find pads quickly in my transitions as there is no post sticking out of the ground. Despite these omissions, figuring it out isn't impossible. I doubt I spent 5 extra minutes total trying to figure out where to go.
- AMENITIES AND EXTRAS - Almost no extras. One pad had a bench nearby. There are nice restrooms mid-way through. That's it.
- SIDEWALKS - Concrete sidewalks come into play on most holes. Nothing blind to us throwers, but players will need to wait on occasion.
- PARKING - Street parking only.
Other Thoughts:
Quilchena felt like barely decent disc golf to me. I'd definitely throw here often if I lived within 10 minutes. If I lived an hour a way I'd throw it too, but that's only because I'm a course bagger. Worth checking out once for those that live in the Vancouver area. For those on vacation here near downtown and looking to throw at least one near-by, I'd say its worth considering, but that's only because the options are not many. Nearby Little Mountain I personally think is slightly better, but it's close and they have slightly different dynamics. Anyways, Solid 2.0 course to me. If they ever added 6 more holes of the same quality, I'd consider upping my rating over a 2.25.
- TRANSLATION - Quilchena translates to low lying land. I can't be the only one that's wondered this seeing the name.