Course is set in a lightly wooded park with plenty of parking, well maintained fairways and actually has a second course on the same property (Lakeside) that begins in the same area. A small creek comes into play for 3 or 4 holes as well. Course flow is easy to see and 18 finishes less than a 3 minute walk to the starting hole.

Tee signs are new and list distances, OBs, Mandos and are easy to read and very clear. Baskets are all new Dynamic baskets and though they are a bit high at the moment, they will be fixed to proper height soon is what I am told.

A nice mixture of forehand and backhand shots are required to do well here. Elevation, the little that exists is used well and combined with some of the tighter OB lines make for some interesting holes. Little to no brush to lose discs in and even the little creek is shallow enough to retrieve any errant shots.

The main con is the standing water on some of the holes (5 and 8 are the biggest offenders here). Granted that it was raining on and off that morning so I assume in the summer months this is less of an issue.

Some of the fairways are pretty close to each other and bad throws could put others in danger but since there are no blind shots it shouldn't cause too many issues.

So this is a nice course to challenge beginners because of the distance (average hole length about 300') while challenging advanced players with their accuracy to get birdies. Not a destination or championship level course but if you're with 30 minute drive I would definitely check it out.

The second course on site, Lakeside I believe it is called was just put in and was quite muddy. I would avoid until summer months. Those holes are a little more challenging but I would rate Sparkman Original a better course.

Bonus: Check out the BBQ place around the corner Pigskin after the round. Super good food and nice people.

Brand spanking new DD Veteran baskets, concrete tees, and tee signs with hole maps at every hole, as well as a big course map at the parking lot. There's even red rock/crushed brick type stuff under the baskets that just stops bullseyed shots dead, a very nice touch. Course plays in a moderately wooded city park (think big pines everywhere), with some mild elevation coming into play, along with a clear stream. Par is 54, and distances vary from around 200' to a 499' par 3. The lines suggested by the trees and the mandos show decent variety, though very little is forced: If you want to go backhand on every hole, nothing's going to stop you. Likewise, especially near the creek, you can choose how aggressive you want to be, with enough tree cover to swat mistakes down and potentially OB. Overall, the course and setting are very pretty, with more than a few Instagram bait holes. (did I just type that?)

Favorite holes: 17 (499' through the pines, fairways straight or right coming back left), 10 (372' shot over a valley/creek with road right and path left tapering to a point), and 5 (370' with some restriction, but sets up beautifully for a roller).

Prettiest holes: 7 (hanging basket), 11 (basket rising out of a tree stump), 18 (terraced green).

About half of the baskets (not counting the intentionally elevated pins) are about a foot higher than standard, with several leaning. This is due to improper installation, and is unlikely to be remedied (further explanation would be overly personal in nature). On a related subject, the elevated pin at hole 11's long position, while pretty visually impressive, might just be overkill (disclaimer: I'm only 5'6") with the height. (For comparison, hole 7 is an awesome elevated/hanging pin in my book)

I don't (well, maybe I do) know how to feel about the new triple mando on hole 1. Really chokes off all the backhand lines (rollers excluded, but dropping a roller that immediately can be hairy) and favors a forehand in a way that seems inconsistent with the overall character of the course. There's no real reason for its being, and it's not like it's an impressive work of visual art.

Hole 18 holds water after rains, although pretty much every other hole drains just fine.

Road is in play on holes 7 and 10; I personally put a mid across the road in someone's front yard on hole 7 and nearly got my putter smooshed on hole 10. Some holes also play very close to one another; for example, I laid down a bad roller on 1 and nearly ran down a group putting out on 2. (apparently people don't think to look at the ground when you yell fore...) There is also a walking path/paths in play through several holes, but it's very visible, so just be a decent disc golfer and wait to throw and you'll be fine.

While there aren't any holes that make it particularly difficult to play through the air (i.e very low ceilings), there are several solid opportunities/invitations to play rollers off the tee.

It has been pointed out elsewhere that there are no required heights for basket installation, only a recommendation. Well, duh. I would invite anyone who makes that point in earnest to consider the physical basis for that recommendation and see if they understand why it's made.

While I know I'm only reviewing this course, I do want to take a moment to point out the new lakeside course on the property. While the original is still the better of the two in my opinion, they go together very nicely for a great day of disc golf, with the new course adding some more technical elements and fun water shots to complement the original.

A great beginner course with a decent amount of shot variety and some challenges for novices/recreational players. Course is in a well-maintained park and has made use of some nice features of the park. Only a few real long holes and a variety of pin placements for repeat plays. The longer holes are pretty wide open and "grip 'n rip". The water in play is a fairly narrow creek that is omnipresent on about 5 or 6 holes, but not a real obstacle for most seasoned players. The course flows fairly well (with one exception) with the next tee typically being easily located from the previous pin. Only had to backtrack once between 10 and 11.

Good signage and nice-sized concrete tee pads and baskets are in good shape. Lots of garbage cans in the park and benches aplenty. Pavilions, playgrounds, and other park amenities are also easily accessible.

#11 tee box was missing a sign. No par info on the signage and UDisc has a couple of the holes as Par 2's (10 and 11). Decent walk from 14 to 15, but not silly. Very few of the signs had any marks (typically duct tape) indicating the current pin placement. Several holes and fairways are in close proximity to each other and could make navigation trickier for first time players. The course map helps a bunch there though. The mature trees provide some line-shaping challenges on many holes, but in general the player has plenty of options and few real penalties.

There are a few spots that seem to hold water after rain that could be troublesome if they don't dry out quickly. As other reviewers have said, the course weaves in and out of a playground, ballfields, several pavilions and a walking trail. It wasn't especially busy when I played it, but I can understand how this could be an issue at times. The wooden bridges can be a bit slippery when wet and the creek picks up a decent flow after a rain. There were signs regarding venomous snakes in the creek area as well.

This course (Parkside course per UDisc) is plenty fun for the average player, though repeat plays may not be desired without regular pin changes. There's some challenge in the line and distances for newer players but otherwise, plenty of birdie and par opportunities for experienced players.

The "flow" of the course is somewhat choppy with a small hike to play the last three holes on the south side of the ballfields. 18 has a nice pyramid pin placement for a picturesque finish.

All that said, there were some challenging holes for a pure recreation player like myself with a good mix of LH and RH shots and some multiple-choice drives (not just one way to play the hole). I think anybody with above-average arm strength and average accuracy would birdie most of these holes. It's worth a drive down from Decatur, just maybe not for repeat play. Still, you can spend worse ways to spend the day other than playing Parkside and the nearby Lakeside course that plays around the park's pond.

Sparkman Park is a large multi-use large park and there-in there seems to be one of the problems with the course. That is the interaction between the disc golfers and it's many park users. The course plays over a widely used jogging/walking trail many times forcing us to sometimes wait for other park users to pass. The courses has some elevation, forces you to use many throws, has colorful but moveable tee signs and nice teepads. Many holes have multiple basket locations. I did have a little trouble navigating the course. See comments at this end concerning this problem.

Holes #4 and # 5, as brought up by previous reviewers are poor designs. The long walk to the last three is not a preferred option. There were 5-6 trees down on the course as the result of a windstorm. They affected the navigation of the course and also the play. I'm really surprised the parks department hadn't removed them yet as they appeared to have been down for quite a while.

I would have really enjoyed played this course more if with a few improvements were to be made.

1. Large, round, visible numbers atop the baskets. Man, this would really help the player navigating this course for the first time. If this is too expensive, see option two.

2. If # 1 is beyond the budget, how about a brightly colored strip of flourescent tape wrapped around the inner tube of the basket with the # of the hole written on it? At least, when I walk ahead I'd know what basket I was looking at!

3. Directional arrows painted on the teepads pointing to the basket. When I walk up to the teepad, it would nice to look down at the pad and know the direction of the basket. I 'm always nervous that those movable teesigns have been tampered with.

4. On holes with multiple basket locations, drill a 1/4 hole in the tee sign next to the A< B< C and insert a small bolt and nut with a washer (hopefully a brightly colored plastic one) into whichever hole ( A<B<C ) the basket is currently set. Tighten down with a wrench. Change bolt whenever basket location is changed. I've seen courses using this system and it's so very helpful . Make a couple of these improvements (especially # 4) and I could see this course being a 4. I enjoyed it and recommend stopping and playing it.

Nice course situated in nice city park. Conrete tee pads and signage on every hole add to the round. There's also multiple pin locations and pads on a few holes, which adds variety to the course. There's certainly birdies to be made, but I've also seen some pretty good players lose concentration and make a big score.

Hole 12 long is a well designed, really solid golf hole.

The walk from 15 to 16 is a little long, and it can be confusing navigating the course for the first time. Holes 4 & 5 feel like they just don't belong with the rest of the course. They are both out in an open field, and get very muddy after a rain. Hole 5 has a wide open drive, but it does have a good approach over some trees, a creek, and OB just past the basket. So I can live with it, but 4 is completely wide open and frankly, was quite boring. This park also tends to get crowded with non-golfers, so you really must be aware of people on the paths, and people/children near the pavillion/playground area along hole 12.

Overall, this is good course and definitely worth playing if in the area. There are only 3 holes that have a lot of length (all +/- 500ft), and two of them (4 & 5) are out in an open field, which takes away a bit from the rest of the course. However, the other long hole, 12, is a great hole with water all along the right and trees/playground area to the left. The course has plenty of birdie opportunities, yet still provides a good challenge.

Favorite Holes: 3 long, 9, 12 long, 17

This is my favorite type of course. It's got a medium density of trees (mostly pines) so there aren't a lot of branches in the way, mostly tree trunks. The majority of the holes are a nice medium-long distance with tree lined fairways waiting for your disc if you stray too far to one side. It's also got a couple long open holes and some shorter holes with more trees in the way. This course requires all types of shots and uses the available terrain well. I find this course to be a nice middle ground between distance and accuracy.

The only thing I didn't like was the walk from hole 15 to 16, but hole 17 is a great hole and definitely made it worth while.

There were a few people walking laps on the sidewalk and using a shelter when I was there. I was definitely mindful of them, but they don't slow down a round too much.

When I was there the course was plenty dry and I didn't notice any problem with slippery tee pads.

I would play this course all the time if I could. This course features a fantastic mix of trees and distance. There's enough trees to make you focus on accuracy, but at the same time, many of the holes are long enough that you also need to think distance.