Pros:
(2.893 Rating) A half parkstyle half heavy woods type of course.
- RAW BEAUTY - When I briefly reviewed the course map prior to playing, I assumed typical park style course, and yes, there is some of that. Tee (1) didn't change that and nor did seeing basket (5) on my walk to (1). On tee (2) however, I thought I had mistakenly entered Jurassic Park. Hole (3) is stunning and was personally my favorite hole on the course. (3) is a big valley shot through mature heavy woods with extra rawness and big lush ferns. (5) thru (9) were back to parkstyle, but (10) tiptoes back into a wonderous jungle and has a terrifying tight and slanted fairway. The tantalizing landscapes mostly continued through to the end, but (15) appeared to have a large chunk of trees recently removed and there was a lot of earthmoving scars. Last there was (18), wow, what a killer shot.
- HOLE VARIETY - I thought the variety here was the course's strongest aspect. I played 20 courses on this trip and I still visually remember all 18 here from memory 25 days later when I penned down this review. I couldn't re-remember all of Pier Park, SeaTac or Shelton Springs. Anyways, upshots, downshots, epic downshots, valley shots, big right hooks, pocket shots, tunnel shots and even an open shot. The biggest missing thing here is the drive and approach par 4, although a couple felt like tweener holes for my MA2 skill level.
- CHALLENGING - The front 9 felt ideal for MA2 level players like myself. Birdies can be had on many of them with 350 foot power and hitting the right angle. A couple of the holes on the front, a 3 will be a great score. The second half was tougher, tighter and more wild. I couldn't keep pace with par on this half, but I enjoyed the thrill of trying to throw a miracle.
- CHAINS - Not top of the line baskets, but they were good enough. I think it was a mix of models, but mostly MachIIIs
Cons:
The course will be too raw for some.
- FORGIVENESS - Unless a player has a ton of skill or a lot of luck, ending up in extra rough spots is going to happen. I generally throw well in the woods, but that didn't stop me from throwing into head tall weeds a couple times. Losing plastic is going to happen here at a much higher rate than the average course. I didn't notice much water here other than very small creeks, but the slanted terrain and established overgrowth is going to play hide and seek.
- ONLY ONE TEE - I passed a couple local MA4s on hole (3). They noted to me that they generally only throw the front nine. A course this diabolical in sections, could really use 2 tees on several holes. I could easily tell that the back nine was getting less play than the front.
- SAFETY HAZARDS - Hole (11) throws down the heart of a low use walking trail that has a small blind spot. (18) crosses the same trail as well. There is plenty of room in this park to have easily avoided this. The steep trail down to basket (18) is also super sketchy, even when dry.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - Players will need a navigational app to seamlessly throw this one. The status of the signage here was pretty bad and near nonexistent during my Spring 2023 visit. Only a few posts were left. There was a course map posted, but it was a near useless line diagram.
- AMENITIES AND EXTRAS - In addition to the poor signage, the tees are slightly below average. Mostly concrete, but small and sometimes misaligned. I don't recall much in the way of seating. No alternate placements or practice basket.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - I wouldn't bring a beginner here based on what I've already written above.
- PARKING - Street parking only for those that want to park anywhere near tee (1).
Other Thoughts:
If Terrace Creek were to ever get a makeover, it will shine. The elements are here to be able to produce both fun and engaging gameplay, but the rawness and general lack of investment over the years holds this course back a peg. As is, I'm going with a soft 3.0 rated course. It reminded me of courses like Indian Creek Park east of Atlanta, Glenville Lake near Fayetteville NC, Sharpe Springs in Nashville and Joe Wheeler in North Alabama. All of these noted courses are mixed wooded courses with elevation movement and deliver MA1/MA2 level difficulty. Not destination worthy, but anyone who lives in the Seattle metro area should check it out at least once.
- TIME PLAY - I logged 59 minutes solo to play this one.