The Admiral is an excellent 18 hole course in southern Alabama just west of Mobile. Course plays in a beautiful stand of tall pines. Course map at the beginning shows overhead view and lists par and distance for the three layouts, being red, white and blue.

Tee signs were top quality showing overhead view with suggested flight lines, par and distance and could be found at each teepad. Teepads were generously sized concrete and were consistent for each layout. Baskets were discatchers in excellent condition. Navigation is very intuitive, a directional indicator could be found at any questionable junction.

Great variety of shot shapes and distances. Well designed multiple shot holes through the woods is one of my favorite things in discgolf and many are to be found here. Some of the par 4s and 5s had multiple lines to choose from off the tee or to be determined for the second shot. Fairways were immaculate, don't recall seeing any unwanted undergrowth. Rough was very manageable though thick enough to provide separation between holes.

Water comes into play on a few holes with hole 11 being the biggest threat of a lost disc. Hole 7 is pretty unique slightly downhill shot to a peninsula green with a split fairway.

This is another course I would love to have closer to home. Beautiful track with high replay value.

Not much elevation to speak of.

Have to get nitpicky here but on all of the par 3s the White and Blue layouts share the same teepad.

Hole 8 might be the weakest hole. Still need to hit a gap off the long tee, but then a wide open upshot in the field after which you retreat back across the field to hole 9 tee.

Hole 7 while being picturesque seems like it might play a little finicky with the tiny peninsula green. You could layup and pitch up but being a par 3 makes you want to run the green from the tee.

I believe this was my 8th Houck designed course played so I had an idea what to expect going in, and it delivered. In fact was the reason I chose this track as I only had time for one course in the Mobile area during a quick roadtrip.

Hole 13 was being regraded when I played. Appears to be a snaking stream on this left to right moving par 3. Don't know if it had flooded previously but there was heavy machinery and several workers in action who fortunately happened to take a break just as I got to the hole.

Silly side note: one of my favorite bands Shellac has a song called The Admiral which played a few times in my mind throughout the round.

The Admiral features the classic Houck mix of par 3s, 4s, and 5s spread out over what is variously wooded and more open terrain with some smaller bodies of water thrown into the mix at a few spots. The woods are more common, but there's a great variety of tree cover. Though I'm often a fan of Houck's longer holes, here I found some of the best to be thorny par 3s that were quite birdieable in theory for an intermediate plus player but posed significant risk/reward in the attempt due to low ceilings, aggressive water hazards, hit-or-die windows, and some minor elevation. These holes often encouraged me to attempt a second or third try simply to see if I could traverse their simple-but-elegant challenges more effectively.

That said, there are many great par 4s and 5s here with the usual multiple lanes and stressed landing zones that characterize Houck's distinctive style. These are well-designed as always, though not as consistently memorable as on many other Houck courses I've played. The best version of these is 11, a birdiable par 4 with a lakeside pin partly guarded by brush that really stresses your risk tolerance. It's not the prettiest hole on the course, but it's a great one.

Three sets of excellent concrete tees widen the course's appeal.

The Admiral has a high amount of choice with multiple lanes and lines on many holes, but it seems less meaningful than is usually the case on John Houck courses. Usually he provides you with meaningful alternatives: do I choose the wider hyzer window that will force a somewhat longer follow-up shot, or do I try this riskier line that will put me in great position for a birdie if I succeed? There seems to me to be less such risk versus reward decision-making at the Admiral, with your choice more being about your throwing style. I missed the high level mental game that distinguishes my favorite disc golf courses.

The elevation is minimal here. This plus the aforementioned less refined mental game limited the course's character somewhat.

The Admiral is to date my least favorite Houck course, and it's hard for me to fully put my finger on why that is. I just found it to be a bit less spectacular than his others. Perhaps his signature longer holes are a bit forced on this land, given it was the par 3s that really worked for me, seemingly more suited for this nicely wooded but otherwise unspectacular plot of land. It is still quite a worthwhile round and a recommended visit - probably my favorite course out of Alabama and Mississippi combined given what I've seen - but not something that you should put on your bucket list.

The pine forest was a lovely walk through the woods. There are a few water features that come into play, but most of the course is through the woods.

Like any Houck course, expect a variety of lengths and hole designs. I think this is the best feature of his courses because I don't know if I've ever really thought any of his holes were unfair, or just pointless. It's really nice to know going into a course that you're not going to feel like you're wasting your time, or going to get too frustrated.

Mainly because all the well designed holes, this course is pretty fun. There is one kind of open-field hole, but also a few water hazard risk/reward holes. A few tunnel shots, a mix of 4's and 5's thrown in, everything to keep it fresh the whole round.

Tee signage is amazing. Every tee has detailed signs, every pad is full concrete, benches and trash cans abound. If the amenities do it for ya, this course will be your bread and butter.

As mentioned before, the natural beauty of the course is nice. It's not the most picturesque park around, but I definitely ain't bad to look at either.

The cons on this course, for me, really stem from being slightly underwhelmed. As wellsbranch mentioned, the lines may be fair, but are pretty tight- especially for a Houck design. It's mainly noticeable on the longer holes, where you have to try and thread some trees way down the fairway, and if you don't- well I hear old campfire stories about people who got lost wandering the woods for their disc and haunt the course now.

Navigation can be a little tricky in a few places, even with the "next tee" signs, so take a pic of the course map and use it.

I don't really see anything else wrong with this course, but I also don't see any reasons this course would be "Phenomenal" (4.5) or "Best of the Best" (5.0). Other than the blind peninsula of hole 7, no holes really stand out as a "oo, I want to do that again" drive.

I played this course on my way up to Atlanta, and was lucky enough to avoid the surrounding rain to play a completely dry round, and to run into a local for some navigational tips (thanks JC!). We talked about how this course compares to Parc des Familles (a newer Houck design in the New Orleans area), and I really think the very well-designed holes of PdF nudges out occasionally plinko-ish holes of The Admiral. But it's definitely a fun course, and worth stopping by if you're in the Mobile area.

PS The only place to get water is the splash park across the park area, so come prepared.

(4.160 Rating) An expertly designed moderate to heavily wooded gem playable for a wide range of skill levels.
- TEE EXPERIENCE - Wow, 45 very large concrete tees. I thought a couple were ten feet wide. Every hole has at least two pads and nine holes have 3 pads. Most of the tees are very well shaded too.
- CHARACTER - In addition to the tees, The admiral is just loaded with amenities and comfort items. Upon arriving, a gorgeous large course map and community board. There's a practice basket and large shelter with picnic tables. There's a massive deck with picnic tables overlooking a pond. Between holes (12) and (13) there's another shelter along with restrooms and vending machines. There are benches on every hole, although not every tee. The hole signage looks spectacular showing all the info one would need. Overall the signage would probably make my top ten (239 courses played as of this review). The baskets are brand new DISCatchers. The only substantial missing item compared to the other top courses I've played is alternate basket placements.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Red, White and Blue tees that appear to be correctly aligned to the PDGA guidelines of Recreation, Intermediate and Advanced skill levels. The Admiral's ability to play fair to such a wide swath of skill levels is truly remarkable, I wish more courses would do the same as The Admiral.
- CHALLENGING - 75 percent of this layout is heavily wooded. IMO, all of the tight wooded lines were fair. Shot shaping and course management from the Blue and White tees is very apparent throughout the entire layout. There are two monster wooded par 5s that will have advanced players scoring everything from 3s to 8s. I'm going to guess that the Blue tees will require the skills of a 950 rated player to average below par and the Red tees will need about a 850 rated player to average below par scoring.
- UNIQUENESS - The variety on this flat course is superb. As stated above, 75 percent of this layout is heavily wooded, but there are a few open to lightly wooded plays filling the middle portion of the layout to break up the monotony of the wooded portions. Water is heavily apparent twice with two water clears and it also makes a minor impact on two other holes. There are two dogleg par 5s that bend in opposite directions and seven par 4s. Basket guarding is awesome, forcing shots to attack from the left and the right and also sometimes requiring a finishing straight tree gap. I was a little disappointed to not see a more well defined abrupt deeper pocketing left or right play like on many other Houck designs I've played.
- NAVIGATION - Not perfect, but better than the average heavily wooded course. Lots of navigation cues between holes. Again, great course map and tee signage.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I played during the dead of winter which is not ideal for anyone looking to play beautiful courses. However, I've played long enough now to know that the natural elements are here to make for some wow moments for those that have only played a few dozen courses. The Admiral has lots of pine tree lined fairways and their planting pattern is natural rather than the grid lines that populates some courses. Water is in view a few times with hole (11) splitting two separate water features. Hole (8) was probably the only hole that looks visually below average, but it is a trade off as it's the only hole that one can grip it and rip it without worry.

The Admiral is a Rock Star course with only ticky tack issues.
- ELEVATION - I've only played a few Mobile area courses and it seems that the entire region is mostly flat. the Admiral has a couple mild elevation changes in the 15 foot range but this amount is not even going to register in the minds of many players outside the region.
- FORGIVENESS - As stated above in the Pros, I thought all the lines were fair, but just because they're fair doesn't mean they are easy. Several lines were less than 10 feet wide. Ricochets in the wrong direction or grip locks could be very punishing. There is a very challenging water line on (11) which I'm sure claims plastic quite often.
- HOLE 7 - Wow what a neat hole with water front and back with a landing area about 30 feet deep. It would have been nice for the hole signage to indicate this considering its blind from the Red tee view. I looked at the beautiful sign before throwing and assumed the berm in front of the basket was a shallow swale. After hitting the top of the berm and watching it trickle back out of view, I assumed easy deuce. I walked away with a circle 3 and a wet arm. All stated, one of my favorite designed holes out here now that I know about the hazard. Perhaps the fronting water was cut in after the sign was designed.
- LAYOUT FLOW - There are a few odd transitions between holes. Even with all the navigational cues, I still walked to the wrong next tee twice. There are a couple substantial double back walks between holes. (2) to (3) and (15) to (16) are the most confusing of the transitions. In hindsight, I wish I had a printed map with me.
- TRASH - There appears to be a couple spots with old dumping ground rubbish. I saw a couple old tires and some big chunks of miscellaneous plastics. There are also some large cast concrete boulders present on a few holes.
- TIME PLAY - Playing the Blue Layout is going to take longer than your average course. At 8,000 feet and with the high likelihood of additional recovery shots. I figure a solo will need at least 90 minutes to tackle this one. Groups of four on the Blue layout will likely take three hours. The Red layout however will run much quicker for those on a time crunch. I figure less than 60 minutes is achievable for a solo. Please note, that the time it takes to play a course makes no impact on my ratings, it's for information purposes only.

No doubt the Admiral is a designation course. Although I've only played three courses in the Mobile area, I've read enough area reviews of other courses to conclude that the Admiral has become the consensus top area course. In addition, I'd safety say that its among the top 5 courses and perhaps the top 3 in the state of Alabama as well. The Admiral has everything that a well traveled player expects from a top course with only elevation being an omission. As of this review, I only have one flat course ranked higher than the Admiral. I have T2 in Orlando at a 4.180 rating which is just a .020 point separation. This is the 10th Houck course I've played and personally it's my second favorite of his designs only after Austin Ridge Bible Church in Austin TX. Players that live within a 3 hours drive of Mobile need to plan a daytrip here and disc golf tourists need to wish list it.

- 3 sets of tees (blue and white are same for some holes)
- Orange band disccatchers (I just think it's cool to have something different)
- tee signs are very informative
- big awesome tee box (I found myself starting off the back of the tee box and then realizing I didn't have to because there was more than enough room)
- tough but fair lanes
- multiple routes on most holes
- good mix of long challenging holes and shorter more friendly holes
- bathroom nearby

- there were a few long walks to the next hole (8-9, 9-10, etc.)
- there were a few holes that I didn't feel like a good shot was rewarded (too many trees too close to the basket)
For example on hole 14 I think, I threw what looked to be a perfect shot. It was maybe a couple feet from a perfect spot but I bogeyed because it was tucked into a group of trees where i thought it was unnecessary, but this only happened on a couple holes. as wooded as this course is, I'm not gonna complain too much (but I will complain a little) about only a few holes having this problem.
- the rough is super rough in some areas (this will break in over time)

This course is super wooded. You have to avoid trees on basically every hole. Having said that, this is by far the best wooded course I have ever played. There were definitely times that I was frustrated and wished there were less trees, but that was almost always because I had a bad shot.

I played the white tees, (I think this would apply to the other tees too)and this course is about placement shots. On almost all of the 4's and 5's, distance is not nearly as important as putting your shot in the right spot. This also makes it more difficult if your playing it for the first time. The tee signs are helpful in letting you know where you should throw each shot, and there are definitely times where if you miss the landing zone, your looking at extra strokes.

If you avoid the trees, you could shoot very well on this course, but that is a big if. There were a few holes where I thought there could have been a few more trees taken out, or the basket could have been in a different place, but for the most part everything made sense and made for excellent challenging disc golf.

In conclusion, if you are in the mobile or Semmes area or traveling through or can take a detour to travel through, you need to play this course. I will definitely be back.

- Free to play/Baskets in great condition/concrete tees for pro am and rec

- great signage, for the most part, including next tee signs

- the course is more or less a figure 8 in that after 9 and 18 you're back pretty close to parking and such. (the actual layout is very much not an 8 though)

- well maintained

- benches, trash cans and port-o-john - check, check, and check

- great variety of hole lengths, pars, types of shots needed and layout - there are some really creative, fun holes here the likes of which are not seen elsewhere in Mobile. Lines are present, some are obvious, and some are tight, requiring more precision

- natural elevation of the area is used nicely. the gradual slope of some areas hides baskets from view and forces you to think three-dimensionally.

- Seems a little cramped. See below.

- I played with dry conditions, but I can see how the holes near the pond are going to get muddy after long rains. Specifically 12 and 13.

- This will probably go away as time passes as the course is still new but, if you end up off the fairway at anytime - be sure to pick up your feet. there are still plenty of short stumps left behind from clearing that are the perfect height for tripping over.

The Admiral has quickly garnered a reputation as Mobile's new badass course. I can't say I disagree. It's a well thought out and challenging (yet fun) course that forces you to pull out all the stops. There are challenges here you won't find on other courses in Mobile.

There are some cool holes out here, and not just necessarily the long ones. Hole 7 in particular has a great aesthetic to it. Short, but fun. The question is which (corri)door will you choose? (see map). Also Hole 12 comes to mind. Though perhaps a little gimmicky, the main obstacle is a large strip of earth maybe 3'-4' tall running directly across your throwing path, forcing you to think of elevation in a different way, behind which there are sufficient trees to provide the basket with protection from potential ace runs.

As stated above it seems a little cramped. If it weren't for the signage present and course map I can see how someone could get turned around on some holes. Especially when you get done with say, hole 17, and the nearest basket you see is marked 5.

The course is still in its infancy and opinions may change over time but for now, the Admiral is already one of the top courses in the county. The residents of Semmes are probably happy they don't have to drive all the way to Mobile for great DG now, and rightfully so. It's a great challenge of a course; definitely not one that I'd bring a first timer to.