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The Coop at the SHAC reviews
16
0
Could Be Awesome In 10 Years.
Reviewed:
Played on:Dec 5, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
(2.548 Rating) A very hilly moderately wooded course with a mix of easy and not so easy shots.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I absolutely loved the scenery here. The terrain change is constant and used really well. Hole (3) is the first of many eye-catching throws. (3) is a wooded downshot with the basket perched on a slanted hillside. (15) is a tantalizing gauntlet line requiring both power and finesse. Tee (17) to (18) basket is an epic hole that most will wish were combined into one hole. Anyways, the landscape is spectacular and will only get better as the young 25-foot tall pines grow taller and taller. I slotted the Coop at 90 percentile and in 2nd place for beauty on my ledger among Birmingham courses, only behind Inverness.
- HOLE VARIETY - My second favorite thing here at The Coop, was the play variety. As noted above, constant terrain change that's used in every which way. Up shots, down shots, false fronts, slides to the left and slides to the right. Only a couple holes were sort-of flat. The use of the young pines woods is also switched up nicely too. Some holes are lightly wooded while others need to be threaded through a wood lined fairway. Water plays will typically not be a factor. There are some headwater creeks, but these creeks will likely only have water flowing in the hours directly after a big rain event.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - I thought this aspect was just good enough to still be a pro. No course map was present as of late 2023, but I could see a map showing up in the future as this appears to be a well-funded park. The tee signs are good and have all the needed info including next tee direction indicated. Some of the signs are orientated in odd ways, but not a major issue. Most of the baskets also had red arrows affixed below them pointing towards the next tee as well. Most transitions are short and/or obvious. My only navigational grip was after (9) as tee (10) is about 500 feet away and there are no extra navigational cues.
- CHALLENGING - I was amused as an MA2 level player. The roll away threat is ever present and it can turn long birdie attempts into bogeys. The course is not super long on paper (5,000 ish), but a couple of the sub 200 foot plays will feel like 300 footers due to the uphill nature. I think the ideal target audience is MA2s and MA3s, but MA1s will be challenged on several holes.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I absolutely loved the scenery here. The terrain change is constant and used really well. Hole (3) is the first of many eye-catching throws. (3) is a wooded downshot with the basket perched on a slanted hillside. (15) is a tantalizing gauntlet line requiring both power and finesse. Tee (17) to (18) basket is an epic hole that most will wish were combined into one hole. Anyways, the landscape is spectacular and will only get better as the young 25-foot tall pines grow taller and taller. I slotted the Coop at 90 percentile and in 2nd place for beauty on my ledger among Birmingham courses, only behind Inverness.
- HOLE VARIETY - My second favorite thing here at The Coop, was the play variety. As noted above, constant terrain change that's used in every which way. Up shots, down shots, false fronts, slides to the left and slides to the right. Only a couple holes were sort-of flat. The use of the young pines woods is also switched up nicely too. Some holes are lightly wooded while others need to be threaded through a wood lined fairway. Water plays will typically not be a factor. There are some headwater creeks, but these creeks will likely only have water flowing in the hours directly after a big rain event.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - I thought this aspect was just good enough to still be a pro. No course map was present as of late 2023, but I could see a map showing up in the future as this appears to be a well-funded park. The tee signs are good and have all the needed info including next tee direction indicated. Some of the signs are orientated in odd ways, but not a major issue. Most of the baskets also had red arrows affixed below them pointing towards the next tee as well. Most transitions are short and/or obvious. My only navigational grip was after (9) as tee (10) is about 500 feet away and there are no extra navigational cues.
- CHALLENGING - I was amused as an MA2 level player. The roll away threat is ever present and it can turn long birdie attempts into bogeys. The course is not super long on paper (5,000 ish), but a couple of the sub 200 foot plays will feel like 300 footers due to the uphill nature. I think the ideal target audience is MA2s and MA3s, but MA1s will be challenged on several holes.
Cons:
The tees need to be addressed immediately.
- TEES - The tees are clearly the biggest issue with The Coop. Worthy of a ½ star deduction for many and perhaps even more for others. If it were to ever get rectified, I'd up my rating to a 3.0 without question. First off regarding the tees, they are natural. Not the end of the world, but there are also no tee edge markings. Thus logically, one should just walk up to the basket, tap the chains, and claim an ace. Joking of course. The third issue, and biggest issue, is the levelness. They are so bad, that any flat earthers brought here would finally be convinced by the error of their ways. Among the 652 courses I've thrown as of this review, these are the top 5 worst I've ever stepped foot on. I did appreciate the volunteer that leveled a pad for (13). Hopefully this gets repeated about a dozen more times.
- TIME PLAY - When I saw the distances on paper, I thought finishing in under an hour was a certainty. The course is a hike. A fun hike, but a hike. Don't make the mistake of forgetting to pick up and then have to reclimb the many hills.
- TERRAIN - I loved it, but I know that this set-up won't work for everyone. There are several +30 degree slopes to traverse. It's raw and rugged in spots. The (15) to (16) transition requires walking on a berm comprised of jagged 8 inch stones. I don't think the course is cart friendly, but could see someone dragging one out here anyways.
- HOLE (11) - A double fairway hole where both options are not pure lines. The rest seemed to all be fair to me.
- TEES - The tees are clearly the biggest issue with The Coop. Worthy of a ½ star deduction for many and perhaps even more for others. If it were to ever get rectified, I'd up my rating to a 3.0 without question. First off regarding the tees, they are natural. Not the end of the world, but there are also no tee edge markings. Thus logically, one should just walk up to the basket, tap the chains, and claim an ace. Joking of course. The third issue, and biggest issue, is the levelness. They are so bad, that any flat earthers brought here would finally be convinced by the error of their ways. Among the 652 courses I've thrown as of this review, these are the top 5 worst I've ever stepped foot on. I did appreciate the volunteer that leveled a pad for (13). Hopefully this gets repeated about a dozen more times.
- TIME PLAY - When I saw the distances on paper, I thought finishing in under an hour was a certainty. The course is a hike. A fun hike, but a hike. Don't make the mistake of forgetting to pick up and then have to reclimb the many hills.
- TERRAIN - I loved it, but I know that this set-up won't work for everyone. There are several +30 degree slopes to traverse. It's raw and rugged in spots. The (15) to (16) transition requires walking on a berm comprised of jagged 8 inch stones. I don't think the course is cart friendly, but could see someone dragging one out here anyways.
- HOLE (11) - A double fairway hole where both options are not pure lines. The rest seemed to all be fair to me.
Other Thoughts:
The Coop has the potential to be a top 5 Birmingham course. In five years, I could see this turning into a 3.5 level course with a few more tweaks and all new tee surfaces. Plus, all of the young pines will be 15 feet taller in 5 years, which will make the lines pop even more. I hope that the volunteers stick with the course during this growing phase. They will be key on making sure the park leaders invest the required infrastructure as well as adding the little touches to make this place sparkle. As is, a 2.5 course. If you are reading this and the tees have gotten an upgrade, send me a message and I'll update my rating to a 3.0. I have not played any courses quite like this one yet. Perhaps a little like Choccolocco an hour east of town, but way hillier.
14
0
Elevation and more elevation
Reviewed:
Played on:Apr 29, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
Nice new veterans baskets. Restrooms on site. Good variety of distance. Elevation on almost every hole. Tee signs for every hole. Markers pointing to the next hole. Navigation mostly good
Cons:
Only one set of tees and no tee pads. Throwing from used area and rough terrain. Several long walks between holes. Hard to find next tee after 9. some baskets are hard to spot from the tee.
Other Thoughts:
Nice new course in the Birmingham area. The elevation is fairly extreme so if you are not fit it might not be for you. Could really use some tee pads and I'm a big fan of multiple tees which this course does not have. Course plays through a lot of immature pines. Often your line is actually over some of them. I'm concerned how that will affect the course as they mature. It seemed to me they could have had several par 4 or 5s but only one par 4 there.
