Tallahassee, FL

Tom Brown Park - Old Layout

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3.815(based on 29 reviews)
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Tom Brown Park - Old Layout reviews

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3 0
Notverygood
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 76 played 35 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Overall a great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 20, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging, but not too tough. Enough tight, low ceiling shots to make you mad, but enough wide open long bomb holes to even it out.

Relatively well maintained. Concrete tee pads at all 24 holes, and most have tee signs.

The layout is convenient, hole 9 ends up back near the parking area, as does hole 18. Makes it easy to play a quick 9 holes after work, or play all 18-24.

A decent amount of elevation change for a Florida course. I'm sure nothing compared to others, but compared to some courses further south in Fla, it's nice.

Extra 6 holes! The regular 18 are fun, but the additional 6 are some unique, tougher shots.

Friendly regulars. Always willing to let you play through, offer help or shoot the bull.

The park that the course is in is awesome! Tons of sports fields, top notch r/c track, some of the best mtn biking in Florida, a huge playground, a dog park, etc. etc. etc. plenty of other things to do aside from disc golf there!

Cons:

Outdated, poor condition signage at some holes.

Although I know the way now, the trek from hole 9 to 10 got me lost and wasn't marked very well.

Unfortunately being in such an active/awesome park, you'll often encounter runners, bikers, idiots, picnickers, and people not aware they're in the way.

Aside from thick woods and roads, it lacks some OB obstacles. No real water holes. Again, hardly a con!

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I'm lucky to have such a great course so close to home. If you're passing by on I-10 or in town, I highly recommend throwing a round or two here! And with all the other great things to do at the park, don't be afraid to bring the family
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6 2
Connor Jones
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.9 years 76 played 35 reviews
3.50 star(s)

So close to being so awesome. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice baskets.

Uniform teepads as far as I can remember, a good length and width.

The bonus six holes are awesome and allow you to throw all sorts of fun lines.

There is some really excellent elevation out here, I think hole 11 is the huge downhill one, that is a freaking excellent hole with a fun teeshot.

Huge park, a ton of things to do here with some really massive playgrounds for kids.

Two sets of tees that actually do provide a different look, they did extremely well in this department.

The teesigns get the job done.

Cons:

There is only one con, but it is kind of a big one, for me personally I felt as if a lot of these holes just sort of run together, kind of monotonous in flavor. This is why I really appreciated the letter holes because I felt as if they spiced things up quite a bit. A lot of these holes are just really open though and didn't offer a ton of variety.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course, I personally prefer something a bit more wooded but this was really fun none-the-less. If I had to just pick one course though, it would be Jack McLean because I believe that is the better balanced course.

Regardless, play this one if you have time for both, it still is a very good course and I'll play it again when I return.
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5 0
ZMan44
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.1 years 179 played 110 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Strenuous Round for Florida 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tom Brown Park has 24 fairly unique holes. The additional 6 holes blended in with the rest of the course very well. The design loops back to the parking area after 9 holes.

There are some wooded holes that are definitely challenging, though most of the course is open.

This course used elevation better than any other course in Florida that I have played. Usually, there is not much elevation available for use, but there is at Tom Brown Park, and the designers used it well.

There are plenty of trees to provide shade, but it can still get rather hot.

Cons:

Occasionally it was very difficult to see the pin from the basket, or to identify the ideal line. Hole 1 stands out. I remember throwing my drive and then looking for the basket. After finding the basket, I thought "how the heck do you get over there?" I honestly took a fairway driver and threw it low to the ground as hard as I could from about 80 feet out. It cut through the underbrush and made it safely to about 10 feet...though this should not be the ideal path.

There are a couple of holes that are in the open areas where multiple baskets are visible from the tee. If you've never played there, you kind of have to scout them out because it's easy to pick the wrong one. Contacting a guide would be helpful.

For a park that didn't seem to have a whole lot of other things going on, there were a number of non-disc golfers. Maybe many folks use it for walking. There was one young couple having a picnic in the middle of a fairway on the back 9. Another young lady was reading a book within 30 feet of the basket on a back 9 hole. The lady moved, but the couple refused so we just threw over them...they were only about 200 feet away so we cleared them pretty easily.

Other Thoughts:

Wind plays a major factor at this course. In the open areas, gusty winds can make it difficult. This is neither a Pro nor a Con given that it is an element of the game.

When I see "moderately hilly" for a Floridian course, I don't get too worries...but this round was a workout. There is some significant elevation change on the holes and traversing hillsides can wear you out quickly, especially in the Floridian heat. My suggestion is to down size your bag. You don't need 20+ discs to play this course well, and lugging that many around will affect you here. I played with my fully loaded Lat64 Pro Bag...and boy did I regret it. My calves were on fire.

Try to stop and refuel after 9 holes. You will probably feel fine, but the extra 6 holes are on the backside, and that part of the course has the most hills. In essence, you won't be back to the car for 15 holes, which is almost a regular course. Be prepared, it gets hot and the hike is much more strenuous.

Tom Brown Park is an above average course. It has some solid design elements. I didn't really get a feeling of repetition, even though the course is mostly open. It doesn't really have that "wow" factor or couple of amazing holes that would push it to "excellent" status, but it is a really solid course. I am an FSU student studying online and had the opportunity to play while I was in town for a scholarship dinner. I got there early in order to play some disc golf, and was not disappointed. This is a good spot, and worth checking out if you are in the area.
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1 1
Sandman01
Experience: 9 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Locals 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 4, 2005 Played the course:once

Pros:

I was on the road and stopped by this course on a Saturday morning and was lucky enough to play the weekly mini. A great group of friendly golfers.

Liked most of the holes as plays in a very active public park (con as well). The friendly club was more then enough to make up for any cons. Good mix of open and wooded shots with some low ceiling drives if my memories serve me right.

Cons:

Active public park so have to watch out for walkers/joggers/picnics etc.

When I played the course was still being worked on and had tone baskets in the woods but were still fun to play.

Other Thoughts:

Would like to come back and throw this park again to see all the improvements and hopefully be able to play the mini again. Thanks to the club for allowing me a chance to play in your mini.
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1 1
CubbieBlue
Experience: 22.3 years 102 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Variety! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Decent variation, wide open holes, tight fairway holes, short holes and a couple of long holes. Baskets were nice and there was a local who played a round with me and a friend who was very friendly and a great guide around the course, thanks Dave!

Cons:

Needs a couple more longer holes, there was really only one hole I couldn't reach off the drive. The holes in the woods were great, but the holes in the open were really open and did not have much to them. The pads definitely need some work too.
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5 0
Stan
Experience: 15.7 years 18 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pretty Solid 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 19, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is set within a larger recreational complex that offers a play ground, tennis, dog park, and a handful of other things. The surrounding activities add to the park-like, social feel of the course. The grounds are well kept. The course is easy to navigate. A big "welcome" board marks the first hole at the entrance of the park. It is easy to find your way to the next hole with the tee pads near by. Each hole offers two concrete tee pads. With a few exceptions on the front 9, the typical hole is fairly open. However, they make good use of the trees they do have. Most holes have one or two large trees which must be accounted for.

There is also some additional holes which are more wooded, which brings some nice balance to the course. Once on hole 11, get on the other side of the wooden fence and walk up the road. The additional tees will be easy to find.

Cons:

I played the course on a weekday afternoon and it was fairly active. I would have to assume that the course could get crowed during peak times. (everyone I met was very friendly)

I would like to see more trash cans.

As mentioned earlier, the course is pretty open. If you are looking for opportunities to rip off some drives, this is the place...if you want a technical round, you will want to play some where else.

The "extra" holes on 11 have small tee pads which are carpeted.

There is no water and only one hole with an elevation change.

Other Thoughts:

While playing the extra holes, which are more wooded, it appeared as through they were creating additional holes which looked pretty interesting. The new holes will have concrete pads and offer a few cool looking elevation challenges.

This is a great course...a course I would play often if I lived near by, but there is nothing making it stand out as spectacular.

Based on the core 18 holes, I would give it a solid 3...the extra holes bumps it up a notch.
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