Whispering Pines - White reviews
6
0
BossToss904
Experience:
14.8 years
148 played
1 reviews
Help needed! 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Jan 5, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
-Located in a very large, seemingly nice park with many other activities.
-There are two 18 hole courses on site. I only had enough daylight for one, as there is no indication of two courses online, and tried the newer course, which seems to be quite new based on the other reviews so far. My review is based solely on this new course.
-There is a kiosk with course maps. While not very high quality, this is still more than many courses offer, and is absolutely necessary to have any chance of navigating this course.
-There is significant elevation as far as Florida goes.
-Lots of potential. Unfortunately that's about it for pros here, as there is a lot of unmet potential. While I appreciate any disc golf course, this was disappointing to the point of inspiring my first ever review, despite being my 100th course played. Thus the focus on the cons, which if seriously addressed could help turn this into a great course.
-There are two 18 hole courses on site. I only had enough daylight for one, as there is no indication of two courses online, and tried the newer course, which seems to be quite new based on the other reviews so far. My review is based solely on this new course.
-There is a kiosk with course maps. While not very high quality, this is still more than many courses offer, and is absolutely necessary to have any chance of navigating this course.
-There is significant elevation as far as Florida goes.
-Lots of potential. Unfortunately that's about it for pros here, as there is a lot of unmet potential. While I appreciate any disc golf course, this was disappointing to the point of inspiring my first ever review, despite being my 100th course played. Thus the focus on the cons, which if seriously addressed could help turn this into a great course.
Cons:
-Tee pads. They are just rubber mats which become very slick with any amount water, which happens to pool in the bumpy low spots of several tees. Honestly it is better to just throw from the dirt next to the pads to avoid any serious mishaps.
-Signage. Or lack there of. Other than next tee directors hanging from most baskets, which is definitely necessary for navigation here although far from sufficient, there is none.
-The map. While better than nothing, this thing is barebones, and not entirely accurate. It is a grainy satellite image of basically just a forest with very few distinguishable landmarks. On top of that are rough tee and basket locations connected by straight lines and labeled with the straight line distance from tee to basket. No indication of fairway shape or golf distance, both of which vary immensely from the map. For the most part next tees are fairly close to previous basket, but there are some points where the map indicates this but the next tee is actually 100+ feet away and not visible due to their flat mat status.
-Fairways. It's almost a joke to call them that. Holes 1-5 were short and manageable, and you could actually see the basket from the tee despite zero effort to help them stand out from their surroundings. Pretty much what you would expect for technical woods holes. Hole 6 is where it goes south. A 622' straight line through the forest is what the map indicates. Reality: a winding hiking trail with no more than 100' before the next sharp bend. I think I got there in 7. Hole 7: the map says 334' straight line. After walking at least 400' down the double dogleg fairway and not finding the hole, I went back to the tee to see if the intersecting walking trail was actually the fairway before double checking the map and pulling up google satellite to check my orientation, then deciding to skip it and head back down the fairway to eventually find the basket 100' past where I first stopped. I think I ended up skipping 7-9 because I don't like teeing off if I don't know which way the basket is, and if I have to walk 400' around a bend to even see the "300" ft basket, I'm not inclined to walk back and play it. Moral of the story: hiking trails are not fairways, and gps distance is not golf distance. I have to agree with another reviewer in that it seems like this course was not designed by someone with much understanding of disc golf or the flight mechanics of discs. The only way to play these narrow twists and turns is to either spray and pray but 100% hit trees, or throw mids down the fairway 100' at a time and still probably hit trees. Neither of these options are enjoyable or good disc golf.
-All of these cons culminate in what is arguably the worst problem: navigation. It's hard to find the courses in the park. It's hard to find the baskets from the tees due to lack of signage, numerous blind corners, inaccurate distances and paths, and multiple crisscrossing walking trails sprinkled on top. It's sometimes hard to find the next tee due to their low profile. It's something that can put a stain on an otherwise good course, but here it's piled on top of an overall frustrating and disappointing experience. And all it takes is a little bit of effort to make it a lot better.
-Signage. Or lack there of. Other than next tee directors hanging from most baskets, which is definitely necessary for navigation here although far from sufficient, there is none.
-The map. While better than nothing, this thing is barebones, and not entirely accurate. It is a grainy satellite image of basically just a forest with very few distinguishable landmarks. On top of that are rough tee and basket locations connected by straight lines and labeled with the straight line distance from tee to basket. No indication of fairway shape or golf distance, both of which vary immensely from the map. For the most part next tees are fairly close to previous basket, but there are some points where the map indicates this but the next tee is actually 100+ feet away and not visible due to their flat mat status.
-Fairways. It's almost a joke to call them that. Holes 1-5 were short and manageable, and you could actually see the basket from the tee despite zero effort to help them stand out from their surroundings. Pretty much what you would expect for technical woods holes. Hole 6 is where it goes south. A 622' straight line through the forest is what the map indicates. Reality: a winding hiking trail with no more than 100' before the next sharp bend. I think I got there in 7. Hole 7: the map says 334' straight line. After walking at least 400' down the double dogleg fairway and not finding the hole, I went back to the tee to see if the intersecting walking trail was actually the fairway before double checking the map and pulling up google satellite to check my orientation, then deciding to skip it and head back down the fairway to eventually find the basket 100' past where I first stopped. I think I ended up skipping 7-9 because I don't like teeing off if I don't know which way the basket is, and if I have to walk 400' around a bend to even see the "300" ft basket, I'm not inclined to walk back and play it. Moral of the story: hiking trails are not fairways, and gps distance is not golf distance. I have to agree with another reviewer in that it seems like this course was not designed by someone with much understanding of disc golf or the flight mechanics of discs. The only way to play these narrow twists and turns is to either spray and pray but 100% hit trees, or throw mids down the fairway 100' at a time and still probably hit trees. Neither of these options are enjoyable or good disc golf.
-All of these cons culminate in what is arguably the worst problem: navigation. It's hard to find the courses in the park. It's hard to find the baskets from the tees due to lack of signage, numerous blind corners, inaccurate distances and paths, and multiple crisscrossing walking trails sprinkled on top. It's sometimes hard to find the next tee due to their low profile. It's something that can put a stain on an otherwise good course, but here it's piled on top of an overall frustrating and disappointing experience. And all it takes is a little bit of effort to make it a lot better.
Other Thoughts:
A park with this amount of resources and the rare blessing of elevation in Florida could really be spectacular. Unfortunately, it is more than disappointing. I'm sure it was conceived when someone hiking along the trails thought "Hey! What if we put some of those frolf doohickeys in here??" I have to agree that the second course should not have been considered until the first one got maintenance, tee signs and real tee pads, along with possibly some redesign help. The only reason I might return would be to play the original course which I didn't have time for, because it seems like it might be not as bad as the new one, but it still doesn't sound like too much fun. Or to help redesign if requested. Here's to hoping!
