Hartselle, AL

Sparkman Park - Original

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3.195(based on 18 reviews)
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11 0
TRoss886
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.9 years 283 played 32 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun course for nearly anyone. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 19, 2021 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- The Big 3: I'm always happy to try out any course with the most important amenities on lock. This course has good sized concrete tee pads, good looking metal tee signage, and new Veteran baskets on nearly every hole.
- 2 Courses: Although this is a review for the Original course, it is definitely a perk to have two 18 hole courses begin in the same parking lot.
- Grooming: The few times I have played this course, it has been as well groomed as possible. It would appear they tackle it weekly or so since it appears to be a well used park.
- Parking Area: Large course map, trash cans, picnic tables, and #1 tee (for both courses) all right where you park. Large course maps are also staring right at you from your driver seat. Only downside of this area is no practice basket.
- Benches: This is really well executed on this course. There is a bench on every other hole starting with #1. If they were trying to save money and resources, every other hole for the entire course is the way to do it.
- Hole Features: These make for interesting play for beginners and advanced players alike. A triple mando on #1. Cool hanging basket with double mando on #7. Various other interesting mandos. Defined rock island green on #18.
- Park Amenities: Trash cans are plenty frequent on this course. There are pavilions for breaks. One of the better features, is that there is a restroom right at #9 tee box.
- Beauty: A really nice split rocky creek that is most featured on #11 and #12 is one of my favorite aspects of this course. This creek features a couple nice bridges. On my last visit, there were also a few flowering plants in bloom.
- Alternate Pin Locations: This course has multiple options on most holes which could make for interesting future rounds.

Cons:

- Park Users: I'd say the biggest con (which isn't very big) is the potential for a busy park by other users. This is only particularly problematic on 3 or so holes with a couple other holes being a potential.
- Swampy: This will most likely be pretty rare and only in very few spots. The 4 times I have played this course the following have been swampy: #5 fairway/green, #6 fairway, and #8 green.
- Signage Detail: The tee signs (while nice and well made) lack par description and next tee direction. However, there is really only one hole that could be a par 4 sitting at 499 feet. Also, #11 is currently missing its sign but hopefully this is just being repaired and is temporary.
- Navigation: While this course is fairly self-explanatory in this regard, next tee signage going from #10 to #11 and from #14 to #15 would be helpful. Fortunately the course map at #1 helps with this.

Other Thoughts:

Not pros or cons:
- Elevation: While this course doesn't offer a ton in the way of elevation, it makes decent use of what it does have (particularly on one of my favorite holes #10).
- Turn: While this course doesnt make a "true" turn after #9, it does return to the parking lot after #14 if you need anything from the course. The restroom at #9 tee is also nice for a somewhat turn.
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1 3
SkinDvr
Experience: 38.9 years 18 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

I liked it! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 18, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Not crowded even on a Saturday. Very hard to loose a disc and no hunting in woods getting cut up, like in Florida.

Cons:

If you play barefoot some weeds have thorns.

Other Thoughts:

Great place to pull off I65 for a break driving the RV!
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7 0
JSurmann
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 76 played 28 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun enough to play more than once 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 4, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course is set in a lightly wooded park with plenty of parking, well maintained fairways and actually has a second course on the same property (Lakeside) that begins in the same area. A small creek comes into play for 3 or 4 holes as well. Course flow is easy to see and 18 finishes less than a 3 minute walk to the starting hole.

Tee signs are new and list distances, OBs, Mandos and are easy to read and very clear. Baskets are all new Dynamic baskets and though they are a bit high at the moment, they will be fixed to proper height soon is what I am told.

A nice mixture of forehand and backhand shots are required to do well here. Elevation, the little that exists is used well and combined with some of the tighter OB lines make for some interesting holes. Little to no brush to lose discs in and even the little creek is shallow enough to retrieve any errant shots.

Cons:

The main con is the standing water on some of the holes (5 and 8 are the biggest offenders here). Granted that it was raining on and off that morning so I assume in the summer months this is less of an issue.

Some of the fairways are pretty close to each other and bad throws could put others in danger but since there are no blind shots it shouldn't cause too many issues.

Other Thoughts:

So this is a nice course to challenge beginners because of the distance (average hole length about 300') while challenging advanced players with their accuracy to get birdies. Not a destination or championship level course but if you're with 30 minute drive I would definitely check it out.

The second course on site, Lakeside I believe it is called was just put in and was quite muddy. I would avoid until summer months. Those holes are a little more challenging but I would rate Sparkman Original a better course.

Bonus: Check out the BBQ place around the corner Pigskin after the round. Super good food and nice people.
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11 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.2 years 657 played 633 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Sure, Just Run Over My Disc. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 12, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.572 Rating) (RE-VISITED April 2018) A nice city park course playing through a light to moderate tree canopy that appears to have had a small layout tweak in the last year or two.
- CHARACTER - Brand new baskets, seating and new professionally done hole signage that has all the appropriate info except par and next tee direction. There are lots of alternate basket placements on this layout. A majority of the holes have at least two placements. Hole (11) has three placements labeled on the signage but during both my visits it was located at an unmarked 4th location on top of a tree stump. Other items include a great looking and updated course map by tee (1), lots of picnic tables, shelters and a restroom. Missing items include extra tees (only one hole) and a practice basket.
- TEES - Adequately sized concrete tees approximately 5 feet by12 feet that are in great condition.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I personally scored the course above average but I wouldn't call it stunning. The park in general appears to be well taken care of and the park buildings aren't rinky-dink looking. The creek running along a few holes has an untouched natural appearance to it and has a nice bridge crossing it on (10).
- NAVIGATION - Not flawless but I didn't find it too difficult solo and first time. As stated, great course map. I'd take a picture of it as there is one sizable layout gap after (14). Next tees are generally within sight of the prior basket and there a couple directional cues along the layout.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - The one set of tees are at optimal difficultly to please the widest swath of skills levels. Beginners should be able to throw out here and learn the game without too much oppressing punishment. Advanced players in town will have just enough here for it not to be a bore fest.
- FORGIVENESS - The odds of losing a disc due to an errant shot is very low with two exceptions. In the event that one lands in the creek, and it has rained recently, it's possible that a disc will be carried far down stream. Also, throwing in the marshy overgrowth along (17) is a poor decision.
- QUICK PLAY - A single should easily complete an entire round in under an hour. Groups of four will probably finish in about an hour and 45 minutes.
- MAINTENANCE - The grounds appear to be mowed weekly and the park was very clean on all three of visits to Sparkman Park. I didn't notice any areas that had significant overgrowth other than along the creek and on the left side of fairway (17).

Cons:

Overall a solid course but Sparkman has a few of the typical city park issues.
- SAFETY HAZARDS - Several holes on this layout play along or across walking paths. Roads come into play several times as well. I personally threw one into the street on hole (7) and had a nice car driver run over it as I was approaching to get it.
- UNIQUENESS - A touch below average. The layout lacks defined fairways. Most plays are relatively straight and with a spattering of trees. Baskets are never located in well defined pockets and overall basket guarding is mild. All of the holes are listed currently as par 3s. (17) might be able to be lengthen by a hundred feet or so if the course leadership ever wanted to include a par 4. (17) is also a good hole to throw a roller on. I did try a roller and failed epic style. Water is in play a few times in the form of a creek on holes (3), (10), (11) and (12). Elevation is minor and its only moderately apparent once, on hole (10). There's a triple mando right out the gates on (1), but I'm not a fan of it as its flawed difficulty. Cool new island hole on my re-visit in April 2018. Normally I'm not a fan of island holes but this one has some great aesthetic appeal to it
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - On my first play I got to experience the most difficult configuration that the course can offer as every basket was in the far position. With all back placements, the layout reads as intermediate but still very approachable for recreational players. On my second appearance a few baskets were moved to the shorts. With a mix match of front and back placements, I would expect an 850 rated rec player to come in at around 3 or 4 over par. Regardless of the set-up, advanced players will not be challenged by these wide lines to the baskets.
- DISCONTINUITY - A big gap separates the final four holes from the rest of the layout. Be sure to have a map or a picture of the one on site as the journey is 500 feet to the north. Once finishing (18), it's another 500 foot walk back to the parking by tee (1).
- SPACING - The holes are somewhat tightly packed together along with the other park amenities. I ended up in other fairways a couple times. I kind of wish they had put two or three more holes over with the final four holes to alleviate some of this issue.

Other Thoughts:

A really fun recreational course that can double as an intermediate course with all back placements. A good choice for road trippers on I65 looking to play one or two additional courses before or after their intended destination. Advanced players will be underwhelmed by this course but there are many far less challenging courses splattered across North Alabama.
- REVISION - I've only played the Original layout once. My notes are revised to reflect a walk-thru I made in April 2018. I had every intention of playing this day but the storms were coming just as I finish the Lakeside layout, so I just speed walked the course and took notes and pictures.
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5 0
wericsson
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.9 years 53 played 45 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Quality park golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 18, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Brand spanking new DD Veteran baskets, concrete tees, and tee signs with hole maps at every hole, as well as a big course map at the parking lot. There's even red rock/crushed brick type stuff under the baskets that just stops bullseyed shots dead, a very nice touch. Course plays in a moderately wooded city park (think big pines everywhere), with some mild elevation coming into play, along with a clear stream. Par is 54, and distances vary from around 200' to a 499' par 3. The lines suggested by the trees and the mandos show decent variety, though very little is forced: If you want to go backhand on every hole, nothing's going to stop you. Likewise, especially near the creek, you can choose how aggressive you want to be, with enough tree cover to swat mistakes down and potentially OB. Overall, the course and setting are very pretty, with more than a few Instagram bait holes. (did I just type that?)

Favorite holes: 17 (499' through the pines, fairways straight or right coming back left), 10 (372' shot over a valley/creek with road right and path left tapering to a point), and 5 (370' with some restriction, but sets up beautifully for a roller).

Prettiest holes: 7 (hanging basket), 11 (basket rising out of a tree stump), 18 (terraced green).

Cons:

About half of the baskets (not counting the intentionally elevated pins) are about a foot higher than standard, with several leaning. This is due to improper installation, and is unlikely to be remedied (further explanation would be overly personal in nature). On a related subject, the elevated pin at hole 11's long position, while pretty visually impressive, might just be overkill (disclaimer: I'm only 5'6") with the height. (For comparison, hole 7 is an awesome elevated/hanging pin in my book)

I don't (well, maybe I do) know how to feel about the new triple mando on hole 1. Really chokes off all the backhand lines (rollers excluded, but dropping a roller that immediately can be hairy) and favors a forehand in a way that seems inconsistent with the overall character of the course. There's no real reason for its being, and it's not like it's an impressive work of visual art.

Hole 18 holds water after rains, although pretty much every other hole drains just fine.

Road is in play on holes 7 and 10; I personally put a mid across the road in someone's front yard on hole 7 and nearly got my putter smooshed on hole 10. Some holes also play very close to one another; for example, I laid down a bad roller on 1 and nearly ran down a group putting out on 2. (apparently people don't think to look at the ground when you yell fore...) There is also a walking path/paths in play through several holes, but it's very visible, so just be a decent disc golfer and wait to throw and you'll be fine.

Other Thoughts:

While there aren't any holes that make it particularly difficult to play through the air (i.e very low ceilings), there are several solid opportunities/invitations to play rollers off the tee.

It has been pointed out elsewhere that there are no required heights for basket installation, only a recommendation. Well, duh. I would invite anyone who makes that point in earnest to consider the physical basis for that recommendation and see if they understand why it's made.

While I know I'm only reviewing this course, I do want to take a moment to point out the new lakeside course on the property. While the original is still the better of the two in my opinion, they go together very nicely for a great day of disc golf, with the new course adding some more technical elements and fun water shots to complement the original.
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7 0
Wademade1
Experience: 46.9 years 64 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

COURSE update 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 22, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

If you haven't been to Sparkman in awhile it's time to take another look. Here is why it is better than before.
- The maintenance crew has done an incredible job cleaning up this course, clearing trees, brush and debris around the course and park in general.
- They added a lake. Not a pond, a LAKE. Complete with walking path. New holes are being added around the lake.
- Additional pin positions make this course interesting and with the tree growth the lines can be tough to hit, but they are there. It is not impossible to shoot 6 to 10 down at this course even with the longer holes.
- Signs are coming and we have even discussed benches.
-Concrete pads on all holes except the newer ones in the field and a few alternate pins.
-Very scenic park with good elevation, nice full grown trees, walking path, shelters, bathrooms, and a creek.

Cons:

- the course does not have an updated map and needs an official starting point with welcome sign. If you are not from here, the layout can be difficult to follow. New signs are not in place yet.
- The old 16, 17 and 18 are still a long walk behind the ballfields and 18 often becomes a flood zone.
- Heavy rains cause the creek to rise suddenly - be cautious there are a few snakes.
- Water still tends to pool around Holes 7, 8 and 9 near the bathrooms after big rains and can be messy/muddy.
- Due to the walking path and playgrounds there are a lot of people that walk the trail and can come into play if you have an errant throw.
- ENOs Hammocks are all the rage. There are several holes including 13 and 14 where kids like to hang there social club ENOs and it's usually smack in the middle of the fairway. Really wish they would pick up their trash as well. Tired of toting out bottles, cups, cans, food wrappers and other trash.
Last but not least - FIRE ANTS. These things are everywhere and several baskets have their mounds at the base of the poles. Be careful, 100 bites from fire ants and you could end up in the ER. Really wish the park would spray for these pests.

Other Thoughts:

NOTE: Course is Still under development and may end up having a slight redesign. But all this to say the park is looking great. It's getting more play and the new holes make for an interesting layout. Look forward to the finished product. Good work to those who are keeping up the course. Once things get finished this could easily be a 4-5 star course.
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6 0
randy.colwell
Experience: 13.5 years 8 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging course with lots of variety. Some holes are a blast to play. Literally minutes from my house so I play it all the time. Beautiful public park setting with tall pine trees for excellent shading without limbs hindering most of the shots. A great course to learn on which I learn something new everytime I play on the course. No longer multiple baskets to confuse you where to throw like it was a few years ago.

Cons:

I'll mirror what everyone else has said about holes 4 and 5 not really fitting with the rest of the front nine. They are far too long and quite frankly incredibly boring not to mention horrible in the summer heat. There needs to be sort of obstacles that can entertwine both holes such as a group of trees and a few benches that can provide shade and a break from the long walk as well as an obstacle for those of us who don't throw 300+ from tee-offs. The rough around that is just that to say the least, which is incredibly overgrown and full of thornbushes. the creek that goes from one side of the park that involve about 8 of the holes is incredibly overgrown, with lots of trash built up from the creek washing out over and over again. Ive seen a lot of snakes in the water so be extremely careful when you pull a Randy and dump a disk in the deep part of the water. Holes 16-18 takes about 10 mins to walk from hole 15, and if the ballparks' gate is closed you will be forced to walk all the way around them to reach them. Lots of predestrians and children around the playground areas and when a pavilion is rented out you might as well go around because cars will be parked all through the course. Updated descriptions on each hole should be paramount especially on a good course, they are no longer prevelant and are more confusing than help. There also needs to be a course map at the beginning of hole 1.

Other Thoughts:

The course no longer has multiple baskets at most of the holes and the footage for each hole needs to be reconfigured. Hole 13's pin has been moved about 100ft up the creekside making it further to shoot but easier for stray discs to not get OB in the snake infested rough. The course does feel like an original 9 hole course that was later added to a 18. With OB (busy road, walking paths, pavilions, water hazards, overgrown bushes) on every hole and mando's around the pavilions a 54 par is absurd. Hole 4,5,11,17 should be a par 4. This is a great course that I play about twice a week. The pro sides of the course far outweigh the downsides. In my honest opinion I recommend playing the course during the week in the morning or early afternoon during the week to avoid most of the pedestrains.
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11 0
MiketheGoalie
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.1 years 87 played 43 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good course with some correctable flaws 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 21, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A great beginner course with a decent amount of shot variety and some challenges for novices/recreational players. Course is in a well-maintained park and has made use of some nice features of the park. Only a few real long holes and a variety of pin placements for repeat plays. The longer holes are pretty wide open and "grip 'n rip". The water in play is a fairly narrow creek that is omnipresent on about 5 or 6 holes, but not a real obstacle for most seasoned players. The course flows fairly well (with one exception) with the next tee typically being easily located from the previous pin. Only had to backtrack once between 10 and 11.

Good signage and nice-sized concrete tee pads and baskets are in good shape. Lots of garbage cans in the park and benches aplenty. Pavilions, playgrounds, and other park amenities are also easily accessible.

Cons:

#11 tee box was missing a sign. No par info on the signage and UDisc has a couple of the holes as Par 2's (10 and 11). Decent walk from 14 to 15, but not silly. Very few of the signs had any marks (typically duct tape) indicating the current pin placement. Several holes and fairways are in close proximity to each other and could make navigation trickier for first time players. The course map helps a bunch there though. The mature trees provide some line-shaping challenges on many holes, but in general the player has plenty of options and few real penalties.

There are a few spots that seem to hold water after rain that could be troublesome if they don't dry out quickly. As other reviewers have said, the course weaves in and out of a playground, ballfields, several pavilions and a walking trail. It wasn't especially busy when I played it, but I can understand how this could be an issue at times. The wooden bridges can be a bit slippery when wet and the creek picks up a decent flow after a rain. There were signs regarding venomous snakes in the creek area as well.

Other Thoughts:

This course (Parkside course per UDisc) is plenty fun for the average player, though repeat plays may not be desired without regular pin changes. There's some challenge in the line and distances for newer players but otherwise, plenty of birdie and par opportunities for experienced players.

The "flow" of the course is somewhat choppy with a small hike to play the last three holes on the south side of the ballfields. 18 has a nice pyramid pin placement for a picturesque finish.

All that said, there were some challenging holes for a pure recreation player like myself with a good mix of LH and RH shots and some multiple-choice drives (not just one way to play the hole). I think anybody with above-average arm strength and average accuracy would birdie most of these holes. It's worth a drive down from Decatur, just maybe not for repeat play. Still, you can spend worse ways to spend the day other than playing Parkside and the nearby Lakeside course that plays around the park's pond.
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2 4
chainbanger14
Experience: 10 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 12, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice baskets! Love the mixture of different types of holes. hard to loose a disc on the coarse

Cons:

it floods easy on some holes. Wish they would provide coarse maps. It was hard to find hole 16-18

Other Thoughts:

watch out for the mandos
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7 0
manglin
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.6 years 40 played 34 reviews
3.50 star(s)

SNAC 2009 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Baskets. They are nice Mach's.
-Tees. Nice concrete tees big enough to do everything I need.
-Signs. Good signs at every hole. I noticed they were movable, which seems good if the tee is moved.
-Nice shot variety. You'll use long shots and short drives, hyzers and flicks. Some holes are wide open and others are fairly wooded. #5 has and island green, which add challenge and character to the course.
-There's plenty of parking and restrooms are available along with some pavilions.

Cons:

-Many pedestrians. The course has a nice walking trail entwined within it and there are generally lots of walkers on the weekend.
-The course flow has a few flaws. Holes 1-3 play in the same field and give a feeling of being cramped. Holes 16-18 are a pretty good ways away from hole 15's basket. They seem like afterthoughts.

Other Thoughts:

This course is setting in a scenic park in a small town. It has a lot to offer as far as challenge and shot variety. With the rules for the SNAC tourney, there was lots of OB. Some of the OB comes from road and parking lots; other comes from the walking trail and small creeks going through. There's a fair amount of benches and trash cans. The course is pretty well maintained with the trees pruned and grass cut nicely. I was disappointed that the course wasn't closed during the SNAC. We had to wait on fivesome to play in front of us when we got to hole 1.
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11 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Could Use These Improvements! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 9, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sparkman Park is a large multi-use large park and there-in there seems to be one of the problems with the course. That is the interaction between the disc golfers and it's many park users. The course plays over a widely used jogging/walking trail many times forcing us to sometimes wait for other park users to pass. The courses has some elevation, forces you to use many throws, has colorful but moveable tee signs and nice teepads. Many holes have multiple basket locations. I did have a little trouble navigating the course. See comments at this end concerning this problem.

Cons:

Holes #4 and # 5, as brought up by previous reviewers are poor designs. The long walk to the last three is not a preferred option. There were 5-6 trees down on the course as the result of a windstorm. They affected the navigation of the course and also the play. I'm really surprised the parks department hadn't removed them yet as they appeared to have been down for quite a while.

Other Thoughts:

I would have really enjoyed played this course more if with a few improvements were to be made.

1. Large, round, visible numbers atop the baskets. Man, this would really help the player navigating this course for the first time. If this is too expensive, see option two.

2. If # 1 is beyond the budget, how about a brightly colored strip of flourescent tape wrapped around the inner tube of the basket with the # of the hole written on it? At least, when I walk ahead I'd know what basket I was looking at!

3. Directional arrows painted on the teepads pointing to the basket. When I walk up to the teepad, it would nice to look down at the pad and know the direction of the basket. I 'm always nervous that those movable teesigns have been tampered with.

4. On holes with multiple basket locations, drill a 1/4 hole in the tee sign next to the A< B< C and insert a small bolt and nut with a washer (hopefully a brightly colored plastic one) into whichever hole ( A<B<C ) the basket is currently set. Tighten down with a wrench. Change bolt whenever basket location is changed. I've seen courses using this system and it's so very helpful . Make a couple of these improvements (especially # 4) and I could see this course being a 4. I enjoyed it and recommend stopping and playing it.

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12 0
bjreagh
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.6 years 350 played 321 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice, but too many cons 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 28, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This 18 hole course is in a nice city park and is just a short drive off the Interstate. It has good concrete tees, very nice colorful tee signs, and multiple basket locations that are clearly marked on the tee signs. Most of the holes are in gently wooded park with a creek in play on several holes.

The town of Hartselle is a great small southern town that prides itself on Southern Hospitality.

Cons:

The baskets aren't labeled and there were a few spots where multiple baskets are in view and pretty close to each other, which can make first timers unsure about which is the correct basket. Navigation from hole to hole was confusing a couple of times.

This park is very busy (at least it was on the weekends.) There is a walking trail around the perimeter of the course and runs very close to several holes. There is a picnic pavilion and playground near other holes where several small children were playing in the dirt right in the fairway. After waiting for several minutes and asking them to get out the way, their parents finally took some action and got them to move, but we were clearly inconveniencing them!

This course appears to me to have once been 9 holes and was later "upgraded" to 18 (or was planned out poorly.) I love 18 holes, but only if it adds to the course, and I feel Sparkman has some flaws. #4 and #5 are just very long wide open holes that are in an adjacent field across the creek that is not in the park. #5 has a great upshot over the creek, but the tee shot is boring as it is long, open, with absolutely no obstacles anywhere. #4 is just a tee and a basket very far apart in a wide open field (that is a field of mud if it rains.)

#16-18 are nowhere near the first 15 holes. You have to walk across the parking lot, down the road, and past the ballfields to find them
(There is no way to see them from #15. The only way you know they are there is you see #18 basket on the way in to the park.) #16 was unplayable because baseball games were in progress and people had parked there cars all over the fairway and surrounded the basket. #18 was completely flooded due to heavy rain, but I assume this is not like this all the time.

Other Thoughts:

The overall appearance of the course is great, but it is just your average course, fun to play with a decent challenge for the average player. The many cons I mentioned are not a major deal, but it prevents me from rating this course in the upper half of the rating scale.

If you are looking to play a course on I-65 between Huntsville and Birmingham this will do, but the course in those two cities are by far better than Sparkman.

*Note: Zman44 and I played this course together on the same day which is the reason for the similar reviews.
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11 0
ZMan44
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.1 years 179 played 110 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Tolerable... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 28, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sparkman Park had solid tee pads and very informative signs. For, the most part the navigation was easy and the flow was logical. There were a solid variety of shots required. Course requires a blend of distance and accuracy. Bathrooms were available inside the baseball complex. Groundskeeping was good.

Cons:

Holes 4 and 5 were thrown together. While 5 has a little design element to it as it plays back over the "ravine", hole 4 was a pin in a field. No obstacles...just a pin way out there in a field. These holes were extremely muddy. Hole 16 was nearly unplayable due to trucks being parked there for a baseball game going on. We made up a new tee box so as to not interfere with those watching the game.

Other Thoughts:

I may be totally wrong about this but I would be willing to bet that Sparkman Park started out as a 9 hole course...and I bet I know what the added 9 holes were. When you have that perception of a course, it is usually not a solid course. There were some pretty nice holes at Sparkman Park. There were also some terrible holes. When the park is busy, there are a lot of non-disc golfing people around.

There was a toddler's birthday party at the main pavilion. 3 of them just played with one of the baskets. We asked the parents multiple times to keep them over by the pavilion while we played the hole. They didn't seem to care. We then explained that the discs were made of extremely hard plastic and would do some damage if they hit a child. They still didn't seem to care. After we stood there for about 5 minutes, I guess they figured we weren't going anywhere so they grabbed their kids and let us continue the round.

The holes that play along the creek were pretty well thought out. I liked the design of these holes.

Sparkman Park is your average course. Nothing stands out about it. There were some well-designed holes, and there were some horrendously designed holes. Add in a long walk to the finishing 3 holes and it balances out to an average/decent/typical course. All of the positive aspects that I see at this course are counteracted by an equally negative aspect.
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10 0
Dillon_Gourley
Experience: 16.8 years 63 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

How far can you throw? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 14, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a great course to test how far you are able to drive off the tee and test how good your accuracy is on your upshot. This is true for 6 or so of the holes.

My max distance is around 310-320 and I was finding most of my shots were short. Just out of makable range.

The hardest holes on the course would have to be #4 , # 5 , # 17. If you can get a 3 on these holes you are in good shape. # 4 is 520' I think, throwing into a wide open field kind of up a hill. If it's rained lately at all it will more than likely be muddy and will have bad foot placement for your next shot, which will have to be right on the money for a 3. Hole # 5 is 585' and it's throwing down a slight incline toward a ditch. You have to throw a drive to lay up in front of the ditch, if you throw short you will have to get closer so you can get a good shot across the ditch. The basket is another 100' on the other side of the ditch with OB up from it and trees on the backside of it. A very tough shot.

OB is in play on i'd say 13 or so of the 18 holes. It's everywhere, on the left, the right, and behind the basket. If you get a good drive on one of those birdie holes and hit a tree there's a chance it might kick it over the walking path!

Movable tee signs on every hole with pin positions, routes, footage. Multiple concrete pads on every hole.

Cons:

The walk from 15 to 16

Holes 4 & 5 are not really relative to the course and kind of a mental confidence killer if you don't shoot well on them.

Other Thoughts:

Overall great course. Playing this course can only make you a better player no matter how challenging it is. I look forward to playing it again. If you are shooting par on this course you are doing something!
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9 0
bazkitcase5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20 years 136 played 58 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 14, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a fun course to play for all players. There are good tee pads on every hole and good tee signs on most every hole. The course is tightly packed into a small city park, so you are never too far away from the parking lot. There is almost no shule and even though there are 2 small ditches with water in them, you can retrieve your discs fairly easily.

Design wise, it is a very good course that will test most shots in your game and is fair for all skill levels. There are plenty of trees, with a nice design forcing hyzers, anhyzers, straight shots, all of varying degrees, as well as long throws, short throws, and medium range throws. The balance is good and the challenge is also very good. The walking path that weaves around the course plays as OB, with several baskets sitting within 30' of this OB. This path, along with the 2 ditches playing as OB add some extra difficulty to the course and put a premium on shot placement. Shooting under par is a pretty good score and very achievable for experienced players.

Cons:

The course had Mach V baskets, which are normally decent, but these were terrible. I played 3 rounds and had 3 dead center putts spit right out and watch the baskets also spit several other players' putts. Holes 4 and 5 get very muddy when it rains and hole 4 is just a terrible hole in general. I realize there is not much other room to place another hole on this course, but a 500' wide open shot with nothing to hit is just plain boring. The bathrooms were "winterized" so the only bathrooms was this single porta-potty after hole 6.

Talking with a local, the tee sign on hole 12 was stolen recently, but after playing hole 11, back track across the bridge for hole 12. There is a long walk from 15 to 16 across the large parking lot and around a fence near the baseball fields.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed playing the course, but it just doesn't seem to have that wow factor, yet it is a good course that can be enjoyable for all skill levels. I would recommend playing this course if you are ever in the area.
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5 0
BmaEngnr92
Experience: 15.5 years 17 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Course, Nice Mixture 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 12, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice course situated in nice city park. Conrete tee pads and signage on every hole add to the round. There's also multiple pin locations and pads on a few holes, which adds variety to the course. There's certainly birdies to be made, but I've also seen some pretty good players lose concentration and make a big score.

Hole 12 long is a well designed, really solid golf hole.

Cons:

The walk from 15 to 16 is a little long, and it can be confusing navigating the course for the first time. Holes 4 & 5 feel like they just don't belong with the rest of the course. They are both out in an open field, and get very muddy after a rain. Hole 5 has a wide open drive, but it does have a good approach over some trees, a creek, and OB just past the basket. So I can live with it, but 4 is completely wide open and frankly, was quite boring. This park also tends to get crowded with non-golfers, so you really must be aware of people on the paths, and people/children near the pavillion/playground area along hole 12.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this is good course and definitely worth playing if in the area. There are only 3 holes that have a lot of length (all +/- 500ft), and two of them (4 & 5) are out in an open field, which takes away a bit from the rest of the course. However, the other long hole, 12, is a great hole with water all along the right and trees/playground area to the left. The course has plenty of birdie opportunities, yet still provides a good challenge.

Favorite Holes: 3 long, 9, 12 long, 17
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5 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.6 years 267 played 148 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Distance and accuracy 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 6, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is my favorite type of course. It's got a medium density of trees (mostly pines) so there aren't a lot of branches in the way, mostly tree trunks. The majority of the holes are a nice medium-long distance with tree lined fairways waiting for your disc if you stray too far to one side. It's also got a couple long open holes and some shorter holes with more trees in the way. This course requires all types of shots and uses the available terrain well. I find this course to be a nice middle ground between distance and accuracy.

Cons:

The only thing I didn't like was the walk from hole 15 to 16, but hole 17 is a great hole and definitely made it worth while.

There were a few people walking laps on the sidewalk and using a shelter when I was there. I was definitely mindful of them, but they don't slow down a round too much.

When I was there the course was plenty dry and I didn't notice any problem with slippery tee pads.

Other Thoughts:

I would play this course all the time if I could. This course features a fantastic mix of trees and distance. There's enough trees to make you focus on accuracy, but at the same time, many of the holes are long enough that you also need to think distance.
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5 0
The Drake
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.9 years 126 played 61 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 9, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Well designed course with such a limited amount of space. The course provides a variety of options off most tee pads. The design puts a premium on accuracy as it only has three hole over 400 ft, two of which are brand new temporary holes. These provide for a different look off the tee than any of the other holes and are a nice addition to the course. Its a very fun course and family friendly.

Cons:

The tee pads are extremely small and have number plates on the back end that can make for some slick approaches especially if its a little muddy. The basket for holes 3 and 10 as well as the tee pad for hole 4 are all within about a 60 ft radius of each other. The walk from hole 13 to 14 is very long (but thats mainly due to the size of the park itself; not a big deal)

Other Thoughts:

I've played this course a few times and have always enjoyed it. Its a great course to play if you're crunched for time but want to play a quick course or you're with family. Also a great beginners course.
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