Salem, OR

Woodmansee Park

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3.25(based on 20 reviews)
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1 3
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 191 played 189 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 14, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Two teepads per hole to make full 18 that give you two different shots. Some elevation change, made good use of the land they have to work with to make a full 18 using both tee pads. Some tight lines, easy to score good if you hit your lines but can punish you if you throw bad drives. Okay baskets and pads..pretty easy to navigate nice bathrooms on sight. Good mix of Backhand/overhand/forehand shots

Cons:

Needs new tee signs with hole distances. Can get pretty overgrown in the summer with ivy and bushes. Can get backed up as there is only 9 baskets and 18 pads.

Other Thoughts:

A couple of the holes don't have really defined lines but overall they did a good job with what they have. Is it a world class course no but not a bad course to come play. It can fit all skill levels but some holes a little thick in summer
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2 1
JustBurris
Experience: 8 years 4 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Par 3 Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 4, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

It is a short par 3 course but challenges you with the elevation changes and trees. It's great for beginners and makes for a fun course with a family.

Cons:

Lots of people walking through the course. It is a little bit slower due to the amount of people that play it but that shouldn't hold you pack for giving it a go!

Other Thoughts:

Really fun course and great for those that don't want to spend hours playing but has the option to play 18 for those who really want to make a trip out of it.
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3 0
Pierparknut
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.8 years 89 played 85 reviews
3.50 star(s)

9-hole City Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 19, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

-One of the best 9 hole par 3 courses I've played. It was in a mostly wooded section of Woodmansee Park, a multi-use city park not too far from downtown Salem. The disc golf area is disc-golf only, as well.

-It is challenging to hit the proper line on the wooded holes. They test both hyzer and an-hyzer shots. Even the open holes (1,7,8) have creative hole locations near trees.

-GREAT signage. You don't need the course map. Signs on every teepad and signs pointing you toward the next tee are super helpful.

-Dual tees on every hole, which have significantly different lines from the regular ones. I didn't have time for 18 when I played but would definitely want to do that sometime.

-There's a practice basket on the way to the first tee.

Cons:

-Blackberry thickets on many holes. When we played, my dad lost a disc on 6. Play carefully or you could too.

-I could see this course getting very busy on weekends, with its great location.
-I could also see the course getting muddy in wintertime. It was a bit squishy when I played in summer so I don't want to imagine what it'll be like during the winter months.

Other Thoughts:

-Overall a great course if you've got an hour or two. The second tee on most of the holes is a completely different line, so it plays like an 18-holer. Next time I'm in Salem, this course is on my list, and should be on yours, too!
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3 0
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.2 years 203 played 201 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Unexpected Gem 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 24, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

I honestly didn't expect much of this course, I was just in town with an hour to kill and thought I would play it for the heck of it.

This is actually a darn good course.

The trees creek and brambles make for some very interesting lines and though there are just 9 baskets(innova disc catchers) they have two sets of very diverse tees so that makes the 9 hole setup into a full 18 if you use both.

The pads were all very nicely textured with a grid like or cobblestone pattern pressed in. It was wet but I still didn't lose grip.

The park is pretty well maintained as well and it looks like it just got a haircut.

Nice use of elevation where it is available also.

It seemed to be well liked, even at odd hours the course was busy and well worn.

Signs at the teebox as well as next tee signs were small but pretty nice and by the look of it the club can move the baskets to an alternate location.

Has a practice basket by the parking lot too.

Cons:

A lot of the signs were broken, and the course looks like it's been ridden hard.

Could use a few longer holes but the space is pretty well used.

Tee pads were kind of short, but not terrible.

It's a fun course, but the aesthetic is a little blah for some reason.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a very good little 9 hole,
I would play it again happily if in the area.
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2 0
adiscted
Experience: 10.9 years 80 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Awesome course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Killer set up for a 9 hole! I love how they have 2 different teepads at each hole to make an 18. I thought there was plenty of technical value, without being overwhelmed by too much tech. I'm a newbie, so it was a perfect combination from my perspective. Mellow, fun, and the different teepads actually give the holes significantly different views/approaches on a couple. I think 11/2 and 16/7 we're probably the most different

Cons:

Playing this course as an 18 hole might conflict with smooth flow of players on a busy day due to the seperate teepads playing the same baskets.

Other Thoughts:

We showed up to play this course around 9:30 am which appeared to be an awesome time since there was only one other small group on the course. I would assume that this course can get quite busy though. This is my first review, hope it helps someone :) if you're in salem though, it's more than worth the stop
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2 0
Rusty Shackleford
Experience: 11.8 years 27 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Great variety of right/left doglegs, straight shots, uphill/downhill, open fairways, and trees. You'll get to use a variety of skills. For the most part the next tee is close to the basket so the course plays fast.

Not much rough. Less time looking for discs = more time throwing.

Great tees. Great baskets. Good signage.

Good facilities - garbage cans and bathrooms.

There are two tees for each hole so you can play 18.

The course plays out and around the other park facilities so you don't have other activities blocking the fairways.

Bottom line: It's a fun 9 hole course that has more variety than a lot of 18s and it plays fast.

Cons:

Occasional logjams. It's a 9 hole. On a nice day there's going to be some standby time.

Alcohol not allowed.

Other Thoughts:

This isn't a destination course, but it's worth checking out. If you're close or have an opportunity to play it you shouldn't pass it up.
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1 0
MCW5379
Experience: 12.8 years 61 played 23 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 22, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Tight wooded holes that are fun. (hole 6 is my nemesis) lots of shots needed, uphill, downhill, etc.
2 tee boxes for each of the 9 holes so 18 can be played.

Cons:

Hole 6 is thick, newer players might need to use a spotter.Blackberries on 6 need more attention and need to be kept on top of. Holes 8 & 9- the grass can get tall.
Each hole having 2 tee boxes can create "log jams" if they course is busy.

Other Thoughts:

Always a fun time "log jams" are the only thing that can really slow the pace of a round.
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1 1
arelom
Experience: 19.8 years 21 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A lot of work recently! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 13, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

There has been a LOT of work done in the last few months on this course. In fact, one guy was working on the tee signs while we were there--sealing them and replacing them.

All concrete tee pads exist now, and all are clearly marked, 1-18. Everything was in great shape.
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3 0
ripcitydisc
Experience: 12.9 years 26 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A fun little 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 27, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Variety - The course has an immense amount of variety as no two holes feel the same. Different distances and elevation changes.

Scenery - I really enjoyed the shade from most of the holes, especially when the summer heat makes playing Cascade unbearable.

Technicality - Most of the holes force you to throw differently, unlike Cascade in which i can throw all backhand or forehand, i have to mix it up a bit here.

Crowds - Its never really been crowded here at all.

Cleanliness - The park is very clean and for the most park kept up super nice.

Alternate Tee boxes - i only use a few alt tee boxes, but its still nice to have them, i dont ever play all "18" holes, but its a nice touch for the space of the park.

Cons:

Vandals - The practice basket was stolen not too long ago and some vandals messed up all the tee signs. :(

Pedestrians - Although there arent a ton of disc players there is a lot of foot traffic in the course sometimes.

Overgrowth - Sometimes its hard to find a disc because of all the undergrowth and on a few of the forest holes its very hard not to hit a tree that will send your disc flying out of your view. (Spotters reccomended) Ive lost two discs on hole 6 when it was messier (its been cleaned since then) sadly i feel like they were found but no one called me for them.

Other Thoughts:

I have always enjoyed Woodmansee, plus its just a few miles from my house. During the summer its been great to go there and get away from the heat. I think beginners to advanced players would get a little of something from the course. I would like someone to run an Ace Run competition here. There are bunnies sometimes on the path and the park itself is actually pretty nice.
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5 1
austoroc
Experience: 19.8 years 71 played 20 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Better than I Expected 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 20, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Right off the bat, I have to say the course has a lot of potential. Based on other reviews I have read, it seems like it's been a while that the course has been worked on?

For many 9-hole courses, it's difficult to justify taking a road trip only to play for a short time. I really do think that this course benefited from having second tee on each hole.

Although the course is relatively short in length, it was still enjoyable because there are enough variety in hole designs to throw you some challenges.

It seems like the course is geared toward intermediate players, but I imagine the more advanced players might enjoy this course as potential ace run.

Cons:

I had to take pictures of the "map" at the kiosk to help me navigate which tee pad is "A" and "B." I found it to be slightly frustrating, and not having the tee signs completed definitely didn't help.

There are some tee pads that didn't have any concrete, so the course definitely feels a bit incomplete without them. I'm not sure who's responsible for building them?

I thought the tee location of hole #6 was one of the weakest on the course along with the tee location for #17. I felt they were awkwardly placed and a bit out of sync with all of the other tee locations.

Other Thoughts:

I don't know if there's any other improvements being planned for this course, but this course is definitely more enjoyable than Keizer Rapids Park and Cascade Gateway.

I can see how the park can get too busy with walking public weaving through the course, so I'm not sure if it would have affected the playing experience too much?

When I played on this course, the course seems to be well-maintained, but I can see the possibility of it getting a bit wild. If the course is constantly getting maintained, then I see no problems with people enjoying throughout the year.

I hope that by the time I come back for another visit, the course will be completed, and I probably want to revisit my review.
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3 1
johnbeastjohnston
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Must see Woodmansee 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wooded city park with a masterful layout using only 25 or so acres. This technical short courses features 18 tee-pads to 9 baskets. NOT AM. and PRO. tees but front 9 and back 9 due to the distinctively different lines to the basket from both tee-pads. If played in order designed, the front 9 is all the tee-pads on the LEFT, and back 9 tee-pads on the RIGHT. Some walkout signs are in place to guide your way around now and course is due to be finished by July 9th 2011. Tee-sighns, walkout signs, Tee-pads, kiosk map and all! At Woodmansee you must focus on aim and find the lines. Many optical illusions that make you see other routes from the pin looking back to the tee egging you on to try it another way. A city park with a challenge to get under par for most.

Cons:

Trafic! Be cautious of other park patrons and remember to yell FORE! Mud in the winter months, not enough hours in the day to play.

Other Thoughts:

Local club (Capital City Disc Golf) has worked hard to make this course the best in the area to introduce people to disc golf. CCDG also hosts mixed format events there using the 9 hole loop. CCDG's GLOW events there are great cause the park is open till midnight and it gets DARK there!
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7 1
Sonny2Gunz
Experience: 13.2 years 25 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Credit where credit is due 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 27, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

All holes but two (both of 5's are dirt & 7's alt is a mess of ankle breaking nastyness) have 2 very nice cement Tee pads (plural).

Excellent 9 hole layout for the space
- available elevation change is used well.
- the "flow" of the course is natural feeling.

Forces technical shots
- trees are a major factor throughout the course with interesting lines to the pin from each pad.
- forehand, backhand and overhead throwers (even you lefties) will see the balance of the course's dog legs and natural obstacles.

Great course for those without big D
- if you're more accurate than powerful, your game will shine at this course. Power throwers will also enjoy the ability to reach the pin from the pad IF you can find the windows. (the open field holes will also let you flex accordingly)

Unique pin placement
- No two holes are the same, or feel the same.
- multiple pads for each hole add a level of difficulty and variety.
- greenskeeper changes pin placement often to keep the course interesting.
- pins are tucked away in well thought-out spots that use the natural obstacles quite well.

Bunnies!
-yup I said that.
-bring the significant other & kids to feed the rabbits that inhabit the briars by the playground while you play a round.

Cons:

Slippery when wet
- The local DG club has to ask the city parks dept. before doing any maintenance. When the weather is wet, no vehicles are allowed in for maintenance and the course becomes very muddy. That said, I've noticed that only a couple days of sun and foot traffic pack the mud nicely into regular dirt walking paths and can be played without boots.

Multiple tee pads can be confusing to first time players.
- Wait, do I throw from this one or that one? With vandals having ruined the original signs, there is nothing telling the course-goer which tee is the front or back 9 for that hole. Asking a friendly local helps, and from what I've been told, there are new tee signs on the way.

The walkout from hole 1 to 2, without a sign would be a stab in the dark for the first timer. (walk west along foot path, cross small footbridge & you're there)

Other Thoughts:

The group in charge of maintaining this course has done quite a bit of work since it's inception. With some preventative maintenance in the fall, the mud issue could be lessened. I look forward to playing here throughout the summer!
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5 2
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 407 played 392 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Strange Name, Decent Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Woodmansee Park is a technical nine hole course located near downtown Salem in a multiple use park, though the disc golf course was given its own piece of land to work with. There are other activities as mentioned including a soccer field which you could warm up on if no one else is using it, some play equipment for the kids, tennis courts, picnic shelters and multiple BBQ pits as well as a large parking lot and working bathrooms.

You will notice right away at hole one that this course has two tee pads for each hole so you can go around twice and play 18 holes if you so desire. You also notice little tee sign posts with fiberglass coverings but as of this date there is still no information inside most of the tee signs though at the first tee there is a separate sign that shows the course map, albeit small and tough to figure out but I'll tell more on that in a bit. The two tee pads are a good idea here and just a slightly different spot makes all the difference and if you want a tougher course you can play the tougher tee pads as they make the holes longer with more obstacles.

One of the things I really liked about this place were the pin positions as they made excellent use of the surrounding terrain and natural obstacles of the land. Just going on hole distances alone you can see that this isn't the normal pitch and putt with a couple of trees mixed in; there are several holes where you will be using a driver or mid and surprisingly this course will actually challenge you to throw a couple of different throws you may normally not be used to.

Cons:

I printed the map of the course that I got from the links/files section and it was helpful but navigation was still atrocious. The walkout from the basket of 1 to the tee pad of 2 was long and the only reason we found it was because we were following another group. The tee pads they had were dug out of the ground on the open, grass holes and the wooded, dirt holes were natural and slippy with the dug out tee pads uneven and half full of gravel and for most of the course we threw from the side or back of the tee pads.

Other Thoughts:

It looks as if they are building more and/or new tee pads for some of the holes as you could tell there was some digging going on and a couple of tee spots dug out but without gravel. Some next tee signs or some brightly colored flags pointing you in the right direction of the course would upgrade this place and make life easier for those first timers. Overall a decent course on a good piece of land.
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5 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Improvements Are Being Made! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Playing Woodmansee for the first time, we were able to navigate it fairly easily. It's mostly a wooded, technical course. I liked the design and challenge of it. The baskets are great. The teepads could be improved to concrete, rubber or the building block ones. There is some elevation to contend with. Signs are apparently on the way. The low to the ground signs like Gateway has are in only without the needed information yet. We felt it was strange to screw the fiberglass onto the posts before putting the hole information there. Oh well, I like this type of signage. I think it's informative, it's easy to replace if vandalized and seems less obtrusive to the naturalistic feel of the park. There is a good mix of longer and shorter holes.

Cons:

Nothing major stands out to me. I guess 2-4 more holes could be added here. That does make sense. The signage needs to be finished and kept up. Some clearing of the blackberries would help. And adding teepads would be nice.

Other Thoughts:

I think Woodmansee is just a nice little park in which to grab a quick nine. I hope the locals will continue to improve upon it. The designers/builders of this course should be complimented in regards to their intial design and flow. I have the feeling that this course will only get better as improvements are made. I'll be back sometime in the future to enjoy the finished product.
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5 3
radsnowsurfer
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.9 years 175 played 49 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Sooo much fun, yet unfinished 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some great hole designs.
Good use of elevation.
Nice tucked in pin positions make some holes quite challenging.
Good mix of long and short holes.
Good baskets.
Multiple tee positions.
Multiple basket positions.
Course forces you to throw a variety of different shots.
Nice mix of woods holes and field holes.
Field holes still retain interesting pin locations.

Cons:

Course needs tee pads badly! Or at least flattening out the natural tee areas.
No tee signs (yet) and no directional markers from hole to hole.
Long walkouts that might have been avoided in course layout.
A few holes seem to lack a good enticing route to the pin.
Course could use some sort of sign or kiosk before the first hole explaining the course. Maps would also have been good.
Only 9 holes (explained more below).

Other Thoughts:

It absolutely kills me to have to give Woodmansee a 2 as of now. I had a blast playing a few rounds here on a short road trip. I (luckily) found a local player to show me around the course and I was struck by the fun and interesting lines around this deceptively challenging course. The course forces you to throw through some tight wooded gaps but also has a few full field shots as well. Part of what made me so happy with this course was that there wasn't a single hole that wasn't interesting in some manner, from the first to the last; even some of the best NW courses suffer from one or two oddballs. The reason the course gets the rating it does is that as of now it's an unfinished course. The course is utterly unnavigable without a map or guide, some of the walkouts are long and would not be simple to figure out even with some trial and error. Also the course needs some sort of tee pad, the natural pads, as they stand, are just waiting to sprain an ankle, even just flattening out the pad basins would be an improvement. The final critique I would have on Woodmansee is that this course has so much space for a few extra holes, a few walkouts felt like they could be stand-alone holes as is, it saddens me that people always hesitate to make a course 13 or 14 holes just because they can't pack in 18. I really hope that when I come back to Woodmansee at some point some of these improvements can be made, just adding rubber tee pads and putting up tee signs and directional markers would make the course a 3 with no other alterations.
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5 3
McDilligaf
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Epic Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 18, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice technical course with some distance towards and @ the end. Hole #3 is played off of the pad that is up the hill from #2 basket(north) and is changed periodically from a fairly strait shot to a dog leg to the left. Hole #6 is potentially a disc eater, I personally throw strait through to the clearing and usually end up with a good lie...............good enough for birdie :p

Cons:

I had a very hard time reading the course a few years back so I would recommend taking a friend who knows the course or getting a map of the course before hand. Personally I would like to see some better use of the area and make some more holes but other than that I do not see anything to improve.
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6 1
reanthon
Experience: 46 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Solid wooded 9 hole course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 22, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Mostly wooded, makes the course difficult
- Nice Discatcher baskets
- Feels like your outside city limits, not in a park after the first hole
- Nice use of topography on 3 of the holes

Cons:

- Very hard to follow if it's your first time (although the baskets to have an arrow on them that points you in the general direction of the next tee pad)
- Natural tees fit in with the atmosphere of the park, put are a problem in the rainy half of the year.

Other Thoughts:

- No tee pad on #3, the locals usually tee off from the cement pad, behind and to the right of the second basket. Hole #6 is rough. If you go off left off the tee, you will be in thick blackberry bushes and you could easily lose a disk. There really doesn't seem to be a good route on the hole unless you're really precise with a forehand otherwise luck is key. If you can toss 320 ft, all the holes are easily reachable from the tee provided you know your plastic well enough to bypass the maze of trees. If you stray to far of the "fairway", you're going to be looking at some creative upshots. A really fun course that will improve the accuracy aspect of the game of intermediate players.
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6 2
RallySoob
Experience: 14.9 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Pretty Thick... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice Scenery
Great Practice Hole
Challenging Holes
Easy to Find Disc
Shaded and cool on hot days

Cons:

Hard to Navigate, Need Course Map
Hard to find Tee on 2 holes
Small, Only 9 holes
Very Thick Woods blocking basket

Other Thoughts:

It was fun, very challenging but a little to thick for my liking. In the pics you can see how many tree's blocking the basket. Surprisingly easy to find your disc as the ground cover is light. I love the seclusion of the course, the shade was especially nice as it was hot. Definately make sure to bring the course map your first time out or else you will have no idea where to go.
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9 1
Flies to the Left
Experience: 15.8 years 55 played 14 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Fun and in the Trees 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 5, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Many obstacles makes it a challenge.
-I really liked the tree on the 1st basket. That limb is a disc blocker.
-After the first basket you forget your in a city park. The trees are very dense.
-There is a practice basket set up near the first tee.
-The park has restrooms nearby, unlike some others I have been too.

Cons:

-Blackberry vines and poison ivy. I got to deal with both of those. The local cub has been working hard on this problem.
-Hard to navigate to the next tee. Without someone who played there before you will have a hard time finding the next tee. I hear someone has signs in work. Vandals have been a problem with some earlier temp signs.
-Tee pads are just dirt. When its wet they turn into mud and the slip sliding starts.

Other Thoughts:

This place is coming along nicely. The only thing it really needs are signs directing you around. I hope they make some adjustments before they to much work on the tee's. 1, 4, 5 could be made longer. Good job to those who made it happen.
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4 3
jorje_villafan
Experience: 21.6 years 34 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Definitely nice for a quick 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 28, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fun 9 hole course with a fair amount of diversity. Lots of tight wooded shots with some open. It also has a bunch of reachable blind shots (which are always fun). The course should help players improve many aspects of their game

Cons:

No tee pads, though I'm sure they'll be going in soon enough. Blackberries. Oh, and #6 is pretty rough :).

Other Thoughts:

I gave this a 4 because of what it will be in a year and a half...... It's also a good compliment to Salems other course at Cascade Gateway Park.
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