Pros:
Jackson Rec. has one thing going for it: a good fun factor. If you throw in the scenery of the mountains all around you, then you have two.
- The beginner of all beginner courses. Pick two of the following three options - short, open & straight - and you can describe pretty much every hole here. This is the course you want to bring your kids or anyone who has never thrown a disc before.
- For anyone above the recreational level, most holes are going to be mid-range shots. If you need to work on throwing your Roc, Buzz, putter, etc, you'll get plenty of practice here. There aren't any hole distances listed, but most are in the 150 - foot range. The only holes that seemed to have some distance were #4, 5 & 15.
- Because of short distances, this is a great course to play a fast round. The only semi-long walks you have are going to #1, the transition from #12 to #13 (going from rec center to school) and #18 back to parking lot.
- Course does have a big fun factor, especially if you get creative. This is a great course for an ace race, skins match, birdie-fest, etc. You should be seeing lots of red numbers here.
- This is a very nice, have everything rec center - ball fields, playground, walking trail, nice river plus everything inside the building. Who knew rec centers had workout rooms inside of them?
- There are some nice holes, both in layout and scenery.
#4 is a shot around several trees (or you can try to squeeze a shot between or over them).
#9 is a nice, slight uphill shot to a basket. You tee off near the water to a basket partially protected by baseball fence.
#11 is a tee shot around a tree to a basket right in front of a small pond.
#12 is a short hole, throwing over the same pond to a basket in front of thick rough. These last two holes, with the pond in play, present the best visuals on the course.
#14 is a shot around several trees that protect the basket. This is a tricky, short shot.
#15 is the 'toughest' hole on the course, the only one I had to work for a par. This is the most wooded hole, forcing you to either have some skill (or luck) or through a major hook around them to the basket.
Cons:
Tee signs and tee areas aren't on the same page. The tees areas are marked by green tee signs, so you at least know which direction to head. The natural tees are marked by red mini discs in the ground. The problem is the tee signs and mini-discs aren't consistent in their relationship to each other. Some are right next to each other; some are 30 feet away; some (mini disc tee pads) are either missing or hidden. This shouldn't be a major issue, because if you can't find the mini-discs, just throw from the sign.
- The last six holes are on school property and aren't accessible during school hours. The school property is just on the other side of the creek, behind #12. Playing 18 holes versus 12 holes does have an impact on the quality of the course.
- The short, open repetition of holes will be a major deterrence for some. More experienced players are going to get bored playing this course real fast. Even though I mentioned the shortness as a fun factor, I do think if this was my local course, it'd lose some of its luster playing it week after week. The lack of obstacles/challenge is a definite deterrent here.
Other Thoughts:
You know what you're getting into when you play at Jackson Rec. It's not great, but it's solidly decent. It's weird, but if the course were longer (holes averaging 250 - 300 feet instead of 200 feet), I'd hate this course. 18 straight holes of throwing driver, then putt is much less appealing to me then throwing Roc then putt.
- For having so many hills around the course, one has to wonder how the course ended up so flat.
- I don't see any room for the course to improve unless you move more holes to the school property. And, if you do that, that will result in more holes being unplayable during school hours. It's better to remain a family friendly, beginner friendly, short course.
- As mentioned, #11 & 12 is the nicest two-hole stretch, if only for the view. The water is clear and shallow, so any disc in there should easily be retrievable. You have a higher lost disc chance if you end up in the thick brush to the left of #11 and behind #12.
- Based on the course layout alone, this would only be a 1.0. Throw in the fun factor I had playing, I'll give the course a bump. It's not worth driving out of your way to play here; however, if you're in the area, stop by for a quick round.