Jacksonville, FL

Springfield DGC

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2.865(based on 21 reviews)
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10 0
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.3 years 152 played 127 reviews
2.00 star(s)

The spirit is here and the spirit is fine 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 21, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

I was at a conference in downtown Jacksonville and noticed there was a course a little over a mile away, which made for a nice sneak away round. You don't usually get a course that close to downtown, so the course is unique in that way.

Other than that factor, Springfield DGC is a pretty standard short, park style course. The course winds its way up and back in a fairly narrow park that runs along a creek. None of the shots were really great or notable; it was a pretty standard set of shots. The park is flat and lightly wooded, so the land isn't really going to allow for a very challenging layout. The park had good signage, the tees were weird but adequate, the flow was fairly easy to follow without a map and the two times you have to walk under a bridge is marked with directional signs.

There is a big arching railing next to a walking path that you throw over on holes 8 and 17 that is somewhat unique. There are also some sculptures on one end of the park that are pretty cool. Hole one gives a nice downtown view. There are enough of those sorts of thing to keep the course somewhat interesting, even though the shots themselves are not very interesting.

Cons:

A lot of disc golf courses are retrofit into multi-use parks and end up with some dumb shots just to keep you moving from point A to point B, but this course has quite a few "there really should not be a hole here" moments. Holes 4, 13, 14 and 16 all made me say "Really?" off the tee. They are just crammed into places a disc golf hole ought not be. Hole 10 is really too narrow for a golf shot; it's too easy to hzyer into the stinking creek or flip your drive into a busy road because there really isn't enough space for a 400' driver shot there. Hole 18 shoots back at the parking lot with the basket too close to the lot; if people are there at that end of the lot you have to throw right at them.

There are walking paths pretty much all through the course so you really have to watch for pedestrians everywhere. Some of the pins are so close to walking paths that you really can't even play them O.B. The whole course is crammed into the park so conflicts with other park users is a given. If safety is a pet peeve of yours, you would want to skip this course.

The golf isn't great. The course is mostly flat and lightly wooded so it doesn't really force you to do anything. The shots are fairly short and get pretty repetitive.

The tees are...weird? Some of them are nice; some of them are painted lines on sidewalks. At least one (Hole 17 I think) was a sideways painted line on a sidewalk with bits of an older sidewalk left in front and behind the new sidewalk to form a tee. Hole 11 I never did find the tee for. As weird as they are, they are mostly adequate and there are multiple tees per hole. I didn't find them to be a problem, but I'm sure others would.

As noted in other reviews, there are two places where they direct you to walk under bridges and they direct you to go back under them when you work your way back. The day I was there the path from 9 to 10 was clear, but there was a tent city on the walk from 6 to 7 and walking through there was kind of terrifying.

Other Thoughts:

The series of small parks that the course is on are really old circa 1900 parks, and there is a mix of cool old features and crumbling old infrastructure. The big railing by holes 8 and 17 is a leftover from when the Jacksonville Zoo was in that park in the 1910's. The Springfield neighborhood has been revitalized in the last decade or so, and some formerly dilapidated housing has been rehabilitated. The area is still somewhat depressed, but it's a lot better than it has been.

For me, the site is a mixed bag. It's a somewhat unique site with some cool aspects you don't generally see on a disc golf course so that counteracts a little the fact that the golf is below average. The golf is below average, though. I really didn't find to cool factors cool enough that I would play there very much if I lived there.

However, I got there in 30 minutes from the downtown Hyatt on foot. If you end up in Jacksonville on business or for a conference, it's right there. You almost can't avoid playing it at that point.
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9 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.2 years 652 played 631 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Under the Bridge 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.206 Rating) A course with some issues but also some solid views of downtown Jacksonville.
- SIGNAGE - The first thing you'll notice after the views of downtown, is a wonderful course map located across the parking from tee (1). The course map also describes the rules, but doesn't show the gold tee distances. Regarding the hole signage, it's more than adequate and does the job intended by showing obstacles, baskets, tees and distances. Number (8) tee sign was vandalized.
- NAVIGATION - I took a picture of the course map and had no issues solo first time thru. I do not recommend going under the bridge after (9) if homeless people make you uneasy. However, if crossing the street at that location, you will have to contend with cars zipping by on a major road. I went under the bridge. Another iffy spot is between (7) and (8). Either go around to the right of the large overgrowth patch, or deal with a 2 foot wide path on the left and directly next to the river.
- FORGIVENESS - The odds of losing a disc here seems really low. A bunch of water in view but I never came close to it. I did think about the creek however, as I know grip locks happen from time to time. Unless the water is up, the creek seems very much easy to retrieve a disc with a retriever or a long stick. In addition to low disc loss odds, the fairways are pretty wide open. I hit a tree on a few holes but I was never further punished.
- ACEABILITY - Numerous holes are aceable, especially from the blue tees. But you'll also have great looks from the gold tees on holes (1,7 and 14) as well.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - I think Springfield will play fair to large swath of players. Everyone from lower tier advanced players threw beginners should enjoy the challenge from the appropriate tees.

Cons:

Lots of issues with this course.
- LOCATION - Although easy to get to from I95. The park is located in an economically challenged area. During my round, as I walked under the bridge, there were people sleeping under it. Definitely an uneasy feeling and it had a horrid smell.
- SAFETY HAZARDS - I normally don't knock a course that plays next to roads and paths, but on this course it's pretty extreme. The layout plays next to basketball and tennis courts, but also along major roads, as in 4 lane major roads with cars going 45 mph!
- BEAUTY - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The course has a lot of potential. Great views of downtown on holes (1 and 17) In addition (17) has some great landscaping to further the tee shot's luster. Being an Architect, I loved the 100 year old homes that framed parts of the park. However that's where it ends. Homeless under the bridge and the course is just littered with trash. The trash is most pronounced in the river that winds along the course where in addition to your normal plastic bags and cups, a bunch of tires and a bicycle were observed. Probably among the most trash I've ever seen on a course. It would take a semi-annual major cleaning to keep this course up due to the area its in.
- TEE PADS - A few are great, but a majority are in poor condition. The tee surface is mixed. Some are nice 6x10 concrete pads, but others are asphalt, some are sidewalks, some are dirt and some are I have no idea. The worst by far are the sidewalk improv jobs, where a tee uses several adjacent slabs that are heaved together at different inclines. Tee (18) is... some sort of... maybe... a 30 year old asphalt path? I have no idea.
- CHARACTER - In addition to the poor tees listed above. Springfield falls short on extras like that of other established courses. Not much in the way of tee shading and only a couple of benches at the tees. Plus I don't recall a shelter or any picnic tables at the end of round gathering point. There are a couple highlights, see pros for signage and there is also a practice basket.
- UNIQUENESS - For an 18 hole course, the variety is pretty bleak. Mostly an open layout with a spattering of trees. For the most part, no pocket shots, doglegs or tunnel plays. The layout is all par 3's. There is however parallel water plays to force lines, but most of them are easily avoided in lieu of grip lock and there are no water clears. The hole lengths do vary quite a bit for the gold tees, from 195 to 518.
- ELEVATION - Very little elevation change. Probably varies by no more than 15 feet on the entire course and no hole varies by more than 12 feet, hole (17). Surprising to some, but this is only a touch below average for the state.
- DIFFICULTY - Not much of a challenge to advanced/pro level players as they should have no problem breaking par on a calm day from the gold tees. Intermediate and Recreational players should probably play the blue tees and should also have a good shot at breaking par as well.
- PARKING - Normally not a concern for most people but the parking lot is in need of repair as it's pitted everywhere. If you have a low riding car, id consider parking elsewhere.

Other Thoughts:

If it were possible, I'd give Springfield a 2.25 rating as it just falls below that number in my matrix scoring method. Despite the lower rating I did enjoy my round here and the course would probably be in my rotation if I lived in the area. That said, this is not a destination course, but if you're in downtown and don't have a means to travel far from your hotel, Springfield can provide a fun and relaxing round. However if you do have a means to travel out of downtown, I highly recommend checking out New World DGC on the west side of town.
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2 1
bstiles00
Experience: 14.5 years 86 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Has potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course takes advantage of the land available very well. The gold tees are pretty tough concidering it is in an open park. The Blue tees are shorter but are still fairly tight but good for beginners and practice. The grounds are well groomed and baskets are in good shape. While short the tee pads are concrete. This would be a great course to play with a group of friends.

Cons:

The community surrounding the course and wandering the course did not make me feel safe. The abandoned buildings along side the course and homeless people on the course made it feel sketchy. This is most pronounced in the transition under the bridge where there were several people sleeping and stored goods. This is the point where we decided to leave.
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3 0
Forehand Shiver
Experience: 12.2 years 60 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

I really like this course, but it is a bit sketchy ... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 24, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Mostly open course -- great for field work.

- Some variety, including low tunnel shots under branches and (for RHBH) forehand shots or backhand anhyzer to stay out of the disgusting canal.

- Went there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and it was pretty much completely empty in contrast to the Fore Palms, which is typically too crowded on weekends to play a quick round.

- Open areas are clean and well maintained. But if your disc strays into the wooded areas lining the canal, I did see some camp sites used by the homeless.

Cons:

It's a bit sketchy. A couple of holes suggest you walk through underpasses, which also serve as shelters for the homeless. Probably harmless but why chance it? Walk around and be aware, especially when golfing by yourself.

Other Thoughts:

Not a terrible part of town, but it's also not the best. Be alert and be aware of your surroundings. This is a fun course.
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5 0
pickupman92
Experience: 8.7 years 34 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great downtown course/park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great downtown course, city skyline in the background, def unlike any other course I've played because of this.

Tees were pretty easy to find from looking at the main map.

CLEAN!!! While I was there they had a cleanup going on... now it didn't even look in bad shape at all, but these local club./volunteers were there picking up cigarette buts, small pieces of paper etc. I wouldn't have even noticed. HUGE Kudos to them for doing this. I know what it's like to try and organize a cleanup day... really hard to get people out.

The course was well designed, a little easier than I would have liked, but given the landscape, it played very well.

Cons:

No bathroom facilities from what I could see.

There were homeless under a couple overpasses, but they weren't bothersome at all.

That little river is pretty gross, I really don't blame people for playing it safe and not throwing towards it. I almost had my disc go in, but a tree stopped it thank goodness.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this park because it was so close to downtown. It's a nice change from the 100% natural parks I usually play, was nice to see the skyline in the background and again huge kudos for the cleanup crew keeping the park clean!!
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3 1
PumaPaws
Experience: 17.8 years 28 played 23 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Even Par! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 14, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Mostly wide open
Will require you to make some interesting shots.
Various obstacles to can hurt. Low hanging branches, cement buildings are a few that you will encounter.
Beginner friendly
If you can throw shots that can curve left AND right, you will do well.
Not a long course.

Cons:

Do not throw your disc into the canal!!! If you do, kiss it goodbye! The 3 eye fish sign for the canal is a warning you should pay attention to.
The very grungy canal on the left side of several fairways is not pleasant.
Some unpleasant smells from time to time.
Parking can be difficult if course is busy due to limited # of spaces but street parking is available.

Other Thoughts:

In this area, I would probably go to Ed Austin park for a disc golf game, over this course. However, for variety, I have enjoyed playing here several times. You can shoot a good score if you stay under control and can make a variety of shots. DO not need any water discs such as Dragons. If you disc hits the water (the canal) it's a goner.
If you have average length and average control and can putt well, you could play close to even par. That is the fun part of this course, can you play even par?
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8 0
RFrance
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.6 years 33 played 10 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice course for everyone 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is easy to navigate and beginner friendly with mostly wide open holes. They make nice use of a long narrow park in a historic district. I was able to par most holes but there are some challenges. I was up in Jacksonville for a business meeting and played with three colleagues, each with 3 to 6 months experience, and they were able to play well and have a good time. Some of the trees were just coming into foliage and next month will be more guardian around a couple of the baskets. There are one or two tunnel type shots as you have to thread through lines of trees.

Cons:

A couple of homeless but harmless living under the bridge but they kept to themselves. The creek does come into play so carry some sort of disc retriever. The creek has a reputation as "toxic" but it is just a creek in old town Jacksonville. If your disc goes in just retrieve and wash off. It's no worse the dog pooh hidden in the grass close to the bark park at my local course.

Other Thoughts:

We played just after work on a Monday and pretty much had the place to our selves. There were a few more playing as we were finishing up. I'm looking forward to playing again when I'm back up in Jacksonville. Overall fun time
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1 1
FoxxKaleo
Experience: 15.8 years 27 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

I'm a fan 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 8, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Convenient to downtown Jax and surrounded by beautiful historic homes with a distant view of the big city. Long and short holes with a multiple tees for most holes. Good variety of open shots and shots with big oaks and smaller trees making you think. Weekly doubles tournaments on Thursday evenings.

Cons:

Some holes soggy after severe rains. Gang grafitti reminds you this is not always the safest area. You can't pay me to get in that water.

Other Thoughts:

The pros definitely outweigh the cons. This park is dog friendly and you will always find someone else using the park for picnics, baseball, basketball, fishing (not recommended), and especially disc golf.
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3 1
Anthoney
Experience: 9.8 years 6 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy to read signs. Well maintained. Basket are in good condition. Great for beginners like myself.

Cons:

A lot of short, straight holes. Might not be a bad thing, but for more skilled players, you might get bored. It's not in the best area, and bad smells show up on a few holes, but it's still a nice looking park.

Other Thoughts:

There's a few spots I was nervous about losing my disc. There's a huge drainage line that if you throw it in, it's probably staying there. You could go get it, but is rather suck it up as a loss.

Also, my rating might be slightly biased since I got my first ever ace on hole 6. I've only been playing for a month and shot even, so that's how you can tell how easy this course.
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3 1
JaShallan
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good information 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 28, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good layout with pretty clear layout and directions
Pin signs give very interesting background information

Cons:

Very open course (almost like an old golf course)
A little hard to find the entrance

Other Thoughts:

My wife and I played the course, and while it's true that there was evidence of a homeless population, we were not approached or accosted. Also, you can tell that the area is getting way better (and used to be incredible)
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6 2
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 278 played 273 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Well 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 17, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The equipment here is really impressive given the location. The signs are fantastic. Very descriptive and shiny. The baskets were in good condition. Somehow, they were the only things in the park that were not vandalized. There is a big sign that describes the layout near hole one and its also top notch. The holes mostly have two tees. Only one of them has a sign and if you play all the signed holes, that's the standard or intermediate layout.

The extra tee is located by a nice looking post with the hole umber only, instead of the full fairway map. Some of the extra tees offer a more advanced shot. Others provide an easy shot for beginners.

The holes themselves are decent, probably a 2.5 quality course judging by the holes themselves. There isn't a lot of length, or difficulty, or technicality. Most are straight shots. between 200 and 300 feet, with a smattering of trees. But they're decent. And if it's typically as windy as it was when I was there, it will be tough to birdie often.

It's really a nice layout considering the park space and I had a quick, fun round, just off the highway and then I was on my way.

Cons:

But I could see people not having fun. If:

1. You throw RHBH and have an aversion to bacteria-laden water. It wasn't an issue for me, I throw mostly forehand and the canal was always to the left of the fairway. If i did throw a disk in there, I wouldn't touch it again without sterilizing it. And I definitely wouldn't put my retriever near that water. I like throwing over water, but I'm snobbish about it. I like throwing near pretty water only.

2. You are playing it when people are using any of the other park facilities. (if that happens.) the first few holes throw across baseball and soccer fields, and a later hole will have you throwing right at a basketball court.

3. You don't like throwing near people. There will inevitably be some people hanging out in the park who may be averse to "heads up." I skipped seventeen because someone was sleeping on the tee. Other than that I was lucky but multiple times I was luck that resting places were just out of the danger zone.

4. You are a tee purist. Several of them here are painted lines on existing sidewalks or asphalt.

Other Thoughts:

It's great that there's a course here and it may introduce some people to the sport, being walking distance from a ton of residences. I'm sure it's fine for the locals but I wouldn't stop again. Why? Ed Austin is just nine miles away.
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5 1
John P
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid & fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Central location in the city.

- Good signage

- New baskets

- In a cool, funky, hipster neighborhood with character

- A full 18 holes

- Nice course layout. No head scratchers.

- Usually pretty well maintained

- Good beginner to intermediate course

Cons:

- Two holes have you going underneath small overpasses. They sometimes smell bad from bums, but you can simply walk another way to get to the next hole.

- More trash cans along the way would be nice.

- Not very challenging for advanced players

- Creek that form a border to the park is a little dirty

Other Thoughts:

It's neat to have a disc golf course located in a city park so close to Downtown like this. The neighborhood is called the Springfield historic district and it's a (obviously) historic district in the midst of gentrification. It has a nice look to it with friendly people, but you'll still see some vacant houses and bums here and there. The course seems to be well laid out and it's not hard to follow. The creek to the SxSW needs to be cleaned out as it's pretty dirty all the time and I wouldn't wade in there to rescue a disc, but the park itself is kept reasonably nice. Sometimes people will bring their dogs out or be playing a baseball game, but the course avoids most of that. All in all a solidly good course in a central location with unique scenery. I play it a couple times a months, sometimes with my girlfriend. There's more information about the area at www.myspringfield.org
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4 1
brspiritus
Experience: 10.9 years 3 played 2 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Bad Day on Boulevard 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Nice Open Course with few trees to contend with
- Easy to get to and has a decent number of parking spaces
- Nice new Innova Discatchers
- Historic part of Springfield with beautiful homes along the road

Cons:

- 2 Tunnels with trash from use by homeless and human waste
- Course runs along Hogans Creek which is constantly littered with garbage and the water quality is abysmal. This creek comes into play on several holes and will eat your disc if you're not careful
- Soggy ground on some holes

Other Thoughts:

I loved the area but was disappointed with the garbage in the stream and the homeless sleeping under the bridge. My wife went with me and she is just starting out so has control issues which led to two lost discs this day, both in the creek. I'm not fishing them out of the noisome water and just scratched them up to a loss. Other than that I played a good game but the unpredictable wind that day made for some squirrelly throws. My wife is traumatized (lol) however and refuses to return to this course.
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1 3
manntar
Experience: 14 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Love this course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1. It's got a practice basket. Some parks neglect this and it leaves me baffled.

2. It's well marked and has a nice signs at each pad giving you a little history about the park.

3. It's got a nice and easy layout. Making it perfect for first timers. It also has some nice intermediate tees that offer a bit more of a challenge.

4. The grass is always trim and proper.

5. The tee pads are concrete.

All in all it's just a great course. I would like to see a tournament out there sometime soon.

Cons:

1. The water hazard has dangerous bacteria signs. There was a lot of garbage in the water also but it looks like someone has come along and cleaned that out recently. Thanks.

2. Walking under the overpasses can be a bit strange with the people that inhabit them. Also there have been some strange findings.

3. No usable bathrooms.

Other Thoughts:

As I have said, I really enjoy this course and am happy to see something help revitalize an area of downtown. It's got and awesome backdrop with all of the buildings and historic homes. If you can look past a bit of rubbish, this is a great course to play. Cheers!
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2 2
Mld26
Experience: 23.8 years 24 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Downtown View. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 12, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is in a historic part of Jacksonville, it is a cool back drop to play disc golf, the course has good hole variance Left to Right, long and short. I like walking through the history.The course itself is always in good condition.Never Crowded.

Cons:

The course is sometimes trashy, the river is polluted. The course is a pain to get to on the weekends as some of the bridges close.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a nice alternative to the home course.
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1 1
Rossome
Experience: 310 played 18 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Needs a little Love 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 11, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Above average course for being "downtown", but it loses points for "funky energy" and trashy. Location is very interesting in one of Jacksonville's historic districts. Every tee sign included info from the historic society which enhanced my appreciation and knowledge of the city's past. The tees were mostly good and signage excellent.

Cons:

I wouldn't have spent time in this park if there wasn't a course to be played there. The canal was polluted, there was trash in many places, and two of the underpass tunnels leading to holes were fouled by urine, trash, and who knows what else!

Other Thoughts:

The sun was shining and winds light. The grass was green and mowed, the layout fun and somewhat challenging, but I didn't really enjoy being in that park. What a grand place that part of town USED to be! But it needs some TLC before I would play the course again.
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3 1
Springfield DG
Experience: 10.8 years 9 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Historic Springfield 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 11, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Offers a variety of holes/baskets that provide the player some technical shots as well as some distance shots that allow you to run up and chuck it. Klutho Park is one of the oldest parks in the city with a ton of history. Hogans Creek, that comes into play on several holes, is a man made creek that was used in the early 1900's for gondola races (among other things).

Cons:

No restrooms and only one spot on the course to get any drinking water (from a water fountain near the tennis courts, hole 14).

Other Thoughts:

The (longer) yellow tees were put in after the initial blue tees and are not currently as well marked as the shorter blue tees. That is where this course can be improved.
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5 0
Bababooey
Experience: 11.6 years 4 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good, but not Great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 14, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Nice layout (easy to find next tee) and use of land.

* Multiple tees and/or baskets on many holes.

* Course sign with map and rules

* Hole signs with map, par, distance, and historic fact.

* Concrete tees.

* Great baskets

* Practice basket

* Plenty of shade trees.

* Lots of birds (might be a con if you don't like birds).

* Park grounds well maintained.

* Water fountain near hole #14 (tennis courts)

* Not many spiders or mosquitoes (surprising due to vicinity of the water).

Cons:

* The water in the creek is toxic (according to multiple warning signs).

* No bathrooms (the underpasses aren't bathrooms).

* Limited variation of holes; mostly open field.

* Always seems muddy / mushy around hole #7, #8, and #9.

Other Thoughts:

This course is good, but not great.

None of the holes are bizarre, which makes this a nice course for beginners (its my first course). The lack of variation can give some players a sense of deju vu (glitch in the matrix!), but I enjoy being able to practice different shots for fun instead of necessity (and not worrying about trees).

Please do not allow the urban environment to come between you and a nice city course. I play this course at least once a week. I often play alone or with just my wife, and I have never been bothered by the locals or felt unsafe.

Bottom line: Springfield DGC isn't as diverse and challenging as Fore Palms DGC (at Ed Austin Park), but it is a good, fun course.
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11 0
atl scott
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.8 years 207 played 20 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Links Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great signage
Fun layout
New Discatcher Pros!
Not sandy and no palmettos (like most FL disc golf courses have)
Well designed for the property
Well thought out multiple tees

Cons:

Too much interaction with the "city" (aka homeless people and their sleeping areas)
No elevation (but that's FL golf, right?)
Underpasses with a very shady vibe

Other Thoughts:

I really had a great time playing this course. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of design and use of the available land. There were multiple pads on every hole (2 on every hole and 3 on several holes).

The course is in the city and provides nice views of Jacksonville while also running along a canal. It is a nice mix of ease of access being in the city and good disc golf challenge.

It is a relatively easy course (we played the blue pads and I shot a 46 my first round) but it isn't completely wide open. There are several ace runs and several birdie holes but a few of the holes are long and open to encourage you to work on your distance game. Enough of the holes require accuracy to keep things interesting.

The course is a links style course where the front 9 plays linearly out away from the parking lot and the back 9 plays back in. You get pretty far away before coming back. It had a different feel that was a pleasant experience. There is a definite aura of being in the city with people walking through the course and at times I wondered if the car was ok. There was a guy playing football with his young son in an adjacent field and I asked him if our car was safe and he looked at me like I was crazy and responded "of course it's perfectly safe here" which made me much more comfortable.

The feeling I walked away with after playing the course (twice) was that I really couldn't have done any better designing a course with the land provided. The holes were challenging and fair and the fun factor was high. The water doesn't really come into play but it will restrict your shot selection a few times to insure you don't lose a disc.

The only real negative to the course was the fact that you are supposed to walk under 2 underpasses that are clearly living areas for homeless people. I lived in downtown Atlanta for 4 years and don't mind homeless people but walking under those bridges made me feel uncomfortable. The good news is you can walk just a little bit further (about twice as far in between holes) to go around and completely skip the urine soaked underpasses.

I am in Jacksonville for a couple of months and fully expect to play this course as much as possible. 3 stars to the designer!
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harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
2.00 star(s)

I'm going DOWNTOWN 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 12, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) This is a very beginner friendly course because it is on completely mowed turf. You cannot lose a disc here unless you end up throwing it in the river to the side of a couple fairways, but even there it is retrievable.

2) There must have recently been a river cleanout because there were hundreds of plastic garbage bags filled with trash and multiple shopping carts out in the road. Obviously this is a park that people care about or this wouldn't take place. It is also just 1 minute from the middle of downtown Jacksonville so it is an image issue for the city I am sure.

3) Tees are concrete and sometimes on exisiting sidewalks where they will mark the actual tee area.

4) Practice basket and a sign by #1 for the park.

5) Nice new discatcher baskets are in great shape and installed properly.

6) I love it when old parks leave the old concrete structures and landscape pieces in place. Here there is what I would assume is a 100 year old curved concrete wall. Sure it has shifted over time and is settling in some areas and cracked, but it is a really interested and historic piece of the landscape. It looks like it onetime framed a concert area or something like that. These small things make parks and disc golf courses attractive. I also like the pavilion building near Hole #4 or 5. That is old and a unique piece of history so it is cool they worked around it.

7) Signs have Par, distance, hole # and sponsors along with a general hole map.

8) There were also some benches and garbage cans in a few spots around the course, more intended for park users and people along the sidewalk but nothing says we can't use them too.

9) An odd feature which I thought was cool is it appears you are walking through a large area of mint groundcover because as I walked through the lawns I kept smelling mint. I thought it was all clover but there apparently was also some mint. Not really a pro I guess but something interesting.

10) I think there was a restroom in the building on the front 9 somewhere but I did not check it to see if it was usable.

Cons:

1) I know I was not in the nicest neighborhood but I was comforted by the fact that the entire park area was framed with 100 year old decent homes. Plenty of people to witness anything that might happen to me.

2) This is a very disjointed course because you play through like 4 different areas of the riverside park. You have to walk under two overpasses and across a couple roads during the round.

3) The lawn in the park could definitely use a mow . . . the clover, mint, and cool season turf is growing still while the warm season turf is still dormant. I am not sure how frequently they mow, but to me this area could see some mowing right now.

4) This is a completely flat course as is standard in Florida. Maybe a few elevated or unique basket locations could have altered the flatness of the ground just enough to have some interest.

5) In general these holes do not have enough obstacles or much interest.

6) Distance variation is only
moderate. There are no really long holes and definitely no par 4's here.

7) Obstacles are few and far
between in my view. They didn't have a ton of trees to use, but at least they did get into a couple of areas that created a tighter type shot.

Other Thoughts:

This was not a terrible course at all but it was not the most challenging or interesting and it is located in a slightly poor neighborhood. It felt a lot like Dineen Park in Milwaukee. Not a place I would go to regularly but a good place to warmup for the day. There are not any real unique holes and most holes are just laid out right in front of you to try and execute the shot. I was happy to be on my way to league at Ed Austin Park and later to be playing Ronnie Van Zant Memorial, because this would not have satisfied my disc golf needs for the day.
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