Tuscaloosa, AL

Palmore Park

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3.35(based on 10 reviews)
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0 4
wtbryant
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fun course - but tough 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 25, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Open course that utilizes OB and island greens. Really fun. Well kept. This is in a city park that they keep cut regularly.

Cons:

A little open and can be hot on the hottest summer days. Occasionally soggy after heavy rain.
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12 1
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.2 years 652 played 631 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Bring Your Cannon… Pack Extra Gunpowder. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.718 Rating) A one-dimensional course where length off the tee will be the primary factor to score low.
- CHALLENGING - This course can be pro level at times, but I didn't give the course credit for that because the baskets have to be in all longs, and the Gold tees are generally not paved. I rated the challenge from the paved Blue tees, with a mixed configuration. In this configuration, and IMO, this is in fact Blue level, or Advanced level will have you. Both the A and B Blue tee configurations average over 300 feet long for the par 3s. Players are going to need at least 375 foot power to rack up birdies from these tees. There are a few par 3 placements, (like hole 4 long placement), that just don't seem reachable without having a 1035 player rating. In addition, there is definitely a lacking technical element to the layout as most misfires off the tee are often easy clean-up pars.
- BLUE TEES - Big concrete tees that are all in good to perfect condition.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - Adequate, but slipping. I'm sure the tee signs were excellent when there were first installed. They are color coded for skill level designation. They have all the info one would need such as an artistic description of the line, hole distances, hole number and next tee direction. The reason I say its slipping is due to the age and the quality. Other than the post, the frame wood is not pressure treated. Numerous signs are fading to the point of illegibility due to likely not using UV protection. At least a handful of signs are missing now as well. As for navigation, its passable. I liked the marker at the community board noting the basket configuration. I could tell there used to be a map on it as there was a large rectangle on the board with an un-weathered wood stain. Transitions on the course are satisfactory to good. The one exception is (15) to (16), see cons, flow gap
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - For those ok with teeing from natural grass surfaces, there are marked tee layouts for Recs, Intermediates, Advanced and Pros. Athletic Beginners might enjoy the red layout, although it may even be a bit long for them.
- LENGTH - For those that like to bomb shots, this one tally-ups to 10,572 feet from the gold pads in the all-long configuration. That's an average of 587 feet per hole, which is a higher average than courses like Mahr Park, IDGC Jackson and Idlewild. Obviously this length is also a con to many players as well.

Cons:

Endless trolly and the infinite blandness.
- HOLE VARIETY - A lot of holes have a similar feel to them. Bomb it down a generally wide fairway either one or two times. There is very little technical prowess to this course. I want to say I only hit three trees during the entire round. The elevation available to use is minimal, and what was there was not really used in the basket protection. The few higher slopes seemed to be regulated to raised tees. Hole 3 has an extended high pole. No major water elements to game plan around either.
- LENGTH - The added length on many holes doesn't make the course more appealable imo. Several times during my round I just grabbed a disc while walking up, dropped my bag and seamlessly threw. I get little enjoyment on courses that throw just the one dynamic at me. What good is a 600 foot hole without an obstacle? (referencing hole 8).
- MULTI USE HAZARDS - The course layout interacts and crosses paved walking paths numerous times. Parking sort-of comes into play a couple times. Be wise and don't throw when other park users are nearby. I personally had to pause my game a couple times to let people pass by. The overall spacing between the holes themselves is adequate for most of the course, but there are times to be aware of other players.
- LAYOUT FLOW - Big course flow gap between (15) and (16). You will need a map to find (16) or be lost for ten minutes.
- TEES OTHER THAN THE BLUES - The white and red layout is almost entirely natural tees with no line markings or leveling. The golds have a handful of hard surfaces. I appreciate the thought to provide multiple tee layouts.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - The Red layout is all par 3s and averages over 300 feet per hole. A couple are even plus 400 feet. Seems a little long for your average Rec player and thus it will be way too long for most beginners.
- TIME PLAY - 79 minutes for this quick solo on an empty course.
- WIND - Likely a miserable course on windy days.

Other Thoughts:

Palmore felt like a tweener 2.75 to me. The best aspect is the multitude of tee layouts so that most skill levels can have an appropriate challenge. On the flipside, the landscape here is too dull and uninspiring for me to score much higher. Whomever laid it out did a fine job, there just wasn't anything to work with like that of the terrain on nearby Bowers. So I think words like decent, typical and average define this course appropriately when every aspect is accounted for. I will say however, that bombers may score this one higher than I have. Woods players with weak arms will likely only be dragged here against their will on the second go around.
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2 1
Jakenewcomb44
Experience: 12 played 12 reviews
2.50 star(s)

So long 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really nice recreation area. Great facilities. Good tees/pads. Decent signage.

Cons:

Holy crap was this a long course. I played from the concrete pads, because I feel that is what the course is supposed to be. Evidently there are two sets of pins, and they are rotated every month. This month must have been the month to make them as hard as possible on every hole. Every hole was max distance. I feel like a 774ft par 4 (#16) is a little unreasonable. Just my opinion. So basically I either bogeyed or double bogeyed almost all of the holes. A couple of pars, and didn't even sniff a birdie. My arm hurts...

ALSO!!! Number 11 is a hole that has you tee off across a brook, and the basket is on that side of the brook as well. Problem? No bridge or even mowed pathway to get to either the tee pad or the basket. Kinda weird.

Other Thoughts:

If you're up for a long ball challenge, this one is for you.
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5 1
wericsson
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.8 years 53 played 45 reviews
2.00 star(s)

I thought you said DISC golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Field work does the body good, I guess.

In all seriousness, if you ever want an opportunity to air a distance driver out on nearly every hole of a course, some more than once, here it is. Additionally, a good six holes require some tiny amount of thought about shot shapes!

The baskets are Discatchers in good condition, with two sleeves per hole, the blue tees are fair-sized, concrete, and uncracked, and the natural tees are in surprisingly good shape - no pitting at all. Maybe there's a lack of traffic to blame, idk. There are four sets of tees (62 total - some are shared) allowing players with varying drive distances (I'm avoiding the word skill) to find a tee that suits them. There are restrooms onsite, a rarity.

Layout flows okay, aside from a funky gap between 15 and 16, which will require the use of a map to sort out. Baskets 8 and 18 wind up back at the parking lot, with the former being about the point at which I got bored and wanted to leave (I was too stubborn to do so).

Cons:

Wide, wide, wide open, on just about every single hole. There are a few impotent clumps of shule along one side of a few holes, but that's about it. Hole 4, the most (read: only) technical play on the course, involves a 20 foot gap, maybe 200 feet away from the long tee. Whoo. There are also no elevation changes of substance - there are ditches, and there are elevated baskets. A few holes run along a contour, but it's such a gentle slope that it would only ever enter the calculation on a roller. Hole 16 might drop 15 feet in about 750, maybe.

Some tee signs are missing from their posts.

There are some safety issues associated with proximity to other park activites. Playground comes into play on hole 17, and hole 2, which measures upwards of 1111' (gold tee to B; 584'/766' from blue) runs right along side a walking trail on the left, with no real room to cheat out to the right and play safe. I'm concerned someone out walking will get buzzed or worse with a distance driver on that hole, which is not an appetizing prospect.

Other Thoughts:

There isn't much shade, due to a lack of tree cover.

I'm going to summarize this with the words my GPS spoke afterward: continue for one and a half miles.

I should add one last note: it's a terrible piece of land to try to build a disc golf course on. The club seems to have put in a lot of effort in spite of that fact. I have a healthy respect for that. I'm not accusing anyone involved of doing too little, and I don't see too much more that could have been done with the design to make it that much better. There just isn't a way to make a field into a great course.
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4 0
sjberry2017
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.8 years 51 played 19 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good for what it is 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 18, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Concrete tees

Good Discatchers

Good use of OB to make course interesting but not frustrating

No overuse of OB; while it is used to define holes it does not make them overly complicated or frustrating to play

There are some holes where you can really just let the disc fly; a really good complement to Bowers park.

Decent course flow throughout, some really unique holes and most holes don't feel identical to the last one you played, which can be tricky with wide open courses.

What little elevation and trees there are are used well; there aren't just 18 baskets in a field.

Nice warm up area with a basket on a hill.

Elevated baskets can make holes interesting.

I'm not kidding, the wind can make this an even more fun course. In the tournament I played here I was able to throw a Roc3 and get a birdie putt on Hole 11 the first round, but the second round I changed my disc choice because of the wind.

Cons:

Some long walks between holes, but they tell me that's good exercise

A few of the holes can be kind of difficult to get the exact feel for, especially 16 and 18 with the sidewalks

Speaking of sidewalks, there can be interference with walkers and IIRC there's a playground near 2's fairway which a super shanked drive could land, not exactly the best for safety.

I like the added challenge and definition the OB provides but some may not dig it.

A few holes play right on top of each other; 16 and 18 and 17 and 2 immediately spring to mind.

If you don't have a map navigation could be a bit tricky.

Elevated baskets annoy some people to no end; I think what was done at least makes a few holes a little more interesting, although hole 8 doesn't really NEED an elevated basket.

Other Thoughts:

I played Palmore Park as part of the Alabama Slammer collegiate tournament in February, so while I did not get the full blue and white tee experience, nor play the other pin placements, I definitely enjoyed getting to play the course. For an open course, it has some good challenges to lines, and some really good placement shots. I think the designer(s) did a phenomenal job using what trees are out there to create low ceilings, make placement important on shots, and limit the hyzer fest. OB is also used well to create risk/reward scenarios which are fun without being hilariously punitive (it's also a bonus that losing discs seems like it would be an art form out here). The wind can add a little to the course, but overall it's also a solid course to begin with. There is a decent mix of forehand and backhand holes here, and most holes can be played either way. There are some long bomber shots but also some precise upshots and shorter shots sprinkled in. Placement is also the name of the game on many drives; it can be better to err on the side of being more over this way versus that way, or need to be more on one side over the other to have a better look at the basket. However, some holes it really doesn't matter on, and the amenities out here are somewhat sparse. I don't recall if there is a map on site or not so definitely bring the one from on here. A few of the holes can be a tad confusing and some walks are very long, plus the course can criss-cross over itself so it is easy to get the baskets mixed up. You also need to be aware of people walking on the trails and cars driving on the roads; in February the park wasn't that busy but I could see it getting busier in the warmer months.

Favorite holes:

Holes 7 and 8 make a good back to back pair. Hole 7 is a well designed distance shot, as the trees prevent any sort of massive hyzer and make the flex shot much more difficult to work with. Hit the line right and you'll be sitting pretty to take a long run at the basket. Hyzer out too hard and you'll have a really long shot towards the pin from the open left side. Misread the wind and throw your D4 with hyzer and have it really hyzer out (personal experience) and you'll be OB at the road. Hole 8 is a good second hole with a placement drive followed by a scary upshot. The hole is bifurcated by an OB creek with an elevated basket and slope behind it which makes the second shot a great risk/reward scenario; run the "island" for a drop in putt or lay up short of the creek and have a death putt at either creek or road OB for a three. Super fun hole.

Hole 11: Like I said in the pros, I got a Roc3 pretty close during the first round and it is just a blast of a shot; the downhill slope and two large trees really define the shot and make it interesting.

Hole 12: another fun shot, a slightly downhill, low ceiling turnover distance shot. Another really fun one to throw.

Eh holes: Hole 3 is an arbitrary island hole. I guess it's better than just sticking the basket in the field with nothing, but it is what it is. Not super exciting, not super frustrating.

Holes 9 and 10 are basically baskets in a field with a tree or two. Not super challenging, not super engaging, but can still be fun. Just, eh.

All of the other holes are definitely fun but those are the ones that stuck out to me. Overall I'd say Palmore is definitely a course I would enjoy as my home course and if you drive through the area I highly recommend it!
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1 2
jwhite
Experience: 3 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 9, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Mostly well mowed
-Interesting mixture of long, straight holes and blind shots around woods lines will challenge any player
-Good use of OB areas to help define and individualize each hole
-Brand spankin' new tee signs next to each tee on each hole
-Pin positions rotated monthly, each change presenting a different challenge than the previous

Cons:

-Lack of shade, bring sunscreen and water
-Other visitors to the park can sometimes be a distraction with loud music
-Layout can be confusing if you aren't familiar with the course so take a pic of the course map with your phone at the kiosk
-Drainage isn't so good, so avoid after heavy rain

Other Thoughts:

Overall, a pretty great open space course where you can work on accurate distance
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2 4
Lhowell
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Let's walk together 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great course wide open.
Fun distance course. Be ready to use your distance drivers.
New signs that are very nice.
Practice put and driving range.

Cons:

Out of bounds is funny on some holes so read the tee marker fully.
Not all tees are concrete yet but they are marked off for them.
Just be ready to walk
Play course in the morning because there is not much shade in the afternoon.
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0 4
James Powell
Experience: 21.8 years 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good workout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 5, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Grass cut
Fairly easy to navigate for the first try
Lots of throws
Good use of what was available (tree, elevation, ob

Cons:

Don't get to throw all your shots
Very few trees in play

Other Thoughts:

Good walk and chance to work on drives. Concrete to be added to all blue tees. Gonna be hot in the summer!
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5 2
bpartrid
Experience: 12.7 years 81 played 27 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Open spaces 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The park is easy to find and holes 1 and 10 are right beside the parking lot. There is a practice basket near 1st tee (don't mistake it for the second basket). The course is on a very large park with multiple tee pads and pin positions. New and great baskets that mark hole # . The best thing about this course is that you get to work on your long drives on nearly every hole. 3rd hole gives you ample opportunities at an ace. The final hole ends along a small creek/stream to an elevated basket right back to your car.

Cons:

I know this is a new course in progress so I will say that it will benefit by adding distances and hole layout signs. Also, fix the signs on the baskets and put more up so players can more easily find the next hole. Unfortunately, because of the extremely open park, most holes haven't any obstacles to avoid. So, this course does not challenge you in making different types of throws (u will just use your primary distance throw for nearly all throws). Just about all holes are around 335' or further in length. Only some holes have a concrete tee pad (others are grass or carpet). Since the course is wide open, u can get very hot and sunburned in the summer due to the very long holes and very long walks between holes. Even though this is a very large park holes/baskets seem intersect oddly (this could also be because of the poor signs pointing u where to walk and throw.

Other Thoughts:

This is just a wide open, long course with nothing interesting to really offer. Tee pads and signs will better the flow for players but that's about it. I think the design course layout could be better but again what else can u do in open land?

Until the signs are updated, here are my helpful hints to walking this course:
-take ur smartphone to have this website's hole lengths
-don't trust the signs on baskets pointing to next hole (only some are right currently)
-look for posts and use hole # s on baskets to find ur way

Course layout:
2nd tee is left of 1st basket along the woodline.
Follow woodline towards the back of the park/old driving range for next 4 holes.
The next 5-9 holes come back to the middle of the park (hole 8 is right by rundown pool).
The back 9 holes go along the left side of the park working along the left perimeter going towards the back of the park and ending by returning close to the middle of the park and to ur car.

Ultimately this is not a course u need to go out of ur way to play but it is a complete change of pace compared to nearby Bowers park.
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6 1
WSP420
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 51 played 48 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great New Course! Still needs a little work... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 12, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Brand new baskets
-Multiple tees on most holes
-Multiple pin locations on most (maybe all) holes
-Great use of O.B. and tree lines to accommodate lack of elevation and obsticles
-Course runs along edge of park and mostly avoids other commonly used areas

Cons:

-Very little shade
-No benches (on course itself)
-Elevation doesn't come into play (exceptions: #8, #16 & #17 have noticeable elev. changes)
-'Next Tee' signs on the baskets DO NOT point to the next tee.
-Tee sign (when available) are in poor condition
-There are no signs directing you where to walk from #6 to #7 (pretty long walk, too)
-The walk from the front 9 to the back 9 is long enough and the holes are separate enough that the flow feels more like two 9 hole courses than an 18

Other Thoughts:

This course has potential to be great. With better signage, a course map, benches and more concrete tee pads it could easily be a solid 4.
There are tees for ALL skill levels: Gold, tees for pros with several +900' holes, Blue long tees, White short tees and Red tees for beginners. Right now there is minimal shade, so bring PLENTY to drink in the summer. Maybe In a few years if the park trees get larger and provide more shade this won't be an issue but as of now sunscreen and water/Gatorade are a must.
With 2 great courses in Tuscaloosa, if you live nearby it's worth the trip.
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