Linbrook Park DGC just minutes from Knob Hill in Franklin Park, PA

[Rol6566]

Just got done playing the front 9 twice. The course is AMAZING. Great job Chris and everyone who helped out. We need to get some more donations for baskets on the back 9 now. $500 is a lot but get a couple friends and pitch in together.

Lets get this course finished

 

[412Disc]

Excellent work!

 

[chris deitzel]

Ben Hoolahan and Chris Gottron cut the grass on holes 1 and 2. They look really nice. Now hopefully the park will start a regular mowing schedule. Hope everyone who has made it out is enjoying the course. Will be working on tee signs soon.

For now, follow the pink flags to find the next holes. Hole 1 can be found after you drive over the bridge between the bottom fields. As driving up the hill you will see Hole 1 to your left, the long and middle tees are on the right side of the road.

Hope you all enjoy playing. A little rough right now, but it will clean up over the next year or so.

 

[chris deitzel]

Hope you are all enjoying the course. Lots more work to be done over the next year. Can't wait to get the back 9 in. Loving the quietness out on the course right now. So peaceful out there in those woods. Enjoy it while you can!!

Here are a few new photos for now

 

[chris deitzel]

http://s1088.photobucket.com/albums/i337/deitzel77/linbrook/

 

[chris deitzel]

Hole 2 long tee - 275 feet

Hole 2 short tee - 205 feet

Hole 2 green

Hole 2 green

Hole 2 looking back the fairway

 

[chris deitzel]

Hole 4 Long tee - ~300 feet

Hole 4 looking back. Don't hit an early tree and end up in the valley.

 

[vslaugh]

Just played the course this evening...wow! It has the best flight lines of any Pittsburgh course, so I fully expect it to beat out Deer Lakes and Moraine in my heart in another year. I think Hole 7 might be my favorite hole I've ever played.

Great job Chris and Lori!

 

[chris deitzel]

THANKS Vince!!! And that's only 9 of the holes! Can't wait to have all 18 in soon and have them all manicured with nice tees.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Did you play the long tees? Those are the only ones that are really definite right now.

 

[vslaugh]

THANKS Vince!!! And that's only 9 of the holes! Can't wait to have all 18 in soon and have them all manicured with nice tees.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Did you play the long tees? Those are the only ones that are really definite right now.

I started playing the blue tees, but then by Hole 5 it seemed like there were only two sets of tees so I played the tees that were farther back. Are there currently flags for three tee positions on each hole?

Here are some of my hole-by-hole notes I made in my head:
HOLE 1: Tee positions feel right. Green is awesome.
HOLE 2: Again tee positions feel right. Splendidly awkward flight path that I don't know if I'll ever be able to figure out what disc to throw.
HOLE 3: Awesome.
HOLE 4: Very good hole, although I wonder if it will play a little easy. Because of the slope on which the basket sits, as long as you avoid the trees and throw at the right height, you're basically parked at the basket. Then again, B and C pin positions would take care of this concern.
HOLE 5: Love the shot into the green with the big tree. Tee shot seems a little easy. Could there be something to spice it up? I'm basically just going to pitch out into the fairway--which I should be able to do just about every time--and not try to get my disc to go significantly to the right.
HOLE 6: Very fun hole.
HOLE 7: Best hole ever.
HOLE 8: I like it a lot but is it supposed to be a Par 3 or Par 4.
HOLE 9: Fun but seems way too easy. Again, is this just the A-pin?

I think my biggest surprise was that the shots off the tee were a lot easier than I expected. Was that intentional? Holes 6, 13, 14, and 16 at Deer Lakes all pose significantly harder challenges off the tee than anything I saw at Linbrook. Perhaps that contributed to it being so much fun, though.

 

[chris deitzel]

It is not meant to be incredibly hard. I keep saying, if you throw good shots, the course is pretty easy.

1 is a cool little tunnel shot. I love it

2 is easy, yet very tricky and the trees make throwing that straight 270 foot shot ever so tricky. ANd make sure you don't go down the hill to the right!!

3 is sweet. Very hard par 4 from the longs

Hole 4 is meant to be a easy birdie, yet I keep seeing people hitting trees and falling into the valley. Also that is the shortest pin you played.

Hole 5...the tees may get moved longer. From the long tee, I have seen many 5's 6's etc. As long as you make it out of the corridor and don't go right, it is a pretty easy hole. Also, lots of room to extend 5's green

Glad you liked 6....took us a while to figure out what that hole was going to be. Was the last hole to be cleared.

7 is pretty sweet huh? man that took weeks of clearing, and some creative "visualization" before the trees were cleared.

8 is a par 3. And a very hard 3 from the longs.

9 is easy, but the tee you playes would be the short tee. There are 2 longer tees in the works on that hole.

AS of now, some holes have 2, 3 or 4 tee areas. They will all be adjusted over time to have 3 tees per hole. Just need to get more data and more people playing.


I look at it as this;

Hole 2, 4, 9 are easy 3's while 1, and 8 are hard 3's
Hole 5, 6 are easy 4's, and 3, and 7 are hard. so 5 easier pars and 4 harder ones


Will be holding a little event there ASAP.

 

[vslaugh]

It is not meant to be incredibly hard. I keep saying, if you throw good shots, the course is pretty easy.

1 is a cool little tunnel shot. I love it

2 is easy, yet very tricky and the trees make throwing that straight 270 foot shot ever so tricky. ANd make sure you don't go down the hill to the right!!

3 is sweet. Very hard par 4 from the longs

Hole 4 is meant to be a easy birdie, yet I keep seeing people hitting trees and falling into the valley. Also that is the shortest pin you played.

Hole 5...the tees may get moved longer. From the long tee, I have seen many 5's 6's etc. As long as you make it out of the corridor and don't go right, it is a pretty easy hole. Also, lots of room to extend 5's green

Glad you liked 6....took us a while to figure out what that hole was going to be. Was the last hole to be cleared.

7 is pretty sweet huh? man that took weeks of clearing, and some creative "visualization" before the trees were cleared.

8 is a par 3. And a very hard 3 from the longs.

9 is easy, but the tee you playes would be the short tee. There are 2 longer tees in the works on that hole.

AS of now, some holes have 2, 3 or 4 tee areas. They will all be adjusted over time to have 3 tees per hole. Just need to get more data and more people playing.


I look at it as this;

Hole 2, 4, 9 are easy 3's while 1, and 8 are hard 3's
Hole 5, 6 are easy 4's, and 3, and 7 are hard. so 5 easier pars and 4 harder ones


Will be holding a little event there ASAP.

Based on everything you wrote, then I don't have a single criticism based on one quick round of play. The course reminds me of Quaker's Challenge in Pinchot State Park but has the potential to be a lot better. Like I said, I expect to easily like the course better than Deer Lakes. Plus, I just discovered Soergel's, so I look forward to timing my trips to Linbrook Park over the next couple months so that I can bring back sweet corn, peaches, apples, etc.

 

[chris deitzel]

Big thanks to whoever made the Next Tee signs!!! THANKS!!!!

 

[chris deitzel]

Things are looking good out at Linbrook. The grass on 1, 2, and 3 have been nicely maintained. Hole 4 is in good shape. The park just cut hole 5 and looks nice. Hole 6 will have some major work done on it next week as well as 7 and 8.

Course is in the best shape it has been in yet.

Tee signs should be installed next week. So now people will know where to go and what hole they are playing.

 

[shadowyee]

Spreading the good word...

Hey, I just noticed your update about Franklin Park Borough not wanting to finish and maintaining the course. I was going to post something on Facebook about it, but I wanted to get some opinions on the most effective approach on convincing Franklin Park on maintaining the course.

Aside from the cost of maintenance, what else would they care about?

Also, thanks for designing the course. I'm still not that good at the course, but the course is growing on me.

 

[UsTeD]

I went ahead and sent them an email praising the course and telling them how enjoyable it was. I'm not sure if it will reach the correct people, but from their website: [email protected] Still loving the course!

 

[vslaugh]

In case it inspires anyone else to write, here's a letter I'll be sending in the next day or two:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B5LOZ2Q_MJZJT2Fsb3N3ZGhpd2s

 

[chris deitzel]

Thank you everyone. I will be meeting with some people in charge of the fate of this course on Wednesday. I will keep you all updated. I really appreciate all of the help. It has been so much fun watching people use this course, really puts a smile on my face to see people having fun out there!!

 

[el_duder]

I also hope that my email made it to the appropriate personnel. Best of luck on Wednesday. I've only gotten out to Linbrook once and I'm new to the sport, but I thought it was challenging and gave a great hike through a beautiful park.

 

[WillGrrr]

Hey Vince, great letter about a great course.
Chris & Lori, congrats on getting such an awesome design implemented this far. I hadn't been aware of any difficulties arising until I stumbled on this thread. Are you going to e-mail a call for some support?
Let the members know. I'll help!
Been meaning to get back out there and play all 9. Thanks for the reminder.