Pros:
You ever play a course that has some great holes/layouts/terrain, but it gets watered down by filler holes? You wish you could take the best parts of the course and spread that over the entire layout? Welcome to A.R. Rucker.
- Holes #3 - 7 are really good, if not excellent, especially for a school layout. Playing up and down a decent sized hill, this alone gives the course more flavor than most school courses in the region.
- A school course that actually required some strategic shot making. Hole #4 is an excellent layout that's seen on many 18-hole courses. A 300-foot, downhill, dogleg right layout with trees/rough hugging the entire right side of the fairway. If you end up in the woods, you may be poking and hoping to get your disc back out.
- #3 and 5 are both short, uphill shots. #5 especially plays a good bit longer that my tee shot, which felt great out of my hand, ended up 25 feet short.
- #6 is the hole to unleash multiple throws on. Downhill, 255 feet, and no major obstacles. It's the layout you're throwing multiple discs trying to smash the chains.
- #7 is easiest of the short, uphill holes. A slight dogleg right, it was an easy birdie hole.
- The other 4 holes are all flat, open, and straight. I birdied all four with relative ease. All are ace-run level of ease.
Cons:
The biggest, biggest, BIGGEST negative here….why have four easy holes when you've got more rolling hills to create four more quality layouts?
- Simple idea. After #5, cross the entrance road, add several more holes in that sloped portion of land. Then cross back and play #6 & 7. That makes this semi good course at least one notch higher on the quality and fun scales.
- There aren't many obstacles. The elevation factors are your challenges. For better players, you're still parking most of these layouts.
- Another weird layout quirk. The first tee is behind the school in between two extended wings. It almost felt as if I was trespassing as I had school building on three sides of me. Maybe not have the first hole so hidden. Just another reason to get rid of this hole.
- #8 seemed like a filler hole. At only 115 feet, it's in a small plot of grass along the side of the building. Even by moving the tee close to #7's basket, you have a downhill, longer layout playing over the corner of the parking lot. NOTE: Make this the after hours/weekend tee.
Other Thoughts:
I enjoyed Rucker's layout. Turning into the school, you see the baskets playing up and down the hill. Then, you see the boring holes and you lose some of that excitement.
- I feel playing the elevated five hole loop twice is far better than playing the complete nine.
- The grass was very tall when I played. In the summer, that's perfect condition for ticks.
- It's nice seeing this being a more advanced layout for a middle school. I've seen middle and high school courses that are essentially pitch and putts. This course actually requires some skill. Solid touch.
- Course is easy to navigate. Tee signs and baskets are easy to spot. The most difficult part was finding the first tee, but that involved an extra 5 seconds of deduction to know what direction to head.
- A good school course that could, and probably should, be better. By 9-hole standards, this is a tad below average. I'd rate this a 1.25 compared to my 1.5 default rating for 9-holers. I'll round my rating up to 1.5. It's worth a play if you're a local.