Pros:
+ Some hills here and there give the course nice texture.
+ Tee pads are wide, long, flat and sturdy poured concrete.
+ Benches and trash cans scattered around. Please don't litter!
+ The course plays within a well-groomed township park, but...
Cons:
- ...It's way too open and plain with just a few exceptions.
- Some of the baskets are showing signs of damage and/or rust.
- There are no 'next' indicators.
Other Thoughts:
I really didn't like the first and last holes because of how boring they were. I liked looking at hole6 the most. That hole looked like a disc golf peninsula with how it was surrounded on three sides by trees and the actual Ohio River in sight just beyond it. I enjoyed playing hole14 the most. After thirteen holes of nothing but wide open fields and a few park style holes, it was a nice change to see an actual tunnel, even if it was the briefest hole on the course.
On that note, let's get into it right away. Atkinson Park relies a bit too heavily on wide open fields for its disc golf. I appreciate the practice of seeing how far I can throw, but it gets old pretty quickly. Holes4 and 5 introduce a little bit of variety into the front nine with a peppering of trees, and holes14 through 17 are undoubtedly the stars of the show with their combinations of trees and hills that hide the baskets, but everything else is plain and straightforward.
On the positive side of things, the infrastructure is consistent, mostly. The tee pads are the right size and sturdy. There are benches and trash cans sprinkled around the course. The tee signs do the trick. The baskets are numbered. The whole course plays within a breezey, sunny and safe public park with well-maitained grounds.
It's just a shame that there are walking paths everywhere. I played here in summer heat during business hours on a weekday, and I still had to wait multiple times for pedestrians to clear the way. How will this place be during pleasant weather on a weekend? It's also a shame that there is no 'next' signage. Sure, the course's flat and mostly treeless landscape turn that into a small issue, but there's nothing wrong with a course guiding its players along. And I've already mentioned the biggest problem at Atkinson: the straightforward and wide-open nature of the majority of holes.
There really isn't much else to say because most of the course plays in fields. I view Atkinson serving its purpose best as a training ground for newer players looking to extend their reach and a practice gallery for those of us still trying to work on perfecting that snap and get some birdies in the process. What few wooded holes exist here are welcomed breaks from the blazing sun and refreshing tests of focused accuracy. However, the overall experience is one of simplicity. Then again, sometimes that's a good thing, right?
So, come here expecting not much beyond a simple test of might, and you'll find it to be a harmless course. Just don't make it your only stop if you're in the area.