Pros:
- Great for beginners. Baker offers a quick introduction to the sport.
- Fun short holes - veterans won't be overly impressed but may find themselves pleasantly challenged on a couple holes.
Cons:
- no amenities to speak of. I'm not positive but so far as I know there are no bathrooms, benches water fountains or garbage cans on the course. Granted it's a quick play so...
- Short and a little cramped. Repetitive albeit creative use of the property. It could be argued a variety of shots can be used on different holes.
- not playable during school hours to say the least. a couple holes play near the building itself.
the only signage are the tee markers and basket numbers.
Other Thoughts:
It's been 5 years since Baker was evaluated and I felt obliged to do so. I stopped by last year but it seemed to be busy w/ students despite it being a weekend so I went onwards to Cottage Hill w/o playing.
Baker seems like a great place for beginners to get acquainted with the sport, though it is short and kind of cramped. Natural tees; each tee is marked by a small PVC pipe jutting out of the ground between 12 and 18 inches out of the ground with the hole number on it. The baskets are labelled similarly. No distances, maps, etc. Barebones.
Hole 1 starts in the fenceline on the northside of campus near the football field, a straightforward RHBH hyzer heading east. 2 and 3 progress along Airport Blvd eastward along the Pickup/drop-off lanes (one reason you can't play during school hours). 2 is a blind shot, a well controlled RHBH hyzer will put it well within birdie range or you may just hear the sweet clink of chains. Tee 3 is hidden in the bushes just past 2, throwing back towards the empty field on the eastside of campus. 4 plays back towards Airport Blvd, the basket hidden in the trees. 5-8 all play towards the center of the empty field on the east side of the campus, clockwise, sometimes making you double-back to the next tee, bringing you on to nine, lying inside the fenceline on the northeast side of the building, throwing west towards the football field/back towards hole 1.
If I lived in West Mobile I'd gladly stop here for a quick 9 hole warm-up before going to Cottage Hill or elsewhere. That being said, with the lack of amenities nearby I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to play it. A few holes - 2 especially - play close enough to Airport Blvd on one side and the school on the other side to warrant caution from untested players susceptible to "wild gusts of wind".