Franklin, IN

Blue Heron DGC

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3.185(based on 22 reviews)
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18 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Yes I'm Down For 7 More Holes 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 25, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

(3.390 Rating) A hybrid wooded and open course with an extra seven hole loop.
- 25 HOLES - If you're like me and like the thought of more disc golf after disc golf, then you are going to like this one. That's right, there are 25 holes of joy here. After finishing (7), players have an option to add a seven-hole loop labeled (A) thru (G). I liked them as a whole. A couple in the loop play along Youngs Creek. Two holes are fully wooded with monster trees flanking the fairway. A couple holes poke in and out of the woods and a couple are par 4s. Overall, Blue Heron has tremendous hole variety. Open, wooded, lake, creek, hard, easy, gimmicky, classic. The only thing I didn't taste on my palette was elevation.
- AMENITIES AND EXTRAS - Most of the goodies are here. First off, nice tees, concrete and of respectable size. The basket choice was knocked out of the park. DISCatchers with the bold yellow band. Lots of multiple pin placements which I'm sure the locals love. No multi-tees unfortunately and I wish there were more seating areas. I only recall one pit stop on (14) which had two picnic tables in the woods adjacent to the tee. Several tees have shoe scrubbers and there's a practice basket. Restrooms and shelters are in the park too.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - Superb. Nice conspicuous course map and community board posted next to the pathway on the way to tee (1). The tee signs themselves are appealing and have all the info one would need including next tee direction. Below the tee signs are pin placement indicators. Many first timers will likely walk from (12) basket to (15) tee as it feels like the correct move. I made the mistake. (12) could really use an indicator right at the basket pointing to the woods path in the southern direction. All the navigational cues made this funky layout way easier to get around.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I scored this one roughly 70 percentile. As noted in my first pro, there's some pleasing water shots and there are some 150 year old massive trees that left me in awe. Hard for me to pick a favorite out here as none clearly stood out but several were of high quality in the looks department. I liked the appeal of (5, A, F, 11, 12, 14 and 17) and I could probably add a couple others. Very few bland shots.
- MAINTENANCE - The course and grounds in general were in great shape for my visit.

Cons:

Solid course, mostly just preference cons or site issues.
- FLAT - The biggest drawback of this course is the lack of epic terrain compared to courses I've rated at the 3.5 level and better. This is just not blessed with any elevation to speak of. I don't think any hole fluctuates by even 10 feet in grade. This dynamic will always be missing here despite any modifications that may happen in the future.
- BOGGY - To no surprise, this flat landscape leads to some adjacent marshy areas with stagnant water. I got eaten up and was pretty close to bailing on holes such as (13) and (14) in the woods. I made the mistake and forgot to pack deet on this trip so it's partly my fault. Please note, I never deduct score for mosquitoes and bugs.
- LOST DISC POTENTIAL - In my opinion, losing a disc here is much higher than normal. Several holes have chest high grasses and weeds along the line of play. Youngs creek comes into play a couple times and could easily take away a disc for good. A pond is in play three times as well.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - For the above reason, I don't think this course is beginner friendly.
- TIME PLAY - I logged a 77 minute round solo. Groups of 4 are not going to be able to finish all 25 in under 2 hours. It might be closer to 3 hours.

Other Thoughts:

This course has gotten quite a few upgrades in the last 5 years from reading the previous reviews. Blue Heron isn't going to win any national or state-wide awards, but this is a solid course that I'm sure has a sizable local following. It has all the things I look for in a good course and also does a few things even better like that of an excellent course. My rating for this course is nearly maxed out at this point in the course's development history, unless the course can figure out how to grow some hills. Definitely worth checking out if traveling along I65 and also a must play if you live in the Indianapolis metro or within an hour's drive. Not destination worthy, but if spending a few days in town, this is likely a top ten or fringe top 5 metro area course.
- CHALLENGING - This one felt like a solid recreational challenge overall, but a strange example of one. My biggest question to the designers is "What's with all the weak par 4s?" Lots of sub 400 foot par 4s that will be almost automatic 3s for many as its hard to get within 50 feet, but easy to get inside 150. I wasn't keen on the idea of claiming the chest high prairie grasses as OB. The thought of going in it was a deterrent and punishment enough. Perhaps it was a park request. I did not like (16) which is a poke and hope flat sub 250 foot par 4. I also didn't like hole (B) which is a 128 foot dinker in the woods. Hole (18) to end it, falls flat as well being a wide-open par 4 with a raised basket placement. On the flipside, I liked the challenging stretch of holes from (10) thru (14) for example.
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2 0
jaredsnoble
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Okay, not great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Good teepads/tee signs
-Nice Discatcher baskets
-Good mix of open/wooded holes
-Very easy to navigate

Cons:

-Some of the holes are quite boring in the open
-Baskets right next to or in tall grass on a few holes (especailly two and three) lost discs probably common
-A through F are right on top of each other as in some teepads inside the circle of the previous hole so if the course is crowded be alert

Other Thoughts:

Not bad at all, just not a really good course. Seems like most holes are either a very short hole through the woods or a monster open field shot. Very good intermediate/rec course, would be somewhat boring for a good advanced/MPO player
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5 0
kgillon
Experience: 53 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Best Course in the Area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great tee pads (all holes now have concrete pads)
Makes you play a variety of shots, both in length and shape.
Good mix of obstacles (water, woods, tall grass)
Very well maintained park.
Great baskets
New pin positions are being added this summer.

Cons:

No elevation changes.
A couple of "filler" holes with no real obstacles (8 and 18 especially)
Busy park with lots of people using the pathway that runs through the park. Most are not paying much attention to the disc golfers throwing.

Other Thoughts:

Overall I really enjoy this course more every time I play it. Some of the new pins look like they are going to really add a new challenge to the course which I look forward to. Definitely worth playing if you are in the area.
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7 0
MarcusGresham
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.3 years 58 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pretty solid course 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

*Great tee pads Nice, level pads on most holes that provide ample length for run-ups.
*Good quality baskets.
*Multi-use park that (or at least on the day I was there,) looks to be well-maintained.
*The designers of the course, while presented with mostly open parkland, have done as much as they could have done to maximize obstacles to provide a challenge and add interest.
*This may be something other people would list as a con, but I would like to commend the designers for adding several short holes. I know "bigger, longer, farther," seems to be the current trend in disc golf courses but I still like having a hole here or there that gives me that rush of excitement that comes from the potential to card an ace--and the short holes here are not just crammed in to get you from one long hole to the next; they actually are some of the more interesting holes on the course, with multiple flight lines and plenty of obstacles that can turn deuces into fours.
*While there is not a lot of wooded area with which to work, what is available has been put to good use. I'm a particular fan of holes that may start in the open and end in coves cut out of the woods, and you have several of those at Blue Heron.

Cons:

*As I mentioned before, there is a lot of open space so some of the holes are bit bland. It's not a design flaw, it's just the result of working with what land was available. I played in November so it wasn't an issue for me on the day I was there, but I could imagine a round in July or August could be brutal with a lack of shade (not an issue for younger players, but we old, fat guys don't always do well in the heat.)
*Speaking of the heat, there was no water available that I saw (I apologize if I'm wrong on this.) Bringing your own isn't a big deal I suppose, but this is a 25-hole course and you don't get back near the parking lot until you finish so that may require a couple of bottles.
*Again, this isn't a design flaw so much as a fact of nature but there is virtually no elevation change. This matters to some. Not a huge deal to me.
*As the land is flat with a few small dips, I'd suspect that drainage could become a real problem if there's been a lot of rain.
*Some of the pars listed on the signs seem incorrect. There are "4"s where it doesn't seem any need to be a four. I am not a person who thinks "everything is a par 3" like some disc golfers, but many of these fours seem unnecessary.
*There are a couple of oddities with the flow, but if you just follow the signs you'll be fine (although I do think there could be some means of putting in a hole between 12 & 13 instead of just walking across that open field and past the #15 tee.)

Other Thoughts:

1-155'
Start with an easy throw, but you need to have some accuracy here. There is a line of about five trees to the left and the basket is behind the last of those trees so you'll need a bit of a hyzer for a RHBH. There are paths to both sides of the fairway that are OB, but shouldn't really be an issue. If you go too far there is a pond about 15 feet beyond the basket.

2-310'
Narrow fairway. The pond is to your left and there is deep grass (although it was cut down when I was there--you can still easily differentiate between fairway and OB,) to the right that doesn't give you a lot of real estate in which to land. The basket is at the end of the OB grass.

3-270'
This hole continues on along the right side of the pond and plays to the end of it. As the pond appears to be man-made, the ground is built up along the outside of it. The tee pad is up on top of this small elevation. A direct line to the basket would take you over the corner of the water but most will try to play it right-to-left, as the basket is tucked in behind a couple of pine trees about 30 or 40 feet past the end of the pond.

4-446'
Your first chance to kind of "grip it and rip it." Listed as a par 4--probably a "tweener" as a 3/4. There is OBto the left that only a really bad shot should find. Right off the tee there is some pampas grass to the right that shouldn't be an issue but will probably catch a throw or two. There is a bigger tree out in front of the tee a bit to the left that keeps you from playing your drive left-to-right, but shouldn't be a major obstacle. The fairway is wide open and there's a large planting of pampas grass about 400' from the tee. The basket is behind that.

5-290'
Wide open with a line of trees growing down a bit of a drainage ditch about 250' from the basket. There's a bit of an opening you need to hit in that line of trees to get to the basket, which is just right of that gap. It was dry when I was there but this area looks like it could easily become muddy and messy.

6-326'
Kind of an interesting use of the line of trees down the drainage ditch. You throw past the line of trees and need your disc to turn right once you get through. If you cut it back too far you'll be in the trees. There's no real punishment for going long other than being farther from the basket, as it's a big open field.

7-280'
You throw back across the drainage ditch, but the larger trees aren't growing at this part of it. The portion you need to clear here is more scrub and tall weeds than trees. The tree sits in the middle of three trees.

A-501' -par 4
The first of the new holes. There is a mando about 200' off the tee that keeps you to the right to avoid a park shelter, but it's not any difficult effort to avoid missing it--you'd probably play it that direction anyway. The fairway will turn to the left and the basket is tucked back in an area cut out of the woods.

B-128'
This hole is short but it's still not a guarantee that you'll be there for a drop-in. You have a narrow line through several tall, old trees that will force your throw to curve to the right from the tee. If you hit one of the trees you could careen into areas that leave you with little room to work.
I did just that and ended fairly close to the next teepad, too, so that's something about which to be cognizant if there are others on the course (I was fine--I don't think there were two or three other people there, and none near me.)

C-345'
Tee shot is in the woods. There's a pretty narrow tunnel to get you out into the open fairway, but once you get out into the open there are only a couple of trees that should provide minimal resistance for your approach to the basket. This hole is listed a a par-4 but doesn't quite seem like it needs to be.

D-342' (par four on sign, but seems incorrect.)
Tee shot is out in the wide open, with a couple of small trees that shouldn't be a problem to get around. The hole is tucked back in an opening in the woods. There are a couple of spots that look like they could be where you need to go, so make sure you're throwing at the right spot.

E-150'

Narrow line in the woods that arcs to the right. Hit a tree that sends you to the left and you might end up in the creek

F-354'
Par four, which seems like it would be unnecessary for a 354' hole, but given that it's a double-dogleg it really is an accurate designation. You have a narrow gap to get out of the woods but you need to turn pretty hard to the right as soon as you get out. The fairway runs along the woods and you need to turn left again to get back into the woods to get to the basket. You'll have to enter pretty low to get under the canopy to a well-guarded and you can't run much past the basket or you'll roll down into the creek.

G-298'
Pretty wide open hole. This one will become much tougher with time, as there are a few trees in the fairway that will mature but for now they aren't that big. The fairway curves a bit to the left and there is deep grass that is OB to the left.

8-287'
This is, to me, probably the most bland hole on the course. Wide open with no real obstacles other than the OB walking path left of the basket.

9-179'
Tricky little ace run. Looks easy, but then you realize that a straight shot has to stay extremely low to avoid the overhanging trees that run the length of the hole along the left side. A couple of trees out in the fairway keep you from getting too far right to avoid the canopy, and there is an OB path that runs to the right and curves around behind the basket. You could get an ace if you run at it...or you could skip over the path.

10-220'
Fairway is pretty narrow with woods to the right and a path to the left. At the end of the fairway the hole is back in a clearing that turns right. You can't hang your disc out too far to the left to bring it back this direction or you'll hit a tree that might drop you OB.

11-243'
This hole doesn't currently have a sign, but it's close enough to 10's basket that the natural flow should send you right to it and the basket is visible from the tee. Throw over the corner of a pond with lots of cattails and other weeds growing along the edge. A natural hyzer should lead you right to the basket but if you go too far before you hyzer you'll go into a couple of trees that knock you down; hyzer too far and you'll get into more weeds--don't know if they're OB or not since there was no sign.

12-324'
Listed as a par 4. More difficult than you think it's going to be. There is a pond to the left with lots of spindly, reedy "trees" about 15'-18' tall growing along the edge. There is a line of pines to the right that seem to make the fairway narrow as you get to the end of the pond. Some will probably be able to throw over the pond and go straight towards the basket but that's a tough decision, as there are more pines at the end of the pond blocking a direct line to the basket.

13-147'
Short ace run that winds down a narrow path in the woods. Plays as just a bit of an "S" shot.

14-218'
Another ace run curving to the right through the woods. Not a lot of a line but there is one there.

15-246'
Interesting little hole. You have to play around the corner of the pond, but going in it isn't probably an issue unless you clip the pine tree that's near the edge of it and roll in. You have to play a pretty mean hyzer, as a drive that goes too far straight will get into weeds/woods. The basket is tucked in pretty well near some larger trees.

16-245'
Very narrow off the tee, and stays narrow for a majority of the hole. It does open up a bit closer to the hole but there are also trees protecting the basket. It's almost straight to the basket but it does go slightly to the right.

17-199'
Another narrow fairway through the woods. The fairway turns to the left at about the 120' mark and the basket is behind a mound.

18-572'
Basically a wide open hole. There is a path way to the left that's OB but if you got over there you deserve the penalty There is deep grass behind the basket that is also out of bounds.
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11 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.2 years 401 played 385 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Clean, sharp looking, but… 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 31, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Near the small parking area at Blue Heron, there lies a beautiful course kiosk with map, club info and sponsors highlighted. There's plenty of space to warm up on the DisCatcher practice basket before firing your controlled ace run at the first basket, but go easy: it lies a mere 15 or so feet short of the pond directly beyond. The summer wild grass field and the pond define the second fairway, which can't really be only 310 feet (my feeling was it's over 400?). The third basket hides around the corner of the pond, just four feet past the first pine. Then you'll play a half dozen holes in the windy open fields and through gaps in the medium vegetation across a drainage run before teasing the woods with the short ace run ninth.

Crossing the bridge to the three holes that run counter-clockwise around a second marshy pond, you come back into the woods for the unusual layout on 13 & 14, back out by the pond for 15, then back over the creek for two more woods holes leading to the 572', open hole 18. With distances in the longer Recreational to Intermediate range, this is a good course for those competitive levels.

The signage is excellent (with posts that include bag hooks), the level concrete tees (on most holes) are perfect for the distances needed, and the shot selection requires control on at least half the holes (more in the summer, when the wild grass areas are long). And many of the holes have clever 'greens' to contend with, such as the little grove on 15 (see picture).

The most challenging hole for me may have been 12, as I tried to 'S' my rhbh tee shot out through the gap between the pond-side vegetation and the small grove of pines on the right, and to ideally have the disc fade past the corner of the pond for the deuce opportunity. All the vegetation has grown considerably since the picture taken when the course was put in!

Cons:

The flow of the course is...weird. You walk past the 15th tee to go out to the right (in the woods) for thirteen, walk back beside the fairway you just threw (it's roped to 'force' you into a secondary path) to throw 14 back to where you walked into the woods to begin with. It's kind of a shame that this stands out more than a 'signature hole'. Woods holes 13, 14 & 17 have no tees except a toe board. Since the terrain is dead flat, this stays muddy most of the time. Wonder if they could get a couple of wheelbarrows full of the compacted gravel they started with out here?

You need to keep an eye out for non-players using the paths in the woods: a major safety concern for this relatively busy park situated in the midst of so much suburban housing. Crossing the drainage run three times between 5 & 7 might be a real challenge in wetter weather. And I'm sure the course is probably too much of a challenge for beginners, when the tall grasses are in season: they're going to lose discs there, not just to the ponds (might be reasonable to have at least a few alternate, beginner tees on a handful of holes).

I know a lot of folks try to throw in a tough, long hole to finish with a bang, but playing here in the winter meant no long grasses on the finisher, so it became a heave twice and hope you're in range type of hole, instead of having any 'wow!' factor. I'm reminded of the line from Amadeus, paraphrased for disc golf course design: "One sees such a hole, and can only think, 'Salieri!'

Other Thoughts:

The weird twin mud tees at 13 & 14 area also obviously the place to hang out in the woods, with the lone picnic table on the course. Can't imagine why it evolved that way ;)
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1 0
jeffhoots
Experience: 12.4 years 11 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wet and Woody 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 13, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The nicest course in Johnson County, Indiana. A well maintained park with walking paths, a playground, and lots of space. Concrete tee pads with varieties of distances, obstacles, and shot shaping opportunities. Modern Discatcher baskets. The walk over the bridge between 9 and 10, over the creek, is one of the nicest disc golf course settings around.

Cons:

A lot of water is in play. So much that I bought two Innova Dragons and one Innova Wahoo. Not the best layout, but not the worst I've seen either. 5 and 6 can be challenging because the path to get from tee to basket can flood. Also, for the tree holes, after finishing 12, what looks like the next tee is actually 15. Go past 15 into the woods, do 13 and 14, then back out for 15. A lot of unnecessary walking.

Other Thoughts:

Being closest to my house, I consider this my home course. Accordingly, I make it challenging by playing all 18 holes and working though my water and tree issues (I get poison ivy just thinking about it). When I need to make it easier, I use the 5 teepad to go to the 6 basket (especially if the path is flooded as mentioned above), skip tree holes 13, 14, 16, and 17. I'm glad it is close by.
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4 0
ajbova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.6 years 112 played 95 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great intermediate course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

19 grippy Innova Discatchers that have hole number on them. (18 holes + practice basket).

Concrete tee pads for most holes (see cons).

Challenging intermediate course.

Signage: course map. Signs for each hole include an individual hole map, par, distance, and location for next tee. Signs around the course point you to next tee if any potential for confusion.

Variety: long open bomb holes, short holes with obstructions (trees, etc), blind shots, wooded holes, anhyzers, hyzers, and several water hazards (a pond, creek, and a marsh). Each hole (with exception of the open bomb holes) are unique.

Many baskets are protected by trees, tall grass, or brush.

Water hazards: holes 1-3, 11,12, 15, and 16 have a water hazard. Always adds to the mental game.

Course map and disc golf info at kiosk.

Practice basket.

Trash cans and benches on site.

Solid course for the area. Not as many courses on south side of metro Indy area.

Easy to navigate for the most part (see cons).

Easy to get to.

Bathrooms on site. Very clean and beautiful park. Peaceful.

Cons:

One throw pad per hole. This hole course would be so much better if there were alternate tee pads on each hole. They could be same distance, shorter, or longer. It would add that much more variety.

Holes 13, 14, and 17 have natural tees. Although I don't mind natural tees, this takes away from the unity of the course.

Backtracking / extra walking: hole 13 and 14 tees are next to each other going in opposite direction. Have to walk distance of hole 14 to get to 13. After hole 13, you have to walk the distance of 13 to get to tee of 14. After hole 18, you have to walk entire distance of holes 1 and 2 to get to parking lot. This could be solved if additional holes were added. There is room to expand.

Some poison ivy and burrs in the rough.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this course and will play it if I am in the area again (rare).

I honestly think this course needs to expand to 24 or even 27 holes. There is enough room and it would make this course that much better and would take away from the extra walking. 1 or 2 holes could be added between holes 6 and 7. A hole could be added between 7 and 8 on other side of tall grass. A hole needs to be added between 12 and 13 that ends at tee for 13. Hole 18 could be divided into 2 holes if the tall grass / wildflower area on other side of path is utilized. Two holes could be added after hole 18 that end at parking lot.

If alternate tees were added, a few more trees were planted on open holes, and additional holes were added, this course would definitely be a 4 out of 5.

It has room for growth and improvement. I will definitely play it again if I take a road trip to the south side. I would recommend it if you are in the area or looking for an intermediate course to play.
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4 0
gvan
Experience: 16.4 years 136 played 11 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Pretty, but design issues 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 26, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is very well maintained and beautiful. I really enjoyed a nice casual round.

The other park amenities are not in the way, but you feel close to others in the park. Quite a few people stopped to watch and asked me about the game.

Some holes are great. 1, 11 and 12 are very good. a good shot will be rewarded, but there is some danger. 10 is a nice little hole that ends right into a little cove.

Cons:

Poor design hampers this course. Some examples:
Hole 6's tee pad is in a bad place as shots from hole 5 may hit it. Plus, you have to walk back past hole 5's basket to continue down hole 6's fairway. A bridge could resolve this.

Too many tweener holes. Several are wide open and long almost guaranteeing a 3 for intermediate and above players.

13 and 14 are my least favorite kind of hole in disc golf. They found a spot in the woods where there was already a path and made it a fairway. They are short holes and the walk to teach teepad is longer than each hole. If I play this course again, I'll probably skip them. It's easy to do so as the basket for hole 12 is right next to the tee pad for hole 15.

Hole 16 and are also along preexisting paths in the woods, 16 is OK and 17 is quite good.

Hole 18 is 572 feet and wide open. A bit longer than a normal tweener hole, but again, there's not a lot of scoring separation on a hole like that.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this course was fun to play as a stop during a road trip. It has a pleasant environment and some holes are well designed. It wouldn't be good for tournament play because of all the short, open holes and tweener holes.
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2 0
lukejones
Experience: 12.3 years 70 played 24 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Best course in Columbus vicinity 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 1, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Holes 11, 12 and 15 are some of my favorites around a marsh.

Nice concrete tee pads

Good signage

Very nice baskets

Good intermediate level challenge

Good length on several holes

Good chance at birdies or even aces on some of the shorter holes.

Cons:

Hole 2 is a tough start with the pond on the left and OB on the right....maybe borderline unfair especially for beginners

Front 9 can be quite windy, though as another reviewer reminded me, it's part of the sport!

Holes 13 and 14 have a quirky layout

Other Thoughts:

Bring a floater frisbee for the front 9. Signs are posted all along the pond not enter to retrieve discs, but at least a floater can be quite easily retrieved.
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1 0
tonyreynol
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

WATER! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 28, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice tee pads. Lot's of challenge. Out of bounds areas. The signage is great. Variation.

Cons:

The water holes can make it discouraging for players who can't afford to lose discs. 3 holes place next to a large pond, 3 additional holes play over a creekbed, and even 3 more holes play tightly around a large marshland If you're worried about losing discs, don't play here.

Other Thoughts:

One of the nicest courses we've played. The wooded tees seem to be "forced" into the mix. Very narrow and not well thought out, although they are playable.
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3 2
TheClarkFactor
Experience: 17.6 years 7 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun, Challenging Course, Good Variety 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 29, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful scenery

Not too crowded

Great variety (short v long, hyzer/anhyzer, open v. wooded)

Excellent pads, signs, baskets

Easy Access

Cons:

Some holes very tricky for beginners/early intermediates

Several holes where losing discs is a danger

Some OB areas are muddy / full of briars & thorns

Layout is a bit tricky/awkward

Other Thoughts:

One of my favorite courses that I've played. The variety is really what I go for, but almost everything about this course is solid. Beginners may find the course a little frustrating, but intermediate players will enjoy the challenges of this course and advanced players will like the fact that there are a few aceable holes and opportunities to try some new throws. Definitely not the same old park course. Worth the trip!
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1 3
Keith H
Experience: 32 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hole 2 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 7, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful park, and a great course. Nice baskets, tee pads, signage. Fair mix of open drives, water and woods. Plays around 2 lakes and a stream. 3 holes totally in wooded terrain. Water on hole 2 could be tough, but I like the challenge.

Cons:

3 wooded holes do not have cement pads.
One set of pads and one tee placement.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course. Terrain used very well. No hills, but enough variety to make a good game. I would play this course regularly if it were near my house. Well worth the stop if you are traveling through the area.
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3 0
dickyp1113
Experience: 14.6 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course had all the things you first look for in a course, nice signs, baskets and pads. Brand new cement tee pads on 14 holes, the 4 holes in the woods not completed yet. Not sure about the clubs plans in the future for the last 4 pads, but this really stepped this course up. Very new innova baskets were great to have as well. Nice, easy to read signs throughout. It made it very easy to navigate the course, even as a first time player. Overall a decent mix of shots. More open shots in the front nine, but the few obstacles out there forced anhyzer/hyzer lines off the tee. The four wooded holes were short but had some difficult layouts that challeged after the more open front nine. #18 was a nice way to end it after the wooded holes with a straight on, open, 572' hole.

Cons:

With only one hole (572' #18) being a long hole, not a very wide range of distances hole to hole and nothing to really let it rip with the exception of that one hole. Open front nine became a little boring after the second hole, just basically a drive and put all the way till 10. Nothing overally challegeing about the course, basically a 3 to 4 disc course by the second time you play it.

Other Thoughts:

Beautiful park, with a great layout and overall amenities. Bathrooms right next to the parking lot to start. I thought the scorecards being offered at hole 1, even though this isnt a pay course, was a huge plus! Great place to play with your dog too. I brough mine and she had a blast! They also had doggie bag stations set up throughout. On a side note use caution on #2, a small lake on one side and depending on time of the year, really tall thick grass on the other is just begging to take your disc. Overall a fun play and worth this trip if your within an hour or so. Looking forward to playing this again soon and also for the ace race this Oct!
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6 0
ashmgee
Experience: 24.4 years 53 played 10 reviews
3.00 star(s)

fun little course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very clean.
Good mix of open and wooded, dogleg left/right, technical short/open long.
Lots of room for improvement as young planted trees mature.
Very nice signage.
Very nice new baskets.
Lots of potential hazards, with wind as a factor on the open front 9 of the course.

Hole #2 was easily the signature hole on this course and had a little pucker factor. Not tough to par as a three, but easy to bogey or worse if you are errant off the tee.

Cons:

Tees are not concrete or rubber.
Some holes play very short.
On the front open side a simple hyser would give easy birdie looks.
No restrooms that I saw.
No drinking water that I saw.
The flow is interupted by a odd transition around hole 12, 12, 14, back to 15.
Signage scores should all be par 3 except hole 18.

Other Thoughts:

I had a great time playing this course. It was really clean and in a very nice park. The course has plenty of up side as the years progress as trees get larger on the front 9. Multiple pins could increase difficulty if they were added. Tees should eventually go to concrete or rubber, but the small pea gravel was not a problem.

Over all this was a nice course that didn't seem busy, and I would love to play again if I was back in Franklin.
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4 0
kinmar
Experience: 12.5 years 13 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good course with a great back 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 13, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Great variety of holes from open to wooded to protected by water.

- The back 9 really shines on this course with holes that curve around a small pond and jut into the forest.

- Good signage for the most part.

- Grounds are kept in great condition.

Cons:

- Hole 2 is borderline unfair with OB in the wildflowers on the right and a large pond on the left. Leaving a pretty small fairway. (update: They recently mowed down some of the wildflowers effectively doubling the size of the fairway on this hole. It's much better now.)

- The front 9 is pretty open and can get rather windy. Though wind is part of the sport so I feel bad complaining.

- The layout for the back 9 is a bit awkward since you have to walk past 15 and into the woods to get to 13 then back track out.

- The tees are not great, I'm hopeful that they get replaced soon by concrete ones.

- There seems to be a lot of low cut stumps all along the paths for the wooded holes. These should be cut down or pulled out. (watch your footing on these holes)

Other Thoughts:

Overall I would say that this course is a lot of fun to play and would recommend it to anyone with the possible exception of people just starting out. The possibility to lose discs is pretty high.
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3 3
L.F.C.1892
Experience: 13.3 years 5 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Home Town Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 15, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Plenty of holes on this course could be "signature holes" and are very beautiful dusk to dawn. The course has it all, open, wooded, and water holes. Great baskets, and signage to help from hole to hole. The wooded holes have improved greatly with the traffic that have traveled through them, along with the tee pads. There is talk of concrete pads soon.

Cons:

Can be very windy on the front nine (just part of the game and being outside). Newer players to the sport might lose disc's on this course. I went through this. The more you play and learn the course the less disc's you lose. Spring rains can make course very wet in spots, but can definitely still be played. Just a little more walking.

Other Thoughts:

I'am new to the sport, but have totally fell in love with it! This review is more of a "Home Course" review and I can't wait to travel and play more courses to help improve my game.
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7 1
jenb
Experience: 19.3 years 90 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hidden Beauty 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 26, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is my fortieth course played, and I'd say that holes 10-12 and 15 are among the most beautiful holes in gisc golf. These 4 holes surround a duck pond with a pier and the whole thing is nesteled back in the woods away from the blistering winds that plague the rest of the course. I give an extra half a point for this feature, because it is otherwaise a rather typical 18 hole course.

It is nice to finally have a public course in the area, and a full 18 holes at that.

Variety is there, and challenge is enough for most rec players. This is one of those courses that I immediately wanted to play again.

Tee signs are nice.

It's clean and deserted!

Cons:

The front 9 is all open with a ton of wind, and hole 2 seems especially unfair to anyone who can't throw more than 300 feet with accuracy. That makes hole 2 not very interesting for long arms, and extremely punitive for others. Speaking for the short arms out there, I think a short tee is needed about 180 feet from the pin. That would give the ladies, newbs, and older gents a similar risk/reward option as the longer arms out there.

Pin placement to force approaches toward disc eating water on the front nine makes this course frustrating for new players, without offerring much challenge to highly skilled players. Dual pins are becoming more common, and second baskets away from the water for ams might be something to consider adding.

The arrangement of holes 13 and 14 is unfortunate, but everything is marked and roped well.

Lack of multiple tees will hopefully be addressed in the future. This is the only public course for many miles and it needs to appeal to beginners as well as the intermediate players towards which it appears geared.

Still needs permanent tees. Glad to hear these are in the works. I am updating this part because I played after a three-day rain/snow and discovered that it is not called a wetlands for nothing. Tee 4 was several inches under water. I had to play 15 to 20 feet in front of it, and I hope the tee will be moved up to this position when permanent tees are added. Tees 5 and 7 were also full of water, but looked like they will be fine when the permament tees are added, so long as the pads are built up two or three inches above ground. Traversing to hole 5's basket and then from tee 6 to hole 6's basket required either a knee deep slog through freezing snow runoff or a long trek around. Not sure what to do about that. Hole 18 is the really bad news, because even though the tee was up out of the water, crossing to the tee from 17 required wading through ankle high water, and the same again to get from 18's tee to to 18's fairway. My gortex Targhee II mids were not able to keep my feet dry there. I don't know what can be done about that hole.
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7 0
betts9
Experience: 15.4 years 22 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Blue Heron 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 6, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Bob has done an excellent job with the layout of this course using the available space to best of his abilities. Easy to get to and a good mix of short, intermediate, and long holes.

Cons:

There are only 2 cons to this course. The first is the tee boxes which are currently a special blend that the parks and rec had on hand. It was very sandy when it was first installed, but has done a nice job of hardening in the last month or so. We are planning on installing cement tee boxes in the spring. The 2nd con is the transition from hole 12 to 13, which has you pass the tee on 15 and walk the length of 14 in the woods to get to the tee on 13, you then have to plan 13 and reverse field to get to 14. In the original course design it called for you to enter the woods at the opposite end and you would play 13 (which was reversed from its current layout) then 14 and exit the woods. However the church that owns the field that you would have had to cross to get to the other entrance would not allow us to use it and did not want anyone crossing their property. So we had to invert 13 to its current location and move the entrance to its current location. It is a little confusing, but it the best we could do with the circumstances.

Other Thoughts:

This course came together rather quickly with Bob and I pitching the idea to the parks and rec and within 2 months we had outside financing and the course was up and running. we welcome any comments and suggestion and hope that everyone has fun playing it.
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4 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.1 years 269 played 148 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 31, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Blue Heron is a very new course in a nice little park. It has some open holes, some prairie holes, some are wooded and water is in play on 5-6 holes. This excellent variety as well as a design that utilizes the available features of the land really helps to make for an interesting round. There's a nice distribution of long, medium and short holes as well. The shot selection is ok. There are three shots that force a turnover for RHBH players.

The tee signs look fantastic, there are bag hooks attached to the 4x4 for the tee sign and maps are available by hole 1 in a mailbox. The tees are crushed gravel or something like that. They were nice and flat so I had no problem with them.

When I was here the wooded holes looked considerably better then they do in the pictures. And as the course gets more use I'm sure they'll continue to improve.

My favorite hole was hole 12, 324ft. There's a tree line on the right, a narrow strip of land in front of you and lake on the left. The basket is just past the trees at the end of the lake. You want to throw a hyzer to get in behind those trees to park it, but the tree line on the right makes it a narrow gap and very difficult to do.

Cons:

Navigation is pretty easy until you finish hole 12. You have to walk by 15's tee, into the woods to hole 14's basket and up 14's fairway to find 13's tee. Once you play 13, you walk back 13's fairway, play 14 and head right back to where you were to continue with 15 and the rest of the course. This is the only navigation issue on the course, but it is a big one. I've played out and back holes before, but this is two of them and it's a little ridiculous. There is a large yellow sign by the start of this long journey into backtracking to help people find these two holes which helps.

As I mentioned the tees are some kind of crushed gravel and they were flat when I was here, but I was here just two days after a tournament so I'm concerned how they'll stand up over rain, use and time. Hopefully concrete tees are in the works.

Other Thoughts:

I had a hard time deciding whether to rate this course as a 2.5 or 3. Ultimately I decided on a 2.5 and here's why:

This course isn't very good for new players, there is water in play on a third of the holes and very tall grass on a couple others. That makes it very easy for a less experienced player to lose discs.

On the other hand, it's not challenging to pro and advanced players either. The front nine is basically wide open. Half of the back nine plays in the woods, but all those holes are very short making for easy birdies and the water holes are so short they aren't difficult either. I shot a 46 when I played here and felt like a left a number of birdies out there.

I guess this makes it a good intermediate level course. Players of that skill level should have enough control to keep their discs dry, but also be challenged by the various aspects of this course.
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9 0
Matthew boals
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.5 years 289 played 65 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice challenge 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 12, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

An 18 hole course in a town with no other courses. Newest DISCatchers with 3 sets of chains. Well designed, using all features of the park. Open "Rip-it" holes,water holes and wooded. Port-o-let between #8,#9. Tee sign post with bag hooks. I believe all holes have the possibility of another location.

Cons:

The parking lot is rather small, could be a problem on nice weather weekends or a dg tourney. I played about 12:30 on a weekday and I believe 1/4 to 1/3 of the lot was full. No tee SIGNS,yet. A post, with bag hooks are there. Sand tee pads. Mostly flat.

Other Thoughts:

As you pull into the lot you'll see a practice basket in the left, nice feature. Behind (West) of the practice basket, over the tall grass you'll see the #1 Discatcher. The #1 (245') tee is on the north side of the tall grass and south of the paved trail. Throwing toward the end if the grass line the Discatcher is in front of a nice sized willow tree. The low branches could be cut, and the grass, for a possible roller to the water. #2 (310') is to the right with very tall & THICK grass on the right and the pond on your left. A rather narrow & curving fairway makes placement key, for me. The Discatcher is to the right the end if the grass. #3 (270') tee from on top of the edge of the pond. The Discatcher is placed between pines and tall grass. A little walk for #4 go right and west about 125'. #4 (400') tee is cut out of the tall grass. Because the grass is so tall you won't see the post until your next to it. Throw to the 2nd mound with the Discatcher behind it. #5 (290') cross the paved trail, plays north over the dry creek. Which has mature tees, to the right, and underbrush. #6 (326') throw to the mound?.. No. The Discatcher is over the dry creek with it west close to the dry creeks underbrush. #7 (280') is to the left. Looks like #5 Plays opposite. Has 3 mature trees around the DISCatchers. #8 (287') take the paved trail north. The tee is under a good sized tree. Only one young tree is to the right of the Discatcher. Port-o-let between holes. #9 (179') plays between the woods, on the left. And the paved trail on the right. Which curves away making a wider fairway. The Discatcher is close to the treeline. #10 (220') go left over the bridge. Its on the right and plays to the cut out area in the corner. #11 (243') plays over an end of the marsh, with mature trees away from it making a narrow fairway, if you dont go for it over the marsh. #12 (324') has the marsh on your left and 6 large pines on the right. The Discatcher has some protection after the curve. I lost a disc in one of the pines. My dog was in the marsh chasing ducks and I notice I was running a little late. I threw from #13 tee,but threw to #15 Discatcher (nice green). After I realized what I did I just decided to skip them, due to time. For #16 (245') walk back over the bridge and into the woods on the left. A nice wooded hole with a curved fairway left. For #17 walk by #16 Discatcher 50'. You'll see the tee area marked with logs. You won't see the tee post, its behind a large tree. #17 (199') plays with the creek curving into the fairway. A ricochet could get you wet. The Discatcher was just behind a small mound. For #18 go back down the fairway a little and take the path out of the woods. #18 (572') is a wide open hole with tall grass behind the Discatcher. A little more blood, sweat and tears it will be a sweet course. Imho, if possible,any future alt. Pin placements should be on mounds, for a elevated putt. From I-69 & SR 144 exit its only 3/4 miles and takes 10 minutes. Until the tee signs are installed give yourself about 90 minutes for a round.
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