Pros:
Fleet Links is a nice, little 9-holer that winds through campus. If you want to see the campus, and possibly the entire town, just play this course.
- This is a simple, straight-ahead nine-hole course. There's not one 'bad' hole. Unfortunately, there's nothing memorable either. Just nine straight, simply decent layouts.
- Each hole has some form of light tree coverage. Each is a simple par 3. Yet there's somehow enough variety to make this a nice play.
- The average hole length is 238 feet. Eight of the 9 play between 184 - 287 feet, with #8 being the outlier at 369 feet. Basically, you can play the other eight holes with a mid-range and see plenty of birdie putts and simple par 3s.
- #1 starts with a sweeping shot around a tree or two. I smacked one tree for a drop-in birdie. The course then ends with a sweeping dogleg right around trees to the basket. A simple two putt from 30-feet put an end to the round.
- Course is relatively flat, with only the slightest of undulations. #3 flows slightly downhill. #8 ever so slightly plays uphill.
- #8 is the most difficult hole, simply by default. You hit one of the early trees and you will have to salvage par. Likely, you'll land out in the open field, leaving yourself a possible birdie chance.
- This course begs you to be aggressive. You should be taking dead aim at the baskets. As stated, most holes are short enough and have limited trees, that you'll recover.
Cons:
The major, glaring flaw is the layout. Holes #1 - 3 play one within the confines of one square street block. You then cross the road and have holes #4 - 9 playing around ball fields. If you park by hole #1, it's a 1/3 of a mile walk back. For a course that's 2145 feet, walking nearly that far to get back to the beginning is extreme.
- There's enough room around the ball fields to place all nine holes. Place the final three holes on the other side of the baseball stadium and you cut down on the walk and confusing navigation issues. There are smart, educated students here. The baskets are easily movable. Someone can make it happen.
- Speaking of the baskets, they're a lesser quality and more prone to spit outs. I'd consider this a bigger issue at a more promising course. Here, one shouldn't be a such a stickler.
- Signage could be improved. I didn't see signs for #7 or 8, so had to guesstimate the tee areas. Also, could use next tee sign markers when crossing streets and/or during the longer walks.
Other Thoughts:
Fleet Links was an enjoyable nine-hole layout. It played as the generic, common course you'll see at many small parks. I could list a dozen other nine-holers that all felt the same as this one.
- I really wish there were a little more variety in the hole design. If you threw a dead straight tee shot on every hole, you'd be in putting range on every single hole, whether the basket was to the left or right.
- This is a nice, small campus. I did enjoy walking through it, seeing some of the historical buildings. If this were a better course, the long walk back would be more acceptable. As it was, I jumped in the truck after #2, parked it along #3, and parked it across the street for good for holes #4 - 9.
- I have no idea how busy the campus typically is, and whether foot traffic comes into play. I was here on Thanksgiving, so the campus was deserted.
- There's only one small convenience store, a mediocre chain sandwich shop, and one local restaurant here. Chances are you're like me, and this is a one-and-done drive-thru course. If it were closer to other courses, it'd be worth the visit. As it is, you've got to make an effort to check this off your list.