To sum it all up, I give it a 3.5 - a very fun, 'old school' type of course! The scenery along the lake didn't hurt either. Also it was neat to see at least 3-4 groups of golfers throughout the course. The more foot traffic and exposure for the course, the better! Glad to see park officials are finally putting in time, care and maintenance into the course.
I know a few other golfers who had played it last year, or even in '09. They complained a lot about the lack of maintenance on the holes, cruddy gravel tee pads, and the fact that the briars were sharp and prickly enough to slice your throat. That was then...
This is now... March 2011! After the control burn done recently, the course looks fantastic. There is still some charred ground and dead trees, but all (if not most) of those vines, thorns and briar patches of yesteryear are gone!!! (Sorry Brer Rabbit, you'll need to find another home).
To me, the most scenic hole of the course was #6, a short downhill 225' flick. Just seeing the grand lake behind the pin on the mound was so nice. Tricky hole - if you go too far to left of pin or 20' behind it, your disc will likely be swimming.
After playing 9, look at the edge of the lake, where you will see a wooden bridge. Takes you right to 10. After 11, take the foot path along the lake to 12. The course had a good balance of flat, hilly, lefty, righty, backhand, forehand holes. The designer used the terrain and contour of the land to the best of his ability.
Speaking of Holes 10 and 11, the local par is listed as 4, same with 17. Legitimately, I think 10 and 11 should be Par 3's, with 17 being the only true Par 4 (and even that's a small stretch). I'm not always a Par 3 purist however, and at times, I will keep score based on local par.
Oh, let me tell you the 'teaser' from earlier. In case you don't know, you can go to your local library, sign up for a free library card, and actually CHECK OUT a parking pass for any State Park or Historical Site in Georgia. It will waive the entrance or parking fees. So I went to my local library and did just that. (You can check it out for 7 days). Hung the pass on my rearview mirror and... voila! $5 park fee waived! Only had to pay $3 for my round.
I encourage everybody who reads this review to go check out this course. Well worth checking out, despite the short length. Lots of fun holes and the lake scenery more than makes up for the cost to play. And as you're driving into the park (hopefully with your Parkpass in tow
just take in all the wonder and scenery of this beautiful state park.