Pros:
- Baskets were great
- Concrete teepads (2 and 6 share a teepad which was a bit confusing at the start, and 10 uses a section of sidewalk) are in nice shape, even if they are a tad short.
- I could see the tee signs not lasting long, but they were still in great shape when I played, plenty big enough and filled with all the information I needed.
- Great use of elevation, mature trees, and other elements available in a very small space.
- Required a lot of line shaping to achieve success.
- Great location (was visiting from out of town and staying in downtown Dallas and I could see the park from my hotel).
- DART access.
Cons:
- Course navigation. Mostly because I forgot to look for the next tee indicator on the tee sign, but I checked and its there. I had some trouble finding the tee pad for 2 and 11, but they just took some standing and searching around for a minute. 7 required me to walk along the path a lot farther than I expected, but I eventually made it.
- 11 holes isn't 18, but given its location, and its proximity to downtown, bishop arts, and the DART, I don't think it is that big of a deal.
- Much more of a pitch and putt than I wanted, but again, given its location, anything is better than nothing.
- Had to cross a few cart paths
- No bathrooms (but this isn't a requirement, just worth noting.)
- Tons of broken glass and even found a needle packet on one of the benches.
Other Thoughts:
The course at Founder's Park has used the available space and the available topography really really well. As others said, yes, it is only 11 holes, but given its location and proximity to downtown, 11 holes seems like a dream! In fact, the park and the first teepad is right across from a new DART train that is free to ride from downtown. It isn't a terrible walk, but having the DART free to use is a pretty amazing bonus.
I wasn't sure what to expect given the area and some of the things others had said about it, but overall, it was a nice park. On 5 and 6, the holes run right next to a fence around an apartment complex. This was where we found the vast majority of the broken glass and the needles. Outside of those two holes, I thought the park as a whole was clean and well maintained.