Orlando, FL

Gordon Barnett Park - North

3.425(based on 25 reviews)
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Gordon Barnett Park - North reviews

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8 0
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.8 years 239 played 236 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Rocking the Northside

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

As I found myself again walking the mean streets of Orlando with Barnett park as my closest option, I recalled my experience with the Parkside course with mixed emotions.

Not a bad course, but not one I was excited to come play again. But I saw this little basket pin hiding behind it, with a slightly higher rating and decided to make the trip.

It begins just up the parking lot from its sister course and has some rolling hills to start but after the first hole you do make a bit of a walk to the wooded section that has some really fun multi shot par fours, interesting lines and guarded greens.

After a handful of holes like that hole 10 throws into the open with water along the left and then you get to throw a few long, more open bomber holes and navigate around the baseball field OBs. You then close it out with the signature hole with a 300ft water carry island hole that is an actual surrounded island.

You have two tees and multiple basket positions on each hole that can be moved around as the club sees fit. Most holes have benches and navigation is pretty easy.

Also clean restrooms and spots to get water available.

There is also a splash pad that is technically for the kids near hole 18, but if you lose your footing and slip in the water on 18 it's a nice spot to wash off…

Cons:

The golf itself it very good, but there are a few things that can be frustrating. The walks between 1-2 and16-17 and a couple of other spots can be confusing.

There are also a lot of people that are oblivious to disc golf walking, sitting and possibly living on and around some of the holes.

Super fun golf but as a park hangout it's an uneven experience.

Other Thoughts:

This is the far better of the two courses almost to the point I thought about downgrading my other review because .5 apart seems too close.
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11 0
pmay5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.4 years 568 played 261 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Yes thrembo, the North side is the Best side! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Two good concrete tee pads on all holes. These aren't the widest tees, but they are plenty long, I don't remember having to start on the grass behind any of them. They are well aligned to the hole, so the width isn't a big deal.

The Chainstar baskets are all in good shape and a Yellow/Gold color, easy to see through the woods. The wooded/guarded green on #5 even had a flag on the basket, since the palm bushes conceal it pretty well.

Good tee signs at both tees, showing the two to three basket positions, I don't recall seeing any indication of which basket was in play, but most were visible from the tee.

The North course has just about every type of hole you could ask for, partially wooded park style, thicker wooded, mostly open and even an island, water carry to finish on.

Cons:

A couple of long walks between holes, #1 to #2 and #11 to #12. Looking at an older course map, it looks like #2 used to be along a park road that you now have to walk, and go uphill, to reach the current #2. There must have been some conflicts with the road and nearby soccer fields. Then after #11, you have to walk past the other end of the soccer fields, behind bleachers, across a couple of parking lots, this area also used to have the next hole, but it looks like a good idea to skip that.

A few other long walks on the Back 9, but that was mainly to get to holes away from other park activities or roads.

Once you get up to the more wooded holes, #2 - #9, the grass was pretty long in several places. This is a DG only, mostly hidden area of the park, not surprising the maintenance is a little lax here.

Other Thoughts:

The North course is the second course at Gordon Barnett park and felt to me like the better of the two. The quality of the equipment and variety of holes overrode the pain of a couple of long walks. There are a couple of Par 4s on the Front 9, one appears to be from combining two shorter holes to one longer hole.

#4 starts the Par 4s, a mostly open drive that then cuts down to only a 15-20' gap, with thick brush on both sides. From there the fairway turns right and goes at least 200' to the basket, still pretty tight and thick on both sides.

Then #5 is pretty unusual, the tee is bordered on the left by thick brush, the right side of the fairway has a chain link fence bordering a water retention pond. (I was going to skip this drive, until I noticed an open gate further up the fairway.) After this narrow drive, the fairway opens up to nice grass, then a sharp left turn and another 150' + to a green guarded on all sides by palm bushes.

All of these holes are laid out with a mix of left, right and straight holes. #6 is pretty cool with a mostly sand fairway.

After coming out of the woods, #10 is a downhill tee shot to perfect grass, the basket is on the left, perched at the top of a slope leading down to a creek. Take a run at that basket at your own risk.

Then #11 continues along that perfect grass, creek down the left and soccer fields to the right, on the day I as there, the basket was in the long position, past several large guardian trees, at the end of the park property.

#12 through #17 are good park style holes, a couple of different lines were available on most (#14 plays as left to right) and even some elevation to deal with on 3 of them.

That brings you to the signature, epic finishing hole. It reminds me of #2 at Hornets Nest for the DGPT Championship. Island green that has to be hit, there is no layup. While this appears to be shorter then #2 at HN, the island is smaller, and crowned, so I can see rollaways very possible. Plus, there are a couple of large, hardwood trees, with large branches that could grab a disc. A fun hole to play, glad I landed safely.

I played the North course first on my day there, the Red tees were about right for me, the Blue tees add a little bit of distance. It looked like this course was getting most of the rounds. Really nice to have two quality courses in the same park, 36 holes in the July afternoon sun of Central Florida was quite a challenge, plan ahead with plenty of water.
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12 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Play Hole 18 Long, If You Dare 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

(3.108 Rating) A challenging layout with a good amount of hole variety.
- CHALLENGING - I was surprised by the difficulty of the back tees. Much more wooded than the neighboring Parkside course. Several of these wooded holes are over 350 feet from the back tees and they will definitely make an advanced player prove their game. Lots of shot shaping is required and also a couple basket placements will require around a 450 foot bomb.
- UNIQUENESS - For a par 54, one of the more diversified layouts I've played. Several water plays including both a water clear (18) and parallel creek plays on (3), (11) and (12). There are several tunnel shots and a few well defined pockets to hit as well. Several challenging blind basket placements, but also a couple straight up gunning for the chains shots.
- ELEVATION FOR SOUTH FLORIDA - For a course this far south in Florida, a surprising number of plays where elevation is a factor. Holes (1), (11), (13), (14) and (17) all have around 15 feet of change along the hole. It's very rare to have this much elevation change around here. I realize that this would be considered flat most anywhere else, but for the Orlando area I'd say it the course with the most elevation changes.
- SIGNATURE HOLE - Easily hole (18). An island green surrounded by water and connected by a small path. I have a feeling that many people skip this hole due to the difficulty of the shot. I personally waited for 5 minutes to throw before sadly skipping it as the group in front of me was searching for their disc. I suggest carrying a floater or a throw away disc to alleviate the aggravation of losing a favorite disc.
- CHARACTER - A bunch of bonus items that you'd expect from an established course. To start, a nice updated course map near the beginning of the layout. Practice basket, restrooms and drinking fountain all next to the parking area. Nine extra tees and lots of multiple basket placements. A few benches and ample shade on many of the tee boxes. On the down side, the hole signage could really use an updating and I would have liked to have seen a handful of additional benches. Some of the concrete tees were not in great shape or a bit too short. Lastly, I read on some earlier review comments about there being a pro shop on site. It was either closed during my round or it's no longer in service.
- NAVIGATION - I didn't have too much trouble with the updated course map that I snapped a picture of. I think the course is cart friendly as well.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - With nine extra tees I feel that the North course can appeal to wide swath of players. Definitely not beginner friendly or championship difficult, but all the players in between should be able to the throw a fair and challenging round.
- CHILL AREAS - Although only a few tees have benches, they are tucked away and are great places to sit back, relax and observe nature.
- LOCATION - 36 holes on site to allow for an extended disc golf afternoon.

Cons:

Overall a solid course, but short of the appeal of the courses located at River City and Bill Frederick.
- LOOSE DISC OPPS - Hole (18) is a disc give away. Also if the creek water level is up, Holes (3), (11) and (12) all have the ability to claim your disc.
- HOLE 8 - IMO a flawed hole. A near impossible 90 degree short left deep pocketing shot. Overgrowth is dense all around the basket. The tee shot forces all shots to be low due to the low hanging branches just in front of the tee box. A smart play is a straight and precisely distanced 200 foot tee shot. This will leave a 4 foot wide and 50 foot long pathway shot to the basket.
- DISCONTINUITY - Two 500 foot walks between holes. Hole (12) to (13) and Hole (16) to (17).
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - This course is only for beginners who want to lose the one or two disc they own. Too much water and too many narrow fairway to hit. If you are new to the sport, I would suggest the UCF course or Airport Lakes.
- TIME WAITING - The course was getting pretty good use on the Saturday that I showed up. But probably on a more applicable annoying level was the number people strolling along layout oblivious to the fact that people are throwing discs around. I had to skip both (13) and (14) as a couple of sunbathers decided to sprawl out in the middle of the paralleling fairways
- TIME PLAY - This par 54 took me a surprisingly long time to play solo, almost 90 minutes. Figure a group of four will run at least 2 1/2 hours or longer.
- TRASH - During my round the creek that runs along (11) and (12) looked absolutely horrible close up due to all the litter. It's sad to have what could be such a wonderful element, flip to an eyesore. Hole (6) tee appeared to be an homeless encampment and had trash everywhere as well.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Due to the trash, the overall beauty of the course was a slight detractor to my rating of the course. The a few wooded holes and (18) were very appealing however.

Other Thoughts:

I very much enjoyed this layout over the Parkside layout. The North layout has a few glaring flaws, but there are a lot of positives as well. I've played all of the Orlando area courses and I have the North course rated 5th behind Bill Frederick's T1 and T2, and both of the River City courses. Not a destination course like the before mentioned courses, but definitely a must play at least once if you live within an hour of the Orlando area.
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3 0
allenshorter
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

More technical than parkside, but needs work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

I thought some of the holes were challenging. Even some elevation in there on a few holes.

Cons:

The tee signs and other signs to help you know where to go next are almost unusable. I stopped looking at them entirely by the end of the round. If you get off the fairways on some of the more wooded holes, you are in for some real trouble. Sticker bushes, dank boggy puddles abound. Very poor mowing job.

Other Thoughts:

If the signage improved and the mowing was more consistent, I would likely give this a 3.5 or 4. As is, I do not see how the rating should be higher than a 2.5.
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9 0
thrembo
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 49.5 years 245 played 198 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Better Of The Two? 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 9, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

The second of two courses at this park is more scenic but also more harder than its little brother. The wooded holes are gorgeous, with a wide variety of tree types, and with an almost arboretum-like feel to it. The course is long and very challenging, especially with the pins in the longest positions.

This course is more secluded than the other course here, with far fewer sidewalks/roads to deal with.

Nice risk/reward hole at 18.

The course has some minor elevation changes on it.

Friendly locals.

The splattered pine tree (and path around it) were very cool.

Cons:

The tee signs are a bit of a mess. Sometimes helpful, sometimes not so much. Definitely, needs new tee signs.

The concrete tee pads are small and with some in bad shape. The course could also benefit from some new tees.

The navigation is a little tricky for first-timers. There are a few next tee signs, but some of the more difficult transitions didn't have any signs at all.

Other Thoughts:

Very pretty course, but also very hard IMO. The other course here is probably better for newer players, and probably has a higher fun factor for rec level players than this one.

We played it for the first time on a hot summer day after playing the other course here first, and this course whooped our asses. The grass was tall and the fire ants were frisky, but we still had a good time here.
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3 4
freddysez
Experience: 16 played 16 reviews
2.00 star(s)

More than a little dissapointed 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 23, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

It's free! Clubhouse shop, hole 2 is well done, and 6 (I think) along the fence with a heavily wooded basket is a true disc golf hole

Cons:

At one time this course may have been great but it is unkept, overgrown, signs are inaccurate, the navigation is nowhere to be seen, hole 11 is under construction but nowhere is that mentioned and no basket either. I fail to see the high ratings. Who plays 18? You need a flawless tee shot and have a short landing area to boot. What a disappointing course

Other Thoughts:

I wouldn't play this course again unless changes are made
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4 4
Peter S
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.4 years 165 played 32 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 5, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Free park with restrooms & pro shop by parking area. Tends to not be as busy as the parkside course. Long & short tees. Different than the parkside course with more wooded holes and ends with 12 - 18 on the manacured grass and some elevation on the hills. Signature hole 18 with island landing to finish.

Cons:

signs are very old & navigation gets tricky in spots. The baseball field was added after the course and cramped things a bit by 6 & 11 if field is in use.

Other Thoughts:

Fun mix of long open holes and long light woods with water to finish.
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8 1
Charbachuk
Premium Member
Experience: 16.3 years 212 played 16 reviews
4.00 star(s)

The Bigger of the two Brothers. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Located in the massive and gorgeous Gordon Barnett Park in Orlando.
- The park itself has all sorts to offer, bmx, recreation areas, ball golf putting green and driving range (I used the driving range to warm up, the nets caught the discs perfectly.)
- Baskets are all in good condition.
- Tee-Pads are all in good condition.
- The hole diversity is second to none; each hole has a million different ways to reach the pin creating a very interesting experience when playing in a group.
- The course diversity is also very good; each hole presents its own unique challenge with hazards, O.B, deep rough and tree lines. There is no getting bored here.
- Multiple pin placements on some holes.
- Amateur pads on most holes; playing from these pads produces an entirely different course and creating a totally different experience.
- Beautiful wildlife throughout the entire course.
- The signature finishing hole to end all signature finishing holes. 315 feet from a shaded Tee-Pad over a gorgeous pond with a fountain onto an Island green that is only 40 or so feet in diameter. Basket sits on the short side of the island under a large tree. A perfect shot is needed to make it on the island.
- Pro shop located on grounds.

Cons:

- The Tee-signs are borderline terrible in my opinion. They are not very accurate, dingy and look like they have been there for a while.
- Course can become a little difficult to navigate; the back 9 is nearly impossible without a map or a local.
- Almost certainty that you will lose something out here; whether it be a disc or your mind, something is getting lost.

Other Thoughts:

- This course is Top 3 favorites and Top 3 difficulty.
- Another great course in Orlando, the new mecca of disc golf.
- In my opinion, the playing experience on this course is better than the Park side course, but at what point do we say if its not broke don't fix it.
- Definitely take a day trip for this course, just make sure you either have a map or a local.
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5 0
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.3 years 278 played 276 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Superior Experience. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 25, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Of the two courses at Barnett Park, this is clearly the superior experience.

It starts out very similarly, with a few holes in the park proper. It's on hole 3 where it starts to get interesting. That's where the course heads into the woods, with a number of narrow fairways, punishing rough, and risk/reward shots.

With the exception of 6, 3 through 11 are all very fun holes. My favorite was 8 where he basket is tucked into a nook of woods to the left of the fairway requiring good distance control to properly set up a chance at birdie. 11 is wide open, but the tee is nicely set up on a small bluff looking over a small creek.

Even 12 is almost a good hole. It runs along the aforementioned creek and you can run a nice forehand shot over the creek and fade it toward the basket. If only the football field was not directly to the right of the fairway.

While the end run of holes is less than stellar, the final hole is close to a great hole. It's an island green, that should give you the option of going for it off the tee or throwing along the lake and crossing a smaller stretch of water for a bogey. But the tree on the island has long, thick branches that hang out over the water and will knock down most shots approaching the green from the tee, right into the water.

It also stays a lot drier than Parkside. There was much more rain in the days preceding my round than in the days before I played Parkside, but the North course was dry with the exception of 15-17. And on 15, you can walk around, and hopefully shoot over the drenched area.

Additionally, while there are a few holes that abut the housing at the edge of the park, it is not a problem as it is on 17 Parkside, which may be the worst hole I've ever played.

Cons:

There are a few factors that keep it from being the 3.5-level course that it should be. The most significant of these is navigation. Too many of the holes here, especially in the beginning and head section end with the player scratching their head, wondering where the next tee is. I downloaded a map and was still confused on a few occasions.

The worst offender is the 16 to 17 transition, which wasn't even represented accurately on the map. I walked around a tennis court and then past the 15 tee to find it eventually. It's a bit odd.

There's also a few long gaps between holes. The one where you have to walk between the fence and the woods for a longtime? That's not great, but could be improved by a next tee sign after the long walk. I wouldn't have minded a longer walk between 5 and 7 if it allowed for the removal of the terrible hole 6. Not only does that one run along a fence, the hole 7 tee is essentially halfway down the fairway.

Between the transitions and a few extraneous holes, there is room for improvement here.

The other issue is the tee signs, which are inconsistent. Some, while old, are descriptive and even indicate which location the tee is in. Others are worn out or fail to indicate water, such as the small pond right before the 16 basket.

Other Thoughts:

It's got some some problems but there are some interesting, challenging holes here. Much more so than the Parkside course.
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7 0
davmer2303
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.1 years 25 played 24 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Challenge in the woods 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

* Challenging lines in the woods with unique (6 and 8) holes.
* Multiple pads and pin positions
* Excellent shot variation from extremely tight lines on the front, to a more wide open back.
* Definitive signature holes with 6, 8, and of course 18
* Reasonable distance variety especially on the back nine.
* Front nine is quite shady and does give a break from summer heat.
* Pro shop with decent disc selection is on site.
* Bathrooms and water fountains on site with water fountains before 15 by the playground.
* Course is a real challenge. These are not 225 ft wooded holes. It plays quite long off the back.
* Prepare to use your whole bag, lots of different lines to be played.

Cons:

* Sometimes the navigation and walking was odd. After hole 12, you have to walk around a football field and across the street to continue, and there are other holes that are tough to find. You will walk a lot for your 18.
* I had mixed feelings about hole 8. It seems like a spike hyzer hole, but there is a low ceiling with no real cut through. I would like to spend some time just playing that hole to see if I can figure out what I missed. Not really a con, but it was confusing at first.

Other Thoughts:

After playing parkside, this was a real change. The holes in the woods were long and precise, and the open ones still had gaps to play. I really appreciated 13 to 18 and the differences they offered. And hole 18....What a sight. 315 ft to an island is quite the shot. You can leave your round thrilled or with the one that got away. I played a star eagle to the middle of the island and left loving this course. I wonder if I would have felt differently had I found the water? I'm sure I'll find out one day in the future. But, don't let the challenges of this course turn you off. There is basketball, mini golf green, hiking, fishing, and playgrounds to also enjoy. the fact that there is as challenging a course as northside is just icing on a tasty cake. Please take the trip and enjoy!
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2 2
knightmare0101
Experience: 12.4 years 14 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Tricky course with novel shots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tricky and plenty long from the back tees. Some tee shots require odd angles or touch, especially number 8 and number 18.

Cons:

Take plenty of water because it can get brutally hot in the summer. Also, sometimes it's difficult to find the next tee box. Grab a map at the pro shop.
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13 0
bcr123psu
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.3 years 85 played 64 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Decent Community Park Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Gordon Barnett Park was very easy to get to and sits in a well maintained community park. There are a vairety of fairways available at this course, from open holes, to fairways dotted with trees, to tighter holes surrounded by dense vegetation. Where available, this course makes good use of elevation and water OB and forces some thought regarding your throw. The fairways at the North course feature many different playing surfaces including sand, grass, and combinations in between. Hole #15 is one standout as it features a gradually inclining fairway with a sparse wall of trees midway through the hole. The trees aren't so close as to make it impossible to get a throw through, but the head game played by these trees is much more challenging. The real piece de resistance is hole #18. This hole requires a precision drive across a pond to a true island green, surrounded by water OB on all sides. It's both a beautiful hole and quite challenging.

Another way that variety is factored into this course is with multiple tees and a moving basket. The multiple tees give you different playing options each time you play and the moving pin position gives you entirely different playing options over time.

The hand-crafted tee signs were helpful in seeing the fairway shape, expected lines, distance, and par.

Other park ammenities are available onsite (bathrooms, picnic tables, etc.).

Cons:

Saftey is a concern in heavily-used parks and this course plays close to several other public areas, increasing the chances of an innocent bystander being injured by an "off" throw.

Despite having multiple tees, there wasn't much variation in hole length and no indicator to show which position the basket was in. Additionally, there were a few blind baskets where the entire length of the fairway would need to be traversed to determine the basket location/position. Hole #8 didn't make much sense as there was no real fairway or direct line to the basket. Even an "up and over" shot was limited due to long-hanging branches. Hole #6 is tricky as the fairway borders a fence. A turned over drive on this hole spells trouble as there are risks and dangers involved with hopping a fence to get your disc.

Navigation was a little off at times. In one instance, a long walk around a football field was required to get to the next tee. In other instances, the next tee isn't too obvious and a confusing walk can ensue.

Holes on the fringes of the park weren't all that well maintained and had high grass and other dense foliage surrounding the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

As parks go, the complex at Gordon Barnett Park is amazing and includes BMX, paintball (yeah, paintball), playgrounds, a gym, tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, golf greens, and on and on. Given all these ammenities, it's no surprise that you'd find not one, but two disc golf courses on site.

The other course onsite (Parkside) seemed to be a slight notch above the North course with the North course rating hovering juat above 3.25. That said, there just doesn't seem to be enough noteworthy holes or course attributes to pull the North course up to 3.5, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I would still recommend this course to anyone that is in the Orlando area and is looking for a place to throw. Granted, the Turkey Lake courses aren't too far down the road, but with two decent courses in one spot Gordon Barnett Park is an option to consider while in central FL.
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3 1
Christianlamb
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Plenty of variety here. Of the 2 courses at Barnett Park, this one is the toughest. Long holes w/ good obstacles (trees) to throw around and through. Hole 18 is not for the faint of heart, as you must throw a strong drive to make it onto a small island..... you miss and you're now down a disc. Really the entire course is pretty difficult and may not be the best course to start off on for beginners. Great wooded areas w/ clear lines to the baskets though. Also clear paths and signs pointing to the next tee. Love it!

Cons:

Many people may just pass on hole 18 due to the high probability of losing a disc in the water. Difficulty level a bit high for beginners.... this is judging from my own experience... this being my first course.
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10 0
discRabbit
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.4 years 1329 played 136 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Big Brother 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 23, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

he North course is the bigger, slightly badder brother of the two full eighteens at Gordon Barnett. While Parkside might have a little more maintenance and beauty, the North course makes up for this with more punishing rough, tighter lines, more elevation, and a really scary finishing water hole.

Replay-ability: Like Parkside, the North course ranks high on the replay meter largely because there is a second eighteen hole course on site meaning that you'll probably only be playing half of your rounds here when you visit. Multiple pins also help add to a solid replay score.

Challenge: As mentioned above, the North course offers a nice bump in challenge compared with Parkside. The rough on many of the back holes consists of very thick shrubs, low palm bushes, and small trees - all of these mean that you'll have to think about how safe your proposed shot is or risk landing in a zone where par is nearly impossible. This is in sharp contrast to the Parkside course where even bad drives can easily escape via relatively easy approach shots for pars. This isn't the course for the newer player but I think would likely make for a better place for the up-and-coming player to really challenge their game. When you throw a poor shot, you'll get feedback from the course and will have to make improvements - you'll also have to hit tighter windows if you want birdies.

The other 'pro's' of this course are again a contrast to most of those on the Parkside course. The North course is a little less traveled by non-disc golfers on the front side, but does get a little busy near the end. Also, there is a bit more thinking off the tee due to some increased risk on some of the tee shots. There are a few areas, especially for the first-timer, where you might be thinking a layup and easy par might be yield better overall scores than trying to gamble for a birdie.

Cons:

Navigation: As several others have mentioned, this course can be quite a bit more tricky to navigate. Especially in the middle portion of the course, you'll likely need to walk around a bit to figure out where the next tees are and to figure out where several of the blind baskets are located.

Other than that, it would be nice to see a few multiple-shot par four (or five) holes interspersed in this layout but it seems like space constraints would make this quite difficult. The designers have done a really nice job creating a course with lots of variety so this is really to explain my rating more than detract from the course.

Other Thoughts:

While I really enjoyed Parkside as a more 'complete' course, I found a few of my favorite holes on the North course. There are a few really excellent tight woodsy holes that are quite challenging and of course, a heart-thumping water hole finish. Overall, if you are bringing the family or newer players, take on the Parkside course first but if you are in the mood for more of a challenge, try out the North course from the longs and hit up Parkside for a cool-down round.

If you need to make a stop at the pro shop, make sure to hit it up while you are on the Parkside course because once you start on the North, you likely won't be back until you hit the finishing eighteenth (which is perfect because after playing 18, you might need new plastic!).
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15 1
solomon.trenton
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 89 played 68 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Not as good as Parkside 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 15, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

As stated in my review of the Parkside course there is something here for everyone at any age to do. Below is a list of the amenities.
BMX track
Paintball
Multiple covered playgrounds
Lake for fishing
Gymnasium
Skate Park
Tennis Courts
Volleyball
Basketball
Boat ramp
Dog park
Golf practice area
Baseball and Softball fields

All of this plus two disc golf courses and it's all FREE!! There is a well stocked pro shop with pretty decent prices and uber clean bathrooms. There is also a bamboo retrieval device by the bathrooms which could easily come in handy when playing the signature island hole 18. There are several benches and trash cans scattered throughout; although there are more on the Parkside course. Multiple pin positions on every hole with some have two sets of tee pads. Yellow painted wingnuts mark the current pin positions. There is a good amount of water that comes into play. OB is also utilized quite well. The concrete tees are good sized and in good shape. A good mix of shots/hole and elevation change makes up for the huge lack of signage. There are no Next Tee arrows painted on the poles like there was on the other course. The baskets are color coded and numbered which helps as sever holes have close or crossing fairways. Away from most park activities.

Cons:

Even with a map it is easy to get turned around or lost. There are several very close or crossing fairways. As with the Parkside course there are a ton of ant hills. The signs were bent/rusting on at least half of the holes. The walks in between the holes aren't marked well and get quite narrow at times. The layout looks like it was mushed in to areas where they couldn't put anything else. Hole eight for an example has the basket tucked into a bunch of trees and palms with no real path to it (I know a lot of other reviewers liked it, but I just felt as if it was a filler hole). Multiple holes are close to fields and/or roads and would make playing on a busy day tricky.

Other Thoughts:

All in all a good course, but it wasn't as much fun for me as Parkside.
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9 0
jkdisc
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.1 years 117 played 110 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 8, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course had several very fun holes. There is a Pro Shop with a nice selection of discs and maps are available as well. Elevation was used where it was available. The terrain changes from dirt, to grass, to sand often.

Other Pros:
- multiple tees
- variety (turns, distances, obstacles/ open)
- water hazards (lake and gullies)
- 2 courses on 1 park
- challenging: fairways can be tough but fair
- easy to navigate with next tee signs when needed

Cons:

It is a busy park with many other activities going on.

Other Cons:
- almost stepped on a snake
- rough areas are thick and pointy

Other Thoughts:

My favorite holes were 8 and 18. 8 has a 90 degree turn into a beautiful area tucked in the woods, and 18 is the island shot.

We got a little confused pulling into the park, the GPS brought us to the backside of the park where there was no parking. Here is the phone number on the map I got so you might find it easier: 321-276-3681. Park hours are 8am- 8pm. I hope to play here again.
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4 1
ck tricky
Experience: 13.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

aweosme 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 13, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Awesome terrain for what central FL has to offer.
Pro and Am tees are poured and clean.
Multiple pins seem to float around monthly.
Tree placement is challenging, but not enough to become annoying.
Holes favor a variety of different shots.

This course is pretty awesome, I've played it around 50 times.

Cons:

if im being forced to gripe about something: lack of elevation between holes. [ but this is florida ]

for the landscape and the unknown budget, i think the discgolf setup couldn't really be much better.



Other Thoughts:

My friends and I play here at least once a week, still not sick of the north side. This place is fun, I'm glad I live close by.
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1 2
rpitt08
Experience: 25.8 years 96 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

1st Time at Barnett 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging course with plenty of OBs to navigate. Multiple tee/pin positions. Mostly easy to navigate. Nice signature island hole 18! Pro shop on site. Course maps available at pro shop. Nice scenery. Some elevation play.

Cons:

Trouble finding hole 3 and 17. 17 was recently moved. A little biased toward rightys.

Other Thoughts:

A great and challenging course. Shoot 54 here and you've really played well. You can't beat two courses on one site. This course is much more fun that the Preside course for an advanced player. Urban area with lots of traffic so exude confidence.
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1 5
slavedriverx2
Experience: 17.7 years 14 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

nice and open but not to open i really like the curves you have to take to get to the tees

Cons:

the courses are together and not real clearly marked

Other Thoughts:

i like how the tress are kept kind of thined out so that you can find the disk when they do go in
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5 0
ChrisWoj
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.7 years 158 played 27 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Wonky layout, several fun holes. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Barnett North makes use of limited elevation in a good way. There is not a lot to work with, but where there is it seems to be used to achieve some challenging pin placements. The course is also broken up well between open and wooded holes, preventing a monotonous run of one or the other. The tunnels in the woods are mostly well defined, with routes that make sense (there is always a flight path that will bring you to the pin placement on your drive, if you can hit the line and get the distance).

I also enjoyed the fact that a few holes gave you some genuine choices. Hole 2 provided the option of a straight route, with risk of skipping out of bounds, a huge but safe hyzer to lay up short if you have the arm for it, or a massive anhyzer to try for the pin, which has a deep slope and creek next to it. Hole 5 has an absolutely gorgeous and well manicured approach and green. And, as has been said in all reviews: hole 18 is beautiful.

Cons:

With all of that said: the course is poorly laid out. I can't understand why, with so much land available, and so many potentially great holes that would flow so much better - you're stuck walking across fairways to reach the next teepad in some areas, you have to backtrack a good ways in other areas... In multiple areas you're going to have trouble finding the next tee, even with a course map.

This is especially true in a few areas where the signage is missing completely. For someone with vision problems (no depth perception, blind in one eye) - signage is absolutely vital. Admittedly all of these things are problems that are solved by multiple play-throughs - but when someone is in for a weekend and wants to hit a course any one of these issues can really add some undue irritation to what should be a relaxing day of golf.

Additionally - the course was not much of a challenge. From the blue tees it is relatively easy to score in the 40s, even on a poor round. It was supposed to be the more challenging of the two courses on the property - but only a few holes were really a challenge.

Other Thoughts:

Keep in mind that although I only rated the course decent at 2.5 - it is accompanied by another disc golf course. I did not play the other course, but having two 18 hole loops on the same property really does increase the worthiness of a visit to the property on the whole.

Along with that there is a very nice little pro-shop out on the property as well with discs for sale. Although the selection was virtually all Innova, it was a nice selection. But I would improve one thing - the map here on the site is far clearer than the one printed off and available there, I would recommend that they switch over the map they're using.

Finally - I will state that the course has the potential to really amp up the difficulty. It has some fantastic looking long pin positions. Some of the holes were in the long positions but most were medium or short positions. Glancing at the positions available I'd say that with them all in the long spots (something that the fellow at the pro-shop said doesn't happen, sadly) the course would be a much more enticing play.
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