Pros:
Great design cuts a demanding route amidst walking trails and creek.
+ abundance of trees mixed with elevation changes offer a considerable challenge
+ course demands both power and finesse shots
+ excellent use of available land bordering wooded creek
+ helpful arrows in bottom of baskets show direction to next hole
+ well maintained, especially considering rough terrain
Cons:
Several tough roughs and blind shots increase difficulty and frustration.
- blind tee shots on roughly two-thirds of holes require familiarity with course or need to walk fairways to find baskets
- ubiquity of blind shots plus challenging terrain increases odds of losing sight of throws, thus requiring additional time to find discs
- punishing roughs, especially downhill roughs, on several holes can be unforgiving
- often crowded due to its popularity
- basket on #15 sits dangerously close to roadway
- awkward transitions between a few holes (#1-2, #14-15 & #17-18) for those unfamiliar with layout
Other Thoughts:
INFO
Park land suitable mainly for hiking trails due to its varied terrain was reimagined to create a dedicated disc golf course that now lies on the outskirts of ball fields and a dog park, beside runoff creeks, within copious stands of trees and between meandering sidewalks. The course starts near the entrance of Heritage Park and quickly crosses under Garden Ridge Blvd to continue with hole #2. Subsequent holes proceed northward alongside a shallow creek and then turn around on the other side to ribbon back and forth until finally returning under the boulevard to finish with hole #18.
EVAL
Distinctive stone tee box signs appropriately introduce players to the rugged terrain of this ambitious course and its adventurous design by Eric McCabe. Holes progress up and down gullies, over meadows and between trees with interesting elevation changes not only from hole to hole but also down several fairways. Fairways play longer than expected thanks both to these elevation challenges and the plethora of trees on most every hole. Rounds of play test straight drives and shaped shots, long throws and short shots plus everything in between. It's a small hike to walk this course and a big challenge to throw it well. This is an exciting course with many nooks and crannies to explore, especially when throws go wide of intended targets.
NOTE
This 18-hole course doubles as a 9-hole course by designating holes #1-3 and #13-18 as an alternate layout for a shorter 9-hole round. Actual layout of hole #15 differs from its tee sign description: the layout is now a dogleg right shot. (Apparently, the sign was printed before the layout was finalized.)
LAYOUT
The first hole, a tree-lined hallway with its basket set off to the left, leads toward a boulevard across which the course continues. (A path downhill from #1 leads under a bridge to #2's tee.) Hole #2 is a blind, uphill, dogleg left shot into woods with the potential for rollaways downhill off to the left. At the bottom of the hill, short hole #3 exits the trees. The next three holes #4-6 follow along an open path for maintenance vehicles beside a shallow creek and ends with a throw across a bend in the creek to an uphill green. (A short walk along the ramped sidewalk on the other side of the creek leads to the next hole.)
Hole #7 opens up past an initial narrow gap between trees into a wide, grassy basin beside a ball field. Hole #8 stays in the open and throws across a drainage ditch, whereas #9 returns into the trees at an awkward angle to reach a green perched above a dirt ditch. The next few holes lie entirely within the woods with generously carved fairways to follow. Hole #10 is a downhill, dogleg left shot; hole #11 throws slightly downhill past trees and a stony rockfall; hole #12 sits atop a ridge with precipitous drop offs on either side leading to an equally treacherous green; and hole #13 curves slightly left along an uphill slope.
Coming out of the woods temporarily and across a sidewalk lies short, curved hole #14 with its basket planted near the outfield wall of a ball field. Across another sidewalk, hole #15 requires a dogleg right throw over a drainage area to a basket parked close to Spinks Rd. Hole #16 is a downhill, dogleg right into a pinball field of young tree trunks. (Follow the sidewalk across the creek and to the left to #17.) The next to last hole throws up to an elevated fairway and straight through a cleared path in the trees towards the boulevard. (Cross back under the bridge near #2's tee and across the casual creek to reach hole #18.) The final hole throws from just under the bridge across the creek and uphill through trees to finish on a hillside green. (Straight ahead past the basket and across a sidewalk lies a narrow, dirt path through trees that returns to the start of the course.)