Pros:
Jim Warner is the 'other' course at the IDGC. While Jackson is the 'epic' course and Steady Ed is the 'fun' course, Warner, in Seinfeld-ese, is the third tenor.
- With all regards to Ed Headrick, Warner is actually the steadiest of the three courses. It's not flashy, just consistently excellent throughout. I wasn't blown away by any amazing hole layouts, but was deeply impressed with how good-to-great each hole is designed.
- Accuracy is crucial at J-Dub. The fairways are a little tighter than at Jackson (and the rough seemed a little tougher as well) and the holes are longer than at Steady Ed. If you can't keep your disc in the fairway here, you're really going to struggle. If you can throw 350 feet and straight, you'll be in great shape. If not, it's probably better to throw 275 and straight than 350 and be deep in the woods.
- Great use of terrain. I really enjoyed the elevation these holes had to offer. #10 was a great, long downhill par 4, at 477 feet. It's somewhat similar to #1 at Steady Ed (long basket location). Great way to begin the back 9. #15 and 18 were the closest to this course's 'epic' holes. Both are long, uphill layouts, #15 at 690 feet and 18 at 617 feet, which obviously play much longer. You're either thankful they saved these beasts until the end of the round, or are already totally exhausted by this point, and dread having to attempt surviving them.
- Warner forces you to take advantage of the easier holes. There are five holes (from the long tees), shorter than 300 feet, and all are birdie-able, especially by IDGC standards. Or, like me, you're just pleased to finally get an easy 3 in order to slow the bleeding.
- Very solid variety throughout the course. I mentioned the elevation, which Warner seemed to take best advantage of. This is most wooded of the three courses, so, other than #8, good luck finding the green stuff. There's a great blend of layouts, challenges and lengths. Even with the 5 'shorter' holes, the average hole length is still 413 feet from the longs. The shorter tees come in at just under 352 feet, and can take a bite off some of the more challenging holes. Also, at a par 63, you get your mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s.
- The course rewards smart shot making. The risk/reward scale tilts heavily towards the risk side, so throughout your round, playing conservatively is the right choice. You get a taste of that on back-to-back holes - #8 & 9. Both are 550 feet plus, with #8 playing long and straight for 80% and then having a sharp dogleg to an opening in the woods to the left. You can be aggressive and try to get to the basket with your second shot. If you miss it, however, you could be deep in the woods and taking several shots to get out. On #9, you have a narrow gap to shoot through partway down the fairway. Clear it with a smart, well-placed shot, and you're doing well. Miss the gap, and you're wasting strokes to get back to the fairway.
Cons:
The grind here is brutal, both physically and mentally. Jackson plays longer, but has more forgiving fairways, giving you a little margin for error. Warner makes you be on your game, which can wear a player down. Regardless, whatever course you play last, you'll be hurting by the end.
- This course seemed to have the least amount of variety of the three IDGC layouts. For a wooded course, it's great variety, which is why I listed that as a pro. Compared to Jackson and Steady Ed, which featured great variety with open and beach holes, Jackson is "only" a wooded course. Now, if you want an exclusively heavily wooded course, you'll probably like this one best. I'm sure also playing this course last, when I was running on fumes also contributed to the course handing me my lunch.
- There's a definite 'lost disc' factor here. Throwing long shots on heavily wooded holes means you'll probably get a horrible kick off a tree, deep into the woods. Along those lines, this could be a tricky course to play in the fall, right after the leaves are off the trees, making the 'lost disc' factor really shoot up.
- This is going to be a copy and paste comment for all three IDGC courses. The overall difficult of the courses, terrain and elements are going to be a negative for some players. Basically, if you're not a good enough player, you should not play here. Know what you're getting into before you tackle this three-headed monster.
- Another copy and paste note. These courses probably present a higher than normal 'lost disc' factor. For errant throws, be prepared to spend considerable time searching or be prepared that you might lose a disc or two while playing.
- Final copy and paste note. Be prepared when playing. Pack plenty of food, water, bug spray and other essentials. You can purchase some items inside the center. Besides that there's one gas station a mile from the park. After that, it's another 15 minutes back towards Augusta and restaurants, gas stations, etc.
Other Thoughts:
Jim Warner feels like the course that gets the most overlooked. It feels like it suffers from middle-child syndrome. Jackson is the oldest child, the overachiever. Steady Ed is the youngest, the wild child. Then you have Warner right there in the middle, trying to create its own identity without having any of the flair of the others. Take Warner out of the IDGC and place it somewhere else, and it'd be a 'must play.'
- Warner does get increasingly tough throughout the round. The front nine is overall 'easier' with the back end just being brutal. In that regard, the course reminded me of a layout you'd see at a golf tournament, especially at the U.S. Open, when you see the top players hanging on for dear life in the closing holes. At least Warner does give you two shorter holes on #16 & 17, between the two killers.
- The course does offer a number of holes with shorter tees. Really thought, what fun is that? Taking your beating like a man. At least then, you can convince yourself your round could have been better if you played the shorts.
- The back nine feels like you're going up and down hills on every hole. #10 is a great downhill, 11 is a long uphill gauntlet, 12 is back downhill, and so it continues on. As if it weren't tough enough already.
- This was the only course I felt I had played in some regards before. I kept thinking Nevin in Charlotte when I played this course. Granted Warner did have more elevation, but Nevin makes up for that with tighter fairways. And maybe because Warner had a comp, it didn't wow me as much as the others, both of which felt truly unique.
- All that said, this is still a great course. It just so happens two more elite courses are on the same property. And that's a great thing for the disc golf community.