Pros:
- That it's There. Franklin is an extremely small town in an isolated portion of the state. Having an entry level course in the region is a great thing for a small community, especially when it's attached to the local high school (or Early College).
- Nature Trail Disc Golf Information. A few years ago, I created the Nature Trail Disc Golf Course concept where I added nature messaging to the tee-signs and scorecards on a course I designed. Thus, I was ecstatic to see that the tee-sign posts had nature information on them. It appears as though the school kids (presumably) painted animals and plants on the tee-sign posts (complete with their names and Latin names) so people could identify common species -- White Oak: Quercas alba, Red-Tailed Hawk: Buteo jamaicensis (which I saw plenty of both). Each tee sign had 4 species on it. Way to go Macon Early College!
- Great Use of Barren Land. The course was built on an unwanted piece of land which turns out to be great for disc golf. A lot more could be done with the land if they ever wanted to expand the course to a full 18, or redesign some of the holes.
- That it's NOT as Bad as it's Disc Score Indicates. Based on the course's DGCR disc score, I would have never driven all the way to Franklin to specifically bag this course. I just happened to be in town for a badminton tournament and, being a course bagger, I had to bag the course. Glad I did. Although not great, this course is way better that a ½ disc or 1 disc.
Cons:
- Hole 4. Besides not really having a great "FAIRway", Hole 4 played on an extremely steep hillside with a small cliff / drop off at the right edge of it (potentially dangerous). I threw a decent shot and got a bad roll (kind of hard to prevent) and almost went off the cliff.
- Kiosk Placement. As you walk from the parking lot, you can clearly see the kiosk, with a tee-pad right behind it. However, that's Hole 2... Hole 1's tee-pad is back near the parking lot (along the dirt road that leads to the kiosk). Why didn't they put the kiosk near Hole 1?
Other Thoughts:
- Tall Grass. According to the park personnel, they had just mown the week before I arrived, so I did not have any troubles. However, if I had played here a week earlier, it might have been a different story. My enjoyment of the course would have been far less and my disc score reflected in that. I imagine that in the summer it gets overgrown and that during the rest of the year the course plays fine.
- Overall. I enjoyed Early Macon College's disc golf course a lot more than I expected (based on its disc score). A few of the holes were pretty decent, offering great risk reward opportunities and utilizing property features well (elevation and thick rough). I certainly wasn't mad at the course and would probably even play it again the next time I'm in Franklin for a Badminton Tourney.
- My Score: -4