Pros:
(1.426 Rating) A challenging Rec course with absent navigation.
- CHALLENGING - There are not too many positives with the Maryville course right now. Its lacking a lot of the basic amenities and has some glaring flaws. But for all its limitations, its the game play aspect that makes this a passable niner. This is going to be a healthy challenge to local Rec players. The hole length average is over 300 feet, which is not a common trait among 9 holers. The course area is not open fields either, it's probably somewhere in between lightly and moderately wooded in my opinion. There are a few modest twists and turns. Overall I thought the holes were a fun mix to game plan on and I looked at the bag and pondered a couple times. If it weren't for this nice gameplay element, this one could have dipped to my 1.0 course rating level.
- QUICK PLAY - For baggers that have a navigational app and locals, this is going to be a sub 30 minutes solo round. For those that aren't in the above groupings and haven't played before, they might never finish the whole thing correctly, get frustrated and leave.
- FORGIVENESS - This is not a beginner's course, but if you brought a beginner here, you'd probably still have all your discs by the end of the round. It seems like there may be some heavy overgrowth in spots on the fringes, but I played during the winter so the edges weren't oppressive.
- CHAINS - If I recall correctly, I think they were older MachVs. They caught well.
Cons:
Crossing fairways, not water.
- SAFETY - I'm not sure what and what not the designers were allowed to do, but there are some issues with the layout. Several fairways cross on this one. It would be hard to have more than a couple groups playing at one time. There is also a low use university road in play on almost every hole. Hole (7), although fun to throw, is a blind hook along the bend of the road.
- SIGNAGE AND MISSING INVESTMENT - Driving in, I don't recall any indication of there being a course here. I google map'd it to the course and parked. I had my nav app with me and followed it to tee (1). On the way I did not see a kiosk or map posted. After getting to supposed tee (1) according to the app, I observed a couple 4x and a dirt throwing scar, but no tee sign. I scouted down the fairway about 100 feet and finally saw a basket in the morning fog. This was repeated several times during my time here. There is basically no signage here, except for a small hole number on the basket poles. Maybe the lack of amenities was a way to keep the course usage low.
- HOLE VARIETY - As noted in the challenging pro, I thought it was a fun mix, but the mix has substantial similar elements to it. Like hole lengths for instance, which vary from only 270 to 344 feet long. All par 3 and either lightly or moderately wooded. The elevation change is modest and gradual, and there is no water to game plan around. The challenge level of the holes seemed similar too. No gimmies, and nothing that many Recs won't eventually birdie. It would have been nice to see a couple fully wooded holes.
Other Thoughts:
Maryville is alright, if that's an acceptable thought for a passable course. Sure it's got several issues, but if you got directions and an empty course, it can be an ok time. For those outside the area, this should only be considered if you are a bagger or happen to be in the neighborhood and you're looking to play a quick round. If you're local and live within 10 minutes from here, it could be a regular course option. Outside twenty minutes, I doubt there are many return visits. Overall, I'm going with a solid 1.5. If they redesign it and incorporate the woods, a much higher score is possible.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I scored this aspect 40 percentile.