Pros:
- McGraft is a busy multi-use park replete with shuffleboard club courts (how quaint!), a mini pavilion, tennis and basketball courts, picnic tables, etc. A pair of practice baskets are just past the playground near hole #1.
- The first several holes play park-style through scattered mature oaks, dodging a couple roadways, a park road or two, sidewalks, basketball and tennis courts, and the shuffleboard courts. Eventually, a moderate-sized wooded patch comes into play, a smelly marshy swampy water bounding the woods to one side, and a wooded bluff to the other.
- Several quality shots to be had here with the combination of distances, mature trees, wooded patches, stinky waters, and the bluff's slopes. Hole # 6 forces a flight through trees on a RHBH anny line, but with wind and the downward slope to the road, this is a tricky shot. Hole #7 has a double mando through a gap in the wooded bluff, about 280'ish from the tee, maybe a bit more, and then downhill and hard right to a basket, again, near the road. After that it's the woods, then back into the open, then again back into the woods. Hole #11 is wooded tunnel shot that's pretty nice, stinky water to the right. Finally, hole #'s 16-18 are all exciting ace runs. Hole #16 throws downhill over the water, #17 doubles back (don't walk out of the park!) to a short uphill ace run of about 170'. Hole 18 finishes the round with a more or less level RHBH hyzer shot, stinky water directly behind the basket.
- Average amenities: adequate, descriptive signage, benches, etc. Good concrete tees. A few next tee signs, or tape on the baskets, would be greatly appreciated.
Cons:
- Stinky water. I think I saw a turd. I definitely saw a sign on hole #16 by the bridge mentioning not to use the creek due to pollution. Yuck.
- A bit of a twist-about the first time through, although you do end up getting there. After the first time, nav's a snap. The key two places are after hole #'s 14 & 16. After hole #14, double back up the bluff instead of forward on the path through the woods (this leads to 18's basket). After hole #16, double back over the bridge, and not straight out of the park or down the trail to the left by the basket.
- Conflicts with roads, sidewalks, and all the park activities until the wooded sections.
- Some of the wooded vibe was ruined by the several large raised brick beehive-shaped sewer lids...wtf?
Other Thoughts:
- An enjoyable enough round, after disentangling oneself from the park activities. I had to dodge basketball players, bikers, walkers, and picnickers, and that was all before I got to hole #7.
- Saw my second herd of turkeys (!) of the day, this time 11 at the park entrance.
- Nothing to go out of your way for, nothing to avoid.