Pros:
A pleasant course winding through a nice park. With the course running alongside a running trail and lake, felt like I wasn't being productive enough.
- This was a perfectly decent 9-hole course. There's nothing spectacular about it; however, there's also nothing bad. Nine straight nice layouts.
- I played 16 new courses in the span of the month. I've written reviews for most of them. This is the only course where there were very few discernible aspects to it. In other words, not a lot of variety.
- Course either has wooded holes, open holes with tree lined fairways, open holes to wooded baskets, or wooded fairways to open baskets.
- #2 was a nice, quasi-gauntlet fairway. Plenty wide that you can be aggressive making a run to the basket.
- #6 was the best, most scenic hole on the course. The trail runs the right side of the fairway and woods run the entire left side. Listed at 240 feet, the basket is tucked around a slight dogleg left with a tree protecting the most direct line. You've got to throw tight and low to the left or a much wider sweeping shot if you're playing out to the right. Or, just go over top of the tree, but don't get too much air or you're fading into the woods.
- #9 was a tough blind tee shot around a sharper dogleg left. From there, you're throwing to a basket protected by trees on three sides.
- In general, you've got to throw quality tee shots to see birdie chances. Barring a wicked bounce deep into the woods, most holes are easy enough that you'll salvage par. It's the type of course you could play multiple times and be birdieing different holes each round.
Cons:
The biggest challenge here was parking. The parking lot in the park was permit only. The parking on the main road was 'permit only' on weekdays. I just parked there, knowing I'd be gone in 30 minutes. Not that this is my recommendation for others.
- Signage needs to be improved. Without UDisc's Interactve map, it might be a challenge to find the first tee. Then, from #3 to 4, #5 to 6, and #8 to 9, it's going to be a challenge to find the next tee without help.
- A couple holes have low ceilings due to low hanging branches. You're not seeing that many tight lines on most regulation courses.
- A couple of blind tee shots that may be potential issues. All it takes is some setting up a blanket in the grass alongside the trail to suddenly be in your fairway.
- Despite the variety of doglegs, wooded and open holes, etc., the universal safe shot on every one of these holes is to throw a putter or mid-range disc straight 225 - 250 feet. You do that and you've got 9 straight easy par 3s at worst. They tried to make a lot of variety, but the variety all had too much of a common element.
Other Thoughts:
This was a perfectly suitable 9-hole course. It's definitely better than most 9-hole courses I've played. But, it kind of had a 'ho-hum' feel to it. It never got out of second, or third, gear the entire course.
- It had lots of vibes of Holmes Park in Greenville, SC. Also, some Wellspring in Burlington vibes.
- I'd have combined #4 and 5 and made one longer hole. Then found room on the way back to add a final hole. As it is, after finishing #9, you're walking backwards past the entire lengths of holes 2 and 1.
- It's a good course; it's just not very noteworthy. I played this one right before playing the dreadful Scottish Hill. For all the wrong reasons, I'll remember Scottish Hills more than I'll ever remember here.
- Good for what it is. If you're close, it's a fine home course. If you're from out of the area, there are much better courses to play before this one.