Pros:
(1.903 Rating) A mix of open and wooded shots at the foot of Walden Ridge.
- FUN FACTOR - Portland Park DGC has all the elements to make for a fun laid back round. Several lightly wooded ace runs at around the 250 foot range. No water to contend with and the odds of losing a disc is very minimal. Other than (6) and (7), the fairways are plenty wide and forgiving.
- TEES - Concrete trees roughly 5 feet by 10 feet. About average but very much adequate for a course this short.
- NAVIGATION - Although Portland Park is missing many of the basic navigational features, it's not too difficult traverse this course as the grounds are mostly lightly wooded. There is no course map posted at the community board and the online map is very diagrammatic. Hole signage doesn't indicate the tee direction. The baskets are numbered and the tees have simple hole signage. All this stated, I only spent a couple extra minutes scouting the course.
- MAINTENANCE - The park grounds appear to be well maintained. I observed little trash and the grass was mowed.
- QUICK PLAY - A single can easily complete a full 9 in under 30 minutes. Groups of four should finish in under an hour in normal conditions.
Cons:
Portland Park doesn't scream excellence in any area.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Intermediate players and above will be unchallenged by Portland Park. Advanced players should be able to throw six or seven down often. Rec players should however love this one and they will have numerous opportunities for birdies. Rec players do appear to be pushed a bit on their technical ability as there are a couple holes that do require a little shot shaping.
- ELEVATION - I was hoping for more. Seems like the site could offer at least one 30 foot drop and perhaps a bit more. Currently, the most any one holes dives or rises is about 20 feet, hole (8).
- UNIQUENESS - In addition to absent elevation, the holes themselves in terms variety are below average. Most shots are lightly wooded with a marginal amount of technique and precision required. No water in play and no doglegs. There are a couple tunnel plays, and there's one out of the shoot play that bends a bit to the right.
- PARKING - The parking area is really small and gravel. It seems like there's only enough parking for 5 or 6 cars. A park sign states that parking on the grass is prohibited. This could really limit the ability to host even a small mini here.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - The course in my opinion, is a touch below average when compared to all the other courses I've played. Of the five Chattanooga courses I hit on Thanksgiving, I rated Portland Park the lowest on the beauty scale, but it's still around the same level as Camp Jordan or Shepherd. No water features and also not that much in the way elevation features all well. Definitely not a eyesore, but not the most exotic piece of property either.
- CHARACTER - A touch below average as a whole. Like many 9 hole courses, there isn't a practice basket, multiple pin placement sleeves or benches that you'll see many times at the older established courses. There also isn't duel tees, which is featured at The Sinks. There is however a fair amount of tee shading, trash cans, porta-potty and adequate tee signage.
Other Thoughts:
With Portland Park being on the shorter side and only 9 holes, it will never garner the attention like that of The Sinks. I played two other Chattanooga nine hole courses over Thanksgiving (Shepherd and 9 on Top) and I have this one rated in the middle of the three. I would recommend Portland Park for players who prefer courses with 200-300 foot holes that are void of hazards. If I lived in the area, I'm sure I would make it to this course several times a year.