Pros:
River Street Park was a pleasant surprise. It's a fun nine-hole course that could put more emphasis on the 'river' aspect of the park with just a little work.
- Course was better than expected. I was picturing a pitch-n-putt level course, but was impressed by the relatively good layout. It's not overly challenging, but the course does require some good shot making in order to see your birdies.
- Great variety of hole layouts, especially for a limited space, nine-hole course. The best thing going for this course might actually be the elevation, which really comes into play on four of the nine holes - #3 (don't sail left or long), #6 & 7 (uphill) and #8 (downhill). A couple other holes have slight elevation, are doglegs and/or open shots. Oh yeah, and the water really comes into play on #5 & 9. Water is less than 40 feet past the basket on #5 and less than 25 feet past the basket on #9. This hole (#9) is a dogleg right, very slightly downhill, so if you're not careful, your disc could sail, or roll. And with the water pretty murky, you're probably not going to find it.
- Some very strategically placed tee and/or baskets add to the challenge. You see this best on #7 & 8. #7 is a short, uphill hole that has a couple low branches overhead. #8 has some branches and trees that come into play on this downhill shot. A good shot still leads to a birdie putt; but, if you're not careful, you suddenly have to work to get your 3.
- Good risk/reward factor for such a beginner-level course. You see this on the two water holes (#5 & 9), along with #3 & 7. Good players are going to see a lot of birdie chances here, which is why you might also be frustrated when you have to scramble to save par on a couple holes, or fish for a disc.
- Great view of the water. It's a tributary creek that runs into the Catawba River. Standing at #9's basket, you're only one big throw from having your disc land in the Catawba. It would be nice to see a little more of the course taking advantage of this view by playing closer to the water.
- Very basic amenities at the park - restrooms, picnic shelters, basketball court, playground. The most popular feature at the park, however, seems to be the two fishing piers. There was a group of guys fishing while I was playing, and I got the sense they were regulars here.
- The next hole arrows on each basket were a big help. Without a map, or tee signs/pads, the arrows were the key to making the course easy to navigate.
Cons:
These are all relatively small things. For the most part, this course is pretty close to being as good as it could be, given the land.
- The flow and layout of the course is a little weird, on two fronts. The first part is the sequence you follow. It took me a minute or two to find the first tee. (It's near the bathrooms and abandoned ball field.) After you finish the third hole, the next basket you see is for #7. The next arrow sign is pointing towards the water, and it's a long walk to #4's tee (FYI - the tee is down the path, just before the pier.)
- The second part of the layout is that the first hole (and to a small degree, #2 as well) doesn't fit into the flow of the rest of the course. You basically throw down an open field on #1, and straight back on #2. It seems to be a matter of space and/or logistics (if you throw down an open field for one hole, you will need to come back up on the next hole, or have a really long walk). Instead of having this layout, and the two simplest holes on the course, it'd be great to replace one of these holes (say #1), and take advantage of the hill where #3's basket is located. I say a tee shot over the park road with a basket near #4's tee would eliminate that long walk.
- The other problems are all typical new course and/or nine-holer problems. There aren't any tee signs, just wooden hole markers and flags. Without tee signs, there are also no distances listed, which isn't a huge problem on most holes. It's an annoyance on seven of nine holes, but it can result in a lost disc in the water when you estimate the distance wrong on #5 & 9. Also, there are no tee pads, but the tee areas are all pretty flat and/or short, so that isn't much of a problem.
- Seeing how this seems to be a beginner-friendly course, having two potential 'lost disc' holes, seems like it could turn off new players. If you're just starting out, you don't want to lose one of your only discs because it sailed 30 feet too long or rolled into the water.
Other Thoughts:
Overall, I thought River Street was a solid course. The course puts premium on accuracy rather than distance. Other than the first hole, everything else is mid-range length or shorter.
- The first two holes did seem to have that 'filler' feel to them, but starting at #3, the remaining seven holes all were solid. I guess I'd just rather be throwing near the river than in a field.
- I don't know why, but this course seemed like the long, lost cousin of Gower and Holmes parks, the two nine-holers in Greenville. Something about the layout, variety and elevation felt like it belonged with both of those.
- My favorite hole was #3. It's a relatively straight, slightly uphill and slightly wooded shot. The hole slopes to the left and long, so errant shots will be penalized. I had an easy birdie the first time I played, and a more challenging uphill shot the second go-round after my tee shot went a little too far left.
- I'm optimistic that there's room for growth here. Without tee pads or signs, I'd like to think changes could be made if so desired. If nothing else, this could make a fun safari golf layout.
- This is one of the better nine-holers in the Charlotte area. It's not to the level of Mint Hill, but it's still worth a play. And, you're only 10 minutes from Robert L. Smith when you finish up.