Pros:
(3.289 Rating) A City Park course done right.
- UNIQUENESS - Probably my favorite aspect of the Riverside course was the variety. Four of the first five holes are relatively open shots, but starting on hole (6) the shot shaping demands really start to pick up. The wooded stretch of holes (9) thru (13) are very technically demanding. Hole (12), my favorite shot, is tight 25 foot downhill tunnel shot. In addition to the wooded holes, there are also a couple of minor water clears, pockets to shoot into, blind shots and some bomb-it opportunities. Depending on the basket placements, lines will break in both directions and I was personally greeted with an even distribution on my round. In all, I found the Riverside course to be an entertaining mix, and it required the use of every disc in my bag.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - An absolutely charming way to start a round. Hole (1) throws over the gracefully looking 60 foot wide Milwaukee River. Hole (1) had head high grass framing the right side of the fairway and had wildflowers blooming everywhere. In addition, my round was alive with scores of wildlife. During my round I saw several species of ducks, geese, deer, squirrels, rabbits and a red tailed hawk. I was impressed by the beauty of the course and it added to my round experience. Perhaps I caught Riverside at the perfect time of the year.
- CHALLENGING - I think this course is a bit more challenging than the rating indicates, although perhaps the wind I dealt with is giving me a bad read. At 5,700 feet Par 54 from the back tees, advanced players should be 3 to 4 down on average as the course will require a mix of shot shaping and power. Intermediate players will struggle to maintain even par from the backs and the short tees should challenge rec players.
- CHARACTER - Really nice sized concrete tees, and half of the holes with two of them. The pads seemed to be at least 6 x14 and got wider at the back. Great large sized, appealing and informative tee signs and seating at a majority of the holes. There were a few missing signs however (see cons). A community board with league info, unfortunately no course map. There were also alternate basket placements at every hole. I initially thought there was a practice basket driving up, but it was actually (18) basket.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - With the two sets of tees on about half of the holes, Riverside is going to allow for a fair and challenging round for a wide swath of skilled players. It's nice that the front tees take out the water hazard on (1) and (17) and also take out a big chunk of distance on the long sweeping holes like (4) and (7). In all, I think this course will keep rec thru advanced players pleased and entertained.
- MAINTENANCE - The maintenance crew that keeps this course up was doing an amazing job during the time period I visited and I hope it continues. Well mowed fairways, no trash, and wisely the areas well off the unbeaten path, were left untouched.
Cons:
The issues with Riverside are minor. I found the course to be above average in all 5 of my main review categories. (Fun Factor, Character, Uniqueness, Difficulty and Raw Beauty)
- NAVIGATION - Several holes have missing tee signs. I didn't keep track but I think there were at least six missing. There is no course map on site so be sure and download or print the DGCR map as I had to peak at it a few times. Traversing the course wasn't too bad. I probably spent no more than 10 extra minutes trying figure out the layout.
- DISCONTINUITY - There are some pretty substantial gaps in this layout. (15) to (16) is an 800 foot walk. (3) to (4) is almost 500 feet. Getting to tee (1) is also a long walk from the parking area and you have to be aware of those teeing off on (18).
- TIME PLAY - Probably not the quickest par 54 rounds. I was running between a few holes and it still took me over an hour solo. I could see four seasoned players spending 2 1/2 hours out here or more.
- WIND - The first few holes and the last few holes are mostly wide open. I was not fortunate on my visit and had to deal with 20 mph gusts. Hole (17) may seem easy on paper, but throwing into the gusts over a river and onto a blind fairway was not a pleasant felling. I really gave up on my throw and it fell 200 feet short.
Other Thoughts:
My favorite of the three courses I hit this day. Riverside starts off wonderful and also has several other memorable shots. Riverside is far from being championship caliber, but the course's challenge will definitely appeal to wide range of skill levels. Couple this with a beautiful landscape and just enough amenities, it's no wonder this course is rated as high as it is.
- RANDOM FACT - There are five courses in Wisconsin called Riverside Park. The one in West Bend (this review) is rated the highest.