Pros:
South Point High offers a mostly very-good 11-hole layout. I really enjoyed the course through the first eight holes. Sadly, the course stumbled at the end.
- By local, school course standards, and most 9-hole/short course designs, this is an above average course through the first eight holes. I'll get to the closing holes in the cons, focusing solely on the good here.
- There is some really good variety, with great use of the slight elevation and a variety in the hole lengths. Throw in a couple creative hole layouts, and I was really impressed.
- #1 and & 2 are both good downhill baskets. #1 is mostly a flat shot until you get to the basket, which offers a risk of discs sailing past the basket, or rolling down the hill. #2 is a downhill tee shot, throwing over a school service road. This is a fun hole to throw a couple discs on. #8 also offers some similarities to these holes, with its downhill layout.
- #6 is a good, up shot to a basket on a hill. It's listed at 198 feet, but with the elevation plays a good 50 feet longer than that.
- #7 is the course's longest hole at 344 feet. It's a relatively open hole, with woods on the right. The biggest obstacle here is the lack of a natural tee area.
- I'll also throw out #4 as an intriguing, fun layout. It's a 168 foot hole with the fairway going through an opening in some trees, to a dogleg right basket. To the designers' credit, they took advantage of the only cluster of trees in the area to make a good layout.
- Course is easy to navigate. Once you find the first hole, which is behind the school building, to the right of the tall, black stand used for the band director, it's easy to make your way through the course. There are even a couple next tee markers. That said, one or two more could be used to make it even easier.
Cons:
There are a couple throw away holes here that take away from the course's overall quality. In a sense, they're not even needed because this is an 11-hole course. So one has to wonder, why the sense of trying to squeeze in a couple of dogs?
- The two worst holes, which are completely dreadful are #9 and 10. The holes play in the space between a baseball field and tennis courts. Both are short - 124 and 140 feet respectively. And neither offers any obstacle. You play a couple of challenging (relatively) holes, then get to two pitch-n-putt holes that have no reason for existing. Eliminate those and somehow make #11 a longer finishing hole. #11 was somewhat boring as it was, which may be simply be the stink-factor of the prior two holes. But, adding distance would create an added challenge.
- Speaking of added distance, I think #6 could be even better if the tee pad was pushed backed. You have a decent walk from #5's basket to #6's tee, so why not make the uphill shot even a little tougher. If they're willing to allow a long walk here, why not pull #9 & 10 and allow for a long walk there as well?
- I did have a somewhat hard time finding the tee for #7. A sign would help. But, what's worse is the tee area itself. The ground isn't flat. You're throwing on the top of a hill, so the ground is sloped. That makes it hard for any realistic run-up, especially when you're paying so much attention to your safety.
Other Thoughts:
South Pointe High is a good nine-hole course if you eliminated holes #9 & 10. That's not even just by school standards, but in comparison to all 9-holers (or 10, 11 & 12 holes) I've played.
- This course makes for a fun play and can be appealing to most skill levels. Beginners will enjoy, and I think mid-levels will enjoy playing this course a time or two.
- This is a great course for practice. There are some open areas where you could play safari holes and really crank some big drives.
- After the first eight holes, I would have rated this course a 2.0; however, with as bad as #9 & 10 are, and how blah #11 is, those holes do knock down the course's overall rating. Still, at 1.5, it's an average 9-holer-esque course in my book. I'd play here a lot if I lived close by.