Pros:
(1.088 Rating) (REVISED - replayed January 2023) An MA4 level lightly wooded course in a mostly maintained neighborhood park.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Shorter than normal holes and near impossible to lose a disc. Imo, this one is one of the better beginner courses in town. On par with nearby Lil-Calhoun and Dublin. A couple shots need plus 200-foot power and there is at least one shot that requires a RHFH play. There is a little bit of wicked overgrowth on the park fringes, but it can easily be avoided until the grip lock happens in the wrong direction.
- MAINTENANCE - I'd guess that this neighborhood park is mowed and trimmed up every couple of weeks. I don't recall seeing any excess trash on any of my visits. Only my more recent visit was there branches down in a couple fairways, but I think a storm had just rolled through.
- QUICK PLAY - Solo players should be able to run three loops of five holes in thirty minutes. All the tee markers are within 100 feet of the prior basket except basket (1) to tee (2).
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - I had no issues here even without a map or signage on my first visit. Tee signs were installed for my second visit. The tee signs are a hole number and distance, which is all that's needed for a course as open as this one. Considering that basket 2 got pulled, the basket numbers no longer match the revised tee signs. There is a correct numbered flag on top of the baskets though.
- BAGGER COURSE - Less than a 10 minutes' drive from three other courses that are all nine holes or less. All 4 of these courses can be bagged solo in two hours. Stavemill individually, plays super quick and has decent navigation. All-together, this equates to at least a 4.0 Bagger course.
Cons:
Stavemill's appeal will be limited to neighborhood families, beginners and baggers.
- 5 BASKETS - Basket (2) was pulled early in 2021 due to discs going over a property fence. Thus my rating for this course is seriously impacted by the 5 basket aspect. Take any 18-hole course you play and imagine 13 holes randomly being removed. Yeah, it's not going to be the same and it will surely have less variety, less vibe and less involvement. No word yet if a new hole is going to be put in to replace old hole (2).
- VARIETY - Good for a 5 hole course, but poor when compared to the average 18 holer. A couple shots have trees in play dictating the tee shot decisions. Hole (4), (old 5), is my personal favorite with the basket positioned in a wooded pocket. The hole lengths are too short for many veteran players, but newer players will likely need a driver. No water features and all par 3s.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - The layout seems most appropriate for MA4 level players, which is perfect for a park this size. Hole (4) forces a left to right play and hole (4) requires a modest straight pocket hit. Hole distances are 270 feet or less, higher skilled players might not need anything more than a mid and some will only need a putter.
- NO EXTRAS - Like many courses of this size, it's not tricked out with the extras seen on well-funded and established courses. No on-site course map, no practice basket, no alt tees or alternate basket locations, no benches, no shelter, no restrooms, etc. etc. There are a couple of picnic tables under the trees and there is some playground equipment.
- RAW BEAUTY - A cute little park that I'm sure is cherished by the neighboring residents. I score this category on a curve and put it at about 20 percentile. Too lightly wooded, no water elements, only 10 feet of elevation change and views of man-made structures the entire time.
Other Thoughts:
One of three quickie courses in a 2-mile radius. Lavone installed this to be a family friendly course to introduce neighborhood residents to the game. Don't expect some thrilling behemoth like his nearby design of UAH or Indian Creek. In conclusion, the quality and size of the park land here really limits how great of a course this can be. Sure this can be a fine beginners course and a daily practice place for those in the neighborhood. Obviously also an excellent numbers padding course too, but beyond that, most locals and travelers will be playing courses like Brahan, Indian and Mastin. Shadrach's assessment below is spot on imo. On a true course ratings curve, a 1.0 experience is really the best that can be achieved at a park like this.
- ROOM FOR MORE - The course designer has stated that he may add additional holes in the future.