Pros:
(1.614 Rating) A short technical course.
- SHOT SHAPING - I appreciated the amount of thought I had to take at the tees. Every play out here has to be well crafted. 8 of the 9 throws I'd classify as heavily wooded.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Perhaps the strongest aspect of the Steele creek, is its beauty, however I'd still only place it slightly above average. Lots of fully wooded plays without manmade structures in view. However, the vegetation lacks the vibrancy and healthy appearance of many other fully wooded courses I've played recently and I didn't see much in the way of wildlife either.
- CHAINS - DISCatchers, yeah.
- ACEABILITY - Eight tee shots under 250 feet. So needless to say, players are going to be gunning for chains on many holes. This stated, all the holes require a well thought out and well executed line. So far, none of the 14 DGCR recorded rounds list an ace.
- NAVIGATION - Although the course has no navigational aids on site, running this course is fairly easy with a download of the course map on DGCR. Lots of intuitive paths lead from the basket to the next tee.
- QUICK PLAY - I played three rounds in an hour. Two were solo rounds and the last round was a 3 pack that took 25 minutes.
Cons:
Lots of room for improvement.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Although scoring will vary wildly, overall its not to tough, and rec players should be able to break par on average. I threw three rounds out here improving each time, (+2), (-1) and (-5). The challenge on this course is completely driven from accuracy. Rec and novice players that like technical courses may actually really enjoy this shorty.
- OVERGROWTH - I played in the heart of winter when much of the overgrowth will retreat significantly. Still however, the ricochets here will still end in some moderate thicket. I have a feeling that the summer will be brutal.
- BOGGY - I had a chance to throw with some regulars on my third round and they mentioned that throwing here from June through September is awful. Horrible biting flies, mosquitoes and spiders, among other critters. They said no one plays here during that time frame.
- CHARACTER - Other than nice baskets, the other creature comfort items and amenities are absent. There is no tee seating, no course map and no community board. There aren't any multi tees, multi baskets placements or a practice basket. The hole signage is extremely simple being just a 6x6 post with a number.
- TEES - Awful. Pitted natural surfaces that are probably nothing but mud after a good soaking. Considering that this course is now 4 years old, I wouldn't expect concrete tees to come anytime soon.
- UNIQUENESS - If it weren't for the shot shaping, this course would be a snooze fest. Nine tunnel shots that seem to have been designed by someone who likes left to right breaking shots. A run of holes (4-7), all twist right. Four other holes are putter runs and hole (2) is a pick one of four, 4 foot gap holes. The longest hole just exceeds 300 feet and thus there are no par 4s or par 5s. With a course name like Steele Creek, players would expect some kind of water to come into play at some point. They'd be right too, but only when it rains.
- ELEVATION - Holes (1) actually plays up just over 10 feet. I kind of wish the play was in the other direction. The rest of the holes change no more than a couple feet.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - The appeal of this course is really limited. An advanced player writing 4s on their scorecard, on sub 200 foot holes, will tick them off. On the flipside, beginners will have fairways that are far too constricting to encourage development.
- PARKING - I have no idea where it is, nothing is marked. Just park on the grass by tee (1), I guess.
Other Thoughts:
Don't come here expecting a disc golf nirvana. This is a neighborhood course that will work for those living within a few miles and for baggers trying add another notch. I messaged Mr Butlerton before traveling here asking if it was quick and easy to traverse and he was one hundred percent accurate on his yes and yes reply. Really, that's all I ask for in a course I target, everything else is a bonus. During my final and 3rd round out here I ran in to locals Khan and Shannon. I'm sure glad they showed up as I finally started to hit the lines out here and ran off a bunch of birdies.