Pros:
T E Avent Park Course in Oxford Mississippi is a nice little 90's 9 holer typical of a small park of that time . When you pull into the course off of Sisk , park at the end of the lot and look for the cement tee pad to your left and level with the ground that you parked your car . The course is NOT a challenge , ever going to host a real tournament , or draw good players . What it is good for is introducing kids and adults alike to the sport , or for the better players , practicing putting and up ( or down ) shots . The course utilizes the whole hill area in the park . The tee pads are short cement , a little uneven with the ground . I personally don't mind because I need no run up on holes that are mostly under 200' . There are a couple of brown posts near the tee pad , but I didn't see any writing on it . The course also had the old Chainstar baskets but at least are numbered at the top . No kiosk is present here , and there is no map online which stinks because you can see several baskets and accidentally throw at the wrong one , like I did on #3 . I don't see this as a crowded course , so other than the occasional dog walker or family wandering through , and since it is on the hill , you should be left alone for your round . The holes are short , mostly in the 140' -80' range , with the exception being #5 ( 291' ) . The pads are normally marked with chalked numbers so you know where you are , but you will follow the flow easy enough . #1 forces you to throw straight uphill to a basket blocked by a fallen tree and a couple of tree guards . Once up the hill , you will throw #2 , a short toss with a tree line to the right and trees guarding it's left Just know that after throwing downhill to #3 ( look to the big tree to the left to see the #3 basket , not the one a little farther away as that is #6 basket ) you turn immediately to your left , cross over to the tee pad and throw a short ( 141' ) uphill left toss . The longest hole is a downhill sloping 291' drive ( #5 ) with a row of trees guarding it and a canopy limiting your options . #6 is a flat downhill putter throw ( a bench is nearby ) to the basket sitting just beyond a cement walk . I couldn't find the actual tee for #7 , so I stepped back to about 300' and took a shot at the basket . It sits slightly up part of the hill . #8 is a short 152' putter throw in between some trees and under a canopy Slightly downhill . #9 finishes up as a feel good hole , downhill 147' with a fir tree protecting it's front , but very beatable. No amenities , other than a nice park you can rest in , or eat if you bring in some food , after your round . A quick play , you can finish the 9 holes in probably 25 minutes . This type of course could be used as a springboard for players to graduate to Ole Miss , just 6 or 7 minutes away . No signature hole to speak of . Disc Risk is about zero . There is really nothing on the course that could make you lose a disc .
Cons:
#1 What you see is what you get . 9 short holes , same pins , same 1 tee . Course designer did what they could with what they had to work with . #2 possibilities of bagging a local kid or adult . There are park users in places on this course sometimes , and since the majority of the players are newbies or local casuals , the wind here can easily turn your drive off course and make your disc a projectile . #3 signage . No signs , no map . If the park would add a map or kiosk , it could go a long way . Navigating can be confusing #4 no challenge . I don't think 8th graders are going to shoot over par after about 10 rounds of this . No real risk reward shots . #5 Since the elevation plays such a part in this course , slipping during or after a rain is a good possibility . No trash cans or benches on the course . Please carry out if you carry in .
Other Thoughts:
This looks like I am tearing this course apart , but I really am not . I remember when I first started , on a long open course . This is a good intro course that you can learn to play with maybe 3 discs , and you don't even have to buy a bag . I hate seeing newbies buying a bag and a bunch of discs , get mad because they either aren't progressing fast enough or they lose their discs in a creek/lake , or in thick brush . This course takes that frustration out of the equation . Learn to control your upshots , you putts , and even throw from the other end of the unused baseball field to the #7 basket , maybe taking a step back every month to increase your drives . Then when you feel you want to experience disc golf , you can go out on the weekends to the courses in Tupelo , Walt Doxey , Cossar , Lost Indian Springs , Etc. My Recommendation : unless course bagging , or learning the game , or casual play in the area , DRIVE ON BY . Ole Miss is right up the road .