Pros:
I almost never rate a course on it's potential , but this course pretty much has it all . For such a new course , the improvements just keep coming . I looked at the top 10 courses in Florida just so I could compare what I played to those . I am positive that once this course receives the necessary amount of reviews , it will rank high in the top 10 . First , the parking lot here is plenty big , big enough to hold a tournament . Bathrooms up top of the lot . The parks dept. keeps the course mowed pretty good , and the rough and its edges are being worked out . Print a map if you can . I never saw it online , but the navigation isn't bad . Plenty of NEXT TEE signs throughout to keep you on course . . , as the walks here can be long , and you don't want to second guess yourself and have to double back . The course starts at the far end of the parking lot . There are already 2 tees per hole , rubber , but I hear ready to go to cement . Both tees have great signage , with pins , hole # , par , distance and flight path . They are set on a white post for the shorter tee and blue post for the longer tee . There are 2 baskets per hole . The red being the shorter pin and the yellow being the longer placement . This is a great idea , because since each hole has 4 possible hole options , you can progress at your own pace , mixing and matching the tees and the pins . There is a little water with a creek running in and around some of the holes and a small lake on the right of hole 18
. Bring water because you will be here a while . The longs read 7908' but coupled with the walks , you will easily travel 2 miles + . I have now played several courses from World Champion DG Design and come away impressed every time . The elevation is here , nothing drastic , but you can tell .
Lots of tight woods fairways . This Course will test your mettle and your nerves . Plenty of par 4's and even a par 5 (807' hole 15 ) on the course . As challenging as the course is , there is some fun factor here . You WILL get beat up on some of the holes , especially from the longs . If you plan on playing the course more than once in your lifetime , I would suggest playing the shorts first j, just to get your feet underneath you . The spacing is great here . You an sometimes see other groups or individuals on some of the holes , but you won't be able to throw into another fairway . Scenic and normally quiet here . The 18 holes at Palmetto are distinctly different from each other . Lots of risk/reward shots . A good opening hole has you throwing slightly downhill with a fencelinge on your left and a hill on your right , the red pin being on the top of the hill and the yellow hidden at the bottom . #2 is your first par 4 , with the blue tee elevated and disappearing into the woods across a creek . The fairway moves left and up giving you a right or left to either pin . #3 has a bent tree that you will have to negotiate . Stay slight left on the fairway .#8 give you a bit of a rest and tests your accuracy with a short distanced but well placing hole . The red basket sits pin high with both tees and the yellow sits on a hill . # 10 is a water carry but short , with baskets sittin between brush or trees . #11 is a brutal basket placement ( 447' + ) that is pretty much a station to station par 4 . #17 plays straight , but long and narrow at 522' + . If you land left , you will be in deep rough . #18 is a great finishing hole where you might have to negotiate part of the lake to get to the baskets sitting on a slope of the hill leading to the water 378' . Signature Hole : #9 with is an elevate tee shot down into a narrowing fairway . If you land on the left , you may wind up in some deep rough . The right will land you in even deeper rough . The fairway opens up a little , with a tunnel shot at the end , depending on which basket you are throwing at ( 537' from the longs ) . Nice park with little other foot traffic . Great course . Plenty of bridges help .
Cons:
#1 .You better wear your hiking boots or at least some old gym shoes or spikes . There are still some fairways that need clearing , and I almost tripped on several little stumps that were covered by leaves . Also , a long sleeved shirt and jeans might be a good idea , too . ( bug spray ) . The mosquito's can be heavy here . #2 The rough is really rough here . Disc Risk : Since the holes are longer and require you to throw blind sometimes , you can easily lose a disc in it , or even the water on 18 . Taking turns spotting would help . The course needs an online map on DGR .
#3 You will encounter very long walks between some of these holes . Especially from 8 to 9 , walking a bridge and long cement path , and 18 to the parking lot . At least 300 yards to your car . The course can be muddy after a good rain . It will also bring out the worst of the insect world .
Other Thoughts:
For a course less than a year old from when I played it , this is a fantastic course . I have played 69 course in Florida and it already ranks in my top 5 . Humbling if you play the longs like I did , but I was okay with it . You feel a sense of accomplishment whenever you birdie any hole here . A lot of work and money went into Palmetto , and it shows . 22 miles away from here is Hiawatha , and when you combine these 2 , you have a destination play in Central Florida . I call this course Precision With Distance ! You can't go wrong with a course that has 2 tees and 2 baskets with distinct fairways for each . My Recommendation : Not a course for newbies or families , not even from the shorts . Casuals disc junkies and locals to the hard core pros and ams ,should play this wonder . If you are a traveler , Travel Here . Thank You , Lake County Parks & Rec for installing this treasure and also letting me play it . PLAY THIS COURSE !!!!