Pros:
(2.533 Rating) A long 9 hole course with an amazing finishing hole.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Quarry seems to play well to all skill levels, even pros. There are 3 sets of tees, Red, White and Blue, and which the Blues average at a precise hole length of 450... and 8 of them are par 3's. The Red tees are probably a bit too long for your average recreational player, but the holes are open enough and hazard free enough to be fair and fun to play.
- RAW BEAUTY - Holes (1), (3) and (9) are just plain gorgeous. (3) and (9) especially stand out and could be the signature holes on many courses in the region. Hole (3) plays over an abandoned quarry (Hence the name of the course) and is now a very vibrant vegetative pit. Hole (9) plays over a valley that dips at least 30 feet and ends back on a ridge. In addition, they placed the basket between two massive quarry boulders.
- LENGTH - Florida is littered with short courses due to the cost of land and available park space. The Quarry breaks this trend in a big way. If you're the type of player that enjoys the notion of bombing one down the fairway, you'll have ample opportunity on this course. A par (28) 4,050 feet, the course will challenge even the upper advanced players to break par.
- HOLE 9 - WOW, a 750 foot par 4, over a valley that's both beautiful and intimidating at the same time. As of this review date, this hole is one of the most signature holes I've ever played in Florida. What a wonderful way to finish a course. Beware, closely monitor your drive. I threw it about 400 feet from the tee and spent 15 minutes looking for it, only to find it in the middle of the fairway.
- CHALLENGING - Above average due to the length. Most advanced players should be above course par and perhaps only pros can break it from the back routinely. Intermediate players should play from the whites and will likely finish a few over from those tees.
- FORGIVENESS - The odds of losing a disc due to an errant shot is low with a few exceptions. Throwing into the quarry on (3)... is not a good idea. There is path down into it... but it looks epic sketchy. Although the quarry pit appeared dry on my visit, I have a feeling that it fills up a bit during the rainy season. (personal note: throwing over this 300ft quarry hazard, is an awesome experience) Also be wary of throwing left on your throw on hole (9). Lots of downward elevation change and the overgrowth is heavy on that side. Other than that, most players should be safe. In addition, the wide fairways and lack of overgrowth under the trees, makes for round where most errant shots are not further punished.
Cons:
There are a few issues with this course.
- UNIQUENESS - like most 9 hole layouts, Quarry lacks the uniqueness of your average 18 hole course. although there are 4 really good to epic holes, Holes (4 thru 8) all play the same. They all play straight, long, and threw or along an abandoned ball golf fairway and without defining features amongst the five holes.
- TIME PLAY - It took me almost an hour to play this one, and I jogged between shots. Figure, a group of 4, twice thru, would take over 3 hours. I played nearby 19 hole Floral Park a week later, and played Floral quicker than the 9 holes at Quarry. So don't plan on some 30 minute quickie 9 hole round here.
- CHARACTER - Quarry is lacking here on everything but the 3 sets of tees. No map, no hole signage, (paint strip and # for tee lines only), no seating, no practice basket, no extra pin sleeves, no just about everything. There is a picnic table near basket (9) and a handful of tees are shaded, but that's about it.
- NAVIGATION - Hole directions were non-existence on my visit and the map on DGCR was not accurate enough to help on every hole. I spent a good 10 minutes looking for hole (1) tee and just decided to start on (2). I eventually found hole (1) tee after finishing hole (9). Note, I made a new map and uploaded it to the files tab. Hopefully it will help more than the one I had to suffer through.
- DISCONTINUITY - Lots of walking between holes. A few holes the walk is around 400 feet.
- SPACING - Above average in general, but (4), (5) and (7) baskets are all in the same area. From (4) tee, basket is farthest right. from (5) tee, basket is center. from (7) tee, basket is farthest right.
- TEE 5 - Couldn't find it, even with the map, so I improvised from the abandoned ball golf tee. Apparently I was way off, as my improvised birdie run of 200 feet should have been played from over 400 feet away.
- TEES AREA - Sub-par compared to the region Quarry's in. The tees generally played from the original golf cart concrete paths. Unfortunately, sometimes the tees are shorter, as the direction of the cart path is not towards the basket. The cart part was not lengthened to compensate (except pro tee 6) So you'll tee on some holes with short angle to the basket and yet you'll need to sling it 600 feet, (7).
- MAINTENANCE - With the ball golf course now being abandoned, it appears not much is done to keep the fairways in check. The grass wasn't necessarily too long but it was over 10 inches in spots. In addition, there are fire ant mounds everywhere. Watch out where you set your bag.
- ACEABILITY - Not a chance from the blue tees unless you're a pro.
Other Thoughts:
Probably not the best course for destination players but a wonderful 9 hole course that I'd love to have in my back yard. Challenging, fun and scenic, id definitely consider playing again if I were in the area.