Pros:
(2.277 Rating) A mostly open course to work on distance off the tee.
- BASICS - There are only a few things this new course does well. First the baskets, which are Pro 28 DISCatchers, the best baskets in the market IMO. Second is the tee pads, which are concrete and of satisfactory size, roughly 5 by 10. Third is the signage. Simple number, distance and par signs flank each pad. Sure it would be nice to have an artistic description, but it's not really necessary on the open landscape of this course where the in-play basket can be seen from every tee.
- NAVIGATION - It's good enough. A course map is posted near tee (1) and I'm glad I took a picture. There are no directional cues present, but with a quick glance of the map, everyone should be able to get back on track quickly.
- QUICK PLAY - I came here needing a quick in and out course as I had things to do. Not even 45 minutes to play this 6,500 foot course.
Cons:
Having to drink 10 cups of coffee to stay awake.
- GAMEPLAY - Town Creek Park is not blessed with good disc golf terrain. It's 37 acres according to my calculations, but there is almost no elevation change, no ponds, no creeks and very few trees. Sure players will have opportunities to work on distance, but it will feel like mindless chucking to many players. OB is used several times, but that aspect added zilch to my enjoyment of the course. Actually, the OB took away the enjoyment for me. Players that enjoy watching paint dry might get a kick out of this course.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - As noted above, the terrain is blah. Sure there are a few big tree sprinkled here and there throughout the park, but just about every park can claim that aspect. The park did appear to have decent maintenance. It was mowed and generally trash free. On my ledger, I scored it at roughly 20 percentile for this category.
- HOLE VARIETY - The distance variation on this course is terrible considering that it was the one element that could have been switched up substantially. A stretch of eight holes all play between 308 feet and 345 feet. Yuck. Fourteen holes play between the low 300s and low 400s. As noted prior, no woods, no water, no elevation. I've thrown all the 18 holers in North Alabama, and I'd put the variety here at Town Creek at the bottom among these 18 holers.
Other Thoughts:
I personally doubt I'll ever throw Town Creek again. It might work for those that live near-by that need a quick disc golf fix or for those that are wanting to work on distance. No need for those in Huntsville or even Florence to come check it out, as they'd pass multiple courses that are better on the way here. The gameplay here is worthy of a mid 2.0 in my books, but the well-done basic amenities bumped it up to a 2.25. It reminded me most of nearby Warhawk north of Decatur AL. Other regional courses that somewhat come to mind include The Hanger in Tuscaloosa and New Hope southeast of Huntsville.
- PERSONAL NOTE - I drove here in the mid afternoon after concluding a business meeting in Decatur. I fully expected no one to be here. Pulling into the parking lot I randomly ran into fellow course bagger GMcAtee, as he had just got out of work as well. What are the odds?