Pros:
I was almost going to wait to play this... But, my 'play everything' mindset made me go... Glad I did.
Pros:
-Good shots with great use of elevation. Holes 3, 4, and 5 stood out the most... with Holes 3 and 4 have significant elevation gains (the pins being 15' and 30' feet above the tee), and Hole 5 having a good size elevation loss (25'). Holes 1, 2, and 6 were decent shots, definitely not bad shots.
- This would be a great place to learn. The fairways are FAIR. The gaps are medium to open in size, and the holes are not terribly long, but not terribly short either. All the holes are probably between 180'-250', with the longer holes being uphill... making them feel like 310'.
- This course is going to help expose a lot of students to the game of DG... and with Richmond Hill down the street, this will be a good spot to hone their skills. I hope everyone takes advantage of it, giving the University reason to develop the course further.
Cons:
- Weekends only... Unless you want to get a ticket for parking in the Parking lot (or you're a student). I never saw a machine in the PL to get a 1 day pass either. And, I can't really fathom another way to get there; it's not like you could park out on the street and walk in (bus or bike... maybe?). After 5:30 and Holidays are free too.
- Tee-pads. The tee-pads were just a little too short. And, since the dirt behind a few of them was sloping, it was awkward to start off the back.
- No Signage. However, it's not really needed once you get past Hole 2. All the pins are visible from the tee-pad, and most of the holes have trails leading to the next tee.
- Only six holes. I know there are plans to make more holes in the future... but, as of now it's hard to commit to going there except for the desire to bag another course. And, since it's close to Richmond... that would be easy to do.
Other Thoughts:
- Park in lot across from Zeiss Hall... Take a moment to examine some of the layout from above... this will help navigation later in the round.
- To find hole 1... walk out of the PL and down the sidewalk to the left and across from Robinson Hall. Look for Hole 6's basket... then the Campfire Circle... then walk down the hill to a grassy fairway... tee-pad under some trees.
- To find Hole 2... walk down the grassy trail 50 yards and around a bunch of bushes and dirt mound to the right.
- Because it's only 6 holes... and there are no signs... I have to rate it a 2. It's almost a 2 ½ though based on shot quality alone... and, with tons of room for improvement... (and knowing the guys in charge of making it happen)... I could easily see this course move up into the 3.5 - 4 range.
- My Score: -3