Pros:
Barber Park is an interesting course, if nothing else. There's nothing very great or memorable, but also nothing very bad. That said, it's very average, but I see some untapped potential to makes this a good course.
- A tale of two courses. First eight holes are all open, with the occasional tree in play. The last 10 holes are in the woods, with the exception of #14 (you tee off from the trees into an open field) & 18 (wide-open.)
- Very consistent course. Average hole length is just under 315 feet. No hole is longer than 400 feet, and only 1 hole under 200 feet - #16 at 195.
- The 10 open holes (1 - 8, 14 & 18) all allow you chance to unleash drives. Of those open holes, all except #18 (295 feet) are more than 300 feet.
- Wooded holes give a good variety from really tight (9, 11) to slightly wider fairways; from doglegs (both left and right) to really straight shots.
- Good course flow. Very good course map, which is detailed enough it includes walking trails. This is very helpful in the absence of tee signs.
- Nice looking park with lots of amenities - large rec building, walking trails, ball fields, courts, playground.
- There's now a separate 9-holer on the premise. Enjoy more Barber Park disc golfness.
Cons:
This may some contradictory, but having 18 relatively average holes is a con. On a hole-by-hole basis, there was not a single bad hole, but neither any truly great holes. If we rated individual holes, the majority would be 2, 2.5 & 3s. None stood out as a signature, must-play hole.
- Along those same lines, I kept having cases of dejà vu throughout the course. If you throw 300-325, or less, the open holes are going to be frustrating. On the first 8 holes, it seemed I had about 30 - 50 feet to the basket - just outside birdie range, but also an easy up and down. Even the wooded holes seemed similar - #9 - 13 were doglegs, #15 - 17 were straight.
- The course had a feel of "the path of least resistance" by putting holes where little to no work was required. It didn't seem like many, if any, trees had been cut down. It's a shame because there was a ton of wooded area, and some great holes could be built with some work.
- Basic course amenities were severely lacking. No tee signs. Most holes had tiny rocks with the hole number, but unless you're within 5 feet, you won't see them. There were also several arrows pointing to the next hole. It's a great idea in theory, but not so much when you have a long walk, or have to walk around a corner where the next tee isn't even visible. Also, the transition from #8 to #9 is bad. You essentially have to walk through an opening in a fence, around a large pipe, over a small creek/waterbed to #9 tee. It looked very slick, and seemed like a lawsuit waiting to happen. Or you can be like me, not see it, and take a 5 minute walk around the fence and creek to get to the hole.
- No tee pads. This was my biggest issue. The dirt tee pad area often wasn't even level. On a lot of wooded holes, the tee area was in/over tree roots, which means you're not going to be able to do your full run up.
Other Thoughts:
As said, this course had nothing majorly wrong with it, but that was the problem. Like any parent mad with a child, this course isn't reaching its full potential. Only one hole, #5, took advantage of the big hill on the front #9, when there was more room. Also, there was a huge hill to the left of #3, which could lead to an awesome hole or two, and more wooded areas throughout the back 9. Even if they eliminated several of the wide-open holes on the front 9 (say #2 , 3 & 6), and get to the wooded holes sooner. The course has so much untapped potential.
- Because of its layout, the average player isn't going to throw a low score, or see a lot of birdies, but also won't face many high scores. It was very fitting for this course that I had 18 straight pars, with a couple birdie chances, and only 1 scramble to save par. IMO, you need a lot more risk/reward holes to create more excitement. I'd rather have 9 birdies and 9 bogeys than 18 straight pars any day.
- All things said, Barber Park is an average to slightly above average course. After reading the other reviews, I had low expectations, but the course actually exceeded them. Don't expect to be wowed, but don't expect to be disappointed either. This is your Applebee's of courses. This is never going to be anybody's first choice to play, it isn't going to overwhelm anybody, but even with a lack of sexiness, you'll be satisfied.
- This is a solid 2.5. If the tee pad/tee sign issue were fixed, this would be closer to a 3. With such a good piece of land, if they ever got serious about this a good course, there's no reason it couldn't become a true must play.