With the monster lying just across the parking lot, it was a great move by Lenexa to put a shorter course in the ground for those who'd like a shorter, easier round or a warmup for the 18-hole.  Skilled players won't need much more than one putter but there are a few shapes that will make it tough to use only one.

9 tees with tee signs, and 9 bright Yellow MVP Black Hole baskets.  The tees are a little small, but with the longest hole being 225ft not much room is needed.

Mulch has been added in the woods to combat the lack of grass.

Holes 4-8 use the trees very well.  Leaving small gaps from the right on 4 or the left on 5 and 6 deters the straight down the middle play, while 7 and 8 are tight, straight lines with risk behind.  7 goes downhill right behind the pin, while 8's risk is on the right if you choose to throw a forehand.

A bit of elevation to throw over on 2 keeps it from being just a wide open hole.

The holes that haven't been mentioned.  1 and 3 are wide open with evergreen backstops, and 9 plays as a massive hyzer around one big evergreen.  If you throw short the search through that tree will be arduous and painful.


Throwing directly over paths on 5 and 7, and toward one on 8.  5 and 7 are right off the tee so it shouldn't be an issue but you may just have to wait.  Ideally your shot on 8 would be slow enough that if the disc got to the path it wouldn't be an issue.

There was space to get more out of the first three holes, adding distance to compensate for the lack of trees.

Dirt covers the open fairways of 1-4, with a strip of sod laid down the middle until you reach the green on 1 and 2  Hopefully the grass grows in to make this a non-issue, but for now it's a mark against.

As I said in the opening line, this course is a great way to complement the pro-level course with an easier option.  It's well suited to beginners and with some time to grow into itself it will be a great quick round option for newbies and pros alike.

The nine hole course at Black Hoof Park is a really nice warmup for, uh, another course that might be across the parking lot. But despite not receiving a lot of hype when it was installed recently, it still has plenty of perks.

All the necessities are there: fresh grass, good baskets, signs, and tees (though the tees are a little small), and great design making use of all the available trees. Despite being new, it's clear that upkeep is going to be quite good. The later few holes get into some woods, which gives a little variety and introduces newer players to technical shots.

Speaking of newer players, this is a great course for beginners. Short holes, but still with actual skill on a lot of them, will make players of most skill levels think about their shots. Pretty much any throwing style is viable here on most holes, and even if your disc fades the wrong way, you're never too far from the basket. Even hole 9 throws around an evergreen; nothing special, but it's good to have one hole like that.

There are a lot of scenic shots too. A few holes overlook Lake Lenexa, which is just down the hill, and you could be going down that hill if you skip too far on 7 or 8.

The lack of distance is the most obvious one here. But not only that, there's not much distance variety. It's 200 foot hole followed by another 200 foot hole, and the only change is what angle to throw. As a result, you won't need many discs here.

No holes really encourage a left finish, though there are several where you want to finish right. I think that's the only think that's missing for a course like this to get that extra level of variety.

Discs can be lost here. The rough can be pretty bad, and you can skip long on a few holes. In extreme circumstances, I can imagine discs going into other fairways or the road or walking paths, which are nearby on a few holes. Even going into one of the evergreens can be real annoying when the hole is only 200 feet.

The first three holes are also basically completely open. Not only that, they don't have any extra distance to compensate. They still look decent, and you can totally have fun on those holes, but there's no unique challenge on those at all (except the hill you throw over on 2, but you're likely throwing that high anyway).

Despite the flaws, this is a good beginner course. And thinking about all the other beginner-oriented courses I've played, I think this is one of the better ones. It has a fair amount of variety, but small mistakes won't punish you too hard. It's also a lot better than going to the 18 hole course and playing all short tees and short baskets, because the round goes so much faster on this course and you're not walking down all the fairways to get to each hole.

I really want a long pin on 7. It wouldn't fit the course at all, but it would be really fun.