Pros:
Creekside DGC is a *very* popular public course (the most popular, and if you go based on reviews, the highest rated) in Salt Lake City. I parachuted in to SLC for a conference, so I am by no means an expert on the disc golf scene here, but I managed to play what the locals told me was the top everyday course (Creekside), a newish half-track that replaced an 18-hole course near town (Univ. of Utah), and a true destination course 35 minutes north of the city (The Fort). I would say that of the three, despite being the most played--no, *because* it is the most played--Creekside is the one you need to really think about when you're able to play it...and try to go on off-peak hours. More on that in the Cons section, but for now just note that Creekside is worth playing...but it may not be worth it to you if you have a limited window to play.
+ Popular, well-maintained public park.
+ At 21 holes (20 in use when I played), there is a variety of hole layouts, shots required, challenges, risk/reward elements, and interesting features to make this course worthy of your time.
+ With up to 6 pin locations on many of the holes, there's an almost endless variety of layouts.
+ There are hole lengths and difficulty levels to have something for all player levels, from beginners to advanced players.
+ My personal favorite hole (I believe it's #16) plays around or down a mountain stream with a safer, but still technical, RHFH or RHBH anhyzer line over land to the left of the stream OR an aggressive RHBH line that's over the stream for the entire distance of the hole (240ish feet) to the green. Great risk/reward hole.
+ A stretch of the lettered holes (I think it's holes A-C or D), are on a ridge and have good elevation elements to them. One plays uphill,
left to right, to a fast green. One is only slightly downhill if you keep the disc online or on the green, but you're way down the hill if you miss. The next one is similar, but longer and more downhill from the tee. And the fourth hole of the group heads back down to the more wooded, numbered hole, but it has elements of both sections of the course: more wooded, but downhill. There's not a ton of elevation overall on the course, but this stretch is fun.
+ My experience in Utah is that it's a beautiful state in general, so not surprisingly, the courses are very pleasing aesthetically.
+ The only thing nicer than the scenery in Utah is the people. Of the two tracks I played where other people were playing too--Creekside and the Fort--on *both* courses, multiple people invited me to play with their cards--not play through, mind you, but join their cards and play the full round. That offer was made to me twice at Creekside! First a guy playing solo (along with his dog) let me join him for several holes. Then when he skipped the ridge holes because he doesn't like to take his dog through that section of the course, a foursome invited me to join them. Super nice people in Utah.
Cons:
The best part about this course for me was the people. And the worst part was...there was just too many of them!
- Without a doubt, this was the busiest course I've ever played. Kentwood in Raleigh, NC is one of my home courses. It's usually pretty busy. I think UDisc had it ranked as the busiest course in NC. It's *nothing* compared to Creekside. It's just totally slammed. And everyone I talked to said it's like that every weeknight. On the plus side, no one seemed to mind and everyone was very nice!
- On a related note, I don't think I couldn't have found my way around the course very easily without locals playing with me and showing me. With the multiple pin locations, confusing hole numbering (combining numbered holes and lettered holes added later), and holes jam-packed into a small tract of land, it can be very difficult to navigate.
- And related to the first two points, with the huge volume of disc golfers and other park goers in a compact space, there's a much higher-than-normal risk of flying disc injury here. Too many holes for this medium-sized public park.
Other Thoughts:
Salt Lake City needs more local courses to meet the demand of the many (friendly) disc golfers! I hope the get some. In the meantime, if you're passing through SLC, here is my advice:
1. If you only have one day and you can travel up to Ogden, play The Fort. It's a true destination course.
2. If you have more than a day or enough time to expand your list of playable courses, Creekside is well-worth the stop. However, I would only recommend playing it on a weeknight IF you're okay with joining a group of other players. That's likely the only (fun) way you're getting through this track.