I was passing through on my way towards Indiana, PA and hit up a few of the 9 hole courses around Altoona.

The thing that stands out immediately from all the other courses is the elevation changes. Hole 3 and 5 are dramatic 20+ foot elevation drops on turning shots...and Holes 4 and 6 are likewise dramatic 20+ foot climbs on bending fairways.

Solid baskets, a nice variety of shots and lines despite their being limited space.

The main limitation is that its a 9 hole course in a very small park. They've made good use of what space they have, but, I have to imagine on a nice weekend it becomes unplayable with people walking through the park.

The uphill holes are perhaps a bit unreasonable; Hole 4 has quite a bit of foliage blocking the ideal height shot, so you either have to hope for an uphill skip or throw a 300+ foot hyzer high. On Hole 6, the teepad says 206ft, but, it plays closer to 300-350ft uphill on a long turnover shot.

The teepad distances seem a bit off, but, it was my third course of the day so I may well have been weak arming shots.

As 9-hole courses go, this one had some of the best variety I've seen. But, its definitely a locals-only or "I got 30 minutes passing through" type course.

Sadly, the whole drive between Hagerstown and Indiana, PA is filled with 9-hole courses despite all the available land.

There is a bunch of elevation change in the middle of the course which helps the course. The "longer" holes require you to have nice straight drives. The tee pads are awesome and so are the signs at each hole. The signs on the trees help you get from hole to hole easily.

The holes are short, but with that said they are well done so you do not always realize they are short. Had to wait a few times for people walking their dogs on the paths through the course. Someone parked their car right next to number 7 also.

If you play the course by yourself you can get 9 holes played in about 20- 30 minutes. With the land given the designer did a great job putting a quality course in.

First pro is a new course in Altoona! The course is very short, but a very technical 9 holes. Holes 3, 4, 5 and 6 are on a very steep hill-side in the park and quite unique to the area. In most cases you cannot see the holes from the tees so that just adds to the challenge. The tees are very nice and large with new rubber tops that give very nice traction. There are a number of right-turn holes so you'll need some good forehand or anhyzer throws. I imagine come spring and summer, the course would be most beautiful!

Okay, we all know the holes are short. 'nough said on that. I played this course in the late fall so there were no leaves on the trees (they were all on the ground). I image in the summer this course will be even more difficult as you won't be able to lift the disc quite as much. Also, with the amount of leaves on the ground and not being able to see the holes, it's easy to lose a disc. I spent 30 minutes searching for a disc I lost on hole #3 only to have a buddy find it buried in some leaves and a log. Also, with with the steep up-hill holes, newer players may struggle greatly. I also had a difficult time finding the tees for some of the holes. Particularly when navigating holes 3, 4, 5 and 6. Next tee signs would be a huge help here! Never having been to the park before, I had a hard time finding the first tee. It is located to the right of (if entering from the south side of the park) the pavilion near the center of the park. Keep this in mind to help find the tees: if the hole went down-hill, go right to the next tee. If the hole went up-hill, go left to the next tee.

Overall, I really enjoyed playing this course. I was quite excited to see this course "popup" on the map when I checked earlier this month! Holes 7 and 8 are my favorite as you can finally get a nice hard throw in there. The park has signs that say the park is closed in the winter, but if you station your car on the roads in front of the houses, you can enter the park on foot. At the time of this review, the course is new so I'm sure some of the fairways will be cleared better next year. Right now there are 3 foot tree stubs in the middle of hole 5. If you have some newbies with you, try (or warm up with) an abbreviated round with holes 1, 7, 8, 9. They flow well together.