I'm happy to have played in the Hoover Westside Challenge this past weekend, because it turned out to be the best (and most grueling) temporary course I've played (the others have been Echo Valley, Englewood Metro South Dam, Rapid Run, and Wah Bah). We played in drizzle in the morning and wind in the afternoon, and the large, level flypads kept their traction throughout. The baskets were top quality, and I didn't witness any really unfair chain outs. What amazed me was that the holes were all well thought out, provided an amazing variety of challenges, and that access paths were reasonable (with one hilly exception, below).

The course holds fairly true to the map included here on the dgcr website, but some tweaking takes place from time to time. Though some of the holes have short and long tees, this year everybody played long so the tournament could be used as a qualifier for nationals. Tremendous use of the elevations available, and clever use of OB meant that holes ranged from 247 to 557 feet, there were five downhills, four uphills, and seven shots that could've conceivably put you in water. If anything, the design slightly favors right to left lines, but it most certainly plays 'fair' in terms of the types of shots you'll need to bring.

I was amazed at the beautifully detailed signage that the Columbus Flyers have for this course, and it was clear that the disc golf community here looks forward to playing this course, because I saw a few groups of casual players trying to get in on the action while the nearly 100 tournament players were completing their efforts for the day.

Being a temp course, there weren't benches in place, and there were some walks from hole to hole. After walking down and back up in the muddy woods ravine before the 10th tee in round one, I actually chose to carefully backtrack around the driveway and the culvert below the dam in the second round, and wasn't nearly as winded. Otherwise, it's hard to find any fault with this beautiful setup: I'd recommend coming out if you can make it next time!

Hole by hole: 1 is a drop shot from the top of the dam to a 40'x40' grassy square, with the spillway an overzealous hyzer to your left, and the parking lot beyond. It's easy to get a 2 or a 5 on this hole, if you don't hit the in-bounds green. Hole 2 is a long drive along the lower parking lot with a basket placed just beyond one beautiful tree. The 3rd hole requires navigating over or left of an OB shelter, with danger woods along the left of the fairway. Hole 4 requires a low line drive left and under the mando tree, avoiding the rough left, and then stopping your upshot or putt at the basket just in front of a three sides rollaway to the creek green. The only challenge on hole 5 is keeping it out of the woods (and marsh!) to the left. Hole 6 is a long drive to set up an approach hooking just around (or over) the end of the wood line, to a hillside (rollaway) basket position just short of the (OB) driveway.

Hole 7 features a memorable tee shot rising a good 100' up through a gap in the trees, so a really strong arm can get up there to see the basket IF you can throw straight! Hole 8 requires clearing the driveway, which actually is a challenge if you fade to the right. It also is farther than it seems, due to the continuing gradual rise. The 9th hole comes back parallel, and slightly downhill, so feels much more reachable, but the ravine woods left are the hazard here. Hole 10 goes up over the hill, fading left to a blind but reachable basket. You walk up on top of the dam and shoot back to the corner of the woods on hole 11, with another rollaway basket position, before crossing to the north side of the dam and shoot slightly downhill on 12. Don't go long, or you'll be in the reservoir.

Speaking of which, hole 13 was a 300 footer this year across an inlet, with the option of staying way out to the right to keep your disc dry, but forcing a long second toss. Hole 14 plays across rolling hills, under a nice shady tree glade, to the pin beyond. Hole 15 is extraordinarily scenic, with a downhill 260 footer to the peninsula green. 16 has a mando forcing you to drive out over the water and fade right to the basket. You walk to the middle stretch of the dam again for hole 17, a 335 foot downhill shot to another small green, but with OB rocks the last 60 feet, a culvert to your left, and disc-eating woods to the right. Believe me: none of us were ecstatic about playing this one in the wind for the afternoon round! You finish driving back up the side of the dam on 18, and then hope you hydrated well all day, or you might be looking at cramping legs for the drive home. This temp course is fun, but physically demanding!

-Amazing and innovative shots, off dams, over water, through the woods etc.
-Loads of elevation changes, and definate scenery.

-Temp Course and only used during tourney play.
-Not really focused entirely on Disc Golf as it is a temp course after all.

This course really might not deserve a 5 star rating but i'm giving it one anyways and i'll explain. The course is a temp course so the baskets are not going to be that nice, the baskets aren't all arranged in tactical positioning like you will see in most of the top tier courses, but the main point of this game is to have some fun and this course does it in spades. The course is really unique in that 4 holes are actually off thrown off a dam, and 2 of the 4 are throwing onto a postage stamp island. The course excels in bringing something different in my opinion.

Hole 1 - You are looking down at a postage stamp island with a basket right in the middle. The disc will definatly do uncontrollable things at that elevation so it's allot tougher than it looks at first glance, but with a reservoir behind you and the flowing water to the right from the locks of the dam it is an amazing shot.
Hole 2 - 5 pretty much just take you around the bottom side of the course with three hyzer shots and one that is straight on.
Hole 6 is a bear as it is 500 foot par 3. The hole it tough as you have no real direct route to the basket and have just a small narrow path on the very backside, or definite risk reward of going over top of the trees and having a chance to get wet.
Hole 7 - This is a straight uphill shot that flattens at the top. When I say straight up hill it's a very, very steep grade where you just stand at the bottom of a hill and look straight up. I'm horrid at these type of shots, but this is an interesting hole none the less. The final holes though I love. You make your way around and then you play over the reservoir throwing back and forth over the inlets, with geese, sandy beaches, and tons of obstacles. Even though these holes are not that hard they are still fun to play. Then it wraps up with one more shot off the top of the dam onto an island at with hole 18. Once again this course is an experience and is the most fun course I've played thus far.