Pros:
North East Coachman Park sits in a tight urban spot maybe a mile northwest of Cliff Stephens . One of the older courses in Florida ( 1993 ) , it still has its pluses to it . The 2 tee pads per hole are cement and plenty long for a course with no hole over 370' . The baskets are Mach 5 and do a good job at catching . The signage is good and reminds you of Cliff Stephens , with the hole # , distance , and pictures of fairway and pin location . There are multiple pins at the holes . Amenities here are pretty good . There is a practice basket near the parking lot . A Port O Let near hole 14 ( which is close to hole 1 and 11 ) , decent Next Tee signs , bag poles , and benches at the tees . There are some really nice wood stained ones ( one of them is at #4 ) , some able to seat larger groups , at some of the tees . I am assuming that big groups come here in the evenings or on the weekends and relax during their rounds . There is also a large , tennis court style netting behind the tee pad for #17 to deflect any errant drives from 16 . A nice kiosk greets you at the parking lot . The course is easy on the legs , parking lot flat . The whole course is pretty much shaded . There are plenty of trees with their canopies to make sure that your drives are more technical and flat . The park is kept up very well , and on this course , you may be able to skip your shot off the hard ground and get an extra 20-30' off your drive , or shot shape the skip around a tree . The navigation is good , with its Next Tee signs and the compact nature of the park . I only looked at my map once . This is a typical park style course , but with a good amount of trees . The baskets are almost always either placed behind trees , trees are in or lining the fairway, or canopied trees are forcing low driving shots . Don't get me wrong . There are paths to the basket , just some are tighter than others . For water , there is a channel of it on your immediate right for holes 7 , 8 , 9 and maybe 12 that might cause your errant drive into a disc loss . Disc Risk : low . This is a clean park . The only way your will lose a disc with be in the channel or stick it way up in a tree . because of its total length ( 5321' from the longs , 4622' from shorts ) and short walks to the next tees , this course is a fast play . I was done in around 50 minutes .This is a deceptive gauge , because I was the only one on this course on a Friday morning at 10 . If it starts to fill up , think maybe an hour or so for a solo , and 2 for a foursome . Cliff Stephens is the place you go for a challenge . Coachman is the place you go to relax . I don't know if the course gets a lot of runoffs from Cliff ( Cliff plays slower and more deliberate ) , but I imagine Coachman fills up in the evenings and weekends . Much more suited for the 2 disc local and the newbie , even a family , it probably doesn't get the credit it deserves . No memorable holes , but still good play , and it is a fun relaxing course . A nice aspect of this course is that it comes back around to the parking lot so you can play 10 , 13 or 18 holes and be back to your car . Highlights : #1 , a good starter hole kicks in at 370' from the longs . #8 makes you throw a little over the channel in order to bend it into a blind basket hiding behind some shrubs on the left . #4 sets itself off to the right in a grove of trees . #14 makes you fade right with a ditch on your left . #18 is a narrow finishing hole back to the parking lot . Signature Hole : maybe #16 . The tee is actually a little higher that the course itself , passing right to left from the open to a tighter fairway .
Cons:
#1 Safety . Some of these fairways play right up against each other . 16 , 17 , &18 as a group are good examples . Also 2 & 3 , and 11 & 13 . I am hoping that there is some good courtesy practiced and no one gets hit in the back with a drive , but this also going to be a place where the inexperienced are learning the game . #2 Variety . I felt that the course was forcing the same shot as the hole before it, and sometimes . The trees are the only thing that make another hole slightly different . #3 Even though it was bone dry when I was here , with the areas void of grass combined with the flatness of the course , I would think that this course would be a mess after a good rain . The parking lot could use some work . It is small and there are trees in and around it . This is perfect for you getting dinged while backing up . it also has some divots in it . Bring bug spray , this course will be bad for insects in the summer . Additionally , this may or may not be fair , but coming from a scenic park just a mile away , I didn't get near that same look from Coachman . If you don't like tree filled and flat , you won't like it here .
Other Thoughts:
Rating a course can be hard after playing a highly rated one a couple of hours prior to it . This course doesn't disguise itself as a continuation of that course . It has it's own identity . With the benches and the feel here , you won't feel rushed . Not overly challenging here ( I even played this under par ) , but a good place to socialize with the friendly locals , work on your game , and maybe check out the large disc golf store near the park . If I lived locally , this would be my choice for my home course . With many courses within a 30 minute drive from here , this is a good intermediate course for newer inexperienced players to play and socialize with better players .Thank You , Tampa bay Disc Sports Club and Tampa Bay Parks and Rec for allowing me to play your course . You do great work . My Recommendation : Newbies , families and locals , Welcome . Great for the traveler , since it is right down the street from another course . Also adequate for the tournament tested local to work on their technical and approach game . For any of the explained reasons , Play it !!!