Old Pike is a fun, woodsy track with some frustratingly - but not unfair - dense trees and oddly shaped fairways to set up a unique experience. The care taken for this course is noticeable and the enjoyment factor should be high for this one.

Amenities are far upgraded from the pictures. Concrete tees on every hole, tee signs with each pin spot's distance marked out, and six holes have multiple baskets (1, 3, 10, 11, 14 and 18 can play to either of 14's pins). Several different basket types (MachIIIs are the main, but there were also a few DisCatchers, a Prodigy, a Mach7, and a Chainstar or two) making for another quirky element to this course. Pins are moved about regularly by the caretakers (who I was fortunate enough to play a round with).

Woods, woods, woods. Into the woods. Out of the woods. Through the woods. Woods. Holes 1, 3, 8, and 16 all have gaps to hit as you go into the woods. 2, 6, 7, and 18 have gaps to manage before getting out of the woods. And 4, 9-11, and 17 play right through the thick of the trees. The variety of woods shots is handled incredibly well.

Elevation isn't ever-present, but when it is, it's usually the defining part of the hole. 2 and 3 play up and back down a large hill, 7 cuts to the right up the same hill, 11 slowly all the way up, and the same on 12, then a big downhill on 14 (these last two are more open holes).

Several greens are unique and challenging. The long pin of 3 hangs from the trees and is deep around the corner to the left. 5 long is back into the trees sloping away from the direction of your putt (assuming you come up short). 2 and 7 are on a fairly steep hill which is easy to crash into but can make the putt itself tricky. 9 long is over a rise in the fairway making a parkjob tough to pull off. 16 has a green long left of the main area which goes sharply uphill about 8 feet to a small green.

Even with the denseness of the woods, it always feels like there is a fair line to the pin. And I was assured it gets much easier to carve lines once the leaves fall.

In the difficult sections to navigate between holes 1 through 4 there have been gravel stairs and solid bridges installed to keep you from sliding down a hill or over a creekbed. 17 also has a bridge across the creek. More care has been put in by the members to this course than a lot of parks departments ever give to their land.

Tossing across the entry road on 15 and 18 (long pins) and the road on the left of the fairway of 15 are elements that have to be present just because of how the land sits, but also have to be mentioned.

Several tunnels (2, 10, 11, and 18) were extremely thin for their purpose. I don't think it would be as bad in the winter or early spring with the branches trimmed back, but in August/September they start to encroach on the fairways in a major way. They aren't unfair, and one or two very thin gaps is fine, but four is a little excessive.

Having to find a member to play with is a bit inconvenient. Makes hitting this course on a trip almost impossible.

7 goes to the right at about a 120-degree angle, but the hole is so short that getting the 2 is almost impossible in the longer pins. The angle of that one is a little too sharp. However, 3 and 17 are quite good doglegs.

The care given to this course makes the round much smoother than before (or so I'm told) The upkeep, the easing of hole-to-hole transitions, and the changing of pin spots all serve to make Old Pike a great experience for anyone lucky enough to play here. It would be a no-brainer to pay up for the annual pass if I lived closer, it's great golf on a fun piece of land. If you can make it work, make time to play this wooded gem. You won't be blasting down any fairways; you'll be showing finesse through the tree gaps. Good luck hitting them all.

Character is the word that describes this course the best; it has more than its share. There is something for everyone, open holes, wooded, water, elevation and technical shots. Each hole seems to have a personality of its own and some even have names to describe them. This course was obviously built on a budget but you can tell it was done with the kind of insanity that could only be described as genius.

I'm not sure that's completely fair to judge this course for it is as opposed to for what it could be but there are a lot of cons currently. Eighteen almost goes over one's tee except for the mandos which are just out in the middle marked by stakes. Some holes are so tight I couldn't find a clear shot or path to the hole. There are no tee signs; the tee pads aren't great or temporary and finding your way around is difficult. There are hay bails for benches, rubber trash cans at most tees, some tees have plant stands, and a couple of the bridges have strange white plastic chains as railings, which gives it a sort of white trashy feel to it.

This course is a diamond in the rough. All that is needs is some clean up, new pads and signs, and maybe get rid of some of the decor. I think that it's coming, let's hope so.

Challenging little course set on the grounds of Old Pike Country Club. It has a nice mixture of tight, wooded holes, water hazard shots, a few ace run holes, and a couple of nice open shots with road OB looming nearby.

I don't have too many bad things to say about this course because it is still in the development stages. They are currently raising funds to replace the loose gravel teepads with concrete pads, as well as adding tee sings for easier course navigation. Once these tasks are completed, it will go from being a decent course to an excellent course.

The 4 newly added baskets makes it a full 18 hole course, but you will probably need a local to show you the layout. Play does flow a little better now with the added holes.
The fundraising tournament is being held on September 18th. Here is a link for more information: http://www.discgolfdicks.com/Events.html