Pros:
- course situated in rolling English countryside, with several holes along the gorgeous River Avon
- good course essentials (new Innova baskets, good tees)
- great pro shop (you'll stop there to pay for your round) with opportunity to rent discs
- signs and navigation were more than adequate, and maps are provided
- impeccable course upkeep
Cons:
- some areas apparently prone to flooding (they warned me about hole 5 and I ended up playing it anyways; no issues)
- 8's awesome long tee throws right over 7's basket
Other Thoughts:
I was visiting Birmingham and was thrilled to have the chance to play Quarry Park alongside another local course. This course is on private property and is cared for by a group of folks including Derek Robins, a local well-established pro, and PDGA member since 1988. The affectionate care this course receives is impossible to miss. I was able to contact Derek and play on a day when the course is usually closed, but the course was in great shape (aside from some marshiness on hole 5). I had no issues with general play, and navigation was no problem. They lent me putters with my course fee, since I hadn't brought one in my small travel bag. Directions to the course were simple, but I'd recommend contacting Derek (I believe I found info through Google and the course site, not through DGCR) or someone else to make sure you know how to get there and that it's open.
I love beautiful disc golf courses, and this definitely fit the bill. I was pulling out my phone every couple holes to snap photos of the river, countryside, or good basket placements. My wife came with me, and she enjoyed the experience due to the course surroundings as well as the stop in Leamington Spa. Aside from the aesthetics and feel, the course is great for the golf. Some of the early holes weren't quite as beautiful but fun, challenging golf holes nonetheless. The course really hits its stride by hole 7, scenically placed shooting towards the River Avon, to a basket on a steeply sloping green. Hole 8 is probably the signature hole, with the long tee pad shooting from an elevated tee, around 350' or so, with the river to the left of the entire fairway. I threw a decent RH forehand but turned it over just a tad, and I braved some local stinging nettles to retrieve my disc from the bank (ouch! I'll call them "Avon cacti"). The next few holes were great wooded golf with some elevation, including a long, straight, narrow downhill (10), another long hole along the river with a nice wooded green (11), and an uphill shot on 12. The last five holes were back out of the woods, but again remained challenging, with distance and tall trees replacing the ceiling that had been present a few holes earlier.
I can imagine bonafide big arms tearing up this course, largely because there are big hyzer lines available around the large trees on this property. Other than holes 10 through 13, there are only a few holes with much ceiling. Even those big arm guys, however, would have a blast playing here, and I liked the basket placements and greens overall, with a number of baskets not visible from the tees and shooting over large hedges or rows of trees. It used the available terrain and features very well. There are multiple layouts, and I'm not entirely sure which I played. I picked the long tees for the layout in place when I visited, and birdies were rare. As an intermediate golfer, this course was a bit better than me. Overall, good golf lines required but with enough openness to let you choose between two lines on most holes.
While I was driving my rental car back to London-Heathrow from Birmingham, I chanced across a morning radio show discussing listeners' favorite places (possibly vacation destinations?) in England. Two listeners mentioned Leamington Spa, which I had never heard of before this trip to Birmingham. After visiting, I can see why. This is a beautiful little town that lacks the hubbub of England's more famed cities and has a charm and beauty that is hard for me to describe. If you get a chance, get out here.
Rating & Discussion: I wish I had been able to play more courses in this area, but I used DGCR and picked just the two most respectable. I can't think of anything bad to say about Quarry Park, except that I'd have liked more of the tight wooded golf or along-the-river shots like between 7 and 13. I'm giving it just a 4.0 (Excellent) simply because it didn't quite hit "phenomenal" for the 4.5. The course felt like a hidden gem, being such a high-quality course in an area with relatively few options. If I get a chance to return, this will be the course I play again.