Pros:
Randolph Park is an enjoyable 18-hole layout. It's a tale of two designs with the front nine exclusively in the woods while the back nine spreads out across the across the remainder of the park.
- Very solid and fun hole layouts. Layouts range from tight, wooded ace runs to long, open, bomber holes. The first nine holes, despite all being wooded and with many of similar length, do offer different looks, preventing a feeling of repetitiveness.
- Course follows the tried-and-true method of starting with a series of easier, warm-up holes leading to longer and more challenging holes throughout. That is until you get to #17 & 18, which seem out of place. The front nine is easier, so you'll want to be aggressive early to get your birdies.
- Great course for beginners, casual players and the like. With the front 9 being much easier, it's a great way to build up one's confidence before giving said players a taste of a much more advanced level of disc golf. Or, you just skip the back 9 and let them work their way up to the longer holes.
- The wooded holes, for the most part, are a solid lot. #5 is a challenging, 210-foot hole that features a narrow fairway. This is the type of hole that many players could just as easily birdie as bogey depending on whether their shot is on- or offline by a matter of feet or inches. #7 is my favorite of the wooded holes. It's a split fairway, 335-foot hole that does allow multiple shots and creativity. It's not overly challenging. So even a decent tee shot should set you up for a simple up-and-down (or two-putt) for a 3.
- The back nine offers more variety in its hole offerings. My favorite hole on the course is #11. It's a 246 foot open shot that throws over a (believed to be) dried out pond/retention area. If you land short, you have a decently uphill shot to the basket that's close to the edge of the drop-off. It's not an overly challenging hole, but it's a very enjoyable hole for watching your tee shot as it sails to the basket. (Note: you can see the basket and drop-off in front of the basket in the background of the picture for hole #12.)
- Hole #14 also offers a cool layout, even if it's also not the most difficult of holes. On this 445 foot hole, the basket is protected on two sides by narrow trenches filled with rocks. It's part of the water runoff drainage system towards a retaining pond area (separate from the one I mentioned for hole #11). I didn't see anything mentioning if the rocks are considered OB; but, if they are, that would add an element of difficulty to this hole.
Cons:
The course has an odd flow to it. The front nine is compacted into a small portion of the woods in the back of the park that leads to a quick play. Contrast that to the back nine being spread out across the entire park. You have long walks from #10 to #11; #12 to 13; and #15 to 16. Most of the holes on the back 9 are good, so you understand why they're there. Just be prepared for the total contrast.
- There's a major inconsistency when it comes to tee signs and tee markers. Without a printed map, it would be very difficult to navigate this course for a first timer. That said, even with the map, my buddy and I had difficult times finding all the tee markers. #12, 17 & 18 were the ones we spent the most time searching for. Also, between the long walks and the numerous walking trails that weave throughout the wooded portion of the course, next tee signs would come in handy.
- I wasn't a fan of the final two holes on the course. They stuck out like a sore thumb. After playing probably the most challenging, and arguably best, hole on the course on #16, you finish your round with two relatively basic wooded holes. Why not squeeze in two other holes somewhere else on the course and eliminate these holes? You're already walking plenty on the back 9, so it doesn't matter if current #16 were the closing hole and you had a longer walk back to the parking lot.
- It would have been nice to have more special and/or challenging holes. For the most part, there are a lot of holes in the B to C+ range and almost nothing in the A-grade range. Notice even in the holes I mention I enjoyed I did have to preface them by noting they weren't that difficult, but had more of an enjoyment factor to them. This isn't something that impacts my rating, but it's worth mentioning.
Other Thoughts:
Randolph Park's disc golf course is enjoyable even if it's not flashy. Take away the drop-off of the last two holes, and I was liking what the course had to offer through the first 16.
- The park itself is great. It has a ton of amenities such as ball fields, tennis courts, running trails, playground and a great, big pool/water area. The waterpark is one of the bigger ones I have seen for a community park of this size.
- Advanced players will shot really low here, taking advantage of a relative lack of difficulty. There isn't a lot of risk/reward to this course, which may be part of the overall lack of great holes. Even on hole #6, a 448 foot, dogleg right wooded hole, it's a pretty simple design. I had two very average shots and still had a putt for a 3.
- Overall, my experience at Randolph was a positive one. I was expecting more to this course based on others reviews and ratings. It's not as good as its current rating merits, but it's still an above-average course. Do like I did, and play this course on your way to Mountain Lake.