Hitchcock, TX

Jack Brooks Park - Cedar Hills

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3.895(based on 23 reviews)
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Jack Brooks Park - Cedar Hills reviews

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9 0
blake833
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.9 years 160 played 140 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Lost its former glory 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 7, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Jack Brooks Park is home to two courses. This course is to the left as you enter the park, and playes in the woods, but gets progressively less wooded with each section of the course you go through, starting from very technical to very open.

The holes are all pretty fun. There's a couple that are ok, but really this course hasn't stood the test of time for no reason. Expect a longer round, some short holes at first but some longer holes to finish. This course really kind of lets you warm up in the woods before asking for big throws in the open.

Cons:

It really has lost its touch, its spark, its edge though. The tee pads are worn slick concrete, the signs are maybe posts in the ground if you can find one. No tee signs, baskets are old, fairways are starting to be very overgrown.

There's a creek with thick water in the first few holes that any stray kick could send you into or over. A bridge would be nice, or some thinning of the fairway, taming back the growth that looks like has come in since the last pics were uploaded (most recent being 8 years ago as of this review).

Other Thoughts:

I still had a fun, if quite wet and muddy round. Each hole offered a challenge but I wouldn't go so far as to say anything was unfair. The obvious highlights were the two holes that tee'd off on the top of the big hill. That's not a thing you get to do very often in Texas.

This course really isn't up to a 3.5 for me, more like a 3.25-3.3, but I rounded up bc a 3 just seems too low for some reason. As a reviewer, you'd think I'd be able to articulate that reason, but other than residual charm I just can't think of one.
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8 0
reezyF
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 276 played 40 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Jack Brooks Park - Cedar Hills 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

My three pros:

-This course kicked my butt, but in the most fun way possible. I exclaimed a couple times "wow thats a good hole". Most notably was #17 with a decent water carry to a risky landing zone, all in a really pretty area of the park. The hole design here is tough but well thought out and widely variable. A couple of shortish holes ~300', many longer and many much longer. The wooded holes are challenging but have fair gaps and punishing rough. The long holes make use of water or trees to make you really think about your placement (unlike little bro gulf meadows). Despite this being a TX course near the coast, there seemed to be clever use of elevation change on over half the holes. The course map indicates par 58 but there were at least 6 holes that couldve been par 4's IMO. This felt like a course for intermediate to advanced players, which could explain why there were several groups on little bro but I was the only one playing big bro.

- The amenities are decent: concrete teepads, graffitied course map at the parking lot, big bathroom at parking lot, wood posts at most holes indicating hole #, bridges at all creek crossings and a couple helpful navigation arrows. The course is huge but all fairways were mowed and clear. For south Texas I thought the course was surprisingly scenic with several holes next to a creek/bayou and others playing near/over a couple of ponds.

-There are two courses in this one park but the two never overlap or cause any confusion. The courses are entirely separate and at opposites ends of this huge park. This is the much tougher of the two courses.

Cons:

My three cons:

- For a course this good its a shame to not have better course infrastructure: baskets are old and numberless, teepads were old and some covered in dried mud, the course map was covered in graffiti and the holes could really benefit from good (or any) signs. With those things upgraded this course is easily a 4.5.

-A couple of long walks between holes or after #18. The holes out in the open toward the end could be pretty brutal in the hotter more humid months and I imagine mosquitos are rough down in the woods.

-Course could get very muddy after rains, I would skip this one and play gulf meadows if I needed to play here after it had rained. This was not an Issue when I played.

Other Thoughts:

This course was really enjoyable, even while playing wayyy over par. I was very happy to make the drive down to Jack Brooks to get these two courses in and am really glad I played Cedar Hills 2nd after warming up. I feel like this park has the makings for a destination for disc golf but Gulf meadows needs alot of work, and this course needs some new signs and such. This area might be prone to graffiti so those upgrades seem unlikely.
There are other things in the park like Bike trails and a big playground but all of those were out of the way of the courses.
There doesnt seem to be much that has changed since the last review a couple years back, but I felt it necessary to pop in and confirm its still a great play.
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2 1
Superpolski
Experience: 13.8 years 235 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Unpleasant surprise 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

There is a course map located at hole 1. The front nine is very technical. 1-8 are all wooded holes which provide lots of shade. Holes 9-11 plays around a pond and 12-13 are mostly open. Holes 15-18 are all wide open big arm shots with 17 playing over a pond. This course has a great layout with tight tunnel shots (1-8) and wide open big arm shots (15-18). There are also restrooms available at hole ones parking lot.

Cons:

In the course description it is listed as having DiscCatcher baskets which the course DOES NOT have. It has DGA baskets. The only DiscCatcher basket is the practice basket at hole one. The concrete tee pads are very slick. When playing in the woods gigantic mosquitoes will swarm you by the hundreds. Bring tons of mosquito repellent. Also, any errant shots through the woods could get you into a swamp. Holes 9,10 and 11 plays around pond that has evidence of gator activity.

Other Thoughts:

This course is not begginer friendly. While this course has many challenges it has a fun factor that will test all of your game. If it rains this course becomes very marshy and almost unplayable.
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5 1
Pizza God
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 36 years 1678 played 553 reviews
4.00 star(s)

round from hell 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 12, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tee pads
Posts marking the hole number
Great use of the elevation
nice mix of wooded holes and wide open air it out shots.

Cons:

Missing basket 17
No tee signs, without a map, it was a little hard finding a few of the holes.
Don't play right after a rain storm, course gets muddy and VERY slippery.

Other Thoughts:

I happened to play this course after a large storm had passed. LOTS of water and the mud was horrible. Not to mention the Texas size mosquitoes that ate me alive every time I stopped moving.

But other than that, this is an excellent course.

Several risk reward shots in the woods and even on some of the open holes.

Hole 7 is a good 2 shot wooded hole.

Hole 9 has got to be overgrown, there is no decent tee shot other than just laying up a 30 ft shot to the open so you can throw an upshot to the basket.

Holes 10 to 13 are nice open shots using the pond and trees to define the fairways.

Then you get to 15 to 18, very wide open long shots. Hole 16 does not even have a tree or anything for that matter between the tee and basket. At least 17 throws over the pond, although there was no basket. (I just played the flag poll next to hole 18's tee pad)

Would I play here again?

Yes, even though there are some poor holes near the end, the wooded holes and 10 to 13 are fun challenging holes.
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0 10
jason.soule
Experience: 11.8 years 45 played 5 reviews
5.00 star(s)

One of the Best In Texas 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 29, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great hole designs!!
Good baskets
Good Tee Pads
Reasonably well marked

Cons:

Hard Course for beginners

Other Thoughts:

I LOVE this course!! The variety of holes is amazing!! I had such a great time playing this course that I only wish I lived a little closer so I can play it regularly.

There is very little to be critical about on this course. If you are a beginner...beware, it is a very challenging course, but that is what I loved about it. The tight lines, undulating topography and unconventional hole designs are top notch.
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2 2
hotstang
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 452 played 59 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Jack's II 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very Challenging course.
Very technical with multiple risk vs reward holes.
Great layout.
Good Teepads.
Good chainstar baskets.
Course map posted close to hole 1.
Fairly easy follow.
Bathrooms located by hole 1.

Cons:

Ants are everywhere in the woods.
Tee signs would be a plus.
Also a couple of Next tee signs on 5 to 6 and 14 to 15 would be nice.

Other Thoughts:

Not beginner friendly.
Would not recommend after a rain gets really muddy.
Playground located nearby.
Course needs trashcans and people to empty them.
People please pack it in and pack it out. (TRASH)
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4 5
TxJk
Experience: 22 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nothing I can say that another review on this course hasn't said already.
Beautiful course, layout, design. Very fun and challenging course

Cons:

MUD. MUD MUD. From walking from tee to tee you had to find a way to scrap the pound of mud off your shoe.
The open holes are swampy. My feet got soaked.
The conditions of the course are due to heavy rain the last few days. The course itself is awesome.

Other Thoughts:

Loved the course. Was very challenging. Only got 2 birdies and at least 6 bogies. Awesome design though. Will definitely play again if I'm down this way.
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2 3
Blacky
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tough, fun course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fun course that takes you through woods, and some scenic streams. It's a little difficult but it kind of adds to the challenge.

Cons:

Can get overrun with mosquitoes, bring bug spray and lots of it.

Other Thoughts:

This is probably my favorite course to play, and is my home course.
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1 6
danzoll
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Challenging, but fun. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great variety of shots. Lots of wooded holes, some water hazard, and then it opens up for some long bombs on the end. Concrete pads, great baskets, well marked.

Cons:

Mosquitos, bring bug spray. Can't see the basket on many holes. There is some work being done on holes 16 and 17 that make it muddy, but still playable
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8 8
McC.Alexander
Experience: 25.8 years 42 played 16 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Mosquitoes, Disc Golf, and Mosquitoes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 13, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

+Concrete tee pads
+Full 18 holes very close to another full 18
+Lots of variety in challenges (9 holes in wooded areas and 9 holes in open, hilly areas)
+Course map present at start (and easily found online)
+Easy to spot baskets
+Tee markers with hole number at each tee (but no map)
+Great layout and use of land features

Cons:

-Swarms of mosquitoes on holes 1 through 8 and hole 14 [Mosquitoes were very bearable on holes 9 though 13 and 15 through 18]
-One or two "blind" holes from the tee but are easily located with a short walk down the fairway
-No hole maps at the tee signs

Other Thoughts:

At first glance you would think my pros easily outweigh my cons but due to the impromptu stop for discing I was not prepared to fight off the mosquitoes, and this really was a detriment to my game. This will be the first review of mine where something not related to the course layout, upkeep, or placement caused me to have poor a experience (although one could say that placement was the root issue here).

I hate to be whining but I played terrible on holes 3 through 8 and hole 14 due to my constant attempt to avoid the mosquitoes. I played fast and threw hap-haphazardly and my scores shows it. On the last 4 holes, which are mainly open long drives and thus have next to no mosquitoes, I hit par, with relative ease. be weary of hole 17, there is a rather hidden and large pond directly in front of the tee. I shot to the right to get over and around the pond.


**BOTTOM LINE: THIS IS A CHALLENGING, WELL LAID OUT COURSE BUT THE MOSQUITOES WILL CARRY YOU AWAY - WEAR PANTS, BUG SPRAY, AND BE PREPARED TO ITCH.**

P.S. I cant imagine the bugs are this bad in the winter months - I went in July, during peak bug season, dont make my mistake and youll have a better experience.

P.P.S. (REVIEW UPDATE) to those who are thumbs downing my review due to my inclusion of the bug infestation, please stop, you know I wrote a helpful review. I wish I had this info prior to my arrival at this course. And I saw 3 groups of discers at this course on the same day I played and not a single one of them finished the course due to the mosquitoes so I know Im not alone with these cons.
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10 0
c_a_miller
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 299 played 207 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-This is the much more difficult course on site and plays half of the holes in the woods and half of the holes in the open, so a very good mixture of shots, perhaps the best mixture of shots in Houston. A few holes you would be foolish to bring out any kind of driver and there are also huge bombs off the tee.
-There are a lot of risk-reward type shots off the drive. Especially #17 where you have to clear a lake and putt for a 2. Or go around the lake and make an easy 3.
-There are hills on a few holes in the woods that makes this course much more unique then what you would find in any typical Houston course.
-I am under the assumption that this course is much less played then Gulf Meadows so you never have to wait to play and the baskets are all in great shape.
-Concrete tees are always great to have especially at a championship caliber course like this one.
-There are a few ace runs (#18) which can add a bit of excitement to a ruthless round.

Cons:

-Sadly, this course is not played as much because it is much more difficult and it is very easy to get frustrated at with the huge number of trees in the fairway.
-The water, especially the lake at holes 10-14, is very unforgiving and murky. If a disc goes in, chances are it is gone for good.
-A few of the holes are huge head scratchers in the design aspect. Most notably hole #2 which the hole sits 180 degrees clockwise from the tee. A 3 would be very impressive at a few of these holes.
-It is a little bit of a far drive for most Houston golfers. This could be a pro as well since not as many people will be out here.

Other Thoughts:

If you combine this course with Gulf Meadows in one day, that is a great day of golf.
This course is especially great if you are looking for a big challenge. Like they said at the tournament that took place here "You kick the courses butt at Gulf Meadows, but get your butt kicked at Cedar Hills."
This course is definitely worth the drive from town and it is highly recommended for all out of towners.
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3 9
dogbetter
Experience: 14 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Bad experience 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

A variety of shots. Good Discatcher baskets. Needed them to be able to locate with yellow ring.

Cons:

Mosquitos, mosquitos, mosquitos. I took two players who had never played before. Not a good experience for the first time. They lost a disc in woods and in pond. Need to clear more of course. Course needs mowed. The recent rains made the mosquitos unbearable. Borrowed friends nature repellant which was like desert to these suckers.

Other Thoughts:

Would rate higher if not for mosquitos.
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7 2
Jefflogix
Experience: 13.6 years 29 played 13 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Overrated in my Opinion 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 21, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great tee boxes. Challenging holes. Great baskets. Mix of open and wooded holes. Shade on the wooded holes. Course maps from this site were very helpful.

Cons:

May not always be the case, but the mosquitoes were unbearable. I used an entire can of OFF and mosquitoes were still swarming around me so badly that I actually couldn't help but breath them in (July). In my opinion, for a recreational-level player, there comes a point where holes are so densely wooded, it becomes a game of luck rather than a game of skill. There were some holes like that on this course. Players with a good precision game will probably enjoy the challenge, but I just got frustrated.

You should print a course map. We did, but even still we had a hard time finding a couple of holes.

I lost a disc in a creek that wasn't visible from the tee box. That was kind of a bummer. I guess I will know for next time, but first round was not pleasant.

Grass was high, not well maintained. Restrooms were sick. Toilets didn't flush.

There were some ill-placed water hazards for beginners and even intermediate players. Really easy to lose a disc.

Holes weren't always well marked. Probably were originally, but paint has faded on some of the markers apparently.

Other Thoughts:

Maybe my expectations were too high, but after all the positive reviews, I really expected this course to be better. I assume my frustrations were due to my skill level and the difficulty of the course. But my first time playing this was not a good experience. A lot of this was probably because of the swarms of mosquitoes, so that may be tainting my perception a bit. But if you don't like mosquitoes, you might want to wear a bee-keeper suit :) -- might have just been a bad day for them, but it was horrible. I have heard that they are always bad in the summer and that they are immune to preventive bug spray... great!
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3 2
JeremyKShort
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.2 years 80 played 33 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Really Tough Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Has very tough holes. They are laid out in a way that you will be challenged no matter what type of throw you have. A lot of challenging through the woods holes, several around a pond, then long ones at the end.

Cons:

The course really needs better signage. It's difficult to find the first tee, and there is no signs to tell you which course at the park you are playing. It also lacks signs at each hole showing you where the basket is. 15 - 18 really are difficult to find. Mosquitos can be very bad. The creek on the early holes is very stagnant, if a disc goes in there it's more or less lost.
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2 2
soonerpa
Experience: 12.1 years 41 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

f'n trees! :-) 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 18, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging to say the least. The length of the holes in the woods is daunting- have to be "on" in the woods.
Coming out of the woods you are faced with water a challenge(s) immediately. Lost one in the pond today!
Crossing the street its all wide open spaces.
The three different types of challenges really let you attempt to use a variety of shots. Notice for a beginner like me I said "attempt", ha.

Cons:

F'n trees! Well thats because I suck. But the woods is the biggest challenge. I wouldnt say a con necessarily just have to really be on in the woods.

Other Thoughts:

Loved it. Liked it better than the other side of Jack Brooks. Want to play it again!
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2 5
CKR-JK
Experience: 16.8 years 58 played 6 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great layout.
Wooded holes provide a nice challengs.
Open holes are huge.

Cons:

When it is windy, the open holes can be brutal.
Need a box for score cards.

Other Thoughts:

Best course I have played so far in the Houston area.
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5 1
whosnext
Experience: 7 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Ceder Hills 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 25, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great mix of woods and open long holes. The first 9 holes are in the heavy woods with a good mix of elevation. The last eight has distance, elevation, water and open for the wind to come into play. The 2011 Texas States championship will be played on this course so they have just finished installing concrete tee pads on every hole. All the holes are well marked. They improved the #5 and #8 holes so now they are fun. This is now the best course in the Houston area. It will challenge you and make you use a wide varity of shots.

Cons:

Not a good course to play after the rain. If you are a begginer this course will eat you alive. Mosquitoes are horrible in the summer after a rain come prepared.

Other Thoughts:

If you want to play both courses then if you start on Ceder Hills when you finish hole #15 just to the left you will see the #13 teebox for the other course. You can play the meadows end on #12 then play the last three holes which will put you by your car. 36 holes all concrete tee pads. Excellent design very challenging but fair. The best one two punch in Houston. Great job guys appriciate all the hard work.
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6 2
oknowwhat
Experience: 25.8 years 38 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 16, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Excellent first 4 holes. Great use of elevation, considering Houston terrain. Holes 1-4 are what I look for in a course. Heavily wooded, challenging, but not impossible. The first half of this course has a trail-like feel as opposed to some courses that just crisscross a field.
Brand new Discatcher baskets on every hole! Water is definitely in play on a few holes.

Cons:

There are a couple of holes with way too many trees, particularly #5 and #7. I like the deep woods disc golf experience but this is a little much. The trees, combined with the length of these holes make them not fun.

Other Thoughts:

This course is coming along nicely. Every tee box is now marked and the course is fairly navigable. This is now my favorite of the two at Jack Brooks.
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2 3
kuhlmarl
Experience: 14.4 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Challenging to play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Excellent mix of short, tight targets and long, open targets. Relatively easy to find your way around as a first-timer. Good park around it with biking, hiking, playground, picnic areas. I prefer the dirt tees like this course has to concrete tees.

Cons:

Score cards available but no "mini-map" on the back and no course guide available on line.

Other Thoughts:

Moves in and out of heavily wooded areas. Well designed and heavily played. Really nice course!
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15 1
ERicJ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.3 years 286 played 154 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Work in Progress 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 3, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Quality multi-chain DISCatcher baskets. This course is possibly the most balanced course in the Houston area. It doesn't appear to favor righties or lefties. While the majority of the shots are relatively straight some holes give you the choice hyzer or anny lines, while others force you to one side. There are two to four holes for each of RHBH hyzer or LHBH hyzer. Balance. Nine of the holes play through thick trees in the woods and nine holes are out in the sun. Balance. There are at least five holes where elevation change plays a significant role. At least five holes where you have to think about the water hazard. Balance. The pin positions are challenging with many of them on a high point that force you to consider laying up vs. a missed putt which can roll. There aren't many holes that you would consider "connector" holes, maybe #16. Signature hole might be #15, teeing off from the top of a hill to a basket 800+' away... a 500' drive off the hill will leave you with a 300ish' upshot to putt for the birdie 3! Concrete tee boxes were added in early 2011 making this course even better. Teeing off in the mud should never be an issue again.

Cons:

First it must be noted that this course is still a work in progress. Many of the major cons listed here will be fixed in time. UPDATE: all 18 baskets are now installed.

Navigation is trick in a couple places, use the online map here to point you in the right direction. Your first time on the course you will likely need to walk #1 (back of the hill), #2 (dogleg right), #7 (dogleg left), and #14 (right turn at the end) to find the basket before you throw. Mosquitoes can get bad at Jack Brooks park; keep that in mind if it's rained recently.

Other Thoughts:

I had the opportunity to play my first round on this course with one of the guys doing a ton of the work to put this course in the ground. It's clear that there are still big plans for this course. Eventually there will be alternate tee boxes and multiple pin positions for most if not all the baskets. Some holes will have three tee boxes, including a gold pro tee. Some of the holes may change significantly from what they are today. E.g. #3 basket is planned to shorten up a bit to make room for a tee pad on a completely redesigned hole #4 that will play across the creek. There's also a desire to add three more holes to make a total of 21. Some of these changes are short term and some are longer term projects, but this course will evolve. With the current state of the course I can't rate it higher than 4.0, but in time with the planned improvements this rating <span class="italic">should</span> go up.

If there's water in any of the creeks and your disc is surrounded it plays OB by local rules.
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