Favorite "Average" course

[DiscGolfCraig]

This is an off the wall subject, hoping to give love to some under the radar courses. What is your favorite average course?

Based on the criteria of this site, average/typical courses are rated 2.5. So it has to be a course you personally have given an average rating of 2.5 or lower, and the course should have an overall rating of less than 3.0. This will be the type of course that every skill level should be able to get some enjoyment out of, from the first time thrower to the pros, but it will also have some problems, hence it only being average.

Think of this as the Chili's or Olive Garden of disc golf courses. When you have a group of people going out to dinner together and you all can't decide where to go, you end up settling for Chili's or Olive Garden. Nobody is going to be blown away with the food, but everyone will find something they'll like.

My 2 nominations that meet this criteria are
1. Park Circle, Charleston, SC - this course had it's own thread going last week.
2. Fewell Park, Rock Hill, SC - less than a 5 minute drive from Winthrop. 18-holer cramped into a tight area, it's has some really fun & challenging holes. The last 6 holes are a great way to end the course.

NOTE: I'd have included a couple more that I rated 2.5, but due to grade inflation, their overall scores were above 3.0.

 

[WindyCityROCer]

I'd have to say Indian Boundaries in Frankfort IL, I gave it a 1.5, but I know 5 ppl in the subdivision, (ie 1 min drive 10 min walk) end up there sometimes after grilling out in the afternoon just to chuck plastic for fun.... (until you're tanked and you put your special blend roc in the creek, but I didn't do that, it was the other guy)

 

[zenbot]

Evergreen Open Space in Santa Barbara, California.

*edit*

I guess I rated it too high. Disregard.

 

[Dave242]

Mountain Crest in Las Vegas is a nice patch of green in the desert. Although it is very open and wind is the main factor/obstacle to deal with, the designer(s) did a superb job of milking all the challenge possible out of the available land. The basket positions in relation to the OB sidewalks is very well done in several areas to add good challenge (and keep it safe for other park users).

 

[TalbotTrojan]

I am guessing my 2.5 or worse rated course that I like the most would be River Ranch DGC in Johnstown, CO. Only played it once and there are a couple of holes that are MIA for construction but it was a very nice course for what it was. Not to mention, it is realy easy to score well there.

 

[TalbotTrojan]

Mountain Crest in Las Vegas is a nice patch of green in the desert. Although it is very open and wind is the main factor/obstacle to deal with, the designer(s) did a superb job of milking all the challenge possible out of the available land. The basket positions in relation to the OB sidewalks is very well done in several areas to add good challenge (and keep it safe for other park users).

Give that hole a few more years and it will be awesome.

 

[skurf]

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/reviews.php?id=934&mode=rev

I'm gonna have to go with Searight in Austin, TX. Here's what I wrote in my review:

Rating: 2.5
Pros: This is a good example of how a pitch and putt course should be done. Although most of the holes are birdie-able and short, there are a couple longer holes that are really quite nice and pretty challenging, especially Hole 3-- always happy to get a par on that one.

The reason I say this is how a pitch and putt should be done is because even though most of the holes are short, they are still challenging with narrow gaps and a variety of left, right, and straight shots, but leave your distance drivers at home.

This course is comparable to Zilker in the aspect that they're both pitch and putt courses, but Searight is MUCH less forgiving than Zilker due to tighter fairways and thick brush when you veer off the fairways.

The signature hole is a nice downhiller on the back nine, but again, it's just too short. I want to let one fly off the top of the hill, but instead I'm using my mid-range and keeping it low so I don't shoot past the pin.
Cons: It's short. You never really get to let one fly. Even, say hole 3, which is the longest, it's best just to lay up at the dogleg in the fairway, and have another medium distance drive to get within putting range. Although, I could see a left-hander or side-arm throw getting further down the fairway. Half of the course feels like filler holes and are just too easy, however, the other half of the course is quite enjoyable and challenging to a certain extent.

The tee pads are dirt and some worn very bad. The course also gets very muddy when it rains, but since it hasn't really rained in the las two years, that's not much a problem.
Other Thoughts: This is a good course to work on your control game. Last time I played I threw my driver (fairway driver, not distance driver) maybe a total of 3 times, with everything else being mid-range or putter shots. I don't even take a distance driver to this course.

The speed limit on the park road to the course is 15 because it goes next to a school, and I would suggest not speeding as I've seen cops out there on numerous occasions.

 

[swatso]

Pine Grove, Baltimore MD

I gave it a 2.0, and it currently has a 2.5 average rating.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=580

The actual holes themselves are an above average challenge with good variety - trees, length, turns, elevation changes, OB, etc. - its the teepads (dirt), signs (minimal), and navigation (9 holes, 18 tees, plays back upon itself) that holds it back.

Print the map and navigation guide, and you should be able to follow the course. Don't confuse some of the numbered TREES (part of a nature walk?) with numbered TEES!

 

[WillA]

White Birch Park in St. Louis. It's run down with a lot of holes missing signs and it is short. But it has some cool holes with deep ravines that you don't see at most courses.

 

[EclipticOne]

Winsor

This course is a VERY short course with a putter driving hole. you can play with only putters if you throw yours about 200+ with accuracy. I didnt enjoy it as much as before since i got used to Riverfront Park and Whistlers Bend Park....

 

[Guurn]

Mine would be Hansen Park in New Brighton Mn. It gets lots of hate because many of the holes have cones instead of baskets, but all-in-all it is a very good park.

 

[SpringDgLover]

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/reviews.php?id=934&mode=rev

I'm gonna have to go with Searight in Austin, TX. Here's what I wrote in my review:

Rating: 2.5
Pros: This is a good example of how a pitch and putt course should be done. Although most of the holes are birdie-able and short, there are a couple longer holes that are really quite nice and pretty challenging, especially Hole 3-- always happy to get a par on that one.

The reason I say this is how a pitch and putt should be done is because even though most of the holes are short, they are still challenging with narrow gaps and a variety of left, right, and straight shots, but leave your distance drivers at home.

This course is comparable to Zilker in the aspect that they're both pitch and putt courses, but Searight is MUCH less forgiving than Zilker due to tighter fairways and thick brush when you veer off the fairways.

The signature hole is a nice downhiller on the back nine, but again, it's just too short. I want to let one fly off the top of the hill, but instead I'm using my mid-range and keeping it low so I don't shoot past the pin.
Cons: It's short. You never really get to let one fly. Even, say hole 3, which is the longest, it's best just to lay up at the dogleg in the fairway, and have another medium distance drive to get within putting range. Although, I could see a left-hander or side-arm throw getting further down the fairway. Half of the course feels like filler holes and are just too easy, however, the other half of the course is quite enjoyable and challenging to a certain extent.

The tee pads are dirt and some worn very bad. The course also gets very muddy when it rains, but since it hasn't really rained in the las two years, that's not much a problem.
Other Thoughts: This is a good course to work on your control game. Last time I played I threw my driver (fairway driver, not distance driver) maybe a total of 3 times, with everything else being mid-range or putter shots. I don't even take a distance driver to this course.

The speed limit on the park road to the course is 15 because it goes next to a school, and I would suggest not speeding as I've seen cops out there on numerous occasions.

I agree that course is at least a 3 and if they upgrade it like they are supposed to. Then it will be even better.

 

[Neophyte]

I really can't give a good answer on this one because since finding this site I try to play courses that others have rated well. I have only played a few courses that have been rated average or below so I guess I would pick Riverview DGC in NJ. It is a fun course to play allows a lot of safari.

 

[Mjc4043]

Schenley Park.

This course is rated at 2.5, as it probably should be. However, this is a great course to show people the game (it's where I was introduced, and subsequently hooked). The holes are generally short about 200ft., with the exception of a downhill bomber on hole 2. I really only pull mids and putters out of the bag. That said, the first few holes offer a great view of the city of Pittsburgh and the rest provide a sufficient challenge and opportunity to try new shots without being penalized too harshly by the landscape - and there is hardly anywhere on the course where one would need to spend more than 5 min. searching for a disc. I think of this course sort of as a mini-golf course, many of the holes could easily be birdied by experienced players, and multiple rounds are no sweat. Plus the course is a very short drive from tons of great bars/restaurants for pre- or post- game activities. Just watch out for sun-bathers and picnic"ers" on the first couple fairways.

 

[NDABRUSH]

Veteran's Memorial Park (Clyde Fant PKWY) Shreveport Louisiana. Lit for 24 hour play!!! Great idea for a thread Heelboy.

 

[Dave242]

Schenley Park.

This course is rated at 2.5, as it probably should be. However, this is a great course to show people the game (it's where I was introduced, and subsequently hooked). The holes are generally short about 200ft., with the exception of a downhill bomber on hole 2. I really only pull mids and putters out of the bag. That said, the first few holes offer a great view of the city of Pittsburgh and the rest provide a sufficient challenge and opportunity to try new shots without being penalized too harshly by the landscape - and there is hardly anywhere on the course where one would need to spend more than 5 min. searching for a disc. I think of this course sort of as a mini-golf course, many of the holes could easily be birdied by experienced players, and multiple rounds are no sweat. Plus the course is a very short drive from tons of great bars/restaurants for pre- or post- game activities. Just watch out for sun-bathers and picnic"ers" on the first couple fairways.

I agree that this course is under-rated....I disagree with you that 2.5 discs is a fair rating for this course. I rated this course from the long tees (which is how I rate all courses unless otherwise noted). I think Schenley is a very good course from the longs and I rated it likewise 4 discs. I am the only person who rated it higher than a 3!

I realize some people factor in all layouts and other stuff, but it really seems like almost all the reviewers reviewed the course only from the short tee pads.....that is just wrong/erroneous IMO. Even timg states, "Most holes play short and none were terribly challenging." (The longs average 317' - not short!) Even he does not give a shout-out to the long tees and the associated challenge.

I see a lot of the comments about non-dg traffic on the course as a con. That is good info for people to know about and indeed is an issue. But from purely a design perspective, it is a very strong course (from the long tees).

 

[fifteen]

Montiel Park DGC in San Marcos

I gave this course a 2.5 rating. It's a great place to introduce somebody to the game with its short tees while the experienced players would get a kick out of the longer tees. It's pretty easy to score well here and this course is great for ace runs.

 

[DiscGolfCraig]

Veteran's Memorial Park (Clyde Fant PKWY) Shreveport Louisiana. Lit for 24 hour play!!! Great idea for a thread Heelboy.

24 hour play? That must be awesome playing the course in the middle of the night. I bet there must been some fun all-day tourneys going on there.

We've all talked, and argued, about Flip City, Idlewild, Winthrop, etc. I figured it was time to hear more about the under the radar courses.

 

[NDABRUSH]

Texas and California prob have a large number of average to crappy courses because both states are packed with courses and still growing. Dave242 has prob played a lot of average courses and crappy ones.

 

[NDABRUSH]

yes we have started rounds at 2 in the morning. people are driving by going to work and prob were wondering what we were on. lol