Pros:
Alligator Lake Park sits just below I-10 and a short drive east of I-75 . There are bathrooms near a spacious parking lot a couple of hundred yards past the start/finish of the course ( course is on your right as you drive to the lot on left ) .
THE EQUIPMENT -- The Parks , along with Lake City , opened up their wallets for this 9 hole course . Each hole has dual tee pads , mostly cement , with a couple of them trapezoid or split ended shapes that make a drive easier across fairways with options .The ones that aren't cement , have what looks like crushed gravel in them and are framed . There are 2 numbered baskets for each hole , too . The red Discatcher baskets are in slightly shorter or easier positions , and the yellow Discatchers are in the longer , more tucked in spots . This gives you 4 different options per hole . The tee signs are nice . On wooden posts with Hole # , par , distance and flight path for all 4 scenarios . There are directional arrows at the bottom of the baskets that point to the next tee pads ( yellow-yellow , and red-red ) . There are also other signs directing you toward the next tee ( especially helpful for #2 to #3) . There is a kiosk at the parking lot , but it only talked about Wednesday and Friday evening doubles . The putting basket is on the way to hole #1 , but was surrounded by water .
THE LANDSCAPE -- The grass was mowed , and the brush was trimmed for the most part , while I was there . The course plays park-style . With most courses in Florida , you get nothing but Flat . This course is no different . The largest grade in the course was about 3 feet , the small man made hill where the red basket sits on #5 .There is some water here , but mostly unintentional ( more in cons ) . There is some standing water slightly right and on the fairway of #2 . There is a small creek at the bend of the fairway on #4 , but it is small enough to jump over . The baskets are placed sometimes in the open , or in alleys with canopies , or tucked into some woods . The design is solid .
THE HIGHLIGHTS -- #2 ( 475' or 540' to yellow basket ) . Fairway is open at first , with some standing water in the fairway to the right . The fairway funnels in to a tight area about 10' wide for the last 100' . You don't want to go into the brush on either side .
#4 is a dogleg left ( 400' , 585' ) . There is a very OB small creek that is unnoticeable from the tee pad right at the turn . The red basket sits behind a large tree with extending limbs , and the yellow basket sits back and on the left and farther out , in a tunnel of low lying trees .
#5 ( 290' , 340' ) has the red basket nicely placed on a 3' high hill with rocks around it .
#7 has almost 600' of fairway bending left ( straight if throwing from the white ( shorter ) tee .
SIGNATURE HOLE -- Has to be #8 . ( 425' , 535' ) Depending on the tee pad , you are left with several different choices of which alley to throw down to . One opens up to a long dogleg to the right . They made this hole a par 4 for a reason . the baskets are set up as red just inside a nook in the brush , and yellow way down into a tightening fairway .
DISC RISK -- Moderate to low . some baskets are tucked into low canopied trees that could possibly eat a disc , and the brush can punish you if you griplock a drive , but the course is kept up well , and the standing water will only get your feet wet while retrieving your driver .
THE TIME -- It took about 35 minutes to play the 8 holes solo . A group of 4 can finish it in about an hour .
Bring bug spray and douse yourself . insects are particularly bad around standing water .
Cons:
#1 Unplayable #9 And Practice Basket . I was unable to use the practice basket that was on the way from the parking lot to hole #1 because of the standing water encircling it . Also , the #9 tee pad and fairway is submerged in water about 2' high . From previous concerns and earlier updates on course conditions , this looks to be an ongoing problem and a course flaw . Might I suggest moving #9 completely , even if you have to put it up the way from the practice basket . You lose 11% of your total course because of this .
#2 Fairway/Green maintenance -- There are some tire tracks in a few of the fairways . Also , some of the branches are growing over the alleys on the fairways . Sounds picky , but I consider the potential of this course to be higher than most 9 hole courses .
#3 Parking -- The lot is large , but it's too far away . I think there is enough room near hole #1 ( or hole #9 ) that the park can make a half dozen spaces for the disc golfers . Even put a Port O Let down there .And bring the kiosk down and put a map in it .
I won't harp on the fact the the course is flat , but will add that some of the alleys that I bowled at had as much of a grade .
Other Thoughts:
The 8 holes I was able to play here were very good . The pad and basket placements made for a variety of shots . The 2 tee/2 basket setup is a fantastic idea for courses that are short on total space . No 2 holes were alike . Course designer Greg Hosfeld did a great job . I can't tell how busy it gets here , but if a couple of tweaks were made , I'm sure foot traffic would increase . There were 2 local men that were playing here at the same time and were having a great time .
Remember about the doubles and or leagues on Wednesday and Friday evenings after work , so you won't waste a trip .
MY RECOMMENDATION -- with its 4 option system , this is a good course for intros and families visiting the park . Locals can hang out and pick and choose how much they want to exert for the day . Newbies can move up from pad to tee as they improve . I think that there is enough here to interest the intermediate on up . Just enough length on the long tee to yellow basket to make it interesting . Not far from I-75 and I-10 , this a good stop-off for a leg stretch for the traveler either leaving or entering Florida . It should add only about an hour to your total drive time . Course collectors will like that it is a short and easy stop for a quick add to their course total . It's only 8 holes , but can easily extend to 16 . Give this course a look if you have an extra hour to spare .