Pros:
~Nice concrete tees on every hole
~Easy to navigate
~Good use of grassy wildlife areas with very fair fairways
~Clean, expansive park that is very calm and serene
Cons:
~Hole indicator tee signs are as basic as it gets
~A handful of basic unimaginative holes
~Course plays through wildlife hiking trails and near other park amenities intermingled with non-disc golfers.
Other Thoughts:
Austintown starts off O.K. then quickly becomes a bit blah, but eventually warms up to a very solid offering. The park itself is expansive, clean, and inviting. Surrounded by lush grasses, and a tree lined border the course opens up to some really wonderful views that calms the soul. Play starts off in the open, then around a tiny pond, through one wooded hole, then the balance is trail style golf surrounded by thick wildlife growth.
Hole 1 is a big open bomber across a tree lined path and is a fairly good starter hole. Holes 2 through 6 soon had me second guessing my decision to travel to play here as they are decent overall, but quirky and unimaginative enough to give me the sense this course was going to devolve into something worse. After one short wooded hole you then begin to play through and around a tall grassy wildlife filled tract of land. This is where the course becomes interesting and enjoyable.
Typically I'm not a fan of mowed fairways through tall vegetation, but this section of the course is done well. The holes vary in layout and distances, and the manicured fairways are more than fair to the average player. I thoroughly enjoyed picking lines to take and making disc stability selections in order to avoid throwing into the thick stuff. Holes 8 through 18 continued to increase my fun factor and I walked away satisfied with my visit to this course.
New posts and detailed hole signs would significantly improve this course. The concrete tees are very nice, and newer baskets are in great shape. There are plenty of next tee navigational aids to help the first time player to easily traverse the course. There is no Wow Factor to this course, but it is a fun throw. Would play again if in the area, but would not travel specifically to come here.