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Ben Geren Park - Orange reviews
7
0
I hope my experience isn't common...
Reviewed:
Played on:May 29, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
The Orange course borders on a world-class course with some really long shots, nasty rough, a little shot shaping, and plenty of opportunity for some aggressive shots that will get punished if they're executed poorly.
The par 4's here are absolutely insane at times. All kinds of distance, usually some elevation change, and punishment if you miss your line. Hole 4 is the longest of these, and will play as a par 5 at least for all but the best players, but several others have some tough shot decisions and will reward replayability for longer shots coming into the green. A few start in the open but play into the woods towards the end, so knowing how hard you need to throw to get the disc below the canopy of trees will be important.
The best par 3's are the ones that play between two treelines and give you all kinds of options, but force you to execute perfectly if you want to get to the green. Holes 7, 10, and 11 are all examples of this, and to a lesser extent, 3 and 8. Weirdly, most of these are pretty flat, but I appreciate that they can be very spicy holes without constantly relying on elevation change.
On that note, this course does a good job balancing difficulty on most holes. Rarely did one hole seem far easier than any others, and while I would say the par 4's are a little harder than the par 3's, that might not be the case if I had better footing on the fairway.
The par 4's here are absolutely insane at times. All kinds of distance, usually some elevation change, and punishment if you miss your line. Hole 4 is the longest of these, and will play as a par 5 at least for all but the best players, but several others have some tough shot decisions and will reward replayability for longer shots coming into the green. A few start in the open but play into the woods towards the end, so knowing how hard you need to throw to get the disc below the canopy of trees will be important.
The best par 3's are the ones that play between two treelines and give you all kinds of options, but force you to execute perfectly if you want to get to the green. Holes 7, 10, and 11 are all examples of this, and to a lesser extent, 3 and 8. Weirdly, most of these are pretty flat, but I appreciate that they can be very spicy holes without constantly relying on elevation change.
On that note, this course does a good job balancing difficulty on most holes. Rarely did one hole seem far easier than any others, and while I would say the par 4's are a little harder than the par 3's, that might not be the case if I had better footing on the fairway.
Cons:
Is there any maintenance here whatsoever? It doesn't seem to be that way because in May 2022, every hole had long grass down the entire fairway, and with the creek, there were bugs and ticks everywhere. The only respite from the long grass is when the fairway plays down a mountain biking track... which is a con in itself.
Next, the creek(s). It's a good challenge on 4 and 16, but not anywhere else, and there wasn't any infrastructure to help you cross that I could see (except using the road bridge on 16). Everywhere else, you might be getting your feet wet, depending on how much water there is. Good luck if you have a cart. The walk from 8 to 9 is really long since you have to use the same creek crossing by the tee of 7 (check the map). There was also some standing water on 6, 7, and 14, with no real way from the tee to see where it was.
While I appreciate some of the long holes, a lot of them are too similar. The holes at the start and end of the course can mostly be reached with a wide RHFH/LHBH hyzer (because they play along the left side of a treeline), and while they all have their uniqueness, they're not a good way to start or finish a course. And it seems like all the par 4's have a slight dogleg. Not massive, and sometimes right or left, but it's still not great.
The open holes are also a real downer here. Holes 1, 2, and 15 are pretty much wide open, and an additional several holes have open fairways, even if there is rough nearby. Speaking of which, looking for your disc in the rough is real annoying here. Maybe it's because I played in tall grass, but don't be ashamed if you want to play more conservative shots.
Next, the creek(s). It's a good challenge on 4 and 16, but not anywhere else, and there wasn't any infrastructure to help you cross that I could see (except using the road bridge on 16). Everywhere else, you might be getting your feet wet, depending on how much water there is. Good luck if you have a cart. The walk from 8 to 9 is really long since you have to use the same creek crossing by the tee of 7 (check the map). There was also some standing water on 6, 7, and 14, with no real way from the tee to see where it was.
While I appreciate some of the long holes, a lot of them are too similar. The holes at the start and end of the course can mostly be reached with a wide RHFH/LHBH hyzer (because they play along the left side of a treeline), and while they all have their uniqueness, they're not a good way to start or finish a course. And it seems like all the par 4's have a slight dogleg. Not massive, and sometimes right or left, but it's still not great.
The open holes are also a real downer here. Holes 1, 2, and 15 are pretty much wide open, and an additional several holes have open fairways, even if there is rough nearby. Speaking of which, looking for your disc in the rough is real annoying here. Maybe it's because I played in tall grass, but don't be ashamed if you want to play more conservative shots.
Other Thoughts:
I really hope the tall grass is taken care of soon because this is a really good course if managed well. Even the annoying water and thick rough would be much more friendly if you weren't tramping through knee-high grass to get there.
Some of the open holes were probably used purely to get from one part of the course to another, but I think there could have been some better holes if a few trees were cut down in the rough and more technical shots added. The area west of holes 9 and 11 could be used for this, and it could potentially mean holes 7 and 8 could get taken out, which would remove the worst of the creek crossings and standing water.
If conditions are good, there's certainly opportunity for this course to be a word-class course, but it still has its weak spots. The good holes would suggest it is, but I think a small redesign would be needed to accomplish that. If the course could start farther to the west, near current hole 15, I think there would be more opportunity for creative shots and better ways to utilize some of the woods.
If you come here and the grass is too tall, it's probably okay to play the Yellow course instead; it starts at the same parking lot and has less problems with maintenance.
Some of the open holes were probably used purely to get from one part of the course to another, but I think there could have been some better holes if a few trees were cut down in the rough and more technical shots added. The area west of holes 9 and 11 could be used for this, and it could potentially mean holes 7 and 8 could get taken out, which would remove the worst of the creek crossings and standing water.
If conditions are good, there's certainly opportunity for this course to be a word-class course, but it still has its weak spots. The good holes would suggest it is, but I think a small redesign would be needed to accomplish that. If the course could start farther to the west, near current hole 15, I think there would be more opportunity for creative shots and better ways to utilize some of the woods.
If you come here and the grass is too tall, it's probably okay to play the Yellow course instead; it starts at the same parking lot and has less problems with maintenance.
