The recently added Boland Park course makes a fifth nine-holer in the Greater South Bend area, and the fairly flat and lightly wooded layout is a nice offering for those new to the sport.

With the space available, the Boland course does a decent job of utilizing a few trees and keeping the fairways reasonably separate. Four of the holes are between 200 and 250 feet, so even beginners should score a few pars, at least.

The first hole is one of the best, as the teepad area is behind a decent-sized mound and the fairway runs downhill, which prompts a bit of shot-shaping. The final hole is also a decent play, as the basket is on a modest slope, which rewards accuracy and angle control.

The field used for the course seems to be mainly for disc golf.

The parking lot is near the Hole #1 tee area, and Hole #9 ends near the parking lot too. Rounds of less than 30 minutes are quite likely here, if desired.

The orientation of the hole signs to the fairway varies, so a couple times, it's not immediately obvious where the next basket is without consulting the overall map. Also, the tee areas are grass and without any markings, so it becomes a game of "where exactly do we throw from?"

Most of the holes are open with just a few trees to navigate.

The first two and last two holes are near a soccer field; if there are recreational games played there, a few of the holes might not be playable.

There are a few mandos – on Holes #5 and #8 – that are placed to avoid interfering with other fairways, but the mandos aren't necessary if the course is empty.

There is some thick rough bordering the park, which could come into play on several holes with errant throws.

Boland Park is ideal for beginners. It's a basic design that doesn't do much wrong but gets a lower rating due to its simple game play and lack of teepads.