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Bryan Memorial Park reviews
4
0
A Tale of 2 courses 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 24, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
This course is interesting. It's more like playing two 9-hole courses in one park vs one 18-hole course. The front 9 is very demanding with lots of flex lines and tight wooded lines. The back 9 is much more open and offers a very different feel. Adds a lot of variety
Other things to like:
-concrete pads
-navigation arrows on the baskets
-shot variety
It's a decent course that would probably rate a 4.0 except for some sizable issues discussed below
Other things to like:
-concrete pads
-navigation arrows on the baskets
-shot variety
It's a decent course that would probably rate a 4.0 except for some sizable issues discussed below
Cons:
There are 2 big problems with this course and a third that I can somewhat look past but still worth a mention
1. Signage! As noted in previous reviews. This course has Zero signage on the front 9. Just a pole. As I mentioned above. This course feels like 2 courses and the front 9 is definitely the more difficult 9 and it's the part you would want signs with distance and pin position relative to the tee pad if you could only have 9 tee signs. Many of the pins cannot been seen from the tee unless you wonder out into the fairway a bit This is a Gateway specialty. Dave and whoever else at Gateway assists with course design, really like to put baskets around corners or just tucked behind a tree or just into the woods where it cannot be seen from the tee. Courses like La Vista, Lake Pittsfield, this one, the list goes on and on. It's not always a bad thing but the annoyance level goes through the roof when you have to wonder down the fairway wondering where the basket is and especially annoying when you don't know how far away it could be. This was especially frustrating on Hole 5 where there's a gap into the field and then a decent field to throw across and then a bunch of woods I thought I saw the basket off to the right so I threw what I thought was a great roller that pancaked exactly as I wanted it only to discover when I got to my lie that the basket was nowhere to be seen. Took me about a minute of looking around to see that the basket was buried in the trees on the opposite side of the field. Add some signs to the front nine that show distance, pin position relative to the tee pad and maybe where roads/ditches are and this would be 3.5 star
-My 2nd issue is the baskets. I saw a previous reviewer saying they like these baskets...mystifying. The baskets are not good. They will cost you strokes. Most, I found, are not level. They also have a smaller basket compared to most Gateway Titans and the chains are very heavy and a bit too tight. They spit putts that are dead center directly back at you. I had 2 today that bounced out from center chains. They also do not catch anything hitting left side thrown with any power. Again, the chains just don't have enough give/flex to allow the basket to catch a disc. They are too rigid and discs just slip right off. I wish there was a way to upload a video on this review to provide evidence. I say go to the course and just throw a bunch of putts. There is also no practice basket that I saw to warm up on these types of baskets so you know how to adjust your putt so these catch. I found I had to throw lofty putts and try to basically hit with no chains straight into the basket if I was outside 15 feet. My normal putt was just bouncing out right side..... changing these baskets to Veterans or Disc-catchers would add another .5 and bump this to a 4.
1. Signage! As noted in previous reviews. This course has Zero signage on the front 9. Just a pole. As I mentioned above. This course feels like 2 courses and the front 9 is definitely the more difficult 9 and it's the part you would want signs with distance and pin position relative to the tee pad if you could only have 9 tee signs. Many of the pins cannot been seen from the tee unless you wonder out into the fairway a bit This is a Gateway specialty. Dave and whoever else at Gateway assists with course design, really like to put baskets around corners or just tucked behind a tree or just into the woods where it cannot be seen from the tee. Courses like La Vista, Lake Pittsfield, this one, the list goes on and on. It's not always a bad thing but the annoyance level goes through the roof when you have to wonder down the fairway wondering where the basket is and especially annoying when you don't know how far away it could be. This was especially frustrating on Hole 5 where there's a gap into the field and then a decent field to throw across and then a bunch of woods I thought I saw the basket off to the right so I threw what I thought was a great roller that pancaked exactly as I wanted it only to discover when I got to my lie that the basket was nowhere to be seen. Took me about a minute of looking around to see that the basket was buried in the trees on the opposite side of the field. Add some signs to the front nine that show distance, pin position relative to the tee pad and maybe where roads/ditches are and this would be 3.5 star
-My 2nd issue is the baskets. I saw a previous reviewer saying they like these baskets...mystifying. The baskets are not good. They will cost you strokes. Most, I found, are not level. They also have a smaller basket compared to most Gateway Titans and the chains are very heavy and a bit too tight. They spit putts that are dead center directly back at you. I had 2 today that bounced out from center chains. They also do not catch anything hitting left side thrown with any power. Again, the chains just don't have enough give/flex to allow the basket to catch a disc. They are too rigid and discs just slip right off. I wish there was a way to upload a video on this review to provide evidence. I say go to the course and just throw a bunch of putts. There is also no practice basket that I saw to warm up on these types of baskets so you know how to adjust your putt so these catch. I found I had to throw lofty putts and try to basically hit with no chains straight into the basket if I was outside 15 feet. My normal putt was just bouncing out right side..... changing these baskets to Veterans or Disc-catchers would add another .5 and bump this to a 4.
Other Thoughts:
This should be a 4 star course. It has most of the elements spot on. Course design is solid. There are lines and you are punished, especially on the front 9, if you miss them.
I really want to like this course but it desperately needs tee signs at a minimum. Might be better now that I've played it but you shouldn't have to play a course once just so you could see where the pins are.
I really want to like this course but it desperately needs tee signs at a minimum. Might be better now that I've played it but you shouldn't have to play a course once just so you could see where the pins are.
