Pros:
Short course plays across secluded meadow in quiet nature preserve.
+ good signage includes course map near parking lot
+ alternate tees on 8 of 9 holes (a few of which force alternate shots)
+ easily negotiable layout
+ two practice baskets (spaced far enough apart to practice approach shots)
Cons:
Holes are rather simplistic, and tee pads are no longer safe.
- worn, packed dirt tees covered by rubber mats are dangerously uneven
- majority of holes are open with few obstacles
- poison ivy prevalent in patches of tall grasses and around edges of course
Other Thoughts:
INFO
Past a quaint brick entryway with an iron gate at the end of a neighborhood street lies a small nature preserve where this course occupies most of the available land for a short nine hole layout across open fields. Trees border the course on all sides and dot the middle of the meadow but only occasionally come into play. The course is level except for a raised mound on #6's green. Water hazards are a minor concern in the wooded creek beyond baskets #2-3 but do pose a potential risk near the green on #6 in the hidden pond guarded by trees. The course features several benches, and a covered pavilion near the gravel parking lot is the only other park amenity.
EVAL
Cherry Creek Nature Preserve provides a welcoming setting to introduce players to disc golf on this recreational level course. Wide fairways lead to approachable greens with few obstacles to distract or intimidate. Holes play across tall grasses in a modest, rectangular field well suited to hold the course without feeling cramped or crowded. This course shies away from play through the bordering woods and uses trees sparingly in its design. Play obviously focuses on open shots favorable to beginners, making this course less preferable or challenging for more advanced players. Its secluded location offers a pleasant retreat for a quiet round or two of golf.
Unfortunately, many of the packed dirt tee boxes have been weathered by rain, creating rivulets and cracks beneath the rubber mats; as such they are no longer level or safe. The unspoiled aesthetics of the nature preserve lend a simple beauty to the course, though no part of the course (which is almost entirely visible from the parking lot) stands out as particularly memorable or scenic. My favorite hole is #4 since it creates an immediate challenge off the tee with its narrow, tree-filled fairway - an anomaly on this otherwise open course.
NOTE
Improved tee boxes featuring rubber mats staked atop packed dirt and rocks was a 2018 Eagle Scout service project by Mark Morales of Troop 524. The course and park are temporarily closed until October 2022 due to utility construction involving the area covering holes #1-4.
LAYOUT
Course circumnavigates a meadow bordered by trees, zig zagging counter-clockwise around a line of trees at its center. A creek within woods on the west side barely comes into play if early greens are overthrown. Holes #1-3 lead away from the parking lot and use trees behind greens as backstops. Hole #4 plays along rear boundary of park and makes good use of trees in fairway as obstacles. Hole #5 throws inward to the treed center of the meadow while hole #6 throws back out to the park boundary. (Note that a small, tree-ringed pond lies close by on left of #6's green). Hole #7 plays parallel to trees bordering east side of park. Hole #8 crosses the meadow back towards the parking lot, and final hole #9 reaches into the corner of the park past a few trees near the pavilion.