---two sets of tees; highly recommend playing the long (yellow) tees, where even par is a good score
---multiple pin placements on ten of the holes
---lots of water for scenery and challenge
---several huge oak trees to throw around, some 200+ years old
---elevated green on #11
---under 4 miles from Bourbon Street

---the short tees are too easy for advanced players, but with water on the first four holes, it's too hard for first-time players
---tees can get muddy after a rain

How "quickly" one can get jaded and not appreciate the beauty and challenge of the disc golf course at City Park. Sure, it's no 5-star destination course but it's definitely above average, with good baskets and a lively local scene. The course is maintained by NO Team, otherwise known as New Orleans Disc Golf Club, who donated all the baskets and tees and labor to get the course installed at City Park. It's a true team effort out there with a lot of volunteer spirit.

Perhaps City Park's most definitive challenge is its water hazards. These factor into numerous holes in a variety of ways, be it bordering fairways (1 short, 18), forcing some intense water carry (1 long, 3, 4), providing a further mid-fairway consideration (2), or 3's distinctive peninsula green. Intermittent trees further complicate these hazards, either forcing low shots from off the tee or directing your line onto unsafe paths. The often-windy conditions make these hazards even harder to avoid, and transform that huge hyzer shot you want to throw into a sail that may be carried into the stygian abyss. Be sure to bring a few discs you wouldn't mind losing, although the local club does a good job of regularly fishing out lost discs and calling the numbers thereon.

Sprawling oaks throughout the course shield pins, force shots low to the ground, make for a few tight windows, and require some huge arcing throws. There are a few tight lanes (5, 6, 15), some rough-guarded fairways (12-14), and occasional sidewalk OB (9, 10). Although the tree cover is too open to regularly provide challenging approaches, thoughtful tee and pin placement make for numerous challenging and varied shots from off the tee. You'll tee off with everything from putters to distance drivers irregardless of your arm, especially if playing from the long tees, which provide some nice distance and some challenging par 3s.

Speaking of which: the two sets of tees encompass a wide range of skill levels and often provide satisfyingly different looks at the basket. Big arms will get the opportunity to stretch out and shape lines on extended scales. A few forced water carries on the long tees will separate the contenders from the pretenders. Short tees aren't babied, and offer their own hair-raising moments and engaging shots.

Many of the holes have multiple pin placements that are regularly moved, a welcome increase in variety from the old layout.

Course is well-groomed. Parking is easy to find and ample.

City Park's biggest drawback is simply how open it is: there are too few obstacles to challenge approaches. There are many opportunities for errant drives, but recovery shots are often easy enough to save par without much difficulty. Because of the openness you can also play conservatively on many holes and preserve a decent score: many obstacles and potential hazards only really threaten if you push for birdie. This exclusively par 3 set up makes for a lot of deuce-or-die holes, especially from the short tees. The long tees also suffer from this problem, though not as much.

Although shot variety is good, some other characteristics are too self-similar. The level of woodedness doesn't exceed a moderate threshold, and there's a complete lack of par 4s and 5s. This is simply a function of the land's limitations - park officials have a tight hold on what the designers have available to work with - so course design isn't to blame, but it's still a bummer that caps what City Park has to offer.

Navigation is not first-timer friendly. There are a lot of times where you have to walk past the closest tee to get to the next hole, especially on the back 9. Fairways never cross, but there are several points where they come uncomfortably close, requiring players to keep an eye out for each other lest an errant drive occur. Next tee indications are needed at some points.

Conflicts with park goers are not uncommon. It can be frustrating given how large and sprawling the park is that that sweet old couple or obnoxiously PDA love birds will camp off hole 16, but it happens. Yearly events such as races and concerts can turn part of the course into a parking lot or throw up temporary fencing that conflicts with a few holes. It's not an issue on a weekly basis but it does occur.

The course doesn't drain well, a problem amplified by the natural tees. These tees are fine in dry conditions but really hinder play in the days after a rain.

As a local, I'm psyched about a new layout that breaks the old course's routine and provides better-integrated long tees and multiple pin positions. But I recognize that this course has its limitations, mostly due to the relatively open environment. There's enough technicality here to engage - the course has a bunch of smartly designed, risk/reward birdie runs - but not enough to provide a high level experience. As stated, that's not the designers' fault, it's just the function of having a course in a major city's park in the flat Gulf south.

If you're visiting the city, this is by far the most convenient course to visit, and the only area course accessible by public transportation. The Pines in Mandeville is probably my favorite, but it's a 45 minute drive from the city.

Feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like a course guide.