Pros:
Wooded course with some use of elevation
Cons:
No signage, course still in development.
Other Thoughts:
For rating a course I base my ratings on 50% design, 20% course upkeep, 10% basket, tee, tee sign, and signage, 10% amenities, and 10% that special something that defines a course.
Intro:
Coggshall Park is a new course being developed in an unused section of Coggshall Park. Entrance is through a long unused gate to a long ignored area of the park. The work was started in the Summer of 2009 and so far there are nine holes in playable condition. Over the next year the course is planned to expand to 18 holes with full baskets. I understand that the City of Fitchburg may also consider a second course in another area of town depending on the results of this course. This review will change based on the work being done and the current condition of the course as of my "last played" date.
Design:
The course is a wooded course. There is a mix of both right and left hand doglegs. Some holes feature minor elevation drops and one involves a steep elevation change. Target areas are mostly clear and level with no chance of a missed put rolling away down a hill. Fairways are loosely defined with multiple routes available. There are no water shots and the only water on the course are run off areas that may be dry, wet, or damp depending on the day and recent weather. The course has more of a feeling of buckets simply placed in the woods than well designed and executed holes.
Course Upkeep:
Being a new course there has been very little upkeep since the holes were originally created. Fairways are not as defined as they should be with saplings dotting the course. Brush from the previous clearing of the fairway still remain. Trash was observed already such as an empty alcohol container and an empty chewing tobacco container sitting in the middle of the course.
Basket, tee, tee sign, and signage:
Baskets (or in this case targets) are made out of 5 gallon buckets sitting on top of large stakes. Most of the buckets are orange making them easy to see but some of them are white which blends in with the current snow condition. The buckets also have a tendency to sit crooked on the stake unless you right it before your putt. Tees are natural tees with nailed 2x4's simply laying on the ground (not buried or staked). Tees were covered with snow and ice at time of playing so underlying condition was undetermined. There are no tee signs. There is no signage on the course whatsoever such as hole number or direction to next tee.
Amenities:
The parking lot at the gate to the park is small and can accommodate about 4 cars. In fact, it's not a parking lot at all but the area off the road to a barricaded unused entrance to this area of the park. If this course grows to more golfer traffic, the City of Fitchburg will need to either enlarge the parking area or open the gate to allow vehicle traffic to enter the course lest people be forced to park on a busy street. There are no picnic tables. There are no grills. There is no practice target. There is no billboard. There are no bathrooms. There are no trash receptacles. There is no source of water.
That "special something":
Right now there is no defining factor of the course. There is plenty of elevation to work with but most of the holes are relatively flat. This may be changed as the area where the next 9 holes are planned to be installed are on a large hill. No one hole stands out as a "signature" hole.
Conclusion:
This review is based on current condition of the course. I fully understand that this course in in it's infancy and look forward to seeing it grow. It is a nice start but more work needs to be done to make it worth coming back to again and again.