PARK DESCRIPTION - Criswell Park is a fairly large park featuring the Johnny Owens Youth Sports Complex, some areas and various buildings for maintenance, supplies, etc. The DGC plays in the wooded and bordering grassy areas at the far rear of the park.

VARIETY - There is a mix of wooded versus mostly open holes.

ELEVATION - Very little.

CHALLENGE - This is a 9-hole recreational course with holes lengths ranging from 160' to 260'. The holes in the woods are technical in nature and you will need to hit your lines.

EQUIPMENT - Five tees are natural while the other four use pre-existing concrete sidewalks, paths, etc. Tee signs are simple giving you the hole #, distance and par. Baskets are Discatchers with the yellow bands and #'s. A previous reviewer commented that some of them are pretty grungy and could be cleaned with some kind of cleaner. So true.

AESTHETICS - Yeah, it's OK. You're playing on the edge of a large athletic complex or in the woods.

FUN FACTOR - Solid enjoyable holes great for beginner or lesser skilled players.

ROUTING/NAVIGATION - # 1 starts down the road just pass the Do Not Enter Sign. I got a little turned around in the middle.

I didn't see much of a route on # 8 which plays back toward the ballfields. Just hoping to not strike anyone of the 10,000 trees which stand in you way.

A decently long hike back to your car after # 9.

Natural pads.

Navigation got a little drifty on the middle holes.

This is a fairly ho-hum course especially when compared to the plethora of tweener 18's I've had the enjoyment of playing with their beauty and wonderful hilliness. But this would probably rank as one of the more beginner friendly courses I've played on this trip.

Thanks to some recent clean-up and the replacement of the missing baskets, the Criswell Park DGC merits a short stop if you're passing through Walton County.

The first hole at Criswell has been altered from its original design. Instead of a pointless 425-foot bomber across an empty, flat field, the opener is now about half the distance. The teepad area is marked on the small road a couple hundred feet past the "Do Not Enter" sign. While the 215-footer is open to the basket, a small hill hides the basket from view.

While the teepads are listed as natural, the course does take advantage of already established concrete areas, so Holes #1, 3, 4 and 8 do have a decent concrete teepad.

There are small signs at each of the nine holes now, complete with an ancient font and the hole number spelled out (e.g. HOLE THREE). Each sign also lists the distance and par (spoiler alert: they're all par 3s).

The baskets are Innova Discatchers. While several of the baskets could use a bogey banner polish to remove the dirty exterior, the baskets on Holes #1 and #9 are new and sparkle in the sun.

Holes #5 through #7 are definitely the most wooded on the course, and the lines are a bit tight. The slightly uphill Hole #7 is the toughest of this trio, as there are several trees to navigate off the tee, and the basket is tucked in behind a couple more trees.

Hole #9 is a decent finishing hole. At 245 feet, you have the choice to throw under the branches straight at the basket or take the safer, dogleg left route to the basket placed on the edge of a small plateau.

Reaching the basket on Hole #8 might take some luck - in the form of a kind tree kick, perhaps - as the fairway makes a 45-degree-angle turn to the left halfway down the fairway.

The fairway on Hole #2 could benefit from some sprucing and trash removal.

It's a couple-minute walk back to Hole #1 and the parking area after you complete the course.

The course isn't too challenging. Holes range in distance from 163 to 260 feet. Even beginners will manage to score a birdie or two with practice, while intermediate players can leave their drivers behind and seek the perfect nine-down round if they play here frequently.

There seems to be room for a few more holes out here.

The Criswell Park DGC seems to be a good fit for the park-going crowd. This is a good course to bring novices or family; you might even skip the three wooded holes and play a fairly easygoing six-hole round.

For a six-minute walk-through of Criswell Park DGC, check out the video by Walker40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwtlZk--9N8.

Enjoyable and reasonably diverse for an 8-hole course.

-Variety/Gameplay: Criswell plays a mix of open, lightly wooded, and fully wooded holes. You go up and down, right and left, through and around trees. Most of the holes have decent lines and are fun to throw with a midrange. Distance isn't ridiculously short, ranging from about 175 to 275 (with the removal of (9) and redesign of (1)).

-Appearance: Not stellar, but pleasant enough. Gentle stands of pine and lusher woods.

It appears that Criswell has been neglected for some time.

-Signage: Most tee signs are hopelessly faded or torn. On (4) the sign is altogether missing. Some navigation cues would be helpful for the thick woods holes (5)-(7).

-Missing Basket and Hole: I was informed by the groundskeepers that basket (1) had been stolen. I concluded after searching for a few minutes (and then consulting UDisc) that hole (9) simply doesn't exist anymore. Those were the only two holes with distance over 300 ft, so their absence is a major downgrade.

-Overgrowth: Holes (5)-(7) could use some thinning out, at least around the fairways. It's much, much worse now than in the course photos.

-Line: I don't think (8) has much of a believable birdie line.

I reasonably enjoyed my short round at Criswell, and I suspect at peak condition it would be a 2.5 or even a 3.0. However, the course looks like it's been basically abandoned, leaving the modified experience less than satisfying.

Has tee signs

Natural tees were flat and fair to drive from (holes 3 & 8 have concrete/asphalt tee pads)

Good mix of open/wooded fairways with doglegs and slight elevations

Had whole course to myself on a Saturday afternoon

Well-maintained

Free parking

Some tee signs have been damaged/vandalized

No next tee signs - consult course map

Long walk from hole #9 basket to parking lot

This is a nice short course in the Walton County area that serves as a good warm-up for nearby Mathews Park or Indian Creek Park. Nice mix of elevations and fairways should make this fun to play for the rec user. I had a hard time navigating this course for the first time but playing after that is easy. Some of the lines will be challenging but fair - namely holes 3, 5, 6, and 7. Definitely not a destination course but maybe something that can be played pre or post round.

a good course for 9 holes
-Good mix of distances and Woods
-Baskets in Great shape
-not crowded at all
-2 legit par 4 holes in a game dominated by 95% par 3s
-decent signage

-no tee pads
-hard to navigate from hole 1 to 2
-too simple could have used a few Mandos

A few hundred bucks could make this course 1.5 better in my book a mando on Hole 2, painted cinder blocks and a few navigation arrows would turn this into a course I would return to a few more times.

- You have the course to yourself, giving you an opportunity to play in large groups, or to work on your putting/approach game for hours.
- You can easily finish a round in a half hour.
- A good mix of open and wooded holes
- Innova Discatcher baskets are in great shape

- Not challenging for anyone who has been playing for more than a year
- The right-hand side of the trees on hole #9 is often unplayable during baseball season due to parking overflow
- The course ends at its furthest distance from parking near hole one.
- No trail maintenance done in the woods at all. Trees are strewn across the fairways haphazardly.
- If you don't know where tee #2 is already, it will take you 15 minutes to find (from the first basket, go the opposite direction from the first tee and a bit right [think northeast relative to tee #1] into the entrance of the woods and down the railroad tie steps).

Look, this is the course closest to my house. For that reason alone, I enjoy playing here as it is the only place I can start a round at 5:30 and finish before dark during February daylight hours. Having said that, there is a bit that Walton county could do to improve this course. Criswell doesn't have enough room to facilitate 18 holes. I am appreciative of the 9 that are there.
- I would like to see holes 5 and 6 lengthened to take advantage of some surrounding woods that are underutilized.
- Stop letting horses on the fairway on 5. Often the manure blends in with the leaves and you end up with a green cake on your shoes.
- Multiple pin placements could get this up to a 3, maybe a 3.5 if other things are improved.
- Make hole 1 a 550' hole with the basket tucked into the woods near where tee #2 is now. That would be a pretty sweet signature hole for any course. Little bits of imagination like this could elevate this course to attract more than just a local like me.

• Fun little 9-holer that is great for a quick round
• Mix of open, tightly wooded, and semi-wooded holes
• Natural tee pads are level, well defined and in good shape
• Good signage, easy to follow flow without a map
• Shiny new DisCatchers
• Wooded fairways well defined and cleared; open hole fairway grass mowed low
• Somewhat challenging considering the shortness of most holes and the available land
• Clean multi use park with walking trails, baseball and equestrian
• Family and beginner friendly; almost zero chance of losing a disc

• Natural tee pads, no amenities
• A few NexT signs would be very helpful
• Long walk back to parking lot from final basket
• Probably not very challenging to the pro-level player

Great little course to get in a quick round. There is enough variety that makes this course a good candidate for practicing a variety of shots without having to invest the time and effort required with a larger course. I would not recommend making a trip just to play this course, but if you are in the area or playing the nearby Matthews Park (which is worthy of making a special trip), check out Criswell and have a good time.