Pros:
- full color tee signs with maps at every tee
- dual concrete tees for every hole
- decent pond water hazard on hole 2
- well maintained park with disc golf area mostly off on its own
- Innova DISCatcher baskets with visible red rims in good shape
- 3 pin positions per hole, current one marked on tee sign
- dumpster for garbage, pavilion with picnic tables
- bathrooms, though locked in certain seasons
- navigation straightforward with next tee arrows on baskets
- some good technical challenge on a few wooded holes, with others mostly open
- some decent natural beauty from large pine trees
Cons:
- some taller grass could be mowed shorter
- mostly flat with only some limited elevation change
- moderate safety hazard with blind tee shot/road on hole 6, as well as play near road on 7
- hole 9 also throws near road and over entryway
- while a respectable course, no particular wow factor
- not a ton of technical challenge on the majority of the course, which is pretty open
Other Thoughts:
I came to Crooked Creek Lake for a few reasons - reviews were generally high, but by those with almost no review history. There also weren't many reviews overall, and limited pictures. I had a feeling this course was being scored too high, but some people obviously enjoyed it so I wanted to check it out. One big con here is that it's not particularly close to some of the other excellent courses in the Pittsburgh area. In hindsight, I'm not sure it's worth the drive out here for 9 holes.
This is a quality course, and one I'd gladly play again. It is nowhere near the 4.5 level quality several people gave it - anyone who goes and plays Moraine State Park or Deer Lakes would see this quickly. It's right there between a 2.5 and a 3 for me. It's fun and has some decent shots incorporated, but it isn't going to overly challenge an experienced player anywhere. It is a quick round though.
This is a pretty decent size park and it seems like some of the holes that play near the park paths/roads, such as 6/7/9, could have been moved to avoid them. Granted, I saw nobody on these roads while playing, but I still like to avoid hazards when possible. Hole 6 is a blind shot with a road right next to it that I thought was particularly risky. This is the other main con of the course.
With that said, it's not every day you see a 9 hole course with dual concrete tees and 3 pin positions per hole. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen this, and it makes me wonder if they will eventually expand it to 18. The pin position marked with hardware on the sign is a trend I really like and hope to see on more courses over the years. It requires a bit more maintenance, but if you're going to regularly move baskets around anyway, it's a nice touch. I just wish DGCR scoring handled multiple basket placements a bit better.
I enjoyed the pond hazard on hole 2, which is relatively low risk but requires some card. Holes 3 and 8 in particular had some nice wooded challenge, as well as the beginning of 9. I am a sucker for the wooded, more technical shots. While the rest of the course was fairly open and flat, there were some mature pine trees in the mix and it's a nice park with some basic amenities.
When I was here on a Thursday afternoon, the park was not very busy, but 2 other groups came through. I'd expect this to generally not be too crowded which I always prefer. The red tees mostly just give a shorter distance (which I took advantage of, as I'd already done Cuyahoga NP and Moraine State Park earlier in the day). The white tees sometimes offer a different look, such as with hole 2's pond shot, increasing the water hazard from the other side of the pond a bit. However, most just add 20 feet on to your shots, so they aren't necessarily game changers. Still, nice to have the options for different arms.
If you are nearby, I wouldn't hesitate to throw a quick round at Crooked Creek Lake, though I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I skipped going to the other side of Pittsburgh for Two Mile Run Extension to come to this one, and I'm not convinced that was the right choice. It is a quality, high-side of average course if you are in the vicinity.