(2.182 Rating) A small-town course with a surprising mix of gameplay elements.
- HOLE VARIETY - For a niner, the variety at Elwell is really good. The first tee shot is light to moderately wooded. Then (2) is a moderately to heavily wooded shot that has to snake through a tight gap. Hole (3) jumps back into the open, while (4) and (5) dive back into the woods. The last four are lightly wooded park style shots with varying obstacles to game play around. For example, (6) has Spaghetti-like timbers circling the basket. I realize that these are typically referred to as Mozzarella Sticks, but I'm not aware of any discs that rhyme with Mozzarella to aid in my review title's play on words. There is one par 4 and there are some tiny creeks that dice thru the layout. Really the only missing element is elevation. Perhaps there is 10 feet of elevation change on a hole or two, although (9) does finish with a raised basket placement.
- BASIC AMENITIES - Pro28 DISCatcher baskets, Hooray! There is also a nice sized concrete pad on each hole. The park has a shelter with picnic tables and restrooms. Large playground too for the baggers traveling with kids.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - The tee signs are basic, but super detailed ones are not really needed for this type of course. The signs are number and distance only, but they are large and readable from a good distance. I don't recall any navigational aids between holes, but most transitions are so short it won't matter. The park is also smaller, perhaps only 7 acres, thus even if someone does head the wrong way, it's not like they are going to be wondering around forever. I would call the course cart friendly, but players may need to drag the cart across a shallow 3 foot wide likely dry creek on occasion.
- QUICK PLAY - Like most 9ers, Elwell goes quick. I could see solos playing it the first time in about 20 to 25 minutes. Groups of 4 will be finished in well under an hour.

Small park niner deficiencies, but a solid niner.
- SMALL PARK - Elwell is not blessed with a sprawling landscape like that of nearby Rainbow City DGC. This is a small compact park with other activities going on within it. 18 holes will never be a possibility, although a second set of tees could be a future boost in appeal. The land here to me, just lacks the dynamics that an average 18 holer can bring.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I went with 40 percentile. Just not a big enough park with a vast array of defining elements to score higher on my ledger. There are some big trees and a super small creek, but most courses can claim these aspects. Also, lots of manmade structures in view the entire time.
- MISC - I think the course needs a simple course map posted by tee (1), There is a decent gap between (5) and (6) that may have first timers struggling a bit. I think the last four holes are significantly blander than the beginning five-hole stretch. I generally like it when courses finish strong. Someone planted new shrubs adjacent to the tee on the last four holes and they are crowding the tee pad. On a positive note, I doubt the shrubs will survive. Tee (6) was out of commission for my play due to construction. I didn't take off score for this as its temporary and it will likely be cleaned up by this coming summer. It would also be nice to get a bench or two behind a couple of tees.

Elwell is a good nine-hole course in my opinion. The designer Lavone Wolfe didn't get much to work with here, but I think he nearly maximized what was achievable on what was likely a small budget. Overall to me, this is a strong 2.0 course. Perhaps I would have considered a weak 2.5 if the city could have afforded a two-tee element. No need for the destination course bagger to head this way, but a nice notch for the bagger that feels the need to throw 500 or more different courses. Parts of the course sort-of reminds me of North Alabama courses such as The Outback, Pinson, Golden Bear, and Lifepoint, but with a touch of its own unique elements.