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Freeman Field DGC reviews
17
0
Weird, But Reasonable
Reviewed:
Played on:Nov 11, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
(1.906 Rating) An open and lightly wooded niner with some modest length.
- HOLE VARIETY - This aspect is below average in my opinion, but for a niner its above average and I was looking diligently for some pros. There's a nice mix of distances, from the mid 200s to the low 500s. Mostly open holes, but also a couple lightly wooded ones and (9) is moderately wooded. Water is in play once on (1), but it'll be an easy clear for everyone except beginners.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - Although small and mildly inaccurate, the tee signs here do their job at providing a distance and hole number. No next tee direction on them, but the next tee is always fairly close by. I had no issues figuring the course out.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - I think new players won't be turned off by this course. There a very few areas to get into major trouble. I think the ideal target audience is MA3s and MA4s.
- MAINTENANCE - The park grounds were well maintained for my appearance.
- HOLE VARIETY - This aspect is below average in my opinion, but for a niner its above average and I was looking diligently for some pros. There's a nice mix of distances, from the mid 200s to the low 500s. Mostly open holes, but also a couple lightly wooded ones and (9) is moderately wooded. Water is in play once on (1), but it'll be an easy clear for everyone except beginners.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - Although small and mildly inaccurate, the tee signs here do their job at providing a distance and hole number. No next tee direction on them, but the next tee is always fairly close by. I had no issues figuring the course out.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - I think new players won't be turned off by this course. There a very few areas to get into major trouble. I think the ideal target audience is MA3s and MA4s.
- MAINTENANCE - The park grounds were well maintained for my appearance.
Cons:
There are several moderate issues with Freeman.
- FINISH FROM PARKING - Basket (9) is a quarter mile walk to the parking lot. That didn't sit well with me. I guess it is what it is.
- TEE AND BASKET SEPERATION - Several tees are within striking range of an errant throw. The issue is not epic bad, but it's far from ideal.
- MISSED OPPORTUNITIES - The heavy woods along the west boundary of the layout were nearly completely ignored. The spacing issues on (6) and (7) could have been easily avoided had the tee for (7) been plopped in the woods.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I scored this aspect roughly 35 percentile. Again, I wish the woods were used more effectively. A couple holes are featureless bombs and there are no gleaming backdrops unless horizon-line cornfields count. The course is extremely flat and the water feature will likely only be in play after a big rain. The creek was bone dry when I played here.
- AMENITIES - The baskets were good new MachVs. The tees are gravel and they have some modest pitting developing already. There is probably a restroom in the park, but it's likely over by the baseball diamond and thus a 500-foot walk from tee (1), its closest point to the course. Also a shelter with picnic tables. This concludes the amenities and extras portion.
- PAR STRUCTURE - First, I want to note that I don't take off points for weird par structures. However, whomever decided on the par figures here either doesn't play, or only has a 175-foot arm. A 390-foot par 5 is laughable. An openish, and Sub 300-foot par 4, is equivalent to clown car level hysteria. An experienced designer I think would have had this layout keyed to a par 29, instead of a par 37.
- TIME PLAY - Due to the length and distance (9) finishes from the parking lot, this one will take far longer than the average niner. It was almost 40 minutes for me solo, car to car, and I am a quick player.
- FINISH FROM PARKING - Basket (9) is a quarter mile walk to the parking lot. That didn't sit well with me. I guess it is what it is.
- TEE AND BASKET SEPERATION - Several tees are within striking range of an errant throw. The issue is not epic bad, but it's far from ideal.
- MISSED OPPORTUNITIES - The heavy woods along the west boundary of the layout were nearly completely ignored. The spacing issues on (6) and (7) could have been easily avoided had the tee for (7) been plopped in the woods.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I scored this aspect roughly 35 percentile. Again, I wish the woods were used more effectively. A couple holes are featureless bombs and there are no gleaming backdrops unless horizon-line cornfields count. The course is extremely flat and the water feature will likely only be in play after a big rain. The creek was bone dry when I played here.
- AMENITIES - The baskets were good new MachVs. The tees are gravel and they have some modest pitting developing already. There is probably a restroom in the park, but it's likely over by the baseball diamond and thus a 500-foot walk from tee (1), its closest point to the course. Also a shelter with picnic tables. This concludes the amenities and extras portion.
- PAR STRUCTURE - First, I want to note that I don't take off points for weird par structures. However, whomever decided on the par figures here either doesn't play, or only has a 175-foot arm. A 390-foot par 5 is laughable. An openish, and Sub 300-foot par 4, is equivalent to clown car level hysteria. An experienced designer I think would have had this layout keyed to a par 29, instead of a par 37.
- TIME PLAY - Due to the length and distance (9) finishes from the parking lot, this one will take far longer than the average niner. It was almost 40 minutes for me solo, car to car, and I am a quick player.
Other Thoughts:
Freeman Field will do for the locals, but it's not a course to seek out unless one lives within a half hour from here. A decent hit for baggers, although it's not directly accessible from I65. Overall, to me it's a weak 2.0 on the ratings curve. Considering the land and budget, a strong 2.0 should have been achievable. Oh well. A weird course in my opinion, it really didn't closely remind me of any niner I've played. The goof-ball par figures did however remind me of nearby Linza Graham.
