Pros:
- Countryside Park DGC contains a nice mix of moderate elevation, open holes of decent length (475', 521', 675'), shorter technical holes in a tightly wooded area, and a few well-placed water hazards. The longer open holes are well-suited for those with a bigger arm, while the thickly wooded back nine places an emphasis on placement, accuracy, and consistency. A large hill dominates the more open section of park. A thick patch of poorly drained woods comprises the bulk of the back nine. A small pond sits in the middle of the park.
-Great use of elevation, right from the get-go. #1 is a short uphill ace-run that offers a unique starting hole I've not seen elsewhere. #2 plays alongside the hill on a short downhill putter shot with some nasty roughage behind the pin. This hole's green is pretty fast and nasty, and will have you thinking twice about being cavalier about the tee shot. #3 likewise plays alongside the hillside (slightly uphill). #4 is one of the true gems, with a long downhill bomber (elevation like this is fairly scarce in northwestern Indiana) across an open field. The pin sits precariously in front of a drop-off to the lake. #6's pin is raised on a small grassy mogul. Again, the water comes into play on rollaways and blow-bys.
- Great use of water. Pins 4 and 6 are placed so that water comes into play on poor shots. #7 has a small water carry (that can be avoided by playing around vs. over) and another green where there's potential to get wet on an errant throw. #17's pin has the pond directly behind as well.
- The rest of the course plays mostly through a thick patch of muddy woodland. #9 tees off from the woods into an open grassy area on the back side of the park, and then 10-17 play through the woods, with 18 emerging from the forest and playing alongside the pond one final time.
- Good signage makes navigation a snap.
Cons:
-Gravel tees are not the worst I've seen, and I'm guessing an upgrade is in the works for this fairly new course; I'll adjust my rating accordingly when they are implemented.
- Poor flow/safety in a few areas. Similar to Hidden Lake, the designer makes a conscious decision to sacrifice flow and safety in order to squeeze out the best available bits of land. #3 and #5's pins are in pretty close proximity, with #5's pin definitely reachable from #3's tee on a slightly off-target throw or a bit of wind. The fact that neither pin is visible from the tee adds to the safety issue. #5 requires a backtrack down the fairway to reach #6's tee. Finally, and most alarming, is the cluster of tees and pins around #13-16...this is a cluster of unsafe design if I've ever seen one. Be cautious in this section when the leaves are out and visibility is low.
- Poor drainage in the wooded areas make the back nine mucky, mosquito-y, and a bit unpleasant to play. A maintenance worker (not a discer, though) mentioned that work was underway to help alleviate this. Perhaps French drains or something similar will be put into place?
- A couple of the wooded holes seem almost too tight (and I enjoy tightly wooded holes) without much of a line to hit. #17 seemed especially awkward, with a 90-degree turn to the left. This course is still very new and is probably still being tweaked...I imagine some of the lines will open with time and play.
Other Thoughts:
- This course fulfills a much needed niche in NW disc golf: elevation and water. The pros definitely outweigh any cons, and make this a fun course of moderate difficulty and moderate skill-level. Beginners could shoot well here with plenty of birdie opportunities, but the wooded section will make certain you're on point...or else. Overall, a positive, much-appreciated addition that puts a fun course on the map between Rogers Lakewood and Lemon Lake.