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Winchester, IN

Goodrich Park DGC

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3.55(based on 4 reviews)
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Goodrich Park DGC reviews

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nothinbuttree
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.1 years 153 played 36 reviews
3.50 star(s)

When 21 is better than 27,,, 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Goodrich Park is a 27 hole course in Winchester, IN. It plays alongside one small creek and a couple holes play by a fast flowing small river (or large creek). The course and park seem fairly well maintained, and the disc golf (for rec and int players) is quite solid.
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> Decent shot variety and hole distances.
> Uses the limited elevation and creek fairly well
> Water hazard (creek) on several holes, but not a lost disc if you do get wet
> The lettered holes offer a nice wooded change of pace from the more lightly wooded main course
> Good baskets and teepads, benches every hole

Cons:

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> Holes 5-10 could easily be removed, without losing any course integrity or interest.
> Some tee signs frankly need removed--very old, offer no information

Other Thoughts:

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BASICS:
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>Teepads--Concrete, most are fairly long, good condition. There are two teepads per hole
>Baskets--Dynamic Veterans, red and gray colored, all catch fine. There are two pin positions on each hole. Not clear which one you are playing, but MOST of the baskets are visible from the teepad. The holes that have the newer tee signs make this much more clear.
># holes--27. In general, I am not a fan of 27 hole courses, as that number often feels like some absolute target, whether or not all the holes add value or not. Holes #5-10 seem to fall into that bucket here. To get to them, you have to cross a street, back across a bridge to play two holes, then back across the bridge again to play 4 more, then back across the road to get back where you started at the end of hole 4. All these holes are pretty basic straight shots, with only one or zero trees in play on each hole. My son, playing with me, asked at the beginning of hole 8, "didn't we just play this", because it looks exactly like hole 7. If you want to save 30 minutes without losing any shot variety, feel free to skip these 6 holes. This would make a great 21 hole course.
>Setting--Free to play city park, which has a lot of other things going on as well (swimming pool, fields, tennis and basketball courts, a large playground and a smaller one, a walking path, and a beautiful creek going through the course, which does come into play on quite a few holes.
>Elevation--Not much, but what IS there is used really well. You won't get tired from hills, but they spice up several shots.
>Distance of holes--Good variety, though no real 'bomber' holes from the short tees. The long tees add a little distance to some holes, but again, would not say any true grip and rip holes here. Especially with the sporadic trees present on most holes.
>Ease of getting to--Right in town. Park near the large playground, just past the swimming pool, and across from the school.
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AMENITIES:
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>Parking--Lots of parking, at several places throughout the course, including hole 1.
>Bathrooms--Several, most I have ever seen at a course before.
>Water/food nearby--Yes, plenty of choices in town, nothing on-site though.
>Clubhouse/disc shop--No.
>Benches--Yes, on every hole, on both teepads.
>Trash cans--Sprinkled throughout park.
>Bag holders--No.
>Tee signs--Some have good signs, showing both long and short tees, and both basket positions, and sort of an aerial view of the hole. However, some are very old wooded signs one can barely read, and offer no real help at all. Definitely a mixed bag.
>Next tee direction/signs--Most baskets have indicators, which did seem mostly accurate, though some wandering about still resulted.
>Wheelchair/cart friendly--No, yes.
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COURSE PLAY:
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>Shot variety--Pretty good mix, though no large doglegs were present, just more slight fades/turns. Someone who can throw a Roc 250' on a line will score quite well here. The lettered holes REALLY should be played, they are some of the better holes on the course, even if you aren't a huge woods fan--there are no really tight lines, but definitely more shot shaping than the rest of the course.
>Layout, long walks (inc back to car), loops--Holes 1-18 form the basic loop, though as mentioned, leaving out holes 5-10 reduces your walk quite a bit without sacrificing any good holes. Holes A (Alpha) through I (India) form their own loop, and start on the left, just after hole 17 (look to the left from the short teepad on 18).
>Total distance walked--3.3 miles. One of the longest courses I have played, but it is 27 holes.
>Ease of finding next tee/basket--A bit tricky on a few holes, owing to the two teepads and pin positions on each hole. Most, but not all, baskets can be seen from the short tees, a few less from the long tees. DGCR has the best map I was able to find online. There is a course map on hole one, but it was quite large and a bit faded, hard to see with the sun behind us. Take several pictures of it, as there is good detail there.
>General difficulty--Definitely a rec level course overall, especially from the short tees. The longer ones for the most part add about 50' on average, so those could challenge INT players as well. The wooded holes are fair, and most can be reached with a decent drive.
>Mud/water issues--Did not seem bad, the areas along the creek do seem to stay soggy though.
>Water or O/B to contend with--There are a few mandos in play, the course is more enjoyable playing those IMHO. Salt Creek meanders through the course, and comes into play on 7 or 8 holes. The good news is the creek is clear and mostly shallow, making discs easily retrievable. Two holes, 'E' and 'F', play along the White River, which is fast, deep and murky, and any discs landing in there are likely gone. Hole F especially is a very likely lost disc, moreso from the long tee, but even from the short. A floater won't help because the river moves fast. Also worth mentioning is the basket on hole 13 is literally 40' from where cars park for an adjacent house. And they are to the left of basket as well (which is partially blind and up a small hill). Also, hole 16 plays very close to a road, and the forehand route from the short tee basically takes you over this street, so be careful to check for cars first.
>Difficult rough/lost disc risk--Very low, except on holes E and F (see above).
>Scrape/scratch risk--Low.
>How busy was course/park--Amazingly few disc golfers seen on a picture perfect SAT, BUT...there had been a tournament that morning, so possible that kept numbers low.
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OVERALL:
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>Fun/enjoyment factor, would I play again? Yes, though honestly I would skip holes 5-10 next time. They are boring and repetitive and require a fair amount of extra walking for the low amount of value added.
>Who will this course challenge? Rec and intermediate players mostly.
>Is it worth a drive? Yes, 1-2 hours seems reasonable. The disc golf itself is 4 star, but some issues bring it down just a bit.
>Anything unique? Hole 17 has a basket IN a hollowed out tree, quite interesting. Hole 'C' is a wooded hole, with the basket up on stump, but with a nice group of sentry saplings forcing a little shot shaping to get inside the circle.
>Would be a half star higher with--Better signage, less confusion on where to throw and next teepad, getting rid of some filler holes, and just being a 21 hole course.

I am in my 50s, 95 or so courses played, 875ish.
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