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Orlando, FL

Gordon Barnett Park - Parkside

3.385(based on 8 reviews)
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Gordon Barnett Park - Parkside reviews

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The Drake
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21 years 126 played 61 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Significant Improvements 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 8, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Great new design with a back 9 that adds significant difficulty to the course while still be a pretty sweet "beginner" type course
-Tee pads are well designed, concrete, and flush with the ground to accommodate most any player.
-Huge variety in shot selection, shaping, and disc utilization. You'll need most discs in your bag to complete a round here and won't get bored with repetitive shots. You may even lose a disc in one of the many water holes.
-Some really picturesque holes to help tie the course together
-A good challenge even for advanced and pro level players. Though top pros would torch the course, if you're a lower level pro like myself or advanced player you'll definitely walk away feeling like it was a course worth playing
-As it's in a public park there are actually several bathroom options both at the front of the course as well as midway through
-If you bring the family there are a couple of playgrounds, basketball courts, a skate park, soccer/football field, dog park and many many other amenities to keep everyone entertained.

Cons:

-The new redesign has not been adjusted on most of the apps including this one or UDisc so it can be tough to navigate some of the transitions.
-Tee signs are bad or non-existent for many holes so you're kind of guessing on distances and where to go.
-The pro tee for 18 literally plays between the am and pro pad of 12 which was REALLY confusing for me the first time I played the course blind and by myself.
-Hole 14 is just a dud and feels like they ran out of room but needed to put in another hole to avoid only having 17 holes

Other Thoughts:

Truth be told I've actually played both this course and it's sister course (Northside) several times though this is my first review of either. I've always enjoyed the courses but with so many other/better options in Orlando I just don't play them often. I had recently seen an upgrade to the course on another platform and decided to check out Parkside again. It was 100% worth it and I'll definitely be back. What used to be hole 10 is now hole 1 and the back 9 is almost completely different than the original layout. The addition of the main lakes by parks and rec has added a significant element to the course which easily boosts the difficulty level and greatly enhances the pucker factor on the tee. For the seasoned player these water hazards won't make or break your round as they are easily avoidable but they will absolutely test you and add a bit of stress to the round.

Hole 18 is in my opinion one of THE best finishing holes I've ever played and that's having played over 100+ courses to date. It's 100% fair but both the initial tee shot AND the approach will test you. Accuracy and not distance prevail.

Really the only knocks on the course are things that will be fixed in the future which are tee signs and directional signage. I would definitely like to see something different done with hole 14 as it's a super short, semi-technical (but not really) hole and just feels like it was thrown in at the last minute. Otherwise I wouldn't change anything. If you're in the Orlando area and don't mind playing a course with multiple water hazards you really can't go wrong with this course.
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