Pros:
(1.851 Rating) An MA4 level church niner with nice variety.
- HOLE VARIETY FOR A NINER - This is one of those courses one plays and they come away with after round thoughts like "Well that was interesting." Not interesting in like a grandeur way, but more of a perplexed kind of way. This was the first time I've played a hole through a paint ball field. Or at least it seemed like a paint ball field, as there are lots of tire stacks, a car, a fort and pallet walls. Hole (6) is a fun chip-shot ace run through tight woods and slanted terrain. (7) offers a right skipping hook shot, (1) throws over trees and (9) had a water feature on the left and right. I played nearby Dawnville on the same day as here and they share many attributes, like amenities and challenge level. It was the variety of why I've scored this course a touch higher over that one.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - This track is a bit nicer looking than the typical niner and the typical church course in my opinion. There's a fountain in view on tee (9). Hole (6) in the woods looked serene. Many of the remainder, were pleasant as well. Although I only scored the beauty aspect average, the atmosphere was far from being a detractor.
- NAVIGATION - Good enough except for around hole (6). Most next tees can be easily seen from the prior basket. The only tricky spot I thought was after (5) as I didn't see the next tee sign right away and ended up having to check the map on my phone. After finishing (6), tee (7) can't be seen either, although the path leading away seemed intuitive. Watch out for the mini tree stumps on this path.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Yes, sort-of, except for hole (9).
- QUICK PLAY - I logged 20 minutes here and was back on the course bagging trail.
Cons:
Not complex or developed enough to garner a better rating.
- MILD GAMEPLAY - Hole (1) offers an interesting shot angle, but (2) and especially (3), had the bland dynamics of flat open and short. (4) was ok, but it would be no better than an average hole on an average course. (6) and (9) were cool, but very short. The remainder felt like run-of-the-mill shots. The challenges presented seemed best for MA4s with some blend over appeal to MA3s.
- LOST DISC POTENTIAL - Hole (9) is going to eat plastic. The water on the right is a creek with high fish-out potential. The water on the left however, is a pond. I somewhat enjoyed the hole, but it felt out of place on this course considering the target audience. Beginners should skip hole (9). Outside of (9), there are a few spots of heavy overgrowth. Throwing one well into a patch could lead to an extended search effort.
- AMENITIES AND EXTRAS - The basics are reasonable. Above average baskets from prodigy. The tees are turf and in good shape, but they were very short. The tee signage was good and indestructible. All the needed info was on them. No other extras beyond the noted basics. It would be cool if they had alternate placements. Seems like there is room on most holes.
- MULTI USE HAZARDS - A few holes have a path or property road in play. Most weren't egregious, although tee (7) seemed to be a bit blind to the oncoming pathway.
Other Thoughts:
Grace Presbyterian felt like a 1.75 course to me. If 1.5 is considered "Passable" and 2.0 is considered "Reasonable", is a 1.75 then considered Mediocre? Anyways, a fine course to play for locals within a 15 minutes-drive looking for a simple quick course to throw. I don't think the course is complex enough to warrant a league or any organized play beyond a church function. Like most 9-hole courses, it's a good bagger hit as it's quick and mostly easy to follow. The course doesn't closely remind me of any nearby regional course that I've played. Perhaps a bit like a shorter version of Portland Park, if I had to pick one. Further out, Lifepoint in Northeast Alabama shares a bunch of qualities to here.