Pros:
HJ Carroll Park has a wonderful beginner friendly nine hole disc golf course in Chimacum, Washington (about 20 minutes south of Port Townsend). This course is directly off Beaver Valley Rd/WA 19N about 1 mile just north of downtown. Once you pull in to the park there is a large parking lot directly to the left. However, when I drove in I saw a few disc golfers parking directly ahead on the right where Hole #1 is located (although there are no signs indicating where the tee pad is so just look for yellow stakes in the ground). Once tee one is located, the rest of the course is extremely easy to navigate, with maintained trails and yellow arrows directing you toward the next hole.
The first three holes (as others have stated in previous reviews) truly added to the overall quality and challenge of the course. Hole one was a short, blind, and fairly open dogleg right with the pin tucked in tightly amongst the trees. Hole two is much more technical (but still fairly short), with a few natural lines but at the same time a chance for a nasty deflection. Hole three (in my opinion) was the most memorable of the holes on this course, longest of the wooded holes, and by far the most technical. A bad throw or a nasty deflection could truly do damage on your score.
After the three wooded holes the remainder course is played in the open around the playfields and BMX course. Most of the open holes provide little to no challenge regarding obstacles distance. However, elevation changes do come in to play on holes 4-5, and 8-9. The designer thoughtfully planned many of these holes on an incline making putts more challenging due to bad rolls and wind. Hole nine was the only hole that broke four hundred (430), and hole seven the only hole which broke three hundred (340), the rest were all under 300.
For the land provided, the course was well thought out and perfect for its target audience. Novice and amateur players alike have a great course to learn this game, and more advanced players have a place to work on upshots and difficult putts. Either way, this course brings a lot to Chimacum and is a great addition to the Pacific Northwest. It is perfect for those traveling through on their way north to Port Townsend or south toward Olympia.
Cons:
This course has some issues that could be a quick fix, and others that might be a little more challenging. A kiosk updating local disc golfers about upcoming tournaments and work parties would really do this course some justice. Signs directing first time players toward tee one would help as well. However, the map online IS updated and was very helpful in helping me locate my way around. Tee pads as well need a serious overhaul. The first three tees were dirt and although fine for this time of year and during summer, I could see them being mud pits during the rainier months. As for the other tee pads, even though they are cement/gravel, they are fairly small and brittle. A couple of the tee pads were already cracked or broken. Once again though, all these cons listed above are fairly quick fixes.
As for some of the other issues, much of them are due to lack of distance and challenge. Because the designer and local club is limited to the use of land and number of holes, it would be great to see dual tee pads along holes 4-8 in order to make the overall layout a little more difficult. Hopefully over time, the course will be given this opportunity.
Other Thoughts:
HJ Carroll Park is an absolutely beautiful multi use park with enough to do for the whole family. There is a gravel walking path which surrounds the entire park, a BMX course, two fantastic full size basketball courts, two soccer fields, and a baseball field. There is also restrooms, a gazebo with a picnic area, and large grassy areas for the children to run and play on. With the addition of this nine hole disc golf course, HJ Carroll Park has it all! It is great to see the Parks and Rec, the local town's people, and the WSDGC come together in order to benefit the entire community. The park is well maintained and very well manicured. It was a pleasure getting a chance to stop by for a quick round on my way to Port Townsend, as it was well worth my time.