-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
Howard Park reviews
9
0
Solid Technical Practice 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 30, 2021
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Decisionmaking 10/10 - The thing that stands out about this course is that it really makes you think about what shot to throw. After the first two holes, there are no holes that have a clear, best line to take to the basket (though it's worth noting that a couple of holes really have NO consistent path to the basket).
Maintenance 10/10 - The course is very clean and the grass is always well mowed. There are bathrooms and a water fountain (though these have been closed due to covid so far) near the parking lot. Everything is in good shape.
Hole Navigation 8/10 - Once you've made it to the tees it's generally easy to tell where the basket is. A couple holes are blind and you have to walk up the path a bit to see them, but being through the woods gives you a good idea. There aren't tee signs so you'll have to guess on distances. They have posts installed that I'm assuming will have tee eventually.
Finding Discs 8/10 - You're probably not going to lose a disc here (unless you kick right on hole 3) since there isn't much brush. You are fairly likely to have to get a disc out of the creek at some point, but there aren't any spots where it's wide/deep enough that you can't get it.
Variety of Shot Paths 7/10 - There are a good number of holes (especially for a 9-hole course) that go different directions. The reason I'm not rating this higher is they're clustered together. The two holes that go left to right are 6 and 7, while 1, 2, 4, and 9 go right to left, so you pretty much go out with right to left and come back with left to right (with some straight mixed in).
Comfort 7/10 - There's a lot of shade and it's always well mowed. Will definitely be muddy after it rains, and there are a couple spots where you'll need to be careful crossing the creek since there are just rocks to step across, not bridges.
Maintenance 10/10 - The course is very clean and the grass is always well mowed. There are bathrooms and a water fountain (though these have been closed due to covid so far) near the parking lot. Everything is in good shape.
Hole Navigation 8/10 - Once you've made it to the tees it's generally easy to tell where the basket is. A couple holes are blind and you have to walk up the path a bit to see them, but being through the woods gives you a good idea. There aren't tee signs so you'll have to guess on distances. They have posts installed that I'm assuming will have tee eventually.
Finding Discs 8/10 - You're probably not going to lose a disc here (unless you kick right on hole 3) since there isn't much brush. You are fairly likely to have to get a disc out of the creek at some point, but there aren't any spots where it's wide/deep enough that you can't get it.
Variety of Shot Paths 7/10 - There are a good number of holes (especially for a 9-hole course) that go different directions. The reason I'm not rating this higher is they're clustered together. The two holes that go left to right are 6 and 7, while 1, 2, 4, and 9 go right to left, so you pretty much go out with right to left and come back with left to right (with some straight mixed in).
Comfort 7/10 - There's a lot of shade and it's always well mowed. Will definitely be muddy after it rains, and there are a couple spots where you'll need to be careful crossing the creek since there are just rocks to step across, not bridges.
Cons:
No alternate hole positions 0/10
Course Navigation 2/10 - It's surprisingly tough to find the next hole for such a small course. There are multiple times you have to walk a decent distance and there are multiple paths to take from the basket with no way to tell which is correct. The tees also just have posts to mark them that can be tough to see through the trees.
Tees/Baskets 4/10 - The baskets are in good shape, but the tees are just dirt or mud depending on how recently it rained. Being in the woods they stay muddy longer than you'd expect.
Variety of Distances 4/10 - Hole 1 is by far the shortest, Hole 2 is technically the longest at 330' slightly uphill, hole 9 plays longer since it's more uphill and has an overhang. Holes 3-8 all feel about the same 200-250'
Elevation 4/10 - There isn't very much elevation present, but there is some good variety with it at least. Holes 2 and 9 are uphill, while 1, 7, and 8 are downhill.
Challenging all Levels 4/10 - Beginners will be frustrated by how technical some holes are and will be playing pinball, but the course is short enough that it won't be TOO miserable. Advanced players will be able to get some technical putter/mid practice, but that's about it. Definitely not the course to go to if you're looking to challenge yourself.
Variety of Openness 5/10 - In general the course is wooded, but there are definitely holes that are more technical than others. 3, 6, and 8 are esepcially wooded, while 2, 4, and 9 give you a little bit more breathing room.
Use of Obstacles 5/10 - It was hard to rate this category, because a few of the holes use the obstacles very well. However, there are two holes that just feel like a waste of space with no route to the basket: Hole 5 and especially hole 7, which are why I'm putting this as a con. The cedar tree on hole 5 could be trimmed up a bit so give an actual route to the basket so you don't have to choose between laying up with a hyzer putter or throwing a spike and hoping you get lucky crashing through the trees at the pin. Hole 7 just doesn't really give any route at all, not sure what they were thinking with this one. Maybe you could get lucky with the perfect roller but even then you'd probably end up in the creek at the end.
Course Navigation 2/10 - It's surprisingly tough to find the next hole for such a small course. There are multiple times you have to walk a decent distance and there are multiple paths to take from the basket with no way to tell which is correct. The tees also just have posts to mark them that can be tough to see through the trees.
Tees/Baskets 4/10 - The baskets are in good shape, but the tees are just dirt or mud depending on how recently it rained. Being in the woods they stay muddy longer than you'd expect.
Variety of Distances 4/10 - Hole 1 is by far the shortest, Hole 2 is technically the longest at 330' slightly uphill, hole 9 plays longer since it's more uphill and has an overhang. Holes 3-8 all feel about the same 200-250'
Elevation 4/10 - There isn't very much elevation present, but there is some good variety with it at least. Holes 2 and 9 are uphill, while 1, 7, and 8 are downhill.
Challenging all Levels 4/10 - Beginners will be frustrated by how technical some holes are and will be playing pinball, but the course is short enough that it won't be TOO miserable. Advanced players will be able to get some technical putter/mid practice, but that's about it. Definitely not the course to go to if you're looking to challenge yourself.
Variety of Openness 5/10 - In general the course is wooded, but there are definitely holes that are more technical than others. 3, 6, and 8 are esepcially wooded, while 2, 4, and 9 give you a little bit more breathing room.
Use of Obstacles 5/10 - It was hard to rate this category, because a few of the holes use the obstacles very well. However, there are two holes that just feel like a waste of space with no route to the basket: Hole 5 and especially hole 7, which are why I'm putting this as a con. The cedar tree on hole 5 could be trimmed up a bit so give an actual route to the basket so you don't have to choose between laying up with a hyzer putter or throwing a spike and hoping you get lucky crashing through the trees at the pin. Hole 7 just doesn't really give any route at all, not sure what they were thinking with this one. Maybe you could get lucky with the perfect roller but even then you'd probably end up in the creek at the end.
Other Thoughts:
More precise rating - 2.589
Overall Challenge 3/10
This course is perfect if it hasn't rained in awhile and you're looking for somewhere to practice hitting tight lines and want to play in less than an 45 minutes. Not a place to go out of your way for, but nice for locals. I lived within walking distance of this course for about a year and I came over several times.
It's still pretty new, so I'm hoping they'll install some more amenities like tee signs and pads. A course map or something at the basket with an arrow pointing toward the next tee would help too. If these things were done I would definitely rate it a 3. These things along with doing a little work on hole 5 and a lot of work on hole 7 could move it even higher.
Overall Challenge 3/10
This course is perfect if it hasn't rained in awhile and you're looking for somewhere to practice hitting tight lines and want to play in less than an 45 minutes. Not a place to go out of your way for, but nice for locals. I lived within walking distance of this course for about a year and I came over several times.
It's still pretty new, so I'm hoping they'll install some more amenities like tee signs and pads. A course map or something at the basket with an arrow pointing toward the next tee would help too. If these things were done I would definitely rate it a 3. These things along with doing a little work on hole 5 and a lot of work on hole 7 could move it even higher.
