Run down and dodgy park - with a very good layout



+ There's a very good layout here, alternating between wooded and open, incorporating elevation, throwing across ravines, and monster downhill bombs


+ The open holes are well-mowed, with clear visual boundaries between fairways and rough, where the grass has been allowed to grow longer


+ The layout crosses the park road several times, but otherwise doesn't intersect with other park activities

- There were a lot of idling cars sitting along the park road with people in them doing who knows what at 8:00am on a Friday. The amount and type of trash around the wooded holes suggests this park is not regularly patrolled by police. Walking through the woods to reach a late hole, I came upon a person who had likely spent the night there. I have played other urban courses, but this is the first time I wished I wasn't playing alone - and I walked through the finishing holes just to get off the course


- Other than mowing the open holes, the course itself is in decay. The teeboxes are framed rubber, with distances stenciled on the timbers (no signage). I came across a few short tees, which were just single white painted 4x4's at ground level. I was sorry I couldn't find more white tees, because some of the boxed tees are ridiculously long for the par (more on that later). Old Chainstars that still catch OK


- Navigation is aided by some small arrows here and there, along with signage indicating when you have to cross the park road to get to the next hole. The first tee was hard to find, and the first basket was obscured by overgrowth, but once I got going, the navigation was pretty intuitive. There's tape on the spokes of some baskets

~ There are some really long holes here, especially the par 4's (550' - 700', and 831' on #18). Some of the 3's touch 400' and one reaches almost 500'. The really long 3's and 4's are downhill in the open areas, but the long grasses bordering the fairways will stop discs in their tracks


~ Although there are a few small parking areas off the park road, none are convenient to the first tee. There's a closed state hospital at the corner of Vine, Coventry and Holcomb with a large monitored lot. Park there, cross the street and find a trail to the first tee


~ The day this course opened in 2016, it was probably a 3.5. But it doesn't look like anyone plays here now. Six years have taken their toll, and it's hard to "recommend" a course that I didn't feel safe on when playing by myself. If you're a bagger who doesn't mind playing rundown courses, and you bring a buddy, you might enjoy it - because there's a good layout underneath the garbage.

- Decent baskets, says they are chainstars but they looked like a Mach of some sort?
- Awesome teepads with great grip
- Basket tape and many signs indicating next hole location
- Picturesque course with some gorgeous bomber holes in the open and lots of wooded holes with tight lines.
- Spacious layout that would be great for a tournament, no danger of throwing into other fairways.
- Didn't see a single other group. Granted it was at 9 am on a weekday during quarantine.
- Some cool elevation changes

- Insane amounts of trash and broken glass on the holes nearest to the edge of the park. Really sad to see on a course this nice.
- Not a beginner friendly course. No gimme birdies, a bunch of par 3's that would take two perfect shots just to par. Some very tight lines to hit and lots of danger off of the fairway.
- Admittedly this is totally subjective but I would say probably a quarter of the holes don't really seem fair. There are long holes that are more wide open and then medium length holes with tight gaps... But then there are the 360-400 ft par 3's, some of which are uphill, and have very tight gaps.
- No tee signs.
- Navigation would be very difficult without the UDisc map
- No parking near the first tee or from what I could tell near the course. Found parking a half mile away on the other side of the park but that seemed like it.
- Basket placement could use some creativity. No elevated pins or ones using trees or Stumps or bushes.
- No bathrooms, water fountains or trash cans
- This course takes a long time to play. Between walking from wherever you parked, the spread out layout and navigation it took me 2.5 hours to play w 2 people.

This is a great plot of land with a pretty decent course boasting great trees and baskets.

But to be honest this course seems completely out of place in Hartford. Who the hell had the money and resources to out this in? It's a great plot of land and the holes are mostly well designed but it doesn't seem like there is a community around it. Are there leagues or tournaments here? Do locals even know about it? Seems like it would be tough to get people introduced to the sport if they had to learn on a course this tough.

Heartbreaking to see a course with this kind of potential wasting away and filled with so much trash and broken glass. With tee signs and less litter I'd be tempted to give it 4 stars.

Nice open fields with wooded holes as well.

No course map. No hole layout. Got lost multiple times and could not even find a few holes. Only a few signs showing where next hole is located. With some proper signage place could very nice. Also the course in general could be better designed.

Needs updating and some work

The course itself is on nice plot of land, with ample space for long holes, varied terrain (forest or field), and mixed elevation. Indeed, some of the holes are quite fun to play.

- The area seems extremely sketchy. I played alone, and did not feel comfortable/safe (lots of running cars parked along the park road, some with questionable activities occurring inside).
- Lots of garbage and broken glass along the course.
- The course markings could be a bit clearer, as there were a few holes where I had difficulty going from basket to tee.

Overall, this course has a lot of potential, but would need to have more/better upkeep to rate any higher. Also, I personally will not return solo or with my family (wife and two young kids), as the area (even inside the park itself), felt unsafe to me. Of course, others may have different opinions on this.

I decided to take the 2 hour drive up to Hartford and try this new addition to an already distinguished disc golf area. This course is not at all like it's neighbors.  Its in an urban area, which on the plus side gives it a unique feel for the northeast. But on the minus side, it has a tendency to feel a little murder-y and rape-y.  In all seriousness, it really is kind of a sketchy area. Your best bet is to play in groups or earlier in the morning.

It's clear from my round today, and reading the only other review for the course, that no additional work has been done. The tee pads are kinda rough (to be expected on a new course). Also, it should be noted that this is NOT a dog-friendly course, there is broken glass everywhere and possibly a hyperdermic needle or two.

There is a map at the beginning of the course. Look for a gazebo across from big open field with baskets in it. The description on the main page of how to get to the first hole is not helpful, at all. Make sure you take a picture of the map for reference. Next tee signs are out there, but they're not always clear. I've noted the few things to look out for below. A more detailed hole to hole description can be found in the previous review.

The 1st hole follows a closed paved path down the hill and to the right. The area by the basket is fairly overgrown, so be sure to keep a close eye on your approach shot.

The trail from the 1st basket to the 2nd tee is a bushwacking to say the least. I wasn't sure if I was going to stumble upon a homeless camp or the tee (I wish I was kidding).

3rd hole needs to be mowed, so keep an eye on your drive or you might spend some time searching. But it has a beautiful view nonetheless.

The 6th tee is out about 40 yards in the field. Refer to the map, it's not the easiest to find.

Holes 8, 9, 10, and 18 are almost not worth it to play. If you get lucky, your drive may land in the 10 foot wide "fairway" where the grass a foot high.  However if you end up anywhere but in this very narrow fairway, you should expect to spend 20 plus minutes searching thru 4 to 6 foot high grass which conceals anything from tires, to broken glass, to what I'm pretty sure was a human femur (again I wish I was kidding).

Hole 14 is very cool. It has graffiti surrounding the basket, which is on a raised platform.

My consensus for this course is that it's a very cool layout, with a lot of potential. However for the time being, it is not at all maintained, it's filthy, and needs a lot of love. If I lived around here, which I unfortunate don't (I'd love Wickham to be my home course), I'd be eager to put in the work. All that's needed is a couple group work weekends, and then someone to mow the 4 field holes semi-regularly, and this course would be a 4.5 out of 5 for me. But at the moment, it's a generous 3. Based on all the locals at Wickham, I'm honestly surprised this course is as unmaintained as it is. I guess the feeling is when you've already got gold a few miles away, why bother. I disagree. 

* Very imaginative lay-out, excellent use of the topography in the park.
* Great variety of wide open let 'er rip holes and challenging wooded holes.
* Two tees each hole
* You can (and should) use backhand and forehand throws.

* No tee pads (however, since the course just opened, completely understandable.)
* It's in the north end of Hartford, an area that requires you to contemplate your safety. However, if you are with friends, I would not worry.
* Not many birdie opportunities from the long tees (for this fairly decent player)
* Rubbish and bottles around some (though not too many) holes and tees.
* Small parking lot though it looks like you can park easily enough on the grass if the lot is full. I do not know if the city would approve or not. I do not imagine it would be a big issue.

Great new course. Every bit as enjoyable and challenging as Wick (I dare might say more so some in some respects.)
The tee boxes are marked by a white piece of wood. There is red tape on one of the bars on the bottom of the basket which points toward the next tee. There are next tee signs as well.

For the RHBH thrower:

Hole 1: Great starting hole. A left to right dog leg. A couple of long forehands will bring you near the basket. A challenging par 3 to start your round.
About 20 feet past the basket to the right is the marked (but still well hidden) cool and meandering path to the second hole.

Hole 2: Straight shot. I would use a forehand here too. The left has some brush which would make the hole tougher than need be, especially in the growing seasons (I would imagine). Cross the street to the next tee.

Hole 3: Basic straight hole. Keep it a bit left of center for a clear second shot.

Hole 4: Great, tough, wooded hole. I imagine in the growing season, undergrowth may be an issue with this hole (as well as 5 and 11). The tee is elevated and the fairway runs the length of a little hollow. After your drive, you have an uphill shot toward the basket. A challenging par 3.

Hole 5: Straight shot through the woods. Another challenging par 3 (but not as tough as four).

Hole 6: The start of five field holes. If the wind is blowing, watch out. Long, uphill open field shot. Easy enough par 4 on an average day. Avoid landing short and left of the target. There's brush and small trees.

Hole 7: Very picturesque hole coming out of the woods (but still a field hole). Tee and target at about the same level with a serious up and down in between making 318 feet seem longer. There's a good sized window to throw out of the woods. However, there's a tall, mid-sized tree in the line of flight which has to be avoided. Long hitters must deal with tree canopy if they are thinking two.

Hole 8: Tee is up the hill and to the right from the prior basket, right next to another parking lot. Locals are often there, close to the tee. If you feel at all apprehensive about going up there, you can play from the recreational tee at the foot of the hill w/o issue. That would make the hole a par 3. Either way, this is a wide open let 'er rip hole.

Hole 9: Tee on one side of a drainage gulch. You have to throw your tee shot upwards a bit to clear the gulch on the other side. You can throw backhand or forehand. There is a good sized window but two mid-sized trees on the other side of the gulch have been known to get in the way of some tee shots.

Hole 10: Long, wide open, uphill par 4. Let 'er rip.

Hole 11: Wooded downhill right to left. A hole that can be birdied. Double can come into play easy enough as well.

Hole 12: A respectable uphill par 3. I like a forehand drive here. The target is protected by a few large trees. Cross the street to the next tee.

Hole 13: Straight wooded shot. Birdie opportunity but a lot of lumber in the way.

Hole 14: A par three which can be birdied. The basket is on top of a filled concrete foundation. That and the graffiti on the foundation make for a cool visual. A signature hole.

Hole 15: Long dog-leg right. Very tough par 3 as target is tucked in near the tree line. You won't be able to see the target from the tee. Grip and rip, straight and long. Avoid the right side of the fairway to preserve the best angle of attack (via a forehand shot) of the target. Par is a fine score here.

Holes 16-17: Straight forward par threes. Birdie holes for the long hitters? More so for 16 than 17. Walk to the further end of the parking lot to the next tee.

Hole 18: Great long and open finishing hole, downhill par 4. Let 'er rip.