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Laurel Park reviews
9
0
Miniature Design with Minimal Issues 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 3, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
A short layout that presents good variety but suffers from a few inconveniences.
-Amenities: Mach IIs, natural tees with tee posts. Acceptable.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Good variety. There are some tightly wooded shots, like (1) and (6), some pretty wide open holes, and some in between that require hitting a gap or going into a pocket. Several holes are short par-4s that are clearly designed to be multi-shot holes for shorter throwers. Laurel is strong on the amount of imagination that went into choosing lines.
-Novice Friendly: The shorter distances out here (at least for par-4s, and some of the par-3s as well) make this a great "real" course for newer players. Too often, beginner friendly courses are very open, but here there's variety that will teach smarter gameplay as well.
-Amenities: Mach IIs, natural tees with tee posts. Acceptable.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Good variety. There are some tightly wooded shots, like (1) and (6), some pretty wide open holes, and some in between that require hitting a gap or going into a pocket. Several holes are short par-4s that are clearly designed to be multi-shot holes for shorter throwers. Laurel is strong on the amount of imagination that went into choosing lines.
-Novice Friendly: The shorter distances out here (at least for par-4s, and some of the par-3s as well) make this a great "real" course for newer players. Too often, beginner friendly courses are very open, but here there's variety that will teach smarter gameplay as well.
Cons:
-Flow: Pretty disjointed. (1) is totally separate from all the rest of the holes. There are substantial jumps to get to (6) and to get to (8). It's tricky to know where to go, even with the GPS map on UDisc. I'd recommend playing with a local that knows the way.
-Unreasonable Lines: I think (3) and (6) are too funky to make sense. Especially (6) felt like a poke and hope. If these were solid, I think my rating would jump up a point.
-Natural Tees: Not bad yet, but getting there. This aspect also makes navigation worse, as it's hard to spot a little tee post with no concrete.
-Length: There will be lots of chances to gain strokes here. Advanced players could easily go 9 below par due to numerous short par-4s that would be eagle opportunities. It's clearly aimed at shorter throwers, so just be advised that bombers won't enjoy it here.
-Blind Holes: (8) and (9), and to a lesser extent (3), were very hard to play without hole maps. I actually made the mistake of thinking basket (3) was for hole (8), which actually goes parallel to (3) and up to a different basket. Signage would help a lot.
-Unreasonable Lines: I think (3) and (6) are too funky to make sense. Especially (6) felt like a poke and hope. If these were solid, I think my rating would jump up a point.
-Natural Tees: Not bad yet, but getting there. This aspect also makes navigation worse, as it's hard to spot a little tee post with no concrete.
-Length: There will be lots of chances to gain strokes here. Advanced players could easily go 9 below par due to numerous short par-4s that would be eagle opportunities. It's clearly aimed at shorter throwers, so just be advised that bombers won't enjoy it here.
-Blind Holes: (8) and (9), and to a lesser extent (3), were very hard to play without hole maps. I actually made the mistake of thinking basket (3) was for hole (8), which actually goes parallel to (3) and up to a different basket. Signage would help a lot.
Other Thoughts:
Laurel is a newer course that, with some infrastructure, should rise to a 2.5 or even a 3.0. Some tee pads, signs with maps, thinning of trees on (3) and (6), and navigational cues (perhaps even a slight layout tweak for the long transitions), would be majorly helpful. As is, it's just on my 2.0-2.5 border, but it feels more Reasonable than Typical at the present moment. Please DM me as improvements are made, and I'll adjust my rating.
16
0
A Fun Park-Style 9 That's Great For Newer Players
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 31, 2022
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Laurel Park's 9-hole course is a ~2,500 foot 9 hole course with a surprising amount of variety. This is another good 9-hole option for the St. Louis area, and is a course that can be a fun round for a wide variety of players.
Location of Laurel Park is the middle of a larger residential area. There are two parking lots in this park that do not connect; I highly recommend that you approach this park on McClay Valley Blvd. instead of Millwood and Driftwood Lanes, as the disc golf course starts and ends at the edge of the parking lot that is off of McClay Valley. The park isn't too far from highways 364 and 94, which are what most folks will likely use to access this park, and while there aren't too many gas stations or restaurants in close proximity to the park, there's enough by the highways that you should be able to find some options before or after your round.
Park Amenities are plentiful at Laurel Park, and you will see plenty of folks on a nice day during your round as a result. Across this park's 40 acres, you will find a playground, two baseball diamonds, two volleyball courts, a basketball court, a roller hockey court, and four horseshoe pits. Laurel also has two park pavilions that can be reserved, and a multipurpose trail system around the park. In between the two parking lots is a public swimming pool as well, which I'm sure gets a lot of use in the hot St. Louis summers. There's a mix of wooded and open areas throughout the park, including two lakes, so keep an eye out for park goers as you play your round.
Course Equipment has been completed this year compared to where it was a year ago, and has turned into a real highlight of the course. The baskets are Mach 2s, which aren't the most reliable catchers compared to other designs out there but caused no problems for me on longer putts. The tee pads are not concrete and incredibly spacious for the size of the course. The signage that has been added is incredible, with tee signs providing great hole layout graphics, distances, pars, next tee directions, notices about nearby private property, and even notices about use the course being family friendly and asking players to avoid foul language. This was funny considering a nearby kickball league was blasting Lonely Island jams, including certain lyrics that elude to what a viewing of The Little Mermaid would have exposed viewers to if T-Pain was in the film.
Another nice touch with signage was directional signs between several holes, as well as private property warnings along holes that were by houses. There are also two highly detailed course maps on site, one by hole 1 and another by hole 5, really bringing attention to the course. All of this combined with the mando signs that help keep fairway shots from paths, and this course now has some of the best signage I have seen on any of the 125 courses I have played to date, including courses I have rated 4.5 or 5 out of 5.
Course Design provides a good amount of variety for a 40-acre park with as much going on as Laurel does. The course snakes around the north and west portions of the park and will provide a mix of open and wooded holes. There's truly a little bit of everything at Laurel for different players, minus longer bomber shots that you're more likely to find at a more open 18-hole course. With the first two holes being 130, and 195 feet respectively, this course provides some good warm up holes before a mostly open 400-foot hole into a protected and challenging pin on hole 4.
Shot Variety is a nice plus at Laurel Park. There's a real mix of drives off the tees that go left, right, and straight. As a player who typically only goes to RHFH shots when needed, I fiound myself using that shot type at least 3 to 4 times for both drives and approaches on this course, especially on holes 5 and 9. On the flip side, holes 2 and 7 provide left turning shots that will favor backhand shots for right handed players, with 2 being a short shot and 7 being an opportunity to air one out a little more. Other holes like 3 provide chances for players to throw the shot that works best for them, and hole 4 is a dead straight tunnel that will require you to throw a straight approach to have a good look at a birdie. Elevation also comes a little bit into play on some holes as well, requiring precise approaches and putting in certain spots to keep your score down.
Course Difficulty is accessible at Laurel Park. I view myself as a very intermediate player and found the 26-27 range to be gettable for a first-round score without knowing much about the course. This course provides a nice mix of challenging shots without too many situations to lose a disc, so newer players can use this course to learn different shots and work on their technique. Intermediate players will likely be able to challenge par immediately with mid or even lower 20s being possible after learning the course.
Location of Laurel Park is the middle of a larger residential area. There are two parking lots in this park that do not connect; I highly recommend that you approach this park on McClay Valley Blvd. instead of Millwood and Driftwood Lanes, as the disc golf course starts and ends at the edge of the parking lot that is off of McClay Valley. The park isn't too far from highways 364 and 94, which are what most folks will likely use to access this park, and while there aren't too many gas stations or restaurants in close proximity to the park, there's enough by the highways that you should be able to find some options before or after your round.
Park Amenities are plentiful at Laurel Park, and you will see plenty of folks on a nice day during your round as a result. Across this park's 40 acres, you will find a playground, two baseball diamonds, two volleyball courts, a basketball court, a roller hockey court, and four horseshoe pits. Laurel also has two park pavilions that can be reserved, and a multipurpose trail system around the park. In between the two parking lots is a public swimming pool as well, which I'm sure gets a lot of use in the hot St. Louis summers. There's a mix of wooded and open areas throughout the park, including two lakes, so keep an eye out for park goers as you play your round.
Course Equipment has been completed this year compared to where it was a year ago, and has turned into a real highlight of the course. The baskets are Mach 2s, which aren't the most reliable catchers compared to other designs out there but caused no problems for me on longer putts. The tee pads are not concrete and incredibly spacious for the size of the course. The signage that has been added is incredible, with tee signs providing great hole layout graphics, distances, pars, next tee directions, notices about nearby private property, and even notices about use the course being family friendly and asking players to avoid foul language. This was funny considering a nearby kickball league was blasting Lonely Island jams, including certain lyrics that elude to what a viewing of The Little Mermaid would have exposed viewers to if T-Pain was in the film.
Another nice touch with signage was directional signs between several holes, as well as private property warnings along holes that were by houses. There are also two highly detailed course maps on site, one by hole 1 and another by hole 5, really bringing attention to the course. All of this combined with the mando signs that help keep fairway shots from paths, and this course now has some of the best signage I have seen on any of the 125 courses I have played to date, including courses I have rated 4.5 or 5 out of 5.
Course Design provides a good amount of variety for a 40-acre park with as much going on as Laurel does. The course snakes around the north and west portions of the park and will provide a mix of open and wooded holes. There's truly a little bit of everything at Laurel for different players, minus longer bomber shots that you're more likely to find at a more open 18-hole course. With the first two holes being 130, and 195 feet respectively, this course provides some good warm up holes before a mostly open 400-foot hole into a protected and challenging pin on hole 4.
Shot Variety is a nice plus at Laurel Park. There's a real mix of drives off the tees that go left, right, and straight. As a player who typically only goes to RHFH shots when needed, I fiound myself using that shot type at least 3 to 4 times for both drives and approaches on this course, especially on holes 5 and 9. On the flip side, holes 2 and 7 provide left turning shots that will favor backhand shots for right handed players, with 2 being a short shot and 7 being an opportunity to air one out a little more. Other holes like 3 provide chances for players to throw the shot that works best for them, and hole 4 is a dead straight tunnel that will require you to throw a straight approach to have a good look at a birdie. Elevation also comes a little bit into play on some holes as well, requiring precise approaches and putting in certain spots to keep your score down.
Course Difficulty is accessible at Laurel Park. I view myself as a very intermediate player and found the 26-27 range to be gettable for a first-round score without knowing much about the course. This course provides a nice mix of challenging shots without too many situations to lose a disc, so newer players can use this course to learn different shots and work on their technique. Intermediate players will likely be able to challenge par immediately with mid or even lower 20s being possible after learning the course.
Cons:
Navigation has been greatly improved in the last year, especially with the adjustments that have been made to the design. With the old hole 7 being eliminated, hole 1 now being hole 8, and a new hole 9 that leads folks to the parking lot, the only somewhat confusing transition is holes 5 to 6. You'll see hole 6 while passing by its tee while walking to hole 3, but if you don't have a great sense of direction, this transition can be confusing at first. One or two more directional signs like the course has leading to holes 4 and 5 would eliminate this issue.
Safety could be a concern for some golfers as they play this course. Some fairways come close enough to pathways that errant or redirected drives could end up crossing them, like on holes 7, 8, and 9. Some folks were also using grassy areas not far from holes to rest or picnic. Every park goer I can across was very understanding and asked if they were in the way, so it seems like the course is a welcome addition to the park for everyone that uses it. Make sure you're being careful and kind to keep it that way - not every disc golf experience around other park-goers goes this smoothly! The additions of multiple mandos throughout the course also help with this issue, but special care is still needed by golfers to avoid incidents.
Safety could be a concern for some golfers as they play this course. Some fairways come close enough to pathways that errant or redirected drives could end up crossing them, like on holes 7, 8, and 9. Some folks were also using grassy areas not far from holes to rest or picnic. Every park goer I can across was very understanding and asked if they were in the way, so it seems like the course is a welcome addition to the park for everyone that uses it. Make sure you're being careful and kind to keep it that way - not every disc golf experience around other park-goers goes this smoothly! The additions of multiple mandos throughout the course also help with this issue, but special care is still needed by golfers to avoid incidents.
Other Thoughts:
Laurel Park is another good 9-hole addition to the area and provides a course between the Creve Coeur's 36-hole complex and the other courses on the other end of St. Charles County. While this course still has some shortcomings, it has some fun shots and provides another good local course for newer players to learn different shots on. The signage and respect being played to park goers and neighbors is a great touch, and its clear course designers want to make this course work in the park.
As with most of the 9 holes in the area, there are plenty of other courses I would recommend to visiting players before this one. If you're a local though, consider adding it to your to-do list, as it provides some fun shots and a relatively stress-free round. This course can easily be paired with a number of nearby courses if you're making a day out of disc golf, especially the Creve Coeur courses or College Meadows.
With so many 18 holes being added in the past year around the area, it was a pleasant surprise to see a fresh 9 hole pop up on this site. It's a great time to be a disc golfer in St. Louis, and while the other new courses certainly provide plenty of challenge, there's always an equal need for courses that are accessible for newer players in the sport. Laurel certainly checks that box while also providing a nice level of challenge and variety that you don't always get with 9-hole courses. This course is definitely a sleeper hit within the St. Louis area, and one locals should definitely give some love to.
With the improvements to the course design and equipment, a ratings increase is more than earned. While there are some fairways that play close to other hole greens or paths, I think the fun factor this course has along with the shot variety on site earns this course a 3 out of 5, a full point from where it was a year ago. Huge shoutout to the folks that made this course happen and have made it into what it is today.
As with most of the 9 holes in the area, there are plenty of other courses I would recommend to visiting players before this one. If you're a local though, consider adding it to your to-do list, as it provides some fun shots and a relatively stress-free round. This course can easily be paired with a number of nearby courses if you're making a day out of disc golf, especially the Creve Coeur courses or College Meadows.
With so many 18 holes being added in the past year around the area, it was a pleasant surprise to see a fresh 9 hole pop up on this site. It's a great time to be a disc golfer in St. Louis, and while the other new courses certainly provide plenty of challenge, there's always an equal need for courses that are accessible for newer players in the sport. Laurel certainly checks that box while also providing a nice level of challenge and variety that you don't always get with 9-hole courses. This course is definitely a sleeper hit within the St. Louis area, and one locals should definitely give some love to.
With the improvements to the course design and equipment, a ratings increase is more than earned. While there are some fairways that play close to other hole greens or paths, I think the fun factor this course has along with the shot variety on site earns this course a 3 out of 5, a full point from where it was a year ago. Huge shoutout to the folks that made this course happen and have made it into what it is today.
