-
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)
New Life Academy reviews
11
0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
20.1 years
1032 played
604 reviews
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 21, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
New Life Academy DGC is a pretty standard style nine holer. A few improvements have been made since the first review on here, though the design appears to remain the same.
There are two framed in tees on every hole except 7 if I recall correctly. These add length from the longs to shorts but many of them also offer a different shot shape which helps with the replay value. Nicely sized for both pads per too.
The baskets are mixed. There's six Mach III's and then three portable ones, not sure of the brand. The Mach's catch pretty well, the portable ones not so much. They weren't terrible, but not great either. One basket and pin placement per hole. There was also a practice basket between the two tees for hole 1.
The flow of the course is pretty simple once you locate the first hole. It starts and ends near the lot with pretty straightforward transitions for the most part. There's a little bit of elevation involved here and a couple trees to contend with, though I'd still consider it mostly open.
There are two framed in tees on every hole except 7 if I recall correctly. These add length from the longs to shorts but many of them also offer a different shot shape which helps with the replay value. Nicely sized for both pads per too.
The baskets are mixed. There's six Mach III's and then three portable ones, not sure of the brand. The Mach's catch pretty well, the portable ones not so much. They weren't terrible, but not great either. One basket and pin placement per hole. There was also a practice basket between the two tees for hole 1.
The flow of the course is pretty simple once you locate the first hole. It starts and ends near the lot with pretty straightforward transitions for the most part. There's a little bit of elevation involved here and a couple trees to contend with, though I'd still consider it mostly open.
Cons:
The course is located on school property so it's a pretty limited in it's availability. I'd actually tried to play this one once before after forgetting about this fact. Only open after 3 and on weekends during the school year.
The tee pads, while a decent idea haven't been maintained since installation it appears. There's literally nothing left of the woodchips that once filled these. It's basically just framed in pads that play on dirt.
The three portable baskets are not good. Kind of weird playing on mixed targets like that. The practice basket is also one of these temporary ones too.
To get to hole 9 you need to backtrack up both 3 and 4's fairways. Not a great design in this regard. Hole 1 from the longs has you throwing over the corner of the parking lot too.
The tee signs are mostly missing now. These were never made to last more than a season. I believe only holes one and two still remained. Not a huge deal since it's a pretty straightforward design, just kinda trashy looking if anything.
The tee pads, while a decent idea haven't been maintained since installation it appears. There's literally nothing left of the woodchips that once filled these. It's basically just framed in pads that play on dirt.
The three portable baskets are not good. Kind of weird playing on mixed targets like that. The practice basket is also one of these temporary ones too.
To get to hole 9 you need to backtrack up both 3 and 4's fairways. Not a great design in this regard. Hole 1 from the longs has you throwing over the corner of the parking lot too.
The tee signs are mostly missing now. These were never made to last more than a season. I believe only holes one and two still remained. Not a huge deal since it's a pretty straightforward design, just kinda trashy looking if anything.
Other Thoughts:
With the two easy to find tees and an attempt at signage I'll rate it a 1.5. Passable is the definition of this course as is. Not worth any sort of trip out of your way to play obviously, especially with so many other good options in the twin cities. But if you must bag it, it's OK. Not the worst I've ever played.
