A tidy plot of land with a solid stream of different par-3s.

-Amenities: Turf-over-concrete tees, numbered Prodigy baskets, occasional benches, rakes near the lake, lost disc box. Yet to be put in are next tee cues and tee signs, but they're coming.

-Property: I was not expecting to be this impressed by an HOA course. Apparently, the local government decided to lower the level of the central lake a few months ago, leaving a swath of grassy terrain around it that includes woods, diverse elevation, a creek, and of course some picturesque shots over the remaining water.

-Multi-Tees/Pins: Two sets of tees for all but one hole do a great job of changing/augmenting the challenge. I can't give full credit yet, but the club has already planned for some alt pin placements that will go in pretty soon as well. I think with all in place, the difficulty will range from lower rec to upper intermediate.

-Variety: Quite good for a par-54. Holes range from 150' on the shorts to 400' on the longs. There are open shots with guardian trees like (1), tight and technical woods lines like (3) or (8), open shots with the lake either to the right or in the fairway like (12) and (15), great elevation plays with scary rough all around the green on (6), (13), and (14), and a couple of longer, slightly hilly, moderately wooded holes to close out on (17) and (18). A lot of the greens have some interesting challenge, whether guardian trees or elevation.

-Aceability: Especially from the short tees, but also from the longs, there are quite a few opportunities to dunk one in the basket.

-Disc Loss: Very high probability with the lake in play so much. My guide said he had 12 underwater at the time. He also warned against trying to retrieve a disc that went in the silt pond on (7), as the silt is deep enough to potentially get stuck in/under the water. Besides water, there is thick rough near the basket on (6), (13), and (14) that, while it makes those holes thrilling, could swallow discs for a while.

-Safety: The area gets used for multiple things. They're installing golf chip greens all around (1), (14) has significant risk for hitting tennis courts, (15) plays over a dock, (16) could endanger tennis spectators, and (17) and (18) bring cars/parking lot into the equation. Some nets have been placed to help, but players need to really be careful.

-Length: It would be nice to have a couple of longer holes for a par-4. I don't think that will happen due to the nature of the property (they've already done some squeezing and conniving to fit 18 here).

-Drainage: There were a couple issues around the creek and the lake with squishy ground.

-Access: Guests can only come with a member of the club or during sanctioned league or tournament play. I played the course in the company of "President" Ed, and I suspect he'd be happy to take any first-timer around. The membership is $50 annually (going straight to maintenance/upgrades, I believe), which would definitely be worth it if you lived nearby.

I got to play the course as a guest of the HOA president, and I was highly impressed by the amount of work he has put into this course to make it a great experience. He had never heard of disc golf until last September, but when a member suggested putting in a course he made it happen, and he's still working hard to make improvements. Based on what he told me about each hole throughout the round, in a few months' time the course will have all the amenities: multiple tees, multiple pins, clear paths, retrieval rakes, signs, disc box, etc.

In terms of the gameplay, North Landing delivers 18 solid par-3s. There were many good holes, and a couple that I absolutely loved (looking at the short and remarkably precise downhill plays (13) and (14)). That said, there just isn't enough room to get the variety of length necessary to push North Landing above Good. It's still a pleasant round with plenty of challenge from the terrain and water features, and very worth checking out for a possible membership.

North Landing is an established swim/tennis community in Marietta and home to the now 18-hole North Landing Disc Golf Course. While it is a private course, governed by the neighborhood association, it is very much non-resident friendly and accessible in a few of ways. An invite by a resident or association member will be your best bet for a quick look at the course. Alternatively, the course keepers are brewing up some league action (including PDGA sanctioned) that will give some opportunities to take a sneak peek. Keep an eye on the various social media channels for info. Perhaps the best bang for the buck, for the locals anyway, is an annual membership for $50. That gets you unlimited access and the ability to bring a friend along. Even those with the modest of means should be able to scrape up for a deal like that!

The course itself is outfitted with duel pads, long and short as you might expect, and both play as a par 54. I happen to think both layouts have their own distinct personality. The shorts, ringing up at just 4032', are packed with birdie opportunities and are quite appropriate for beginners and casual players. But they have enough distance, obstacles, and technicalities to make for a fun round for anyone. There's even a few holes that ask for some surgical precision to make the gap. The longs don't add a ton of length, increasing by only 1400' overall. At first glance, you may not think there is not a huge difference in terms of difficulty between the two. But actually, the longs are placed with enough distance and angles to show their teeth to the upper intermediate/ lower advanced players and should keep them on their toes. There are still plenty of birdie opportunities from the longs, but halfhearted shots will punish you with extra strokes. The longs do a great job blending mid to fairway driver shots with a premium on finesse. Playing clean, avoid bogey's, and getting all the birds while you can is the name of the game out here. On the other hand, well advanced and open level players will sail through this course with little to no trouble and will routinely shoot in the 40's from either pad.

The course utilizes turf for the tee pads, and they are quickly becoming my favorite tee material. They are certainly easier on the shoes (I'm a toe dragging sidearm thrower). They are mostly flat and roomy with only a few transferring the lumpiness from some uneven ground below.

Most of the baskets are in thoughtful positions and don't have any fluky or unnecessary "circus" placements. I think there is a great mix of guarded and open greens with a couple baskets placed in some challenging spots whether perched on a hill, near a drop off, or a water's edge. Love 'em or hate 'em, you'll find Prodigy baskets on the course (in powder blue). A lot of folks consider them to be fussy catchers, but I think as folks are seeing them more and more on courses, the stigma is beginning to fade.

Even if you won't find any lengthy and challenging par 4's and 5's, this course packs in a pretty good mix of shots. While playing clockwise around the lake, of course these shots will favor righthand-backhand throwers. And with almost 50% of the holes with water in play, this course will satiate even the most spirited of risk takers. But there are lots of other opportunities for lefties and flickers to strut their stuff around the course too. Several wooded holes that bend and snake their way through the course give way to more open holes with smartly placed baskets tucked away in wooded pockets. Meanwhile, you'll also punch your way in and out of wooded tunnels. Number seven plays along the lake's out-of-bounds feeder creek and is capable of punishing over aggressive shots. Open grassy fairways lead to baskets perched on knolls, points, and peninsulas around the lake. There is enough elevation to balance the hole types perfectly with a couple of downhill shots that will have you licking your chops for a bag-emptying episode.

As of this review, the course is still waiting on the extra adornments and doodads such as kiosks, tee signs, directional arrows, and the like. But with the rapid improvements and growth of this still young course, I'm sure the course installers have a lot of those bells and whistles up their sleeve. Overall, as long as you have someone who is familiar with the course, you'll hardly notice the lack of signage. And besides, the finely coiffed grassy fairways, lake shots, and scenic views from several holes are what really enhance your experience anyway. That said, I'd bump this up a half point once the course is fully stocked with the upgrades.

For the cart folks, you'll appreciate the extra efforts on the trails and many foot/cart bridges. I also noticed a few benches scattered along the way which is always nice.

The course is compact enough that fleet-footed players will be able to run through quickly. Perfect lunchtime or after work round if you are near the course.

I suppose blending amenities and acreage in a neighborhood common area will never be without penalty when it comes to fitting in a disc golf course. There are times where the holes intersect or play near other activities, including but not limited to anglers, walkers, parking lot (protected by a mando - could use a drop zone), tennis courts/playground, and a couple of times some resident's yards. This, coupled with preserving the best use of land, resulted in some awkward transitions from hole to hole. While the quality of the holes remained reasonable, the flow of the course suffered a time or two. There are some areas where the holes are shoehorned on top of one another and you can expect some backtracking from hole to hole. There is nothing completely offensive in the grand scheme of things, but some areas are certainly more notable than others. It will be interesting to see if these areas are problematic during events or tourneys. During those times, I'd expect some delays and distractions from players on nearby holes.

Other than some other meaningless gripes, I don't have a lot of bad things to say about this course. I have played a handful of neighborhood courses and this one is probably my favorite so far (if you don't count Flyboy).

There are some lake shots where you'll find a few chances to lose discs, especially those who are newer to the sport and learning to control their drives. In most cases though, an upper intermediate/advance player with reasonably good accuracy will find that there is plenty of real estate around the water to stay dry. The short pads help to take away some of the risk on the water shots too. For those that don't have the risk appetite to flirt with the water, there are plenty of safe ways to get to the basket while avoiding any meaningful water carries. For some of us that hate losing disc in water, there's nothing wrong with knowing when to bet and when to fold. This course can certainly help with that discipline.

On windy days expect the course to play a little tougher. A card mate throwing a "canary into the coal mine" off the pad before you will be appreciated to help predict the swirling wind.

Kudos to the North Landing crew for all the hard work at the course. It looks like a ton of work and in a relatively short amount of time. But most of all, thanks for the hospitality and offering a way for the non-resident player an avenue to be able to contribute and be a part of and enjoy the course. I don't think I speak for myself we I say thank you very much for sharing this course with us.

I was lucky enough to be invited to play this course by a resident, and it was a good little play. There are 15 holes at the present, with pipe pockets in place for a full 18.

There are turf teepads on all of the holes and all but one that I saw had a short and a long position. Our host only plays the short tees, so we did as well, but I worked in a few of the longs also and They do add a bit of challenge and length, though it doesn't change any hole too drastically.

Baskets are all new blue Prodigy baskets and all but one are in perfect shape. It looks like a falling branch messed up chains on one.

The course mainly plays through the woods and fields around the lake and even has some elevation and an interesting mando on 15 with a big net to keep discs out of the parking lot.

A few nice touches like benches on many holes.

No signs at all was my main issue, without a guide and udisc it would have been easy to get turned around and wouldn't have know the distance of the holes.

Personally I'm not a fan of the prodigy baskets but overall they are fine, I just don't have a hard enough putt to make them catch super well. Not counting off for that though.

A lot of former lake areas that are very soft and muddy after a rain and a lot of areas where you could lose a disc in a yard where it would be tough to recover.

Great addition to an older neighborhood, and seems to be played a good bit.

Beginner to intermediate players would enjoy this one and find some challenges, especially a few daunting shots over water.