A thrifty 9er that is way better than you'd expect from this park land.

-Amenities: Concrete tees, new DD veteran baskets. Two pin positions per hole which offer good variety. Didn't have tee signs but baskets were all pretty simple to spot. (Makes me wonder if tee signs will become a luxury item in the next decade as more people use phones to score, hmm.)

-Flow: A complete loop around the perimeter of the park, and most tee pads were simple to find from the basket.

-Created Variety: This isn't Harmony Bends type of variety, but Paragon still presents an impressively varied nine holes when you consider the land. The park as a whole is mostly flat and very open, with just tufts of trees at the edges. But the course design here manages to incorporate everything from predominantly wooded to wide open, and honestly leans slightly more toward tree use until the end. As a reviewer I quickly notice misuse of land, but in this case I need to praise the ingenuity here.

-Shot Shaping/Ganeplay: A fun collection ranging from ace runs to short par-4s, depending on pin position. After an easy start that's just guarded by two trees, the best part of the course ensues with the woodsy (2)-(5). You'll want birdies on some of these, but others will be challenging with substantial distance, low ceilings, and narrow gaps. (6)-(9) encounter less interesting terrain but still incorporate sparse foliage to create a plausible if not entirely satisfactory ending. The long and short pin positions seem to really bump the difficulty up one level. I particularly enjoyed (5) long, which made for a short par-4 throwing down into trees followed by a skinny straight upshot.

-Mandos: The course can be played without them, but there are about as many mandos as holes out here, with most being double. Many of them are quite late in the hole and add a peculiar degree of difficulty. I would much prefer foliage for this, but that wasn't an option here. Not a huge bother personally, but I know many players will hate this aspect of design.

-Roads: Major risk of encounters with cars on (4)-(6) and (9). Smart throwers will be fine, but risky or newer plays could be problematic.

-Scenery: Not very scenic. A soccer pitch surrounded by suburban 4-lane roads just isn't my vibe. Mountain views emerged once or twice though.

-Un-Dedicated Disc Golf: This course came after the park, and is fit in where it can be. There will be other park traffic. But just as notably, this isn't any kind of destination course. It couldn't have its pick of beautiful environs, sprawling fairways, or unique holes. It's still a utility 9er.

Paragon is merely a 9er, and those have reputations. However, it's a particularly well done 9er that epitomizes lemonade-making. It's not the kind of place that many will call favorite, or worth a long drive, but it's quite enjoyable for a short round. On the spectrum of all courses, 9 and 18 holes included, I'd put it on the favorable end of Typical.

~Similar Courses: Bartholomew Park (Austin, TX); The Grove (Maysville, GA); Greg Rogers Park (Chula Vista, CA).