Pros:
Polaris Park Disc Golf Course is located on the outskirts of downtown Minot in a smalll quaint neighborhood. This 9 hole course includes seven Par 3's and two Par 4's, making Par 29. The course was designed to weave throughout this multi-use park. Other amneties include a hockey rink, tennis court, playground, and skate park. There are some trees clumped together but, for the most part the park is fairly open and flat. The trees they do have though have been strategically used to guard a few pins.
Wind was a LARGE factor, similar to Minot Air Force Base. Polaris allowed for many birdie opportunaties, including some ace shots and a couple pars. Because of the wind, bogies can be quite possible. Baskets were similar to Mach 5's, durable, and good enough for being a family friendly course. The baskets were blue with red tops, and the poles were painted yellow which was kind of funky fresh.The course was very easy to find, and the neighborhood seemed friendly and safe.
Cons:
When the wind is not blowing (which is rarely) the course would be fairly easy to score well below par.The course design lacks imagination and difficulty and therefore creates little to no challenge, With the terrible winds blowing the few times I played, I still shot 4 under with missing two birdie opportunities.
The tee pads are dirt with no distinct start and finish, and the tee signs are basic wooden posts with numbers etched into the side. Distance and par written, but in black marker which looked as if a middle school wrote it.
Much of the surrounding land and elevation in the general area was not utilized and becasue of this, the holes suffered greatly. There were a couple of fun holes but the rest were really too simple and at times dangerous considering they played near the other ameneties. A redesign could do wonders for this course and perhaps allow the rating to eventually move up to possibly a 2.5. Unitl then, I stand by my rating. It is designed for the novice or intermediate player in mind.
Other Thoughts:
The fact that this course is located in a neighborhood surrounded by young families is fantastic. This is a wonderful place to learn the game, and for more advanced players, a great place to experiment using the wind. With all the land here in Minot, it would be great to see them build a championship 18 hole course considering there is a University in the same town. I bet if a local disc golf club was was organized on campus that a lot of great things could happen in this little town. I hope for the best but am not sure it will ever happen. I hope I am wrong.