A little better than "decent/typical" in my opinion. It is a very short course, but it is done in such a way that most won't be able to resist its charms. There are a surprising amount of elevation changes and trees to make the course interesting enough, and even a scenic-ish hole 3. The course is set in a pretty neighborhood park with a nice little pond, a playground, and a pavilion. The course features nice tee signage and playground rubber matting for tee surfaces. I think that this is the first time I have seen this material used for tees and it seems to work ok.

Obviously, the biggest con to most will be the short distances. Other than that some of the tee pads were starting to degrade. Concrete tees would certainly be a welcome improvement. Navigation is pretty easy except for the long walk between holes 3 and 4. Also, the wooded part of that hike is growing in and could use some machete work. The only restroom is a lonely porta potty.

So what we have here is a fun little short course that seasoned throwers will have an ace race on or do some putter/mid practice but low-level recs and new throwers and your casual throwing spouse will really like. Being that I'm a seasoned old noodle arm player, I loved it. If I lived in the neighborhood I'd play it every day.

I found myself in the area with an hour lunch break and wanted to find a 9 hole course to try out, Reserves Park was perfect in that regard. This course would be easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. The park is in a small subdivision and the entrance looks like another driveway at first glance. Watch for the "Reserves Park" sign on the right. The first hole is to the right of the pond.
Pros:
-The thing you'll hear over and over is "great for beginners". If this is what you're looking for, you've found it. No real lost disc potential, short walk, only 2 holes over 200', and a small bit of elevation makes this great for the family.
-Want to bring your kids and stroller? Holes 4-9 play next to a paved path so you can keep the stroller close while the kids throw.
-Still hunting that first ace? Spend a day here, you'll get it.
-The park is very nice. There's a playground and a portable restroom as well as a pond.
-Baskets caught well.
-You can play it fast. I snuck 2 rounds in on my break and the second one clocked in at a whopping 13 minutes.
-2 & 3 are nice. 2 is around 200' uphill with some shrubs and branches shaping the shot. Most experienced players will go over top on the right. 3 plays over a dip and into a small clearing horseshoed by shrubs. At 240' it's not a gimme to hit the gap and stick the green, I ended up pitching out of the rough for par.

-It's so short. When I stepped up to tee 1 I almost threw to basket 2 because I couldn't imagine the basket less than 150' away was the correct hole. All 9 holes combine for 1,600'
-Not a lot of variety. Hole 1 and 4-9 are basically throwing in an open field (though 5 & 9 require some shape due to branches and 8 is around 270').
-Long walk from 3 to 4. Follow the path around the pond and past the playground.
-Pathway could come into play on 4 and 8, though it's unlikely for most players.

Reserves Park isn't a bad course and every area could use a course like it. It offers a great place for families and new players while also scratching the itch of others. But unless your a course collector or just need to squeeze a quick round in while your in the area, there's nothing that makes that stand out.

I seriously considered just copying and pasting Jeff's (sisyphus) review instead of writing my own. His review was that informative and spot on to what I observed. But then I realized that some of our more learned members, may in fact, notice that the two reviews were one and the same.

Reserves Park is a long, narrow parked squeezed in between a busy highway and a housing area. These houses' backyards border the park on one side. There are, at least, two signs asking you nicely to respect these folk's privacy and property. The park contains a small pond, walking path, picnic shelters, play areas and more.

The gate was locked when I arrived about 6:30 in the AM. It's easy to just walk around this gate. There were a couple of early morning walkers there. The gate officially are opened at 8 but were unlocked when I left about 7:30.

After playing # 2, I was standing on the walking paths making some notes when suddenly I was surprised by this older lady on a recumbent bicycle went flying by, think of a roided up Lance Armstrong going downhill in the tour. She bade me a cheery "Good Morning" after nearly giving me a heart attack. Had I taken one step out, she would have ran me over like a bug on a windshield. I would have been road kill!

The starts just right of where you enter the park. There is a kiosk complete with a lovely course map. The course plays around the perimeter of the park counter clockwise. The tee pads are made from the same rubberized material that is used under play equipment. Nice to know if I slip on my run up and fall on my face, I probably won't be scarred for life. The tee signs are nice colored ones showing the hole #, distance, par, a map and the next tee. 1 & 2 both have sponsors listed. I guess they only found two sponsors so far. How about some of you Cincinnatans pony up some of your wealth and sponsor the remaining 7 holes? And furthermore, how come when I play a simple, easy to follow course like this, they have all these wonderful navigational aids but when I play a densely wooded on 1000 acres of wilderness, there is not one next tee arrow is to be found? The baskets are DGA models with the red numbers.

The course is a simple, short rec/beginners course. Only two holes exceed 184'. But in spite of the very short distances here, there is some challenge and I found it to be quite enjoyable. Holes 2 & 3 both have some difficulty involved. # 2 has you throwing slightly uphill but your shot has to be threaded between a large clump of bushes and some trees. # 3 is kinda scary as you have to finesse your tee off between tall grassy areas and rough on three sides of the basket. Holes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 are all fun little Ace runs. Most of them have some element of challenge, such as a low ceiling on # 5 or a slight hyser on 9 that make them so much fun. If I lived in one of these houses, I'd have more Aces than Cubbie and every one of them would be on one of these 6 little Ace run holes.

The course's target audience is probably beginner although I believe lots of us would enjoy chasing aces here.

A couple of the wonderful rubberized tee pads are slanting ward with the slope of the hill. I prefer em flat.

Long walkout from 3 to 4.

I guess some discs could end up in the neighbors yards.

I liked this little course a lot. It's not targeting advanced, intermediate or anyone who thinks they're pretty good. It's aimed at beginners, recreational players, youth, families, older players, bad players, albinos, anyone who doesn't take themselves seriously, lefties, course baggers, ace hunters, cross-eyed players and the occasional cousin from out of town. If you're able to check off, one or more of these boxes, then you might just enjoy this course. Happy aces!

I gave this course a 3 rating because it is small, clean, easy to access, easy to play but is not a flat, featureless course. It's a big course in a small place. #2 takes a nice little hyzer for best placement, #3 is fun with a 15' landing area between the brush for the basket. 4-9 all have their own features and it was not a boring course even though we finished in 35 minutes. Think of a big course shrunk to fit in a tight spot. Kind of cool

Nothing really. You have houses/yards to the north and a highway to the south so it's not wilderness but it's a suburban course. Tee pads are grippy but lumpy but you don't be doing run-ups anyway.

This would be an excellent course fire for a pick-up style Ace Race as all the holes can be aced, except maybe#8. All others are candidates. We came very close on a couple and it was our first time here. We'll be back since it's close by and quick. Days are getting shorter with Fall beginning.

- Right off the highway. Easy to get in and out.
- Excellent maintenance. This is the perfect little pocket park: grass is always cut, trash bins galore, minimal brush/thorns, and just the right amount of parking.
- Signage is attractive, durable, and descriptive. Some of the nicer signs I've seen in the region.
- Regarding design, I'd give an A+ for effort. There's not a lot to work with here in terms of obstacles and elevation, but this layout makes the most of it.
- Family friendly. Clean, quiet, and fairly easy. Bring the kids, parents, spouse, etc and introduce them to the game here. I couldn't picture a better course for a first-timer (also a 'con').
- Great for those hectic days where you still need a disc fix. If you're within 15 minutes of the course, you can play here on your lunch break or right after work and still be home in time for dinner.

- Family friendly. On behalf of the neighbors I should say that if you like to enjoy a beverage or other vices while you're out on the links, this is not the place to do it (also a 'pro').
- Adjacent backyards are just a little too vulnerable for the beginners I see on this course. I've already seen a couple discs go over the fence on a wild anhyzer. Be very careful on holes 7-9.
- Leave your drivers at home. You won't get any meaningful practice with them here.

Reserves Park is the most successful interpretation I've seen on the casual course concept. Despite its lack of challenging shots, it somehow keeps you engaged. You can tell the designers and caretakers are committed to the course. Come out here with your friends and see who can get the most aces/birdies.

Obviously built as an introductory, casual nine hole course, The Reserves, in West Chester, Ohio, is still a very well executed course design. Though all the holes are short, the moderate elevation and light foliage is used to great effect to give the new player a taste of how these elements affect your shot.

As far as 'memorable' shots go, the course starts out with a simple hole (throw to the nearest basket, not up the hill yet), but #2 is uphill with trees on the left and a large clump of shrubbery on the right to make it challenging. #3 plays across a slight dip, but feels like a mini gut check because of the tall weeds left and right of the green, and the steep hillside left. #7 is really a putter ace run BUT you risk getting into a woodline just behind the pin if you go long. #8 is the longest hole on the course, and has a basket tucked neatly just past a 4 foot bowl drop off. Kind of fun. The finisher on #9 does have a guarded green to give your ace run there a bit of a twist. And the course flow is intuitive and relatively safe.

They've built some really nice, level, grippy tee pads using boxed playground rubber surface material to cushion your steps nicely. The signage is excellent at the kiosk and for each hole, and there are nine nice new DGA baskets with number plates to catch your discs.

If you live nearby, it's a great place to learn putter upshot control and get a round in in less than 20-30 minutes (even over a lunch break) in an attractive neighborhood park, well-equipped with playground, a shelter, a small parking lot, and a walking path.

Do not come to this course as an experienced player hoping to challenge your mids, fairways or drivers. That's not what it was meant for. But it should go in the 'cons' section for most review readers out there, that you're talking about 8 out of 9 holes here under 175 feet. Once that's understood, the only other cons I see are the walk from hole 3 to 4 (that couldn't be avoided, really), and the possible interaction of holes inside the walking path with absolute beginners. Best to have someone mature help the new players out on when it's safe to throw. Last, please note there are a few discrepancies between the scorecard distances and the signage (on holes 4, 7, 8 & 9) [edit: fixed!], but the baskets are always in view, so you can make your own judgment on how hard to throw your putter.

Personally, I'm a big fan of having courses like this built. It's not a competition level course. It's... you know, for kids!

Finally, first timers note: the park entrance is marked by a small green sign right at 5125 Grandin Ridge, which almost looks like just another driveway.