Pros:
If you want to see a near-perfect short course design, Reservoir Park hits the mark.
- This is an outstanding short course. It does what few courses can do by being beginner friendly while also being enjoyable for more experienced players. I felt there was lots of hole variety while also not having any filler holes.
- I liked the ace-run, birdie chance on #1 to start to the round. It's a 205-foot (or 187 feet, according to the tee sign) dogleg left. Throw a putter or a soft-mid range and let your disc float back towards the basket. The idea of a short course giving players a chance to begin their round under par is a great look.
- Course is very forgiving. In case you didn't notice, there is a pine tree or two on the course, in the region, etc. And with so many pines, these are easy trees to throw around. Other than one hole, I was able to salvage par after a bad tee shot.
- Along those lines, with a short, forgiving layout, this course begs you to be aggressive. There are plenty of birdie and ace chances throughout. Between holes #10 & 11, I had maybe a total of 10 feet of birdie putts combined on the two holes. My best potential ace-run, on #5, felt great off my hand, looked good for the first half of the hole, and ended up smacking a branch. One foot further right and I really would have loved to see where that shot landed.
- Great use of the terrain and natural settings. There's some elevation. There are trees in play on every single hole from relatively few to more heavily wooded layouts. All told, it's a solid stroll through the woods.
- This course is nothing if not consistent. The average hole length is 240 feet with 12 holes between 200 - 299 feet. The longest hole, #12 at 358, is a downhill shot so it plays much shorter. The point being, you can bring a couple of mid-range discs and a couple putters and have at it.
- Tee signs are excellent. They give you all the pertinent info you'll need for navigating the course.
- The park itself is excellent. This is part of the area's greenway system. On a Fourth of July morning, the parking lot was packed with plenty of runners and bikers using the trail system. There were also kayakers on the water. I got a couple looks as I was taking part in the most unathletic activity here. Trust me, after seeing the trail system, I'd have rather gone for a nice run.
Cons:
The course, for what it's intended to be, is a home run. It's one of the best executed short courses I've played, in my top two or three of sub 4500-foot courses (250-foot hole average). That said...
- This course isn't for everyone. It's a relatively simple layout and design. There are very few 'wow' layouts. There are fun holes for sure, but nothing that's a signature, can't miss design.
- I played to the wrong basket on #9. From the tee and walk down the fairway, the first basket you'll see is #11. I threw to #11, walked up to the basket for my putt, saw that the basket said #11, went hmmmm, looked around, then finally spotted #9's basket. Even based on the flow & curve of the design, #11's basket seems like the more natural shot.
- Course is 'isolated' from the rest of the park activities in theory. I came across one biker who decided the fairways were better for him than the actual trails. There are plenty of access points from the course to the trails that anyone could hop on. Plus, the greenway itself runs along one side of the course. The course never crosses the trail, but it does play along it, especially on #14 & 15.
- No benches, water fountains, or trash cans on the course itself. Also, the course is one single loop, so #9 & 10 are your furthest points from the parking lot.
Other Thoughts:
Reservoir Park is an excellent course. It's not going to be confused with great courses. But, if you want a simple, short course that will appeal to multiple skill levels, this is high on the list.
- I played Hillcrest right before this course. Talk about opposites. One course has been totally neglected and is far from optimal levels. Then, 10 minutes down the road, you can play Reservoir Park. There's no doubt this course would be the first choice of players.
- #3, 5, 7, 10, & 11 all have ace-run potential. #5 & 7, especially, are holes you'll want to pull multiple discs out to make a run at the chains.
- This is a great park. Very well kept. I didn't spot a single piece of trash on the course, tagged baskets, or any other negative aspects of disc golf courses. It's clear the course is an integral part of this park.
- #18 was a fun layout that didn't feel like your typical closing hole. A sharp, downhill, 223-foot dogleg left layout. It felt like a standard, change-of-pace, mid-round type of hole. I nailed my birdie putt, started looking for the next hole, then realized that was the end of my round.
- A minor bit of confusion that many people may not notice. The distances on the tee signs & scorecards is different than what's listed on this site. Most are relatively close, say within 10 - 20 feet, of each other. There was at least one hole where the distance was varied enough that it did impact my throw. One of those types of holes where, for example, you're on the tee and your eyes tell you the hole is probably 240-250, but the tee sign says 200, so you think your judgement is off. Then you throw and you either completely overshoot the basket or leave it far short and realize something was off.
- This is the second best course in the Pinehurst area. Village of Pinehurst is tops, then here, then the Bluff.
- I really liked this course. If you rated a course in terms of execution, this would be in the 4.5 - 5.0 range. In terms of quality, this is one of the best short courses I've played anywhere. A blast to play and well deserving of its accolades.