Pros:
• Very Nice, lengthy tees that are surrounded by 1 ft tall rock ledges which are perfect for sitting on. These are probably the nicest tees I have ever seen and also the longest. Most are double what a standard tee would be. I would love to have these at other courses in my area.
• New DGA baskets that are well kept and graffiti free
• Good use of elevation change including a few hillside baskets which make for a tricky approach
• In a nice, new, clean neighborhood
• Locals are extremely gracious, although I didn't see any serious disc golfers out there. It seems families like to play this one for exercise a lot which I think is great.
• Free!
Cons:
• Not much length on all holes except for one which is 300 feet. The first hole listed as 85 feet but really felt like a 60 foot putt. My daughter actually par'd number one and she just turned 5 years old. Good pump up for her.
• Bugs! The entire park was carpeted with millions of these tiny ant sized creatures that actually looked like tiny roaches. I hope they weren't crabs because I think I brought a few home with me.
• No Pro shop and no food or gas close by. If you don't know the area and don't have a GPS, make sure to gas up and get snacks before you get there.
• Only 7 holes, there is room for 9 and maybe even more.
• A few holes play very close to backyards and I almost put my favorite Star Beast in one of them when I turned over my shot on 6. There was a vicious looking chihuahua in there as well.
Other Thoughts:
Riverwalk DGC is a recent addition to the Inland Empire's collection of disc golf courses, and it is obvious that the designers put a lot of love into this one. Even though it is a short 7 hole course, there are some fun lines and lots of opportunities for Safari with the space available in the park. I had a lot of fun here with my family, and I think that is what the designers had in mind - a short, family friendly course that really anyone could play. My 5 year old daughter had a blast playing it and as I mentioned, she got her first par on Hole # 1. She chose the Nuke (even though I told her it was wicked stable) and she actually turned it over on her 45 foot drive.
I don't know if I hit this one at a certain time because no one else had mentioned this, but the entire ground of the park was carpeted in billions of these tiny bugs which I could not identify. On # 4 which is the downhill shot, my putter (which I threw on every hole except for 2) landed in the bush beyond the hole. I reached into the bush to retrieve it and when I withdrew my arm, it was covered in about 100 of these little bugs. I felt like I was reliving the scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when Indy has to reach into the "Bug hole" to unlatch the trap door. I turned to one of my kids and yelled "Get me my whip Shorty!". Then I proceeded to brush all of them off and nailed the 15 foot putt for birdie. It added a bit of adventure and intrigue to the round.
After the fact, I talked to Jurupa Parks and Rec and they indicated that they weren't exactly sure what they were, but did verify the existence of the little guys 2 days after I was there and are currently investigating. More to come on this...
If I lived close to this course, I would definitely play it regularly - it is well kept up and fun for a short practice round or three. I saw 2 families playing and they were pretty surprised I was able to get up to that 300 foot hole on my first shot. I think they had been playing that one as a Par 5. The problem with the geographic location is that it is very much out of the way. My GPS showed it as being 16 miles out and it took 40 minutes to get there. In a straight line, it is not very far from where I live but the freeways do not go directly there. There is also a serious lack of any sort of facilities nearby including gas, food, and of course no pro shop.
Overall, the local residents here in the Corona/Norco/Mira Loma area should be very happy that they have a nice, clean new course to practice at. Prado is not very far away and provides much more challenge and length, as well as a full 18 holes. However, this is a great practice course to tune up your mid to short range game. Big arms will only need a putter and maybe a mid range or fairway driver for the one lengthy hole. I would also advise that this area gets a lot of direct sun and will probably get very hot in the summertime. Bring plenty of liquids and also some sunblock I think I'm going to have my raccoon eyes for some time to come and I was only out there 90 minutes at the most.