Shadybrook Park reviews
2
0
Decent bones but needs some TLC 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 22, 2019
Played the course:once
Pros:
Wow, it's been 5 years since the last review so lets give this an update.
Shadybrook maximizes the available land to squeeze in 18 holes that work in obstacles and elevation nicely. There are 2 9 hole loops separated by a 20ft wide creek. The front 9 plays up and down a regularly mowed hill with enough mature trees to add some shape to most holes. The back nine works through more flat areas and incorporates a few tunnel tee shots (#13, #17, #18) and a tunnel approach (#13). There are 2 tees per hole, although only the long blue tees have consistent teeing surfaces (10ft x3ft rubber pads). Navigation aids are present where you'll need them most.
There is some good stuff to be had from the Blue tees. #6 was a fun 350ft left to right arc with OB road to the left and a tall baseball outfield fence to the right. #7 was a nice downhill par 4 with a few big fairway trees to navigate and a basket somewhat tucked into a densely treed area. #13 had a cool 6ft high, 15ft wide tunnel to the green. #15 was a trickier-than-you'd-think big downhill shot that required a gap to hit right off the tee with some road OB 40ft beyond the basket. #18 was a pretty tee shot that forced a long low shot downhill to a guarded green.
Shadybrook maximizes the available land to squeeze in 18 holes that work in obstacles and elevation nicely. There are 2 9 hole loops separated by a 20ft wide creek. The front 9 plays up and down a regularly mowed hill with enough mature trees to add some shape to most holes. The back nine works through more flat areas and incorporates a few tunnel tee shots (#13, #17, #18) and a tunnel approach (#13). There are 2 tees per hole, although only the long blue tees have consistent teeing surfaces (10ft x3ft rubber pads). Navigation aids are present where you'll need them most.
There is some good stuff to be had from the Blue tees. #6 was a fun 350ft left to right arc with OB road to the left and a tall baseball outfield fence to the right. #7 was a nice downhill par 4 with a few big fairway trees to navigate and a basket somewhat tucked into a densely treed area. #13 had a cool 6ft high, 15ft wide tunnel to the green. #15 was a trickier-than-you'd-think big downhill shot that required a gap to hit right off the tee with some road OB 40ft beyond the basket. #18 was a pretty tee shot that forced a long low shot downhill to a guarded green.
Cons:
Course map is in disrepair. Signs only denote hole number. Distances would be a great addition here. Some signs are broken/missing and several basket signs are broken/missing. In an open course with numerous baskets in view from the tee, having them properly marked is a must. The rubber teepads are adequate on a dry day only. DGA Mach 5 baskets are showing their age. There's still no bridge installed in the "creek crossing" area that the course map specifies. If the water is high, the creek that separates each 9 could be impassable. I had to get creative with moving rocks around to prevent wading through shin-deep water. After reading Sisyphus's review, there was no way I was going to traverse an extra mile or two just to get to the front 9, ha! Thank you for the tip sir!
Lacks intermediate/advanced challenge. Outside of the 5 or 6 aforementioned notable holes, there isn't a lot going on here. It's largely an open city park course. Most holes are 300-350ft so they're too long for noobs to birdie and too open/forgiving for most players to card bogeys. There wasn't a lot of shot variety. You could probably play this course with your favorite 3-4 discs.
Lacks intermediate/advanced challenge. Outside of the 5 or 6 aforementioned notable holes, there isn't a lot going on here. It's largely an open city park course. Most holes are 300-350ft so they're too long for noobs to birdie and too open/forgiving for most players to card bogeys. There wasn't a lot of shot variety. You could probably play this course with your favorite 3-4 discs.
Other Thoughts:
It took me years to finally get here due to the "private" nature of this land. Yes, it's on Lexmark property but I seriously doubt it gets much action from anyone. Before I played, I asked a local about it and he basically said feel free to show up and play but don't be an idiot about it. Translation: please leave the beers, loud music, vape clouds, etc etc in the car.
Does this course match the character and challenge of the nearby Jacobson, Veterans, and Falling Springs courses? Not by a mile. It does however offer a pleasant, simple landscape to work on your game. And for the DGCR baggers, it's maybe 6 minutes off I-64 and can be played in an hour.
Does this course match the character and challenge of the nearby Jacobson, Veterans, and Falling Springs courses? Not by a mile. It does however offer a pleasant, simple landscape to work on your game. And for the DGCR baggers, it's maybe 6 minutes off I-64 and can be played in an hour.
