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Downingtown, PA

Shamona Main 9

Permanent course
2.675(based on 3 reviews)
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Shamona Main 9 reviews

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Julius
Experience: 5.1 years 81 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very Good Pitch and Putt 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 24, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Brand new pitch and putt in western Chester County. 9 holes with great baskets, illustrative tee signs, and just a few minutes up the road from Kerr Park where a lot of new players can be frustrated by the wooded holes.
- Holes ranging from 160-250'. Several ace opportunities, especially for right handers, but plenty of chances to bogey if your throw goes awry or into the trees/OB.
- RH dominant holes, likely due to space constraints and goal of encouraging new players. I'm a (bad) leftie and still managed a birdie on my first round here in the rain with no prior looks.
- Navigation is very easy without a map. There's a tiny bit of confusion after hole 5 (the tees for 6 and 8 are close) but the signs are extraordinarily legible. However, each tee sign indicates where the next tee is, and the red 6X6 wooden posts are easy to spot. The 5" numbers in yellow help too (see photos).
- Other than the OB, both natural and artificial, there is minimal risk of losing discs here unless you throw a 90° shank shot by accident into the woods. No crop fields or high foliage outside of the OB.

Cons:

- A fair amount of OB for technical reasons (basketball courts, beach volleyball courts, baseball diamond) for a pitch and putt. Other OB is due to the park, and the line is drawn by fencing, with the other side consisting of vines, spiny plants, and other unpleasantness which is down there.
- The tees are grass/dirt, and several are on inclines (more than 10°) which makes a run up difficult. There should be no need for a run up on any of the holes, but for those who wish to, it will be difficult.
- A number of holes have the basket on a slope. Again, constraints of the park, but it also masks the par 27 with possibilities of 3 putt scenarios for beginners. Not a complete negative mark, but I feel it is a handicap of a pitch and putt. At the same time, it balances by increasing replay value for folks who have a few holes under their belt and giving good benchmarks for growth.
- 5, 6, and 8 all play roughly in the same area. 5 long impedes into the teeing areas for 6 and 8, and a shank from 8 could dent a head at 6. If this course were heavily trafficked, I'd be concerned about this section of navigation. I don't know what I would change about it if I were the CD with the land given, so I can't fault it, but I worry about new players' errant throws.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this is a fun course to grab 9 quick holes at and practice the short game. I went opening day after 1.57" of rain (since midnight today), but the baskets had been placed! As a pitch and putt, it delivers for the rec+ player with a variety of shot shapes and uphill/downhill terrain -- this is not a "flat pitch and putt with a maple tree mando" course. The rain definitely makes this course extremely soggy and a number of patches had little to no grass and were turned to very slippery mud (even for walking). I believe this is a problem which will get worse in the future (after and during heavy rains*) when the course has been beaten in. In dry conditions, I'm sure it is no problem (will update review in coming months with facts instead of conjecture).

As a recreational course, I rate this course as Very Good, 3.5. Amateurs and advanced players should be able to birdie every hole and possibly achieve an ace or two. However, with that standard in mind, this is a great place to take friends and introduce them to the sport. My rating is dependent on the course page's description as a pitch and putt. The good chances of birdie for a newbie at the final hole as well as the right handed friendliness should be good draws for new players. It is not an intermediate course and has not been rated as such. Future improvements would include tee pads, maybe benches if the course gets crowded enough, and maybe a map. The course seems just about as large as it can get with the space given, but still provides plenty of variety.

Hole 1: A 200' RHBH hyzer shot with a wall of trees and vines obstructing the straight shot. The basket is tucked close to the treeline and in the summer would likely be hidden from sight.
Hole 2: A 250', uphill shot with trees on the left side of the shot. The basket finishes on an incline which will likely be the cause of many three putts when the ground is dry and rollaways are punished.
Hole 3: A 200' RHBH shot with a mando (the LHBH would play out over a walking path). The mando goes around several massive pine trees which will inflate scores for discs that fade short, but are easy to retrieve.
Hole 4: A 180' RHBH shot around trees with OB long. The OB is down into a nasty patch of vines, plants with thorns, and what will likely be lots of ground cover in which discs can be lost come summertime. Don't go OB long.
Hole 5: A mostly open 250' shot with OB on the left. Same OB area as 4, same OB warnings apply. The basket is sheltered within some trees, but the circle is fairly clear.
Hole 6: A 200' uphill shot with OB for courts on the left and right. Risks of rollaways are low at the basket, but there are some more significant inclines near the OB areas due to the cutouts/embankmenents for the courts.
Hole 7: A 250' LHBH shot (finally!) downhill with trees long and water OB very long. No requirement to follow the fairway but the large pine trees right require a turnover shot for righties.
Hole 8: A 230' uphill shot with a line of trees right and sport courts OB left.
Hole 9: A perfect 150' slight downhill shot to present an ace chance and a birdie to see you on your way. There is OB long for the baseball field. The basket is on a left to right downhill slope, so plenty of opportunity for right-handed new players to park a shot and take home a birdie and get the bug.
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