-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
South Fork Park reviews
7
0
Great Hidden Gem 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 8, 2020
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
South Fork is just minutes from Idlewild and Boone Woods. Hidden inside a subdivision, you'd not expect such a quality course located here, but it's clearly cared for. Designed by the Boy Scouts, someone knew what they were doing.
I've visited South Fork several times and felt it was time to update my review. This course continues to be my go-to when taking beginner players out for a round. It both offers challenging holes while not being overly frustrating. Also, it packs quite a bit of variety into 9 holes.
Here are a few of my favorite aspects of the course:
-Well maintained, lovely park with shelter, bathroom, basketball, soccer, and plenty of parking
-The course is mostly on DG only property, though on multiple occasions I've seen pedestrians stray of the walking paths and wonder onto the course.
-New baskets and teepads
-Varying distances from 200' to 400'
-Hole 1 and 9 are the least interesting, basically straight shots across a wide open field, simply a place to warm up. 1 plays near a walking path.
-Hole 2 plays over a 40' wide creek, around 150' off the tee. The basket is nicely framed in a grove of trees, 220' out. Newer players will find this throw fun without risking losing a disc (unless the creek is up due to recent rain)
-Holes 3 and 4 play along the creek, but offer little risk of losing a disk as it's guarded by the tree line.
-Hole 5 is probably the signature hole. After climbing a steep hill you through across a small valley to another hill, slightly lower. The shot is only around 250' but miss circle 1 and risk rolling away on all sides.
-Hole 6 offers a nice uphill shot through a gap. The basket is perched at the top of the hill with roll away potential if you come in too hot.
-Hole 7 is a downhill steady left turning shot with a tree line on both sides. A well-thrown shot will be rewarded with an easy birdie but get off the fairway and you'll likely be in bogie territory.
-Hole 8 plays back across the creek from hole 2, but the creek is only 50' in front of the teepad. At 180' this is the ace run, with the basket perfectly framed by a couple of trees and no real risks.
I've visited South Fork several times and felt it was time to update my review. This course continues to be my go-to when taking beginner players out for a round. It both offers challenging holes while not being overly frustrating. Also, it packs quite a bit of variety into 9 holes.
Here are a few of my favorite aspects of the course:
-Well maintained, lovely park with shelter, bathroom, basketball, soccer, and plenty of parking
-The course is mostly on DG only property, though on multiple occasions I've seen pedestrians stray of the walking paths and wonder onto the course.
-New baskets and teepads
-Varying distances from 200' to 400'
-Hole 1 and 9 are the least interesting, basically straight shots across a wide open field, simply a place to warm up. 1 plays near a walking path.
-Hole 2 plays over a 40' wide creek, around 150' off the tee. The basket is nicely framed in a grove of trees, 220' out. Newer players will find this throw fun without risking losing a disc (unless the creek is up due to recent rain)
-Holes 3 and 4 play along the creek, but offer little risk of losing a disk as it's guarded by the tree line.
-Hole 5 is probably the signature hole. After climbing a steep hill you through across a small valley to another hill, slightly lower. The shot is only around 250' but miss circle 1 and risk rolling away on all sides.
-Hole 6 offers a nice uphill shot through a gap. The basket is perched at the top of the hill with roll away potential if you come in too hot.
-Hole 7 is a downhill steady left turning shot with a tree line on both sides. A well-thrown shot will be rewarded with an easy birdie but get off the fairway and you'll likely be in bogie territory.
-Hole 8 plays back across the creek from hole 2, but the creek is only 50' in front of the teepad. At 180' this is the ace run, with the basket perfectly framed by a couple of trees and no real risks.
Cons:
-2 baskets play near a walking path and pedestrians often wonder into the course. Once I found a man sun bathing on hole 5's teepad.
-Hole 1 and 9 are nearly identical flat field throws and just serve the purpose of getting you to and from the parking lot.
-Unlikely but possible to lose disc in creek and surrounding rough on hole 2
-This course gets very swampy, especially on hole 1 and 9, but all over. If it's rained recently the creek can also get up and at that point any disc that goes in is gone. Basically, don't play it if it's rained at any point in the past few days.
-Hole 1 and 9 are nearly identical flat field throws and just serve the purpose of getting you to and from the parking lot.
-Unlikely but possible to lose disc in creek and surrounding rough on hole 2
-This course gets very swampy, especially on hole 1 and 9, but all over. If it's rained recently the creek can also get up and at that point any disc that goes in is gone. Basically, don't play it if it's rained at any point in the past few days.
Other Thoughts:
This is a lovely little course and fun for throwers of all skill levels. The park is beautiful and the disc course has much of the park to itself. The entire course is well worth a quick round. It took our foursome around 45 minutes to play the entire course and we immediately headed back to hole 1 for another round. This is the highest I've ever rated a 9 hole course. It's odd to give a short course 4 stars, but this one is the best 9 hole course I've played. It makes great use of the property and most every shot feels unique. If you're in the area to play Idlewild consider ending your day 10 minutes down the road for a smile after a frustrating day.
