This is a beginner's course, and I will approach it from a beginner's POV. That being said, this course is fantastic! The best feature for the new player is that it is relatively free of hazards.

Compared to other courses in the Birmingham Metro area, this course isn't that remarkable - see the 2018 review from Wellsbranch250 for specific details (all of which are still valid). But what makes this course so helpful for the beginner is that it is so straightforward, and it doesn't have really short holes.

I am nearing 50 years old, and I am new to this sport. I am learning with my son and his friends, and their ages run from 6 to 13. Sometimes another parent goes with me. I'm always carrying extra putters and midranges here to show a new person how to throw. We can go to hole 1 next to the new course map sign and we can throw into the field towards the 1st basket. As we are learning to throw closer to 200', we realize we are over the halfway mark of the field. You get a real sense of accomplishment here! Tee signs are still in good shape. OB clearly marked on each hole.

The first 3 holes are in a field next to a Senior Citizens Center, which almost never has traffic in the afternoons, evenings, or weekends. There is a road that parallels the 1st hole with the occasional car, but generally there is no traffic around you. The road to the right is elevated above you, so all but the wildest griplock shots will bounce into the grassy knoll and not require you to chase discs into yards. When you do chase an errant disc, no dogs or humans are around to acknowledge you.

My group has played at nearby Magnolia Links in Gardendale, and we attempted Greg Lemaster in Trussville. Both courses are really fun, and the scenery is different which makes for a good trip. But we are still terrible players, so we spend as much time walking down the hilly Alabama terrain looking for lost discs as we do walking the fairways. That will change over time of course, and it also speaks to the age of my huckster crew as much as it does to our talent level... that being said, we can knock out this course in under an hour, which means my normal group of 4 kids plus me can do this twice before sunset after I get off work.

We played Pinson this weekend, and we were able to come very close to birdies on the short holes. At Spring Street, we are not to that point. I'm now realizing how nice that is! We can see steady improvement in our drives, but we are going to have to be consistently straight and work on our form if we're going to be able to sling it far enough to land inside the circle. So even without creeks or wooded holes to entice you, this course will motivate you to stand out in the former soccer field on Hole 6 and throw your best over and over to try and beat your previous efforts.

Another great feature of this course is the neighborhood splash pad. It's open every day except Monday (not sure why it's closed on that day as I've not seen any maintenance being done.) It remains within sight on all 9 holes, except for parts of the 1st 4 holes where the tornado shelter blocks it. That means if you have an older kid who can handle a splash pad and playground atmosphere without close and constant adult supervision, you can drop them off here and play all around them while they remain close enough to come and get you. This has been a fantastic feature for me! It also has a restroom that is always available.

The grass grows fast in Alabama, and the 1st 4 holes are on a huge field that needs frequent maintenance. I've only been a couple of times when the grass was above my shoes, and it takes a minute to find your disc when you throw. However, some kind words to the city maintenance staff seems to have rectified most of this! Now that they know they have players, this is not much of an issue.

The tees are marked only by concrete circles. Once you know where they are, this isn't much of an issue - but the yellow paint has begun to come off, so some of them are hard to spot for newcomers.

There is a new military memorial about 10 feet in diameter that has been built by the parking lot, and the outer ring of it covers up one of the concrete tee markers on Hole #3. It's a wide open field, so you can easily scoot to the right to make do. Still, if the memorial (which is a circle of bricks containing flags, rocks, etc) had been moved 6 inches to the left, it would not have covered the tee marker. Even better, if it had been moved a few feet INTO the field, it would have made a nice man-made obstacle to force the thrower into making a decision about strategy.

The walking track that surrounds hole 6 is not very active. When it is, it causes some small delays. For the most part, it brings good conversations that often start with, "I've never seen Frisbee golf before - what is that all about?"

Hole 9 is a 90-degree dogleg to the left that goes around the parking lot for the Senior Center. Since this course attracts beginners, it means there are a lot of RHBH throws that end up beating on the pavement. Minor issue that comes with learning.

When the splash pad is in full effect, the runoff from it is drained into an area just behind the basket for #7. This is a con for the new player since you are almost required to land in the water after an approach, but it does require you to think about how you might avoid that as you grow. Plus, since it's only there during peak splash pad time, it does add some variability that is lacking on every other hole.

If you are a beginner on the East side of Birmingham and you can go to Pinson to practice, you probably won't need to drive to this side of town unless you are checking a box for all local courses. But if you are a local and you are wanting a nice place to work on your form and track your improvement, you couldn't find a better course. I would rate this low compared to other local courses, but I would rate very high for a beginner-friendly place to relax and play with youngsters wanting to learn the game. Therefore I'll rate right in the middle!

(1.218 Rating) A beginner's course that has multi-use issues.
- ACEABILITY - For players hunting for their first ace, I would recommend playing this course and playing hole (1) thru (3) over and over and over again. They are obstacle free shots, and average 208 feet long. Play (1,2,3,2) repeat.
- SIGNAGE - Nice hole signage showing distance, obstacles and ob areas.
- NAVIGATION - No course map on site, but other than the transition between (7) and (8) I think I saw every proceeding tee sign from the prior basket. I posted a course map to clear up any confusion as well.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Other than hole (6), the course is very manageable for the beginner's skill set. Very little overgrowth, little opportunity to lose a disc and four holes under 250 feet in length. I'm sure most would agree that these are good characteristic for a course to have for those wanting to the game.
- QUICK PLAY - With the holes for the most part being stacked one after another, players can figure a very quick round here. I estimate 45 minutes for a foursome to complete a round here.
- MAINTENANCE - The grounds appear to be constantly mowed, trimmed and manicured. I spotted some trash deep in the woods along (6), but that's usually the case in hard to reach areas. Why am I in these woods? See cons Valley of Death.
- CHAINS - My first time throwing at Dynamic Patriot baskets. An appealing looking basket, that failed to catch my airballs. Nice solid chains, they caught well.

A course layout shackled with site restraints.
- PROPERTY/SAFETY HAZARDS - This course is going to be really difficult to play with an active park. Hole (4) parallels a road. Holes (6) and (7) play along a multi use field. Holes (8) and (9) play along parking areas. Thankfully I had an empty park and parking lot on my round. ( I played at 7AM and it was 35 degrees out.)
- VALLEY OF DEATH - I had a hunch that hanging it out to the right on hole (6) would have disastrous consequences. Coming up to tee (6) I immediately saw the sharp slope off to the right, along with its overgrown and impenetrable tree coverage. My only though at tee with disc in hand was "don't miss right" Watching my RHFH shot come out flat and immediately starting to hook right was a horrifying reality. After an exhausting 10 minute retrieval effort I confirmed my suspicions that the terrain at that location was unforgiving.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Other than a bunch of OB, there isn't anything here to challenge veteran players. Players rated 850 or better (Recreation) should all routinely finish below par.
- TEES - Not to bad currently, but still natural. I did like the small concrete tee markers that signaled the tee line.
- CHARACTER - Other than nice baskets, Spring Street DGC is void of all the niceties that go along with established courses such as nearby Clay, Inverness or George Ward. No practice basket, no Multi Tees, No alternate basket placements, no seating and no community board.
- ELEVATION - A non factor along the line of play. As mentioned above, there's a steep valley right of hole (6), but it's out of bounds. Not one hole varies by more than 5 feet.
- UNIQUENESS - In additional to the lack of elevation, the overall hole variety is minimal. All the shots are under 320 feet. They are all straight and several are obstacle free. I would only define one hole as moderately wooded, hole (5). Water does not come into play as the shallow 2 foot wide ditch behind (3) and along (4) is considered casual.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Nothing exotic about this park. As stated under the uniqueness con, no water or elevation features. The backdrop views comprise of park buildings and residential houses. The tree coverage in the park is light.

I'm glad the course exists as it brings the sport to another area. I'd give it a 1.25 rating if I were allowed to do so. If I lived in town I'd probable show up a few times a month. Nearby Magnolia Links is a much nicer course and it targets a similar audience as this course. I'd probably have to live in the neighborhood to show up here routinely. For those living in the Birmingham area wondering if they should take a peek at this one, I'd say yes, but only if they enjoy playing the full spectrum of courses.