Pros:
Pelican Park is a multi-use park with several fields , and a dog park which looks to be in use often . It also features an 18 hole disc golf course . There are signs to help direct you to the start of the course . Plenty of parking near hole #1 and there are bathrooms up near the skate park end .
THE EQUIPMENT - The tee pads are natural . They look to have been well used , which is a plus and a minus . The plus side shows you exactly where to tee off . The minus is that it can hold water . There is a kiosk with map close to hole #1 . The tee signs are good . This course features alternate pin changes from time to time . Blue is the shorter pin setting and Gold is the longer placements . There is a sign near hole #1 that will tell you which position it is in . This day , I played the Golds . There are also some good informative Next Tee signs to help with navigating this spread out course .
The baskets are older Mach 5 models , not numbered but still catch well .
THE TERRAIN - The course is almost parking-lot-flat . There are some holes with some trees to force you to pick a lane to throw through , like 3 and 10-13 , but it is set up more park-style . Open bomber holes dot the landscape . There are a couple of spots where water comes into play . a kind of runoff near hole 5 , and a drive across a couple of creek holes in the back of the course . Some good basket placements make the course more enjoyable . Some sand will greet you here and there .The grass was cut , but some outer edges of the back part of the course could use some clearing .The course isn't an eyesore , by any means , but there is also no natural beauty to it , either .
THE HIGHLIGHTS - There were no memorable holes for me , but that doesn't mean that there weren't good holes . #3 is a 609' hole that starts in the open and drags you through a series of low hanging trees . There are some open lanes to throw into , but the park is windy and combined with the trees , will make this a challenging hole . #4 ( 444' ) was wide open until the end , with a nice basket placement in the brush and up a small hill . #11 ( 432' ) is a drive through the trees with both left and right handed lanes that tighten up near the basket . Hole #16 ( 360' ) starts in the open , but the basket is protected by a fir tree line and a few random trees . The wind will make some of these come into play . #18 is a good finishing hole ( 512' ) Low hanging trees that stand in the fairway have branches that will swat a good drive down . If you can get a good drive off and away from some of the branches , you will have a look at the basket , which has a more open green .
THE TIME - It took me about 70 minutes to play the course . Foursomes grasping the course will finish in a little over 2 hours , depending on whether the pins are set in the Blue or Gold positions .
DISC RISK - Disc risk is low if you avoid the water on 5 , and some of the brush near 15-16 . A tree could hang your driver up , but that could be said with most courses .
The course gets play , so I am thinking that the parks department at least keeps up with a lot of the maintenance .
Cons:
There are some concerns with the course .
#1 Safety - a lot is going on in the park , and some of the holes play long . wind + length = possible bad day for Someone . Exercise caution when playing here in prime time .
#2 EQUIPMENT - I am not a fan of worn natural pads , but I can't stand it when the pads have roots running through them . Since the course is using natural tees anyway , how about moving the ones affected by the roots backwards , forwards , or to the side .
#3 HOLE #2 . I don't know if the storms from the previous week were most of the contributing factor , but there was some deep looking water in front of and flanking the #2 basket . Add the fact the the other side has a little reservoir filled with water , and you had one strip of lengthwise dry land to shoot for . I never saw someone attempt a Driver Suicide by unleashing a throw towards this hole . I might rethink placing this hole somewhere else
#4 NAVIGATION - Even with the NEXT TEE signs , this course can be hard to follow . After finishing 3 , you can immediately see the sign for #7 , but #4 is across the road . The movement from #13 to walking across the road and over a bridge to the #14 tee will mess you up . Make sure you take a picture of the kiosk or print the online DGR map . It will save you time .
#5 LONG WALKS - There are going to be long walks during your round . 3-4 , 6-7 , 9-10 , 13-14 , and the notorious walk from the 18 basket to the parking lot . Bring water .
Wind can be a pro or a con to many . It will get windy .
It can't be helped , but the course is very flat .
Other Thoughts:
This course was just what Eastern Louisiana and Mandeville needed . Course designers Josh Edwards and Mike Kernan didn't have an exclusive part of the park to feature , so they had to improvise , and make a course that winds through many of the park uses ( They did a good job ) . Will the course ever blow you away ? No , but it will give you a chance to test yourself with a course less than an hour from New Orleans . I think the park should consider either making a 2 pin per hole or a 2 tee pad per hole change . The pads would be easier and less expensive and keep everyone happy . Make sure you take a look at the NO team Facebook page along with the park page to see if your round coincides with any doubles or single league play , or a tournament .
MY RECOMMENDATION - A good play for the locals and even newbies or families , especially when in the Blue positions . Travelers and course baggers will like that it is a course just off of I-12 and US 190 , making it a good stop on the way from/to New Orleans . There are enough long holes in the Gold positions to keep it interesting enough for the intermediates , and practice for the pros . Don't go too far out of your way to play here if not a local , but it IS WORTH A TRY . !