Pros:
Tom Triplett is a well-designed course for players of all skill levels with Rec, Intermediate, and Advanced tees, plus a few extra tees for pros and levels in between. Unfortunately, at least when I played, there was park construction going on, plus sogginess due to recent rain, and 2-3 holes were unplayable. Still, if you live in the area or you're passing through on I-95, Tom Triplett is worth the trip.
+ Three sets of tees on each and every hole with five total layouts to choose from (in order of length/difficulty; white, red, blue, black, gold). There is a white, blue, and gold tee on every hole. The red layout shares tees with either white or blue, depending on the hole. The black layout shares tees with either blue or gold on each hole. The tee pads are also flat and an adequate size and shape.
+ Helpful tee signs for each of the three sets of tees, with color coding matching tee signs to tees. The tee signs have a picture of the hole layout, markings for each tee, and yardage for each tee.
+ The hole designs are varied -- left to right, right to left, and straight -- with lengths ranging from 119-512 feet from the white tees, 155-750 feet from the blues, and 184-959 from the golds. The white layout has one par 4 (the 512-foot #4). The blue layout makes hole 4 a 750-foot par 5, par 56 for the course. The gold layout has eight par 4's and one par 5 for a total par of 64.
+ The hole lengths are appropriate for the widths of the fairways. The four sub-200-foot holes for the white tees are all very narrow and technical fairways...and aces are very possible, as well as bad kicks and scrambles to make par. The longer holes have wider fairways. And the longest hole, the par 4, is wide open.
+ The setting of the park, with the course wrapping around the lake, following the paved greenway, is really pretty. A fawn watched my son and I putt out on hole 9. Lots of birds and other wildlife. The lake and park itself are aesthetically pleasing and well-maintained.
+ This is a fun, yet challenging course. Lots of different shots required. And if you get bored or feel like the challenge isn't stiff enough, just step up to a longer tee!
Cons:
- The biggest con for me on the day I played was the construction mess in the middle of the course. We couldn't even find holes 7 and 8. I'm not sure if they were taken out due to park construction or if the big muddy area just forced us to walk the wrong way and we missed these holes. Then, coming back on the back 9, we missed hole 13. We saw the basket and what remains of its fairway, but no tees. Our shoes got caked in mud walking between holes 12 and 14. It's just a mess out there right now. Hopefully, the course will dry out quickly and the construction projects will be completed so the course can get back to normal.
- The way the course is laid out, playing out and then doubling back along the lake, makes for some holes in close proximity to each other and other park amenities (namely, the greenway). Watch out for other players and park goers and follow your map to make sure you're walking to the correct hole.
- This is a personal pet peeve, but I wish all courses conformed to the PDGA color coding standards for courses. My son and I set off on the white layout, thinking this was the intermediate track. It turns out, white is Rec on this course and red is Intermediate. The black layout is also mislabeled here. In my humble opinion, all courses should try to conform with this standard:
Green = Novice (par = 780-830 rating)
Red = Recreational (par = 830-880 rating)
White = Intermediate (par = 880-930 rating)
Blue = Advanced (par = 930-980 rating)
Gold = Pro (par = 980-1030 rating)
Black = Super Pro (par = 1030+ rating)
Other Thoughts:
Tom Triplett is a fun and challenging course that has something for all skill levels. Hopefully, the construction mess can be taken care of soon. Honestly, the track was not in 3.5-level shape when I played. It was more like a 3.0. But I could tell that under ideal conditions, it was likely a 4.0-level track in terms of fun, challenge, and design. I split the difference and gave it a 3.5. Definitely worth the stop off of I-95!