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Wallace State Community College reviews
16
0
Cerealman
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
15.8 years
590 played
179 reviews
Wallace State may infuriate, be annoying to navigate 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Mar 20, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
Dubbed "The Lion's Links," the Wallace State Community College DGC uses some of the open, rolling hills area on the backside of campus before interjecting its design near several classroom buildings and other academic facilities.
The course starts with one of its longest holes first; it's the only par-4 on the short design and the fairway travels over a wide-open valley before a steep ascension for the last 100 feet. The opening few holes feature few obstacles, allowing for a warm-up before you encounter some of the more technical holes closer to the center of campus.
Several picturesque holes. The first two holes throw over a beautiful grassy valley. Holes #6 and #7 find a lovely lightly wooded area on campus that is likely gorgeous come summer. Hole #18 overlooks a large lake.
The tee signs that remain in standing condition are colorful and detailed, both verbally and pictorially. The signs include a small "Next Tee" arrow on each map.
The course is fairly friendly to cart users. And the "traversability" is excellent, as you'll be walking on nicely manicured lawns for nearly all of the course.
There are several signs near the parking lot, including a brief history of the course's origination and a large map.
The Wallace State website states that the course is open to the public.
The course starts with one of its longest holes first; it's the only par-4 on the short design and the fairway travels over a wide-open valley before a steep ascension for the last 100 feet. The opening few holes feature few obstacles, allowing for a warm-up before you encounter some of the more technical holes closer to the center of campus.
Several picturesque holes. The first two holes throw over a beautiful grassy valley. Holes #6 and #7 find a lovely lightly wooded area on campus that is likely gorgeous come summer. Hole #18 overlooks a large lake.
The tee signs that remain in standing condition are colorful and detailed, both verbally and pictorially. The signs include a small "Next Tee" arrow on each map.
The course is fairly friendly to cart users. And the "traversability" is excellent, as you'll be walking on nicely manicured lawns for nearly all of the course.
There are several signs near the parking lot, including a brief history of the course's origination and a large map.
The Wallace State website states that the course is open to the public.
Cons:
The tee signs are some of the most maddening I've seen. Not only were a number of the tee signs broken off or missing, but many of the signs feature a short essay on what is and isn't out-of-bounds. A statement that discs should not be retrieved from the roofs of buildings appears multiple times, which signals a potential issue in the design.
Of course, the dissertation on each hole's boundaries is almost necessary due to the cramped design on numerous holes. Part of the issue is that about half of the holes are shoehorned into areas of campus where throwing discs isn't ideal. On nearly every hole is the opportunity to hit a building, parking lot, culvert or other manmade obstacles. And that's when the campus is empty - as it was on the Saturday morning I played. Add in college students and more vehicles, and this course is likely unplayable at certain times.
The design of Hole #18 is awful and will result in many lost discs. Not only are you throwing downhill with a lake on the right side, but the basket is placed precariously on a steep hill that will result in numerous roll-aways into the lake. Throw a disc you don't mind sacrificing to the water gods here.
After Hole #18, there's about a five-minute walk back to the parking area next to the first hole. And if you baptized a disc on the final hole, the walk will seem longer. It appears from looking at the original map that Hole #17 use to be longer, but it has now been divided into two holes, and the original Hole #18 no longer exists. Also, it appears from the large course map next to the parking lot that an option exists to play a long Hole #19 to what appears to be the practice basket.
The "Lion's Links" sign advertises the WSCC course as "the largest in the state" but also attempts to appeal to both amateur and advanced players by touting multiple teepads and baskets. When I played the course, I didn't see additional baskets, and the long teepad areas (orange) would have been challenging to locate. When the long options are available, it definitely rates as a bomber course. Even in the short (blue) layout, this wouldn't be a good course for novice players with so many obstacles around. The odds of an inexperienced player hitting a building, window, car or roof are high.
Navigation isn't always intuitive, especially with several couple-minute walks from a basket to the next teepad. Without a map, I would definitely have had to do some wandering around. Also, the baskets aren't numbered.
Of course, the dissertation on each hole's boundaries is almost necessary due to the cramped design on numerous holes. Part of the issue is that about half of the holes are shoehorned into areas of campus where throwing discs isn't ideal. On nearly every hole is the opportunity to hit a building, parking lot, culvert or other manmade obstacles. And that's when the campus is empty - as it was on the Saturday morning I played. Add in college students and more vehicles, and this course is likely unplayable at certain times.
The design of Hole #18 is awful and will result in many lost discs. Not only are you throwing downhill with a lake on the right side, but the basket is placed precariously on a steep hill that will result in numerous roll-aways into the lake. Throw a disc you don't mind sacrificing to the water gods here.
After Hole #18, there's about a five-minute walk back to the parking area next to the first hole. And if you baptized a disc on the final hole, the walk will seem longer. It appears from looking at the original map that Hole #17 use to be longer, but it has now been divided into two holes, and the original Hole #18 no longer exists. Also, it appears from the large course map next to the parking lot that an option exists to play a long Hole #19 to what appears to be the practice basket.
The "Lion's Links" sign advertises the WSCC course as "the largest in the state" but also attempts to appeal to both amateur and advanced players by touting multiple teepads and baskets. When I played the course, I didn't see additional baskets, and the long teepad areas (orange) would have been challenging to locate. When the long options are available, it definitely rates as a bomber course. Even in the short (blue) layout, this wouldn't be a good course for novice players with so many obstacles around. The odds of an inexperienced player hitting a building, window, car or roof are high.
Navigation isn't always intuitive, especially with several couple-minute walks from a basket to the next teepad. Without a map, I would definitely have had to do some wandering around. Also, the baskets aren't numbered.
Other Thoughts:
What a mess. There were too many areas where I thought "they probably shouldn't have put a hole in this location" due to safety concerns.
While Wallace State features some good elevation and interesting shot-shaping challenges, the inadequacies and design flaws are definitely detrimental to the course, resulting in a rating that seems a bit punitive but is justified.
While Wallace State features some good elevation and interesting shot-shaping challenges, the inadequacies and design flaws are definitely detrimental to the course, resulting in a rating that seems a bit punitive but is justified.
