Nature's Playground - Blackfoot Pathways reviews
9
0
Rough, wooded and bare bones in a neat sculpture park 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 15, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
-9 permanent Mach Vs, most with a level mounting.
-6/9 tee signs with decent depiction of the hole and distances that I felt were accurate.
-Lots of trees that create fun and challenging lines and force specific shots on almost every hole.
-Free to play
-The sculptures in the park are absolutely amazing. These almost make it worth playing here. They at least make it worth walking through the park.
-Pretty good mix of Hole styles and lengths. Certainly leans toward more advanced players. 3 par 4s and 1 par 5 add to the challenge and keep things interesting.
-Navigation, once you figure out where to start and find the baskets through the rough, it is fairly simple with the next tees all being fairly close to the previous pins(see also: cons).
-6/9 tee signs with decent depiction of the hole and distances that I felt were accurate.
-Lots of trees that create fun and challenging lines and force specific shots on almost every hole.
-Free to play
-The sculptures in the park are absolutely amazing. These almost make it worth playing here. They at least make it worth walking through the park.
-Pretty good mix of Hole styles and lengths. Certainly leans toward more advanced players. 3 par 4s and 1 par 5 add to the challenge and keep things interesting.
-Navigation, once you figure out where to start and find the baskets through the rough, it is fairly simple with the next tees all being fairly close to the previous pins(see also: cons).
Cons:
-No course sign, map or general info available. The flow is actually decent but just getting started and then finding the baskets on 7-9 where the signs are missing can be a challenge.
-No tee boxes. Not even roughed out ground. Just tee markers and rather uneven overgrowth.
-No upkeep whatsoever. The rough is rough and bushes are overgrown and block your ability spot most of the baskets. Some of the greens are super crowded with brush and trees to where they almost aren't greens. Bring brightly colored discs that don't match the foliage or plan on lots of searching.
-A few of the holes are a bit poke n pray-ish. Hole 5, parts of the par 5 hole 6 and hole 7 all come to mind. They aren't necessarily poor designs, just feel a touch incomplete where a bit of limbing and maybe the removal of a few key trees could really turn them into fine golf holes.
-No real elevation change. A few small and localized bumps and dips were put to decent use but nothing to write home about.
-Mixed use area creating some conflict. The course plays through a nature area that it shares with walking paths and an installation of multiple sculptures. A number of holes cross over the paths and play right by the sculptures.
-Almost all of the tees are too close to the previous pins for comfort. Actually surprising since the holes feel like they were designed by somebody that knows the sport well.
-No tee boxes. Not even roughed out ground. Just tee markers and rather uneven overgrowth.
-No upkeep whatsoever. The rough is rough and bushes are overgrown and block your ability spot most of the baskets. Some of the greens are super crowded with brush and trees to where they almost aren't greens. Bring brightly colored discs that don't match the foliage or plan on lots of searching.
-A few of the holes are a bit poke n pray-ish. Hole 5, parts of the par 5 hole 6 and hole 7 all come to mind. They aren't necessarily poor designs, just feel a touch incomplete where a bit of limbing and maybe the removal of a few key trees could really turn them into fine golf holes.
-No real elevation change. A few small and localized bumps and dips were put to decent use but nothing to write home about.
-Mixed use area creating some conflict. The course plays through a nature area that it shares with walking paths and an installation of multiple sculptures. A number of holes cross over the paths and play right by the sculptures.
-Almost all of the tees are too close to the previous pins for comfort. Actually surprising since the holes feel like they were designed by somebody that knows the sport well.
Other Thoughts:
This could be a really cool course if it were finished/kept up/had better infrastructure. I'm not sure if the installation stalled out or the course caretaker bailed or what. The hole designs are fun and challenging, the flow isn't bad, holes lengths and styles are well balanced. It just feels like they got the baskets and some of the signs in and completely walked away. Fully taken care of, polished and trimmed, I could see this rating more like 3/5 which I feel is pretty dang solid for a 9 holer. As it is, there are basically no amenities, absolutely no upkeep, and really lacking in the infrastructure department. I'm not sure who, besides the avid course bagger, would really want to play this course. The sculptures are absolutely epic so if that interest you get after it. With how poorly maintained the course is, it's just tough to have a lot of fun outside of notching another pelt. However, if I lived in the area, I'd be all about whipping that course into shape because the potential is truly there. Hopefully somebody local comes to the rescue so it doesn't go to complete waste.
