+ All nine tee pads are solid, flat and sturdy concrete pavers.
+ All nine holes have signage: both current tee and 'next hole.'
+ The distances feel just right for a high school course.

- All holes are totally wide open.
- It weaves and twists between many other sports areas.
- The playability due to being on school grounds.

I think Hole3 is my favorite because of the woods along the righthand side providing an area to avoid and good scenery. If you listen carefully, you can hear a stream. My least favorite was Hole2 because it felt the flattest and most open to my mind.

As for the course as a whole, Marlboro is your typical high school 9-hole. I've come to know them to be reliably sturdy and standardized with great examples of signage, tee pads and baskets. High school courses in central NJ have great infrastructure that many 18-hole courses should imitate.

And it's not just the fixtures. One thing that I will say high school courses do better than any other type of course is that they have a good amount of OB. Those fences around the baseball, football, soccer and softball fields solidly define what is out of bounds for the disc golf course. It's rare to find an 18-hole course that has such clearly defined OB like any given high school 9-hole courses. So, it can be argued that high school courses like this one are good training grounds for precise control and obstacle avoidance. Marlboro High definitely excels in this. Try your hand here if you can spare a few minutes. You might be taken by surprise with all of the OB fixtures!

But the things that Marlboro, and high school courses at large, falter in are distance, land features and challenge. This is nothing new and could even be perceived as a positive trait. The distances aren't terribly long, but so what, right? That just means birdies and ace runs. The holes are mostly wide open and flat, but so what? That just means it's a good place to practice your approaches. And there are no tricky fairways to navigate. It's just straight shots, mostly, but that just means you can work on your accuracy and consistency.

I'll say about Marlboro what I say about most high school 9-hole courses. I am not exactly its intended audience, but I am glad that it exists. Its layout was not crafted with my skill level in mind, but I can appreciate what it is doing. And Marlboro is doing a fine job at introducing high school students to the sport.

+ A good place for beginners to learn, and for experienced players to practice their short game


+ Shoutout to the ace runs on Holes 7 and 8, and to the risk/reward design of the 400' Hole 9: where a RHBH hyzer up and over the OB grandstand can give you an eagle look. These elements add some enjoyment for experienced players who are stopping by to play a school course

- Being located on school athletic fields, access is limited to non-school hours when the fields aren't in use (this isn't so much a "con" as is just a fact about limited access)


- Very little in the way of natural features for the designers to work with. There's a treeline along the property boundary for a few holes, and only the slightest elevation changes. They did their best with what they had, adding a slightly elevated basket and incorporating some manmade obstacles like a storage container and the grandstand

~ Hats off to the continuing effort to build courses in Central NJ high schools. Welcome to the game, kids!


COURSE AMENITIES:
New installation with DisCatcher baskets, paver tees and excellent signage. This is pretty much the same "package" you'll find at Freehold HS and Colts Neck HS


RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:
Although Marlboro HS is a convenient stop between Thompson Park and Wolf Hill, you could put together a really fun circuit of 9's: Marlboro, Manalapan, Freehold and Colts Neck. Limit yourself to carrying 2-3 discs, play during non-school hours and have a blast!

Recently completed 9 hole permanent course on the property of Marlboro High School. Brand new Innova Discatcher baskets and sufficient 3' x 8' paver pads are at each hole. Wooden "next tee" directional signs are secured to the bottom of each basket to aid in already easy navigation. Very nice professional grade aluminum tee signs in school colors are attached to 4x6 posts on all holes. Course uses the available land well, has good flow and offers high schoolers a variety of shot options throughout the course. There is OB here, an elevated basket on hole 7, a neat ace run bordering tennis courts on hole 8 and a finishing 400 foot hole 9 to challenge students.

The course weaves around existing athletic fields, which limits play if those sports are in session. At under 2000 feet in total length, the advanced player will not be sufficiently challenged here if they seek competitive rounds. As with most of these high school courses, public play is limited to non-school hours.

Marlboro is the 3rd course in the Freehold Regional High School District, the largest in the state. It is also the 2nd course installed by the Jersey Shore Disc Golf club in hopes of bringing disc golf to area schools. Aspirations of scholastic disc golf clubs forming at these schools and a recognized state high school schedule are hopeful future goals.

Of the three district courses, Marlboro presents the most unique layout given its property. It is a fun layout with a number of good risk-reward holes for the average student where a birdie or a bogey is possible. A fair amount of OB (athletic fences, bordering back yards) will appropriately challenge students without overwhelming them as they learn technique and shot selection.

Marlboro DGC is an enjoyable play for the recreational disc golfer and for more experienced players looking to work on their approach game. It was designed for students; as such, please consider this when rating the course.