Oregon Park in Marietta, GA, finally getting what it deserves...

[Lewis]

I know those of us around metro Atlanta, GA, have heard this before, but this time it's actually true: Oregon Park in Marietta, GA, is FINALLY getting the good layout we've been waiting for since last Spring (if not longer). We had to fight through a lot of obstacles to get to this point, but Cobb County Parks and Recreation has officially approved Kevin McCoy's design for an 18-hole course featuring two baskets and two teepads per hole. And these pads are going to offer two truly different looks at two different permanently located baskets across each fairway. You're going to be able to play each hole 4 different ways, because we had enough land and that's how Kevin wanted to design it. :thmbup:

Once we get the work done in June, there will no longer be a dozen unnumbered baskets around the back side of the property with no maps, signs, or directions. There will be no more old course of 18 holes on a plot of land that isn't quite big enough for it. It will all be replaced with Kevin McCoy's new design (and Lord knows we're grateful for his work!) that the county has officially put their stamp of approval on. All that remains to be done is the work and some outlay of cash (which we have, thanks to the dozen or so local businesses sponsoring our course) to put it together.

We already have our 36 baskets: 18 Innova Discatchers for the set of "gold" targets, and a mix of 18 mostly DGA baskets for the set of "Silver" targets. Our members are already hard at work designing and creating signage, tee markers, and other useful hardware to help you navigate the course. And we're already planning our workdays to happen in June.

A couple of the older "silver" baskets will need to be replaced when we have the funds, and we aren't going to install concrete pads immediately, but this park is going to have a MUCH better course come summer. Keep a lookout for information on the Cobb Disc Golf Club's website or the Atlanta Disc Golf Organization's forums for updates and information on how you can help. Once the course is in, we'll ask Tim to tombstone the old course's page and we'll fill in the information for the new one. Once that's up, y'all come back out and play it again for the first time!

 

[JSurmann]

I played the old course and I was impressed last year. I can't wait for the new one!

 

[cmcolomb]

this is excellent news - ETA?

I will def make the trip back to the ATL area once this one is complete

 

[Lewis]

I played the old course and I was impressed last year. I can't wait for the new one!

Did you play the par 3 layout that's been there a couple of years or the semipermanent par 60-something layout that was in for a week or so but didn't quite get final approval from the county? The 12 baskets on the back of the property that I referred to above are still in the ground from that layout.

Also, one thing worth noting is that the concrete pads that are already on the old course look like they will be incorporated into the new design, based on the map I have seen. There are 5 holes that now have one or two 12x5 concrete pads, and only one pad on one of the holes does not look like it will be in use in the new layout (the two pads for that hole are right next to each other). Most of these pads were installed by a local boy scout as part of his eagle scout project last Summer.

 

[Lewis]

After a long weekend of work, the new course layout is more or less in. Two of the 36 baskets are dispatched for special missions, and will be installed later in the month. There are a few loose ends to tie up and things to tweak, but as of now the disc golf course at Oregon Park is a much larger and longer 18 holes. There are two tee pads for every hole, and other than the two baskets not yet installed, there are two baskets for every hole as well. We have installed tee signs that will soon get hole numbers and maps installed, and we are working on getting the tee markers on the ground where there are not concrete pads. The new course is fully navigable now, and several of the holes will be familiar to those who have played the old layout, but I would suggest asking a local (such as myself) to guide you around the course over the next week or so until we get information printed to go on the tee signs.

In short, the old course layout that is on this site no longer exists. I suppose it should be tombstoned and a new page created for the new layout. Admins/moderators: what's the process for doing getting that done? Should one of us locals create the new page for the new layout, or will that be done as part of tombstoning the old course page?

We don't have complete information about hole distances and pars yet, but we should be able to pull that together within the next week, as well as photos and a map for the new layout. The map I could probably get done tonight on short notice if it's needed, though there would be one or two details that I would need to run past the people who were there doing the final installations today before it goes "official."

 

[Connor Jones]

I will make my way up to play this when you're done,I need another atlanta weekend trip to wrap that city up

 

[Lewis]

If you live way out of town, such as over an hour's drive from Marietta, you might want to give us a few weeks to smooth out the major rough edges before you spend the gas to get here. The course is in the ground, but it's going to take several weeks to settle and mature. I saw a very critical review go up today for Oregon Park, and from his review it's clear he has made several false assumptions about the situation. He's absolutely entitled to his opinion of the course, and to review it as he sees fit, but I don't want anybody's reviews to be colored by misunderstanding the real situation.

Remember that the effort to install this course has been paid for entirely by club fundraising and volunteer labor. In the past two years, the Cobb Disc Golf Club has raised money and labor at this course to add 27 baskets to the course, new signage, markers, etc. The local boy scouts have provided several new concrete tee pads and benches. The county has allowed us to use a couple dozen acres of land and has given their blessings for our effort, but has not provided any labor or public money.

Because this course is being paid for entirely by local sponsorships, local donations, and volunteer labor, we can't produce a sparkling pastoral fantasyland in a single weekend. It's going to take time for the course to mature, so please be patient with our effort and give us some time. Thanks!

 

[Lewis]

We have measured the distances on all holes. We will need to move a few baskets and install the two not yet in the ground before publishing individual hole distances to avoid confusing folks, but I will give the totals to help you get an idea what the options are. Keep in mind there are silver and gold baskets and red and blue pads. Red to Silver is most beginner friendly and shortest. Blue to Gold is longest and most challenging.

Red to Silver = 4211'
Blue to Silver = 5174'
Red to Gold = 5486'
Blue to Gold = 6287'

Par for Blue to Gold will be 58, with four par 4 holes.
Par for Red to Silver should be 54, but I am waiting for verification before making it my final answer.

Also, to Hacksaw Jim Douchebag, you need to get a life. We were going to move that basket anyway, but you're costing the club money to replace that center pole.

 

[Lewis]

I updated the course page with distances for the holes. Some of these will be a little off in the short term while we move baskets to their "final" positions, but for the most part they'll give you a good idea of how long the holes are.

I have also added an "Updated Course Map" to the Links tab on the course page because we needed to totally reverse the flow of a hole. If you have been playing the course already, note that what has been considered "#3" is now flowing in the opposite direction (up the hill) as "#18", and what you have been playing as #4-#18 are now #3-#17. After finishing #17 (aka old 11, aka old-old 8 from the original 9-hole layout), walk by the tee pads for #7 (aka old #5) into the woods, and either turn right in the woods where we've started cutting a path, or turn right just out of the woods and along the tree line. You should see the tee signs by the edge of the woods. Throw uphill towards the #18 basket on the upper terrace by the Swingtime building.

More progress is coming, including signs and maps at the course.

 

[Lewis]

All of the baskets are in now, though a few of the holes still need to have the "gold" and "silver" baskets swapped out. We are probably going to have signage printed and laminated to attach to the tee signs this week. Until then, use the updated "Course Map" on the "Files/Links" section of the Oregon Park course page to help you navigate (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course_files/4584/2571a726.jpg). Be aware of the updated location for the long "blue" tee pad on hole #4 (this hole is equivalent to old hole #1, for those of you familiar with the 2007 version 18-hole layout or the older 9-hole layout).

There is still clean up work remaining to be done around the course, especially killing poison ivy and clearing dead cut branches out of the fairways on several holes, but we will get to this soon. We also need to get the location of the tee pads for hole 18 finalized, so consider the current tee pads "temporary" until we figure out the best way to cut them into the shady edge of the woods.

 

[Lewis]

We swapped two more baskets on Friday to get us closer to the intended design. Only #6 and #16 remain to have their baskets swapped.

Design of the signage for the tee signs is done; the printed sheets still need to be laminated and installed on the posts. We will put the laminated sheets on the tee sign posts once the last two holes have their baskets "reversed" to the intended position.

 

[JSurmann]

Holy Cow, 7 & 8 look to be monster holes!

 

[Lewis]

Holy Cow, 7 & 8 look to be monster holes!

They're both par 4's to the "gold" baskets, but one of my recent doubles partners set me up for an easy putt for a deuce on #8 with a long, accurate drive. #8 is sort of a tweener hole, as are 10 and 11, which are also listed as par 4 to the gold basket. Scoring averages for MA1 or better divisions would likely come in under 3.5 for all holes other than on #7 to gold, which may well be the best hole on the course.

 

[reggaB]

Redesign

Totally not worth playing until they straighten out the layout.

Check out the recent reviews and you will see what I am talking about.

Did not use the property alloted to its full potential. Was very confusing and dangerous layout, could not see you having a tournament here with a full field as too many conflicts would occur.

 

[wabrown23]

Lewis this is great! Can not wait to get back down their and check it out.

 

[Lewis]

The signage we're putting out on the course within the next week -- maybe today -- should "straighten out the layout" better for anybody who has been confused. I have actually asked people (with one of my posts in this thread) not to review the course until it is finished.

Honest question to reggaB: Without signage, I definitely see the confusion, but where do you see the danger?

 

[GT Chris]

Totally not worth playing until they straighten out the layout.

Check out the recent reviews and you will see what I am talking about.

Did not use the property alloted to its full potential. Was very confusing and dangerous layout, could not see you having a tournament here with a full field as too many conflicts would occur.

Huge bummer on the reviews. It seems like a couple of those writers think there are two separate 18 hole courses and not one course with alternate pads and pins. They wrote about conflicts between groups playing to the gold pin and silver pin on the same hole (at the same time!), then knocked the course as if it were a massive design flaw.

Lewis, give us an update once all the baskets and signs are in the final positions. I was there for the workday but haven't really gotten to play the course yet.

 

[Lewis]

As of this past Sunday, all the baskets are in the final positions. As of this afternoon, all the signs are out at the tee pads (a couple of them need to be reprinted after proofreading, but it's nothing a quick sharpie edit wouldn't fix, and I didn't want to not put out all the signs). That should help a LOT with the confusion. Maybe the negative reviewers will come out again now that the course is "finished" and update their reviews. I expect from here on out the ratings should be higher than 1.5.

 

[Lewis]

^That said, there are still some things left to do before we can say we're "done" with the work at Oregon park. For example, on #18, we have cleared tee pads in the edge of the woods, but have not yet moved the tee signs down there from where they are out in the open. That will probably just take an hour or so of work for one good worker.

There is also the matter of all the dead branches lying around from our pruning in June. We have made a request to borrow the wood chipper from the county, and are waiting to hear back from them. Finally, we're still fighting the poison ivy. Thanks to heroic efforts by a few amazing people who either aren't allergic to urishiol or who just have serious 'nads, the poison ivy is down to a more manageable level. However, there is still a lot of it out there, so watch where you step. The club has a large reservoir of poison ivy killing concentrate that we're applying to the worst patches, but it's going to take more time and effort to get the course cleaned up from the admittedly rough condition it is in now.

So yes, the course can be called "finished," but we're still working on improving it and ironing out the wrinkles. It will continue to improve. Thanks for everybody's patience!

 

[Lewis]

There is some work going on this weekend on several issues on the club's punch-out list for the course. We're going to move the tee signs for #18 to the tee pads we've been cutting out in the shade of the tree line behind and to the left of where the signs have been (out in the open). This will make the distances currently printed on the signs accurate. We're also going to move the blue (long) pad for the hole now playing as #9 down to the shade of the big oak tree to the left of where it is now. This will create a more natural flight line for the tee shot, and lengthen the hole to a par 4 from this pad.

We are also continuing to spray the poison ivy and work on light clearing of scrub plants. There is also one basket that needs to be made level, and a couple of tee signs need to be screwed down better to their posts. If we get all this done this weekend and still have daylight and elbow grease left, we will begin to install the tee pad markers. For now, just use the tee signs to find the tee pads and estimate where the unmarked pads are by where the worn spots are in the grass.

If you see caution tape on the course, please respect the people putting in long hours of hard labor in the blazing sun to give you a better course by staying out of the taped off areas. If a basket is taped off, just putt out to the nearest convenient object; if it is a tee sign, please do not touch it. I promise it will only be a matter of an hour or two before we take the caution tape down.

One more thing to be aware of is that Kevin, our course designer, has considered and approved a renumbering of the holes to improve the "flow" of the course around the transition between holes 2-3 and 17-18. Be on the lookout for that change reflected in the signage on the course, and I will post it on this site with an updated map once I'm aware that the signage has changed.

For those who are interested, the holes currently playing as #7-#17 will become #3-#13, and the holes currently playing as #3-6 will become #14-17. None of the individual holes themselves are changing for this, but it should improve the flow from hole to hole on the course without adding to the walks between holes. We may start following this route on Thursday night doubles before the tee signage changes, but for casual play just play it as the signs are showing now. We are reprinting signs to correct a couple of errors in the original printing as well as to to reflect this renumbering.