Thanks to amazing 55 degree weather, I ventured up from Wichita to play both Jones Park courses. I had previously stopped at the course back in December on the way to Kansas City, but the wind was absolutely bonkers when I got to the course, so much so that I couldn't even play and I ended up just walking the East course. Maybe Kansas people are used to conditions like that, but being from Pennsylvania, I am definitely not. 30+ mph sustained winds that are difficult just to walk against are just not my idea of a good time and results in silly golf that doesn't do anything for me.
But this time the weather was just absolutely perfect, and here is my official review of the two courses at Jones Park. Obligatory Disc-claimer: I've played nearly 200 courses in the United States in Canada since 1995 and have written a review / critique of everyone of them. I'm a member of the Disc Golf Course Designers Group and have provided design assistance to several courses, and am currently in the process of designing a 9-hole course in northeastern PA. I will try to keep any negative comments to a minimum, since I am sure countless hours of blood, sweat and tears went into these courses. For the record, I've been playing disc golf for more than twelve years, and play in the Open division in tournaments with a player rating of about 950. I personally prefer longer holes and courses that feature pro par 4 and pro par 5 holes. I am sick of pitch-and-putt courses! I think my opinions are going to be therefore biased, so for novice players your mileage may vary.
Additionally, I am a Safety Nazi. Beveled edge driver discs hurt (I’ve been struck by one from a distance) and in the wrong circumstances, I think one could seriously injure or even kill. I do not believe in disc golf courses sharing the land with other park activities! If a course plays through or near playground equipment, shelters or picnic tables, fishing ponds, parking lots, park roads, streets outside the park, or any other park facility, or has holes too close to each other, then I think it's unsafe course design. I’ve seen how both seasoned and recreational disc golfers are, and they are impatient and do not wait “until the coast is clear.†They throw on unsuspecting park users, and proper course design simply avoids these situations to begin with.
So I started out on the West course and enjoyed right away that the course seems to take really good advantage of the tree obstacles in that part of the park. While still on the open side as compared to most courses nationally, it seems like every hole on the West expertly uses the trees to force fairways and punish errant shots. Hole#4 is the first relatively wide open bomber, but the trees around the long polehole protect it really well. I threw a poor drive and tried to skip an upshot to the basket but the osage oranges on the ground ([zombie] brains... [/zombie]) stopped me well short and I tanked the putt. I bet ya big arms like E-Mac can deuce this. Hole#6 seems to set up perfectly for an uphill RHBH roller as long as you clear the pond and avoid the "No swimming" wooden sign which I came dangerously close to hitting. I just seemed to screw up something on every hole and couldn't bag a birdie on 7,8,9, or 10 which are eminently deuceable. Hole#11 may be my favorite hole on the course because it's a really good wooded hole and also sets up perfectly for a RHBH roller. The long pin on hole#14 is crazy especially with the prevailing tailwind - I got one up into the air a little too much and flew about 100 feet past and almost into the cemetery - I had to work hard just to save par. Hole#15's pin position is well protected and I really liked that one. I took a four on hole#16's short pin, but I think only the long pin makes this one a true pro par four. I was enthused to throw a good drive and skillful upshot to bag a 3 on 'short' hole#17, but the long pin looks SUH-WEET! There's a really narrow approach lane on the left and a more direct but still narrow route over the pond inlet and I bet some high scores are taken on this hole. It's also really crazy to read that someone deuced the long pin with a hammer.
Due to not knowing the layout, some tricky-to-read winds during the round, and just my plain suckitude, I headed into hole#18 having not scored a single score of 2. (And having seen course records in the low 40s, I knew this was bad...) But a very sweet low shot with a Discraft Force which rode the right side of the 'hogback' without threatening to turnover out onto the ice eventually hyzered back into the hill, skipped up, and left me about 10' short and a little left of the basket. A 375' birdie to finish, woo-hoo!
After lunch at Subway, it was on to the East course. As opposed to the last time I was at the course where my drive on #1 was spanked into the tall grass about 75 feet out of my hand due to outrageous winds, it was very pleasant to launch a good drive over the OB high grass and land at the base of the first big tree short of the basket. Hole#2 is a *really* good pro par four, although an errant backhand roller to the right can end up out in the street if you're not careful. I wish I would have had a favorable wind to go for the polehole on #4, and unfortunately the weather was warming up enough that I didn't want to dare try to retrieve a disc on the ice. I almost aced the short pin of 5 and got my deuce and then *really* enjoyed hole#6, which is another pro par four and probably the best designed hole on the complex, imo. It shoots downhill and then through a "keyhole" in a treeline, and over a creek to the basket. 7 and 8 didn't do much for me, but hole#9 is just a really fun chuck to the short pin, although big arms probably have to be careful not to go too far into the trees. The alternate pin (also 11's alternate) must be tough! The same could probably also be said about the alternate on 10. Hole#11 and 12 were perfect opportunities to throw more RHBH rollers, although I was too far left on 11 for deuce and turned up too soon on 12. The long pin on 11 with the OB parking lot and road is pure evil! I bet that one averages out to a pro par four when the penalty strokes are factored in. Even with a very favorable tailwind on the drive, I couldn't get up and down to the basket on #14 which is well protected no matter the pin position. It must be really fun watching a big arm drive the length of the lake on hole#15 and hyzer it in around the cedar trees, but I had to bail out shorter left. Coming up to hole#18, I decided to crank one as hard as I could out over the parking lot and absolutely nailed it with a park job. I couldn't be more pleased to finish both courses with a deuce on 18.
All in all, I really enjoyed both courses. I had a 56 on the East and a 55 on the West, but even though being one stroke worse, the 56 is actually a better score in relation to par since the East has three pro par four holes in #2,6, & 14 making for par 57 as opposed to par 54 on the West.
Differences between West and East:
West Course
More trees come into play; the course plays tighter and rewards the accuracy golfer
While far from "pitch-n-putt," the shorter hole lengths and driveable greens make it friendlier for shorter throwers, recreational players, women, etc.
Fewer pond hazards - should result in not as many lost discs for recreational players
Egregious safety hazards (more on this later)
East Course
Fewer trees come into play and errant shots are not punished as greatly
Longer hole lengths make the course play to the big arm's advantage, but make for true pro par four holes
More pond hazards, which are always exciting!
Far fewer safety hazards than the West side
Feels more like a world class disc golf course and despite being more open, a better test of golfing skills.
The one thing that really annoyed me on the West side is the many safety hazards from holes running too close together, or to park roads or outside roads. I play with enough novice & recreational golfers to see where their shots go, and some of these could result from skilled players who just throw too far, griplock, or whatever. I could *easily* picture errant shots from golfers landing in the following areas:
Hole#1: When playing to the long pin, interference with #10's short pin
Hole#2: A shanked shot to the right into hole#9's tee
Hole#5: Bomb one too far up the hill and you're on to hole#6's tee pad
Hole#6: Throw one too far to the long pin and you're on to hole#7's tee pad
Hole#7: Shank one to the right and you take out people on hole#8's tee
Hole#8: I tried to throw an anhyzer to the short pin and faded out onto hole#9's tee. The whole #2,8 & 9 area is somewhat of a clusterf---
Hole#9: see above
Hole#10: Yank one to the right when playing to the short pin, and someone walking around the corner to hole#1's long pin gets it in the face
Hole#11: Playground left: I would really hate to see someone try to throw over the trees but hyzer one off into here and take out a toddler
Hole#13: Poor drive left ends up on #12's tee. You basically have to throw a hyzer over the entrance road to the long pin
Hole#14: Another clusterf---. When playing to the short pin, you're almost throwing over East #2's tee pad, and when playing to the long, you're waiting for people to walk all the way back to #15's tee and clear the tee area before throwing
Hole#15: How many people throw out over the entrance road?
Hole#16: When the basket is long, how many people throw out over the entrance road? How many people have turned one over into the neighbor's yards?
Hole#17: More possible interference with the park road and neighbor's yards
In comparison, the East side has far fewer safety hazards. The only really bad spots imo are the long pin of hole#12, for which the tee sign actually shows a recommended hyzer route of throwing out over Lincoln St., and the pavilions on hole#4 and 14. The (left) short pin on #4 is less than 25 feet from a pavilion - it's almost inconceivable that a park manager allowed that. Also hole#18 - I would be really steamed if I played this course regularly and some damage occurred to my car while parked in the parking lot here.
