Fairview Park

A typical city park course with a few par 4s. PROS: + RECREATIONAL FRIENDLY + The PDGA defines recreational players as those who have played at least 1-2 years, throw 200-300 feet, and can make 4- ... show more ›

A typical city park course with a few par 4s.

PROS:
+ RECREATIONAL FRIENDLY + The PDGA defines recreational players as those who have played at least 1-2 years, throw 200-300 feet, and can make 4-6/10 putts from 20 feet. Fairview Park definitely fits that billing and your average recreation player should be averaging around even par. There are lots of great opportunities to air a disc out without care for those that max out at 350 feet. Beginning players should enjoy this course too as the fairways are generally forgiving and the odds of losing a disc is very low.
+ TEES + Adequate 4 foot by 10 foot concrete tees for most holes and also a few asphalt ones using the walking path. I was unable to locate the tees for (3) and (18), (see cons navigation.)
+ CHAINS + DISCatchers that are in great condition.
+ MAINTENANCE + The park grounds appear to well maintained. I observed a little trash in the woods, especially around hole (15). The grass was mowed and the overgrowth was limited to just a few holes.

CONS:
Other than navigation, the cons listed below are really just a listing of course characteristics that are below the average course out there.
- NAVIGATION - Pretty bad but playable. There is only one directional cue on the entire layout and the course jumps around a bit. There is lots of missing hole signage and I was unable to locate tees (3) and (18). There is no course map on site and nothing online either. Normally in situations like this I'll draw up a schematic one, but with no clue on where (3) and (18) tee are, conducting such a task is fruitless.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Intermediate players and above are not going to be tested by this layout. Shot shaping is limited to just a couple tee shots. The three par 4s are easy birdies for players that can throw at least 350 feet as it will leave them a 150 foot approach without obstacles. I could see advanced players throwing 10-12 down on average out here.
- ELEVATION - A minor factor on only a couple holes. Hole (5) plays across a shallow dry wash and is one of the more interesting plays out here. Hole (10) plays about 15 fee down and is the longest par 3 out here at 420 feet. The rest of the holes change by 10 feet or less.
- UNIQUENESS - In addition to the lack of elevation the overall hole variety is below average. A few too many open plays to keep veteran players appeased. There are a couple fully wooded technical plays but they are both sub 250. There are few 500 foot bomb-it par 4s. Water comes into play once on hole (8) and it's the one and only challenging play being 375 feet long and having a well guarded basket location. There really aren't any blind baskets. Hole (6) and (7) I guess could be argued blind, but I don't consider a basket blind if it only requires a five foot walk to the side to see it. Other excluded features are par 5s and dogleg holes.
- CHARACTER - Other than adequate basics, tees and baskets, the amenities and comfort items typical of established courses is lacking. First off, no tee seating and there are a bunch without shading as well. As mentioned above the tee signage is missing in spots. There is only one set of tees and there are no alternate baskets. There is however a practice basket, finishing shelter with tables, and a restroom.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - A touch below average. There really aren't any eyesores here, but nothing here will have a player reaching for their camera either. Holes (5-8) and (14) have some moderate appeal to them but the rest of the hole are either average looking or slightly below. There are few building and roads in view along the layout but I've seen much worse.

OTHER THOUGHTS
A nice recreational course that should keep most of the local players entertained. This is one of those courses that I wish that I could put a C rating on it instead of C- as its borderline. Really not much of a reason for players living over an hour away to come here as it has a lot in common with the every typical city park course. There looks to be some opportunity to further develop the woodsy areas, although it does appear to get a touch swampy in there. I'll check this place out again in the next year or so to see if things upgrade.
- TIME PLAY - I finished in just over an hour solo and I was photographing the site. There are however a couple long walks between some holes and solo first timers will likely do 5 to 10 minutes worth of recon. Figure a four sum should play this one in about 2 hours.

interesting course... variety of shots... long walk... however a few signs were down and missing... a tree is down in front of the basket for 2... the basket for 13 was missing... the tee area for 18 ... show more ›

interesting course... variety of shots... long walk... however a few signs were down and missing... a tree is down in front of the basket for 2... the basket for 13 was missing... the tee area for 18 is not marked... and the sign for 8 was quite concerning about potential loss of LIFE in the mucky dark creepy water hazard... highly recommend taking a picture of the map beforehand... there should be more signs throughout the course to designate where the next tee is located...

Once all of the signs are up, this course will be one of the best in North Alabama. Since it's just opened within the last year, not too many people know about it. I love the small rural town park fee ... show more ›

Once all of the signs are up, this course will be one of the best in North Alabama. Since it's just opened within the last year, not too many people know about it. I love the small rural town park feel and it's very well maintained. Baskets 6-14 are a little confusing, but like I said, once the signs are up it's very easy to navigate.