Ella Sharp Park

There is a lot to like here! And I played it in the freezin' cold, snow and ice today! I plan a return trip in the summer. when the sane should play this course! I stopped at Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall Michigan on the way home, big time WIN! Pros: Nice course nestled amid a gathering of mature trees in a quiet community park. Plays through a section of the park that looks like it doesn't get much other traffic. I loved that someone earlier had cleared the teepads of snow. No snow or pa ...
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There is a lot to like here! And I played it in the freezin' cold, snow and ice today! I plan a return trip in the summer. when the sane should play this course! I stopped at Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall Michigan on the way home, big time WIN!

Pros:
Nice course nestled amid a gathering of mature trees in a quiet community park. Plays through a section of the park that looks like it doesn't get much other traffic. I loved that someone earlier had cleared the teepads of snow. No snow or packed down ice on the pads, well done!

• Variety: Decent range of distances, as well as fairways that require a few different lines. Most holes are semi-open to moderately well-wooded, but all feature some particularly well placed trees you'll need to work around. Few are what I'd call heavily wooded. A "go to" stable/straight driver (over 300 feet)is a must here, but there's enough variation that I used a decent range of stabilities and disc speeds off the tee.

• Elevation: Nothing dramatic, but mild to moderately rolling terrain creates enough elevation change from tee to pin to make things interesting. Several greens are elevated or on an incline or decline,rollaway putt potential.

• Challenge: Well suited for Intermediate players. Only challenge for the Advanced players, will be on the par 3 400 footers. Bad kicks can really make you scramble to save par. But the lack of brush means missing the fairway isn't excessively punishing. Several baskets are well guarded behind stands of trees, requiring well-placed approaches.

• Course flows well, and navigation is straightforward. I loved that someone used day glow tape on one of the basket bars to point direction of next tee pad.

• Brand new Chainstars, had a couple kick outs due to single strands of chains. and the baskets are tough to see with my elderly eyes!. Great tee signs show hole # and distance.

Cons:

• Many of the holes have a similar feel, but I never thought it felt repetitive.

Not sure I liked the finish of the concrete pads. They were stained concrete with an even finish. I never felt comfortable throwing off of them. I'm used to brushed concrete.

Other Thoughts: Ella Sharp is intelligently designed and well executed. Given this parcel of land, it was never going to be a championship caliber course, but I'd say they made the most of the available property. very much a fun round.

Worth mentioning the abundance mature trees on several holes. Several times during the round, the wind picked up to the point that it affected my disc choice. Jackson Michigan and the local club have a lot to be proud of! Go check it out!
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