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Russian Jack Springs
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Russian Jack Springs
I visited the park twice in early March to go snowshoeing. I got to the park on the number 15 bus. There are three stops on either side of DeBarr Rd which bisects the park. When I visited, the park was a winter wonderland. The ground and trees were covered in fresh snow. The trails were freshly groomed making them great for skiers. Since I was on snowshoes, I was able to blaze my own trails. Once you get away from the edges of the park, the hills and trees make it feel like you are in the middle of the woods instead of three miles from downtown.
In the north side of the park, I saw three moose. I was excited since this was my only moose siting during my two weeks in Alaska. The south side of the park has a nice river which was partially frozen and picturesque. I saw a man dragging a sled filled with firewood he probably gathered from fallen branches. For a guy who has been living in California for twenty years, Russian Jack Springs Park was a beautiful wonderland filled with classic winter scenes. It was a great place for my first snowshoeing experience.
After two hours, I was getting hungry. Luckily I noticed a McDonald's right outside the park as I was coming over a hill. If you want to warm up, you can visit the green house which is near the parking lot on the south side of the park.
Course design/playability: 3 stars
Walk-Ability: 4 stars
Condition/maintenance: 2
Driving range/practice area: 1 star
Pace of play: 3 stars
Avg. wait for tee time: 3 stars
Pro shop staff: 2 stars
The first time I opted to play golf on my annual business trip to Anchorage, it was a rainy Friday and the only course open was Russian Jack Springs. I found my way to the "club house" which also serves as a community rec center for the park. The staff are city employees who are NOT encouraged to play golf, so they don't know Russian Jack Shit about the game. Horrible rental clubs that I think I saw in the bargain bin at Play it Again Sports the day before.
Wait for my tee time, finally get going on the first par 3 and knock a solid drive to pin high but 30 yards right. Make a smooth pitch with my wedge, the ball lobs high in the air, soars towards the green, comes down and...BOUNCES off of the green twice as far away as I was. The greens are all astroturf set on top of concrete pads. Let me repeat that, in case you skimmed over it: instead of grass, the greens are astroturf, and instead of dirt they are built upon concrete.
Golf? Hardly. This was so unlike golf that there was no point in even keeping score.
The best thing to happen to me that day was when the guys in the pro shop took pity on my plight and let me play a second 9 for free. Oh, joy: twice the crap for the price of one serving. Seriously, these greens f'd up my game for weeks following. I'd be looking at a bump and run worrying that it was going to bounce and sail.
Better to not play golf than play this sort of bastardization foisted upon the public by a recreation department that can't find the time or resources to maintain grass on a golf course. Makes me wonder if the pools in Anchorage even have water in them, or some other substitute that is easier to maintain - like sand.
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I must have visited this park at the wrong time of year. The type of trees that are in there drop these sticky pods on the ground, and I think that must be what stinks to high hell in the fall. Don't drive by here with your windows down at certain times of the year, it smells like crap, literally.
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