(3.013 Rating) A two tee, two basket niner in a Florida like setting.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Alligator Lake is bursting with a lot of positives for a nine hole course. Perhaps my favorite thing about the course was the natural setting. The park feels separated from built environment. There are big oaks draped in Spanish moss and lots of Florida-esque vegetation lining the fairways. The raised mound on (5) has some added pop to it and the course appears to be reasonably maintained.
- TWO BASKETS TWO TEES - Had Alligator Lake been a 1 tee, 1 basket course, I would not have rated the course this high. There is a lot a variety added due to this and it allows players to chose the difficulty right for them. Locals can also switch it up from time to time, thus the re-play value is much higher than the typical niner.
- HOLE VARIETY - Even though the course is very flat, the 4 layouts pack a lot of play-type diversity. Hole distances range from sub 150 feet to almost 600 feet. Breaks occur both ways and there are a couple dogleg par 4s. A couple holes have a parkstyle feel to them while a couple others feel like a jungle. I used most of the discs in my bag and I appreciated the mental mind games on how to attack each hole.
- CHALLENGE - The long tee to long basket configuration is listed at 3,693 feet long. MA1s should be tickled by the enhanced challenges from that layout. I personally threw the Short tees to Long basket and finished at even par as an MA2. The Short to Short will likely appeal to MA3s and MA4s.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - Although I did not see a course map (I may have missed it in my haste), I had no issues getting around. Despite tee (1) being well separated from the parking area, attentive players will see tee (1) on the right as they are driving into the park. The tee signage is top notch with all the required info on them.

Nine fairways
- PARKING - I subtract very little score for this, but it's not ideal to have the parking separated 600 plus feet from tee (1) and Basket (9). Obviously not a deal breaker, or anything close to that. Probably just one of those things that stems from a Park requirement.
- TIME PLAY FOR A NINER - Not the typical 20 minute solo niner. More like 35 minutes, although that will depend on which of the four layouts is selected.
- BOGGY? - I'm not 100% certain this is the case, but the course has a lot of tell tail signs of not draining well. Most of the lowish swales were mushy during my appearance and it hadn't rained in a while to my knowledge. I'd recommend to the I75 bagger to pack muck boots just in case.

Among the nine fairway courses, I've thrown 230ish, this one is in my top 5. Everything I enjoy about the game is found here at Alligator Lakes… except for elevation change. If the course were to ever add nine more fairways designed by Hosfeld as well, I don't see how I don't up my rating to a 3.5, possibly a 4.0. Anyways, as is, a solid 3.0 to me and thus not designation worthy yet with just the nine fairways. A fantastic bonus course for those traveling along I75. It reminded me most of Airport Lakes near Orlando.

Alligator Lake Park sits just below I-10 and a short drive east of I-75 . There are bathrooms near a spacious parking lot a couple of hundred yards past the start/finish of the course ( course is on your right as you drive to the lot on left ) .
THE EQUIPMENT -- The Parks , along with Lake City , opened up their wallets for this 9 hole course . Each hole has dual tee pads , mostly cement , with a couple of them trapezoid or split ended shapes that make a drive easier across fairways with options .The ones that aren't cement , have what looks like crushed gravel in them and are framed . There are 2 numbered baskets for each hole , too . The red Discatcher baskets are in slightly shorter or easier positions , and the yellow Discatchers are in the longer , more tucked in spots . This gives you 4 different options per hole . The tee signs are nice . On wooden posts with Hole # , par , distance and flight path for all 4 scenarios . There are directional arrows at the bottom of the baskets that point to the next tee pads ( yellow-yellow , and red-red ) . There are also other signs directing you toward the next tee ( especially helpful for #2 to #3) . There is a kiosk at the parking lot , but it only talked about Wednesday and Friday evening doubles . The putting basket is on the way to hole #1 , but was surrounded by water .
THE LANDSCAPE -- The grass was mowed , and the brush was trimmed for the most part , while I was there . The course plays park-style . With most courses in Florida , you get nothing but Flat . This course is no different . The largest grade in the course was about 3 feet , the small man made hill where the red basket sits on #5 .There is some water here , but mostly unintentional ( more in cons ) . There is some standing water slightly right and on the fairway of #2 . There is a small creek at the bend of the fairway on #4 , but it is small enough to jump over . The baskets are placed sometimes in the open , or in alleys with canopies , or tucked into some woods . The design is solid .
THE HIGHLIGHTS -- #2 ( 475' or 540' to yellow basket ) . Fairway is open at first , with some standing water in the fairway to the right . The fairway funnels in to a tight area about 10' wide for the last 100' . You don't want to go into the brush on either side .
#4 is a dogleg left ( 400' , 585' ) . There is a very OB small creek that is unnoticeable from the tee pad right at the turn . The red basket sits behind a large tree with extending limbs , and the yellow basket sits back and on the left and farther out , in a tunnel of low lying trees .
#5 ( 290' , 340' ) has the red basket nicely placed on a 3' high hill with rocks around it .
#7 has almost 600' of fairway bending left ( straight if throwing from the white ( shorter ) tee .
SIGNATURE HOLE -- Has to be #8 . ( 425' , 535' ) Depending on the tee pad , you are left with several different choices of which alley to throw down to . One opens up to a long dogleg to the right . They made this hole a par 4 for a reason . the baskets are set up as red just inside a nook in the brush , and yellow way down into a tightening fairway .
DISC RISK -- Moderate to low . some baskets are tucked into low canopied trees that could possibly eat a disc , and the brush can punish you if you griplock a drive , but the course is kept up well , and the standing water will only get your feet wet while retrieving your driver .
THE TIME -- It took about 35 minutes to play the 8 holes solo . A group of 4 can finish it in about an hour .
Bring bug spray and douse yourself . insects are particularly bad around standing water .

#1 Unplayable #9 And Practice Basket . I was unable to use the practice basket that was on the way from the parking lot to hole #1 because of the standing water encircling it . Also , the #9 tee pad and fairway is submerged in water about 2' high . From previous concerns and earlier updates on course conditions , this looks to be an ongoing problem and a course flaw . Might I suggest moving #9 completely , even if you have to put it up the way from the practice basket . You lose 11% of your total course because of this .
#2 Fairway/Green maintenance -- There are some tire tracks in a few of the fairways . Also , some of the branches are growing over the alleys on the fairways . Sounds picky , but I consider the potential of this course to be higher than most 9 hole courses .
#3 Parking -- The lot is large , but it's too far away . I think there is enough room near hole #1 ( or hole #9 ) that the park can make a half dozen spaces for the disc golfers . Even put a Port O Let down there .And bring the kiosk down and put a map in it .
I won't harp on the fact the the course is flat , but will add that some of the alleys that I bowled at had as much of a grade .

The 8 holes I was able to play here were very good . The pad and basket placements made for a variety of shots . The 2 tee/2 basket setup is a fantastic idea for courses that are short on total space . No 2 holes were alike . Course designer Greg Hosfeld did a great job . I can't tell how busy it gets here , but if a couple of tweaks were made , I'm sure foot traffic would increase . There were 2 local men that were playing here at the same time and were having a great time .
Remember about the doubles and or leagues on Wednesday and Friday evenings after work , so you won't waste a trip .
MY RECOMMENDATION -- with its 4 option system , this is a good course for intros and families visiting the park . Locals can hang out and pick and choose how much they want to exert for the day . Newbies can move up from pad to tee as they improve . I think that there is enough here to interest the intermediate on up . Just enough length on the long tee to yellow basket to make it interesting . Not far from I-75 and I-10 , this a good stop-off for a leg stretch for the traveler either leaving or entering Florida . It should add only about an hour to your total drive time . Course collectors will like that it is a short and easy stop for a quick add to their course total . It's only 8 holes , but can easily extend to 16 . Give this course a look if you have an extra hour to spare .