Apple Valley, MN

Alimagnet Lake Park DGC

3.325(based on 41 reviews)
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8 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.9 years 1538 played 480 reviews
3.50 star(s)

I am like metal . . .attracted to Alimagnet! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) 6x6 post with Par, Distance, Hole # . . . Map on another post.

2) Plenty of garbage cans on this course to keep the litter to a minimum.

3) Rules sign at the first tee always a welcome sight on a course.

4) Very nice balance of shots on this course needing to throw some hyzers, some annys and some straight shots. You can get creative on a couple throws also like a roller or and tamahawk.

5) Practice Basket is available on the other side of the parking lot from #1.

6) Nice elevation on this course using the changes in topography very well to create some really unique holes.

7) Directionals are helpful in a few spots.

8) Water in play on the left of the final hole even though it is blind from the tee. You shouldnt go there, but a ricochet can put you there and it may only be around during high rain times because it is well above the actual lake.

9) Great balance of foliage density on this course. Some more open holes, some parklike wooded holes and then some tight wooded fairways. I love this kind of course and it is a true test of all skills.

10) Concrete tees on the first 7 holes but the wooded holes it must not have been allowed.

11) 5' ring of blocks around the basket. Helpful to prevent lucky skip ins, but they also stop low putts or upshots that might normally skip. I could go either way with these if they are good or bad.

12) Wood chipped paths in many spots are always appreciated.

13) Some really unique holes on this course. I have yet to play a hole like #6 and the basket location on #1 is pretty unique too. Then you get into the woods and those are always one of a kind holes. I love seeing good holes, and this course is packed full of them.

14) Nice park with playground, bathrooms, and a shelter . . . I could spend a whole day here!

Cons:

1) Mailbox at the first tee but nothing inside of it. If you are going to provide an amenity at least keep it usable.

2) Discatchers are getting a little older and starting to show some wear. They have their chains painted red in a few spots which may be an Apple Valley thing because they seem to be accentuating the red of the apple all over the place.

3) Stumps and some smaller stuff can create some trippers in a few spots.

4) Long walks between a few of the holes and they head not in the most intuitive directions a few times. The other paths can create some confusion, fortunately they have most of those spots marked with directionals.

5) Concrete really would be great to have in the woods. I just hate teeing off on natural tees especially in the woods when you are trying to have pinpoint accuracy.

6) A lot of compaction around the baskets and bare soil is visible. Woods chips were used in most spots but could be used in a few more areas.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this course . . . a friend I met in league in town told me this was his favorite course in the Twin Cities where he used to live . . . I can see why. It isn't the most picturesque, it isn't the most challenging, but I would have to say it is one of the most well balances courses I have played.

I would play this daily if I lived nearby for sure.
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2 3
zippox
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Probably my favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great array of shots.
Well groomed, always.
The next tee off is always easy to find.
Has half of the shots in the woods, and half out of the woods which makes for a nice change of pace.

Cons:

The par on some holes seems a little off sometimes.
It can get busy.
I agree that 9 10 and 11 and 12 could use concrete, can get muddy sometimes.

Other Thoughts:

Don't throw it into the swamp on the left on your first shot.
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3 0
Attix
Experience: 14.6 years 6 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Home Course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

You can just do the first 7 holes over and over if you dont have time for a full round and they go very fast. Otherwise doing the full 12 is a blast when you have more time.

Cons:

Can be very crowded in peak hours and the non regular disc golfers can be very rude and unaware of disc golfing edicate. Keep an eye out for any attempted distruction on the course as I have seen kids jumping on the baskets and damaging what they can.

Other Thoughts:

the back woods tees (the last 5) could use either concrete tee boxes or some more wood chips at a minimum. seems like some of them are always completely swamped after a good rain...
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2 1
Daveman3000
Experience: 20.6 years 20 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Short and cute little course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great landscaping with alot of pin levels tall and short. wood chip paths and for the most part signs directing you around. A practice basket is always nice.

Cons:

Very short course, I don't believe any of the holes should be par 4's. the tees in the woods are banged up, watch your step not to twist an ankle.

Other Thoughts:

Great for beginners, busy little course. I will be playing it again, looking to lower my first score.
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1 4
D21thorpe
Experience: 13 played 13 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Short Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 4, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course through the trees. Lends it self to good skill shots.

Cons:

Short course. It was crowded when I played it and from talking to people on the course it sounds like it is always crouded.

Other Thoughts:

I liked that the signs gave par for each hole.
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5 0
Chillers86
Experience: 16.3 years 105 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

All Around Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 5, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Alimagnet has a great mix of wide open fairways and big trees, not to mention it is a great course for beginners as well as advanced players. If you are in a slump, I suggest stopping by to destroy the course. Anybody who plays often should be able to finish under par. I am a little bias towards this course because I learned how to play here, but it is just a fun course to play.

Cons:

There are only two issues that I have with this course. First of all, prepare for foot traffic. Since Alimagnet is located in the middle of suburbia you can probably guess there are going to be a ton of people. I recommend going during the week to avoid the crowd. Finally, hole #12 oh do I hate thee! This hole is possibly the worst disc golf hole ever constructed. Its a longer, up hill, S-curve fairway that follows a gravel road. It doesn't help that the tee box is non-existent, and you have to throw on a 50 degree uphill. Props to all those who can make it in three. I have done it once, but had to make a forty foot putt. Good Luck!

Other Thoughts:

Just a side note as well, for those of you who enjoy a nice cold beer while chuckin some plastic, avoid this course. Because of the abundance of families around, there are also undercover cops at this park. Don't believe me? Ask my three friends who received a $120 open container ticket, Yay! (insert sarcasm) Anyways, just wait until hole #8 before you crack one open.
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5 0
smyith
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.1 years 218 played 68 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Play it if your drving by 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 15, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Lots of large mature trees
- Hills play a large part in the design
- Fun fairways that require accurate placement
- Must hit the right gaps to make it to the hole in one shot
- Large level Cement teepads
- Good tee signs
- Stairs are well appreciated in the steep parts
- The rough isn't thick just lots of small trees to get through.
- Practice basket
- Playground for the kids
- Technical
- Bathrooms

Cons:

- A pitch-n-putt
- Poor use of land. I think they could've put in a way better 12 hole by adding a bit more length and utilizing the pond.
- Lack of trash cans and benches

Other Thoughts:

This is a blast to play. Although its short there are main technical shots. The hills in the park are incredibly well used, if you dont land correctly skips and rolls will happen often. Hole 4 is the only one you get to really let a good rip go. Hole 12 is a brutal uphill with a super tight snakey fairway. I'd like to see someone throw who knows how to park this hole.
Anyways, don't go out of your way to play it but if your driving by or close by stop and play a couple rounds (they go fast).

Favorite hole #8 - A 250' slight left fade hot slightly downhill through the woods. About half way down the fairway it get really tight with only two ideal gaps to hit and then the fairway drops and fades left. A slight flex shot with a slight fade is the ideal line. If you hook in to late or early you'll be in some tough rough to make your approach. If you come in too high you'll blow past the basket and have to make a difficult uphill putt.
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3 1
paintmyworld
Experience: 19.7 years 9 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Home Course is getting very crouded 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 14, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-good baskets
-decent variety of shots.
-good chances of 'aces' on almost any hole.
-good placement of baskets and tees
-well maintained

Cons:

-can get very crouded
-no long tees
-dirt tee offs on the wooded holes

Other Thoughts:

I love this course, its my home course and I do very well shooting there, however it has been overrun by little yuppy kids that just 'f' around the course. parking lot is nearly always full everyday from say 3-10pm. GO BEFORE THIS TIME TO AVOID THE HUGE CROUDS.
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2 0
discwizard81
Experience: 16.5 years 86 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My home course!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 16, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

first seven holes are fairly open and five are nicely wooded. nothing is over 400FT. great beginner course. alot of technical shots through and around trees. alomst all the holes are achieveable for aces, atleast in theory(exception #12) very nice 12 hole course!!! love my home course! only a few blocks away!!!

Cons:

when school gets out the course gets hella over crowded. #4 and #5 gets pulled for winter sledding. beward of dog walkers in the woods, the other half of the park is a dog park and they wander over onto holes 8-12.

Other Thoughts:

the course i learned to play on. this course can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
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3 0
reverand_redbeard
Experience: 15.4 years 5 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Your Friendly neighborhood disc course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

this course is very well kept, the city of Apple Valley has spent alot of time and money maintaining the course and equipment (if a basket is vandalized it will be fixed within a day or two)
This course also has a great mix of easy to difficult holes, I love to bring my girlfriend here because its not intimidating to her but making par on every hole can be still be difficult for me.

Cons:

This course plays more of a tight technical style, i only wish that they had more room for a couple of longer holes, or holes that made use of the lake and pond the course runs next to, there needs to be more risk/reward type shots

it could also really benifit from concrete tee pads on #9, #10, #11, and #12

Other Thoughts:

beer is now legal at this park, they lifted the ban on alcohol this spring, but don't abuse the privilage this course is under alot of scrutinee by the neighbors and the police, they are all just looking for one reason or another to shut it down.
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5 1
Cradical
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.5 years 110 played 63 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The baskets and holes are really well kept. The next hole is always easy to find and the course has a good flow. Most fairways aren't near enough that you could be hit by an errant throw.
There is a bit of variety of shots from heavily wooded shots to wide open shots. There is a little bit of elevation change on a few of the holes, but mostly on the wooded holes.
There is at least two blind tee shots in the woods. With the amount of thick brush on some of them, a spotter could be nice if you lack consistancy.

Cons:

This park is VERY busy at night and on weekends. I remember the first time I tried to play it I ended up just turning around because there were 15+ people waiting.
Most of the tee shots are either putter or midrange shots. There are a few you can use a driver on but that's the exception.
Hole 12 doesn't seem like a good hole for disc golf. With the amount of stuff that's in the way, it makes a birdie nearly impossible. Looking at the stats on here, nobody has birdied it and the average is over 4. To me, if this hole had some sort of path this course would be much better.
Also this course would be much better if there were a few more holes, there seems to be ample room.
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2 0
CwAlbino
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.5 years 76 played 23 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun, but crowded 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very well maintained
Good mix of open and closed holes
Some difficult lines to hit, and trees to make it challenging.
12 ends the course with an extremely challenging hole

Cons:

Pretty much a birdie or nothing course except hole 12
Can get very crowded and wait time is long

Other Thoughts:

The residents around the park hate the course. I've heard stories of some guy mowing his lawn and when a disc was thrown near his yard, he entered the park and ran over the disc with the lawn mower, then returned to his yard.
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1 2
ea6le
Experience: 21.5 years 10 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 16, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Vey fun course, fairly easy first 4 holes. They're making updates along the course slowly but surely. Wooded past the 5th hole with beautiful scenery.

Cons:

Some of the tees are in pretty rough shape, other than that great course.
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3 0
AliMagnetLocal
Experience: 15.5 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Frequent Player 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 5, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very scenic course, a lot of diversity. The first four holes are fairly easy with some freedom to throw far on holes 3 and 4 (if you are an amatuer player like I am). Hole 5 always proves to be a bit of a challenge, 8 9 and 12 are also a bit challenging but very fun. Large trees again make some great scenery. Very easy to get from hole to hole. Hole 10 has two starting points, although the old starting point is not used as frequently and is a little difficult to find.

Cons:

Can become crowded on the first seven holes, and because it is a public park occasionally people walk through where you need to throw. Recently a lot of the brush has been cut down to make it easier, taking away from the natural beauty of the place as well.

Other Thoughts:

A few hills here and there make it a good work out and after playing it always feels great. I live close by so it is pretty much a daily relaxant for me. A few more holes around the lake would be nice, although a lot of landscaping would be required to do so. If you do not want to play through the woods, a fun "extra" hole is from the basket on hole seven to the practice basket.
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1 1
jonas
Experience: 17.3 years 39 played 25 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 10, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful course, it gives some great open holes as well as some amazing wooded holes. Hole #11 is worth trip to this course.

Cons:

For first timers, it is easy to get lost in the woods. There is only 1 or two holes were you can really let your disc fly. Hole #12 seems a little excessive to finish the course.

Other Thoughts:

Can be busy, you should try to hit it on the off hours.
Parts of the course can remind you of Northern Minnesota!
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7 0
Guurn
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 38.5 years 90 played 40 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Quiet City 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course features a quiet neighborhood with a well laid out design that uses the abundant natural terrian to its best advantage.

From the first tee on you will find things to like. Hole 1 is a short hyzer shot that is perfect for the design of this course. It plays as a warmup hole for advanced players but also lets you explain the goals and rules of the game to beginners. I have used this course as an intro for newbies several times. By that I am not saying it is an easy course, rather that the holes start off fairly rudimentary and get harder as it moves along. None of the holes, however, are so basic they are silly.

After the first few holes you move to a more wooded area. Again there is much to like. The first wooded hole (hole 5) is a 288 foot downhill through sparse trees. It can be played either as a straight on shot or a slight anhyzer (rhbh). Again, a brilliant intro to a new aspect of the game for the beginner and a challenging birdie for the experienced player. This theme gets repeated several times.

After a holes intros a new idea it moves into a more difficult version of that theme shortly after. Following up Hole 5 you have Hole 8 which takes the woods theme and narrows the fairway and ends in a dogleg left like hole 1.

In addition this course has nicely maintained fairways, average teeboxes, baskets in good shape and signage. The flow of the course is very good.

The course is in a neighborhood not near any major highways so it is quiet and a few times you get very nice views of the lake nearby.

Cons:

Can be busy at times. In places the fairways are showing heavy use. Rough is still pretty bad and it is really the only drawback to bringing new players here. Not fun to find an errant misthrow in spots.

Other Thoughts:

The parking lot isn't easy to find so get good directions and look for signs. Has a warmup basket. There is a picnic area near the parking lot and hole 1 so if you are driving from far away bring lunch and watch people play holes 1-4 while you eat.
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3 0
kjtw55
Experience: 16.5 years 50 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Variety 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a course with great variety. There is plenty of parking and right off the parking lot is a practice basket. The first half of the course is more open with nicely mowed fairways and concrete tee pads. Then the course enters the woods for the last half and is more tight and requires more accuracy. There is good use of elevation throughout the course. It is nicely marked and easy to follow. It is also well maintained and always clean.

Cons:

Not many. Wish they could add some more holes in the woods near the lake to make 18.

Other Thoughts:

Park has a playground and a picnic shelter with bathrooms with running water. Park is popular with locals and is a great place to play.
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5 1
cpaquette
Experience: 17.2 years 42 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Excellent for all ability levels 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course presents a wide variety of shot options. By far the BEST maintained public disc golf course in Minnesota.

Cons:

For those with big arms, there is only 1 hole (#4) 370 ft. that you can even sort-of let it "air-out"
There are a few tee areas that are not even close to level (#9, #12)

Beware of beginners when teeing off on #3, as they will be throwing right at you when they are on hole #2.

Other Thoughts:

This would be the best public (free) course in the state if they were to add 6 more and re-arrange a few existing holes to provide a bit more of a challenge.
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5 0
joe po
Experience: 21.3 years 70 played 10 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Pride of the Valley 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is the quintessential balanced course. The first half is open with some elevation (5,6,7) and the back is tight and wooded. It plays incredibly fair, but is consistently challenging through the entire track. Its also a peaceful course when compared to others in the metro. It's in the middle of residential area, which means no ambient noise from freeways. There is some moderate foot traffic in the park, so you have to respect the walkers/joggers. The walk between 11 and 12 is beautiful with a nice view of Alimagnet Lake with access to a dock/beach.

Cons:

Course is quite popular with the locals so it can be busy at times. Most of the users are recreational so pace can seem really fast to the cautious frolfer.

Other Thoughts:

Like this course, and play it everytime I"m in Apple Valley.
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3 2
basmith42
Experience: 16.6 years 14 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wow! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 11, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

And now.. for the news from the Lake Wobogon DG Club.. where all the courses are pretty and all the throwers are above average....

Short 12 hole course with a good mix of open and tight fairways. There are some major elevation changes and the course is well marked. Open enough anyone can play it enjoyably. But varied enough that veteran players will not be bored.

Cons:

For a short course, this one will hand you your discs and send you packing if you're not on your A game (whatever level your A game is). If you think about your shots and place them where you want them to go, you can manage this course easily without it managing you.

Other Thoughts:

If you're in the area and have an extra hour, take the time to play this course. Bring water with you, though.. the elevation changes makes parts of this feel like a cross country hike not a DG course.
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