Arboretum-Spiker offers a fun park-style course that makes for a more casual round at the end of the day. It is located in a nice residential area and uses the expanse of two separate parks. There is plenty of parking space, benches, a practice basket, and rest rooms located near the first tee. This is a highly played and appreciated course in an area littered with courses.

There are multiple sets of tees and multiple pin positions on every hole. The concrete tees are great and the tee signs are very descriptive. The different tees definitely create a variety of challenge. First time/casual players can enjoy this course just as much as serious players. This is also the first course that I have played that utilizes bag hangers, which is a cool idea.

Constructed by a bunch of respected designers, this is a course that truly maximizes the land's potential. While most of the land is flat, the course uses elevation changes any chance it gets and does a nice job of incorporating the water carries (holes 6, 7, 14 and 20-23). Hole 3 is the stand out elevated shot that provides a fun blind downhill shot and plays as an extreme anny (RHBH). The water holes are nicely done and value risk/reward decision making. The attempts at landing close to the basket AND out of the water are often too close for comfort and require precise shots, rather than simply throwing over a pond. I'd say the water holes are what best give A-S its identity and fun factor.

The course is very nicely maintained and there were hardly any spots that you have to deal with thick rough.

There is a lost disc drop box at the opening bulletin board and I saw a man wading through the ponds and marshy areas to find discs - I assume to put into the drop box.

Combine 24 holes, mostly flat land, the spacious/open park, and you are going to get some boring holes. This was a fun round, but there are a few too many open holes here for my taste. Outside of the water holes, there isn't much risk/reward play here. Often times, a bad drive could easily be recovered with a good upshot as there weren't many challenging second shots here due to the course's open nature.

On that note, I would have liked to play some multi-stage holes and a few par 4's within this 24 hole round. Just some holes that required specific line shaping.

Holes 6-14 play in a separate park, so that disrupts the course flow. The signs are well marked, however, to direct you to and from the separate parks.

There are some marshy areas - particularly towards the end of the course - and I imagine they get pretty swampy during heavy rain.

Arboretum-Spiker is the kind of course I would enjoy playing at the end of a long day either from playing other courses or after work. It is the kind of course that allows room to be creative and try new shots without being too punishing. Being so close to Portage Lakes and Lincoln Park, this course adds to the great balance that is found in the Akron/Canton area.

Though it may be a little too open for my specific taste, it still provides a fun round and has been created by some of the best in the business. I'd recommend saving this course for the end of a long day of course baggin in NE Ohio.

very nice wooden tee signs show length and layout of hole (these are new and not shown in course photos). good balance of holes - from long to short holes , hyzer to anhyzer shots, open to wooded holes.

great shot over water with alternate pin positions (#6). nice teepads with two different tee's for all levels of players.

actually had score cards with course map at first hole!!!!!

some baskets are a little sketchy. muddy at times as this course is played by many during all seasons.

without a map this course may get confusing as it weaves through two parks.

if you are in the area you have to play this course! 24 holes all great! you will want to play two rounds!

Pro level in the distance. Well maintained and relatively clean

One long shot after another. A little confusing if you do not know the coures or have no scorecard/map for the course is spaced out.

Was bored playing it for it was throw it as far as you can and do it again at the next whole.

Shorter fairly technical holes early to warm up the arm, before getting to the long holes. The long ones have room to let fly. Good mix.

A couple of swampy holes near the end. Some kind of stinging, poisonous plant grows along the stream.

The water holes are a threat, but not too far to shoot over. We drive out from Cleveland, so we like to combine the outing with a round at Massilon.