Ionia State Recreation Area occupies a large plot of rolling terrain about halfway between Grand Rapids and Lansing, MI. The area is centered around Sessions Lake, with a campground available on one side of the lake and a boat launch on the other. Sessions Lake DGC plays around the boat launch side of the lake.

This course offers 24 holes of technical disc golf. The variety here is quite good. One thing I really appreciated about this layout is that instead of having wooded holes or more open holes all grouped together near the beginning or end of the round, this course flows smoothly through different types of terrain throughout the round. Holes 1-2 are moderately open, then holes 3-5 are tightly wooded, then hole 6 is more open again, etc. Holes 13 and 14 are the only holes that felt very open to me, but each one still had 1-2 trees guarding the basket. The "moderately open" holes have grass fairways with brush on either side, and a few larger trees to prevent easy lines to the basket. The wooded holes are tight enough to force a variety of different throws.

The course plays around many water hazards that add more challenge and intrigue. The front nine plays near several ponds, and a creek runs through the wooded area in the back half of the course. Water could realistically come into play on roughly half of the holes in total, but most significantly on holes 7 and 8. Hole 7 plays 264' downhill to the right with water behind the basket. Hole 8 is a tough water carry at 282', with probably a 240' throw needed to clear the water. I was going to skip the hole with my noodle arm, but changed my mind last minute and launched a perfect drive with a Teebird to land approximately 20' in front of the basket. I still missed the birdie putt...

Rolling elevation comes into play on many holes as well. Hole 18 is a relatively open 400' throw that plays down a valley, then part of the way back up. A few other holes have sloping greens or steep drop-offs behind the pin, creating risk/reward opportunities. Some of the "flatter" holes have rough that slopes downward on one or both sides of the fairway. A couple of holes have more extreme elevation change. The ending hole 24 was my favorite. It's only 200' or so but plays down a steep hill from the tee, then across a meandering creek that crosses the fairway not once, not twice, but three times. The creek runs around behind the basket as well for good measure. That creek is small enough here that you probably won't lose a disc in it. This is a very fun, memorable hole to end the round that you will want to throw more than one disc at.

A couple of other holes were memorable for me too. Hole 15 plays 300' or so slightly downhill and curls to the left for the whole way, more than 90 degrees by the time the basket is reached. There is no mando marked so you could try to cut it off by throwing across a steep gulch with the creek on the bottom and plenty of trees to get in your way. I tried the latter route and took a 5.

The baskets are Chainstars, all in good condition.

Each tee sign has a large, detailed, color layout of the hole including distance, par, and clearly marked OB areas. Each sign also has a reminder to watch for other park patrons, but generally I would say it's highly unlikely you will run into non-DGers on the course. The cement tee pads are large enough and in good condition. Each pad has two circular holes in it that appear to be for drainage. I hadn't seen this before but didn't have any problems. Some of the tees had trash cans and benches.

There is a kiosk at the parking lot, complete with a large course map.

There are minimal opportunities for big arms to really air it out. Only two holes surpass 400' length, and those just barely. Only three other holes surpass 300'.

Be sure to take a photo of the map on the kiosk, because navigation is tricky in a few spots. There are a few Next Tee signs scattered throughout the course, but I feel that more are needed. There are also a couple of forks in the trail back to the parking lot after hole 24, and no signage there to direct tired DG'ers.

No practice basket. Plenty of room to add one too, as there is a bit of a walk through a flat area between the parking lot and first tee.

There are some weeds getting pretty tall in front of hole 8's tee. I would say they are almost into the line of fire, which would make this hole even tougher. Some of the rough on the other holes is very thick, and in some places thorny. I was kind of surprised to play an entire solo round and not lose any discs. Honestly, if the course were just played more often the rough would probably be trampled down a little bit and thus more manageable. Each of the four times I have visited this course (at different times of day and days of the week), I only saw 2-3 other groups here.

The distances listed on the tee signs do not quite match the distances listed on the scorecard. I didn't notice any huge differences, but just another little detail that could be addressed.

This is not a "pay to play" course per se, but you need a current State of Michigan Recreation Passport to enter the area. There was an attendant booth near the entrance to the park, but no one was at it. I think there was a sign at the booth telling you to proceed to the campground if you need to obtain the Recreation Passport. I already had one though so I cannot speak to that. This bit is off the record, but for those wishing to keep it simple there is also a donation box next to the kiosk...

I would say this course is best suited for decent DG'ers looking for a technical challenge. It isn't a good option for really airing it out as mentioned above. I also would not recommend it for beginners and families, at least in the summer. There are too many chances to lose discs in the water and weeds.

I fear that I've written another thesis here...in short, this is a solid course that offers great variety. The distances are not championship level, but for me the degree of technical challenge and several memorable holes more than make up for that. With a little bit of TLC it would be at near-destination level. It is certainly worth the drive from Grand Rapids, Lansing, or anywhere else in the area.

UPDATE October 2021: Played the course again and updated a couple of things above. No change to 4.0 rating. A small bridge to cross the creek after your tee shot on hole 17 has been rebuilt since the first time I played in August. In late October, the rough had thinned out but that made the presence of the thorns more obvious. The finishing hole 24 is one of the most memorable holes, and certainly the most memorable ace run, that I have played. I love this course and would feel comfortable giving a 4.5 rating with some of the small details above addressed!

UPDATE November 2022: The kiosk has been redesigned since my last visit and now has a large, color course map! This course is one of my favorites and a must-play if you are in the area.

Quite good overall, with some variety and a lot of fun holes. Some of the best holes have narrow, grassy, snake-like undulated fairways bordered by punishing, thick rough. A few, like holes 1 and 6, have tricky uphill blind shots. Some of these would be hazardous in high winds, which can be found around Lake Sessions but were calm when I was here.

Additional challenge is found in narrow wooded holes with lowland creek and marsh hazards. Some of these cross small ravines and have slopes bordering the fairways that lead to a creek bed.

The most epic of the grassy fairway holes was Hole 18, with a snake-like downhill bomb down to a protected green. More thrills were found with Hole 8, a risky shot over 275 feet of marsh to a small, uphill sloping green.

No holes over 500 feet, with almost no grip-and-rip tees. Some unexceptional wooded lowland holes, such as Holes 3 to 5. A couple of tricky interchanges might have you walking a bit more than planned (2/3 and 10/11). A few of the more open holes, such as Hole 7, have extremely thick rough that can eat discs.

This is one of the most isolated courses I have played, with no nearby stores, and no bathrooms on site (though there probably are some elsewhere on the park). The entrance would suggest that you need a State Park sticker to enter without paying a fee. With envelopes at the entrance that are for camping, it is not clear who and how much one should pay for a round.

Many drives are RHFH friendly, with an accurate 250-foot drive being helpful. Overhand shots can also help negotiate the narrow but fair fairways,

Though I sometimes prefer a challenging 18-hole layout, this 24-hole design helps connect the more open holes while keeping the fun factor high by adding a number of shorter deuce opportunities in wooded areas. Plan on a two and a half hour round for a full round, on top of a potentially lengthy drive from nearly cities.

Very challenging, yet very playable. Awesome use of the lands elevation. Being a new course this will only improve. Nice cement pads. Easy to follow, and will get easier as the course gets played on more

Needs a couple bridges...Hauling a Zuca cart over the creeks...while balancing on some logs, was one of the bigger challenges...
Signs have only the number....more details would be handy.

Great course....only get better!

Aesthetic-- course is mostly dg exclusive but it does intertwine with some walking trails so be careful and watch for hikers/bikers.

Teepads-- large and gnurled, have the typical state park drain holes in them but they are adequate. Hole 20, 21 and 24 do not have teepads as of yet.

Routing and nav-- this could be better but for the most part it's pretty intuitive. Make sure you park in the lot for the boat launch.. any lot beyond that will take you to hole #6 and a lot more difficult entry into the course. Best thing I can tell you is to watch for areas with fresh cut grass/weeds/trees to be able to know where to go next. Hole #10, exit the woods and go across the parking lot to an uphill trail, hole #11 at the top. Hole #17 plays across a creek and is EXTREMELY rough, if you go back past 16's pin and follow the trails left you will eventually end up back at the road, follow to the headquarters lot and you will see a basket on your left, I think this is #17 and then #18's pad is at the top of the hill.

Baskets-- nice DisCatchers with orange bands (most of them). the orange bands drop off after #17 (I think) which makes it hard to know if this is 24 or 27 holes. I think it's 24 but the #17 to #18 transition is rough as of now.

Challenge/fun factor-- factor 11, easily. This is a hard course, not Bertha Brock hard but a difficult course to be sure. The rough is extremely rough and hard to navigate so try to keep it on the fairway.

Variety-- factor 12, easily. Short, long, water, hills, trees, lefts, rights... pretty much everything you would want is here.

Unfinished-- I know this shouldn't be a con but this course is unfinished and in rough shape past #16. The course is totally playable up to #23 (or what I think is #23) and there is a 24th basket over a sweet valley with a winding creek. I didn't see any baskets beyond that but there is certainly room as the walk back to the parking lot is pretty rugged and long. A couple of missing teepads, a lot of missing teeposts and "next tee" signs will elevate this course when they are in place.

Routing and nav-- see above, it's tenuous in places but I'm sure with some "next tee" signs, it won't be as bad.

Rough-- really really rough. you do not want to go in there.

Stroller friendliness-- Don't do it. I brought Taylor in a jogging stroller and it's extremely bumpy, the walk from 24 to the lot is very narrow and right on the edge of the creek as well as a bridge with stairs and a long staircase up to the lot.

I think this will be a champion level course when completed and a lot more "all level" friendly than BB when finished. The area is beautiful and the aesthetic is extremely pleasing