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Kenneth J. Lehman Nature Trails DGC reviews
12
0
A campus course with some teeth!
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 10, 2022
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Kenneth J. Lehman Nature Trails DGC plays on the campus of Montcalm Community College, which is located in a rural area about an hour's drive northeast of Grand Rapids, MI. The course has a nice web page maintained by the college, which I added to the Links/Files section. As of this writing, it has a photograph of what looks like a couple of students casually throwing a Frisbee at one of the baskets, in an open field. Don't be fooled by the photo - this campus course has some teeth!
The 18 holes here play through a surprising variety of environments. Holes 1-2 play across a large, flat, open lawn. This is probably where the website photo was taken, and these are the only holes where you will really feel like you are on a college campus. Holes 3-4 and 18 play in a meadow area that feels more like a park, with scattered trees and shrubs to add challenge. Most of the remaining holes play in a wooded lowland adjacent to the meadow. The fairways cut through these woods are very tight in many places, forcing DG'ers to execute a wide variety of accurate throws to score well. Adding to the challenge are small ponds next to several of the fairways. I did play in the spring when water levels are likely at their highest, but I believe that most of these water hazards would still be present to some extent in the summer and fall. I counted six holes where water could come into play, either next to the fairway or behind the basket.
In the very back of the course, you will play out of the wooded lowland area uphill into a forest with towering pines planted in orderly rows. Hole #10 in this back area is the longest on the course, and plays straight between two rows of trees - can you keep it on the fairway?
There are substantial elevation changes on some of these back holes as well. There are enough interesting throws, distance, and overall challenge here to keep most disc golfers interested.
The baskets are Black Hole models - they looked newish and were all in good shape.
There isn't a kiosk, but combination scorecard/course maps are available in a weatherproof box at the first tee. The website mentions that bathrooms and disc rental are available in a nearby building on campus.
The 18 holes here play through a surprising variety of environments. Holes 1-2 play across a large, flat, open lawn. This is probably where the website photo was taken, and these are the only holes where you will really feel like you are on a college campus. Holes 3-4 and 18 play in a meadow area that feels more like a park, with scattered trees and shrubs to add challenge. Most of the remaining holes play in a wooded lowland adjacent to the meadow. The fairways cut through these woods are very tight in many places, forcing DG'ers to execute a wide variety of accurate throws to score well. Adding to the challenge are small ponds next to several of the fairways. I did play in the spring when water levels are likely at their highest, but I believe that most of these water hazards would still be present to some extent in the summer and fall. I counted six holes where water could come into play, either next to the fairway or behind the basket.
In the very back of the course, you will play out of the wooded lowland area uphill into a forest with towering pines planted in orderly rows. Hole #10 in this back area is the longest on the course, and plays straight between two rows of trees - can you keep it on the fairway?
There are substantial elevation changes on some of these back holes as well. There are enough interesting throws, distance, and overall challenge here to keep most disc golfers interested.
The baskets are Black Hole models - they looked newish and were all in good shape.
There isn't a kiosk, but combination scorecard/course maps are available in a weatherproof box at the first tee. The website mentions that bathrooms and disc rental are available in a nearby building on campus.
Cons:
The first hole plays next to the college entrance road. On the Sunday afternoon I visited, vehicle traffic was basically nonexistent. During the week this could be more of a safety concern. Holes 4 and 18 play near the course's namesake nature trails.
The tees here aren't the best. The tee pads are natural with a wooden kick plate, and the tee signs are just wood posts with the hole number on them (some had a rough line Sharpie'd on). These signs were particularly confusing because other wood posts with hole numbers on them were also scattered around - presumably marking waypoints of the nature trail. Detailed tee signs would be a nice upgrade, but at bare minimum it would be nice if the college could paint the top of the disc golf signs or something, to better differentiate them from the nature trail ones.
Navigational signage was present in some places, in the form of arrows hanging off the bottom of baskets and pink tape on trees. However, more is needed here. It may have been due to my choice to visit in early spring, but the paths between holes were definitely not well trodden and there were quite a few downed branches throughout the course. In general, the place felt like it could use a little bit of TLC.
Some of the fairways in the wooded lowlands seemed a little bit TOO tight. I feel that the college could clear more trees out while still keeping the course challenging.
I believe that many of the hole distances listed on the scorecard/website are incorrect. In general, it seemed like hole after hole was longer than the distance listed. Most obvious to me were the shortest ones. There are three holes listed at only about 100', but I think in reality they are more like 150'-175'. One very tough hole was #5, which apparently only plays 275'. It's the first hole in the woods, and bends sharply to the right off the tee but then the fairway keeps going and going. It felt more like 400' to me. There is a thicket of trees and water preventing you from easily cutting the corner off.
No practice basket, and trash cans/benches are few and far between.
The wooded areas are the type that I would expect to be VERY buggy in the summer - similar to nearby Smash Park in Belding.
The tees here aren't the best. The tee pads are natural with a wooden kick plate, and the tee signs are just wood posts with the hole number on them (some had a rough line Sharpie'd on). These signs were particularly confusing because other wood posts with hole numbers on them were also scattered around - presumably marking waypoints of the nature trail. Detailed tee signs would be a nice upgrade, but at bare minimum it would be nice if the college could paint the top of the disc golf signs or something, to better differentiate them from the nature trail ones.
Navigational signage was present in some places, in the form of arrows hanging off the bottom of baskets and pink tape on trees. However, more is needed here. It may have been due to my choice to visit in early spring, but the paths between holes were definitely not well trodden and there were quite a few downed branches throughout the course. In general, the place felt like it could use a little bit of TLC.
Some of the fairways in the wooded lowlands seemed a little bit TOO tight. I feel that the college could clear more trees out while still keeping the course challenging.
I believe that many of the hole distances listed on the scorecard/website are incorrect. In general, it seemed like hole after hole was longer than the distance listed. Most obvious to me were the shortest ones. There are three holes listed at only about 100', but I think in reality they are more like 150'-175'. One very tough hole was #5, which apparently only plays 275'. It's the first hole in the woods, and bends sharply to the right off the tee but then the fairway keeps going and going. It felt more like 400' to me. There is a thicket of trees and water preventing you from easily cutting the corner off.
No practice basket, and trash cans/benches are few and far between.
The wooded areas are the type that I would expect to be VERY buggy in the summer - similar to nearby Smash Park in Belding.
Other Thoughts:
If it's not obvious by now, KJLNT DGC does NOT feel like a college campus course. This is a fun course for baggers and locals who have some level of skill. I would not call it beginner friendly, mainly due to the too-tight lines on some of the wooded holes and the presence of water hazards on many of those same holes. The students throwing Frisbees on the lawn must have a tough time playing all 18 holes.
The 2.5 rating I am giving now reflects the current state of the course when I visited. If I return in the future and find the course in a little bit better shape plus some of the Cons addressed, a 3.0 or 3.5 is not out of the question. This one is probably a significant detour for most travelers, but the positive side of that is that I imagine it doesn't get much DG traffic. If you find yourself in the greater Greenville area and have already played Tower Park, this course may be worth a stop!
UPDATE MAY 2023: Well, I did return to play here a little over a year later. Nothing much has changed. The back section of the course in the woods (holes 5-17) looks to be pretty much unmaintained. There were plenty of leaves (similar to photos) and some downed branches on fairways, and navigation was an adventure. Between the yellow arrows, taped trees and vague memories from my previous visit it was just barely enough for me to find my way around without getting lost. In the summer with the foliage fully grown in and bugs hatched, this course might be nearly unplayable.
I also updated the distances with what is listed on...that other disc golf site. It's definitely more accurate than what is on the college website.
The main purpose of my return to this area was to check out a new course up the road in Stanton, and I would now recommend that course over this one. There are some really fun holes here, but the likely lack of maintenance you'll find here limits the upside. Overall, no change to my 2.5 rating.
The 2.5 rating I am giving now reflects the current state of the course when I visited. If I return in the future and find the course in a little bit better shape plus some of the Cons addressed, a 3.0 or 3.5 is not out of the question. This one is probably a significant detour for most travelers, but the positive side of that is that I imagine it doesn't get much DG traffic. If you find yourself in the greater Greenville area and have already played Tower Park, this course may be worth a stop!
UPDATE MAY 2023: Well, I did return to play here a little over a year later. Nothing much has changed. The back section of the course in the woods (holes 5-17) looks to be pretty much unmaintained. There were plenty of leaves (similar to photos) and some downed branches on fairways, and navigation was an adventure. Between the yellow arrows, taped trees and vague memories from my previous visit it was just barely enough for me to find my way around without getting lost. In the summer with the foliage fully grown in and bugs hatched, this course might be nearly unplayable.
I also updated the distances with what is listed on...that other disc golf site. It's definitely more accurate than what is on the college website.
The main purpose of my return to this area was to check out a new course up the road in Stanton, and I would now recommend that course over this one. There are some really fun holes here, but the likely lack of maintenance you'll find here limits the upside. Overall, no change to my 2.5 rating.
