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Lakewood High School reviews
10
0
"Poor" or "Bad"??? Hmmm....
Reviewed:
Played on:May 22, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Lakewood High School sits near Lake Odessa, MI - about halfway between Grand Rapids and Lansing. Behind the school is a large open area dedicated to various athletic fields and facilities. A 9-hole disc golf course plays around the outskirts of this area.
There is a decent mix of holes here. Several holes are longish and fairly open, while each still having a couple of obstacles between tee and basket. Holes 3, 4, 8, and 9 are all at least 300' and fit this description. Other holes are short but tightly wooded with fair lines, like holes 2 and 6. Hole 5 is a 260' throw that requires probably a 200' water carry across a retention pond.
The baskets here are all yellow banded DISCatchers, and all were in fine shape for my visit.
There is a decent mix of holes here. Several holes are longish and fairly open, while each still having a couple of obstacles between tee and basket. Holes 3, 4, 8, and 9 are all at least 300' and fit this description. Other holes are short but tightly wooded with fair lines, like holes 2 and 6. Hole 5 is a 260' throw that requires probably a 200' water carry across a retention pond.
The baskets here are all yellow banded DISCatchers, and all were in fine shape for my visit.
Cons:
Several holes play near or cross over what appears to be a popular walking path. There are a couple of blind throws towards this path. Also, if people were using the athletic fields a couple of holes could be unplayable.
The tee pads are natural. The tee signs shown in the old photos here are now gone for all 9 holes - although the posts remain so you can at least tell where to tee off from. There is no other infrastructure or signage other than a large billboard next to the parking lot advertising the beginning of the course.
The layout is simply not good. There are long walks between holes, especially 5-6, 6-7, and 8-9. The walk back to the parking lot after hole 9 is the longest of all - it must be 1/4 mile. With zero navigational signage, use of the map uploaded here (or UDisc, I assume) is a must. The map is pretty close to accurate I believe, except that hole 8 is much further north/up from where it is shown. It is located about at the top of the image frame, playing in the direction shown. You can follow the paved path between holes 4-5, 5-6, and 8-9 (for the latter, turn right on the path then left at the shed).
Some of the holes themselves are also a little silly, with the worst offender being hole 1. This one curls slightly to the left for about 300' off the tee, with the fairway being defined by a parking lot on the left and thick brush on the right. Then the brush opens up and the fairway kinks to the right about 120 degrees for the last 100' up to the basket. Just getting par will probably require a 325'+ drive to clear the brush and reach the open field beyond, then an accurate upshot and putt. To any high school students playing this as their first hole ever - it gets better! (not really at this course, but other courses!)
There isn't enough elevation change to really affect play.
The tee pads are natural. The tee signs shown in the old photos here are now gone for all 9 holes - although the posts remain so you can at least tell where to tee off from. There is no other infrastructure or signage other than a large billboard next to the parking lot advertising the beginning of the course.
The layout is simply not good. There are long walks between holes, especially 5-6, 6-7, and 8-9. The walk back to the parking lot after hole 9 is the longest of all - it must be 1/4 mile. With zero navigational signage, use of the map uploaded here (or UDisc, I assume) is a must. The map is pretty close to accurate I believe, except that hole 8 is much further north/up from where it is shown. It is located about at the top of the image frame, playing in the direction shown. You can follow the paved path between holes 4-5, 5-6, and 8-9 (for the latter, turn right on the path then left at the shed).
Some of the holes themselves are also a little silly, with the worst offender being hole 1. This one curls slightly to the left for about 300' off the tee, with the fairway being defined by a parking lot on the left and thick brush on the right. Then the brush opens up and the fairway kinks to the right about 120 degrees for the last 100' up to the basket. Just getting par will probably require a 325'+ drive to clear the brush and reach the open field beyond, then an accurate upshot and putt. To any high school students playing this as their first hole ever - it gets better! (not really at this course, but other courses!)
There isn't enough elevation change to really affect play.
Other Thoughts:
Wind can be a major factor here.
I was between a 0.5 and 1.0 for this one, which probably tells you all you need to know. In the end, I'm rounding down because I have to agree with what TVK said about target audience. I'm not sure who benefits from a course laid out like this. There is definitely too much distance and challenge for your average high school student in P.E. class, and the water hole #5 is a lost disc waiting to happen. Serious disc golfers will be frustrated with the long walks between holes, not to mention the unrealistic line on the opening hole. Baggers will be annoyed with the amount of time needed just to play a 9-hole school course. There appears to be plenty of space here to lay out a simple little pitch-and-putt (maybe even more than 9 holes), and that change would make this place much better suited to introduce students, families, and other Lakewood High visitors to the sport!
I was between a 0.5 and 1.0 for this one, which probably tells you all you need to know. In the end, I'm rounding down because I have to agree with what TVK said about target audience. I'm not sure who benefits from a course laid out like this. There is definitely too much distance and challenge for your average high school student in P.E. class, and the water hole #5 is a lost disc waiting to happen. Serious disc golfers will be frustrated with the long walks between holes, not to mention the unrealistic line on the opening hole. Baggers will be annoyed with the amount of time needed just to play a 9-hole school course. There appears to be plenty of space here to lay out a simple little pitch-and-putt (maybe even more than 9 holes), and that change would make this place much better suited to introduce students, families, and other Lakewood High visitors to the sport!
