Pros:
Mattawan High School is located west of Kalamazoo, MI. The high school, middle school, park, and presumably also an elementary school and senior living center are all on site. However, there is still room in a wooded area on the edge of all that for a 9-hole disc golf course.
This course plays entirely in the woods, and there are a decent mix of technical holes here. The fairways throughout are tight, but fair. Some curl to the left, some curl to the right, and some are straight.
I really liked that this course has two tee pads per hole. The long pads offer a fun round for recreational disc golfers. The short pads are very short, offering a clear look at most baskets and some different angles overall. The short pads are PERFECT for high school students who don't know a driver from a putter. This course is at a HIGH SCHOOL. Finally, we have a match between course design and target audience!! I also noted that the shorts required more right turns/straight throws than left turns, so good for teaching the RHBH kids to not just "noob hyzer" every hole. High schoolers that catch on to the game can easily try the longer tees. I threw a very poor round from the long tees, and decided to follow that up with a second round from the shorts which was much easier.
The baskets are DISCatchers that are painted in the maize and blue school colors. Along with the block M logo on the yellow bands, these are 100% ripped off from the University of Michigan about 100 miles east down I-94. Why do so many primary/secondary schools do this? One basket per hole.
The tee signs are basic and mounted on blue painted wooden posts at the long tees only. They do show the distance and flight path from both tees. They do the job for a course like this.
The tee signs also point towards the next hole, which is better than nothing. And there seemed to be white painted lines on the ground to help with navigation as well. Overall, I didn't get lost.
There is clear signage at the front of the course stating that the place is closed while school is in session, and that alcohol and tobacco are not allowed. These things should not have to be said, but unfortunately I agree that they need to be! There is also a kiosk next to these signs, although no map was posted on it when I visited. A couple of trash cans were scattered around the course. There was one bench near the first tee, although it was in poor shape when I visited.
Cons:
The worst thing about this course is the rubber tee pads. Both of the pads mentioned above are different kinds of rubber material. They are all lumpy, falling apart, and very slippery. I slipped on the first three pads in a row, after which I gave up on trying to do any footwork and just stood and threw. I was wearing tennis shoes that were not super grippy, but the same shoes that I usually play in during the summer months and don't usually have a problem in.
Holes are too short for better players. And there isn't really any elevation change to speak of.
No practice basket or restroom in sight.
Other Thoughts:
This is honestly one of the better 9 hole courses I have played in recent memory. Decent course with two layouts appropriate for the most likely visitors, and no real safety issues. I would have given a 2.5 rating for sure if the tee pads were concrete, or even well-laid patio pavers. Out of all eight (!) school 9ers in the greater Kalamazoo area, I have now played six of them and this one is the best out of those six IMO. A highlight of Kalamazoo Area School 9 Hole Disc Golf Courses 101, for sure.