-beautiful wooded park with a bit of elevation change, centering on a 500' to 1000' wide lake; does a good job avoiding the visitors that are not playing disc golf
-new Prodigy baskets (replaced a few years ago) are in great shape
-good use of the available land; holes are not repetitive, and consistently feature wooded lines/tunnels and water danger (water only on back 9)
-Pro and Am tees for every hole (volunteers recently poured concrete on most short pads), with very significant difference in challenge level
-two pin locations for at least 10 or 12 holes, especially in the wooded part of the course
-at least one practice basket, sometimes two
-home of the Norman Pro/Am annual tournament, meaning that this course gets serious attention every spring in addition to regular tender loving care from the local disc golf club
-relatively recent design changes include a much better tee location (in the woods) for hole 1 and the new/long pin locations on many holes

Just a few favorites or notable holes:
*As I said earlier, they're not repetitive! I could describe twice this many and more...*
3: tricky woods hole from elevated pad, down into wooded fairway, back up to the basket just above a slope (short) or in a wooded green 45' past (long)
4: fairly open initial look (requiring some distance) but into a challenging wooded green with the basket either on a mound (short pin) or in a deeper wooded location
8: narrow wooded fairway over a small creek to either a simple open pin or the much more challenging wooded green at water's edge
12: over water to a grassy slope angled up from the water; basket close enough to the edge that comebackers are commonly downhill suicide putts
16: probably the signature; Pro pad throws over the lake onto a peninsula
17: relatively short, but obstructed/blind tee shot into a basket tucked below the fairway

-numerous spots to lose discs, mainly in water; even if you're willing to wade/swim, muddy Oklahoma water means discs aren't always easy to retrieve
-tee signs and navigation aren't a strength of this course, although navigation is fine and there are usually "temporary" tee signs up because there are regular tournaments (the main disadvantage for navigation is that you won't find a couple Am pads unless you know where to look)
-seems to be a favorite of local disc golfers (even more than Griffin), so it can be surprisingly busy even on weekdays
-there's also a decent amount of non disc golf traffic because of fishing around the lake and a playground well off the fairway of 14; just don't be stupid and look before you throw (actually the design is great at not crossing walkways or roads)
-poison ivy is less of a problem these days, but I believe it's still out there
-mosquitoes can be bad after heavy rains, especially towards holes 7-8 where there's some swampier areas

This is a challenging, tournament worthy course that also offers short tees for newer players or those that don't want to risk their plastic. I cut my teeth on this course over 10 years ago, and it's still one of my favorites. Since being one of the first around (I hear rumors Mr. Headrick was involved in the original design), it has remained one of the top courses in the area for decades. Further improvements in the past few years have only made it better and even more challenging.

It doesn't have the "wow factor" for me to rate it higher or to say it's on par with the greats. It's hard for me to describe that, but maybe it's missing a little bit of length (e.g. par 4 type holes or real long wooded tunnels; although new designs have added length). I might be harder on it because I'm a local. Nevertheless, it's in a beautiful park that is not overly used by the non disc golf population. It continues to be cared for and improved upon, and, as I said, it's both beautiful and challenging. Don't miss it if you're visiting the area.

Rating: 3.5 "Very Good" is right. Thanks Sooner Disc Golf and keep this course going for years to come!

Lots of new additions to the course since the last review.

All holes now feature Prodigy T1 baskets.

Most holes have 2 basket locations and 2 tee pads.

With the new changes a par round from the Pro pads will net you a ~1000 rated round.

Hole 1 now has a "new" placement for the tee pads with the basket being slightly further out than the older placements. The long tee on this hole is TOUGH, but very rewarding.

New basket locations on holes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 16.

Holes 5 and 13 are now par 4s in the long placements and are very fun and challenging holes.

Hole 16 has a new placement at the very tip of the peninsula, with the new long tee being on the other side of the pond nearer to the playground, dock, and walking path. Very challenging.

New teepads have been installed on a few holes, with plans to re-do the lot of them. Should fix some old cons regarding slippery old pads.

Lions now may be the most challenging course in Norman when playing the long settings.

Some of the remaining teepads are still horrible. Hole 5 AM might as well be made of ice and teflon.

If you haven't played the course recently, it can be tricky to find all the new locations. An updated course map would be a fantastic help.

The pond harbors a good amount of water snakes. Be careful around the reeds and any tall grass near the water hazards.

The housing development being built east of the course is an eye-sore, but obviously this is no fault of the local groups that do the upkeep.

Not all the holes have great paths to and from each other. A few can become a sloppy mess with a little rain.

Once the local group, Sooner Disc Golf, finishes the "renovations" this course will be a standard in Oklahoma disc golf.

The longer baskets locations, and fresh tee pads really help liven up a course that Steady Ed helped install in the 70s.

Lions was regarded as one of the hardest back 9s in the country when the back 9 was first installed. I would venture to say that while it may not be a national contender, N.E. Lions is becoming one of THE courses to play in OK.

When par is ~1000 rated you know you have a challenging course.

Also, the course record for competition is -16. That will never be topped at this point. Fun food for though.

This course has a good mix of short, moderate and longer holes.
There is a decent amount of water threat present that will keep you on your toes.
Good use of the available elevation.
Tee pads are ample and there are AM pads on 9 different holes.
The park itself was well maintained and there were other amenities here too like a playground, a fishing pond, and restrooms.
Trash cans and benches at several holes.
The flow is logical and the locals were helpful and friendly too.
The new basket placement for hole 8 was excellent and challenging too.
This course gets a lot of play.
Holes 7,8,13, and 17 were my personal favorites.

Being as this course sees a lot of traffic you might have to wait on other groups on a few holes. When I've played they have let us play through so for me it hasn't been an issue.
Signage was missing on a few holes. Some scouting ahead had to be done on a few holes to see where the basket was located. This could easily be helped with updated signage.
Tee pads might be slick from dirt or mud.
Hole 1 was kinda dull.

This is a course that is going to test your decision making and shot shaping abilities. IMO this course has just the right balance of technical, open, and fun shots to keep you on your toes. All shots are accounted for on this course, uphill/downhill, dog leg left/right etc.
Being as this course was designed by "The Father of Disc Golf" in the late 70's this course has held up extremely well over the decades.
Of course a few updates and improvements have been made over the years which make this course even more enjoyable. All levels of players should find a challenge on a majority of the holes here. When paired with its sister course(Griffin Park) across town the city of Norman has 2 quality courses at its disposal. I really wished I could've gave this course a 3.75 because thats what I feel is deserved here. However I will have to settle on a 3.5.
Do yourself a favor and play a piece of disc golf history and while you're at it stop by Griffin too. You'll thank yourself later.

I love the overall design with many holes drawing and fading throughout the woods mixed with some great lines that force you to really shape your shots. There are also a fair amount of blind pin positions, so having some experience on this course will give you a big advantage.

Variety is the spice of life and the mix of open holes around the lake coupled with a tight wooded front nine is a great balance. Holes play well into the undulating terrain of the course, and things can get nasty in the rough if you miss your line. Concrete boxes are showing their age and a few are a bit small for my taste - but concrete is always better than dirt.

They are also alternate tees available some of the holes. They don't just make the hole longer, but rather give you an entirely new look at the hole and most of them make the hole considerably harder. #15 also at the time of this review has two baskets in play for some extra challenge.

BEST HOLE/S: #12

The biggest con is the general upkeep of such an old course. While not as bad as old courses like B.B. Owen Park in Dallas - the wear and tear is still pretty obvious. Norman disc golfers could take a cue from the Austin courses about how to properly "refresh" a course without losing its original design integrity. Also, there are lots of worn down areas that look like they could be real messy after a rain.

The signage is average and could be improved, which could also include some transition signage. The alternate tees are not well marked and as I first-timer I teed from both alternate tees and the regulars without realizing it. If you're anal about your scorebook like I am, that kind of inconsistency frustrates me.

This is a minor gripe but even though I enjoyed the general layout and flow of the course - I wish the lake could have been integrated more into the initial design. Hole #12 is so great that it's a shame there aren't more of them, and let's be honest - six holes technically play water but only #12 and #16 present any real danger.

WORST HOLE/S: #1

love a course with a history, and it makes it that much better when it's still a good course 35 years after it was conceived. The minor changes and the alternate boxes provide some additional challenge, and to just stay current is awesome because I don't know of that many truly old courses that haven't become pitch and putts because the newer technology. Sure, nearby Griffin Park is considerably newer, longer, and meets the criteria better of what many would consider a more modern course. However, if you're in the area you are a true fan of the sport, then you owe easy Ed to hit a round here. It's a great course with a great history.

Course is located on a park that has a good mixture of open and wooded holes. There's a good variety of lines throughout the course. Many of the holes utilize valleys, greens that drop off and uphill shots. The pin placements were my favorite part of the course. Hole two's pin is right after a small drop off from the fairway. Hole four, you tee off about 300 feet away from a lower area of ground and there's about 40 feet of a lower area. Hole 16 was a great placement on top of a ridge that gave a great risk/reward for a two. The wooded holes had great lines and were very fun if you could hit them, and they did have a definite fairway. The trees were trimmed nicely. Whenever there was somewhere that required a bridge, there was a nicely built bridge. Tee pads were concrete and plenty big. Baskets were not new, but they caught just fine. I didn't have a single spit-out in my two rounds there. Two sets of tee pads made the course very beginner friendly, but also provided a challenge for experienced players. Bathrooms and water were located near the parking lot.

Signage was pretty bad. It never really helped...at all. The layout was confusing at times, so I would recommend playing with a local your first time. There weren't any holes where you could really go for a long drive. There are lots of houses on the perimeter of the park where a shanked shot could easily go into a yard.

I had a pretty good time playing here. I would definitely go again if I was in the area. If you're close, I would definitely recommend playing here.

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There are some really excellent lines here. The park has a handful of open holes, many of which are around the pond. The rest of the course plays fairly wooded, with brushy rough and tight tricky lines. I enjoyed the variety of shots required in the woods, with a balance of left and right turning holes to challenge your line shaping skills.

The water offers some great risk/reward options on a few hole. A couple greens have roll away potential to the water, including a nice basket placement on a mound at the edge of the pond. A couple other shots offer birdie shots if you risk a water carry and more forgiving lay up options if you are satisfied with a par. The concrete tees are in ok shape, plenty of room and texture for a good teeing surface. Baskets show some age, but catch ok.

Signage is lacking here, many are missing and that gets a little frustrating on blind holes. A lot of the wooded shots don't have baskets visible from the tee so we had to do a lot of extra walking to know where to throw. A few of the holes (including the first and last) are pretty wide open and don't offer much in the way of challenge. The distance on this course isn't all that varied, with a lot of similar length shots and nothing all that long.

Other than the risky water shots, this is a pretty beginner friendly layout. The lengths are reasonable and the toughest shots have layup options. More experienced players won't find this to be too tough a test, but there are some fun holes that will challenge anyone. I would recommend a stop here if you're in the area.

-fun, challenging layout; very high fun factor
-concrete long tees, natural short tees on most holes
-great shot & distance variety, great variety of terrain & use of elevation
-decent signs, Mach 3 baskets in good condition
-lots of woods on the front 9, lots of water on the back 9
-mostly obvious navigation except for a few spots, well-worn trails
-nice, friendly locals

-gets a bit crowded, lots of big groups and casual players
-no water fountains, one by the parking lot but it didn't work
-very little parking, lots of cars on the street (i heard they will be moving the first hole in order to enlarge the parking lot)
-water is murky but not too deep, try to avoid the drink unless you're willing to get wet to get your disc back

Whereas Woodson Park is an old course that has aged badly, NE Lions is an even older course that has aged gracefully. The holes here are lots of fun and demand a variety of shots but more importantly accuracy. Even though the course is mostly short, you really have to be accurate to stay dry & in the fairway and to score well.

The multiple tees are great for replay value or accommodating various skill levels. Lots of trees provide good shade and the water on the back 9 will keep you on your toes. The course is well-maintained and the baskets and tees are mostly in good condition (some of the tees are cracked or piecemeal).

Great use of the land available. Elevation is used well and the holes move through various areas of the park with different terrain: some are open and grassy, some tightly wooded, and of course there are the water holes on the back 9. Many well-protected pins mean that even if you can reach the green from the tee, you might not have a putt. Accuracy is everything.

A fantastic old school course that is well worth going out of the way to play. This and Griffin Park across the street make a great pair and are the best 2 courses I've played in Oklahoma.


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This course has a little of everything, don't expect to bomb any drives as the longest hole i think is like 350 feet +/- 50ft.
However most holes are blocked in some way offering a challenge. Most of the holes have two pads the am's are natural pad except for hole 5 and 8 which are concrete like the pro pads. 5's am pad is about 50 feet in front and to the left of the pro pad, and gives a straight shot to the basket.

Perhaps the biggest con is the mud after a rain, it will get on everything your discs, pants, shoes and hands. Another thing i noticed is some of the pro pads are cracked/broken and seem to be shorter than i am used to. Also almost everytime i play this course people just appear out of nowhere, there dosent seem to be any walking path but you will see them walking the course sometimes mostly on holes 8 and 9.

The front 9 are heaven and the back 9 are hell, to me anyway. Do be careful of the water monster on holes 12,13, and 16 he is consumed with a ravenous hunger for discs, between me and my buddy he has eaten 6 discs. So if you find a red Buzzz elite x, white buzzz pro-d, red vulcan star, black archon star, red teedevil star, or orange striker gold please call the number on the backs thanks.

One of my favorite in Oklahoma! The baskets are in good shape and they have good pads. There is a great mix of shots here that challenge all levels of players and will make the newer players good quick. There are shots where you can break out the crush and throw it for all that its worth, then you get in the woods and have to hit tight lines or you get into trouble. The elevation is used very well not only in the fairways but for many of the baskets as well. Not really any places to lose plastic unless a bad shot is thrown. This course is really fun because you can shoot 2 different scores in 2 different rounds if you dont play smart or if your not consistant. 3 courses within 10 minutes is a big bonus as well!!!!

Navigaton can be tough at times but not as bad as many other courses. A couple of the shots a spotter would be a good thing to have. The wind can be tricky on some of the shots where you have to throw over trees. Can get hot and its a ways back to the parking lot.

I didnt see any ticks/snakes or get into any ivy but I bet that it is out there. Well worth the stop if your in this area. Can be a great disc golf day if you play everything in Norman like we do.