Oshtemo Township Park reviews
8
1
dandther
Experience:
48.9 years
47 played
18 reviews
Nice Design 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:May 22, 2016
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
-Nicely wooded fairways that are narrow enough to provide a challenge.
-A couple of holes are just beautiful. I love the long left turning hole (#5, I think), with a nasty stand of trees just ahead of where your tee shot will land, presenting an obstacle for your second shot.
-Though there's not much elevation change, the course takes advantage of what is there to add interest.
-Nicely placed in a park with good parking and a clean"restroom.
-A couple of holes are just beautiful. I love the long left turning hole (#5, I think), with a nasty stand of trees just ahead of where your tee shot will land, presenting an obstacle for your second shot.
-Though there's not much elevation change, the course takes advantage of what is there to add interest.
-Nicely placed in a park with good parking and a clean"restroom.
Cons:
-Signs. The tee signs are beat up and ugly. There are no tee signs at the short tee pads.
-Navigation. Hard to find the first hole. No tee signs at short tee pads, as noted above. NO direction signs between holes. Sure there are well-worn paths after each basket, but too often the paths led in different directions.
-I have run into people who are impatient with me not knowing the layout both times I have played the course.
-There are times when you won't be able to get on the course because of league play. There are times when you can play but the course is crowded.
-Erosion, mud, old baskets, etc. See other reviews. Not a huge issue for me, but noted.
-Navigation. Hard to find the first hole. No tee signs at short tee pads, as noted above. NO direction signs between holes. Sure there are well-worn paths after each basket, but too often the paths led in different directions.
-I have run into people who are impatient with me not knowing the layout both times I have played the course.
-There are times when you won't be able to get on the course because of league play. There are times when you can play but the course is crowded.
-Erosion, mud, old baskets, etc. See other reviews. Not a huge issue for me, but noted.
Other Thoughts:
Overall a good design that is heavily played. My rating is "Decent" because it needs some TLC to be rated a 3 or higher.
At this point I suspect the people who play it regularly can't even see the issues (bad tee signs, need for navigation help, and rudeness that comes from thinking they own the course).
I also suspect that the people who play it regularly are going to say this review isn't helpful (as some people did for the guy who compared this course to a Honda Prelude). If you think the problem is the review, you're clearly not looking at your course or the behavior of your league members.
At this point I suspect the people who play it regularly can't even see the issues (bad tee signs, need for navigation help, and rudeness that comes from thinking they own the course).
I also suspect that the people who play it regularly are going to say this review isn't helpful (as some people did for the guy who compared this course to a Honda Prelude). If you think the problem is the review, you're clearly not looking at your course or the behavior of your league members.
12
8
B- = Be nice.....but be minus for frustrating 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 10, 2010
Played the course:once
Pros:
What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18+ hole courses:
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
(This grade is strange.....just like this course is. You will get punished pretty badly on many many holes on this course if playing aggressively (or if you cannot land your disc accurately). I like that part (the risk).....but I do not like that fact that there is no point at all to play aggressively since there is nothing to be gained (the reward). See point 2 for more on this, but I have big issues on many of the holes since there is no route to the basket from the long tees due to fairway shaping and mid-fairway obstacles. Look through the pictures if you don't believe me. So, all it takes is midrange, midrange, putt. Not so fun.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == C
(The course starts out amazingly with holes 1 & 2 being the perfect challenge for me....and there are a few other good holes. Unfortunately things drop off precipitously after a great start. As just stated, there are a ton of holes that are impossible to deuce (barring crazy luck) but they are too short to be legitimate 2-throw holes. That is a formula for......booooooring. At every turn I was hoping for more legitimate/great holes but kept on being punched in the gut by lay-up, lay-up, putt holes.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B
(The course is almost completely wooded and there are indeed a fair amount of different shots required to navigate the course. But, they are almost all low power (60-80%) throws. In this regard, it is a really good place to work on the midrange game. Terrain is pretty flat with just a few slight hills.)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B
(Seclusion is great! Beauty is quite nice in several places, but the feel of the place gets pretty monotonous after a while - so many of the holes feel the same when strolling down the fairways.)
5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == D+
(I suppose that although it seems Michiganers traditionally call everything par-3, the 3 holes that are around 520' are legit 2-throw holes (par-4's). This is a bonus and boosts the score as these holes make for a more interesting playing experience. Problem is that at that length, they are pretty non-rewarding par-4's.....as in birdie 3's are routine and bogey 5's are unacceptable.)
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
(This grade is strange.....just like this course is. You will get punished pretty badly on many many holes on this course if playing aggressively (or if you cannot land your disc accurately). I like that part (the risk).....but I do not like that fact that there is no point at all to play aggressively since there is nothing to be gained (the reward). See point 2 for more on this, but I have big issues on many of the holes since there is no route to the basket from the long tees due to fairway shaping and mid-fairway obstacles. Look through the pictures if you don't believe me. So, all it takes is midrange, midrange, putt. Not so fun.)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == C
(The course starts out amazingly with holes 1 & 2 being the perfect challenge for me....and there are a few other good holes. Unfortunately things drop off precipitously after a great start. As just stated, there are a ton of holes that are impossible to deuce (barring crazy luck) but they are too short to be legitimate 2-throw holes. That is a formula for......booooooring. At every turn I was hoping for more legitimate/great holes but kept on being punched in the gut by lay-up, lay-up, putt holes.)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B
(The course is almost completely wooded and there are indeed a fair amount of different shots required to navigate the course. But, they are almost all low power (60-80%) throws. In this regard, it is a really good place to work on the midrange game. Terrain is pretty flat with just a few slight hills.)
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B
(Seclusion is great! Beauty is quite nice in several places, but the feel of the place gets pretty monotonous after a while - so many of the holes feel the same when strolling down the fairways.)
5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == D+
(I suppose that although it seems Michiganers traditionally call everything par-3, the 3 holes that are around 520' are legit 2-throw holes (par-4's). This is a bonus and boosts the score as these holes make for a more interesting playing experience. Problem is that at that length, they are pretty non-rewarding par-4's.....as in birdie 3's are routine and bogey 5's are unacceptable.)
Other Thoughts:
While I rate this course pretty well below the norm, I can see where many players not seeking the same challenge as me will simply love Oshtemo.
It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well this course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. See my profile for specifics on my rating philosophy.
I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (180+ 18-hole, 100+ 9-hole as of late 2010), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.
I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me.....and that's the fun of things here.
It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well this course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. See my profile for specifics on my rating philosophy.
I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (180+ 18-hole, 100+ 9-hole as of late 2010), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.
I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me.....and that's the fun of things here.
