Paw Paw Park is a large, low-lying area located a couple miles away from downtown Holland, MI. The eastern part of the park used to be a ball golf course, but is now Macatawa Greenspace DGC.

The park has interesting terrain and flora and it is used well to create a fantastic variety of challenging holes. This park has a lake, a river, and several other low-lying areas, creating several bona fide water holes (there are six listed on the hole info page, but depending on the time of year several other holes can be damp). There isn't a ton of elevation change but it's kind of rolling throughout the course, and the designers placed a couple of baskets near steep drop offs to create nice risk/reward opportunities. The amount of tree coverage also varies throughout the course. In general, this is not your typical Michigan wooded course - yet the scattered trees still provide well-placed obstacles on many of the holes. There are wooded dogleg lefts, open dogleg rights, tight straight shots, and everything in between.

There is quite a bit of length here. Officially only three of the holes are par 4 (and all of these exceed 500'), but additionally there are two par 3s that exceed 400' and only one hole is shorter than 250'. A few good tests for larger arms.

The infrastructure here is solid. The baskets and concrete tee pads are in good shape. Each hole has a large, color tee sign with an artistic but spatially accurate representation of the hole showing critical obstacles, the distance, and par. The tee signs also have two other less common features that I really like: They show nearby holes on the map that may come into play, and they show an elevation contour map of the entire hole. The latter feature allows you to determine the lay of the land even on those holes with blind tee shots. I think there is also a bench at every tee, or at least most of them. There is a course map/kiosk posted at the first tee.

The fairways seem to be well maintained, and are very well defined.

Vault toilets adjacent to the parking lot, and the course loops back to the parking lot after hole 11.

The biggest issue with this course, by far, is the rough. The rough, as I stated in the title of this review, is rough. It mostly consists of thick grasses and marsh weeds that can often grow to 4 ft. or higher in the summer months before they get trimmed by park maintenance. When they are finally trimmed, they are left where they fall - making an undergrowth layer that a disc can dive into. The rough is also full of those briars that stick to your clothes and disc bag. The density and height of the rough makes it incredibly easy to lose sight of your disc, and incredibly difficult to find it. Adding to the issue, the fairways are very narrow in spots with this rough on either side. In the summer months it is almost impossible to play this course and not lose a disc, unless you have a spotter or can consistently hit a 10'-15' wide fairway from 250'+ with high accuracy. I have had throws that I knew were less than 5 feet off the fairway and had an approximate visual location, but still took 20 minutes to find. This really takes away from the experience, at least for me.

The course is open enough that wind can be a significant factor, further exacerbating the issue with the rough.

On a couple of holes the layout of the water/rough areas make it basically impossible for a novice DG'er to lay up, forcing him/her to either skip the hole or very likely lose a disc. In particular, on water hole #9 if you cannot carry your tee shot roughly 225'-250' over the lake to a relatively small grassy area, you will have to skip the hole or lose a disc. Between the length, challenge, and high probability of lost discs I cannot recommend this course for beginners or for anyone looking for a casual solo round.

Although the navigation flows fairly well, there are a few spots where "Next Tee" signs would be helpful.

This area of Paw Paw Park does not have other attractions away from the parking lot besides disc golf. However, pathways snake between many of the holes and in my experience these pathways are popular with walkers and runners. Errant throws could easily find these pathways, and because of the rough some of those throws could be blind.

No practice basket.

Neither a pro or con really, but due to the longer length and higher difficulty this course takes a long time to play relative to other 18 hole courses - even if you don't spend a ton of time looking for discs in the weeds or trying to fish them out of the lake.

I have heard there is a guy who regularly goes swimming in the lake and pulls out lost discs to sell. That guy may make more money than I do.

When the rough is cut down this is honestly a whole different course. In my opinion, with cut down rough this course is a lot of fun and a solid 4.0. In the summer, the rough knocks it down to more like a 3.0 hence my 3.5 average. In the summer I tend to avoid this course like the plague, other than maybe #11-18 where the disc eater weeds are generally less of an issue. My verdict? This is a well-designed, challenging course regardless of skill level BUT if you are playing solo, you may want to look elsewhere - especially during the summer months.

- Very pleasant park setting
- Great equipment: baskets, tee pads, signs, benches etc.
- Streams, ponds, and rolling hills make for great risk/reward play
- Decent hole length and shot variety

- Long grass will eat your discs if not careful
- Mostly open shots, few tight fairways to force lines
- Lackluster finish

Macatawa Greenspace is a delightful park that turned an old ball golf course into a very fun disc golf course. The rolling hills, sporadic trees, and prairie grasses provide enough shot shaping to make the round interesting, while still allowing you to play your game. The stars of the course though, are the ponds and creeks that run through the course providing a great level of risk/reward.

The water holes are designed such that you can choose exactly how much danger you are willing to put your disc into. All of the water carries have lines for you to bail out if you can't reach tho other shore, or just don't want to risk it, and you can always stay clear of the creeks.

The equipment is fantastic, with spacious tee pads, well catching baskets, nice benches, and informative tee signs. Some of the signs have started to fade already. Hopefully this is remedied because they are really quite nice.

The big con for this course is the long grass. It adds another risk/reward aspect to the course, but one most people find more irritating than adding of any real merit. It isn't overly hard to stay in the fairways most of the time, but if you mess up your shot, you could be looking for a long time. The rolling hills don't help this aspect since they can prevent you from seeing where your disc finishes. Mowing additional paths in the rough, widening the fairways, or just keeping it all mowed to a lower level, would really help keep frustration down.

The course ends with a handful of holes (15, 17, 18) that don't quite meet the same standard as the rest of the course, which is too bad. In general there is something interesting to think about for each hole.

This course makes for a very fun, pleasant, if not overly challenging round, and could be even better if the long grass is beaten down a bit more. Send spotters if you can, particularly if playing with less experience players to help avoid frustration.

- Beautiful landscaping throughout the entire course.
- Very different feel to it over your typical Michigan wooded course. Imagine playing through a marshy area with rolling hills.
- Really cool elements adorn the entire course like all the water hazards, the cool little itty bitty waterfall behind the #3 basket.
- The design is for the most part brilliant and will challenge players of every skill level. A number of design elements really stand out. #7 has a crazy fast green. #3 dares you to make an aggressive approach with a nasty little water hazard behind it. #9 is 420' where almost all of it is over water. YIKES! #12 is interesting because you toss into a circle of pine trees through a small gap.
- #8 to me has to be the signature hole at over 500' and a double dog-leg AND a water hazard. Just redonkulous.
- The tee signs are - for the most part - gorgeous and do a great job outlining the hole and illustrating hazards. I've never seen tee signs so nice.
- Not hucker friendly. (Yes this is a pro) If you're the type that carries warp speed drivers in dx plastic with your Red Bull and pack of smokes you're probably not going to have anything to throw after hole 6 other than your can of go go juice and cancer sticks. If this is you, just stick to Winstron Preserve.
- New baskets, great concrete tees and benches on some holes.
- Very little trash and some cans throughout the course.
- I'm not sure I've ever seen a course with this many scary water hazards.
- And if you haven't already guessed this course really rewards accuracy over distance with it's narrow fairways and abundant water hazards. You might be able to toss it 400' but if you can't do it accurately, the Greenspace is going to punch you square in the mouth and then as you're laying on the canvas there'll be some kicks to the ribs while you're down.

- The most glaring con is some design issues that IMHO probably out to be addressed. This is what in my standards holds this course back from what should be 4.5 to a 3.5:
1. The 6 basket is practically in the 7 fairway. While hitting players on the 6 green is unlikely because the 7 tee is so much higher this just shouldn't happen with all the space on this property. If I am teeing off on 7 and someone is on 6 green that's going to be distracting as all get out.
2. With the water on 9 players are going to be tempted to cheat to the right to avoid the water on the left side. This puts you right in the line of fire from the #2 tee.
3. I really did not care for the blind over the hill shot on #11 because you miss the fairway to the left a little and you are whizzing discs right over the #12 tee.
4. The course ends on what I feel is a rather odd pair of holes compared to the rest of the course. 17 is a wide open flat shot and then 18 has the basket between a shed and pole barn. Sort of weird and anticlimactic for a course like this.

Design issues aside...here are some more minor thingys:

- The fairways are lined with long grass. A.K.A. prairie disc golf HELL. When this stuff is in midsummer form and growing thickly bring spotters. Or figure on spending copious amounts of time searching for discs.
- While this course flows really nicely from hole to hole there are a few spots where a next tee sign would be nice. 7 to 8 is a great example. You have to go back over the bridge to get to the #8 tee.
- Some of the gorgeous tee signs are not weathering so well. I think it was either #7 or #6 where a lot of the graphics are wearing off. Hate to see that happen to the rest of them.
- This course is brutal for those learning the game. I think newbies are going to be frustrated with a course like this where the potential to loose expensive plastic is pretty high. To me, this course desperately needs some short tees.

So it seems I've beat this course up pretty good. Maybe it's just my reaction to being abused by the Greenspace so mercilessly. Regardless, the Greenspace did not find the kind of favor for me like it did the other reviewers here. It is a fantastic course no doubt but it does have it's issues. With the amount of space that is apparently available it could be better - much better. This should be a 4.5 course all day long and maybe a 5.0 in my book but alas I would not be able to sleep well at night giving it any better than a 3.5.

Worry not lovers of the Greenspace because I will say this: This to me is a must play course. If you are anywhere near here - play it. It's probably the most unique DG experience in this part of Michigan. I never thought such a lightly wooded course could be so good. But be careful, because if you aren't careful with your game here expect a kick right square in the family jewels.

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-Great tee pads
-Outstanding signs
-Lot's of variety
-Pet friendly
-Challenging for all skill levels
-Super variety. Moderate hills. Wide open. Trees. Great water holes!
-Benches at every hole.
-Scenic and atheistically pleading to the senses!

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-First 9 holes are very very rough ugh
-Front nine offers a great chance to lose discs
-Snakes galore!! Saw at least 5 in the front nine. Most garter.
-Not many garbage cans on course
-Gigantic unidentified biting insects. Nuclear power plant close by has probably mutated these plants and animals.
-Front nine more secluded than back nine

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-Summer months long grass stay on fair way or you will be sorry.
-Play conservative front nine it will pay off in a better score
-Wind will always play a huge factor on this course. Understand your discs and if you bomb throw it like me there is a high chance of list discs if it goes in this rough.
-Rough is really rough. Ughhhhhhhh. Please cut the grass more. It would make it so much funner.
-Front nine was super challenging. Wind and rough played big factors. Back nine much funner and easier.
-Good navigation except hole 17 to 18 you need to cross street.
-Loved this course!! With some better upkeep I would rate it higher. I am looking forward to late fall abd early spring rounds here. My hunch is it will be an easier place to play and more enjoyable with less grass to deal with.
-I am rating this first time I played. I feel a 3.5 is fair. It is a very good course I plan on playing it much more! I do think the fun factor will be much greater at certain times of year.
-This course has a lot going for it! With time it will be better and I am sure with proper upkeep my rating will go up.

Scenic course sprawls across rolling terrain in a quiet nature preserve that's visually appealing despite the sometimes scrubby look of the fairways and rough. Bridges help you get from section to section and add to the course's overall appeal.

Shot variety: Nice balance of fairway shapes, and distances, elevation changes and general disc play. Mostly open, but makes great use of available trees to add challenge and make you think about your line.
Elevation: No mountains here but the rolling terrain is seemingly omnipresent. Splendidly employed to change effective hole length, increase interest, and provide rollaway potential to ramp up risk reward factor.

Combine this with a pervasive wind that changes depending on what direction you're throwing and you have a course that encourages you to use most of the discs in your bag at one time or another during your round. Long tee shots and a decent breeze can really reward or punish your combination of disc choice, shot selection and execution.

Great water holes: 8, 9 and 10 were really fun and each presents a different challenge.
8: Depending on where your tee shot lands, deciding if you should try to carry the water or work around it may or may not be easy.
9: About a 350' water carry for big arms to run at for deuce opportunities. There's a landing zone that's easily reachable for people who only throw 200' or so for a good look at 3 if properly executed. For the truly distance challenged, there's an even shorter bail-out route that plays longer to the hole, but still forces you to throw over part of the pond, but no one who can throw 100ft should have to skip the hole and miss out on the thrill of a water carry.
10: Pin's on a peninsula that juts into the pond. Looks easy on paper, but that's not where we play. Neat hole and IMO, a little wind can turn this Ace Run into a tricky little sucker.

Versatile lay-out allows several ways play abbreviated rounds:
• 11 loops back to parking lot for an 11 hole round (1-11).
• Easy to start at 12 to play a 7 hole loop (12 - 18).
• Skip holes 4-7 for 14 holes (1-3 + 8-18)

• Nicely illustrated tee signs help you find your way and show position of next tee.
• Concrete tees were level and quite adequate and baskets were in great shape.
• Numerous benches throughout the course.
• Vault Toilets located near parking - (conveniently located after hole 11 as well).

• Rough: not particularly thorny, dangerous, or shot changing, but it can be damned unpleasant to search in, with high grass that hides discs until you step on them, thistley crap that scratches you up just enough to be annoying, and plenty of burrs and stuff that clings onto socks and shoelaces. Leave a microfiber towel hanging from your bag or belt and may the good lord have mercy on your soul. It's sure to get completely fouled with every clingy piece if crap it comes in contact with. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!
• Several holes penalize bad shots primarily in terms of enhancing the chance of disc loss without necessarily resulting in a nasty lie. Quite possible to throw a bad shot and still have a decent look at the pin, assuming you can find your disc.
• Navigation: next tee signs would help. If it wasn't for the nature trail winding through the course, it wouldn't be too bad, but there are quite a few holes where the most obvious place to walk isn't the way to the next tee. Tee markers show where the next hole is, but it's easy to forget after spending several minutes searching for discs. Map was a huge help, but you don't always feel like pulling out the map, especially when there's an obvious path... to nowhere.
• A few tee signs don't seem accurate. I suspect course layout, map, and signs were already done, but a few things were changed for whatever reason when the course was installed. Not really a big deal, and while most of them are fine, I think a few of the posted distances are off for that reason.

This really is a beautiful course with a high fun factor, and a refreshing departure from the typical woodsy feel of most Michigan courses. Nicely landscaped with wild flowers, spruces, willows, cedars, and a variety of hardwood trees. Long enough to reward those who can bomb, but only if they keep it on the fairway (lest they lose a favorite driver).


This course has a unique feel from anything I've played on either side of the state. For those familiar with the reference, the closest comparison I can draw is think Ponds at Lakeshore on rolling hills with more trees, landscaping and rough. Wonderful disc play and a great round overall, I just wish they'd mow the rough a bit - it does nothing to affect your shot, other than to obscure it.

Very glad I came, good chance I'll be back.

Very challenging hole layouts
Scenic property
Great Baskets
Excellent Signage

Bad design choices on some holes.
2 holes are designed to throw directly towards the parking lot, 12 & 18 (gonna be trouble)
Hole 16 has you throwing over 15's teepad and over 14's basket at the same time(needs a mando maybe)
Hole 18 (bring a ladder) basket is way to close to private building. Lots of people are gonna be in the parking lot or on the roof of that building.