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Portage Central High School reviews
12
0
Top of the Class!
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Oct 29, 2023
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Portage Central High School is located south of Kalamazoo, MI. The school recently added 9 holes of disc golf playing through an underutilized area between the school's tennis courts to the west, and some private residential property on the other sides.
The course makes great use of this land while avoiding any potential safety hazards. There is a nice mix of holes, from several tight but fair wooded fairways that bend in different directions, to a couple of mostly open holes. It's a nice mix of distances too for a rec level 9er, ranging from 213' up to 345'.
The first hole (which is the 345' throw) was my favorite. This one has players teeing off from the top of a hill next to the tennis courts, down into and across a flattish mostly open area. Then the fairway moves up another smaller berm before reaching the basket on the slope down the back side. I also liked #5, which is a tricky left turning throw that requires players to not fade left too soon - as your disc will land in thick spindly rough that is very hard to scramble out of for your 3 (may or may not be saying this from experience). Hole 9 is another fun one that plays back up the hill, leaving players right where they started.
The baskets are Chainstars in good shape. The tee signs are homemade but fine - they have the hole number, distance, and map of the hole. There is no par listed, but you could safely assume this is a par 3 course. There's a porta potty available at the parking lot.
The course makes great use of this land while avoiding any potential safety hazards. There is a nice mix of holes, from several tight but fair wooded fairways that bend in different directions, to a couple of mostly open holes. It's a nice mix of distances too for a rec level 9er, ranging from 213' up to 345'.
The first hole (which is the 345' throw) was my favorite. This one has players teeing off from the top of a hill next to the tennis courts, down into and across a flattish mostly open area. Then the fairway moves up another smaller berm before reaching the basket on the slope down the back side. I also liked #5, which is a tricky left turning throw that requires players to not fade left too soon - as your disc will land in thick spindly rough that is very hard to scramble out of for your 3 (may or may not be saying this from experience). Hole 9 is another fun one that plays back up the hill, leaving players right where they started.
The baskets are Chainstars in good shape. The tee signs are homemade but fine - they have the hole number, distance, and map of the hole. There is no par listed, but you could safely assume this is a par 3 course. There's a porta potty available at the parking lot.
Cons:
The tee pads are natural. No trash cans or benches are convenient to the course. There isn't a practice basket or kiosk/map.
Navigation is just alright. There were some Next Tee arrows spray painted to trees, but I still had a bit of trouble. I did visit in late October when leaves were newly down, which probably made it more difficult.
Although this course is well designed for students and rec level players, better players will be bored with the short distances/lack of water hazards/lack of elevation change on holes 2-8.
Navigation is just alright. There were some Next Tee arrows spray painted to trees, but I still had a bit of trouble. I did visit in late October when leaves were newly down, which probably made it more difficult.
Although this course is well designed for students and rec level players, better players will be bored with the short distances/lack of water hazards/lack of elevation change on holes 2-8.
Other Thoughts:
It's easy to forget once you tee off on hole 1, but this course is located on school grounds. Therefore, you should assume that it is closed to the public whenever school is in session.
I had to play/subject myself to all seven other entries in the Kalamazoo Area School 9 Hole Disc Golf Courses 101 catalog first before finding this one. This course is not only the standout of that "class", but in my opinion actually the best 9-hole course in the Kalamazoo area overall. I took the extra 30 minutes out of my course bagging schedule to play this one a second time. It's definitely worth a look if you're a local, or a visitor looking for a quick round outside of school hours!
I had to play/subject myself to all seven other entries in the Kalamazoo Area School 9 Hole Disc Golf Courses 101 catalog first before finding this one. This course is not only the standout of that "class", but in my opinion actually the best 9-hole course in the Kalamazoo area overall. I took the extra 30 minutes out of my course bagging schedule to play this one a second time. It's definitely worth a look if you're a local, or a visitor looking for a quick round outside of school hours!
