Akron, OH

Portage Lakes DGC

Permanent course
3.585(based on 31 reviews)
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5 5
Horsman
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.7 years 222 played 100 reviews
2.50 star(s)

So much potential 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 6, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Long and Short Concrete Tees
- Long and Short baskets present on all holes with Mach 5's so no spit thru's.
- Set in an old established park. The course has definitely seen some years and it shows in a good way. The fairways were nicely broken in but no too much to the point where it is just mud.
- Awesome lighthouse basket placement on hole 10 long. Doesn't add much difficulty to the hole but makes it look cool.
- A good amount of short and long holes.
- There is very much so a choose your own adventure style to this course. You can choose to play long to long or short to short or anything in between.

Cons:

- Needs fairer fairways. From the long to the long there are a lot of holes that left me walking away just shaking my head and wondering who designed this hole so terribly.
- Short baskets are hard to see. The long baskets have an orange band around them so they are quite easy to find but the shorts are pretty much camouflage with the foliage.
- There were a few times where I walked around for a while trying to find the next tee and even the pin on the hole I was on. uDisc's new GPS map helped me a ton in finding everything but I shouldnt have to rely on GPS to find the next hole.
- There are a lot of pedestrians at the park in general and a good majority of them are oblivious to disc golf. Because of this they were just wondering on the course and just stopping in the fairway or next to baskets. It made for a very annoying long round.
- There were a few holes where there was just one route to take to the basket and that route didnt make a lot of sense. It left me feeling like it didnt matter how good or bad you were because no matter what your shots are going to more then likely going to end up in the same spot.
- Took me a little while to figure out where to park and then where hole 1 was.
- There was some random OB on holes that was in the middle of the fairway. I dont understand why you would do this.
- Multiple holes seemed like it was more about how lucky you could get rather then how good you are.

Other Thoughts:

I only played here once and I played long to long since that layout should fit my skill level. Because of this my review is skewed a bit since there could be a different layout that is better then the long to long. But long to long is not a good layout. Its just not fun and wasn't designed well. Its like they had a beautifully designed course and then decided to add long tees and pins to make the course more difficult but then didn't cut any new fairways for the course. I don't ever leave a disc golf pissed or angry that I played but the day that I played here I did. I just felt like this course has so much potential and its just wasted. This course has everything going for it, big beautiful park, rolling hills, water, elevation, ob, tunnels, bombs, great parking, everything is here except for the design in my opinion.

Taking this course for what it is it isnt terrible and everybody plays the same course but it still needs to be fair in my opinion.
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4 23
Frolfer22
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Over Rated 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

It's a great course if you are Ken Climo......
It's a great course if you like to swim.
It's a great course if you like cutting yourself with glass.

Cons:

Tee Placement. 15, really???? Saw 2 discs floating helplessly in the water. 13 is a ridiculous hole as well. Back 9 seems cool at first, then is an annoying pain.

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8 3
JoseCafe704
Experience: 23 years 33 played 16 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Portage Lakes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 18, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Technical front nine with the first three holes all leaving the player to really think about the drive and how to negotiate the dense foliage along the fairway. Hole #5 plays slightly downhill to a basket sitting on a small peninsula overlooking a lake...Very nice looking hole. If #5 isn't the signature hole, #7 or #8 could be. Both these holes play on either side of some mature growth hardwoods in an otherwise open area, leaving the player with a very defined fairway.

Cons:

Very little direction from one basket to the next tee. I became disoriented on several occasions and had difficulty finding the next tee. It would be nice, as the course develops into a full 18, if signs leading the player to the main parking area and some sort of kiosk was installed. As is the case with many state park courses, the sheer size of the park can leave someone who's never been there a bit lost in finding the first tee. Some of the drives have little risk/reward potential. I found myself at many tees trying to find the "lesser of two evils" so to speak and just gunning for it. The tee signs are simply laminated paper attached to a wood base. This will not stand the tests of time and some of the torn off, faded, signs I encountered along the course are bound to become more numerous. The tees are simple boundary lines set in the ground. Though I've seen worse, it would be nice to see actual tee pads put in when this course becomes a full 18.

Other Thoughts:

I hiked along the area where the back nine is being developed. This course has a lot of potential. I'm hoping, despite the cutbacks you see associated with a lot of state parks, that the volunteer base for this course is strong, and the continued improvement of this course will draw me back in the near future! Definitely coming back after the full 18 is in!
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5 3
rtiedemann6
Experience: 15.9 years 49 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Good Potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The holes aren't too jam packed into areas; nice mix of hole types. The length varies enough to keep you guessing and pin locations are challenging. I think hole #5 is a signature hole, with the basket right on the water's edge. This course has a lot of potential to be a great course when the back 9 gets put in and with a little clearing of brush. I really enjoyed playing it, reminded me slightly of Massillon.

Cons:

There is some clearing that needs to be done. Some of the trees and brush make the holes very difficult and with a few taken out, the course would play more smoothly. Being 9 holes isn't the greatest, but they are planning to add in a back 9 soon and still working on cleaning it all up.

Other Thoughts:

I enjoyed playing this course, it may not the be the world's best, but it was fun and in the future, with some basic work, it has potential to be a strong course here in Akron. There aren't a lot of courses in Summit County and having this course close will be fun.
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7 8
frisbeechamp
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Decent but needs work. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 22, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Baskets are sweet. Long and short tees are nice. 2 and 3 were a blast. 4, 7, and 8 are pretty. 5th was scary throwing a $16 disc with the water sooo close! lol

Cons:

Holes 6 and 9 are pretty much tree eating wastes of time at the moment. Obviously needs some more clearing. Watch your footing walking along 9, those little tree stumps will trip you everytime.

Other Thoughts:

Just needs some more work, once tee signs/distance markers get put up, I can see it being played constantly.
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