Being the closest course to me, I play it often (1-2 a week) and I find many of the things that most people see as cons to be pros. I really like having multiple pins and multiple tees (though I don't play short tees very often). It keeps things interesting and fun for those that play it often. The course is typically really well cared for, even though some fairways will get a little overgrown during the late spring and summer, it is Ohio. I was one of the people who didn't like the course when it was installed. Thought the lines were unfair, too many trees in the middle of the defined lines, etc.. However, over time as trees have come down, the course has been worn in and I've gained experience on the course, I've come to love it. Even on longs to longs, I've found that there are defined lines that are consistently gettable for players with accuracy and control. If you think its too hard from longs to longs, play shorts or go to Wingfoot.

Signage: I'd agree that the signage and directions between holes could be better. It can be quite confusing for someone coming for the first time.Bugs: During mid-late summer they can be brutal. I can't drop the score for gnats, but they are awful at times and can definitely make a round very challenging course even more frustrating. It's also a poison ivy hotbed in spots. That being said, both of these issues can be mitigated if you come prepared, its a course in the woods, there's going to be poison ivy and bugs.

I love having this course 15 min away from me, now with Silver Creek Metro park a short drive away also, there's the best of both worlds. Favorite holes: 4 long, 6 long to long, 14 & 15 long to long. There's very few holes I don't like stepping up to, expect for 9... ugh. I think enjoying a disc golf course is a lot about expectations and preparation. If you're a Rec player and you head out to Portage Lakes in flip flops and shorts for a round of long to longs, you're going to hate it, but that's not the course's fault. I love the technical shot shaping and challenge the longer layouts provide as well as the short, technical, very score-able short layouts. Wear shoes, long pants or tall socks and bring bug spray during the summer.

Portage Lakes disc golf course is located in a beautiful park, which has several other activities and amenities. The course is mostly wooded, with a couple of holes in the open. There are two sets of tee pads and two basket placements on each hole. There is water in play on 7 holes, whether your're throwing over it or it's behind the basket. Elevation is used well, several holes have significant elevation changes. The course is very technical and punishing if you don't hit your lines. Good mix of short & long holes, 6 par 4's and a par 5 which are all true to said par.

Holes 1-3 & 18 are located through a valley with fairways right next to each other, so it's easy to take a bad kick and end up in the fairway for another hole. It's not uncommon for people to be fishing by 5's basket, to the right of 6's fairway, and on hole 16's green. Hole 17's short basket position doesn't really have a good line to access the pin.

Overall, this is a great course, one of the best in Ohio. Holes 13 - 18 might be the best 6 consecutive holes I've ever played. The course keeps getting better and better as the club is active in working on it and raising funds for the development of the course. The long pin positions really change how the course plays, its much more difficult.

-Excellent course to practice a variety of shots
-Has a little bit of everyone for every skill level
-Front is easier than the back. So if you're new to a lot of trees getting in the way, front is a great 9 to play vs the back (has more water)
-Very well maintained
-great signage

-It is not a course for beginners
-If you go of course beware of poison ivy
-If your not confident on water holes, DON'T THROW THEM! They will eat your disc's.

Overall I thought this course was great! I am a beginner but play with guys that have played for years. Playing this course sucks because i'm not very good, but it helps with all my shots. Will play again very soon.

This is an interesting course. I really enjoyed playing most of the holes, but there are a few that are just not finished in my opinion. Still a few trees that could be removed on a few holes, and perhaps the dumbest OB I have yet to encounter in 200+ courses (Dungans Dungeons). I will do this as a hole by hole review.

Also all reviews are from the long tees.

Hole 1 - nice hole. neat little shot.

Hole 2- Nice hole that pretty much forces you to throw a putter or midrange on a straight line. Not really any other option.

Hole 3 - This could be a nice hole. But there are 3 tree that keep it from being a good hole. A good shot thrown will still require quite a bit of luck to make it through on this hole. I found that the best shots are the ones that go away from the fairway and make it back to the middle. though I would think that the true plan for this hole is for someone to hit the main fairway with either a big s or a straight line. Yet that shot is not possible with the 3 trees. Well it is, but your chances of the shot working are completely up to whether or not you are lucky enough to miss the 3 trees I mentioned. As is now, I would say it is one of the weakest holes on the course.

Hole 4 - I really like this hole and think it was well designed. Tough gap, but fair.

Hole 5 - cool hole. Probably one of the best on the course.

Hole 6 - could be one of the best holes on the course, except for 2 small trees in the early part of the fairway. Not sure why there were left? They just add that annoying factor to the hole without making the hole harder. I did witness someone driving this hole within 2 or 3 feet which was beautiful. But had he not slipped by the trees, he would have been in the crap! Feel like this hole could really be awesome with just a few little tweaks.

Hole 7- typical tunnel shot through some trees. Nice hole. Can't complain here.

Hole 8- easiest hole on the course and plays nicely.

Hole 9 - Love the drive on this hole. But what I would consider to be the landing area, there are 3 - 6 trees that need to go. If you are going to throw a good drive 350 feet through a tunnel, you should have a clear stance when throwing your second shot. 2/4 times I found myself perfectly in the middle of this landing zone, only to be pinned up against a tree. Yet those who were off the fairway had a more open shot. Open up this landing area near the short tee and you got a great hole. Even had a chance at a 3 as it is. But as it is now, it does not reward a good shot, and too often I have seen the person with the worst shot end up in the best position for their second shot, and that's just not right.

Hole 10 - wanted to love this hole, and kind of do. Just 1 tree at the bottom of the hill that I would remove.

Hole 11 - weird hole. It calls for a giant turnover drive, but once you hit the first gap, you kind of have to just hope you don't clip some limbs or branches.

Hole 12 - like this hole a lot. I would remove the one small tree near the green on the right side of the fairway and you got a great hole. Stinks when you throw that perfect shot and you hit that little tree smack dab in the middle of the gap 50 feet from he pin. But that is an easy fix.

Hole 13- great hole. don't do a thing.

Hole 14 - signature hole. Great hole, nice shape, cool green. Only problem is that there are some high limbs that need a rope saw to get to. Once those are trimmed, you will see more people trying to put their drives past the lake and near the pin. But with them there it is forcing people to play farther left on the fairway and just laying up before the short tee. If you limbed up the gap, you will have more people flirting with the water on their drives and you will see people getting their drives pretty close to this pin. NO trees need to go, just get those high limbs cut.

Hole 15 - nice hole with really stupid ob circles in the middle of the fairway? Why? why have 2 little circles OB in the middle of the fairway? Who are you trying to punish? A person could kick from 100 feet away and land in these areas. They are no shaping the hole, or making the hole better. There is no need. You already have a great hole, why add stupid OB such as these?? I did not understand. Other than that, it's a beautiful hole and one of the best on the course.

Hole 16 - great hole. Nothing wrong here.

Hole 17 - frustrating. All 5 times I threw drives down the left fairway and kicked off a tree just over the hill as it was making its way towards the basket. Yet the guys who cut drives way right sometimes managed to sneak all the way up there. Not sure what they are asking for on this shot? Seems like they want to make you take the left side all the way there, yet a good shot thrown that way is most likely not going to be rewarded. Seems like the shots that just try to cut towards the pin through the trees is the best option, yet I don;t think that that is what they were going for. This hole needs to be re-evaluated.

Hole 18 - Why finish on a crap shoot? really? Come on. I threw every drive on the same line and all 5 had completely different results. Make a distinct fairway with a line that I am supposed to hit and you got a nice hole. Green is nice, the hole shape is nice, but the fairway is just a mess of trees with no defined flight path. Your score on this hole is going to be determined by where your disc lands and what trees you might hit. Being one foot right or left could be the difference in that 3 or 4. Just clean this up and you got a nice hole. As-is, I would consider it one of the worst on the course.


So all in all, this is a nice course. It is a beautiful piece of land and they have made some nice holes. Not sure what skill level these tees were designed for, but they were enjoyable. With just a few tweaks here and there they will have one of the better courses in Ohio. I'll give t a 3 for now. If it gets the neccesary tweaks, I would bump it up to a 4.

The amount of poison ivy and broken glass on the course will never give this course a chance to reach that 5 level that I know they would like to achieve here.

It is fun though and if you don't mind throwing shots where you are hoping to get past that tree or that tree, and don't mind the occasional bad kick or bad luck, then you will enjoy this course. One of the only courses I have ever played where you can hear someone on one throw, say yes, no, yes, yes, no. That's what happens though when you throw a good shot but have to deal with getting sneaky.

-All 18 holes have concrete long and short tee pads(!!!!!), which have great grip.
-Hole 16's long tee is shaped like a shield, with one of the short edges facing the shortcut over the water, and the other short edge facing the safer land route.
-Holes 1 through 9 loop back to the parking lot, as do holes 10 through 18, so playing the front, the back or all 18 is no problem.
-Bathroom(s) at the parking lot, and at the beach parking lot.
-Mix of long/short, dogleg right/left/straight, uphill/downhill, safe/risky, open/tight holes.
-Very pretty, mostly wooded location, with the lake featured on hole 5 and holes 10 through 16.
-Well-made brick steps on 12, 13 and 15. Behind the basket on 15, there is a set of steps leading down to the lake for retrieving discs, and reducing erosion on the hillside (sandy loose dirt).

-Still finding (and cleaning up) glass around holes 1 and 2.
-Has mosquitos after wet weather, but not so far this year.
-No grip and rip holes. However, there are several holes (6, 7, 11, 15, etc.) on which you can pull out your max drivers and throw for distance, as long as you are also accurate.
-The 20 MPH speed limit on state park roads. They enforce it too.
-If you didn't notice the pink tape on the baskets pointing to the next tee, or follow the map on the scorecard, first time navigating could be tricky.
-Poison ivy is prevalent off the fairways and still present on some fairways.

In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I have helped with the construction of this course, so I may not be entirely objective. I am pleased at how it is turning out, thanks to the hard work of some guys who just love to play disc golf. It is hard to believe that just three years ago most of this course was an impenetrable thicket of briars and saplings.

The course, from the long tees.:
Holes 1 through 3 go back and forth across a small valley, getting progressing longer. Accuracy is needed off the tees.
Hole 4 is a par 4 which starts in the woods and doglegs to the right to finish in an open grassy area. A good forehand (I don't have one!) can get you in good position for a 3.
Hole 5 goes straight down a former driveway and turns right after opening out to a peninsula on the lake. A well placed forehand can park this.
Hole 6 is a straight par 4 that goes up, down and up again. The swampy area on the right is not out of bounds, but can suck off your shoes.
Hole 7 is a straight 370' tunnel shot down a tree-lined former driveway.
Hole 8 is the most open hole, hyzering left toward the basket guarded by a large tree. It is almost a must-deuce heading into hole 9.
Hole 9 is a 650', true par 5. Getting a birdie (or even par) is well deserved. It is getting clearer off to the sides, but could use more thinning.
Holes 10 through 13 alternate between going downhill toward the lake and uphill toward the parking lot.
Hole 10 is a downhill sweep to the left. A hyzer that makes it past the three trees guarding the fairway gives a good shot at a deuce.
Hole 11 is a long uphill sweep to the right. A gauntlet of trees guard the basket.
Hole 12 is a short downhill shot that would be straight-forward if there wasn't a group of trees in front of the basket and the lake wasn't 20' behind it.
Hole 13 is an uphill shot which opens in to a grassy area leading to the basket in the traffic circle.
Hole 14 is a par 4 dogleg right from an elevated tee that shows you a grassy area from which you can throw over the water or follow the ridge to the basket.
Hole 15 is a par 4 with a great view of the lake, over the brick steps in the distance. Aim for the steps and the basket is over the steps, to the left, on a ridge that drops off to the lake.
Hole 16 gives you the option of throwing 250'+ directly to the basket over the water or taking the dry route which doglegs right and may add a stroke, assuming you make it over the lake.
Hole 17 starts from an elevated tee and goes over a hill and sweeps to the right.
Hole 18 is a par 4 that starts with a left turning hyzer drive, followed by a forehand or anhyzer toward the basket up the hill to the right.

Favorite hole? Can't really say, but here are some things I especially like: the "S" route from the hole 2 tee, staying in the tunnel to the basket on hole 7, the view from hole 15's tee and basket, throwing over the water on 14 and 16.

- Very thick and beautiful forest set on a large state park. There are a lot of elevation changes and a nice rolling terrain. Well built stairs get you up steep hills and really set off the natural beauty of the woods.
- This course is the definition of a fantastically technical course that will constantly challenge every level of player. A complete mix of shots are needed here to get over, under & around all kinds of obstacles. Baskets rest atop large mounds and on steeply sloped hills. Replaying this course I saw new lines to take that I didn't see before and I know I'll find new ways down fairways the next time I go.
- This 18 hole course is approx 6800' long which is fairly long for 18 holes, however, because of how technical this plays, 6800' is Very long. Once finished you will feel like you played a 10K'+ course!
- This is a pretty safe course. At no point are you throwing on top of the next tee or at a busy intersection, however, note that you do throw near the some traffic on Holes #4 & 8.
- There is a Short and Long Tee for every hole
- Tee Signs are off the charts for quality. A lot of effort was put into these exceptionally high quality signs. Many signs have witty nicknames/themes for the holes such as Hole #15 has Dungans Dungeons 1 & 2 and a Moat. The Tee Signs at the Long Tees have actual pictures of the hole. The Tee Signs at the Short Tees have snippets from the rule book so that you can learn as they go. This was an incredibly creative idea.
- The Tee Signs are on high quality poles. The poles at the Long Tees also have bag holders.
- Tape on baskets lead you to the next tee
- The baskets are in perfect condition and well labeled
- Plenty of water hazards give you risk vs. reward
- Very nice upkeep done by an incredible set of volunteers
- Extremely low traffic from non-disc golfers
- Surplus of log benches and stumps and picnic tables scatter throughout this course
- The entrance to the park is marked by a large sign and there are multiple disc golf signs leading you to the course
- Very nice Kiosk
- A lot of trash cans all over the course
- Plenty of parking
- Bathrooms at the parking lot
- Amenities. Very large state park that has about anything you need including a skate park, camping, boating , fishing, swimming, trails, hunting etc...

- Large amount of broken glass at a few holes
- There are no open areas to really rip a drive for distance. Many players probably never take their distance discs out of the bag.
- Personal preference but a few more trees being cleared (for example on Hole #9) making a few fairways just a touch bigger might add more enjoyment to the average player, however, I'd understand if the plan is to leave them there for the challenge of it.

- The 'Flow' is both a Pro and a Con. Hole #1 and #18 do meet each other at the parking lot but there are a few hiccoughs between some of the holes. #4 to #5 you will cross the parking lot. #6 to #7 you will walk down the road for a few hundred feet and #7 & #8 rest on a large grassy area between the roads and parking lot. #8 to #9 you will cross back toward #4 and follow signs to #9. This is still a fantastic use of the available land but keep a map on you your first time out and pay attention to all the Tee Signs and Next Tee Signs.
- The natural tees are in decent condition but can be a little uneven
- This course has a lot of holes with a high level of risk vs. reward but Hole #16 is the definition of it. You can choose the shortcut over the water through a small gap or the safer land route. But let's not forget Hole #15 that has you zigzagging 470' with water to your right to only find a basket on a steep mound with water directly behind the basket. LOVE IT!
- This is one of the most challenging courses I've ever played. It's a tough hike and great exercise. If you are going to bring a beginner here then for the love of Pete give them fair warning first.
- The most challenging hole is Hole #9 which is the only Par 5 hole here. This lives up to it's rating as you travel 650' down a winding trail loaded with small trees.
- Hole #7 & #16 tie for my second favorite hole but Hole #14 takes the prize. On #14 you drive downhill through a narrow gap and veer right around the water toward a basket that is on a loooooong steep mound.
- This is a very impressive course that is absolutely worth some travel to get to. Huge thanks to the Portage Lake Disc Golf Association for donating so much of your time, blood, sweat & tears in creating something this nice in such a short amount of time.

-One of the most challenging courses in the area. Playing all 18 holes from the long tees will demand much more precision than Canton or Massillon, a wider variety of shots in your bag of skills, and more distance than pretty much anything in the area besides Dover. It's not unfairly difficult to get par, but there are a ton of trees and numerous places where a bad kick will give you a very rough upshot. You have to play smart and pick your lines well.

-Again, it's challenging. I just want to emphasize how refreshing it is to have a course that makes you think about your drives in relation to your second shot instead of all the deuce or die courses in the area. Arboretum gets mind numbing at times because it's too easy to shoot double digits below par, not to mention even easier courses like Wingfoot. I can't stress enough how much I enjoy having holes where I feel damn good about scoring a 3, instead of courses that are so easy I get pissed if my drive is more than 20' from the basket.

-The park is absolutely beautiful. The back 9 in particular has you literally walking through a forest. The water holes offer very pretty views.

-There is strong shot variety. I think 1 or 2 more slightly open holes would of balanced things out a bit more, but the land didn't really offer that. The designers did an excellent job with what they had to work with in my opinion. There are a lot of right turning shots, which is nice to see. There is good variety in the distance of shots too. There are putter holes, like 1, 2, 5 and 8, and there are holes that even if they didn't have any trees to throw through I couldn't get up to the basket on a full powered drive with my fastest discs like 6, 9 and 15.

-Hole 13 has a fun basket setup. There is a grass island with a road going around it in a circle that counts as OB. Nothing crazy, but it's a nice little touch that adds a bit of strategy. Also, hole 16 has two teepads for the long, and two routes you can take. You can throw over the water and have a better shot at a deuce, or you can take a path that goes off to the left then curves back to the right. I've never seen this on a DG hole before so I thought it was a really neat feature that I specifically wanted to point out.

-The park also has a boating area, (shitty) skatepark, basketball hoops, beech, biking trails, playground, restrooms etc. Dog Park area with another being built I think. Plenty to do.

-Broken glass scattered around the first few holes. Don't fall.

-Thick underbrush in lots of areas, and many stumps in the ground still. The course is new so compared to nearby courses with decades of wear it's still very rough around the edges, especially the newer back 9 holes. As it matures and gets broken in by players and nature it will be even better.

-Some of the teepads are only flat for the first 3 or 4 feet then drop off on a slight decline. This can make a full x-step awkward at times. The tees have been improving over the months to where this will eventually be a non-issue.

-Potential to hit cars on hole 4 or 8.

-As of this writing the course is full of very persistent mosquitoes. Between them and all the undergrowth I highly recommend wearing pants and maybe loose long sleeves unless it's a dry time of year or fall has come. They were really bad in early June.

Since originally writing this review, the front 9 has cleared out some more and the back 9 baskets have been installed. I was extremely excited when I first saw what they had planned for this course, back when there were no baskets installed. It's been a lot of fun watching this course mature into one of the best courses in Ohio.

Par 4's and 5's are uncommon in the area, and usually you find wooded or long and open, it's rare to see 400'+, much less 600'+ heavily wooded holes like this course offers. This is a very welcome addition to the courses NE Ohio has to offer.

A lot of the courses in the area suffer from a variety of issues. They tend to be too open, too short, too flat, only 9 holes or too easy in general. Portage Lakes is very special to me because it says fuck you to all those courses and throws long, hilly, densely wooded holes in your face the entire 18 holes. I've mentioned it many times in this review but it really is that important to me. Portage Lakes is so damn fun because it's one of the few courses I've played that I feel can make you work for par at times. It does have some easier holes (1, 5, 7 and 8 definitely come to mind) but this just makes the course well balanced. Portage Lakes is a gem and I will happily raise my rating to 5 discs once everything is a bit more cleared out (And I intend to keep helping with that, too!).

The course is primarily being cleared out by fellow disc golfers, so if you go out and play it put some work in when you're there if you have the time. I bring a machete with me if I'm not pressed for time and hack away at the brush as I play through.

Tall signage indicates the Long tees while the short indicates the short ones. Pretty easy to figure out

Holes 1-3 run back and forth thru a very narrow valley of trees

Hole 4 Shoots out of the woods into an open Field.

5 Is a straight on shot with no room for over shooting, as the basket sits 5 ft from the waters edge

Hole 7 Is the best on the course thus far. Shoot s about 225 + Thru a narrow field with Very LARge trees on both sides.

Map of the Entire course Is at hole 1

**Lots of invisible stumps on the fairway. Major tripping hazards...so watch your step.
**Lots broken glass around.
**Signage maps still needs to be put in yet

**Hole 9 looks much better now

Precision Precision Precision!!!!
This course demand accuracy

Lots of trees!!, so don't bring cheap plastic, or it will get chewed quick


6/15/11...Update 18 baskets are in. Tee posts are up for both long and short tees.

10 starts directly across from hole 1 . and 11,12,13 play back and forth through the woods, with gradual elevation changes.
Hole 11 had a Swamp 10 ft off the tee...watch you step

Hole 13 basket was placed in the center island of the road, which i thought was kinda neat.

Hole 14 shoots from the top (Long tee) of hill . Im guessing it drops maybe 25 feet, with the lake on the right side. Im sure this could be a water hazard to an errant left hand throw.

15 is pretty long with a hill in the middle of it, and ends with basket up on top of a hill . Over shoot a putt , and your swimming !

16 has to be the signature hole. 2 options here! The Fair way plays dog leg right ...or take high risk short cut through the trees over the lake, and you'll be putting on your next shot. Awesome hole !!

17 & 18 are basic long fairways through wood with 18 's basket the side of a hill . Steps built to help walk up the hill.

This course is still fresh, but just seeing the improvements on the front 9 , and seeing the back today ....This course in time will be a gem. This course will definitely rival the courses of Canton Medina and Wooster.

While it may not be broke in yet im giving it a 4 because the potential is there. Hats off to the guys who worked their butts off to give us such a challenging course !!





Dog park, Playgrounds, swimming bathrooms, basketball , skatepark, are among the amenties here