Valparaiso, IN

Rogers Lakewood Park

4.15(based on 49 reviews)
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1 14
halfbidfor5
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Best of the Best 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 31, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Will test every facet of your game. You will go to other courses and think you are pretty good untill you get to Rogers. I've heard some folks on here rate it only a four because there is a tee pad they don't like or they think the rough is too punishing. These guys are bedwetters and will complain to a waitress that their coffee is just tooooo hot. Play this course now while the rough is brutal and pins are in long. You will feel like a stud when you pull off a nice shot and you will cuss when you don't. Bottom line is this course will make you come back over and over because that is how bad it messes with you.

Cons:

There are none. Maybe you might find some poison ivy here and there but you will survive.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course and play it once a week. I also think that the worlds should be played a round at Rogers when they come through next year or in the future. This is the pound for pound champ in Indiana and that has come from several top ams and pros who play it. You will not be dissapointed.
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8 0
gordonbombay
Experience: 15 years 57 played 7 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 28, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Diversity of holes. The only two that are similar are #4 and #5, but different pin placements create enough variety for these two holes. ***Update: Hole 4 has had clearing and a new pin placement added making it entirely different from hole 5.
Elevation changes from hole to hole. And only 5 holes that don't have elevation change within them.
Great variety of shots from tight tunnels, long uphill/downhill, a blind 90. I love it. Well thought out, and well executed course. Alternate pin placements "shake-up" this already versatile course.
Great use of natural landscape and disasters as well. Hole 12 has you tee off under a fallen tree. Hole 14 plays down the winter sledding run so have fun airring it out.

Cons:

While most of the course is playable year round they yank #15's basket during the winter for tube runs.

Other Thoughts:

Nothing like starting the day off throwing over water. A first shot in the drink is a pleasant way to start any round. If you dont feel like losing a disc there is a short tee in front of the tree on the left.
It doesnt matter much for me but the only restrooms are just off of the first tee box and locked between Labor and Memorial day. This might pose a problem if you play with ladies or shy guys.
The pay to park from Memorial to labor day may seem a tad costly, considering its not a state park, but this course is well maintained and manicured so grab some buddies, pony up the cash and enjoy a few rounds of some challenging disc golf.
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12 0
WindyCityROCer
Experience: 19.1 years 27 played 13 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Best Course I've Played (so Far) 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 14, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Wow, what a course! I had heard terms like "scenic" and "championship caliber" used to describe this course, and to be prepared to get destroyed by this monster course... well, it's ALL TRUE....

Nestled in the middle of nowhere, Rogers Lakewood is a gorgeous multi use park, with great terrain, making disc golf a no-brainer. The course is phenomenally maintained by the parks dept. and local DG clubs. As for the course being championship caliber, it is, a monster, it's not.... that hard.

Bring EVERY shot/disc in your bag, you will need them.... The course requires long accurate drives, long L>R and R>L, pinpoint accuracy through the woods, uphill, downhill... Water only comes into play on the 1st hole, you can bail to the left, but it's probably a 250' carry off the front tee... (ie don't throw your fav. disc, if you turn it over it's wet). Aside from 1,4,5,9 the first 13 holes play through the woods... or a beautifully mowed fairway with floor to ceiling shule on each side. Bad drives are punished by the shule, where most likely you will be flinging a disc back out to the fairway, rather than finding an "advancing" line out of trouble.

Note: for floor to ceiling shule/deep rough, it's the nicest I've seen, LOTS of trails throughout, so you're never really searching an area much larger than a kitchen table...

Holes 4 and 5 play in a little open field plateau main obstacles being high grass off of the fairway, 2 great holes to air it out...

My personal fav, 9 is a shot over a Gorgeous valley requiring a huge anhyzer/FH to the right/far basket. (Left/short pin is pretty much beeline to the otherside of the valley)

After 13 holes of wooded hell (in a good way) it's time to tee off on the N/S continental divide... Hole 14 is an awesome 590ft hole that plays down a sledhill with shule tightening up the last 200' or so... Definately one of those holes that will make you want to empty your whole bag going for that super drive.

The rest of the course plays through more of a traditional park area, while not as thrilling as the first half of the course, it still has some great elevation changes and superb use of the land.

Most tee areas have a bench, all have garbage cans, and GOOD signs... most signs even have hooks to hang your bag on...

Cons:

I never thought I would say this, but bring bug spray.... seriously. The woods get really thick, and covered in sweat, with bugs swarming you makes throwing a little annoying to say the least.

Unfortunately, for a well funded park, there doesn't seem to be restrooms/water anywhere near/on the course itself. (*1 apparently there are bathrooms by hole #1, the "boathouse/old pro shop) New proshop is the small building on the hill between the 2 practice baskets. The building on top of the sledhill (#14,15,16) seems to be a bathroom, but alas, it's always locked up tight.. These are the only real cons that I can think of.. it's going to be a long grueling round.

Other Thoughts:

This is a PRELIMINARY review, I could write a book on this place, and will comeback with more in depth hole descriptions...

This course is an absolute MUST PLAY if you are in the area... depending on which exit you take off of 90/94, it's really only about 15-20 min off the expressway. For anyone playing in worlds at Lemon, you must stop here, I haven't played silver/gold yet at Lemon, but this course easily beats the other 3...

This course is a workout, LOTS of up/downhill hiking, not a lot of breeze in the woods... be sure to bring enough water, as there really isn't a convenient place to take a break until the 14th hole, aside from benches by most tees.
(*1) 10/7/09 edit... I needed to re-evaluate the course after playing Winter Park.. gave the course the last .5 star, as there are bathrooms by 1st tee
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13 9
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.9 years 394 played 276 reviews
5.00 star(s)

A+ = Top Shelf! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18 (or more) hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == A
(The rough is very dense and punishing, so in a lot of areas a pitch out is all you get when you miss the fairway. The fariway widths are pretty generous almost everywhere, so punishment is only for bad shots. If there was a little more punishment for so-so shots and a few more fairways with multiple paths to the basket I would have given this an A+.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == A+
(This course sets up perfectly for me - and others of my skill level. Of course there are a few holes that are easy birdies or hard threes, but there are a ton of holes that feel great to bag. Much fun to be had....or frustration if you do not bring your A game.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A+
(Not wooded in the classic sense, but mainly tree-lined fairways with dense underbrush. When these fairways bend you usually have no choice but to be forced into making the shot the designer wanted you to make. Great variety and an amazing use of terrain!)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == A
(With grassy fairways throughout and lush woods all around it is as beautiful and secluded as can be. The first few holes and the last ones are more in civilization, but it is a beautiful park, so very few demerit points there.)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C
(There are only 2 par 4's, but #14 is way cool! Huge bomb off a sledding hill necking down and then opening up to a sloping green. #10 is a 2 throw hole that is a pretty easy par 4 but is very interesting nonetheless - probably my favorite hole on the course design-wise.)

Other Thoughts:

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 the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (149 18-hole, 91 9-hole as of late 2009), 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....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
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8 4
Spurlocm
Experience: 22.3 years 7 played 7 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Indiana's Best 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 21, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Favorite course I have played and one of the toughest. Very well maintained. Alot of elevation changes, alot of extremely hard shots and a good variety of mid range to long drives. This is the course I learned to play on and have played it 100's of times and it is still a challange every time I go out. The course is nicely laid out and shout not present any problems in that respect. Nice area, nice people, and great course.

Cons:

YOU WILL LOSE DISCS ON THIS COURSE! Ha, there are alot of woods in play that are pretty thick, watch your discs carefully and a spotter is recomended if you're not use to the terrain. Also some tees are better then others ranging from brick to mulch but no major problems

Other Thoughts:

Have played with several people from different states and they all enjoy this course. If I could have a course in my back yard this is what it would look like. Different pin placements changes the difficulty of this course but overall a right hook is extremely important on several holes. ALSO the numbers on the photos are not correct there are 24 holes now.
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