Holland, MI

Winstrom Preserve - Old Layout

2.385(based on 33 reviews)
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Winstrom Preserve - Old Layout reviews

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5 1
davetherocketguy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.7 years 114 played 105 reviews
1.50 star(s)

A Hucksters Dream...but...dude where's the next tee? 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Innova Disc Catcher baskets with that conspicuous yellow ring on top.
- Concrete tee pads.
- Nice multiuse park setting where the course is out on it's own away from other activities.
- Semi-wooded course
- Several intesting holes - in particular #14 where long shots are punished with the stream behind the basket. #16, #18 were also fun.
- There was a nice mix of right hand and left hand doglegs throughout.
- Clean which is surprising considering the utter lack of trash cans. There were some occational beer cans but nothing that detracted from the course in general IMHO.
- No real safety issues that I could see. There is a walking path that meanders through the course but did not seem too close.

Cons:

*sigh*

Where to start?

- Navigation is dissapointing to say the least. I would strongly recommend carrying a copy of the map off of this site. Without that, it can take a long time to find the next tee. Tee signs are knocked over and in some cases GONE.
- Most baskets are in acceptable shape but several are in serious need of serious TLC - soon. Some chains are not connected correctly, #4 has a bottom ring that needs to be welded back on - just to name a few.
- Short. Holy crap is this course short. Lot's and lots of ace runs in the middle of the course. It appears as if many trees has been removed so the challenge from many of the holes is also gone.
- Rough. There really isn't any. This could be a con or a pro depending in your skill level. Errant throws are not punished so long as you can throw over brush that is about 4 to 6 feet tall for the most part.
- The tee pads are very small. And that's ok because run ups really aren't needed but some of them are starting to break and shift so more TLC is needed. #17's tee pad is just plain wierd. It points one way and the basket is way off to the left.
- Layout - for much of the course the flow was fine but having to walk back up #14's fairway to get to the #15 tee felt just...odd.

Other Thoughts:

This course is in dire need of a club to take care of it. With the rolling hills and modest foliage a decent 12 hole course could easily be configured. New tee signs and "next tee" signs are also desperately needed. 18 holes is a possibility but it's tough to say because I have no idea where the park boundaries are.

This course is actually a fantastic place to bring beginners to teach them the game. It's modestly interesting but not punishing. And of course with the multitude of ace runs it's the perfect for the hucker with a warp speed driver in one hand and a beer in the other. Experienced players are going to be a little bored and not challenged at all. In fact, if you can drive more than 350' don't bother with the drivers at all. Just bring a few mids and a putter and you'll be all set.

This course is a dissapointment for me. It's obvious that prior to the large removal of trees it was a challenging well designed course. Now, I am having a very hard time justifying anything higher than a 1.5. With some changes, it could easily be much better.
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1 0
Jbot49506
Experience: 12.1 years 11 played 10 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Quick play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is located in the woods and its only 10-15mins away from my cottage.

Cons:

Until the course is cleaned up, it is difficult to walk through with out tripping on a small stump or any of the other 5 million pieces of wood. The large trees were removed from the course in the spring, they are slowly cleaning things up. It currently looks like a tornado went through or possibly a scene from a WWII movie. I would recommend waiting to play here until things are cleaned up. It will look nice once all the loose sticks and knocked over trees are taken care of. They do needs some new maps to help navigate the course, you need to walk around and look a bit in order to find your way.

Other Thoughts:

The majority of the holes are quite short. Hole 18 is probably my favorite hole on the course.
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6 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.2 years 831 played 777 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Not safe! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a nice little pine forest. That makes for tight lines and a unique setting. There isn't much rough, but the trees are dense enough that if you find your way off the fairways it can be challenging to save par. The tees are concrete, and though they're small they have plenty of room for the short holes here. The short, tight shots offer some fun short game challenges, this would be a good spot for putter or superclass rounds.

Cons:

The safety issues here are pretty extreme. It's a really popular course, especially with casual players. With holes very near each other, including a couple spots where baskets are within 50' of one another, the amount of less accurate throwers compounds the potential issues. A few blind holes and players who don't know to check if the hole is clear or yell fore adds a little extra danger. There are a few navigation issues, with long unmarked walks and limited signage. Many of the tees are numbered, but a few aren't. The course gets a bit monotonous, with mostly hyzer and straight short shots, there's plenty of opportunity for more shot shaping variety.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners can have a lot of fun here, as evidenced by the popularity with casual locals. The holes are short but still offer some challenges, and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed. More experienced players won't find many different challenges, and the business and safety issues on a nice day make this course a lot less fun to play. If I lived nearby, I'd probably only play at off-peak times, though it would be a fun place to work on your short game.
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