Kendallville, IN

Bixler Lake Park - East

2.675(based on 9 reviews)
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8 0
Radrad
Experience: 6 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

9 OK holes, 18 new "in the woods" drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 23, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Short, compact course, easy for beginners
No "rough" to lose discs
Grass always mowed
Few park visitors M-F
Free M-F

Cons:

Tees hard to find the first time
Tees muddy after rain
$3 Sat and Sun
More visitors on weekend
Restrooms closed on my visits

Other Thoughts:

Course is free M-F, $3 for non-residents on the weekend. If you are really cheap, you could park at the tennis courts, by holes 10-18 on Diamond Street and take the walking path around for free. The one time I played on the weekend, the man at the booth was friendly and answered my questions. During the week, very few visitors. Even on the weekend, I never had a problem with someone in the way. Holidays may be a different story. During the week, you may have the entire park to yourself. Park in the gravel parking lot before the access road to the beach. Hole one is in the corner of the beach access and parking lot/road, marked by a blue fence post.

A small, compact course between the lake and a woods. 1-3 are along the beach side, 4-6 the woods side, 7 and 8 up the middle and 9 returns you to the parking lot. No rough areas and few low branches. I printed out a satellite view of park from google maps and penciled in the tees/targets from the park map. This helped the first time I played. Four was hard to find; it is near the playground. Seven is halfway between targets 6 and 9. Eight is in the middle of four small trees. Yesterday the course was muddy. Wait a couple of days after a rain.

They are adding a new 18 hole course in the woods. Park guy said it is "a work in progress". 1-6 targets are in the ground, the rest on pedestals held down by rocks. Some signage is not in place. Most holes have two tees along the same line, red-easier and blue farther away marked by posts in the ground. There is an wooden arrow spiked into the ground next to the target pointing to the next tee. Park in the gravel lot by the beach. WALK up the newly paved accessl road to grey maintenance buildings. Tee one is in front of the buildings. All tees have plastic mats on the ground. Holes 1-3 and 16-18 are open with areas of rough, tall prairie grass. Could be a problem in the summer. After the first frost (Nov 1) until it regrows in the spring (May 1?) it turns brown and lays down making disc finding much easier. After the first three, the course runs in a loop, 4-9 along the left side, near the ball diamonds, 10 -15 closer to the campground and the old course. 16-18 return to the start. 6, 7 and 8 had a long walk between holes. There was a water hazard to the left of 5 that had a screen of underbrush to help stop an errant disc. 14 had a swampy area you had to throw over from 30 - 80 feet away. Not a problem unless you hit a tree and bounce in. Might want to put a pair of boots in the trunk, just in case. We have had a rainy summer/fall, so water levels are high. Might be dry in a normal summer. I am guessing par threes with a few fours on the longer holes for 57 total. I was able to play all eighteen holes with a little hunting. This could be a four star course when all the signage and baskets are installed.

Checked out the wooded course for the first time this year (July, 2022). It appears that almost NO work has been done on it. In fact it is in worse shape than it was last year. Despite having a short post with red or blue paint, many holes were hard to find. Many of the targets are hidden by a screen of trees or on the other side of a rise. To make matters worse, the targets are BLACK, which makes them even harder to see in the shaded woods. Tees are numbered but targets are not. A couple times I was unsure where to throw. There are many mowed cul-de-sacs. A trail that you think goes to the next hole abruptly ends. We have had some bad storms lately and the park employees have dumped two piles of brush and two piles of wood chips directly on the path from one hole to the next. You have to walk through thick weeds to get to the next hole. I hope this is from ignorance of disc golf, not on purpose.

If I was to rate the new 18 holes, it would have to be a 1.5. So much promise. So little finished.
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8 1
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
0.50 star(s)

"I, For One, Care Less For Them!" 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Park style, non-disc centric layout through minor rolling elevation and mature oaks. Nine baskets, no real signage to speak of, tees are extremely difficult to find, where extant. Plays through playground, grill and picnic area, pavilion, along service road and park roads, parking lots.
- Another nine holes on site (albeit, on the far side of the park).
- Park amenities look nice enough. Camping, beach, bathrooms, etc., on site. This course is in the little area to the right, just prior to entering the camping section. Park wherever and good luck.
- Entrance to park is free for county residents. So there's that, I guess.

Cons:

- Nothing good going on here except nine baskets in a park with other things taking center stage. I had to dodge bikers, people on a playground, and a family reunion. This course is basically unplayable with anyone out and about, and a real pain to figure out the layout. Ended up getting a blister on my heel walking around trying to figure out what the hell was going on here.
- Beware the Goon Gatekeeper: aggressive cranky old man wants to lean all up into your car (he literally was leaning on peoples open windows breathing into their vehicles, unmasked, during a pandemic). Regardless of your views of masking, where I come from, someone leans up into my car window they're likely to get stabbed or shot. Back the f**k up, dude! Also, attitude adjustment needed: when I paid my $3, he wouldn't let me through, like he's gotta know exactly what I'm doing in the park. I paid my three, let me in already, jeez. He then sneeringly spat, "Oh so you want to play goofy golf?" Bixler's disc golf layout is "goofy golf" indeed.
- $3 to play disc here is a f**king joke, and I was at the butt end of it.

Other Thoughts:

- Never saw such a concentration of traitors, pinkos, and commie sympathizers in my life.
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1 0
Discbee
Experience: 4 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Bixler Lake 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice layout around a library and park area
Appropriate length and variety for novice to intermediate player to have fun

Cons:

Poorly marked tees

Other Thoughts:

I enjoyed this course. It has enough trees (some taller and some with lower branches) to make it interesting and challenging. It is usually a bit forgiving if you are off line still giving you a chance. If the signage were better this would help alot because I found myself wondering around a bit trying to find some of the tees. Overall it was a pleasant course and an enjoyable round.
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6 0
ajbova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18 years 112 played 94 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Nice starter course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course is a beginner to intermediate level course set in a large multi use park that surrounds a lake.

Baskets - 9 chain star baskets that catch great. List the hole numbers on them.

Tees - 1 natural tee per hole made of mud. Grass is worn away where holes are so be on the lookout for the tee.

Signs - Each tee is marked with 2 while blocks flushed with ground level. When legible, one marker lists the hole number and par, the other has a map that includes distance, terrain, and location of next hole.

Variety - No two holes were the same. 1, 3, and 7 were uphill shots. 4, 6, and 9 were downhill. 2, 5, and 8 were flat. All holes had mature trees shaping the line and creating challenge. No holes were completely open.

Easy to save par on every hole.

Starts and ends at same spot near parking lot.

Multiple picnic tables, trash cans, restrooms, and a playground were on site.

Land was used very well. There is room to expand.

Scenic park with great views of the lake. Peaceful.

9 additional holes on other side of lake.

Cons:

Unfortunately regardless of the solid play of the course, new players will spend more time playing "Find the next tee" than they will playing the hole. Signs on the holes were flushed with the ground. Could only read the hole number on a majority of the holes. The natural tees blended in with the mud throughout the park. Course needs tee markers that are not flushed with the ground that you can see from a distance. That alone will enhance the play.

Only 4 of the 9 maps for the holes were legible. Would have been lost if not following local players. Would have never found hole 2, 5, or 8 (8 had a missing tee).

Only one tee per hole. Tees were natural, would not cost much money to add second set.

Course desperately needs a map, better signs at each hole, and next hole arrows in between holes to help with first time players. Really took away from the actual play of the course.

Picnic tables were in the middle of the fairways for holes 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9.

Holes 6 and 7 border each other and can cause safety issues.

Other Thoughts:

This was a great starter course but needs improvement. I wanted to give it a 2.5 but had such a difficult time finding the next tee on almost every hole that I couldn't give it that.

With better /visible signs, an added tee per hole, and picnic tables being moved out of the fairway, this 9 hole course could easily be a 2.5, maybe a 3 out of 5.

If considering east and west park a full 18, I would rate the 18 holes a 3 out of 5 due to the same issues (poor signs, 1 tee per hole, find that tee, etc) on the west course as the east course. West park has a completely different feel than east park.


If in the area, would definitely recommend the course but use the map on this site. One will still spend time looking for the tees but it does help. It was not too far from the highway and could get a quick round in.
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3 1
Thim Reed
Experience: 13.7 years 165 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great Family Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 7, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Fun course that flows together nicely.Tee Markers in the ground were very helpful. Great for the family with playground and lake on site. Good shot options and beginner friendly. Only course I know of in Kendallville.

Cons:

Finding the first tee might be a little difficult for some. Could be longer, but whoever put this in did a good job with the land they had to work with.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun family course where par or better is a real possibilty for most average players. I am thankful to have found a place to play in this area and am looking foward to seeing what the back 9 has to offer when it is completed.
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2 1
Valet
Experience: 14.4 years 23 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very Nice 9 Holer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 3, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Awesome course for the area. The next best thing is Ft. Wayne and if I lived in this area, I wouldn't make that trip too often. This is a very fun course that offers several different types of shots except anything "high". The mature trees force you to keep most things tight to the ground. Each basket has at least two routes. There isn't much change in elevation, but it's certainly not flat. The designers did very well w/ the land to keep the elevation something to think about. Hole 6, in my opinion, is the signature hole. The course gets very little traffic and can be played in 20 minutes. This is a great place for a beginner or anyone to work on their game

Cons:

It's only 9 holes. Dirt tee pads and no signs (they're concrete blocks in the ground...tough to find w/ out map). While I mention "cons" I want to say I appreciate everything about this course. I'm sure a lot of hard work went into it and these things could be taken care of w/ money.

Other Thoughts:

The best place for a disc golf course in this town is throughout the nature trails at Bixler Lake. I would suggest that a disc golf club be started in the Northeast IN area and some tourney's be ran to collect for the cause of building a course at the nature trails.
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8 0
Matthew boals
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.9 years 274 played 65 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Average first Community Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

9 baskets with mature trees and no underbrush. Slight elevation changes on a few holes. Grills scattered through-out along with picnic tables. Play area includes Jungle Gym and Slide. Course plays around Pavilion and Basketball court.

Cons:

Signage; no numbers on the baskets? Tees only marked by 6x12 painted blocks,level with ground,painted white with red letters. They only have "hole 2" on them, no distance or course par. Average length is 300'

Other Thoughts:

Take the park road around the northside of the lake to the eastside. Park in the big gravel parking lot. #1 tee is not marked,that I saw. Just cross over the paved park road to the N.W. Corner of the grassy area. I tee'd just to the right of the #9? Basket. It's an uphill 325'? Shot lined with mature trees and a low canopy approach shot,toward the building. #2 walk to the right of the building,tee is by the tree with a "staff parking" sign bolted to the tree. It plays to the right of the basketball courts. The basket is up the incline about half way for a roll-a-way green. #3 tee is to the right of #2 basket about 25' throw up the incline that has a very low branch right in front of the tee. (Needs cut)? Plays over the sidewalk that goes to the pavilion. #4 go to your left of basket #3 to the N.E. Corner of the pavilion. Basket is located by the street/baseball parking area. Behind mature trees,no low canopy....325'? Ace run! #5 is at the corner of the paved park road and the gravel road. Throw north,toward a little gravel parking lot, lowish canopy the last 1/4 of the hole. #6 tee is on the northside of the gravel parking lot. Tee down the slight decline toward the paved road 225'?,low canopy the last 1/4 of the hole. #7 tee is between #6 & #9 baskets. A gentle uphill drive,low canopy the last 1/4 of the hole....again. #8 tee is west of the slide,plays back to the building. #9 tee is to the right of #8 basket,at the end of the building. Plays back to the parking lot. Fairway is lined with low branches. With so many other activities in the area on a nice weather/Holiday weekend a true beginner WILL have problems. A more seasoned DG'er COULD have problems,especially if a ricochet happens. Rumor as it if this course gets used another 18 may be installed. So if your in the area get a round in!
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3 2
Ande Sanchez
Experience: 15.7 years 13 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Mad Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

short but deceiving, mostly shaded, aged trees, multiple lines to most baskets, great mix of basket placement that forces a variety of shots, concession stand open during the summer....grab a dog

Cons:

only 9 at this point.

Other Thoughts:

Course starts at the green pin nearest the parking lot (green pins are tees/yellow are baskets), shoots at the building, walk past building to the right towards lake for hole 2. The solo hole across the road is not in at this point. tee boxes in soon.
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4 5
MrHollywood
Experience: 11 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great foundation for an excellent course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 22, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Alot of aceable shots, mixed variety of shots, excellent use of terrain, overall pretty fun course, some pretty views

Cons:

Not completed yet, a tad short right now

Other Thoughts:

I am one of the people who help designed the course. Right now we have the back 9 in and are currently trying to raise money to get the other 9 baskets along with concert tee pads. Overall I have heard from other people that have played it that they think it is a pretty good course but once again I am biased. If you are in the Fort Wayne area and what to try a different course come on up to Bixlar Lake.
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