Warba, MN

Northern Lights Community

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3.255(based on 4 reviews)
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2 0
splettimer
Experience: 16 years 5 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 12, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This was one of the most fun courses I've played. It has a nice mix of wide open, and narrow fairways. The baskets grab everything. It's a super quiet course unless school is in session.

Cons:

A few holes were a bit too short. Good if you want to practice putt and approach shots, not so much if you're trying to challenge yourself or others. Wish there was room for nine more holes. Students smoking near one of the tee boxes was a bit distracting. I could feel them watching me as I teed off.

Other Thoughts:

It's not a difficult course, but it is super fun. If you're looking for a challenge this isn't your course, since the whole thing can be played with a putter or a mid. If you're looking for a course to bring a newcomer this is your course. It's fairly short for them, it's got a lot of variety on the holes, and there are very few people playing it. Definitely a family course for the wife and kids.
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5 0
Donovan
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 37.1 years 302 played 187 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Warmer…Warmer…HOT!!!! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

I could not believe the previous ratings were that high. So, I drove 50 miles to play this baby. This course has a lot in 9 holes. They have deep woods, wide open, protected baskets, OB, blind drives, and much more. I will have to admit, when I showed up, I looked out there and thought I wasted my time. I was pleasantly mistaken. The baskets were brand new "almost homemade looking," but were just fine. The tee signs were in good shape and somewhat helpful. There is one hole where you must tee off into a deep wooded are and try to get your shot up and over the woods to the basket that is in the wide open but has woods all the way up to it. It was so much fun; a few drives were thrown on this one. The title was representative to me finding where this basket eventually was. The protected basket holes were well done. This course has a nice layout and ends you back up at the beginning.

Cons:

The dirt/grass tees were in good shape but can get muddy quick. The ground here will hold water, so playing after a rain will be a wet adventure. There were two holes along a fence to a field. These are just pointless obstacle style holes, but maybe some think it is clever. This may be seasonal, so I won't count this against my rating, but the horseflies and mosquitoes were horrible. The baskets are so bright, it really helps navigation, but sometime finding the next hole was nota as easy as I thought it should be. Parking could have been better, but parking next door and walking over was a good deal. The first hole was near there anyway.

Other Thoughts:

The Fun Factor was so much more than it looked like from the parking lot next door. There were poor holes and some fun holes and some typical holes. The fun holes were worth the trip for me. Others may not feel that way, but it left an impression on me. So, nice job shout out to the designer and their clever layout. I would certainly play here again!
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4 0
himynameismatt
Experience: 14 years 13 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Simple and fun, yet challenging. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Literally brand new baskets! These things are the newest baskets I've played on. They are all placed creatively and there's only a few that you can approach from straight on.

The grounds are meticulously maintained well, freshly cut grass.

Fantastic signs at every tee box, that were engraved plastic, really wish my home courses would invest in some of these. With the footage and par (All Par 3's except 1 300' hole labeled as a Par 4)

Despite there being no Tee pads (There's a piece of wood designating the end of each box) The ground behind each one was flat and level.

Quick games, played about 3 rounds in a little more than an hour with my group of 4.

Very friendly locals. When we pulled up a man who identified himself as the grounds keeper pointed us in the direction of the first tee.

At the first tee there's a sign with rules and a large course map.

Despite being a short course, you will have to throw a variety of shots here, anhyzers, hyzers etc. Surprisingly technical and challenging. But a great placed for beginners to improve there game and work on a variety of shots.

Cons:

Very short, 1 300' hole, other than that I don't recall there being any longer than 200' Just bring along your favorite midrange and putter and you're set.

Drainage is sketchy at best, there were flat areas of the course that were very soggy so expect to get your feet a little dirty if you play after a rainy day.

The baskets had fewer chains than I'm used to, So they took a little bit of getting used to as the discs didn't grab as easily.

Despite the natural teepads being level and flat and more or less uniform. I still prefer concrete or asphalt pads.

The town in which it's located is very small population under 200. So take advantage of the amenities and businesses located in Grand Rapids (about 15 minutes away)

Other Thoughts:

I was very discouraged after I played Itasca Community College, thinking DG in this area of Minnesota just wouldn't compare to what I'm used to in Portland.

However Norththern Lights DGC was a very pleasant surprise. Despite it being short it's very challenging and technical and there's a lot of variety between the holes.

The friendly groundskeeper I spoke of earlier also told us that the course is brand new, opened on May 20th, 2010 and it was designed by the Students of the local school (grades 6-12). Not only that but all the funds were raised by said students.

Itasca Community College students should be ashamed. Just 15 miles down the road from their joke of a course is this tiny gem. Designed by kids who are anywhere from 3-5 years younger.

I was very impressed with what they were able to do with this course and the challenge it provided. Despite it's very few and very minor shortcomings I'd recommend this course to anyone passing through the area. It's a great place to gauge your putting and midrange game.
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7 0
Martin Dewgarita
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.5 years 1600 played 95 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice Short Variety 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 14, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

If you are looking for a long strenuous challenge of a course, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for a beginner friendly pitch and putt course with a decent variety, this is a good place to start.

Signage. Hole 1 is near the road from the parking lot, once you get there the rest of the navigation is quite simple. There is a map at the beginning, and a sign on each hole to give hole number and distance.

Tees. Natural tees are mostly grass and show little signs of use so they are still very level and suit this course well.

Baskets. Kingpin baskets are brand new and look very nice.

Variety of shots required. For a short pitch and putt course I was very impressed at the variety of shots offered (although an accurate overhead shot could crush this course). Nearly every shot required some thinking and some sort of line shaping. There were straight narrow shots, several annys, a couple hyzers, a couple with obstacles just in front of the basket, and only one that was wide open.

Beginner friendly. This would be a great place to learn the game and work on lines and learn discs, there is some thick rough, but you shouldn't lose any discs.

Not Crowded. The location of this course almost guarantees that you will be nearly alone on the course.

Clean and Well Manicured. This small city park is well kept and mowed, well maintained and strategic garbage can placements keep the litter down, I saw very little trash and was impressed at how well kept the park was.

Amenities. Bathrooms at the beginning, ample parking for the handful of cars that this course may see.

Ace opportunities. Each hole is reachable in 1, several opportunities for an ace here.

Cons:

Short. Not much variety in distance, each hole was 200' or so. There was plenty of room on most of the holes for alternate tees. If this were my home course, or I played here often I would make my own alternate tees fairly easily by walking 100' back or so on most holes.

I don't have much negative to say on this course, the length and overall simplicity of the course keep it from really standing out as a great 9 hole course, but was a worthwhile stop nonetheless.

Other Thoughts:

For a course in an area without much of a disc golf scene it was rather enjoyable. I wouldn't go far out of my way to go there, but if in the area it's a perfect place to stop in and get a fun quick 9 hole round in.
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