Rockville, IN

Rockville Lake Park DGC

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3.685(based on 14 reviews)
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3 0
Gorgo
Experience: 3.8 years 28 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Unpolished Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 12, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is one of the most naturally beautiful courses I've seen in Central Indiana. It is a very short course, many of the baskets are under 200 ft from the short tees. Every basket is played through the woods, but most have easily identifiable lines to the goal. Whether you can hit those lines is another story, of course. There are tons of baskets perched on the edge of disaster, so there are no easy birdies for the average to rec player, Your putters and midranges are going to get a workout on this course, and you can almost leave your distance drivers at home. Even with all the trees, I rarely felt like I was poking and hoping as I went around the course. If a fun, technical course full of shaped shots is your cup of tea you'll enjoy this course. If your idea of disc golf fun is bombing drives, this isn't for you.

The signage for the short tees is excellent, with distances and layouts easily recognized. The long tees signage was carved and stained wood, which I'm sure was beautiful in it's day, but many are now unreadable. Crappy maps are available at the gate house, but there is a very nice map at the first tee. Take a picture. There's also an iffy chart telling you what pin location each basket is currently in. We didn't pay enough attention to see if it was accurate.

The final stretch, 15-18, is gorgeous, and the approach on 15 is one of the most beautiful basket locations I've ever seen. The baskets are Discatchers and are still in good repair. There are multiple bridges over the dry creek bed, all in good repair.

Cons:

Unfortunately this course has not been maintained well in spots. The first hole is a blind shot from a cliff top down into a valley that doesn't look like it ever has seen a disc golfer in its life. The basket is behind a group of trees directly in front of you. Getting down into the valley is okay, a switchback trail with a handrail, but finding discs in the undergrowth could be hard. Use a spotter. We had our first thrower go, and we watched her disc land before she went down into the valley to spot ours. I highly recommend this.

The second basket is another blind shot back up the other side of the ravine, and there is no assistance in getting up the hill, and I had some trouble, but I am not a young person and I have some mild balance problems. The others were fine. After that I was seriously worried about the playability of the course and was wondering what I'd gotten my friends into, but that was the last significant problem we had.

Spotters could also be useful on 16 - 18. There is some dense undergrowth near the dry creek bed and we almost lost a disc.

The tee pads are an issue. Clearly whoever put in the course ran out of money and was unable to complete all the tees. Most are concrete, but a couple are gravel and two are nonexistent, and you throw from a dirt path by the tee sign. Some of the pads are dirty and mossy, and haven't seen kept up well, if at all. This didn't significantly affect my enjoyment of the course. You're not running up for power shots here anyway.

There are next tee signs on most holes, but again these are in poor repair, as they were carved and stained wood. As of now, they are useable if you look closely, but I don't know how much longer that will be true.

There are a lot of stinging nettles on the course. Long pants recommended.

Other Thoughts:

The park the course is located in costs $7 to enter per car, so keep that in mind. To get to the first tee, turn left at the flag pole straight ahead from the gatehouse and head towards campsites 1-12. There is a shelter to the right just before those sites, and the first tee is tucked in behind it. There is a practice basket on the other side of the road.

This course is a story of unused potential. It's located in a small town and I understand they probably don't have a lot of money in their budget for what is, let's face it, a niche sport. The land, though, is beautiful, hilly and wooded with minimal undergrowth through much of it (this changes in the deep valley). With a little work and some investment it could be absolutely beautiful, one of the best short courses in Indiana. i found myself sighing often, wishing I had the money to donate to fix it up.

After the first three holes, 4-9 play through a low undergrowth woods, up and down hills with some neat shots. The only real difficult basket to tee transition was between 9 and 10, where you walk through a small field and past tee 3 and basket 2 before reaching your destination. Just stay to the left of basket 2 as you approach and you'll be fine in finding tee 10.

10-14 play along the edge of a ravine, and be ready for some serious pucker putts. I had an up shot run long, maybe twenty feet beyond the basket, and ended up forty feet below it. Even so, we were always to get to our discs. Enjoy 15, it's the signature hole, imho. So pretty, and 16 and 17 are also picturesque, long (for this course) drives down a lush valley. But there is the possibility of lost discs in thick undergrowth along the dry creek. Spotters are your best friends here.

Despite the proximity to the lake, it only remotely comes into play on one basket (7). The campsites nearby are similarly present, but not a factor.

As it is, I very much enjoyed my walk in the woods around this course. We were there at noon on a Saturday and had the course to ourselves. There are campsites nearby, and we saw a few kids playing in the woods. Nothing that affected our round, but stay aware. I'd recommend going when the weather has been dry, as rain could make the course unplayable for a time. For how long I don't know, but I get that impression.

I worry about the long term viability of the course, so if the above seems like a good time to you, and it was for us, and you're up for a little bit of an adventure, make sure to give it a try soon.
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3 0
TheThoughtNinja
Experience: 8.1 years 32 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Hilly Hoosier Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Many people never get beyond the stereotypical belief that Indiana is flat and boring. This course does a good job conquering that erroneous belief. Hole one starts you out on the edge of a deep valley through which you throw. Hole two brings you out of that valley. Many other holes, especially five, six, and fifteen, are similarly hilly. On many of the flat holes, like twelve, the terrain sharply drops behind the basket, discouraging go-for putts.

Every hole has two tees and two pins. Almost every pro tee is concrete with a wooden sign, indicating all four distances and the current pin position. The amateur pads have a printed sign with the amateur distances, and do a much better job of showing the hole layout. You'll probably want to confer with both signs as they each provide helpful information.

Navigating the course is fairly easy, and maps are provided free at the gatehouse. The park itself is nice, and the artificial lake is beautiful, but very few people were there the Tuesday I went. The course traffic was small; approximately eight others in three groups were on the course while I played.

The course plays very short; most people will prefer the pro tees regardless of skill. My group had already chosen the amateur tees, but they provided a good short game as well. The course makes up for its length by requiring good shots to avoid the dense woods. Using sidearm drives on five holes really gave me an edge.

My favorite hole was #16. Fifteen through eighteen travel down a lush valley, and sixteen is longer than most holes on the course.

Cons:

The biggest con is the upkeep. The woods have grown up with 2-foot tall green stem plants all over the place. Fairways are still present, but they're a third as wide as the pictures show. Don't get me wrong; the course is still easily usable. The only issue is that the course photos on this website are deceptive. If someone just push-mowed the whole course it could look worlds better.

The course is very forgiving. Even with a sloppy drive on a hole you can probably save par. Some might see this as a good thing, and it's okay if you do.

A few tees are not yet concrete, and #17 has a pebble amateur tee, which was absolutely awful to drive from. It seems like the park is working on all-concrete tees.

The course has very little grass. This is okay until it rains.

Other Thoughts:

This course makes a great end to a day at Turkey Run State Park, only a short drive away.

Despite the dense woods, the underbrush is minimal and generally thornless, so losing a disc is highly impropable (provided you stay out of the lake on six and seven).

If all tees were concrete and the course was mowed, it would deserve 3.5 or even 4 stars.

All these factors combined make this course a great one for amateurs to increase their short-game skill. Better players can relax here, and hopefully won't get bored. If you're nearby, bring your favorite newbie here for a round.
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5 0
GMcAtee
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15 years 755 played 89 reviews
2.50 star(s)

I played this course before. It's Hueston Woods! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 24, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Totally in the woods. Excellent shade for a hot summer day.
Plenty of camping on site.
Yellow Innova baskets are easy to see in the woods.
Tons of elevation for Indiana.
Meandering creek that comes into play on a few holes.
Most holes have two brand new tee pads.
Great signage and I really like the natural wood signs that fit the park atmosphere.
Hole 17!!!!!!!

Cons:

Not many chances to air out a disc.

Too many hope and poke holes on the long pads. I found myself just chucking on several holes hoping if I hit a tree it's closer to the basket and just saving par. Have to get lucky on many holes to get a birdie.

The lake never comes into play!

After playing 18, the only walking path seemed to double back up the hole 1 trail up hill with the railing requiring me to cross hole 1's fairway.

Other Thoughts:

This course reminded me so much of Distractions DGC at Hueston Woods in Ohio. Tight, wooded, lots of hope and poke holes (Hueston Woods wasn't allowed to remove any trees), and the lake never comes into play.

With a rating of 3.91, I was expecting this course to be the gem of my road trip. Instead, I became disappointed just chucking my disc hoping I miss a tree. Then I walked up to Hole 17 and was blown away! Hole 17 was what I was expecting. Simply amazing dg hole.

The course appears to have an active disc golf community installing really nice tee pads, and possibly removing some trees to create actual fairways from the long pads. But, I know how tough that is to get approval to cut down trees!
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2 0
blazdndazd
Experience: 10.6 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Multiple tees and pin locations, great variety, mixed terrain, great scenery, friendly staff, challenging course for all skill levels.

Cons:

There really aren't any cons considering the course is still fairly new and still being completed. The only cons I can think of would be that the tee pads aren't finished on a few holes and steps could be added to the hills on holes 1 & 2, but as I mentioned, the course is still growing and it takes a lot of time and money to complete, but the course is still playable.

Other Thoughts:

I love playing this course and consider it my home course even though I have 1 or 2 that are closer to my home. The landscape and atmosphere is like no course I've played before and that makes it much more fun for me, personally. This course has made my game progress so quickly from playing it so much. It forces you to be more accurate on not only your drives, but even your mid game and putting as well. On most holes if you throw just a little off the fairway, your disc will end up in tall weeds or even worse, hit a tree and deflect off into the woods. It also forces you to keep your composure more than on more open courses because you can get into trouble fairly easily. I've played this course close to 50+ times since I started a year ago, and it's hands down my favorite course. I strongly encourage anyone looking to hone their accuracy and technical shots to go out and play this course a few times, you won't be disappointed. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is simply because the course isn't complete yet, but even now has the potential to be one of the best courses in the area and will be even better once complete.

A few things that I think would make the course a little easier for new players to navigate the course would be to have bricks with arrows or signs added by the baskets to help direct unfamiliar players to the next tee pads.
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0 4
Joel138
Experience: 15.9 years 2 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A variety of shots required
Doesn't require a long arm to do well.
Mostly in the shade.
Very well maintained.
Two tee boxes really change up the course and make it a lot of fun to play.

Cons:

Playing it for the first time can be difficult to find the pin locations.
Extremely new and more tee pads are poured everytime I have played it.

Other Thoughts:

I love this course, wish it was a little closer to me and I would play it more. Very well maintained. If you are going through this area, def. a must play course.
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5 0
smitdavi
Experience: 37 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Has the potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tee Pads - For the ones that are done they are great. Would love to see all concrete pads on the blues and the whites. From what I understand they are all going to be concrete pads at some point.

Elevation Changes - LOVE the elevation changes. This course utilized them to perfection.

Signage - Awesome tee pad signs on the short tees. Wish they were like this of the longs.

Hand Rails/Bridges - You can tell a lot of thought went in to the safety of traversing the land. Lots of sturdy bridges over creeks and large gaps. Hand rails down steep inclines. This is overlooked a lot on some courses.

Staff - Very friendly staff to greet you at the gate. If you lucky, like us, you will get to talk to the designer himself. Great guy, you can tell this is his passion. Take a minute to talk with him!

Cons:

Distance - Short tees are SHORT. Some of them felt like they were under a 100' or so.

Long Tees - I know this is temporary but the long tees need permanent concrete pads and better signage. If they end up being anything like the shorts it will end up being very nice.

Long Tee's Cont - Again I think this will be temporary but some of the lines from the long position need a little bit more work and development. #2 is coming to mind, which there was no line whatsoever. There were a few more but that is the one I can specifically remember.

Other Thoughts:

This was a fun course. Something different than what you'd normally see in the area. I understand what they are trying to do. You can definitely bring a new player and have some fun from the short tees. An experienced player will easily shoot -5/-10 on their first time through. It's very helpful to play the shorts your first time through to get the lay of the land. Go back for round 2 to be challenged from the longs. Leave your drivers at home though. You can easily play with a couple mids and your putter. There are some very technical shots, be prepared to think a little. I understand this course is still very young but it could blossom into a very, very nice course. It has the feel of Honeybear, but shorter. If you are in the area, stop by.
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1 5
aldixon32
Experience: 12.9 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Finesse at it's best 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Hiking while playing
Challenging
Park staff are super nice
Park supervisor rocks and is a fellow disc golfer
Have a mini shop in the entrance gate building
Tees for women and men

Cons:

Not much to say about the cons...there is water on one of the holes so you risk losing a disc but if you don't go for power, you got this!
It's not a course for the weak of heart but it is a course for Pro's looking to hone in on their finesse shots. Women/juniors may get discouraged due to the trees however the shorter tees and the ability to finesse really makes this course a must play for me!!!

Other Thoughts:

I love the park. I love the course. It is very challenging which makes it a must to check out on your disc golf road trips. Have fun and play on!!
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1 2
10shooter
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 13, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

2 sets of tees make it great to play with a bunch of friends with varying skill levels. Has some longer, challenging holes mixed in with some neat shorter shots.

Cons:

This course was carved out of the forest, so the fairways a still a little tight in some areas. Not all the tees are concrete, but they're getting there.

Other Thoughts:

Awesome course, wish I lived closer to it!
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4 0
RecMan
Experience: 20.9 years 35 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Progress 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is coming along nicely. There are still 15 pads to pour but that also means that 21 have concrete tees!!

This will only be the second full summer of play so the course is beginning to take shape from use. Having two pin positions has been very beneficial to change the look of the course. Mulch is being distributed by the tee pads to decrease erosion and mud. Hostas have been planted on a couple of holes to increase the visual perception of the course.

Signage is out on every tee pad! Directional signs are located throughout the course. The main course sign with park and DG information is located by hole 1!

Numerous people have come from far and wide to play and many say this is an excellent wooded course which challenges their finesse skills. Several people have commented on the improvement in their game by playing this course semi regularly. I have seen vast improvement in short game and putting due to this course. Being able to pinpoint my drives and approach shots is critical and playing here has certainly improved both. Due to the trees, my straddle putt is shaping up nicely!!

Cons:

I don't say it's a con b/c I manage the facility. However, please be careful of the many other facility users. The course is played behind numerous campsites. Adults and kids often walk the course so please use caution when playing. Always check out the fairway prior to throwing and please be courteous to anyone in the fairway. Ask them nicely to either hide behind a tree or invite them to come back and watch you drive. Most of the people are quite intrigued by disc golf and if you invite them to watch you play a couple of holes, well you might have just brought a new player to the game!!

Other Thoughts:

Innova discs are available in the park gatehouse.
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5 0
Matthew boals
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.9 years 274 played 65 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Ain't No A.D.A. Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 28, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Concrete tees & Tees Signs. Up & down Hills, in thick Woods, putt & drive by the Lake, Drive over the Creek-multiple times, Ridge & Valley "Open" wooded holes.
Very good mix of shots; both short & long, uphill & downhill & Anhyzer & Hyzer.
The green on #14 is pretty sweet.
Good directional signs on holes #1-#10, for now.

Cons:

Overall distance of the course is a little short, for now? 3rd pin or tee placement would make this a VERY tough Advanced course.
As far as "Perm. Cons" a long walk between a few holes...#9? to #10? It was the DAT I played due to a Haunted Halloween Event between them.

Other Thoughts:

A GREAT course in this area of the state that NEEDS more courses. Well designed for its intended use.
White tees for beginners, thats never played before. Great for showing beginners the possibilities of hole design.
Blue tees a challenge for Intermediate players.
My first round I played from the white tees, just to get to know the layout.
My second round was from the Blue tees, only from the tees I can find (covered in leaves and/or missing stakes or blind shots)
Plan on a round taking 90 minutes....1st time and with the thick leaves. About 40 minutes from I-70. If you are a traveling DG, IMHO its well worth your time to not only play but camp.
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5 0
kingjames1014
Experience: 13.7 years 85 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

It's gonna be great! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 13, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 2 sets of tees and 2 pin placements.
- Variety of shot selections from tee and approach.
- Great topography! Hills and valleys not common in central Indiana.
- Pathways are mulched and directional signs point the way to the next tee.
- Trees help block the wind on most of the holes.
-Camping and fishing on site. childrens playground also.

Cons:

This is a course still in development so these are temporary cons:
-All the concrete pads are not installed yet.
-- lots and lots of trees will irritate beginners.
- No really open Bomb holes.

Other Thoughts:

Dennis and Jameson have done a wonderful job so far. This course reminds me of Camp Cullom with more trees.

UPDATE- All tee signs are up along with "next tee" signs. Concrete pads are all nearly done for both sets.
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4 0
try122583
Experience: 25.1 years 126 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Beautiful park on the Northeast side of Rockville. Lots of nature to look at and walk around. Had a couple of deer run right past us!
- Two tees (white and blue)
- If you're short game is suffering a bit, this is a great course to work on it. Uphill, downhill, left, right, straight shots with lots of trees to deal with since you are following a trail in the woods. Outstanding short game course.
- With all of the trees surrounding you, wind will for the most part not be a factor. A couple of holes in the front nine by the water might give you a bit of wind, but when trying to play around all of the trees, it should just be you and your disc.
- If we weren't in the middle of a big drought, the final four holes would have a creek filled with running water adding to the difficulty, as well as the beauty of this course.
- A course like this would be incredibly difficult to trek after a heavy rain, but they have done a nice job of getting a lot of mulch down to try and make that easier.
Once you pay to get in the park, you will be handed a course map. This, along with a few signs along the way, keep you going in the right direction. I feel this would be an easy course to get lost in otherwise, especially on the front nine.

Cons:

- Out of the way. Unfortunately there isn't much else close to this park. If you're looking for a big day hitting up a lot of courses, you probably shouldn't go in this direction.
- Don't have a chance to launch any drivers. Midrange and putters the whole way.
- A couple of holes are what I call "connecter holes" These were holes that just seemed to be there to keep the course moving forward, but were nothing more than a wide open putt from about 110-120 feet. No challenge to these holes.
- Poison Ivy throughout the course, be careful.

Other Thoughts:

I'm not listing this as a Con because I know they are working on it, but no concrete tees and tee signs right now. Once those get put in, it will definitely add to the experience.
I was also impressed to see how much the community got around this course. If you check out the park website, you will see a lot of people and business donated money to help set this course up. http://www.rockvillelake.net/46953.html I just wish more communities would help out like this. I'm from Champaign-Urbana and it has been a major struggle getting a second course, and a first relevant course. Kudos to the people of Rockville!
Don't know how soon I will make my way back over here, but would love to play it again! Worth checking out if you are in the area.
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4 0
Pecktacular
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 11, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Overall I really enjoyed this course. Played both the whites and the blues and there is quite a difference on most holes. The whites are going to be fairly easy for most experiences players, but should make the course fun for a beginner. An intermediate player probably shoots about 51 his first time through (at least that's what the 3 int. players i know of shot first time). The blue pads are significantly more difficult.
There are lots of trees on this course as it is cut out of the woods. The lake comes into play on two holes (6 and 7). Both of those holes have the green next to the lake. There is also normally a creek that will wind through a few holes. Due to the recent drought the creek is currently MIA.

Cons:

The course is still rough around the edges. No signs are up yet and the pads are still dirt (though plans for both signs and pads are in the works). Also if you are not a technical player and just want to air it out there are only 2-4 holes you'll be able to really rip a drive.

Other Thoughts:

While all 18 baskets are in the ground and the course is most definitely playable from both sets of tees, the pads are still dirt and there is no signage yet. The course should be a lot easier to find your way around once the signs are up to help you find the next hole. I guess they're also planning to put in a staircase after 18 so you don't have to walk across hole 1's fairway to get back out of the valley.
Also, this site has this course listed as a 19 hole course. It only has 18. Not a big deal, just don't spend half the day looking for that last hole...Overall this a fun course and a good compliment to the other courses in the area.
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3 0
MacDaddy
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 40.7 years 151 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Parke County Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 29, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Trees, trees, trees, and more trees! All 18 holes play in a thick forest which surrounds Rockville Lake. There is a 19th "practice" hole near the shelter by hole #1. New DISCatcher Pro "28" baskets with the extra chains. Nice new signs for all tees, Red and Blue. Some very cool next tee signs along the way! Lots of variety, up and down hill (sometimes on the same hole). This course has terrain plus! Accuracy is mandatory. There are Blue and White tees for each hole. Fairways and trails are covered in mulch, nice size concrete tees are in place on about two thirds of the holes, more on the way.

The difference between the tees is significant. If you are a newer type or am player, play the White tees! The Blues will demand more, and dish out more punishment, and should be played by Advanced players only! Many greens have drop away cliffs behind them, just waiting to swallow an errant, or too aggressive putt. Two greens, holes #6 and #7, sit alongside the lake and ill aimed putts there may wind up in the water. The course loops around so #18 ends near #1, but holes #9 through #15 are also easily play-on-play-off from numerous campsites. So you can camp out, jump on the course right at your site, and play back around to your camp.

There's a pro-shop at the gatehouse, so if you lose too many discs, you can get a replacement! Or pick up some ice cream, snacks or some bait if you want to go fishing. They have a great lake with tons of fish! Only $5 per car to play all day. Campsites start at $15 and go from primative to water and elec. to full hook up.

This course is beautiful! Park Co. got a home run right off the bat, due to the efforts of Park Superintendent, Jameson Hibbs. Way to go Recman!

Cons:

About one third of the tees are still natural surface (but still decent). Footing needs to be watched. There are not many, but there are some, small tree stumps to watch out for.

Other Thoughts:

As this course gets improved and groomed, it will easily become a 4.5+ course. Right now, the natural terrain and beauty, plus the new baskets and plenty off new bridges, trails, etc. give it a 4.0. This course is a short drive from Terre Haute and Crawfordsville, and should draw plenty of players from those areas. And even from the north side of Indy, it's only about 1.5 hrs. If you are driving along I-70, it's only a half-hour side trip and well worth it! When it's hot and sunny, playing in the woods around the lake is 10-15 degrees cooler! There is also a swimming beach if you get too hot.
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