Sparta Intermediate (Middle) School is your run of the mill WI school course as far as design and play in general. The course starts next to the school and plays mostly counter clockwise ending near where it starts,

The baskets are aging but still serviceable Discatchers. Not complaints with these ten years in. Mounted level, highly visible with the patented yellow bands and catch great. One basket and pin position per hole. Standard fare.

The tee pads are natural but with pavers serving as the front edge of the pad. These are nice for locating the intended tee. Better than most other school courses around these parts.

There's a decent mix of distances here. Hole 1 is a ridiculously short hole. It plays from the sidewalk right next to the school to a basket about 100 feet out. Road and sidewalk deep as OB so not not all bad. Holes 6 and 7 add a bit of length, though both are wide open. Big, or even moderate arms will have no problem with the length here.

There's some obstacles in one form or another on a few holes. Whether it be a tennis court fence on two holes, the tree on hole 1 or the couple trees on hole 9. Not totally wide open at least.

Natural tees are a bit rutted out on a few holes, less so on others. Hole 1 was pretty terrible. Almost ate mud throwing a little one step anny shot with a Glitch.

This is where it gets good (I kid). Hole 3 tees off next to the tennis courts. It's a 90 degree left turn design. Udisc shows you throwing over the tennis courts lol. It's a layup play to the corner then another straight shot with backyards lining the right side of the fairway. That is if you stick the landing area.

Hole 2 has you throwing over the parking lot/entrance road. Even a porta potty when we visited. Not sure if that's where they normally plop the down or not. It was when we visited though. It's uphill with rollaway potential at least. You do throw over a sidewalk too. :/

Hole 4 takes the cake though. It plays along the tennis courts too. The kicker is they decided to place the paver about ten feet back from the corner of the fence so as to force a shot that's essentially impossible to throw to have any kind of circle one look. Chris Clemons might be able to park it with a Felon FH. Maybe.

Holes 6 and 7 play wide open and about the same distance one direction then back the other way. Filler holes, but if you like airing it out with nothing in the way they may be highlights. I didn't enjoy them personally.

This course is nothing to go out of your way to play. Barely worth considering for non course baggers actually.

But if you find yourself in Sparta with too little time to hit up Justin Trails, this is the one to target. You'll be tempted to play Amundson, which is 18 holes and not at a middle school, and is even closer off of I-90. You'd be making a mistake. This is a basic no frills round of golf. Amundson is one of the worst courses I've played. Top ten, possibly top five worst. Take the safe, albeit bland bet here.

Midwestern courses tend to be 'cut' into wooded areas: 10 feet of mowed fairway surrounded by trees and brush. This is well marked and maintained turf with a few trees and a tennis court to navigate. Two holes are across a football field. It's more of an athletic course instead of short throws around obstacles and worries of lost discs.

I assume it's unplayable when school is in session. Tees were easy to find but signage would help.

This is the best course of the dozen or so in the area. I think it's a hidden gem that's rarely played. This is my 'home course'. Only 15 miles away

1) Nicely designed course using the properties best features.

2) Beginner friendly which kind of goes hand in hand with school courses.

3) Tees are marked by a board in the ground unlike many school courses where tees are non existent.

4) Nice Discatchers.

5) Elevation comes into play on a couple holes.

6) Nice use of what trees are in the area of the course.

7) I used a wide variety of shots here . . . hyzer, anhyzer, spike hyzer, stalled straight shot, and even a roller or two. It is a well designed course when this happens!

1) Tee areas were not always level and sometime bare soil.

2) Goofy shot over the corner of a tennis court . . . could be viewed as fun by some, but I view it as an unnecessary safety risk. Still fun to throw the shot, but I would have avoided it.

3) This course is definitely not in play during certain other activities. It's ok because it is on school property.

This course is better than most school courses, but still not quite what I wish could represent the sport. Disc golf is still always the afterthought right now and I would like to see as new schools go in that it gets included in the physical education planning of the property.