Blue lake is a championship caliber 18 hole course that plays through a mostly flat and lightly wooded park. There's some trees on play on a number of holes but distance and shot placement are going to be your two main keys to success, in that order. If you can execute on those two things you'll have a chance to do well out here.

The tee pads are excellent. Large and grippy and all are poured level. I had zero issues with these. There's even a number of short pads out there. It felt like a little over half the holes had them at least. Even these make for some long challenging holes, but they cater to the average player a whole hell of a lot more than the longs.

Blue Dynamic Veteran baskets on every hole. These look sharp and are all in great shape. I had zero issue with these catching any putts. One basket but multiple pin placements on many of the holes from what I remember.

The tee signs are simple but effective. Basic map, hole #, par and distance. These are only located at the long pads which is understandable. There's also a large kiosk with a full course map and a practice basket before you get to hole 1.

This course was designed for players WAAAY above my skill level. That being said, I've played tons of courses that fit that description. This one is borderline unplayable by someone like myself. So really this course caters to the top 5% of players in the world. Even from the short pads this thing is a monster.

The rough out here is THE worst I've ever seen off the fairway. Nearly impenetrable and filled with the largest, craziest thorns imaginable. I kid you not, there's sections where the rough is at least twelve feet tall literally bordering the fairway. If you throw it in there you will not be getting that disc back most likely. I ended up bloody retrieving two shots just a foot or so off the fairway.

Hole 6 requires about 300' of power just to clear the rough that covers 80% of the fairway. Hole 9 doesn't require as much power but offers a similar result if you don't clear the gully. A worse result most likely actually.

Hole 11 is one of the dumbest holes I've ever played. I have a feeling that the kink in the fairway used to be maintained and offered a realistic chance to make the dogleg. The design is actually pretty awesome. The current conditions of the hole are anything but.

The navigation is not great here. Some more next tee signs would go a long way out here. I'd make sure to either take a picture of the course map on the kiosk or have Udisc or a map printed out before playing this one for the first time.

Not much for shade out here plus the fact that it's hike means this one probably won't be much fun on hot sunny days. It was warm out the day we played it but there was a steady wind and it was later in the day on our visit. It would've been miserable just a few hours earlier in the day.

This one just didn't resonate with me. I understand that I'm not the target audience here, but it was a big let down. If you're an average player there's many other options in the area that you'll enjoy much more. I'd advise skipping this one and trying basically any other option nearby. Great course for a very select few folks.

Blue Lake Regional Park is located in Fairview, Oregon and offers a tough track. This course is a difficult challenge that held the Portland Open and Worlds in 2014. This course is aesthetically pleasing with some great amenities.

Blue Lake has large concrete tee pads and good tee signs. The first few holes on this course are great because they aren't as hard as some of the holes on the back where you have a large chance of throwing it in the brush. Besides the difficulty I think this course has so much potential to be a little more enjoyable and cater to the average disc golfer.

There are quite a few blind tee shots especially since the brush has grown in the past 10 years. I found that besides a majority of ridiculous holes that there were a few good ones that offered a challenge.

This course is way to hard for me or any average disc golfer. There's a lot of blind tee shots where you either having to carry brush or place it perfectly. From playing and watching worlds back in 2014 to playing it today the brush has not been cut back enough to make it as enjoyable as it used to be. I found myself on some holes starting out with a putter or mid range to place it in the fairway so that I could set myself up and not risk losing a disc.

I would definitely recommend playing the shorter tee on each hole if you're not up for the challenge. Playing from the shorter tee made the course a little more gettable but still challenging.

Hole 11 should be reworked. It's almost impossible to reach the green without throwing it in the brush. Water comes into play and if you don't throw the perfect shot you'll be in trouble.

Overall Blue Lake Regional Park is one difficult course with a lot of challenging holes. You'll definitely need a lot of power to shoot well as this course. There are a few par 3s that are fun but other than that this course measures 10,470 feet in all from the back tee. If you're a beginner I would skip this course.

Definitely take a picture of the course map or print one off, you will need it.

I recommend going on a cool day because it can be brutal on a hot one. I find Riverbend DGC to be a much more enjoyable championship level course. You'll have a better time there than at Blue Lake. I think this course receives a decent amount of maintenance, since the fairways were perfectly mowed but anything past the fairway and you'll be looking for your disc for a while. One of the hardest courses I've played.

This course is designed to be a challenge for those that can drive more than 300 feet. That said...

For those that drive less than 300 feet, it's really challenging. It really forces you to work on your distance and since I enjoy working on my game I consider this to be a pro for this course.

It's laid out well with the land that was used. The area is mostly flat but the pins are thoughtfully placed in order to change up the approach and angle.

The biggest challenge on this course is the excessive amounts of OB. And if there's no OB there's usually an obstacle (like a steep ravine) that will render the disc lost. This was both a pro and con for me. Considering the flatness of the land it did make all the shots interesting. But it also added a layer of frustration to the game.

The course is well-groomed. The brush is clearly kept trimmed back, keeping the fairways clean for play.

All the tees are concrete and every hole is mapped out, which are major pluses for me. The baskets are also a nice quality and, since the World's tournament, practically brand new looking.

To me, the OB on this course is just ridiculous. It's one thing to have the OB markings. But the actual land that comprises the OB consists of thorny bushes and ravines. So even if your disc lands just five feet into an OB area you're forced to risk a layer of leg skin trying to retrieve it.

Overall there was just this extreme sense of risk and reward on the course. You're ecstatic if your disc doesn't go OB but the excitement stems more from not having to trek through the thorns rather than making a good shot.

This course is also long. Like really, really long. Again, as someone who can't throw over 300 feet I felt this aspect acutely. There are several holes than are 700+ feet and are listed as a par 3 or 4. Really? And that was 700 feet from the short tees.

It's just not a friendly or relaxing course if you don't meet the specs.

I disc golf regularly (like at least once a weekend for years) and this was possibly the most physically challenging course I've ever played. I've been on courses that have required intense hikes but this was the first time where my throwing arm/shoulder started to just give out after awhile.

NOT recommended for novice players. And if you're an intermediate player beware.

-Blue Lake has excellent signage, they're well built and look great.

-Every hole has a bench at the tee which is nice since it's such a long course.

-There is pretty nice kiosk with a map of the course including all the pars and distances.

-The OB is marked really well with red wooden stakes at the edge of the fairways.

-The fairways are kept mowed, however if you're not in the fairway it's very rough.

-The park has lots of parking.

-Many holes have a risk/reward element.

-Long mostly open holes for those of you who really like to throw those power shots, this is the place for you.

-This course has some of the roughest rough I've ever experienced. Thorns, bushes, trees and tall grass are waiting just off of every fairway. I have left several discs in the thick rough after looking hard and only finding bloody shins and pricked fingers. Its so frustrating it's not even worth my time/plastic.

-First timers may have a hard time finding their way from basket to box in a few spots. The course could use some 'next tee' signs.

-I'm not a fan of this type of course, wide open and long may be fun for some people but I much prefer tighter technical holes.

-The line of cars to get into the parking lot on the weekends can get very long - come earlier on weekends to avoid this or come during the week.

-This course was built in the wetlands, if you're planning on playing in the heat bring lots of water.

Highest level of difficulty around
Near a park
Very clean
Very flat (stroller friendly)
Tee signs
Great Baskets

Eats Discs
The rough is really rough
Barbed wire on #17
Tee pads not poured

This course is still very new, and my review is applicable to the day I played it. Several of the tee pads were just dirt, with 2x4s staked around them for formwork. Hopefully nobody falls on the steel stakes.

The grass/blackberry bush rough is a disc eater and leg scraper. Do whatever you can to stay on the fairway or you will be searching for a good part of your round.

The difficulty was a plus for me, and I was having a good time until hole 17. This hole looks as though it had a bomb dropped on it. If you go right watch out for the barbed wire that is buried deep in the ground on one end. It wrapped around my leg and got me pretty good.

Once all the tees are poured and #17 gets groomed a little, this will be one of the nicest courses around. As it stands it's good but not great.