Pros:
Lake Okahumpka Park apparently sits within the area of one of the largest retirement communities in Florida . A scenic park enjoyed by many ( there were a lot of walkers and bench sitters while I was there on a Monday morning ) , the Sumter County parks and recs here installed a nice 9 hole disc golf course in 2012 and have been ever improving on it since . With the course being toward the back of the park , , it has an okay amount of parking , fairly new and sizable concrete tee pads , accurate signage with hole # , par , distance and flight path , with a dot for next tee on it . It also has next tee arrows at the yellow top of the basket . The baskets are yellow banded Discatchers . There is a kiosk near the first hole with the course map on it , bathroom close by . There is a shelter with picnic tables Even though the course is surprisingly long for a typical park style course , the large trees throughout form a canopy over a lot of it . The park seems well taken care of and was mowed when I was there . The course is kind of shaped like a fish , with you starting at the tail . #1 is a nice dogleg left ( 432' ) , followed by #2 , a straightaway drive just as long . The course is easy on the legs , being fairly flat . Hole length varies from the technical but short 189' #8 to the twin 430+ footers . I was tipped off from a previous reviewer that there is a nasty swamp on your left at #7 ( I didn't see it , but it might have been at 6 ) , so you might want to keep your stable drivers or approach discs low and shaded to the right . #6 is a nice tunnel shot as is #8 . The course ends with a fairly open 328' drive with a tree in front of you and a couple of trees close to the basket which ends your round right back at the lot you parked in . It is a fast play ( I did it in 30 minutes , 4 might finish in 75 minutes of less ) , and I bet you will enjoy the walk the whole time . Signature Hole : I thought that the #1 hole was not only a great starter hole , but my personal favorite .
Cons:
#1 The Rough . The combination of the hidden swamp on holes 5-7 and some punishing growth just off some of the fairways can cost you a disc or some time trying to find it . I don't know if it this is by design or not , but I am not a fan .Disc Risk : Medium , mostly from the middle holes . #2 Challenge/Variety. Some will complain about the lack of challenge and differing shots that make you did deeper into your bag . While it is true that alternate pins and 2 sets of tees would make this course better , I don't think it was intended for championship style disc golf . Still , lack of water , elevation and woods don't help the course any . They just installed cement tee pads in 2017 . Be careful of large spiders when reaching for your disc , especially in the brush or moss .Would really be nice if a couple of picnic tables were a buffer between the #1 tee and the #9 basket , so players could congregate before/after a round .
Other Thoughts:
The course was getting some play on a Monday morning while I was there . This is the kind of course where you would play a couple of rounds , then eat lunch here . This is a large step up from the 9 hole courses just south of here . I walked the grounds and saw some tee signs on some paths near hole #8 . No baskets yet , but some local told me that he thought that they were going to install another 9 more technical type, holes soon . This would be a huge plus for this park . A fast play and just off of I-75 , my Recommendation : barring the local or touring pro , this course is well suited for everyone from the newbies , casuals seniors and travelers to the better intermediates working on facets of their game , If there are 9 hole courses worth playing in Florida , this is certainly one of them . PLAY IT !!