Lake Poinsett DGC reviews
10
0
2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 11, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
-Concrete Tee pads on each hole.
-Elevation present on several holes throughout the course.
-Super dry when I went, but I'd have to imagine in a wet year there were at least 2-3 of these holes that had the risk of throwing into a swampy/wet area. (Completely dry in the drought of 2021, however not positive on this point in normal years)
-Very clean fairways, you can tell the state parks department maintains all their disc courses which is awesome. (can't say enough about how cool it is SD state parks all contain 9-hole disc courses. Hats off for making a true effort to expand the love for a sport that I found so easily in a state that is a bit behind on their dg development in general).
-Holes 6 & 7 compete for the "signature" title of this course in my opinion. Both present very legitimate arguments for a decent design and are a fun throw for their own challenges. I'd personally lean hole 7 as long as what looks to be marshy area is truly marshy in a wet year.
-Lots of fun ace runs out here. You can't say they aren't giving you shots at the basket. TBH when I think back, I'm humbled to know I didn't come all that close on my 1 round out here.
-There are bathrooms at the start of the course and since it is a short play, you really are never all that far from relief if desperate. This is a nice state park and bathrooms are no concern out here for any typical discer.
-Baskets were all quality and caught well.
-Elevation present on several holes throughout the course.
-Super dry when I went, but I'd have to imagine in a wet year there were at least 2-3 of these holes that had the risk of throwing into a swampy/wet area. (Completely dry in the drought of 2021, however not positive on this point in normal years)
-Very clean fairways, you can tell the state parks department maintains all their disc courses which is awesome. (can't say enough about how cool it is SD state parks all contain 9-hole disc courses. Hats off for making a true effort to expand the love for a sport that I found so easily in a state that is a bit behind on their dg development in general).
-Holes 6 & 7 compete for the "signature" title of this course in my opinion. Both present very legitimate arguments for a decent design and are a fun throw for their own challenges. I'd personally lean hole 7 as long as what looks to be marshy area is truly marshy in a wet year.
-Lots of fun ace runs out here. You can't say they aren't giving you shots at the basket. TBH when I think back, I'm humbled to know I didn't come all that close on my 1 round out here.
-There are bathrooms at the start of the course and since it is a short play, you really are never all that far from relief if desperate. This is a nice state park and bathrooms are no concern out here for any typical discer.
-Baskets were all quality and caught well.
Cons:
-BIG #1 - Safety - I'm not sure what the thoughts were, but I'm not kidding when I say the tee pads for the next hole lie not much further than 20 ft from the basket on at least 3 holes. In some cases, the pad isn't visible but the basket is, so you fire away not realizing that any ace run legitimately could hit the guy throwing his ace run on the next hole. The pad for hole 7, should be shown on a map for hole 6 as being on the right side of the fairway. Not cool and without a doubt poorly designed. This is a large state park with plenty of walking trails, lets tap into a few more of those trails and make this legit.
-Short: the holes in most cases are fairly short. At times the length of the hole just seemed like a designer try to get finish the job to get home. (looking at holes 8 and 9 for good examples).
-Design - I have to take from an earlier reviewer just to reiterate his point because it was definitely one of mine. Holes 8 and 9 are great examples of angles discs just don't fly. I looked at every disc in my bag (of about 25) and I couldn't find 1 that could fly forward that small distance and hook a 90 degree turn and progress far enough to make a fun shot. The hole came down to me throw a putter shot straight to the bend, and then a putter shot at the basket. I can ensure you; this wasn't the plan. Having an actual disc golfer there while designing these courses could really save some of these ridiculous issues.
-Signage - There was a course map at the beginning and.......that was it. At each hole you were left to assess the hole distance and the basket location on your own. In most cases, due to how short the holes were, this was fine. However, on a 9-hole course that was likely the shortest course I've ever played I did still have to walk 2 fairways just to find where the basket actually was.
-Garbages - I believe there were no garbages on any hole beyond the beginning of the course. This is a small problem that I am not putting much weight into because of the short length of the course but should be noted.
-Short: the holes in most cases are fairly short. At times the length of the hole just seemed like a designer try to get finish the job to get home. (looking at holes 8 and 9 for good examples).
-Design - I have to take from an earlier reviewer just to reiterate his point because it was definitely one of mine. Holes 8 and 9 are great examples of angles discs just don't fly. I looked at every disc in my bag (of about 25) and I couldn't find 1 that could fly forward that small distance and hook a 90 degree turn and progress far enough to make a fun shot. The hole came down to me throw a putter shot straight to the bend, and then a putter shot at the basket. I can ensure you; this wasn't the plan. Having an actual disc golfer there while designing these courses could really save some of these ridiculous issues.
-Signage - There was a course map at the beginning and.......that was it. At each hole you were left to assess the hole distance and the basket location on your own. In most cases, due to how short the holes were, this was fine. However, on a 9-hole course that was likely the shortest course I've ever played I did still have to walk 2 fairways just to find where the basket actually was.
-Garbages - I believe there were no garbages on any hole beyond the beginning of the course. This is a small problem that I am not putting much weight into because of the short length of the course but should be noted.
Other Thoughts:
Altogether this is a decent course if you plan to be camping at the state park here. Bring your discs and challenge yourself to hit an ace by the end of the weekend. There are a few holes that truly are fun to throw and the terrain itself is actually fairly decent. I wouldn't recommend driving much more than 20 minutes out of your way for this course, however. Plan a trip to camp here with the family and don't expect you are going to need to dip out from family time a ton because you love the course so much. Don't bring a very big arm as there is only 1 hole maybe that allows you to unleash and the design of that fairway would require a new disc with crazy flight characteristics to fly where you wanted it to.
As far as SD state parks go, I've played 3 now and I'd rank them as follows for those looking to camp at the best on the east side of SD.
#1 - Hartford Beach - This is a clear tier above the other two. No question this is by far the best of the 3 courses I've played as part of the state park system and is a legit 9 hole course in the scheme of all 9 hole courses.
#2 - Lake Poinsett DGC - considerably better than Oakwood lakes but doesn't compare to Hartford Beach
#3 - Oakwood Lakes DGC - Very Basic, park-like course. Leaves a lot to be desired.
As far as SD state parks go, I've played 3 now and I'd rank them as follows for those looking to camp at the best on the east side of SD.
#1 - Hartford Beach - This is a clear tier above the other two. No question this is by far the best of the 3 courses I've played as part of the state park system and is a legit 9 hole course in the scheme of all 9 hole courses.
#2 - Lake Poinsett DGC - considerably better than Oakwood lakes but doesn't compare to Hartford Beach
#3 - Oakwood Lakes DGC - Very Basic, park-like course. Leaves a lot to be desired.
2
1
BossHoss
Experience:
13 played
6 reviews
Fun Short Course 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 3, 2016
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Nice teepads, baskets, and mowed fairways. As with all state park courses it is well marked with nice maps/ scorecards. Short technical lines that require some skip shots or high hyzers. A couple longer holes but nothing massive. Watch out for mosquitos as there is tall grass found in between the holes.
Cons:
Many short holes do not make it very challenging. Also it is so short that it is not worth a long drive to play 9 short holes.
3
0
Short and Quirky is Right 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 11, 2014
Played the course:once
Pros:
+Nice new baskets with numbers on them
+Concrete Tees
+Logical flow from basket to tee. Paths are mowed just like the fairways.
+In nice state rec area with lots of other things to do. The swimming beach is right next to the course.
+The best scorecards/maps I have seen (tied with other courses in SD Parks system)
+Approachable distances for new players/beginners
+Can rent discs at park entrance
+Ace runs on many of the holes.
+Concrete Tees
+Logical flow from basket to tee. Paths are mowed just like the fairways.
+In nice state rec area with lots of other things to do. The swimming beach is right next to the course.
+The best scorecards/maps I have seen (tied with other courses in SD Parks system)
+Approachable distances for new players/beginners
+Can rent discs at park entrance
+Ace runs on many of the holes.
Cons:
-The main con for me on this course is the fairway lines. Some of them are really awkward and aren't really designed for how discs fly. Hole 8 was the worst in this regard with a huge turn on a very short hole and no real line. There were a few other holes that were head scratchers.
-Most holes are very short. Not a lot of challenge or variation in this regard.
-Could lose a disc just off the fairway in the long grass. Many holes are blind so you can't see exactly where it lands.
-Many of the next tees are too close to the last basket so you could easily hit someone on the next tee. The holes are short and sometimes blind so be careful if you are following someone or being followed.
-Most holes are very short. Not a lot of challenge or variation in this regard.
-Could lose a disc just off the fairway in the long grass. Many holes are blind so you can't see exactly where it lands.
-Many of the next tees are too close to the last basket so you could easily hit someone on the next tee. The holes are short and sometimes blind so be careful if you are following someone or being followed.
Other Thoughts:
+The holes that had reasonable lines were fun.
+This would be a fun place to camp and hang out for a day or two but don't come just for the disc golf.
+It is pay to play. $4 if you are alone or $6 if your car has more than 1 person in it.
+The course was probably designed by someone who doesn't play often. Many fairways were strangely shaped. Some branches need to be trimmed in a few places to create any realistic line on some holes.
+This would be a fun place to camp and hang out for a day or two but don't come just for the disc golf.
+It is pay to play. $4 if you are alone or $6 if your car has more than 1 person in it.
+The course was probably designed by someone who doesn't play often. Many fairways were strangely shaped. Some branches need to be trimmed in a few places to create any realistic line on some holes.
5
1
Short Technical Course 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Oct 27, 2013
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
-Moderately Wooded
-Blind shots
-Concrete teepads
-Signage is good
-Beautiful area, well maintained
-Nice baskets
-Blind shots
-Concrete teepads
-Signage is good
-Beautiful area, well maintained
-Nice baskets
Cons:
-Most holes are extremely short.
-It relies completely on technical woods lines to provide any sort of challenge.
-You'd want spotters if you can help it on several holes.
-Long grass in rough
-It relies completely on technical woods lines to provide any sort of challenge.
-You'd want spotters if you can help it on several holes.
-Long grass in rough
Other Thoughts:
The park itself is really nice, but the disc golf leaves alot to be desired. Several have short fairways followed by an abrupt 90 degree turn to the left.