Pros:
- well maintained and picturesque park overlooking a large lake
- concrete primary tees
- full color tee signs with maps
- decent amenities for a course of this size: bathrooms, picnic tables, garbage cans, etc.
- pretty good elevation change for a 9 hole city park course
- lots of mature trees add to technical challenge
- good incorporation of water hazard
- most holes are moderately open but all have some elevation change or obstacles
Cons:
- plays very close to road, playgrounds, picnic tables, etc. and presents numerous safety hazards
- secondary tees aren't very well marked
- baskets are pretty basic/older
- could use next tee indicators to help with navigation
- areas around baskets can get muddy
- a bit of a walk from hole 9 back to parking lot
Other Thoughts:
I stopped by Lucerne Park on my way from Chicago to Ft. Wayne. This little park is worth the quick detour off the interstate. The park is nice, and presents a decent challenge for what at first glance may appear to be a run of the mill city park.
The biggest con with this course, similar to many city parks, is the safety issues. I had multiple times I was concerned about throwing because of other people using the park just kind of "hanging out" in the way. They weren't doing anything wrong - they were using the park, and disc golf is just too close to the other activities. While I'm glad to see disc golf being incorporated into so many communities, this is not the best way to do it. However, the course is still playable if you are careful on a few of the holes.
The elevation change here is really neat, particularly on holes 8 and 9 where you throw down towards the lake and an overthrow will get you wet. You then turn around and throw uphill to the blind basket for 9. Other holes also had good elevation change, and plenty of mature tree obstacles. I only wish the wooded area along side holes 2 and 3 could have been incorporated for even more challenge. I have no idea if this land belongs to the park/city, but it looked like a cool opportunity.
I recommend using the blue tees since they are concrete and well marked. The green tees have a single paver in front of them and and are natural and are not always obvious. This course is't especially long either way, but the green tees can be a nice option for a true beginner, typically shaving a little distance off but not offering a completely different line.
Holes 6 and 7 also incorporate the lake hazard, playing alongside it. It is a nice view from one of the lower areas of the park. Overall, Lucerne Park was clean, quiet, and a nice place to play a quick round of disc golf. It also had some cool black squirrels which I always love to see; for whatever reason we do not have them in Chicago.
This won't be a destination to go out of your way for, but it's probably one of the more decent "ditch off the interstate for a quick detour" courses I have hit. If you're nearby, it's worth playing.