Valparaiso, IN

Rogers Lakewood Park

4.115(based on 50 reviews)
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18 1
tomjulio
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.4 years 77 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

suprise Indiana!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 24, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-groomed and manicured park
-variety
-elevation used where possible
-great pin placement
-practice putting w/markers
-signs with lines and distance.
-some very awesome brick tee pads!
-right off of the 94/80 freeways
-local disc golf hut on site that sells discs
-water hazards(right off the start!)
-multiple basket placements.
-a few elevated baskets with creative rocks and landscaping.

Cons:

-some baskets kind of rusty
-course flow, next pin location kind of tough
-the rough in the woods can be super unforgiving, downright painful
-elevation there, but not a grand scale. I love me that elevation.
-a couple throw away holes.
-inconsistent tee pad styles

Other Thoughts:

The talk of Indiana was the Lemon Lake courses(and rightfully so) but I kept hearing a buzzz about this little course in Valparaiso so I had to play. This was last year but rain prevented me from any Indiana course...till recently.

You drive in to this cute little city park and think "how cool, some baskets in an old tree park"...then you find tee one and see that you now have to drive over a pond, far, and to the right of it to even get to the basket, COUNT ME IN!

This is not your local neighborhood disc golf course...in any way.

Hole one has you up and over that pond right from the start, hole 2 takes you to the back side of the park, and hole 3 up a hill to what is waiting for you.

This is where there were two holes, 4 and 5 I believe, that felt kind of blah, but were obviously used as a transition into hole 6 and beyond. THIS is where the course shined in my opinion. rolling lush holes manicured nicely. The bushes that line the fairways make for some obvious looking lines, BUT are also the super thick ones with skin piercing thorns. A few misplaced shots and I felt like I was auditioning for "Passion of the Christ Part 2/ Jesus Takes Manhattan".

There is a huge sledding hill in this park which makes for a super huge downhill bomb shot either over trees, through a gap, or well, any way you want to get down. The basket placement is superb here too. Not just at the bottom but set back so your bomb has to be precise. The next two holes make you go right back up what you just bombed.

You finish in the front of the park you drove in from and there are those huge oak trees waiting for you.

I had a great time on this course playing with locals (highly suggested) and would highly recommend this course. It is a 45 minute drive between Lemon Lakes and Valpo either way. Take that time and play em all.
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13 0
WindyCityROCer
Experience: 19.6 years 27 played 13 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Best Course I've Played (so Far) 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 14, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Wow, what a course! I had heard terms like "scenic" and "championship caliber" used to describe this course, and to be prepared to get destroyed by this monster course... well, it's ALL TRUE....

Nestled in the middle of nowhere, Rogers Lakewood is a gorgeous multi use park, with great terrain, making disc golf a no-brainer. The course is phenomenally maintained by the parks dept. and local DG clubs. As for the course being championship caliber, it is, a monster, it's not.... that hard.

Bring EVERY shot/disc in your bag, you will need them.... The course requires long accurate drives, long L>R and R>L, pinpoint accuracy through the woods, uphill, downhill... Water only comes into play on the 1st hole, you can bail to the left, but it's probably a 250' carry off the front tee... (ie don't throw your fav. disc, if you turn it over it's wet). Aside from 1,4,5,9 the first 13 holes play through the woods... or a beautifully mowed fairway with floor to ceiling shule on each side. Bad drives are punished by the shule, where most likely you will be flinging a disc back out to the fairway, rather than finding an "advancing" line out of trouble.

Note: for floor to ceiling shule/deep rough, it's the nicest I've seen, LOTS of trails throughout, so you're never really searching an area much larger than a kitchen table...

Holes 4 and 5 play in a little open field plateau main obstacles being high grass off of the fairway, 2 great holes to air it out...

My personal fav, 9 is a shot over a Gorgeous valley requiring a huge anhyzer/FH to the right/far basket. (Left/short pin is pretty much beeline to the otherside of the valley)

After 13 holes of wooded hell (in a good way) it's time to tee off on the N/S continental divide... Hole 14 is an awesome 590ft hole that plays down a sledhill with shule tightening up the last 200' or so... Definately one of those holes that will make you want to empty your whole bag going for that super drive.

The rest of the course plays through more of a traditional park area, while not as thrilling as the first half of the course, it still has some great elevation changes and superb use of the land.

Most tee areas have a bench, all have garbage cans, and GOOD signs... most signs even have hooks to hang your bag on...

Cons:

I never thought I would say this, but bring bug spray.... seriously. The woods get really thick, and covered in sweat, with bugs swarming you makes throwing a little annoying to say the least.

Unfortunately, for a well funded park, there doesn't seem to be restrooms/water anywhere near/on the course itself. (*1 apparently there are bathrooms by hole #1, the "boathouse/old pro shop) New proshop is the small building on the hill between the 2 practice baskets. The building on top of the sledhill (#14,15,16) seems to be a bathroom, but alas, it's always locked up tight.. These are the only real cons that I can think of.. it's going to be a long grueling round.

Other Thoughts:

This is a PRELIMINARY review, I could write a book on this place, and will comeback with more in depth hole descriptions...

This course is an absolute MUST PLAY if you are in the area... depending on which exit you take off of 90/94, it's really only about 15-20 min off the expressway. For anyone playing in worlds at Lemon, you must stop here, I haven't played silver/gold yet at Lemon, but this course easily beats the other 3...

This course is a workout, LOTS of up/downhill hiking, not a lot of breeze in the woods... be sure to bring enough water, as there really isn't a convenient place to take a break until the 14th hole, aside from benches by most tees.
(*1) 10/7/09 edit... I needed to re-evaluate the course after playing Winter Park.. gave the course the last .5 star, as there are bathrooms by 1st tee
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14 9
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.4 years 394 played 276 reviews
5.00 star(s)

A+ = Top Shelf! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18 (or more) hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == A
(The rough is very dense and punishing, so in a lot of areas a pitch out is all you get when you miss the fairway. The fariway widths are pretty generous almost everywhere, so punishment is only for bad shots. If there was a little more punishment for so-so shots and a few more fairways with multiple paths to the basket I would have given this an A+.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == A+
(This course sets up perfectly for me - and others of my skill level. Of course there are a few holes that are easy birdies or hard threes, but there are a ton of holes that feel great to bag. Much fun to be had....or frustration if you do not bring your A game.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A+
(Not wooded in the classic sense, but mainly tree-lined fairways with dense underbrush. When these fairways bend you usually have no choice but to be forced into making the shot the designer wanted you to make. Great variety and an amazing use of terrain!)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == A
(With grassy fairways throughout and lush woods all around it is as beautiful and secluded as can be. The first few holes and the last ones are more in civilization, but it is a beautiful park, so very few demerit points there.)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C
(There are only 2 par 4's, but #14 is way cool! Huge bomb off a sledding hill necking down and then opening up to a sloping green. #10 is a 2 throw hole that is a pretty easy par 4 but is very interesting nonetheless - probably my favorite hole on the course design-wise.)

Other Thoughts:

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (149 18-hole, 91 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
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6 1
dwebb
Experience: 9 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course, worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course has a great variety of holes starting with a drive over water off the first tee, then continuing with varying types of through trees, uphill and downhill shots, as well as some elevated and over ravine shots. This course is definitely not for the faint of heart with some holes going through tight shurb guarded fairways and others with long elevated drives off a snow tubing hill.

Cons:

There really aren't many cons to this course other than a lack of markings, I would suggest grabbing a course map on the way in to find your way around.

Other Thoughts:

As always bring bugspray, if you get lost don't get discouraged, I think everyone does the first time.
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5 3
bunk'g
Experience: 15.4 years 34 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautiful course. Water, thick woods, and elevation changes all come into play. There are some open holes, but most have tight fairways. Thick woods make it easy to lose a disc, I would recommend a spotter, or playing it safe your first time out. You need to bring your long and short game, some holes reach over 500'.

Cons:

Not necessarily a con, but there is a $5.00 Park Fee for non-Porter County residents and $3.00 Fee for residents. Some tee pads are nicer than others, nothing that should really effect your round.

Other Thoughts:

Get your hands on a scorecard if you can to help navigate. There are now 24 holes.
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5 8
eahuber
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

eahuber 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 14, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Rogers has much to offer in the variety of contextual sensations and empirical doubts. Its well designed course lay out as well as its impeccable variety of shots turns this course into a 24 hole blunder of fun! Typically for rather experienced players, a challenge is always waiting along the horizons of this high caliber course.

Cons:

Not to many, watch out for your discs and they're easy to find. I dont know what those kids are saying about expect to lose at least 2, its not that hard to watch your disc and pick it out of the shrubbery.

Other Thoughts:

A worthwhile investment in an unfavorable economic crisis.
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9 4
Spurlocm
Experience: 22.8 years 7 played 7 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Indiana's Best 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 21, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Favorite course I have played and one of the toughest. Very well maintained. Alot of elevation changes, alot of extremely hard shots and a good variety of mid range to long drives. This is the course I learned to play on and have played it 100's of times and it is still a challange every time I go out. The course is nicely laid out and shout not present any problems in that respect. Nice area, nice people, and great course.

Cons:

YOU WILL LOSE DISCS ON THIS COURSE! Ha, there are alot of woods in play that are pretty thick, watch your discs carefully and a spotter is recomended if you're not use to the terrain. Also some tees are better then others ranging from brick to mulch but no major problems

Other Thoughts:

Have played with several people from different states and they all enjoy this course. If I could have a course in my back yard this is what it would look like. Different pin placements changes the difficulty of this course but overall a right hook is extremely important on several holes. ALSO the numbers on the photos are not correct there are 24 holes now.
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2 9
dustingbbn11
Experience: 16.7 years 63 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Worth the travel 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Awesome use of terrain. HUGE hills, beautiful tree lines. Very challenging. Watch your discs!!

Cons:

THICK THICK THICK! Unless you bring a machete, say goodbye if you shank it.

Other Thoughts:

All 24 holes are beautifully set up w/ garbage cans on virtually every hole. A few ace runs ( I know personally because I nicked the chains on #12)
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11 2
FoleyT
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.4 years 86 played 85 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Well Designed Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Beautiful and scenic course just a short distance south of I-94. Elevation, water, Trees, well groomed fairways, and sometimes brutal rough. Good mixture of right and left doglegs, and challenging pin placements (which I get the impression change from time to time). 24 holes available, so you can mix 'n match to create an 18 hole course of your choosing.

Cons:

inconsistent tees, some rubber, some wood, some bricks, some dirt with wooden tee boxes to trip over. Always use a spotter, even on holes with only a slight chance of going astray, because the rough is brutal and lost discs can be a problem.

Other Thoughts:

We played this one late in the day under a tight deadline, so didn't get to complete the course (played through 14), but will be back soon to try it again, as it is a beautiful layout.
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2 10
TimSyl
Experience: 17.7 years 172 played 35 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 22, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Good mix of short, technical holes and long, open holes. Some elevation change, especially near the tubing hill.

Cons:

Tees could be better...bricks for some, rubber mats for others.

Other Thoughts:

Not really a deuce or die course, but plenty of deuces available.
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