Milford, MI

Kensington Black Locust - Blue

3.895(based on 61 reviews)
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12 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 224 reviews
3.50 star(s)

You won't feel blue about this Toboggan complement!

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 1, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Kensington Black Locust - Blue course is one of three at Kensington Metropark northwest of Detroit. It shares a parking lot with the Black Locust - Green course, and the Kensington Toboggan course used for DGLO each year is about a 10 minute drive away in the opposite corner of the park. Unlike Toboggan, both Black Locust courses are open year round. The courses are very similar, so a lot of this review will be copy/pasted to/from the Green course.

This course is well designed and requires a wide range of throws to score well. Fairways range from relatively wide with thick rough on each side, to tightly wooded. The hardest hole here might be #13, which is a 334' dogleg right on rolling terrain with plenty of tree trunks the entire way. The elevation changes on this side of the park are nothing extreme like Toboggan, but plenty to keep things interesting. There is also a watery area lurking in the woods on the right side of holes 3 and 4.

The baskets are what I think is blue painted Chainstar Pros. I know that they are great. One per hole.

The tee pads are concrete and SO LONG. About 1/3 of the holes have two tees (long + short), and the rest just a single tee. After wearing myself out at Toboggan earlier in the day, I was happy to throw from the short tees here. When present, the long tees looked to be just extending the hole distances more than requiring a whole new line to the basket. Regardless of chosen tee, the distances here are respectable but nowhere near the grueling marathon of Toboggan. Still plenty to keep most players interested, and much more accessible to newer players. They also seemed to be generally slightly shorter than those on the Green course.

The tee signs appear at each tee and are blue colored as well. They are adequate - with a simple hole number/distance, indication of both tee locations when present, and a rough hole layout. I'd like to see the pars listed on these, but since they are all apparently 3 (besides #1 from the long tees) it's not a major gripe. Periodic trash cans and benches complete the tee areas.

There are two separate practice basket areas near the parking lot, as well as a porta potty. A kiosk including a large map of both the Blue and Green course is posted near the first tee.

Cons:

There isn't any navigational signage. The correct paths between holes are well established, but these could be harder to distinguish at certain times of year (e.g. after leaves are down, or in the winter). Also, while there are easy ways to play fewer than 18 holes here none of them are pointed out so you'd have to use the map on the kiosk (or UDisc) to figure that out.

This course has a lot of fun holes, but none of them really stood out particularly to me. As I write this only 11 days later, most of them have already faded from memory. Perhaps this is partially just because the holes here were inevitably crowded out of my mind by the epic scale of the ones on Toboggan.

With an average hole distance of only about 330' from the long tees, big arms may be disappointed.

Road noise from I-96 just outside the park detracts from the experience a bit.

Other Thoughts:

The total cost to play this course is $13. There is a charge of $10 for a park day pass (payable at the park entrance), plus a separate $3/day disc golf fee (payable at a trailer near the first tee). Credit cards are accepted in both places. The $3 gets you a wristband that allows you to play both Black Locust courses. However, if visiting when Toboggan is open you can get a $5 wristband at that course's parking lot that will also cover you at Black Locust - so if you have the time and energy to tackle all three courses in one day as I did, I would strongly recommend starting with Toboggan (both to save money, and to hit the hardest and best course first).

This course is not only a great complement to Toboggan, but a solid play on its own. Even if Toboggan is closed or not your speed, visiting Kensington Metropark and playing the two Black Locust courses makes for a fun afternoon of disc golfing and is well worth the $13!
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8 0
tbonesocrul
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 183 played 21 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A course I can play everyday 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 29, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I really enjoy playing this course from both the longs (~ 10 holes have long pads) and the shorts. The course flows pretty well and navigating to the next hole is fairly obvious even without next tee signs. Multiple practice baskets and a pavilion with many tables near the parking lot provide a nice place to relax before or after a round. I can come here during the weekdays in the summer and get a full round in after 6pm pretty easily.

List Format:
- Concrete Tees, long and good grip
- New brightly colored baskets!
- Many holes have short and long tees
- Many tables/benches throughout the course so no stool is necessary
- Simple Navigation
- Dedicated Parking lot
- Practice Baskets
- Course Maps availiable
- Variety of holes and good use of available elevation
- A few central points in the course so you can repeat a loop you like or avoid large/slow groups
- frequent garbage cans (but still a lot of litter)
- Part of a larger park that has a beach, water park, over 8 miles of trails, playground, etc.

Cons:

The rough gets really thick on this course over the summer and causes a few issues. It makes several of the holes have blind baskets, making the course harder for first time players and makes it hard to tell when groups are clear. It also can make some off fairway throws extra punitive. Lots of thorny plants in the rough so watch where you are walking. This course doesn't really have any holes that are challenging 4's, not a huge issue because the green course is next door and features several long challenging holes.

List:
- Thick rough
- No true par 4's
- A few teepads tend to get covered in mud/dirt
- for paying to play, its not clear that the money is put back into the course
- Course gets crowded on nice days(but that's because its a great course for all skills)

Other Thoughts:

With the additional green course on the property, this facility now has 36 holes on site with long pads on over half of the holes. Its a course that I visit multiple times during the week and frequently come to play here on the weekends as well. This isn't just a course I enjoy because of convenience, it flows well and rewards staying fairway.

What it would take to increase the rating:
- A little more work on the rough and shaping fairways, some of the long tees become ridiculous to play unless the rough gets beat back during the summer.
- Several muddy spots and packed dirt fairways make me worry about potential erosion
- There is not a huge variety in the distance of the holes. This course could benefit from a few holes being lengthened or maybe changing a few pin placements to make for more challenging putting
- Next tee signs are always a nice touch
- Tee signs could be more informative
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7 0
jjtwinnova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.7 years 246 played 97 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The OG Locust 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 7, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The Original 18 holes at the Black Locust course in Kensington Metropark is a wonderful track. Luscious flora, solid elevation, and solid golf all together.

For a par 3 course, there is a good mix of distances, with a lot of the holes rewarding well placed drives and good approaches, leading to a par. You take your birdies when they come, and struggle for par on the others.

The tee pads are nice, long, concrete pads, with a good grip. The tee signs leave a little to be desired, but are servicable, and with the well defined fairway, they do well enough.

At the time of my review, the course has old chainstars, which really suck, but within the coming weeks there will be brand new Blue Chainstar Pros, which are fantastic baskets.

Navigation was a breeze, as the paths on each hole were well beaten, and there was never a long walk from hole to hole.

Cons:

There is a good amount of lefty backhand/righty forehand holes, which was really nice for me, but was not completely fair. A better variety would be nice.

This course lacks out of bounds, but it makes up for it with the insane rough, which is punishing enough that it costs you a stroke if you go in deep. However, the rough is very thick in some places, and many scratches and/or lost discs will happen.

As a par 3 course, there were no real holes I could say are true signatures. There were definitely a good amount of fun drives off the tee, but the fact of the matter was, none of them make the list for my favorite holes.

Other Thoughts:

This course is the older brother of the new "Green Course." It is a bit more tame, has an easier demeanor, but also can provide a very fun time. When playing the courses at KMP, I would recommend playing this course first, then green, but if you can only play one, play the Green Course. They are both great in their own right, and you won't get the true idea if you don't play both!
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1 4
Christopherj
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice course, I guess 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 19, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

27 holes
Many unique shots
Nice wooded area

Cons:

Baskets not that great
Needs better signage between holes

Other Thoughts:

Thus wad a nice course. I thought though considering the 16 dollars in fees my wife and I paid to get into the park and play that the course would have been better. The baskets were old, and signs between holes would be nice. Its a good course, but I've played plenty that were better for less money.
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1 5
mr_ruxbin
Experience: 6.9 years 13 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Typical Michigan Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Clean, well marked, nicely kept course. Long tees for the pros, shorter tees for the novices.

Cons:

None, really. I like this course a lot. It can be somewhat easy to lose sight of your disc on a few holes.

Other Thoughts:

Wish the Metropark didn't gouge you for $10 to enter, otherwise I'd play here more often.
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8 0
MisterJ
Experience: 7.5 years 36 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Get the annual MetroPark pass for this 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Aesthetic - The course isn't overly beautiful compared to some around the country, overlooking lakes or rock croppings. But with all the other things this Metropark has to offer (since you paid to get in anyway), it is difficult not to say it is aesthetically pleasing with wildlife.

Challenge - RHBH will definitely find this much more difficult than RHFH or LFBH. But the first 1 to 16 holes are tricky but not so challenging, with a couple of the pro tees more challenging. Those first 16, I would say, it is difficult to birdie them all, but not that hard to par or better with either a good drive or good approach. Holes 17 to 27 are why I say this is a challenging course. Overall the whole course has some elevation change, and the majority of the challenge is with how tightly the baskets are tucked right, which is behind deep woods. I was debating with whether Challenge for Black Locust was pro or con, as many people I know play 1-18 and don't see the more difficult 19-27, but I think it's a pro.

TeePads/Baskets - Like them a lot, no issues for me. 4 concrete slabs deep on most.

Signage - Talk about signs, most courses that have dual pads have 1 marker just at the closer tee. But here, you'll find signs at both tees telling distance and map. It's nice.

Fun - If my wife, and kids can make it thru the whole thing, it's gotta be fun. Usually they are good for 8 to 12 holes, but instead of them walking while I play, they played on thru. Lots of chances for aces when you find your line, and you get a bit lucky there isn't a stray twig hanging down to alter the shot a couple hundred feet down the run. You're always racing to the next basket to see if you just may get another birdie or get even luckier. Now I won't even go into the other things around the course to do while in the MetroPark, but that adds to fun too.

Locatability - Who can't find a metro park? That's easy, step 2 is getting your hands on the map of the park and getting to this course. Everyone in the area knows about this place, and can tell you how to get here, but it's pretty easy, and maps help, park rangers, I would not be scared to get lost and not find. You may drive a long way, but you'll get there.

Cons:

Variety - Not a huge variety for such a large and well planned course. But there are some limitations. There is a big downhill (1 of them), a couple holes that start higher and throw downish, but most are flat and partially to fully wooded. Most of the time you'll step up and say oh, another sidearm throw and the basket is behind the rough tucked up in-between trees.

Congestion - Because this is a well-known, and very good course, it gets busy. Even with all the fees. Worse yet, some courses you can skip a couple holes to reduce wait times, and so you would look to another hole to start, not so much here with the size and woods. And the groups can get big, and there can be a lot of people too. But remember, we're all DG'ers, so they're great people, so sometimes congestion is good stuff too. Meet someone new, or learn something you didn't know, watch somebody throw.

Maintained/Bugs - I haven't see them spraying for bugs, and never was invited to the controlled burns like other parks. I also didn't see the DNR guy out with a weed-eater trying to keep some of the grass-rough to less than a half a foot, or stray branches that grew in the throw lanes, or removing those picker vines. But this adds to the charm of being at a MetroPark DiscGolf course. Having said that, the course is clean, lots of benches and garbage cans, love the pickle design on one of the course signs, and if I see garbage here, I'll pick it up.

Other Thoughts:

Whats holding it back from higher rating - I would go a little higher on this course if a few holes changed it up a bit. There's one hole, 17 I believe, where the basket is in a stump, love it. But do more, like add large rocks / patterns of them as obstacles of sorts. Add some major uphill action, there are hills, take advantage, just switch it up. I wouldn't dare say boring at all about this course, but nudge it up from a 4.0 to a 4.5 with more variety.

Kid Friendly - It's a metropark and there is a ton to do here besides DG. But for the disc golfing, kids will like it, mine did. With as rough as the rough is and mosquito's, you may want to choose the timing, and kids could get discouraged, but I would put this on the list for kids.

Older/Less Active Player Friendly - It's a pretty long course, with some hills. But it's more the rough and length of course I would worry about for these folks. If they tire or need to leave, it's not an easy out. This may not be ideal for them.

Rookie Friendly - Yes, Rookie's should like this place. Working on that sidearm is always good, but have a spotter for that disc. But I'm betting there will be more than a few shots that will really get a rookie feeling good.

Average Player Friendly - I think your average player will absolutely love this place. As mentioned, those first say 16 holes, there are lots of chances with a good drive you could be thinking aces, or cherish some nice putts. Either way, I think you'll be jones' for more and wanting to do this course again because there was that one tree, or that one stinking branch, if it wasn't there, man...

Pro Player Friendly - Out by yourself, I am not so sure, it may be a bit too easy for long stretches. But with a group, to cheer and you to cheer them and walk and talk and be at this great setting, nice. Some technical shots, or a little luck because of how this tree has grown up and branched or a few of them have. Depends on the pro, if you're in the area grab a friend of a local, it will be fun.

Last Point - I don't work for these guys but if you're needing gear or food, Holden's Party Store is really close to this, and they have a wide variety of discs, plus the food they make is good too, we always stop by, it's on the way for me. Also, and just found this a couple months ago, just 10-15 minutes away there is a Play It Again Sports in Novi/Northville. They were finally open when I went that way, and I was shocked, large assortment of discs, but also used stuff at a good deal. I'd say stop by and check these out if you're tired of Dunham's, Dick's, or actually want to put your hands on a disc in a store (I do 95% of my shopping for discs online too)
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2 4
TeebirdDan
Experience: 20.8 years 90 played 24 reviews
4.00 star(s)

my favorite metropark course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

lots of Elevation starting on hole 1 ,epic downhill that requires dead strait drive to land in the fairway. some holes are a little short and easy but there is still pleanty of cool challenging fairways 19 is another exceptional fairway throwing off a steep hill seems the last 9 of 27 is the hardest.

Cons:

can get really crowded , green fee on top of metro park fee .

Other Thoughts:

despite the fees i really love the metro park courses and the metro park concept this whole park is outstanding .
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5 0
dwindacatcher
Experience: 25.8 years 24 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful, but unforgiving 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great extra large cement tee pads. Great looking holes. Well kept and plenty of trash bins.

Cons:

The overwhelming majority of shots are left to right. And not just a little. As a right you either need a very flipped disc or a forehand. This applies to tee shots and many approach shots. Many pins are tucked to the right of the green.

VERY unforgiving ruff. It's thick and there is a lot of vines and small plants to hide discs.

Mosquitoes, but what wooded course doesn't have them?

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course. Bad shots are made much worse with the pin placement and underbrush, but playing a tuff course will make you better. Forces you to think differently and try new shots.

Also, remember as a metro park your state pass won't get you free parking. If you don't have a metro park pass it will be 10$ to get in plus the $3 to play.

Also, the people that play here are very nice and return discs. The counter had a stack of discs people had brought back and the disc I lost today the person actually called me. To far of a drive for me to go back to get it, but in 16 years of playing it's the first time anyone has ever called me on a lost disc.
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2 4
TXDiscDude
Experience: 16.6 years 113 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

pretty nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 14, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Large sized course. an 18 hole and an extra 9.
Good mix of lefty and righty shots.
Easy to Navigate.
Extra large tee pads (my favorite)
Pro shots also have tee pads
double chained baskets.
Trash cans at almost every hole.

Cons:

A ton of people backed up at hole 1. Parties were about 10 people per group. So its a slow course, but was still pretty fun playing with a big mix of ppl.
Cost $3 to play which isn't bad, but $10 to park is kinda steep.

Other Thoughts:

It would be cool if there was another good hole to start at other than 1 and 19.
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6 0
Poncahotas
Experience: 25 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

One of my favorites 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 7, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is a very popular one in the area; and for good reason. This is solely based on the first 18 holes, I have not had a chance to play 19-27 yet.
EDIT: I went back and played through the bonus holes. They live right up to how the rest of the course plays. Really well-done, it pushed the course over the top for me and now I call it my favorite.

- Relatively clean, usually don't see trash laying around
- 2 tees for every hole
- Well maintained grounds
- Nice variety of open space vs. wooded area, as well as technical vs. distance holes. Right off the bat you're greeted with a top-of-the-hill tee that dares you to heave it straight into the valley. A few more of these longshots are split up by shorter forested holes that require meticulously-planned gap shots. Or you can just rip it and hope that luck is on your side.

Cons:

- Money. It costs a pretty penny to get into the park if you don't have a state metropark pass ($10 a trip), and then $3 per person to golf for the day.
- Since it is a popular disc golf course, it can be pretty crowded sometimes. However, everyone's really chill and will let you pass no problem if you're blasting through the holes behind them.
- This field can retain water, and some spots can get pretty muddy
- The foliage gets really dense in the summer time. I spent 20 minutes looking for a disk right at the 1st hole after an errant throw, so be careful
- A lot of the holes are just gradual right curves or straight lines with a right cut at the end. It feels like it lacks creativity at times. RHBH players better be on their anhyzer game if they're planning on throwing hard drives.

Other Thoughts:

Honestly this is my favorite course I've played on so far. I've only been playing for a year or so, but this course just makes for a fantastic time.
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2 5
mball1684
Experience: 27 years 29 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

What I have been missing..... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 19, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Very clean & well kept up
- Challenging for the RHBH player
- Lots of birdie opportunities (But you have to execute) your shots to get them.
- It's in a beautiful metropark
- Practice basket & restrooms!

Cons:

- Mosquitoes can get bad at times (Deepwoods Off!)
- Can get kinda backed-up/Busy but that's the game!
- Quite a few blind tee shots and approaches, playing alone could be tough.

Other Thoughts:

Fun & challenging holes for every style of player. This course is something that I have been putting off for a while...but never again! The holes do favor a sidearm or lefty maybe 60% of the time but I don't mark it down for that. It's just that much more challenging!
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8 0
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.2 years 202 played 200 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Solid fun course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Starting off beautiful park, has amazing views on the drive in and tons of other draws as well. If I could have spent the day in the park I would have.

Parking lot is large, but still pretty full. Pretty popular course it seems.

Two large port a johns near the entrance, good thing too since I pulled up Ina suit and needed to change(or be the best dressed golfer ever).

The man at the ticket booth was very knowledgeable and gave me a map and a good rundown of the course. Much appreciated from an out of towner.

The holes were quite varied with two placements for ever tee. I played mostly the longer tees except when there was a marked possibility of losing a disc( old had 3 discs in my travel bag). There were a lot of nice angles that were challenging and a lot of fun to pull out shots I don't use every day. Used some short thumbers,forehand rollers and even a jump putt. Overall quite varied and a lot of fun to play.

Locals were friendly and I got offered more beers and waters on the course than I have in any other two hour period.

One guy was grilling after his round and gave me an ear of grilled corn!

Just a great time overall.

Cons:

One of the few cons was almost every available surface was tagged, I almost wrote "stop writing on everything!" On a tee marker... But then realized that would be counterproductive.

There is a path of beer bottle caps on one hole which is cool looking, but little things like this keep it from having a pro quality aesthetic.

The only thing about the course itself was the fact that a ton of the holes end right lefties and flickers(like me) probably love this course but if you play RHBH your probably going to tire of throwing turnover shots.

Other Thoughts:

A very fun course for a casual round, I had a great time playing the widely varying holes. All the different looks and nicely maintained parkland, they do a good job here.

I played in intermittent rain and it was still this good. I would recommend if your in the area trying it.
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1 3
jswoods1984
Experience: 23 years 75 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very nice layout, good flow when it's not packed, met a lot of good people out there over the years. Gives the great opportunity to practice a variety of different shots.

Cons:

Does get crowded a lot of the time. Lots of littering and again, lots of punk kids that are just there to party and don't respect the sport or the course.
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2 1
Trizzor
Experience: 10.7 years 29 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Better than Willow, not as good as Hudson 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 8, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

• Great use of elevation changes
• Long tees can really change the shot
• Well maintained, like other Metroparks
• The back 9 play like a different course

Cons:

• Often crowded, causes wait times or hole skipping
• Can be very buggy in summer months
• Some holes only have 1 tee
• The brush can be unforgiving on some holes

Other Thoughts:

Kensington is one of those courses that isn't perfect, but its hard to find something very wrong. I find myself returning here often, even though its not in my top 3 local courses.
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4 1
forehandfranz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.8 years 226 played 128 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Designed by a lefty? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 1, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

You will notice most of my positives have less to do with course design - it's more about the vibe of the place.

The park setting for this course magnificent and the course stands alone without any other interference.

The course is meticulously maintained and the fairways are cleanly cut and groomed. It is entirely wooded, where some holes provide fairly open, narrow fairways with wooded edges and others have trees mixed within the fairways. The holes are challenging, yet fair. There are moderate elevation changes, which was nice. Stray shots will add a degree of punishment depending how deep you go off the fairways. The flow was very good and there were dual tee pads to provide a little more challenge, if not variety (see cons).

I was playing solo on a very crowded day and everybody let me play through (there were 4 groups waiting to tee on 1, and people playing every single hole on the course.) I found the people to be very patient and friendly and I latter joined up with a friendly twosome, so I could relax and enjoy playing with the locals. There were women players in at least every other group I passed. That is great, as I've never seen so many women at a course ever - not even the tournaments I've played at! Somebody is doing something right in Michigan to promote the sport.

Cons:

I will state right off that I am a dominant RH side arm thrower. I noticed immediately that there were a LOT of people throwing side arms here. As I worked my way through the course, I could see why - it seemed that at least 75% of the (first 18) holes were dogleg right. I only had time to play 18, so I cant say anything about 19-27. Why was the course so unbalanced? This frankly was a letdown for me, as it became redundant playing the same shot over and over. Despite that there was some elevation changes here, I wish that some of the pin placements had been placed on or near some of these slopes.

Crowds. I only list this as a warning if you are not patient. It makes for a long day if you are wanting to get 27 holes in.

Other Thoughts:

I was told by some guys that came from Cass Benton course nearby how that course was even more crowded than this one! They said that Kensington thins crowds a bit due to its "pay to play" nature.

I would love to play 19-27 some time, as I hear its more challenging. Also, would be good to try the long tees. Finally, I played in spring before the foliage had grown in, so it was probably a little easier than normal. Combine foliage with longer tees, and I'm sure it would be a different challenging experience.
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6 0
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
4.00 star(s)

giving mr righty a break tonight...ah, a stranger enters the mix... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic--Grand entrance to the course! kind of a Wally's World of disc golf... area is NOT dg exclusive but the hiking trails are marked so it shouldn't be an issue.

Teepads--Gigantic. I used maybe (maybe) 1/2 of the teepad for my 6'4'' frame. these teepads had to be close to 15' long...all in great repair. brooms could/would be useful as this course is very sandy.

Teesigns- they are there but could most certainly be more descriptive of the basket placement. some locals have added comments to some of the teesigns ("far right" for example)

Navigation- pretty easy. simply follow the most clear path from the basket and you'll likely run into the next tee..

Dual pads-- most holes feature two teepads. both of which are cement. it's nice to have choice. some of the longs are INTENSE!

elevation- use of elevation here is key. the available elevation is used extremely well. Especially nice were the two shots (longs) from the top of the hill across the valley (#1 and #19).

two loop design-- nice to be able to play the original 18 and the back 9 as separate entities if you wanted to.

#27--really dug this hole. pretty sweet bomber with left fades finishing out to a elevated basket..

Variety-- some positives and some negatives here, I'll list them separately: As for types of holes there is a little of everything here, short, long, tight woods, open, bomber, uphill, down hill... great amount of this variety

Cons:

Variety-- STRONGLY favors a LHBH player or someone with a very strong turnover. I am neither. I'm not downgrading this course because I didn't do well, I didn't do poorly. I'm down grading here for lack of variety. it seemed like 2/3 of all the holes finished right.

Wet- this course holds water very well and was mucky in a lot of places.

rough- From what I've heard the rough is a bear in the summer. It wasn't bad when we were there but I'm sure it's worse when the trees are full.

Length-- I understand this is a technical course but the short holes are many here. I used a mid or fairway driver 75% of the time.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, pay to play keep some (but not all) the riff raff out...
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todddarling1
Experience: 24.9 years 6 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Been a long time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 27, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of variety. Wide open fields to tight fairways. Well maintained and lots of very challenging holes. There are quite a few holes that you start blind off the tee makes it fun and challenging. Also lots of right dog legs to challenge us right handed players.

Cons:

Can get busy. Needs to have next tee arrows got a little turned around on the middle holes. Some dog poop on fairways. (Not the parks fault just lazy pet owners, list it as more of a warning)

Other Thoughts:

I use to play the old course back in the day, this was the first I played the Black Locust. I really enjoyed it and it was nice to see a few old familiar holes and the new stuff (well new to me) was really fun to play. It's a pay course but worth it! It's only 2 bucks for the day.
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5 2
apparition
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 47 played 39 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Beautiful more than just disc golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 15, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ All tees are adequate size and thoughtful placement
+ Amateur tees for confidence building ;-)
+ Majority of the holes are challenging for RHBH/LHFH, which makes for a great skills building course
+ A wonderful mix of openness and tunnel shots
+ The back 9 has a completely different feel than the front 18 (27 holes!)
+ Two practice baskets
+ Portopotties
+ Very easy to find
+ Some scenic areas overlooking wildlife and pastures
+ Speaking of which, the most squirrels I've seen on a DG course ever!
+ Open even though there was some sort of run/walk race going on
+ Creative layout
+ Bottle cap tree design on hole # something :D
+ Holden Party Store had Westside, MVP, Lat64, Discraft, Innova, Gateway, and maybe another brand or two but I didn't notice because I fell in love with a VIP Warship, Lat64 Ruby/Diamond for my wife, and a Wizard putter for extra fun

Cons:

- While the layout is creative, the course may need more signs directing you to the next hole from the basket
- There were definitely quite a few people playing here on a Saturday and not all of them were okay with playing through/letting people play through
- Not closer to me :p

Other Thoughts:

This course brought me to a whole different level. Never have I been more aware that I need to work on my RHFH or RHBH anhyzer throws. I realize now that I have a lot of work to do to get better in tough situations. I hope to one day get the distance and control over my discs that this course necessitates for getting a respectful score. I really mean it, this course was gorgeous. The layout was intuitive at times, but creative at others, which is why playing new courses is exciting. The holes threw us off a bit and by the 9th hole we were completely immersed in disc golf lusciousness. One thing that helped me a lot (since we got there before an attendant was at the booth) was taking a picture of the course map before playing. We paid after our first 18 holes and took maps and stuff, then played the back 9. Then ate lunch, then played another 18. I wish we could have played the back 9 again, but we had to head back home :-(

I will definitely come back here, I will definitely combine playing this course with the other Metroparks in south/southeast Michigan the next time I get a weekend day completely wide open. How sweet would it be to play Hudson Mills, Black Locust, and then Stony Creek?!

This course was A quality and I'm very happy it seems to do rather well, so it won't be going anywhere anytime soon. It's not a 5/5 discs in my opinion, but it's very close.

Thanks for reading!
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1 3
preludedrew
Experience: 16.8 years 82 played 43 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Black Locust 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Extremely tough, yet awesome and well made. An incredibly popular place, with 27 holes that test your game. Mix of wooded to open.

Cons:

The crowds can make it difficult to golf, yet its such a prestigious course.

Other Thoughts:

Incredibly well made, almost a perfect course, with great mixture of trees and placement shots.
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AXEMIKE
Experience: 41.1 years 9 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Technical Delight 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Overall the course is beautiful!
Cement tees on all holes, almost all have short tees as well.
Signs are the carved type.
Love the technical challenge on the upshot of most of the holes.
Excellent use of elevation and terrain.
Benches and picknic tables spread out throughout course.
Garbage cans @ every tee.
Friendly and helpful course rangers.

Cons:

Course favors LHBH, and RHFH.
Some vandalism.
Course could use next hole signs.

Other Thoughts:

Love this course played 3 days in a row with my 7 year old Grandson.
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