Kalamazoo, MI

Oshtemo Township Park

3.815(based on 49 reviews)
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18 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 224 reviews
3.50 star(s)

"Ooh, I wanna take you down to Oshtemo! We'll get there fast, and then we'll take it slow."

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Oshtemo Township Park is just west of Kalamazoo, MI. It is easily accessible from the US-131 and I-94 freeways, and set just off of state highway M-43. The park plays host to 18 holes of disc golf.

This is a "technical wooded" course, but the fairways here are mostly relatively wide. You'll need to shape your shots, but the wider, well-groomed fairways offer more forgiveness than on many other wooded courses I have played. There are a couple of narrower holes mixed in throughout the round. The rough off the fairways is very thick and punishing, but mostly thin on the ground so disc loss seems unlikely. It did seem to me that there were more straight throws and right turns vs. left turns here, but I'd have to play another round to verify that feeling.

The baskets are red Chainstar Pros in great shape. One per hole. The tee pads are large, perfectly flat slabs of concrete in wooden frames for good measure. There is a long and short concrete pad for each hole. I chose to play the short tees, which offer a moderate level challenge. It would be possible for an experienced, accurate recreational player to shoot around par from the shorts. The longs appeared to be much more difficult, and would likely be enough of a challenge to keep almost all skill levels interested. Regardless of layout there is a nice mix of distances involved.

Most holes had tee signs which are color coded and have all the info you could ask for. Green at the long tees and orange at the short tees. I did not look closely at all the long tee signs but I believe all holes are assumed to be par 3, which would make some of the holes very difficult pars from the long tees.

Trash cans and benches appear at most tees. There is a kiosk at the parking lot, and clear signage directing you from the parking lot to the practice basket area as well as the first tee. The opposite corner of the lot has a restroom building.

Cons:

I did not like the finishing hole, which is a 225'-275' partially blind downhill throw at a tennis court. When I visited, a couple of different groups were walking around the edge of the tennis court and were very much in the line of fire here. An errant overthrow could also make its way onto the court itself.

Most of the course is pretty much flat. There are only a couple of holes where elevation changes really impact play at all, and even on those holes the changes are relatively gentle.

A couple of the tee signs were missing when I visited. I assume this is just a temporary thing that will be addressed.

Other than the arrows directing players to the beginning of the course, there is no navigational signage. The paths between holes are pretty beaten in here, but sometimes there are multiple paths (e.g. separate ones leading to the long and short tees) so I think some color coded arrows would still be a nice touch.

Related and super nitpicky, but while there are a couple of course maps posted around the park, there isn't one on the kiosk where first time visitors will actually view it prior to playing the course. The maps include information for both the disc golf course and walking trails, and are posted near the entrances to the trails. I'd like to see a map posted at the beginning of the disc golf course as well. These trails also pass near some holes, but your disc would have to get pretty deep into the rough for there to be a conflict so I wasn't too concerned.

Constant road noise from nearby M-43 detracts from the wooded aesthetic a little bit.

Other Thoughts:

This course seems to be very popular. I arrived at about 1:30 PM on an overcast Friday afternoon, and the course was already very busy. I passed one guy warming up at the practice basket, and three other groups during my solo round. If you try to play here solo on an evening or weekend, I would expect to spend a lot of time waiting for other groups.

When I first saw the name of this course, for some reason my mind drew a line from "Oshtemo" to "Kokomo" and the Beach Boys song got stuck in my head. I don't even know if "Oshtemo" is actually pronounced like that, but it's too late for me now.

Anyway, I'd definitely consider a 4.0 rating here with some of the small tweaks ironed out. It would be a 4.0 for sure if a second set of baskets were also installed to make four layouts. Beyond that, the land isn't spectacular enough for me to call this a destination course. Still, this is a solid course that I'd play all the time if I lived nearby. And I'll probably play it again within the next few months, as I'll need several more trips down to the Kalamazoo area to finish bagging all the nearby courses. My recommendation is to take yourself down to Oshtemo! Get there fast! And then expect to take it slow, because the course will probably be busy. But you'll still have a fun time.
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2 6
CConnors3
Experience: 19.8 years 197 played 17 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Definite Must play drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 23, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Multiple tee pads to challenge all skill levels
Landscaping/erosion control
Wooded/technical lines
Accurate distances on the signage
Great park for a disc golf course
Go for a birdie fest from the short pads or thread some needles from the longs and reward yourself with some birdies
Bathrooms and other park activities available

Other Thoughts:

Sandy soil can make for some slipping on the tee
Poison ivy & tick found on me after the round
Not a lot of elevation change, but still a must play in the area!!
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7 0
listentomorejazz
Experience: 13.8 years 55 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

There is no signage... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Tee pads are grippy concrete, usually large enough for the hole
-Two tee pads on every hole with very distinct looks. The short layout was enjoyable and mostly easy, but the long provides a good challenge up through the advanced level. Almost played like two separate courses
-Trash cans throughout
-Benches throughout, with some very nice sitting areas on long tees
-The fairways were excellent. The width to length ratio was perfect, giving fair but challenging lines. The ground was typically grass under woods, which is rare and provides for both a very scenic course and the opportunity to throw rollers, which makes a course more enjoyable for me
-The disc golf section of the park was largely secluded from the rest of the park users. A few walking trails go through, but it's unlikely to run into picnics

Cons:

-There are no signs. Other reviews mentioned that it lacked signage, but I thought it would just be that it was limited. Nope, just no signs at all.
A few holes had beat up old sign posts and once in a while you could gleam a distance, but if I hadn't had a guide for my first round through it would have been awful.
-Not a super diverse course. Largely through open woods with thick rough just off the fairway. There was some elevation used to success, but not a hilly course and there were no open holes, nor holes with risk/reward OB. Plus, it seemed as though most baskets ended with a left to right shot.
-No true par fours, but a few of those par 3s in the long layout were doozies.
-Single basket positions. While they were usually well positioned, it still limits a course's ability to refresh itself.

Other Thoughts:

As a traveling player, the lack of signs almost dropped this course to a 2.5 or even 2. The fairways and shot selection (both layouts caused me to throw every disc in the bag) prevented this from dropping, but that is something a club should absolutely fix to encourage new players and allow anyone to enjoy the course.

Although from what I gather from the other reviews and my guides (we played on a Monday morning) more players is not something the course needs. It didn't affect my round and the erosion was certainly present, but I can imagine being frustrated by a four hour round on a nice Saturday.

Overall enjoyable course, but the lack of signage, lack of diversity and aging infrastructure simply leave it as a good course. A dedicated club could easily make it great.
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3 0
Phatmcr
Experience: 12 years 65 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 3, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- A lot of shot Variety
- Great Use of the terrain and Elevation Change
- Most Holes have a Main Route and a 'Trick' Route
-Great Teepads
- Well Travelled Paths will lead you to the next Tee

Cons:

Signage is terrible. That is my biggest complaint on this course. A few large Course maps can be found around the park in places that are more or less irrelevant to the course.

Hole Maps would be a great addition to both Tees on each hole. With some of the elevation change, gauging the distances by eye can be a bit tricky.

Other Thoughts:

Great use of the landscape. A variety of holes (Long, Short, Doglegs Left and Right).

Really no OB to be found minus the tennis courts off of Hole 18. During summer, getting off the fairway could prove to be difficult in finding your disc, and in getting back into play.
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7 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Old School Course Is Popular-Needs Some Work Done! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 4, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

I played Oshtemo Township Park DGC on an afternoon when the wind was howling across SW Michigan. But here on the course, even though one could hear the wind blowing above, it was calm and pleasant at course level. I liked the layout here a lot. We played from the shorts and found those to be recreationally challenging. It's not a beginner course.

There is a kiosk at he beginning with something like 160 league players listed. This is obviously a popular course and so issues arise because of this popularity, notably erosion problems and casual players feeling unloved. There was no league play going on when I played so I really can't speak to that issue. The erosion and compacted soil everywhere is a enormous problem. I'm surprised that more measures aren't be taken to combat these problems. They were steps being taken, particularly with the frames built around the tee pads. I think many places could benefit from throwing down truckloads of wood chips. As regards to the beat down rough areas, I personally like a course where the rough is not that thick and difficult to recover from. Probably because I spend large amounts of my disc playing time trying to recover from errant shots chucked off of the fairways.

The course is not particularly long (from the short tees) nor is it particularly tight. The fairways are decently wide. There are no holes where you look and think to yourself, "There is no route here." There are two baskets which are slightly raised. A couple of tee pads are slightly elevated. On 2-3 holes, you are throwing short, downhill Ace Runs. I think it was #5 and # 18. There is a nice variety of throws required here. Not quite use every disc in your bag variety but close enough.

Cons:

When does being too popular become a con? The course does get lots of play.

Erosion and compacted soil issues.

Signage needs to be improved. It is kind of embarrassing that a wonderful course like this is so sorely lacking in navigational aids. The local club does need to step up and take some ownership here. Some kind of next tee signs would be helpful. I hooked up with a couple of locals early on and didn't have to find my own way.

After all this play, the rough has been thinned, trimmed, torn and tattered. I like it like this.

Other Thoughts:

This course reminds me somewhat of Knollwood. It has been loved to death. I've played in other parts of the country (i.e. Minneapolis) where they are very concerned and taking all kinds of steps to prevent erosion and compacting issues. We players aren't always happy with some of their solutions. I'd hate to see that happen here at these two popular courses. Oshtemo is a treasure and needs to be nurtured and protected.
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3 6
jdborden
Experience: 11.1 years 14 played 7 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of variety in shot types

Well laid out design

Challenging, yet not frustrating

Cons:

You might spend more time waiting than playing

League members think thy have the right to play ahead of you when it's a public park



Other Thoughts:

This is one of the better courses in the area. It's relatively challenging but as you learn the course you learn how to better your score by playing smarter. My personal favorite around Kalamazoo when it's not busy, and my least favorite when it is
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1 7
ashook16
Experience: 8 years 7 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A fun and challenging course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice variation of holes. It is nice that each hole was a par 3. The terrain and trees changed throughout the course which was cool for a nature person such as myself. I had a lot of fun at this course!

Cons:

Hard to find the beginning at first.
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3 3
Slow_Disc
Experience: 10.8 years 47 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Course needs Tender Loving Care 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 24, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Solid Tee Pads, Every hole is wooded, many enjoyable shots, decent mix of well balance shots. Great bones on this course. Would recommend.

Cons:

Zero signage. Seriously this is embarrassing. I am sure there has been signage at one point. And hard to navigate the course first few times, yes there are some well worn paths, but it is just frustrating not knowing what hole you are on during casual play.

Other Thoughts:

Played the course during a week of vacation that I was staying in the area. Enjoyed it. The signage issue is neglect from the locals who should have more pride in this course.
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8 1
dandther
Experience: 48.8 years 47 played 18 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice Design 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 22, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Nicely wooded fairways that are narrow enough to provide a challenge.
-A couple of holes are just beautiful. I love the long left turning hole (#5, I think), with a nasty stand of trees just ahead of where your tee shot will land, presenting an obstacle for your second shot.
-Though there's not much elevation change, the course takes advantage of what is there to add interest.
-Nicely placed in a park with good parking and a clean"restroom.

Cons:

-Signs. The tee signs are beat up and ugly. There are no tee signs at the short tee pads.
-Navigation. Hard to find the first hole. No tee signs at short tee pads, as noted above. NO direction signs between holes. Sure there are well-worn paths after each basket, but too often the paths led in different directions.
-I have run into people who are impatient with me not knowing the layout both times I have played the course.
-There are times when you won't be able to get on the course because of league play. There are times when you can play but the course is crowded.
-Erosion, mud, old baskets, etc. See other reviews. Not a huge issue for me, but noted.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a good design that is heavily played. My rating is "Decent" because it needs some TLC to be rated a 3 or higher.

At this point I suspect the people who play it regularly can't even see the issues (bad tee signs, need for navigation help, and rudeness that comes from thinking they own the course).

I also suspect that the people who play it regularly are going to say this review isn't helpful (as some people did for the guy who compared this course to a Honda Prelude). If you think the problem is the review, you're clearly not looking at your course or the behavior of your league members.
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4 3
arbrodin
Experience: 12.9 years 87 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Oshtemo Longs 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Passing through town - played only the long layout

Gorgeous course, well maintained
Well defined fairways
Solid test of skill in distance and accuracy
Course was fairly easy to navigate, having never seen the course before
Course was very clean

Cons:

Tee signs were in sad shape on most holes

Other Thoughts:

518' par 3 down a wooded fairway? That's awesome.
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9 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.6 years 397 played 383 reviews
3.50 star(s)

POP-yoo-lar! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

This more 'established' course does what it does well: provide a beautiful, civilized, wooded round of disc golf for a range of skill levels, and is obviously well-loved and heavily trafficked. Having had the opportunity to visit during a beautiful stretch of weather for the 2015 Amateur World Championships, I was thrilled to play a mostly level, shady course with tremendously well-defined lines of flight, and 'rough' that has been beaten back and weathered in to the point where you might never need a spotter (though the volunteers who helped out for the event were fantastic!), and your chances of a recovery shot are pretty good.

Two sets of incredibly huge, level, concrete tees were supported by landscaping where needed, and there were enough trash cans and seating to make this a comfortable place to play. Baskets were in good shape (except maybe the really old one near the course kiosk, to the right as you enter the parking area).

Hole distances from the long tees range from 221' to 524', with a decent assortment of required flight lines. Intermediate to Advanced players with decent accuracy nearing 350 off the tee will have a realistic shot for up to a dozen deuce opportunities, so the long tees here are probably pretty much right in their wheelhouse. The short tees looked like they might be fun for Recreational players, and I'm sure this course gets its share of casual players, as well. Though played mostly 'in the woods', none of the flight lines felt too tight for the distances involved: even when the fairway turned sharply (to the right on hole 6, for instance), there was a logical flight line through.

The park has a good quantity of parking, restrooms, newer shelters, a nice playground, and other attractions for the non-playing members of the family. And yet, the disc golf course played well away from everything but the walking trail and the tennis courts.

Cons:

An extremely popular course, I'm guessing it can get tremendously crowded. We even had some casuals seeking to get a round in on a weekday afternoon with an obvious Major event going on. The high level of foot traffic over the years here has gotten not just the greens, but even some fairways, beaten in to dirt through erosion. That means dusty when dry and muddy when wet. Choose your time to play.

The course doesn't have much going in the way of elevation, there is no water to challenge or force a gut-check, and there were a few times when it felt like the course might get a little repetitive (the first four holes from the longs were 347 feet, 347 feet, 347 feet, and 346 feet, but it got better).

Navigation might be an issue for first timers. Aside from the excellent (temporary) Worlds signage, I didn't see a lot of signs, either at tees or for 'next tee'. I glanced at the kiosk, but don't remember if I saw a course map there or not (I had the map from Worlds). Granted, it's a pretty easy flow once you've been through, but, like a lot of older courses, signage tends to get overlooked after a while.

Speaking of which, my nav/gps took me to the main road in front of the (fire station), and I did not see a sign indicating the park until I drove around behind.

Other Thoughts:

Enjoyed the course, and can see a lot of rewarding play for those who get to visit frequently!
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15 3
davetherocketguy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.6 years 114 played 105 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Holy Erosion Batman! (Updated 12/28/20) 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 28, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Concrete tee pads are great. Perfect length and pads for both the longs and shorts.
- In a multi-use park setting but the course does not seem to interfere with other park activities.
- Variety all over this course from left to right fairways, right to left, dead straight and so on.
- Benches and trash cans placed all over the course. There is no reason to trash up the course.
- Someone is starting to address the gigantic erosion issues here (see cons below).
- Baskets are pretty old but look like they've been well kept up.

UPDATE - New signage installed and it is fantastic.

Cons:

- Far and away to me the biggest con is the horrific amount of erosion happening here due to the large amount of traffic. It just takes away from the aesthetics of the course. But more than that, it makes some of the holes almost unplayable after a rain when mud collects around the base of many of the baskets. Just makes it a rather messy DG experience. I see someone is working on it (like on #18 fairway) but man, there is a lot more to do here.
- The tee signs used to be works of art but alas...they are now pieces of crap. Time to spring for some new signs folks.
- Navigation is a disaster. Most of the time, following the paths to the next tee works but in many spots it isn't clear where to go.
- Course courtesy...I rarely ever list this as a con on any particular course but Oshtemo is rife with hucking idiots. I think Western Michigan U is to blame for a lot of this nonsense. There really isn't much that can be done about it - legally - so when you play here stay patient and expect to spend a little more time per round. And if you are a hucking idiot reading this (you know who you are) please go get drunk and smoke your tree somewhere else. The rest of us DO NOT find your antics as amusing as you do.
- #15 is an abomination of a disc golf hole. I hate it...kill it with fire. I have nary a clue why this hole bothers me so because it isn't terribly difficult...maybe it's the ludicrously tall pine trees placed RIGHT IN FRONT of the tee box.


UPDATE - 15 now has a clear path to the basket. Good stuff! Also seems like a lot of the erosion issues are resolved.

Other Thoughts:

Oh boy...I am going to get raked over the coals for this rating...2.5. Save your nasty PM's to me and get out on that course and help whoever is working on it and make a difference. There is no reason Oshtemo should be less than a 3.5 or better course. With a high amount of traffic it's just going to need a high amount of maintenance. Sort of breaks my heart to see the course in such shape especially since this is the course I learned how to play disc golf on way back in '04.

After writing this review last night, one thing that would help immensely is to close the course for several months...maybe a whole year just so the grass has a chance to get re-established in many areas. Or maybe it's time to seriously consider paving parts of the fairways and paths and maybe the areas around some of the baskets. I don't know but to me it just doesn't seem like a good idea to leave it go in its current condition.

Osthemo reminds me of a 2001 Prelude where 12 years and 100,000 miles ago it was still a hoot to drive. Not the flashiest car on the road but it sure got you around. Now it needs a new motor, it shakes when you hit 63 mph and the tranny is slipping. It can be good again...just needs a lot of work.

UPDATE - a lot of the issues initially pointed out in my review are resolved and this is a great course to play so I've updated my rating to reflect that to a 3.5.
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12 0
BogeyNoMore
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.8 years 479 played 183 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid old school design, plain and simple 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Plays through a semi-DG-dedicated section of a busy, multi-use community park. A walking path winds around/ near some holes, but is sufficiently buffered by the woods so that if walkers/bikers/strollers stay on the trail, disc vs. pedestrian encounters are quite unlikely. Fairways are moderately wooded in that they are comprised of nicely grass lined clearings that are sharply defined by dense woods on both sides and somewhat sparsely treed up the middle. There's no guessing as to where fairway ends and the rough begins, or what line was intended by the designers.

• Variety: Nice variety of lengths from either set of tees (but can be augmented in that regard if you're willing to mix shorts and longs during a single round). Most fairways are relatively open from the short tee to the pin, and very densely wooded on either side with a smattering of trees in the fairway (often with more trees guarding the basket). One or two holes have tight fairways, but most of them offer a decent amount of room to operate, making them pretty forgiving of small mistakes, not so forgiving of big ones...IMO, that's how it should be.

Dual tees on every hole do an excellent job of accommodating beginner to advanced players. The shorts are far from overwhelming for beginners and provide lots of birdie opportunities for intermediate players. The longs add about 100 ft per hole, but more importantly, do a really nice job of creating different challenges, often bringing more trees into play, substantially tightening windows and restricting lines. On some holes, the long/short tees are set at different elevations or different angles to the main part of the fairway.

Nice mix of straight holes with several turning gently left or right to provide a pretty balanced feel overall. While the course is flat for the most part (there's nothing you could call a hill), the gently rolling terrain is just enough to keep the course from being completely flat and is undeniably a factor on a few holes, which makes things just a bit more interesting.

• More on elevation: They've built a few tee pads up above ground level (maybe 2-3 ft) to enhance the elevation in play, and elevated a couple of baskets to create additional risk reward on a couple of holes. I'd really like to see more courses on flat property do this, instead of simply accepting that "you can't do anything to change the terrain."

• Equipment: Concrete tees were in good shape and nicely boxed in with 4x4's sunk flush with the ground placed approx 18" out from the tee to combat erosion (seems to be working quite well). Baskets are a bit old but in pretty good shape (1 or 2 had slightly bent cages but nothing severe). Garbage cans at every hole.

• Routing and Navigation: Flows pretty intuitively from hole to hole most of the time, with well-worn paths guiding you to the next tee, but there are two spots where you could unintentionally skip a few holes and not even realize it (see cons).

• Aesthetics: I find the contrast between the grassy open fairways and the sharply defined woods quite appealing, and while it's not visually spectacular, I think Oshtemo is the very definition of a wonderful walk through a city park.

• Extras: Clean bathrooms after 18th hole, just off the parking lot. Minutes from all kinds of restaurants and convenience stores.

Cons:

• While I noticed several indicators that the park has done some things to keep the course in good shape, Oshtemo is badly in need of replacement tee markers; nothing fancy - just hole number and distance would be great.

This can be a particular problem at a couple of spots where you could easily skip a few holes and think you've gone the correct way: from 9 to 12, and from 11 to 14.

The layout isn't the culprit here, and while a map would help, the problem is that most of the tee markers are missing. With no tee markers, you can't tell that you've walked from 9 to 10, or from 9 to 12. Same thing after hole 11.

• Can feel a bit repetitive towards the end of the round - more variety in terms of fairway types (i.e. wide open bombs + tightly wooded) as well as a few sharply turning fairways that requiring more acute hyzer and annie lines would compliment the subtle in addition to the gently turning ones) the more subtle curving fairways nicely.

• Although it's aging well, there's no denying volume of traffic over the years has made the rough less foreboding in some spots, and creating instances where you can card a par despite a bad tee shot. Some will appreciate this, but I'm not in that camp.

Other Thoughts:

Oshtemo is a great course that's stood the test of time quite well. Keep in mind it was built when Valks and XL's were the longest discs of the day. The game has progressed, and while there are better courses out there, sound design principles never grow old - Oshtemo remains a very solid course even today.

I'd give it a 3.75 if I could. Enhance the variety with some sharper turning fairways and/or some bigger elevation changes and I'd easily call it 4.0.
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2 2
DoobieDiscer
Experience: 11.9 years 10 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

not bad 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

nice semi wide fairways and open shots, followed by doglegs going each way, mostly wooded but par is managable on every hole with some skill, has 2 tees(pro/regular). easy course to walk an play on, might even see some box turltes scuttling around the pathways.

Cons:

mostly wooded so you may be looking for discs if you hyzer it too hard. in the thick pines later in the round, be sure to check if its "floating" in a branch first...ive found more discs there doing that than looking on ground, most wooded areas arent so thick but are a pain in some shots.

Other Thoughts:

great place to play, minimal trash, some cool artwork on the tee off areas and a practice putting area as you approach #1 which is nice, parking is readily available.
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3 6
Thryn3
Experience: 3 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Course you want to keep playing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 10, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Short and Long tees make this a good course for everyone. Mix of short and long shots, flat and uphill shots, and left and right placed tees. Course that everyone should try at least once.

Cons:

Not taken care of as well as one would like. Trash cans are full and not many hole markers so if you are new to course can be difficult to navigate.
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2 3
Lightman
Experience: 16.8 years 19 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 13, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice variety of left and right curves.
Variety in distance shots.
Little undergrowth in most rough areas.
Very narrow, accurate shooting required.

Cons:

Very nice free course gets crowded often.
Cops search disc golfers bags since the course is behind a sheriff station.
Homeless dump garbage cans on course for can deposits.
Little elevation changes.

Other Thoughts:

Hit this course during the day to avoid crowding.
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6 0
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
3.50 star(s)

8am 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 4, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic--Nice piece of property on a multiuse compound with large playgrounds and other atheltic fields. bathrooms available in the parking lot.

Risk v Reward--This is one of the biggest factor here. the rough, sucks. you are more than punished for errant shots... almost merciless in places

Length--Nice variety of lengths with some long and some short and some midrange shots.

Teepads--nice and level. LONG. I only used 2/3rds of the teepads as they felt like your run up could go on for miles...Dual Teepads..

Longs--the long teepad positions are BRUTAL. almost every time you throw out of a tunnel before entering the true fairway (where the shorts normally are).

Routing--reasonably easy. normally there are two paths, one to the long and one to the short.

the two elevated baskets--nice touch!

Practice basket--Merciless homemade basket... spits out putters like a baby with creamed spinach

Cons:

Baskets--nice mach 3's, some of the baskets were a bit loose or tilted

Tee signage--only on the longs and a lot of the hole "pictures" were destroyed. lengths were on all as they are "engraved"...

Garbage--A lot of garbage and cigarette butts around on this course and a general lack of garbage cans

Routing to tee 1--Couldn't find it with the directions provided on this site. updated it to make it a bit easier (hopefully)

Variety--I think it lacks here. it seems like there aren't too many distinct or signature (type) holes here. It kind of seems like you are playing the same hole 10-12 times.

Other Thoughts:

Don't get me wrong, I liked Oshtemo, but I would rather play at ColdBrook or Robert Morris. I got my ass handed to me at this course but haven't based my review on that fact. I tried to be objective as much as I could.
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5 0
Clive
Experience: 23.7 years 22 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

My Home Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 26, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Distinctive short and long tee-pads (concrete) make for a ton of replay value on this course.
- Full bag of tricks needed for most of the longs and many of the shorts.
- Wooded area, but has well-defined, grassy fairways. You rarely feel like you're chopping through Michigan woods. As a result, tree placement is both fair and challenging.
- Good support from local pros, leagues, and benefits from a positive relationship with the nearby Oshtemo branch of the nationally-recognized Kalamazoo Public Library.
- As of summer '12 the course will have brand new bathrooms, drinking fountains, playground equipment, basketball courts, and expanded parking.
- Free to play.
- Sees a lot of players through in the summer. Get out here at 6-7 in the morning and scrounge up some free discs that careless players lost in the waning twilight the previous evening. Put 'em in your bag as loaners, give 'em to a friend, or call the numbers on the back and breathe heavily into the receiver.

Cons:

- Heavily played. Course favored by most of the disc-playing KVCC and WMU students who live in the area.
- Not a lot of elevation changes.
- Sadly has had several recent bouts with vandalism. Middle and high school kids largely to blame. As a result, picnic tables have been broken, directional signs have been smashed, and the aluminum garbage cans that were installed 3-4 years ago have been obliterated.
- Hobos seem to get a kick out of dumping the contents of trash containers out to search for cans for that sweet, sweet $.10 MI deposit. They rarely refill the trash cans when done.

Other Thoughts:

I live about 3-4 blocks from this course and play it at least once a week whenever there's not snow on the ground. I've never gotten tired of this course. I largely play the shorts, but having improved my game recently, I've started to play the longs more and more and absolutely love the added angles, choke-points, and sheer distance.
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2 1
stoltzjl77
Experience: 30 years 179 played 13 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Hope to play again! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 1, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great layout, very challenging, good use of up/down and different foliage. Long tees offer much more challenging course. Requires many different shots.

Cons:

Very muddy, not well marked (although trails make it fairly obvious).
Could use wood chips and better signs. Construction underway in park and it looks like some trails are being improved. Nice park!

Other Thoughts:

This is a must-play course if you are in the area. It is probably much nicer in the summer and I hope to make it back and play again!
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0 4
lazydisc
Experience: 12 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Oshtemo 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 4, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good use of trees, to make the lanes wide yet very defined. Some very interesting twists and blind shots. Trees sometimes create unique hazards. Interesting tee offs with beautiful scenery. The playground/picnic area is nice to have when bringing non-players.

Cons:

If we didnt print out the course map of this website, we would have been incredibly lost. Somewhat confusing layout. Two teepads per hole..and if your throwing from the long hole no way to see if anybody is throwing or sitting at the short hole. Trash, drunken locals, bugs. After awhile it feels like your playing the same hole over again.

Other Thoughts:

I found the course interesting and challenging for the most part. But I'm so glad we printed the map for it. How trashed this course is..but i did see a couple that were nice, who were collecting enough bottles to purchase wine..
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