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Art Prize 2022 #135 reviews
22
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Art and Disc Golf!
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 18, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
This course is an entry in the 2022 edition of ArtPrize, a competition that takes place semi-annually in Grand Rapids, MI. The course is set up in a park near the John Ball Zoo on the west side of the city.
The course consists of five putter throws that I would estimate at around 80-100 ft. each. The tee areas are each marked with two yard-style signs that also describe the target.
The targets are scrap metal expertly fabricated into five different sculptures that can catch discs:
- Hole 1 looks like a spider, with the target in the middle and the large legs helping to knock away ace attempts.
- Hole 2 looks like a monster. You'll need to throw into the monster's mouth.
- Hole 3 looks like a small tower with a butterfly on top. This one is tricky because the gap to throw discs into the target is quite small. Depending on where your tee shot lands relative to the target, scoring a 2 here could be more difficult than you think.
- Hole 4 looks like a frog, and again you're throwing into the mouth.
- Hole 5 looks like a cow, and the target is a rectangular cutout in the center of the cow. The chains of the target are hooked up to a cowbell, so that when your disc hits the chains the cowbell makes noise.
While the targets are not "baskets" per se, three of them (spider, butterfly, and cow) have chains installed and arranged similar to a disc golf basket, and all three of these targets seemed to catch quite well. The monster and frog have just a couple of chains each, but their target "mouth" areas are also more of a bucket shape that is only open towards the tee. This prevents discs from going through the targets, and also means that you want to be careful not to overthrow them as it will take two strokes or more to lay up back in front of the target and putt.
The course flows smoothly from hole to hole and plays in a loop. The chosen piece of land is not near other park amenities or the street, and although the holes are a little bit close together it's not too bad considering the short distances involved.
MVP and Axiom Discs generously donated about 75 putt/approach discs to the exhibit, and they are available in a large bin by the first tee for anyone to use then return after the round. You can also bring your own discs.
The course consists of five putter throws that I would estimate at around 80-100 ft. each. The tee areas are each marked with two yard-style signs that also describe the target.
The targets are scrap metal expertly fabricated into five different sculptures that can catch discs:
- Hole 1 looks like a spider, with the target in the middle and the large legs helping to knock away ace attempts.
- Hole 2 looks like a monster. You'll need to throw into the monster's mouth.
- Hole 3 looks like a small tower with a butterfly on top. This one is tricky because the gap to throw discs into the target is quite small. Depending on where your tee shot lands relative to the target, scoring a 2 here could be more difficult than you think.
- Hole 4 looks like a frog, and again you're throwing into the mouth.
- Hole 5 looks like a cow, and the target is a rectangular cutout in the center of the cow. The chains of the target are hooked up to a cowbell, so that when your disc hits the chains the cowbell makes noise.
While the targets are not "baskets" per se, three of them (spider, butterfly, and cow) have chains installed and arranged similar to a disc golf basket, and all three of these targets seemed to catch quite well. The monster and frog have just a couple of chains each, but their target "mouth" areas are also more of a bucket shape that is only open towards the tee. This prevents discs from going through the targets, and also means that you want to be careful not to overthrow them as it will take two strokes or more to lay up back in front of the target and putt.
The course flows smoothly from hole to hole and plays in a loop. The chosen piece of land is not near other park amenities or the street, and although the holes are a little bit close together it's not too bad considering the short distances involved.
MVP and Axiom Discs generously donated about 75 putt/approach discs to the exhibit, and they are available in a large bin by the first tee for anyone to use then return after the round. You can also bring your own discs.
Cons:
There aren't any obstacles between tee and target on any of the holes.
The park is pancake flat.
The tees are natural.
You can (and should) play the entire course with your putter, or indeed any putter you can find in the disc bin.
There is nothing here to really challenge even a recreational level disc golfer, other than the allure of possible aces flying into the one-of-a-kind targets. I actually threw my first ever ace on the finishing hole today. Holy cow!
The park is pancake flat.
The tees are natural.
You can (and should) play the entire course with your putter, or indeed any putter you can find in the disc bin.
There is nothing here to really challenge even a recreational level disc golfer, other than the allure of possible aces flying into the one-of-a-kind targets. I actually threw my first ever ace on the finishing hole today. Holy cow!
Other Thoughts:
From a disc golf challenge perspective, this is by no means a good course. But when it comes to unique/fun factor and growing the sport, "Disc Art Golf" (the official name of the ArtPrize entry) is great. The course was very busy when I visited, and the people playing were clearly a mix of curious local DG'ers and people who had never thrown a disc golf disc in their lives.
The designer/artist was sitting in a lawn chair by the first tee and I was able to chat with him for a couple minutes. It's uncertain what will happen to the course after ArtPrize ends on October 2. He said something like "it's all up for sale, and I have had several entities express interest including the park/zoo where it is currently set up, but I also wouldn't be sad if it just ended up back in my yard."
If you're anywhere near Grand Rapids - and certainly if you plan on visiting ArtPrize anyway - you should definitely stop by and check this course/installation out! Be sure to create a free account on ArtPrize.org and add the installation to your "Favorites" (click the star) to increase the artist's chance of winning prizes!
The designer/artist was sitting in a lawn chair by the first tee and I was able to chat with him for a couple minutes. It's uncertain what will happen to the course after ArtPrize ends on October 2. He said something like "it's all up for sale, and I have had several entities express interest including the park/zoo where it is currently set up, but I also wouldn't be sad if it just ended up back in my yard."
If you're anywhere near Grand Rapids - and certainly if you plan on visiting ArtPrize anyway - you should definitely stop by and check this course/installation out! Be sure to create a free account on ArtPrize.org and add the installation to your "Favorites" (click the star) to increase the artist's chance of winning prizes!
