Green Lake DiscGolfPark reviews
11
0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
20 years
1008 played
579 reviews
2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 9, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
The Green Lake DiscGolfPark is the first DiscGolfPark in MI. The course was designed by Avery Jenkins. The course plays through a flat, entirely wooded track.
The baskets are the DiscGolfPark Pro's. These are top of the line targets. Look and catch excellently. These are easy to spot on this fully wooded course. The bands really pop in the shadows of the trees. Currently only baskets for the gold positions. Not sure when, but eventually there will be a basket for all the short positions too. There's appears to be one pin location for each of the baskets on all holes. The baskets also have a circle with an arrow on it welded to the bottom of the basket pointing you to the next tee location.
The tee pads are an artificial turf. These are fantastic. I've only played on this stuff once before, on a 9 hole DiscGolfPark course near Chicago. Can't remember the name right now, but I liked them then I remember. I really like these now. One tee pad per hole.
The signs are nicely done. They have a nicely detailed hole map, par and distances for each basket position and hole number. Really solid, well done signs. There are also next tee signs for every hole on a nearby tree. Navigation is super simple here. No map required.
There's a solid mix of distances and pars here. The holes range from just below 300' to a pair of 900'+ hole par 5's.
The course will test the skills of advanced players from the gold tees and looks to still be challenging for intermediate players from the blue tees.
The course is free to play and permanent. They have a course map by the parking lot by hole 1 and a port o potty on the opposite end of the parking area. Pretty large gravel parking area.
The baskets are the DiscGolfPark Pro's. These are top of the line targets. Look and catch excellently. These are easy to spot on this fully wooded course. The bands really pop in the shadows of the trees. Currently only baskets for the gold positions. Not sure when, but eventually there will be a basket for all the short positions too. There's appears to be one pin location for each of the baskets on all holes. The baskets also have a circle with an arrow on it welded to the bottom of the basket pointing you to the next tee location.
The tee pads are an artificial turf. These are fantastic. I've only played on this stuff once before, on a 9 hole DiscGolfPark course near Chicago. Can't remember the name right now, but I liked them then I remember. I really like these now. One tee pad per hole.
The signs are nicely done. They have a nicely detailed hole map, par and distances for each basket position and hole number. Really solid, well done signs. There are also next tee signs for every hole on a nearby tree. Navigation is super simple here. No map required.
There's a solid mix of distances and pars here. The holes range from just below 300' to a pair of 900'+ hole par 5's.
The course will test the skills of advanced players from the gold tees and looks to still be challenging for intermediate players from the blue tees.
The course is free to play and permanent. They have a course map by the parking lot by hole 1 and a port o potty on the opposite end of the parking area. Pretty large gravel parking area.
Cons:
The course is totally flat and has no water in play. Because of this it's just kind of a bland round. It's mostly straight tunnel shot after tunnel shot. Some drift to the left and some to the right slightly toward the end. But it starts to feel really repetitive after the front 9. I understand that that's what they had to work with but it just doesn't really have a high replay value.
The course is still a little rough around the edges as far as debris in the fairway and stumps and whatnot. This is obviously because of the newness of it, but worth noting.
Not really a con, more of a thought. I wonder how these turf tees will hold up over the years? They're absolutely fantastic right now and I have no experience with these. If they don't last these might become problematic. I have no idea, was just curious.
The course is still a little rough around the edges as far as debris in the fairway and stumps and whatnot. This is obviously because of the newness of it, but worth noting.
Not really a con, more of a thought. I wonder how these turf tees will hold up over the years? They're absolutely fantastic right now and I have no experience with these. If they don't last these might become problematic. I have no idea, was just curious.
Other Thoughts:
This is a fun course, don't get me wrong. But it's way above my skill level from the golds. That's all I was able to play however, and I can tell you this is not a beginner friendly course. It'll probably still be frustrating for beginners for the short pins due to the distances just by looking at the tee signs.
It's a great addition to the area it seems and I'd play it again (if they get baskets for the blues). It's a solid 3 to 3.5 course and nothing more or nothing less in my opinion.
It's a great addition to the area it seems and I'd play it again (if they get baskets for the blues). It's a solid 3 to 3.5 course and nothing more or nothing less in my opinion.
17
0
A marathon walk in the northern Michigan woods
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:May 10, 2021
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Green Lake DiscGolfPark is a professional level disc golf course utilizing a flat, wooded tract of land south of Interlochen, MI (about a half hour's drive southwest of Traverse City). The course is bordered by roads on two sides and an old airfield on the other two sides. According to the website, this is the first DiscGolfPark branded course in the state of Michigan and the 30th in the United States. It is also my first DiscGolfPark course played.
In a nutshell, the disc golf here consists of lengthy, flat, wooded holes. Due to creative pin placement and hole design, you will have to throw a lot of different shots and use your entire bag to score well here. There is a good variety between dogleg left, dogleg right, and straight holes. The fairways are relatively wide, but still narrow enough to require accurate drives and approach shots. There aren't "multiple fairways" on any holes but many of the fairways have a few trees in the middle, creating multiple lines from the tee pad to the basket. Several baskets are closely guarded by trees.
Each hole has one tee pad and two baskets. The baskets are DiscGolfPark Pro models. For those who may be unfamiliar (as I was), I uploaded a photo in the Media section. These are double chain baskets that catch well and are all numbered. The long Gold baskets look something like yellow banded DISCatchers from a distance. The "short" Blue baskets have dark blue bands. One feature that I really liked about these particular baskets was a metal arrow welded onto the bottom of each basket pointing toward the next tee. These will hold up better than Next Tee signs over time, and they look nice too.
The tee area infrastructure is good. Each hole has a color tee sign showing a map of the hole with both pin locations, hole number, distance to each pin and par for each layout, and other information. The signs are mounted to green metal poles - very nice looking. The tee pads themselves are large DiscGolfPark Pro astroturf mats (photo of this in Media as well). I am a bit skeptical of these pads, but it may just be a limitation of my personal experience. They were fine for me today, but conditions were dry and the pads are obviously brand new. I am curious to see how they will hold up over time in the wide range of Michigan weather conditions, or if they will get slippery when wet. All speculation for now... (Update: These are still in great shape 2 years later). There is also a wood bench at every tee and trash cans at most tees.
In addition to the metal arrows in the baskets, there are lots of highly visible Next Tee signs to point you in the right direction.
There is a ton of length here. Even the blue layout features six par 4s, and lots of chances to air it out. Yet, I think newer players with less power could still enjoy a round here. Disc loss is unlikely (at least until the leaves and snow fall) and the fairways are technical but not incredibly narrow. These players would just have to forget about par.
The front nine and back nine each loop back to the parking lot, so if you wanted to only play nine holes it would be easy to do so. Porta potties, a practice basket, and a kiosk with course map are all located at the parking lot. The course is free to play, but there is a donation box next to the kiosk.
In a nutshell, the disc golf here consists of lengthy, flat, wooded holes. Due to creative pin placement and hole design, you will have to throw a lot of different shots and use your entire bag to score well here. There is a good variety between dogleg left, dogleg right, and straight holes. The fairways are relatively wide, but still narrow enough to require accurate drives and approach shots. There aren't "multiple fairways" on any holes but many of the fairways have a few trees in the middle, creating multiple lines from the tee pad to the basket. Several baskets are closely guarded by trees.
Each hole has one tee pad and two baskets. The baskets are DiscGolfPark Pro models. For those who may be unfamiliar (as I was), I uploaded a photo in the Media section. These are double chain baskets that catch well and are all numbered. The long Gold baskets look something like yellow banded DISCatchers from a distance. The "short" Blue baskets have dark blue bands. One feature that I really liked about these particular baskets was a metal arrow welded onto the bottom of each basket pointing toward the next tee. These will hold up better than Next Tee signs over time, and they look nice too.
The tee area infrastructure is good. Each hole has a color tee sign showing a map of the hole with both pin locations, hole number, distance to each pin and par for each layout, and other information. The signs are mounted to green metal poles - very nice looking. The tee pads themselves are large DiscGolfPark Pro astroturf mats (photo of this in Media as well). I am a bit skeptical of these pads, but it may just be a limitation of my personal experience. They were fine for me today, but conditions were dry and the pads are obviously brand new. I am curious to see how they will hold up over time in the wide range of Michigan weather conditions, or if they will get slippery when wet. All speculation for now... (Update: These are still in great shape 2 years later). There is also a wood bench at every tee and trash cans at most tees.
In addition to the metal arrows in the baskets, there are lots of highly visible Next Tee signs to point you in the right direction.
There is a ton of length here. Even the blue layout features six par 4s, and lots of chances to air it out. Yet, I think newer players with less power could still enjoy a round here. Disc loss is unlikely (at least until the leaves and snow fall) and the fairways are technical but not incredibly narrow. These players would just have to forget about par.
The front nine and back nine each loop back to the parking lot, so if you wanted to only play nine holes it would be easy to do so. Porta potties, a practice basket, and a kiosk with course map are all located at the parking lot. The course is free to play, but there is a donation box next to the kiosk.
Cons:
Although I think the designers maximized the potential of the space available, the land just isn't very interesting here. As noted on the website, the course is basically flat other than hole #5 which plays over a small "pit". Even on this hole, larger arms will easily clear the pit on their tee shot. There are no water hazards or other challenges besides the distance and tree obstacles.
All of the holes here are solid, but none of them stood out for me. They start to feel similar after a while. I really can't name a signature hole.
There is quite a bit of walking between holes if playing the shorter blue layout.
The course is located near the intersection of two fairly busy country roads, so road noise can be heard throughout most of your round.
All of the holes here are solid, but none of them stood out for me. They start to feel similar after a while. I really can't name a signature hole.
There is quite a bit of walking between holes if playing the shorter blue layout.
The course is located near the intersection of two fairly busy country roads, so road noise can be heard throughout most of your round.
Other Thoughts:
There is no signage on the road to point out the course - trust your GPS coordinates.
There is a ton of length here but the round does start with a couple shorter holes. I always appreciate this in a course as it allows me to warm up more before trying to air it out on the longer holes.
I feel that this course lacks the "wow" factor that would make it a true destination in my eyes. That said, it is very well done and a great addition to the local scene. It's worth a drive to check out, especially if you like long wooded holes!
UPDATE June 2023: Returned to this one today. This course has worn in nicely since my first visit soon after it opened in May 2021. The fairways are being maintained and the rough is thick enough to add challenge, but thin enough that disc loss is unlikely. The carpet tees still look good, and I'm glad that my previous suspicion was correct (that the final plan was to have two permanent baskets on each hole).
This course is about maxed out on the land available. The only thing that I think would be nice is a second set of shorter tee pads/signs to create two more layouts more suitable for newer players and noodle arms like myself - even the current Blue layout is still pretty long by the standards of most courses. This course is definitely getting plenty of play and maintenance. I stand by my 4.0 rating, although it's definitely more on the lower end of 4.0 as it just isn't an incredibly interesting play. Just a solid, well executed, long layout on a nice piece of northern Michigan woodland.
There is a ton of length here but the round does start with a couple shorter holes. I always appreciate this in a course as it allows me to warm up more before trying to air it out on the longer holes.
I feel that this course lacks the "wow" factor that would make it a true destination in my eyes. That said, it is very well done and a great addition to the local scene. It's worth a drive to check out, especially if you like long wooded holes!
UPDATE June 2023: Returned to this one today. This course has worn in nicely since my first visit soon after it opened in May 2021. The fairways are being maintained and the rough is thick enough to add challenge, but thin enough that disc loss is unlikely. The carpet tees still look good, and I'm glad that my previous suspicion was correct (that the final plan was to have two permanent baskets on each hole).
This course is about maxed out on the land available. The only thing that I think would be nice is a second set of shorter tee pads/signs to create two more layouts more suitable for newer players and noodle arms like myself - even the current Blue layout is still pretty long by the standards of most courses. This course is definitely getting plenty of play and maintenance. I stand by my 4.0 rating, although it's definitely more on the lower end of 4.0 as it just isn't an incredibly interesting play. Just a solid, well executed, long layout on a nice piece of northern Michigan woodland.
