Do you like oak trees? Then you'll looooooovvvvve Jaycee Park! This is a course that finds most of its challenge in trees and elevation changes, and even then the elevation changes aren't drastic. Trees are used to shape the holes and determine your shot selection, with only one mando of real substance. Nice and shady during the summer, and no horrible brush that you'll have to dig through. The longest holes are around 350 feet, so it works well with my middle school boys.

Pretty monotonous, as the landscape is basically the same the whole way through - lots of huge oak trees to get in the way, and in the fall and spring lots of oak leaves to lose your discs in. Can be muddy. On the first time through (and sometimes later as well) you have to look closely to make sure you're playing to the right basket.

Jaycee Park is just pretty solid - nothing spectacular to note, but nothing horrible either. It's a local course for us so we play it occasionally to mix things up, but not worth a special trip.

Jaycee Park is tucked into a residential neighborhood in Kentwood, MI (a suburb of Grand Rapids). As you approach and park in the small parking lot, you will see a basketball court and playground on your right and a footbridge in front of you leading across a small creek. Cross this footbridge to find hole #1 (and #2-17).

The tee signs, tee pads, and baskets are all brand new as of 2023 - replacing the older infrastructure that was here previously. Each hole here has a concrete tee pad, and tee sign showing the flight path and distance. There are also short tee locations indicated on the tee signs, although as of this writing those are just natural and only marked by small yellow painted posts. The baskets are now red Chainstar Pros. The bright red baskets are a good choice for visibility, as the course is mostly shaded.

That brings me to what I love about this course, which is the tree cover. The flora at Jaycee Park is almost entirely old-growth forest, forming a thick canopy over most of the park (well overhead, above disc flying height). The trunks of the trees are the main obstacle in play at this course. A couple holes use them as a mando, and they provide challenge and prevent a straight throw to the basket on all 18 holes. The pin placement is well done, challenging you to throw hyzers, anyhyzers, and thread straight shots through these tree trunks. Some lines are tight but not unreasonably so. There isn't a ton of distance here, but several holes in the 300'-350' range and many more in the 200'-300' range. The design makes it tough to par these holes if your tee shots hit one of the trees.

But beyond the added challenge, this canopy of trees has another benefit...it helps make the course more enjoyable for recreational play in a variety of weather conditions. Are there 20+ mph winds in the area? From personal experience, there still won't be enough wind here to affect most of your shots. Is it 95 degrees outside? From personal experience, the heat will be manageable here in the shade. Did your only pair of sunglasses spontaneously combust? You get the point. It's okay in a light rain, or light snow as well.

In addition to the trees, there is a small amount of elevation in the park and that is also used well. A couple holes have sloping greens to provide a few risk/reward putts. It's nothing extreme, but enough to make things a little more interesting.

Despite being in a fairly small park, the first 17 holes honestly are pretty safe. There are a couple spots where fairways are pretty close together but it's nothing awful. There are also a few paths running through the park (these play as OB) and they could come into play, but only with a very errant throw on most holes.

The biggest con here is hole 18. After the 17 holes across the footbridge in the main park area, you'll cross back over the bridge to find this last hole. This hole is a sharp dogleg right, with a small creek (can be dried up) running along the left side and back of the hole, and the afore mentioned basketball court/playground on the right side. If you were to throw directly at the basket from the tee, you would be throwing straight across the playground and basketball court, to the basket right behind the basketball court fence. There is a mando posted to prevent this choice from being "legally" made - but still after 17 nice holes, this is not a good way to end the round. I would honestly feel better about it if the basket were just moved to be straight in front of the tee pad, making it a 125' or so ace run to end the round.

No kiosk or course map to be found - just a small sign with the rules of disc golf near the first tee. The navigation flows pretty well if you know where you're going, but does loop around a lot so it's confusing for a first-timer. Use the map on here as a guide for your first round.

The ground is mostly just dirt. This is nice for not losing discs but does mean there isn't really "rough" on most of the holes. Also, in a heavier rain or snow I would imagine this would get very muddy.

There are two practice baskets, but they are located in an open area in the center of the park (not near the parking lot or hole 1).

Despite my concerns with #18, I have to commend the designer for fitting 17 holes into the main park area. The 17 holes are all challenging, enjoyable, and safe to play. I live in the area and this course has become part of my regular circuit. It's no destination course, but worth a stop if you are in the area.

UPDATES (LAST APRIL 2024): This course and the overall park have seen a lot of work over the past couple of years. Thank you to the Kent County Community Action organization and those involved in making these improvements!
- New red Chainstar Pro baskets, concrete tee pads, and tee signs.
- New bright yellow navigational signs at a couple of the longer transitions, and matching bright yellow Mando signs.
- Some tree removal has taken place off the tee of hole 12, making what was once one of the trickiest holes on the course a bit easier.
- The basketball court/playground/restroom area near hole 18 have been reconstructed.
- The parking lot has been repaved.
None of this is enough to change my 3.0 rating, but this is one of the better courses right in the GR metro area. It's one of my go-to courses if I want to just get a round in after work and don't have a ton of time. It's a popular course that will make you a better disc golfer if you frequent it.

Jaycee Park is typical smallish, city park with large scattered mature trees. The park's groundcover is mostly bare dirt. I don't think this park ever sees a lawn mower. There is a creek which runs around part of the perimeter of the park. In mid-August it was running low. During periods of rain, I could see it being something to stay out of. There is a small amount of elevation which helps keep the play a little more interesting. The course mostly plays in areas that look as though they would not get much interference from other park users (except for hole # 18), see cons.

Navigation is fairly intuitive but I got turned around a couple of times. The tee signs are simple wooden poles with a rounded piece on top that shows the hole number. A few have the flight path routered in. Most have signatures from heros who have Aced some of these 200' monsters. You can almost always see the basket from the tee pad. The pads are small concrete which mostly is set 2-3-4" above the ground thus making a longer run-up uncomfortable. The baskets are older Discatchers with the yellow band and a small number on them. There are 2-3 next tee signs on those holes with a longer walkout.

The course is clean with no signs of any graffiti, other than my Ace heroes. There were a couple of garbage cans here and there and one bench, I think.

I thought # 10 was a fun little toss. The hole is dedicated to Gary somebody. That part of the sign is a little difficult to read. The hole is very short, maybe 125 , but you tee off between two large trees right in front of the box. Or I guess you could reach left and throw an Annie around the two trees. I didn't see a mando sign anywhere. I also didn't see that the creek is just right of the basket, maybe 20 feet or so. It's just a fun little Ace Run.

The course is definitely recreational. I'm not sure if any hole reaches 300'. A couple were close to that distance.

Hole 18 bothers me. It is a fun anhyser toss around a play area and the basketball courts. The creek meanders along the left side leaving you with a fairly tight line to hit. You want to avoid the creek but are limited to the right. Without children and basketball players here, this is a fun challenging little throw. With children playing here, I'd be a little nervous as my drive today caught a tree and caromed off into the play area leaving me with a fun little overhand throw across the BB courts.

The park looks as though it could get very muddy and slippery with some wet weather.

The creek, when running deep, would not be something you'd not want to land in.

Small raised tee pads preventing a decent run-up.

# 16 has houses on the left. A poor throw could find their backyards.

Totally recreational length and challenge.

I had a first today on this course. In 40 years of playing, I have never ran across a female playing a course alone. Today, I crossed paths with a personable, young (30ish) lady playing the course by her self. Cool!

This is just a very comfortable and fun course to play. There are enough trees to provide obstacles, enough elevation to keep interest, enough tight lines to provide a little challenge and enough Ace Runs to keep players coming back. It's a little far from my house but if I lived closer, I'd be back.

- Course sits in a hilly multiuse park where park amenities intermingle with the layout.
- Concrete pads on every hole.
- Innova Discatchers with the infamous yellow chastity belt. All seem to be in decent shape for the most part.
- Every hole has multiple lines so lefties and righties rejoice. Those that like to flick well, you're going to love this place.
- Course is a little on the short side but still manages to have relatively long and short holes.
- Tee signs aren't bad...they show the general layout of the hole but not distance.

- Concrete pads for the most part are just fine but many of them are way too small.
- Course flow and navigation is bizarre at best. Going to 15 tee for example from #14 basket means walking up the 14 and 15 fairways. I think when they numbered the holes crack was consumed. GET A MAP. Even the locals commented to me how wonky the layout is.
- #5 is waaaaayyy to close to that baseball field. Shorten up the hole or move the tee pad away.
- #18 is a plain old safety hazard - a bad one. Even with the marked mando there is just no reason to have a hole so close to a playground.
- There is a well used walking path that meanders throughout the course and creates some interesting safety hazards - not nearly as bad as #18.

This isn't exactly a destination course. Kind of a huckers paradise or a place for a quick 18 - if it isn't crowded. Would really like to have seen the creek that wanders through here utilized some more. Also, this layout needs to be fixed and safety hazards fixed - SOON. It's a fairly short course that most Am3's will be even with par or lower. Lots of deuce runs available here.

pads on every hole, ampads on (almost) every hole. im assuming some kids just ripped out the post on the two that were missing. nice park

not really any (long open) throws that some people like.

great for a day when its really windy or a little sprinkly because its completely wooded.

Short and Technical
Wooded and shady
Nice baskets
No water hazards
Great pads
Various elevation
Tee signs were fairly accurate
Multiple parking lots

No open fairways
Depending on season leaves can be a real pain
No posted maps(can be confusing for first timers)
Mandos
Peak park times can make for a slow game
Few trash receptacles
Brush poorly maintained
Poison ivy everywhere
2 benches throughout the whole course
No longer a basket on hole 11

****UPDATE****

The basket has been stolen on hole 11.

I learned to play here and in the last year I have improved my short game drastically. Great course to force yourself to learn to throw or hit tree after tree.

I'm a new player and love this course. I play it twice a day, every day it isn't raining in the spring/summer/fall. However this year the upkeep is lacking and the new people in the neighborhood have made it an experience I no longer fully enjoy. Every time I am there the same bunch of kids beg me for my discs, Ask to throw discs, talk smack when you tell them to get their own. In the last week I have witnessed 2 discs stolen and a fight break out because of some adults trying to steal discs. The amount of broken glass on the course is getting out of hand as well. What was my favorite course to play is slowly being shifted to old farm and brewer.

A bunch of different throwing styles at nice technical windows, without being too tight or too open.
Good Signage, makes navigating the unusual flow easy.
Nice tees, good flat concrete.
Quite scenic, and should be even nicer in the summer.
Tricky shots and mandos when necessary to keep you working hard, even though there's not much in the way of long range discing.

Very little in the way of long distance shots, if you just like to let 450' drives fly this isn't the course for you.
Bad drainage considering how hilly it is. The course was mostly a sheet of ice when I played it, but that didn't stop me from greatly enjoying the round. Probably amazing on a nice summer day.

The flow of the course is a little strange, with a lot of holes all crammed close together. Still, this doesn't really detract much from the course, considering.
Quite a bit of litter.

Very nice, especially given the space. This is in a densely populated area, and is one of the nicest courses I've seen in such a small city park. It gives a good experience, with a lot of holes you can be proud to deuce, and a few that will make you work to hit par. Not a destination course, but very much worth your time if you happen to be in the area.

Short, but a challenge. It is a nice little park, but you won't be airing out big drives.

Can be busy on peak hours, trees demand accuracy so some beginners might not like it.

Decent layout, less big parties of people than I have seen at other places. I was told a lot of hoodrats like to hang around here but I had no issues when I played.

Very nicely wooded course, it was great on a warm sunny day. The course is short enough you can get two rounds in in 2 hours if you move quickly. The catchers were in decent condition.

If your looking for distance or open fairways, go to a different course, this course requires thought and more precision.

A fun course to check off the list, I plan on playing this course many more times.

nice tract through a small neighborhood park
good variety of hole lengths
close to Old Farm so you can play 36 unique holes without driving far

Some really short holes
Lots of Trees that can be frustrating for newbees
a few holes throw close to walking path

got my first ever ace here on hole 11. Almost aced 17. My favorite Grand Rapids course, aces may make me biased!

This place has lots of trees which can make it a challenge during the summer
Theres some short holes good for people still trying to learn how to throw farther
Benches throughout the park make it possible for anyone to take a rest
Theres a spot in the middle of the park, usually used for baseball, that you can practice throwing your disc at

There is one hill that is steep!, so bring a hiking stick for that part, or just hurt your back walking up it
The 18th hole can be and mostly is avoided by alot of people because there is a playground right next to it, and basketball courts
On the tenth hole, theres a mando, and a good size creek flowing right by the basket, which disc can get caught into often

Even though theres a mando I believe on the 18th hole, it doesnt help with a playground on the side of it, whoever made this course could have put the 18th hole in a better location.

The course has mostly short distance shots.
Good signs to show where the basket is.
Quality tee pads.
Some elevation and nice RH LH shot variety.

Very confusing to find the next hole in quite a few spots and the whole course wraps around a very small area.
Many obstacles like basketball courts and baseball diamonds.
No water hazards.
Not many distance shots.

The park is pretty interesting because of all the really large old trees all around. If the signs showed you were to go next I would give it a little bump up.

- A great mid-range course with the highest distance about 300ft. Nothing a mid-range / fairway driver wouldn't fix
- Good cement pads, fairly long pads at that
- Signs are great for explaining the hole setup, though finding the next hole is something that would be nice to include
- Baskets are Innova, fairly good condition at that
- Since the course is kind of straight forward, there are mando's, and of course play the paths as OB's
- Has the trees as a good challenge along with mando's and OB's, otherwise, a fairly simple course like Lamar and such.
- Nice direction changes, left than right or right than left, no straight shots, the trees do help.

- No real water hazards
- A local park, with playgrounds, basket ball courts and tennis courts, along with a baseball field (apparently no one use's it anymore as I am told)
- A little run-down, though kept clean
- Not really a pro type course, with challenges down to 2 on a scale of 5.

- Overall, I gave it a 2.5 due to the conditions, shortness, challenges that it had opposed to the ones that would have made it better... It is a nice course, fun, but did not really offer up a challenge worth enough to state this is a "destination" course.

*Bathrooms are locked and unlocked everyday from Spring to Fall, I believe after 10-6pm or later in the evening.*

- Neat basket layout on a couple holes... rocks and landscaped...

- Straight forward...

- Pretty well maintained

- Too simple for the experienced player.

- Multiple holes less than 120 feet... Seriously?

- can be pretty crowded

Course was mediocre, but did have a couple of memorable holes. Back nine was quite nice, but the front nine was various severely short holes.

Paved boxes, quality baskets and signs help create a great atmosphere. Tree placement can be frustrating but makes for great practice on some trickier technical shots.

There can be a ton of children and/or families running around. Also, leaves are plentiful all year and can be a real nuisance.

A definite must in the Grand Rapids region. It has lots of character.

-Technical: Jaycee is a smaller, but fun course overall. Most holes are in 200-300ft range, so birdie opprotunities abound. A few holes are over 300ft, and a couple are under 200 feet. But, there really is no "open" hole here, and this is the biggest pro to me. Line shaping is key to scoring well. The course caters to different throwing styles with a variety of routes on some holes. It covers straight, left, and right holes with a couple of extreme rights.

-Elevation: course makes great use of what little elevation it has. For example, hole 15 plays entirely uphill and has a slightly raised green.

-Pin placements: risky pin locations add a challenge on some holes, either being on a hill or protected by trees.

-Teepads/signs: all holes have concrete tees, though they are a bit too short for me personally. Every hole has a basic sign with a somewhat accurate distance.
Also, a small creek comes somewhat into play on holes 10 and 18 and hole 10 has a mando (no sign) that forces you b/w two trees in front of the tee.

-Not exclusively for DG: this is a multi-purpose park that I consider to be "inner-city", even though it is in a suburb. It can get busy with DGers, people walking the paths that wind throughout the park, kids on either of the two playgrounds, the basketball/tennis courts, or the tiny baseball field in the center of the park (never once saw baseball played on it).

-Navigation/flow issues: after hole 10, you walk down the path toward tee #3 and take a left/south turn up the path to get to 11. The tee for 12 is up the hill toward the south. You have to walk back down 14s fairway to get to 15. After 15, walk north down the path to 16. See what I mean?

-Leaves/trash/seating areas: Tons of leaves can make finding discs a pain, so keep an eye on them. There are a few trash barrels, but it is still quite littered. There are a couple of benches (tee #6 and #10), but that's it.

-Baskets: a couple have a broken/missing chain and hole 11 basket is a cheap looking single-chain.

This by no means a "desitnation" course, but worth a try for those in the area. In spite of the cons, Jaycee is a fun course to play, especially at non-peak times if possible. If I am by myself, I can play in an hour flat. On a really windy day, Jaycee can provide some shelter with all of its trees and they also shade quite nicely.
A bathroom next to the tennis courts is open during the Spring-Fall. The location of it makes it pretty much a before/after round stop though.

Update:The bathrooms get locked/unlocked everyday (Spring through Fall) and are only open approximately 10am to 7pm.

This course is not really that busy with players so there is no back up on the course like there are other ones in the same area. Once you get away from the main part of the park where children area is its pretty nice. The holes are challenging, nice distances. Hole 12 is alot of fun, should be a par four rather than three. A couple holes give you the chance to practice long drives as well as bending your discs with A or H throwing styles. I would not recommend this course of beginners.

Ghetto!
Park is not taken care of, lots of leaves, twigs, garbage, broken glass all over the place. Be Careful if your wearing sandals. The park has a basketball court that is a common hang out for teenagers, and they like to harass players. Just ignore them.

I think the city of Grand Rapids needs to take better care of this park.

- A smallish, bustling, multi-purpose park surrounded by the neighborhood it services, Jaycees has a slightly scruffy, homely atmosphere throughout its 18 holes. The slight elevation changes throughout are used well, as is the smallish creek wending through a few of the holes. Mature oaks form a canopy over the course and provide the main challenge. The network of sidewalks throughout the park forms boundries on many holes, all presenting OB risks. Those not discing down risk incurring plenty of penalty strokes on skips or rolls.
- Decent concrete tees. Short tees are natural and marked by a wooden post painted yellow (as at Old Farm). Nifty wooden signs provide a crude but adequate diagram and (usually) the distance in black sharpie. Some holes have "next tee" signage.
- Many holes offer multiple paths to the pin with varying risk/reward. A wealth of line-shaping exercises allows discers to play to their strengths on most holes. A few mandos force you to take the designer's intended line on a couple of holes.

- After playing 14, you have to backtrack down the fairway to get to 15's tee. Terrible design and definitely hazardous if busy or backed up.
- Awkward flow in a couple of places, despite some "next tee" signs. The walk from 15 to 16 (I believe) is especially tricky and not marked. Seems odd to have signs from #1 to the easy-to-find #2, and then not have them where needed.
- In several places the course plays alongside nearby houses' backyards, the playground equipment, walking paths, and the basketball courts. This creates a major potential for an errant disc to whack innocent bystanders. As this is a multi-purpose park, exercise caution.
- Although located under a nice canopy of trees, you never really get the feeling of a seculded natural setting.

- Jaycee definitely provides fun and a few tricky holes, but isn't going to be challenging more experienced players anytime soon. A lot of holes are putter or mid-range fodder, while only a couple stretch out the distance and require discing up. Definitely not a destination course but a fun place to play at if you're in the area, or as a warm-up to some of the other area courses. Experienced players will have fun collecting birdies while newer players have the opportunity to work on hitting their lines and avoiding the multitude of hazards: sidewalk OB's, the creek, and the many trees.

Nice mix of short holes with longer challenging holes. some nice ace runs on a couple of holes. Tee posts with distance written on them. lots of shade due to the trees that are all around. short tees for every hole (yellow tipped 4 X 4 posts.)

Concrete tee pads while good yes but they are too short for some holes making a run up hard. even harder when there is a lip between the ground and the concrete possibly making you stumble on approach. can be confusing to navigate if your first time here.

I really enjoy playing this course. it is close to work so can play it real quick after work before i head home. the course lets you try and find shot lines to get through the vast amount of trees. a lot of holes are very good deuce opportunities. good course for players of all levels of ability. from #10 11 tee is between playground equipment and softball fence.

Short Course. Lots of elevation change and heavily wooded make it a difficult technical course, but, if you're just starting out like we are, it's a great place to work on accuracy. Easy to find tees.

Pads are raised, increases chances of tripping on approach. #18 is dangerous if your accuracy is poor. I understand the mando left, but still, if you release late you could wing a little kid. Some tees and targets are really close together.

Decent course. Fun for a change and one of the better elevation courses in GR.