If you like throwing over parking lots, Lake Forest Church is the course for you. Actually, the parking lot creates one of the best island green layouts I've seen.
- It's a pretty decent course considering the amount of pavement in play. Based on the limited amount of grass, they created a quality layout.
- A relatively fun, varied layout. Good use of limited elevation with several downhill layouts (#1 & 4), a short uphill shot (#9), good use of other natural obstacles from rocks (#2) to mounds and trees (#7 & 8 respectively).
- Varied lengths and challenges. Lengths range from 75 to 420 feet. Yup. Even at a church, you still have a hole measuring THAT distance.
- If you're a bigger arm, you can play the parking lot as OB, meaning you've got two holes with 300+ feet carries - #3 at 385 (and a basket on a ridge to boot) and #5 at 360.
- #7 can also present a tight-ish fairway with the parking lot along the entire right side and woods along the left.
- Tee posts make it easy to navigate the course.
- There's a small box of loaner discs by the first tee.

The parking lot's overwhelming presence is the course's biggest deterrence. Aesthetically, it's fine. In terms of play (fun factor, damage to discs, etc.), it's a negative. Perhaps, just throw a junk disc on the holes you know you're throwing and skimming along the parking lot.
- A rather pedestrian layout. Course plans in a condensed space, playing essentially in sections of grass between the tree line and parking lot. #1 & 2 are one small island of grass. #3 & 4 on another; and 5 - 9 in the final section. Other than #8 & 9, the trees really don't come into play as much as they should. Even a single short hole in the trees, or simple a basket back in the trees would give this course just a little more seasoning.
- Course's intended audience isn't clear. Short, easy holes such as #1 & 9 are clearly aimed at beginners. But, then holes with 300 foot+ carries over the parking lot clearly are for a different crowd. Perhaps on #3 & 5, put in shorter, alternate tees to make the carries in the 150-foot range.
- The other concern with the course playing over or alongside the entrance road/parking lot is the risk of hitting cars. It goes without saying the course is unplayable during services or other church activities. But, what about when the lot has some cars? We've all seen a newbie throw a disc 90 degrees off line by releasing it too soon or too late. Every hole is within 75 feet of the road/parking lot.
- Not much land to do any practice or field work. Putting and approach shots are about as good as you can do unless you want to deal with scuffed discs.

For all its warts, I enjoyed Lake Forest for a quick round. It might not be fun throwing at parking lots day after day were this your home course.
- If the parking lot were a truly enforced OB, it would be fun, especially if you don't have a big arm. On #3 & 5, how many throws does it take you to land on one of the strips of grass in a median? On #4, how many discs will be in near gimmie range, but be considered OB? On #3 & 5, would you implement alternate tees?
- #4 is an excellent island green. It's 235 feet and downhill, so it plays closer to 200. The green is essentially 20x25, with smaller sections extending outwards. You better be throwing soft, or your parked disc may skip/slide OB. A disc landing 40 feet short may skid all the way on the pavement to tap-in range. Play this hole during an ace race, and see how many discs that hit the basket end up OB.
- Lake Forest Church?, you may be asking. Lake = Lake Norman. Forest = daughter church of Forest Hills. Church = a building for religious worship or body/organization of religious believers, such as.
- There's good variety here. Nice scenery, especially on the tees of #1 & 7. It's a leisurely round. And, you're not even a quarter mile from a greenway.
- I'm giving this a slight bump, and probably overrating it with a 1.5 rating. It's not a 5.0 rating (cough, cough Jake) or a 3.0+ rated-level course as UDisc will try to convince you. Comparable to Dorton.

Lake Forest Church has installed a short little 9 hole course. It used to be a target style course playing in a loop to labeled 4x4 posts in the ground. Recently the church has installed 9 Axiom Lite baskets. Hole 1 starts on top of a hill to the left of the church, if you are facing the church from the parking lot.

At first glance the course seemed like it was going to be completely flat, but I actually found out that there was some elevation involved in the course, which helped create some fun shots. Hole 1 is a fun downhill shot with a decent amount of air room to shape your shot. Hole 3 brings risk/reward into play by having the basket on top of a berm. Hole 4's tee shot is a downhill throw from the same berm. Hole 9 is short, but plays uphill. All of these things add up to a surprising amount of elevation in play during a round.

The hole has a wide range of distances. I used a GPS and clocked the shortest hole around 75' long, making for a nice ace run. However, according to my GPS, the longest hole is over 400' long. This meant the shot would require a distance driver to reach the basket from the tee - at least for us non-touring mortals. Since I was using a beat up Aviar Big Bead, it took me 2 good throws to reach the basket.

Holes 7 & 8 play in an area cut out of a pine forest, across a couple of detention ponds. These holes were some of my favorites, and felt the most secluded.

As with many church courses, the course is going to lack amenities of other courses, such as benches, nice tee signs, trash cans, and restrooms.The course will also see weekly closures on Sundays until 1pm. However, the course is also effectively closed anytime the church is having a function that will bring cars into the parking lot, as Holes 3, 4, & 5 throw over the lot. If you choose to play here, bring a disc/discs that you don't mind tearing up.

Hole 1 throws over one of the entrance roads, but players should have more than enough time to see if cars are coming. Hole 6, plays along the same road, and an errant drive could end up in the parking lot.

There is some disc loss potential, mainly to the left of Hole 6's fairway. The rough is very tall, thick, and has a few thorns. It probably wouldn't be a guaranteed lost disc, but there is the chance. If you are playing with a beginner, it is likely best to have a spotter.

Holes 3 & 5 have crossing fairways, and all of the tees are right next to baskets. While this course will likely never see the kind of traffic to really highlight these issues - they are worth keeping in mind.

The Axiom Lite baskets look good, and will probably hold up decently well for a while since the course probably won't see daily use.However, they could probably be secured better.

Lake Forest Church has some fun shots and would be a great beginner course, but all of this is marred by the fact that 45% of the distance thrown on this course is done over a large, asphalt parking lot. The course was likely designed as a way to spend time with youth groups using cheap, generic frisbees. However, if you live in the area and are trying to bag a course and/or have a disc you don't mind tearing up, you'll likely find some interesting shots to throw at Lake Forest Church.

Having never rated a course with so much parking lot in play, I am torn on what to rate it. For now I am giving it a 1.0 rating. If the course didn't play over the church's parking lot, I would have given it a higher rating. Despite the redeeming qualities the parking lot holes had, they just didn't quite cut it for me. The rest of the course is pretty solid though.

Favorite Hole: 7