Northwoods Nature Trail is a simple 9 hole course that has tee signs for every hole listing distance and par, permanent single chained-baskets, and natural tees along a walking trail for the Northwood Forests Neighborhood. The course features a nice range of distances for the holes with the shortest being 189 feet and the longest being 336 feet.

The walking trail plays between homes at times and there are moments when a creek runs alongside the trail as well.

Hole 6 has a fun basket placement across a deep creek/ditch. It was easily the most memorable hole on the course.

The grass along the walking trail was cut.

If I had an orienteering map of this course, the "rough" would not be labeled as such, it would be titled "Fight". If your disc lands even three feet off the fairway, you might lose it, but you will almost certainly have to fight your way through the wall of growth to find your disc. I know because this happened to me a few times, where I could see my disc 3 to 4 feet away, and I had to fight to get it back.

The holes don't appear to be designed with much attention to shot variety or disc flight. The tees and baskets are merely tucked to the sides of the sewer-line where this walking trail was built. Until you reach Hole 7, which plays down an actual walking trail where I was able to touch leaves on both sides of the fairway with both of my hands stretched out, which then makes an almost 90 degree turn to the basket. Then finishes with a whimper on Holes 8 & 9 which just play back-and-forth in the same field.

When I played through, there were no baskets for Holes 2 or 4. I looked pretty hard for them too. The baskets that they do have are single chain baskets that are definitely showing their age. So I ended up just playing to the next holes tee sign. Then I made it to Hole 6, which had the best design out of all the holes, just because of the throwing over the creek. But the bridge that you are meant to use to cross the creek, is taped/boarded up with Caution and Do Not Enter signs. I could have climbed down into the dry creek and climbed back up, but I chose to risk it. I could tell why the bridge is "not in use".

The course plays out in a straight line. It's possible there was meant to be a way to play back in the other direction, but once I dropped my putter in, on Hole 9, I just wanted to walk back to my car. The walk would have at least been pleasant if the rough along the creek side of the trail hadn't been so thick, so it was visible for more than just fleeting glimpses. The rough was so thick I don't think I even noticed the creek until the hike back.

There was nobody else on the trail the day I played, this could be due to the bridge being "out", but I could see that becoming a conflict on a busy day.

I respect that someone wanted to build a course along this walking trail, it would be a decent use of mixed use land within the neighborhood, but I doubt it sees much use from the locals. I sometimes view courses as a one-and-done when it comes to playing them. This probably would be something I would recommend to others to list as a none-and-done unless the course sees some improvements, or that person is just really desperate to bag another course in this specific area (and all the other courses have been bagged.)

If you choose to play here anyway, just bring a midrange and a putter that you don't mind losing forever, just in case.

Due to the absolute thickest of thick rough, 2 baskets being missing, the bridge being "condemned", it being a course meant for the residents of the neighborhood - I have to give the course a 0.5 rating. The only reason this course isn't getting a 0.0 from me is because there could be a fun course here if it were cleaned up a bit.

I can imagine the course would be fun for local kids to play and learn the game if the rough was cleared out some, but if you aren't staying on the fairway the game would not be fun at all here.

Favorite Hole: 6