Norwalk, OH

Great Blue Heron

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2.985(based on 21 reviews)
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6 0
Derek B
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 397 played 46 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Blue Heron Revamp! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 24, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) Short and long tees
2) Beautiful scenery
3) Solid, challenging course design
4) 3 temp island holes are now permanent
5) Full color signs w hole map, distances
6) Unique target placements - hanging, pedestal

Cons:

1) Short tees no concrete
2) Navigation is challenging
3) High grass in spots
4) Not all holes have tee signs

Other Thoughts:

Course design: 4.25/5
Scenery: 4.5/5
Tees: 4.5/5
Signage: 4/5
Navigation: 2/5
_______________
Average/Total: 3.85/5 rounded to 4/5

I've played this course quite a few times, including several Fire in the Sky tourneys and I always found it to be challenging and enjoyable, especially once I learned the layout of the holes. I just played a casual round last weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find that it has been revamped! They redesigned some holes, added three new holes, added full color tee signs! Kudos to the Norwalk DGA, who I assume spearheaded this effort!

Let me tell you about this course. First, it is epic in length. 24 holes, and if you play from the longs (which I recommend) you're looking at 8,000+ feet of course! Prepare for a long, challenging round. There is every kind of shot here. Straight, hyzer, anhyzer, shot-shaping. You have wooded, open and water holes. The only thing lacking is any significant elevation, but that's a small complaint amidst all the goodies that await you here.

The design is a bit wonky, so let's walk you through the layout so you know where you're going (this is for long tees). After you shoot Hole 1, turn around and head toward the lake. Hole 2 plays across the lake. Be very careful not to bite off more than you chew trying to shoot over the lake. I always throw a RHBH slight hyzer well to the right of the lake. After hole 2, go right, into the woods and follow the path. Hole 3's tee will be in the small clearing after the wooded path ends, to your left down a small hill. You will be shooting a fairly straight shot and the basket is tucked inside the wood line on the left side, near the end of the woods. Hole 4 isn't too hard to find...just walk forward from 3's target, staying in the woods. Once you shoot 4, take a left, about 10 to 11 o'clock from the target and go toward the lake. Hole 5's tee is right next to the lake and the basket is fairly straight ahead on a point, with lake behind and on the right. After Hole 5, turn around and go into the woods behind Hole 5's basket. Hole 6's tee is just inside those woods. You'll be shooting toward the lake at the hanging basket, fairly straight ahead. After 6, walk straight ahead, in between the lake and the wood line. Once the woods ends on your right, you'll see hole 7's tee. Hole 7's target is about 20' to the right of the solo tree that is fairly straight ahead from the tee and is very near the wood line. Be careful not to go into the parking lot as that is OB. To get to hole 8, walk straight ahead like you're going back to Hole 1. Hole 8's tee is across the street from Hole 1's tee and you'll be shooting into the woods for Hole 8's target. Once you've completed 8, turn around and take the path on your left out of the woods. That leads you to Hole 9's tee. Hole 9's target is to the left and near the water.

After 9, turn around and walk toward the main park road. Hole 10's tee is on the other side of the main park road and you'll be shooting a long shot, slightly to your right and into the woods. The basket sits just inside the wood line. After 10, turn left and stay in the woods. You'll go down a small hill and 11's tee is at the bottom. You'll be shooting through the woods and across the creek, fairly straight, maybe slightly left of the tee. The target is on the side of a hill. It is often very muddy in the fairway on 11 FYI. After 11, make a right and follow the path and you'll see 12's tee. This one plays very long, through a bunch of scattered trees, with the target fairly straight ahead and toward the thicker wood line. After 12, turn left and follow the thicker wood line. There you will find Hole 13's tee and you'll be shooting the opposite direction that you shot Hole 12. Hole 13's target is the pedestal basket and it's way down there. The main park road on the right of the fairway is OB, but not the tributary road that cuts across the fairway. After 13, you'll turn right, approximately 2 o'clock from 13's target, and cross the park road, heading toward the pine tree grove. 14's tee is at the near edge of the pine grove. You'll be shooting at a basket on the opposite end of the pine grove, to the right of the tee. It's another long-ass hole. After 14, walk forward and across the park road (away from the pine grove) and Hole 15's tee will slightly to your left. Hole 15's target is another pedestal target and is located near the water. After completing 15, turn right and walk toward the park road. Hole 16's tee is near the park road. This is another HUGE hole. It plays up and over the hill. Once you get to the top of the hill, you probably have another 300+ feet to go and the target sits inside the elbow of the park road; i.e., there's OB road to the left and behind 16's basket. After 16, turn right. Hole 17's tee is just to the right of the park road and plays back in the opposite direction of Hole 16. The target is fairly straight ahead and down the hill. After 17, you'll head 7 o'clock from the basket back up the hill a bit and you'll see 18's tee. There's just a wooden post there and no tee sign. That plays to the basket heading back toward hole 1.

After 18, walk just across the park road that is beyond 18's target and you'll see 19's tee. This is a shorty technical hole with a double (maybe even triple, I can't remember) mando and an island green. After 19, turn left and walk toward the pine grove and you'll see 20's tee. That plays along the edge of the pine grove and the target has OB park road just to the left and behind it. After 20, make a right, approximately 4 o'clock from the target, go through the pine grove and go across the park road. There is 21's tee and it shoots across the lake to the giant island. This is a super long hole. You need to be able to shoot a minimum 310' drive to clear the water, so don't bitch if you read this and then end up in the drink. You do have the option to lay up at the edge of the water, leaving a very reasonable drive to get over it from there, in case you're a fraidy cat. Hole 21's target is on the other end of the island, hugging the left side of the island. After 21, turn right and you'll see 22's tee. After 22, turn and walk toward the bridge going to the mainland and you'll see 23's tee. After 23, walk back to the mainland and then make a right, following the park road. You have a fairly long trek, hugging the lake on your right and you'll see 24's tee. This is another long hole and it plays across the lake. You need a minimum, I would say, 350'-375' drive to clear the lake. Again, you do have the option to lay up at water's edge, leaving a 275'-300' drive to cross it, in case you are Clothed and Afraid. And that's it! What a long thing to read, but I wish I had this to guide me when I played it back in the day. It would've saved me a bunch of time!

Back to the review. This course is amazing. It is long, so you are playing golf here, not ace running like you're at a putt-putt course. To give you an idea on time, I played solo with no waits on holes, shot a 86, which I believe is 6 over par?, and it took me 2 hours and 47 minutes, so plan accordingly. You'll have beautiful views of the lake. The pine grove is a nice contrast to the other wooded areas.

All in all, this is a championship level course, especially with the revamping. My only real complaints are the navigation issue (which I've resolved for you) and there were several spots with extremely high grass. I think the grass issue is simply bc of the deluge of rain we had this spring and it prevented them from mowing those areas.

If you play this course, I recommend bringing a water disc and/or another disc to shoot in the high grass that is a bright color.

Have fun, this course is an adventure! I gave the signage a 4 because there was at least 1 hole that didn't have a sign (18 I think). I gave the navigation a 2 for reasons explained. The average over all the categories was 3.85, but I rounded it up to a 4. Great job on the course!
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3 0
DiscinOhio
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 199 played 190 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Decent Course with Navigation Issues 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great Blue Heron is a decent course that is spread across the scenic Memorial Lake Park in Norwalk. 24 holes that give you a bit of everything. Wooded, open, and water shots.

Nice kiosk, with a map and scorecard box. Also a bench, trash can, and restrooms by the kiosk.

Some very interesting holes that aren't afraid to bring water into play. While most holes are fairly easy, there's a few that'll definetly test your game.

Solid baskets on every hole. They're a little old, but still catch well.

Concrete tees for the pro tees on every hole. They're really long and provide plenty of space to run up.

Looks like disc golf isn't a huge thing around here, so the course was completely empty.

Very scenic, with views of the lake throughout the round. Abundance of wildlife.

Only place in the area to throw.

Cons:

Very difficult to navigate. While many holes have tape or signs, it's still pretty hard to find your way around. Even with a map.

Tee signs are fading and don't have the hole number. Some are laced with graffiti.

There's a handful of holes that are pretty bland. Wide open straight shot to the basket.

Some holes play right over roadways. A couple holes have you tee off blindly around a corner over a road.

Kind of in Farm country USA. As a result, elevation is hard to come by. 24 holes with little elevation gets a little repetitive.

Other Thoughts:

I think with improved navigation and tee signs this could be a 3.5. However, in its present state, I'll keep it at a 2.5 (Decent/Typical).

Side note: The lake is starting to recede due to lack of rainfall, so a few of the water holes weren't as dangerous because the water was drying up and far from the shore.
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2 1
icandisc
Experience: 11.6 years 60 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Best course in area 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Scenery is wonderful
LONG holes add challenge
Lots of water and other natural challenges
Restrooms and water
Nice park with fishing, swingsets, walking trails -- you can bring others who don't play with you without fear of bordem

Cons:

Losing a disc in the water sucks
Not a beginner friendly course
Course maintenance seems to be an issue at times

Other Thoughts:

This course has come along nicely since I first played, but often seems to suffer from issues. Storms ravage the area, or grass gets overgrown; nothing that prevents me from wanting to play the course, but it should be noted. Folks complaining about the layout and getting lost I think exaggerate the issue a little. There is a nice course map next to hole #1, but I agree I would need to wander a bit to find some holes. This is simply due to the size of the course and the location it is played in. Not a con to me, but if you want to be able to see the next hole from the pin you threw to, this isn't the course for you.
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2 1
Daubers
Experience: 11.3 years 7 played 2 reviews
1.50 star(s)

needs work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

nice layouts on some holes and definite potential of being a nice course

Cons:

VERY poor navigation.
Tee signs missing
poor flow of course
holes miss marked
map at course is incorrect

Other Thoughts:

Many holes had nice layouts but just attempting to find them really took away from it. Several are such a guessing game, and when you do find the tee it can be difficult to know what basket your throwing at, especially the ones missing tee signs or have miss marked holes. Several holes are gone due to the tornado, and that is understandable but just the general flow of the course needs some work. Maybe I am spoiled with my home course being world class, but I think a little extra effort could make GBH into a nice course.
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11 2
chris deitzel
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.6 years 286 played 54 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Where do we go??? What hole is this?? drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 10, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

My original review was from 2012. I have heard the issues have been fixed since my review.


Front 9 is really nice. Nice views, some good holes. Nice shots with water in play.

Cons:

So judging by reviews this course has been impossible to navigate since 2008!! COME ON GUYS. Get some new tee signs with hole numbers. I played a tournament here a few years ago and it was the worst PDGA event that I ever played. But I decided to come back this week and once again was frustrated. What the heck is going on with the local club here?

No numbers on any of the tee signs.

RULE #1 of Disc Golf - YOU DO NOT HAVE A COURSE UNTIL YOU HAVE TEE SIGNS WITH NUMBERS

Very hard to navigate. front 9 not so bad, but the back 9 is almost impossible to figure out. I quit after 12 when I came across a bunch of tee signs and baskets and had no idea where to go. And some of the holes that used to be there, were no longer there.

Other Thoughts:

This could be one of the best courses in Ohio. Wish whoever designed this would get their head out of their A@@ and make this what it should be. The last shot over the water is cool, but the walk around is ridiculous. So many problems here. If you need help redesigning it, give me a call. You could have something great. Instead you just have a very frustrating course that will turn away anybody playing it for the first time.
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2 1
jchlody
Experience: 16.6 years 9 played 8 reviews
1.00 star(s)

VERY DISAPPOINTED 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 31, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-The course has nice tee pads and nice baskets.
-The course has great views along the way.

Cons:

Where should I start?
-When we got there, hole 1 isn't even marked therefore we started on hole 2.
-The layout for the holes was very confusing ie couldn't easily find the next hole.
-Most holes were not marked nor did some of them even have a sign.
-A few holes we just picked a basket and threw to it, and of course it was always the wrong one.

Other Thoughts:

All I can say is I will never go back to this course unless it gets a serious makeover. There is so much potential there but it doesn't seem like the park even cares enough to maintain it. They need to make sure the holes are marked and that the baskets are clearly marked as well. I drove about 40 minutes from Tiffin looking for a nice "new" course to play ended up greatly regretting it. Overall I would never suggest this course nor go back. Very disappointed.
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2 0
scbuckifan
Experience: 17.1 years 9 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Course that could be Great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 26, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- In a nice park
- Good parking
- OK tee signs with an arrow toward next tee
- Hooks on tee sign stakes
- Good use of land and terrain

This has awesome potential. The Great Blue Heron DGC has a very nice mix of open, wooded, short, long, easy and hard pin placements with very nice scenery throughout the course and park. With just a little bit of work, the flow of the back 9 could (and must) be corrected and then a new map needs to make its way to this website, then all will be good and this will be a premier location. Even with the nice tee signs that do indicate the general direction of the next tee, the back 9 is a nightmare to navigate for new players to the course. Holes listed as long are now short (12) and short holes are now very long (18) and we never found hole 13.

Cons:

- Overall flow of the course needs to be reviewed, esp. the back 9
- The map needs to be used to navigate the course for newbies, esp the back 9 BUT the map is not currently correct!
- Hole 12 is now much shorter, We never found Hole 13, I think Hole 18 is now 700' and we never found the basket, Hole 20 had the basket for 21 so we were very confused.
- Front 9 was easy to navigate with the map (but you do need it for the first time around) but the back 9 was totally confusing and we got "lost" at least 3 times even with the map and the previous reviews!

Other Thoughts:

Course was very wet due to the very wet fall. It is playable, just have older shoes and a towel to wipe of your disks and hands. Holes 11 and 12 very wet. The course is currently playing fairly short as most pins are in the "B" location.

If you are in the Norwalk area, a stop to play the Great (Good) Blue Heron DGC is a good idea as it is a good course. We played the day after Christmas and had a fun and enjoyable day. We had the course to ourselves. Just be prepared to get lost on the confusing back 9. With just a little work, the flow can be corrected, a new map uploaded and the Great Blue Heron would move from good to Great!

P.S. If you can consistently throw over 300', have fun with the Pro Tee Pad for Hole 21 (it is scary to look at), if you can't, take the long walk around to the AM tee pad and whimp out like we did :) - and save your $10-$15!
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5 0
Bikinimower
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.6 years 174 played 66 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fix up a few things and this is a great one 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 24, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some really nice big holes
Friendly locals
Great views
Challenging
Nice park, well taken care of
Nice mix of shot types

Cons:

Confusing
Poor signs
tough to navigate

Other Thoughts:

This course is fun but you better bring a map or play with someone who is familiar. I just happened to get lucky and run into a friendly local player who was kind enough to stop and let us catch up and he played with us. Real cool guy, he swears by this course and thinks it's one of the best he's ever seen. I disagree with him on that one but I was certainly happy to have him around.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this place it just needs some work. Terrible signs combined with a poor course flow makes for a frustrating round.

The holes themselves are pretty fun. They wind through a park, into the woods briefly, through several rows of pine trees and around a reservoir. It has nice tee pads, good catchers, and nice mix of distances and at times has some good views. The holes I played were fairly long but I'm told they moved for a tournament and they're normally longer. I'm a better than average player but I'm far from great and I thought the distances were just about perfect.

It has 20+ holes and they take really good care
of it. It's trash free and mowed. There were only a handful of other people there when I played and the guy I was with said it not normally busy. So you don't have to wait

I would play this course a lot if I lived nearby but I wouldn't make it a priority if your a road tripper. I also would probably stay away from this one for a while if you want to bring kids or are just learning how to play.
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3 0
innovajohnny5
Experience: 14.8 years 15 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

BLUE HERON: MADE ME BLUE 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very scenic and a joy just to walk it. If you like the hard throws this is your place. My son and I are not experienced enough to truly enjoy this course. In time. I do admit though the regulars that play this course are friendly. We ran into a fellow dger and he said he "plays here all the time". We asked where hole 3 was.....and...he drew us a map on the spot and my son and I continued playing. That was pretty cool of him. The view of the lake and inlets are quite nice. Its a nice park. The "wall of trees" is worth playing just for that.

Cons:

Not well marked at all. Very confusing when we went. Maybe when they have tournaments they fix it up a bit. After that it falls apart. I dont know if its from abuse or neglect or "just for tournaments" This park could be Ohio's gem for dgers if there was someone to care for it. I live in Cleveland - don't look at me.

Other Thoughts:

If you are a well experienced disc golfer, by all means you rate this course a little higher. My son (age 16 at the time) and I played here last year. We are not power throwers by any means but for the recreational dger it was a difficult course. Maybe in a few years we might appreciate the challenge more. It was frustrating. Especially trying to throw over the inlet at 300 plus feet-not so much. ker plunk! If you are not well seasoned with disc golf don't try the course expecting good results. It is definitely a course for the advanced players. Do I regret going? heck no. My son and I had a blast as we always do. The look he gave me when I double bogied on #17 was priceless. Play Great Blue Heron! It's worth it even if you only do it one time.
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2 3
BunkWilly74
Experience: 14.8 years 24 played 3 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Nice start 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 21, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

What can I say I think the first hole was ok that's about it.

Cons:

There is so much wasted space, it's like they were throwing darts and sticking baskets on a map. The signage is horrible; each basket should be clearly marked. I would suggest the local club be more involved maybe even contacting Innova's design team to help renovate this sleeping giant. This park has the potential with the right design to be one of the top courses in North East Ohio.

Other Thoughts:

The goal is to grow the sport! This course has potential!
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4 0
Petercules
Experience: 20.8 years 35 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Appropriately named 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Large variety of distances and throw options.
Beautiful lake and scenery with allot of activity.
Long tee pads
I am struggling to think of specific pros but the course well designed and extremely enjoyable.

Cons:

We got confused on holes 2-7 on which baskets we were supposed to be aiming for. This did not really hurt our competition since everyone aimed for the wrong baskets but just wish we would have played the course as it was designed.
Some holes have thick brush making it difficult to find discs. This is particularly true about Hole #3 since you can not see where your disc lands after you drive.

Other Thoughts:

I am not particularly fond of Hole #19 Pluto's Mando Island. I don't like mandos and don't like roads being out of bounds so this hole combines my two pet peeves and multiplies them by 3. This is a personal issue that I am sure others disagree with and that is why it is not a con of the course just my personal opinion. Really to you it might be a pro of the course.
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10 1
Brall
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 43 played 37 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Plenty of parking with a pavilion, tables and playground
- There is a billboard with a scorecard holder but it is blank
- The map is very accurate except for holes #12 & #13 which are currently being moved (04-30-11)
- There are multiple tees on about half the holes but the short tees can be hard to find
- Pro tee pads are in great condition and most of them are large and concrete. The concrete tee pads are just FANTASTIC!!
- Very nice tee signs with posts and hooks to hang your bag
- Baskets are in great condition and most are marked
- The flow is a bit jerky for the first 7 holes but hole #1 & #21 do start/end at the parking lot
- Excellent scenery. Great rolling landscape. The rows of trees by holes #14 & #20 are just amazing!
- Very nice mix of shots required here. Shots run left & right & over rough. There are some blind shots, tunnel shots and open shots. This course can play differently every time you come.
- Distance and elevation make this course challenging. There are five holes over 500' combined with five holes below 300'. There are 4 holes that play over or right at water.
- Bathrooms are located between hole #1 & #2
- There are trashcans at the parking lot and the park is very clean and well kept. Could use a few more trashcans though throughout the course.
- Very little vandalism. A few tee signs are dinged up is all.
- There are a few benches

Cons:

- No numbers on most tee signs. Due to the somewhat jerky flow of the course, it would be very difficult to navigate your first time without a map.
- Am tees are not marked well at all
- More next tee signs would be helpful
- Heavy traffic. You will have to stop often to let cars and walkers pass by. Be patient.

Other Thoughts:

- Fantastic course overall. Beautiful and very challenging. Bring the family for a picnic and then hit the course with your friends.
- Unfortunately there are no other courses nearby and the course is itself is in a remote location away from highways.
- There was some major confusion on 04-30-11 on holes #12 & #13. The holes, tee signs & map did not match. I did not count this against the course because I think this is due to a downed tree for #13's hanging basket.
- The most challenging hole is without a doubt hole #21. It takes a 310' throw just to get over the water from the pro tee and there can be some heavy wind off the wide open water.
- Hard to choose a favorite hole. This course is loaded with signature holes! #2 is a nice wide open hole with the challenge of water to the left. #5 goes out over the water with a fade back in to land. #3 is a blind shot that ends with a basket in an alcove of the trees. #14 & #20 are in one of the most beautiful tree groves I've seen. #19 is an extremely creative short hole with multiple mando conditions to meet and a drop zone.
- If the cons are ever fixed on this course, it could bring in a 4.5 star rating.
- This is a destination course. Worth trip and bring the family.
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1 10
zippo13132001
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

great blue hering forever 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 16, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

perm tee pads and all but 4 holes great lines not a putter only course has some long throws

Cons:

no main map at begining of course bad leader needs new guys to run it and no closes disc stores

Other Thoughts:

great course play it offten plays difrent every time u play it get map print off before u go if new
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4 2
HIGHFLYER
Experience: 20.8 years 19 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Heron Review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Holes are challenging and the layout since the tounament has improved it immensely.

-Tees are excellent

-Course is championship level, and offers beautiful vistas.

Cons:

-The reason it did not recieve a 4* from me is because even though they put in signs, most do not have the hole numbers. 21 and 22 are not well marked and was not able to play them.

-Map a REQUIREMENT if you are a casual player!

-Hole 12 does not have a sign from the concrete tee and was so long that it made it very hard to play without the knowledge of the pin position.

-Lots of water for beginners, be prepared to bring a disc you are willing to part with.
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7 0
TommyGun'n
Experience: 17.8 years 106 played 18 reviews
3.50 star(s)

"Great" Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 24, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

-scenic vistas everywhere you look
-tee-pads are the best i've ever seen
-hanging basket is classic sweetness
-warm inviting park with bathrooms and playground
-tunnel shots and open shots sometimes making you decide which way to throw it
-wooded but grass fairways
-water holes
-great pin positions
-locals were nice, helped me find a disc
-first couple tees have seating, most tees have hooks to hang your bag
-some of these holes could really be on a magazine cover, 2 or 3 "signature" holes here, 21 and 14 come to mind

Cons:

-no signs - layout,distances or numbers
-some vandalism written on posts
-first time playing you will see a lot of baskets and tees, unable to find correct tee
-minimal elevation changes
-blind shot on either 3 or 4 - safety hazard
-no next tee signs or practice basket
-park gets high traffic - people and cars
-no other courses nearby
-hole 21 (pro tee) has long walk around a lake after shot, unless your in the water and then you probably just walk to your car trying to get over the loss of your favorite longest driver.

Other Thoughts:

overall, with a little work and time, this course could be top notch. signs should be a high priority for this disc golf course. honestly if this course had hole numbers on the baskets and distances it would get 4 stars by me

UPDATE:
Played this course again for the "2010 Fire in the Sky" tourny, they now have new, full color signs at every teepad with pro/am distances, map of hole, alt. pin locations, and par.

I increased my rating to a four, as i said i would if they got signs.

some side notes: Course actually has 23 holes (not sure if this is tourny only, 2 of the holes are not on the map). Navigating this course is still a challenge (needs next tee signs at each basket), 2 baskets are crappy (no big issue tho) and not all the holes have cement teepads (although most do).

Truely is a "GREAT" course.
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5 5
th1sjust1n
Experience: 18 years 16 played 8 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Not worth the time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 29, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

+Strong technical play
+Park is very nice and scenic
+Water in play on several holes
+Local players are very nice and helpful
+Many holes have concrete teepads

Cons:

--Course layout is horrid !!
--No tee signs to speak of !!
-Course is not maintained well compared to other courses
-Holes with natural tees dont even have a front marker
-Additional holes 19-21 are pointless
-Inconsistent basket types
-Many blind holes and at least two 'throw and pray' holes
-No trash cans on course

Other Thoughts:

I took a chance on this course on my way home from a Lake Erie trip. I should have just kept on driving.

I'll start by saying that if you don't have a course map you are SCREWED playing here if new to the course. This does however bring me to one of the positives I noted. After driving around for 10 minutes trying to figure out where #1 was my wife and I stopped to talk with 3 local guys on the course. They were very helpful and took the time to give us the basic layout and general course knowledge. Without them I might have left by hole 5 or 6. Props to the local DG'ers!

The whole course layout is just terrible. If you combine the fact that there are no signs at all with the pin-to-tee layout...it's just worthless. If you are new to the course and don't have a map it, forget it. The info board at hole #1 had no maps to take (understandable) but also didn't have a larger map posted on the board. It's total guesswork.

Blind holes on a course that has no map posted, no signs with hole layout, not even a distance marker...it just stinks. There were actually paper plates stapled to posts at some of the tees with the hole number and distance. Is that what they do for tournaments?!? I don't know how you even play a tournament here.

Hole #11 and #12 are 'throw and pray' holes. 11 more so than 12 but I don't know how anyone does anything but just toss and pray the disc makes it in the vicinity of the basket.

The whole dang place is just confusing and so hard to navigate. Some of the tees you can stand there and possibly throw at 2-3 different pins. After hole #13 it was a crap shoot figuring out where to throw and where to go for the next tee. Actually, most of the course was like that.

There are just several important things about this course that needs to be addressed ASAP. Get tee signs up!!! Please, please, please! If there were signs with hole layout, distance, and next tee direction that would go a LONG way to making things better. IMO they should just get rid of 19-21. With all the other things that could be done to the course those extra holes do absolutely nothing for it. Take #21 for example. What the heck!?! You have to throw across water (which is cool) but then in order to get to the basket you have to take a 10 minute walk to get to the basket area!! Seriously!? Forget the extra stuff and focus on the core course 18. Get concrete pads installed or at least a marked tee box on all the holes. Put a large map up on the info board at hole #1.

I feel like I'm ranting on and on but we just did not have any fun at this course. For me it was a struggle. I figure that if you're a local player and know the course well then some of my complaints might be null but that just doesn't cut it. This is by far the worst course I've played to date. It does however have some good things going for it but some things that I consider basic DG course elements are missing.
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7 0
thadon
Experience: 18.9 years 33 played 30 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

A good mix of distance and technical shots. Concrete tees. Beautiful lake setting , with playgrounds pavilions and bathrooms. Lots of other activities as well.

Cons:

No signage
Holes 11, 13, 15 ,19 have no tee pads
Very confusing layout , holes were obviously moved around .
Hole 11 is pretty much a crap shoot.

Other Thoughts:

For the lefty's and the beginners , water is in play on a few holes. However if you mange to hit water anywhere in the front....like i did on hole 2 , just go get it ...the water is not that deep.

Hole 9 ...be careful on your approach shot...about 5ft behind the basket it drops off straight into the water.

They have added a hole (or its temporary , not sure) between 14 & 15.. It has no tee pad and the basket is not numbered ...and is roughly about 175ft.

According to locals hole 19 seems to be a unique hole (or a house rule , if thats what ya wanna call it) that has fairway about 20ft wide and is roughly 150ft long. You have to split 2 trees, and stay in the fairway. Anything lefty or right of trees is OB...concrete as well.

A big thanks to the locals who let us follow them, if not for them we would have never finished the course.
I think with a little help , and maybe some hole fixes in the front this might be really sweet course
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7 0
gcoghill
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.8 years 74 played 68 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Scenic and confusing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

• Most holes had nice concrete tee pads
• Scenic park with lake makes for a pleasant game
• Nice blend of skill/distance
• Well maintained park & course
• Friendly, helpful locals
• Kiosk had complimentary maps/scorecards

Cons:

• Course layout is extremely confusing.
• No tee signs/indicators or tee maps
• Not all holes had tee pads, concrete or otherwise.
• Lots of fairway overlap and ambiguous basket placement
• Course is a bit remote from major highways

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this is a decent course. However I was extremely confused and frustrated as a first-timer on this course as the layout was extremely difficult to decipher, even with a course map and some helpful local players.

Many times I encountered tees where two or more baskets could have been the target. Very confusing as to what you were throwing at, and lots of overlap on the course which could be annoying if/when the course is busy as you would need to wait out for other payers a few holes ahead of you, since you'd be either throwing across them or in the same general area.

Where there were concrete tees, they were nice. I was a bit disoriented by them at first, as they taper towards the hole (I would have assumed the opposite, so as to not require thought of foot placement as you run up for your release).

Many holes were thoughtfully placed along the lake edge, making for a very scenic round. Also makes for some psychological and physical obstacles for these water's edge holes. The back nine had some great wooded holes, offering accuracy challenges. That said, most of the course hugs the main roads and areas of the park, so you'll be throwing over roads and waiting for the occasional car. You never really get deep into the park at all.

Although a multi-use park, the course is plenty separate from the other park-goers and only briefly encroaches the other areas in the 16-18 hole range.

I never found the tee (or tee area) for hole 16, and after looking in vain for the hole 19 tee I just called it a day after a round of 18. The course does loop back to the parking area, if you play all 21 holes.

The park had playgrounds, offered public fishing areas as well as picnic tables and grills. Bathrooms were available near the hole 1 tee, and it had a water fountain. No concession stand or anything like that.

Overall, the confusing layout of the course tipped the scale for me over this potentially enjoyable, and very scenic course. Perhaps if I knew the course better it might have been more of a pleasure to play. The front nine had an odd design of packing in a lot of holes in a very confined area, which gave the front nine a cramped, repetitive feel. And the fact that the course was laid out along most of the main roads in the park was kind of a bummer for such a remote, rural location.

The park is in a pretty rural area of Ohio, and while you are traveling on main roads the whole way, you're off the highway for most of the drive. If you are in the area or traveling through, it's probably worth a visit since there's not much in the way of other disc golf courses for a wide radius, but for a specific trip to this course (as I did), I would have to recommend against. I'm glad to have checked it off my wish list, but I won't be returning.
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4 2
spenlee3
Experience: 28 years 125 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

This layout rocks! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 3, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Awesome course layout, plenty of trees, water and scenic vistas. We arrived late in the day and had to play fast to finish before dark. Will make the trip again to take our time and enjoy. Course was not busy on our day, but looks like it gets plenty of traffic. Don't hesitate to stop by to play this one!

Cons:

Lack of tee signs did hamper our outing, but with a map most should have no problem figuring it out.

Other Thoughts:

Water level in reservoir was way low, I imagine water would be more of a hazard at higher levels, but we didn't lose any discs.
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5 1
basmith42
Experience: 16 years 14 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Course has a wide variety of holes. It has everything from wide open fields to insanely tight wooded holes. None of the holes crossed the line between hard and "just plain dumb".
-The course is well maintained by the local club and parks department.
Water plays prominently on many hole.
-On most holes, the water provides tension without creating actual on danger. The water on holes 15 and 21 will eat discs that are not well played. The water also adds to the visual appeal.
-Some baskets are well protected making it imperative to plan your shots.
-The tee pads are fantastic! Most holes have wide smooth concrete tapering towards the basket. WOW!

Cons:

-Some tees are hard to find. Course would be improved by flags or some sort of indicator showing where the tee box is.
- course is hard to follow without a map. Maps were not available the day we played.

Other Thoughts:

This was well worth the hour drive from Cleveland.
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