The dam back nine
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Cleveland Lake as been around for several years but now has cement tee pads on every hole. Alternate tees are available on most if not all holes, though only some them have their own concrete. Routing from one hole to the next does a good job having you not walk through the fairway of the next hole when getting to the tee pad, which helps when the course is busy.
The highlight of this course is holes 5-9. They're in the woods, and while they don't have a ton of elevation, they have several interesting lines, great skip opportunity, and some trouble if you go off the fairway or hit an early tree. The alternate tees and pins on those holes also change up variety significantly. To a lesser extent, the rest of the holes on the front nine have many of these qualities, depending on pin placement.
Some new pins have been added recently that make otherwise boring holes a little more fun. Holes 1 and 3 end in the woods, there are a few dogleg possibilities, and a few holes play as par 4's. Even more pins have been added that allow for the possibility of a par 4 on hole 9, an elevated pin on 10 and a shot over the creek on 14 that makes for some real lost disc possibility. In short, this course has some really nice variety.
There are now some gold pins that offer even more variety. I prefer some above others, but you have the option of playing a shorter or longer course if you prefer. There are also options to play a par 61 layout, or even split some holes to make a 24 hole course or so.
Some wind is often coming off the lake that adds a good challenge on some of the open holes, especially when there are some steep slopes and water in play.
Cons: The tee signs only show the hole numbers (and some of those numbers are falling off), but it's not too terrible since the layout is simple and the basket can almost always be seen from the tee pad. But it would be nice to see what other pins are available and how far the holes are. Proper tee pads are likely to be installed soon.
The entire back nine is, in my opinion, pretty useless. Most of them are flat, and they annoyingly play up, down, or on top of the dam. Except for 18, the lake is an annoying water hazard that doesn't bring anything new to the course but still creates lost disc opportunities. The creek that comes into play on holes 13, 16, and 17... well, basically the entire course, is a little weary to throw around and can make discs difficult to retrieve when some rocks are involved.
A couple pins are just dumb. There's a left pin on 16 that brings the path into play for no reason, the dogleg on 6 is pretty awkward, and I don't think the creek on 14 is actually a fair challenge. The long right pin on 2, while challenging in many ways, isn't a very fun hole, unless you have the power to throw a wide shot over the trees to the right, and then it's a pretty easy hole. I would like to see the tee pad on 2 be pushed down the hill, to make over-the-top lines harder, and then for the short pin to be pushed farther and to the left.
There are hardly any hills to speak of, other than the side of the dam. It makes many holes pretty repetitive, especially the open ones, and causes some of the wooded ones to be less spicy than they could be.
A walking path comes into play on holes 11, 12, 16, 17, and 18. It's pretty easy to see people though, and only 18 plays over the path (except one pin on 16).
Other Thoughts: Several holes need more trees to be good holes in my opinion. Looking at the map, there's some woods near hole 2 that wasn't utilized for some reason. Some of the more boring part of the back nine could be cut in lieu of better holes for sure.
There are many parts of this course that aren't fantastic, but I really like the middle section of the front nine, and the downers of this course really aren't too bad, and the improvements over the past few years have made this course a whole lot better than it used to be. If tee signs come in and a few more trees are added on the back nine, a 4.0 rating is possible. Even until then, this is a fun course for sure.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Needs polish, but most holes are solid.
9 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: The purple DisCatchers really stand out against any type of background.
Brand new concrete tees on all the long tees. Some of the short tees have both poured, too. Oh, yeah, there's two tees on almost every hole. Holes 4-10 have benches, but those are the only ones. Full color tee sign showing all distances at each hole.
Nice mix of left/right turning holes and of distances.
Stays dry well after rain.
So many unique features here. The woods of 5-8, the dam that shapes the back 7, the hilltop basket on 9. Hole 7 3/4. All of it.
This course can be extended to 20 holes. Hole 7 3/4 is on the walk between 7 and 8 and even got a tee pad when they were installed recently! The basket could also be used as a pro pin for holes 6 or 7. Hole 11 has three options. Play to the basket marked 11, play to the basket marked 11.5, or play 11 short, then play from a dirt tee near the lake to 11.5. 11.5 can also be used as an alternate pin for hole 1, or as a practice basket.
The natural dam provides some very unique play. Hole 12 plays right across the top, hole 16 and 17 play down and up it, and hole 18 tees off from the top! The greens of 16 and 17 are on the side of the hill (the dry side, not the water side) and they can be very tough.
The wooded holes from 5 to 8 are some of the best wooded holes in the area. 5 and 7 (and 7 3/4) have a clearly defined fairway, and 6 and 8 you just have to toss and pray to Treesus that you get through.
There's a very cool guy named Patrick who lives very close to the course and goes swimming for lost discs every few weeks and texts the owners.
Cons: The lack of tee signs isn't a huge issue, but it would be really nice since a couple holes are right between a 3 and a 4 (7, 8, 11, 16).
Holes 1, 11, and 14 are wide open. No obstacles. Fairly flat.
Having holes 7 3/4 and 11.5 are good to have, but they could confuse someone navigating the course for the first time.
Other Thoughts: I don't have a lot of bad things to say about this course, but I always have fun when I'm here. Some of it may be a bit bland, but the highlights are so good that you'll remember them long after you leave!
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
3 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: +great variety of woods vs. open
+some great true par 4s
+some fun hazard shots but not disc eaters
+most of the holes are unique but also good
+the long tees are superior in every way and almost essential to enjoyment
Cons: -needs some basic amenities like signs, benches, trash cans
-couple filler holes that could easily be replaced or re-worked
-teepads need some dirt to level them to the ground
-couple of high traffic pedestrians areas
Other Thoughts: I do not believe that this is a finished course, so some of the cons may not be relevant as time goes on. Based on the other reviews, I would say that this course was re-worked and I played the best version. I think it is criminally underrated.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Cleveland Rocks
6 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: The recently redesigned layout for the disc golf course at Cleveland Lake is pretty good. Many of the 18 holes are mostly open, though there are a stretch of wooded holes from 5 through 8. Water is in play on a few holes, mostly toward the end. There is also minor elevation change on a couple of the last holes.
The tees are grass, and there are long and short on most holes, marked by 4x4 wooden posts. The baskets are DISCatchers, and they are in pretty nice shape. All holes are par 3, and a few of them are lengthy if you use the long tee boxes. A few holes there are alternate pin locations, and work to further improve the course is ongoing.
The grass was cut nicely, and the park is fairly clean. I was grateful for the port o potty next to the parking lot. I liked the way the earthen dam at the end of the pond was utilized on the final third of the course.
Hole 1 is wide open and flat, a bit long but unless it is really windy, a simple warm up hole. 2 is better, with a drive over a creek, passing through a gap between two groups of trees that grow next to the water. There is a small drop in elevation from the tee. 3 is a mostly open hole until you approach the pin. You have to penetrate a line of trees to get close. It isn't easy but it's possible, I got a nice skip on the drive to set up a makable putt.
4 is largely open, but has a couple of shrubs to get past mid fairway. 5 is when you get into the woods, and it is kind of long. I got into the trees and struggled to getting out, It is a line you can hit, but if you don't some of the rough along the edges is heavy. The pin is behind a lot of scattered trees that can make the putt hard unless you really get close. Hole 6 is shorter but still has a lot of tree trunks to navigate between the tee and pin, and if you land the drive in the wrong areas, the angles to work toward the pin can also be crowded.
On 7 you tee from the other side of a creek, and there is a bridge that crosses to a small clearing big enough to have run up and throw. It was not as tight a line as 5 or 6, but has a little bit of a bend to the left. 8 is the last hole in the woods, and is a wider fairway than any of the previous three holes. There is a curl to the right at the end of the fairway, and a few mature trees around the pin. 9 is back into the open, but there are a few low trees in the fairway, and a creek not very far behind the pin. I overshot it and nearly went in the shallow water.
Hole 10 has trees in front of the box that force you to use the right side, but not much aside from a couple of small trees once you get past that. Hole 11 plays with the lake to the right, but plenty of wide open space to work with and only a few young trees planted here and there. 12 tees next to the parking lot on top of the dam. The basket is also atop the dam about 300' away. It is not easy to land the first shot right on the crest under the pin, so you may have a substantial uphill look on the second shot. My drive hit the right side, and stuck into it like a tombstone, helping me avoid a roll toward the water.
13 tees from the flat under the dam, and plays across the rocky spillway behind it. It isn't too long, and open to the right side, perfect for a big back hand hyzer if you are a righty. There are plenty of trees to the left next to the creek. 14 also plays to the right side of the creek, and is a bit closer to the water around the landing zone so be sure to stay to the right, in the grass. 15 takes you slightly uphill, and the pin is on a bit of a hill, with some tall grass to the left and the rocky backing of the dam to the right.
16 will tee from the opposite end of the dam from 12, and plays over the top of the rocks to a pin that is on the low side behind the dam. There is some tall grass if you pull it to the right too far. 17 plays from a tee near the spillway, and to a pin that is on the back slope of the dam. It is a kind of tricky basket location, where you don't want to overshoot the midrange drive and fly over the top of the dam. If you can plant one i the side of the hill and not get a roll away there is a decent shot a birdie here. 18 is one a good finisher, with a bit of a risky drive. The tee is on top of the dam with the water to your left. The pin is near the water, which will catch any disc that is too far left and short. Fun drive that is kind of nerve wracking.
Cons: No concrete tees, and grass is worn out. The drives were thrown from soft and slippery spots a couple of times. There was a bit of standing water in the grass on holes 3 and 4, and some slick muddy spots in other places. It was good enough to play, but squishy in areas.
If the wind was really blowing hard, a few of these holes could be a lot more interesting. The lake looms on 11, 12, and 18, and with gusts it would be even more of a menace.
Other Thoughts: I never saw the original set up for this course, but I did think the redesigned layout was fun. It mixed variety of shot shapes for a couple of holes, woods for a few, the water hazards on several, and used the available space nicely.
Improving the tees would be nice, and waiting for drier conditions might be advisable. A few of the holes are pretty similar, with small variations.
I went 5 over par (59) on the first round here. I birdied holes 3 and 13, made 10 pars, 5 bogies and a double bogey on hole 5. I missed some putts and could have done better for sure. My favorite holes were 2, 5-9, 12, 13, and 18. Dull start, but a fun finish and some good ones in between. Good course if you are looking for second or third tier quality near KC.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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3 / 284ft. 
5+ 
5/7/2020 
12/26/2020
Review By: kp_1024 
This review was updated on 5/12/2022
Hole #3 (Taken 1/2023) 
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