Sunny Lake Park

Updated review. There hasn't been much progress on the course. I love long courses and I also love tight, technical courses. This could be a good mix of both. It's not. Some people may enjoy an 800ft hole through uncut forest but I do not. As it sits now it's far from done. There isn't much for fairways on many of the holes. I also have no idea what basket plays from which tee on the multiple layouts. I see different hole numbers on the same tee sign. I have yet to figure it out. I have high hop ...
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Updated review. There hasn't been much progress on the course. I love long courses and I also love tight, technical courses. This could be a good mix of both. It's not. Some people may enjoy an 800ft hole through uncut forest but I do not. As it sits now it's far from done. There isn't much for fairways on many of the holes. I also have no idea what basket plays from which tee on the multiple layouts. I see different hole numbers on the same tee sign. I have yet to figure it out. I have high hopes for this course in the future. It could be a gem but at this point it has a fun factor of zero for me. The park the course is laid on is a beautiful piece of property and there is a ton of potential for an A course here. I'm feeling doubtful it will ever get there though. Maybe my grandchildren will have a decent course to play on.
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C+ The plus is because there is a great deal of potential at this course. It will take a lot of time and work though. I went out with 6 others and we walked in a foot of mud all day, couldn't find the baskets to the hole we were on, couldn't find the next tees. It was just a terrible time. If there was better walk ways with mulch or gravel, and map pics at each tee, and maybe clear some of the trees so there are some shots available, it will be a great course. Anyone who rates this course above ...
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C+ The plus is because there is a great deal of potential at this course. It will take a lot of time and work though. I went out with 6 others and we walked in a foot of mud all day, couldn't find the baskets to the hole we were on, couldn't find the next tees. It was just a terrible time. If there was better walk ways with mulch or gravel, and map pics at each tee, and maybe clear some of the trees so there are some shots available, it will be a great course. Anyone who rates this course above an C+ is plain lying to people. I did not realize this course was not actually open yet, so I am adding a couple lines and changed my review from F+ to C+, becauise once they get in there and are able to complete the work, it will be a very good and challenging course with plenty of water shots which i like.
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Updated: I Still think this course has incredible potential with some hard work and support, but the Blue/Gold needs some work and is a whole different experience from Red/White. Review of the Red/White Layout: great variety of holes / distances from the different tees and overall fair lines on the more tightly wooded holes. Even though it was still rough and needs more clearing / paths, the tee signs are well thought through and it seems like the layout was as well, but it needs more signage to ...
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Updated: I Still think this course has incredible potential with some hard work and support, but the Blue/Gold needs some work and is a whole different experience from Red/White. Review of the Red/White Layout: great variety of holes / distances from the different tees and overall fair lines on the more tightly wooded holes. Even though it was still rough and needs more clearing / paths, the tee signs are well thought through and it seems like the layout was as well, but it needs more signage to direct each layout and basket. If only there was a solution for the mud, standing water and undoubtedly the bugs that will overtake the woods come summer time. This could be another great addition to the already great NEO disc golf scene.
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I am aware that this course is still under construction, but this review is based on how the 9 hole Par 3 course played on 4/14/16. Pros: Sunny Lake Park is a beautiful setting for a disc golf course. Other than the first hole, the entire par 3 course plays in the woods. The holes are tight and challenge the player to throw multiple shot shapes to avoid danger. The holes are short, but have enough danger (sometimes too much) from the trees to make them interesting. Every hole has a profe ...
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I am aware that this course is still under construction, but this review is based on how the 9 hole Par 3 course played on 4/14/16.

Pros: Sunny Lake Park is a beautiful setting for a disc golf course. Other than the first hole, the entire par 3 course plays in the woods. The holes are tight and challenge the player to throw multiple shot shapes to avoid danger. The holes are short, but have enough danger (sometimes too much) from the trees to make them interesting. Every hole has a professionally made sign. Tee pads are installed for most of the holes. Considering how much rain and snow we have had recently, the course seems to handle water pretty well.

Cons: The terrain can be pretty rough and there isn't always a clear path to get around the course, even when moving up the fairway. Even though the signs are very detailed, I still had trouble navigating some of the holes. In particular, I am not convinced I played the right basket on 4, and I could not find the basket on 9. There are still holes that do not have tee pads. Some of the holes still need some development (sorry for not having specific hole numbers available). By this I mean there doesn't appear to be a designated fairway or throwing lane to follow. Clearing a few trees would do wonders for the navigation and playability.

Overall: For as new as this course is, I am excited about the prospects for it. My understanding is that more work is planned, and once it has been finalized this could be the premier course in Northeast Ohio, especially the 18 hole course. I will definitely return to play this course many more times, and as changes are made, I will update my review.
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Extremely confusing course layout, with an Amateur course shoehorned into the main "Pro" course (which is actually named the Gold Course, despite using silver color coding on the tee signs for the Gold course…). If this course was designed to scare off novices to the sport, and eliminate recreational and casual players due to the complexity of the course, it succeeds at that. Due to the Am/Gold course overlap, all the Am tees throw to baskets numbered for the Gold course — ...
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Extremely confusing course layout, with an Amateur course shoehorned into the main "Pro" course (which is actually named the Gold Course, despite using silver color coding on the tee signs for the Gold course…).

If this course was designed to scare off novices to the sport, and eliminate recreational and casual players due to the complexity of the course, it succeeds at that.

Due to the Am/Gold course overlap, all the Am tees throw to baskets numbered for the Gold course — which means they almost never align. It's astoundingly confusing. And some holes (like 18) are both the Am and Gold hole simultaneously, so the amateur is throwing what seemed like it had to be a 900' hole.

Many holes require multiple "Next Tee" signs, and even with those I still got lost multiple times. I'm not sure I ever found holes 9-12. At least not in the right order.

Lots of bizarre fairway overlap and backtracking, sometimes walking right up the fairway of one hole to get to a tee.

To be fair, there is an awesome single-course design that is waiting to be unlocked here. But the one there right now isn't it.
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I'm going to give a narrowly passing grade of a D because I narrowly got out of there alive. I was able to "complete" about 4 holes before deciding it would be in my best interest to run away as fast as possible to try and evade the cloud of mosquito's and horse fly's trying desperately to enter my ears and eye sockets. I put "complete" in quotations because I only got through 4 holes, and even on those 4 holes if I were to stop and take a shot I would be attacked viciously. I am going to say ...
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I'm going to give a narrowly passing grade of a D because I narrowly got out of there alive. I was able to "complete" about 4 holes before deciding it would be in my best interest to run away as fast as possible to try and evade the cloud of mosquito's and horse fly's trying desperately to enter my ears and eye sockets. I put "complete" in quotations because I only got through 4 holes, and even on those 4 holes if I were to stop and take a shot I would be attacked viciously. I am going to say designing a course around swamps and standing water may not have been the best plan.

Although the course layout makes as much sense as the space-time continuum, there are signs that point you in the right direction to the next tee. From the holes I played and passed this course has a ton of potential. The thing that will help the course is people playing it and stomping the area down. Between the confusing layout and blood-thirsty insects I don't see many people playing or completing the course.

If you are in the area you aren't far from Hudson. Save your self the trouble and drive 15 minutes to Hudson Springs.
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Course seems to be getting attention with some fairway cleaning, new kiosk/tee signs. Played the 9 hole layout, still confusing with number plates on baskets/next tee signs not adding up but signs at tees do help. I walked some of the longer holes without playing and some of them are great. Still a confusing place for the first timer with multiple layouts, baskets and tees everywhere. The map at the kiosk helps if you take a pic before you venture out. Tough walk with muck/standing water everyw ...
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Course seems to be getting attention with some fairway cleaning, new kiosk/tee signs. Played the 9 hole layout, still confusing with number plates on baskets/next tee signs not adding up but signs at tees do help. I walked some of the longer holes without playing and some of them are great. Still a confusing place for the first timer with multiple layouts, baskets and tees everywhere. The map at the kiosk helps if you take a pic before you venture out. Tough walk with muck/standing water everywhere, not sure this course will ever dry out enough or get the tlc it needs to make a round here enjoyable but I am hopeful.
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Played the blue/gold course today for the first time and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the layout and found it super easy to navigate. They have yellow ribbons wrapped around trees indicating the direction of the fairways and good next tee signage. The teepads were all large and level. The signs on the teepads seemed pretty accurate and easy to read. The course could definitely use some TLC on a few holes right now though. It’s a super demanding layout that will require you to pull ...
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Played the blue/gold course today for the first time and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the layout and found it super easy to navigate. They have yellow ribbons wrapped around trees indicating the direction of the fairways and good next tee signage. The teepads were all large and level. The signs on the teepads seemed pretty accurate and easy to read. The course could definitely use some TLC on a few holes right now though. It’s a super demanding layout that will require you to pull out every trick you have in the bag. Not at all a course for beginners and I imagine that was the point. It’s over 10,000’ of technical golf. I’ll definitely be back to try this out again. It took the 2 of us about 4 hours to complete the round and we are both seasoned players so be prepared as such. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this place.
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I can see that this course has GREAT potential. Seriously, I could see this being top 5 in Ohio in a few years. Just like when many potentially great courses are in their infancy, there are some issues that exist. Not big ones, but just ones that will only get better over time with the dedication and love of the club. I played it yesterday for the first time, so allow me to just add a few Pros & Cons. Pros: this course is beautiful. Its in the woods for almost the entirety of it. Matur ...
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I can see that this course has GREAT potential. Seriously, I could see this being top 5 in Ohio in a few years. Just like when many potentially great courses are in their infancy, there are some issues that exist. Not big ones, but just ones that will only get better over time with the dedication and love of the club. I played it yesterday for the first time, so allow me to just add a few Pros & Cons.

Pros: this course is beautiful. Its in the woods for almost the entirety of it. Mature hardwoods. Nice pin placements on many of the holes. Challenge of water hazard on a couple. Punishing drop offs for poorly made shots. My favorite hole was 6W I think, for many of the reasons I posted. I also really liked the pin placement on hole 14...if that is the peninsula hole. The tee pads are pretty sweet too, even the natural ones, there has been care done to show where the teeing area is. I can imagine that hauling cement back into the trails is not easy work.

Cons: the 3 courses in 1 concept. It can get pretty confusing at times, especially for a new player. Maybe it was the tourney layout that we tried playing, but we spent a significant amount of time navigating from basket to tee. This is an easy fix. Also, clearing out and seasoning of some of the fairways would make it more enjoyable and playable for all skill levels, as some of the fairways could be thinned out to allow for proper shot shaping. Once again, not a deal breaker, but will really improve the overall experience. Finally, some of the baskets were fairly close to other teeing areas or holes, which could be a safety issue. Once again, many of these were on non-cemented tee areas, so it could be easily fixed.

Overall, I enjoyed the physical property that the course(s) are on. There is so much potential that would definitely make the course a top notch one. More seasoning and shaping will help with that.
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Played two rounds with varied layouts during a recent C-Tier tournament. Sunny Lake has been officially opened for two to three years now, and has had it's ups and downs. The biggest positive is the group of locals who have volunteered to adopt this course and put the work into maintaining and improving it's current condition. Love to see that for a course with this much potential. I am hopeful that this course will develop over time and perhaps be tweaked to capture it's true essence. The park ...
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Played two rounds with varied layouts during a recent C-Tier tournament. Sunny Lake has been officially opened for two to three years now, and has had it's ups and downs. The biggest positive is the group of locals who have volunteered to adopt this course and put the work into maintaining and improving it's current condition. Love to see that for a course with this much potential. I am hopeful that this course will develop over time and perhaps be tweaked to capture it's true essence. The park is huge and beautiful with a large lake in the background. Ample parking and a nice pavilion with portable restrooms are located near the course. Hole 1 starts in the open field and then you quickly dive into a lush woodland with varying degrees of elevation, thickness, rough, and water that the course traverses through. Holes have a wide variety of distances and curves, and while overall they have a similar feel each hole could stand out on it's own. The biggest take away from my experience is that after playing here all day I still have no idea which holes are which and how I got from point A to B....the layouts are massively confusing, but I'm convinced there is a Very good to great layout nestled within all the confusion that is waiting to be unlocked and showcased. Get rid of the overlap and focus on carving in a pristine 18 layout with the goodness that Mother Nature has provided. This rating is based on current condition, with the right direction this could be a local gem.
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