We came for the disc golf and left in awe at the sheer amount of activities Markham has to offer Broward residents and visitors. However, this review is only for the 18 basket course at the westernmost section of the park. Helpful hint: if you're at the RC airfield, you missed the curve - go back towards the gun range and you'll start seeing basket 5 (bright green Prodigy basket) right next to the guard rails. Keep in that direction - don't turn left into the mountain biking trail parking area. You'll soon be passing baskets 6-12 on your right hand side, and you'll see a small parking lot for about 12 cars on your left. No facilities of any kind in this section, so go the bathroom and fill your water bottles before you arrive.
Entry to the park itself was $1.50 a person - worth it, for how well maintained this park is. We passed dozens of parties in the shelters on our way towards the course, and it just looks incredibly family friendly.
The disc golf course has absolutely zero signage here. We asked an attendant at the ticket window, and she said to turn right at the stop sign...and keep going. We made several wrong turns (as you can see in our helpful hints atop) but eventually found our way to the right starting point. The course had a map right next to our parking spot, in addition to a practice tee. The course is well thought out, circling all the way back to the parking area if you completed the full course. We opted to do baskets 1-12, as it was sprinkling lightly and started to rain harder as we played on, and 12 also ends near the parking area.
The course doesn't offer too much in terms of variety - the whole course plays on the curve of the road and lake, so most baskets had similar difficulty levels. Added struggles on holes 2-5, as they tee off between the water and a large shrubby barrier from the road - I threw a favorite disc into the the beyond and it curved straight into the swamp. All signs say to not wade through the swamp, so instead, I fished for it with plentiful branches laying around. It worked, but I definitely played more cautiously after that. Also to note: there are benches and accurate signs at each tee pad!
I'll give the designer props in taking advantage of the few natural obstacles that South Florida had to offer this part of the park - hole 5 was elevated (again, you can see this basket from the road), and hole 6 was an interesting challenge of trying to curve through a line of well planted palm trees. I truly appreciated the 2-3 tee pad options for recreational players, amateurs, and professionals, as well as the 2 basket options on most holes - par 3's all around, from what I noticed, though I read there were two baskets with a par 5. We didn't make it there. I consider myself an amateur and managed to toss a bogey (or triple bogey, if I'm being honest) on most baskets after nearly losing my disc. The shrubs really make for some interesting obstacles, because digging through them is not fun in shorts and a t-shirt.
Gorgeous views around baskets 7/8 with that cool walkway, but all-in-all, the course was pretty simple and open. Wind made a huge difference on holes 1/7-12, as it was open enough to start carrying or cursing your driver. I'll be back again, but there are more interesting courses out here. The SO prefers Easterlin, and I'm inclined to agree though I really appreciate how well taken care of this course is. read more