Angel Mounds is a strange location for a disc golf course.

On the banks of the Ohio River, the Angel Mounds State Historic Site is a preserved Native American area on which a town was built hundreds of years ago and included earthen mounds to elevate important buildings, according to their website. And with signs of archaeological history visible all around the well-preserved, 600-acre site, the view of red baskets dotting the field near the entrance seem out of place.

Angel Mounds was recently increased to an 18-hole layout. Most of the opening holes are of the poke-and-hope variety; they're in the woods and tend to be short but heavily wooded. Only one of the first 11 holes is longer than 220 feet, but with very narrow lines, score variance will likely be high as aces and bogeys are both reasonably possible.

There are two hanging baskets on the second half of the course, which is mostly open in the field. The basket for Hole #13 is suspended from what appears to be the frame of an old swing set and is about five feet high. The basket for Hole #17 is suspended, but it's just a couple feet off the ground. However, both holes require a careful approach in order to avoid obstructed putts from the sides due to the supports.

There are two teepad designations – blue and gold – on the site. Most of the time, the gold teepads are just longer but the angle is different on a few of holes too.

The grounds were mowed and in good shape when I played (though other users reported very high grass at previous times).

The teepads are less than ideal. The teepads in the field tend to be turf, in so-so condition and they can be difficult to spot as they blend in with the grass. In the woods, the teepad areas were typically marked with wood chips and colored blocks. These areas can get muddy after even a bit of rain. And a few of the teepads were simply marks on the entrance road to the museum, which isn't ideal if there's much traffic around.

The navigation in the woods is decent as there are footpaths throughout. However, there were a few areas where it was possible to walk in the wrong direction, and the holes in the fields will likely prompt a glance at the course map.

There's barely any elevation change on this course – maybe a couple feet at most. Consequently, the course is quite cart friendly.

Several of the holes in the field play near the park road.

The baskets are a mix of transportable Prodigy T3 and homemade baskets. For the homemade baskets, the top assembly has a few spokes but it appears a disc could enter through the top. The basket assembly is barely a disc deep. There are two layers of chains and they appeared to catch well. The baskets are mounted upon what appears to be the stripped rim of a car tire. Despite all that, the homemade baskets seem to do the job.

Due to the archeological history, no digging is allowed on site, hence the basket choices and the absence of dug teepads and tee signs.

The site and museum are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. If you arrive outside of those hours, the course is still available to play, and you can park in the grass near the front gate. Hole #15 is the closest to the entrance, so you might opt to start your round there.

Angel Mounds was a bit better than my group expected. While it's a reasonably average course, partially due to the limitations of the land, the designer did a good job of using the basket locations, a few obstacles and two elevated baskets to avoid boring holes.

New red baskets that I hadn't seen the style of before. Caught well enough.

Mix of distances, couple holes set into a cornfield, adding some difficulty, and possible risk of losing a disc.

Overall, the course plays away from any activity that may be happening, except for #6, which plays next to a small shelter.

Hanging basket on #4 added for a touch of uniqueness.

Course upkeep was perfect.

Tee pads are dark green mats that blend into the ground, very hard to locate, no signage as this is a historic Native American Indian site, no digging allowed. Tee pads are numbered, some of the holes are simply spray painted onto the asphalt. Hard to navigate.

The baskets are for the most part all visible from the tee pads, not a course that will challenge higher level players. Good for beginners to learn on, with some of the holes having some length to contend with.

This is a 9 basket/2 tee pad layout for a total of 18 holes.

It's great to see the addition of the course as an added draw to the National Historic Site, growing the game.

Not a course to go out of your way to play.