-A supreme test of your Mountain DG Skills.
-A beautiful mix of Tall Pines, Park Course and Steeps.
-3 separate and distinct 9s that start near the base.
-Super easy to re-park near holes 3, 8, 16, 21 for short loops.
-Has about 6? signature holes and a dozen very good ones.
-Good restrooms with sinks near a sheltered picnic area.
-Ample, easy, central parking.
-The main tournament tees are all concrete.
-Paradise setting that is less than 5 minutes to town.
-Really close to a nice practice course and the D.D. store too.
-Central to the 5 or 6? courses that will host 2025 US Masters.
-Has 'Am' tees. Not just shorter, but fewer trees to navigate.

-Blind shots on several holes. Groups need to spot.
-Heavy grass can claim discs, especially on the 'Dam' 9.
-Not really a 'con' but the last 18 holes are a real workout.
-No par 4s. (But I like most of the 'par 2.5s and par 3.5s').
-Some 'poke and hope' holes, especially #5.

{There have been so many long reviews of Grindstone that I am getting right to an update, given the 2 Ruidoso fires and the flood.}

UPDATE: Grindstone is OPEN!!! The recent 35th Annual State Championships saw some mowing and other upgrades. Yes there is still some heavy grass, especially on the Dam 9. But there is no fire or flood damage of any kind.

The town is OPEN and eager to host visitors. Having spent 6 nights here in mid august, I can say the welcome is real and the 'Ruidoso Strong' spirit is inspiring. Especially liked Tinas, Penas, Downshift Brewing Riverside (no longer Sacred Grounds), Hall of Flame and the Sitzmark Chalet, all of which are 5 minutes from Grindstone.

This whole scene, the recovering town, the heroes and stories, the upcoming 2025 U.S. Masters (New Mexico's 1st Major), and the challenge of playing real mountain golf on several courses...it's a must plan must do road trip for any serious player. Highly recommended.

Good lines are present on this course. They are challenging but fair and you will have to shape shots.
Mandos on a couple of holes to keep things interesting.
This course plays in 3 distinct loops: The Front 9, The Back 9, & the Dam 9. All offer something unique and it makes for a fun round of disc golf. After completing each loop, it will drop you off by the parking lot, NICE.
The Front 9 is more park style and is the most "open" 9 holes on the course. Now don't let that fool you as there are still plenty of trees to challenge your shot shaping skills.
The Back 9 has the most elevation and variations in terrain. You will be playing up and down the mountain and this portion of the course is the most challenging, IMO.
The DAM 9 is a combination of the 2 other parts of the course and the holes are a bit shorter than the previously mentioned loops.
Play all 27 holes, play 9 holes, play 18 holes, I'm sure you will find something here that suits your fancy.

The Back 9 has a couple of holes, 17 & 18 come to mind, in which the road can be an issue. Please use caution before you throw.
The terrain can be an issue for some due to the rocky and uneven ground, so wearing the proper footwear is advised.
As other reviewers have mentioned, it can be difficult to find your disc, especially on the DAM 9, due to blind tee shots and thick ground cover. An extra set of eyes can't hurt.
Next tee arrows/signs would be helpful for out of town players to make navigation easier. UDisc GPS is a handy tool.

This course is a staple in the Ruidoso disc golf scene and it's easy to see why. There is a bit of everything present on this course. Players will need to have a well rounded game to score well here. There are 2 sets of tee pads for most holes giving players with different skill levels and opportunity to enjoy this very fun course.
The elevation at Grindstone isn't as extreme as it 2 sister courses, Oso Canyon and Moon Mountain, but it is a good change of pace from its 4 sister course, Inn of the Mountain Gods. This course is a good warm up course to prepare you for Oso and Moon. A very fun and challenging course that will make you want to play it again!

3 nines that all feel distinctly different from each other. The first is a classic grassy park feeling. The second takes it to the mountain with rollercoaster fairways. The final nine is dry and brushy with moderate hills and well shaped midrange drives.

Hole 1 is awesome. A bit of touch is required on the gentle slope down toward the basket that is backed by a creek. The trees force a bit of shaping but aren't forming a wall. The middle of the front 9 plays around the mostly flat and grassy section of the park. Trees are common enough to provide different characteristics from hole to hole, but won't take away the ability to go for it off the tee. There is a little bit of elevation added to the terrain as you finish the front nine. 7 is an uphill and 8 plays across rolling slopes to a pin perched on a slope. 9 is a really well framed hole with a tricky basket location near the creek. Most of the holes on the first 9 had alternate tees to give a shorter look.

The middle 9 is more intense. There is constant rise and fall in elevation. Most of it is extreme, sometimes going peak to peak over canyon like valleys. Short tees can be intimidating, and the long ones exhilarate as you anticipate releasing the drive. 14 and 16 both have tee boxes high above a trough in the fairway, then climb up the opposite side to pin locations on rocks or slippery hillsides. 18 has a really nice payoff at the conclusion of the middle nine. A major downhill drive with a few well placed tall trees to avoid on the way down to a protected pin at the bottom.

Cross the road to the final 9 for a run of pushing up hills and back down on the next hole trying not to overshoot, all with turns and trees adding complexity and finesse to the tee shots. Parts play next to the Grindstone Lake dam, or the fence that separates park maintenance HQ. The flow is good with challenging but not overpowering drives.

There are maps for each 9. Tee signs are there but a few of them have been really scorched by the sun. A bench or a trash can is usually not too far away at any point. The park is well kept and clean.

There are not any par 4's or 5's. A few signs to help find transitions and point out long and short tees could be useful.

Grindstone isn't the championship level of play that is required to score well at Moon Mountain. The variation of style at each station is consistently fun, and will keep the interest of most average players.

27 holes in 3 loops that all flow, but are not repetitive. I would say this is a terrific park, and perfectly fills a slot in the range of Ruidoso courses between beginner and pro caliber.

I made 5 birdies, offset by 8 bogies to finish at 3 over par. It is high fun factor. Strongly recommended.

Great topography for disc golf, with a variety of hole styles. Many different shot-shapes are necessary from the tees to score well.

Many trees, but it doesn't feel like woods golf. More like park golf, with trees to navigate around on most holes, plus more-than-typical elevation changes on some holes. Only a couple of "two-shot holes."

Practice basket and port-a-john near hole 1. Discatcher baskets throughout that are in good shape and catch well. Good, level, concrete or turf tees in most places.

27 holes, broken up into 3 distinct sets of 9. Each set of 9 loops back to a central-ish area.

Each set of 9 holes has its own character. 1-9 play through the flattest area, with scattered trees and a creek to avoid. Holes 10-18 were by far my favorite, with the most significant elevation changes, best views, and most interesting pin placements. Holes 19-27 also have elevation changes, but are generally more open (perhaps due to loss of trees), with lots of ground cover.

Multiple tee pads on each hole, usually 2 and sometimes 3 tees per hole.

Informative tee signs on each hole, sometimes showing the multiple tee positions.

Several areas of transition between holes have marked paths, steps built into hills, wooden bridges for creek crossings, or other helpful touches. A lot of extra work has gone into the course.

Interesting basket placements, with many protected greens or spots with roll-away potential.

Some great memorable holes. My favorite was hole 14, a healthy toss across a canyon to a precarious pin placement. Hole 18 is also a fun finishing hole (at least for finishing the first 18, I think it was originally the last hole and was planned to be).

Each set of 9 holes has its own map on a sign at the start of that set of 9 holes. I never saw an overall course map. I had to search for how to get to 10 after I finished 9. I saw hole 19 on the way to 10, so I figured that one out.

The holes each have one tee sign and sometimes all the tee options are marked on the sign and sometimes they are not. Also, sometimes the tee sign is next to the long tee and sometimes it is next to the short tee. (This is probably due to redesigns that have occurred over the years.) I believe that each hole has one concrete tee pad. Sometimes the long tee is concrete and the short is turf and sometimes the opposite. All of these factors combine to make for some confusing navigation, if your goal is to play all long tees, for example. I wandered around a bit several times and for quite a while on the transition from 13 to 14, even though I had paid attention to the "next tee" direction given on 13's tee sign.

The ground cover throughout the final 9 holes can make finding discs in the fairway a challenge, especially with a few blind tee shots. Keep a close eye on your drives on those holes.

There are a few times where good throws cross or come very close to roads and there were usually vehicles on those roads. The RHBH hyzer route to 5's basket plays close to or over the road. I waited to throw hole 6, which tees off across a road. A driver stopped and asked me for directions when I was standing on the tee of 8 (I didn't know). The baskets of 16 and 20 are close to the road and my disc landed within a few feet of a truck on 20.

The roads around the park were very busy on a summer morning, presumably with traffic going to and from the lake and to and from the neighborhoods up the hill beyond it. There was constant traffic noise, which made it feel like a hilly course in the middle of a city. This may not be particularly a pro or con, but it surprised me and I note it here so it won't surprise someone else.

This was a fun course to play and it had the feel of a well-used and well-loved park course with an active club involved. I hear it can get busy at peak times, but I saw only one other player early on a July morning. If you only have time for 9, I would highly recommend playing holes 10-18. If you only have time for 18, I say skip19-27 because the first 18 feel like a unified course and those last 9 feel like the bonus that they are.

-Really difficult but even as a beginner I loved the challenge because the layout was so interesting ... alt tees were super helpful and pretty easy to find
-Great workout (lots of climbing on back 9 and "revenge" 9)
-Really pretty setting / partially shaded
-Plenty of holes for all-day play (27) but can be easily divided up by nines as well

-It's a workout (could be a con for some)
-Some of the holes on the back nine are a little over the top, like, is this humanly possible?
-Back nine, you definitely need a map

We played this course twice. Of all the courses I played in NM, this was our fave. Front nine are shorter holes but difficult to see some of the baskets (especially #1), although the park-like setting of some of the holes was really terrific. Revenge 9 section is do-able with lots of hiking, more consistent in terms of type of holes ... lots of shots "up." Back nine (which we played last, and only once), is a lot of "up" and "down" and I kept thinking, is a bear going to come after me? cuz that back nine goes way up the hill.

The smell of the course was one of the first things I noticed. I love the smell of high altitude pine country, reminding me of the Black Hills in South Dakota or the Bryce Canyon area of Utah. It put me in a good mood.

The course did nothing to change my mood. The first 9 holes were enjoyable, using some elevated tees and good use of the meandering creek beds for dangerous putts. The pines are tall and define the fairways nicely. Hole 2 was maybe my favorite, a long drive from an elevated tee that requires hitting a two gaps with space for a fun drive.

The second 9 took things to another level (literally, I guess) with big elevation gains and shorter pines with more chance to get caught up in branches with errant throws. Hole 11 (I think) was a beautiful drive across an valley to an elevated pin across the way. Hole 18 was a thrilling empty-the-bag ace run down a steep hill with a ton of different approaches over the waiting pines.

The last 9 continued the elevation and returned to some of the taller pines and play along the dam site. Only one hole really brings the dam into play (hole 25?), where an inadvertent turnover shot could go over the wall, or a throw too long could go over another fence. The best hole is 26 (again, I think), a big downhill drive that requires getting under a protective branch before sailing down the valley.

Tees were all trapezoidal and concrete. Navigation was pretty easy, especially on the second and third 9.

There is a casino a few blocks away, so you can combine camping, disc golf, and card counting in a way that is pretty difficult in so many areas.

A lot of holes have blind shots the first time you play. Hole 18 was one of the more frustrating, where I couldn't interpret the tee sign and threw a few shots straight down the hill before walking halfway down and seeing where the basket really was. I emptied the rest of my bad.

On that note, the tee signs are one of the few weak points of the course. They're not bad. But they weren't the most descriptive and didn't always help me locate the holes.

While I don't care about a preponderance of par 4s, if you do, know that this course doesn't really emphasize raw distance, although you'll need that power on the uphill shots.

Here is something I don't say often: there wasn't a single shot on this course that wasn't fun. Bad shots will not be rewarded here, but this isn't a course that sets out to ruin your day to prove a point. It was a blast, and on the pure fun scale, I'll put this in the echelon of Whistler's Bend, Lake Casitas, Pier Park, Devens, and Waterworks.

Beautiful course and scenery. Challenging for the novice player to the pros. Tee signs on the front 9 make it easy to navigate if it's your first time there. We'll kept and was planned well!! Easy to find the park even for the directionally challenged lol! Road signs will lead straight to it.

New holes have the nice new disc catcher pros and concrete tee pads. Tee signs not up yet (as of 7-9-15) so didn't have time to search out the rest due to time. Know your discs when playing. Long straight drivers are good to negotiate the trees but pay attention to your throws or use a spotter where needed!

I live in Texas where we all know how the heat can be lol! Was awesome to get to play in Ruiodoso and the family can't wait to go back again next year! Especially my son and so we can hit this one again. If your ever there or passing through its most definitely a must play!!

With the additional of nine more holes, this 27 hole course is certainly among the best in the state. It is no surprise that the State Championships have been played here the past two years.

The three nine-hole loops differ significantly from one another, but are each challenging. The course arrangement returns you to the parking area after each loop.

The front nine is in a park area with large pine trees, grassy lawn, and relatively clear understory. There is a creek that comes into play on several of the holes, and some modest elevation change. The hole lengths vary from 230' to 515' in this loop, and the greatest challenge is working your drive through the numerous tall pines and staying out of the OB creek. A few baskets placed at the top edge of the creek to create some great risk/reward on longer putts. Lay-up for par or run it for birdie/bogie?

The middle nine is on a natural hillside area across the road. There are not many large trees, but the elevation changes are extreme and several ravines (small canyons) come into play here. Hole lengths in this loop vary from 250' to 550' with some great uphill, downhill, and cross-canyon shots. There is a great deal more low brush in this area to make disc finding a bit of a challenge. This loop features some baskets on points and edges that create a few tricky putts.

The new final nine plays below Grindstone Dam, and is an interesting mix of the first two. It utilizes a hillside with large pine trees, so gives much of the elevation change of the middle loop with the tall trees of the first loop. The holes tend to be a bit shorter here, varying from 140' to 370'.

All holes have excellent concrete tee pads and Innova baskets. Many holes have a shorter alternate tee pad, usually a rubber mat.Tee signs are very good, with hole number, length, par, good hole map and the hole sponsor.

Reasonably large gravel parking lot with a clean porta-can and trash cans. Quite a few benches and a few trash cans distributed through the course.

Each of the three loops have a large sign with a course map, individual hole maps, sponsors, rules, etc.

It is hard to find anything not to like about this course.

The middle loop is on a steep and rocky piece of land. Footing can be a little dicey, so watch your step.

With the significant amount of up and down on a course at 7000 foot elevation, you will get worked physically. Not a bad thing, but you might be huffing and puffing a bit (or a lot).

Several holes drive to a blind basket, so first time players will have to walk forward quite a bit, and a spotter is a big help. Your discs can get tricky to find on some of the middle and final loop holes, as there are some long blind drives and thick undergrowth in spots. Update 2016 - There has been a lot of clearing on the final 9 hole loop with about 75% of the trees removed in some areas. Quite a bit more forgiving and still a great section of the course.

This is a seriously challenging course, with a great variety of holes. With three complete nine-hole loops accessible from the parking lot you can start on 1, 10 or 19 depending on where others are playing.

A very nice course giving you some very unique holes. It is made up of two 9 hole loops. The front nine is a technical loop, in a small area behind Grindstone Lake's dam. It uses trees and the creek to make you shape shots, it also puts a few mandos into play.

The back nine is very different, and likely the nine that make this course so great. This loop is located across Resort Dr from the front nine. It uses steep elevation changes to make a challenging set of holes. There are uphill and downhill shots, as well as a number of shots across ravines. It makes very good use of the unique topography of the area.

Navigation is very easy on both loops, very good signage and nice Discatchers with easily spottable yellow bands.

The back nine have a lot of uphill and downhill hiking. The terrain is a bit rough in some places. If you are not acclimated to the elevation (about 7000 ft) you can get winded very quickly.

I'm not always a fan of mandos used simply to make holes harder by eliminating lines. Many times they really don't work well and end up being cheap gimmicks, but Grindstone really uses them well.

The course is in a beautiful secluded wooded area. Although it is heavily wooded there seems to be a a fairway on every hole. So if you can stay on the fairway you should be fine.Basket 9 is a straight up ace run.
All teepads were cement and signage was very good with maps and distance.
There is also a port a potty and recycle bins on site.

The front 9 definitely seems to favor a thrower that has a fade to the right.You really need to watch where your disc lands you could have a real bad time finding your disc. If you lose your disc make sure you look in the trees and not just the ground. I saw 2 players lose discs to the tall pines.The back 9 are rugged make sure you have good shoes.

This was a an excellent challenging fun course.If you are ever in the area you need to play here. you wont be disappointed

I can see why they're playing the state championships here this year. A lot of work has gone into making this a first rate course, especially on the front nine. I was really impressed by the engineering that went into all the stairs. The trapazoid teepads are large, grooved for rain/snow run-off and are extra big. There ar some really great, challenging basket placements here where a missed putt can result in another stroke or two.
# 9 was am awesome hole forcing you to really think about your shot placement. I think it would be a great finishing hole here not that # 18 isn't bad either.
Although I didn't see many garbage cans, I was thrilled to not see ONE bottle or can strewn in the brush anywhere on this course! KUDOS to all who play here.
# 17 and 18 were two great finishing holes.

I wasn't real thrilled with (what I understand) is athe new basket placement for # 3. I found that to be a little bit overkill so far past the # 4 teepad.
I loved the front nine. The back nine was merely good, in my humble opinion

I'd give the front nine a 4.5 and the back nine a more pedestrian like 3.5. So when I average them together, the course gets a an excellent rating of 4.0. It is a touch heavy on slight anhyser fades but has so many great basket placements (# 1, # 8, # 9, # 17 and # 18) and a couple of nice ACE runs to make for a really fun day at the disc golf course.

-course is heavily wooded and makes for a fun, but difficult game
-front nine are very marked and hole placements are very well thought out
-beautiful scenery, and great weather most of the time
-the locals are very helpful and friendly
-little creek and a couple of roads make for a good couple of OB's
-parking lot is nice, plus a very good putting circle to warm up
-if you want a serious challenge the back nine is for you

-if you don't like trees then you will not like this course because you will most likely hit a few
-the back nine is poorly marked, and is comprised of very steep hills, and very deep ravines, spot your disc or you will lose it

this course has lots of elevation and well placed pins. lots of beautiful shots that you can only get in a mountain town like this one. well thought out holes with various amounts of challenge to each hole.

if you are not in some kinda shape this course will wear you out. if its windy this course is really tough

-Great place to take a walk in the park
-Contours, trees, creek, valleys
-Weather mostly very nice

-Hard to figure out where to park (we went too far and ended up at the lake)
-SIgns for holes are not that easy to follow (couldn't figure out hole #7 or #9)
-95 degrees and hot when we were there

This is a beautiful setting. Enjoy the walk and the disc golf.

-Heavily wooded
-Extremely hilly, especially the back 9 holes
-Variety of shots necessary
-Beautiful scenery & weather

Back nine holes are extremely brushy, spot your shots or you'll loose your discs!

If you don't know the back 9, you're sure to get lost. Check out the course map under links and get familiarized with it before you go out and play!

Very nicely kept up. New cement tee boxes were just about ready the last time I played so should be good to go next time I go.

Being that im a beginner it was a bit tough but still fun to play. Havent tried the back 9 yet.

A beautiful course with all types of shots.
- Very friendly locals to help you get around
- Good signage on front 9 and terrific course layout. Two nine hole loops bring you back to the parking lot to resupply or whatever.
- Excellent use of the terrain putting hills and water into play but not unreasonable. Water hazard is only a tiny creek deep and wide enough to be played as O.B. but you should get your disc back if it goes in.
- Tight alleys of mature evergreen trees force accuracy but do not punish you too bad if you don't make it.
- Long and short holes test both distance and accuracy

Only thing I would say is a con is the back nine has not been fully marked yet with signs. And it is kind of a tough hike over felled trees and through some brush. I will rate this a 5 once the back nine is finished.

An absolute must play if you are ever near Ruidoso, NM. Set in a beautiful evergreen forest with very majestic looking holes from the tee boxes. Especially the back nine Playing from hill top to hill top over steep gullies.
Not a course for beginners to enjoy only the hardened disc golfer will truly enjoy this course. Not to say this is not playable by the beginner but they should probably stick to the front nine.

This course has very nice distance which will challenge your accuracy. Multiple tee boxes, plenty of elevation changes. The pine trees make for beautiful scenery as well guardians for baskets. A must play course. If you need help around course the locals are very friendly and more than willing to play a round.

If you're not used to climbing steep wooded terrain it will wind you quickly with most of the back nine playing from top of one hill climbing down a ravine and back up to baskets. Shot accuracy a must here or you are in some thick thorny rough (they are clearing it.) NOT FOR BEGINNERS !!

With a few more years and course maturity will become a premier course in the country. From Suddereth Road look for sign to INN OF THE MOUNTAIN GODS Resort and Casino turn here and follow signs to Grindstone Lake.Course is below dam on left.

Nice area, kept clean and challenging

Couldn't find back 9, it wasn't marked it's on other side of Resort road, across from launch for hole #6, not by #9 or parking lot.

DISC GOLF COURSE Boneshakers Cyclery 575-257-6784; Park & Rec 575-257-5030 It's free! From Sudderth Drive, take Carrizo Canyon Road 0.8 miles; Turn right on Grindstone Canyon Road 0.3 miles; Turn left on Resort Drive 0.3 miles to entrance of Grindstone Disc Golf Course. Discs for sale at Boneshaker Cyclery at 2312 Sudderth, in midtown Ruidoso.(from Ruidoso city website)

The next right drive after Grindstone Lake turn on Resort Drive

Long and tough, featuring realistic yet tight fairway tunnels through tall pine alleys. Small but steep hills in the woods some with water at the bottom add hazard. A few baskets perched on slopes. Good variety, it rewards good smooth power shots but doesn't unfairly punish a bad throw. Well maintained, clean and well marked too.

Hard to find- it has no directions listed. Rock tees, soon to be cement maybe? The new 9 holes are not yet cleaned up or mowed or marked, but still playable and will be soon!

A double mando is in play-decide for yourself whether you like it or not. If you know how to get here PLEASE write directions and submit to here and PDGA.com, thanks. New 9 holes soon to enhance it!