Raymore, MO

Recreation Park

3.055(based on 11 reviews)
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6 0
Pevio
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.5 years 194 played 122 reviews
2.50 star(s)

The park is advancing, the course is retreating 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Recreation Park features lots of holes that are fine for beginners but can still cause some challenges for advanced players. The front nine is fairly open, the back nine is fairly wooded, maintenance is excellent, and there are alternate tee pad options on several holes for players who want to stay away from the water, long grass, and woods. There are two practice baskets - one by each set of nine holes. Every teepad is concrete, including the alternate ones, and there's not very much mud here in my experience.

The wooded holes on the back nine are the highlight of this course. 10, 13, 14, and 15 are all super fun and have a few different options for how to play them. On many of these, it doesn't take a fantastic shot to get near the basket, but unless your drive is on point, you'll have no chance of a putt because of the guarded greens on basically the entire back nine. Upshots can also be difficult when you don't have a direct line to the basket. However, if you manage to play smart, you can methodically work your way down the fairway and pretty consistently avoid the thick woods.

A few holes on the front nine provide some interesting challenge as well, despite being relatively open and flat. Hole 2 is slightly uphill and plays near the pond, hole 6 has a low ceiling, and hole 8 is a blind shot over the pond. There's enough distance on nearly all of these holes for this course to not be labelled pitch-and-putt, yet less experienced players won't find their scores escalating quickly, and still have a chance for aggressive shots and conservative shots no matter how they throw.

Cons:

Because of the way the land is that the course is on, many holes end up not having much going for them. Many holes have one or two trees that get in the way, but when you really think about it, there's often not much that can block your disc (8, 11, possibly 9). Hole 12 has a row of tree directly in front of the tee that are really annoying, but still don't force a certain shot. It needs one of them to be removed - I don't care which one it is. Hole 1 is similar; it has two small trees in front of the tee, but you can still throw hyzers in any direction.

A number of holes massively favor a certain throwing style. Fortunately, it's not the same throwing style on every hole, but holes 9, 11, 17, and 18 all finish hard left, and hole 10, and to a lesser extent 13, finish hard right. On these holes, there's very little skill involved shot selection, and if the shot required isn't something you specialize in, you're toast.

Elevation change is pretty nonexistent on most holes. I quite like where it is in play, namely 2, 10, and 13, but some of the flatter holes could be a whole lot more spicy if they had some elevation change. Even holes that are just mediocre could be turned into holes that are really good (1, 11).

There's a whole lot else in this park than just Disc Golf. Sidewalks are the main thing that come into play on around half the holes, and some football and baseball fields are nearby as well. It's common to be waiting on the tee for pedestrians to move out of the way. If you're throwing across the path, it's not a big deal, but holes that basically play down the path are just dumb.
More importantly, more park infrastructure is coming in and is eating into the course. The tee of 4 has already been moved to avoid a new building, and hole 3 will need to be removed pretty soon due to some new lakeside stuff coming in. That construction has bled into hole 2 recently, leading to that basket getting destroyed. I'm not sure if it's been replaced yet.

Other Thoughts:

Once hole 3 is removed, the best fix to keep the course at 18 holes will be a hole after current hole 18 that plays to the practice basket. It'll be a boring hole and will cause 15 holes to be renumbered, but it'll keep the course a little safer. I'm not sure how the green of 2 will end up, but if that pin has to be moved as well, it'll be another knock on this course.

I'm not sure what the pars are on a few of the longer holes, but holes 12 and 15 can certainly be labelled as a par 4.

There's a rather long walk to get to hole 10, but if your putting is cold by the time you get there, you can go practice putting again. Or you can drive.

Unfortunately, I don't think this course is improving anytime soon, and if this park gets more and more people and buildings that don't have anything to do with Disc Golf, I fear the appropriate rating may be going down to 2.0. However, there's still some challenge to be had here, especially on the wooded holes away from the sidewalks, so enjoy this course while you can.
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9 1
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.4 years 562 played 429 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Recreation Rationalization 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 20, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Recreation Park is tidy and well groomed, and has standard quality baskets, concrete tees, and tee signs. Plenty of trash cans, and other park activities on site. 18 holes, gentile pond on the front nine, and a slightly more woodsy attitude on the back nine.

The long holes can be serious, with only one par four (total par 55). A couple of bomber par 3's are 2 and 16, that are in the 400' to 450' neighborhood, depending on the pin locations. The pond is in play on holes 3 and 8 mostly, with fairly simple water carries on each. Alt tees are available to make it a less risky drive. 6 holes offer short tees overall, all paved if I am not mistaken.

There are more trees on the back 9, and a couple of interesting basket locations. Hole11 plays right to left into the trees with a pin on the edge of a small creek (mostly dry when I played). Hole 13 had a similar feel, with the target right in front of the creek bed, and fairly good placement on a middle distance drive is crucial to have a birdie chance. 14 is a crazy tightly wooded zig zag with hundreds of thin trees. I did pull off a miracle side arm anhyzer shot that gave me a look at a 25-30' putt, and I couldn't pull it off. 15 has a more generous fairway than 14, but is longer with a narrowish tunnel shot that has punishing rough. I took a 6 on the score card battling through that one.

10 is a decent hole, right to left with some limitation of airspace caused by tree lines. 17 and 18 are similar holes to wrap up, from the tree line, open to the right, and pin tucked to the left side in the trees. I got decent drives on each, but again failed to collect the birdie putts.

Cons:

I like this course, but the lack of elevation and several holes that are mostly wide open make it less interesting than the top tier KC area courses. If the walking trail was not in close proximity to many of the fairways, I would like it a little better. The busy play area left of the fairway on 15 was also not to cool.

Other Thoughts:

I was struggling with the wind on several drives, and left at four over par on the round. Birdies on hole 2 and 4, each followed by a bogey on 3 and 5. Another bogey on 13, then a triple b on 15 is where is finally fell apart. I had a few other birdie shots, but my putting wasn't good enough to improve the overall tally.

Recreation Park is adequate, but I couldn't go above a score of 3. In the range of Blue Valley Kansas or Fox Hill Fliers, beginner friendly while still having a taste of adventure.

Not going to make the regular rotation, but a fun visit in combination with the new 9 hole at Howard Park. Hit Smoke Brewing in Lee's Summit in between, it is an amazing afternoon of disc, bbq and suds.
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9 0
Surge5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.3 years 175 played 174 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Close to it's best, room to grow. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

DisCatchers are in pretty good condition and have flags on top for easy visibility (helps a lot on the back 9)

The course sign is extremely helpful.

Practice basket at both starting points (1 and 10) and the one by 10 has the circle painted, along with 20', 30', and 40' markings.

Several holes have multiple tees. Most don't make much difference in length, but they do keep newer players from having to throw over the water on 3 and 8.

There's a lot of length variance. On my playthrough there were a few sub-250' and (at least) two 450'+.

Even on the more open front 9, the positioning of the trees makes it much more challenging than baskets in a field.

The water feature on 3 and 8 is a nice challenge for intermediate players.

Several greens on the front 9 have some OB danger near them, and some of the back 9 have the danger of a 4 foot drop-off behind them.

The city put directional signs in to help first-timers on some of the tougher routes between holes (10 to 11, 15 to 16).

The front 9 is open, the back 9 is wooded-ish. Nice shift between the two.

Cons:

The obvious one, there's a 4-diamond baseball complex in between hole 9 and hole 10. They were there first, so there's really nothing that could be done, but it is still worth noting.

You throw near/over a walking trail several times. On a busy day this could be an issue.

Some of the long, open holes (1, 4, 9, 16) feel like they were put there just to get the course to 18 holes.

Many of the wooded holes on the back 9 are very same-y, too. 10, 11, 13, 17, and 18 all start in the open, play 200-250 feet along the treeline, then have a basket 30-50 feet into the woods with some guardian trees. It's a good hole design, but playing the same type of hole five times gets old.

While the tee signs are very good, some are so sun faded you can hardly read them, and one (I think it was 14) is completely gone.

Several holes only have one pin spot, and unfortunately it's some of the more boring holes.

From the teepads of 10 and 11 you can see two flags (10/18 and 11/17). If the trees were more grown in it's possible you might only see one and make an error in disc selection

Other Thoughts:

This is definitely a course worth visiting, but maybe only a few times. Many holes are just average, none of them really stand out besides 15, but having those different greens makes birdies a challenge.

To get past the main drawback (the gap between hole 9 and 10) you can either walk around the baseball complex, or drive around the fields to another parking lot.

Having multiple practice baskets is really nice. I spent an extra 15 minutes after my round getting in some putting practice at the basket with markings.

This course was put in after other things were there. With that in mind, the course is near the best it could be. A few more holes could use the trees a little differently, a few basket placements could be added, and it could be far more worthy of a visit.

Overall, I could see people both loving and hating this course. Make the trip down there and decide which side you fall on.
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5 0
Omega.Rider
Experience: 9.5 years 36 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A course with two minds 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 6, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Exceptionally well maintained
- a front 9 that would be an excellent course for introducing new players
- a back 9 that makes you really work for shot placement

Cons:

- front nine could really use better signage
- course plays over and around soccer fields, softball diamonds, and the walking trail so care has to be taken to not endanger other park users
- back 9 freely admits and warns about lots of poison ivy
- parts of the back could be unplayable after a heavy rain as there are pads and pins right at the stream banks
- entire course could use indications of where the OB areas are; none are marked which increases the risk of disc v. pedestrian incidents

Other Thoughts:

This course does everything it can to use what it has. It doesn't really have elevation to work with so it uses trees, a pond, a stream, tall grass, and OB to really make you work on shaping your shots and picking your lie. The back more so than the front. Alternate tee pads on several holes allow less confident players to take some of the sting out of some holes. There are 2 holes on the back that have line tolerances so tight that not a single member of my card managed to bogey them, much less par. Final note: this is probably not a good course to play on a busy day for the park.
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2 0
SirDreward
Experience: 15.3 years 38 played 23 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Not a bad course, but not a great course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Multiple tee placement on some holes
- Well maintained park overall
- Other than the pond, it would be pretty hard to lose a disc on the front nine
- Tee pads and baskets in excellent condition

Cons:

- In a mixed use park
- As of the time I played the back nine had no IDs
- Could lose a disc fairly easily on the back nine
- Tee pads have no amenities

Other Thoughts:

The front nine without the pond would have been most boring, but the back nine proved to be a little more interesting, but not by much. The most difficult hole was 12 due to the placement of trees practically right in from of the tee pad. I would classify this course as a "more than beginners course."
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1 1
air show
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.8 years 223 played 27 reviews
2.50 star(s)

recreation course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained park with concrete tee pads and DISCatchers. Front nine more open back nine more technical. 4 or 5 holes to let it rip but most are short open or technical. Basket 9 by parking lot makes grabbing another cold one or two a breeze.

Cons:

Very busy park with walkers, softball, soccer, etc. Walking path coincides with 6 or 7 holes so take care. Navigation of course fairly easy with the exception of walk from 9 to 10.

Other Thoughts:

Though recreation park will probably be a one time play for me it's great to see another course in the KC metro. If you are wanting to practice most every throw known in disc golf you might check out this course.
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5 0
Disc Down
Experience: 12.5 years 75 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

People Everywhere! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice sized tee pads and water holes. The back 9 was well done...I enjoyed those holes. They were mostly wooded/throwing into, or out of the woods. The front 9 was mostly flat with some well placed trees to give them a little bit more of a challenge. Relatively short course with about 4-5 bomber holes. Nice area and well maintained.

Cons:

This course probably has the worst designed front 9 in the KC area that I have played. There is a walking path around the whole park and you're always throwing around people, long walks in between holes (There's is probably 2 holes worth of empty space you have to walk to get from holes 9-10). Holes 4, 5 , 6 were unplayable due to people playing soccer in the fairways...we had to play them last when everyone left. Lots of empty space in between several holes.

Other Thoughts:

Being a relatively new course I'm sure they have more improvements in the works. When I played there weren't any tee signs which made the course a challenge to navigate (I'm sure they will be coming soon). There were so many people in this park and we played on a Wednesday evening...I can't imagine what it would be like on a Saturday or Sunday. As I said before, you have to throw over/parallel with the walking path on several holes. It would not surprise me at all to hear about a bystander getting injured due to being hit with a disc (maybe add some signs warning of flying discs?)

All in all it was an ok course. I probably won't be back unless I'm in the area.
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3 0
jaketaco
Experience: 13 years 95 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

18 holes now 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Brand new tee pads, discatcher baskets, water play on several holes.

Cons:

Multi-use park with trails through fairways, and several holes double for soccer. Some of new holes have very tight "lines". Long walk from 9 to 10 and back from 18, but it's what they had to do to add on the back 9.

Other Thoughts:

Without the water on the front, it would 've been very boring, really flat and open. The back 9 was better, and plays in woods along the creek, so there is chance for OB, but it was really low. A few of the holes (one in particular) could lose a tree or two, very tight, not really any workable lines.

The worst part was hole 4,5, and 6 were also used as a kids soccer field, so we had to skip them and come back after 18 and play them closer to dusk when it had cleared out. Would like to see them take those 3 holes out and add them somewhere on the back.

Not a bad course, but not one I would go out of my way to play.
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1 0
finchd4
Experience: 13.5 years 22 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

It works for me 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 14, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

It is a great beginner course that allows for it to be a pick me up course to a more experienced player. most of the drives were done with a fairway driver for me, and I'm not a 'great' player. there were a few drives where I pulled out my long distance. good use of what was there as previously mentioned. jjw4ucm review is spot on.

Cons:

While I was there, there was some foot ball and base ball practice going on. I did have to wait a few times for the fairway to clear up before throwing due to this.

Other Thoughts:

I think there are oppertunities for the front 9 (currently only 9) to have even more alternative tee pads that would give a little more distance to the course, namely hole 4 could have a pad right across the street from 3's basket rather than the back tracking of the entire hole 3. there are some others, that I don't recall off the top of my head right now. All in all, I am glad to see a course going up more local to Peculiar! Any help I can give in the course, and I really could give some help on pads and signage, I would be willing to volunteer time and use of my equipment/tools.
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3 0
jjw4ucm
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.3 years 42 played 36 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Get more in Raymore! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice variety of shots, given the land they had to work with! We didn't get bored here and enjoyed our round.

There aren't a huge amount of lines or shots you'll need out here. However, it is overall a good course design, with a decent amount of variety to keep things interesting.

The multiple tee areas -- can't really call them pads yet -- are VERY helpful! There is a pond that comes into play on a couple holes, but the alternate tees help you avoid it pretty easily if you're nervous.

Ample parking and a very safe neighborhood make for nice creature comforts here in Raymore.

Baskets, being new, are all in excellent condition. The signs are nothing more than a number, but they are in good condition.

The navigation on this course is decent for the most part. The only tricky spot is where you have to cross over the road after 3 to get to 4, but that's not horrible. The first hole is to the NW of the parking lot, and might take a second to find. Once they get taller signs in, it will help this issue.

The few trees that are on this course were used well, especially on 6 and 8. Nice job!

Cons:

There really aren't a ton of technical shots out at this park. You're mostly throwing pretty open -- while the hazards that are present are used very well (see: 6, 8), there really just aren't that many woods to contend with here. Not a fault of the course design, it's what they had to work with, but it is what it is.

There wasn't much going on when we played, but this appears to be a VERY multi-use park and paths cut through the course fairly often. Be careful of non-DGers wandering about.

This is a new course so I fully expected this, but the tee pads are all natural and the signs are very short posts with numbers on them. Not a huge deal in my book, but it CAN make finding the next hole more challenging than normal, although it's still not bad.

Other Thoughts:

This course is in a nice park over in Raymore. There were lots of various sports fields around, so I imagine this area can get busy when those events take place. There was a kid's baseball game going on while we were there.

This course has some solid potential. It's almost a 3.5 in my book, but the natural tee pads, lack of technical/wooded shots, and lack of good signage hold it back somewhat. Signs and tee pads alone would probably bump it to a 3.5. If the back 9 turns out to be awesome, wooded, and very fun, it could even go higher with the other improvements. However, as it stands, it is a very fun, relaxed place to shoot half a round in the neighborhood. Great job to the designers!
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2 1
Matt5150
Experience: 10.5 years 8 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great for beginners to intermediate. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 30, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very open holes for beginners intimidated by hazards, yet some holes a challenge to birdie for more experienced players. Very flat park, well mowed and even ground.

Cons:

Natural grass around water ways can swallow a disk. Make sure you watch your landings. Very flat park.

LOTS of discs lost in this pond from holes 3, 7, and 8. Have yet to have one returned. Local teens seen wading and picking up armloads of disks. With the shallow water and abundance of water plants, even floating disc end up on the bottom of the lake in weeds or mud.

Other Thoughts:

Back 9 coming winter 2014 / spring 2015. Expected to be much more technical.
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