Pros:
Rochester City Park is 18 holes of disc golf park-style . Plenty of parking , there is a bathroom close to where you park , and a skate park next to hole #1 .
The Equipment . The course has 18 okay sized cement tee pads for this short course . Each tee sign is on one of those street sign poles that tell you No Parking . Almost all are here , and the signs are mostly white and give the hole number , par , distance and a primitive flight path . The park says the baskets are Mach 5 , but I counted Mach III when looking close . Most are numbered . There are navigational arrows at the base of most of the baskets to help with direction . There were no long walks between holes here .
The Landscape : They jammed all 18 holes in a small area in this multi use park . Some of these holes run up on each other , but I don't see many groups playing at once here . The park just has light grades in elevation , but they make some use of a small hill where tee 3 sits and throws to , and a tall sled hill for a top of the world drive for #'s 11 & 14 . Very fun . ( you have to throw over a chain link fence in front of you for #14 ) . You can feel the grade rise on #18 , but the wind will affect distance more than the hill. You throw off a small hill on Hole #1 . I will talk more about it . The park was mowed and looks well taken care of . It is nice looking as far as parks go.
The Highlights : Hole #1 would be a good starting hole , throwing between 2 narrow mando trees right in front of you , breaking right to left over part of the park cement , but the basket was pulled out of the ground and laying on it's side when I played . A better alternative is throwing into the grove of trees at basket #3 . Speaking of #3 , it is a short drive from a tee partly on the hill to the basket sitting in a low lying green in a cove of mature trees . Nothing worth mentioning until hole #11 which is a top of the world shot to an open fairway where the basket sits . #11 is okay , a short shot with trees lining the fairway and guarding the basket . The sled hill gives you another top of the world throw on #14 . #18 is a little longer throw to a basket with 2 long branched mature trees guarding the sides .
Signature Hole : #14 , a tighter top of the world shot with trees at the bottom in play and having to negotiate the chain link fence at the top . You will have to contend with the wind on all the holes , but especially the 2 on this hill .
Disc Risk : Remote . Unless you catch it high in a tree , or leave you putter in a basket , you won't lose any discs . This course is overgrowth exempt and kept up well .
The course can be played fast . If I wasn't confused on it at one point , it would have only taken me about 50-55 minutes . An attentive foursome will conquer this course in about 2 hours .
I don't know about challenge but this course will be fun with the locals and relaxing while you work on your game .
Cons:
Some safety issues . You might encounter people walking their dog right in the middle of the fairway , or a skate boarder skating towards the entrance to the skate park while you are teeing off on #1 . Be courteous and share park with them . The course is only a few years old and hopefully this course is here to stay . Getting on/off the sled hill might be a trick after a good rain .
Navigation : It's not terrible , but an online map would help a lot . I don't know why some of these Indiana parks dislike mapping their courses . Standing in parts of the park will enable you to see 9+ baskets and tees scattered about . Some of these arrows do help .
Challenge : Not enough trees , and a lack of variety in many of these holes will make it mundane and repetitive for players . The wind helps some .
The basket for #1 out of the ground and a missing sign for #14 . both fixable . Could use a nice shelter between hole 1 and 18 for the weary ?
Other Thoughts:
Courses like this are just what small towns like Rochester need . An alternative to watching tv and playing Xbox . Just like the course in nearby Akron , this course will not make you sit up and take notice with it's length ( short ) or challenge . But there is some fun factor here . Many holes let you air it out here , whether it's a better player with a midrange or a local with a driver . Fun and fast , this course needs a nearby shelter , so players can socialize after a round or 2 , and will give them a reason to stick around here for a while .
Course designer Kyle Coplen and the City of Rochester did a fine job , making this course happen and taking care of it .
My Recommendation : Fantastic course for newbies and families , dates , travelers visiting from out of town . Good for locals and Course Collectors that want to combine this with The Boonies and Akron , okay for trying out new discs , putting practice and airing out drives and midrange throws by combining tee pads with other baskets . A good course to try out and enjoy if staying close by or living near here .