Somerset, WI

Somerset DGC

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3.395(based on 19 reviews)
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10 1
Sethamphetamine
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 82 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Potential Greatness 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

+The vibe reads like a number of people care about this course and do a lot to make it better. Really enjoy this in a course, hopefully I didn\'t misread it here. +Tons of variety. I was shocked at the elevation at this park. All shot shapes available and needed. Over the top bombs on a few holes are there. Up hill. Down hill. Tunnels. Flat bucks. Sweet. +Garbage cans and tables on most holes. Keeps the course clean. +Dual tees. Longs play considerably harder, shorts appear to be no joke in most cases. A few long tee pads seemed a little forced but could be waiting on some tree clearing/breaking in to be what they were intended to be. +Signage. Solid markings leading to the next hole which is absolutely necessary here. Most homemade, shout out to whoever put them in. +Fun 18 hole course in a bit of a dead zone, especially if you\'re coming from the Wisconsin side instead of Minnesota. ~15 minute drive from Stillwater.

Cons:

-Tee pads. Probably the most glaring issue here. Some are solid, others are tiny and a few are almost completely deteriorated. -Baskets. Mach II\'s.-Some questionable long tee pad locations. Some of the long pads fairly increase difficulty with added distance and a harder line while some make the hole nearly impossible by taking the angle to an extreme. Haven\'t played the course enough to reference specific holes, but on at least a few you would stand on the short pad and look at a difficult, uphill, steep hyzer shot in the woods. The long pad would be the same distance but simply 30-50 feet to either side, turning a tricky shot into an actual trick shot or, more likely, a layup. Feel like there is a Goldilocks layout with a mixture of the longs and shorts. -No water hazards.

Other Thoughts:

Was more than pleasantly surprised with Somerset DGC. Very cool terrain and lots of different kinds of shots. I was on a time crunch so was playing to stay in the fairway (didn\'t work most of the time) but if you were local there looked like some fun, creative lines out there. Not sure how trafficked this place is, but it seemed very raw in places still. With a little time and some effort it could be a great course to call home. Big props to anyone that helps make this course better. If you find yourself near the MN/WI border and have always gone toward Lakewood or St. Paul courses, consider heading the other way and trying Somerset. You\'ll likely avoid the crowds and there\'s some great golf to be had. Lots of housing developments going up around the park. In spots, fairways and backyards border each other. This park-neighbor relationship seems very new out here- on hole 3 a resident stopped mowing to watch me tee off. Could have been to make sure I didn\'t cross over into his yard or simple courtesy. Help make sure it was the latter, consider the neighbors when you\'re out playing! Great weekday course to play a league or a fun round with some friends.
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1 2
Bobafred78
Experience: 10 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great variety of holes, elevation and shot selection. Challenging layout

Cons:

Certainly sees some use and abuse as most public courses do. Some litter and vandalism but overall not terrible. Better signage would be a great benefit. Kind of need to wander in spots to find next tee. Pretty narrow to nonexistent routes on a couple holes but not impossible.

Other Thoughts:

Enjoyed the challenges this course offered. Not a destination course but my group will gladly return and play it whenever we are in the area.
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4 0
Badgerman
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.2 years 551 played 62 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Somerset 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+ Beautiful showcasing of the land
+ Dual, concrete tees, with short tees offering a different line of sight
+ Great use of elevation as an obstacle
+ Wonderful mix of open and wooded, good variety in hole length. I never thought "That basket is too far away for what this hole is"
+ Some nice details. Boulders, tree trunks, makeshift barricades
+ Picnic tables and garbage cans every 2-3 holes, in poor repair, but I usually don't even list these as a pro. Just the fact that there is a nice post up spot every few holes is very nice.
+ Practice Basket!

Cons:

- Limited parking, although there is a small overflow lot a little further up
- Some paths get very muddy and slippery. Watch for tree roots, erosion is a real thing
- To get to 8 short, you have to walk across 10 long.
- Lack of signage. Other than the course map at the start, a few next tee signs and the occasional number spray painted on a rock or garbage can, there is no signage. For a course of this caliber, with so many blind shots, tee signs are a must!
- Concrete tees already need replacing.
- Loose chains on 16. I fixed as well as I could, but didn't have tools on me.

Other Thoughts:

I remember playing this course back when it was 10 scrappy holes. I'm so proud of what it's become and looking forward to what it can be.

To get a 4.0: Tee Signs with minimaps
To get a 4.5: Replace broken tees
To get a 5.0: add in stairs on steep muddy fairways
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5 0
ReinZ_96
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.3 years 104 played 48 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Somerset DGC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 8, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) There is plenty of variety here. Nothing gets overly repetitive. There's a pretty balanced amount of left/right, up/down, and open/wooded holes. From soft hyzers and turnovers to tight doglegs, steep downhill and uphill, and ranging from hole 1 being almost completely wide open to some of the woods holes being devilishly tight. Most holes here are unique from the others. Despite this balanced design, though, I'd say it definitely favors RHBH players over LHBH, especially on the long pads and/or long pin placements. All the most technical shots are RHBH favored. There is only one true 'lefty hole' (hole 9) while at least 5 of the holes almost force a RHBH/LHFH shot off the tee.

2) The design is quite technical while still remaining mostly fair. The open holes mostly have tricky pin placements making getting right up on the basket tough and the woods holes are rife with tight lines to hit. Holes 5, 6 (long pin) and 7 are all RHBH/LHFH flex shots with no clean straight line to the pin. Hole 7 is the tightest of these and definitely borders on unfair, but it is the shortest of the bunch so it is certainly do able. There are a few questionable holes, but for the most part the course does a good job of keeping the short holes very challenging. The only true ace runs form the long pads is hole 4 short pin and hole 17. The new long pin on hole 11 is the 'signature' hole of the course, if I had to pick one, about 450ft straight, but steep downhill to the point that higher power plays could easily get there with a mid. The basket is tightly protected just inside the woods and pines are waiting to grab any shots off line.

3) Navigation is pretty good. There are posts put up that point into the direction of the next pad on many of the holes as well as painted rocks near some of the tee pads. The only possible sticking points I could imagine from a first timer would be from hole 7 to 8, accidentally ending up on 10s long pad (though this is very well marked so you'd realize before you tee off on the wrong hole) and then the walk from 10 to 11, you need to turn around and go over the driveway and 11s tee is right behind the parking area. And, it is worth noting that the map by the parking lot is not completely accurate to the current layout of the course in a couple spots, so don't rely on it.

4) Multiple pin placements on a few holes that get moved around semi frequently. Some of them greatly change how the hole the hole is played while others are just a longer/shorter version of the same shot.

5) There is a nice little practice area with a single practice basket and a enough room to practice putts and short upshots. There is no room for practicing drives, though.

Cons:

1) Tee pads. While there are two on most holes, they leave quite a bit to be desired. All of the pads are quite small and the short pads are extremely so on some of the holes. Barely enough to even do a one step run up, much less enough for a full drive, in some cases. The long pads are all concrete though some have certainly seen better days and are breaking apart. Definite tripping hazard if you aren't careful in a few cases. On a few holes only one of the pads is marked. Hole 12 used to have a short pad marked in the grass about 50ft in front of the long tee and hole 15 used to have a long pad marked on the walking path, both are no longer marked so you just have to know where they are. Hole 17, also, has a location where there clearly used to be a long pad that has since eroded away leaving a small patch of gravel with some weeds growing in it. There are also no tee signs on any of the holes, definitely makes some holes extra tough for a first timer as many are blind off the tee.

2) Course maintenance from the city is pretty spotty. The grass in the fairways tends to get quite long before it gets mowed and it feels like some of the holes in the woods never get touched at all. The back holes specifically (12, 13, 14, 15 and 16) can get extremely wild...ferns in the fairways, patchy knee high grass etc. It's definitely not enough to lose a disc in the fairway, but it certainly is rough.

3) Speaking of rough, the rough is overbearing. On many of the woods holes the fairways are lined with the typical midwestern suite of extremely thick, largely invasive, plants and going just a small way in can make even just pitching out a struggle. This is worst on holes 8, 9, 11 (on the right side), 12, 13, 17 and 18. The rest of the holes have reasonably punishing rough that's tough to get out of cleanly but not so much that you can find yourself hacking away for 2 or more throws before getting anywhere. Additionally, there are lots of thorny plants around, especially on the back 9, so definitely consider wearing long pants no matter the weather.

4) Speaking on the downsides of the design hinted at above, hole 10 is definitely the worst hole on the course and in my opinion just generally bad. Forced two shot hole but very short. Off the tee it plays 75ft is a sharp dogleg left, then over a crest and downhill another 250feet or so to the basket. There is also a water tower that will knock down any drive pushed long, which considering the drive is less than 100ft is very easy to do. The idea of the hole isn't bad, but it's execution is extremely awkward and not exactly fun. Hole 8 is almost nearly a poke and hope hole. There is a line to the circle, but it's another flex line (this time LHBH/RHFH) and the gap to hit is blind and about 100 feet off the tee. Being off just by a tiny amount can easily send you into instant bogey land. Then hole 12 is the most questionable gap on the course, literally about 5 feet wide 30 or so feet off the tee. Missing will usually kick you right into super thick rough that is bogey at best or left into a wetland area. The hole also takes a decent pump to get to the pin as its steep uphill, so just laying up through the gap with a jump putt or something off the tee isn't really an option. Just a couple extra feet wider on the gap and I think it'd be a great hole for all skill levels. But it's definitely not bad as is, just very very demanding.

5) Lastly, there is construction and city development encroaching extremely closely on two sides of the course. On the east of the course, holes 3 and 5 had massive amounts of woods cleared out for the building of a new subdivision. Hole 3 easily see errant shots go into what will probably soon be peoples backyards, and hole 5 plays entirely in the same area after the initial gap. On the other side of the course, hole 15 plays extremely closely to a road...like the fairway width from total jail woods on the left to road on the right is maybe 40feet, The gap between the road the woods is ~50 feet, and the hole requires a full drive (mostly over the road) up into the green. There isn't much traffic on the road, but it's enough to be an issue. I wouldn't be surprised to see these 3 holes greatly changed or scrapped all together in the future.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I rate this course just very slightly above average. True rating feels a bit closer to 2.75 when factoring in the cons and choosing between a 2.5 and 3.0 was pretty tough. But I do believe the cons are just enough to bring it down. Fixing just one of the noted cons is a definite bump up to a 3.0 and if all of the non-design related cons could be mitigated I see a 3.5 being very possible. If you are in town it's certainly worth the stop if you have a bit of time to kill; just over an hour for a solo round. But, for Twin Cities residents I do not believe it's worth the drive (unless you are just looking to bag courses) as there are so many other courses that are equal or better in quality within or closer to the metro.

Update: Slightly re-written review and updated information on the subdivision construction near holes 3 and 5. Will try to update again in the future if/when the situation changes.
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2 0
PumaPaws
Experience: 18.4 years 28 played 23 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun course, birdies, bogies and more 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

A fun course to play.
The signage for 94.4% of the course (17/18) is excellent.
The elevation changes provide some reasonable challenges.
The course should provided a reasonable ego boost. Several holes are easily birdie material and pars can be easily accomplished with a reasonable drive on a majority
of the holes.
However, an errant throw can easily lead to a poor score.
A good course to practice for an upcoming Ace Race or BirdieBash,
The first 10 baskets are definitely beginner friendly and provide a reasonable workout and practice for experienced players. Once they gain some experience, the back 8 baskets are not too daunting and can add to their training and fitness.
Good use of the terrain.
Need to have a variety of shots to score well.
There are several geocaches sprinkled around the course, so of a 2 for 1 special.

Cons:

Sadly they were no markings after #10 as to where #11 would be. we searched the area for 10+ minutes. Luckily, some locals showed up and guided the gang, across the parking lot and down the hill to #11.

No course map/layout.

No restrooms or water.

Other Thoughts:

If you are not accurate(i.e. if you miss the fairway) wearing long pants (and a long sleeved shirt) helps to avoid the sharp plants guarding some of the boundaries. The plants are the usual briars and brambles that are local to the area. They are not awful but some protection will be appreciated if you have to go in after your disc.

Bugs... Bring bug spray. The holes out in the open are usual fine due to the breeze, but once you are in the woods, the bugs are waiting to feast.

#15 is a bit strange. Signs as you approach it guild you to the short and long tee boxes but provide no clues on where the basket is. Plus it is a long throw, up hill, before you get sight of the basket cut deep into the woods. If your approach shot is not accurate, a hard to swallow score is likely.
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4 0
Hazard
Experience: 11.6 years 37 played 12 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Diverse Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 20, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1. Baskets are in great condition.
2. Two different pin locations on most holes, which changes up the course.
3. Concrete pads for a few of the holes.
4. Long and Short tees on all holes.
5. Trash cans at almost all holes.
6. Practice putting basket.
7. Course is kept in pretty good condition, paths are usually cleared.
8. Course loops around the whole park back to where you start/park.
9. A few stick made benches on some holes.
10. Multiple holes in which you have to throw up hill and down hill.
11. Some short holes and a good amount of long holes.
12. A good amount of parking.
13. During the summer they have Monday night league.
14. Not usually crowded.
15. Lots of wooded holes to test your disc placement, while a few long open holes for bombs.

Cons:

1. No restrooms.
2. No running water.
3. Not every hole has concrete pads, most are gravel or dirt.
4. Benches are made from sick and logs. (But something is better than nothing)
5. Hole #15, is on the edge of the park and next to a road. The long tee for this holes is off a ways to the right and it just feels like it is in an awkward part for the hole and makes for some interesting throws.

Other Thoughts:

Over all this is a Very Good course. They are currently working on gaining more funds to expand the course. Starting in late April they have summer league and have a Ace pot. If you are in the area then I would highly recommend playing this course.
Link to their Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/some...golf/?fref=ts
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2 0
therabidlemur
Experience: 134 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

pretty good, but could use a little work 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

The course provides a variety of shots for players taking them through open fields, while also taking advantage of the wooded areas to carve out different paths so that they can't get too comfortable with the same shot time and again. The designers also made sure to make use of the elevation changes the geography provided. There won't be any major climbing, but it certainly provides a bit of an extra challenge when planning shots.
Most of the holes are marked fairly well so you can find the tee quickly, and the paths are well worn leaving little room to question where to go next.

Cons:

The back nine holes could use some better signage, I immediately ran into someone from the area that never played the back half due to confusion about where it started. The tee pads are also in need of some TLC. Most of the longs and any of the back 9 are dirt and some have been hit by erosion, or poor marking. Hole 15 is the biggest example of work needing to be done. There's a sign that literally points two directions, granted it was for the long and short tee, but I was only able to "find" the short tee which consisted of a couple of stakes in the ground. On top of this, I felt I accidentally found the basket rather than knew where to place my throws. It was probably the one major thing that stuck out to me.
Additionally, hole three contains disc eating grass on either side of the fairway, so a spotter is recommended in case someone goes wide.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this is a fun course with one fairly flawed hole setup. Some better signage (like from hole 9 to 10) and cement tees would certainly make this an easily recommended stop for anyone.
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4 0
M4Prodigy
Experience: 12.7 years 74 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

An 18 hole course is born! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Great variety of of holes; open, wooded, and elevated.
+ Great group of volunteers, club members that continuously work to improve and develop this course.
+ Challenging for rec players, but will still push the advanced players to make good shots.
+ Another great option for players from the East Twin Cities Metro area. Only 15 minutes from the lift Bridge in Stillwater, MN.

Cons:

- Some teepads are still temporary. Some are still being finalized... The newer gravel pads are boxed with wood are short, awkward, and slightly misoriented. (but I imagine will be improved upon)
- Hole #12 is a little ridiculous; a large pond to the left, awkwardly short teepad, 10' gap between trees 30' from teepad to reach the fairway which goes slightly uphill to the right... Open the gap a bit for a reasonable shot.
- No map/course layout/hole layouts/distances available. (I imagine this will be changed shortly and most likely a result of the recent redesign in May 2014.

Other Thoughts:

I love the technical aspects of this course, utilizing the natural landscape and trees to influence shot and shape selection.

#4 is a shorter hole, but has low hanging limbs/branches preventing a direct run at the basket. The ravine provides a backstop to disc-up in hopes for the teeshot to skip up near the pin.

#5 is a beautiful hole; slightly uphill with tall trees to either side of the fairway. If you're able to navigate the trees, you could possibly have a bird look but a 3 would still be good!

#12 is a newer hole and (as mentioned in my cons comments) is an unnecessary challenge.

#15 is a great legitimate par 4. A long open fairway that turns left back into the woods at around 340'. If you are able to get your tee shot to the corner, there is still about a 200+' approach shot slightly uphill back into the woods. The trees create a small/low opening that could knock your shot down or force your shot to fall short. This is a great hole!

Come and play! With the lack of options along the western Wisoncsin border, this is a must play.
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1 3
travisjkuhlman
Experience: 17.7 years 22 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Getting ready for expansions 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Shorter course with a great mix of wooded and open holes and it plays fast!

Cons:

Only has 14 holes as of this review. but we are currently raising funds to help pay for new holes!

Other Thoughts:

can't wait for the new holes!
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3 0
turbine712
Experience: 9.4 years 26 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice mix of terrain for holes. Good elevation changes keep the course challenging.
I really liked the amount of trash bins at the tee pads.

Cons:

I wish the tee pads were a bit longer.
On some of the holes there were big rocks that marked where to go for next tee. Some of the rocks need to have arrows painted on them for better direction.

Other Thoughts:

I was very pleased that this course is around. I will make sure to play this more. I was wondering about how the map at the parking lot shows there are multiple baskets for some of the holes. If so... is there really a need for them? I would think that the extra baskets could be used to make the course 18 holes rather than 12.
I also was sad at the amount of vandalism (wooden tee signs broken, graffiti on the picnic benches etc.) on the course.
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3 0
rhettro
Experience: 23.5 years 37 played 17 reviews
3.50 star(s)

nice expanding course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

NIce mix of open and wooded holes. Amateur tee boxes are cemented. Nice and spread out, very good use of the land, and also a good mix of shorter and longer holes. easily navigable many signs directing you to the right area. Big course map by parking lot. course was also well groomed.

Cons:

pro tee boxes are wood framed gravel, not terrible but some were holding water. not as many trashcans throughout the course, but really not a necessity, more of a knit pick.

Other Thoughts:

This course was recently expanded to 12 holes. The last two holes dont have concrete tee boxes laid out but they are clearly marked and the pins are up. they are playable. The last two holes are behind the parking lot on the other side of the street. Apparently they are raising money to add a full back 9 and are only 2000$ away from doing it. I was very surprised at what a good course this was. Initially I was a tad skeptical of a 10 hole course 17 miles away but i was very glad I made the trip and will be returning. Everyone was extremely helpful since holes 10-12 aren't on the main map, but they are easy to figure out. On hole 11 be very careful of the brush on the right side of the fairway. it is extremely dense and loaded with thorns.
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4 1
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 1512 played 480 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sweet Sweet Somerset 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 11, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Nice kiosk with a course map of the course at the first tee. There is also a picnic table and a garbage can available. It looks like a nice place to hang out and watch people throw in between rounds.

2) Large boulders mark the first few tees which helps you navigate those first fee holes.

3) Dual tees are always a good idea (and while they do not all have dual tees right now, they plan to do that eventually.

4) Chainstars are my favorite basket to play on . . . if only they were a little more visible in the woods.

5) Attractive directionals on a few of the holes (unfortunately one was broken already). Basically it is a 2" thick section of a tree with the number painted (and perhaps even routered) along with an arrow for the direction of the tee.

6) Excellent variety of foliage density and hole type. There is fairly open prairie, to somewhat open holes with a handful of trees and obstacles, to my personal favorite densely wooded. There was even water in play on two holes when I played. I doubt in the summer that these areas hold much water, but I played right as everything was thawing.

7) Excellent amount of shot shaping needed on this course. You need to be able to throw a nice hyzer or Flex shot on #1, a bomb anhyzer on #2, a nice uphill approach on #3, a downhill acerun on #4, a straight shot through the woods up a hill on #5, a long gentle hyzer down a long tunnel on #6, #7 is almost a duplicate of #5, a big anhyzer or a skip flick shot on #8, a nice gentle stall shot on #9, and a big sharp hyzer or stall shot on #10. I have never played a course with more shot variety on 10 holes. This is the saving grace of the entire course because it is designed so well in regards to the challenge and variety. You will not get bored which is something that is hard to do on a disc golf course design. More often than not a property only features one type of shot, or one density of foliage, etc etc etc. This property has a little of absolutely everything.

8) Distance variety is tremendous here with holes in the 100's, 200's, and 300's from the shorts, and throw in the added bonus of one in the 400's from the longs. This is outstanding variety in my opinion and keeps you from being bored. It also helps test all of your skills.

Cons:

1) Normally concrete tees are always a plus, and I am not sure of the material used for these tees but it seems almost like granite . . . or the smoothest concrete I have ever seen. They are so smooth that even winter boots do not grip well on them, when perfectly dry. Before the course is completed, I would highly recommend switching material or perhaps coming up with a way to make those smooth tees better. The problem here is I like consistency, all tees on a course should be the same in my opinion.

2) The long tees are wood framed gravel . . . which I assume will be changed to match the rest of the course because we all know the people playing the longer tees will require better footing than gravel will provide (at least over a long period of time).

3) Because a few of these baskets are blind (either tough to see, or just over a hill) I highly recommend flags (on top of the baskets, if not a powder coating to the upper rim and basket to help them stand out in the woods) to make these baskets distinguishable from the tee.

4) Blind shots are always frustrating to me and here there were plenty. I did not see the basket from the tee on #2, #3 (may have been visible but I didn't see it), #5, #6, and #7. That's a lot of holes to not know for sure where you are throwing. Sure you can walk up the fairway, but in my mind if it isn't plain as day where the fairway goes and where the basket sits, something needs to be done to indicate the basket placement. I actually threw two shots on these hole, one for what I figured would be a left pin and one that would be for a right pin and depending on where the basket actually was, I played the appropriately thrown shot. It just isn't worth the time to run up a couple hundred feet just to see a basket sometimes.

5) #6 short tee is in a terrible place. I know sometimes it takes a season to know where an area should be avoided, and this is one of those spots. It will collect water in the fall and early winter, freeze up and be solid ice all winter. The tee should have been elevated slightly or perhaps move the short tee back where the long tee is (high enough on the hill to not freeze over) and the long tee can be moved further back.

6) I saw barbed wire in a couple of places and definitely in play or where people would walk. This is something that should always be scouted and removed before a course opens up.

7) No signage presently but I know this will be taken care of eventually.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course, it just needs some time for the volunteer effort to catch up with the fabulous design. The only thing that really bothered me was the choice to use the tee material that they did. It makes me think that it was a material that they got donated and took it because they didn't have the funding to have anything better. I suggest taking it all out and starting over with concrete, or perhaps coming up with a unique way to make that material better (I am recommending one of those ideas I have seen from my extensive travels to one of the designers immediately following this review). The tee placement on #6 is also one thing that probably could have been avoided, although it is entirely possible I saw this location at the absolute worst time to see it, however, I think the situation of the teepad being buried in water and ice could have been avoided by simply avoiding the low area. I would love to come back up there and visit with them as they continue to expand the course on the property to the west of the current course. I hope I would have some input that might help them in their decision making process that might help them avoid hours of labor or perhaps some of the funds that they have been able to put towards the course.
So, speaking from a purely disc golf and design standpoint, this course is excellent and perhaps even a 4 disc course or better. But with the issues I encountered it gets knocked down slightly. I play courses based on their disc golf and not necessarily their amenities and infrastructure, so I would gladly play here every day of the week, but the negatives are valid and bring down the course a little bit. I want to make sure these comments are not taken too negatively (especially since I just played a round with one of the designers), but these are all things that I feel need to be mentioned. I realize it is a lot of volunteer effort to get this course in, and I appreciate the work they are doing to keep improving the course. I know this because I volunteer a lot of time myself to bettering courses in my area with little to no appreciation for the efforts. With all of this said . . . it is a good course, that just needs some more time and work to keep it good and improve it to great. It is quite possible if the additional holes help to make this a great course, but I was unsure where the property ends, so I didn't even bother going down the new fairway that had been made. I look forward to returning to play this course again, and I can't wait to see what the other portion of the property holds for more variety.
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6 0
Frank Dreban
Experience: 26.6 years 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Winter Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 11, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice mix of long open holes and short technical holes. Love the elevation changes and course upkeep. The massive rocks indicating what the hole # is was a great idea. The course has been clean and in great shape. I enjoy that I can play it in approx. 45 minutes. This is a perfect course for winter and if the rumors of expansion I've heard are true this will be an all around top notch course year round. Thanks to Somerset!

Cons:

Extremely slippery tee pads......I realize that they don't get shoveled during winter play but if you decide to throw off of them and the conditions are right you are likely to be looking at the sky. Also; wish some of the holes through the woods would have been designed a little longer however the addition of longer tee pads is going to help with this. Also; if the plan of adding another 8 holes to the course is true this will also help greatly (assuming they get a few longer holes added).

Other Thoughts:

I'm fairly new to the area and after coming from Eau Claire and being spoiled with Tower Ridge I was happy to find this course as it is quite close to New Richmond. It is great to see a town contributing to the sport vs. all of the funds coming from donations and volunteers. I can't wait for this course to become 18 holes. They certainly have the land for it and assuming the hole layout is done well it will seperate this course from anything else in the area. Check it out!
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6 1
CoolEggman
Experience: 30.7 years 12 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Message from the Designer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is designed to promote Disc Golf in the St. Croix Valley. The course was initially designed to allow beginners to learn all the throws needed to become better hucker. Since i was unaware of the skill level in the area, all holes where created short, with the possibility of expansion. We are currently working on adding alternate pins and tees which will increase the length 600+ feet & allow a person to play 18 holes using the two tee locations. Please be patient with us, most work is done by volunteers. By the end of the season we will have consistent tee pads, alternate tees on 7 holes, alternate pins on 6 holes, benches, bulletin board, and actual hole signage with distances. This winter we will be looking to expand into the other part of the park and making it a true 18 hole course.

Cons:

Muddy
Buggy
Short

Other Thoughts:

I have been greatly surprised the amount of use and comments that i receive while talking with people at the course.

I want to give a big thank you to the village of somerset for all of the help and up-keep. The course wouldn't be here without your help.
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10 0
whitechocolate
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.6 years 437 played 23 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good template course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 20, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Land is only being used for disc golf
-Holes have a decent variety of shots
-Uses the elevation changes well
-Markers to direct you to next hole

The ten holes at Somerset DCG is the best course that I have played along the MN/WI border. The first three holes give you a chance to throw a couple of drives. Hole 3 offers the opportunity for a couple of drives if you do not have strong arm (It's 470 and slightly uphill). After that the course takes you into the woods for short technical holes. They use the terrain for uphills, downhills, and a deep hyzer on 10.

The course as a hole gives off that disc golf vibe that you look for in a course. You don't have to worry about hitting kids on a playground or cyclist whipping through too fast. The giant rocks with hole numbers and the wood trunk cuts with the arrows and numbers for the next whole gave it a great feeling. I might have to steal that idea on the next course I put up. The whole exclusive course feel is a big win to me.

It is both beginner friendly and offer some challenges with some distance on the open holes and elevation throughout the course.

Cons:

-Short holes are just that...short
-Needs a little more added amentities
-Teepads inconsistent

Although the wooded holes are fun, they are currently extremely short. I do not have a huge arm and my first time through I deuced 5 of them. I missed a putt within my confidence circle and got metal on 3 and 10 from just outside my circle. They are in the process of extending and making alternative ones which will definitely add to the course. I found what I believe to be a couple of them the second time through. It will be huge improvements. I personally hope they keep both tees. It'll be good for families or slower groups to play from the shorts and have the longs.

I do not tire generally when I play, especially when they are less than 18, but this course could probably use a couple of benches for people while waiting if it got busy. A couple garbage cans throughout the course would be a bonus since I did pick up some garbage and recycled when I got back to the parking lot. If they could get the community to put a port-a-potty there it would be a plus as well. You could just drive back to the gas station where you jumped off 64. The teepads were pretty slick and well. I had a problem with footing on a couple of them. Might have just needed to be swept. They seemed grainy.

Other Thoughts:

I look forward to playing this course again when you improvements are complete. If I was to try to get a course installed in that general area I would bring park district people to this courses to use it as an example. It gives a decent story of what disc golf should offer. Longer open holes, wooded technical holes, elevation changes, and privacy. It is a good template to get people started in the right direction. Plus if it gets to the multiple tees point, another added bonuses for tour purposes. One of the hardest things to get park districts to understand is multiple tee locations.

Next time in town wife my wife, I would like to take her to Stillwater for a little shopping, lunch, brewery tour, walk along the river, and a couple of rounds at Somerset would make a solid afternoon. This course is worth a peek if your in the area. When the improvements are done, it has the potential to be worth going out of the way for. When the improvements are done, this has true potential to be a solid 4 type of course. And if the distance improves on the shorts and they get the extra 8 holes added, there is no way with the effort E_Rock and the crew are putting in it wouldn't be.

This is a good course building towards being a very good to great course. This is one to watch out for if you are near the WI/MN border.
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6 0
deadbody
Experience: 20.7 years 152 played 68 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice little local course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Really fun little course. Only 1 hole that isn't reachable for even a noodle arm like myself. But nothing is easy, technical course with good use of trees to force you to shape shots. Plays a nice loop starting and ending at the parking lot. Every hole has a bit of a different feel, some uphill some downhill, left turns, right turns.

Overall a good little 10 hole course.

Cons:

Teepads. 5 are concrete, 5 are gravel. The concrete is way too smooth, and it was slippery in the morning. The Gravel is rough and pitted. The only upside to the gravel is they are all on holes that are pretty much short and technical so there isn't much run-up needed. The slopes down a couple hills are pretty steep, and were slippery since it had recently rained.

Other Thoughts:

As we were starting our 2nd round someone drove up and chatted for a bit, stated that they are planning on another 9 across the road. That would instantly bump this up to a 3.5 or even a 4 if they put a couple longer holes in. As it is, this is a fun course, that is worth a trip if you are nearby.
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3 2
TJM1977
Experience: 26.5 years 118 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Find the "Lines" and Throw! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 8, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good Location in Western WI
Easy to follow course
Good for beginners and more experienced players
New Alt Teepads
New Alt pin locations

Cons:

mosquitoes
no benches
No distances for Alt's

Other Thoughts:

Easy to find your way around.Technical in the woods makes it very fun, good opening holes to warm up, stay on fairways and course is easy. Fun and challenging 10 hole course.
Park in parking lot walk east, first hole goes south then just follow course counterclockwise, #10 pin overlooks parking lot.
Get out and play, using all tees, disc golf doesn't have to be perfect just roll with it and adjust to your footing and surroundings. If you want perfect teepads play Central Park in Brooklyn Park, MN. If you want a fun, difficult, with the option to be longer with alt tees, semi-rustic course then play Somerset DGC
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8 0
E_Rock25
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.3 years 77 played 35 reviews
3.50 star(s)

New Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 7, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is very fun and my home course. It has eight cement pads and nine gravel pads Good use of the available elevation. Wooded holes and open holes. Blind holes and strait holes. Quick and not crowded. Good hole placement. Brand new course close to where I live. I am helping with running the league this year and making course improvements. The trash & recycling cans are in. We are currently making alternate pad & pin placements. We have long pads on holes 1-7 and will have 8&9 done soon. Alt pin placements on hole 2-4 and on 6 & 8 more to come.

COURSE DISCRIPTION!
HOLE #1, Short CEMENT/ Long GRAVEL
We start out in a mostly open feild. There are two places to play this hole from. You can start in the pine trees which is elevated and farther back than the normal tee pad. I like playing from up here because it adds some length. Throw a big hyzer around a bushy pin tree on the right "don't hit the tree its thick and hard to get discs out of". The problem with this shot is you have to throw over the parking lot so make it count. The only real obsticals are the two pine trees one on the right and one on the left that gards the pin. A good first toss and you have a chance at two here.

HOLE #2, Short CEMENT/ Long GRAVEL
You have a choice here hyzer around another big pine tree and over the nabors R.V. or I like to through a forehand s starting left going right and coming back left on the fade. You do want to be on the right hand side of the fairway here because there is another bushy pine blocking the basket from the left. This is a very hard bridie but it can be done. Alt pin is 35' deeper and to the right.

HOLE #3, Short GRAVEL/ Long CEMENT
This is the longest hole on the course. I don't have hole mesuments yet but it must be close to 500ft. Big hyzer then slightly uphill to the pin. You want to be in the fairway here because the grass is tall on both sides especially the right. Alt pin is to the right up the hill in the clump of trees. Makes this hole much harder and a bit longer.

HOLE #4 Short CEMENT
This hole introduces us to the woods in a great way. Its a downhill anhyzer and its thickly wooded. It will take great accuracy to avoid the trees but it is aceable for sure. This is one of my favorite holes. They might clear it out a little more and I can't decide if that is good or bad. Alt pin is 50'/60' farther and to the right makes for a hard birdie.

HOLE #5 Short GRAVEL/ Long GRAVEL
Short uphill hyzer to a blind pin. This fairway is tight and the woods are thick on both sides. This is another aceable hole. The long pad adds about 100' to this hole and make a par a nice score. The fairway needs a bit of clearing still.

HOLE #6 Short GRAVEL/ Long GRAVEL
This is another fun one! Blind hyzer through a little vally. Long pad make you shape your shot much more. From the long the fairway has a bit of an S to it. The fairway is tight off the tee but opens up after about 50ft. The pin is on the left hillside and you will almost always have an interesting putt here. The alt pin is about 50ft longer and tucked up on top of the hill. We need to do a lot of work on this hole because of drainage problems. I think we are going to put in a pond for all the run off. It is aceable again as are most of the wooded hole but it would be a hard one that you would hear not see, man it feels good to ace this one.

HOLE #7 Short CEMENT/ Lon GRAVEL
Uphill anhyzer with another real tight fairway. Great for forehand throwers. If you make it up the hill without hitting a tree you got a chance at an ace again. Long pad is very tight and makes this hole a very hard two. I have landed right under the basket on this one a few times. The pin is blind from the tee again which I like alot. Super fun short hole.

HOLE #8, Short CEMENT
Anhyzer out of the woods to the water tower. This hole is fun because you can throw a hard turning anhyzer straight past a big oak on the right. Or there is a little hole throught the trees that gives you a straighter shot at the pin. This one turns hard and if you go to far right at the end you will be in some thick woods. The alt pin placement is an even harder turn tucked back in the woods 30' behind the A pin position. Need to clear more room for the alt pin green. If you over throw this one there is a big wooded downhill slope that will make finding discs hard also. I think a few are lost down there if you want to look!

HOLE #9, Short CEMENT
Can you say signature! Down hill shot with a protected pin that is set back in the woods. Not a really hard hole but it looks cool and you have lots of throwing options. Keep an eye on your disc though the woods are thick. The hill you throw off has to be about 200ft above the pin. It will take good control to get it close. An ace here would be awesome and is doable for sure.

HOLE #10 CEMENT
Big uphill hyzer teeing off in the woods. This one turns 90 degrees about 40ft. in front of the tee. Make sure you get that disc to turn or you will be in some tall grass. This hole is also deceptively so put some power on it.

Thats it! There are a few different ways to play the last three holes but im going to keep it to myself see if you can find a creative way to play them.

Cons:

Pads are dirt on only 2 holes now. Wooded holes are kinda short but with the addition of the long tees and alt pin placements this is not much of a con anymore. It gets buggy in the mid summer and after a hard rain. We have some work to do on hole #6 and may be adding a pond to help with run off. The course can be very muddy at times and we are working on getting wood chips on all the paths to help with this problem.

Other Thoughts:

I think this course is great and we will continue to improve upon it. I will definitely play this course weekly. Signage is going to be added. I think this is going to be an amazing course in the future and am very happy to be a part of the course improvements. This course is getting close to a 4 star IMO and I think it will be there by the end of the summer. If you have not tried this course yet you have to come check it out. It is only going to get better.

If anyone has any questions or suggestions let me know!!!
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7 1
owlontheground
Experience: 16.4 years 42 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Quick Play, Slightly Technical, Blood Suckers 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 5, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

UPDATE! I am really impressed with what the designers have done with this course. New concrete tee pads on most holes, excellent signage, and numerous trash cans. One of the more fun shorter courses I have played. The elevation changes and hole-in-one runs are a lot of fun. I love how scenic the course is and the water tower adds character. Hole 2 and 3 let you stretch out your arm a little bit. Keep up the great work!

This quickly-played 10 hole course uses its landscape well, but will not blow anyone away. Settled northeast of Sommerset in a nature reserve, this course consists of 5 open holes (1,2,3,9,10) and 5 (4,5,6,7,8) wooded-holes. None of the holes are overly long, but some are quite technical due to trees. Some of the shots add a little bit of intrigue for first-time players due to some of the pin placements being blind. Both backhand and forehand will benefit on some holes. The teepads are all dirt and marked with two stakes in the ground. Baskets appeared to be brand new.

Overall, the course is not that well-marked, but the use of pink ribbon and hole numbers that are written on the teepad stakes help guide you. If you follow the walking path instead of the ATV tracks in the woods, you won't get lost.

Cons:

-If you don't like natural pads, you won't like it here
-no signage
-Bring your bug spray. The course is in a tall grass/swampland so there were a ton of mosquitos when we played.
- good length for a beginner, but all holes pretty short.

Other Thoughts:

I just realized that this course is brand new so that means there is room for growth and this place has some potential. I did not find hole 10 when I played.

I am not sure why I received negative feedback for this review, but I guess you cannot make everyone happy.
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