Spoon Creek is Par-54 woods golf at its finest. Everything about this course compliments the rest to set up a unique experience out of the land provided. Concrete tees and directional signage all over the place keep the experience professional and smooth-flowing. Multiple baskets on 7, 11, 13, 14, 16, and 17 and two tees on 9 make more than one playthrough a must.

Shot shaping is the biggest ask here. Whether it's staying under a ceiling, stopping short on a long downhill, or nailing that perfect s-curve line, you'll be asked to do it all at this course. Holes 1 and 2 tee from elevation and drop about 15 feet into what I'll call the "Valley of the Front Nine." Getting under the trees off the tee but maintaining the power to reach the pin is a challenge I don't oft encounter. Hole 8 needs a throw that holds straight long enough to get over the creek, but stops short of flying into the woods behind the pin. Holes 12, 13, and 16 all can be reached with a midrange (unless we're talking the in the creek pin on 16), which is the best play to settle on the ground after dropping that much elevation. A sharp left hyzer with a skip at the finish is the only way to reach the long pins of 7 in one.

Elevation is the big feature of the back nine. As mentioned, 12, 13, and 16 are huge downhills, while 9, 14, and 18 have a strong uphill that is extremely tough to beat. Even the more minor shifts like 1, 2, and 7 dropping downhill off the tee, or 11 flowing down slowly to the tree you have to beat, then shifting back up to the longer pins. It's all done very well.

Unique basket placements are a big draw of this course. The mound green of 5, the immense tree trunks guarding 7's long pin, the hanging basket on 14, the long pin of 16 being in Spoon Creek itself, and the dogleg fairway of 17 leading to a big uphill slope to the green all add to the experience and worth of your trip here.

I don't often mention the setting of a course unless it's noticeably serene, or noticeably terrible. Spoon is set on private land owned by Kansas State University, is only bothered by one private road on the east side of the course, and enjoys tree cover almost completely. Playing among young thin trees, or the massive 50+ foot tall trees in the lower areas of the course, you won't be bothered by the outside world here.

Forehand and backhand holes abound. Some less obvious than others, but some are clear on what you need to do. A good grasp of both shots will be pertinent to score well.

For how dense the woods are, maintenance is sublime. Even the rough in early August wasn't that rough.

Some pins have two options: shape shots that are too aggressive to hit consistently, or play pinball with the trees and hope you make it within putting range. 4 left is a crazy left hyzer after beating the tree wall; 5 is a forehand with a small gap on the left side that has to stay straight; and 6... well I don't know what you're gonna do on 6. Then 9 is a forehand hole except that the forehand line is cut off by more trees, so a backhand anhyzer with an overstable disc is the only option. Oh yeah, and it's about 25ft uphill in elevation, too. The alternate pad isn't too bad, though.

Spiders and their webs abound in the summer. Be careful getting off the fairway cause you might come face to face with a big ol' web.

Tee signs are just a house number on a plaque, no real information besides the hole number. It isn't super necessary, but Spoon would feel like a more complete course with full signs. It would be even better if there were a way to mark which pin(s) are in play. Holes 7, 10, and 15 have pins that are hidden from view off the tee and require a walk up the fairway so that would add that little bit more to the experience.

The fariways of holes 1 and 2 cross. But since the course is on tee times that doesn't become that big a deal. The walk from 9 to 10 is equal parts long and disappointing since it feels like there's some land that could have been used to get one or two par 4s out of this course.

This is a private course that is well maintained. I feel it's worth the $10 for the day pass if you go around twice. Once just isn't enough and you have the alternate baskets and tee on 9 to play on the second lap.

Spoon is a course shrouded in tree cover, tucked away from the world, and on great land for disc golf. The longest hole reaches just over 350ft, but plays like 220. It's a wooded challenge, it's an elevation masterpiece, and above all it's a unique disc golf experience that you must try for yourself if you have some time in the southern part of Kansas City or Lawrence. You're doing yourself a disservice if you don't.

Super technical course entirely through the woods that has some cool elevated teepads and pins. This one will challenge all of your skills in singles and makes for a pretty badass doubles round with numerous ace and birdie opportunities.

It gets thick when you get off the fairways pretty quickly on some of the holes.

Wildlife is a real thing out there. If you are deathly afraid of spiders, ticks, and snakes, then you may want to stick to Prairie Center.