Aurora, NE

Refshauge Park

Permanent course
1.755(based on 6 reviews)
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2 0
hollman
Experience: 20 played 20 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Quickest course in town (and the only) 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

If you find yourself needing to pass through town and don't have a lot of time to play disc golf, don't worry. 20 minutes will get you through this little course, and you'll leave with a smile. A couple of the ending holes are quite good. It is not hard to navigate. Great for beginners. The park is maintained. Good baskets.

Cons:

The tee pads are unusable; step to the side and play from the dirt instead. This course could get dangerous; if others are using the park, they are likely in the line of fire in multiple locations. One hole in particular has a park shelter in its path, unless you play around it. I found myself throwing through the shelter while nobody was present. Distance is listed in yards, which can be confusing unless you keep that in mind.

Other Thoughts:

I had a lot of fun playing this course. It was mostly empty when I played it, which meant I didn't have to worry about pedestrians. I chuckled in parts when I felt like I was going around miniature golf-like obstacles that were the result of the inability to build a course that avoided these obstacles. Play it 2 or 3 times if you want to stay longer. Aurora should get a pat on the back for making this course a reality; even a 2-star course is something that can be appreciated.
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4 0
Chained Evil
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 1088 played 227 reviews
2.00 star(s)

The shortest tee pads 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a well kept park that is pretty beginner friendly. Threat of losing a disc here is pretty minimal.
Rounds will play quickly and there was a good mix of short and moderate length holes as well.
Did have a tiny bit of elevation change.
There are other amenities here like the skate park and pavilions.
Hole 7 was my favorite hole here with a low ceiling and several trees to navigate, plus it threw downhill slightly.

Cons:

Ridiculously tiny tee pads. It appears most people just use the dirt instead of these tee pads.
Hole 5 throws over a softball fence, with the basket right behind the fence.
Some tees and baskets are close together.
This course is mostly wide open and many of the holes lack variety.
More advanced players will most likely be bored here.

Other Thoughts:

This course won't wow you but it serves its purpose and is a decent play if you're passing through. Best played when there aren't a lot of activities in the park. It just feels like this course was crammed in some spots. This is a good course to take someone who wants to learn the game. There is just enough distance and lines to challenge yet not frustrate. Please be careful if you play this course when the park is busy.
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4 0
mndiscg
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 480 played 478 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Tiny pads 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 4, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Some rolling hills
-Water in play if it rains or after snow melts
-Nice park with other things to do; playgrounds, skate parks, baseball field, shelters
-Signs and numbered baskets make it pretty easy to find your way around.
-Holes 6 and 7 were by far the best on this course. They were longer, had many trees, and were even more challenging if you played the creek bed as OB.
-Chances at aces
-They have a league! That is surprising.

Cons:

-The concrete pads are more dangerous than they are helpful. They are about 1x2 ft and raised off the ground a few inches. They are usually kind of slippery too.
-The next pad is right behing the last basket so you have to wait until people hole out and tee off.
-There is usually not many obstacles between the tee and basket until you are at the basket and I thought that was an annoying design attribute that was overused.
-The baskets are portable ones that are mounted. They don't catch as well as regular ones and kind of shake when you hit them.
-The park isn't very big so all the activities are crammed together. If it was busy you might have to watch out.
-A few times there were multiple baskets in sight and it was hard to know which one to aim at.
-The bathrooms are nasty!

Other Thoughts:

Despite the obvious design and safety flaws, I still had fun at this course. I might stop back by and play again if I'm in the area but I wouldn't prioritize it.
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6 0
jets9311
Experience: 14.1 years 6 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Small town, small course, small review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is very easy to figure out, because it's such a small area. Given the fact it was built on private donations in a small community, they did a pretty good job on it. Gives you plenty of practice at those mid-range shots, with little obstacles to overcome each hole.

Cons:

The biggest problem is the 5th hole, as the line between the basket and tee crosses the edge of the outfield of the softball field. This can be an awkward hole if a game is going on. However, it's not the end of the world to skip it or play it different. I also agree that the concrete for the tee boxes is pointless, as they are far to small to be used for any kind of walk-up/run approach.

Other Thoughts:

While others want to rip on this course because of the type of catcher chosen and such, you must know the reason for that. While they weren't the perfect choice, one must realize that this course was built on private donations because the small city doesn't have a budget to put something like that together for something that was new to the area. If you observe the baskets while playing, they are clearly marked with small plates that point out which area business donated the money towards the installation of that hole. The course was put together by some local business owners as activity for familes to enjoy within the community. It wasn't designed to be a professional world-class course. Please, be kind in regard to those responsible for building it. That being said, its still a fun course to play and build your mid-range shots around obstacles. The baskets are still in great condition and free of vandalism. The park is well-maintained when compared to others I've played at.
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5 0
888HUSKERS
Experience: 53.4 years 19 played 18 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Course Design Gone Wrong - Possibility of Hitting Park Visitors 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Innova Mini Disc Catchers - This is a plus but these are just minis which were not ment to be permanently installed in concrete which is what they did because they were too cheap to buy the full size catchers which are ment to be installed in the ground. I only put this as a positive because in their current condition they are like new which is better than I can say for some DGCs which have been heavily vandalized.

Cons:

Were do I begin ...

The disc catchers were not manufactured to be permanent standing structures which would withstand the punishment they will receive from vandals or people who pull or lean on them accidentally. Because they have a small and simple wire base which was set in shallow concrete these catchers over time will fall over, be stolen, or destroyed as the concrete cracks or someone realizes they could be easily pulled out of the ground.

The teepads are a joke, they are more of a tripping hazard then they are for use. Even at a stand still some people would find it hard to remain on the pad or stand on them for a respectable drive. This was another example of poor planning and people looking more at the cost of installing the course than looking at making something that is functional.

The teepads are also right on top of the baskets which again was poor planning on the part of the course designer. If this course was more frequented it would cause people to be backed up while they were waiting for people to finish up teeing off before they could even begin the previous hole.

Some of the shots put you in bad positions where you are throwing over or way to near to playground equipment, a picnic shelter, and the skate park were people would be during warmer weather. This poor layout and complete lack of consideration will result in someone, possibly a child getting hit by a disc eventually.

Parking for this course is somewhat convenient while the course is not in use during colder weather but during warmer weather which is when it will be used more it is lacking because most people parking in the parking lot would be using the skate park located immediately next to the parking lot or the playground which is opposite of the skate park.

There are bathrooms which are more than can be said for other DGCs but it is closed most of the year so it can't be counted as a positive. If you need a bathroom there is a gas station across the street which is open all year round.

Some of the teepads are pointed the wrong direction at certain holes and in some cases are even directly pointed at another catcher altogether. I was really disappointed by this because it did result in a somewhat confusing expereince which ruined the game for my wife whom I took to what I thought would be a fun beginner course.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a perfect example of what NOT to do that should be documented for other cities, towns, or state parks who are looking at installing a DGC. This park has a lot of potential for what could be a good beginner course to teach people the game of DGC or have a casual family game of disc golf but it has gone terribly wrong due to poor planning, going cheap on equipment, and a lack of a consultation with someone who plays disc golf and is a course designer. If they did consult with someone on designing this course either they did not heed the advice they were given or the person was not experienced enough at designing disc golf courses.

The City of Aurora would do well to remove this current course and start over with some help from a course designer who has experience in course design in small parks like the one it is currently located at. They might even do well to remove this current one and relocate it to the larger Streeter park which is located on Highway 34 - Q Street. This seems like a more logical location for a disc golf course.

The only saving grace for this park which kept me from assigning it a 0 was the fact that it is functional while no one else is using the park. While there are other people there using the playground or picnic shelter there is way to much of a risk of throwing a drive right at someone which would result in a bad name for disc golfers in general. I will be avoiding this course except to show someone how sometimes even the course designers can be a worse enemy to disc golf than vandals.

I struggle to think of a more poorly designed course than this one in central Nebraska. The one that was placed at Plum Creek in Lexington is up there but this one takes the crown of course design and park selection gone wrong.
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10 1
Martin Dewgarita
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.4 years 1587 played 93 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Cute 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Short and Sweet. A quick 9 holes if passing through town.

Amenities. Bathrooms, skate park, picnic shelter, water, and reasonable parking.

Nice baskets. Having baskets in a small park like this is always a nice opportunity to practice, a great place to practice the short game.

Ace/Birdie opportunity. Let the ace runs fly, every hole has potential.

Fun Pitch and putt. This course offered some decent variety of throws and some decent line shaping for a short pitch/putt course, I enjoyed a quick single disc round here, a roc treated me well. I enjoyed hole 7, through some low trees with a small water hazard crossing.

Navigation. After finding hole 1 (just outside of the Men's bathroom, the rest is extremely intuitive - the next tee is generally about 6 inches from the previous basket.

Decent use of water. Not much water on the course, but the small stream flowing through was used as well as it could be.

Not Crowded. I don't foresee this course getting much use.

Cons:

Mini tee pad. I guess it's nice that there's cement tee pads, but they're about the cutest thing ever, like for miniature people or something. There's enough room to stand on them, but not near enough room for a run up, though I was able to run up and finish my throw on the cement pedestal (not that a run up is at all necessary at this course).

Other user areas. Hole 1 plays directly through some playground equipment, hole 3 plays directly through a shelter, which makes the course interesting, but rather dangerous if anybody was using these things.

Cramped. Baskets and tees generally share the same 5 foot radius.

Other Thoughts:

If passing through town, a quick 9 holes is worthwhile, if passing by on the freeway, continue on, not worth the 3 miles out of the way.
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