Shelton, WA

Shelton Springs DGC

4.425(based on 37 reviews)
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12 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.1 years 652 played 629 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Spring Board Into A Timber Whipp’n

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 7, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

(4.212 Rating) A blue-ribbon worthy woods course with 3 layout options
- 3 LAYOUTS - Shelton Springs recently got a substantial upgrade. On what used to be a two-layout course, has now been upgraded to have 3 tees on every hole. Reds are the shorts, Whites are the middle tees and the Blues are the longs. To my knowledge the extra newly installed tee went to either the blue layout or the white layout, thus if someone played the old long layout, the next round would have a mix of old and new tees to throw from. I appreciated having the options, and ultimately elected to try the White tee layout called Timber Claw. Timber Claw is ideal for MA2 level players, while the Red Springboard layout is ideal for MA3s and the Blue Misery Whip layout is ideal for MA1s.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Of the twenty courses I hit on my trip to the Pacific Northwest, I scored the beauty here in a tie for the highest, but just shy of my top 40 among my 620 courses played as of this review. Shelton Springs is blessed with lots of heavy woods comprised mostly of skyscraping Douglas Firs. It's a very tranquil and enlightening environment to throw in. Hard for me to pick a favorite looking hole, as many of them had a similar looking play and feel to them, but I'll go with hole (15), as there is some subtle elevation movement on that one.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - Courses like this one, need a lot of navigational cues, and this place has them. Great tee signs that are color coded. Lots of extra navigational signs directing traffic after finishing holes. I made only one goof during my round. The only missing navigational element is a posted course map.
- AMENITIES - In addition to the nice signage and 3 tees, the amenities package as a whole, is elevated. Benches are present at seemingly half of the tees. New high quality red-banded baskets are present. There's a practice basket, portapotty and lost disc drop box near tee (1). I enjoyed seeing the chain man artwork near the parking area as well.
- HOLE VARIETY - The 3 layout options in itself, provides variety. What I liked just as much, was the fact that the hole distances vary substantially regardless of the layout chosen. There are 1000 foot par 5s here and low 200 foot holes. There are dogleg multi-play holes and a few holes that make an escape from the woods. The only attribute holding this aspect back is the monotonous feel of the woods. See cons below.

Cons:

- MONOTONY - To me, the similar looking feel hole to hole, is the biggest reason why this course falls short of the 4.25 threshold on my ledger. If someone showed me a picture of a random wooded hole, it might take me 8 guesses to call-out the correct hole number. It's wooded, void of water and flat. The landscape has very few differential elements to it. Not the courses fault, the land is what it is.
- TIME PLAY - Shelton Springs, like most high quality courses, is not a quickie. I would recommend taking the time to savor this one rather than trying to blow through the round like I did. Anyways, as a blind solo on the Whites, it took me 55 minutes.
- FINISH FROM PARKING - I found the parking situation to be weird. Unless I did it wrong, it appears players are supposed to park along the wide shoulder on North Shelton Springs Road. Tee (1) isn't too far from the street, but (18) is at least an 800-foot walk back.
- FAKE ISLAND - I don't take points off for this, but I very much did not like the gimmick improv island hole. I think it was hole (11). It does add difficulty, but I don't award points for unnecessary gimmick difficulty inflators. The lining masonry block boundary also looks like an eyesore in these majestic woods. I also didn't like (10s) unnecessary fake OB area along the right with its ugly yellow spraypainted trees.

Other Thoughts:

Shelton Springs is an awesome course all around. I played 10 courses in the Seattle Metro area on my trip out here, and this was my favorite far and away. I think its destination worthy, which is not something I often say for courses that are flat and water-free. Plus it will appeal to a wide swath of skill levels due to the 3 tee element. Beginners would be best to stay clear however. Anyways, a very strong 4.0 course to me. If it were flawless, I may have considered a low 4.5 rating. It reminded me of a couple 3-tee courses in my personal top 30. The Admiral in Mobile Alabama, and O'Hauser near Appleton Wisconsin. All of which I have given a strong 4.0 course rating.
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11 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Probably The Most Consistently Rated 4,5 Course Anywhere!

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 25, 2022 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I recently played Shelton Springs at the 2022 Washington State Senior Games (English Translation- Old people who can't throw very far). Shelton Springs is one of Washington states premier course. An argument could be made that it is Washington's number 1 course. More on that later.

SSDGC sits on a large piece of Washington forest and on the neighboring power lines fields. The courses weaves back and forth between the two. The forest is typical for Western Washington with lots of large mature Fir trees with Salal and other plants providing the rough.

The course now has good sized concrete tees on both the Black and Shorter Red tees. Longer championship Gold tees are in the works. From the Black tees the course plays 8360' feet. Us old folks threw from the Red tees which provide a solid intermediate challenge at just under 6700'. From either tee, the trees are the main challenge, or missing said trees is the challenge . In the forested part of the course, the trees are present off the tee, in the fairways and almost always protecting the baskets. The baskets are Chainstars, which are in good shape. The signs which are imbedded in stone columns are vandal resistant, are colorful, nice and informative. Garbage cans are scattered and there is a porta-potty at the start and another at the halfway point. There are benches at each hole and the shade is welcome on summer days.

The course is absolutely clean with no litter present and almost no vandalism noted except for the # sign which is missing. Downed limbs and branches are quickly taken care of. The Mason County Disc Golf Club is active and takes pride in this course.

Cons:

The course is flat, which to me limits it's appeal as to be being Washington's finest. Without elevation, there can be no epic downhill.

To me, there is no signature hole here. Not one, that will forever remind me of Shelton Springs.

The holes playing under the power lines are pretty blase. # 4 is just an open 300' without any obstacles.

There is no water.

Other Thoughts:

So back to that argument as to Shelton Spring's ranking among the state's top course. As far as challenge, it's probably a toss up with Sea Tac. Both are a bear from the long tees. The courses are Crystal Mountain are, no doubt more challenging, but I don't count them as they are more gimmicky, being open just 3-4 months. My Washington state personal favorite is Camp Selani Jamboree in Spokane with it's plethora of delicious downhills.

Picking your favorite Washington course is probably akin to picking a Shelton Springs signature hole, I doubt whether there is a consensus favorite. As for my rating here. I would score it about a 4.2 if I were allowed. On the DGCR standards, 4.5 is phenomenal and 4.0 is excellent. Being flat, with no water and average in beauty, I see Shelton Springs as being more excellent and less phenomenal. Maybe it's an an excellent course with phenomenal challenge.
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12 0
01guin
Experience: 10.9 years 43 played 8 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Excellent signage and layout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 26, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Challenging wooded course
+ Good variety of:
distances and pars
wooded vs open fairways
backhand vs forehand lines
+ Multiple tee pads on every hole
+ Exceptional signage with directions to and from each pad, some distance markers among the fairways of longer holes
+ Well maintained --hard to lose a disc despite being so wooded
+ Putting practice basket near hole 1
+ Long teepads, weren't slippery at all

Cons:

- no changes in elevation
- plays near a busy road but throwing into traffic is pretty low risk--more of an occasional noise distraction

Other Thoughts:

Really excellent course. Fantastic use of the space, very professional.
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12 0
Schreuds2.0
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.8 years 93 played 81 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Deserving of the Best in State Title 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 6, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Two sets of awesome tee pads, one more intermediate level and one advanced
-Tee signs are clear and professional, when I played there was a huge storm, so 17's tee signs had been destroyed by a tree, but I have no doubt that there will soon be a solution for that.
-Fairways are beautiful, there is an easy trasnistion into rough, then rougher once you get farther in. This is one of those courses that is easy to walk around in the rough, but hard to throw through, which I think is a hallmark of a well thought out design.
-Trees are fantastic, if I could pick a course that I have played that uses trees the best, this one is way up there
-Excellent paths, to both tees, and between every hole.
-All paths have clear signage that makes navigation super easy.
-This course has an awesome vibe to it. It feels so private and peaceful, I saw one other person when I played the course.
-Mandos are great. I feel like Mandos are an often overlooked thing on good courses, all the Mandos out at Shelton are necessary for the hole to flow in the intended way and to protect other fairways/roads/walking paths
-The setting of this course is amazing, it is nestled into a very pretty forest that would be fun to walk through, let alone play disc golf in.
-Soooooo many different shots here, almost all drivers off the tee, but par 4s and 5s allow for midrange and putter throws too.
-Absolutely no garbage, none at all, that just adds to the profesional feel of the course
-One thing I had never even thought about before was marking distances on long holes. Most holes that start blind have a big white dot on a marker tree and little blue, white, and red poles in the ground. These let you know how to get to the basket and how far away it is.

Cons:

This course is super good, it is close to a 5 star rating, but, there are a couple things that in my opinion keep this course from being a "perfect" "best of the best" disc golf sanctuary. This is an excellent course, but it isn't a 5 star all inclusive experience.
-First of all, Chainstars are not what I would call championship baskets, they are ok, and better than nothing, but a great 5 star would have better baskets
-There is no practice area
There is no pro shop. I realize this is really picky, but in my version of a perfect disc golf course that is everything you ever wanted put together, there is a pro shop.
-No elevation, although there really is none to work with
-Water is in the same category as elevation, there appears to be a seasonal swamp type thing on one of the open par 5's, but I wouldn't count that as a "water" hazard
-Long Walk from the parking lot, park along the street

Other Thoughts:

This is a very nice course, definitely worth the drive on its own, even more so if you factor in the course you could play on the way here. A must hit course
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2 5
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 191 played 189 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very clean & well kept. Excellent navigation, and signs. Nice tee pads pro and am. Nice baskets very well kept. Lots of holes to air out but must hit your lines as well. The black tees will make you work for your pars

Cons:

Not many cons only tiny things is No elevation change...not a fan of hole 18 however very beautiful basket setting.

Other Thoughts:

Worth the drive for sure and you will not regret playing this
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8 3
Paragon29er
Experience: 7.8 years 42 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A MUST PLAY DESTINATION 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Clean, holy moly clean. Did not see one beer can or bottle. I only saw one, no joke, ONE cigarette but on the ground. No beer caps pounded into anything. I used almost every disc in my bag and every shot I know of. Two tee pads and two completely different courses. Night and day difference between the two. Kudos to the designer. The tee pads are large, solid and most surrounded by a nice gravel and helps keep your bag dry.

Cons:

Only one thing it absolutely needs, better signage to hole 1. After that, it's simple to navigate thanks to the signs showing where the next tee is. Biggest con for me, it's too far from my house. I wish this was my backyard course.

Other Thoughts:

I recommend this course so much that I promise it's worth a road trip. Play the red tee pads first. If you have great control then play the black second. Basically black tee pad means tunnel shot, every one. Not your normal tunnel shot, like only as wide as the tee pad.
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6 1
shawnc65
Experience: 11 years 22 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

The unique feature presented is the large field under the power lines utilized in a half dozen or more holes with the clearly defined tree line used to advantage. You get a drive in all different directions in the field and no two shots are the same. The field holes are supported by immacutely maintained, layed out and clean forest holes with a minimum of undergrowth to hide wayward drives.

Cons:

There is virtually no elevation change. That may be a strategic con, but it also meant my older knees could traverse the course twice using the well placed alternate tees without much complaint.

Other Thoughts:

I would not have thought this flat water-basin could support the diversity of hole types found there. The designers deserve a great deal of credit and you can tell it is maintained with a love of nature and the game. As I spent nearly 2 hours on the road to get there, my personal thanks goes out to them. It was well worth it.
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6 0
PNWTurnandFade
Experience: 13.1 years 24 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 10, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very easy to navigate, great signs everywhere (detailed signs on tee-pad, markers on fairways on long blind holes, arrows at baskets pointing to next tee-pads). My first time playing I had no trouble getting around.
Great variation of holes: long, short, hyzer shots, super long bombs.
Great trails, well maintained.

Cons:

Can be tricky getting to hole one, and back to the parking lot from 18. No full course map. Honestly there's not much to dock this course for. It is a long course, several long holes, lots of walking, so it does take a little longer to play than an average course.

Other Thoughts:

Amazing course, this is a destination course, worth traveling for. I've only played it once and have been itching to get back to it ever since. It's the first course I've played in a long time that had me using all my discs.

*Addendum-
I just played the course again on Aug. 11th, it absolutely lived up to my memory of how amazing this course is. Like I mentioned before it is long, my fitbit told me I had walked the length of a typical course by the time I got to hole 11. Not a bad thing, just something to plan for. It is a 6 min walk from the parking lot to hole 1, just follow the signs. Also the way to get back to the parking lot from 18 is to go back to the fenced area on hole 18 that is OB, there is a dirt service road you can walk back on to hole 1 (2 min walk) and from there take the same trail back to the parking lot.
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10 0
Billy
Experience: 92 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Technical, clean, well marked 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 21, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great course! ... VERY WELL MARKED. ... A technical course (mostly wooded) that will make you throw every disc and every type of shot. (and yes, you can even air it all out on a few holes!) ... Huge concrete tee pads .... Beautiful wooden benches on virtually every tee. .... VERY, VERY CLEAN. I saw NO trash thrown on the ground, not even a cigarette butt. ...... Good clean paths, nicely covered in wood chips. .... Very well designed. Everything is tight and compact, and not spread all out and about. But you never feel imposed upon. ... Red / black tees are quite different from one another, not just a longer version of the red ones. .... And this park is just for disc golf.

Cons:

No smoking!? Really!??? (yeah right -- and yes, I do pack out my cigarette butts) ..... Kind of noisy (local traffic) on the field holes. .... A long walk to hole 1 from the parking lot. (try and park along Shelton Springs Rd., not in the parking lot.) ..... No elevation at all. .... The 'field' holes detract from the beauty of the course, especially having to walk along the road to get to red #3.

Other Thoughts:

This is the cleanest course I've ever seen. And very well marked (which is great when you play a course for the first time). ..... It's also really nice that it's both a very technical course and an 'air it out' kind of a course.
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17 1
b-mart
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.6 years 66 played 61 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Well worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 8, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is just phenomenal. If it isn't a championship level course, then I don't know what is. There's very little repetition, the grounds are taken care of, the underbrush isn't a problem (unless you griplock 18), the baskets are in great condition, I didn't see vandalism on any of the signs, the signage was ample and extremely helpful, and it's the first course I've ever played that warranted a run-on sentence in my review.

The property here is used to its full potential. You have all kinds of shots. The only thing missing from the pro tees would be more open shots off the tee. There are plenty of places on this course to air one out, but almost every tee has a narrow window right off the bat. Hole 2 would be the one exception if I remember correctly (I waited too long to review this after playing it). I guess if you're good enough to handle the monstrous holes that make up the pro course then you're good enough to bomb a drive AND hit a tight line through some trees. I'm not good enough for either of those, but I enjoyed myself anyway.

There are multiple tees one can throw from. I never did see a "gold" tee as detailed on the signs, but the red and black ones were drastically different. There were times when a good drive (for me at least) would land beside the amateur tee, but the pars would still be identical. In other words, this course will challenge you. If it doesn't, then play from a different tee.

Bud Pell is the only other course I've been able to say this about: Bring all of your discs and all of your shots, because you're going to use them. You have right turning, left turning, wooded, open, guarded pins, visible pins, and everything else you can imagine with the exception of elevation change. You can't exactly fault the course design for that though. The land is pretty flat. The lines created more than make up for this though.

Cons:

The cons are few and far between. The pro course will completely steamroll an am level player. I threw one of the highest scores of my life here, but that's not a con. That's proof that I'm not good enough to handle the pro tees yet. But I did par two of the par 5 holes (and really should have birdied 18 after barely missing eagle on it), and that alone made me feel good enough to call it a good day.

I'm not going to read back through my older reviews to see, but this might be the first time that my "pros" list has been significantly longer than my "cons" list.

What else? I guess it's a haul from Seattle, but if you have the time and energy to make a day of it, then do it. It will be well worth your time. So proximity to the city? Not really a con either. It is for me because I can't play it daily, but it certainly won't lower my course rating...

Other Thoughts:

I don't really know Shelton. If you don't either, I highly recommend bringing snacks and plenty of water. You're going to want to play this one more than once if you have the time, and there don't seem to be any convenience stores in the immediate vicinity.

The local disc golf club is clearly very active with this course. Everything is in great shape, the trash was minimal, and the signage was legible. I guess I've gotten too used to sign vandalism and trash everywhere. We need more clubs like this so that we can play more courses like this. Go to Shelton. You won't regret it.
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6 1
JDub57231
Experience: 20 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

My favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 26, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great signage, the course design is set up so you don't have to cross paths with other fairways, the tee pads a large and concrete (also colored to match the high school colors...red and black) there are two hole layouts on each hole. The "red" course and the "black" course. Each shoot to the same basket, but having separate tee pads that make it like two different courses. The course is built on the city's watershed, so the ground is like a sponge and quickly absorbs the rain. Garbage cans are placed along the course, so the course is kept very clean.

Though there isn't much for elevation on this course, there are lots of other obstacles that come into play. The course plays in a heavy wooded area with lots of trees. You also play a handful of holes that cross under the power lines, which at time can be very windy. Shooting from the black, hole #3 crosses a creek, and at times a swamp, that can come in to play. Hole #11 is an island hole that is surrounded with logs that make up the island. This is a fun hole for an ace fun and always exciting to play.

Cons:

Some may say the lack of elevation is a con, but not me.

Other Thoughts:

If you are in the Pacific Northwest, this is a course you will certainly want to check out. Located about 30 minutes North-West of Olympia and I5, it is worth the short trip if passing through.
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3 4
nathani
Experience: 13.1 years 10 played 5 reviews
5.00 star(s)

A model of a course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 19, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Fantastic course! I played here on a miserable rainy day and still played the course twice. It seems to hold up great in wet weather which is a huge plus in the Northwest.
The red and black tees are often totally different approaches, which offers a unique perspective on each hole. This increases replayability and and adds significant difficulty in the blacks. Even without much elevation change, the holes are varied and make you throw every shot, even a few open field long drive holes and an island hole. It really does offer something for everyone with a great mix.
Course has superb signage and awesome tee boxes. There are cement info sign on every hole as well as benches, hooks. High quality targets as well as a practice target and info kiosk at start. It is a fantastic course that is well taken care off. Kudos to the Mason County Disc Golf Association for creating and upkeeping such a fine course.

Cons:

No washroom. I personally like elevation changes (could be pro for others). Pretty minor stuff!!

Other Thoughts:

A model for all courses to follow. Looking forward to coming back next year.
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23 0
Discette
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.6 years 657 played 64 reviews
5.00 star(s)

My First 5 Disc Review 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 31, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I have played over 200 courses and this is my first Five Disc Review. This course is the gold standard by which all other future courses shall be compared. Sorry for the length, I used bullets if you don't want to read all my glowing comments.

Shelton Springs DGC is in a public park on land dedicated to disc golf and is free to play. The Mason County Disc Golf club has transformed this special piece of land into a fun and challenging disc golf experience.


Worth the Trip, twice!
There are two complete sets of tees that share 18 baskets. I played the Black Course traveling North on a Washington road trip. I had to immediately change my travel plans to include playing the Red Course on the way back instead of bagging some other nearby courses. This isn't a course with short and long tees where you can throw both sets of tees at the same time walking along the same fairways. The black and red tees really do provide two completely different course experiences. Even though the red course is shorter, it is still a challenging Par 60 layout

Large Concrete Tees!
There are 5 x 12 cement tees on every single hole. The tees are actually dyed Red and Black after the local high school colors. Every tee is and graded and the entire tee area is surrounded by crushed rock in all directions to help prevent mud. The Mason County Disc Golf MVDG logo is also imprinted on every tee. It is obvious they put a lot of work into this course and this is a creative way to take credit.

Championship Caliber Course.
The Par 63 Black Course is more like a Gold Level Championship course. The designers didn't simply make longer tees for each hole, they created challenging skill appropriate tees. There are a variety of shots required. However placement is just as necessary as big distance to score well on the Par 4 and Par 5 holes. Even if there were only one set of Black tees here, Shelton Springs DGC would still be rated a 5.0.


Par 60 Red Course.
They may not be as long, but the Red tees usually require a completely different shot selection from the Black. This is really a PDGA Blue level course that has been dyed red. The red tees are not "kiddie" tees or easy two's. The Red teds will challenge players of all skill levels to have a complete game. The layout favors shot selection and placement over raw distance to be able to shoot par.

No Map Needed!
There are directional arrows posted throughout course to both sets of tees. Each red and black tee have plexiglass covered tee signs with color coded frames and full graphics. There are abundant fairway distance markers on the longer holes and directional arrow signs for dog legs. Tee signs also had additional areas for advertising.

Amenities galore.
In addition to two full sets of concrete tees and excellent signage, there are benches on nearly every Red tee and most of the Black tees. The benches are made from downed trees. There are plenty of trash cans located throughout the course. Many of the baskets had a 10 meter string attached to the basket. A touch of a Championship level course. Most of these amenities are above and beyond what I would expect on a free disc golf course.

Disc Golf Exclusive!
Huge area is dedicated just for disc golf! No need to worry about dog walkers and picnickers. The wide open grassy meadows are located under giant power lines and are used wisely. The longer holes Par 4 and Par 5 holes are not just huge bomber holes, they shoot into and out of the woods for added challenge.

Appropriate for all skill levels .
Although both Red and Black courses provide excellent skill challenges for advanced level disc golfers, the courses and terrain are easy enough for beginners to navigate and play. The courses are very fair and straightforward. Cleared underbrush creates ample landing areas and the grassy fairways areas are mowed. New players won't get beat up or lose discs if they get off the fairways. It doesn't require advanced skills to have fun playing disc golf here. It only requires skills to get low scores.

Thoughtful use of 'gimmicks".
There is one island hole and another with a raised basket. The basket on Hole 11 is surrounded by an OB island. The border is well marked with downed trees and adds some personality along with an appropriate challenge and change of pace. There is a well-marked drop zone available. Hole 18 has an elevated basket. It is not too high and is tastefully and thoughtfully done. It adds a nice artistic touch to the end of the round and something unique to remember.


No extra walking!
The course is well routed and the walks between holes are well marked and minimal. You do play all 18 holes in a row before a short walk back to the first tee. Players are allowed to park on the side of the road by the first tee saving a walk to/from the parking lot.

Condition.
This park and course are well maintained. Underbrush is kept to a minimum so discs that get off the fairway are easy to find. There was no litter the garbage cans were being used. You can tell the club and community care about this course. There was no evidence of graffiti or vandalism.

Fair and fun for all.
Both layouts have fair, fairways and straightforward designs. I don't know which came first, red or black, or if they were born at the same time. The fact you can't tell is awesome in itself. Sometimes when playing alternate tees, it is apparent they are an afterthought squeezed into an existing design.

A tone pole!
On the short walk from 4 to 5, there is a permanently installed tone pole. I had never played one before, so it was cool to see one "in the wild" and take a toss at it. It makes a beautiful resonant chime. It was a nice piece of history to see and hear for myself. As you are playing the course, you can hear the deep chime of the tone pole throughout the forest as other pass by it.

Stroller friendly.
The fairways and paths between tees are well groomed. There are only some slight elevation changes. There are no steep or rugged areas to traverse. There could be muddy areas when raining. I played in December in light showers, and didn't have any problems with mud or standing water. While you could bring a stroller, the course may be a bit long for a toddler.


Non-smoking course.
A plus only because this means there are zero cigarette butts to be seen anywhere. This policy surely contributes to the overall cleanliness of this course.

Cons:

There are no cons, only suggestions for possible improvements.

One Restroom.
There is only one port-a-potty in the old parking lot. I have played plenty of courses that didn't have any restrooms, so I can't knock this course for having a portable that was clean and well maintained. Since most of the course is wooded, there are plenty of opportunities for privacy.

No Course Map Available.
None of the links at DGCR went to a course map. Again, you certainly don't need a map to play this course as there are so many signs. Hopefully someone will be able to post one here at DGCR soon.

Eye of the Beholder
Maybe it isn't the most beautiful park in the world with power lines running down the meadows. The wide open areas allow this course to stand out in a heavily wooded area. Plus, the secluded wooded areas still have that awesome Pacific Northwest forest vibe complete with moss covered trees and plenty of ferns. This course makes the best of both areas.

Suggestion.
If the MCDG were to add alternate pin placements, they may want to put pins shorter on a few holes to bring the course par down to 54 from the Red tees and provide more variety.


This one goes to 6.
The DGCR scale only goes to 5, this course is really a 6.0 Even if others might consider these cons, just be aware that Shelton Springs is actually a 6 disc course and these "cons" take it down to a 5.5 disc level, which is still off the scale.

Other Thoughts:

Worth the trip from anywhere.
This course is a disc golf destination. Shelton, WA may be off the beaten path, but it is well worth the journey. There are other awesome courses around the sound. Shelton is a small town of less than 10,000 people and is not close to any major interstates. SeaTac would be the closest airport and you would need to rent a car.

Amenities Count.
I do consider and value amenities when deciding between 4, 4.5 and 5 star courses. If this course didn't have all the nice tees, signage and benches, it wouldn't get a five no matter how great the design.

18 in a Row.
You don't loop back during the round, so you have to take everything you need with you. Park on the side of the road by the practice basket to save a long walk from the parking lot to first tee.

Young uns
It may be stroller friendly, but it is probably not ideal outing for really young kids or toddlers. While the terrain is easy enough, the holes are fairly long, especially if they are throwing. There are no trips back to the car during the round and no facilities out on the course.

No smoking allowed.
Be respectful. This awesome course is right next to a high school and junior high. It really is nice to play a course without butts everywhere.


MCDG
These guys Roc! I really liked the MCDG stamp in the teepads. It was another small touch that added another level of presentation and professionalism to this already top notch course.


Again, my first five star rating on a course review. I have played many courses that could get 5 stars for some portion of the course design or experience, but this one has it all and then some.
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2 9
Thunder
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Best Course Around 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 16, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very challenging I fell I need to start naming all out the trees because I've hit almost all of them lol.

Cons:

Elevation, and besides hole 11 is there any OB any where else?

Other Thoughts:

This has to be the best course in Washington st. Mason County Disc Golf Club stuck a 10 out of 10
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1 4
Klahowya41
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very nice place to play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 19, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very clean and well maintained. Good veriety of play options. When trees or limbs fall on the course of play they are removed or cleaned right away. Under brush has been thinned to help you find a lost disc, but still looks natural and healthy. Shelton is proud of this course and it shows in its maintenance and design. Well done!

Cons:

Would like to see at least one more outhouse mid course or near the PUD building...

Other Thoughts:

All around an excellent experience for new players like myself and the more prolific throwers as well.
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2 4
PeterMonk
Experience: 10.9 years 31 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Best course in the area 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 27, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great variety of shots you will use nearly all the disks in your bag and nearly ever type of shot.
Like how the underbrush is kept down, makes finding errant discs easier.
Nice concrete teepads for both am and pro tees. Oh and they are color coded.
Generally well maintained and interesting.

Cons:

Flat course.
It is messy playing in the rain; constantly cleaning the disks.
Would like to get a map to the course.

Other Thoughts:

Planning on making a monthly trip to Shelton to play the course provided the weather is good. It is a good measure of where I am as a player and what I need to work on.
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2 6
brandocommando9
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Shelton is awesome 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Course is top notch beautifully taken care of and marked. Tee pads are big. There's lots of variety.

Cons:

No water hazards and not a lot of elevation but I don't think these two things take away from how majestic this course is!
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7 1
longandwrong
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.1 years 59 played 39 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Best course in Northwest 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 10, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is probably the best maintain course around. It is long (red pads) and really long (black pads). Pads are cement and the colors are red or black. Great signs, great trails, beautiful old growth forest with deer. Level course...no hills. Hole #11 has a 'boxed' area that you have to throw into or you take a drop and lose a stroke. Makes this Par 3 more technical that normal.

Cons:

One porta potty at parking lot. Hole #3 has 3 pads...one red, two black. The furthest back black should be called gold. No locked drop box for trying to return a disc you find on the course. However you can take it to Olympic Disc Pro shop on south hill of Shelton.

Other Thoughts:

Great disc shop south hill of Shelton in Carpet Store. This shop has a great selection of disc's at great prices!
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2 4
jdinteg
Experience: 31 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Shelton Springs is amazing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 30, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Two different large concrete tee pads (Red/Black) make this play like two different courses
- Extremely well designed course
- Concrete tee signs with distances and lines
- large log benches at each tee pad
- Amazing scenery in the woods
- Great use of field to create tough cross wind shots

Cons:

- Long walk from parking lot. But you can now park on street
- That's it, tough to find anything wrong here

Other Thoughts:

Easily the nicest course I have played in Washington. You have to play this course once, put it on your wish list!
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1 13
Josh Heideman
Experience: 13.2 years 37 played 10 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 7, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

That this is in my home town. Very challenging, I have not found any one who does not like the course

Cons:

NO Bathrooms. No hills or much elevation. Now that you can park on the street parking is not a problem.

Other Thoughts:

I would like to see more tournaments but it is winter. I'd like to know if there is a better course in Washington?
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