Fort Morgan, CO

Optimist DGC

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3.635(based on 20 reviews)
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1 0
PumaPaws
Experience: 17.8 years 28 played 23 reviews
4.00 star(s)

All golfers are Optimists 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a fun course, mostly flat, not overly long. Some holes play about 500', and the shorter holes in the woods tend to present other obstacles (trees) that make it challenging. There is 1 (maybe 2, if you over throw) water hole(s).
The course was generally well maintained. There are clearly mowed fairways, but even if you put a disc in the rough, you're not likely to lose a disc (although you may have to search for it a bit). Baskets were in good condition and the course presented enough of a challenge to make the game fun.

Cons:

No signs showing where hole #1 is located when you are arriving. The sign with the map was useful once you figured it out.
It's difficult to find some of the teepads. We wandered around sometimes trying to find the correct tee pads. Following the trampled paths works mostly. If they could mow the path to the next teepad that would help more. This problem was compounded by the fact that the illustrated tee signs have evidently been vandalized, now they are just blank looking posts in the ground next to the teepads with hole numbers and distances (but no arrow or directional) written on them in permanent marker.
There is a sugar factory in Fort Morgan that could ruin the course's first impression if you're bothered by the smell. It is definitely something you'll notice when you drive into town. Not very noticeable when playing the course but that may have been due to the wind direction.

Other Thoughts:

We played in July and it was HOT (95+). No drinkable water on the course, Bring your own. No trashcans or restrooms on course. We started fairly early (for us) and there were several folks walking their dogs. Didn't interfer with the course.

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1 2
WTHIEL
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

UPDATE 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Our new tee signs are in place plus our new Welcome sign showing the entire course layout. Each tee box sign shows the direction to the next tee box. The course is in great shape ... it's going to be a great year for Optimist Disc golf. Don't miss out on our Pessimist course 1 mile east of the Optimist. And, enjoy more disc golf in Brush and Sterling.
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5 0
rayoflight
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12 played 14 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice course, even in the winter. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 11, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Optimist now has 27 holes, so there is plenty of disc golf to be played. It's not an incredibly challenging course, but there are some holes that play almost 500', and even the shorter holes in the woods tend to restrict your options in one way or another.

-When I played (in the winter), it seemed like the course was generally well maintained all year round. There are clearly mowed fairways, but even if you put a disc in the rough it's not such thick vegetation that you're likely to lose a disc. Of course in the summer these rough areas off the fairway will get greener and thicker, but given that the vegetation is evidently kept at knee height it's probably not going to punish bad shots too harshly even in the summer.

Cons:

-It's difficult to find some of the teepads. I didn't really enjoy running around trying to find the correct place to throw from on a lot of the holes. This problem was compounded by the fact that the illustrated tee signs have evidently been vandalized, so now they are just blank looking posts in the ground next to the teepads with hole numbers and distances written on them in permanent marker. The problem of navigating the course was the worst on the first 7 holes, and then from hole #8 onward the course started to follow a more logical flow.

-There is a huge sugar factory in Fort Morgan that could ruin the course's first impression if you're bothered by the smell. It's not as bad as a farm smell, but it's definitely something you'll notice when you drive into town.

Other Thoughts:

Based on the course design alone, it would be a 4.5/5. Half a point is taken off for the busted signs and half a point for the sugar factory.
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4 1
troberts
Experience: 13.1 years 13 played 10 reviews
4.50 star(s)

LOVE this course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Love the variety of shots and challenging technical layout. Take your time and enjoy it! Park section is fun with families, but the natural terrain section should really only be played by more experienced throwers. Bugs and grasses/weeds can get bad, but maintenance crews seem to be on it.

Cons:

Not totally a bad thing, but a lot of blind cages. If its your first time playing, go with someone who knows the course, or print the map in the files section. Bugs can be bad, pack your spray. I also play in gore-tex shoes with gaters. Not a bad idea with all the sand and shrubbery.

Other Thoughts:

Fort Morgan is lucky to have a course this good in their back yard! The whole park setting is phenomenal for families! Non-players can play volleyball, street hockey, basketball or go to the pool or play on the great play ground. Take the whole family and make a day out of it! Bravo!
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6 4
prerube
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.8 years 274 played 235 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Course needs to take a breath an get organized! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

I never planned on playing this course, but I saw the baskets from the highway and turned in, thats how easy it is to get to this course.

Course was very forgiving so It is popular to all skill levels.

Very nice tee pads.

Water in play on some holes.

Great park and water park for any non disc golfers you bring to the course.

Cons:

CHAOS!!! Tee pads had multiple numbers, baskets had different numbers. The flow and navigation compounded the poor numbering. I think I missed 3 holes somewhere and I played a few out of order.

on some tee pads you can see as many as 3 baskets, all of which appear that they can be in play.

This course was like a dorm room after a college party. It was messy and confusing, but still functional. It was filled with underage kids, and there was tons of alcohol.

One of the baskets was in a very narrow strip of land between my car and the water. The basket had no business being in such a small and risky area and I refused to use the basket.



Other Thoughts:

This course needs to remove all tee signs and redo them. Placing duck tape over the numbers or using paper tee signs does not do.

The course can use some navigation arrows as well.

This course was probably a 3.5 to 4 star course at some point in time, but it's past its prime and needs someone to step up and turn it into the 4 star course it can potentially be.

There is limited camping available.
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2 0
Brian McFarlane
Experience: 46.8 years 84 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good course overall ... fun 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good cement tees, decent signage. Kept up fairly well, "fairways" are mowed fairly regularly, most holes have many trees in play. Wide range of distances from tee to basket. Some elevation change. Good course for beginners and pros.

Cons:

Although some elevation change, the course is mostly flat. Signage could stand to be updated. More trash cans throughout the course would be nice, but if you can pack it in, you can pack it out.

Other Thoughts:

The first 7 holes are well groomed grass (used to be 8 holes but #1 was taken out). A pond comes into play on holes 6 and 7, especially hole 7. There is a path on the left side (beware of pedestrians) of pond on hole 7, beyond the path is considered OB, at least during tournament. It can be challenging to land between the pond and the path. For a beginner this course will probably take between 90+ strokes for the 27 holes. For an experienced/advanced player, an 80-85 is doable. There are probably 5-6 holes, if thrown from the long tee pads that will take an accurate long drive to reasonably make in 3 shots. Some holes also have different pin placements that can greatly increase/decrease distance. This is a relatively long course and it can get hot in the summer ... make sure to take water. In most normal circumstances, holes 5 - 8 are the only holes that other park users may be a "hazard".
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3 0
little oz
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 102 played 31 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very Nice Course - and improving 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- First rate, long, grippy tee pads. The best I've seen.
- 27 holes of fair but challenging disc golf. The first 3 holes aren't much, but the remainder are well thought out, good pin placement.
- Excellent use of land that otherwise wouldn't be used. The first 5 holes will encounter park traffic, but the rest is largely for disc golf, with good flow and little to no overlap.
- Decent flow and directional signage.
- Located in a nice park that gives the rest of the family a nice diversion while you play.
- Fairways are mowed.
- The local club and the city have obviously put a ton of work in to this course .Kudos and thank you to all.
- The course had light traffic, and all but one person was very nice (see cons)
-Tee signs were well done and show all pin locations, when there.

Cons:

- No trashcans or restrooms on course
- The course is going through some changes and updates, so some of the tee-signs were missing. Some wooden poles did have distances written in Sharpie on them.
- Knee to hip high grass if you get off the fairway on some holes. Wear pants or high socks. You will spend a bit of time looking for discs, but you just need to persevere.
- Left one of my putters on top of the basket on #12. Realized it at #15. Went back and it was long gone. Nobody claimed to have seen it. Has my name/# on it, but no calls yet.

Other Thoughts:

Just a splendid 27 holes of golf. Bring a lot of water and a snack or you will be beat by the end. This course rewards control more than distance, so break out those mids and fairway drivers; you are in for a treat. There is an A-Tier here in a couple of weeks, and the local crew should be applauded for all the hard work they have done on the course.
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4 0
AndyJB
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 32.8 years 52 played 42 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Perfect for Tourneys! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Before I go into this review, I want to preface that when I played here it was set up for the Colorado State Championships, but the layout was more or less the same. I had a great time competing (and losing!)

---The front 5 holes are well-groomed, fast greens with amazing teepads.
---The following 16 holes are good as well, incoporating a lot of the natural vegetation to increase the challenge
---Hole 5 (my favorite hole) is the signature hole, with a huge pond right off the teepad that required either a monster arm or a good hyzer lay-up
---Excellent flow between holes, with simple but effective, tee signs to guide you
---Good teepads, which couldn't have been easy to install out in the woods
---A good variety of shots
---Even at 21 holes, it's a pretty quick play

Cons:

---Overly generous pars
---Hole 5 should probably be skipped by begginers, or you may be suffering some heartbreaking disc loss
---TONS of non-disc golf traffic, as this is really the only big public park in town (on the weekend we played the State Championships, there was also a cross-country meet going on)

Other Thoughts:

This is a cool course, tucked way back away from Denver. I'm not sure how much use it gets because of this, but it's worth a drive out to if you're in the area.
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4 0
tbsox
Experience: 17.7 years 40 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 22, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great flow from hole to hole. The course plays extremely well with its space and environment. Most holes are short to mid range holes with shaped throws required. Most holes are guarded from easy approaches. The tee pads are some of the most usable I've ever played with the grating on them preventing slipping in wet conditions.

Cons:

Most holes are very short. Course pars are a bit excessively family friendly. All holes are securely par 3's. The few long holes are a bit confusing your first time through with more than one hole visible in the direction given by the tee pads. A quick walk and some logical choices will get you were you need to go.

Other Thoughts:

This is really a different course for what Colorado tends to offer. The front range courses being very up and down and open this course is a short skill shot course. Most holes play long open but into treed and brushy areas especially into the ladder part of the course. Bring some creativity with your shot selection and the course is very fun quick play. Those playing with years of experience under your belt this is a straight 3's course. even the longer drive holes are reachable with a second shot and short putt. Great overall play.
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2 3
dborrego
Experience: 13 years 69 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 9, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Quick, challenging, easy to follow, well kept.

Cons:

Every hole on this course should be a par 3 but I guess they are trying to make it beginner friendly.

Other Thoughts:

I was passing through town on my way to Oklahoma and stopped to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. Im glad I did, I was able to play all 21 holes under 2 hours. It has lots of short holes with guarded baskets. I will definitely play it again on my way back to work.
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2 9
cpaquette
Experience: 16.6 years 42 played 41 reviews
2.50 star(s)

So/So 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course has a few shots that will challenge even the best of players.

Cons:

Much of the fairways or what should be deemed a fairway is considerably overgrown.

Other Thoughts:

Bring bug spray. The mosquitoes in the summer are bad for Colorado standards due to all of the stagnant water in and around this park.
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2 4
Vintageskis
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

I like that it goes from well groomed grassy park like setting into a more rugged rough course half way though. Great long drives with a few potential ace holes. Great bird watching and very scenic course.

Cons:

Bring bug spray, we got eaten up!
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8 0
TalbotTrojan
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 112 played 104 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Not The Expected 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 4, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice cement tee pads that are very consistent from hole to hole. These may be my favorite tee pads that I have seen or played on. Nice tee signs on every hole. Good variety of holes from the nice long open holes to the super short and technical holes to those holes that are somewhere in between. The little elevation change that is there is well used. There are a couple of baskets sitting at the top of hills just waiting to punish a bad putt. Good use of maintained park area for the first 8 holes. Well maintained course in general. Was not busy, even on a Saturday morning. Good baskets in general. Good signage when next hole was not obvious. Sits on the side of a very nice park with many ammenities, including a really nice bathroom that can be accessed after hole 7 and 12.

Cons:

The hole signs themselves were put right into the tee pad making them significanly less functional for lefties. Some signs were missing though there were usually sharpie information on the wood pole that used to hold said signs. Some holes were so short that they did not really add anything to the course, though there is a tournament layout that negates said holes. The grass can get high after hole 8. Hole 8 is really tough for those who are scared of water, especially if you play tournament OB lines. Par on the signs is not accurate, there is really nothing more than par 3's on this course.

Other Thoughts:

I am about to play this course for an A tier PDGA tournament in June that was been going on for several years. It is a great little course and has a lot of character to it. Still this is not necessarily a difficult course but it has moments when you might not want to be a beginner on this course. While hole 8 is definately a signature hole, it is also the reason you might not want to play the course. The course really is out there in the middle of no where being in Fort Morgan, but if you are passing by it is defiantely worth a play.
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1 5
Headbabe
Experience: 20 played 13 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Take the drive to this little gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 16, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a well thought out great course. Nice tee pads and signs. The first nine holes start off in well groomed park setting. The course ends in a nice lay-out wooded area.

Cons:

No place to fill up your water bottle.

Other Thoughts:

Great use of the park. Really looking foward to the Pessimist course in June at the HPC.
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8 0
Camgolfer
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.8 years 51 played 28 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Course worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course begins, like most other reviewers stated, in a grassy area and moves to a more rugged area of the park with large cottonwoods and natural vegetation. Each hole is different and provides a shot variety of hyzer, straight, anhyzer, short, long and in between. There is a good mix of decent birdie opportunities mixed in with the holes you have to fight for the three. There are a few holes that go near a pond, but only two holes are really a problem. Those are holes 7 & 8. Hole 4 can be a problem if you go long, but if you stay near the basket you should have a birdie. Hole 5 is the only shot where elevation comes in to play being a long hole shooting uphill then slightly downhill to the pin. This course forced you to throw lines instead of just open bomb after open bomb that some of the Colorado courses have. There were enough trees to provide obstacles, but not too much that a good shot wouldn't make it to the basket. I have played courses where the same exact shot can be thrown twice in a row and the slightest breeze can change the entire play of the hole. The course is well maintained. The natural area holes had the weeds/natural grasses cut. Not too big of chance of loosing a disc here if you stay clear of the water. Each hole has nice tees that provided grip. Each basket has a little tab on the rim that points to the next hole. This helped a bit because the map we had seems to not reflect some changes to the course.

Cons:

The course must have been updated recently and while the tee signs and baskets have been moved to accommodate this, our map was a little off and has us second guessing a few hole. I can see hole 1 being hard to play if there is baseball game going on in the park. This hole shoots on a very narrow line down an OB parking lot that could fill up if there was a game. A few of the redesigned holes had hand drawn tee signs. Some of the lengths on the tee signs seemed off as most of the holes played shorter than the sign.

Other Thoughts:

I am looking forward to being able to play this course at the 2011 High plains Challenge. I also want to play the Pessimist course that the club sets up out here. There seems to be room for more. None of the holes seemed crammed. We had been talking about coming to play this course for a while and I am glad we finally made the trip. This course is well worth the drive.
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3 0
Leroy
Experience: 14 years 203 played 21 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Technical disc fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course starts off in a groomed grassy park for the first 8 holes and then weaves it's way through a Cottonwood forest for the remaining holes. Two of the holes border the pond in the park and are very easy to lose a disc in. The holes in the Cottonwood forest all seem to have at least two sets of trees to get by before the basket making this a very challenging course. The tee pads are some of the best I've seen yet with lots of texture and plenty of room.

Cons:

The day I played it seems as if someone had been tweaking the layout of the course. Many of the holes didn't match the tee signs. Two of the holes seemed to be brand new adjustments with no tee boxes at all, but they were neat challenging holes. I've uploaded a photo of the course map I found at tee 1 with it's long list of complicated adjustments. Hopefully things will get sorted out before too long.

Other Thoughts:

Well worth the hour drive from Denver. Make a road trip out of it and hit the fine course in Sterling as well for a weekend of disc golf.
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4 0
CBass
Experience: 19.1 years 142 played 27 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Well worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice large tee pads that you won't slip on really help you drive. Several holes are long enough to make this a huge plus. The course starts off in a groomed community park and ventures off into a more rugged area with plenty of large cottonwood trees. No two holes are exactly same type of shot or look entirely the same. There are long turnover drives, tight tunnel type shots and long bombs through the forest. One water hazard in the form of a small pond comes into play on holes 4, 6, 7 and 8. The long hole 5 will become more and more difficult as tthere are several small trees in the fairway. Right now they are small enough to soar over but they keep creeping higher. Hole 17 is one of my faves as you shoot across a 300 something foot clearing to a pin that is guarded by a large cotton wood stand. It seems as though this course has something for everyone. There are picnic pavilions at the park for a between rounds meal. Almost every hole has a bench to sit and rest your legs on. Tee signs on every tee box add to navigational ease. I have not met one person that has played and disliked this course.

Cons:

The back half can be rugged in spots, so dress appropriately; meaning there are thistles and tall grass throughout the back side(13 holes). Bring water for the long course journey. Kiss your disc goodbye if you end up in the cattails on #8. A few holes had the tee sign either too close or actually in the tee box area, not too much of a problem though.

Other Thoughts:

This course is more fun every time I shoot it. Well worth the drive from Greeley for sure.
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2 0
wolito
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.1 years 88 played 86 reviews
3.00 star(s)

long unique course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 4, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

I nice big course, 21 located in the city park. The disc golf area is somewhat separte from the park meaning that there is not a lot of foot traffic and cars to worry about. The teepads are nice, large, level cement. Baskets were in great shape. Front few holes are open and then tightens up a bit in the middle of the course. Long and short holes with definate birdie/ace potential. Some pins were placed with good use of trees to add to the challenge. Water comes in play on a couple of holes. Appears well maintained, clean and benches throughout the course for a breather.

Cons:

There are a few holes with missing signs and thus leads to some confusion but could be figured out fairly easily. Lack of elevation on this course, not like some of the mountain courses in the western half of the state. Some of the shots seemed repetitive. Most of the shots are fairly straight, not much of left or right throws needed. The first few holes seem out of place with the rest of the course as they are placed around a baseball field. If there is a game being played, I would assume the first 4-5 holes would be unplayable.

Other Thoughts:

I definately enjoyed my time on this course. I would love to play it in the summer when everything is fully grown, I could see how that would add to the challenge of the back half of the course. Though there are some pretty short holes, a beginner might get frustrated with the trees and longer holes on the back half of the course. I really enjoyed this course and would play again.
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3 0
martinb
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 44.6 years 183 played 57 reviews
4.00 star(s)

ft. morgan 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Huge Teepads, great teesigns. Free camping in park, with power hookup for rv's.

Cons:

Bathrooms are run down. weeds get high in summer on course. russian olive.

Other Thoughts:

This course starts on a grassy mowed area then moves to a non-maintained area with cottonwood and russian olive to navigate around and through. Course is well marked though and you wont get lost, just need to keep an eye on your disc. Play is long for the most part, big-arms have the advantage as long as you stay on the fairways. Risk/Reward factor for the average pro player is better than most courses. most holes have options to shoot for with higher risk for certain lines, or play it safe...not much elevation change, but the trees make it a real challenge. The city of Ft. Morgan is 100% behind the disc golf community here so it makes it a great place to play at. Right off the freeway with amenities almost within walking distance.
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8 0
DGtourist
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.9 years 188 played 103 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Optimist 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 1, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

There are 21 holes most of them 300+. The front 9 plays in a well a groomed park with the back 12 playing in a jungle of trees and weeds that you would find within a few hundred yards of a river. The signs more than made up for the lack of people to guide you, they show the location of alternate pin locations and the direction of the next tee box. The course as wide open with some trees. Just enough trees so that you can really rip drives out on this course and the baskets are all close enough to trees to still make some skill out of it. The front nine plays in the park and makes use of water.

Cons:

The weeds can be rough, if you have allergies like me you will want to take something. Bring mosquito repellant, Ft Morgan is lush and right next to the river. The signage breaks down some in the back twelve but you will still be able to find your way.

Other Thoughts:

I heard someone say that its Optimist Park with the back 12 being Pessimist Park, but for me the last 12 really made the course. In fact it felt to me that the course is a strange experience with every hole being more interesting than the hole before it.
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