Lakewood, WA

Fort Steilacoom Park - Ray's Nine

35(based on 11 reviews)
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Fort Steilacoom Park - Ray's Nine reviews

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6 0
royvin
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 7.9 years 190 played 66 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Peaceful Round of 9 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice for beginners
-Easy to navigate
-Custom red baskets with numbers on top
-Nice concrete tee pads
-Maps honoring Ray with distances at the pads
-Good mix of shots required
-Can be tied in easily with the NW or SE course
-Practice baskets near the parking lot

Cons:

-Hole 9 is uphill and blind (I suppose some people might actually like this)

Other Thoughts:

Excellent 9-holer and tribute to Ray Seick! This is what a solid beginner/intermediate level disc golf course should look like.
Enough trees in the way to make it a challenge, but yet it's open enough to air some shots out.
Nothing too fancy and no 'signature hole', but that was ok. The calm, relaxing round of 9 was quite enjoyable and a great way to cool down after playing the other two courses. Looking forward to playing again.
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4 0
Schreuds2.0
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.9 years 93 played 81 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Solid 9 hole caps off Steilacoom trio well 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Excellent amenities, great tee pads, easy to see the basket from tee, great commemorative tee signs, decent catching baskets.
-Baskets are bright red Mach III, meh, not good not bad, they are really visible though.
-Fairways are great, mowed grass is easily walkable, and drivable.
-Rough is in good shape, it is punishing, but you can easily walk into it.
-Elevation is a good factor here, there are small rolling hills throught the area of the course, and it makes it a fun play.
-Trees define this course, there are some rather open holes but they all shape around a tree or two.
-This course is a great way to commemorate Ray Seick, it is a short, entry level course that provides a great warm up/down from the two 18 hole courses out here.
-Short distances are forgiving, allow for practicing a variety of shots, and getting creative.

Cons:

-Navigation is a little tough, the layout isn't exactly intuitive, it can be tough to navigate without a map/udisc.
-Course dips around near a kinda nasty fence and a gravel parking lot. This seems unfortunate because it detracts from an otherwise great little area.
-This course doesn't really have a wow factor. It is 9 pretty good holes, no great holes, just ok. Which make this a good warm up p/down course, but a meh stand alone course.

Other Thoughts:

Great little course, come for the whole Steilacoom package, this is a great place to start or finish.
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0 3
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.9 years 191 played 189 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Red baskets easy to see from tee box. Decent holes to practice shots. Baskets were in decent shape and layout wasn't to hard to follow

Cons:

Not the most scenic course. Tee pads aren't anything special, kind of just a bland course. It's more of a good warm up or cool down for the other courses around. No tee signs showing hole location or distance
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0 5
Sunday Huckers
Experience: 12.9 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Raymond Seick 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 8, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great warm up 9 or great course for someone learning the sport.
Flows really well from the big gravel parking lot.
Great visable red baskets!

Cons:

Short holes.

Other Thoughts:

Named after the notorious Raymond Seick - aka the Godfather of Steily.
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2 1
Paragon29er
Experience: 7.9 years 42 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Dirty 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 24, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice baskets, tee pads and layout was easy. Not a technical course. Lines are easy to read. All you really need is a driving putter and a good hyzer disc to play. No rough to ruin your day. Some Oregon grape to poke you but no fear of losing a disc. Arrows on each basket pointing to next tee pad is always a great touch.

Cons:

Dirty. Every hole, I mean every single one had an old e or steel reserve can in the bushes. Tons of feces, mostly dog, either in the open or in a bag but bag left on course. Nothing in the walkway but to the side. You won't step on it but still unsightly. One hole there appears to be used toilet paper on the side of the tee box. In the ditch of hole two we had a bad shot. Went to get the disc and the area smelled like a latrine. Really wanted to disinfect the disc.

Other Thoughts:

We played this course because we wanted a quick round as we passed thru town based on the great reviews from last year. The course itself was a 3 but I can't recommend it because of how dirty it was. This was by far the grossest course I've ever played on. All it needs is a cleaning and peer pressure from the locals to tell the poo droppers to pack it out.
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4 0
forehandfranz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.9 years 226 played 128 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fantastic Warm Up, or Warm Down 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 15, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Rays is a sweet little 9 holer that is a tremendous amount of fun! All the holes seem to be 300' or less and have a variety challenging shots. This course is in the same area as the SE course, so it has a similar feel with numerous oak trees on moderate rolling terrain.

Some of the tee pads from the old course remain, so it's possible to shoot from these to add some variety. The best example is Hole #1. It has two alternate tee pads - one is about 20' behind the first one, and makes the hole much more challenging. The 2nd alternate tee is about 30' right of the first two tees, and is another fairway entirely - a nasty little tunnel - and one of my favorite shots on the course!

Cons:

It can be difficult at times to tell what basket you may be shooting at (there is no map), but they all have numbers on them, and are bright red.

A bit LHBH or forehand biased (3 of the holes anyway)

Other Thoughts:

We played this one three times the day we visited, it was that enjoyable. It won't knock your socks off (concerning the creativity or challenge of most holes), but if you're in the mood for something light and fun - this should fit the bill.

I rate this course (Rays 9) a 3.0
I rate this (NW) course a 4
I rate the (SW) course a 3.5
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4 0
JR Stengele
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24 years 251 played 191 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Ray's 9 - In Honor of a Local Legend! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Ray's nine is a wonderfully creative nine hole course located between the NW &SE courses near the parking lot. Starting on what was once the first hole of the SE course, this course was designed using bits of the old courses as well as newly designed holes, capitalizing on the surrounding unused areas. Intended for the novice/intermediate player, this course brings enjoyment to all skill levels! Like the other two courses on site, this course challenges players through line accuracy and placement. Although this course is shorter on average than the others, it is the ideal place to learn, practice, or warm up on before hitting the others. The replay factor is high on this course due to being quick, fun, and well designed!

Cons:

Like the other two courses, this course can to be difficult to navigate for first timers. There are several areas that have cement tee pads due to the old layouts but if you just be on the lookout for the red number on the tees you should be fine. The red baskets are a wonderful touch too, helping to navigate.

Other than a little navigational issues...not much. Super fun short course!

Other Thoughts:

The local club at Ft. Steilacoom did a terrific job in honoring Raymond Seick. The beautiful custom red baskets with Ray's picture as well as the hole number on each face plate is a nice touch! I have had the privilege of meeting him multiple times over the years and must say that he truly is an amazing person. He has given over a quarter of a century to Ft. Steilacoom as the course pro, teaching and inspiring players from all walks of life about the game he loves. The fact he has a course named after him says a lot about the impact Ray has had in Pierce County as well as the state of Washington. I feel honored to have played this course and even more lucky to have met him!
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4 0
53Clubs
Experience: 10.1 years 23 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Start here, play 45 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

A great warm up 9 for the two big 18s on the same property. A great unintimidating course for beginners and skilled players alike. Great variation both right/left and up/down. The fairways and obstacles are clean and the course is built and maintained perfectly... Oh, and did I mention,... It starts and finishes at the beginning of two other professional level 18 hole courses?

Cons:

Navigation could be easier.

Other Thoughts:

Thinking of this as a little 'stand-alone' 9 hole course is a little like going to the Grand Canyon and looking at it from the car - This is a gorgeous and flexible 45 hole facility with the ability to send players from absolutely ANY skill level home having enjoyed this great game immensely. If you know anyone who plays in the area, hook up with them out there - a guide is a wonderful thing and with so much going on here, a Sherpa would be well advised.
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5 0
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 427 played 393 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A Tribute Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is an incredibly good warm up course or beginner friendly course. You have obstacles and tougher holes like number three to let newer players know this game isn't easy but the course is short enough that it shouldn't discourage anyone from playing it. The lines are just fun enough that even seasoned players will have fun throwing here. Like a previous reviewer said this course starts out on one of the old layouts of the course (15 different layouts at one point, not making that up either) and you can even see old signs pointing you in the wrong direction towards tee pads that don't excist anymore. Luckily it's not too though to find your way around here, the baskets for this course are all painted red and have a picture of Ray Seick on the number plate along with the hole number. Also on each of the real tee pads (more on this later) it has a little red number indicating which hole you are on. This course is in between the NW and SE layouts and starts right next to the gravel parking lot on the side in which you drove in.

Cons:

There is still confusion here but it's not quite as it used to be at FSP. Problem is with all of those different layouts they used to have they still have concrete tee pads randomly throughout. The easy way to know if you are playing the right tee either on this course or another is that the tee pads with no tee sign or little red number are no longer a part of the course here so if you find one of those you've gone the wrong way.

Other Thoughts:

I'm glad that whomever is in charge here has decided to make a few great courses instead of the crazy different safari layouts that they had before. Tee signs and next tee signs are in here and a few more in some tricky places would be even better. Put some yellow tape on the basket in the direction of the next hole, that is a simple and effective way of leading people in the right direction on top of everything else. I don't think I've ever seen navigation overkill before. This piece of property is slowly becoming the destination resort for DG that it has (mistakenly) been known for in the past. It's good to see all of the hard work put in here and I can see myself more and more making the trek down from Seattle to play it.
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10 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great Tribute To A Nice Man! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The Ray's Nine course starts right where the original 18 started but at the amateur tee. The baskets are painted red and feature a picture of Ray. They're in sight from every concrete tee pad except # 8. This is just a straight forward amateur course. Most of the holes are on the shorter side, playing around 200 feet making it a great warm up course for the two other more challenging courses on site here.

The course utilizes some of the pads from the other course so don't be alarmed when players will veer off from this course and head off in other directions.

Cons:

There aren't any signs up yet. Hopefully, they will be forthcoming. The course is fairly intuitive to follow but I did help a couple of newbies navigate it. Once you've played it, navigation is simple the second time around.

Other Thoughts:

I've seen a few holes, benches and baskets honoring players at various courses around the country but I must say, the folks here at Ft. Steilacoom have really done an outstanding job of paying tribute to Raymond Seick. Ray has volunteered almost 30 years of his life to this disc golf complex including personally mowing the entire acreage with a push mower in his younger years. Entire generations of disc golfers have benefitted from Ray's tireless work and dedication. He is truly deserving of this honor.
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5 2
Greg Landon
Experience: 13.8 years 11 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great 9-hole warm up. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Same starting point as the former Amateur layout. Great easy to see red baskets, and I love the respect and dedication shown to Raymond Seick with his portrait on each one. The layout is organized with fairways well separated, and minimal walking from basket to the next tee. You can see every basket from the teepads, or on the short walk to the teepad, so you know where to throw.

Cons:

No signs at tees like on the Northwest and Southeast courses, but hopefully that will be coming soon.

Other Thoughts:

Without signs to direct players to the correct next tee, old habits/laziness take over and you sometimes have to deal with "roamers" not playing the course as laid out.
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