Disc Golf Course Review

This course winds through a very nice park in Natchez, Ms, skirting a golf course, an old mansion, tennis courts, baseball fields and other activities while remaining remarkably separate with few issues involving other park users.

The holes range from wide open to moderatetly wooded with only two or three holes having any significant underbrush to punish wayward shots.

Most of the holes are dead flat with only one or two that have significant elevation change. Few holes are memorable for good reasons. There is a hanging basket that adds nothing to one hole and some goofy (and not seen from the tee) OB added by walking paths as well as an up and down hole that has significantly more elevation change than the rest of the course combined.

Baskets are Mach 7 and catch very nicely if suffering from a lack of visibility in comparison to chastity belt designs.

This course has three significant cons, two of which magnify each other:

1. Long walks between holes. While this typically doesn't bother me, there is at least as much walking between holes as there is to play the holes. Additionally, the walks seem to get longer as you go through the course. If the payoff were super fun holes, it might not be so bad, but many of the holes just are very memorable. After 9 there is a long walk back to 10, after 11, a very long walk to 12, then long walks in between and another long walk around tennis courts to get to 18.

2. Navigation without a map is a waste of time. You'll probably give up on the 1/4 mile one, except that you will have seen a basket near the entrance to the park and may think to go there.

3. The tee boxes are 4'x10' and are too short. This is noticeable on most holes.

There are some fun and challenging holes in this park but just not enough to allow it to rise above its other problems and the many forgettable holes. If you are going to play it, you will want to have a local play it with you the first time or make sure you have a good very good map of the course.

This course is on a point surrounded by Toledo Bend Reservoir. It has some fantastic views and winds through moderately dense, mature trees (mostly pine) for a challenge that offers little punishment when you kick off a tree out of the fairway (when there is a fairway).

All holes have two sets of concrete tees with adequately-sized tee boxes and decent signage although the distances are far off on some of the holes.

Most of the holes are well thought out if not perfectly implemented, including two par 4 holes and a par 5 hole. There are blue and red level tees. The blues played pretty dead on for their skill rating at a tournament shorly after the course opened, but there has been some tree loss and clearing since that time.

The prevailing wind direction brings wind from over a very large reservoir and this tends to make this course a bit windier than it might have been otherwise. I count this as a plus for adding a little challenge.

There is some elevation in play.

Overall, this is a fun 9-hole course with a couple of frustrating holes.

For a course as far out of the way for disc golfers as this course is, even the red tees are probably a bit tough for the beginners that the course should have been designed for in this state park whose primary use is and will remain for camping. There is no real local base of disc golfers near this state park.

And just as with the 18-hole course on the same property at least two of these 9 have poke and pray sized gaps between trees that do not resemble a fair fairway in any sense. The gaps are just too small to reward anything but luck.

Despite being on the shore of a lake, there are no holes where over water shots are called for. Three of the holes have water-OB to avoid and another has water in play for very bad shots.

Navigation isn't the greatest although there are arrows on trees showing the way to the next tee in most cases.

I've mentioned how the course seems to fit its surroundings but that doesn't really affect the rating that I gave. I do think it is worth mentioning because this same designer has designed courses in at least four different state parks in Louisiana, some of which are so far out of the way that the course should have been tailored as an introduction to disc golf for the people who will regularly be using the park. Instead, the courses put in have high levels of difficulty and NONE of them are suitable beginner courses. This might be the result of the direction given the designer by the park owners, but that is a conversation that should have been had with the parks department.

For course baggers, even discerning ones, this state park is a worthy stop.

The Willows is an old school course, installed in 1980, so it even precedes my existence. The course was redesigned and expanded to 20 holes in late 2023 though, so this review will reflect this iteration of the course.

The course is set along the eastern shore of Lake Winona with some beautiful views of the bluffs in the distance. The lake comes into play on a couple holes but isn't really much of a factor for the most part. The course is totally flat with a smattering of trees in play on most of the holes. Just enough to keep things interesting. The park itself is well maintained and clean. Definitely an old school vibe to the course, even with the redesign.

The baskets have been upgraded to Prodigy's. There's two per hole on more than half the course too, which is awesome. These are either blue or white banded models. All are brand new, look and catch great, and are highly visible. Hole 18's single basket is raised up on a pretty looking rock green and hole 17's basket is at ground level but plays as an "island" hole that features a bunch of the old baskets making up the front side of the island. Strange looking but a cool concept and homage to the roots of this long running course.

The tees are all brand new concrete pads. A few spots utilize the asphalt walking path but most are disc golf specific concrete. There's anywhere from one to three tees per hole. Major improvement over the old layout. The tee colors are unconventional but it doesn't really matter in the end. The greens are the shorts, oranges mids and blues longs. With the differing amounts of tees on each hole some share a pad, some only have a single pad, etc. Look to the tee signs to navigate and you'll be good to go.

Speaking of tee signs, these are well done here. They're all mounted on 4x4 wood posts and look great. Slick looking round metal signs that are color coordinated to the specific tee for each. The hole number is in the color of the tee. There's a simple but effective map that shows any OB present. Additionally these have the par, a written description of any OB and the distances to the pin from each tee. Great signage and again, a major upgrade.

The navigation is easy to follow here. Like I mentioned earlier, the park is totally flat, so it's pretty obvious where you need to head next. On top of that, each basket has a next tee arrow attached to the bottom of the tray pointing you where you need to head to.

The design is very good for what there is to work with here. There's a couple island greens, the aforementioned elevated basket and an over the lake throw on hole 19. Honestly, about all you could ask for here.

Permanent, free to play and ample parking both along the road in the lot.

The walking trail is in play all throughout the course. Lots of potential run ins with other park users here. If you play smart you'll be fine but you'll likely have to wait out some walkers/joggers at some point.

There's roads that come into play too. Hole 17 is the one with the cool elevated green but a busy road borders the whole right side. And not that far away either. I wasn't a fan of this one. It's just asking for someone to shank a drive into a vehicle on said road. Bad design on this one.

The grounds will retain water for long periods of time being right next to the lake. It's just the nature of, well, nature.

Not a very peaceful round with all the traffic everywhere. It's loud and that really steals from any kind of vibe here. It's just a lot of other things that distract you from actually playing.

This was a much needed redesign imo. It's still got that old school type of vibe but with some modernized elements. There was only so much that you could even do to update this one, but I think they kind of nailed it. Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself over this way. Not a must play by any means, but you'll have a good time. Just a fun place to throw some frisbees at.

Riverside Park is home to an interesting little 9 hole course. The setting is perfect for a course of this size and the park itself is pretty for the most part. The course starts out at the top of the hill for hole 1 before dipping down along the North Fork Zumbro River for the last 8 holes. The river can come into play three to four holes which definitely adds some challenge. The course plays more on the open side but there's also enough trees to keep things interesting towards the end of the round.

The baskets are Innova Discatchers. These are your standard, albeit older, models. The yellow band makes them easy to spot and they catch fine. One basket and pin position per hole.

Basic but effective tee signs. These are small but can be seen from a good distance away which makes navigating the course fairly simple. These have the hole #, par and distance on them. Again, basic but effective.

The course design is pretty well done here. It's not a big park by any means but they do a good job of keeping the holes far enough apart and use the hillside nicely to create some tough tee shots where you need to hit a specific line or be punished if you don't. No long walks between holes either which is always a positive if it's possible to set it up that way.

Free to play, permanent and most likely never busy as far as other disc golfers.

The tee pads are natural and are not great in spots. A few are kind of rutted out and make for an awkward run up. You don't need concrete out here or anything but a flat, level surface would go a long way here.

The baskets are kind of wonky on a few holes. Hole 2's cage is absurdly high up the pole making for a limited catching area. It just looks squished. Haven't seen anything like that in awhile. A few others (holes 4 and 9) are leaning heavily to the side which isn't ideal obviously. Just one of the rougher looking sets of baskets I've seen in quite some time. They catch good but would be much better if they were all level.

The course plays right along the river for a few holes and it is probably going to be hit or miss whether some of these holes are going to swampy or even borderline underwater in the spring or after lots of rain.

The walk down the hill on hole 2's fairway is treacherous, especially if wet. Lots of loose rocks and uneven ground. It was downright sketchy on the rainy day I played it.

Lots of safety issues with this one. Speaking of hole 2, you throw a short, but pretty downhill drive, on this one with the walking path just a few feet behind the pin. Holes 3 and 9 have you throwing a little too close to the pavilion for my liking, especially on hole 9.

This was a fun course but it's seen better times as far as the amenities go. And the safety issues, both in traversing parts of it as well as conflicts with other park users, left me no other option than to go with a 1.5. The actual gameplay is pretty fun and I'd say it's worth a visit but there's plenty of flaws here.

Wingate? More like Win-great!
I've seen courses undergo changes - remaking a couple holes or adding new ones to an existing layout. I can't recall a course turning an average 9-hole layout into a great 18-hole design. That's what I stumbled upon at Wingate.
- If you ever played the old layout, block that out of your memory. If you didn't play the old layout, you've now got a reason to head this way.
- Course has a solid, wide-ranging variety of holes - open and wooded holes; tight gaps and open, bomber layouts; doglegs and even some water. It also somehow manages to be the only course in Union County that has elevation.
- Course starts out with a couple open holes - #1 - 3. #3 can be tricky with the OB road being hidden from the tee and water along the right side of the fairway. From there, holes #4 - 8 are a fantastic series holes that flow through a stretch of woods that seem to exist simply for disc golf. This stretch of holes should be the envy of most courses, showing the potential this course offers.
- Hole #9 was a fantastic change of pace. An open, uphill, bomber hole at 372 feet. To top it off, there are some fantastic views of a pond and all this unused, rolling fields and wooded area circling the water. If the course could incorporate the land around the pond, and make this parking lot the beginning & end of the disc golf course, you would have an absolute gem of a course. It'd be so easy to chop off 4-6 holes from the existing layout and create a stretch around the pond instead.
- Course is almost completely isolated from the rest of the campus. I played on a Saturday in February. Other than watching the baseball team across the street, the course feels removed from all college activities.
- Overall, the course is tough, but fair. There are a couple junk holes (#10 - 12) that play along a path that could easily be removed for an improved layout (see above comments). Outside of those holes, it's nice that most of the wooded holes have enough room to allow you to recover from a less-than-perfect tee shot.

The course ends on a dud. #17 is the most wide-open hole on the course; the only one without any trees in play. Then you close with #18, which in and of itself, is an acceptable hole. It's just 'off' because it's the complete opposite direction (from the parking lot) of the rest of the course. You play holes #1-16, on one side of the parking lot; play #17 which runs alongside half of the parking lot; then walk past the far side of the lot to #18. You play #18, then turn right back around heading back the opposite way.
- I hate the feel of #10-12. There are other holes on the back 9 that use a path as a fairway. #10, especially, is such a downer after such a great stretch of holes, that it's the first cold water thrown onto a hot course. What makes these paths-are-fairways holes is that you're travelling through wooded, hills. If only someone could find a way to put a basket or 6 in the woods.
- I never saw a trash can or bench on the course. **possibly one by the shelter near #9 or the softball field behind #16, but that's technically off the course, so I'd still be right**
- Why start and stop the course with the easiest stretch of holes? Even if no holes changed, if the course started and finished in the parking lot by #9 (off Zeb Goodman Road), you have your open stretch of holes in the middle of the round.
- Navigation needs to be improved at times. There are confusing transitions, with multiple paths/directions you can travel between #3 & 4, #9 & 10 and #14 & 15. Of those three transitions, I picked the right direction once (#3/4), walked all around until I found the next tee (#9/10), walked down a fairway trying to determine if I was looking at the correct hole (#15/16). Arrows/signs are so simple, but without them, it can be very aggravating.
- Course also is a long, long loop of 9 holes out. 9 holes back. There's no real bail-out point, so don't think you can get a quick 9 in and/or a fast round.

I was shocked just how good this course has become. It was a fun 9-hole layout before; the type of layout you'll only see on a 9-hole course. This is movie cliche' of the ugly, unassuming girl suddenly turning into the knockout. And I was one of the jaw-dropping guys standing there, staring in disbelief.
- Course is right up there at the same level as Dry Creek for Union County courses. It had lots of similarities to Goose Landing, another solid layout 45 minutes north of here.
- So, here's what I'd do to make this the best course in the County. Move the course's starting point to the parking lot by hole #9. Get rid of the existing holes 1-2, 17-18 and several of the path-fairway holes on the back 9 (say 10 & 11). After the current #9, head left of the shelter, play 6 holes around the pond (to replace the six holes I just nixed), and you've not got an outstanding layout. Of course, if that land isn't part of the campus, it's a moot point. In that case, put a couple holes in the woods and it's still an improvement.
- Holes #7 & 8 were the highlight of the course in terms of challenge and layout. Two 400-foot plus, par 4 holes. Both offering a solid risk/reward factor. #7 is the easier of the two, but a 4 on both isn't a bad thing.
- Based on recent updates, course may not be as good as it once was. If you're headed east from Charlotte, it may behoove you to drive further east and play some of the other courses in Rockingham or Pinehurst areas.

Riverwalk DGC is a 9-holer that plays through a multi-use park in the small mid-Michigan city of Gladwin.

This was one of the better 9-hole courses I had played in some time. There is a nice variety of holes, from moderately wooded to mostly open fairways and distances ranging from 176' up to 409'. There is nothing super tight, but enough foliage to force shot shaping on most holes. The mostly open holes are also the longest. It's a nice challenge overall for rec level players such as myself, and would likely be enough to interest intermediate level players as well.

The infrastructure is mostly really nice. There are white DD Veteran baskets and large concrete tee pads (one of each per hole). The tee signs are huge with all the info you could ask for, and clear navigational signs are installed where needed. I appreciated the arrow pointing from the parking lot back to the first tee in particular, which is a detail that often seems to be missed. There is also a kiosk/course map near the first tee, and trash cans/benches available in the park.

You could easily play just holes 1-4 or 5-9 if short on time.

From a safety perspective, the design does a good job avoiding walking paths that wind through the park but there is one glaring issue. I did not like hole 4. This one has you teeing off directly at a fenced-in skatepark area, and then requires a 90 degree kink to the right about 75' off the tee - with no mando (if I recall correctly), BUT thick brush preventing a throw across the corner. This makes for a very challenging tee shot for most players and one that could easily land in the skatepark. In my opinion, the hole should just be 75' shorter and a straighter shot at the basket. Moving the tee up and angling it away from the skatepark would all but take the safety issue out of play.

There are some nice holes here, but none really stood out for me. Other than some small elevation changes on the second half of the course, it's mostly flat terrain. The park IS on a river as the name implies, but it never comes into play.

I did not see a practice basket or porta potty.

This was a nice course to kick off my "Dash to 300" mini adventure where I played 11 new-to-me courses on Michigan's sunrise side over 2.5 days to reach 300 courses played. It was also my first new-to-me course played back in my home country and state, after hitting 14 courses up in Iceland.

I might have considered a 3.0 rating here if hole 4 were redesigned to avoid the skatepark. It's worth a play, if you're in the area!

Mix of short and long holes. Nicely wooded and open. Most holes have the opportunity to make different shot shapes and try out different discs.

Could use more holes. Holes 5-6 are very far apart.

Excellent use of the elevation in play at the park. Sharp uphills on 6 and 16 are contrasted by the booming downhill shots on 1, 3, 7, and 13. Combine that with being forced to play over rises on 5 and 14 and trying to get all the way over the valley on 17 and it's a great challenge.

Plenty of parking split between two lots, and there's multiple ways you can loop the park from either one. There's a practice basket at the lot on the west side of the park which doubles an alternate pin for 12.

In the way of amenities, each hole has a tee pad large enough for anyone, a great bench (although they are a little small), and a detailed tee sign. The Veteran baskets are in good shape, and there are 3 possible pin spots on almost every hole.

On holes where you have to cross the creek (4, 7, 13, 15, 16) there are very well made bridges that make the crossings a non-issue.

Upkeep is superb. A pair of locals I played the last few holes with noted that the grass was "pretty long for Centennial" and yet we all three got skip shots to work on 18.

The holes themselves are mostly creative. A blind drive to start off the course, you'll fight a creek on multiple holes, and the main challenge is some tough greens. 4 is tucked across the creek, 11 long is on a small castle, 14 right is sloped toward the woods making skip shots scary, 17 long is on a raised area about the size of the circle. None of the greens present a lot of challenge on their own, it's more about getting to them.

The dual tees at 2/14 and 3/7 are an interesting touch. They're a little weird to figure out at first but once you know what's going on it provides a unique setup and a huge bench on 3/7.

Some tees have been moved due to older ones cracking, but the old ones are still there for those longtime Centennial-goers who want to play them.

Holes 12 and 18 feel very much like filler. They're long and flat, but they are tough to birdie. Apart from these holes, there's no major length variaton. There's no massive par 4s, and there are no real ace runs. One big, tough, 500+ foot par 4 back by hole 5 would put this course much higher on my list.

Equipment is aging. Cracked tees as I mentioned before, and the last-gen Veteran baskets are slowly getting worse and worse.

A couple holes play over/near walking paths. 9, 12, 13, and 17 are all offenders. 13's original tee now has a massive half-pipe on it's left making the play pretty unsafe. The alternate tee by the gazebo is the safer option and IMO a better hole, though you may still want to walk down the original path.

It is the best course in a college town, so it's likely to be busy. Along with this, there are now homeless camps in the woods by holes 4 and 8-10.

Finding hole 2 is hard, and you'll walk down the fairway of 8 somewhat to get to its tee from hole 7.

The last three holes on this course are not the greatest culmination of an otherwise stellar course. 16 is a long, wide open uphill, 17 is a long wide open shot over a valley, and 18 is a flat 325ft hole with one good pin placement out of three. These hills could have been used in some better ways, and with the trees on 18 there is definitely potential for another big par 4. Just feels like a few missed opportunities at the very end of the round.

The elevation that the park provided is great for disc golf without being too intimidating. A round is definitely worth your time if you're nearby, just be prepared for crowds.

If there were trees used differently, I'd like this place even more. But that's not my call, and with the course having been in for so long it's unlikely to change.

Carleton College has a 9 hole disc golf course on campus. The parking is free and right off Division St in the lot on Union St. It's free to play and baskets are in the ground year round.

The course plays as two different loops in a sense. The first 4 holes are tough. They feature holes that play right next to and over the Lyman Lakes, which are really just big ponds. Regardless, there's water in play on each of these holes either off to one side or an actual water carry. Not beginner friendly but they can be played safely relatively easy for bogey or worse. The last 5 holes play around the outskirts of some sports practice fields and are much less punishing as far as disc loss is concerned.

The baskets are Discatchers. These are in good shape and catch fine. One basket and pin placement per hole. Yellow banded standard models that are easy to spot.

Free to play and permanent.

This course design is funny. Not in a good way though. Disjointed, overly punishing nonsense style. The first hole is an unrealistic par 4 that is asking for lost discs in the lake that plays all along the left side and awful prairie rough on the right. Not good at all. The last five are throw away garbage. Piss poor design throughout.

There's a couple tee signs with the bare minimum info. Most are missing though. They don't actually help you anyway so you're not missing much.

If you can figure out what the hell is even happening here you'll be left with a stupid long walk back to the parking lot. It'll make you want to never play here again. That would've already been solidified long before this point though. By hole 3 I'd guess.

Natural tees, some of which are set up in what I'd assume is 7 foot tall prairie grass. Ugh...

Walking paths and pedestrian safety issues galore. Just. Not. Good.

You're likely to lose a disc here. Either in a "lake" or the prairie garbage that borders many holes.

This one was bad. Piss poor design and just half assed in all aspects. Avoid playing this one at all costs, If you're in the area there's another college campus course in town that does things correctly. Major miss here.

Wapacuta DGC is a pretty solid little niner in a multiuse park. The park itself offers some surprising elevation changes and enough trees to keep things interesting.

The baskets are older Discatchers with the standard yellow top bands. Easily visible and catch great. One basket and pin position per hole.

Very basic tee signs. Hole #, par and distance. These are the same style that they have at the middle school course in town. Simple but functional. They get you to the intended tee area more than anything else.

Good design for the most part. The park itself is pretty small but they did a great job of utilizing the terrain and wooded aspects to create an engaging course. There's some fun up and downhill throws off the tee on this one. The distances are on the shorter side but it plays much tougher than it would seem. The elevation is used excellently on holes 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9. So two thirds of the course. The others are flatter but each offer some type of challenge as well.

The flow is pretty easy to figure out. A map will speed things up but isn't required by any means. The course starts and ends close to the small parking lot too.

The biggest con has got to be the natural tees. This course clearly gets a lot of play, and has over the last twenty years or so of it's existence. The tees are awful. Muddy, rutted out holes in the ground. Among some of the worst I've played on in awhile. To top things off there's lots of exposed roots and rocks in these things. Really terrible conditions on these. Definitely detracts from the rating.

Holes 6 and 7 play really close to or over the park road. It's not going to be a heavily trafficked road but it's still not ideal. On top of that the holes overlap. When finishing hole 6 you'll need to walk back up that fairway to get to hole 7's tee. These two holes just feel like, and really are, filler holes. Definitely the weakest part of this course.

Hole 9 has the makings of a really fun "top of the hill" finishing hole. The lack of any kind of brush trimming off the tee has it playing as a goofy poke and hope hole currently. I bet this one was pretty great when it was new. Lackluster finisher now though.

The course is treacherous when wet due to erosion. The erosion in general is pretty severe on here.

Despite all the cons listed I really enjoyed this one. Not a must play but by far the better of the two courses in town. And it's not even close. That said, it's worth a visit but not worth any type of driving out of your way to play. Clearly a popular local course, and for good reason, but in the gran scheme of things this is just a slightly above average park nine. Play it if nearby but don't go out of your way for this one.