After taxing my legs on the Blue Course here at Armco Park , I walked across the road ( same side where you will park ) and started the White course . Johnny Sias , the veteran course designer of about 40 course to date , has done it again . He did not have to tinker with elevation , as this park oozes with it , He not only convinced the park board and city to install 2 cement tee pads , multiple pin placements and give him free reign in which to make 2 separate courses , these baskets are white topped discatcher ( Blue course is blue topped ) , which is very cool . The White course is quite a bit shorter than the blue course , but it is entirely separate so that you will never bump up against the blue course during your round for your 19 hole round . You will still want to print a course map ( both courses are on the same map , which is a nice touch ) , because even though there are a lot of NEXT HOLE signs in the park , you can still wander off a time or 2 . Although the course is shorter , the holes are still creative and difficult because of tricky pin placements . Did I mention the elevation ( Yes ) ? You are pretty much walking up or walking down to your disc throws . Plenty of trees are on the course , but still giving you a couple of fair lines per hole . The canopy of large trees bring some much needed shade to this round . A family or newbies could play this course and not feel as beaten down like the blue course . The first 3 holes seem fairly easy for the casual player , pretty makeable pars and possible 2s for the more experienced players . You may want to step off the pad just to see where the basket is located on these , or risk adding another throw to your score . You will start to ascend and descend along the park roads as you drift away from the parking lot . A hole that sticks in my mind is #4 , longer than the norm on this course ( 348' ) which you have to slice through a row of trees . If you keep serious score and enforce rules , then the roads will be involved in a lot of your decision making on your drives . A real good hole is #10 , which is an uphill drive with a row of trees on your right and some trees as obstruction on your left , to a basket the sits on the steep portion of the hill , with a bit of a dropoff in the front and back . one of the next holes ( you better look at where you are throwing to ) is a downhill putter or short approach right to left that will drop off to the basket . Throw too soft and you land on a level shelf away from the basket , tucked on the only somewhat level part of a hill . Throw too hard toward the hole , and you may wind up WAAAYYY down a large embankment , making a short 2 or 3 score hole a 5 for sure . The next basket works you back up a steep hill ( only hole that Johnny didn't design ) with a short burst throw . One of your next throws (13? ) was my signature hole , a humbling tunnel shot that you have to punch your drive through as far as you can , then you will throw a second shot to the right of the slightly opening tree line to the basket . Somehow , I didn't hit a tree and took a 3 on this hole , but my new friends and guides for these courses , Bob and Collin weren't as lucky ( it's okay . I think they both deuced 18 . The course will take you through a couple more medium length to short tight tree lined throws until #16 . This is a right to left extreme downhill short toss that will beak to a basket that basically sits on a strip of elevated ground that severely drops off in front and behind it . There is no easy way to approach it except pray that it digs into the side of the hill and stays . Your next hole will be a more sane one through some low limbed trees . #18 is an uphill left to right throw , not far but placement and touch are the key . #19 is a great finisher hole . Long downhill throw with a couple of options , but both are pretty tight , and you better have a disc that you can S in your bag . The basket sits on the downhill , so your real trouble is either your disc slides downhill on the left , of behind trees and foilage on the right . This course of the 2 in the park tests more of your patience and your touch because of the shorter distance . You have to like the fact that you can park your car and play 37 holes before you turn the engine back on . you should never lose a disc on this course , save maybe that short downhiller that drops off on around #11 . The design itself will make you want to play this course over and over . Restrooms are at the beginning of the round .

Only a couple that I can think of . First and most : Signage . The signs give you distance at both tees but not where the baskets are or even might be , so you may have have to walk ahead to find . a couple of the holes ( #6 , maybe one of them ) are close to shelters and people park every which way causing you to chance nailing a car or someone going to or from one . The roads may come into play on some of these holes . Good in the area of making the holes harder by shot shaping your throws to avoid them , but increasing risk of hitting a vehicle on a drive .

A great course to couple with the blue , but can easily stand on its own . Again , I would be stunned if local disc golf enthusiasts didn't take advantage of this treasure of a park . Ashland outdid itself by allowing these courses to be installed at Armco Park . Careful word to the discers that like to partake in adult beverages with their walk . A State Police outpost sits right next to the park . Johnny Sias has made a masterpiece of piecing together 37 unique holes of disc golf that never crowd each other . I was able to talk to Johnny just as i was writing these reviews and he offered his take on the development of these courses . Ashland should give you the Key to the city ( or at least the park ) for this gem . Johnny has been taking care of his ailing wife lately so his disc golf courses in Lavalette and his enthusiasm for the sport is on hold for the time being ( a classy move to say a prayer for her speedy recovery at hole 1 ) . This is a must play and a destination course and park , the Mecca of disc golf in Kentucky . PLAY IT !!

This course is a great companion to the blue course. It may not be quite as challenging, but together they make a pair of wonderful courses. It has a somewhat reduced level of difficulty when comparing to other great Kentucky courses, but it a great day at the park. I have adopted Kentucky as my second home. Disc golf is obviously a priority there and I love to be part of it.

Easy to find; convenient parking; easy to navigate; multiple tee pads; water spigots all around the park; beautiful park; free to play; baskets in good condition; nice variety; but best of all, great way to warm up before playing the blue course.

No special holes; a little short; minor interference with other park users.

If this course did not have a big brother, I probably would have rated it a 3.5 - fun to play once or twice but not challenging. But since the Blue course is also here, it serves as a great way to warm up and get a feel for the terrain before playing that course. The heat index was 106 when I played and I really appreciated having the water spigots around so I only had to carry one water bottle.

This course is very beginner friendly in the sense that none of the holes are too long. It is a good course to build your game. All but two of the holes are par 3. The other two are very managable par 4's.

Another thing that I love about this course is the multiple tee's at each hole. You can play the white tee one round and play the blue tee in the next round and you will feel as if you have played two courses!

Because of the close proximity of the road to the fairways, a player will learn accuracy very quickly if you play this course very many
times. Also, while I consider this a beginner friendly course, it is not too easy as to not be a challenge to more experienced players.

There are many restrooms throughout the park, and places to rest if necessary.

Overall, this is a great course. ENJOY!!

The OB situation can make it frustrating to players before they learn how to better control the flight of their discs.

During the summer months, if a disc gets away from you and flies into the woods and/or rolls down hill into the woods, they can be very hard to find. Try to use discs that are easy to see and/or have a friend spot your throw.

Once a player is experienced enough to make the OB a non-issue, there are no other cons in my opinion of this is course.

* Very nice 18 hole course set in a beautiful park with many amenities. Another 18 hole course is set in the same park.
* Course seems to be maintained very well and is a central part of this park
* Two nice large concrete tee pads
* Very nice baskets offering two pin positions, white tops to differentiate between the white/blue courses.
* Very nice signage listing both the distances and direction to the basket. Also, signs to the next tee pad (except to #3 - read below)
* Distance are not too far for the amateur or new player but the do require a variety of shots.
* Nice offering of open shots and shots through the woods

* Much broken glass and trash through the wooded holes. Although there are some trash cans at the pavillions may need some at tees (But, this may not stop this problem)
* Basket #3 has been pulled from its old position and a new #11 has been added. From basket #2 you will need to go to the #4 tee pad - and the basket will read #3 this will go on until you reach #10 and then a new #11 has been added.
* Some of the hole are very close to the roads through the park and potentially other park users.
* Some of the wooded holes do not seem to have any defined fairway and you feel like you are just throwing through an area of trees.

Were able to play this course while I was in Huntington, WV at a meeting. Really enjoyed this course but, did not have time to play the blue course. Good use of the elevation by offering a number of up hill and down hill shots. The parked seemed to be kept up very well - also had a water pump to wash off after your round. Nice playground and other amenities for kids. Would be a great place to stop if you are passing through the area.

This course is located in a well maintained state park with beautiful and enormous trees. The brush has been mostly cleared. Topo plays a large factor and offers many unique shots. The scenery is beautiful. Althought I like the blue course better, this pair of courses is hard to beat.

The mature tree canopy leaves plenty of open alleys between the large tree trunks. Since the brush has been largely cleared, the course is not overly punitive allowing recovery shots that need to be shaped, and leaving few "dead" zones.

Good fun, good exercise, beautiful course.

1) This is a very well thought out course. It uses a couple valleys set between some ridges of a large hilly area. The Blue course is set on the same property and is designed similarly. These valleys and ridges create some interesting shot requirements.

2) This is another one of those courses that feel mostly open, with very large mature Oak trees creating all of the shot shaping. It is a course that didn't require a lot of tree removal which is surely a positive especially considering that disc golf has a reputation as requiring a lot of tree removal. Not in this case, they used the trees and the elevation to create the course. That to me is a supremely locaed and designed course.

3) The turf in the open areas is in good shape. The valleys that are more densely wooded have minimal turf but they have a fair amount of leaf coverage tha keeps the areas from being slick mud.

4) Massive elevation change is used on this course. You work your way up a valley to a ridgeline where you play a few holes, then you begin to work your way down another valley and along another ridge, then you finish back down the valley. This was just a well thought out part of the design process. It has a wonderful mix of ups, downs, and level holes.

5) The variety in foliage density is very well done here. There are some more open holes, some with just the large mature Oaks to work around. There are also some holes that require a more tightly thrown line. No real dense woods, but enough obstacles to force a tunnel feeling.

6) Concrete tees are always a positive especially on a course with this much elevation change and uneven tee areas.

7) Risk/reward is evident in many spots on this course especially with some basket placements. You really need to take some risks to score well, but those risks can easily turn into bogies.

8) Dual tee format is nice because it offers a little extra distance.

9) Good directional signage to point you to the next hole in appropriate places.

10) Alternate basket locations are also in place on this course which would be nice for mixing up the holes from time to time.

11) Fairly beginner friendly course. My wife enjoyed the course as much as I did and she doesn't have a great arm yet. It surely will challenge the beginner but it will do so fairly.

12) The park has a playground, a picnic area under a gazebo and other activities. It even has a merry go round if you want to reminisce about when you used to spin until you puked!

13) Looks to be a well maintained course. It was winter when I played so it is hard to tell but there were areas where the leaves have obviously has been cleared for disc retrieval.

14) Restrooms available on one of the ridge holes but it was unfortnately closed for the winter apparently.

15) Very nice white rimmed discatchers on this course and blue rimmed discatchers to differentiate the two courses.

16) Teesigns are present and they indicate all distances to all baskets from all tees. They have the Hole # and par also included. They only lack a diagram of the hole.

17) Very little underbrush on this course. Even those ridge holes where the dense woods is on the side of the fairway are pretty clear and if you do experience a rollaway you will still be able to find your disc.

1) Gravel is eroding from underneath some of the 1 year old teepads. It would have been better to frame those pads up with timber and pack the gravel into the forms before laying the concrete.

2) Some of the teepads are sloped and not level. Some of the teepads also have had erosion around them with large dropoffs that could be very dangerous if you have a big runup and tend to overshoot the front of the teepad on your follow through.

3) Short and long tees are too similar. Most holes there is only a little bit of distance difference, and they generally do not change the look at the hole they only offer one more obstacle to clear before hitting the same fairway line.

4) Hole distances are too similar. I would have liked to see some longer holes from time to time, perhaps one longer uphill, one longer ridgeline shot, and one more long downhiller. This would provide more variety in effective distance of holes.

5) This course is too short in my opinion. It looks like there was room for more or longer holes and maybe would have been a better course if the property was used more. Don't get me wrong I loved it, but I would generally lke to see some longer holes. It might have taken another 1000' to make it better IMO, so only 5 of the holes would need to be extended 200' or so. That would give some more multiple shot holes which this course lacks completely. The only time you need to throw multiple shots per hole is if you hit a tree in your way, if you miss all the big trees you will be parked, or have a simple approach shot and an easy putt.

6) There are a few areas where roads cross or run alongside some of the holes so please be careful and wait until people pass you to throw. This shouldnt be a huge problem because they are all internal park roads and not the main roads.

7) Teesigns lack a good diagram.

8)) Noticed hundreds of broken bottles in the ground, Not sure if this was in some soil that was brought in or if people just throw their beer bottles everywhere.

9) Hole #6 is confusing because you look out and see #7 basket. The 6th basket is right along the woods, although it is fairly easy to figure out because if you look at the distance it is obvious that you are not looking at the correct basket when looking at 7 from 6 tee.

10) A bridge from #16 to 17 tee would be helpful, that ravine is steep, wet, and slick. It could be totally out of play beyond the basket but would help mek this part of the course less annoying.

I had a great time at this course it is some of the better elevation I have played. Unfortunately the hole distances and total length were too short IMO, but the property is very unique and the design was very well done. It is a fair course that will challenge you to hit your desire lines, but you do have multiple options to choose from. Just be decisive and execute the shot. I had a lot of birdies and a couple bogies (which were due to hitting a tree I was trying to cut right past).

Very well designed course! Some might think that this course looks too short to be a challenge, but that isn't the case. It was designed by a former Disc Golf World Champion, and a lot of thought went into every hole.
The elevation changes all throughout the course and every hole is different. It's definitely a technical course that requires some real accuracy and shot placement.
At the same time, a new player could learn a lot on this course since it requires accuracy, but not extremely long drives. I have been playing disc golf for less than 2 years and I really enjoy this course. I am able to shoot par on many holes and I have gotten a few birdies too, so it's great for a beginner or a player without a 300 yard drive.
The course has plenty of bathrooms and parking too! It's located close convenience stores and restaurants and the interstate!

The course is very well maintained, but there are a few holes where there is a lot of broken glass. I'm not sure where this came from, but the maintenance people haven't noticed it since it's on the course, in the wooded section.
Also, there is a picnic shelter with parking near hole #7. If you go on a weekend and the shelter has been reserved, you can't play that hole since cars are parked too close to the basket and fairway. (It's a very tight hole.)
Other than that, nothing at all!

Both Armco courses are located in Armco Park in Ashland, Kentucky. The park itself is very well maintained and conveniently located so that even someone new to the area could easily find it. There are several restrooms spread throughout the park so you're never left walking too far to find one. The course is brand new - the baskets (Innova), teepads (concrete), signs/markers, etc...everything is new. Each hole has both white and blue tee pads and long and short pin placements. The course was designed by local pro Johnny Sias and has an excellent flow with well defined fairways; great use of elevation changes; good risk/reward challenges; and an easy to navigate layout. As an added perk, on a quiet day it's common to see lots of wildlife...a flock of 12+ wild turkeys graced us with their presence on more than one occasion.

Hole #7 is located near a large shelter house. When that shelter is occupied the hole sometimes becomes unplayble due to cars being parked too close to the fairway. Only choices are to skip the hole or risk damaging someone's vehicle.

There are both blue and white signs marking each teebox on every hole; however (and I know I'm knitpicking) a higher quality sign with a graphic layout of the hole would increase the professionalism of the course. In addition a few footbridges, stairs and walkways would turn this course into a legitimate world class contender.

Most hole are right around 200'

Challenging short tight lines with some extreme elevation changes.

Can be played well with a midrange and putter.

Great educational course, sets up for precision and placement.

Did I mention SHORT.

Some difficulty navigating the course;

After hole 3 turn around and walk past the ARMCO shrubbery.

Hole 6 goes to the right, the basket you see is 7, the tee for 7 is across the parking lot.

Don't miss 14 and 15...

TONS OF BROKEN GLASS EVERYWHERE?!?!