City Lake Park is located in Sullivan, MO which is really more of a "town". The town is right on I-44 between St. Louis and Rolla. The park DOES contain a lake though, and it's the most prominent feature of this 9-hole DGC that plays around one side of it.

Depending on the water level of the lake and whether or not you are a reasonably accurate thrower, the lake is in play for 3-5 holes here. Your first water encounter is also the most significant - hole 2 requires a water carry that is short-ish (maybe 150'-175'), but there are a couple tree trunks to clear on the far edge of the water AND more water off to the left on the remaining approach to the basket. Next up, hole 3 is a 300'ish dogleg left around the water. Holes 4-6 play across the park lawn, with some scattered old growth tree trunks as obstacles and the water off to the left.

The holes away from the water are less memorable, but mostly fine. More old growth tree trunks create a need for basic shot shaping, without ever requiring anything too tight. Hole distances vary from about 200' up to 500'. There is no real rough to speak of.

The baskets are yellow banded DISCatchers with extra flags on top for visibility. There is one basket installed per hole, but two pin positions per the tee signs. Those tee signs are new looking and great, showing clear maps of the holes and an indication of which pin position is currently available. The pars aren't noted, but you could assume it's a par 3 course other than perhaps the 500' #1.

Holes 1-4 and 5-9 loop back to the parking lot.

I didn't like hole 7. As two of the other reviewers mentioned, you basically tee off directly back over the basket for hole 6. There is also a barbed wire fence (water tower enclosure) that is very much in play on an errant throw off to the left from that same tee. Various walking paths and the park drive could be in play on some of the other holes.

The tee pads are only natural, marked by Innova blue tee markers. I was thankful for the tee signs, because the Innova markers were quite difficult to spot. Even with the signs, the course is still a bit tricky to navigate without UDisc. It flows pretty well, but I just had to do a lot more looking around than I was looking to do. Tape on basket rungs is really all it would take here, other than maybe the transition from #1 to #2.

There are no other DG-specific amenities. The park has a restroom, trash cans, and benches but none of those are really convenient to the course. No kiosk or practice basket.

It is a bit unfortunate that the water is always on the left here, but in fairness there isn't really much the designers could have done to mix it up more with the land/single lake available.

I would have considered a 2.5 rating here if there were navigational aids and hole 7 were redesigned to eliminate the safety concerns. This little 9er is nothing to go out of your way for, but it's the sort of course that I would play a lot if I were local!

For a fun rec course, Sullivan delivers. The shots are on the shortish side, the layout is park-style lightly wooded holes, the park is nicely maintained, the ducks are well-behaved...it's just makes a nice, fun round.

The terrain has a nice roll to it, so there is some elevation changes to the the layout. There is a pond in the park and hole 2 and 3 get you a little close to it. There are at least a few trees to throw around on each hole, so there is a little challenge to it. The course has nice DisCatcher baskets that catch well. The design flows pretty well once you find your way around. It's a solid recreational design and a fun course to play.

The major problem is that the tees are marked with blue discs on the ground. There is nothing visual to help you find the tees; there are no tee signs or flags or anything to help you find your way. Your first visit is a lot of frustrating wandering around trying to figure out where to throw from. There isn't a course map at the park, you are on your own. It would be really hard for a player new to the sport to figure out what to do here.

Some of the tee areas are too close to baskets. The tee for hole three is right next to the basket for 2 and the hole 7 shoots essentially over the basket for hole 6. Some others were close as well; the tee locations for a lot of the holes could be tweaked to a safer location.

The tees are dirt and have the issues all dirt tees have.

If you crave challenge, this is not your course. The course doesn't force your throws, there are multiple routes to the pin. The longest holes are around 300' long, so if throwing long is a skill you have you won't be showing that off here.

Sullivan is basically a fun recreational design that needs a few tee tweaks to make the layout safer and desperately need tee signs so that the course is accessible to new players. With a few upgrades, it's a park I can recommend. Right now it's too frustrating to play without proper tee markings.

The course is set in a nice city park that seems well maintained. It has brand new baskets that are easy to spot and numbered

The bad is no signage at all. It was very difficult to see the blue discs on the ground marking the grass teepads.

This was a very fun course overall but with proper signs for tee marking would make a big difference.

New niner that is in a city park along side a small lake.

Bright yellow baskets with flags on top.

Plays like a typical city park course with enough mature trees to make it challenging, yet not so many that it is a wooded course.

Signature hole would have to be #3.... about a 225 foot throw with the lake lurking to the left and pin placement about 10 feet from the water both left and long.

Other holes:
#2 Lake on left with throw up and over short hill with distracting big tree in middle of fairway about a third of the way down. and

#7 Approx 300 ft throw through a narrow path, tree on one side, utility fence on other and down a hill then up. (There is also a small drainage creek on the right that is not really a water hazard)

Tee pads are marked with Blue Discs and white utility flags (except #2's was missing). Several of the spots picked did not lend itself to level footing. (#5 comes to mind)

No signage at all.... though I was told by a local that it was coming.

Only layout flaw would be the #6-#7 area. The #7 fairway runs right behind the #6 basket (literally, the putting area on the long side of the #6 basket is in the #7 fairway) with the possibility that the two paths may cross. I would have tried to reconfigure that slightly different.

And yet, again, I am the first reviewer of a course!!

And, as I played this while on a road trip (Last stop on a 5 course trip that started at Pere Marquette, wound thru rural Missouri and ended here) you get the rating as it is currently.

This was as fun as any of the other courses played today. I will state that I am a City Park Course fan. I love the use of the mature trees for basket protection. As an older guy, I love the distances that at least let me sniff a possibility of a birdie!! That said, this course did not disappoint.

Add concrete pads and signage and you've got at least a 3 for this course. Let's hope the constructors finish what they started!!