Coon Rapids DGC is a 21-hole course located in the northwest Minneapolis suburb of the same name.

This course offers a fun challenge for recreational to intermediate players, with hole distances averaging about 285'. There is a nice mix of fairways, from tightly wooded to mostly open. A highlight for me was hole 10, which is the longest on the course at 416'. This one is a gentle right turn in a wooded valley, playing more downhill than uphill. I also liked hole 14, which starts in a wide open field but gives way to a tightly wooded approach. The basket is sunken down in a stone pit, with the top of the cage at ground level.

Elsewhere on the course, there are rolling elevation changes on a handful of holes - most significantly the last four. The course ends with a wide open throw down a sledding hill, but it is only 300'. There are also several holes where a water retention pond could come into play. It is always on the right side of the fairway, which made it pretty easy for this RHBH thrower to avoid (for better or worse).

The baskets are DGA models. Some holes appeared to have multiple pin placements, but only one basket is installed per hole.

The tee pads are well-laid paver arrays in wood frames. I liked these. Some holes appeared to have a second "short" tee just to make things easier for beginners (not a true second layout).

The tee signs are OK. As of my visit, there were kind of two iterations of them. What looked to be the older set of signs is more permanent, but less detailed with only a hole number/distance/par. Underneath these were newer-looking signs with more detail (including a map of the hole and even an elevation profile) but these were much more temporary looking and a couple of them were missing. Hopefully there are plans to make the more detailed signs more permanent.

Trash cans and benches appear periodically near tees. There is a kiosk with a course map at the first tee (the map is fading and could use a re-print), and porta potties near the parking lot.

Holes 1-2 are kind of close to the road, and many holes are kind of close together. There is nothing egregious, but overall the course feels a bit cramped. The navigation is also tricky in spots. The overall layout kind of loops around and back on itself quite a bit, and there are some weird transitions and longer walks between holes - so more arrows would definitely be helpful.

The former hole 9 has been removed, so you proceed directly from hole 8 to hole 10 (not a bad transition with the way the holes are laid out). The end of the course has also been rethought. The sequence of final holes is hole 19 -> hole "A" -> hole 21 -> hole 20. It looked like this change was at least a year old. Why not just renumber all of the holes to minimize confusion?

There aren't any long, open holes to really air out drives.

I did not see a practice basket.

Road noise takes away from the aesthetic a little bit.

This is a fun shorter course that could be a 3.5 with a couple little details ironed out. I'd play here often if I was a local. As is with me visiting the area, I had about 90 minutes to bag another course between BRP and the hotel I was staying at and Coon Rapids DGC fit the bill. It's nothing that visitors should go out of their way to play, but I was pleased with my decision to stop here.

- good quality paver tee pads
- good basket with numbers on them
- tee signs are good enough
- navigation for the most part is pretty simple
- good variety of distances ranging from 200 to 450 feet
- tons of tree to make you shape lines
- great use of elevation

- the last few holes are a little confusing and strange shots compared to the rest of the course, they feel veey thrown in at the end
- a few spots are still a little difficult to navigate
- a few holes feel very tight with no real lines to the basket
- they've clearly updated the course with new pin locations since the original tee signs, they have small tee signs with updated information but it is confusing with the original tee signs in place.

A really fun and technical course that with a few adjustments and upgrades could be a great course

+ Good amount of parking, but fills up when baseball games are going on
+ Very clean and well maintained
+ 21 baskets!
+ The new teeboxes and signage that are going in are absolutely beautiful
+ Navigation is pretty intuitive, look for blue arrows to get you to the next tee
+ The level of detail going into the new teeboxes needs to be stressed, pavers with a different design on each hole. Surrounded by logs or bricks or stones.
+ Mostly heavily wooded with a few open holes

- Hole maps needed on tee signs.
- 2 and 18 play dangerously close to each other
- A lot of the old tees are rutted, muddy sand, but it appears they are taking care of that
- Right now navigation is a little tricky due to new tees, new basket positions, and a lack of signage on new tees.
- Skip 9, there's not a basket rn.(see Other Thoughts)
- Fairways can be a little tight on a few holes, a little mowing or tree-trimming could improve play.
- Several fairways get very soggy or muddy, bring a towel and wear good shoes if it's rained in the last few days

Hole 9 does not exist anymore. The basket was moved to be after 21. After 8, follow the old #9 fairway until you see a tee on your right (old tee on left a little further up.)
I'm guessing that after the old #19, you throw down to "basket 9" then walk over to the new 20, throw uphill and the new 21 plays down the sledding hill to end it. If this is accurate, it's a lot better than the old layout where you threw down the hill for 20 an then had to throw back up the side of it and walk back across 20's fairway to leave.

An absolutely wonderful course and I'm excited to see how it develops. Potential to grab a 4 or even 4.5 rating

Pretty course. Clean. Nice mix of shots and length and use of elevation. Mostly wooded (which I enjoy) but a few open holes as well. Lacking a real bomber hole, but other than that you'll use a variety of shots and discs. Approachable for novices but definitely enough challenge for more experienced players. 21 holes is a nice bonus, especially for a free course.

There are two major cons to this course. 1) The lack of basket placement on the tee signage drove me crazy. There are tee signs at every hole but the only have the hole number and the distance (which must be approximate, since I was told by a local that the basket position changes on some holes). As this was not my local course, and it's heavily wooded for much of it, I found myself having to walk well into the fairway to find the basket before walking back and teeing off. 2) Layout is confusing in some areas. Even with Udisc I got turned around a bit in a few spots. There's also a few holes that are very close to each other, the fairways on 2 and 18 for example are practically overlapping down by each basket. Thankfully, I went on a weekday afternoon so the course wasn't crowded at all - however if it was (as I'm told it is sometimes during peak times/months) I could easily see that creating some issues. Some minor gripes: lack of a signature or "wow" holes, some holes have only dirt teepads that have a lot of erosion, no big air it out holes (although the worked well with what they have).

If I was rating strictly on the gameplay of the course I would be tempted to rate it a 4. However, I can't based on the cons listed above. That being said I very much enjoyed my round. If this was my home course I would be thrilled. I went about 30 minutes out of my way to play it and I would play it again.

-Free 21 hole, you don't see that every day.
-Technical play due to tree tunnels and some elevation change to add variety.
-New items being added - brick tee pads (the design of the brick on each pad is unique), some stairs, bridges, chips, and what looks like benches
-Two basket placements on many holes, not sure how often they switch them out.
-Pretty easy to navigate from hole to hole. There are arrows on some holes pointing to which direction to go.
-Course has signs which include length and par.
- Losing a disc isn't likely unless you throw in the pond, most of the rough in the woods is quite thin.

-Some holes are a tad too wooded, removing a few more trees would open up better lines.
-Fairways on some of the holes can be tight, maybe open them up a bit more.
-Sign distances only account for one of the basket placements
-Watch your footing in the woods, there's a few stumps that can and will trip you.

Newer, scenic wooded course with lots of variation and a few ace potentials. Uphill shots, downhill shots, plays around a pond for a few holes. Most are heavily wooded with fun little tunnels to help you get your lines down, some are more open but still have a few potential risks.

Most basket placements are to the right of the tee, so if you throw right arm back hand you should know how to throw a good anhyzer. If you throw right hand fore hand you have an instant advantage. If you throw both, you will use both.

Hole 4 used to be a wicked left hook dogleg but it looks like they are moving that tee pad placement - built a new tee pad (right next to the pond shot basket), still waiting for them to update the sign/map for hole 4.

Despite being a 21 hole, it is pretty quick to play, you could solo it in under an hour if you don't spend too much time looking for discs. Nice warm up if you are hitting the grand daddy Blue Ribbon Pines up the road.

A work in progress but still easily the best free course in the Anoka area in my opinion, second year playing it at least 2-3 times per week and never get bored! Thanks Dan!

- very good variety of holes; 17 of 21 are shorter wooded holes, yet only two of them (5 and 6 are basically the same) feel similar.
- good use of elevation, especially for a wooded course.
- you'll need to use TONS of different shots, basically every shot there is.
- the landscape is beautiful, especially during the fall (when I'm writing this); it looks like something you'd see on one of those websites with nature backgrounds.
- woods are well-enough trimmed, never too hard to find an errant shot or lost disc.
- course is busy on the weekends and nice days, which can be frustrating when there's a slow group in front of you but it's good to see more people getting out and playing.
- I've actually met the guy who designed the course and maintains it and it's easy to tell that he really does care and puts tons of work into it.
- as of Fall 2018 they're working on putting in stone teepads in place of the old dirt ones.
- there's some variety in the brick patterns on the new teepads, which I've never seen before and actually feels sort of unique.
- while it might not stretch out your drivers, it will really test your accuracy with your midranges and putter upshots.
- course if free to play.
- basket placements seem well thought out.
- signage between holes pointing where to go.
- plenty of trash cans.

- the course doesn't have a road address, so finding it can be tricky the first time around (park in the parking lot behind the HOM Furniture, next to the baseball fields.
- signs by each teepad don't have an illustration of the hole so sometimes you're blindly throwing into the woods; however, usually it's clear enough to be able to tell where to go.
- the distances on the teepad signs seem to be somewhat innacurate; they also don't say which pin location it's for.
- a few holes need to have certain trees taken down in the fairways; holes 5, 6, and ESPECIALLY Hole 10 have little to no line whatsoever, forcing you to inch your way up to the basket with shorter shots.
- water only really comes into play on one, maybe two holes.

This quickly became one of my favorite courses in the area after only playing it a few times. It's really fun because it's a short course (I think only 3 out of 21 holes are over 300ft), but it doesn't feel that way because of the variety in holes, unlike some short courses which get repetitive fast.

My favorite holes were 3, 5, 12, and 15.
- 3 - somewhat open but has trees guarding the front of the basket. The best play is a long anhyzer shot around the left, but if you're strong enough you could punch a hyzer around the right.
- 5 - probably the most picturesque hole on the course. Basket is straight ahead of the tee, but there's trees in the middle, forcing you to choose either the left or right side. There's a few too many trees now, both lines are really tight, but a little trimming and it would be amazing.
- 12 - starts out open but the basket area is really low-ceiling, and tucked away a little to the left, meaning a good hyzer shot from the tee could sneak all the way through, but you're not left with an unattainable par if you miss a little right.
- 15 - nothing too special, a nice dogleg to the right. If you throw a good forehand you could get up to the basket in one shot, but there's a line for a layup shot as well.

Overall this course is not one to play a tournament at ever, but it's a great little neighborhood course that I play as much as I can. It's super addicting because most of the holes are able to be reached in one shot, it's just a fairly difficult shot to pull off (usually). That'll keep you coming back for a while, and it's free to play which is nice; I've played pay-to-play courses far worse than this.

Most of the cons come from the course being relatively new and probably underfunded, but they're constantly working towards making it better. Some new tee signs would go a long way, and hopefully by the end of the 2019 season they'll finish updating the teepads.

It definitely takes a play or two to get used to the layout, but once you do, it's just a fun course.

Bonus story:
On Hole 11 there's a swampy water hazard to the right of the fairway, and of course my disc took a bad kick off a tree and landed about 6 feet into the marsh. It was a brand new Buzzz I just got the day before, and I could see it peeking through the water. I took off my socks and went into the water with just shoes on (big mistake, should have kept shoes dry and gotten socks wet). My feet sank like an entire foot into the mud as I fished the disc out with a stick and returned to land. The shoes were ruined, I threw them into a nearby trash can, and I somehow lost my socks somewhere so I played the remaining ten holes barefoot. So if you find a pair of green and black socks on Hole 11, you know where they came from.

21 holes, decent variety. Multiple pin positions.

There is a hole for everyone here, from the kind of bomber open holes, to super tight wooded holes. Even some elevation.

21 holes all seem to have at least 2 pin positions so depending on when they are moved and such you can have a lot of different looks.

Decent signs showing direction to next hole as stuff, as the layout wraps on itself a bit.

Dirt tees. Seriously I hate natural tees so much on a heavily used course in the cities.

No lines on some holes. Too many holes are basically a poke and pray type shot. There is no clear line, and the trees prevent a skill shot. It is basically a luck if you hit the perfect line from a couple hundred feet out. Some of the alternate pins are the worst at this, as they are just in groves of small trees.

Lots of roots and stumps. One of my playing partners was rocking a cart and had some trouble. I had a couple times I twisted an ankle walking. Course just needs some of that stuff beat down better.

Not a terrible course, just very Meh. Has potential to be better. Open up a couple clearer lines on some of the holes, put in some concrete pads, and it moves into 4 territory.

Nice signs, but they don't have any hole design on them, so the blind holes you have to go scout up a bit and hope you are looking at the right basket. Really would have been nice to see a hole layout and maybe the possible placements on the signs.

- Quick round capability
- Technical holes - rewards players who possess strong backhand and forehand games
- Great use of space, elevation and water
- Difficult but won't leave you fuming
- Clean - lots of garbage cans
- Nice signage and paths to each teepad location
- No risk of disruption by non-disc golfers
- Holes spread out enough where you won't accidentally throw onto a group on another hole
- 21 holes with a nice range of short, technical and long throws

- I am sure this will be changed soon, so I am not knocking the rating based on this - no concrete teepads. But this has been hashed out below.
- Fairway ground needs some cleaning - a few small stumps remain and will catch any non-watchful player
- It looks like 1-2 holes could use a mando signage? I am sure this is coming too though

- I dont agree with some of the posts below saying the fairways need more trimming or clearing. This course rewards clean releases and accuracy, while you could get a kick into thick woods, all holes can be salved for bogey at worst. Only hole I imagine is unreachable is hole 14 (throwing from near play ground area into the woods with a tight window) but I think that is a solid par 3!

- There is a great variety of shots at this course. Everything from tight wooded shots, to open downhill shots, doglegs, water play, etc. This is where this course shines. You'll use every shot in your bag playing here.
- Excellent use of limited elevation.
- Difficult and technical. Definitely not a course for beginners.
- Playing along the creek is nice for a few holes, but only sorta comes into play on one hole (#11). Or if you really griplock a shot on #3 I guess.
- Good signage (this is a recent addition) - although fairly large. I think the size was to help with spotting the next tee for navigation purposes. Some of the more confusing sections of the course also have arrows to aid navigation, which is nice.
- Improves frequently as it is still a new course. Seriously, every time I play here it is better. Absolutely amazing how much work is being put into it. Thanks to everyone who helps with those efforts! It is for this reason that I expect this to course to move closer to a 4+ star level over time.

- Short holes, but an excellent use of the space.
- Tee pads (or lack thereof). Please PLEASE install concrete tee pads if at all possible. Almost every hole's tee area is not level, and in the spring or any recent rain, a mud pit. The only hole with an actual tee pad is #1, and frankly I hardly see it used. It is a step up wood box filled with woodchips (not solid), and is constructed too short in my opinion.
- I can appreciate the technicality of the course, but some holes are too unforgiving. The best example is the tee shot for #6. There is almost no gap from the area by the sign. It seems like some more tree trimming is needed. Hole #14 is also like this - if you have an excellent tee shot from the field into the gap, you are still subject to lady luck as it is completely jail through to the basket.
- #18 and #19 are in sort of a marshy area which tends to be wet and muddy, from what I have seen. I'm sure this is seasonal though.

Most of these cons are not related to the course design, but rather the state of the course as it stands now. I play this course frequently and will be updating this review as these issues are (hopefully) addressed.

What is the deal with hole #4? I just don't get it. Total gimmick hole in my opinion. I expect there will be a mando closer to the turn of the dogleg eventually, but as of now there is almost no incentive to even use the fairway. A 130 degree dogleg just isn't fun..

This course is also very littered, there is a lot of garbage laying around. I was going to list that as a con, but I realize it is not the fault of the course itself. Please pick up after yourselves people.

#2 and #18 sort of overlap fairways, which could be dangerous on a busy day. Hasn't been an issue for me yet.

As note to future players: #20 and #21 are pulled in the winter (I assume) because the hill is a popular sledding hill.

Some shots are tricky which makes it fun. There's a couple wide open space to get in a little pocket between the trees hole, that's fun.
It changes up on you a lot from hole to hole, some holes are wide open field shots then your in the woods trying to keep it under branches.

Some shots are really tough dog leg turns that branches make impossible. It's tough to find your way since the since just say the number and a couple holes in the woods are really close so you could get lost for a second out there. No clue where the hill top hole's basket is.

I've created a group to meet there on sundays to play against random teams and maybe make a tournament or league https://www.facebook.com/grou...658695472195/

Tight, Technical course playing through 36 acres in Coon Rapids MN.
Some Elevation
You will use a variety of shots
White level course (int/adv) = tons of birdie chances!

Needs Clearing
A Tad short

Previous Con-Bridges; have been added! You should see a few adjustments moving forward
Previous Con-Signage: Directional signage was installed earlier this spring; we still need to update tee signs with dual pin positions and distances; once the majority of second positions are installed. For now, pay attention to the Facebook page for details; we'll move pins every 2 weeks.

As the Course designer, the course is setting up the way I planned. It will play a bit tight to begin with, but as players start playing this winter/spring, the fairways will open up a bit. The course will continue to expand and adjust over the next few years with Garbage cans, benches, more signage, bridges and ? to be added over the next few months. Natural teepads for now, either sand or chips to be added spring 2017 and cement in a couple of years. If you play this course every 6 months, you will see drastic GREAT adjustments to the course that will add more of a challenge and cater more towards adv/open players. One teepad planned with multiple pin positions added in 2017.

If you haven't played yet, take a pic of the map near hole 1. After hole 2, walk towards the road to walk around 18's teebox to head to 3's pad. Also, after hole 5, walk back towards the teebox about 20 feet to find the path to head to hole 6.

So far this spring, directional signage, bridges, and dual pins on 8 of the 21 holes have been added. Teepads (natural) should be added between now and the end of summer/2017; we are still a couple years out for cement teepads. The reason we're waiting on cement teepads is that we want to make sure the placements are in the safest spots that offer the best disc golf play; IMHO tough to argue against.