Cincinnati, OH

Embshoff Woods

Permanent course
2.185(based on 14 reviews)
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18 0
Luckj
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.3 years 65 played 50 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Needs a Makeover in a Big Way 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 17, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Easy to navigate, each tee is within 50' of the previous basket
-Nice elevation changes. This is the best feature of the course as the course plays back and forth over some rolling hills.
-A few trees that force you to hit a line on most tee shots.
-Good place to practice basic shot shaping
-Plenty of parking that overlooks the entire course
-Steady Ed course with a classic feel, having been in place since 1983
-Bathrooms and shelters easily accessible
-Entire course takes 30 minutes to play solo, good for a practice round especially because the course is generally empty

Cons:

-This has to start with the state of the baskets. The old Mach 1s are beat up and falling apart. a few have a chain or two that has come free. At least 2 had the basket sitting no more than a foot of the ground. Many were bent or leaning. These are the worst baskets I've seen on a functional course.
-Speaking of baskets, each basket it surrounded by a concrete circle, around 3 feet in radius. Perfect for beating up your disc on every upshot.
-Just as bad as the baskets are the teepads. The old asphalt teepads are warped and slippery. Nearly everyone is sloped downhill. Don't even bother throwing from them.
-There's a few areas off the fairway that can be pretty rough
-Pars are a relic from a bygone era, 280' par 5s definitely don't fit modern disc golf.
-Fairways play close to each other, especially holes 1-3 and 7-9.

Other Thoughts:

There is only one glaring error in this course, but it's the thing that makes disc golf playable. The baskets and teepads are just awful. I would have given 1 more star if these were updated, especially as this course actually makes good use of the property. As it is, there's just not a lot of reason to come back to this course unless your in the area and looking for a lunch round.
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9 0
Qikly
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.8 years 181 played 150 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Embshoff Woods is a short hillside 9-holer that benefits from the constant elevation changes it plays across. The hillside is dotted with trees, forcing some basic but still fun line shaping, and is open enough to allow most holes to be attacked in several ways. That said, there's enough nuance and variation here that you'd benefit from a FH/BH versatile game, and there is some semblance of technical play despite the course's overall casualness. The holes are all par 3s and sub-300', lending the course to a quick, light round.

Navigation is easy, parking is ample.

Cons:

Embshoff Woods is in rough repair, perhaps not surprising given the course's age (37 years at the time of this review!) and humble nature. The grass seems like it can get a bit thick and the rough is absolutely brutal. Baskets and tees are also in poor shape. Given that the elevation changes are significant enough to cause an errant throw to go awry, the disc-swallowing rough makes it harder to recommend this course for newer players to learn on, which it'd otherwise be perfect for given it occupying a sweet spot in terms of technicality.

The course is small and short, with score separation largely dependent on whether or not you make your birdie. More experienced players may enjoy touching a piece of disc golf history, as the course was originally designed by Steady Ed, but they otherwise won't find much they haven't seen before.

Fairways run pretty close together, so an errant throw from one group could definitely impinge on another. Keep your head on a swivel if it's at all busy.

Other Thoughts:

Embshoff Woods has an old-school feel and was for me an enjoyable bag as part of a larger day trip to the area. Worth a quick stop for sure, even if it won't tempt you to return.
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10 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.7 years 398 played 383 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Nice hilly nine 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 15, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course dates back to the 'Steady' Ed Headrick days of the development of the sport, and is therefore appropriately scaled for the casual to recreational player of today. All nine holes are between 210 and 278 feet, but make excellent use of the elevation and the trees left in the clearing of the 600x600 space they had to work with.
When the foliage is thick in the summer, there are clearly intended flight paths including hyzers, annies, and S-shots, but none of the baskets are much uphill from the tees. Most of the time, the hills are in the fairway, and make for a decent mini workout as you play. I say mini, as I'm a fairly big guy, and appreciate being able to work on my conditioning in small doses like this.
Holes 1, 2 & 3 work back and forth down across the first slope, then the (feature?) 4th hole bends right around a summertime blind (foliage) steep valley. #5 seems longer than it really is (for me) because I worry too much about the thick and thorny bushes to the right of the fairway. 6, 7 & 8 go back and forth across the lowland coming back to the parking lot to finish on 9. #7 can punish an errant drive because the fairway narrows at the end between some substantial bushes.
The park has the usual shelters, bathrooms, and a water fountain across the drive, and soccer, volleyball, and a newer kids playground nearby, so there are activities for the family. I've seen a shuttered concession stand, but I'm not sure when/if its opened. The course has plenty of trash cans, and a couple of benches at the start. There is a good course sign with a map, but the only tee signs are the 'medallion' style plaques on the ground by the asphalt tees (not concrete, as the course home page says).
The maintenance is good, as they mow the fairways regularly, and keep the rough (longer grasses and clover: watch out for the plethora of bees in the summer if you're sensitive to them) in fairly good shape, so you don't lose a disc often. They recently marked off dangerous fallen branches after a storm, and clear them as soon as they can.
The course has never been crowded when I've been there.

Cons:

My top complaint (aside from the fact that they used asphalt pads around the baskets in Hamilton County parks) is that the baskets are really old and inconsistent. Single chains combine with weak, shallow baskets and variable heights (including variations in the 'drop' between the chains and the basket) to rob you of some decent shots. Some go through, some (including what should have been my first ace) simply bounce out. Not important, but the second basket has a plate that says '9'.
The asphalt tees are becoming very worn and cracked.
It is possible to get over into the parallel fairways, which could be a problem if ever crowded.

Other Thoughts:

Hamilton county park passes are $3/day, but only $10/year with coupons and access to all the parks, including several area DG courses.

Edit 9/15/14: Though the parks department continues to maintain the grasses and the edges of the shrubbery pretty well, the Emerald Ash Borer and other tree issues has meant removal of at least a half dozen of the trees that formerly limited your lines of flight. So a tight little course has become more open. If folks actually played it, it might be a little more dangerous in the past year or so. They even cut out the shrubs between the 7th basket and the 8th tee, so the latter is in play for the tee shot from 7. But I think folks don't play it much because the tee pads and baskets are incredibly dilapidated. Had to realistically drop a half rating point as a result.
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2 4
richardmmill
Experience: 21.9 years 48 played 17 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Embshoff Woods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good elevation change. Good course for new players. Nice tee concrete tee pads.

Cons:

Not very challenging. Flow is just back and forth almost the whole way. Not very exciting very monotonous. Hole after hole seem to be the same. Not kept well the times I have played the grass has been so long, you could throw a disc in the grass and never find it.
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2 3
eck_03
Experience: 22 years 14 played 5 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Oh the grass 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 10, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is a acceptable course if you are in delhi for a while or just need a break from some other courses in the area.

Cons:

The holes are short without obstacles, the only real challenge is to keep your disk out of the >2' tall grass around the course. This course would be great for beginners if it was not for this grass, I know of 3 friends that have lost disks in the honeysuckle but I have found 1.
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