ETC ( Earl Thomas Conley ) Riverside Park has a fairly new 9 hole disc golf course ( 2015 ) on the grounds . It is located behind the 2nd of 3 shelters on the premises . The course has natural tees ( some places you are not sure where to stand ) , some basic tee signs on thick posts on 1,2,3 , I think 5 and 6 and 9 . The post was at #4 ( missing a sign ) and I couldn't find the posts for 7 & 8 , so you better print a map so you can Safari 7 & 8 . . The baskets are nice Mach 3's . As far as elevation goes , the course stays pretty flat except for a small valley on 4 , and decent valley on 9 and a hill to throw off of on 6 . The course winds counter clockwise . There is some pretty decent distance for a local course with holes going over 500' ( 6 ) and 600' ( 3 ) . You will have a workout in , as there can be long walks between holes . The general maintenance on the course seemed okay . You may not want to play solo as the punishing rough and soybean fields will eat your blind shot or errant throw . #1 is a deceptively hard straightaway throw with brand new trees guarding the whole fairway . #2 has an open fairway to the right and a tree line on the left . #3 is a tight fairway on the longest hole of the day ( 665' ) . when you walk directly behind the basket ( not to the far right ) , you will face a long walk . Look for a post on your right when the sparse wood opens up . This is the most challenging hole on the course . It is a right to left slightly downhill drive through a narrow fairway/path that plateaus out , then moves slightly uphill and straightaway to the open basket . High thick rough is all around . #5 tee pad plays with the thick rough and woods on the immediate right of the fairway with open ground on the left . #6 has you throwing off the top of a high embankment over some open fairway to the basket sitting in front of the woods . A great hole for bombers . I could not find the tee for 7 , but it must have been on the path behind and to the left of #6's basket . You can safari this hole , but you may want to move up the path some , since the rough is bad on this hole , too , and the path that you throw down is very thin. #8's tee was removed at the time , I guess , but it has you throwing out of the woods and into open air , but with a fence and soybean field in play . #9 tee is off to your right , throwing over a valley and large section of soybeans to the basket , sitting on top of the hill in front of the valley ( in front of a nice playground ) . You will likely have this course all to yourself or be sharing it with one other group/person . Bathrooms and a chance to fill your water bottle are at the shelters . On #9 , my advice to you if you don't throw comfortably over 325' , move way up on the tee sign , even going on to the path to the other side of the valley , in order to not throw into these soybeans . Still , it is a nice finishing hole . Signature hole ? Maybe #4 ,but don't play it without a partner .

#1 Where to start and navigation . No kiosk , no " next tee "signs and missing signs on 4,7 & 8 . PRINT A MAP OFF . #2 High and thick rough , and SOYBEANS . I have never played disc golf in a park with soybeans fields all over the place . I wasn't sure if it was a farm or a park , sometimes . There are several places where you have risk/reward for throwing over or near these fields , especially 3 , 6 , 8 & 9 . You don't want to land in these things . If you do , don't take your eyes off the throw you made and try to retrieve your disc . These things were over 2 feet high and will swallow your drive . A total nuisance . #3 danger of hitting someone on the few paths you throw into . Be a good ambassador for disc golf and either check or call out before you throw and a fitness walker takes a driver to the noggin . #4 Long confusing walks . Some of the walks between holes are even longer than the course itself . Bring something to drink . #5 Course may be wet and soggy after a rain . If you play on one of these days , be sure to bring waterproof boots or shoes you don't care about . Some of these spots on the course look like candidates for some serious water retention . DISC RISK is fairly high on holes with high rough and especially the soybean plants .

I am not sure what this park is intended for . Locals ,or Future Farmers Of America students ? If they removed these soybeans and clean up the rough , they have enough room in the park for a decent 18 hole course . If this course was meant for the local population , newbies or families , Then the parks department missed the mark on it . It does not play fast and the course itself encourages long searches for off of the fairway throws , maybe even losing that prized driver of yours . I know that this course My Recommendation : Go ahead and bag this course if you are an out of towner and need the count , but otherwise , it isn't a good fit for most . Just drive on by , maybe playing the much more competitive Black Bear .

The Earl Thomas Conley (ETC) Riverside Park DG course boasts nine new DGA Mach III baskets and basic tee signage including hole number, distance and par. The course offers bigger arms the opportunity to air it out on holes 1-3, 5, 6 & 9, and will give you a good deal of exercise due to its overall length. Technical players can actually get even on holes 4 & 7 by carefully placing their throws, while the more ambitious venture into the thick rough. There are some really beautiful views of the Ohio River to the right of holes 5 & 6.

Seven of the nine holes play almost completely flat. There is elevation at the back of the park, and you walk by a nice opportunity to throw off the top of a slope (after hole 5), but they didn't use that feature in the design. They did put one valley hole along a winding, 400 foot section of a 10 foot wide gravel access path, with weeds up to your knees on all sides. The other valley hole is on the finishing ninth, with about a 300 foot carry over a soybean field to a basket more than 375' from the tee. In season, you do NOT want to try disc searching in soybeans!

My biggest issue with the course comes in its massive overall size. You find yourself facing (at LEAST) 400, 700 and 500 foot walks between holes at times (with no 'next tee' indicators). The park is big enough to have easily gone to 18 better holes in the loop you have to traverse. And all but one hole (the 8th) is unreachable for casual to recreational players. The longest hole (the 665' 3rd) plays along essentially a flat, 40-50' wide fairway with soybeans on the left and corn on the right. Beginners who throw only 150-250' under any kind of control just have to hope they can toss several down the middle. Bigger arms better hope they can stay on line, or they'll be spending as much time playing hide and seek as playing disc golf.

The course appears to share access space with a fitness trail (with a station on the left side of the first fairway), and possibly another trail looping counterclockwise around the fields in the park. Users will need to make sure that station is not in use before they throw, and that no one is on the paths on 4 and 7 as well. Oh, I should mention the picnic table under the tree ON the first 'green'. There is an odd mound and ditch lined with barbed wire to the left of the 6th fairway (right about where recreational players might hyzer their drives).

There is no easily visible signage in the park directing you to the start of the course, so it would help to bring their map. Park near the large pavilion and go behind it to the right. The course circles the perimeter of the entire park (all the way to the river), and finishes with the 9th basket behind the playground.

There has been a little talk of redesigning before putting in permanent tees, and I hope they do. There's potential here.

Reviewer Background as of this writing: played 274 courses and written 256 reviews, with skills hovering around a 900 rating, I started playing at 50 and am now 55. I don't throw far (300 footers feel like success), but am addicted to DG, and have played with folks ranging from age 7 to 87, so I try to write reviews helpful to all.