There is good distance variety on a couple of holes and a couple of the holes are quite unique with how narrow they are, too much so on hole #2 (but more fun on hole #9 where just the beginning 100ft is narrow before opening up). The park is nice.

The atmosphere is better than the typical set of baskets thrown down in a city park. This one has more of a native feel to it with plenty of trees, grasses, water, etc. that look like nature put them where they are rather than parks and rec.

The park is well maintained and so are the baskets, tee signs, etc.

Need a state park pass or an entry fee to get in.
Not much variety in elevation.
Tees are just dirt.
Tee signage is bare bones with the number, par, and distance. If just a couple simple signs were added to the course to show you the direction to the next tee, that would be a huge improvement to the course overall. Deciding where to go for the next tee is a guessing game at about 3 of the holes.

If you also like to fish, camp, hike, etc., then you might want to spend the day or weekend here and also hit up some of the other courses in the area. A couple more signs, concrete tee pads, and maybe modifying the extreme narrowness of hole 2 would really make this a very good course. Still, it is nice and it is worth playing if you are in the area and already have a state park pass or don't mind paying to get in for a day.

-This would be a great spot to stop and camp for the night before continuing on your trek across the plains. Camping is reasonable and then you can disc!
-A lot more technical and interesting that I had thought. It makes you hit certain lines a few times. A high fun factor for me.
-Fairly easy to follow layout. Tees are worn into the dirt and are easy to see. Post with distance is next to the tee.
-The park was clean and maintained as you would expect from somewhere that you have to pay to get into.
-Probably won't lose a disc

-Some of the holes were one trimming away from actually being fun. There needs to be a legit line on every hole.
-No tee signs, a map would have helped a little
-Natural tees
-Pay to play
-Didn't involve the lake nearly as much as I would have
-Tees would be muddy when wet
-Flat like most of NE

This course is pay to play because it is in a state rec area. Alone, the course isn't worth paying to play it but I am a course bagger so I had to. If you choose to camp here and enjoy some of the other recreation opportunities it would be well worth it.
-This course could definitely be expanded into a fun 18.
-This is the second best of 5 courses in the Kearney area. Cottonmill is the best by far.

Clear (dirt) tees with signs.

Very technical for a short boy scout course. You really need to hit your lines. some holes require a very specific shot. Hole 9 is a tight tunnel with no option for any other shot.

Tees were just dirt and signs only gave distance. Baskets unmarked. Could not find basket 8 with out help from locals.

Some ridiculously tight fairways (under 5 feet wide) on 2 holes.

$5 is normal for pay to play, but $5 for a 20 minute round? It is a bit exessive if you are not going to stay for a dip on the beach.

The water on site was not really utilized.

another short 9 hole course.

This is a nice little course to work on hitting lines. While the distances are low, this course is far different than the other 9 holers in the area. There is a level of challenge that seperates this course from Centenial, Lake Helen Rec., and other Nebraska 9 holers.

Unlike most boy scout project courses I have played - this one is actually a bit challenging with a decent layout. Circling the central lake, the course starts of boring enough an unremarkable hole #1, but then gives you a very tight #2 with thick brush on either side. And this brush is a disc killer no matter how hard to try to battle it through, and from there the course only gets better. The tee boxes are well marked, and the baskets are in good shape, but first timers should still bring a map.

Although length isn't a big factor, the pin placements place value on accuracy over distance. The park itself also has the basic park amenities, like bathrooms, rec areas, camping, and lake for swimming and fishing. Not that Kearney, Nebraska would my first choice, but it seemed like a nice area to camp at and spend the day hitting the course and teaching the family how to play.

BEST HOLE/S: #2; #7

Since this is a state park you have to pay five bucks no matter if you are staying the entire day or just twenty minutes, and even though the course is fun - and with a free Cottonmill course right down the road I don't know if its worth paying the money to play. But at least you get a mediocre brochure for your payment.

At only about 2200' feet the course is fairly short, with only #3 and #7 feeling like they provided any real length challenge. The rest of the course depends on the trees for challenge. The only other issue is the transitions from #4 to #5 and then #7 to #8. A few extra signs would be nice for people who don't have a map.

WORST HOLE/S: #1

When it comes to playing Kearney courses, you basically have Cottonmill DGC and then the rest. And while Cottonmill towers over the others in distance, terrain, playability, and overall quality - having played all of the Kearney courses, I will give and ordered rating of what I viewed as the best courses as well as my personal favorite courses in the area.

The best courses are ordered in what I believe are the variables other DG reviews would require to create a quality disc golf course. My favorite courses will vary a bit from the other rating just based on my overall playing experience and personal preferences. Take each with a grain of salt, and then go hit them all yourself and make your own list.

Overall Course Rating:
1. Cottonmill DGC - 4.0 discs
2. Fort Kearney State Rec. Area - 2.5 discs
3. Centiennial Park - 2.0 discs
4. Sunrise Middle School DGC - 1.5 discs
5. Kearney High School DGC - 1.5 discs.

Personal Enjoyment: (1 is best and 5 is worst)
1. Cottonmill DGC
2. Fort Kearney State Rec. Area
3. Kearney High School DGC
4. Sunrise Middle School DGC
5. Centennial Park

This is a good course that has some challenging shots even for the experienced player. I really enjoyed the tight shot on #2 but it can also become a disc eater. Some of the holes do force you to use both hyzer and anhyzer shots to put your self in position for a putt. Hole 7 is a fun one where you can work on your drives or roller shots. While we were there we witnessed what happens when a good roller gets caught in the winds coming out of the North and your short roller will quickly turn into a 300 foot drive.

Holes #2, #3, and #4 do have water that comes into play and I don't believe that this was properly labeled on the hole info. They don't come into play if you are fairly accurate but if your disc gets caught in a strong wind it's gone into the swimming lake nearby.

I've updated the hole into to point out that holes #2, #3, and #4 do have water that can come into play. While most experienced players would reject this since you are not forced to throw over the water it is a concern for recreational players.

A nicely desinged course in a state park as few minutes off 1-80. This course plays around a lake area with both open and wooded holes. Parking is easy nest to the first hole. Small teesigns on wooden posts show distance and hole number. Teepads are natural with a railroad tee on the front part. Rather short holes, but with enough trees and shrubs to get in the way to offer a good challenge. The middle part of the course is more open with nicely mowed grass fairways. Baskets are in perfect shape. Very slight elevation change comes into play. Mainly straight shots to the baskets, but some with a tree to get in the way as to where you actually have to shape a line or two. Nice natural environment that is just a joy to be around. No one else on the course so play as much as you want.

This is only a 9 hole course. Though it was a short front 9, I would have loved to played more holes in the park. It looks like they might have the room to add more. Hole 9 is a nice tunnel shot, but the end of the hole is next the bathrooms, so watch out. You also have to pay $4 to get into the park, and if you go just to play and nothing else, then $4 is not worth it.

I feel this course was just put in to add to the appeal of those who visit the park to camp and swim. It is not a destination course to head to. It offers more of a challenge then the other 9 hole course in town, so a good step up for the newer players. I was amused by this course, but didn't provide too much of a challenge for me. I don't think I would drive too far to go to this course.

Pretty good layout with moderate challenge.
-Decent variety among holes with some open and some tight fairways; there's definitely fun to be had and it's a good time
-Well maintained; freshly mown grass and baskets in good shape

No elevation.
-You need to know in advance that the trick to navigation is just keep going clockwise around the lake; I didn't know and there was one basket with a path right behind it that turned out not to be the right way to go, and there's also no indication that there's a big gap where you just keep walking around to get to the last couple of holes.
-I'm not against pay-to-play per se, but at only 9 holes this course doesn't offer anything truly outstanding to be totally worth the price to come visit (see thoughts below)

This course was actually an unintentional visit for me- we'd planned to camp here overnight on a roadtrip and I didn't know there was a course in the park until I saw it as we drove to our campsite. It was really cool the next morning to be able to wake up, leave our tent, and go walk over to tee off.

As such, I would definitely recommend this as an excellent place to stop overnight if you're driving through Nebraska (especially if you're on a DG roadtrip) with camping gear- you're already paying the park fee to camp so the DG course is a very nice extra.

I could also see this course being played occasionally by locals; there are only 5 other courses within 50 miles of Kearney and this course is pretty good, so paying to play here every now and then for the sake of variety might be worth it even for only 9 holes.

However, if you're just passing through the area and not stopping for the night (or don't have camping gear), I don't think the course is quite exciting enough to be worth the price. There's just nothing truly exceptional to it.

Very asthetically pleasing course. It is also well taken care of, and the fairways are kept well. There is a decent variation of hole lengths, different shots, and requires some technical skill as well. For example, hole #2 is a straight shot 190 feet down a 10 foot wide fairway, so your throw has to be straight or it'll end up in a pine tree. And hole #8 is throw a narrow point right off the tee and then opens up.

My only problem with this course is that there are only 9 holes. There is plenty of area on park grounds for more holes. If there were more holes, it would make it worth paying the 4 dollars for the park fee.

All in all it's a fun 9 hole course, much better than the nearby 9 hole courses, but if you're looking for something more challenging, check out Cottonmill DC.

I've only been playing a month or so but I really like this course. It has enough variety to be interesting but it's not too hard to be frustrating. Also there is not much of a chance of loosing you discs. Most holes are rather stait forward but others, like # 8, make you go around a huge tree. All in all a wonderful little course.

The tee's are a chunk of wood sunk into the ground. On dry days these work well but when it's wet it's very muddy.

This course in good in the fact that it's close enough to go play whenever I want but far enough out of town that I've only ever seen one other person playing.

Beautifully maintained park with some fun holes are all you can ask for. The designer actually took some time working out a few really cool holes on this little course that goes around the lake, but does not really get the lake involved much. There is a great little tunnel shot with the lake behind the basket, a huge tree that you can go over and around darting at the hole on, and the final hole has a gateway to fire out of. Navigation wasn't too bad. There were a couple of bathrooms and a few trashcans. I saw no garbage, anywhere! The tee pads are grass and have wood planks in the ground to help you out. They work rather well actually. A local Boy Scout Troop came in and fixed up the course in 2007 and did a fantastic job. Thanks boys! Fun factor wise, even though it was cold enough to see my breath, I just had to play it again.

I wish it had been 18 holes. I also would like to have seen better signs, but for this size and hole length course it is good enough. I'm sure there will be some people walking around for the safety factor in the summertime, so keep that in mind. I got there early enough, that there was no one to collect the park $4 permit funds. The sign does say you have an hour to pay, so I played fast. I really don't know if they charge that to everyone or not. So, I left the "pay to play" not marked on the course info. Just a little FYI. Paying is not actually a negative, but since I don't know for sure on the matter, I put it in here like a warning.

To help with navigation remember these 2 things. After finishing #4 turn left and look for the bridge; #5 will be on the other side. After completing #7 follow the road around and just passed the beach entrance is #8. If you want a quick round just to stretch your legs and are not looking to be overly competitive, then I think this is the little course for you.

Some open grassy areas, some tight fairways cut through the woods, a little variety of both.

Not too hard to find your way around, just go clockwise around the lake.

Very little elevation change. The tees are grass, with a piece of wood marking the end.

The park permit cost me $4 for the day. There are a few other small lakes and campsites for other outdoor recreation activities.