I've played Millikin several times and each time I go I ask myself why I haven't played it more. It's a relaxing course to play with enough of a challenge to push experienced players but never too much trouble.
-Solid distance throughout the course, there really aren't any "gimme" holes. 250' is about as short as it gets with some holes pushing 400', all par 3s which seemed fair.
-Good mix of tight fairways, wooded shots, and a few wide open holes.
-Lots of ways to attack holes, which is fun. I found myself throwing forehand, backhand, and rollers while my brother chucked tomahawks. Every hole could be played in a variety of ways, but you nearly always had a line you needed to hit.
-Plenty of parking. If the area around hole 1 is crowded I suggest parking near the shelter across the road and teeing off on 3.
-Bathrooms and water fountain by 1
-Tunnel under the road to get from 1 to 2
-The from 9 plays primarily through a lightly wooded park. There are plenty of mature trees, but no undergrowth and well maintained fairways. The back 9 has a few more wooded holes, including a few with tight fairways and real roughs.
-Solid tee signs with 2 pin placements.
-This course is just fun. It's a really nice balance of fun and challenge with plenty of opportunities to recover from a bad shot.

-Holes 3-8 or so as well as a few on the back 9 feel pretty repetitive. Lots of 300' holes through a tree speckled fairway. You still have to hit a line, just not overly unique.
-Holes 1 & 3 play near a busy road. I've grip-locked over it a few times. Holes 17 & 18 play near a smaller park road where cars often park. Watch for parked cars to the left of 18.
-A pedestrian path is in play on 2 and dog walkers are throughout the park.
-The shelter around 9 or 10 often hosts groups that will wander into the fairway, including the group of LARPers who had a full fledged 10 minute battle in the middle of the fairway. I wasn't even mad. Are ye not entertained?!
-13 plays a bit too close to the teepad of 14.

Most of my complaints are pretty ticky tacky, this course is great. With just a touch more variety it's an easy 4 for me, but as is it's a very strong 3.5 that likely deserves a 3.75. With multiple lines and multiple pin positions this course offers plenty of replay-ability and outside of the elite Cincinnati courses this is at the top of my local list.

The course is set in a good-sized middle of a neighborhood park with a road that splits the park in two. There is a pedestrian underpass though to aid with the transitions back and forth. The course has nice concrete tees and decent baskets and tee signs. The course is set in a mostly open area with plenty of large shade trees to negotiate around and features a smidge of elevation change here and there. There is little chance for disc loss as the course is mostly mowed grass fairways with little rough. The course is well maintained and is a fun and pleasant play.

The course is a little vanilla flavored with several holes featuring similar distances and looks. Those that like a more varied or rustic experience will like this course less than those that prefer a more city park-like course.

There are holes that throw near or over walking trails. Wasn't a huge issue but caution will be needed on these holes.

I recently moved to the area and this course is in contention to be my new home course. It would make a decent weekly course and is handy to have close by.

-Discatcher baskets in good shape and repair
-lots of parking
-concrete tee pads
-tee signs are functional with distances that seem accurate
-a mix of hole types, with a few wide open shots, a few tight shots in the trees, and most holes with a few large trees to shoot around
-bathrooms available for the summer months
-course well maintained even in the winter months, including emptied trash buckets at each hole
-plenty of shot shaping opportunities, specifically limiting hyzer bombs for most holes because of the low canopy
-Next tees are marked on baskets with tape around spokes, but some are starting to fall off

-not many long shots, only the last hole is over 400'
-I don't like crossing the road to play, but thankfully there is an underpass for pedestrians
-tee pads are just a little short for my liking

I really enjoyed playing this course. It makes good use of the available land and allows for creative shots with some achievable birdie opportunities. The mix of holes keeps the play enjoyable and doesn't just knock me down after every drive.
My test for truly "good" courses is if I would travel from home just for that course. I'm from Dayton, and the 50 minute drive would probably keep me from traveling just for this course....BUT if I'm driving through I'll definitely stop by. I'll be back for sure.

Great course with mature trees. Each hole has at least one good line of shot just need to hit the gap. Was well groomed with nice baskets and concrete pads.

After hole #10 basket, #11 teepad is directly across the street. Street needs a pedestrian crosswalk. Otherwise you need to use the under road tunnel which is a total distance of 740 feet to #11 tee pad.

One of my new favorite courses!

Well, planned to play this course almost as a time-killer but was surprised to find that it's actually very worthy course for being 1) a municipal park course, and 2) 9 holes. While another 9 are planned the 9 that are there are great with none being a gimme. From the initial 250 footer to the last shot over the bike path (literally) this course plays much bigger than expected. Old growth trees inhabit the course and many are in play, deflecting shots and blocking approaches. Low scrub obscures the baskets depending on your lie and that adds to the fun. This course plays big despite being in a relatively small park. This course is definitely worth a play and I anxiously await the installation of the other 9. Pretty nice.

It's a city park right in the middle of a neighborhood but it doesn't feel like it. Parking is VERY limited. But go anyway.

Only one year old and improvements are coming. Will be even better when done. Looking forward to it. It may be a 4 star course when done...

10 minutes from my house, I have played here often since the baskets were installed. I really like the course. The park is made up of large mature trees that create the fairways with minimal trimming and contains slight elevation changes.

The new concrete tee pads are fantastic. They seem to be 4' by 6' (I didn't measure) with great texture for good footing. #2s tee is flared from back to front to allow for a LHBH or RHBH throw. The park has been well maintained since they installed the baskets about 6 months ago. The park workers recently cleared the fairways by trimming small limbs/bushes in the right places, imo.

The holes are fun to play with a nice mixture of short, long and longer holes thru the mature trees. Three holes in the 220-250 range, a few 300+/- holes and three that are 350+. The hole layout utilizes the slight elevation changes the park offers very well. When it's wet casual water can come into play on a few holes adding to the difficulty. An area in front of 8s basket can get wet and muddy so they placed about 15 pieces of broken up concrete slabs in that area for some nice stepping stones which works very well.

The course is easy to follow with next tee signs on each basket. Fun for all levels.

Temporary tee signs. They do the job but won't last long thru the winter.

Sometimes you have to wait for a casual walker thru the park. The park has houses on two sides and they are new to having a disc golf course next to them.

Hole #9 throws over the walking path that goes thru the tunnels (see Other). The path is about 15ft below the teeing area and to the right of the fairway. So far this has not caused any problems that I've heard of. But if there is anyone walking on that path golfers should wait until they clear the path before throwing.

This park is located in the middle of a neighborhood in the west side of Hamilton, Ohio.

The park is separated by about 1000' feet of Washington Blvd which runs right thru the middle of the park but separated by fencing and grass medians. The 9 hole golf course is located on the east side of the Blvd. On the west side is where the back nine is to be installed in the future.

If you have a young family with you they have a playground next to the golf course or a new water play ground on the other side of the park to keep the young children occupied and happy. They also have a paved path that goes under the Blvd thru tunnels for easy and safe access to the other side.

Overall the course is fun and quick. Millikin Woods is an old park that is seeing new investments that make the park very enjoyable (spraygrounds for kids, new shelters, etc.). The course is currently 9 holes, with a full 18 planned in the future. Its quick to play and has a variety of distances that are difficult enough for an intermediate player. Not too many lost discs in this relatively open course, although the left side of hole 4 can cause trouble. The parks department does a good job keeping it mowed and looking nice.

Favorite holes - Hole 7: has a relatively tight window to hit off the tee to get it over the large valley. Hole 9: throwing over the bike path below. Most go with a hyzer around the trees, but you can hit it dead center in the winter months. Fun way to end the round with a chance at an ace.

A few of the holes (2, 3, 7, 8) get a little swampy, but only in the late winter/spring months. Natural tees for the 9 holes are fine. It sounds like these will be upgraded to concrete soon. Temporary signage is really nice, but will need to be upgraded soon.

Can't wait for the full 18. I have heard that it is slated for next year.

EDIT: new 5' x 10' concrete tee pads have been installed. Also, the old temp signs have been replaced with newer temp signs. The course is looking nice during these Fall months.

In a beautiful park just west of Hamilton, Ohio, you'll now find nine new DisCatcher baskets (with 'next tee' arrows), mulched tees, and really good temporary signage, all weaving through mature park trees to create a fun, quick round to challenge the Recreational to Intermediate level player with its distances ranging between 210 and 360 feet. The lines of flight are shaped by the sparse trees, and there is little chance of losing a disc unless you fade hard to the left on the longest holes (4 and 7). There are shots shaping both left and right, and excellent use of the limited elevation (which picks up on holes 7 and 9).

The design is really good, taking advantage of the large eastern half of the park, and is safe, as holes are well separated from each other and the other park activities. Memorable holes certainly include 7, with its sweeping 'valley' crossing line and distance that makes it a challenge for newer players. Hole 9 is a really fun flourish of a finish, with a reachable hyzer shot over the much lower path that traverses below the roadway to the western half of the park (where, it's fairly certain, there will be an additional nine holes added in the near future).

Even in its infancy, the course is very playable, and the trees provide enough challenge to improve the replay factor. The holes have clearly been laid out with the potential to add multiple tees as the course gets 'played in'. There is talk of more permanent tees and of course permanent signage, so this one's only going to get better.

The lack of elevation on the first six holes leads to some water and mud retention after heavy rains, and even some 'water hazards' on holes 3, 7 and 8. Folks are adding logs for bridging some of the low spots.

The current mulch tees are good, and the signage is really good, but they will both need upgrades.

Be aware that the split roadway is one way only, so you need to do a right, then a u-turn to go back south to 129 after you play.

First timers, please see the pics and map uploaded here. Coming into the park northbound on Washington Blvd, pass the railroad tracks, and enter the second parking area by the second small shelter, where you'll see the '1st Tee' sign and progress clockwise (mostly) around the park through hole 7, then cross left to the next clearing for 8, walk north to hole 9 and repeat (until the 'back nine' opens up, when you'll circle under the path). Can't wait!

Reviewer Background as of this writing: played 260 courses and written 242 reviews, with skills hovering around a 900 rating, I started playing at 50 and am turning 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.

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+ The park itself is great. A classic neighborhood park surrounded by single family homes on all sides. It has large mature trees, playgrounds, walking trails, shelters, and a fair amount of parking.
+ The course offers shots that are challenging but still possible for beginners and intermediate players. This layout will test your ability to hit gaps from various distances.
+ Very few day-ruining hazards. No deep water, no steep slopes, and thorns are sparse. Great place to learn the game without getting too frustrated.
+ Concrete pads are now in the ground, with a nice sweep finish to maximize grip. A real game changer for those who remember the natural tees of yesteryear.
+ Decent signage and a trash bucket on every hole. Keep this park looking beautiful!
+ Look for a taped spoke on the bottom of each bucket, those will point you toward the next tee.
+ Hole 2. Tee off right next to the road and put on a show for the traffic on Washington. The fairway drops about 15-20 ft right after the tee box before slowly climbing back up to the basket, which is protected by a few trees. Even a beginner might hit metal on this one.
+ Hole 9. This signature hole would fit in at Mt. Airy. Beautiful scene looking from the tee box across a small valley with brush on both sides. Easy shot to place, but also easy to slice.
+ Hole 11. This is the closest Millikin comes to being gimmicky, but I love this shot. Nine out of ten drives will have you practicing your scramble here.
+ Hole 17. Just throw it straight, how hard could it be?

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- Washington Boulevard runs straight through the park and creates a pinch point in the layout. This makes for a slow start with long walks between 1 and 2, and again from 2 to 3, but then it's smooth sailing.
- Be on the lookout for standing water on holes 5, 9, 10 and 11 after it rains. Nothing that will steal your disc, but enough to get your ankles wet in some places.
- No informational sign or map at the start of the course. But navigation is still pretty easy using the taped spokes on the bottom of the bucket.
- Needs some new infrastructure in certain places. A wooden walkway through the swamp on 9, and a set of stairs on hole 2 would help a ton.
- Limited parking in the summer. Millikin is an extremely popular family destination and the main lot fills up on weekends between May and October. What's nice is that there are several other places you can park and jump in (smaller lots by holes 3, 10, and 12).

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Having been involved in this project from the planning phase, I have a conflict of interest that makes me a bit nervous about giving it a rating. I never dreamed this would turn into a 4-star facility, but after five years of gradual improvement that's exactly what she's become. I think Millikin could soon compete with Monroe as the best course in Butler County, though I still give Monroe the upper hand for being a 24-hole layout.

Aside from a couple small layout quirks forced by the road cutting through the park, I can't think of any other serious gripes. It's not the toughest course, it's not the shortest course, it's not the most scenic course, but it's a perfect compromise between all three. I argue there's no better place for a quick, fun, casual weekday round in the Tri-State.

Edit, August 2020. It's hard to even recall what Millikin looked like when I first rated it 2.5 stars in 2016. Everyone in the Hamilton scene should be super proud of what's happened here. Maybe someday they'll clear space for some extra holes on the wooded side, but outside of that, this course can't get much better than she is right now.