Newark, OH

Horns Hill Park

3.215(based on 12 reviews)
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3 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.2 years 401 played 385 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Two Parts, Seasonal 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 28, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really like disc golf courses that require line shaping as opposed to pure macho 'grip it & rip it' throws. Might be because I'm older or out of shape, but I enjoyed my round at Horns Hill enough I might have to come back next time through the area.

The course consists of two sections, with holes 1-5 playing clockwise around the space south of the big storage tanks, then holes 6-18 circling the wooded slopes from West to East and back, at the North end of the park (please see the map I drew up). Most of the holes have long (blue) and white (short) tees leading to DGA baskets with 12+6 chains, to go along with signage at the short tees. Most of the time, you can see the trails leading to the next tee.

Hole distances from the short tees fall in the ace run to birdie bash range for all players above a casual to recreational skill level, with some added distance from the longs on 1-5, 8, 10, &16, plus significantly different lines of play on 6, 9, 11, 12 & 15 (note they've dropped 6 & 7 from the old layout, renumbered, & added new 17 & 18). There are opportunities to shape lines in both directions off the tee, and wooded challenge, especially from the longs. You will get some experience here playing elevations on the drop shots on 3, 6, & 9, as well as uphill play on 7, 11 long, & 13. If you hit trees, you'll do more than run risky side hill shots on about a third of these holes, you may have to add some extra hill climbing cardio. The good news is, the short tees are extremely manageable if you play within yourself, so they can be really fun to sharpen up your short, technical game. Meanwhile, the long tees add enough challenge to make it interesting for Intermediate to Advanced throwers. Overall, a nice, versatile, shaded course for a summer round.

Cons:

The split nature of the course makes it almost worth driving from the 'front 5' when done there, and parking back by 18 for the remainder of your round. Natural turf and toe boards are OK, but I would think the course might be a little slick in rainy seasons. Speaking of which, the drive in and out is so steep that they do lock the park gate when it's icy, so this is technically a seasonal course only.

While the course appears to get some regular play (based on erosion, gravel down the hill on 6, some clearing and maintenance), it needed a little summer weed trimming when I was there. It also has tee signs missing on holes 3, 8 & 12-17. There is a 'next tee' arrow on 3 (& 6), but it could use more of them (for first timers) after 2, 7, 9, 11 & 12. The flow is pretty good (except the obvious from 5-6, but there is a bit of a walk after 11, as well.

The biggest concern for me started on 14, as you have to throw at a prime parking space, then throw over the road on 15 & 16, and then the tee for 17 is just a few feet from 16's basket. The layout and logistics of the course would keep it from being a place where you could host a full disc golf event.

Final thought: it really felt as if the routing and layout of a majority of the holes favors a left to right flight path (good for lefties and RH forehanders!)

Other Thoughts:

The best place to park for the 'front five' is at the top of the drive, next to the course kiosk/sign. I chose to drive back to 18 (near 6) to finish things up.

Reviewer Background as of this writing: played 270 courses and written 252 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.
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3 0
Mark25
Experience: 3 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Well maintained
-Good use of trees as obstacles
-Difficult pro tees and easy am tees
-Sharp looking tee signage
-Plenty of other family activities located at the park (mountain biking, RC car track, playgrounds, etc)
-Neat designed course
-Short walks between holes
-Once you find the starting tee, its fairly easy to find your way around.

Cons:

-Woods can be thick
-Back nine is fairly easy
-A few fenced in areas where if you land in theres no getting your disc back
-The open holes are near roads so watch for traffic.
-Difficult where to find start of course
-LONG walk back to your car when done with hole 18.
-Few of the tee sings are missing.

Other Thoughts:

Definitely recommend this course, I always love playing here and have yet to lose a disc here. I wish it was a little more difficult from the am tees. The woods holes are the best and they made great use of them. Glad to live somewhat close to this course.
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1 1
bassgod9
Experience: 22.6 years 260 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Closures 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 23, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Be aware, this park closes in the winter! Be sure to check Licking County P&R webpage to see if park is open or not.

Cons:

Completely gated when closed, no "walking on" the course.

Other Thoughts:

I gave it a 3 for now and will update once I've played this course. I thought someone needed to post the potential closure.
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2 2
Ghense
Experience: 18 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Horns Hill Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

It is a beautiful course, set up in a challenging manner. I also was pleasantly surprised to find that scorecards are provided beside the first blue tee. Many holes will serve as ace runs for skilled players.

Cons:

If there had been a map provided (in the same dispenser as the scorecard perhaps) my rating might have went up a whole point. Some holes are hard to find, and those that drop away from the "park" and into the wooded hillside are difficult to navigate and strewn with debris.

Other Thoughts:

Overall the course is balanced, it's pro and cons canceling each other out. I definitely want to play this course again now that I know where everything is.
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3 2
gcoghill
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.4 years 77 played 68 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Schizophrenic workout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Decent tee signs
- New baskets
- Course stays away from other park activities for the most part
- Some nice wooded holes with elevation changes on the back nine.

Cons:

- Course layout can be extremely confusing at times.
- Much of the front nine weaves around ugly industrial buildings, power stations, antenna towers and other unsightly stuff.
- Baskets are not numbered
- Some tee signs/maps are missing
- No tee signs for the last few holes
- Very easy to lose a disc on the back nine

Other Thoughts:

Overall I did not have a positive experience with this course. A few of the holes had some charm, but otherwise you are throwing within a "park" in the loosest description of the word.

You'll be near the park roads for half of the course, and holes 1-5 and 16-18 pretty much kill any charm this course might have had.

Holes 6-15 weave through the woods and take advantage of elevation changes, but if your throws are off you'll do quite a bit of searching in the thick scrub surrounding the fairways. There's probably untold amounts of poison ivy lurking in those woods.

That said, there were some fun and interesting holes, but nothing strong enough to overcome the negatives from the rest of the course.

Playing the Flat Rocks course (and hour south of the Horns Hill park) later the same just emphasized what a letdown Horns Hill was.

Glad to have checked it off my wish list, but I'll never play the course again even if I was in the area already.
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4 0
Bikinimower
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.2 years 174 played 67 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Not for the weak 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging
Well Designed
Excellent Visually
Good Variety
Fun Nature Hike

Cons:

Easy to lose discs
Woods can be too dense at times
Not always easy to Navigate
Overgrown at times
Not for beginners

Other Thoughts:

This is a really fun and difficult course.

Most Holes go through the woods (big fan). But others plays around some fenced in areas, if you throw your disc over the fence you will more than likely not be getting it back.

The wooded holes are mostly great, I can think of one or two that are tremendous. Many of them are too Dense and a lot of them if you throw a bad throw then it may be digging through a lot of brush and overgrowth to find your Disc. Accuracy and Disc control are a must at this course

A few times I got lost and had to search around for the next hole but most of the tricky ones have arrows pointing you in the right direction.

I'll be back to this one sometime
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6 1
culinarywiz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 36.2 years 316 played 67 reviews
3.00 star(s)

hillside and wooded 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 25, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Long and short tees

Nice diversity of shots

Extreme elevation changes

Nice signage

Cons:

Natural dirt tees

Lost discs can be a concern

The woods are full of plants that deploy sticky seeds all over your clothing

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun, challenging, heavily wooded course.

The first couple holes are open, then you throw one down a steep grade, that if overthrown, places your disc in very dense vegetation. The next few holes take you back into the open. The scenery on these holes are OK at best. Hole 4, 6 & 7 have you teeing off next to a couple barbed wire fences. I had to jump the second one to retrieve my disc - no bueno.

Hole 8 takes you into the woods and you stay there through hole 16. These are the best holes on the course. They are technically diverse. Long, short, right, left. Some fairways are very tight. Some nice doglegs. A few ace opportunities as well as some bogey holes. The elevation changes keep it interesting throughout.

The last couple holes take you to a park service roadside, that runs along a remote control car race track. Quite interesting when active.

The walk from 18 back to the parking lot near hole one is awkwardly long. You basically have to walk the length of four holes to get back.

I very much enjoy this course. I make the 45+ minute drive regularly to play. Diverse elevation changes always go a long way with me.
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6 0
Robert Scott
Experience: 28.4 years 52 played 28 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Newark, OH Horns Hill 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A nice shorter course from the white tees and a longer from the Blue tees. Two sets of tees on most holes. Nice DGA baskets and signs on every hole. The sign show pin placement and distance from both tees, but are located by the white tees. The bright Orange arrows show the direction to the next hole. I've played this course twice and only seen one other DG out there.

Cons:

The lay out of the course is somewhat a mess. The baskets are placed close to the roads, fences, and parking area. And the flight path of the disc crosses many roads and parking area. Hole #18 for one there was a car parked right in front of the basket the second time we played. There is a short walk from hole 7 to tee 8, had to look the first time we played. And there is another short walk from 18 back to the car at hole 1. The tees are gravel, dirt, and grass. The park has other activites but mostly they are out of the way of the course. The course is a little over grown off the road width fairways on most holes. a spotter is a good Idea on most holes.

Other Thoughts:

The course is a nice short course and great round to play. The first time we played there was not very many park goers so I did not notice the parking and road crossing fairways much. The second time we played it was much bussier and we had to wait for cars before throwing and the cars parked near 17/18 for the RC track.

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7 1
roadtripstuff
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.7 years 294 played 57 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 30, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Two Sets of Tees (white/short - blue/long)
All Shot Types Required
New Baskets
Great Tee Signs (Only on short tees)
Very Clean
Fairly Easy To Navigate
Ample Parking
Never Crowded
Well Maintained
Great Layout
Scorecards Near First Tee

Cons:

No Trash Cans
No Benches
A Couple of Long Walks Between Holes
Underbrush Can Be Thick (Discs can be lost.)
Tee Signs Missing After Hole 13
Natural Tee Pads Are Getting Rough
Long Walk Back to Parking From Last Hole

Other Thoughts:

Horns Hills is a decent newer course that should only get better with more play. There are no trash cans throughout so pack out what you pack in and keep this place as clean as it is now.

The only real issues with this course is that right now everything but the fairways is really overgrown and there is a lot of down timber so keep an eye on your disc. One of us ended up losing two discs, and a spotter on most holes is a really good idea. I hear that there are plans to clean up the underbrush and downed logs in the near future and that will make this course one of the better courses in the area.

Throughout the course there are orange arrows that lead you to the next hole, which is very helpful when playing for your first time, but they aren't present on a couple holes. There is a long walk between 7 and 8, if you continue over the hill past the basket you will see the tee pads for 8 on the other side. The long is on the side of the hill near the white maintanance shed and the short is down by the road around the curve. Also between 11 and 12, you have to go back up the hill towards the tee pad for 11 and then follow the path to the left. After 18 you will have a decent walk, follow the road, to get back to the parking by hole number 1.

As of now there are natural tee pads and they are starting to get rough, holes, divets, and sloppy when wet. Don't know anything but hopefully there are plans for some concrete or rubber to be installed in the future.

Overall the course is a really good play. There is a lot of variety, both wooded and open, long and short and the dual tee pads can really change the look of each hole. As I stated there are a couple longer walks between some of the holes, but the course overall has a pretty good flow. I have been out to this course a few times now and seem to like more and more each time I play. If you are in the area it is definitely check it out.
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2 3
Trenton187
Experience: 16.3 years 2 played 2 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 9, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great course. Very challenging from the blue tees. Good mix of different shot requirements, each hole is unique. Offers multiple tee positions on 16 of the 18 holes. Whites for amateurs or blues for more advanced. Fun for all levels of players. Pets are permitted and the scenery is great.

Cons:

-It's a new course so it needs broken in
-I've seen a couple pickle hunters
Overall it's a really good course. I like everything about it. I've got nothing but good feedback from everyone that plays there. It was built by Jerod and Eric who are veterans of disc golf and have played a lot of courses. If you are passionate about disc golf and like a challenge then this is the course for you. If not, shoot from the white tees then. It's a good time either way.


Other Thoughts:

They have Tuesday night doubles @ 6 p.m

Check out the website lickingcountygliders.com
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4 1
dzznutz
Experience: 17.2 years 14 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Perfect 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great course. White and Blue tees, ranging from 145ft to about 385 i believe. lots of trees and lots of hills. majority of it is pretty cleared out and pretty easy to find discs. couple nice doglegs and some narrow and some wide fairways. Crossing roads on a few holes. Couple shelter houses to run into if it starts to rain or if you need to relax. Very clean grounds. Porta john in the middle of hole 1 if you need to use the bathroom, but there is lots of trees too. I throw RHBH so this course gave me a bit of a challenge so it was very enjoyable to throw even the short holes. I recommend this course to everyone.

Cons:

couple of hills are steep so if you throw off it good luck throwing back up. (not so much a con as it is a challenge). Baskets need to have flags or some type of indicator on top so you can see them easier. couple are hard to find. look close before you walk ahead and waste time. Couple holes have baskets next to fences, which are barbed wired so if you throw over your screwed. there are cameras in the fenced in area so beware they do watch them. The park was closed for sexual activity not to long ago and then since reopened and cleaned up a bit. but still you have lots of men driving alone around the park for what i really don't want to know. so if you go there i would just be aware of whats around you and be ready to fight off some 40 year old pedophile.

Other Thoughts:

I agree with danhyzer's review 100%. Very good info . The tees are natural which is alright but i went when it rained so the grounds was wet and muddy, there are a few holes that you can always step a few feet and make your own tee so you don't bust your bottom or break an ankle. I forget what hole it is but the tee pad is right at the base of the shelter house, try teeing off from the patio (its concrete) its safer and adds a bit of a challenge to the throw.

Next time im there ill get hole info and some pics and post them
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8 1
danhyzer
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 36.6 years 2481 played 134 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Newark DGC has a really sweet course 2 play with 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Most of the wooded hole fairways utilize an old established grassy trail. Go off the fairway and you'll pay the price and then some as most of the hole have steep slopes one on side or the other. Most of the wooded basket positions make it for a fast green as they're on some kind of slope. I really liked Blue # 13 servere dogleg left fairway with the basket nestled on a slope not to far from the fairway. # 14 was a sweet hole too as it's fariway was pretty wide from the others and the hole wasn't reachable for this old man.

Cons:

I wish more of the tee signs if not all the signs we're placed in the long tee box as that's what tee box you'll come to first. Some of the hole had orange next tee arrows pointing you to the next tee, unfortunately, 2 holes that can really throw a tourist of the beaten path don't have next tee signs (I would suggest over lapping a piece of colored electrical tape on the basket rim in the direction of the next tee in addition to the orange next tee signs. For this DG tourist # 7's basket didn't have a next tee sign and the extensive walk from # 7 basket to the right , along the roadway to the first turn to the tee area of # 8 can be confusing if you didn't know the course very well. Service road ran in the middle of some of the fairways (don't know if the road is OB or not, But I played it as it was OB since they're could be vehicular traffic on that road). Long walk from # 18 back to the parking lot. I thought some of the tee boxes we're kinda close to a basket. Not much parking if there was a big tournament.

Other Thoughts:

For those not familar with Newark. The park is on the corner of Waterworks rd. and Horns Mill road NE. the park sign sorta blends into the woods on the right as you turn onto Horn Mill road. Follow that service road slowly (as it's a REAL STEEP INCLINE) till you get to the top. The small parking lot is adjacent to the old stone pavilion. I would recomend going even slower going down the service road. Also it's one way going up and one way going down. so know which exit you'll need to go up and down.

I'm a LHBH thrower and where the baskets we're positioned it seemed to favor my throw (which I'm not complaining).
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