Appleton, WI

Plamann Apple Creek 18

3.765(based on 43 reviews)
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14 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The First Disc Golf Course I Ever Played 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2021 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

(3.345 Rating) An old school course that needs a twenty-first century makeover.
- HOLE VARIETY - I think the hole diversity is the best part about this course. There are opportunities to bomb-it, and also times for dialed in accuracy. Up shots, down shots, breaks to the left and breaks to the right. I do wish the water came into play a little better other than on errant throw mistakes. I really enjoyed holes like (10, 13 and 16) with the pleasing downward trajectory. When I first played this course, I think I would have noted that the layout was on the openish side, but now it's more of a hybrid of tree coverages. Holes like (3) and (4) need to be laced to find the basket circle.
- CHALLENGING - Ignoring the silly par figures, this place offers a solid upper recreational challenge. Players shooting sub 50 are at least Intermediate level and maybe even lower Advanced level. These players are likely playing it as an all par 3 54 instead of the listed par 70. Anyways, players will need all the shots to score well here. I personally shot a 52 on this go around and I'm an Intermediate level player.
- ELEVATED WISCONSIN CHARM - This is a really beautiful park. Healthy, vibrant, and diversified plants and trees. Lots of rolling elevation and the course takes great advantage of it. There were tons of wildflowers blooming in the few remaining prairie grass areas. Overall, I scored this one about 70 percentile.
- AMENITIES - This is an area that the course could really improve upon, but it still has several nice comforting extras. First, nice concrete tees with foul line extensions. Adequate baskets all still in good shape. There are benches on every hole which is needed for a course like this one with all the moderate elevation change. Nice community board by the parking area as well as picnic tables and a practice basket. Shelters and restrooms are in the park too.
- 27 HOLE LOOP - After hole (11) on this layout, players have an option of either proceeding to hole (12) or going to hole (2) on the neighboring 9 hole course. It's a seamless way to play 27 holes.

Cons:

A classic smile from 30 years ago that has been in need of dental work for over ten years.
- NO UPGRADES - When I first played here in 2000, there were 18 tees and 18 MachIII baskets. Still one tee and still one placement with a Mach III. How dull. This place could really benefit by adding tees where space is available. The same goes for hole placements. There is plenty of room to build some additional pocket greens for basket placements. One of my home courses in Huntsville was built in 1976. We don't still have mach Is and one hole placement per hole.
- PAR STRUCTURE - I don't think the par structure has ever been updated over the 30 year history. A sub 400-foot downhill par 5? Apparently, I had 3 eagles and shot 18 down according to the signage. I don't take off points for an odd par structures, but it feels weird.
- TEE SIGNAGE - Like the other course on site, I thought the tee signs were really good at first, but they are not. There is seemingly an artistic description of the line, but in reality it's just a generic image. The only useful info on the tee signs here, and the neighboring 9-hole course, is the hole number and distance.
- MISC THINGS - There are some thick overgrowth areas on a few holes. It's possible to lose a disc here but it's no worse than an average course. I spotted some poison Ivy a few times and it was buggy in spots. I wouldn't bring an unathletic first timer here. There are also a couple minor safety hazards. Hole (1) plays along a park road and holes (7) and (8) kind of play back and forth along the same park space.

Other Thoughts:

As noted in the title, This was the first course I ever played back in 2000. I want to say that I did a total of three rounds here that summer and then never came back until this year. I remember enjoying the course and carding a few 2s and even hitting the basket once on (15). Over the 21 year gap in play I only vividly remembered 3 holes, (11,14 and 15). A lot of the prairie grass that I remembered, are now young wooded areas. Anyways, this is still a really good course and many small towns would be ecstatic to have this in their area. When I first put together my spreadsheet 5 years ago, I actually scored this one a low 3.5 using only my loose recollections of the course. Too my surprise, when I reran the numbers based on my fresh visit, I still scored it a low 3.5. So, is Plamann worth playing? Absolutely. Is it worth traveling over 2 hours to play-it? Probably not anymore. Courses like Rollin Ridge and O'Hauser are not too far away from here and they are both far more deserving to make a long journey to go play. For those traveling to just Appleton, this is likely still the top course as the other three are niners. For the local's sake, I hope they decide to spice the layout up by adding some alternate option play dynamics.
- TIME PLAY - Average. It took me 57 minutes as a solo with a few groups on the course. These other groups were extremely courteous and let me play through right away. Figure 90 minutes for solos if doing the 27 hole loop.
- NAVIGATION - Adequate. No course map posted and the tee signs, as noted in the cons, don't really help much. What makes the navigation adequate, is the general closeness of the baskets and tees. One can generally spot the next tee post when at the basket. The only one that took me a second to spot was (12), as I accidently walked to (15) instead.
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7 0
MrFrosty
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.6 years 764 played 387 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Since Plamann Apple Creek 18 is considered separate from it's 9 hole buddy , I will treat it as such . Plamann is one of the older courses in Wisconsin . It sits on a very well manicured and taken care of park in Appleton . There is one tee pad per hole . The tee pads are long enough and most of the holes you don't have to rush , anyway , because only 5 of them are longer than 300' . The baskets are in pretty good shape , and the course seems to get a lot of love from the locals and park employees . There were a good number of people out enjoying this course while I was playing . The locals are friendly and are really into the game . This is a perfect course to learn and improve your game with . The holes are challenging enough to keep you interested , but not difficult enough to scare you away . Lots of elevation here , with baskets set every which way ( on hills , on sides of hills , etc. ) My personal signature hole was 16 , a 350 foot dogleg right that starts downhill where you have to sit it down before going into the brush , then throw your second shot slightly uphill with as many things going wrong as right if you aren't accurate on it . You won't lose a disc on this course unless it gets hung up high in a tree . Hole #1 starts off the round with the longest run on the course , a tight enough throw on the left with a lot of trees in the mix , or a long right to left throw over the road and back onto the course . . Hard to stray on this course as it flows well , with plenty of benches and trash receptacles on the course . The fun factor here is very high .

Cons:

Good ams or any pros will destroy this course . It is more intended for occasionals , locals , out of towners or newbies . The course can be windy , and can hold a bit of water after a good rain . It can get crowded during the weekends and since the park is popular and well used , some of the park goers can walk unknowingly into the path of your throw . Be careful . I can only assume that the signage was installed by someone at the parks department that knows nothing about the game . The sign gives you the number of the hole and the distance , and gives you the same generic inlay with several fir trees on either side of a straight line . It would be a cool sign if it showed the path of where the basket is , instead of where it rarely would be . No pro/advanced tee pads .

Other Thoughts:

All in all , this is a popular course and when coupled with the 9 holer ( you can start those after #11 of your round by throwing #2 and circling around to complete the 9 holer ) , you have 27 holes of enjoyment without throwing your arm out .Plenty of different looks on these holes . If I lived in the area , I would play it on many of my weekends . This course deserves more than a look .
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5 2
TrainHorn
Experience: 9.3 years 7 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Decent shot variety.
-Beginner friendly Par 3-5.
-Course is very well maintained, grass finely cut.
- 18 Holes no reuse of same baskets.(Course offers 27 holes)
- Signage, trash bins, and benches almost at every tee off pad.

Cons:

-Signage could be better on where the basket is located.
-Needs a map of the whole course at the beginning.
-Can be muddy/damp in some areas due to weather.
-Feels like half of the baskets are straight shots.
-Some holes are par 4 when it should be par 3.

Other Thoughts:

One of the top courses I've played at. Seems a bit too easy with these par 4 & 5 holes. No Advanced tee-off locations.
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8 0
djtripp20
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.7 years 60 played 36 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Open and Hilly 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Plamann - Apple Creek is a beautiful course nestled in a park north of Appleton. Parking is available in a lot on the east side of the park near the lake. Hole 1's tee pad and hole 18's basket are both right next to this lot.

The course itself is mostly open and defined by clean cut grass lined with some light brush or woods. It's more open than many of the other courses in the area, but the trees that do come into play require you to think a little longer about how to play each hole.

Holes 1 thru 4 were a nice start to the course and offer a few different shots and angles. Holes 5 through 9 are pretty standard, open holes. From hole 10 on, the course is excellent.

My favorite hole was hole 13. It was a 391 foot extreme downhill shot that made my disc look like it was flying forever. Easily the most memorable hole on the course for me.

Hole 15 also stood out as the opposite of hole 13. This one goes back uphill 245 feet. A little noodle arm like me couldn't quite get it there, but I'm sure most players could do it without any issues.

All in all, a very scenic and peaceful round. There weren't many other players out there during my round.

Summary of pros:

- Well maintained park
- Easy parking
- Nice teepads
- Clearly defined fairways
- Significant elevation on some holes
- Beautiful scenery with lake and creeks
- Tee signs
- 9 hole course also on property

Cons:

It was very muddy when I played my round. It looked like the park didn't drain very well. You might want to keep this in mind if playing after a storm or a few days after significant rain.

Some of the holes were confusing to me. The baskets didn't seem to match the signs at all. I had to walk ahead a few times to see where I was going, then return to the pad and throw. This is probably a non issue if you play with a local.

Other Thoughts:

Plamann Park is another great course in the Appleton area. If you consider the additional 9 hole course, there are 27 holes of disc golf here waiting for you. I would add it to the list to play if you're visiting the area. Park in the lot on the east side of the park near the lake, and enjoy!
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11 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 152 played 84 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Excellent Parks Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Excellent use of elevation
- Good shot variety
- Concrete tee pads and baskets in good condition
- Additional 9-hole loop from the Meadowview 9 adds variety and makes for a great 27 holes

Cons:

- Plays a bit short and straight, long tees would be great
- No helpful fairway geometry/pin location on tee signs
- Can be quite muddy after sustained rain

Other Thoughts:

Plamann is a fantastic parks style course that is both accessible to beginners, and still fun and challenging to more experienced disc golfers. This course really shines in its use of elevation. Most of the holes have you throwing either uphill, downhill, or to a sloped green. This really helps make the course interesting and provides some risk/reward. There are definitely some lines you have to hit, but the course plays fairly straight and mostly open so bad shots are usually not severely punished. This is a fun course with some really interesting holes that won't beat you down. I enjoyed this course just as much in my first year playing disc golf as my 7th.

The length of the course makes it accessible to newer players as well. There are a handful of longer holes, but they mostly play downhill. Players with 300' of distance on their throws will have a chance to get a 2 on just about every hole besides 1 and 7. This is not a particularly challenging course, but it will still make you work for your birdies.

The equipment here is generally good. The concrete pads are plenty big, the baskets catch fine, and there are benches scattered throughout the course. However, while the tee signs give you the hole number and distance, they are pretty useless as far as telling you where the basket is. This is not always an issue, but there are a good number of blind shots, and it would be nice to have an idea of where to look before wandering up the fairway to find the basket.

This course is a bit hard for me to rate, on its own I probably give it around a 3.5-3.75 but the presence of the Meadowview course as an easily accessible additional 9-hole loop adds variety and some more good holes to an already great course, and bumps my rating up to 4. The Meadowview holes add some tighter lines and more sinister rough that contrast well with the more open lines at Apple Creek. There isn't much more distance on these holes, but the tighter lines add difficulty. It is quite easy to jump onto this extra loop at hole 2 after hole 11 on Apple Creek. Finishing Hole 1 of Meadowview puts you right back towards hole 12.

This is a great disc golf complex, and could probably be listed as a single 27-hole course. The ability to easily play 9, 18, or 27 holes is great, and truly makes the total better than the sum of its parts. There is a lot of fun golf to be had here, and both beginners and experience golfers alike should check Plamann.
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6 1
Spike Hyzer 23
Experience: 31.3 years 92 played 88 reviews
3.50 star(s)

My Very First Tournament Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

My first experiences with disc golf were with highly technical, hilly and heavily wooded courses in Madison (which remain, to me, what disc golf is all about).

This was not only my first tournament course, but it was the first course I saw that looked and felt somewhat like the ball golf courses I grew up playing as a member of my HS team.

It's also one of the very few that is well designed, flows well, and has enough foliage as obstacles to make for interesting and challenging golf.

There is a good mix of long and short holes. There is very little in the way of extreme elevation change, but what little elevation there is is used to great effect (mostly by putting holes on side slopes, which can trick a player in terms of distance, and especially in terms of angle of release, as much as straightforward up and down).

The greens are exceptionally well guarded on the longer holes, offering the challenge of the hero shot to try for a long deuce, a risk that might not lead to reward and cause a player to bogie instead.

Cons:

While the carved tee signs appear quite beautiful, they don't really give any idea of the true shape of the hole nor where the vegetation is located. They are largely ineffectual.

A few of the shorter holes on the back 9 could stand to have more protected greens and a design opportunity has been missed here to make for a more challenging championship caliber course (11, 12, 14 and 15 and possibly even 17 and 18).

Other Thoughts:

I played this first in 1995 when it opened and I'd only been playing for a year. I finished 3rd in the advanced division and more than quintupled my entry fee in funny money.

Climo and Steady Ed were here, so it was probably the biggest thrill in my early discing career.

It's not among the best courses in WI, but I will always think of it fondly.
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2 3
jowjohns
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Fun course to play with a good mix of Long and short holes. Great use of space.

Cons:

The basket locations are not mapped out. If you have never played before it is hard to figure out where the baskets are.

Other Thoughts:

Good course for begginers and experienced players alike.
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2 4
sgouletas
Experience: 9.5 years 365 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

27 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Just played 27 different holes on this course, so I am confused as to why it is listed as 18 holes. Loved the course, clean, challenging but not a killer. It is my girlfriend's favorite course because it is relatively bug free and beautiful.
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3 1
Baueezy
Experience: 14.6 years 71 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good mix of long and short shots throughout. Rolling hills with varied shots favoring forehand and backhand throwers. Had the feel of a ball golf course, basically being that it was well maintained and contained unique features for a disc golf experience.

Cons:

Signs looked nice, but were not very practical. It was hard to see or understand the shot ahead. Some shots could have been more challenging, but that is a variable for different golfers.
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7 1
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.3 years 1038 played 214 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun, relaxing round 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 26, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Plamann 18 is a very serene course set in a very well kept city park, just outside of Appleton on the north side of town.

DGA baskets, all in good repair, and all caught very well. One pin placement per hole, although there are apparently different setups for tournaments.

Concrete tee pads on every hole. Plenty long enough, rectangular, and grippy. One tee position per hole.

The course has a nice mix of distances, from a 436' first hole, down to a 179' hole, and just about everything in between.

The course is FULL of rolling hills and elevation. This is probably the biggest theme of this course, and provides some difficulty. Hole 13 is an especially fun hole, 391' down a big ol' hill, with a creek behind it. Good stuff.

Lots of mature trees will punish errant drives. The fairways are generous on almost every hole, unless you hit one of these trees!

Navigation is pretty intuitive, with most tee pads near the last basket.

Cons:

One tee/one pin position is kind of a drag. It's a fairly open park, and at least could use some variety.

It can get swampy here in the spring, especially on the early holes.

You do get the feel that a lot of the holes are either straight, or slightly left to right, which can be tough if you're not throwing particularly straight that day, or depend on a lot of hyzer shots.

There can be a lot of traffic here on nice days. Get there early, and it won't be a problem. Being a big, beautiful park, you also get some stray pedestrian traffic as well, especially around the back side.

Other Thoughts:

Plamann is a really fun course for an Int player. It's one of those courses that I always feel like I left a few shots on the course. The lines are fun, and rewarding.

This review is only for the 18 loop, but you can jump into the back 9 after hole 11 (start on hole 2) and it spins you right back to hole 12. Easy peasy.

We were informed that Plamann is one of the first 10 courses in Wisconsin, which was a surprise. It has definitely stood the test of time, and the length is surprising for such an old course. I have a blast every time I play here, and would highly recommend it to anybody looking for a round that isn't a beatdown, but isn't some wide open course.

Plamann is like Flip City's older sister. Flip City is the hot younger sister that everyone wants to get with....Plamann is the slightly older sister that's a bit easier to score on, but not quite as exciting. The ride will still be fun, though!
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1 3
FoxRacer23TW
Experience: 20.4 years 12 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Plamann Course Review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It's a really long and well laid out course. Plenty of hills to throw up or down from. There is also an optional 9 holes off of the back 9.

Cons:

The holes a too straight. They don't offer any type of obstacle to throw around or trees to maneuver through. It seems like every hole par is made for beginner throwers. Some holes could easily be made in 2, but has a par 4 listed.

Other Thoughts:

If you're in the area, definitely check this place out. When its not busy, its a fun and a smooth course to play. The ground is normally good and not too swampy. Bugs aren't a huge nuisance, unless you get into the water and muddy areas.
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8 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.5 years 1165 played 745 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Apple Creek 18 hole. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 19, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course can be played by itself or you can jump onto the meadowview course after hole 11 to play the whole 27 hole loop. All holes have nice large, level concrete tees that are plenty grippy. The baskets are Mach 3's that are all in excellent shape and catch nicely. these also have the number plates on top of each which is always nice. There are signs at each tee that have a map of the hole, par, hole # and distance. The flow from hole to hole is very intuitive. the course was well mowed and maintained when we went. There are benches and trash cans all over throughout the course. There's a really good amount of elevation on this course. It's one of the major challenges on this course. There's a really solid mix of left, right and straight shots required here. It's a pretty well balanced course in this regard. Other than that it's moderately wooded with a number of holes being mostly open. There's a good mix of different distances on this course. It starts out with the longest hole at 463 feet on hole 1. The shortest is 179 feet on hole 11, however this is a blind uphill shot which makes up for the shortness here. All the holes have either wood chips or metal grating around each tee pad. Some have both. There's a great variety of different types of trees throughout the different sections of the course making it a very visually appealing course. The course is also free to play. They have a large board at the start of the course with any kind of disc related postings on it.

Cons:

My main con here is the tee signs. The map of each hole layout is pretty much useless for first time players. It's basically just a blob that's supposed to be the fairway with a cartoony basket on top of the blob. It doesn't help at all in knowing where the basket is. The course is only open late spring to late fall. It's always nice seeing courses being open year round but there's plenty of other courses nearby that stay up all year. Also the drainage can apparently get pretty bad here. Everything was good as far as that when we went, however it was late October. Something to remember if you go in the spring or after any rain. In order to jump onto the 9 hole loop you need to cross the road after hole 11. You'll see hole 12 to your left and hole 2 of Meadowview to your right. It's just easier to start on hole 2 of Meadowview and finish with hole 1 which will bring you right back to hole 12 to finish the 27 hole loop. I can see why hole 1 is where it is just a little confusing for first time players. There's only one set of tee and basket locations here. It would be nice if at least they had multiple pin locations on such an otherwise real solid course.

Other Thoughts:

All in all this is a plenty fun course that would make for a fun day of disc golf by itself or combined with any of the many other nearby courses. I gave it a 3.5 because it is very good. There's just nothing that really sticks out to make it super memorable. It's just a real solid well designed course. I'd definitely check this one out if you're in the area.
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1 3
Dan K
Experience: 16.1 years 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Elevation, Some big distance holes.

Cons:

Wasps and Bees! Not going to lie, after going into anaphylactic shock years ago the amount of potential near death experiences made the course particularly challenging for me. :)

Besides a few holes, it seemed the majority of holes were shorter with not much variety in technical difficulty.

Other Thoughts:

Over-all one of the better kept courses I've been to. Garbage disposal options were stellar!
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2 2
Furry Lint Trap
Experience: 21.5 years 4 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Apple Creek AND Meadowview review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 28, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Great layout, with a variety of obstacles, elevation, tight and open shots. Meadowview plays more on the tight and narrow side.

- Tees, baskets well maintained. Garbage and benches at nearly (if not all) holes.

- Ton of fun factor

Cons:

- Biggest complaint is drainage. Played after a slight rain, and was muddy, etc in places. Nothing crazy, but could use a bit of work in this area.

- Tad short for the experienced player, but makes up for it with variety of shots.

Other Thoughts:

I really liked this 27 hole course. Might be biased as I played a -7 here, but I found it very enjoyable and never felt repetitive. Was sad there wasn't a couple super long holes to let the big dog hunt, but not all course can have a 700' fairway. Will DEFINITELY play this course again if up near Appleton.
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1 0
BriZimm
Experience: 11.7 years 7 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great city park course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is well-laid out and has excellent tees with garbage cans at every hole. I like the different elevations and the need for different throws because of it. The terrain also creates the feeling of a few different courses. The first few holes are on one side of the creek and a large wooded barrier. This is followed up with an open course for a few more holes. After an uphill hole (11) you're brought to the next section of the course after crossing the small park road. You have the option of splitting here to the 9 hole or continuing through the 18 hole course. The next three holes wrap around a large hill and you cross the same park road again and head to the finishing stretch with two of my favorite holes in a row.

Cons:

The only con that I see is the water drainage. in the open area of the course a column of standing water interrupts 3 holes. A simple, but small footbridge would alleviate a lot of headaches for people. The other issues on Holes 1 and 3 can be fixed by digging the sections out and using gravel under the new sod. I'm not sure why this isn't done.

Other Thoughts:

With the drainage issues mentioned, my favorite time to disc is in the mornings after a big rainstorm. The course is much less crowded and I wear some old sandals and prepare to get a little wet and muddy.

Plamann is only 5 minutes from me and is one of my favorites in the Fox Valley area.
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2 2
Putter
Experience: 26.4 years 39 played 8 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great open course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 10, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Free.
Well groomed.
Concrete pads with benches near by.
Mach 3 baskets.
Course flows well.
Information board with postings.
Option of playing 27 holes.

Cons:

Not open year round. Course open usually late spring to late fall.
Large groups beyond 6 frequently in summer months.
Course can be very wet for days after it rains.

Other Thoughts:

I grew up playing here. More than a decade later I still rank this course in my top 10.
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2 1
Awol
Experience: 21.4 years 22 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Stopped out for a quick round 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Good variety of holes
- Benches at most of the tees
- Bag hangers and garbage at every tee.
- Well groomed

Cons:

- A second tee would be nice for some of these holes.
- Blind baskets require a bit of wandering if you are a first-time (I was.) Minor complaint though.
- Signs could be a bit more descriptive. To explain a bit, the signs seemed to be too small to show an appropriate scale for the hole. A dog leg left that was a sharp turn was shown the same way as a gentle dog leg. The signs seemed too cramped to offer what people expect from a sign.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a great course, definitely worth stopping at. I wasn't able to try the suggested 27 hole path, but look forward to getting back out there to try it.

I can't speak to how busy it was. I only saw one other group on the course but I was there mid-day on a Tuesday.
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2 3
ZDotHalbach
Experience: 13.5 years 21 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice tee boxes and signs
Fairways are always mowed to perfection
Easy navigation
Great mix of hole lengths

Cons:

Not to many benches
Can get crowded
Can have a lot of bugs at dusk

Other Thoughts:

One of my favorite courses. A few minor improvements can bring this course to being top notch. I would not mind paying 2 - 5 dollars if that is what it takes to keep the fun ruiners out
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2 0
BKGuitar9
Experience: 23.4 years 5 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1. Good variety in holes. Some fields, some trees, some open, some elevation in addition to great variation in distance.
2. Great, large concrete tee boxes.
2. Clean (Garbage cans on every hole)
3. Good signage
4. Great fairways- with the exception of a couple of holes every fairway is grass
5. Huuuge park
6. Great layout and flow

Cons:

1. Holes 1,3,5,6,7,9 often acquire large amounts of water
2. Late summer = lots of apples on the ground. Lots of apples on the ground = lots of bees
3. Highest chance of encountering large groups of rude disc golfers in the area as Plamann is often crowded.
4. It's always more windy in comparison to other local parks

Other Thoughts:

My favorite place to go when it isn't windy or crowded.
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6 4
ReinZ_96
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.3 years 104 played 48 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Plamman Park 18 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 10, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) This courses strongest feature is the elevation around the park. Most holes play over rolling hills, have left/right sloped fairways, or shoot steeply up or down hill. Only and handful of the holes play mostly flat. Hole 13 is definitely the signature hole of the course. It's about 400 feet straight, but at least 50 feet down hill so it's reachable with a putter for moderate to high power players. Throwing a driver on the hole brings fading out into the thick rough left and right very much into play if you don't get the nose down.

2) Despite being a mostly open course, the areas of woods are used quite well. Three tight-ish tunnel shots on holes 4, 10, and 16. The rest of the holes vary from mostly open to completely wide open. As the years go on some of the holes are getting tougher. The trees are growing taller on 1 making it more into a tunnel shot down the main fairway and hole 4 is getting tighter. Though, other holes are thinning out. Hole 7 had a large tree come down in a storm recently and made accessing the green from the right side much easier.

3) Tee pads are typical. Plenty large, and provide good grip. Additionally there are benches and small trash bins on nearly ever tee, which is very nice when the course is backed up. Maintenance is also generally quite good. The grass is always cut, trash isn't usually too bad, etc.

4) Links up with the Meadowview 9 hole loop between holes 11 and 12, making an easy way to make a 27-hole round if you are in the mood.

Cons:

1) The biggest issue here is flooding/drainage issues. Holes 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, and 10 get wet easily and stay wet for much of the year. Hole 1 and 3 have ponding issues that you just have to avoid, while 6, 7, 9, and 10 all have a small drainage ditch across the fairways. There is usually ways to get across and keep your feet dry, but after heavy rains it's almost unavoidable.

2) A couple holes are a bit cramped together and could pose safety issues. Holes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, and 16 all have risks of errant shots coming at you from adjacent holes. While most of these aren't major issues you definitely need to pay attention when the course is busy.

3) With the exception of the few holes mentioned in 'pros' section there aren't many exciting holes. A couple holes just feel like fillers and don't really serve a purpose except to move you around the course. None of them are bad holes as they all have at least a little bit going on; be it some elevation, or the small creek on 14. If I had to pick one hole for 'worst' it would be 17; mostly wide open unless you shank it real good, very slightly uphill, and the tee pad isn't level.

3) Tee signs exist, but they aren't of much use. The have distance, (course) par, and the worst hole maps ever to glisten a tee sign. They do nothing to give you an idea of the shape of the hole or location of the basket. The distances on some holes are also a bit more inaccurate than usual due to recent pin location changes by the park to mitigate erosion issues.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, Plamann Park offers a pretty average, maybe slightly above average, disc golf experience. I feel a 'true' rating for the course is closer to a 2.75 and part of me wants to knock it down to a 2.5 due to it's aging design, an every increasing amount of trees coming down in storms making the course easier and easier as time goes on, and the serious erosion issues in places. But, I'm bumping it up because it's just a fun time to get a casual round in here when it's not busy. It's a great beginner to intermediate course, but advanced level players will get bored or frustrated pretty quickly with the layout as many of the holes straddle the area between 'pitch-and-putt' and standard disc golf holes. There are a couple pretty good par 3s (4, 7, 13 and 16) that require a well placed shot to get the birdie and one tweener hole (1) that you need pro level power to get to the circle, but the rest border on birdie-or-die (or definitely never bogey holes) for anyone ~900 rated and up. Also, not the courses fault, but it can get very busy. I haven't played during the evening or weekends here in a while, but previously on nice days you could expect to be waiting 10-15 minutes on almost every hole. When it's empty you can pump out a round of 18 in under 45 minutes if you walk fast and stay on the fairway, but when it's busy it could take 2 hours or more.

Similar to my recent re-review of Grignon Park in Kaukauna, if you are in the area and have a little time to kill I'd recommend stopping by for a round. But, if you are from out of town and only have time for one course in the Appleton area I'd recommend you take a pass on Plamann and check out O'Hauser Park in Menasha.

Update: Review rewritten and score lowered from 3.5 to 3.0.
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