Topeka, KS

Rice Park

25(based on 10 reviews)
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11 0
Surge5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.3 years 175 played 174 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Fun Has An Expiration Date. It's When The Baskets Rust Through.

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 27, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

For the piece of land it was given, Rice Park is able to keep things interesting with only a few trees and minimal elevation.  Major hats off to the designers for keeping the course fun even without utilizing the land to its fullest.

9 concrete tees that are plenty big for the amount of power required.  The one hole I'd worry about is 7, but that tee is flush with the ground so you can take that big run up if you really need it, James Conrad.

Trees are in play on almost every hole.  The right side on 3, 5, and 6; the left side on 2 and 7, right in front of the pin on 1, it's all done to keep all types of throwers honest throughout the course.

Hole 4 is my personal favorite, a gap has been cut through the treeline that forces a right-to-left flex line, kept low through the gap, and far enough to get across the small creek.  It's very good for a short hole.

The elevation on 7 and 9 is noticeable compared to the rest of the park.  7 is a big downhill with the basket just set into a pocket in the treeline.  9 is uphill, but also wide open.

Cons:

More could have been made out of this course.  3's pin could have been pushed back into the woods, 6's pin could have been further up the hill into the trees, 8 could have been a dogleg back across the creek and led to a better spot for the tee on 9.  Not sure if that land was supposed to be used for other park activities, but it's been 20 years since the course was installed and nothing's there so...

Hole 9 is wide open with nothing in the way of obstacles, just a 12ft rise in elevation.  A disappointing way to end the round.

The baskets are getting quite rusty.  For being 20 years old it's understandable, and the good news is the catching power is still very much there, but the rust will eventually be the end of these baskets.

The sameness of most of the distances.  8 of the 9 holes are between 240' and 320'.  The only exception is hole 7, which is a massive downhill.  And they're all very flat.

While I didn't have any trouble in my winter round, the rough in between the two areas of the park looks like it gets very rough in the summer.

Other Thoughts:

What your maps app won't tell you is to take a right off of Norwood onto SE 5th St and follow that back to the community center's parking lot on the left.

While the different shot shapes required are a positive, the same speed can reach just about any hole.  The space is there to add a little more spice to the course, which is the main thing severely lacking. 

I enjoyed this course thoroughly, so don't let my overall negative tone scare you off from playing a round here.  I would encourage anyone to give the course a try, but if you don't have time it's not like you missed out on something incredible
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11 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 46.4 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Fairly White Bread Disc Golf Course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 20, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Rice Park DGC is basically your basic course where if you can keep it straight off the tee, you can score well. If you're a little more erratic, like I am, then you'll probably spend some time digging through the trees hunting for your discs.

Everything about this course feels a little worn. The baskets are old, rusty and have been repainted. The smallish tee pads are cracked with grass growing up between the cracks. They do have a house # with the hole # in the corner of the concrete. This helps with the navigation.

The Course completes a loop with # 9 playing up the hill back to the community center.

The course definitely plays as a recreational level. With that being said, it's an enjoyable throw and there are enough challenges (obstacles) on each hole to muster up some competition for most players. I think it's a pretty sweet course for the more inexperienced player to play.

There was a small amount of elevation present, enough so you get to throw downhill 3-4 times as well as a couple of uphill holes.

Cons:

Tired old baskets.
Tired old tee pads.
Fairly short overall distances.
Mostly open off the tee.

Other Thoughts:

For it's flaws, I enjoyed my round here. It makes a nice little pit stop on the drive across Kansas and of course, forces you to learn to play the ever present winds.

And as an added bonus, I scared up two coyotes on # 3. They couldn't disappear into the woods fast enough.
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4 4
Natedoog
Experience: 15.6 years 7 played 7 reviews
2.00 star(s)

I've lost more discs here than anywhere in Topeka 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

good place for a warmup before hitting the lake. Easy ace holes

Cons:

the tall grass sucks if you grip lock and go into it. it's so tall and thick it's hard to find a disc. The holes are way to short! I'm not a fan of 9 hole courses

Other Thoughts:

not even close to a fan of this course. I'd rather play a different course "cold" than go warm up here
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3 2
dischaller'11
Experience: 18.6 years 565 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Rice Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good layout, holes are all seperated, but not far of a walk between each hole. Not to short but easily able to get it close to the pin. Good for getting a quick round in.

Cons:

Baskets and tee pads are older. Pads were short, but being shorter holes, longer ones not really needed. No maps of pin placement or where the next tee is. Mostly flat and straight shots, not to many hazards come into play.
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9 1
rlangton
Experience: 15 played 8 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent short course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 19, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Short holes, good for practicing accurate mid-range shooting. Easy to play in under an hour. Good disc-catchers, concrete tees. Park is well maintained/mowed in the fairways.

Cons:

Short holes. Most shots play very similar, straight ahead with a very slight curve to the right or left and a slight uphill or downhill. There really isn't much variation with this course.

Other Thoughts:

Rice is not a bad little park. It's also very close to Lake Shawnee so can serve as a good warmup or cooldown for that. The course is short and can be played in barely over 30 minutes if you know the layout. It's pretty intuitive and not too hard to figure out. Play the tall grass as OOB to make the course more challenging.
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