My Three Pros:

-Decent paver teepads at all holes, large metal tee marker at all holes makes it easy to navigate the course. All 18 baskets are installed.

-Fun playing along side the railroad track and across the lake on the finishing hole. Its always nice to have a signature starting or finishing hole, and hole 18 here is definitely the signature, with a 280ish throw across the corer of the lake (assuming no park goers are in the way)

-Holes were pretty varied and exciting. The holes start off with a couple short 200ish throws, and several 250ish throws throughout, but there are several holes in the 350ish range sprinkled in as well. Most holes are pretty wide open. The nearby lake was very busy on the day I played and the lake-goers only came into play on hole 18. Several holes play near a dirt walking path but there weren't many folks using that the day I played.

My Three Cons:

-the railroad tracks add a cool twist to the course but playing the holes next to the tracks as a train rolls through is super loud. Still cool playing right next to a huge train, but super loud. Also, takin the bridge across the tracks from hole 2 to hole 3 makes for a medium long walk.

-many of the holes are pretty wide open, as typical for the front range prairie courses.

-the finishing hole is really nice but I imagine any swimmers, paddlers and fisherman get in the way here often. There was a group of swimmers fully posted up in front of the teepad, and several folks fishing on the banks near the landing area the 100degree day I played.

I have put off playing here for along time and am disappointed I didnt come play here sooner! The course has been updated in recent years played much more enjoyably than I expected and I would definitely play here again. It seems in those recent updates they installed all the baskets and tees, and navigated the troublesome holes away from the lake patrons. Overall the vibe was very similar to Denver area prairie courses but had enough fun holes to be exciting.
A nice bonus is on a warm day you could easily take a swim in the lake after your round.

-Gorgeous scenery
-mowed fairways on the back 9.
-The train rolling through occasionally is an interesting novelty
-paver tee boxes and very nice tee markers

-currently missing holes 2, 5, 6, and 7.
-WAY too close to pedestrians and folks hanging around the lake. Nearly unplayable on a weekend. Blind shots where pedestrians often are.
-holes are very short in most spots.
-holes are too close or cross over fairways too easily

I had decent expectations even though I knew the course had some issues with missing holes. It is absolutely beautiful, but most of our courses in Colorado have that distinct advantage.

I can't recommend making a trip to Palmer Lake just eto play this course. My friend remarked "even if this was my home course, i can't imagine I'd play it very often"

-Great Mach 5 baskets that catch well and all are in fairly good condition.
-Each basket is well marked with a big white number on the top making it very easy to tell what basket you are shooting at.
-The tees are nice, made of cement pavers ( aka as cement paving stones). All the tees are flat and have a decent length for the appropriate run up on each holes (excluding hole 14).
-When many of the holes are missing their "informative" (Distance and map) tee signs, they all have big signs with the hole number so you know what the tee you are on. Also this makes the tees easy to find.
-The fairways are very well mowed and I believe they got mowed fairly often so the grass will never be crazy long on the fairways (Not the rough though see cons).
-When the property isn't a very hilly plot of land they used all the elevation changes they could fit in, especially on the back nine. The elevation defiantly makes this course a lot more fun.
-This course isn't crowded. I have played 3 rounds here and only seen around 5 other golfers in total.
-The park in witch the course is located in is beautiful with the mountain vistas staring you in the face as well as the clean waters of Palmer lake right there. Also the park seems clean with little trash spotted on the course at all.
-There is a place at sit on many of the tees, with both stone and wooden benches all over the course.
-The used all the trees they had, and when there isn't a lot of trees they come into play on holes 1,3,4,5,6,8,11,13,14. Its easy to gain a stroke or two from landing in the little clumps of bushy trees.
-Good distance variations from super short putter shots to long open distance driver shots.
-There are restrooms available for use at the start and finish of this course.
-This course is in the center of town and had easy access both from the town and the highway.

-First of all one of the main cons is that holes two and seven are pulled (missing), for what looks to be a extended amount of time. This is both annoying because those hole are beautiful, being the only ones along the shore line bringing the lake into play, and making it so there is a long walk from basket 6 to tee 8, as well as having to walk up eights fairway to get to the tee.
-The other main con is that hole 4,5, and 6 have been drastically changed. They dug out the bottom of the lake to make it deeper and they placed all the dirt from this project in the middle of these fairways. There are massive mounds of dirt making it ugly, easy to lose sight of your disc, and easy to fall on. These plies of rock hard dirt don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon anyway. From what these holes used to be this is a terrible change.
-The grass of the rough is very very long and has lots of stickers that stick in your socks. You will normally be able find your disc and this is only a big problem on 10, 11, and 15 where the tall grass comes into play.
-Hole 14 has a tiny, tiny tee pad. Its difficult to get any power of a run up on that hole.
-Holes 1,2,8,9,18 aren't very special with average open mid range shots. (8,18 easy putter shots)
-The only holes that have any challenge in distance are 9 and 15,16 and those are only around 350-370 feet.
-The tees have plants growing in the cracks in the between the paving stones.
-Many holes cross or get very close to a very busy walking path (1,2,3,8,9,17,18). You will be waiting a while on these holes as well as having a risk of hitting a pedestrian.

This course is a fun experience, positive that a beginner would love, but still provides a nice challenge to a more experienced player. The fact that two holes have been pulled and three others have been badly tarnished with the construction (lake deepening) defiantly lowered this review by at least half a star if not more. One you get past the boring, ugly, and in some cases non-existent front 7 the course will be great, present and beautiful. If the front 7 gets restored this would be a 3.5/4.0 star course but at the present I will leave it at 3 stars. If in the future I return to find the course restored I will edit this review accordingly. For now I say that if your passing by or live in the area come give this beautiful course a visit, but if you looking for a challenge or just aren't in the area don't bother.

-Beautiful park setting with lake
-Course designed well around the park and train tracks
-Good mix of short and long holes
-Holes marked well at the box, can't always see the holes or know where they are
-Decent bathroom

-No course map
-I think there is no hole 2 or 7? Saw the sign pointing to 7, but couldn't find it

*the mounds of dirt that come into play from hole 3-6 are terrible! Lots of the low spaces are filled with nasty, merely water...I almost lost one in 2" of water as it could not be seen...luckily I found a stick to poke around with!

I would recommend playing this course if you are in the area. I will be back if I am around!

It's October so being able to play in Colorado near the mountains is a bonus. This course is short for the most part. The first nine holes go around a small shallow pond. We did not lose any disc's to the water.
The trail markers are cool and the few maps that are left are very informative . . . the baskets have numbers so you can be sure you are chucking to the right ones (I wish more courses would do that)

The first nine holes are a bit like playing in the desert with tall old, brown grasses, but hey, it's October.
Some of the holes' "out of bounds"are a railroad track and there is barbed wire protecting the RR grade. The wind today was abysmal, in the 15 to 20 mph class, but hey what ya gonna do this late in the year?

The back 9 is much more playable and, though not challenging it is a very good use of the available space, no hemlock, no rattlesnakes and even the rough is not too difficult. Mostly you will probably ot get hit by a train.
Beautiful scenery

Scenic course, situated around Palmer Lake, between a foothill on the East, and the Rocky Mountains jutting upward just a half mile West of the course. "Rockin' the Rails DGC" is also right next to a busy railroad. More likely than not, a train or two will come through during your round. The trailhead for the New Santa Fe Regional Trailway, going from Palmer Lake/Monument to Colorado Springs. Throw Colorado has a store across the tracks underneath The Depot, and they maintain the course.

The Course
-Short and open
-Moderate elevation changes
-Water and path are good for OB lines to make the course more interesting
-Often quite windy, not unusual to experience 20-30 mph winds
-Altitude 7200 feet
-Good signage and easy to navigate

-Unconventional teepads are OK but not great.
-Can be quite busy with the paths around the lake

Fun Course, good for Rec/Int/Adv players
Not very challenging for Pro/Open players
Very efficient land use
Pro Shop across the tracks

This a fun course. Really like the new 18 hole set up. Nice use of the trees and lake for obstacles. Good use of elevation changes. New setup has some nice technical shots. Overall really likeing this course especially after having to fight traffic through Denver on way home. I would defently suggest making the stop well worth the it.

-Good for beginners
-Course is being expanded to 18 holes (potentially increasing length of holes?)
-Some obstacles making it more interesting
-boosts confidence as you have a lot of birdie opportunities
-good scenery
-lake was not dry when I played

-Short holes, not really any opportunity to drive
-needs more obstacles
-unsafe (a walking path runs through some holes)
-Generally not very challenging

I had a lot of fun and will play the course again because it is fairly close to my in-laws house. I am excited to see the new course. They had markers to layout the concrete for the new pads so it should be installed in the next few weeks. I will check in to see reviews of the new course!

This is a beginner friendly course that has short and moderate length holes. Several holes have ACE RUN potential.
The course is well kept and rounds should play quickly here. The signage is adequate and the tees are plenty long. This course uses the present elevation to its advantage and the Rocky Mountains to the west provide a nice back drop.
There are bag hangers at every hole and directional arrows to assist you in your navigation.
Other amenities close by like a restroom, playground, bike trail, etc. There were trashcans and benches throughout the course as well.
Hole observations:
1-open and plays from L to R
2-plays R to L with rough on the left side of the hole
3-wide open hole
4-slightly elevated tee box and is open
5-is an open hole with the lake on the right and rough on the left
6-open with the basket on a hill and has tall grass rough with a mowed fairway
7-has some shrubs in the fairway and the basket isn't visible from the tee-fun shot
8-plays uphill and has long grass as a fairway(keep an eye on your disc on this hole)
9-straight shot and open

2's tee is broken, but you can tee off from the dirt directly in front of the pad and still play this hole.
Back tracking from 5's basket to 6's tee slows the flow of the round down a bit.
The walking trail/bike path is close to a few holes so be aware.
Long grass on 6-9 might make finding a disc difficult.
Long walk from 9 to the parking lot.
Wind and heat will be a factor on several holes due to the openness of the course.

Overall this is a good beginner's course that has some decent shots. Most players will like the opportunity to run the chains at this course. It is a quick playing course that has some great views of the mountains in the background. If you are new to disc golf or want to improve your short game then this course will help you to achieve this. If you prefer a more technical course then you will need to search elsewhere.
There were posts with numbers on them like 11, 14, 18 etc so maybe there is going to be some expansion to a full 18 holes???
Anyway worth a play if you are close or passing through.

Due to lake restoration efforts hole #5 will be temporarily closed (12/8/2014) Possible movement of basket to make a shorter hole until after the lake construction is more stable.

New course. Mowed fairways. Paver block tee pads. Metal cut out hole number signs. Benches. Distance/map signs mounted on each hole number sign. Top quality baskets. Well maintained by volunteers. Beautiful setting close to mountains.
Great eating places in Palmer Lake! PL restaurant group's support is largely responsible for the opening of this course, so they would appreciate your patronage...maybe tell them the disc course brought you to PL!

9 holes

Holes 1 and 3 run parallel to Santa Fe Trail and so you MUST not throw when anyone is on the trail between the basket and the tee.

It's a 9 hole course with baskets. I suppose beginners might like it.

No use of any trees or anything. Basically just a bunch of 250 foot holes. No imagination at all. Seems that no real design work went into this course. Just pedestrian at best. Will not play again unless we can do some Safari holes. Tee pads were not even flat at all.

After playing this course I just wanted to go back to Cottonwood in the Springs where we have a real course with trees and obstacles and actual challenges. Playing at Palmer Lake wasn't much better than just throwing discs in a field.

Easy to get to course close to the interstate but far enough off to feel like you are really near the mountains. Great use of shrubs to add some challenge to this course. I can imagine when things green up the challenge will improve.

You walk back past basket 5 to get to tee 7. The north side of the lake seems to be off limits due to train traffic.

Distance signs would be nice.

Why sit in traffic between CS and Denver. Stop in Palmer and throw some discs.

-Course is easy to navigate. There are poles marking each tee-pad and there are signs pointing to the next tee-pad from each basket, even without a map we had no issue navigating this course.
-The baskets are brand new and catch very well.
-The holes 6,7, and 8 make good use of the available elevation.
-All of the holes have mowed fairways, and many of the holes have some very thick rough off of the fairways, which will punish you for bad shots. It adds a little more risk/reward and challenge to this course.
-Hole 7 was by far the best hole and quite memorable. It is a downhill/sidehill shot, with a big drop-off to the left and thick rough to the right, to a basket slightly to the right.
-Several holes definitely provide ace opportunities
-Park has some nice views.
-There are restroom near the start of the course (though they are closed during winter).
-A couple of benches and picnic table sprinkled throughout the course.

-Only posts marking the holes and no tee-signs. It would be nice to have signs with a layout of the hole and distance for each hole.
-The tee-pads are dirt. While they weren't bad when we were there, I feel like they were already starting to get slightly rutted.
-This course is not very long. I believe the longest hole is just over 300 feet. I didn't throw a driver once on the course. If you like course, where you can just let a disc rip and throw far, this is not the course for you.
-The majority of holes on this course end up being straight shots, with very little line shaping required. Without, the thick rough on the sides of some holes to add a little risk reward, some of these holes would get a little boring.
-A couple holes play really close to the walking/bike path. Make sure no one is coming on the path, before you throw.
-There is a somewhat long walk between holes 5 and 6 and a somewhat long walk back to the car after hole 9.
-While I enjoy the risk and reward that the rough adds, make sure you keep an eye on your disc because you could lose a disc in some of the rough especially in the middle of summer.
-Hole 9 is a boring way to end an other wise solid course. It is a short straight wide open shot, that throws back over hole 6's fairway and it has very little challenge to it.

Overall, this is a solid course and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It is a shame that the lake is dry, because if there was water in the lake, holes 2 and 5 would be very interesting. Overall, this is a good stop if you are in the area, or passing through. It's only about 2 miles off of I-25 so it's also a good quick 9 if you need a break on a road trip.

Very pretty setting. The lake is now full.

Some of the baskets have been removed because they got flooded when the lake level came up.

The course will eventually have 18 holes and a complete design again, but it needs to integrate with the restored lake and rest of the park and other activities in the area like fishing, biking and hiking. So it is currently (Jun 2016) an incomplete course, but it can still be played for fun with a little imagination. It was never intended to be a competitive course for tournament play anyways.