Rosedale-Down Under is pure, tight, technical golf. If that's not your thing you probably won't care for this course. If you do, you'll absolutely love this course. I'm in the latter category, so take that into consideration when reading this review.

The tee pads are natural. They're bordered by rocks which frame up the intended tee area. Not the longest pads by any means, but plenty long enough for the types of shots you'll be facing out here. We stumbled across one alternate tee. No idea if there's more or not but it wouldn't surprise me. Lots of benches throughout the course which was much appreciated after lots of up and downhill walks.

The baskets are orange Kingpins. These caught fine, not the greatest targets but plenty serviceable. The orange really stands out in the darkness of the woods. Great color choice on these. 2 to 3 pin positions per hole.

The flow of the course starts out a little wonky. Actually finding the course itself is kind of a challenge. The only place we got turned around was from hole 3 to 4. Other than that we didn't have an issue for the most part.

The design is top notch in my opinion. For the area they had to work with, fitting 9 holes in there without laying them on top of each other is quite the feat. The course is 100% wooded. Not many holes over 200'. Putters and mids are going to be the workhorses here. I threw a lot of flippy fairways, but most will do better with slower discs. Accuracy is the name of the game out here.

This course is going to be WAY less busy than it's counterpart up top. Not for the faint of heart.

Lots of opportunities for birdies out here with the shorter distances. Lots of bogies will happen too, even on the shortest of the holes.

The course will give you reprieve from the sun and wind. Nice change of pace from most of the other courses I played on this trip.

The course is permanent and free to play.

The potetial for lost plastic is VERY high here. There's a cliff off the right side of the fairway for many of the holes. Having a spotter is recommended. Many of the fairways are rocky and rooted so even initially landing in the fairway doesn't mean that's where your lie will end up being.

As others have said, not the easiest course to navigate. I'd recommend either printing out a map or better yet using Udisc. I found the complaints for this to be majorly overblown though.

The tee pads aren't the greatest. It's been very dry around here recently. I could see the tee pads, and especially the walking of the course itself to be kind of a nightmare in wet conditions or even a few days after some rain.

The rough is very thick in spots. This is a blessing and a curse tbh. It can save you from careening down the cliffside. On the other hand, just pitching back onto/up to the fairway can be a disaster. It goes both ways.

This was my second course played in KS (after the Top course) and my 750th total course. This doesn't appear to be your typical KS course, this course seems like it was plucked right out of Charlotte.

I'd absolutely recommend this course to anyone who loves tight woods golf. If that's not your thing, the other course will be a good time for pretty much any disc golfer. The two courses contrast each other nicely and make for a great one-two punch. It'd probably rate this one closer to 3.75 but it was so damn fun I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and going with a 4. I'd play this one again in a heartbeat.

Kansas City is spoiled with many top-shelf disc golf courses. Rosedale Down Under may be the cream of the crop. Frustratingly fun- this course will keep you coming back. A lot of high risk-high reward type shots. Many holes will lure you into throwing an Ace runner- only to have you smack a tree and end up on Mission Rd. KCFDC does a great job of mixing up the pin placements. I'd say they get rotated once or twice a week. All the different pins really change the dynamic of the course. You might shoot a -10 on the short settings and then a +10 on the long.

Rosedale is located just down the street from Dynamic Discs. After you lose a disc or two Down Under (you probably will), stop by and see Josh and pick up some new ones.

Since the closing of Swope Park, both Rosedale courses have seen an influx of players. Despite all the different courses in the area, Rosedale gets very crowded- especially on weekends. Mornings and weekday-afternoons are your best bet .

Down Under does get very muddy at times. After any rain, give it a few days to dry out.

I'm not bothered by the natural tee pads like some others. A few do have rocks and roots poking through so be sure to check your footing before teeing off.

If youre visiting KC for disc golf, Water Works and Down Under should be your first stops. Despite the crowds you may encounter, they are two essential stops for anyone visiting the area.

Hands down the best course around KC if you want to play technical, challenging golf. Nice views and great elevation changes throughout.

Natural tee pads are annoying at best and straight up dangerous at worst.

If you are simply wanting to bag a course or just want an easy round of disc golf then don't go to Down Under. But if you want to challenge your technical skills to find lines and use a lot of discs in your bag to shape paths through the woods then this place is a GEM, it is EXCELLENT, which is why I'm giving it a 4.0 rating.

Tee signs are good. Gravel tee pads are serviceable. Baskets catch discs well and show hole numbers.

Rosedale Park is a nice park with two top notch 18 hole courses: Top and Down Under. If there was only Top this would still be a destination course worth your time. I played Top my first time around and was very pleased with the course, other than the fact that it took some of my plastic and didn't give it back. But I don't hold that against Rosedale Top, especially since you can buy more or get your disc returned at a lost and found box in the Dynamic Disc retail store that I talk about below in OTHER.

I came back a few days later to play Down Under since the reviews were good. It's not easy to find the start but is is literally down the hill off Top's first fairway. You wind down a path and find the first tee. This reminded me of another classic disc golf park that I played in West Virginia at Seth Burton Park, which is like Top here. Both of these upper courses are where the non-disc golf people are. They added a course there called Orange Crush, which is very similar in concept to what was done here at Rosedale. In other words, the Top is a nice open park with an above ground course. Down Under, like Orange Crush, is hid from view of the public park and played in a thick woods on steep hillsides. It's just us guys who go there and that's nice. In the case of Orange Crush it's more like on the side of a mountain and here it's a hill.

I thought about going through the holes in detail but decided against a longer review since this is already long and will only mention my favorite. Number 11 throws blind over a ravine to a basket off to the right. I suppose I liked it a lot not just because it favors my RHFH and I nailed it, but also because it's a great risk/reward shot. There were some beginners ahead of me that wouldn't even drive from this tee since it's so intimidating. I don't blame them. And it brings up the point: this is not a course for beginners! Unless you don't like them and you want them to have a bad experience with disc golf.

Concrete tee pads would be nice. The gravel was okay when I was there, but it was nice weather and dry. Some complaints in earlier reviews about mud on the tee pads would make this experience in the woods more difficult.

Navigation was difficult. My experience at Orange Crush in WV made me appreciate signage since it was very clearly marked with signs where the next tees were. When you are playing in a thick woods and winding though hills and valleys it can be frustrating not knowing where to go. It was nice for me that a local was just finishing with the tournament and helped guide me through some of the more difficult holes. But navigation is a big con here.

Some people might call it a CON that there are "almost non-existent fairways" but it you don't want to be challenged you just shouldn't come here. The course is a short distance, but it plays long since you'll be chasing discs down hills and scrambling through the woods after hitting trees. In a few places it took me awhile to find my discs in the rough.

Dynamic Discs has a nice factory outlet store at 2866 W 47th St, which is less than one mile from Rosedale Park. I did not have a car so I walked and was glad I visited there. It was crowded with people and the guys working there were great to talk with. I still have the three discs I purchased in my bag (Warden, Witness, and Sheriff). They gave me a sheet of paper, which is worth your stop, that breaks down all the courses in the Kansas City area. I regret that I didn't scan this and upload it here. This is one of four Dynamic Disc outlets listed on the Dynamic Discs retail site (http://www.dynamicdiscs.com/r...l_a/275.htm).So it'd be a shame to be so close to a factory outlet and not check it out. I may have missed it in the reviews on DGCR, but I thought this was a nice benefit to these two excellent Rosedale courses.

There's a quote on the local club website, kcfdc.org, from Ace Mason, "I love the people who love this game!" I think we can all relate to that. Well said Ace!

Cerealman rated this course a 2.5 two years ago in "Needing TLC in KC" and his biggest complaint was that the course needed some attention. Well, I think it must have gotten some attention since then because the tees were not in bad shape. Two months after his review Upshawt1979 talked about new gravel on the tees in "Doozy Down Under."

There was a local tournament going on when I was there. The guys let me play through. Somebody aced the first hole while I was at the teebox. Then I parked #2 as I played through. That was kind of nice to throw a nearly perfect shot in a great line around trees with four really good players watching who were in a competition. The locals are many and active at Rosedale, which is a favorite in the area.

I'm giving Down Under a 4.0 since it's EXCELLENT!

Rosedale Down Under is full of woods and has several holes featuring significant elevation changes. None of them are longer than 300', so distance is manageable. If you can make the drives without trees interfering you can get chances at birdies. The pin locations are often near trees and on sloping hilly terrain, so even if you are able to get a good drive, the putt may not be easy.

The tees were natural, but had recently been covered with a fresh layer of fine gravel. They are not very big, but are adequate. Signs near each one indicating the hole number. Benches are usually available by the tee and there are trash cans here and there. I loved the bright orange and yellow baskets, they were easy to spot amongst the trees.

I liked the constant rises and falls in the fairways, and variety of shots presented. The trees are numerous, and create some lanes that demand technical throws with touch. Danger of bad bounces and rolls is there almost constantly, but the lines usually provide a fair chance to get through. A knock down here and there is not the worst, with the short lengths, saving par can be done sometimes.

The tees can be smaller than I would like at times, and the rocks at the front end tripped me up once or twice. Number 11 tee is a rock that drops off the side of the hill, if you overrun it the game will likely be cut short right there. Fun hole, but those kind of boxes make me nervous.

Grounds were dry on my first round here, with fallen leaves gathered in the low spots deep enough to hide a disc easily. With the tough footing, I would not want to play here in wet conditions.

The layout is kind of crazy, with a couple of turns that would be tough to find if you're not familiar with the course. I would print or screenshot the map if you are going for the first time and don't know any locals to guide the way. A few of the holes are close together, or blind, so be careful not to hit other players or get hit yourself. The path from hole 11 to 12 goes very near another basket, and might be an easy place to get lost for a new visitor.

I think this is a really fun course in good conditions, and I am looking forward to playing it when the spring brings heavy leaf canopy in the trees. There could be improvements in the signage, and to the tees, but as is I can still dig it. The funky layout is not perfect, but makes great use of the area.

Trent joined my dog and I at the first tee of the top course, and was very helpful leading the way around. The course had a lot of players out, and I can see why. It was a nice day, but there was a fair amount of wind. Down Under is protected from the breeze very well by the hill and trees.

So many fun holes. My faves were 9, 10, 11, and 15 off the top of my head, but a lot of the rest deserve an honorable mention. I shot a 56, with no birdies, and 2 bogies. Had at least 4 or 5 good looks at birdies, but putts were not going in for me. I was just glad to avoid taking any terrible ricochets over the side of a steep hill, or super bad rolls into the rough.

Most baskets can be seen from the tee pad, good course to test your accuracy because there is very little margin for error. Has a variety of uphill and downhill shots. I threw thumbers off most of the tee pads and ended up with my first course par.

Entire course wraps around the side of a big hill which makes it crucial to never take your eyes off any rollers. There are also no signs on the baskets, and many of the tee pads are not marked as well.

One of the best courses I have played in KC.

Course winds through a beautiful forest. Short, technical drives.

Very steep, lost discs very possible without a spotter

Fun course for KC. Reminded me of a few courses I played in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Steep inclines. I only played with my mid and putter.

Choice! Downstairs is shade and windless.

Be ready to meet some trees. When get to the teens it can be hard to find next hole but help is always around.

Have some putters and middies. I use a whole different set of discs than i play with up top.

This course is a blast to play. It has a great combination of wooded plus elevation changes. There are a number of very memorable and unique holes. Most tee shots require serious accuracy, but very few require distance. I don't know that I threw much more than a buzz but maybe a handful of times throughout the round. It is a nice change of pace from the many courses in KC the require a big arm for low scores. It is a super unique setup here. I love that someone used "unusable" land around the park to make something great out of it.

To get there, just head to the woods line to right of 1's fairway and there is a drop off into the woods very near 1's basket. It would have taken me a while to find it if a local hadn't pointed me in the right direction.

The orange baskets are awesome! They make it so easy to locate your target off the tee. They also grap discs really well. Better than most I have played on. They are very similar to the Titans. The course appears to be very well maintained. I didn't notice any trash out there to speak of.

I didn't get the same impression that others noted about most of the holes being anhyzer shots off the tee. Maybe it was just where the baskets were situated when I played, but I thought there was quite a bit of variety, knowing that the whole course plays in the woods. The elevation changes were enough to give plenty of variety.

There are definitely a few places on the course that are confusing if you haven't played out there before. I had a local that was out playing that I jumped in with, which saved my bacon but I would have been in trouble otherwise. Please note that this is only in a couple of places. For the most part it flows seamlessly....but where it is confusing, it is quite confusing. The tee signs could be better, but I didn't feel like I needed them because you can spot the basket easily from 90% of the holes.

This was a ton of fun and I look forward to revisiting next time I am in KC. The reason I gave it a 4 instead of higher is simply because for me, to go beyond a 4 the course needs more variety beyond just wooded holes. While I feel like there was plenty of variety for a wooded course, to take a course to the next level (in my mind) it needs a greater variety of shots. That is not a diss at all. The course does what it does very well and I loved it.

Design and Terrain:
*This course perfectly fills the niche for a technical woods course in the overall KC disc golf scene. It's a fantastic change of pace from the other long, relatively open courses in the area; it's the antipodes of Blue Valley. I really like the terrain! You feel like you're secluded, in the woods, away in nature. (But I'm from wooded NC.) There are also rugged rocks and some peaceful paths.
The course plays along the side of a big steep hill, so on some holes if you go off the fairway you're down a very steep slope in thick woods. Good luck getting back in play! That strongly heightens my "Apprehension of Danger" while standing on the tee pad. I often threw softer shots just to do my best to stay in play. Even when my disc took a sickening kick off a tree and went down the hill I enjoyed the challenge of trying to salvage the hole.
*There's very good elevation variety, including several Down-Up ravines and Up-Down holes. (6 Flat/ 5 Up/ 7 Down). There are more elevation changes on the back 9, including hole 16 that is a classic +38 ft uphill on a short 160 ft hole! The front 9 has 5 flat holes while the back 9 only has one.

Basics:
*Baskets- The fluorescent Disc King baskets are the bomb! They're neon orange with fluorescent green poles, so they're much easier to spot in the woods than any other plain baskets I've ever seen. For me, these baskets significantly upgraded the course.
*Navigation- layout maps on the tee signs and small orange "Next tee" arrows make it pretty easy to find your way around.

Amenities:
*A clear and useful map is available online.

Basics
-Tee signs: They got much better after the PDGA Worlds in 2009, but they're still just laminated 8 ½ x 11 paper stapled to trees. They're adequate, but they could be even better.
-Tees: It would be really hard, maybe impossible, but it would be great to have concrete tees. The dirt tees were fine, but I think they'll get muddy when it's wet. Even rubber mats would be an improvement.

Design
-There's not enough fairway shape variety; straight and dog leg rights predominate. (9 St/ 1 Lt/ 8 Rt)

Course Level = White (most suited for Intermediate players rated 875-925)

You be the judge-
My favorite hole: 8. You shoot to a peninsula with a big drop on the right side.

Length:
The holes are rather short with the majority being 200-280 (5 of 160-199/ 12 of 200-280/ 1 of 300), but the heavy woods make it play longer. Shorter throwers (like me) will probably like this more than the big arms, plus there are no open holes to just let it fly anyway. Birdies, and even aces, are a tantalizing possibility if you can avoid hitting a tree!

It may just be me, but I've been to Rosedale 3 times now and I always feel like the course is in a kind of shady area that doesn't feel completely safe. I'm wary of being there when it's dark. I got there right before sunrise, and because of the isolation on the Down Under course I felt extra cautious playing by myself. I've never had any problems, so there may not be any basis in reality, but that's how I feel there.

I enjoyed Down Under more than the regular course, so if I had limited time and could only play one I'd definitely play Down Under. I've played almost all of the KC area courses and Down Under is currently my 2nd favorite in this area. The course is such a great change of pace from all the others in KC. If you live nearby you need to play this course to work on your accuracy, and if you're from out of town it's well worth a visit.

NOTE: Look in the "Links/Files" section for my files with Hole-by-hole evaluations, and a more detailed Overall review. You can also read more of my reviews and rating notes at the Yahoo Group, DG Course Reviews

Amazing course that forces extremely accurate throws and perfect lies. Terrain changes and TONS OF TREES makes course a lot of fun.

Not quite sure how to leave after the 18th hole. Some tee pads can be muddy.

Don't play this course if you don't like the sound of a disc hitting a tree.

A wonderfully fun and challenging course tucked into the wooded outcroppings of Rosedale Park. Offers an entirely different experience from the blustery winds, open shots, and afternoon crowds on the extremely popular Top course. Technical from beginning to end and despite that there is some considerable variation in holes, hyzers, anhyzers, elevation changes, cross ravine shots. A great test of accuracy. Plenty of chances for an unfortunate rollaway or a plunk off a tree into the deep abyss. Cool new bright orange and yellow baskets which were installed this year make seeing your target and picking your desired route that much easier than the old baskets.

Lack of some sort of smooth surface teepads. Getting cement pads down here would be a challenge, but flypads would be better than the dirt pads that are there now. They are marked by timbers and are very choppy. There is also plenty of stuff (stumps, dead wood) in the fairways, and certainly off the fairways to trip over. The bottoms can get muddy is your disc gets down there. Better signage is also needed. There are some signs up in the trees to point you around, but you kind of have to look for it. Some signs with hole distances were put up for Worlds, but they're nothing more than laminated paper, and many of them are already deteriorating. Getting hole numbers on the baskets would be nice as there are a few spots where you can be led off course. Not good for people with bad legs on them as there is a lot of hill climbing involved, both up and down.

For some reason, I've If you ever arrive at Rosedale hoping to play the Top course and get irritated by the crowds, I'd advice heading downstairs, litterally (they are located in the woods by the Top course's first basket). You can probably leave the bag in the car and traverse this one just with a midrange and putter. I would advise getting a look at the hole before you throw. Some of the trouble spots off the fairway are more forgiving than others. Definitely worth a play, along with its mother course upstairs.

Tight, technical, wooded course. KC is a very windy city and it can be howling at 30+ mph up top and this course is quiet and still down below. Very creative course. All holes are short, but that is perfect for this course

None to speak of

You better love tight and technical courses that reward pinpoint accuracy. Not a course for the big armed howitzer arms. This is all about a masterful short game. Begs you to come back for more and try to go lower.

This is a very technical course that has been laid out very nicely.
Entire 18 holes are in a wooded setting that are sheltered from the wind. You are actually playing on a bluff that surrounds the park, so when the foliage is off the trees, the views were pretty nice.
Each hole felt uniquely different due to terrain changes and layout around obstacles (trees). There were some really nice holes that crossed valleys of varied depth.
What an incredible course in Kansas City that is NOT an open fairway type course!
Even though the course was crowded, it played fairly quickly, and slower groups were all willing to allow us to play through.
Has natural tees which for this course is a definate PRO - I can't see ruining the wooded type feel with concrete tees.

Tee signage leaves a little to be desired. Hook up with a local if you can - there should be plenty willing to let you join them.
In talking with some of the regulars it can be fairly crowded at times, but typically no longer than a 10 minute wait to start.
Some may consider the "wooded" nature of the course a negative since there is NO relief, but hey - this is a technical course!
A map would be invaluable for this course.

Thanks to Jason and Eric for a great round! They allowed me to join them and provided a little guidance on how each hole played - which unfortunately for them worked too well to my advantage.
Restrooms were located at the tennis courts.
Hole #1 starts by decending the metal stairs which are located at the basket area of Hole #1 on the upper course. After completing Hole #18 you transcend the rocky steps to the open field which you need to cross to get back to the parking lot.
I am sure this course is even more challenging when the foliage is in - it will require most dominantly a low ceiling shot on every hole.
Luck will certainly factor in if you are not able to throw off the tee fairly straight. I doubt you'll lose a disc though - but you might have to climb up or down an eroding slope to retrieve it.
A must play if in the Kansas City Area!

Very technical
Well laid out
The holes are each unique with little redundancy
You get "penalized" for stray shots but can almost always retrieve your disk
When it's windy up top, it's very protected down on this course

If crowded (which has only been a couple of times that I have been there) it can get a little bottle-necked
Not many cons in my mind

I've played this course many times when I have traveled to KC and it keeps challenging me...I've had one "off the hook" round there that keeps me striving for that feeling again!