Onalaska, WI

Rowe Park

2.715(based on 19 reviews)
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2 1
Bfrolfer
Experience: 4.4 years 35 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Most played course in SW WI 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lightly wooded with elevation on most holes next to Onalaska High. Quick to play. This is the Frolf Mecca for SW Wisconsin. Leagues and disc commerce going on.

Cons:

The holes tend to be shorter and heavily played.

Other Thoughts:

This course accommodates heavy play traffic even during weekdays.
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2 1
bpulry31
Experience: 8.5 years 2 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Beginner course, Alt Tees 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 31, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very easy course for beginners if you are using the standard tee boxes. Very well marked course, little weeds and bugs, depending on time of year. Good diversity of terrain, uphill and downhill. Only 9 holes, but as a local, I play 18, front 9 standard and back 9 on the alternate tees. City is still investing in course improvements, as they are changing it up soon and adding better tee boxes.

Cons:

Almost too easy at times, very reasonable to shoot well under par.
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2 0
GetMeOutdoors
Experience: 22 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great for mixed skills 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Kids really enjoyed it
Good use of available terrain
Stays out of the way of other people at the park
Ace opportunities
Just enough obstacles

Cons:

Short for those more experienced
Dirt pads, except for hole 1 (concrete) and are very worn if. It dangerous

Other Thoughts:

I would definitely play this course again, especially if the kids are with me. Fun and interesting though short. Good signs but pads mostly in poor condition. Some uphill, some downhill. Family friendly.
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3 1
Scooter47
Experience: 5 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Great beginner course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 16, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very open course, good for beginners.

Not too long which can also be a negative if you like to air it out.

Signage at each hole, though #8's sign is lying on the ground.

Some concrete tee pads.

Baskets are good.

Cons:

It is a busy park and sometimes there is a wait to get started.

Some tee pads are just dirt and are uneven ground.

Obstacles include the tennis court, a road that may come into play on hole #1 and 3 with errant/overthrown shots. A house use to come into play on #5 but they moved the tee box.

Other Thoughts:

A great course for the local community. Quick and easy to get to, park at play twice and take off.

I wonder if they could make it 18 holes utilizing some of the school's property.

I recommend it if you need to get a disc golf fix on,
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2 1
tbouzek
Experience: 16.5 years 12 played 12 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Ace Run 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lots of ace chances, birdies up the wazoo. It's in town. Lots of options, you can disc golf, play horsehoes, tennis or bring the kids to the park. Oh and there's a skate park right there as well so yea it's definitely a spot for some excitement.

Cons:

It's just a quick small course, not very challenging so it's kind of blah after played a few times.

Other Thoughts:

If you need to boost your moral and need to go get some aces or birdies this is your course, definitely for beginners.
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2 2
M_Bortz
Experience: 11.5 years 138 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Beginner/Intermediate Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very fast play. Takes about 20 minutes or so if playing alone.

Really good signage. There's a tee marker on every hole. Seriously no way anyone could get lost here.

Good use of park space. Plays throughout Rowe Park.

Uses a lot of the elevation. There's only 2 holes (1 & 9) that are pretty flat.

Cons:

TREES! I'm not the biggest fan of trees so some people might not feel this is a "con". In the summer when there's a lot of leafage, it can get annoying really quick.

Tee pads. There's only a third of the holes here with a concrete tee.

Other Thoughts:

All this park really needs is the rest of the concrete tees to be put into place and this will shape up to be one of the finest courses here in the La Crosse Area.
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4 0
JeremyAD
Experience: 13.6 years 77 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Short, but Sweet 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 25, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+ Elevation is the best and most well used obstacle on this course
+ Great DGA baskets in excellent condition
+ Every hole possesses several trees that mandate decent shot-shaping
+ Great beginner/family course
+ Several ace opportunities
+ Park is well maintained
+ Great for a quick round before/after work/class, or heck, even during a break! Can be completed in about 25 minutes
+ Sits adjacent to Onalaska high school, lending it to be an introductory course for many to the sport

Cons:

- THE TEE PADS!!! Although 3 of the tees (at this moment) are nice concrete pads, most of the tees are simply glorified sandboxes that are incredibly uneven with ruts and can be dangerous. Often times I will throw from the side of or behind the tee box.
- Several holes are very short, essentially deuce or bust...
- The park is multifunction and may have other (non-disc-golf related) impediments
- Is a true "park course" that lacks the challenge for intermediate or advanced players

Other Thoughts:

Since this course is literally 4 blocks from my residence it has, by default, become my "home course". Although the course is fun and unique, it lacks the complexity and challenge of a dedicated (sole purpose) disc golf course.

My opinion is the park has enough opportunity to add another 9 holes, which would greatly increase it's value and playability. I suppose, however, it would be of great value to first address the sand/tee box situation on the first 9.
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2 0
Freebird
Experience: 16.4 years 19 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice little course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a nice little course. It's short, but the trees and elevation changes make it interesting and keep it from being a slam dunk for a long toss.

Cons:

As has been mentioned, there is a LOT of stuff crammed into this little park, you have to play around a lot of other people who aren't disc'ers. The course is short, big arms won't need a driver at all, the rest of us will use driver/putter or midrange/putter. The few cement tee boxes are nice, but at least one of them was oriented not toward the basket, and the rest of the tee boxes are truly awful, it's a good thing you don't have to throw hard here.

Other Thoughts:

There is a nice course map, and good signs at the tee boxes, both are a little inaccurate but better than you get at a lot of courses.
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2 1
ridestreet84
Experience: 12.5 years 20 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 7, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

good mix of hole lengths, very easy to get to. very nice alternate teepads by locals. quick but challenging play

Cons:

can be very windy, close to a high school so can be very busy, can be very crowded, gravel tees can be difficult when rainy season or when snow melts

Other Thoughts:

nice little course that i enjoy playing when i am in town and will continue to play when i am there
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2 3
Jmpviper
Experience: 9 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

In town so a little compact. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice holes. A couple possible hole in one shots. Convenience stores aren't too far away so easy access to refreshments.

Cons:

A lot of people. The course has roads going through it and tennis courts. So not only do you have other disc golfers on the course but also others that aren't even playing.

Other Thoughts:

A nice small course that is enjoyable to play. Well worth the free admission.
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5 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.3 years 571 played 284 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Beginner 2+ years

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

Pros:

- Course is set in a smaller city park, which is full of the usual activities like tennis courts and general pedestrian activity. Nothing to cause major interference, hopefully.
- Various amounts of trees here and there force line shaping, like a low ceiling hyzer between trees on #1, or some more open RHBH anhyzers on #2 and #6. Basically, there are many different routes to take on every hole, but some are more open than others.
- A few noticeable elevation changes to be found here; #2 and #7 are slightly uphill, #3 and #5 are slightly downhill, and #6 and #8 are valleys. Nothing too crazy, but it helps to add character to the course.
- Good signs and baskets; the teepads are pretty much sandtraps though. If taken care of, not so bad, if they aren't, it's like running on the beach.

Cons:

- Hole lengths are definitely on the short side, with an average hole length of 238', and the longest at 270', slightly downhill no less.
- Road is pretty close to #3's basket, which is never fun when enjoying a nice round.

Other Thoughts:

- Pretty typical city park course, with shorter hole lengths and a wide offering of shots depending on the player. The elevation changes are the saving grace here; they aren't extreme by any means, but it adds a lot of fun and/or challenge. Definitely best suited for beginners.
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7 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.2 years 316 played 268 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Down With OPD! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Onalaska, Wisconsin's Rowe Park packs a DGC, tennis courts, playgrounds, etc. all into a small grassy expanse dotted with a mixture of trees both small and large. A fair amount of up and down occurs on site, leading to a pleasant balance between the mild elevation changes and the trees. While the course attempts to skirt the other park activities, it can't help but overlap in several areas.
- Elevation. Nothing dramatic, but enough to spice things up. #5 throws down into a small depression with houses to the right and the closest the course comes to woods behind the basket. #2's an uphill shot between trees with OB park road behind the basket. #8 plays nicely across a small "valley" with several mature trees forcing players to pick from a multitude of possible lines.
- Trees. The quantity and quality of trees (not to mention the elevation) make this course a fun little play for those in the area. #9's solid mix of trees makes the finishing hole one of the more challenging, especially considering its relative length (it's the longest at 270').
- Hot Onalaska Park Department signage aesthetically enhances the round while providing handy facts regarding the hole at hand and its length, whether certain roads or sidewalks are OB, and accurately depicting the relative location of various trees to the baskets and tee areas.

Cons:

- The tees are a wee sandy. As in, say, TOTALLY sandy. Imagine a wet lollipop in the Sahara during a sandstorm. Wooden 4 x4 fronts and sides upon which to stub your toes. The worst tees I've witnessed.
- Repetitious, distance-wise: most of the holes are of similar lengths.
- The course plays awfully close to many other park activities, sidewalks, and roads.

Other Thoughts:

- I mentioned the sand, right?
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6 1
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.7 years 831 played 777 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent park 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a nicely kept city park with rolling hills and scattered mature trees. Elevation comes into play on a handful of the holes, adding a little more interest and variety. A few shots have low ceilings to deal with, adding a little more challenge and an incentive to try some rollers on the nicely mowed turf. There are enough trees that you'll have to shape some different shots to get your birdies here. The signage is fine for following the course and knowing where to throw.

Cons:

The tees are really awful, far worse than doing nothing at all and leaving them natural. They're deep pits of loose sand, so there's no footing and every person that uses them leaves deep footprints and ruts for the next thrower to avoid. The areas around many of the tees are wearing down from people throwing from next to the sand pits, that will only get worse over time.

The layout uses the park fairly well, but it's still a fairly short 9 hole park course. There isn't any punishment for missing your line, it's easy to save a par from just about anywhere on this course. There isn't a whole lot of challenge here, you just don't need all that many different skills to be successful. A couple transitions between holes are a little longer and not very well marked, it can take a little extra time to find your way the first time through.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners will enjoy the elevation and mature trees, there are some challenges for newer players without anything frustrating. More experienced throwers won't find a lot to keep them coming back, it's a quick play in a nice park if you have a few minutes but don't go out of your way.
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3 0
chrz
Experience: 13.2 years 27 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Short & Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 8, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a great, short park course. The elevation changes are well utilized and add something to almost half the holes. The course is very accessible and there is ample parking on the street near the tee on #1. The course and hole signs are some of the best I've seen and the baskets are in great shape. The trees are numerous, but not overly annoying. Three of the tee pads have been replaced with very nice flared concrete pads. You can quickly burn through this course and hop on it again if you feel compelled to try and pick up the few shots you left on the course the first time.

Cons:

By far the biggest knock on this course are the old, "gravel" tee pads. They are currently more like sand and nearly impossible to throw from. The area has been rather dry recently, but these guys would need a good soaking on a regular basis to keep the limestone firm. Even then, they would still rut out quickly. I threw from outside the tee box on all of the non-concrete tees during my last round.

I will also echo another reviewer and say that #4 and #9 require a bit of luck to park a tee shot. It's not impossible and when their tee pads are replaced some of that needed luck may disappear.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this is a very fun course for beginners and intermediate players. Assuming all of the tee pads get replaced with concrete, I can definitely see the rating of this course improving.
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6 0
mndiscg
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.4 years 502 played 494 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hills and Trees 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Lots of trees for obstacles.
-Elevation was used well. 2 was right uphill, 3 was right downhill, 8 was a sweet valley shot and all holes had at least a little elevation change in them. Some of the holes had some fast greens which added some fun and risk/reward to this course.
-Nice baskets.
-Good signage with easy to follow layout.
-Some may complain about the tees because they aren't cement but I feel like the crushed gravel serves this shorter course just fine. They are framed in by wood and they seem to have held up over time.
-Plenty of ace and birdie opportunities.
-Good for a quick round. 20-30 minutes.
-The park has plenty of other things to do without being too crowded.

Cons:

-Some of the holes were short. Hole 1 especially.
-Some holes (4 and 9) seemed to me to have too high of a luck factor. 9 was especially bad. I happened to execute both holes but the lines were just awkward and I don't think that I would be able to do it every time.
-While this course does have a high fun factor for me, it simply wasn't that hard.

Other Thoughts:

I had a lot of fun here. The elevation changes kept you on your toes and made it interesting. I would be happy if this were my home course. I hear that Pettibone park on the island in LaX is pretty cool too. I would recommend a stop here. It is a fun little round and it is just a mile off of I-90. This course is definitely aimed at the beginner to intermediate level but will be fun for most people.
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3 1
barg0071
Experience: 14.4 years 22 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Trees vs. Rowe 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- A very fun short course testing your technical skills.
- The baskets are in great condition.
- The trees really challenge your accuracy.
- Some elevation changes

Cons:

- Dirt tee pads.
- The trees, they will most likely make you mad at some point.

Other Thoughts:

- The trees are not excessive by any means- at no point do you go through wooded areas. There are just a good amount of small-medium sized trees spread throughout the fairway. The challenge is that on each hole there are 1-3 clear routes to the basket.
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4 1
DerekTonn
Experience: 47.4 years 2054 played 35 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 11, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Fun course to play, with a great use of trees to make a short course more challenging.
- Nice DGA baskets!
- Very good signage.
- Good course/hole flow, from 1 to 9 (back to 1).

Cons:

- Tee areas are very worn/uneven...bordering on a potential injury hazard.
- Very short hole distances.

Other Thoughts:

This would be a course I would play quite a lot of quick recreational rounds on if I happened to live in the area. It's got a lot of fun shots and deuce runs, and plays fast enough where you could piece together 3-4 quick 9-hole rounds without any difficulty. The just need to do something about those tee areas, as they were pretty bad/rough.
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6 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 1512 played 480 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Rowe Rowe Rowe your boat 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Nice tee signs with par, hole #, distance and a diagram of the hole layout. They are in a good spot to help with na/igation as well as pro/iding the information needed.

2) Lots of trees of all sorts of sizes and shapes and ages. There ha/e been a number of young trees planted too which hopefully will not just get destroyed by punks or errant shots.

3) DGA Mach baskets are in great shape and are installed correctly to make the number plates /isible fromt he tees. This helps na/igation tremendously!

4) All sorts of different shots are needed. You can throw hyzers, annys, straight shots, spikes, rollers, o/erhand shots, etc etc etc. Bring it all, the trees force you to throw a lot of shots.

5) One basket is tucked into the woods and the area has been mowed around it. It would be nice to see more of the perimeter woods used, but there wasn't a whole lot of space to alter the layout any.

6) Great use of ele/ation changes on this course. It is mostly subtle, but there is ele/ation on e/ery hole either up down, or across.

7) For the most part this course is well isolated from other acti/ities. There are a couple other areas where you might need to make yourself /isible to other park users especially as this is a newer course and the game is new to the area.

8) Plenty of grills and other park amenities like horseshoes, playgrounds, picnic areas, a lrge bazebo, bathrooms, tennis, a skatepark . . .

Cons:

1) The basket for #2 was supposed to be installed in the grill about 5' to its right. They apparently decided not to put it in there which is not only bad because it misses the uniqueness, but also because there is a grill that will block a 5-10' putt.

2) Gra/el tees ha/e already washed out in spots and are une/en. Gra/el is better than wore out grass/dirt but maintenance is needed to keep them smooth and le/el or better drainage around the teepads is needed.

4) All holes are around 200-250'. I like this distance hole, but I also like more /ariety. A short one around 150' or so would be cool to ha/e along with a longer 350'+ hole would make a more di/erse course. This is usually a bigger deal to me, but because the trees create the challenge, you will be using a lot of different discs and throws on each hole, so the distance differential is not as big of a deal but still worth mentioning.

Other Thoughts:

This could /ery well be one of the better 9 hole courses in the state. It has so much /ariety, pretty good amenities (other than the teepads).

It requires a lot of shot shaping, a lot of different discs to be used, low ceilings etc. It forces you to di]/ersify your shots and I lo/e that about this course.

I look forward to swinging back through the area to play this again after some time elapses. I can only hope the trees can remain healthy, but I fear for a lot of the trees in the middle of the fairways.
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4 0
barg0076
Experience: 14.6 years 22 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Short but Challenging! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 7, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Short and beginner friendly
-No places to lose discs
-Requires precise drives and good recovery shots
-A variety of hills and trees that make you pick your shots carefully
-Good Parking
-Nice course signs
-Lots of challenging low ceiling shots
-Brand new baskets

Cons:

-Course is on the shorter side
-Only 9 holes
-The trees can get frustrating
-Dirt tees

Other Thoughts:

This course is deceptively tough. The lengths and pictures make it look easily, but it takes precise shots to maintain par! It is a fun course, and I'll definitely be back!
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