Red Orchard Park is a well kept multi use park not far off I-65 in Shelbyville . There is limited parking near hole 1 , which is behind a small playground . You pass the nice restrooms closer to the front of the park , about 400 meters from the start of Ryan's Course .
The Equipment - The Equipment is first rate . A nice kiosk with map greets you as you pass the playground . A practice basket is tightly placed just beyond the #1 tee pad . The tee pads are the largest around , about 4 1/2 X 10' . You will need the whole tee pad for this course . The signage is top notch , giving hole# at the top of the sign enabling you to see it from far off , + par , distance and flight path . The baskets are newer yellow banded Discatchers . Print the online map or take a pic of the kiosk before playing .
The Landscape .The fairways were mowed and the course seems to be cared for as much as the rest of this nice park . I don't know when the ponds dried up , but it would have been fun to throw over a couple . Elevation isn't overpowering here , but it does come into play on holes . The most elevation is a dropoff downhill drive on #15 . #1 declines a good deal , too .Trees will mostly be a factor later in the course , starting about hole #7 and going through 16 . Basket placements are very good . Straying from the fairway here will leave you in high rough or unforgiving woods ( more in cons ) .
Scenic - This is a beautiful course . Just enough woods and just enough open .
The Highlights - This course wrote the book on challenge . You have 18 holes at 8140' at your disposal . You get 1 short break at #12 with a tight fairway 290' hole , which is 20' shorter than the next shortest hole . #2 is a level 730' hole that slowly bends to the right with woods and high growth on the left and 6'-8' high overgrowth on the right . The basket is eventually placed to the right of the fairway . #4 425' is off of an elevated tee to a basket behind a grove of smaller trees on the right . #11 495' is a tight fairway with small trees lining both sides of the fairway . #15 is a fun downhill 330' hole that forces you to throw a little left to right and go as long as you can before you hit a tree . Don't kick a drive off a tree and into the rough on the left . #18 670' is a tough finishing hole . Over a gully with a tight fairway and rough on both side , then up a never ending slope to a basket resting next to mature trees .
Signature Hole - #17 520' leaves you with choices . Lay up in front of the dried pond , then go over it to the basket just beyond , or play it safer and throw around a small bending tree line on shot 2 .
Time - You will be out here a while , even if you keep your disc mostly in the fairway . I was here for 2 hours , but I was looking for my disc some . Normally , count at least 1 1/2 hours or more . A group of 4 , 3 hours .
If you wish to test your nerves and mettle , this is the place . If you overthrow or your accuracy is slightly off , you are going to be punished . Keeping up with par will be a challenge for most . 430' par 3's with basket placements in tight fairways or behind trees .
remember to bring plenty of water .

#1 The Rough - Absolutely the worst in Kentucky and among the worst I have ever played . I spent 10 minutes looking for my downhill drive that the wind took on hole 1 and lost my driver on #18 . 5-8' high overgrowth on a lot of the course . The course needs foot traffic to make it relevant , because it sits between Frankfort and Louisville . Even with short tees , the strong possibilities of losing your discs looms . I think having 2' high overgrowth could prove your point instead of a wall of No ( Disc ) Return .
Forgiveness - You have none here . I got into a pattern of trowing midranges and Star Terns just to keep in the fairways . If you kick into the woods here , you just lost a stroke trying to throw out . And trying to throw out of overgrowth you can't see over is a joke .
Disc Risk - The highest I have ever recorded . I feel lucky that I only lost 1 disc today .When looking for my disc in the high rough , I think that iI tripped over the bones of some kid that was looking for a souvenir disc in the middle of last winter .
Amenities - The course might benefit from alternate shorter tee pads , maybe a few benches and some trash cans ( carry out what you carry in ) . Maybe a shaded table for the end of rounds .

This course has all the ingredients of being one of the 2 or 3 best course in the state . It has length , challenge , and almost out of control variety . Doglegs , par 4's and par 5's . H B Clark did an incredible job of designing Ryan's Course to be a premier pro-type course . But here is the difference between this course and say - Idlewild (10,964' for 24 holes ). Idlewild is closed at the moment to prepare for the Open Disc Golf Pro Tour . when the tour leaves town , many players of all abilities ( it has 2 tee pads and some alternate baskets ) , will come flocking back to this course to enjoy it . They won't have to spend needless amounts of time looking for discs and probably won't lose their prized driver . I'm not trying to bash Ryan's Course , just showing the possibilities .
My Recommendation - This course should be considered by intermediates and above . Ryan's Course could host a big event right now . Anyone less ? Stay in the fairway ....

I agree with dr.chainslove and I do believe this will be a great course in the future especially if there is a club or a dedicated group of local golfers to beat back the rough (perhaps I'll take part).

I agree with dr.chainslove - not sure if I could have said it better. I hope, hope, hope this rough is not intended to be a permanent feature

While I agree with dr.chainslove on the pros and cons I have to go with a rating of 2 or even less. I understand it can take upwards of 4 years for a quality course to emerge and mature but the rough is brutal. It isn't like ball golf where all you lose is a ball (who knows? That may be horrible to some....) but in disc golf we are losing a disc! Something that may have been in our bag for years and could be relied on throw after throw. I equate it to asking a ball golfer to throw his favorite club into a deep lake or a gaping sinkhole. So, don't bring your favorite, best discs. Hole #2 is so long that I predict that there will be some who lose more than one disc there. I have no urgency to throw this course even though it is on my way home from work so why would I rate it higher than a two? I hope, sincerely hope, to give it a much higher rating in the future.

I'm changing my rating to 3.5. Too generous?Maybe, but I have really grown to like it. Played the course recently (November 2018) and it was a different animal. With no leaves on the trees the course reveals it soft underbelly. It is still a course where you are rewarded for staying in the fairways but it is much less intimidating. The lanes mowed through the tall grass are really helpful: not only to help you find your discs but also to provide visual cues to help locate them. I have been told that the grass is there to stay. One of the stipulations for the donation of the land to Shelbyville was that stands of native grasses had to remain. However, the parks department will bush hog the grasses down once (maybe twice?) a year and it will be interesting to throw it then. Hopefully, the course will, over time, morph into a truly unique and worthy challenge. I urge those who were 'turned off' when it opened to try it again while the leaves are gone....