WILDLIFE! Despite the fact that Shaver Park is located in the heart of the city, it is no stranger to wildlife. Just yesterday, while standing on tee pad #10, a coyote darted out of the woods right in front of us! It ran around aimlessly, trying to avoid running into people who crowded the park at the time of day. It was in sight running around the course for about 20 seconds.
Two holes later, we spotted 3 large white tail deer who just stood there and watched us play the entire hole. They were merely 50 ft away, standing still as we putted on hole #12. I've also had a deer literally come with 10 ft of me, only to stand and stare for nearly a minute! I've also spotted a lot of wild turkey around here.

VARIETY -- This park is 80% wooded, with only 2 fully open holes. The wooded holes, however; provide a large variety of different challenges, with distance variations, elevation changes, and tree placements. You will need many shots to score well, and you will find yourself testing your escape shot ability!

FAIRNESS -- in my opinion, not every hole on this course is entirely fair. Particularly holes #5, #9, #14, and #16. By unfair I mean there is extremely little to no fairway. Hole #7, #10, #11, #17, #18 have very difficult fairways as well.

Hole #5 is incredibly tricky! Barely missing a putt/midrange can cost you dearly!

- Course is set in a city park with lots of trees and hills. There is a walking path that comes into play in a few spots, but not too badly. Other than that, a playground, and a basketball court, the disc golf is well separated. Shouldn't be any conflicts.
- Almost every hole here is set within the dense woods, which provide a ton of tight windows, tough lines, and tricky approaches. There are some easier shots, like a RHBH anny on #9 through some medium trees, and the last few holes, which don't demand pinpoint accuracy. Others are extremely tight, like the tee shot off of #5, #6, and #7, for instance. Many holes have pinch points at a later point as well. Lines here must be hit, a good forehand definitely helps.
- Great use of the hilly terrain to provide elevation changes. Some good uphills, like #3, #4, and #12. The downhills are more noticeable, like a tall, steep shot off of #7, or some gradual slopes like #13 and #14. Gulches/ditches provide some difficulty here and there, both off the fairways, or by the basket, like #17 (both ways).
- Large variety in hole lengths, with some uphills that play pretty long for their distance, and downhills that play way shorter. A good look all around, with two monsters over 500'. #13 offers a few paths to the baskets, but choose wisely! Staying to the left of the jail near the basket is crucial! And #18 is a big bomb out of the woods, followed by an approach to a treacherous green. Tough, due to design and length.
- A lot of protected baskets, due to placement near trees, sloping greens, and water in a few spots. Some tough approaches to be found. The water is also in play throughout a few holes, which adds some challenge.
- Good teepads and baskets. Tee signs are good, when present (a few missing). The redesign seemed to have thrown a few out of whack; like a short hole after #7. Navigating can be a little odd even with the map. But, it isn't impossible.

- It seemed like a lot of the holes were pretty similar here, a ton of RHBH flex shot s-curves to be found, especially near the end. A bunch of different looks, but the end result was the same. Definitely felt repetitive, especially with all the holes being in the same woods.
- Navigation was a pain, actually. Differing hole numbers between signs and a few basket markings made for some guessing. Without the info on this site, it would have been a major headache.

- Overall, a course that has a pretty high fun factor with plenty of elevation changes and tough lines. Definitely some memorable holes, especially the longer, tougher ones, as well as some tricky shorter ones. Scoring well can be a challenge if you miss your lines, with plenty of punishing jail/rough around. If there was some more variety it would be extremely well rounded.
- Beginners might want to hold off on this course, it could be frustrating. Everyone else should find some challenge and fun, even advanced players will enjoy some of the difficulty here.

Extremely challenging course with very tight corridors, blind drives, and elevations that can kill great drives that roll 100 feet down the hill. Forces you to think about not just getting the disc there, but landing at the right place and in the right way to stick it.

Must have been recently reorganized as there were two #16 baskets. Some of the other baskets were not well-marked and with all the trees and elevation, it is hard to find your way through the first couple of times.

Cedar Rapids is a great hotbed of DG. Enjoyed this course and a couple of other my two weeks in town.

Good elevation and heavily wooded with tight fairways. Has a challenging variety of shots with a few longer holes as well as memorable holes, all of which make it the best course in Cedar Rapids. DG shop at the entrance.

A few of the holes could use next tee signs for direction.

First off, any course that has a pro shop that's well stocked right by it is a huge plus. The guys inside the shop were friendly and helpful. The shop had a good amount of inventory.

The course teases you for the first two holes, like a spider web just waiting to catch you. Then you get to hole #3 and the lines you have to hit become smaller and smaller.

Great use of land. Elevation changes create difficulty on holes that don't posses the distance factor. Hole #5 just begs for you to try to make the birdie putt and go long. Though the gaps and lines are small, they are reasonable. I've played a fair share of "poke and hope" courses and this isn't one of them. The course usually has a good number of people playing, but we didn't have any problems with pace of play. Everyone we ran into was friendly and helped us navigate the course since we were first timers. Each hole had good signs, some may need to be updated soon. Distances seemed to be fairly accurate.

I love courses where you can't just "grip it and rip it" and with Shaver, you have to have touch and accuracy to score well.

I would love to see some "next tee" indicators by the baskets to help new players navigate their way through the woods.

Some holes could stand to be cleared out a bit, but I would love to play this course when the leaves are falling!

Hole #18 has a tree limb as a bridge to cross the creek and I can see that being a hazard for some to get over. My parents were with me and were forced to walk back around 17 and through.

Hole #17's basket has #18's number on it and hole #16 has two hole baskets and tees it looked like. It was a little confusing.

This is the course to go to when you want to be challenged. This will improve your game and show you that accuracy is always KING! I would recommend this course to all my friends and will definitely be coming back!

This course has quite a bit going for it. After some recent modifications it has added some length that was sorely needed, and some of the filler holes have been removed.

Many different types of shots to throw, with the exception of anhyzer/lefty throws. Really only 2 holes that can be considered lefty, maybe 3 if you want to be frisky.

Course design- this course is very interesting, with lots of elevation in the early holes to mix things up, and every hole can be birdied on the front 9. Several blind pins make for good placement golf. The new hole 6 which replaced the short lefty hole is a nice change, with a blind tee shot through a tunnel to the pin. About 360 ft, its a fun fun new hole to throw, definitely a score separater. The back 9 offers several more challenging holes, with 3 holes that can truly be called par 4's. There a several routes on most holes that can be taken, with some definite risk reward.

The shule on this course used to be much much worse than it is now, as throughout the years the increased level of play has thinned things out. This course is also one of the easiest to play after rain as it drains very quickly. Its bad RIGHT after the rain, but several hours later it is fine.

The signs on this course are well maintained and designed, and the navigation flows very well except for one spot. Since the course is older and played fairly heavily it is easy to tell where to walk to the next pad.

Lots and lots of erosion. Hard to figure out where to go between hole 4 and 5, but thats the only navigation issues.

Some nettles/ragweed around holes 10-13, but just a recent thing.

Some trash issues, but it has improved this year with quite a few more trash cans being put in and awesome volunteers to empty them.

This course is very fun. Well worth the trip if you are in the CR area. Challenging shots that place an emphasis on control, with a few chances to rip it. Come to shaver!

Baskets - all are fine and in working condition

Elevation - massive changes in elevation make playing here very fun, yet challenging

Level of enjoyment - extremely high

Pro shop located right outside the course, that has the best selection and pricing around

The feeling of this course is just so amazing

Very straight-forward in where to go after finishing a hole

Landings - most are fine, but some are too short or too narrow, sometimes extremely muddy

Terrain - all paths and fairways are dirt so they turn to mud very easily

Wooding - be good and throw accurate vs powerful because there are trees all over and finding discs is hard

Hole 1 and 2 go by a play ground and basketball court, so make sure you're warmed up

Hole 2 is located right by a street so don't over throw

I saw Adam Olsen here, and at Titan Pro Shop when I was here and there!

Extremely muddy after rain, and longer than usual

really its the best course in cedar rapids. since they modified the course to make it a lot longer. bring a new feel. they put in a new #6 witch is longer and a tuff drive off the tee. they also took #13 abd #14 and cabined them it to one long hole. making it a tuff par 3. they also made the new # 15 and pushed it back making it a over 600 ft. aslo #17 was push back and put on a small hill in the middle of the ravine. since they combined 2 hole they added a new hole witch is #18 and is a great hole tuff shot over the ravien with a little left to right bend to a elevated basket . great hole. the city of cedar rapids did a great job revamping this course making it long and more challenging (knowing it was kinda tuff before)

they only a couple things that really sucks about this course.
it get muddy after a good rain and sincr it all pretty much in the woods it take a couple of
days to dry out in thr spring and fall and the stinky creek is nasty all the time so try to stay away from it.
the ont reall beef i have abut this course is that the #7 tee pad is at a angle. it slant up tord the basket really off setting urx step aproach. some day they will fix it.

if u come to cedar rapids u must go and play this course if ur up for a challenge i live in cr and i play this course lots its worth playind.
Plus they open a disc golf shop next to the front entrance of the park. thank god it is about time.

I would probably consider this my home course. Not that it is my favorite course, but it is less than 10 min from my house and is a very nice challenging course.

There is a nice mix between open shots and wooded shots.

The disc golf shop that opened up next to the park has been very nice. They also have been helping keep the park much cleaner and have even changed some of the holes around to make the course more of a pro course. Props to you guys who have been helping with this. But get beer in that shop of yours. You will make a killing

All the baskets are in relatively good shape. Although some arsehole stole basket #8 so hopefully the city replaces that soon.

Nice big concrete pads. Some have weird slopes though.

Trees will pop out and get you on this course. The course has a nice layout but some of the holes you have to walk back on which makes for dangerous play if you have someone behind you.

Getting really buggy now that the foliage is in.
Also, you may spend some time looking for your disc on some holes, but you can also find some!

People dont really respect this park and tend to throw their trash/beer cans everywhere.

Some unsafe hills and bridges. Which you make lose your footing and fall.

Its a very solid course and now that people are actually taking care of the course. It is much nicer.

Primarily disc golf. Some of the holes approached other user areas, an errant shot could end up in the road, but for the most part disc golf is the only activity this area is used for.

Well maintained. The locals do a great job of maintaining this course, keeping the fairways clear, tee pads swept (cleared in winter), and picking up trash, and there was a trash can provided on nearly every hole (some of these were overflowing and could use to be emptied).

Local Scene. Local leagues and tournaments available, if you hang out at hole 1 a local will probably show up and be happy to show you around.

Variety. Good variety of distances and technical variety with few legitimate ace runs, most of the time you have to work for your birdies, and even some "true par 4" holes exist. Most holes were tight, technical, and challenging with an occasional open hole to relieve the frustration that's sure to build.

Baskets. All baskets are in good condition (no practice basket).

Tees. Concrete tees were mostly level and in good condition (one tee pad was significantly uphill, and one was too short).

Signage. Most holes had signs with accurate dist, hole # and a map of the hole. (some new holes were just put in and were missing signage).

Scenery. A very nice wooded park had a "going for a hike" feel.

Access. Just off the freeway, easy to get to.

The other park amenities are not immediately accessible from the parking area if you need a restroom, playground, or basketball court.

Navigation. Not exactly straightforward, keep an eye out for the large blue garbage cans, they can usually point the way, or get a local to guide you.

Not exactly beginner friendly. As a beginner this course could be overly frustrating with several long technical holes.

(several minor cons were mentioned alongside of the pros)

My recommendation for the course to hit if you only have time for one in the area, compliments the other area courses well and the Cedar Rapids area is a great DG destination area, a good weekend could be had playing here.

While not terribly long, Shaver Park still has the ability to manhandle even the best of players. Most fairways are quite technical and require precision but at the same time, there are a lot of birdies out there for the taking! Off the tee, you'll find a lot of variety in terms of shot selection and even a few open holes in the front to get warmed up for the woods on. This isn't really a course that you will figure out the first time around so expect to learn a few things the first couple of trips here. Even on good rounds you'll likely find yourself in a tough place or two and will need to rely on some creative saves to maintain a good score. After you figure out some of the lines, the course really opens up. The course also plays pretty well for most skill ranges (except perhaps beginners) and a mixed group of pros and ams will probably all find some enjoyment on the course.

This course also plays as a great complement to the other courses in the area which don't have quite as high of a technical factor.

I would say that this is really not the best course to bring newer disc golfers out to. The extremely tight woods and somewhat longer hole lengths are going to prove a bit frustrating at times. I'd recommend Jones Park for the up-and-comer to figure out disc flights on a more forgiving course a bit before hitting up Shaver.

It is a bit sad to hear all of the problems associated with garbage - I used to frequent Shaver back in 2004-2005 and it was almost always empty with very little garbage. Hopefully those new trash cans a previous reviewer mentioned will help with the litter problem.

Multiuse park: playground equipment, basketball court, sand volleyball court on site. Bathrooms available when "in-season". New pro shop just next to entrance of the park.

Great, creative tee sign posts, which look like they were made from old wooden poles or logs with cutouts for the hole info which was detailed very nicely with maps. Natural benches and logs around the park to relax on. Several trash receptacles throughout.

Very wooded course for the most part, a few holes that are open, but definitely a wooded course. The trees were so dense on most of the course, that there wasn't much heavy thick overgrowth to swallow your discs. Those same trees also made most of the course shady, which is nice on hot humid days.

Lots of elevation which was utilized quite well through the park, many times leaving the pins just above drop offs adding to the pucker factor. Many blind pins, some due to elevation, some to the dense woods and brush.

A few holes play over a creek, but you can see the bottom of it, so you shouldn't have any issues retrieving discs if you land in it.

Great variations of holes not only in length, but also in dominate hand. You will need to be able to throw left to right AND right to left to get some good scores here.

Small parking lot. I wasn't aware I'd be throwing @ my vehicle on hole 18, just remember to park on the other side of the restrooms.

Only one navigationflow issue, being on hole 15, having to walk back through a third of the fairway to get to tee on 16. It's manageable, just wanted to note it.

Still saw an excess of trash throughout. Even though many people have invested lots of voluntary time into updating and maintaining park, some people still don't care and can't wait a hole or two to deposit their beer cans and bottles.

Course updated!! I recently played in a tourney here, and the layout and a few holes have changed. These changes have added to the challenge. They took a few holes and combined them, and added a couple more.

Most of the holes have many trees in the fairway, as well as the rough. You're gonna hit a tree or five, trust me. Just know that going in and you'll be fine. You're going to be using your putters and midrange discs a lot, again, the wooded holes are technical enough that you will need to toss mid way for a descent lie, and throw again to get pars, but there are a few lines through the trees if you're brave enough and willing to take a chance on playing from a ricocheted throw.

The enjoyment factor was very high for me. I really like the challenge this course brought, and the changes and updates only made them tougher. With that and the addition of a DG shop next to the course, I've changed my rating from 3.5 to 4.0. Great job to all that helped make the course what it is.

- emphasis on controlled, precise shots through difficult tree lines favors finesse players. a good technical course
- dense tree cover keeps most of the course cool during hot sun. also makes wind a near non-factor
- usually not very crowded (especially before 4 or 5).
- basket placements in relation to teepads provides a mix of holes that favor both orthodox throwers and southpaws
- teepads and baskets in good shape
- new garbage cans recently added, so 80% of the holes now have receptacles which should cut down on the litter
- always new lanes to discover, every time i play i end up with a look i've never had before. some of the holes give you a front door/back door approach option off the teepad, others are obviously intended for a nice big turn or a floaty glide through a clearing. a solid mix.
- lots of discs stuck in trees around baskets for you to collect and/or return
- serves the purpose of the local "woody" course in the cedar rapids area
- have yet to have a negative experience with another player i've met on the course, including stolen discs, basic etiquette breaches, and that sort of thing. that is, except for litterbugs.
- easy to navigate, both due to layout design and from pathways being made from people walking and eroding away dirt. was built by the same guys that build the great eastern iowa course Wildcat Bluff
- located in north eastern cedar rapids, very easy to get to from the city or interstate
- as of late fall of 2010, the course is undergoing changes including 2 new holes and 3 new placements

- foliage thick around fairways, squirrly throws usually have to be bushwhacked for. nettle and poison ivy patches create what i guess you could call "bunkers" near some greens
- lots of litter around teepads, mostly empty beer cans, despite garbage cans on most holes, plus things written with marker on some signs (not to the point where they aren't readable though) and vandalized benches/garbage cans
- a few holes are pretty much no fly zones all around the tee thanks to slews of both mature and young trees
- hole 13 has a sewage drain right in the middle of it, and sections of the fairway are almost always mucky almost every time i go
- the teepad on the seventh hole is on a very noticeable upward slope
- there is parking in the back at hole 15, but i see broken glass back there sometimes from people's windows getting broken out. probably better off parking up front near the entrance, but dont park too far from the bathrooms on that side of the lot: shanks from the 18th hole will nail your car

this course is currently undergoing some big changes and will soon be even more challenging to the player. litter is being cut down on, two

navigation: after hole 4, take a right and walk down the road. you will see the fifth tee to your right. the sixth is down the hill to the left of the basket for hole 5. after hole five, walk back across the road and you will see the path leading up to the seventh hole. after hole 15, the 16th hole is located down the hill to the right of the 15th, almost running parallel. every other hole should be easy to find for first timers, as paths have been walked into the forest.

oh yeah, and bring bug spray. i consider this somewhat of my "home course" as i play here most every day regardless of weather. if any dgcr members happen to be in the area and are interesting in playing the course/just having a casual round, i'd be more than happy to come out and shoot with you.

It was a fun course, met up with two guys in the parking lot and they let me play with them. A third friend of theirs showed up and played as well. Sorry to the Iowa boys that I crushed, but it was great game!
- Beautiful course, huge elms, great green areas.
- Nice mix of elevation changes
- Nice variation on shot selection
- I can't remember what hole it was but the short hole where you play from the edge of the road to a little hill island and it's sloped on either side is quite a dandy, parked it right on the back side of the basket without it rolling down.
Enjoyed it, will play again next time I'm in Iowa.

- Trash overflowing in places.
- Very thick 'rough' off the fairways
- Can kind of get lost when you have to cross back across the road to move to the other holes.
- It was a sunny day when I went but had been rainy recently, kind of muddy but that is not a con, however, some fairways were not clear and could use some cleaning up, mowing, brush and leave collection as well.

Upgrades:
- Add trash cans every 3 holes or so.
- Clean park (possibly the local Disc Golf club can sponsor an event/tournament to do this)
- Very wooded possibly clearing some of the trees out or stripping them down from 6 feet to the ground to make it easier to see through the woods.

*Nice wooded setting in a hilly forest
*Mostly private setting, dedicated to DG
*Close to downtown cedar rapids
*Variety of shots needed & good use of elevation

*Course is trashed. Like random beer bottles & cans EVERYWHERE -- around the teepad, in the fairway, in the shule where your tree-richocheted shot lands
*People have had a really heavy impact on the land ... i don't know if its the soil, the traffic or that the course has been around a while, but most of the fairways are pure dirt & erosion looks like a big issue on most of the holes that are on hills
*Most of the holes have fairway trees. several are so bad you may as well just throw and hope, b/c 70% chance you're going to hit a tree. no viable lines on many holes -- as in there is more luck than skill
*not fun to play - the luck factors gets frustrating (and boring)
*short; no multishot holes
*some of the teepads suck -- concrete aimed away from the hole & slanting at an angle up in the air

This was the least favorite of the 6 courses I played on a recent trip through IL & IA....and i generally like (and play well on) wooded courses. The place really was trashed as the other reviews have noted, both with litter and impact on the land (fragile soil?). I found most of the holes to be frustrating as they had no clear valid fairways. good shots would richochet off trees; bad shots would end up parked -- no risk/reward, high luck factor

I met some locals @ wildcat bluff after playing this who said that shaver was an acquired taste. i could see some appeal, but seems more like the setting than the course.

Why play this when you are only 25 minutes from wildcat bluff?

Technical with distance. Shade over most holes in the summer. Easy to navigate.

Few garbage cans.

Technical and very wooded. Risk/Reward course. Find the right line and you can do well. A lot of elevation change.

Definitely makes you work at the shots. Not an easy course, so you have to try alot harder.

Lots of trees. The leaves make it really bad in the fall, use a BRIGHT disk for playing, even if it's not the best disk for the shot.

I learned to play on this course, so I'm partial. I've played all the other courses in the CR/Marion/North Liberty/Coralville area though and I always come back. It's definitely my favorite -- but I like a challenge.

A park that is pretty much just for disc golf now. Heavily wooded throughout the course. Line shaping abilities are needed here. As a more exerienced player, I enjoyed the technical requirements that this course has, a beginner won't. Large teesigns on most holes. Large cement teepads are big, flat and level. Baskets are in great shape with a couple of new ones throughout. Recent changes include new holes which actually add a fair amount of elevation to them, especially hole 7 that drops about 80 feet or more. Park is secluded so you don't have to worry about other park users.

Navigation is continues to be a big issue. Very confusing layout after some of the new holes are added. As is stands of 08/13/2012 the signs are messed up and you can easily get lost. However based on the recent improvements to this course, I can see this being changed as well, and hope. Next tee signs on the ground near the baskets would be of big help here. Trash is definately an issue as well. All the trash cans were overfilled and random beer bottles/cans throughout the course. Benches and teesigns are marked throughout as well.

This is definately the best course in Cedar Rapids area. Heavily wooded and hilly courses are my favorite and this is just that. The new holes really work well and are much fun to play. A few new benches and teepads are signs that this course is in the state of improvement. Unfortunately I don't live close by to play this on a regualr basis, but always look forward to coming back to Cedar Rapids to play this course. Will update this review in the future as this continues to transform into a better course. Update: lanscaping continues to improve, and the new holes are being broken in. The locals are working hard on this course. Still waiting to see all new signs and navigation aids though.

I love this course. I learned at this course and it rules. It's tough, but nice shots are real nice here. You can almost always find at least one good line through the trees. It's the definition of a risk/reward course. The fall is a tough time to play it though, I lost my first disc of the year there this week in an open fairway just cause of the leaves.

Some people aren't very good about carrying their trash out but that's about it. Some people complain about the parking and that the park closes in the fall but there is a back entrance that is always open.

I've played this course at least a hundred times and its a blast, if like courses in the woods you've gotta check it out.

It's a very challenging course through the woods. The signs and holes are in good condition, little waiting, and a good mix of different hole types.

One of the back nine holes had a basket missing, which was present before 2008. Some holes have too many trees in the fairway to have clean shots. The parking isn't the best.

This isn't a beginner's course, however I've warmed up to it and love the challenge and low crowding unlike Jones and Legion.