Course Design: Swope makes decent use of the terrain that is present: elevation is in play on many holes and there are trees used near the pin (hole 3 and hole 5 for example) that certainly favor left to right or right to left shot shapes. Elevation is used well on a few holes to allow for a big downhill rip (hole 18) or to force some decision making (hole 10, might have to control a flippier disc up the hill into the trees).

Concrete tee pads are very large.

Baskets are Mach X. I think they catch alright, your opinion may vary.

Some locals might not share the park very well. I'm not talking about anyone using the pavilions to grill and gather, they're not harming anyone. I'm talking about having dirt bikes and 4 wheelers and even dune buggies racing through the fairways while people are playing, taking a major toll on some of the fairways. That's not sustainable for the park, let alone trying to make it a mixed use park with the disc golf course.

Course Design: Yes, the majority of the holes are open and if you can throw a controlled hyzer from about 280-360 feet both forehand and backhand, you'll bore quickly while likely scoring very well. However...

THERE IS WORK BEING PUT INTO THE COURSE. I have faith that the fundraiser tournament held, in combination with the GoFundMe that was out there will allow for some new holes and a little more TLC to be put into the course. The tournament layout for the KC Wide Open has a lot of potential, bringing in some big shots with alternate holes that introduced a lot more foliage to the design, while keeping large elevation changes. If they move toward this layout and can make the course flow a bit better than the tournament layout, all the sudden this is a fun course with some OB (yes, some artificial) that can really sneak up on you. I have hope that this course can yet be shaped into something that offers varied shots, terrain, and a bit more in the way of navigation. I have the course sitting at 2.0 right now, but I think it could pop to a 3.5 or higher with some layout tweaks and navigational aids. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Swope has all the trimmings of a nice course, with 18 massive tee pads and 18 MachX baskets in great condition. Benches have been installed on about half of the tees and 3 and 11 have trash cans on their pad as well.

A few spots of tricky elevation. 1, 2, 9, and 18 have scary slopes on some of their pin spots. Long downhills on 6, 13, 14, and 18 are contrasted by shorter uphill throws on 5 and 16.

Some trees to avoid off the tee of 1, and staying low to reach the longer pins of 3 is important. 18 has a treeline on the left to either avoid or go around, and 8 and 9 are shorter holes with a bit of tree challenge.

Eight of the holes have zero obstacles, and in certain pin spots that number could go up to ten! The obstacles that exist are fairly easily cleared besides 18's trees. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's pitch and putt as some of the open holes approach 400 feet, but bogies are hard to come by if you have decent distance and approach game.

Wayfinding has declined over time. In the beginning each tee had a large white sign, now the only one remaining is on 15. Paths through the grass are somewhat worn to help, but longer transitions (5 to 6, 17 to 18) may be difficult without a map.

Creek crossings are highly dangerous. Hole 1's long pin, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, and 9 to 10 all require crossing a creek just large enough to be annoying. Wood pallets were out down early on to keep you from having to jump over... all but one of those have rotted away.

Maintenance is below average and inconsistent. Thigh high grass awaits if you get off the fairway on 2-9 and 13 and 14. 1, and 15-17. 10-12 and 18 were freshly mown, but who knows how they'll end up. Just be aware it may be an unpleasant time.

Parking might be an adventure as this is a popular hangout for locals and there isn't much parking available for the course proper.

At the beginning, improvements were said to be coming. It's been nearly four years since course installation and things have only gone south from there (apart from the benches being installed).

I don't recommend this course to anyone unless you just have to bag it, and especially if you've heard the name "Swope" as something great. I'm glad I never got to play the old one so I have no comparison to make. The course of legend sits half under an animal shelter since the city lied about where it was going (do NOT bring that up with the locals. Still very sore), and the replacement is a bore that no one seems to care about improving. Change is welcome, but doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

Swope Park is a massive park, the Disc Golf course taking up just a small portion of it, conveniently situated away from any walking trails. The old course elsewhere in the park was pulled (don't follow the signs for "Disc Golf"; they'll lead you to an animal shelter), and this one was the replacement. It features... well, not much interesting.

Nice big cement tee pads, brand new Mach X baskets, and multiple pins on every hole.

The hills are used well. The lack of trees, while a big con, does make distance perception difficult. Right now, with not much signage, it's difficult to tell how far away the basket is, and with the hills, how hard to throw the disc.

The holes that do have trees are pretty interesting. While there's only a few of them, there's multiple ways to attack those holes, with opportunity for punishment if you miss your line.

Half - and I mean literally half - of the holes on this course have nothing interesting about them. Just a tee and a basket, with a bit of elevation. Some holes have trees, but they are so spread far apart there are still multiple lines to throw on.

The course is being installed, so benches and better tee signs can be expected in the future.

While other park functions avoid the course, or rather the course avoids them, there are sometimes some loud events just across the street that make the course not all peaceful.

The grass gets mowed pretty irregularly. Angle-deep grass is common, making disc searching take an annoying long time, even when there's no trees. Or, the fairways might be mowed but the grass is long off the fairway.

This course is likely to improve, but it needs many trees to be planted and grow for it to offer a consistent challenge across all holes.

If you're travelling through and want to see what the city has to offer, choose a different course - KC has plenty.