The Provo Castle is a beautiful all stone building located on the grounds of the Utah State Hospital surrounded by a nice park, a playground, a fish pond, a volleyball court, restrooms, a rope and obstacle course, a campground, and an 18 hole disc golf course. The castle is in reality a large and impressive three acre amphitheater with seating for 800 people, but its massive stone structure looks a lot like a medieval castle. The Castle was built during the 1930's as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). They built it as a source of recreation and entertainment for patients at the Utah State hospital. The grounds of the hospital are well kept, groomed, and maintained, with the exception of the water feature next to hole 1's tee that looks like the circulating fountain pump hasn't run in quite some time and it is full of nasty algae water.

Hole 1's tee is directly west from the Mark I. Payne medical treatment center's parking lot, making it the best place to park after checking in at the administration building. Tees are marked with wooden 4x4 posts with engraved Plexiglas signs on them that list hole number, par, and distance. The front 9 plays around the flat lawns of the Payne center grounds and then the back nine climbs steadily up to the castle. The holes on the front 9 are all completely flat but most have guardian trees to provide some obstacle, also although not marked, playing all cement as Out of Bounds provides added challenge and just makes common sense. Holes range from 180 foot short uphill shots to almost 500 foot shots on flat ground, with most holes ranging in the 250 to 400 foot range.

The back 9 provides quite a bit more challenge as you play up the hill to the castle. Several of the holes are good uphill shots to get you into the much more densely wooded area of the castle grounds. As you work your way up to the castle you play over a stream, through a rope course, and under a fairly dense canopy of trees, providing you with quite a bit of shot selection and challenge. All in all, the course provides a good mix for any player level. There is very little chance of a lost disc for beginners and intermediates and there is just enough challenge for more advanced players.

Security Concerns. This is a state mental hospital, part hospital, part prison. Obviously security is tight at such a facility. There are numerous signs telling visitors to check in at the administration office upon entering the campus, but like most human beings disc golfers can't seem to read. Also, being on the grounds of the facility means you surrender your rights to things like search and seizure, and this might not play well with some golfers. Most state hospitals I have been to are straight prisons; think, "Not guilty by reason of insanity", some of these facilities get the absolute worst of humanity. Oregon's hospital does have an outer public park area and museum, but the interior is an all gated and fenced prison, while California's are straight prisons all the way, with an unattached park on the outside of a no man's land zone and two lines of barbed wire fence. Utah's facility is obviously aspiring for a more peaceful, therapeutic mountainside setting, which it accomplishes.

Finishing. Although hole 18 finishes directly in front of the castle and provides a spectacular view of the castle in its entirety, it still finishes at the farthest point on the course from Hole 1.

Uphill Elevation with no Downhill Reward. If I have to play uphill holes, not my favorite thing to do by the way, I want to be rewarded with at least one nice downhill, here it is all flat or uphill with the exception of hole 14 which is an ever so slight short downhill but it plays fairly flat.

Safety Concerns. There are several safety concerns as several holes play across roads and egress. There are quite a few blind shots on the uphill shots climbing up the ridge. There is a volleyball court and playground located among the front 9 but the holes for the most part avoid conflict. Hole 13 plays right through the rope course, so if occupied would be out of play. Also, 17 and 18, play probably a little too close to each other in front of the castle, also they set up practice accommodations for the amphitheater on holes 17 and 18s fairways, rendering them unplayable when theater troupes are using the amphitheater in summer for performances. There is very little traffic out here, and when playing we only encountered one other person in the park so the concern is slight but a possibility.

Wide open and repetitive. The front 9 play on flat, wide open lush green grass, and get a little repetitive.

Water Hazard. More pro than con. There is a small stream that flows through several of the holes on the back 9, providing good obstacle and challenge. It would be difficult to lose a disc, but probably not impossible.

Tees. Natural grass and undefined. Although there are wooden 4x4 post designating tee areas, the tees themselves are all grass. Concrete pads or some other defined teepads would go greatly to enhance the course.

Signs. Although as mentioned there are wooden 4x4 tee posts with little Plexiglas signs on them indicating hole number, distance, and par. There is no clear indication of which basket or where to throw that a map would provide. A minor concern really.

Navigation. Navigation on the course is not exactly great as there is no indication of the next tee, and you will need to spend some time looking for the wooden posts. The course is open enough and the tees close enough to the previous basket to not be too much of an issue, but you will need to pay attention.

Thick Lush Grass. Although a pro, in most situations, it also means that after rain or watering you're going to get soaking wet feet unless you wear waterproof shoes.

This course was not listed on DGCR when I played in Utah; I ended up hearing about it from the local scene in Provo. And boy the reviews were all over the board: from it being "Unplayable" because of the whacked out security to it being one of the "Best" courses in the state of Utah. So, I had to see for myself what all the fuss was about. I started by first calling the hospital for information; a first step that I have learned to take before going out of my way. One: I learned that the course was indeed open to the public to play as long as visitors followed the rules of the campus, one being to check in with the administration building, a simple and reasonable enough request to follow considering the nature of the facility. Two: I learned that most disc golfers can't follow simple rules and instructions, and that the hospital administration was on about its last nerve with them. Three: The truth on the quality of the course is somewhere in between the bookmarks. I do agree it is the best course in the city of Provo, although the Jolley's Ranch course in Springville and the American Fork courses which are close by would be my personal preferences for the area but I would put this course in the top ten for the state. A few other disc golf sites had some reviews on this course that were also widely contradicting and they appear to be drastically out of date as the course went under a massive redesign in 2014 after several new buildings and parking lots were added to the campus. The course originally opened in 2009 and played around the forensic unit, a nice name for the high security prison unit. Now the course plays in the open grass lawns of the park and stays away from the buildings altogether.

The course provides a good mix of holes and shot selection, and the impeccably mowed grass fairways provides a good casual round of golf. The elevation changes and wooded coverage enhance the challenge of the back 9 of the course, while the open front 9 provides an easy warmup and chance to air out some drives. All in all, a good disc golf outing.

On a personal note, I do get the feeling that the opening of the Castle amphitheater and the park to the public may not necessarily be what hospital administration and security really wanted to do. I get the feeling that an offsite administrator made that call. Even with permission from the administration office to play it still feels a little like trespassing on private property, especially considering there are signs everywhere saying the grounds are off limits and no trespassing signs up and down the hill. But I guess, as long as you check in, you're covered.

On a final personal note, I find it odd that this is not the first insane asylum where I have played disc golf. In fact, it is the third. I have played courses on the grounds of the Oregon State Hospital, as well as at Heilmann Park, which technically not on, is adjacent to California State Hospital Atascadero (yes, CA has more than one state asylum, go figure). I wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something. Maybe, it's trying to tell me that I play too much disc golf: NAHH!! That's Just CRAZY.