Auburn, WA

White River

3.745(based on 41 reviews)
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6 0
b-mart
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.3 years 66 played 61 reviews
4.00 star(s)

No complaints here 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is excellent. You can play from pro or am tees, and these often give you very different looks. Sometimes you hit holes like hole 3 where the only difference is the length, but overall the red and blue tees add to the experience of the course without making it more confusing. There's a nice variety of holes here that will challenge every aspect of your game. The wooded holes don't get too overgrown either, so you (hopefully) won't spend too much time searching for your disc.

Cons:

The signs at the tee pads are falling apart. They're attractive and unique, but need some TLC. That's really all I can call a con though.

Other Thoughts:

I've only played the winter layout. I get the need for a different layout in summer, but it's kind of a bad idea. I know I scream words that kids probably shouldn't here exploding out of the woods more often than I should, and who wants to watch their mouth while playing disc golf? But having two layouts is way better than shutting down one of the best courses in the area for three prime months. Don't forget to stop by Mando's while you're in town. It's just as impossible to play White River without shopping for discs as it is to play Lakewood, SeaTac, or Terrace Creek.
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2 4
general_anhyzer
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 7, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

One of the better courses down here in south king county. really fun course never gets old. many fun and challenging shots, decent signage easy enough to figure out.

Cons:

park gets busy on sunny days, quite a few trees but its really not that bad.

Other Thoughts:

watch out for hole 13 the river is a raging and unforgiving. other than that great course.
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2 2
matt2680
Experience: 15.8 years 23 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Busy but worth it. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 17, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice layout with long and short tee pads on many of the holes.

Pretty well marked. (Although bringing a map doesn't hurt if you haven't played it before)

Drains well and stays dry most of the time.

Dog friendly(leash).

Cons:

Parking is limited.

Not a whole lot of distance. Only a couple of holes that really let you air it out.

Other Thoughts:

Watch out for the river on the 13th hole.

Quite a few left-curving holes. Convenient if you're a RHBH player.

The course gets pretty busy but most of the people play quickly so there isn't a lot of wait time.

You'll probably break in a few discs in the course of a round with all the trees to shoot around/thru.


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15 0
JMONEY
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 227 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Nice and Quiet course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Pro and Am tee pads, Summer course set up and a winter course set up, multiple pin locations, wide variety of shot selection, very quiet, practice basket, Restrooms near parking lot, free, very close to town and friendly locals that encourage and practice course etiquette.

Cons:

Tee signs on # 6 say #8, tee signs for #7 is log 9, after hole #6 go right log says #9 though, Hole # 11 tee sign says log #12, rubber pads on #14,4, Tee pad for #10 is on the path and not clearly marked. Some tee signs do not offer current info for the hole or may be missing.
Some tee pads on the red course are natural and tend to allow water to puddle over it making you to throw from the side of the pads

Other Thoughts:

I mentioned that some tee signs do not correspond to the holes, but if you follow the "next tee signs" and disregard, the log signs at the tee pads. This course has a small parking lot but seems to have a few parking spots available every time, giving the impression of a crowded course. After you finish hole #1 you quickly step inside a thick lush green mystic world with a touch of serenity to the game. You will encounter many obstacles, tunnels, big arm drives, technical throws, and elevation changes. The red course offers a completely different game compared to the blue, both bringing out your A-game. One time playing this course, I literally have only heard the footsteps of joggers faintly over the sound of the river nearby! The locals take pride in their course and have posted a sign frowning on those that litter and encourage packing it out. I stumbled across a show on TV that was offering a hole-by-hole description of the course layout. It was very thorough with the summer and winter layout and offered advice to what type of throw and disc to use for each hole!
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2 3
Rainier
Experience: 7 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 24, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-A great mix of open and tight hole layouts.
- easy to follow course layout.
-Very well maintained course.

Other Thoughts:

this was the first course i started to play disc golf on and i have become an instant addict to the sport. This is an excellent course with a great mix of hole layouts.
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3 8
Hadley K
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Dang Word of Mouth 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 27, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is well laid out and marked. Thanks for all the hard work Tom!

Cons:

Started playing this course about two years ago, a lot has changed since than. It used to be that you would maybe run into 2 or 3 groups of four when you would play, now you better call and get a T-time (no you can't really call and get a T-time) on most days even weekdays there is no parking spots left and there is sometimes a half-hour wait to tee off not to mention you have to wait ten minutes at each hole for the group ahead of you. It is great to see the sport explode the way it has out here but SSHHHHHH keep it to yerself or else blindfold the Newbies so they have to go with you and can't tell everybody and their mom.

Other Thoughts:

Rumor has it that another course is in the works for the Auburn Kent area so please lets keep this one on the down low or else we shall see the same fate.
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5 3
DgUI
Experience: 15.3 years 14 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Pretty sweet 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 27, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautifully designed course, almost every hole is unique plus flowing
For the most part total seclusion, just you and your buddies throwing into the woods, feels like camping
I've only ever met great people playing and played here a bunch
Not too challenging for me(beginner) at least plenty of pars and maybe better from reds, some pars and plenty worse from blues
Really rewarding thread the needle shots, sucks when you miss them but each through is worth at least 3 pinballs of death
Practice basket for HORSE while waiting for your round

Cons:

Busy year round, only time ive played a round seeing no one was at 7 am
Only 18 holes ha

Other Thoughts:

My favorite course, when I think about disc golf this is the course I want to play, worth the drive from the eastside. Love the fact you are just out in the woods not even close to anything or anyone in the world, just trees baby. Stop by mandos, awesome shop, nice guy!
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9 0
aarikc17
Experience: 17.3 years 80 played 7 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A must play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 25, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

There are a variety of open shots, wooded shots, good for left handers and right handers equally, and water does come into play on a hole as well. There are some OB lines (walking paths), and some mandatories.
There are some black markers that indicate where the basket is located, so when you are teeing off look for a black marker to give you a generally idea where the basket is.
You can play from two different teepads, blue and red. Red is a little shorter course but does offer a different shot all together on some holes.
There is also a nice practice basket.

Cons:

Ok, there is a winter course and a summer course and sometimes it can be confusing when you are looking at hole numbers. Also, one hole is kinda rediculous, too many trees in the way, maybe if they just got rid of one sappling on a hole it would be more legit. Other than that though not much in the cons, maybe better signage from tee to tee and on the box (but it isn't that bad)

Other Thoughts:

This is a public park so be watchful for pedestrians. Nice park and nice course, go check it out!
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2 3
TheDrizzle
Experience: 24.4 years 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 19, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a fun course with an awesome and challenging layout, I played in the White River Open while back home in Washington visiting family and I really had a blast playing this course, the local's were great(they served awesome lunches both days) and helpful with different lines to take on the course.

Cons:

Some holes are crazy tight with trees. and very heavy brush so it makes you think a little more about shot selection.
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5 1
JEREMSTER
Experience: 25.7 years 41 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Growing on me. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

A beautiful course along the white river in Auburn. Easy to find your way around. For the most part they are well designed holes with birdie opportunities that can easily turn into a bogie, plus great hole variety. Plenty of parking, even restrooms and a water fountain.

Cons:

A couple of holes have very wooded fairways ( I spent about 15min looking for a disc in the middle of the fairway on hole #5). IMO hole #13 is bad and should be moved. They have you throwing at a fairway that runs right along the river walking path. and then the basket is right up against the disc eating white river.
You also have watch out for pedestrians on holes #1 and #17

Other Thoughts:

I Don't know if this is a Pro or Con, but they move the baskets around constantly. I've played here about 5 times with 3 different basket/hole layouts. I guess its a Pro because you get more variety, but its frustrating to walk up to your disc in the fairway and realize you just threw the wrong direction or the basket is not there.
I didn't like this course the first time I played it. But now it's one of my Favorites.
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1 4
Che Starr
Experience: 20.5 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Blackberrries 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

Fun and modestly technical (need an accurate shot)
Good for all types of players
Lots of wildlife around
Late summer early fall there are blackberry bushes full of great fruit. Just the thing for a hot summer day.

Cons:

Needed a guide to get around

Other Thoughts:

It was a while ago when i played this so it may have change a bit since then.
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4 0
DiscoKid
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful day on the river 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 27, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Course IMO, is in good shape; delivers a good balance of tight and "air it out" holes... Particularly enjoy the back nine as you get some elevated tee boxes where good drives are rewarded--and quite pretty to watch!

Cons:

Though the course is very dry (for those of you outside the Seattle area, we've had a very dry spring/early summer); this has kept the undergrowth/brush fairly tame yet--it's still very possible to lose a disc or two--even in the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, I really enjoy White River... Today was another gorgeous Seattle sunshiny day... round of disc golf with my 23 year old son and two of his buddies and... the old man comes up victorious--again! 65 today from the blues... Life is good!
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9 1
Thomashasfun
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.8 years 496 played 494 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Best course south of Seatac in Washington. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 16, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A beautifully maintained and easy to navigate course along the picturesque White River makes for a wonderful time playing disc golf. The baskets and tee pads are in excellent condition just like the rest of the course and there are plenty of places to sit down if needed. Very technical course with a lot of variety between hole lengths and there is a good amount of challenge. Plenty of parking even on the busiest days. There are no crossing fairways which is a rarity, even the best courses have some crossing, also the course guides you back around to your car.

Cons:

The course gets busy with golfers and also busy with pedestrians and a couple of holes throw near busy walking paths. A couple of spots on the course have places where you might lose a disc in the brush.

Other Thoughts:

Others have commented on the amount of trees and that there is more luck than skill, I totally disagree. Yes the course is tight in places but this is what makes the course fun, besides for every tight hole there are as many open fairway holes. There are other places I have played that are worse as far as having trees and tight fairways. The summer configuration of the course is all I have played so I can't comment on what it's like other wise.
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5 0
chow
Experience: 21.4 years 31 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Worth the drive down south 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 13, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As others have said, this course is beautiful. Located along the river with multiple fun holes. Starting out, I love the practice basket. It's nice to warm up with a cup of coffee and get some of the cobwebs out practicing. Great signs on almost all holes with excellent maintained teepads.
Love the fact that both red & blue tees are well signed and in alot of the cases give absolutely different looks at the basket.
Locals are always real friendly and the town has a great disc golf store...Mando's.

Cons:

The summer transformation. The holes that go away are some of my favorite at this course.
A little over grown in spots, and some holes need ninja/jedi skills to get to the basket.

Other Thoughts:

As others have said it is super tight in the trees on about 1/2 dozen or so holes. I have birdied some and double bogied others....not really that concerned because I have played other courses that make this one look like it's in a huge treeless field. Lay off on some of the holes, midrange, not driver and you'll be fine.

You could basically get out of your car for the 1st time and play a full 18 without getting lost!! Refreshing
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10 0
DGtourist
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.5 years 188 played 106 reviews
3.50 star(s)

White River 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 10, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

First tee-box first tee sign, top quality, perhaps the best I've seen in all of Washington. Its very nice to see a Washington course with paved tee-boxes, and not huge mud puddles. A mix of open and tight holes, and very tight holes, mostly good for tree bashing. White River is tucked away in a very picturesque natural setting, its one of the places my wife asks "where was that?" with an excited voice when my screen saver flashes a picture of this course. If you have skill weaving it through the trees you'll love this course. You can hear the river running almost the entire round, its quite relaxing. This course has some elevated baskets and tee boxes and alternate tee-boxes. White River has easy directions, plenty of parking and a porta potty. Along the course there are plenty of places to sit.

There are a couple of memorable holes. I liked how number one has a well defined fairway and then you transition right into playing in the thick forest on number two. The tee box at number five was awesome, one of the rare times I liked the tee-box more than the target. The course then takes you for a quick jaunt back into the woods. Then you get to play along the river where the courses features an elevated tree guarded basket. Finally you go down a hill and into the open for more well defined fairways. That's my idea of fun, I enjoyed my experience.

Cons:

When I played in early November, there was almost no undergrowth issues, however is seems like it can get bad when the weather is nice. Refer to the picture of the number four fairway "enjoy looking for your disc" that type of undergrowth is not my idea of fun. I have to be fair though, when I played in November, it wasn't much of an issue. Some of the layout from basket to tee was confusing, we would find a tee and then realize we were at the wrong one and have to re-throw from the correct tee.

Other Thoughts:

On the foggy, rainy day I was there a Native American dude was signing loudly by the river, it made the experience feel wilder. My better than average grade might be due to the fact that I didn't play the summer layout. Next time I'm in the city during the summertime I will shoot for hitting up the summer layout and rewrite this review. I just didn't have the frustration issues that others seem to have had. The only thing I found frustrating was how fast the sun set in November. I look forward to playing this course again.
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9 2
LanceInTacoma
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 34.4 years 35 played 22 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Tough grind by the River 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

The signage here is very good, we only had trouble one time figuring out where to go from one hole to the next, and that was in the "temporary" summer area, which avoids a popular day-camp facility. The permanent signs are really nice, as nice as any I have seen in my travels. The course has some variety, with most holes in tightly wooded area and a few more open shots. The river running right beside you on one hole and coming into view a couple of other times is nice.

Cons:

Some of the same ones others have mentioned: some holes seem more like luck than skill based on the number of trees in the "fairway." Also, I would prefer that if I throw my disc in the "fairway," I should be able to find it much easier than I could often out here. Of all the courses I have played, this course is closer to "requiring" a spotter than any other. Lots of time spent looking for discs out here.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I don't mind a course like this on occasion, and I am sure, over time, the fairways will get more and more cleaned up as players continue to walk through the course. There were many people out playing today, but, because of the course setup, we were never in anyone's way, or had anyone in ours. I do think it would be nice to find some way to avoid playing along the walking path in a couple of places, but overall, the course was fun, although a tough grind.
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7 4
Aragorn
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 59 played 20 reviews
3.00 star(s)

had a tough round 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 20, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

18 holes in a nice classic Pacific Northwest woods setting. Can practice playing through growing frustration?

Cons:

Do you like looking for your disc? How about looking for it when you put it in the middle of the fairway? On three separate holes I spent a significant amount of time looking for my disc even though it I put it in the middle of the fairway! The ferns and disc gobbling bushes are so dense on some holes that it can get really frustrating looking for a disc that should be right there!

Do you like hitting trees? Over and over again? Here is an example of Four consecutive holes I had. Tee shot hits tree, second shot hits tree, third shot hits tree. Next hole tee shot hits tree, second shot hits tree. Next hole tee shot hits tree, second shot hits tree. Next hole tee shot hits tree. I will take the blame for some of that but I really can't remember a run that bad before.

3 holes throw across a pedestrian path. What is really bad is there is a hole that the entire fairway is a pedestrian path! How could you possibly play this hole if there are people on the path?

Other Thoughts:

There is an alternate 'summer layout' for several months of the year. Some holes that are normally along medows get moved into the woods.

I have played this course a few times and if I am truthful I would say I never really have much fun. From spending a lot of time looking for my disc to hitting trees frequently it just slowly saps me.

Maybe as it gets more play it will open up a little. I hope so.
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6 1
jsalyers1
Experience: 20.7 years 62 played 13 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Scenic, Fun, & Challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Beautiful course - well balanced between technical (shorter - wooded or obstacle) holes and distance holes. Concrete pads are nice, and the course is VERY well signed and maintained. You can actually find you way to the next hole without a guide... what a concept!

Cons:

Can be very crowded on nice days.

Other Thoughts:

Others have commented on the wooded holes being tight. They certainly are... but that is what makes them challenging. This is a great course for intermediate and advanced players. Beginners should stick to Riverside, Redmond, or Mineral Park.
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12 0
JR Stengele
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.5 years 255 played 191 reviews
3.50 star(s)

White River DGC 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 17, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful scenic discgolf course located in a wonderful city park along the White River. Entering the park there is plenty of parking available near the kiosk and hole #1. Restrooms are just off the side as well as a drinking fountain.

As far as course layout, White River does a fantastic job providing a mixture of open and wooded holes allowing no one style the competative advantage. Baskets are visible on the majority of holes and if not there are signs with distance and pin placement available.

The course does a nice job taking advantage of the elevation available. There will be several opportunities for shots to sail along the rolling hills and down toward the water some. Each hole has a unique look! The course is challenging, requiring large controlled drives, tight accurate fairway shots, and long narrow putts through wooded areas.

Duel tee pads on some holes (red and blue - winter and summer) add to the fun and challenge. Blues tee pads are all cement and the red are a mix (cement, rubber).The baskets were quality and in great shape .

Cons:

After the first hole the course plays into the woods where on a few holes some might find their shots to be difficult and that their lines to the pin are non-existant (especially during the summer). Continuing to cut back some of the growth on those holes might make for better lines on the course and allow for skill rather than a lucky skip.

However, I really couldn't find a whole lot wrong with this course. White River was well manicured, clean, and in great shape. The locals along with the parks and rec do a fantastic job on course upkeep!

Other Thoughts:

White River provides a wonderful opportunity for some quality northwest discgolf. The park for the most part is dedicated to discgolf (occasional walkers) and the local club has a strong following.

If you are looking for some new plastic or any discgolf merchandise, look for MANDO'S downtown. They have quality goods and a great price. The owner's are great and do a lot for the discgolf community.
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5 6
Disc Golf Fanatic
Experience: 17.4 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Getting to Know You 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 5, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Variety of drive length and type, practice basket at one, distance markers on 17, course is just beautiful - variety variety, terrific markings

Cons:

really afraid i'm going to lose a disc in the river on 13, some holes are SO hard to get a decent drive.

Other Thoughts:

our new neighborhood course. just getting to know it but really excited might even be better than stevens :)
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