Xenia, OH

Xenia Rotary DGC

3.555(based on 10 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Xenia Rotary DGC reviews

Filter
8 0
jserepair
Experience: 37 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun with friends

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 3, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well laid out course, user conflict is at a minimum, the main users of this park are disc golfers. This course has a bit of everything, open shots, wooded shots, water holes, elevation change.

Cons:

Not too many negatives from our time there, restrooms only at the front of the property, no drinking water available.

Other Thoughts:

This was a nice course to hit with some friends who live in the area, while we visited, if I lived in the area this would be a regular stop for me!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
15 0
lukedpt
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.8 years 79 played 58 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Balanced community course

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 20, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Concrete tee pads
-Tee signs w/ accurate distances (at least one hole is missing the sign)
-DGA Mach V baskets in good repair
-Moderate amount of parking for mixed use park
-Porta-john at parking lot
-Dynamic use of elevation and terrain. Multiple shots over creek that are achievable for almost all skill levels. Mature woods are used effectively with natural feeling mandos
-Variety of hole lengths, allowing for challenging par 4s and possible ace runs

Cons:

-Tee signs are cheaply made, at least one is missing
-Navigation can be very confusing, especially because multiple bridges are crossed and re-crossed
-No water available

Other Thoughts:

This is an awesome local course. The variety of gameplay lets you open up with serious power at times, with plenty of finesse shots as well. Plus, who doesn't love hole 1 with an ace run over a creek. improved signage would be the first thing I change, but overall a great experience. I'd just be wary if the creek is high. I'm sure it can be a disc eater.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
17 0
nothinbuttree
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.6 years 153 played 36 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hills and low ceilings and creeks, oh my. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2021 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

.
>Decent shot variety.
>Some elevation
>Course doesn't seem like it gets busy--I've been here twice, only seen a few others playing
>Creek comes into play, but doesn't seem like too big of a lost disc hazard

Rotary Disc Golf Course is in Sol Arnovitz Park in Xenia. It not your typical park style course, though a few holes do play that way. It has a few surprisingly interesting holes, but also a couple disappointing shortcomings as well. There is actually some elevation here (no, it's not Toboggan), which is a nice surprise. Most of the back nine is wooded, while most of the front nine is more park style to moderately wooded. A creek meanders through, which is wide and deep enough in spots to be a concern for lost discs if it is flowing fast, so be careful. Its main appeal will be to rec and perhaps intermediate players. With mostly one teepad and one pin position per hole, the challenge is mostly hitting some tight lines on the wooded holes. Don't go far out of your way, but a relaxing round can be yours if the skeeters aren't biting.

Cons:

.
>Short teepads
>No next tee signs (only saw one, on a hole where next tee was 30' away and clearly visible).
>No benches--would be nice with some of the elevation present, or just to chill on a 90 degree day.
>Some of the wooded holes have really tight/precise lines to hit.
>More than a typical amount of low ceilings--wooded holes especially, one can hit the fairway dead center and get knocked down by a low branch hanging down right in the middle.
>A couple tee signs were missing, and one teepad is basically cracked in half and needs replaced.

Other Thoughts:

.
BASICS:

>Teepads--Concrete, 9' or so mostly, which is pretty short. Also, they sit a couple inches above the surrounding ground, so if you need a bit longer X-step, that can be annoying.
>Baskets--Older Mach V's, but they catch fine.
># holes--18, one pin position and one teepad on nearly all holes.
>Setting, type of course, fee?--Free to play city park, mostly set aside for disc golf, though a graveled walking path runs through it, so best to look before throwing on most holes.
>Elevation--Surprisingly for this part of the state, there are 5-6 holes with more than a trivial amount of elevation change. #2 is a short hole but plays uphill with a low ceiling. Parking would seem to require a roller or a big planned skip off the hill with a nice flare. There are a couple nice but not epic downhill tosses as well, unfortunately also with low ceilings, so the lines are pretty tight. Takes a bit of the fun out when you have to be more precise on a downhill throw.
>Ease of getting to--Right in Xenia, easy access.
.
AMENITIES:
.
>Parking--Plenty, right by hole 1.
>Bathrooms--One port-a-john, in parking lot.
>Water/food nearby--Plenty in Xenia, a few minutes away.
>Clubhouse/disc shop--No
>Benches--No
>Trash cans--A few.
>Bag holders--No
>Tee signs--Yes, they do show next tee direction, and some info about possible flight paths, distances seemed short on some.
>Next tee direction/signs--Basically no, just on the tee signs (I for one can never remember to look there).
>Wheelchair/cart friendly--No, and no--there are several hills which are treacherous actually to walk down--very steep with no steps, having a cart would be worse. A few other places have steps, but overall not the best place for your cart. If it has rained recently, those hills could be impassable, though there are probably some longer walk-arounds.

COURSE PLAY:

>Shot variety--Decent enough, BH, FH, low ceiling shots--going both flat, up, and down hill.
>Open/wooded--9 or so holes are park style to lightly wooded, 9 are moderately to heavily wooded. Decent variety here as well.
>Layout, long walks (inc back to car), loops--One large loop, though you do get close to the parking lot after hole 6 if you want a quick round. No real hikes between holes.
>Total distance walked--1.7 miles
>Ease of finding next tee--A map will be helpful, unless you always remember to look at the tee signs for the next hole location, though a few are missing.
>Distance of holes--Mostly in the 200-275' range. A couple 300+ holes are both par 4's, but tough eagles. Be happy with birdies there. Several tee signs seem to have incorrect distance, usually erring on the short side. Best to use your judgment, not the stated distance. Overall, course is in the 4500' range, per signs, but it 'felt' a little longer, maybe because of the elevation.
>General difficulty--Rec level. I think a 900 rated player should be looking for 4-8 under, more if you can putt really well.
>Mud/water issues--The steep hills one goes up and down are mostly dirt, so if wet, they could be treacherous, be careful or go around it course is very wet. There are a few low spots which look to get a little wet, but overall it seems to drain well with the creek going through it.
>Water or O/B to contend with--Yes, a 5-15 foot wide creek meanders through, and comes into play on 5 or 6 holes, mostly on the back nine. I think most discs could be retrieved, it might take some work, some places the bank is pretty high and steep.
>Difficult rough/lost disc risk--Pretty low in the woods, possible in the creek, average overall.
>Scrape/scratch risk--Fairly low.
>How busy was course/park--Weekday, sunny, late afternoon there were only people walking, one player came just as I was leaving.

OVERALL:

>Fun/enjoyment factor, would I play again? Probably, but if I never do again I won't be sad.
>Who will this course challenge? 925 rated players and below.
>Is it worth a drive? Locally only, 45 minutes at most.
>Anything unique? Some of the low ceiling shots with elevation seem tricky, might play again just to try to solve those puzzles, cause the holes themselves aren't that long.
>Would be a half star higher with--Longer teepads, better course navigation, benches, a bit clearing of low limbs.

I am in my 50s, 95 or so courses played, 875ish.

Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 5
jay hyzer
Experience: 64 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

all things considered, how could you do better with what there is to work with 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 30, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The way they were able to incorporate 18 holes so nicely in this small amount of land is astounding.
Fun factor is very high even though it is very tight and technical. A few easy holes make you feel like a rockstar on good days.
The crew that keeps making this course better, well, everytime i go back its better. even though 10 times ago it was great.
very shaded throughout making it a favorite on those hot days even though i have 6 - 4+ star courses way closer to home.

Cons:

First couple times you play it can be confusing as with any new course. We walked it first and avoided all the confusion. Pro tip; the course plays counter clockwise. except holes 13 and 14 play clockwise. so after 12 you walk past 15 teepad and reverse direction.
a few signs for next tee could eliminate this confusion and have no doubts this will happen soon.

Other Thoughts:

So just to be clear I rate courses on 2 factors. Fun and big boy. Big boy means you play the par on the sign, not everything par 3. Somedays i want idlewild, some days i want to have fun. This course is fun. Like belmont, simsbury, gulley park are fun. Don't get me wrong, this course is technical. but if you are hitting your lines you will leave here with a big bundle of confidence.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 6
RickR
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not cart friendly 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Front 9 was a nice play, decent lines. Most were reachable and fun.

Cons:

Back 9 was a little confusing & as the title says, definitely not cart friendly (steep hills, uneven stairs).

Other Thoughts:

Some signage would be helpful. Ran into other players that were just a lost as we were.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 3
hondaguy85
Experience: 12.4 years 113 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful course in an old growth forest with a flowing creek throughout. A tad overgrown but overall a great mix of long and short holes with lots of elevation change.

Cons:

Course could be kept up a little better but it's early in the year and it just adds to it's charachter.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
9 0
remraf
Experience: 12.5 years 45 played 17 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Well designed course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Variety of elevation changes
+ Variety of shot types
+ Decent mix of hole lengths
+ Concrete tee pads
+ Course map near the first hole - take a picture if you're visiting the fist time, there are a couple of criss crosses.
+ Most of the baskets have next tee arrows hanging from them at the bottom which is helpful as well.

Cons:

- Rough around the edges. I understand its a newly built course. But some debris clean up, some trimming, a consistent mow, some trash cans, and a bench or 2 would go along way to elevating the course rating.
- While there are a variety of shot types needed, to me it sure seemed like a lot of holes required a left to right shot. Depending on your throwing style, this could prove challenging.
- Some additional steps on some of the elevations would be great.

Other Thoughts:

You get a pretty good workout just walking the course. For the area, they made great use of elevation. If you look at the total feet of the course it doesn't seem that long, but it seemed to play longer than total feet to me. Overall, a very enjoyable course with some challenging lines. While it's rough around the edges, it's great where it counts the most - which is hole design.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
8 0
ad166809
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.7 years 55 played 24 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Xenia Rotary 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 13, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Let me first say that I am rating this course based off what I think the course will be like when it is fully completed.

Baskets are nice and new.

Tee pads are concrete which is going to be good as this course plays through some woods.

General course design is great as you start right by the parking lot and weave your way through the park. You will end a short distance from the parking lot.

This course has a lot of elevation changing. I really enjoyed both the uphill and downhill holes. #15 is straight up hill and really fun, but #16 is even better as it is a straight down hill run at a basket.

I was going to give epic holes a con but as I was writing the above statement I might include #16 as an epic hole, Straight down hill with a creek behind the hole. It is really fun to chuck it as hard as you can to get it down there. If you do overpower it or miss accuracy you might end up in the creek or in the woods that are on either side of the decently tight window to throw through.

They did a really good job on this course with hole distances. Large variety of long-open short-technical and vice versa. Do not let #1 trick you, you will throw lots of discs in your bag at this course.

Variety of shots required at this course is high. Due to the large amounts of trees and foliage you will need to be extremely accurate with a driver or mid-range. You might find if you have a bad drive that you are behind a group of trees and the course will do you no favors of making it easy to get to the basket if you miss your drive.

There is a great mix of technical and open bombs. Some that you think are going to be open bomb have trees lining the fairway so be careful. Some that are short will trick you as there might be a group of trees guarding the basket or some elevation change that will make short holes longer and long holes shorter.

This course is for sure an overall challenge. Last time I went I saw some trees that were marked for removal. Those trees can make this course play really hard as most the times they block your drive. Even when they take those out this course is no cake walk. This course reminds me of a 3/4 finished Englewood. Very low ceilings at this course, which was not good for someone like me that throws a lot of Tomahawks and thumbers to get myself out of trouble.

Parking is great. You start on #1 right next to the Parking Lot. Be careful not to throw your first shot onto the main road that goes to the park. #18 will finish you pretty close to your car and if you need a tiebreaker or just want to throw one more there is a practice basket near the parking lot to finish.

I would assume once this course is completely finished they will have events to play in. It would be a really fun event course I think. You could for sure get a double round in here with out getting overly tired.

The attitude of locals was great. The first time I played this course they were changing some of the holes up and some of the signage was not exactly clear. We let a group of 4-5 guys play in front of us and they basically lead us through the whole course. There was also a group of really nice guys that just asked us if we were having a good time and what we thought of the course, I assume they had a part in designing the course. Overall great experience with the locals.


Cons:

No tee signs or map markets yet. I am giving this a con because I am not sure if they are going to put any in. This would be tremendously helpful on a course like this.

The foliage right now is very overgrown. I am giving this a con because even when the course is finished I am not sure if they are going to be able to keep up with the vast amount of foliage that is on this course.

From what I saw there are not a lot of trash cans or benches around. If they have put some in or if this is just something I dont remember then I apologize. This still would not effect my rating tremendously.

No camping

No restrooms from what I saw. As a public park they should at least think about putting in a porta-potty. Would be a nice addition.

No running water.

This course has already proven itself pretty popular. Most people keep coming back to see the changes they are making. It was pretty crowded both times that I went. With some criss crossing fairways just make sure you keep an eye out for your fellow discers.




Other Thoughts:

Xenia Rotary has all the potential in the world to be a great course. I cannot help but constantly compare this course to Englewood. Being from South Dayton I would love to see this courses final design be on that level. It is a ton of fun to play and will only continue to get better. Go out and check this out but take it with a grain of salt as it might not be completed yet. Once this is all said and done I could see this being one of the best courses in South Dayton.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
16 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.2 years 401 played 385 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Gee It’s Good To Be Back Home Again 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 31, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I've been watching for the listing of the Xenia course for nearly two years, having lived there as a grade schooler when my dad was city manager a few years before the big tornado. Stopped in early in 2016, since the baskets were in, but the course needed a lot more clearing and maintenance. Now the basics have been done, and you can at least give it a play, if you bring the map or find a course guide. This course has wonderful, large, level, concrete tees and the nice DGA Mach V baskets with the 'blade' top (in orange) for easy visibility. The cages are nice and deep and catch well.

It makes magnificent usage of the elevation, where the bluffs surround the flood plain and the creek that meanders through this moderately wooded park. In the past year, they've done the initial clearing of all the fairways, and the park built two magnificent bridges (at holes 1 and 11), while the developers added a solid staircase down on hole 16. You will learn to control moderate distance shots through park trees and near water, while having three cool downhill holes and three that use the upslope in almost unique ways. As the course 'weathers in', I do expect to see the currently super tight lines open up to make this course appealing to the Intermediate disc golfer. It is currently (and may remain) relatively challenging for casual to recreational players.

There's plenty of shade for warm summer play, and at least here at the end of July, 2017, the course is cleaned up enough that you probably won't need to resort to a whole lot of disc searching. If you do need a rest, there aren't benches yet, but the little shelter by 7, 10 (& 18) might be a nice place to rest and refresh. It would probably be the 'tournament central', as well, being relatively central to the course, and just up the open slope to the practice basket you see from the parking lot below.

I look forward to coming back in a year or two to check out the 'broken in', and 'signed up' look of this neat course.

Cons:

There is currently no signage, either at the tees or where next tee signs are needed. You will need a map. I pulled one from the course (park) facebook page in 2016, and only one or two changes had been necessary, so that map works fairly well. The course flow is mostly intuitive, but you will need to bypass the 18th tee to get from 10 to 11, and cross the 15th tee to get from 12 to 13.

They did choose to move the 6th basket back to the short side of the creek (it was going to go across and steeply uphill, but that would've entailed folks climbing up and down there for a ton of errant throws, so it's definitely better this way). That does mean you have to walk up a very steep hillside to tee off on 7. They need stairs here (and maybe on 10), just like the ones on 16. If it's wet, you pretty much have to use the gravel access drive that runs a few feet from the 9th basket. Oh, and be aware of the need to control your distance on 6, 8, 11 & 17. The first three have a creek dropoff within 15-20 feet, and the 17th has a huge osage branch just two feet behind the cage that might make getting to your comeback putt, a gymnastic event.

There are a number of places where lines are currently forced through very tight gaps and tunnels. Some are marked for cutting, and some will become clear as folks play. Right now, there's still a lot of clearing debris you'll be treading on, so watch your ankle steadiness.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I think this course is a really nice addition to the area, and hope the park treasures and maintains it as an attraction for disc golfers from all over the region. If the signage is good, and the maintenance (voluntary or parks dept) done well, I'd feel very comfortable bringing my rating up a notch!

Reviewer Background as of this writing: played 298 courses and written 282 reviews, with skills hovering around a 900 rating, with folks ranging from age 7 to 87, so I try to write reviews helpful to all.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
9 2
Xelto
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 42 played 37 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Long wait, but worth it 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 28, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Very good mix of open, partially open, and technical holes. Some elevation, and a river that comes into play on many of the holes.
* Lots of memorable holes, and a few that are unique to this course.
* Osage orange trees on part of the course.
* Practice basket can double as an unofficial hole 19.

Cons:

* I have some questions about future upkeep (see below).
* Hole 3 runs fairly near to private property.
* Crossing paths; bring a course map if possible.

Other Thoughts:

I was really surprised by this course, in a very pleasant way. I had been hoping for something local to me (inside 15 minutes) for a long time, and would have been happy with a basic city park. What I got far exceeded that.

The park that this course is in a city park that had been neglected for decades. There are hills near the parking lot and around the far edges, with a 10-20' wide river running through the middle of it. The city ripped out a LOT of underbrush and deadwood while creating the course, and the resulting course has a somewhat wild appearance. How much of that will stay as the park starts seeing use is anybody's guess.

As mentioned earlier, there is a good use of vegetation and elevation. About 1/3 of the course also uses the river in some way. They did a real good job with course design, mixing up the distances, trees, and elevation so that you never get "the distance stretch" or "the technical stretch" or anything like that.

They also mixed up how they used the river. A few throws go across it, a few have the basket placed so that an overthrow can hurt (some of these have vegetation behind it; some don't), and one goes along the side of the hole. In most places, the river is relatively shallow and errant discs can be retrieved from it, though that may require wading to do so. A couple spots are deep enough to lose discs, though, especially after heavy rains.

As I mentioned in the con section, I have questions about how much the city will keep this park going. the baskets were paid for back in 2014, but the park only got finished up in 2017, with the opening date getting pushed back again and again. During this time, they had put baskets in, then closed the park. They added paths that got overgrown to the point where you couldn't tell where the paths were, and some of the underbrush got taller than people. Now, to be fair, part of the rescheduling was because the city expanded out the scope of the park, adding in some bridges and a few other things. So they have sort of an excuse. But I have concerns about what will happen a few years down the road when some other project is distracting parks and rec.

the ultimate question of how good a course is, though, is how far is it worth driving to get to it? I fully expect that this course is going to become a prominent part of the rotation for everyone in hte Dayton-Springfield-Urbana-London-Wilmington-Washington Courthouse area. It's probably not quite worth a special trip from Cincinnati or Chillicothe, but is worth swinging out of your way if you're passing nearby. It might be worth coming from Columbus; hit Buck Creek park in Springfield (another good course) on the way in or out.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top