Tee boxes are recently redone July 2017
New signs and posts July 2017
Lots of different holes. Left, right, accurate short shots to long open down hill.
Never crowded.
I cant say enough good thing about the beautiful setting and unique course.
9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 18 are all fun down hill shots.

Still dirt boxes, but are no longer pitted but you can fall off the side or ends of them (but really fit the surroundings). So maybe not a con.
18 is often wet.
18 ends so far away.
Pay to play.
Lost/cut down some trees on 5.

Go there for the beautiful long hike as well as the Disc Golf. Or just play a short technical 9 through the trees. You can park near hole one and then finish 9 near your car. 10 through 18 gets long and finishes a long way away. Play the road as OB. So on 6 and 7 and even 11 it forces you to play a left to right shot.
You can't have all of these down hill shots with out ending up far away and down the hill. So enjoy the climb.

- Only course in the immediate area and a decent one at that.

- Navigation has improved in the last six months. With the use of the map available here, the signage on all holes is adequate - there are signs w/ par and usually distance on all holes. There are also next tee signs on some holes where there weren't before.

- Elevation! I'm not from the area and hail from a flat area. Playing a course with well-used elevation is not only educating but fun. It's not the craziest elevation or anything, but you're definitely playing in the third dimension on several holes.

- Variety of hole distance/pars/approaches. I wouldn't consider it a beginner course.

- No amenities are close by. I know there is at least one public restroom at the YMCA but from what I could tell none are close to the course. There are few if any benches or trash cans. For non-acclimated visitors more benches would be nice.

- Cost: despite what is noted on the course info the park the cost for non-members is $20/adult a day.

- #18 ends nowhere near #1. If you're not from here you'll find yourself on another hike back to your car. Alternately, if you park near the entrance you'll be fine when you end, but you have a long walk up to the first tee.

Dirt tees

I was in Estes for my wedding and made sure to check out the YMCA. It's really close to RMNP and you'd be a fool to miss it. Despite the cost, make sure to check it out, especially if you're from flat-land.

The day I played there was a lot of summer camp activities and people about but none were really on the course. Being June, it was really hot out but if you prepare accordingly you won't suffer from the elements. You may, however, suffer from the long grass in areas, hidden runoff streams, and occasional surprisingly-thick brush. That being said most of the course is dry and easy to navigate.

the walk from 13 to 14 is long and not to scale with the map however there is a next tee sign giving you the general direction of 14.

I had a great time here. As for the course itself, you've got a smorgasbord of forehands and backhands, even some overhands. All things considered though, as a non-pro, it's not necessarily an EASY course. Like any course, once you learn it, you know where to go. I imagine that even for locals however, this course can present challenges, especially since the area has true seasons and sometimes crazy weather. I hope to update this review w/ info regarding the fall/winter. If you're in the area, PLAY the YMCA!

***And indeed I did come back, 5 months later and got to play the course in colder weather w/ snow on the ground. It was just as fun/difficult as it was in the summer but in a slightly different way. Many areas were dryer than in the summer, and as much of the vegetation has died off some holes are easier. That said, it's still a course that shouldn't be underestimated. Personal faves are 15-18. Nice, long, and a little technical, no roads or potential cars in the way either.

A pretty fun course overall. It starts out in the trees and moves out into a more open area. Great uses of elevation (except for a couple straight uphill holes) and decent tree obstacles especially near the beginning. From hole 13 on is a lot of fun - all downhill and several bomber holes. Also the scenery is about as fantastic as you can imagine.

No concrete Tee pads. Hole 12 is a God awful 350' straight uphill hole. Long walk from 1st tee box to 18th hole.

You should park at Dorsey Pond (near the 18th hole) and walk to the 1st tee so you don't have to make the walk when you're already tired from a whole round of 18. Definitely pick up a map from the Sweet Memorial building near the 1st tee. I felt like it wasn't too difficult to get around, but I am already very familiar with the YMCA layout. You would probably be alright without a map, but its right next to the first tee and its free. Overall a really fun, decently challenging course. Good for all levels of players.

The scenery is amazing.
There are 18 holes, the back 9 gets challenging.
You could get a chance to play by wild game.
The baskets are in great shape.
The park and area is very clean.

The tees could use some work.
Easy to get confused without a map.
The markings from hole to hole aren't clear.
Could of exposed the course to more dangers that the nature allows for.

If there was clear signs from when you enter the park to the start of the course that would be very friendly and convenient for players just stopping by on their vacations. Some of the hole markings could be fixed or replaced but otherwise the park and the scenery was well worth the small detour to play in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.

This is an absolutely beautiful course in the mountains. 1 through 9 are all shorter holes offering what I would caution is a warmup to the back 9. The front lodge offers a map and not many will make the trip up to this more secluded area on any given day so traffic is rarely a problem.

a few holes criss cross and the pins in the back 9 are hard to find without a map (they are available). Don't fool yourself, this is a mountain course the back 9 are up and down the hills and on harsher terrain (wear hiking shoes if possible). For a 700 long hole 18 really doesn't take you back to anywhere near 1. There is a looooooooong walk from the end back to your car if you parked near to 1.

Come prepared for the mountain disc golf course experience. This means good shoes, WATER, and a camera. There is a lot of good scenery in the area which may include some of the local wildlife (We saw a mountain goat at about 50 yards). If you've never played a full mountain course before this is a great course to start with to get your bearings for what they can offer.

Gorgeous views of the Rockies and a very challenging back nine. The front nine, while fairly short, has a number of trees to work around and is a good warm- up for the back nine. Not heavily played and not a lot of other activities close to the course unless you go way off line near the roads.

The tee boxes are a challenge- footing is uneven and some fair erosion problems, but you could usually throw from slightly to the side of the box and get good footing. The posted pars and distances don't match up to the ones on this review. The thistles on #18 are pretty thick and prickly - wear more than ankle socks!

Be SURE to get a course map- and it still has a few tricky holes to find. A LONG uphill walk to the parking lot, but overall a great mountain golf experience.
Another thing that proved handy for us - a telescoping golf ball retriever. We got a disc caught 25 feet up a thick evergreen and were able to climb partway up and knock it out with the retriever.

Great views in all directions, and if your like me and focused on the course you could forget to step back and enjoy them.

I played the course twice with a buddy of mine, we figured since we drove all the way up there, lets make a day of it so we ate a small lunch after the first round of 18 and played again.

We saw maybe 8 other disc golfers on the whole course throughout the 5 hours we spent up there and at no point we were waiting on anyone or had anyone waiting on us.

Tee boxes definitely need some help, but for the most part didn't have any issues.

The first hole was difficult to find (mainly because it was our first time there and we didn't know our way around the HUGE YMCA complex) however after that a blind and retarded monkey could find his way around. I don't understand why others are saying the course is hard to navigate, most all tee boxes are visible from the previous basket except for 14, We actually had a guy ask us where the back 9 started because he couldn't find it, no joke the 10th tee box and basket are visible from the 7th basket and all of the 8th and 9th holes.

I would actually rate this course a 3.75 if that was an option. Also this course played as a par 61 not 54 or 57 like this website says, the front 9 is all par 3's and the back nine has 7 pars 4's

The measurement seemed to be a bit off on the 10th hole but it makes for several birdie opportunities on the back 9.

Long course made for a great workout as you are in the mountains and dealing with elevation change.

Bring good shoes its a bit rugged which should be expected on a mountain course.

The only other thing is that the 18th basket is a good 10 minute walk back to the car (if you parked near 1) I understand that this is not ideal, however I cant believe how many reviews I've read here and people are complaining about walking back to the car. Walking is good exercise and if you don't like to walk you probably shouldn't be playing disc golf.

great course in a great setting, i was happy to have this course at my disposal during a family reunion at the ymca resort. not a beginners course. the holes were pretty well laid out and offered a challenge. i played the course 8 times in 4 days, and it wore me out.

most of the holes were righty hyzer shots, the wind and altitude were the major factors as far as difficulty go. some of the distances were off by alot on the tee signs. hole #18 ...after finishing this hole i had to walk back up to our lodge, the altitude kicked my ass...

hole #15 and #17 were my favorites of the course. i played early in the morning and after lunch everyday i was there, and saw deer and elk every morning. for a ymca course i was very impressed with the course

This is a nice mountain course with some tight holes in the trees, some up and down shots, some open, and fairly well played. I was glad to find it and hope to play it again sometime when it is back to 18.

17 and 18 are in amongst the Thistles. My disk fell short of the road and the thistles were so thick I gave up looking for it. Unfortunately the sign post are starting to fall down. I guess that is what you get with pine poles. You end up down hill from where you start and it is a bit of a walk to get back to refreshments.

Along with the construction has come a lot more car traffic. The course may need to move further into the woods and get renumbered.

Great and varied challenges. Good distance variances and terrain challenges between the holes. The greenery makes for a different sort of difficulty between the trees and scrub brush. The layout would be pretty easy to figure out even without a map if all the of the holes were in play.

Holes 1, 2, 11, & 12 are NOT playable right now due to construction. There are some pars that seem off, but that's pretty normal for a course. No facilities that seem to be public.

I think the only thing that made my experience sub-par was the lack of holes. This course will be wonderful once the construction is finished though. I was amazed that it was free considering the campground that it appears to be in.

A beautiful setting in the rockies makes this course a scenic experience as well as a fun and challenging disc golf round. It is not uncommon to see deer walking around during play. The course layout is great with a few open holes, and the rest being technical, hilly, and moderately wooded holes requiring various skilled shots shots anywhere from 240' to over 520' in length. Some big elevation changes give this course a lot of character. This is a good example of what disc golf can offer in the rockies. Maps are provided if needed for hole layouts and a score sheet. You can even check out discs to use if you don't have any. There is a small place to eat as well as a convenience store for snacks in the main building.

With all of the construction going on, hole #1, #2, and a few other holes are unplayable. Construction waste is being littered heavily in some areas. The tee pads are natural, and really not that good. It is hard to get a run up for a great drive. I drove from standing position for a majority of the holes. Without the recent construction I would easily give this course a 4 out of 5 for its layout, technicality and visual appearance. You have to watch out for residential cabins on some holes. Be careful on the last few holes. The trees are known to gobble discs and the thick brush at the bottom of the ravine on the last hole is the worst place for a disc to land. Bring hiking shoes and warm clothing just in case of stormy weather.

This course would be one of my favorites if it had some work done on the tee pads and the construction was over with.