Well laid out. Good variety of shot shapes. Trails and course maintenance is tops. Good use of available terrain.

Can be exposed to the wind and the heat during summer.

I'm not active on this site. Kinda just a lurker. But this course in Carson City is crazy special and I just had to cast my vote. The last review hits most the points. The club here is insane! The trails, the stone work, the details, the design and course flow are all over the top and without compare. They made the absolute best from a desert landscape using the features available. Tons of elevation without being a hard hike because of the trails and signs. Played a few times now. So many different shots and distances! And each time I have played there have been new basket placements. Most have legit 'greens' that make attractive 'targets'. some are great island holes with smart and beautifully built drop zones! (I'm including the pony express 9-hole course and it's island holes 'cause' it's a perfect and super fun beginner and warm up course manicured to the 9's perfect for doing loops) Played this weekend in crazy nice february weather. As far as design, construction and maintenance nothing comes close. I haven't played a ton of courses but this beats anything in this area by far. Must play if in the area.

I've played the Stadium Course at Carson Ridge (in Carson City, Nv), and the Pony Express short course at least 5X now. In different layouts and different conditions. There's a certain threshold where the wind gets to be too much to enjoy a round at all. Maybe 20mph+. But with lower winds it really challenges your game and your strategy. This course and whole complex actually is just a different animal when it comes to course design and construction. The more you play, the more you discover the details. So much to digest! I've stalled on writing this review to soak it all in and take the time to write a review that it deserves.

PROS

+ LEVEL of CARE. By far the most attention to detail with landscaping and upkeep at any course I have ever played or seen, and it keeps getting better!
+ SETTING. Carson City? Yes, it's in Carson City. You can't really tell this is a special disc golf course until you arrive at the parking lot (more on that below). It's on the way to the city dump and the rifle range. From the roads off of highway 50 the land doesn't look like anything special. When you are playing the course the views of surrounding mountain ranges keeps changing and can be very dramatic! You don't even really notice the dump or rifle range and the views of Carson City from above, across the valley are dramatic too, especially with fall color. Tons of elevation and super cool natural rock outcrops all over canyons and ridge lines.
+ PARKING. Nicest disc golf parking lot ever. It's not an existing parking area being re-used, it's just for the disc golf courses. Split rail fencing, gravel, restroom, trash cans all around, professional looking signage, boulder seating, stone work, stone work, stone work...
+ PRACTICE BASKETS. Two baskets about 70 feet apart by the entrance. It's mulched and manicured like a public park. Could bring your kids or newbies just to play around here on the practice baskets. Sage shrubs and small trees and a little elevation to practice different putts and use different obstacles.
+ DESTINATION. When I make it to the area (Tahoe, N. Nevada). I will always make Stadium Course a priority. This time I was able to snowboard winter conditions and then play disc golf in the warm sun the next day!
+ LAYOUT. Each time I've played there has been new basket positions to play, keeping it fresh. And the positions offer a big variation in hole lengths and challenges. Fun to try and pick the right disc for each shot, especially with a little wind that can be a challenge to read in that canyon. The course routing makes the most of the land and the trees. Holes are mostly open but the designers obviously really thought about how to put the trees into play to frame shots and make you think. And the pinion trees and junipers are really cool looking. They are wide usually but only 15 to 30 feet tall. With no wind you 'cheat' and just go over them if you have the power, but when the wind picks up it makes you want to hit lines 'under' the wind. Only a couple of par 4s but they are definitely legit. Hole 2 is a monster in the par 4 position. I haven't carded a 3 yet. Over 700 feet where if you don't have like 400' power you get stuck at a low point. And then there's a dogleg defined by an OB line along the the edge of the power line road. Very strategic and different each time you play it. Same with hole 10 in the par 4 position.TRAILS. Holy crap, the trails are great. Makes your round go so smooth. Don't have to always look down and think about each step over and around rocks and shrubs and kicking stuff.
+ TEE PADS. Most of the pads are perfect! Wasn't sure if they were concrete or what at first. DGCR calls it stabilized aggregate. They blend and match with the natural pink rock. Mostly 12x6' I think, but they have custom shapes and sizes to fit onto slopes and ledges to make the shots the best they can be. I played on some wet pads from snow melt one round and it didn't seem to effect grip and slide at all. Pads are mostly level with the ground and surrounded by ample gravel and natural stone walls terraced into slopes. Concrete is generally best in my opinion, but these may be better. Sometimes concrete can be too grippy and these pads seem to have the right ratio of grip/slide whether wet or not! Just wonder how they wear. Some pads are starting to 'ravel' on the surface but none of them are bad enough to be a real problem. I noticed that hole starting on tee 15 has been patched. Judging from the overall course care I assume they will all be maintained.
+ TEE SIGNS. OK, yeah, easily, by far, the best I've seen, from construction to graphics. Metal signs inset into hard plastic frames. Bag hooks. No vandalism or stickers. Screws on the lower right to indicate current pin position. Legible and clear satellite imagery that make it easy to exactly locate each tree's shape and size. There are contour lines drawn over the imagery and 'elevation profiles' of every pin position!. The black metal hole number cut outs screwed onto the tee signs matched on the basket bands. Took a while for me to notice this. A designer working on the course told me it was so they could unscrew them to combine or take out holes to change the layout. There's a bunch of pin positions listed on the signs that can't be played yet until they can put in some more tees and expand the layout. Can't wait! Info about plants and animals on each sign. Honestly didn't pay attention to this at first but began to take notice. Shows how we can be so focused on our games that we don't slow down and soak in nature more. It's cool to learn the plants and trees and it's nice to learn the wildlife that's out there, especially the lizards in the summer. There's also notes on the signs that remind you of pdga rules. I think the 2 meter rule works well here with the wide and sparse trees turning them into more formidable obstacles. The reminders not to crush the brush and respect the environment are great. More courses need to emphasize this.
+ BASKETS. Red, dynamic veterans. Played on them once before passing through Bishop Ca on a public park course. They're attractive. They wrapped rope tightly around the lower poles which is real classy, and as mentioned above, the hole numbers are screwed into the chastity bands facing the tee. Can't read number well from a distance but certainly good reassurance that you have played the correct basket and now what tee is next. White arrows on the bottom of the cage point you to a trail that leads right to the next tee. Two layers of chains with separate rings for each set. Can't complain about how the baskets catch although have had some left and right kick outs I thought would stay. I feel the innova disc catchers might have a slight edge for this. Slight. The red really looks good in this high desert landscape.
+ GREENS. A lot of the baskets/pins have their own greens! This is extremely rare in disc golf. Many greens are ringed with stone, terraced and mulched with wood chips or a fine dark mulch. Creates a target, sense of satisfaction making the green and protects from the inevitable erosion you see around most disc golf baskets. Other greens that aren't mulched are set beautifully in and around rock outcrops. Yes this leads to some dinged discs (see cons below).
+ LOCATION. Easily accessible and easy to find off the main highway. Stock up with snacks and water in town (Carson City). On the outskirts overlooking the city from above.
+ CROWDS. Never been too crowded or backed up. The pitch n putt Pony course helps spread out the play. Lots of experienced players do loops (takes 30 min or less) to practice or get a quick round. But things are bound to change once more disc golfers discover it. But even then I bet early mornings will be the ticket.

Any course has room for improvement and this course is no exception. It could be way better and it sounds like there's plans to keep improving. It's a great motivation to keep returning! The cons listed here are legitimate but don't really hurt your playing experience if you know them and plan ahead.

- NO WATER. There's a well maintained porta-potty but no water fountain or water spigot. With all the work that's been done seems like there should be water. Of course just bring your own and bring enough for the heat. But would be nice to be able to rinse things off after round and re-up between rounds.
- WIND. Look at the forecast! Mornings are usually calm. Afternoons like most places are when it can kick up. But these are guidelines not absolutes. If forecast shows over 15mph or even 10mph, you might want to postpone your round. If it's crowded and windy be aware of stray discs riding the wind and be ready to call fore! But wind probably means no crowd.
- HEAT. This is unforgiving high desert and when it gets hot it gets really hot. Even though they built cool sitting areas under trees next to tees (took a few rounds to notice these spots), most of your round will be exposed without much relief.
- ROCKS. Lots of rock throughout. Discs will get dinged. You can prep a bag of 'rock discs', make smart disc selections or just accept some damage. Maybe it'll make a disc fly better for you?
- OPEN. For those who like heavily wooded courses and tight lines it might not be ideal but there's still plenty of gaps and lines to hit. For me I kinda prefer a little more open so I can see the full flight of my discs more often and work on my game.

Must play. Yes. Destination, yeah I think so, especially since it keeps getting better. There's room for improvement and it's not perfect in every way but because the thoughtful design and work at this complex and the Stadium Course is so far beyond anything else I've played, it kinda breaks the mold. I think it's a scale changer. In the current scale compared to all other courses I have to give it 5.0 ("best of the best") without hesitation from my experience. Not even a qualified 4.8 or something. If a new scale went to 5.5 maybe I'd give it 5.2 to leave room for improvements. If I play something better I may come back and lower my rating, but I'm not counting on that any time soon. The amount of work here is mind boggling for disc golf. Turtle Rock was probably my favorite course before I played here, also with a ton of work and detail. I'm West Coast, Norcal mostly as far as what I've played. So sad it burned! A similar level of care was put into it in a great alpine setting and was hoping for multiple plays before rating! Hard to put in the time to rate a course that can't be played anymore, at least for a while. I think I would have given it a 4.5 at least.

- Literally the best signage I've ever seen.
- Very clear trails with wood chips, rock lined.
- Tee pads are often huge and all are very grippy.
- Tons of elevation shots without being burdensome.
- Rewards rightys/leftys fairly.
- Semi-variable terrain.
- Shorter ace runs and massive par 5 bombers.
- Brooms at most if not all tee pads.
- Bag hooks on sign posts.
- Beautiful old vegetation (Lots of Pinyon Pines and some Junipers I think.)
- Awesome views of the Sierras when looking West.
- Easily accessible (you can see some baskets off the 50 when looking south.)
- Tons of nearby gas stations etc to load up drinks/whatever before a round.
- Lots of trash cans in the parking lot.
- Plenty of places to sit while on the course (flat boulders.)

- Only one port-o-potty for restroom (in parking lot.)
- Course is prone to wind.
- No benches (tons of nice flat boulders to sit on at tees though.)
- Navigation/which basket to throw to can be slightly confusing sometimes (but uncommon.)
- Losing discs is a reality due to sage brush and canyon.
- Could be more challenging, but a windy day takes care of that.
- No trash cans once on the course.

As far as desert environments go, this course is tough to beat. Thanks to the Pinyon Pines and Juniper Trees there are plenty of obstacles to contend with, and they very often force you to shape lines here. This course really seems to like flex lines, where a pure hyzer one way or the other won't quite do it, and I like that. The course starts without asking too much from the thrower, but is immediately followed by a huge bomber slightly downhill. It then meanders right up against a ridge with a very punishing drop-off, plays through an awesome canyon, then along an uphill slope, and finishes with a nice slightly challenging shot that needs a good execution to get the birdie on.

Overall this course is pure fun, but maybe not so much if you can't throw more than 330' or so. Even then that doesn't matter because there are a few ace runs/very reachable baskets depending on pin position. One super fun hole is an island hole marked by stones, with a clear delineation also marked by a different soil type the designers put on the "island." The basket is often wedged between a couple trees, and it's super downhill, actually making for a strikingly tough shot to nail for how reachable it is! If you miss the island, you go to a drop zone with throw in potential.

The designers put an incredible effort into the details here. The trail system is amazing, and if in doubt as to where to go next, just follow the wood chip lined trail and it'll take you there!

The signs are mind blowing, with Google Earth style overhead views, all elevation, topography, hazards, landing zones, drop zones, and pin positions clearly labeled. They even have nice pictures of local flora/fauna to educate yourself! The baskets all have a metal arrow at the bottom of them pointing your way to the next tee. By the way, I really dig the Veteran Baskets, they look good, sound good, and catch very well.

It's not the most demanding course in the world, but is still far from easy also. Once the wind is cooking, this course turns into a different beast. If you're driving through Carson City and have time, jump on the 50 real quick and play this course! You WILL be impressed with how well maintained and thought out this course is. Please honor the space and remember DON'T CRUSH THE BRUSH!

To the guys maintaining this course, you're awesome, I've never seen so much attention to detail, not even close actually. Thanks!!

-Putting area with 2 baskets
-Great selection of shot type
-Big elevation change
-Tee maps are exquisite (very accurate with elevation change for each pin)
-Red DD Veteran baskets catch nicely and can be seen very well
-Great views of Carson Valley and eastern Sierras
-Arrows in every basket to next tee
-Trails and maintenance of course impeccable

-A few holes can play close together depending on pin
-Sometimes you see multiple pins from a tee and need to re analyze map
-Not much shade
-Sights of Highway 50 and power lines can be unaesthetic
-After hole 9 you're not near the parking lot

This course is part of the new Carson Ridge DG Park which is an overall gem! The city really took their time with the whole design. A big parking lot, 2 basket putting area, 9 hole pitch and putt and then an 18 hole pro course. An excellent combination for all levels of play.

Dynamic Discs Veteran baskets are very nice. 18 red baskets for stadium course, 9 gray baskets for pitch and putt course, and 2 white practice baskets. 27 holes, and 29 baskets in all! I've never played a course with red baskets, but I really enjoyed them against the desert colors. Very easy to see them even at par 5 distances. Also all baskets have a white metal arrow at the bottom to signal direction to thenext tee. Very useful.
The general look of the course is similar to a lot of Northern NV desert courses with some trees and lots of manzanita and rock outcrops throughout. But it's the flow, elevation change, and ability of the designers to make the best of the land provided that makes this one of the best desert courses I've ever played.
Par 3 - Par 5 distances make this course play very different depending on pin positions.
Lots of elevation change done in very smart ways. I felt there were more shots across ravines and dips which lead to more hiking uphill instead of just shooting straight uphill. Definitely makes for more enjoyable play while still obtaining those fun downhill shots.
The tee maps at this course are some of the best I've ever seen. Very detailed. Very accurate. Elevation change for each pin. Vivid colors. Nice plastic. I could see these signs costing 100 a piece, easily. Also hooks on every tee. Some had brooms. Large rocks at almost every tee to be used as benches.

Utilization of the trees on the property is quite incredible for a desert course with an obviously limited quantity. I could not say more about the design and how well they used the land they were provided. Props to everyone who was involved. In addition to hole design, the trail structure to navigate the course is very dialed for such a new course. They promote "Don't Crush the Brush" here at this course so they want people to stay on trail and they've done this with woodchip trails down the fairway from the tee on almost all holes this would be possible.

I have never seen a new course (~12 months) look this manicured this quickly in a rugged terrain environment. It usually takes a long time for courses like this to "break in." The amount of work with different gravel types, rock moving, trail making, woodchip laying, etc. is just incredible. I honestly had no expectation of this level of quality.

Dont have notes for all holes, this is just from memory. Sorry!

Hole 2 was playing as a 800'+ par 5 downhill then back uphill. Hole 2 also has two tees depending on how you want to play it.
Holes 7 and 10 have a shared 'L' shaped teepad. Might be some backup here on a busy/tourny day.
Hole 12 is an awesome downhill shot to a "Landing Zone" green, otherwise a 1 stroke penalty. Woodchips and a dialed rock boundary make this green look very impressive with some trees in your way protecting the basket.
Hole 17 has a circular tee which is something novel.
Hole 18 is a cool RHFH tunnelish shot to finish on a hillside.

Tee pads leave a bit to be desired with that hard type of aggregate but they all played very well. I know it's practically impossible to have concrete tees anywhere in the Tahoe/Northern Nevada area so I get it. However, I could see some deterioration in years to come.
From some tees you can see multiple pins which is always a bit annoying. However with the accuracy of the pin location on the map, along with elevation change information, it was quite easy to determine which pin to shoot at.

There are no trash cans throughout the course, just in the parking lot. Not really a con, just pack in and pack out.
Big handicap porta potty is only bathroom on site and it was actually very clean with dates of cleaning service inside.

I played this course in May with highs in the 70s and it was perfect, but I could see this course in the dead of summer being pretty brutal if there's no cloud cover.
The views of Carson Valley and the Sierras are awesome, but having power lines/the highway in your sights occasionally could be a turn off for some.

Bring sunscreen, a hat, water, and I'd suggest wearing long pants and hiking boots.

Overall, this course surpassed my expectations greatly. From hole design, to manicured trails and certain greens, expertly designed tee signs, this course hits just about it all. Even the little things, like hooks on tee signs, and arrows on the basket to navigate to the next hole. Two baskets to practice putting and a tiny 9 hole warm up pitch and putt. They did it all right. This has become my new favorite Northern Nevada disc golf destination other than Zephyr Cove (which is a Tahoe course anyway). I suggest anyone in the area to check this place out!

Great paths t boxes practice family course nine holes awesome and stadium course awesome you can tell a lot of thought put into design baskets have next hole arrows and great descriptive t box hole markers still some more work to be done but could not tell great high desert course you just need to check out

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