The Test Of West
13 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: More than anything, West is going to test your entire game. Placement, shaping, control, power, and sometimes a mixture of those.
Although this isn't a wooded course by any stretch of the word, the trees that are in play are used very well to prevent certain lines or to force a more difficult approach shot.
Just like on East, the Gold course is interspersed throughout the West course, making for a lot of options to play. The only hole with two tees is 17, but there are two baskets on 1-4, 10, 11, 15, and 17. There are a few more on the signs (5-7, 12-14) but those baskets weren't there when I was.
Five of the first six holes here are all about shaping. Hyzers, flex shots, and forehands will all be useful, especially as they're all par 3 so getting within putting range is very important. (In case you're wondering, the excluded hole is 4)
After testing your shaping, Holes 7-9 all test your control. 7 has water behind the basket, 8 forces you to squeeze between a *very* small gap between two evergreens, and 9 is a 325ft downhill with an OB road right less than 15ft behind the basket.
Hole 11 has a low ceiling towards the pin, while 12-14 all play around some evergreens making shaping once again the name of the game.
The standout holes of the course for me just so happen to be the holes that require the most power, but also make placement very important.
- The first of these three is hole 4, and it is the simplest of them all. The par 4 pin is reachable, but would be an extremely powerful and lucky shot. The short pin has some very difficult trees in the way of the green.
- Hole 18 is the second-best here, and is a power shot with looming water to the right of the fairway with the basket perched on the back end of the pond. 457 is the listed distance, but having to get around the water pushes the number closer to 500. Once you get to the "corner" it's a steep downhill behind the basket and shooting back uphill knowing there's water just on the other side of the basket is a big mental block to get around.
- Hole 17. Contending with two massive evergreens off the tee justifies the par 4 even without the water, but this hole sticks the short pin over a small water carry on a peninsula, and the long pin over yet another little water carry. It's the best for me because the downhill is so steep you can really get some distance on your throw, but the water will likely stay your hand from going full power. The short tee is also a great option on this hole, keeps the big ol' evergreens out of your way but still let's you throw a massive bomb.
The fixtures are excellent, tee signs are excellent, maintenance was great, and the Latitude 64 Pro baskets are some of the best I've thrown on.
Cons: If there was a "downer" hole on the course, it would be hole 10. Mostly open with either a wide open pin to the right, or one tucked back in the bushes to the left. With so many great uses of trees around the course this hole just seems a little bland. Hole 16 is also a little bland. A dink forehand with a slightly elevated basket.
Coming back to hole 15 all the way from 14 is more of a hike than any other on the two normal courses.
With all the aged, thick evergreens, there is a decent chance a bad shot could end up stuck real high in a tree.
Other Thoughts: Between testing much more of your game, not having many bland holes and finishing off leaving a great taste in your mouth with the last two holes, West is a few ticks better than East in my opinion.
The course isn't for beginners, and intermediate players will definitely be frustrated by some shot shapes they don't know. That said, this would be an excellent course to play over and over to learn those shot shapes. If only I lived closer.
If you are short on time at Jones Park, play West. It is quicker, more overall quality, and a broader challenge than its eastern counterpart.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
4 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Jones west is amazing!! from the parking lot theres a giant kiosk board and map. I really preferred this course to the long East side. The west gives an incredible variety of hole distances, as well as lefty/righty holes.It has great elevation from the start of the downhill throw on one. It utilizes a lot of the land and terrain. It makes great use of the water and hole 18 is an amazing risk it for the biscuit hole... I layed up left side lol.course flows very well with 18 bringing you back towards 1. Great mix of par 3s and a few 4s . short and long baskets here play what you want to. Stakes in ground marking other pin placements
Cons: beginners still might have a hard time on a few of the holes 17 in particular. Its a massive long hole with a water approach, the gold pin here is kinda dumb and shouldn't be played compared to the regular normal pin
walkout from 14 to 15 is pretty long, and have to walk over the road to get there.
Other Thoughts: overall a great course and makes jones a for sure destination I do prefer this over the east side but cant go wrong playing both in a daystar hydrated
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
A great test of your abilities
2 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Jones West offers a nice variety of short, moderate, and longer playing holes on this park style course. There are multiple pin placements for each holes and the tees are plenty long allowing for a proper run up. The signage is top notch providing the player with all the necessary information need. Par, layout, distance, OB, etc are described and presented on the tee signs in vibrant colors and are easy to read. The Latitude 64 baskets are yellow and are visible from many tees.
Good mix of dog leg L and R playing holes as well as good use of the rolling hills to add some elevation to this course.
This course has had a bit of a redesign so hole 16 now has the elevated basket which will add to the difficulty of your putt especially when it is windy, as it often is in Kansas.
Many of the holes have guarded, or protected pins to test your shot shaping abilities. The lines here are excellent making the thrower shape shots in order to score well. There are a couple of holes that have a bit of a low ceiling to them, holes 11 and 15 come to mind. Also there is water threat that is present on holes 5, if you go long, 6 throwing across the pond, 7 if you go too far, 17 depending on the pin placement, and 18 especially when the basket is on the backside of the pond's dam.
The flow of the course is logical and the course itself is well maintained.
Cons: There are roads that might come into play around some of the perimeter holes on this course. Players should use extra caution for sure before throwing.
Don't recall many benches or trash cans throughout the course. Litter wasn't an issue but some players might want to sit down during their rounds.
The walk from 11's basket to 12's tee was a tad lengthy as was the walk from 14's basket to 15's tee. This slows the flow of the round down a bit, but honestly there's not avoiding it. It is what it is. These cons are minor in the grand scheme of things.
Other Thoughts: This course really has something for everyone. It is a fun play and is in a very well maintained park. This course doesn't have a ton of OB but it has some to keep you on your toes. It's not as long as its sister course, Jones East, but compliments her nicely. Both of these courses are must plays if you come to Emporia. Make a day of it and play Jones East and West, Peter Pan, and if you are lucky try to get on at Emporia Country Club.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
West World
4 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Jones Park West course is the first of two 18 hole courses on site. It has concrete tees, Dynamic Discs provided the targets and tee signs. There are two pin locations at each hole, and an extra tee at hole 17. All of the equipment is in place and looking good.
There are enough trees to give each hole character of its own, and the staggered pin positions do a nice job to change the look and strategy of each hole. Fairways are all grass, and there is water in play on a couple of them. Mild changes in elevation on a few holes also.
A great course for learning, there are not tight lines or a lot of heavy rough. Several of them are fairly long, and the wind ups the difficulty a notch when blowing. Many of the evergreen trees are thick and tall enough to make a stuck disc tough to retrieve.
My favorite holes were 9, 11, 16 and 17. 9 was placed in the position to the right, a bit downhill and protected lightly by a few trees around the basket. I made a tee shot that put me 10' away but I clanked the putt like a chump. 11 has the most crowded fairway, so a low line with the correct angle is crucial if you want to get close to the pin. It is on a slight downhill slant most of the way, but not easy to reach with the first throw even if you don't get interference from the trees. 16 is long, and is a tough par 3, but an excellent warm up for hole 17. There are two tees on 17, and water in play near the basket. Depending on the pin, you may have to throw across the pond. I had a good drive off the long tee, but turned it into the wind on the second throw, so I was happy to stay dry, but not in good shape to make petter than par.
Cons: Overall a very nice course, maybe a little ho-hum for the advanced disc golfer. I enjoyed it, but there are other courses in and around Emporia that offer a much harder challenge, or more defined fairways.
Other Thoughts: I did not get to play the East course on this visit to the Emporia area, but will probably play the West course again when I do return to finish the other half. It has nice balance, is well marked and fun.
It has a similar feel to a lot of the older courses I have played. Not too much clutter on the fairways, and lots of room for big sweeping turns.
This was my final round of 2016, and third course of the day. I scored better here than the first two, but was still several shots over par. Opened with bogeys on the first 7 holes, but got a couple of birdies on the back nine to salvage the round.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Extremely enjoyable
2 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: - Baskets were top notch
- Nice mix between easy and difficult
- Very well kept
- Short and Long holes
- Trash cans every few holes (seems trivial, until you play a course where you need them and they aren't there)
- Scenic
Cons: - A few holes took a bit of walking around to find.
- (this is a bit of a stretch) Knowing which hole placement was in play wasn't always easy given the trees. This is the case for most courses I've played, but given that it was the first time I've played this course, we had to walk some of the holes before throwing.
Other Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed playing this course and wish I wasn't an hour and a half away. It seems like the different hole placements could make the course seem brand new. I highly recommend playing.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.
The West Side
4 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: -Extremely well maintained
-Great baskets
-Excellent pads
-It will challenge you
-Excellent use of the terrain
-2 courses in one park
-You're in Emporia
-Great restrooms
Cons: -I'm trying really hard to think of bad things and I can't, maybe the only thing would be that it's really popular? ha.
Other Thoughts: Jones West was a breath of fresh air for this Texas Discer. The elevation changes were awesome. The course wasn't unreachably long, but had some very thoughtful trees in your way at times. I took the long way on a few holes and still managed to pull a par out of somewhere.
I played here prior to GBO as my first round in Emporia. It was awesome! The people here are great. You might run into Eric McCabe since he is a local.
The course plays friendly to smaller arms as well as the bigger ones. I would definitely make a trip to play West and East!
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2019 Update
The more I play West, the more I fall for it. The course will demand you to have so many different shots in your bag to score well. The KS wind is always lurking around the corner as well to get in that head of yours.
Last year, I accidentally yanked a drive into the middle of the pond on 18. After that, I went full on Tin Cup. That's what this course can do to your mental game. It's awesome.
After the redesign, I think I like it even more. Can't wait to get back and play West again. And then head over and play East. Because you can.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Local knowledge plus was 1 of 5 who put west in.
3 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: This course is fun for anyone. It's got your longer holes#4, #11, #16, #17, #18, on long setting . But you can reach all the goals on short if you have a good arm. Watch out for the trees just waiting to clip your disc . When the course was set up we were all new too the game of Disc Golf but it has always been my favorite in town plus with baskets on all the holes how could you have a bad round here . It is big enough for pros and short enough for recreation players water for danger and enough trees too put a stop to any great round . Awesome course I've played it for over 20 years I've beaten it and it's beat me and that is what I feel is a great place too play.
Cons: The walk between 13-14 and 16-17 little long but a good time to get focused on the last five holes. Oh bring your own drinks the water fountains (2) are 100 ft apart and they don't work that well
Other Thoughts: This is a great course for any level of Disc golfer you might think it's to open to easy but I can tell ya this course will put you in your place. Come to Emporia and ripp it I'll be lookin forward too seeing you all.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Jones West
6 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Jones Park in Emporia is a great asset to the community. There are also at leat two other Jones Parks in the area with courses (Olpe and Reading, KS). This particular course, at Jones Park West, has had 36 baskets, over 18 holes, in place all summer long. The east course, in the same park, has an additional 18 holes with one basket apiece. There restrooms, water foutains, trash cans, shelter houses with electricity and grills. Even a fishing dock has been installed on one of the three ponds. There is a playground area. Shelter houses are available for reservation at a fee if you call ahead. Plenty of amenities in the park.
The course has a good mix of difficulty and with the 36 basket format, a player has generally been able to do a lot of picking and choosing difficulty ranges. Often, there are multiple lines available to a player which opens things up. Kansas courses are generally open. Jones has enough trees, ponds, and slight elevation that you will not feel you are playing in a field.
Cons: This is a large park, if you do not like walking, it may not be the best option for you. With the number of holes and baskets in the park, I can see how a person might get confused. Locals will often mix holes from the East and west courses together and play a hybrid round.
Other Thoughts: This course doesn't close until 11pm and is great for a round of night golf! Less tiring/challenging than the Jones Park East course and often more challenging than Peter Pan. I would place Jones West as a medium difficulty course in the Emporia lineup. Probably the most trafficked course in town? I'm giving the course a half disc bonus for having had 36 baskets all summer long.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Get It or Figure It Out
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: This course sits in a nice park that is very well maintained. It makes use of park features very well including trees and elevation. There is a good variety of different kids of holes and most holes offer a variety of options with similar degrees fo challenge. The tee pades are really good for the most part and there are brand new baskets in the course, presumably in place for Am Worlds. Tee signs are very helpful and lead you in the right direction to the next hole. There are two lakes that come into play on this course and they are used well to increase the challenge of the course while being fair and allowing shorter throwers a way around. The mental challenge on this course is much higher than most making it more of a mental course rather than just a throw it as far as you can kind of challenge, even if some of the mental challenges are long holes. There are other things in the park for the rest of the family to do including a very nice playground. There are some pretty nice bathrooms near the playground as well.
Cons: There are times when other park users will be in the way so please be patient. There are a couple of places where there is a long walk between holes. Specifically from 13 to 14 and from 16 to 17. Some of the holes are almost too easy and the sheer number of these holes brings the rating down a half disc.
Other Thoughts: This is a really fun course and probably a much better course for beginners to play in comparison to the course on the East park of the park. There is a lot of fun and I was really impressed with the mental challenge that is this course. Park in the furthest west lot in the park. The fact that there is a nice park and nice bathrooms in the middle of the park makes a big difference. This is a course that I would really enjoy playing again and again, even with so many other good courses in town.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Tough challenge
2 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Many tough holes that required some planning. The course seemed to be well kept. Baskets were also in better shape than other places as well. There is a road going through the course but it seemed to be minimal, and the size of the park kept overcrowding down to a minimum.
Cons: Some of the holes were difficult to navigate. There were other tee pads for an alternate course, so it was easy to get things mixed up. The flow of the holes also seemed a little rough in places. In some places there was tall grass with some kind of skinny thorns. I'm sure it was just ob, but throwing a disc in there made it a pain to retrieve.
Other Thoughts: The course overall was put together well. The town of Emporia is a disc golf mecca. Dynamic Discs is based out of there and has a good store. This summer the PDGA world ams are being hosted here and after playing that course I could see why it would be a great spot for it.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Course Extinct 
1 
12/31/2016 
1/5/2017
Review By: Upshawt1979 
This review was updated on 2/26/2017
Hole #9 (Taken 6/2013) 
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