Casual park setting near downtown KC
15 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Course:
-Ability to start a round on holes 1, 5, or 10 without much walk from the 2 parking lots
-Single concrete tee with 2 baskets at each hole (newer DD Veterans usually short, old Mach IIIs in alternate positions) so players can choose their layout for the day and mix/match targets if they want.
-Favorite pins: 1E, 2D, 4D, 7C, 9E & F, 10C, 12C & D, 13B & D, 14D, 15D, 16B, 18C & D
-Longer pins are most interesting with some being very challenging par 3s. After getting the Veteran targets in 2020, these pins are in play more now with the second set of targets (old Mach IIIs). Set to the longest par 54 layout can make Rosedale a great challenge to string together a hot round (especially on windy days). Par 4 pins available on holes 4, 8, 16, and 18.
-Short pins can be a quick round (around an hour for solo/pair even with backups) or a good casual round for a mixed skill level group. Generally 1.5-2 hours maximum for 3-4 people.
-Elevation change is subtle on most holes with a lot of the front 9 having drop-offs to the right tree line going towards 'Down under'. Back 9 offers a bit more variety and hazards with OB roads and trees obstructing more of the left sides of fairways. Severe tree kick and roll away possibilities on 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 15 could leave players scrambling.
-Road in play/bordering fairway on 13, 14, and 17
-Veteran baskets get moved most weeks for league so playing Up Top can offer variety for locals and visitors from out of town.
-Risk of losing a disc is below average (except in Fall/Winter with the ground cover leaves/snow). With the amount of foot traffic & play Rosedale receives there is a decent chance discs will be found and returned to the lost disc return bin.
Park Amenities:
-Permanent bathrooms near skatepark by hole 1 and newly installed one near softball field by hole 10. Water fountain near hole 10 as well (used to be one near hole 1/tennis courts that got capped - maybe due to COVID precautions)
-Near KC city center, easy course to meetup at with access to/from I-35 at park entrance (Mission Rd)
Cons: Navigation/Course flow issues:
-Navigation from hole 3->4 and 15->16 requires walking back up the fairway causing some slight backups
-Navigation from hole 5 left long pin to 6 tee, 11 long right back to 12's tee, and 13 longer tees near street corner back to 14's tee can all cause slight backups when they are being played
-Must cross street between 13/14 and back between 17/18.
-Some pins are missing from tee signs, no indication on tee sign which pins have targets in them.
Safety issues:
-Hole 8 and 12 tees in play from tee shots on hole 7 & 11. Windy conditions are common and new/unfamiliar players often do not realize how close their drives are flying towards those tees.
-Hole 5 pins in line with hole 6 fairway/tee shot, especially when playing hole 6 left pins.
-Some fairways are covered in broken up concrete/gravel (3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16), careful footing up and down hole 16, visible broken glass on 15 fairway
-Hole 10 tee shots towards pavilion and playground where park goers may be picnicking/playing. Sinkhole in fairway
-old pin locations are still around to cause tripping hazards
Course Layout
-Similar pin positions offer less variety on a few holes. Lack of shot variety especially when playing the short pins
-Some of the greens/landscaping/erosion control maintenance has been neglected. Baskets are mounted too low due to sinking/mulch accumulation around the pins.
-old Mach III practice basket is surrounded by concrete and doesn't match the DD Veterans that are primarily used for competition and casual players.
Other Thoughts: Rosedale park has a long history being used in many Kansas City Wide Open tournaments and various events throughout the years. Many of the KC club members have offered up time to maintain and keep the course accessible to the community and players of all skill levels.
-Rosedale Up Top underwent a redesign around 2015 which altered the flow on a number of holes and added current hole 10 and 16. No longer playing alongside backyards for 16 & 17.
-Busy after work/school hours (4pm-sunset) and on weekends midday through the evening.
-Leagues on multiple weeknights during the summer, glow league later in the year (park doesn't close after dark).
-High level of traffic means the park requires a lot of maintenance/upkeep. Some holes with erosion/soil control problems. Attempts to grow new trees in open fairways have had limited success.
-Rain brings long grass and mud to some of the low-lying fairways (4, 5, 10, 11, 14)
-2 courses in the same park offer a good variety of park/wooded golf
-Shared multi-use park with pavilion/picnic tables, playground, skatepark, tennis courts, 1 fenced baseball/softball field & 1 open baseball/softball/soccer field (useful for fieldwork), and trails joined up to the Rosedale trail system (many dog walkers). This can make parking a challenge during different parts of the year.
-Dynamic Discs KC store up the street where lost discs return bin goes (2-3 month holding then donated)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.
Clogged up.
15 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Several good shots that will test your accuracy.
Bathrooms on site.
Practice basket.
Good use of the park as it stays away from other park users on most holes (the tennis courts on 18 being the exception).
Every hole has 3-6 pin spots. You'll never play the same round twice! There are a few fairly creative ones, too.
Navigation is really easy.
Update 1/5/21:
All holes now have a DD Veteran in a shorter pin position, and a MachIII in a longer position. Gives a lot more variety than there was.
Cons: Some of the MachIII backets are very old and it shows.
While having multiple pin placements is nice, it really doesn't change the course that much. Several holes have them all clustered together and you'll throw the same drive no matter what pin it's in.
Going off into the trees more than ten feet will likely be punished by you being sent to Down Under to get your disc.
There are several uninspired holes (1, 2, 10, 17) that really feel stuck in place to make it 18 holes. I know there was limited space to work with, but there's still several holes that feel lacking when compared to some of the better holes (3, 14).
This course is always busy since it's near the Dynamic Discs store. This is a negative effect since it clogs up the fairways, tee pads, and the parking lot. Which leads into...
Parking here sucks. Not enough parking for the volume of disc golfers on a weekend and the spaces that are there are way too small.
Other Thoughts: This is a fine course, but nothing special. A couple really memorable holes, a couple waste of space holes. Since it's so close to the store it's frequented by newer players who have no business playing Down Under. This can result in being stuck behind a really, really slow group for a few holes. Distances between the pin and the next hole is never that much except backtracking on 3 and 15. Having a park with two courses is nice, but the skill gap between the two leaves Up Top extremely busy which is the main detractor for an otherwise decent course.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.
Fine, but nothing to rave about
12 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Rosedale makes for a pretty casual round, featuring tons of pin placements that add a lot of variety and has holes that give opportunities to air it out, even on medium-length holes, most of which still finish in or near some trees.
This course provides a challenge for everyone. The fairways aren't too wooded, so beginners won't be frustrated like they would on Down Under, and there's a handful of extra baskets (on 4, 8, and 18) you can play to for par 4 longer hole that provide more challenge for advanced players.
There's a few low ceilings (3, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16) which add a nice addition to the bomber holes. Others have a straight low ceiling line and wider open lines that sometimes throw over the trees.
Work gets put into this course on a regular basis. In the last few years, there has been a handful of new tees, all new signs, mulch, and a minor redesign that adds the very good hole 16 and stays clear of bordering backyards. Because of all this, the flow is pretty good, apart from backtracking after holes 3 and 16.
Cons: Pretty flat, elevation wise. If you get off the fairways, you're going down a drop-off, but it only punishes the bad shots more while still providing only a small amount of challenge for everything else. They also create a lot of lost disc opportunities, even if you know exactly where it entered the woods. While every hole is different, there's not significant difference, like right-to-left and left-to-right holes. The woods are on the right most of the time, rewarding RHFH/LHBH shots.
No real standout holes, because of what's described above. But at the same time, only a few holes (10, 17) are completely boring.
There's lousy, old baskets, a tennis court that gets in the way of some of 18's pins, bleachers on 9, and a road on several holes on the back nine. It all adds to the feeling that this is an adequate, but mediocre course.
This is a really busy course most of the time. There are also a few other attractions in the park that the course avoids, so the parking lots are usually full. Down Under gets much less traffic.
Other Thoughts: As the title suggests, there's not a lot bad about the course, but also nothing to make me like this course above a lot of others I've played. It's never a bad option to stop at, but you won't walk away feeling like you experienced something epic.
There's some rocks on some holes, especially near the drop-offs at the woods. They mean you have to be careful how your disc is coming in, but be ready for odd skips.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Great course for any level
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: There holes with open fairways that let you just air it out but then there are also holes that require a bit more accuracy and technique. A lot of people seem to be afraid of hole 16 with the narrow fairway that dips into a valley but that is probably my favorite hole. It requires accuracy while still allowing you to let it fly.
Cons: Some of the early holes aren't very forgiving of errant throws with some pretty steep drop-offs, especially hole 3 and 6.
The fairway for hole 17 seem to hold water for quite a while after it rains. Also, this hole runs along the road into the park making it a bit dangerous for car windows when the park is extremely busy.
Other Thoughts: Overall, I love this course. The layout makes it fun for any level player. The course has been very busy each time I have played, which can be a downside but it shows that this really is a good course.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
The Top Course Seems To Be The More Popular Choice!
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: You can usually tell a lot about the local disc golf scene by;
1. The overall general condition of the course, ie. litter, benches, trash cans, navigational aids, brooms, bag holders, etc.
2. The beginning staging area.
The Top course at Rosedale Park starts beside the tennis courts. Here you will find:
picnic tables, a course donation box, a disc return box, a kiosk with posters and league information for each Kansas City area disc golf course. Yes, I can safely proclaim that this an active club here.
The course starts right beside the tennis courts and finishes just on the other side of those courts. Holes have anywhere from three to six basket placements and I saw no way of knowing position the basket is in. The pads are nice sized concrete. Signs are your basic fiberglass type. I could do without all the stickers plastered on everything. The baskets are older Mach II's. This course has this professional park benches. They are vandal proof. Oh, Oh! Some super strong, aggressive teen somehow trashed on of these benches on one hole.
The course features lots of places to throw some big air and generally seems to play fairly long. It has a nice combination of open and wooded, more technical holes. Also a nice variety of straight, hyser and routes needing an anhyser throw. I can't recall any one hole that stood out as a signature type hole. Just a lot of solid fun throws.
Cons: There is not a long list of Cons for the Top course.
Visiting players all mention the lack of next tees signs. After playing Harmony Bends with it's excellent next tee signs, every other course falls short in that regard.
The route after hole 3 tends to lead to confusion amongst us road trippers. There were not many locals playing today so I didn't always have local groups to follow.
Top needs a washer system like Albert Oakland has. It's cheap, easy to implement and so very helpful to not only visiting players, but locals too.
Other Thoughts: When you combine both courses here, you have 36 holes of varied, competitive disc golf. I'd say that Kansas City players have a fairly nice contingent of courses to choose and the active club seems to be on top of things. I'm suitably impressed. Now can the club do anything about the electrical storms that are raising hell with my October road trip!
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
A nice round but not too challenging for the better players
12 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Rosedale Park is a Kansas City favorite. My first day was to play Up Top first and then Down Under another day. Both visits saw a lot of locals. There was a waiting line to tee off at #1.
The layout uses the park's open areas well that are adjacent to the thick woods on the edges, which are the upper edge of parts of Down Under. The basket placements are strategically woven into the trees.
I like number 3, which is entirely in the woods and you are throwing 233 ft to a blind basket to the right in the woods at the top of a hill. This was a perfect shot for my RHFH. I skipped it, hit chains, then ended up down the slope in the woods. A little further down the hill and I would have been Down Under.
Hole 14 is a nice dogleg to the left to a blind basket in a recessed area. Hole 15 is a tight line next to the woods. I grip locked and never found my disc in that thicket. Hole 16 is the signature hole. It is 350 ft, so not too long, but the path takes you over an open fairway that leads to a line through the woods that will punish you if you don't get through since there's a 50 foot drop you've got to get over.
One of the locals I played with told me that the park was not safe many years ago since it was the home of many Kansas City vices (e.g. gangs and drugs). But the disc golf culture has changed the park atmosphere and the conversion is a success story. This is the hope for Elysian Park - Buena Vista Hill, a new course in Los Angeles, which will hopefully change that park's atmosphere.
Cons: Navigation could be better since there are no next tee signs. With a map and many locals around this is not a big problem.
When you finish the third hole you need to walk back up the third fairway to get to the 4th tee. This seemed so odd to me that I went into the woods and down the hill a little to avoid the fairway and I ended up on the Down Under course, which has different color baskets to help you differentiate.
Other Thoughts: I was surprised to see the description for Rosedale Top as the highest point in Kansas City. I just posted a review of Blue Valley Park and I said it was the highest point in K.C. since someone told me that. Blue Valley Park definitely feels higher than Rosedale, but I checked and here's the actual elevations:
Rosedale Park- 296m
Blue Valley Park Short - 283m
Blue Valley Park Pro - 276m
Water Works - 274m
So I stand to be corrected, but Blue Valley Park is more open and feels higher.
Dynamic Discs has a nice factory outlet store at 2866 W 47th St, which is less than one mile from Rosedale Park and serves like a pro shop for Rosedale. They have a sheet of paper, which is worth your stop, that breaks down all the courses in the Kansas City area. It'd be a shame to be so close to a factory outlet and not check it out. I thought this was a nice benefit to these two excellent Rosedale courses. And they return lost discs that are turned in.
If you like disc golf, which I'm pretty sure you do or you wouldn't be reading this, then you will want to visit Rosedale Park when in Kansas City. If you're newer to the sport or not up the challenge of Down Under then stay Up Top and you'll have fun. If you're brave and have time then play both.
I struggled on the rating. It is a very good course, which is a 3.5 rating. But it does not have the challenges of Down Under, which I rated as excellent, or 4.0. And Water Works I rated as Phenomenal, or 4.5. If you think I'm unfair in my rating or want to give me pointers on how to write more helpful reviews then please send me a note.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Classic experience
3 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Awesome design, scenery, baskets, maintenance, challenge. It's everything you would want in a park course. Very well marked. Had a great time playing this before it started raining cutting my round short.
Cons: Finding my way around was a touch challenging but not too bad. Locals are very friendly.
Other Thoughts: Enjoy!
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Don't Stop 'Til You Reach the Top
11 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: I played Rosedale Down Under last year, and being in the same park as the Top course will go as a major pro. Two great courses in one stop. The Top course is wonderful and deserves the nice rating it has.
It is par 54. The more open holes often have some extra length, while the shorter holes involve steering your drives around trees. There are holes that can yield birdies, and holes that take a well placed second shot to have a good chance at making par. Elevation changes are not usually drastic, but there are a couple of good size hills. Trees are not as prevalent as Down Under, but the woods are heavy enough in places to create fairly tight lines along the fairways.
The tee pads are concrete and oversized, very roomy. There are tee signs, and good baskets. Course layout makes great use of the available park space.
My favorite holes are 3, 5, and most of all 14. 3 is the first dip into the woods, with a pin tucked away on the right side at the end of a fairway lined with trees on each side. 5 features a low area between the tee and the basket, with clusters of trees along the fairway and near the pin. I did get a great drive and made a birdie on this one. 14 is the largest downhill run, and has a many mature trees with branches reaching out from all sides trying to knock down disc. If you make it to the flat at the bottom of the hill you are in good position for the approach, but getting to the pin from the tee takes a monster drive.
Cons: After hole 3 the path doubles back along the left side of the fairway. The path is fairly well worn, but it took me a minute to make sure I was going the right way. There are other places where the transitions cross roads. A copy of the map may prove to be useful.
The course was full of disc golfers when I visited, as it was one of the first good weather days of the year. Use caution not to throw toward others on the fairway ahead of you. I came a little close to the group ahead of me on hole 14, and they let me hear about it. Rightfully so, as I should know better. I really got more distance than I expected on my drive, and it skipped to a stop about twenty feet away from one of them. I apologize again if they happen to read this review.
Other Thoughts: The Top of Rosedale Park is a lot of fun. If the drives are good and the putts are falling, you may even get under par. It takes consistent shot making to get there. Wind can complicate things on many of the open holes.
I shot a 55 to finish at one over par. That is not bad for me, especially on my first round at this course. I did miss a couple of makable putts. Birdies on hole 5 and 11 were outweighed by the bogies on holes 2, 15, and 16.
If you spend a few days around KC checking out the disc golf scene, Rosedale should be near the top of the list for sure. Both courses would easily be in my top 10 for the area.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Rosedale Top Windy December Day
9 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: His is my first play through of this course and it wasn't too bad. All of the tee pads were concrete and there was hole signage at each tee pad to show the hole shape and each basket placement. Most holes had at least 3-4 basket placements which is great but sometime hard to see where the basket is. This may be because I'm playing in December and everything is dead.
I like that on most of the holes even if your tee shot is a little far left or right, typically your second shot will still be an ok setup shot to get you close for a par. Something I haven't seen at any other disc golf course is large colored flags on top of the basket with the hole number to help find the baskets. Another good thing is that you can almost see all of the baskets from the tee pads which makes it clear where you're supposed to shoot.
Lots of mature trees that make for fun technical shots throughout the course. Good baskets and having multiple placements makes for a fun course to play more than once.
Cons: I found that there is quite a lot of rocks throughout the fairways and greens which can really eat up some discs if you were to play this course regularly. I wish there were more hazards other than mature trees to help with more difficult tee shots. I haven't played Rosedale under but I've heard that it is a little more difficult with window shots. I was hoping to get a little of that on Rosedale top other than hole 16 which is very cool and has you tee off having to split a medium ceiling/medium window tree gap to get to the basket.
I wish that there was signage at the end of each hole to help guide you to the next as it was hard for me to navigate sometimes. Luckily the locals are nice and had one play through with me to help guide me through.
I was told that this is a good course during the day but it is a sketchy place during the evening and night and would not really want to go over there after 5pm probably.
Other Thoughts: Overall this course seems to be an all around well set course that is mostly open with lots of big trees and multiple basket locations. Also, this park has a good amount of parking, porta-pottys (which is better than no bathrooms), tennis courts, baseball fields and other attractions beyond a decent disc golf course. I will be coming back to play this course again in 2018 when it gets warmer for sure.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Solid course very enjoyable
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Every tee has a nice tee pad all had some kind of seating around and a trash can.
Bathrooms close by, along with a shelter not far from the first hole and a number of benches by the first pin, which is awesome if you are meeting up with a group.
Nice signage showing the multiple pin locations, normally 3 different placements, didn't have the ability to show current placement.
The majority of shots are going to be the most challenging and you can tackle the shots in a variety of way. The front nine, will have many wide open shots, not HUGE holes, but decent. Being a LHBH player, the back nine is perfect of my game, as the majority of holes have a sit to the right from the tee.
In the past two years, the course has seen some changes in flow (between 9 and 10) and trees have been planted on 10 making it a very good looking hole.
I wouldn't say there is a staple hole, but this course is fantastic for beginners.
Cons: Course is at a public park that has other users which makes it very challenging to find good parking. They only have two small lots and if there are softball or kickball games those will fill up very quickly. None of the holes really bring the fields into play, so you shouldn't have anyone walking through fairways.
Other Thoughts: Decent course, not the best area, but the local disc golf club is very good at keep the course up to date.
This is one of the courses that rotates through my course selection I really enjoy the course to practice different kind of shots for more challenging courses.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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3 / 245ft.
Par / Distance:
2-4 
7/2/2020 
9/6/2020
Review By: Surge5 
This review was updated on 1/5/2021
Hole #5 (Taken 3/2009) 
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