Fort Wayne, IN

East Swinney Park

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2.975(based on 15 reviews)
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9 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sweet Swinney East (Two Sides of the Same Coin)

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 1, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Swinney Park has two 18-hole DGC loops straddling a large u-turn in the St. Marys River in downtown Ft. Wayne. A mixed-use bridge spans the river to connect the East and West courses. Along the steep riverbanks is thinly schuled patches of woods. To play both courses in one go 'round, simply take the bridge to cross the river when it appears. On the West course, after finishing hole #3, cross the bridge and jump on at hole #18 of the East course. If playing East first, after finishing hole #17, cross the bridge over the river and jump on the West course's hole #4. The river views from the bridge crossing are well worth it.
- Water spills and thrills here are above average on three points: sheer number, scenic aspect, and challenge. Nine water holes on both the East and West course for a total of 18 out of 36. St. Marys River is a moderate-sized river with a great vibe for discin' despite being in a fairly large city. The challenge here is sneaky. Sometimes the river lurks far in the background, punishing only egregiously wayward clunkers, other times it's front and center such as hole #17 on the East course with one of the fastest greens I've seen. Two of the best holes from a challenge factor are hole #'s 14 & 16 on the West course, which play over a small creek (not the river). Hit the gaps to make it over the water carry to protected pins atop wooded hills. Pure tastiness. West # 6's elevated peninsula green (with a muddy marsh pond surrounding it) is another standout in the H2O department.
- Elevation. Not a ton to speak of, but what is there is used to utmost potential. The drop-off to the river factors into a lot of holes. Hole #17 East has a quick hard drop-off to the river directly behind the basket, making it a real risky green. West #14 & 16 have some of the best elevation on the other course, as noted above.
- Adequate amenities: okay signage, tees, baskets. Flow & navigation makes sense, and the bonus 18-hole loop over the bridge at Swinney West is slickly executed.
- The East course plays counterclockwise around a long grassy peninsula area dotted with mature trees, then past the small pond back to the lot (or off across the bridge to West #4).
- A reasonable mix of distances, although no real long bombers. Hole #18 is the longest of the bunch at 520'.
- Park is well-maintained with minimal trash.

Cons:

- A bit clustery in places. A few switchbacks to the next tee. A few tee areas a bit too close to previous baskets.
- If your disc is in the river, kiss it goodbye. I didn't lose any to the water at Swinney, but I imagine there's not much retrieval chance with the flow/size/steep banks of the river. That actually could be a pro in some people's books, as it adds to the gravity of the situation. Casual players and/or newbs might find it otherwise.
- The Swinney courses seem very popular with local discers (and rightfully so, they're super fun/solid jams); accordingly, don't expect a quick round out here during peak times.
- Hole #10's signage was knocked down/busted up.

Other Thoughts:

- Swinney Park has two above-average disc golf courses in one big 36 loop! Scenic river bends, solid discin', what's not to like? Each Swinney Course receives a 0.5 disc bump in my ratings rubric for the 36-hole layout, which was intense, especially after driving a couple of hours and bagging Shaoff and Mastodon.
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3 0
BigDiscDaddy
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Worth a play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Variety of shots; some tight woods, some open, some hyzer, some anhyzer
-Water comes into play on a few holes
-Island hole can be intimidating at first but rewarding
-Plays fairly quickly
-Lots of high risk high reward shots
-Connects over to West Swinney

Cons:

-Floods
-Can be hard to navigate for new players to the course
-Water comes into play on a few holes (Put as negative because some players don't like water)
-No restrooms or trashcans
-Cul de sac invites people to park in the way of hole 3 (happens almost every time I am out there)

Other Thoughts:

Course has a good mix of shots and can be very fun when you are having a good day. Can be frustrating when you are not. Very high risk high reward. Worth a play.
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2 0
JAgasgrill
Experience: 12.8 years 66 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The ugly sister course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 13, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

East Swinney has quite a few skilled shots.
-Distance
-Fade shots
-Some water utilized well

Cons:

East Swinney is flooded almost every year for at least 2 months. Even after it floods, it is not a great course to play on. (Grass is ruined, smells bad, and usually tree or other land scaring damage)
With other options for courses in Ft. Wayne, and Swinney West not flooding near as bad, East Swinney gets the name as the "ugly sister".
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3 0
GMcAtee
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15 years 755 played 89 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A river runs through it 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 21, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

*Awesome statue near hole 1's basket
*Several holes involving the St. Mary's River in different ways
*Good mix of distance
*A couple of wooded holes scattered in
*Older mature park like setting
*Next tee signs were very helpful
*Two pond shots- Hole 18 was like a "Tin Cup" hole. I played it safe and took a 4.
*A perfectly placed tree in the middle of hole 14's fairway. I hit it and kicked left thankfully.

Cons:

*Tee signs could use updated
*A few teepads were real close to the previous basket.
*Not much elevation
*Very prone to flooding
*Lots of throwing over walking paths. Not a big deal in the winter though.

Other Thoughts:

This was the first course on my road trip to Fort Wayne. Swinney Park was very beautiful and well taken care of.
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1 0
Kattman103
Experience: 10.7 years 4 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Good layout.
- Mixture between tight and open shots.
- Mixture between long and short holes.
- Great condition.

Cons:

- A few unrealistic holes.
- No bathrooms.
- No trashcans.

Other Thoughts:

A very fun course. Beginners may want to skip the 3rd hole, as it is near 400' and over a pond.
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6 1
kingjames1014
Experience: 13.7 years 85 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice new wooded signs. A lot of work went into those.
-New teepads that are a few feet longer on the longer holes for a bigger runup.
- Very clean looking park
- Course shouldn't hold water as much West Swinney after a heavy rain
- Interesting basket placements, even an "island hole" on #5.
- Nice wooded holes along river (12 and 14)
- Directional signs pointing to next tee

Cons:

- No trashcans. carry out what you carry in
- No restrooms
- Could use am tees on the pond holes 3 and 18 for the newer players.
- Holes 4,5 and 6 kinda got confusing all clumped together.
- Course map needs to be updated.
- Baskets could use updating on some holes

Other Thoughts:

I liked this course better than West Swinney. It apprears to have been redesigned compared to the old pictures on the site.
Hole 9 now tees off across the path at the base of the bridge, not off the bridge as the course map says.
Hole 14 has dual tees. 330' from the long, 200' from the short.
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4 0
sish650
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Course coming into its own 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is an aesthetically pleasing course that features a large pond that likes to eat wayward drives. A number of 400 ft holes allow you to really open up and let some rip. However, these rather open holes are also mixed with several more difficult technical holes which require both distance and placement. Variety is examined further with the addition of 2 wooded holes that are both difficult deuces (playing the long tee from 14) and provide a different look from the more open layout which defines the rest of the course. Many holes are also made more difficult with the use of OB which comes in the form of concrete paths, river, and pond. Nice buckets that provide a gentle resting spot for your putter. Get that driver hot on this course, stay away from the 4's, and any good pro will be happy with 8 down or better. If you enjoy a scenic course that is relatively light on foot traffic but will still be a nice challenge, east swinney should be on your wishlist.

Cons:

This is a pretty good course without any glaring cons. Trash cans and drink supply would be a positive addition. You will have to walk a bit to find an open area to warm up your arm as many of the beginning holes either have the pond in play, or are too short to really throw the bomb you will need to score well.

Other Thoughts:

This will be a very difficult course for newer players or those that cannot throw it long. However, the best part about this place is that there is another even more beautiful course (and a touch easier) right accross the jefferson street bridge literally within a short stroll from Swinney East. No wonder Ft. Wayne is seething with young talent.....these boys have two wonderful courses at Swinney park to cut their teeth on!
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5 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Pretty open 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a flat park that's mostly flat and open with scattered small trees. There is wooded rough along the edges of the course, a few holes have baskets tucked into the edge of the woods for a little more challenge, and a couple play through the woods to mix things up a little bit. There is a pond in play on a couple holes, and the river comes into play on a few more for some fun risk/reward (I got the nose up on 18 and hyzered out into the lake...). There is some good length here, several holes where most players can air out a drive.

The baskets are spiderwebs in good shape, these one of my favorite baskets and catch great. There are good concrete tees for every hole, plenty of space and a good surface to throw from. Having two courses in the same park is always a plus, you can play them separately or play one big 36 hole loop.

Cons:

The course gets pretty repetitive, too many of the holes are basically open field shots with just a few small trees to avoid. This means you're not pushed to throw different shots and different lines, most holes have a relatively open hyzer line. Too many holes have walking paths in play, they don't seem to be all that heavily used, but it could be a safety issue and can chew up your discs.

The tee signs are just laminated bits of paper stapled to the wooden tee posts. The ones that are still there only have hole number and distance, pretty basic. Many are missing, which makes navigation even more tricky when you can't tell what tee number you're standing on. A few holes require backtracking to get to the next tee and others have a few tees around that could be the next hole. Without a map or a guide you'll do some extra walking to make sure you're shooting the right hole.

Other Thoughts:

This is a pretty basic open field course with a few nice holes bringing water into play. It's worth a play together with the West course, but on it's own it's nothing special. Beginners will find it a little long, and the water could be a little intimidating to players with less control. More experienced players won't find variety or different challenges here to test different parts of their game.
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7 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.5 years 264 played 143 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

East Swinney is a fun course with water in play on about half the holes. There are a few holes where it's a big factor, but the rest I think it's just there to get in your head. There's also OB in the form of sidewalk in play on a few holes as well.

The course uses the land pretty well and there's a nice variety of shots and lengths here.

Hole 18 is definitely the signature hole on the course and easily my favorite. It's 520 with the basket on the other side of the pond about 15 feet from the water. It dares the big arms to try and go for it, and everyone else has a challenging placement shot on their first two throws around the water to see how close you can get to the pin and avoid the water. Great par 4 hole to end on!

Cons:

Most of the holes are wide open with few if any trees in the way to punish a bad shot. I noticed a lot of small saplings that have been planted here. I know it doesn't help the course right now, but it's great to see that the course will be more difficult in years to come.

Navigation is a serious issue your first time here. After the third hole, the two closest tee pads to you are not for the next hole. After hole 10 there's a long walk to hole 11. After hole 11 there's another tee pad very close to the basket but that's for hole 13. It seems so obvious it SHOULD be the next hole that I'd already thrown and was at the basket before I realized I'd skipped a hole. So I walked back and found that you had to back track after 11 to find 12. I stopped to play here on a whim otherwise I would have had the map with me. That was a serious mistake I was made to regret.

Hole 17. I know it's only 200 feet long and they're trying to use basket placement to make it more difficult and add risk/reward. But the problem is the river is 20 feet behind and slightly left of the basket (which isn't a problem), but 5 feet behind the basket it starts going downhill. Behind and right of the basket is a thick bush that was literally 2 to 2.5 feet from the basket. I don't mind OB or obstacles close to the basket, but this is a bid ridiculous IMHO.

It sounds like there used to be a bridge you teed off on hole 9. It's not there anymore so understandably there isn't a teepad or sign for this hole.

The course is almost completely flat.

Other Thoughts:

Other than the navigation issues, I really enjoyed this course and the challenge the OB water presented on some of the holes. I feel like the designer did a good job with what he had to work, but when it comes down to it, the course is still mostly open and is in desperate need of some "next tee" signs.
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5 2
Dave Walters
Experience: 18 years 46 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Up to date review. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course has really come along.

As stated in other reviews some cons were brought up but changes have been made to improve the course:
- No more old baskets. All baskets are now Spiders made by Al Pier.
- The hole that used the Bridge as a tee has been moved and plays alot easier.
- Cement tee pads on almost every hole.
- Grass has been getting consistently mowed.

Now to my personal review.
I love this course. It has a lot of challenging shots that alot of other courses in Fort Wayne do not.
There are some short holes and some bomb holes. Righty holes and lefty holes. Forehands and thumbers/tommahawks.
Also this is one of the less busy courses in our area. Not as many casuals as Shoaff or West Swinney.

Cons:

Water comes into play. A few holes still need cement pads.

Other Thoughts:

Over all it is a nice challenging course.
Less traffic makes it more peaceful to play.
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4 0
wholegrain
Experience: 17.8 years 50 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Tough and Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 1, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lots of different types of holes. Tight woods, long open, water risk, hyzers, anhyzers. Mostly concrete pads. Never busy.

Cons:

Hard to navigate. Needs some signs and finish all the tee pads. Also could use some trash cans. Park is made for river overflow so sometimes gets pretty wet.

Other Thoughts:

Tough course as anything under par is a successful round. This side and the west side are together the best park in the area by far. Have to risk losing discs in water and going o.b. on many holes. Works on alot of different shots. Really fun. Keeps getting better. Need to make signs for sure. Hole 9 keeps changing but this course is my favorite in town.
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6 0
mmyersdisc
Experience: 15.7 years 14 played 14 reviews
3.00 star(s)

OB? nahhhh!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 19, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course offers alot of line shaping and technical placement on some holes along the river/ponds, very nice variety of shots needed on this course to hit a nice score, a few holes have nice spider-web baskets, concrete tee's on majority of the holes

Cons:

some of the baskets are the orignal 1980's baskets, they still are spiderweb type but the chains are ALL rusted and the baskets are about twice the diameter of a normal basket.
Duck poo----EVERYWHERE (but thats expected when water is in play on almost every hole) OB gets a little tricky when they use paths and other man-made objects! Course flow isn't one of the best, would be nice to either print a map off with OB rules, or find a local and tag along with him/her!

Other Thoughts:

Overall this course was a blast to play! I especially enjoy hole 9 (I think) where you tee off of a bridge, yes ladies and gents, A BRIDGE! It was very confusing to walk this course at times because they have a few (what seemed like "added" holes) in the woods, I believe there were 3 wooded holes on the west side of the course (when standing in the parking lot looking away from the street)

--TD said they normally let the grass grow kind of wild on this course but since it was a tournament we had special conditions and they mowed it for us...so I can't really comment on regular course conditions!
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8 0
zud00
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 199 played 47 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Cosmetic touch-ups would help 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 22, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course offers a decent variety of holes, ranging from short to long, dogleg lefts and rights, over water, next to the river, in the open, in the woods. Some tees are conrete and there are a few really nice spider baskets. The park is well maintained.

Cons:

Navigating can be difficult and confusing (especially for a first timer), only temporary tee signage (some tees were informationless), some natural tees, trash cans are sparse, some old rickety baskets.

Other Thoughts:

A challenging course is made more challenging by using sidewalks, rivers, and a pond as OB. One unique hole (5) requires a drive to land in the island (of the surrounding sidewalks), otherwise a penalty stroke is to be taken and a putt for par from a designated spot within the island. The river comes into play on multiple holes and the pond on 2 holes.

The variety of holes is definiltely a plus to this course. Short dogleg holes, short straight holes, long bombing holes and long doglegs. There are two wooded holes, one short and the other a bit longer (250'ish). This variety of holes will make you pull multiple shots out of your bag.

I've enjoyed this course thoroughly, but a few cosmetic touches would help tremendously. Permant tee signs would be a plus as well as replacing a few baskets and making all 18 tees concrete pads. Navigation signs will also help a great amount; the holes do not play in the order that you would think they would.

Being that this course is only across the river from West Swinney, one should definitley play it. Just be prepared to lose a disc to the pond or river or the thick brush next to the river. It would definitely be advantagous to play with a local.

Edit*****The old rickety baskets have been replaced by new baskets making the course aesthetically more pleasing.
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8 0
discflinger
Experience: 19.9 years 153 played 15 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Work in progress 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 14, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

OB makes course more difficult than it seems. Water can be found on half the holes and most is irretrievable. Many of the new holes incorporate path OB and features one island hole in the middle of such sidewalks. Features Al Pier baskets w/ some bird cages mixed in. Some good length on a couple holes, 18 is around 500', but mostly kept around 300' or less. Concrete tees on all old holes. A couple holes are tightly wooded, but most play around mature growth. Right across the river from West Swinney.

Cons:

Not well marked, yet, as 6 new holes have just been added to make full 18. If you hate water you will hate this course. No fountain, restroom or trashcans. #9's tee is on the bridge and difficult to find. Some of the locals may be a bit too friendly.

Other Thoughts:

This course gave me my first ace and the area used to be an important post for native americans. With the river winding around here, it is no wonder. I believe a map can be found by googling Fort Wayne disc club and going to their site. I think Kyle is trying to update the site and it may prove to be more helpful.
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6 1
SigmaChris
Experience: 26.7 years 47 played 8 reviews
1.50 star(s)

A lot of OB 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 5, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice urban park in the middle of Fort Wayne that plays around a large pond / small lake. There is a lot of OB that may be good or bad depending on the skill of the player. Half of the OB is water either the pond or the 2 rivers that border the park. The other half of the OB is paths, parking lots, and a busy street. Tight pin placements on a few holes that are a few feet away from a path which is considered OB. Fly your approach 5 feet past the basket on some holes and you will be OB.

Some holes played out in the open around the pond or in the middle of the green space around mature trees. There were 3 holes that played in the woods right next to the river.

Cons:

Half the tees were cement and half were dirt / grass.

There was no par rating on the holes. Holes ranged from 230' to 400'.

Tough to find some holes, there were signs on two-thirds of the tee boxes which directed you to the next hole, but if a sign was missing it was tough to find the hole. Signs were just paper that was laminated so it is easy to see why signs were removed or blown away by the elements.

Other Thoughts:

I played East Swinney and if I had time I would have liked to play the West course. After hole #10 on the East course there is a bridge you can take over the river to the West Course. I believe there is another 18 to play over there.

Better signage would have me giving this course a 2.5, but since I missed 2 holes because I couldn't find them it got downgraded to a 1.5.
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