Hillsboro, OH

Rocky Fork State Park - South Beach

2.925(based on 12 reviews)
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10 0
TravNasty
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6 years 48 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Front 9 for Fun, Back 9 for Thorns 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 31, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Fun for All Front 9. The front 9 was perfect for me and my wife. I was challenged with some of the close to water baskets and the distances were short enough where should could easily get bogeys and go for pars.
-Some Awesome Woods Lines on the Back 9. The back 9 had some really cool lines on some of the holes. Entering it was a nice throw over water (well ice for us), then there was a fading dog leg hole and a dead straight super tight but fair gap.
-Sights and Sounds. It was very peaceful though this time of year with the lake iced over. The woods were lovely except crawling through thorns.

Cons:

-Needs love and maintenance badly. Open holes are fine, but woods is abysmal at times. A thorn slaughter needs to happen. Even if you throw good you'll get stuck. It was a mess in the woods. Biggest and main con.
-1 basket down. Last basket on hole 18 was on its side with it's concrete base still attached. So I believe this basket just needs buried again and wherever it's initial hole was where it belonged. Still can just play it as a metal hit of course.
-No next tee signs and faded tee signs. Front 9 signs were faded.
-Woods holes need some more lines. Goes with the first
con.

Other Thoughts:

We played when there was some snow on the ground in the middle of winter so that helped a lot with the woods but also could of hurt by us not being able to find the next tee pads and seeing a clear path. All in all though so glad I went and I really with a club would adopt this poor course! Probably too far out to get enough plays to be worth it though. I'm glad it exists and well worth my time, but not sure I'll go again... Maybe will try in the summer if around the area.
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6 0
williams363
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.8 years 79 played 37 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Beautiful scenery, but needs some love 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great place to play some disc. It was rather hot, and the open area was very humid and muggy. Cooled off a lot in the wooded area shade. Open holes are fun, but don't get caught in the rough, its pretty unforgiving.

Cons:

Lots of water danger, but it can be avoided. Biggest issue was the course is not maintained very well. Wooded areas didn't seem to be maintained for months. Not always clear paths to the next basket. We also ran into 3 baskets that were laying on the ground; just need a bolt or something to secure them up the post.

Other Thoughts:

I've looked forward to visiting this course for a long time. A little disappointed with the upkeep of the course, but overall it's a fun play.

Next time, I need to remember to bring some clothes to swim! Lake is beautiful.
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9 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.6 years 397 played 383 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Pretty split personality 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 28, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Rocky Fork Lake is beautiful, uncrowded, and worth the visit just for the scenery visible from the disc golf course. About 15 minutes southeast of Hillsboro, Ohio (trivia: comedian Drew Hastings is the mayor!), this course has a very open front eight holes with the 'difficulty' coming only from the seasonal grasses defining the rough, and the possibility of lake breezes floating your disc into the water on holes 2, 7 & 8 (just 12' long on the 469' long hole two, and you're wet).

With 12 holes between 198 and 272 feet, this course is well suited to the Recreational to Intermediate disc golfer, but be forewarned: nine of the holes overall (#s 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 & 16 added to the above list) have the potential to get wet!

The beauteous dichotomy of the course starts with a pond-crossing tee shot on 9, a rolling #10 that ends at a pair of cypress trees hopefully protecting your disc from the inlet behind the basket, and then the inlet-crossing #11 that shoots into the woods. The 12 hole is the first without the quality trapezoidal concrete tees, but the gravel tee boxes in the woods are nice, too.

For those who like a challenge, hole 13 runs 275 feet up a 40' slope, effectively making it equivalent to a 400 foot hole. Oh, did I mention there are dozens of trees in the (un)fairway? Don't go long on 14. The 15th hole sweeps to the left along the edge of the lake in the woods. Take out a high speed driver & kick off a tree right here, and I hope you brought swim trunks! Be careful also on 16, as the basket is out at the tip of the ridge, and trees guard the approach, mid-fairway.

With a nice practice basket (all are good 24 chain catchers), a course design that loops you twice back to the main parking area, and excellent park maintenance, all the elements are in place for a fun outing here. There is a shelter, playground, beach, and amenities for the rest of the family to stay entertained here.

Cons:

Having played here in June and December, it's worth noting that the summer has insects and goose poop galore, or wind off the lake and goose poop. The bridge at hole 11 crosses a swampy, still inlet that can get pretty smelly, and increases the insect problem. It's also the only place where you need to watch for other players, as they cross the fairway trekking from the #17 basket to the 18th tee.

Interestingly enough, the holes that can get the most confusing (in terms of flow) are out in the open. Watch for the rough to lead you around like a corn maze, and look for the next tee sign after hole 3.

Other Thoughts:

The region now has three great courses for Rec-Int players: Rocky Fork, Pike Lake, and Paint Creek. If I owned a camper, this would make a really nice weekend in early summer! Or, knowing there's a great group of folks promoting disc golf here, perhaps a nice B-Tier event?

Apologies to the creator of the nice hand-drawn map: I added an Aerial Map, thinking both would be kept, but the site moderators decided to replace the earlier version. Sorry.
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2 1
jessmac
Experience: 17.6 years 32 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Along the beach. The front nine is open and short, I think I only used a driver once on the entire course. Good course to practice acuracy on because the rough is pretty thick on the front nine. You do not want to get off the fairway on the front.

Cons:

Markers did not include distances and most were nasty because of bird droppings.

Other Thoughts:

I would play again. The beach was empty on a 90 degree day so if you want to stay away from the crowds then this is your place. There were two holes that you had to go over water and that was interesting.
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5 0
jkdisc
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.5 years 117 played 108 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 5, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is almost completely open for the front 9, and a wooded back 9. The navigation was pretty easy. It is hard to describe the course as a whole because the front and back are so completely different.

Front 9 Pros:

- risk/reward with the lake and a pond in play
- concrete tees

Back 9 Pros:

- elevation is more prevalent here
- risk/reward (water still comes into play)
- very well kept fairways
- gravel tees in nice shape

Cons:

I prefered the wooded area so much more. There wasn't any info on the tee markers.

Front 9 Cons:

- lots of brush
- very windy coming off the lake
- many holes are just too similar

Back 9 Cons:

- after #17 you cross #11's fairway to get to #18

Other Thoughts:

The parking area is located right near the beach with the front 9 and back 9 to either side.

I personally would prefer to just play the back 9 twice.
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5 0
LightsOut
Experience: 38.9 years 43 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Tale of Two Nines 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 5, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a shot maker course as the front works mainly without trees but with vegetation and water looming. This is counterpointed by a back nine that loops through the woods on a peninsula of the lake. The wind off the lake varies your play on the front nine. If the weeds and vegetation were OB it would wreck your score as it's usually mowed fairly narrowly. This disc course is never crowded. I can go, swear, and throw extra discs to work on my game, as it doesn't impede other players. Basket placement is challenging at the water and wood's edge. Some upkeep needs to be done as the back gets more crowded with further tree maturity.
Maintained. There is plenty of parking as there is a beach, playground and picnic awning that are used sparingly.

Cons:

The non-water holes on the front are average. The back is challenging to the point of being tight/choked by trees in some places. I would suggest staying clear of the front when the rough fills in. Briars and all manner of thorny vegetation sucks the fun out of playing from mid May through to the bush hogging sometime in September. The front side pines and other sparse maturing trees are beginning to come into play to throw around. Par was adjusted so #2 & #9 are now PAR 4 and I could only find par by looking at DGCR! The bulletin board is currently empty and course navigation help is fair as only the hole number is listed at each tee pad with an occasional "next tee" sign to point the way.

Other Thoughts:

Tee pads are raised concrete on the front and boxed in gravel on the back. It could use flush to the ground tee pads, but they're better than some courses.
I've gone with 8, paired up for match play and had a ball there with kids and grownups. My game has improved since I first entered this review but #15 still should be a par 4. The location is a bit remote but not too far off US 50 to try.The very nice Pike Lake State Park course is 30 minutes east of this one in Bainbridge. Paint Creek is in great shape after opening about 2011. These 3 all together make for a nice long varied day of play.
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3 0
Foofoohead
Experience: 21 played 21 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Rocky Fork DG 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice concrete tees on front.
Nice start area with bulletin board.
Nice parking lot.
Lots of trees on the back 9.
On the front the grass was cut out really well, With the tall grass they had landing areas cut out.

Cons:

No information at tees!
Baskets not marked with hole numbers.
No map layout at beginning.
Front wide open back all trees, need better mix.
Gravel tees in woods could use some work.

Other Thoughts:

Not a bad course, worth the visit. How many DG courses have a beach! Could use a better mix of holes. I used the front as a warm up for the more technical back 9. Overall the course was in very good condition, hats off to those maintaining this course, good job.
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7 0
jammydee
Experience: 15 years 46 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A tale of two courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 22, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

+The location is beautiful
+Ample parking
+Concrete and crushed gravel tees are nice
+Great baskets, decent wayfinding
+The BACK 9!! Seriously, from hole 9 on, this course really is a different animal. Over ponds, through wooded tunnels, it's great.
+Practice basket, important to warm up your putts as a missed putt can mean your disc is in the lake

Cons:

-The front nine. Every hole seems like the same thing, except a couple of them are towards the lake, with the basket a few yards from the water's edge.
-Signage: Each tee is marked by number, but no pars, distances, or layouts. This makes it difficult to judge sometimes what disc to use
-Geese poop everywhere, the smell got bad in parts
-Little difficult to locate if you don't know where it is, not as well marked as other state park courses
-Appears to be duck blinds by the basket of number 9, hopefully no hunters get surprised by a disc landing on their head.

Other Thoughts:

The back nine is truly a fun time, but the front is meh. The rough was mowed completely flat, making it much easier to locate your discs if they landed off the "fairway" but at the same time making the front nine even more monotonous. If you hit up Pike Lake State Park, these two courses are worth the drive, but I wouldn't plan a trip just for this one.
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3 1
culinarywiz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 35.6 years 305 played 66 reviews
2.50 star(s)

bad front-nice back 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice water hazards

Picturesque holes in back nine

Versatile fairways

Cons:

The rough in the front 9 is thick and often deep

Many very plain holes

There are a couple convoluted holes in the back

Other Thoughts:

This course should be rated front and back. I would rate the front a 1.5 and the back a 3.5.

The back nine is sweet. Honestly, I would rather play the back nine twice, than play the front once.

The front is quite plain. The only challenge is the rough that lines the relatively tight fairways. This stuff will swallow your disc. You almost have to step on it to find it. I have read many reviews that have varying viewpoints on "rough". Many folks believe that if you have a problem with rough, you should just stay on the fairway. Nice. If you can. I brought my nephew here, and we wasted a lot of time looking. Beware.

The back nine will challenge you. You start by shooting over a pond and continue into the woods. The lines are much more diverse and the elevation improves greatly.

We teamed this course with Pike Lake for a road trip. Its OK for that end. I would not travel for this course alone.
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4 0
Ben17
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.8 years 119 played 31 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Decent Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 5, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is very beautiful how it is up against the water. The front is nice with the concrete tees. It is fairly easy to navigate your way through this course. They have alot of holes that do different thigs. Some curve right while others curve to the left. There are plenty of water hazards. Hole 11 you are actually throwing over some water to get to the fairway. That was really neat, never really done this before. There is a very big parking lot with alot of facilities on the property. You can take a break and go swimming if you want to. Also there is a camp ground there. This is well kept. The lawns are mowed frequently. The baskets had yellow and orange stickers on the inside of them. This is good so that you know what to look for when you cant already see the basket. Some of the holes have next tee signs which can be helpful. The practice pin is very nice and easy to spot.

Cons:

This is a fairly short course. Not many of the holes even reach 300 feet. When you reach the back 9 all of the tees are grounded up rocks. It is very slippery when you throw from rocks. The tee sign doesn't show anything. There is no par nor distance on the sign. To get from hole 17 to hole 18 you will have to go across 11 to get there. So watch out for people throwing from there. For the front holes the weeds on the sides are very thick. I went in there a couple of times and it took me a very long time to find my disc. There are no trash cans or benches anywhere. At the tee if you are tired or need to throw something away good luck. At some of the tees the sign was missing. So you dont even know if you are at the right hole.

Other Thoughts:

The front 9 is almost completely open while the back 9 is almost completely enclosed in the woods. There is alot of wind coming off of the lake. Always be careful of this it is very easy to lose a disc in the water. When in the woods there is one or two nice elevation changes on the holes. I would say almost half of the holes have water that comes into play. It can be hard to locate. I do recommend using the latitude and the longitude given on the course info page. So come prepared and make sure you take a dip in the water after a round of disc golf.
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5 0
Bikinimower
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.6 years 174 played 66 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2 courses in 1 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 5, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some excellent wooded and water shots in the second half of this course
Well Kept
Challenging but not Frustrating
Good mix of shots and distances

Cons:

The first half of this course is pretty ordinary and loaded with goose poop
A bad throw on the first half of the course could easily send your disc into some very tall overgrowth
Wind coming off the lake can be a factor

Other Thoughts:

The open field part of the course is pretty plain. Although I've noticed I say that often about the open field part of a lot of courses, you could probably blame that on just personal preference. I you enjoy open field holes then this one will probably be fine with you.

But once you get out of the open field the rest of the course really takes off. There are some tremendous holes over some ponds and some great elevation changes in the woods. Accuracy in this part of the course is a must because some of the shots are tight. But they are clearly and reasonably defined fairways

Over all I liked this course a lot. I drive around and play Disc Golf all across the state for my job, so I've hit a lot of Ohio courses. I would put this one a notch or two below the elite tier of courses, definitely worth your time. I would be willing to make a return trip to this one and would recommend it for a road trip to anyone within an hour or two of this course.
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12 0
roadtripstuff
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.1 years 286 played 57 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good course. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 28, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy to Navigate
Plenty of water hazards
Nice Variety of Shots Needed
Plays Along the Lake
Both Wooded and Open Holes
Nice/Fairly New Baskets
Restrooms Near First Tee
Ample Parking
Camping And Swimming Nearby

Cons:

From Hole 17 to 18 You Cross 11s Fairway
Short Tee Pads
No Maps on Tee Signs
No Distances on Tee Signs
No Benches
Front Nine is Pretty Wide Open

Other Thoughts:

Nice course with open and wooded holes. There are a couple nice shots over water, and once in the woods there are a couple nice elevation changes. Water comes into play on serveral holes, and discs could easily be lost. Wind off lake can be a major factor. Overall a very fun course to play. Course can be difficult to locate, just follow the signs to south beach.
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