what a mess
11 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros:
-Amazing amout of "potential"
-Lots of fun tee shots.
-Fun with a guide.
-Great terrain.
Cons:
-No guide, no way!
-Multiple types of baskets, most in crappy condition
-Teepads are questionable at times
-Marooned teepads everywhere.
Other Thoughts:
I don't know how many ways I can say that it's a bad idea to have what seems to be 40 teepads strewn out over a course with 27 (i think) baskets. It's a total mess, and I even had a guide when I played it.
This chunk of land has SO MUCH potential,it's unfortunate that the locals can't figure anything out and make some concrete decisions on what to do. Hopefully someone will step up and take that task on.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
OK, Now They Got It Right!
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: This is one of the two 18 courses on sight (SE being the other). The local club has finally finished the design and the NW course, while still a little confusing is way better than previous layouts. The new NW courses incorporates just a couple holes from the original which were, for the most part, well thought out and challenging. Besides sitting in the prettiest section of the park, the NW course has nice large concrete pads, well defined walking paths between holes and most of the baskets have a nice little red arrow pointing to the next tee pad. The new signs are basic with the info you need. I happened to walk the course today during a national NIT event so all baskets were in the long and most difficult positions. These holes are both challenging in their technical aspect and daunting in their length. There are some fun downhill throws to be had on this 18.
There are multiple practice baskets up near the parking lot. The large parking lot as ample parking and there is a large open fields for practicing your drives.
SIGNATURE HOLE: Easily the signature hole on the entire complex is # 11 here on the NW course. It's 300' playing across and through a deep gorge. Avoiding all the trees is the key on this hole.
Cons: Speaking strictly for the NW course, navigation looks to be about an 8/10 which is not bad for such a wooded course.
The course is certainly not set up for beginners or family. It's a Intermediate and above course. There are plenty of long, tight holes requiring both a big arm and pin point accuracy off the tee.
Vandalism has been a problem at Stilly for 30 years but today I saw no evidence of any.
Other Thoughts: This course is now a must visit among Washington courses. # 1 is still a bit difficult to find. It's a very short walk 150' down the street towards the entrance. The tee pad is stuck back in the bushes
I can't say enough what a wonderful job the local club has done getting this courses up and running. as pleasently surprised.
The rating that I previously gave this course ( 4 stars) has been bothering me for quite some time now. After some thought, I've decided that because this course is so incredibly confusing for a first time player/visitor that it just can't be rated that high and that I was probably letting my home boy bias factor in to my rating.
RATINGS UPDATE: I've been perhaps one of the harshest critics over the years of Ft. Steilacoom's over abundance of pads and baskets. The NW course is such a upgrade over the old confusing layouts that have been in place. My rating on this course has gone from 4 to 3 and now back to a solid 4 and close to a 4.5. I can only tip my hat to the local disc golf club!
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Lost potential from too many confusing layouts
17 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: The map book shows 14 different layouts! The local players must like lots of variety.
Cons: There's a Chinese story about an over zealous artist who made a very good drawing of a snake but he kept adding to his picture and ruined it by adding legs. It means that some good things can be ruined by continuing to add too much, and this is the case at Fort Steilacoom. The course map shows 14 different layouts that combine tees and baskets in a multitude of configurations! I've never seen a course with so many different layouts. Although the locals must like the variety it's horrendous for a newcomer to try to navigate! When you add to it that the tee signs aren't very good, and many have been vandalized the course is incredibly frustrating to navigate. In addition there are serious safety issues from crossing fairways as people are playing alternate layouts. Discs could be flying all over the place. One reviewer suggested wearing a football helmet to stay safe. The course pro should keep in mind that "Frustration foils fun" and this course is extremely frustrating to navigate. There's some nice terrain there and some nice holes, so I think it would be a lot better to reduce the number of layouts and focus on making 27 good holes with tees and baskets that are easy to find and well maintained.
Other Thoughts: Course Level- I'm guessing White level, but the course was so confusing that I have little confidence in knowing what layouts the holes I played were really part of, thus I'm not sure of their lengths, so I can't determine the level.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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5+ 
8/21/2003 
2/21/2008
Review By: The Valkyrie Kid 
This review was updated on 6/10/2018
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