12 Acres, 18 Holes. How does this course work?
9 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Jesse James features a variety of wooded and open holes, lots of elevation change, and general challenge overall. It's old enough to have the feeling of a course that's been around for a while, but still new enough that most holes are basically the same. They do look a lot different than they did in 2012, however.
Even the small changes in elevation make for some pretty challenging holes. On hole 3, you're throwing over a small rise that really throws off the angle, holes 4 and 6 are difficult to get all the way there, and the downhill nature of holes 8, 12, and 13 means speed is really important, and controlling the angle of the disc to get - or avoid - a big skip is important.
The par 4's, holes 10 and 17, are both pretty fun. 10 is under 400 feet, but is uphill, dogleg left, and really difficult. I'm not sure there's a legitimate eagle line. 17 is the right way to do a flat, straight shot - woods on one side, OB path on the other; air it out at your own risk.
No hole is absolutely boring. Despite being on such a small piece of property, the course manages to provide some challenge on every hole. It may be a little gimmicky, or it certainly makes some tweener holes for certain skill levels, but there is always some line to hit or some danger to get into.
Cons: Because there was so little room to work with, several holes have just terrible design. A walking path is nearby on 11-12 and 14-18, and of those only 17 is any good. Sure, it's an OB challenge, but it's not the same as the rest of the course. Hole 14 even has a telephone pole coming into play. Also, hole 5 is ridiculous; it's a dogleg left with basically no way to get to the basket in one except with maybe an overhand or a lucky cut roll.
The tee signs aren't great, and navigation is sometimes a little tricky. It's always easy to tell where the hole goes, but there are sometimes around five teepads visible from the previous basket. Good luck guessing. Other times, there are several paths through the woods, and there's no way to tell which is the right way to go; feel free to lay some sticks across false paths to help out future players. Also, holes 10-13 double back on each other a little bit. From 11 to 12, you're backtracking, and from 12 to 13, you're walking across the fairway of 10. At least no fairways cross each other, unless you take a shortcut route on 10 (which is a bad idea).
A lot of holes, despite having some challenging part, don't have much going for them. Apart from the stretch with walking paths, hole 1 is just straight uphill, 2 is an ordinary right-to-left shot, and 9 and 13 just didn't feel right. On some of these, just a little more distance would have improved them significantly, though that would have put baskets in the next fairway.
No alternate tee pads or pin placements. Obviously, there isn't much room for either, but a few more pins would help give a little more variety.
Other Thoughts: Despite the obvious pitfalls this course fell into and the fact it's all squished together, it really isn't all that bad. The good holes certainly stand out more than the bad ones.
I would have liked to see some holes that start in the woods and finish in the open, or vise-versa. They wouldn't have to be par 4, but they would be a better use of the open area than holes 14 and 16. Also, there's some land to the south of hole 17, across the path, that isn't being used for anything. Annexing that land would have given some more breathing room and would have introduced some exciting water hazards.
At the end of the day, this course doesn't have enough superb about it to justify a high rating. It's certainly a fun play, and should go pretty fast if you can avoid the rough, so you won't regret popping over here for a round.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
A Well-Aged Grape.
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Navigation is not tough due to the tee signs having a next tee mark and several greens have a small white arrow nailed to a tree that points to the next tee.
The concrete tees are plenty large and in good condition.
For being old and showing some age, the tee signs are very helpful with mapping out the hole. In the winter it was fairly easy to see where you were headed, but once all the foliage comes in I'm sure it gets tougher.
The DisCatchers are in pretty good condition.
There's so much variety in the holes. 1 and 2 are fairly open, 3 to 10 and 13 are wooded, and then the rest are open, but hold a lot of challenge. Even on the simpler holes, the greens are full of danger since they're on some of the steepest slopes I've seen for a green (14 and 17 especially).
The par 4s feel like par 4s. 10 is an obvious two-shot hole, and 17 is long and flat, but the ground hides some ruts and divots making a roller pretty much impossible.
There are several holes that play next to a walking path and a "fence" that make some tough OB lines.
Cons: Once again, there are several holes that play next to a walking path and a fence. Even though it was a fairly cold day and there was snow on the ground, the park still had plenty of walkers (and the dog that barked at my putt on 12. I like to think that helped it go in but... eh).
The rough looks like it could get really bad. Nearly un-fun levels of bad, especially on the doglegs.
16 is lame. Dirt was added to a field to elevate the tee and the basket. That's it.
There aren't any alternate pin spots.
There is one bad navigation spot. The previous tee sign didn't help, the online map didn't help, and I ended up wandering around several holes until I found the basket of 13. So from the basket of hole 10, hole 11 plays in the same direction, then hole 12 plays the exact opposite way, just on the other side of the walking path... then to get to 13 you have to go back up the walking path ad across the green of 10.
Other Thoughts: This course is so smashed into one side of the park that fact that a course this good came out of it is incredible. I wish they'd had more space when designing it since we likely would have gotten something special. And again, even on the ones that feel smashed in (12, 15, 18) the OB keeps it interesting.
The course is smashed in and old, but it's still really good, like a wine grape.
I'll definitely be coming back to Jesse James. It offers plenty of enjoyable holes and tough shapes to offer plenty of challenge.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Shoot 'em Up
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Jesse James DGC is a course with some really challenging holes, some great birdie chances on a few holes, nice landscape for a course, and it is very nicely equipped. I played on a cold afternoon, and left a lot of shots out on the course. It was frustrating, but I can not let my poor performance take away from the due respect this course deserves.
All concrete tees with good signs. Good Discatcher targets with classic yellow bands. Diverse mix through the course will test the arm strength, accuracy, short game, and make you execute all types of throws.
There are a handful of fairly easy deuces. I did get hole 6, 11, and 16. 6 was the best of them, a mid range hole that turns right almost all the way, with trees that will knock you down if you stray too much from the center of the fairway. Threw a RHFH (not my natural drive), and sunk the 30+ foot putt. 11 is a short right to left hyzer that I parked with a putter. Not a lot of interference from trees, and only slightly uphill. 16 is pretty open and flat, but the basket is on a small berm, and the putt is much tougher if you are not on or near the crest. I got the distance right, and a good skip that left me inside 10 feet. Should have had a couple of more, but chumped out on a couple of chip ins. Had a nice ace run at 8, a short hole downhill to a basket on the spine of a ridge between two low spots that can be wet. I shot at perfect height, but about the basket width wide to the right. Missed an easy putt on the comeback and settled for par. Also missed an easy putt after a great drive on the last hole. 18 is flat, but has OB to the left and right of a narrow green. I nailed a nice flex shot off the tee but couldn't make the 15 footer, or the come back and took a bogey.
There are just as many great holes that will test your skills throwing directional drives with almost pinpoint accuracy. This becomes obvious around hole 3. Hole that has downhill to uphill, left to right with a narrow strip that is heavily wooded on both sides about half way at the bend in the fairway. Hole 7 is also tricky and kind of long. A bit uphill, with a tapering run to a basket that gets more and wooded as you approach the pin. Hole 10 is another monster, on a steady incline that has a sharp left turn half way up the hill. You need a great drive to hit the landing zone that gives you a chance at making par.
Cons: There are two or three holes that left me wondering what shot will possibly give me a chance. Hole 4 is uphill and has a gnarly right to left with a drastic turn close to the tee. Very tough to hit this drive. 5 is not as hard, but is a really strong turn, right to left this time, and plenty of trees to knock you out if you're a little long or a little short. Not impossible, but not easy for the short distance from tee to basket. i didn't know what to throw at hole on 13. It isn't long, and downhill all the way, but there is a line of trees that form a wall of lumber in front of the basket. You have to have the force on you side to get close to a birdie. If the darkside takes control, you are looking at bogey for sure.
There are areas that the layout is not super obvious. Pay attention to the signs, they can direct you to the next tee. I went from hole 2 to 7, and then played 3-6 after the fact. If you take a course map, or just look at the signs carefully, this can be avoided. I was not on top of navigation, and went out of sequence as a result.
Other Thoughts: Overall, I played really lousy at Jesse James. Maybe it had to do with the temperature hovering just over freezing, or the fact I had pizza and beer for lunch, and went overboard on both.
I was 10 over my first time out here, and should have been way closer to par. It really made me want to shoot someone, mainly myself. I don't know if that is outlaw spirit or not.
I was not pleased with my results, but the challenge and fun involved making the circuit around Jesse James DGC is hard to deny. I love the turf, and skill required to score at or even near par. Surely worth a visit if you have a chance to play this one. It is a bit out of the way from my place in KC, but I am glad I made the trip.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Jesse James Disc Golf Course
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Now that i've played it about 12 times now, I wanted to return to this one.
Wanted to apologize to designer for my "off the cuff, played it once" review about 2 mths ago.
Since playing this course, i have used it to hone throwing skills, as designer said it could be easily used for.
Below is a better review of the Jesse James Disc Golf Course.
- Nice size concrete launch pads.
- Holes 1 and 18 are near the parking lot.
- Course is well maintained
- Johnny's available
- Map at each hole.
- 1 Tee Pad to choose from each hole.
- Quiet and Quaint, nature-like atmosphere.
This Course is still in its infancy, therefore not much players come here yet. Guaranteed a nice quiet round.
- Good balance of hole types (Open & Skill)
- Trees, Rough, and OB is not bad. Hard to lose your disc here.
- Course is designed well for the amount of land given. Would like to see expansion of this course.
Cons: -Tee Pad Maps
I love the Tee Pad Maps, they are accurate and good graphic design.
Designer mentions you can see exits to the next Hole on the Tee Pad Maps. Coming from a new player point of view, and just general improvement to an already good course, i feel the course would benefit with some sort of "Indicator", at the end of a hole, showing players direction to the next hole. If you do not remember, or even notice to look for the direction to the next Tee Pad on the Tee Pad Map... you would need to travel back to the Tee Pad to observe direction to the hole.
- Per hole, the Baskets do not have a 2nd location. Pin always in same spot.
- No Water Access (I realize this is a JJ Park thing)
- No League Play or Local Tournaments held here.
- No city or community outreach on the "Welcome-Board" to the disc golf course yet.
There is a good map of the course however. I feel this will change as the sport and course gain popularity.
-More trash buckets, or cans, or whatever, at the Tee Pads would be beneficial.
I'm one to pick up trash if i see it, i'd like to know there is a trash can coming up, motivating me to pick up that trash.
There are some socks that have been on a tree on Hole 9 forever, and i wonder if they'll ever be removed? I simply haven't done it cause i'd have to carry them around till i found a trash can. gross!
Other Thoughts: Having played this course a bunch now, it is a pretty good course.
This course has a good balance of skill-shot holes and open-shot holes. Expect to learn how to control your throws if you're going to have a good round.
Some fave hole talk below.
Hole 3:
My favorite hole cause i am a Lefty(backhand). This hole is a fairway guarded on the left and right side by tall trees and ending with a slight dog-leg right into an open. The fairway is straight and dips down below tee pad level. At the end of the fairway straight, the trees guarding the fairway disappear and give way to a spacious green. I love powering over the trees on the left side in an attempt to drop it in the open area. Good luck Righties!
Hole 4:
I call this one the "Question Mark" hole, cause the hole is in the shape of a question mark on the map. It is a sharp dog-leg left. The hole is guarded by trees on both sides the whole way. I simply like the throw i have found for this hole. I've birdied this one quite a few times.
Hole 8:
This hole is a downhill Ace Run throw with some danger! It is a hole with 2 OBs (ponds) guarding it to the left and right. I love throwing this one... then fishing out my disc lol.
Hole 11:
I like this one simply cause i'm learning a forehand that is awesome here if i get it right.
This hole has a great deal of trees and shrubs directly between you and the pin. Rightie backhanders must hyzer around. Like i've mentioned, i'm a Leftie learning a forehand. Perfect practice for that on this hole.
Hole 12:
This is just a beautiful layout, hole 12. Although there is a tree on the right side of the Tee Pad that my Right-handed compadres have trouble with. This is definitely one of my favorite throws of the course. The view from the Tee Pad in the morning is majestic. Sun on the horizon, quiet, beautiful design in front of me. just awesome.
Hole 15:
This hole lines 33 highway, and is definitely tailored to a Rightie. There is a sweet tree-line down the left-side, making it tough for a Leftie backhander. Again, i simply like the throw i've discovered that works for me, so I obv like this hole.
Hole 16:
A long Mound to Mound throw over an open field.
I'll do this all day long!! I love this one.
Hole 18:
Again, just a beautiful layout here. Again, my right handed friends complain about the tree on the right side lol. I love it! Again the hole has some sweet shrubbery lining the left-side, but not tall enough to block a shot to that side. Good final hole for the course, and your car is right there!
Speaking of trees, hole 13!
I feel like Government built a wall thru this one, but we manage to get thru it here and there. lol
I have a friend who accidentally Aced this hole the other day, it was hilariously awesome!
Thanks again for the Kearney Course.
It is well-designed and a good addition to the Kearney Community.. just wish there was more promotion of disc golf in Kearney.
Again my apologies to the designer for my past review, i hope you find this one much more informative and in better taste.
It's awesome having a good course within miles of your home. Look forward to league and tourney play in the area. Hopefully Kearney and Smithville courses will someday be able to get involved.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Date: 9/28/2016
Designer Response by: dickparker
Well, since you updated your review, I guess I should update my comments. I whole heatedly agree with you that having next tee signs at the basket would be better than on the sign. It just wasn't in the budget for this course.
Socks? Gross. I hope that gets removed. I haven't been out there in a year or so. I'll try to get out there and see if we can't clean it up.
I'm glad you took the time to appreciate the course with a new attitude and appreciation for it. I hope my previous comments didn't make you feel you had to like the course better, I just felt I needed to make sure and touch on some of your earlier points.
As always, I appreciate your review and thank you for playing the course.
Kearney DGC
1 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Challenging enough for my skill level and for power players on most holes. Good shots down fairways that are surrounded by trees and dogleg will get good scores. A couple of long holes let you test your distance. Doesn't seem to be long course.
Cons: Hilly, if that bothers you.
Other Thoughts: For some reason, I thought this would be dust bowl and not well maintained. It's as good as any course I have played and was very well maintained when I played.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
AN "EQUALIZER" COURSE
3 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: 1. Great signage with "next tee" posted.
2. Balanced blend of technical, accurate shots allow a person of less distance driving ability to compete with bigger armed people.
3. Elevation changes, throwing up and down hill make it interesting.
4. Tunnel shots keep the big arms people from dominating the game.
5.Restroom at hole 18.
6. Hole 18 and 1 are near each other (start at the parking lot and end at the parking lot).
7. Very little trash and I saw no graffiti.
8. Great venue, nice views, nice parking, picnic tables, resting benches, all concrete tees.
Cons: 1. If the course got busy with people on every tee waiting, you could get hit at times.
2. Lots of briar to tear up your clothes while getting stray discs.
Other Thoughts: Nice job building and maintaining this course.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
5 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: + Holes 3,5,7,8,13
+ Brand new baskets
+ lots of technical shots and elevations changes
Cons: - needs grass in several places
- navigation doesnt flow logical in several spots (2->3, 6->7, 12->13)
- too many holes that are < 300 and dead straight with no obstacles (1,11,15, 16)
- thorns everywhere
- water hazard was torn up and drained when I was there
-if rainy or wet, very muddy
Other Thoughts: room for improvement but several good holes. 15-18 need pine trees or some obstacle...maybe man made wall or something.
Several holes could be improved by 40 extra feet or different basket placement
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Jesse James
3 Helpful / 3 Not
Pros: This cours had great use of the land that created quite unique shots. Good teepads, Signage was excellent. good baskets.
Cons: Only one course flow issue with hopping over to hole 10.
Other Thoughts: I enjoyed the course, nice tight but fair gaps
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Love the front nine
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Good elevation changes. Good mixture of shots needed on the front nine. Love hole seven open shot across field down into woods then back up to the basket. Like hole eight as well with the ponds (all though it has been so dry that the ponds are just holes with tall grass). I looked at the tee sign and am already wanting spring to get here so I can see it with water in it.
Cons: Not a lot of cons for this course, but here goes. Need trash cans or buckets at a few more holes. I have only seen one at hole one. Fairly new course and I have stared noticing more and more trash on the course. Hopefully with some trash cans on the course some inconsiderate people will throw their trash away. Hole 15,16 and 18 feel like the same hole to me (pretty straight forward not a lot of obstacles. I've even played the front nine and skipped over to sixteen and played to eighteen.
Other Thoughts: Please take my review with a grain of salt as I haven't played many courses (4 so far). This is the first course I've played (and reviewed) so I don't have a lot to compare it to.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Great Course with More to Come
18 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Wow! A course designer who knows his stuff plus a local group of players that's willing and able to execute to a very high standard equals a round of golf that stands among the classics.
Let's start at the beginning.
At hole 1 (fall out of your car and you're on the teepad) you have a really classy bench, a high-quality kiosk complete with large, easy-to-read map, and a great warmup hole: uphill, no obstacles, just what you need to get the blood flowing.
After that warmup you ease into a series of technical holes that present various line-shaping challenges through the woods. The fairways are narrow, the rough, ROUGH, and the variety is constant.
For instance, check out hole #5, which is short but uphill and incorporates an extreme dogleg left. It's probably reachable with an overhand shot but since I don't do that well I'm forced to play the fairway, which looks a bit like a worm on a hot sidewalk.
Or check out #8, which is also short, this time downhill, but once you shoot the gap between the trees you have to land on a narrow strip between two OB ponds.
Then there's #10, which actually starts with a forced annie shot and then doubles back on itself with a dogleg left.
Sprinkled in the mix are a couple of ace runs and then, starting with #14, some long bomb opportunities. 18 is probably the weakest hole on the course, looks almost like an afterthought, but once you've navigated the first 17 holes you're glad to see something so straightforward.
All throughout the course, the tees were generous and the baskets pristine. The signage, though, really showed what could be done. Every sign showed the hole layout, the distance, the par, the location of the next tee, any mandos, and it was all done tastefully, without clutter. Ten gold stars to whoever did this.
Cons: The main "con" here is the lack of amenities once you leave tee #1. It would be a really significant improvement to see a few benches here and there (buck a log into two-foot segments and presto!) and trash cans likewise. Seems a shame that a course that's been open for less than a month already shows beer cans, cigarette packs, and other cr@p that people have "mistakenly" forgotten to pack out.
With the amount of work that's already gone into this course, those two items seem pretty simple and would easily add half a disc to my rating.
The only other thing I didn't like was the fact that you had to cross #10's fairway to get from #12's basket to the tee for #13. Seems to me that if you played 12 (backwards) first and then 11 (backwards) next, that problem would disappear.
Other Thoughts: Somebody has put birdhouses up in several places in the woods. No birds that I could see living there yet, but they're sort of a signal to avoid trees - a good philosophy in general, imo.
All in all, this is a very classy course that will only get better as the community continues to take care of their baby. I'll be back, you bet.
ADD: Talked with the designer, who clarified a couple of my comments above. Hole #18 will change dramatically when the young trees there grow up. Give it a few years and that hole will be on a par with the rest of the course.
Also, regarding the order of play of #11 and 12, the Parks Dept had safety issues with the jogging path - that's why it was configured the way it was.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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2-4 
3/7/2021 
2/1/2021
Review By: Surge5 
This review was updated on 3/8/2021
Hole #8 (Taken 7/2012) 
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