Spicy
16 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Excellent use of the elevation in play at the park. Sharp uphills on 6 and 16 are contrasted by the booming downhill shots on 1, 3, 7, and 13. Combine that with being forced to play over rises on 5 and 14 and trying to get all the way over the valley on 17 and it's a great challenge.
Plenty of parking split between two lots, and there's multiple ways you can loop the park from either one. There's a practice basket at the lot on the west side of the park which doubles an alternate pin for 12.
In the way of amenities, each hole has a tee pad large enough for anyone, a great bench (although they are a little small), and a detailed tee sign. The Veteran baskets are in good shape, and there are 3 or 4 possible pin spots on almost every hole.
On holes where you have to cross the creek (4, 8, 13, 15, 16) there are very well made bridges that make the crossings a non-issue.
Upkeep is superb. A pair of locals I played the last few holes with noted that the grass was "pretty long for Centennial" and yet we all three got skip shots to work on 18.
The holes themselves are mostly creative. A blind drive to start off the course, you'll fight a creek on multiple holes, and the main challenge is some tough greens to get to. 4 is tucked across the creek and 9 has one pin down a little alley made for the power lines that has an entrance gap that is maybe 6ft wide. None of the greens present a lot of challenge on their own, it's more about getting to them.
The dual tees at 2/14 and 3/7 are an interesting touch. They're a little weird to figure out at first but once you know what's going on it provides a unique setup and a huge bench on 3/7.
Some tees have been moved due to older ones cracking, but they are still there for those longtime Centennial-goers who want to play them.
Cons: Holes 12 and 18 feel very much like filler. They're long and flat, but they are tough to birdie. Apart from these holes, there's no major length variaton. There's no massive par 4s, and there are no real ace runs. One big, tough, 500+ foot par 4 back by hole 5 would put this course much higher on my list.
A couple holes play over/near walking paths. 9, 12, 13, and 17 are all offenders. None of the danger is major, but it is more common than a well-designed course should have.
It is the best course in a college town, so it's likely to be busy.
Finding hole 2 is hard, and you'll walk down the fairway of 8 somewhat to get to its tee from hole 7.
The last three holes on this course are not the greatest culmination of an otherwise stellar course. 16 is a long, wide open uphill, 17 is a long wide open shot over a valley, and 18 is a flat 325ft hole with some small trees toward the end. These hills could have been used in some better ways, and with the trees on 18 there is definitely potential for another big par 4. Just feels like a few missed opportunities at the very end of the round.
Other Thoughts: I'm impressed by the quality of this "park-style" course. The elevation that the park provided is perfect for disc golf without being too intimidating. Definitely worth your time if you're nearby, just be prepared for crowds.
If there were a few more trees, I'd like this place even more. But that's not my call.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.
Great but a little dangerous
12 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Centennial Park is a fantastic park-style Disc Golf course. Well mowed fairways, benches, good signs, good baskets, 2-3 pin placements on every hole, some of them par 4 (actually long holes), and next-tee indicators on most if not all baskets. This course has clearly seen a lot of love in the last few years. There's a practice basket, but it's a little far from the first tee and is a little in the way of hole 12.
First standout: The trees and woods are put to great use. The woods are present on roughly half of the holes, but they're not thick and most of the underbrush has been cleared out. It encourages aggressive shots while still being fun to play when your disc goes off the fairway. Hole 4 can be a bit of a pain, with annoying woods with a small pond that I didn't know existed until my disc went in. Even when woods aren't present, there's still plenty of trees on all the fairways except on a couple of holes. This all makes it a fun place for players of all skill levels, even on the long holes. As a result, there's little lost disc potential.
Fun, long holes. Several shots, especially 7 and 13, are far and downhill, sometimes with lines to go over the trees, other times when even slower arms can still throw it far if they get the right angle. And as with all downhill holes, a small mistake turns into a large loss of distance and/or accuracy. Other holes are long but tight despite having few trees, especially 8 and 17.
Several unique lines. 10 is a creative uphill shot, 4 has a pin raised on a stump, and 15, though I played it in the short pin, has some interesting options for the longer pins. Changing up pins gives a lot of variety to holes that might otherwise get old.
Cons: First and foremost, safety. This is a popular multi-use park with paths, playground, picnic shelters, and a skate park. The course tries to stay away from it all, but often has non-discers walking across the fairways. Some long pins get dangerously close to other hole's tees or fairways, leading to a little confusion as to what basket to throw to, but also needing to be on the lookout for other groups. Hole 13 is the worst offender; it plays across a paved path and near a basket and three other tee pads (depending on pin placements).
There's not a lot of shot shaping. A lot of holes just have a bunch of trees scattered around, which leads to some holes all feeling the same. It makes for a fun round but doesn't have the variety a world-class course would. Hills are used well on some holes, but I felt like many of the uphill holes (2, 5, 6, 14) were pretty boring.
There's a big difference between the long and short pins on some holes, but the short pins are sometimes pretty boring. Only a couple of those will be in play most of the time, but having seen where other short pins are, I'm glad I was there on a day when there was a mix of long, middle, and short pins in play.
Other Thoughts: This is about as good as a traditional park-style course can get. It's great, but has reached its upper bound.
There's some old tee pads that are no longer in use, but a few of them change the hole significantly if you want to play them as alternate tees.
The safety issues get worse when the course is crowded, which it often is from what I can tell. The tee pads of 3/7 and 2/14 are right beside each other, which is fine but adds to the issues of safety, and with COVID right now, adds to bunching up on tee pads when the course is rather crowded.
The presence of so much else going on in the park make it a great place for families that have some members who want to play Disc Golf. Just have the non-players stay clear of throwers.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Jayhawk Paradise
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Very well maintained
-New Red/Blue Dynamic Veteran baskets for easy visibility
-Large concrete tee pads
-New benches on almost every hole
-New helpful tee signs
-Trash cans
-Multiple pin placements
-Cart-friendly
-Practice basket for those waiting on a group
-Restrooms
-Plenty of parking on either side of the course
-Good use of land and elevation
-Variety of shots required
-Playground and picnic area perfect for family
Cons: -Very busy during weekday evenings
-Mud can be an issue in some spots
-Transition between some holes are a little bit long
-Restrooms were locked the last few times I played (perhaps because of the season)
Other Thoughts: Centennial Park is the most popular disc golf course within the city of Lawrence. The red and blue KU Jayhawk-colored baskets were a great idea considering the school spirit within the city. Navigation WAS a major issue until tee signage was installed. Playing this course recently, I've noticed how much work, time, and money have been put into this one. It is worth traveling thirty miles to play the 18 holes. It's recommended to come when traffic is light. Centennial Park easily earns a 4.5/5 especially considering the recent upgrades.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Everthing you need
3 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Good layout.
Creek in play on a couple holes.
Mostly open but does have some technical shots.
Long and short hole.
Elevation changes.
Multiple pins,
Well kept and clean.
Benchs at everyhole.
Cons: Don't remember seeing a lot of trash cans.
No hole signs.
Tee pads aren't mark.
Hard to navigate first time through. After that no big deal. Some holes are close together so you may have to wait if the course is busy.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Chameleon
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: My original review was in summer 2018 and the only knock was lack of signage. I have played it a dozen times since then and it now has terrific signage and I've changed my rating (and removed all the distance information I included.)
GREAT new baskets
Good concrete tees
Good mix of holes with lots of hills and good use of trees and creek bed (dry when I played in July)
I am a fan of lightly wooded - there is an obstacle or two on every hole except 12, but fairways are reasonable and lots of opportunity for ripping it.
Well maintained course. Watered green grass that is mowed.
Nice facilities - bathrooms and water fountain. Good use of space. Fits nicely into space it has and you don't have to be too concerned about hitting other park goers or passing cars (2 of the 4 streets surrounding the park - 6th and Iowa - are pretty busy)
One very smart navigation aid is that holes 1-9 have red baskets and 10-18 have blue baskets.
Cons: (All of my cons in 2018 were signage & navigation related - I've deleted them. Now I'm having to stretch for a con.
Hole 13 original tee and to lesser extent the alternate tee throw a little closer to the active skate park than I'd like.)
Other Thoughts: With signs this course is a 3.5 to 4 (Yay - has signs now - changed my rating.)
The multiple basket positions keep the course fresh and interesting - thus the new review title.
Everyone I met was friendly!
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Needs signs
3 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Good course lots of variety shots
Nice park
Shade trees
Lots of elevation changes
Cons: NO SIGNS. 1/2 the shots are blind with trees or elevation changes and pretty blind
Crowded crowded crowded even during weekday
Play over each other some
Other Thoughts: If they would just put up better signs this would improve the course 10 fold trust me.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
1 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: The course itself is great. Wide open areas lightly wooded, makes for good casual play. Has reasonably nice pads and baskets.
Cons: There are no directions, no signs, no map(that we could find), very few indicators. Most of the pads have no marking for what hole it is and the way the course is laid out doesn't help. Also you occasionally can't see the basket from the pad and with no markers it led to a lot of trying to guess which pad went to which hole.
Other Thoughts: Despite that one flaw it's a nice course good enough that I'll definitely go back to try and get a firmer grasp of the layout
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
The Hills to Pay the Bills
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Centennial Park is a pretty good course. Ranging from almost wide open to a handful of scattered trees, the fairways are predominately covered with healthy grass, and several are playing up and down large hills. There are a good mix of shots, and not a lot of rough to punish the throw that is slightly off mark. All of the 18 holes have concrete tees and the baskets are good enough to get the job done. There are 2 or 3 possible pin locations on every hole.
I am a sucker for elevation changes that are more than subtle. You will get a nice dose of that here. Hole 1 is a moderate drop, and has fairly thick stands of trees on either side of the fairway, creating a fun line. There are a couple of great downhill crushers that take all you got off the tee. Hole 7 is long, from top to bottom of a tall hill, with a few trees and the long pin is across a stream. Hole 13 is not quite as long or as big of a drop, but it also plays across the stream, only with more trees making a definite window if in the B or C pin position. Hole 15 has a similar feel as well.
On the flip side, playing up the hills also gives you a couple of fun shots. This is the case on 5 and 6, but I really liked hole 10, with a pin tucked behind a line of trees taking away the most direct route.
Throw in a couple of short holes, as well as several more of the longer ones, and you've got a pretty nice course. Holes 2, 7, and 16 were all in the short pins, and allowed me to make birdies. It is all par 3's, so the distance holes can be tough, especially in the long placements.
Cons: Some transitions between holes aren't the smoothest. Between holes 2 and 3, and again after hole 11 on the way to 12 are a bit funky. Signs would be a great help, I would suggest taking a screenshot of the map on the link, or printing it out.
The layout is also near to some walking trails, and pretty close to the road on 10 and 11. 13 is along side the skate park, but not too close.
Exposed to the wind, so blustery days make things way more difficult. I recently moved back to Kansas and I'm having to learn how to deal with this on a much more frequent basis than I am used to. There was some very squishy grass on hole 5, with soft mud on the hill behind the hotel.
Other Thoughts: Some reviewers didn't like this Centennial Park as much as me, but that is fine. I have only played it once, but I live fairly close, and will be playing it on a regular basis now.
Scored a 2 over par (56) on the first round. 3 birds and 5 bogeys. Felt ok about that, but I hope to do a little better in the near future. If conditions are right and I bring the A game, under par should not be that hard to achieve.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
looking for a sign....
1 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: nice park, good elevation changes, great mature trees, good tee pads, pretty nice variety in hole layouts (uphill-downhill-right-left-long-short-a few gaps to hit- some wide open....)
Cons: No signs, No map at the beginning, which you could get away with if the layout was the slightest bit logical. but it is NOT logical or intuitive in any way. so it could use some signs. and some benches.
Other Thoughts: really enjoyable course, spacious enough, but not too spread out. there has to be a way to make a more logical flow from one hole to the next. but, whatever. just get some signs.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Good Course-Not Great
3 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: -Fun Course
-Variable Shot Opportunities
-super nice people
-well maintained (can get muddy after rain)
-nice baskets
-nice tee pads
-adequate facilities
Perfect beginner and intermediate course
Not amazing for experts
Cons: -Lack of signage
-Sometimes hard to find basket your going for
-lack of seating on most holes
-Can get really muddy after a rain
Other Thoughts: Overall a very solid course. A lot of fun if you know where you're going. Definitely worth going to. Best course within 45 minutes of Lawrence. Recommend going with someone that has played there before as it could get a little bit confusing on where to go.
Check her out!
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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2-4 
9/5/2020 
9/5/2020
Review By: kp_1024 
This review was updated on 12/25/2020
Hole #12 (Taken 3/2019) 
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