Roseville, MN

Acorn DGC

3.475(based on 16 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Acorn DGC reviews

Filter
8 0
Naenae
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.1 months 38 played 38 reviews
3.50 star(s)

If it's like this year round...

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 3, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

--Most holes have 2 tees, 2 baskets
--Pink baskets pop against the colors of the woods
--Technical
--Decent painted signage
--Portable toilets

Cons:

Long walk from 1 to 2 is an awkward beginning.

Other Thoughts:

First impressions of Acorn were pretty strong for me. The course is on the shorter side, but reasonably hilly and wooded, calling for some well-executed shot shaping.

For a course with a bit of a reputation for being boggy and buggy, I found it bone dry and very playable. Given that the first hole was nicknamed "Pond Hopper" and had no pond in sight, this is probably not the average state of affairs. Immediately noticeable are the pink-colored long baskets, which are supposedly Kingpins. You could have told me that that they were painted Mach III's and I wouldn't have known any better. DGA apparently did supply the plainer short baskets. Anyway, put me on Team Pink--I liked them and they caught well enough.

I'm really a fan of multiple layouts on a course, but Acorn doesn't really need much shortening even throwing from Blue to Pink. If you can throw 250', distance will not be your primary challenge here. Perhaps just hearing that ruins your day, in which case you might want to move along to nearby Bethel or Lakewood, but if you stay, you'll find enough technicality to make for an interesting round.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
13 0
Surge5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 9.7 years 166 played 166 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Not Too Nutty

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 4, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

With 32 concrete tees through the park, there are plenty of options on this tough an technical course. The pink Kingpin baskets stand out well against the wooded backdrop and catch well for being in the older generation of baskets.

Fourteen holes have a short tee and a long tee. Still doesn't make this a very "beginner friendly" course, but it gives you options if you're less experienced.

Water used to a maximum on 1 and 2, and also present down the left side of 6 and off the tee of 7. Each hole has an option to keep you dry, but you won't be shaving strokes off of par that way.

Several excellent two-shot holes (3, 4, 7, 15, 18) with some tight gaps to hit. 3 and 4 both dogleg to guarded greens (very guarded in the case of 4). 7 is a technical trot through a field of evergreens where placing your drive is the most important part of the hole apart from not rolling away on the green's slope. 15's pin is up a decent little rise at the end of the hole, and 18 blasts out of a gap before moving uphill to force a precise upshot.

The tee of 14 is shielded from the downhill ace runs on 13 by some netting. Wise move.

The rough isn't kept incredibly rough, even in summer.

Cons:

The run of 8-14 are all very short (averaging 185ft) and 8, 10, and 13 are ace runs all day. You could play them with an Ultimate frisbee disc and still go under par for those seven holes pretty easily. Brings the difficulty level down, although that may have been the intent.

Even with the short tees, the sacrifice of the layup option is always pretty intense. Hole 2 is a bit unfair to those without the power to cross the water as the right side layup zone is very thin before getting into the rough. Off the tee of hole 7 you can bail out right, but you're left with extra evergreens to fight over there.

The green of 15 is insanely lackluster. It just... sits there. Surrounded by nothing. Jarring. Still bothering me three and a half years on.

Other Thoughts:

If you're looking for a shorter, more technical round in the Cities, this is the place for you. Beware the crowds, this is a busy spot, but it's Minnesota, so they're always nice enough to let you play through (can you tell I'm a non-native?).
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 191 played 189 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 27, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Multiple baskets for short and long
Bright pink baskets marking the long pins these are in great shape and look amazing
Good mix of distances with many ace runs and couple par 4s as well
Good mix of backhand/forehand holes
Navigation is okay there's red signs in ground make sure to follow those.

Cons:

Feels like you're playing in a swamp
Can get super crowded. I was there on a somewhat rainy day and course was completely full. Like 5 big mob groups as well.
The course itself dosen't look that well upkept some areas our pretty overgrown, and look flooded. I'm guessing if it rains steady enough this course becomes unplayable
Couple of the par 4s you can't see from tee box and will have to walk up to find the pin.
Couple fairways play close together

Other Thoughts:

All in all the course is okay. It's a great place to take someone new and still has couple holes that can test an advanced player. With some more tlc it could be ranked higher for sure
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
dickwolf
Experience: 27.8 years 50 played 21 reviews
4.00 star(s)

fun. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 18, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

nice baskets, tee pads, signs and arrows to next hole!
nicely kept up course, saw very little trash.
good holes, nothing silly or poorly thought out.
tough, fair, pretty.
lots of wooded holes.
good "old guy" course distance wise.
2 tee pads, 2 baskets on nearly every hole. pink indicates the longer basket.
some water to contend with.8

Cons:

not cart friendly.
skeeters.
too many short holes in a row, not a huge con though.

Other Thoughts:

hadnt played here in about 15 years, used to be my main course. the redesign is great! it was and is a really good, fun play.
there can be a lot of traffic on the course, so the play may slow, with not necessarily etiquette friendly people playing.
there are a bunch of 200 foot or less holes in a row from the "long" pads, but it still requires having to navigate through some pretty tough tree lines to get to the pin. then you get a few holes to let go and throw.
i truly missed this course over the years, and returned to find it still one of my favorites.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 1
jland969
Experience: 18.6 years 77 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Local Favorite 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very achievable
Close to Metro
Free
Good variety of throw style/distance/hazard

Cons:

High Traffic
Low areas get swampy/muddy/difficult to maintain
A couple awkward foot traffic crossing areas

Other Thoughts:

This is an all-around great course. If you are in the area for a destination outting, there are much better options. That being said, this course gets some of the most foot-traffic in the area for a good reason. A blast to play, free, and diverse style. Do not plan on opening up too often if you are big-armer, but do plan on using multiple styles and stabilities.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 2
Flanakookn
Experience: 7.7 years 17 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Options-a-plenty 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 24, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lots of options. Most holes have double tee pads and dual baskets. It happens to be close to my work so if I get the option to leave early I head over there and play a round.

Cons:

Course is fairly easy from the short tees, but flows weird (in my opinion) from the longs.

built on a bog in Roseville-ish area...bring the bug spray.

Hole #2 & Hole #7 are my least favorite holes to play especially from the longs.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 1
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 26, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a really solid 18 hole course in a nice park that is pretty much disc golf exclusive. There is a walking trail that meanders through sections of the course. There are dual tees on 15 holes with the others having just a single tee. The tees were all in real good shape, were level and gripped nicely. The baskets are red powder coated kingpins and Mach 3's. All of these were in great shape. Some holes have 2 tees and some just one. I love courses with this set up. Instead of multiple tee positions having 2 baskets a hole. It really adds to the fun factor. Long tee, short pin. Long tee, long pin. etc. The course is free to play and is permanent. The water hazards here really add to challenge here. Risk vs. reward. Tee signs have all your basic info on them. Nothing too amazing but they serve their purpose just fine here. I'd advise scouting each hole before throwing. There are little scum ponds throughout that aren't listed on the signs that depending on the time of year can eat discs. Just be cautious with this to save on plastic and time.

Cons:

The location of the course in a swampy area means that it'll usually be pretty muddy. Also I'd imagine the mosquitoes are brutal in the warmer months. I played in late May and it was O.K. but That's gotta change by June. Just be prepared. Apparently this course can get really busy. It wasn't when we were there but that was early on a Friday in May.

Other Thoughts:

This was just another pleasant surprise of a course for me in the twin cities. As I've said before, The twin cities got this disc golf stuff down. This is just a straight up fun course. Not the best thing in the area but totally worth a round if you're near here.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 3
Bitter Mouse
Experience: 28.8 years 92 played 14 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A fine course, but nothing special 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 12, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Some really fun and challenging holes and a few ace possible holes.

Cons:

Too many straight holes and too many short holes. I don't mind some, but way too many. I am also not fond of the second hole, there is a ton of water and trees and it is way too easy losing discs. It is not that a tough hole, but the recent rains have really made it water filled and a bit buggy.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
Spiky
Experience: 35.8 years 109 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Like New! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I recommend going back here if you were bored with the old Acorn, it is very different and enjoyable. I think there are only 2 holes that were untouched, and a couple others slightly modified, the rest feels completely new even in the same space.

The excellent visual on the tee shot for #18 is the same, as is #1.
#2 is in a completely new space, and a decent, short, narrow lines challenge that is often swamped with water.
#7 is grand, an improvement on the old #9 (which was very good) in almost the same space. Includes decent length, two water hazards, a tight window at the start, and probably the need for limiting distance/targeting an area on the first throw to set up a bomb for throw two.
#15-17 completely revamped the space that was 16-17 before. I can't believe they improved these so much in the same space:
#15 is a challenge to get out of a ravine with very small windows to do so.
#16 is short, but blind with another tiny window.
And #17 just gives a great new view to the basket at the end, between two bushes. Not much challenge, though.

Cons:

The biggest con has not changed. This is one of the busiest courses in Minneapolis, and all sorts of idiots like to trash the place. What is wrong with some of these people? Just stop trashing parks!!
Also, #5,6,8-14 are a little simple. But it is a free park and hey, go for birdies, feel good.

Other Thoughts:

I have to disagree with one review, last time here I shot a -6 with 8 birdies. But, that probably agrees with other reviewers that half this course is pretty simple pitch-n-putt, because I'm not that good!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 6
khengxiong
Experience: 12.5 years 4 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Acorn ehh... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 12, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Holes 3, 4 and 7 are Great! The rest of the course is decent with lots short shots and birdies to be had.

Cons:

The baskets suck!

Other Thoughts:

Love holes 3, 4, 7 I can care less about the rest of the course. Beginner friendly.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1003 played 214 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Busy, but solid 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 12, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 hole course, located in a nice multi-use park.

Concrete tee pads on each hole. Shorts and longs, all quite large and grippy. Great job done on these. There was definitely a change in difficulty from the shorts to the longs.

2 permanent pins on some holes, with one being brightly colored pink. They all caught well, and it's always nice to have multiple options available at any time.

Some nice rolling elevation changes added a decent amount of difficulty to many of the holes. Nothing extreme, but there is hardly a flat hole to be found, which is really nice. They did a good job of using the land to create some fun holes.

Some water hazards here, especially on hole 7, which is a fantastic hole that you could drop into the middle of any world class course. Looking back, this is the hole that stands out to me the most. Long, with placement needed, as well as a great approach. It almost felt a bit out of place.

Decent variation in distances (long-long), with several longer holes, and many shorter holes to be found.

Good signage, with all the info you need. Some scouting is needed on the longer holes.

Cons:

Navigation is a little wonky in places here, and we got turned around and skipped a hole at one point. Some more "Next Tee" signs would go a long way.

In the middle section of the course, there's a slew of short holes. The holes themselves are ok, but it gets repetitious throwing 150-200' shots over and over.

This place is CROWDED. We pulled in here at 7:45am on a Saturday morning, and by the time we started teeing off, we had two groups waiting behind us. From what we were told, it just gets worse throughout the day.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this is a really nice little course. You'll throw a nice variation of shots, and get some ace runs as well. This was newly redesigned when we were there, and it was nice overall.

Worth a spin if you're in the area, but probably not a true destination course, especially with all the gems in the Minneapolis area. If you do go, get here early, or pay the price!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
AdmAckbar
Experience: 14 years 14 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

New Acorn Layout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 29, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- New teepads are huge, level and offer long and short positions
- Short teepads and basket locations allow beginners to have a less intimidating start to the sport
-Signage includes hole layout, multiple tee and basket positions as well as a QR code link with more details about the hole
- New "Rose" colored baskets (Roseville, get it?) stand out very well in the woods and will likely be very easy to see in the winter (1/15/2016 Update: They are!)
- "Next Tee" red arrows on posts are very helpful for people new to the course
- Good mix of hyzer and anhyzer tee shots (RHBH) to allow you to use more of your bag
- Added erosion prevention at several common walkways
- Safety net at hole #15 teebox adds piece of mind when throwing downhill on #14
- Good use of water hazards on #7 makes for a very fun hole

Cons:

- #9-14 are quite short and groups can bunch up here if it is crowded
- A practice putting green near the parking lot would have been a nice add in the redesign but I'm sure budget/space constraints with the city came in to play

Other Thoughts:

The new layout makes Acorn feel like an entirely new course but the "classic Acorn holes" #1 and #18 were largely left alone. As the course has worn in a bit over the summer the down brush, woodchips, etc have gotten easier to travel on (there were some nasty sharp stumps and things hidden in the mulch right after the redesign). I'm sure this issue will improve as the course wears. Unfortunately, like most public courses, graffiti has already started to take over the benches, etc (respect what the community decided to fund for us!). Overall, the new layout is a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing how the course progresses as the new lines mature.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 0
ajkuck
Experience: 16.8 years 55 played 31 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Lack of Challenge on the New Layout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The new, large tee pads, baskets, and signage are definitely an improvement over the old course. The length added to Hole 17 and the clearing out around the basket on Hole 18 are definitely an improvement. Hole 7 is probably my favorite new hole on the course. It's a 500+ ft. hole over two water hazards and requires a couple quality shots to get your 3.

Cons:

Personally, I am not a fan of the new layout. It's way too short and not very challenging, as I threw putters off of 6 or 7 holes in a row in the middle of the new layout. Holes 8-15 offer very little challenge, unless you hit a tree of the tee, as the lanes are quite tight. Several of the baskets are also tucked into odd locations, which I'm guessing was to add a challenge to these otherwise short holes. Lastly, the old course was always the busiest course in the metro and that has definitely not changed.

Other Thoughts:

The new fairways are rough after the clear cutting, which I'm sure will be improved upon in the future.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 1
drscholl14
Experience: 16.8 years 45 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

New Acorn Layout Review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 6, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Brand new, large, concrete tee pads, Brand new King Pin baskets. A few of the new holes add some new lines and variety. New signage is nice.

Cons:

I went to Acorn after the remodel with no bias. Acorn was never a favorite course of mine, just a solid course nearby. As great as the new tee pads and baskets were needed I was looking for a little more out of the course redesign. Holes 1-7 I thouroughly enjoyed, with some new lines and interesting holes. But then 8-15 were all 150-200 foot holes that lack any character. Also I feel a lot of money was spent on short tee pads for holes that are 200 ft long making short pads pointless. This money could have been spent on more landscaping which is severely lacking on this course. Also some of the holes remained the same except for moving the basket 20 ft to make the shot straighter.

Other Thoughts:

All in all my only issue with this course is holes 8-15. Just plain boring. I think the course would have been better served just adding the new tees, baskets and signs, and doing some landscaping instead of making layout changes.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 1
Aim For The Chains
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 134 played 24 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Refreshing Round...where it all started 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 1, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

*-New layout is safer and flows better
*-15 holes with long & short tees
*-8 holes have a 2nd mach3 basket in short postions giving higher replay value.
*-Tee signs and directional next tee markings
*-Short tees are great for first time players who often play here with friends (same with small kids tagging along)
*-Invasive growth has been removed throughout the course and lots of landscape improvements are apparent
*-Ace runs which require you to actually hit a line and can punish running baskets due to great pin placement (very fun!)
*-All holes have a line to the basket or multiple angles of attack but none are just throw whatever however then putt. Much better than pitch and putt of similar length.
*-Benches at many tees
*-Rose colored baskets really stand out

Cons:

-Shorter holes in general not needing a huge mix of discs.
-Fun but not super challenging. Not a real con if you dont show up here expecting gold tee level DG. With what land is there i cant see a better course deisgned which all park users will enjoy.
-Newness of the design still needs some wearing in and maybe future adjustments like hole 2 being completely flooded after a heavy rain.

Other Thoughts:

Acorn park is a place many locals have memories of playing early on in their DG life. The course was never anything flashy or exciting and definately was showing its old age. The redesign has brought new life into a course which desperately needed it. You can bring anyone here for a round and they should have a good time playing.

Nice work CK and crew with the muscle.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
Muskiebite
Experience: 13.9 years 174 played 28 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice Large Teepads
-Multiple Tees and Baskets on a majority of the holes.
-Long Baskets are brightly colored and easy to spot.
-Tee signs and easy to follow markings to next tee
-Good mix of long and short holes, use of elevation on a few holes.
-Challenging but fair

Cons:

-The course was always busy in the past, and now it is newly redesigned it will mostly likely only get busier.
-Keep an eye out for wayward discs, a couple of areas have high risk of getting hit by bad shots.

Other Thoughts:

The new redesigned addressed most of the issues with the old course, the layout is far better and signage is easy to follow to the next hole. The bonus of this course being so new is there is minimal undergrowth and minimal trash, hopefully the city of Roseville continues upkeep maintenance next year and disc golfers are careful and respectful for the park in terms of trash and graffiti. The new fairways are still a little rough due to the clear cutting but better than dealing with undergrowth.


I personally think that this course highlights the growth in course development and design knowledge that has been acquired over the past decade as the sport has grown and evolved. The fairways allow for different lines to approach the basket but are not wide open. The recommended par is reasonable for the skilled rec players, (some older parks recommended par are laughably bad like a par 4-5 on a wide open 300 ft shot), the shot selection is varied enough and provides a few opportunities for risk/reward, the inclusion of multiple pins provide some diversity (I would still enjoy a course which has multiple pin positions which change from week to week creating a different course, instead of having multiple pins in at the same time)

If I had rated the old layout I probably would have given in a 3, but I am very happy with the changes and I look forward to playing again.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top