June 13, 2015
1:33 PM
Temp: 80
Wind SW @ 11
Sunny
DGCourseReview link

This ended up being the last course, number 13, of the trip. I had one more planned, but just didn’t have the energy to get it done. A special addition to this course was the addition of a good friend, Ty! He is one of a handful of guys I play with on a regular basis and it was great having along!

As we pulled into the park, the ‘lake’ was very low. Fortunately, it wasn’t the main lake because the course is literally designed around it. We found the grass a bit tall. Using a picture of the map on the course sign we got started and then it was just a matter of walking around the lake.

The first third of the course is pretty flat and open. Things get much more interesting with Hole 6 which goes across the corner of the lake. The Basket on 6 is located close to the water in front and the sidewalk behind and has trees close.

The next few holes add elevation and trees. When you get to 11, placement starts getting more important with trees, OB and structures.

It’s a walk from Basket 13 and Tee 14. The next 4 holes have narrow fairways water on the left and road on the right. Trees and a few manmade artifacts add to the difficulty.

Hole 18 is fairly wide open and finishes the course by going over part of the lake. It’s not particularly difficult or touchy and isn’t a great finishing hole after surviving the previous four holes.

After Norton, it was my next favorite course on this trip. Ty and I both thought it was fun, challenging and would love to play it again. If I lived a bit closer, I wouldn’t thik twice about a day trip to play these two courses. If you haven’t, you should consider heading this way and enjoying these courses

June 13, 2015
10:36 AM
Temp: 70
Wind SW @ 15
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

Some time ago I had used the stfanciskansas.com website to make contact and check the status of a possible course there. So when it came time to play it, I used their instructions to find it. While they got me to the course, they didn’t get me to the beginning of the course.

I drove into the park and saw baskets and started driving around the loop to see if I could find Hole 1. Halfway around I spotted a couple of guys throwing so I stopped and asked them for better instructions. I took what they gave me and went to find Tee 1. I finished driving the loop and couldn’t see it so back I went. This time I asked better questions and got better answers but instead of going to Tee 1, I parked, locked up and joined Bill and Chris on Hole 5!

It’s a small park that is clean and mowed. It has some trees along with covered shelters, and restrooms. There are tee signs, but no tee boxes. You’ll find the beginning of the course along highway 36. Just west of the old church is a covered shelter with a map of the course and nearby is a practice basket. You’ll also see Basket 9 to the south of the shelter and then Tee 1 to the south of Basket 9.

Hole 1 throws east with a tree row on the right and hole 9 on the left. Hole 2 has to clear a road to get back into the main park. Holes 3, 4 and 5 are pretty tame with 5 being wide open. Hole 6 has trees in it and a little dogleg around a building…don’t leave your disc on the roof! Hole 7 has some trees to deal with. Hole 8 is a blind shot with a bunch of evergreen shrubs to go over and the basket is across a road on a strip of grass. You’ll need to walk west across a road and behind a building to get to Tee 9 which takes you back to the original shelter.

Having Chris and Bill along added a whole new dimension to the course. With them being local they could add info I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere on the course. That and they were just good guys!! It’s one of those courses you don’t drive a ways to go play but if you’re close, it is a good time.  I was in the far reaches of NW Kansas for this project with the added benefit of picking up a good friend of mine, Ty,  who would join me for the rest of the day. He was here for a wedding.  

June 13, 2015
7:12 AM;
Temp: 60
Wind SW @ 7
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

I played this course early Saturday morning. I stayed in town overnight and as I came into town there was a huge car show. That should have been a red flag.

When I got to the park, there were a number of people, a large tent and several trailers starting to set up in the park in the fairways of holes 1 and 3. I threw out my normal prep and started throwing to get those holes done and out of their way.

It’s a nice looking park with some trees, shelters, play equipment, baseball field and a swimming pool. There is a road that splits the park into 2 parts. It was mowed and appeared to be well taken care of. There is a sign that includes the rules for recreational play and tee signs with yardage, par and a general look at the hole. The yardage is off GPS so it will be close but not exact.

Tee 1 is on the north side of the park next to the swimming pool. There is a walking path and light poles in fairway #1. I decided to count sidewalks and roads as OB to increase the difficulty.

Hole 2 goes across a parking lot and road but can be cleared. The basket is near the baseball field.

Hole 3 goes across the south edge of the north side of the park with the basket on the other side of some evergreen trees and up close to the swimming pool.

Tee 4 is south of Basket 3 and across the road. It’s one of the longest holes and the sign shows it going over part of the baseball field which I would think is OB. There are two trees in front of the tee pad along with a memorial sign so either you go over the field or you go right around the trees and sign lengthening the hole. As you go around the ball field the basket is tucked in close to the far side of the field.

Hole 5 is pretty short and you can’t see the basket which is close to a toddler swingset/playground.

Throwing Hole 6 you'd better have a low shot all the way which is about 230'. There are low trees which prohibit the disc from having much height. The basket is tucked in behind trees and close to a fence.

Hole 7 goes back to Tee 6 and has the same low shot. This basket is quite close to a shelter which could cause issues.

Hole 8 is LONG for this course. It runs to the west and if you follow the curb to the 2nd gazebo, the basket is a hard right around the parking lot. It is anchored in a little strip of grass with parking lot in front, fence in back and a tree on the right. If you throw right at the basket, the flight pattern is almost all OB over the parking lot.

You can find Tee 9 by walking across the parking lot towards the pool. If you look towards the pool you can see the basket is tucked into a couple of large old trees and close to the swimming pool.

The park isn’t very long, but really quite fun to play. The only hole I found to somewhat difficult was the 5th hole around the baseball field. It had length, trees and OB. Hole 8 could be an issue but I got a good drive and landed it on the strip hosting the basket for a birdie. The baskets were a bit older but in good shape. The tee pads are only 4' long but good news is they are flat with the ground so you can use space behind and in front of them. There were a couple of basket placements that could be issues because of manmade obstacles being used by people. It’s probably not a real busy park.

June 12, 2015
5:21 PM
Temp: 67
Wind SW @ 1
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

With it being a rainy, cloudy day I pulled up and parked in front of the swimming pool…since no one was there. Hole 1 is just on the north side. By the time I got back the skies had cleared and there were lots of people enjoying the pool!

I found the course sign, but couldn’t read it. It had deteriorated. It appeared that I was pointed to the north and I saw a basket so I started there. The course had been mowed, but you can tell it had grown quite tall before the mower got there.

Once hole 1 was done I was lost. I could only see one other basket to the south and so I walked a bit to the east and made my own tee and off I went. I found a disc! Unfortunately, it had been chewed up by a mower because it got lost in the tall grass.

Tee 3 had tee markers! Too bad the rest of holes didn’t. I couldn’t see the basket until I walked where I thought the tee was pointing. The ground dropped off to the creek and there was the basket. The area around the basket had been mowed and the tall grass made a cool effect.

Now I’m looking for tee 4 and couldn’t find it, but I did find Basket 4. There is a path from Basket 3 along the creek and then to the creek. Across the creek I could see a basket and assumed it was 4. I decided to throw from close to Basket 3. I laid up in front of the creek and then threw across. Looking at a photo on DGCourseReview.com and it appears that I should have been able to throw straight across. The picture is 4 years old and the foliage has really closed up the opening.

There is a path mowed to the SE from Basket 4 and I see another basket so I called it 5 and threw to it.

A path was mowed towards the road and as I followed it there was more mowed path and as I looked west I saw a tree up against the trees near the creek. Hole 6 does cross a road used to get into the south part of the park so check for traffic coming off the highway.

From Basket 6 follow the path mowed to the south around the trees and you’ll find a circular mowed area which is the tee. To get to hole 7 you’ll need to throw across a road again.

When I looked up there was a white sign pointing to the SW with the words 8 Tee on it…and yes there was a mowed path.

Hole 8 goes back over the creek and it would be worth your time to walk the bridge and see where the basket is. It’s not nearly as far as you might think (15’?) and it’s far enough right that you can’t see it from the tee.

Tee 9 is to the east and hole 9 runs to the east and goes over the little lip, flattens out and then drops down a bit to the creek. You can't see basket 9 but there is a mowed path (seen a pattern yet?) towards the trees and creek. Like Colby, basket 9 is a long ways from tee 1 and it’s a good hike back to the pool.

Enjoyed this course and sure wish they had clear tee markers on each hole. I’m guessing those big mowers pretty much take care of them. I would have liked to go back and play it again right away, but it was the 6th course of the day and 10th of the trip and I was a bit on the tired side.

June 12, 2015
3:47 PM
Temp: 64
Wind SW @ 3
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

This trip was overcast with rain even though I dodged it except for 45 minutes while I was driving. The effect was readily seen during my experience with this course. First I took County Road 52 instead of 57. I don’t know what the other route looks like, but this route was dirt road or should I say clay. With the rain they had, it was an adventure getting to the course. Once you start down the road, you don’t stop until you get there because if you slow down…you’ll probably end up in the ditch. I wasn’t sure I’d get back out, but I was committed to getting in!

As I drove in, I kept driving until I got to the back of the park. There was an incredibly beautiful log cabin home being built on a hillside on the way in. Other than hole 9, the course is separate from the camping, activity, picnicking area. I found a parking spot…I was the only one there.

I looked up on the hillside to the north and saw a basket and then as I was looking around, I found a few more. I decided to throw to the closest basket and then find another one. The baskets were in tall grass, but paths had been mowed, not real wide, and would be helpful. I found a walking trail sign on the west side of the hill and decided to use that as Tee 1. At that point I was looking around and saw a big white mailbox sitting on the ground by a tree across the road. It said Frisbee Golf Maps on it so I grabbed one of those. You can find a copy on DGCourseReview.com. After Hole 1, I found tall flags marking the tee spots.

Someone has created an iOS app (Smoky Golf) for the course. It uses a compass to direct you to the next tee and allows you to keep score. The compass was fairly helpful, but I was glad to have a map. I was disappointed when I found out that it didn’t save my score. I prefer using UDisc and a paper map.

I started playing up the hill and realized real quick I might be having trouble finding my discs in the tall grass. When I got to Basket 1, I found it to be homemade with 12 single chains. By the end of the round, I found they can spit out kind of easy.

Holes 2-5 are on the top of the hill and behind the tree line. Back there are a number of evergreen trees. Hole 2 is short, but the basket is under the tree and branches hanging low. The baskets on holes 3-5 can’t be seen from the tees. Basket 3 is in the trees just to the right. Basket 4 is pretty much straight down the path. Basket 5 is down and to the right as well and if you’re playing with someone it may be helpful to have someone go down and spot throws.

By the time I got to Hole 6 I had changed my approach a bit because I’d almost lost my disc 3 times. I started taking a mid and throwing more straight, but shorter shots. Playing this course with multiple people is helpful.

After completing the course I found that it was kind of neat to be out in the middle of nowhere. There was a slight breeze through the grass and trees. You could hear the wild turkeys and Meadowlarks…Peaceful. Unfortunately, along with that setting come the flies and mosquitoes. The flies were incessant and plentiful.

I’m not sure when it was put in, but I think it’s fairly new. As long as they maintain the course, it’s not a bad play. It it’s not taken care of then I wouldn’t suggest playing it.

June 12, 2015
1:59 PM
Temp: 62
Wind SW @ 4
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

My first encounter with the course was the location. The instructions on DGCourseReview.com noted weren’t written well and were easy to misunderstand so I tweaked them a bit. It ended up being easy to find because of what appeared to be a nice new sign. When I figured it out, I parked in the TV station parking lot instead of driving down into the park and having to walk back up to Tee 1. There was plenty of space, but I suppose the station could have got on my case.

It had rained just before I got there and things were wet! The parks department was actually doing some mowing at the same time. It was obvious that it hadn’t been mowed for awhile. The wet finally killed my measuring wheel. I measured hole 3 four different times and got four different distances and I knew none of them were close. I didn’t get this course measured.

Tee 1 is marked with a field disc painted white. Other than that I only found a tee marker on 5 which was a rock with a 5 painted on it. There were not tee signs or course map posted. The baskets are old/rusty but seemed to catch OK. They could stand to be replaced if course use justified it. 


Looking around I couldn’t see many baskets and with trees blocking my view of the lake I didn’t really know what to expect. I chose not to go wandering and looking and just get started. After the fact I discovered some playground equipment a fishing lake that was used and some trees that needed trimming for the sake of the course.

Hole one starts high and ends high with a valley in between. There was a drainage ditch into the lake at the bottom and with all the rain it had enough water in it to make getting across a challenge. Hole 2 was the same with the basket near Tee 1.

Hole 3 had a big evergreen with low hanging branches and trees on both sides making it hard to see a clear path to hole. Again, I didn’t walk to see what was really there, I just guessed there was a gap and anhyzered a Westside Hatchet which found the gap and landed close to the basket.

Hole 4 was a short, straight, flat hole with low hanging trees. Hole 5 was an open shot with a narrow fairway. There was OB road on the right and OB fence on the left.

Hole 6 was long and across an open field with a dogleg right next to some trees.

Hole 7 was also long with a slight dogleg left and followed a drainage ditch with OB road on the left. It was placed near the drains that go under the road. If there is any significant rain, this basket becomes unplayable.

There is a significant walk from Basket 7 to Tee 8 which is located on the north side of the pond. You throw across the water to a basket tucked under some trees. It’s not a long hole and the water shouldn’t be an issue.

Hole 9 is loooong with water on the right all the way and yards on the left side. About halfway is a big old tree with limbs that are nearly touching the ground. It really needs to be trimmed. The only real play is to lay up as near the tree as you can and hope you can see an opening. The basket is up on a hillside near a yard.

Once you’re done, it’s a trek back to tee 1 and, if you parked in the TV Station lot, your vehicle. It appears you either park down inside the park with a walk to the first tee or a walk when you’re finished.

I’m guessing they won’t mow holes 6 and 7 much based on where they are located so expect tall grass. The pars are a bit outlandish unless you are just beginning. I’m thinking they are all 3s except 9 which is a 4. I think that it would be an OK park if it is mowed and trimmed a bit. It isn’t a destination course

June 12, 2015
11:41 AM
Temp: 63
Wind SW @ 4
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

Sappa State Park is a mile or so east of Oberlin and 1.25 mile north of the highway. It is off the beaten track. On site are restrooms, a stage, camping area and a sizeable building. As I drove up there were a couple of baskets and then had to drive a bit further to find the rest. It appeared to be a small are thus a short course.

It took me a few minutes to figure out the course. The pictures on DGCourseReview were invaluable. There are markers on the ground for most holes.

Hole 1 was short and open.

Hole 2 added some low hanging branches, the basket was tucked into some trees and there was a drop-off behind it.

Hole 3 is not good. You have to throw through a playground. Odds are it won’t be a problem very often. Basket 3 drops off behind it also, but it is more gradual than Hole 2 and isn’t a big problem.

Hole 4 tee marker is gone, but it's under the trees close to the picnic table. It's facing the restrooms which weren't built when the picture in DGCourseReview was taken and then are a new obstacle to deal with.

It’s a walk from basket 5 to Tee 6 which is hidden behind evergreens straight out from the marker.

At Hole 7 I couldn't find the tee marker so I played it in front of the trees that protect basket 6

Basket 8 is a tough shot now that the trees have grown and it's summer time with leaves. Probably the best choice as a right hander is to go right between the two evergreens, if you can, and let it hyzer over.

It was an OK course tucked away where a lot of people won’t notice it. It was very clean of trash and mowed well. The baskets were in good shape. The course itself isn’t real challenging and will play pretty quick. Hole 2 is probably the best hole on the course. I’m guessing I’ll probably never play it again.

June 12, 2105
8:17 AM
Temp: 60
Wind SW @ 8
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

In my travels, I’m finding a lot of smaller towns really value and use their parks. Elmwood is a large area, loaded with activities for the Norton and the surrounding areas: football field, baseball diamonds, Equine facilities, dirt track racing, skateboard park, playground, camping, picnicking and of course disc golf. It appeared to be well taken care of and the baskets look fairly new.

It all starts with Tee 1 in the north central part of the park where Park St and Wabash Ave meet. There is a bench, tee pad and plaque with commemorating the course. As I looked down Hole 1 I was reminded of Waterworks Hole 1 in Kansas City. The tee is high and you look down through big old trees. By the time I was done playing, I was calling it a mini-Waterworks because of a number of similarities.

I had to be careful on Hole 3 for an octagonal shelter house. If there are people using it, there could be problems. I also had a bit of trouble finding Tee 4. It’s a straight walk east from Basket 3 along the road and just before the stop sign it's up in the trees on the north side of the road.

Holes 5 and 6 are fairly wide open. Hole 7 gets into the trees along Prairie Dog Creek. It’s straight down the pike, not real long, but really narrow and lots of trees. Hole 8 is similar but the middle part of the fairway is outside of trees only to go back in to the basket.

Basket 9 is hidden in the trees and can't be seen it from the tee pad. You can see the race track and if you just follow the ridge, it's at the corner of the race track behind the trees.

Basket 10 is in the infield of the racetrack which has all kinds of potential conflicts which I probably don’t have to explain! Hole 11 Tee is in the infield as well

Hole 13 runs along a ridge and the basket is down inside the trees on the left side of the ridge. To locate the basket, look along the ridge and find Tee 14. The basket is in the trees to the left in front of that tee box. You need to throw about 255 and then it’s a 90° turn into the trees. Hole 14 is similar, but the basket is up.

Hole 15 and 17 utilize the parking lot and when I was there, a camper trailer was parked in the middle of fairway 15.

Tee 18 is near Basket 1 and Basket 18 is up by Tee 1. You can't see the basket from the tee pad due to evergreens and other very large trees. It’s flat half way and the up hill significantly. When you get done playing Hole 1, look west and see Tee 18 for future reference.

This course was my favorite of the NW Kansas trip. There was a bit of everything! I had to stop and think a bit on most every hole which is a good sign. I compared it to Waterworks in KC because it has ups and downs, tunnel shots, trees, risky shots, and more. It just doesn't have the length. Because of the ups/downs, they had put in wooden steps where needed which was very nice! If I was anywhere close I'd come play this thing anytime I could. If I had nothing to do and I wanted to go play a couple courses over a couple of days, I'm thinking I'd head this way!

Almena City Park DGC
June 12, 2015
6:55 AM
Temp: 61
Wind SW @ 7
Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

As I got out of the truck I spotted 5-6 baskets in what appeared to be a pretty small park. It didn’t take long to spot a sign with information including maps of a Front and Back 9 Option. I also saw some covered picnic tables, restrooms and some play equipment. There are trees along the north and west edges while the east edge has a highway and the south edge as a park road. The course sets down in the park which means it is high around the edges giving it some elevation. The baskets are single chain and appear to be homemade. Some have numbers on top. Someone had mowed in the not too distant past.

Thankful for the maps, I started with hole 1 and discovered I was throwing through a swing set and when I got to the basket it was laying on the ground, but the chains were still hanging. When I got to Hole 3, I saw some semblance of a tee marker which I wasn’t expecting. That was not my experience on all the holes. It appears that whoever mows the park does so with a big tractor and rolls right over the tee markers.

Hole 4 is the first real challenge where you can't see the basket and the fairway bends along the trees and to the left. Your throw has to be somewhat low as to get under a tree as well. The basket was placed close to trees and tall grass. I imposed the tall grass as OB to make the course a little harder.

Basket 8 sits on the top of the ridge near the shelter which makes for an uphill shot. Being only 104’, going past could be a problem as the ground drops out pretty quick after the basket and you could get some pretty good roll.

Hole 9 goes into the trees and bends left. You can’t see the basket from the tee and the opening into the trees isn’t huge. You definitely want to be on the right edge, but not in the trees. It’s a fun finishing hole.

It’s  a nice little park where a lot of fairways cross each other, which probably isn’t a problem as it doesn’t appear to be played much. I was tempted to take only mids/putters which would have been enough. The baskets are showing their age as a number of them were beat up a bit although none quite like Hole 1. I’m not sure any of the baskets were the same height.

June 11, 20157:30 PM
Temp: 75
Wind SW @ 14
Partly Cloudy
DGCourseReview link

Hill City Park isn’t really a course although you can use the 3 baskets and make your own course using different areas of the park as tees. There is no map or tee signs. There are 6 holes just playing from basket to basket and then reversing directions. The rest of the holes are up to you.

It’s located on the east side of town bordering Main St on the south, Elm St on the north, West St on the west and Middle street on the east. Main Street is also Highway 24.

There are two parts to the park split by Elm St. While the baskets are in the southern part, I found a place to park at the SW corner of the northern part. Basket 3 is in the NW corner of the southern half, Basket 2 is in the NE corner and Basket 1 is in the South part.

The whole park is a little valley with a water way running through the middle from the NW to the SE. Trees line the waterway with a tree near Basket 1, and a small building with trees near Basket 2. Basket 3 is near an upslope as well as the creek/trees. When I was there it was mowed and in good shape.

While I enjoyed playing the holes, I would make a trip to do it unless it was part of a journey or project. If you are in town and want to stretch your arm…it is fun!

Holes/Distances
1 – 270
2 – 206
3 – 242