Disc Golf Course Review

-- Land is excellent for disc golf. There is elevation (not huge but really good for this part of Texas), water, plenty of trees and plenty of space.
-- You've got uphill throws, downhills throws and multiple water carries over a creek. The ponds from the Carnivore course aren't in play here. You've got tight tunnel shots through trees that require accuracy, and you've got wide-open bomber holes that the biggest arms can't reach with their drives. Sixteen and 17 are good examples of shorter holes where trees near the edge of the creek and/or baskets placed near the creek make them anything but easy.
-- Tee pads are mostly concrete and plenty big. Two wooden platform tees with turf are really nice. No. 7 is one of those and gives you a top-of-the-world feel.
-- Navigation is good. Tees are marked, and there are directional aids to help with some transitions. When there was one main course, I never got lost, only hesitated a few times, and I never needed to consult a map. The addition of the second big course creates some overlap and minor navigational issues.
-- Baskets are color-coded per course (white Carnivore, blue Pterodactyl, red Putt-Putt), which helps with some of the overlap.
-- Two Port-o-potties on site, and primitive camping is allowed.
-- Provisions are available in the "office." The selection is limited, but you won't starve or die of thirst. They also have a small selection of new discs for sale as well as some used discs.
-- Practice basket.

-- Disc loss potential is high. Between some tight lines, lots of thick bushes and baskets that are blind from the tee, expect to spend plenty of time searching for your discs. I came away with all of mine, but I turned in several to the office that I found on the course.
-- Creek crossings. All have something to aid the crossing, but most are narrow metal beams that are not very steady.
-- NOT cart friendly. The creek crossings themselves are enough to make it not cart friendly, but add in the rocky terrain and hills, and it really isn't cart friendly.
-- Holes 9-10 have what feel like unnatural lines, requiring near 90-degree turns (one left and one right).

-- This is a LONG course with an average hole length of 459 feet. It opens with six consecutive par-4 holes, ranging from 556 feet to 707 feet. The listed par of 61 seems low because five par 3s are longer than 400 feet and three of those five are 500-plus.
-- My group of three took 3 1/2 hours to play this course. And we sped things up on the back 9 to make sure be finished before dark.
-- Not for the faint of heart or anyone with mobility issues. Between the distance, the hills and the creek crossings, playing this course is a workout.
-- I played a temp version of this course; the final version is longer and tougher.

Tee pads! Good signage. Tight wooded with some water. Lengthy par 3's great challenge.

New holes 19 to 25 are rough yet but playable

Highly recommend in the Cape May area!

Echo Bluff is a 9 hole course in a multiuse park type of deal. I'm not really sure what was all going on there to be honest. There seemed to be all sorts of odd activities available. There were archery targets right next to some Mcgyver looking playground equipment made with tow straps and basically odds and ends. This was all in the fairway of hole 1 actually. So I'll call it a unique place since I'm in the pros section of this review.

The baskets are actual baskets with two layers of chains. Oddly shaped but hey caught OK actually. These appear to be homemade or else some long gone small company that made these. One basket and placement per hole.

Natural tees and posts for tee signs. The signs that have survived were alright. Small plastic signs about 4"x4" with a basic hole map with a next tee arrow, hole #, par and distance. Not that bad actually.

The flow of the course was pretty simple for the most part. It's not a huge park or camp or whatever you'd call it, as long as you have a map to start with.

Never going to be busy as far as other disc golfers, free to play and permanent.

The tee signs were alright like I mentioned above. The problem is that almost all of them are gone or there's only a portion of them left leaving them unreadable.

Those baskets. Oof. They're oddly shaped and just...unique? we'll go with unique again.

Hole 9's basket doesn't exist anymore I don't think. If it does it's behind a fenced in area and you throw over the parking lot to reach it if it does still exist.

The course plays over and through tons of other activities. We played it April on a Wednesday morning so there was nobody else out there. I'd venture to guess that this isn't the case in the summer.

Very redneck vibes out here. It's like a trailer park Wisconsin Dells almost. The archery range next to the playground was...odd?...no...um...we'll go with unsafely unique.

You throw over the parking lot and the entrance road for a few holes which isn't ideal obviously. You also throw over the homemade slip n slide on hole 7.

It sounds like the course isn't really maintained in the warmer months. It was fine in late April but that may be an outlier.

This one was Unique with a capital U. I'd recommend you avoid this one if at all possible. If you need to bag it it's a quick one. This is one of those courses that's so bad that it's actually kind of entertaining, if that makes sense. It's a one of a kind.

The Quarry at Rotary Park is a brand new Discgolfpark designed 18 hole course. The course traverses an old quarry, hence the name, and features lots of elevation throughout. The course is lightly wooded but there are enough trees to keep things somewhat interesting on many of the holes. There's also a couple of ponds in play on holes 12, 13 and 15. Holes 13 and 15 are legit water carries while 12 is only in play with an errant drive. It is a big downhill hole so it's very possible, especially if the wind is up.

The baskets are the same type that they have at Nearby Starved Rock DGC. Blue Banded Discgolfpark baskets which are similar to and look almost exactly like Discatchers. The blue is a nice color that stands out nicely and makes them easy to spot. These are all mounted nicely and catch great. One basket and pin placement per hole.

The tee pads are concrete. Good sized and just well done overall. I didn't have any issues with these whatsoever. Two tees per hole on every hole which is great.

The design is well laid out. It basically plays in two nine hole loops which both bring you back somewhat close to the parking lot after each loop. The front nine plays on the east side of the park and is more "wooded" than the back and shorter but more technical. The back nine plays on the west side and towards the bottom of the old quarry. This is where the ponds come into play and more drastic elevation. The holes are open enough on most holes where there's lots of options off the tee as far as shot selection so it doesn't really favor any one type of throwing style.

The flow is easy to follow out here. It's open enough that you can see the next tee from most of the previous baskets out there. The baskets have arrow attached to the bottom of the cage that also points you toward the next tee. I really love this about these baskets. You'd be hard pressed to get turned around on this course.

Nice tee signs on each pad which is always appreciated. Not just the longs or shorts like a lot of courses have. The signs have a nice hole map to go along with the hole #, par and distance. There's also an info panel that will detail any unique features for each hole such as OB and any rules on how to play it if you do find hazards or OB.

There's a large course map on the kiosk before the start of the course which is always nice if you want to take apicture to use as a course map.

The course plays in a disc golf exclusive section of the park so there shouldn't be any other park users for the most part. The walking path doesn't really ever come into play at any point.

The course doesn't have too many trees. They use what's there about as good as possible, but it's still sparse in this department.

The course play's very close to I-39 so you'll be serenaded by the soothing sounds of expressway traffic. Especially on the front nine.

Being that the course is built on an old quarry, the bottom holes are very rocky and will scuff up your discs pretty good if you play out here quite a bit. It also doesn't drain the best on these holes.

I'm not generally a fan of elevated baskets and there was two of them out here. I get it, with the lack of trees they wanted to add some extra challenge. I just feel like this is starting to get a little carried away on newer courses. When every course has an elevated basket it loses it's uniqueness.

This is actually a nice compliment to the also brand new Starved Rock just 10 minutes down the road. Both are Discgolfpark courses so they feature the same amenities but in two totally different types of parks. While I preferred Starved Rock slightly more this was still a fun course and is well worth a play if you find yourself passing through the area. Not a must play but the second best in the vicinity imo.

Basics:
- Innova DISCatcher baskets in great shape
- excellent full color tee signs at every tee with maps and suggested
flight patterns
- dual or triple concrete tees for every hole
- flawlessly maintained park with beautiful natural scenery
- dual pin positions per hole (1 populated at a time)

Amenities/Extras:
- ample parking
- practice basket
- pack in/pack out course, but still has some garbage cans on
course
- hole numbers on baskets
- good use of next tee indicators
- some built in bridges and stairs
- some benches throughout course
- kiosk with large course map at start

Course Design/General Thoughts:
- fantastic incorporation of elevation change
- mix of open and wooded holes, but leans more wooded
- fairways are open enough to be fair but include obstacles
- generally a pretty long course with several par 4s and 5s
- three tees offer options for multiple skill levels, though none are
easy
- excellent incorporation of winding creek
- navigation is mostly very straightforward
- rough/undergrowth is minimal and very manageable
- good variety of hole distances - though few are super short

Difficulty/Uniqueness:
- very few courses combine all of the elements you see here in 18
holes
- quite challenging for most players but fair and not punishing
- forces a variety of shot types and shaping; you will need a
complete game to score well
- high risk shots on steep edges are well thought out

- would be nice if the tee signs indicated which tee you were at
- supposedly, flooding issues - no indication of any issues Apr 2024
- some creek crossings have uneven/wobbly rocks
- may get more buggy in summer
- road noise from interstate is a slight downer

It's very satisfying to say I finally made it to Harmony Bends. It unquestionably lived up to the hype. On an epic 5-state road trip, I have to say that this was one of my top 3 experiences, but it would be really hard to pick a favorite - and that says more about the quality of the other courses than being a knock in any way on Harmony Bends.

Let's start with the cons, because they are brief. It's all nits, as far as I'm concerned, and nothing that would make me bump this below 4.75 - which means it warrants my 3rd ever perfect 5. Being near the interstate means despite the serenity of this park, you definitely can hear road noise. It's a bummer, but also means this course is super convenient to get to vs. most 5 star courses. The tee signs here are phenomenal - but I wish they'd indicate "red tee" vs. "white tee" vs. "blue tee". Personal pet peeve of mine, but still very minor. Otherwise, as others have said a few of the creek crossings are a bit dicey. I like the natural stone crossings, but making them a bit less wobbly might be a good idea. I saw ZERO evidence of flooding when I was here - maybe I got lucky, but it seems like this has been much improved over the years.

Everything else about this course was an incredible experience. You feel immersed in nature, and as you don't circle back to the parking lot during the round - a con for some - I feel like you really just get lost in the course, which adds to the experience for me. The basics are top notch here - fantastic tee signs, great large concrete tees, multiple pin positions, and classic Innova DISCatcher baskets with those nice yellow rings to see at a distance. Maintenance also appeared good here. I saw one trash can that some vandals had lit on fire, and parks & rec was already there cleaning it up.

Navigation was pretty straightforward, though I did consult my map a few times. Hole numbers on baskets did help, but the fairways are open enough here it's not always a sole obvious path. However, flow felt good. Built-in bridges and stairs on the most treacherous areas helped traverse the terrain. Elevation change here is in the upper echelon of courses I have played. I think Justin Trails - Big Brother in Wisconsin and Hummel Park in Nebraska might be my all-time champs for steep terrain, but Harmony Bends is pretty notable. It is incorporated into the course so well - there are uphill shots, downhill shots, baskets perched on edges, throws along hillsides, flat shots - everything. A few holes are more open and bring some real distance, but none felt so open and effortless the course was disjointed.

I budgeted for 2 hours here, and I think I came in slightly below that playing solo - it is a long course, but can move at a decent pace.

A full third of the course plays with water, which is a great challenge. It was lightly raining on and off while I was here, but I honestly loved the ambience of that with the creek throughout. This course is quite tough, but didn't feel absolutely punishing. Beginners could get very frustrated, as even the red tees are long. White/blue are closer in length, but both would be considered "really long." However, the red tees give an easier look for players with some experience. Pars are fair and as the fairways aren't "dense woods" style, multiple paths to the basket often exist. I love a good dense woods course more than almost anything, but Harmony Bends excels at creating an ideal moderately wooded course. The terrain will wear you out, and you should come with boots, a good attitude, and some stamina.

The course starts off in excellent fashion throwing over multiple bends in the Harmony Creek. Yes, I ended up in the water multiple times on the first hole, and I loved it! This reminds me so strongly of Idlewild, which was one of, if not the first iconic course to implement this type of hole. Harmony Bends is the 2010-onwards version of this type of course with all we've learned through decades of course design.

The course proceeds to play up and down some steep hills, with hole 6 having a nice basket up on the steep section of a hill. Hole 7 is the first really open shot, once you get off the tee set back in the woods, and hole 8 takes you over multiple creek crossings and right up the hill again.

I particularly enjoyed hole 13, which was kind of unexpected. This is a tough 500-ish ft. hole curving to the right with creek to your left and trees on the right. A little open for my usual tastes, and not the type of shot I'm great at. In the past I would have thrown a forehand shot here, but I'd been working on a big-air anhyzer I wanted to try throwing here, with the area over the creek to the left wide open without a ceiling. This would have bombed if not executed correctly, but I threw an understable anny shot perfectly on the rightward curve I needed. Immensely satisfying, and one of the best examples of how this caliber of course both rewards good shot selection and also can punish poor choices. Ability to throw a variety of shots will immensely improve your play.

Hole 18 was under construction to grow grass while I was here, but an alternate hole was in place, which I found excellent - though it was a bit confusing where you were supposed to throw from and which areas you needed to stay out of. Regardless, it was nice the park had a temporary hole set up at all.

Ultimately, in fewer words - Harmony Bends may be the best course I've played in over 250 courses. I don't know if it's my favorite (though certainly top 10), but it's probably objectively the best designed course. It is well-deserving of a 5 and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for ultimate disc golf experiences.

(Note: This course was redesigned in August of 2020 to accommodate new outbuildings)
-The baskets are great
-Can be combined with Liberty Woods to make 18
-Lots of ace runs
-Good for beginners with no hazards to speak of

-Very small in a crowded park
-N̶o̶ t̶e̶e̶p̶a̶d̶s̶ - I've heard pads were added.
-Plays very close to a busy walking path on holes 1 & 2
-Was redesigned in 2020 to avoid new out building which forced holes 3-5 right on top of each other and very short.
-Most shots are very short, with only one over 250' and five are under 200'
-Hole 9 teepad was redesigned to cut down on the walk, which I appreciate, but is only 150' near a tennis court.
-Some fairways play overtop of others

This course is what it is, a local community course made for families. If you want to get some putting practice in, a quick casual round, or go for an ace, this place works fine. Otherwise, there's not a lot here.

Behind Chuckey-Doak High School, there's a new nine-hole course that is fairly open with lots of downhill throws and a unidirectional design that requires a considerable hike back at the end.

The course starts off with a tease, as the first two holes are in a lovely and shaded wooded patch. After that, the final seven holes are on a beautiful grassy area but without a tree in play.

A majority of the holes involve throwing downhill. The fairways for Holes #2 and #4 are uphill, but the rest of the holes are either flat like Hole #8 or include a modest to significant elevation decline.

The colorful signage is top notch, with a depiction of the hole, though every basket can be seen from the tee area. The signs also include a "Did You Know?" section. The tee areas are natural but indicated by a sign, and the spots are fairly flat and easy to throw from.

Navigation is straight forward and should be easy to decipher without a map.

On Holes #3 through #5, the grass off the middle of the fairway remained a little longer. The cool aesthetic reminded me of a ball golf fairway.

The baskets are Mach 5 and seemed to catch well.

The most frustrating part of the Chuckey-Doak High School course occurs after the round, when you're about a quarter-mile from the parking lot near Hole #1. And the trek back is nearly all uphill.

The pars on the signs are goofy as Holes #5 and #9 are over 300 feet (but downhill) and listed as par 4s, while Hole #6 is a downhill ace run of about 175 feet but is listed as a par 2. Just play them all as par 3s and you'll be fine.

There's a parking lot down the hill and beyond the Hole #3 basket, and then Hole #5 runs parallel to a small side road, so the chance of hitting a car is greater than zero.

Even though the course is a decent distance from the school buildings, the course is closed during the day when school is in session. You should be fine to visit the course after 3 p.m. on school days and during the weekend, of course.

Design-wise, this high school courses gets the basics right and is well-suited for novice disc golfers. An addition of turf or concrete teepads would be nice. However, overall, it's a simplistic design that doesn't merit return visits unless you live nearby.

If I played the Chuckey-Doak course frequently, I'd be tempted to park near the final hole and tackle the uphill journey first. Or stick out a thumb and skip the long walk.

Baker Lake Park is home to an 18 hole course. The terrain is lightly wooded and ever so slightly hilly. There's the namesake lake located in the middle of the course, though it doesn't really come into play for the most part. Holes 13 and to a much lesser extent 14 are the only two where it will potentially be a factor.

The baskets are Discatcher Pro 28's. All are in good shape and catch great. One basket and pin placement per hole.

One concrete tee pad per hole. These are average size if not a bit smaller. Regardless these are all that's needed out here. Hole 13's is spraypainted on the asphalt walking path but works just as well. It appears that at some point recently, possibly this last fall or winter they built a parking lot and maintenance building in what used to be hole 9's fairway. They shifted all the holes after hole 8 up one spot and used hole 9's basket to make a new hole (13) that throws over the edge of the lake and that's the one asphalt tee as a result. Honestly this seems to be for the better imo.

The design is pretty good. There's not much that could've been done to make the course better with what's available here. It certainly could've been designed much worse. Luckily that's not the case though.

Tee signs on every hole (with the exception of the new 13). Very basic. Hole #, distance and par. Plenty serviceable though since every basket is visible from the tee anyway.

The park is actually pretty scenic with the lake in the middle. Clean, free to play, up year round and there's a practice basket by the parking lot.

Kind of repetitive as far as holes go. I get it, there's just not much for things that could be done out here. They made some of the holes longer to add challenge. That doesn't change the fact that it's just a lot of the same feeling types of holes, especially on the front nine.

The walking path weaves through the course and comes into play on a number of holes. Not ideal obviously. It's a pretty busy path though so be aware of your surroundings out here.

There's a few longer walks from one hole to the next. I'd recommend having a map if possible to help out with this. It's doable without of course but there will be numerous tees visible on spots and anyone of them could be the next tee for first time players. Even the Udisc map is off with the elimination of old hole 9 so that map will be goofy as far as hole numbering.

The last two holes are pretty weak. Honestly the last 4 holes are pretty weak and feel like they were just afterthoughts.

It's by a lake so expect some soggy conditions in the spring or after rain. And goose poop.

It's kind of telling that this course has been here for 5+ years and it had 2 reviews before this one, meanwhile the two brand new courses nearby have the same or more. It's just not a real exciting course and certainly nothing to write home about (much less a review). It's not terrible but it's also just kind of nondescript. Even more so with the addition of two newer, and better, courses nearby. That said this course is still worth a visit if you're near here. Nothing special but nothing wrong with it either.

Starved Rock DGC is a mix of lightly wooded park style and hilly wooded holes. And I mean split down the middle kind of split. It's about 50/50 between the two styles of holes here. The course starts out easy enough with some generic, flat grassy holes with a few trees to navigate. It steadily ramps up in intensity by adding in a few more trees, a little more elevation, and just upping the challenge gradually. Suddenly you're in the grassless, hilly and much more wooded section just like that. It's a shocking contrast and it happens fast. Hole 17 is a beast of a hole and the highlight of the course. It's the climax moment on this course. Hole 18 is back to the opening types of holes, which makes sense since it gets you back to the parking lot.

The baskets are blue Discgolfpark models. These are really nice baskets, basically Discatcher clones if you've never played on them before. One basket and pin placement per hole. These baskets have a metal arrow pointing toward the next tee pad affixed on the underside of the cage. I love this feature on these things.

Two concrete tee pads on every hole out here. Nicely sized and just all around well done for these things. They're framed up with railroad ties on some of the hillier locations which will help with erosion. Very well done with these.

The course design is great for the amount of space available. They used about every last inch that they had to use without it feeling congested or playing on top of other holes. Great mix of different shapes required here too. The woods holes on the back half offer a surprising amount of challenge despite what it looks like at first. The fairways are fast with the lack grass. There's also a legit cliff just behind a few of the holes where you will not get your disc back without some climbing gear.

The tee signs are excellent. Nice looking hole map which shows both tee locations to go along with the hole #, par, distance and even some hole advice/tips. The box with the par and distance will be black for the longs or gold for the shorts.

The park was clean and there's a decent amount of parking. There's a practice basket by the lot as well as a kiosk with a full course map.

A lot of the holes don't offer much of a different look between the two tees. Just a little more distance. The first 8 holes are also pretty standard fare.

The course seems to be a hit with the locals, and for good reason. That being said it can get pretty busy. May be best to get here early if you want to avoid traffic.

There's a real chance to lose a disc out here on hole 12. There's a straight up cliff 25 or so feet behind the pin. The ground is very skippy too so one flare skip and you may never see you disc again on that one.

This course was a good one. It's definitely the tale of two halves as others have said. The locals have clearly taken a liking to it, which isn't a surprise. This is just a damn fun course and in my opinion the best in this area. Absolutely worth a stop if you're nearby or even just travelling through. Starts slow but ends strong. Really liked this one.

A few actual Cement Tee pads, then a few shots off the walking path
new DD Vet baskets
Nice DD Signs and course map

Small town park, 9 holes crammed into it.
Tee's off sidewalks
Throws over parking areas and park road.

What I love about small town courses. Very small park with 9 holes added recently.

hole 1 has you throwing AROUND the tennis course where your shot is over the parking area. When I was playing, a car was parked in the ideal landing spot and the guy was inline skating in the tennis courts.
Hole 2 is simple enough
Hole 3 is throwing off the sidewalk with a mando not keeping you from throwing down the sidewalk, but FORCING you to throw down the sidewalk. Don't get me wrong, the hole is pretty cool, it's just a major liability.

Hole 4 uses the same tee pad as hole 1 and is a nice longer shot to the left.

Hole 5 is another liability, teeing off the sidewalk with the sidewalk on both sides of the fairway marking OB. It's a good hole, gust dangerous if you have any walkers/joggers.

Hole 6 is a long hole that is wide open with backyards to your left.

Hole 7 throws back down

Hole 8 plays as an island hole in the parking area of the ball field. Again, good hole if it were not a parking lot. I did have a couple of cars parked to my left I made sure to avoid.

Then hole 9 a longer throw down, across the park road and that walking path to a mostly open basket.

In general, this is your typical small town/too small park course that it may have interesting holes, it's just a liability to you and the city.

Would I play here again? Nope, it's a one and done course. But with that said, as long as you are the only one in the park, it's got some fun holes.