-History: One of if not the first course in Missouri, designed by Steady Ed Headrick, home to the first Ice Bowl Tournament. A lot of times we as Americans throw away the past to go bigger and better. I'm glad this course has (mostly) survived that fate, though a few slight redesigns have occurred.

-Technical lines: This course is much more difficult than when I first started playing it 13 years ago as the trees have grown significantly. You used to be able to shoot 6-8 under here if you had a decent spike hyzer. Now you need a wider array of shots to score well.

-Tee pads and signs: Pads are plenty big and the new tee signs are amazing. They include up to 5 different pin locations and distances for each hole, accurate depictions of ideal lines, and a next tee arrow. Navigational signage on the course is new too and a huge improvement.

-Hole variety: From 160 to 427 feet. Most are under 300, but you expect that from a 40-year old course. Just over 6000 feet if in all longest positions. You will be forced to throw straight shots, left-to-right shots, and right-to-left shots. Like I said above, lines are well defined and there are a handful of holes that offer you choices off the tee, but most are obviously best played a certain way.

-Beginner-friendly: Most holes are reachable for beginners in 2 shots or less.

-Practice basket with 10 stations spiraling out from 10 to 30 feet make for great putting practice.

-Lots of shade

-Baskets: Mach III baskets are showing their age. You may have to <gasp> put some touch on your putts. I didn't consider the baskets in my rating because it is part of the "classic" feel of the course.

-Fairways are close to one another. The course is located in a pretty small area of a large park. You will see people on other holes as you play and an errant shot may find another fairway or green. That said, I've only had one instance where I had to dodge a disc in probably a couple hundred rounds here.

-No bomber holes. Number 10 is as close as you will get to an opportunity to air one out, but you better shape it left to right or you'll end up OB. Again, not a huge con for me, but for others it may be.

Navigation issues: It is not always obvious which tee pad you need to head to from the basket. Use the map or review the tee sign prior to leaving the pad to know where to go once the hole is completed. On the walk from 11-12 you will pass a few holes on the Lower Course, which seems weird but the new signs help. From hole 9, walk to the other side of the pool along the path and then head right between the pool and tennis courts.

-Course is usually crowded at peak times. I usually play solo and don't have much trouble but I also don't play at 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon. You may come up behind a group of 3-5 noobs that may or may not know they should let you play through.

I really wanted to rate this course a 3, but I can't do it. It is a great course to work on your mid-range game or your putting as the baskets really do require a higher quality putt to stick. It is a fun course for lower-skilled players who rarely get a shot at par and the multiple pin locations provide variety and up the replay value.

I'm not much for amenities, and this course doesn't offer much there. A water fountain between 9 and 10 and a bench or two are pretty much it. There is a kiosk near tee 1 with a course map.

Tee signs for number 10 are backwards; the sign on the long tee has the short tee's distances and vice versa.

The older baskets and tree growth have allowed this course to retain some of its teeth. I'm willing to bet that if you look at the course map and hole distances ahead of time you will be hard-pressed to score as well as you thought you would. All in all a decent course that provides a fun round.

***Course photos are out of date***. Photo of hole #6 is now #7, hole in #7 photo doesn't exist anymore. We no longer tee off from the path on #10, photo for #11 is now #10 short pad, Photo for #12 is now #11. Holes 12 and 13 used to be part of the other course so aren't pictured. Photo of #13 is now #15. There is a new #14 that isn't pictured and the 14 in the picture doesn't exist anymore. Photo for #15 is now #6. I'll try to get some updated pictures loaded soon. Tee signs pics are current though.

Concrete tee pads
Usually well groomed
Good sturdy baskets
Good mix of open and technical holes

Signage is very old and needs to be updated
Sometimes hard to know where you're throwing because of bad signage
Usually quite busy during the week evenings
Needs updating since it's almost 40 years old
Lots of holes are squished together which makes it difficult to navigate through the course

I am a local and have lived in Columbia all my life and still have difficulties navigating through this course since it is the oldest and roughest course in COMO. I wish I could give it more than a 2.5 rating but there are too many flaws to give it anything higher. I still really enjoy playing this course since it's fairly easy and there are enough people on the course that you can follow their path and not get lost.

Albert Oakland Park is 11 acres of scattered mature trees, green mowed grass and some rolling hills. It's really kind of a lovely old park. Why then does the disc golf course seem to universally merit the same bland response from every reviewer? What's missing here?

Personally, I liked the front 9 quite a bit but after struggling with my navigation on the back 9, the course lost much of it's previous luster.

The course has these old school fiberglass signs. The listed information is not always accurate. The baskets are brand new DGA models with the # on top. They have a next a next tee arrow on the bottom. This helps with the navigation.

Distances seem to fall mostly in the 200-300 range although there are some longer holes. There isn't much brush to contend with, just the scattered trees.

I was fine until I attempted the back 9. As I wandered past the pool, I found a tee marked 10 A. Now I didn't know anything about a A and B course or A and B tee pads. This was the first "A" anything I had encountered. As I played the back 9, I think I somehow got turned around and ended up on the Back Course. After talking to some players just starting their round there, I was directed back to the Front Course.

And truthfully, by now I was tired and frustrated with Albert and both of his Oakland courses, so I just packed it in and called it a day.

Confusing navigation on back 9.

What's with 10 A?

Tee signs on front 9 which weren't accurate or up to date.

I did throw an amazing semi-uphill roller on # 8, up past the mando and through a fairly tight gap, that rolled to a stop under the basket. I should have stopped right then and there. I would have left in a much better frame of mind.

The navigation issues on the back 9 kind of soured me on Albert Oakland. But then most every other reviewer writes of the same issues.

I gotta side with markmcc who states, "As a travelling disc golfer I rely on signs and navigation aids more than local players, and I understand that keeping signs current isn't a priority. However, good signage is a plus on any course, and this one could use a little attention."

This last quote was stolen from markmcc without his permission or knowledge.

In my mind this is a typical city park course. Acres of mowed grass with scattered mature trees. For most holes little or no brush to worry with.

Most of the holes are in the 200' - 350' range, so this is not a particularly long course. Many of the more open holes offer a variety of possible lines around the few trees in play, but there are a couple of wooded holes that require an accurate drive down a specific fairway.

Good flat concrete tees and nice, new looking baskets. The baskets all have numbers on them which is helpful given the navigation issues described below.

At least two and as many as four pin positions on each hole. While it leads to some of the navigation issues listed below, I'm sure it makes for a more interesting course for local players

Holes 12 and 13 are back in the woods and bring a creek into play for added interest. And Hole 16 requires about a 200' carry over a pond to the basket near the edge, for another interesting hole.

My biggest cons were tee signs and course navigation. The signs are older fiberglass signs in various conditions. Some were clear enough to read well, others were faded, and still others were missing all together. More frustrating was that several holes had baskets in positions not shown on the tee signs, so the diagram and holes distances were often wrong.

As an example, the Hole 15 sign shows the basket off on the right edge of the fairway near a creek. After walking around for a while I found it another 100' up a hill to the left.

Hole 14 was even worse. No tee sign at all. After walking out and looking at a couple of different baskets (Holes 15 & 11) I finally wandered down a narrow muddy path in the woods to the right and found the basket about 150' down that path.

The walk from the basket on 9 to the tee on 10 is long and not obvious, as is the transition from hole 11 to 12. Having the map is a big help here.

As a travelling disc golfer I rely on signs and navigation aids more than local players, and I understand that keeping signs current isn't a priority. However, good signage is a plus on any course, and this one could use a little attention.

- There is a second 18 hole course at the same park
- Good use of the trees available to provide clear fairways
- Easier than the back course (also a con IMO) making it better for beginners
- One of the creeks that is on the back course also comes into play on one hole of the front course
- Nice concrete tee pads
- The first 9 holes loop back to the parking lot, allowing you to stop back by your car and add more cold beverages to your bag
- Tee signs are out here, but are of poor quality at this point
- Pool with waterslides available for the kiddies. Drop your wife and kids off here while you play 36 holes
- Park seems well maintained, grass was all cut nice and short when I was there
- Lots of chances for aces with a few longer holes mixed in
- Multiple pin positions on every hole but hole 6
- Restrooms are available onsite
- Not many places you could lose a disc around here
- Signs on the baskets pointing you to the next tee

- Not the most challenging course for Advanced or Pro players
- Long walks from 9-10 and 11-12 could get people confused on their first time through
- Multiple baskets visible from a few tee pads, at least once I can remember it not being any of the baskets that we could see
- Speaking of baskets, the baskets here are all old and in definite need of being replaced
- Tee signs are inaccurate. The distances are off and there is no way to be able to tell which position the pin is in. I did meet someone out there who was taking down correct distances to get new signs made, so this could change soon
- A few extra concrete tees around that aren't part of the course could confuse people
- I could see noise from the pool getting annoying on a few holes
- Poison Ivy around on a couple of the holes near the back of the course

Albert Oakland Park's front course is a pretty short and straightforward course utilizing an area of the park with less park users than the back course. It plays among some nice old trees in a well groomed area. The concrete tees were in good shape for how old the course is. From talking to some locals I found out that this course was the home of the very first Ice Bowl, a neat little bit of history. Most of the holes were short and straightforward, not requiring much thought as to how to throw them. A few of the holes did change that up though, forcing you to shape your lines to have a safe path at the basket. As I saw it this is certainly the course for beginners here at Albert Oakland Park, though that isn't to say that a more advanced player couldn't still have fun out here.

Lots of technical holes. Some open up for larger drives. 3 pin placements.

Its an Oakland park course. Could be kept up better, baskets could be replaced, and I can see how people could get lost their first time playing it.

This is where I like to practice shorter more technical holes. The people who are usually playing here are great people. If you are playing it for the first time and get lost just ask someone, they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

-Two separate courses on the property, which is always a plus
-Good amount of trees that provide a good amount of obstacles on each of the holes
-Nice tee pads
-Tee-signs on each hole
-Most of the holes are well designed and have rough off to the sides that can cause trouble if you happen to go off in it
-Signs on each basket pointing toward the next hole
-Pretty easy to follow flow except in a few spots
-Public restrooms near the pool (though they are closed during the winter months)
-The course does a good job of avoiding the other park users.

-This course needs a major basket update, the basket part is not deep enough and discs easily spit out of the baskets a lot of the time
-It was very hard to navigate to holes 12 and 13 and if you haven't played before it can be a little confusing find hole 10 the first time you play the course
-Not a lot of distance on this course
-Several of the tee-signs feel like they aren't accurate and it can be a little hard to get a feel for the layout of the hole from them
-No trashcans or benches on the course
-Grass was growing quickly on the course and the course might get overgrown in the summer months

-Overall, this course provides a decent challenge and is a good course to play if you are in the area. Its not a destination course but it still provides some nicely designed holes and a fun round.

Easy enough flow, 2 9 hole loops, another 18 holes right next to it, Technical. teepads are good. Design is nice. Great practice area with concrete around the world.

Baskets update please. could use some new signage

I have always enjoyed this course and at times find it more difficult than its neighbor the back course. Some really sweet shots, hole 11 signature hole.

Historic course built in 1980. Concrete teepads are a plus. Technical shots, and recently redesigned, with more pin placements to add a little bit of length to the course. 2 holes formerly on the back course are now part of the front.

Historic course built in 1980 It's from a completely different era of disc golf, when the original aviar was an ultra distance driver. There are a few holes where you need a driver, but for the most part a good short range game is all you need to score well here.

Baskets are original 'Mach Zeros' and could use updating, but they are historic (25+ years old) and the club would like to keep them in and preserve that part of history.

Yes, the baskets are old, but they still catch fine. Course is historic, and the holes were long for the time period it was built in - and a lot of the trees that are there now weren't matured back then.

A lot of work was put in last spring to maintain the 18 hole layout - a 9 hole would be more modern, but maintaining a 36 hole park was the goal of the club and the city, and there is limited room to work with in urban Columbia.

side by side courses, both completly different. one of the first courses to be installed in missouri. one of my favorite courses.

when we played on the holiday weekend this course was in bad shape. looked like the grass hasnt been mowed all year, needed alot of work for the mid america open in july.

after hole 5 the course changes. 15 is new 6, 6 is new 7,but longer pin, old 7 is gone, 8-9 same, old 10 gone, 11 is new 10, 12 is 11, then walk down path to back course 13, back 13 is front 12, back 14 is front 13, follow signs to new 14, old 13 is 15, 16-18 same. if you played here before you know what im talking about..

The original Albert-Oakland course is a dinosaur. Considering its age, it has held up very well. The property is very well taken care of, so there are no major issues with erosion and the course has not lost very many trees since I first played it in 1988. The tees are concrete and have been as long as I can remember. Most of the baskets have directional signs pointing you to the next tee, so finding your way around is pretty simple. There are two pins per hole (some have more) and some nice variety of uphill, downhill, hyzer and anyhyzer shots. The shots are mostly on the short-ish side. The course depends on the trees to provide the challenge. A lot of the trees are big nasty cedar trees that seem to reach out and grab your disc. Some of those trees have filled out and really narrowed the gaps to throw through. I find myself throwing tomahawks and rollers a lot. This course really forces me to be creative with my shot-making.

As with a lot of courses this age, the tees and baskets are really close together. If you are unfamiliar with the layout, it can get confusing since you can see a lot of baskets at once (although sometimes none of those are the one you are shooting at.) You also need to be in a social mood, as you are going to be standing next to people playing other holes all day.

A lot of the pin placements are directly behind the previously mentioned nasty cedar trees. On some holes you can't see either placement from the tee through the trees, and the tee signs don't tell you what placement it is in. Even when you know where both pin placements are, you have to walk down the fairway on some holes to see where the basket is. Given that you already have to wait in some places due to the holes being so close together, this can really cause the course to back up.

Speaking of the tee signs, some of them are in disrepair with the hole measurements falling off and what not. They could stand some attention.

On some holes (# 13 comes to mind) the basket is tucked into so much brush you really can't get a clear look at the basket no matter how good your tee shot is. Unless you are a power player. As often happens with technical courses that are not physically in the woods and have no ceiling, power players just crush this course. They throw spike hyzers over the trees and card deuces galore. So even though it is a technical course, it really favors power players.

Basket 18 leans like a drunken monkey set it in place. All of the baskets on this course still have the original Mach I shallow basket attachments, although they have added a second set of chains to the chain assembly.

This course is now 18 holes, but it used to be 22 (I think.) There was a hole 19 that used the current tee for #10 that shot downhill parallel to # 10 with the path OB on the left. That took you back down to the lake, and the holes that are currently on the back course that shoot over the lake (#16 and #17) and the tough uphill shot (#18) were holes 20-22. That was really the signature part of this course. Rating the two courses separately forces you to forget those holes, which is too bad. The old tee for # 10 is still sitting there, a concrete slab and a pole with no sign.

Whoever wrote "Single use park; disc golf only!" on the course description evidently overlooked the aquatic park, tennis courts, sand volleyball pit, picnic pavilions and all the paved walking paths that are also in the park.

The very first Ice Bowl event was held her in 1987.

It can't be considered a top course anymore, but given its age it still holds a lot of challenge. If sentimental attachment was a valid reason to raise a courses rating, I'd do it here. This was the first course I played, and it's still fun to play today.