Atkinson Park plays through and around a multi-use park with ball fields and walking paths. I played on a cold November morning and there were surprisingly plenty of dog walkers about, but it didn't seem like we were ever interfering with each other.
the front 12 play mostly flat, but with several trees in play on each hole. I cant remember the hole number (maybe 6 or 7?) that plays down to a basket close to the Ohio River- very cool hole with water hazard left and thick rough to the right.
Two baskets sit atop man made hills to add challenge and wage risk-reward approaches and putts.
Quality concrete tee pads, good maps, and baskets on every hole. Holes 13-17 stand out as memorable holes* (see cons below). These holes on the back nine really make up some big points for this course. They offer everything the front nine could not- elevation changes going up and down, a blind tee shot, tightly wooded, throwing over valleys, fast and challenging greens with severe roll-away potential. IMO these 5 holes raise the rating of this course a full point.

Besides the memorable holes listed above, the rest of Atkinson Park didn't leave much of an impression on me. Some holes bordering the ball fields felt cramped in and not needed. The open and basic holes through the first 12 created a kind of plain, vanilla feel for much of the front.

Atkinson Park has a lot of good things going for it as a DG course, and if I lived nearby I would play it on a regular rotation.
I think this course could be improved if it were cut down to 14 or 15 holes. This could create more space for more interesting holes and help with the bland and smushed feelings through the front half. Overall very solid course, but there are much better in the area.

Lots of room to play! Not a bunch of out of bounds play area.
There were many people out enjoying the park and only had a few times that we had to wait before throwing.
All baskets and launch pads were numbered.
Clean park with tables and trash cans.

It would be helpfull to new players to have arrows pointing to next launch pad. A few times we headed in wrong direction.

-Nice multi use park where you don't feel crowded near the non discgolf areas
-Layout is pretty good with a variety of open and more wooded holes.
-Designed so 9 and 18 end right at the parking lot

-Unmarked tee pads from the older layouts are still in place and can cause confusion in a few spots.
-4 wide open holes that were just bland
-Course was a bit soggy in a few of the flat spots.

While I enjoyed a round here I couldn't get over the blandness of the 4 holes in the middle of the round. I do like the fact that they have the man made elevated greens on these holes to make it a bit tougher. The few spots where they changed the course, and left the old tee pads really confused me especially around hole 4-6. I enjoyed the first 8 holes and 14-17 the most. I would come play this course again because it has a neat feel to it being so close to the river. The course doesn't seem to be designed to be challenging, however the challenge comes in the form of wind. I felt it was even a factor on a relatively calm day.

This is a nice park course. The course has some very flat holes, but there are also a few holes that have some elevation changes. One of the unique things about this course was that I found a bunch of the baskets placed on the side of slopes. The park itself was well kept. The course had a nice course layout sign, while each hole had an accurate sign of the trouble on the hole. There is a little something for everyone on this course. There are 5-6 holes where you can just let it go without much thought to line. There are also some holes that will really make you think. Hole 3 is the first thinking hole. It is a long turn par 3 with a kind of low ceiling. It requires and turn off the tee and 3 very large trees guard the basket. Hole 6 is a troublesome hole. It begs you to throw for the basket, but big trouble lurks to the left in the form of a huge drainage ravine. A layup and a decent midrange can secure a par, but birdies will require an awesome shot. Putting on holes 10 and 11 are unique in the fact that the baskets sit on the grassy knoll. Aggressive putts that are missed will require quite an effort on the comeback putt. Holes 14-17 are the best stretch of holes on the course. 14 is a short but really tight hole while 15-17 are long holes with tight lines to throw through. I really enjoyed the nice long tee pads on this course. They were in great shape and offered a good platform on the holes where launching was needed. The course has several benches on it which was nice. I have played this course a couple of times and it is always windy on the course. The course is literally less than 100 yards from the Ohio River, and the wind seems to blow off the river all the time. I see this as a pro since quite a few holes have few to NO trees on them. The course did have a practice basket and parking very close to the first tee. I did like the out and back layout of the course. The 9th hole and the 18th hole both end very close to the first tee and parking lot.

The main drawback to this course was drainage. The area had quite a bit of rain recently and the flat areas were holding quite a bit of water.

This course does favor the big arm players . (IMO) My group does have one big arm player in it and he seemed to have more of an advantage on us than he normally does. The course played in 3 different segments for me. Hole 1-6 where one segment, holes 7-13 where totally different segment, and holes 14-18 were the closing segment. I would have liked a couple of trees on the totally open holes but that is just a preference. I like the layout and would play here anytime I have time in the area.

Very well maintained.
Good Concrete teepads
Good parking and convenient location
A few very attractive holes.
Pretty park in general with views of Ohio river.
Good signage.

Not too many memorable holes.
Hole number 6 has a ridiculously hazardous rough area.

The last third of the course is more interesting to play than the first 12 holes. Stay to the right on your drive on #6, you don't wanna wind up in that deep ravine filled with riff raff.

The parks department keep this place well maintained. Even though it doesn't stack up to Mesker, Madisonville, or Yellow Creek, it's still a nice little course to play for something different or if you are in the Henderson area.

- Surprisingly long. It "feels" like a short little par 3 course, but it's nearly 6000 feet. The longer holes, while open, are still fun. Many courses have no 'grip and rip' holes. I appreciate the courses that do.

- Large concrete teepads were in good shape.

- High quality DISCatcher baskets.

- Good signs which include topographical map of hole.

- Flow from hole to hole was good, no trouble navigating as first timers.

- Practice putting basket.

- Course loops back around to the parking lot after the front 9.

- Park looked to be well maintained.

- Some holes had benches and/or trashcans

- The open holes that play nearest the ball field lack any real character.

- On several holes, the street and/or walking path can come into play.

- The proximity of ball fields, walking paths, playgrounds, etc make you keenly aware that you are in the middle of a shared park that has many uses. You don't have the sense of privacy or "escape" that many courses offer.

- Lack of any real signature holes that "wow" you. Although having said that, several holes (2, 3, 17, etc) were quite attractive.

- This course was better and more fun than I expected. I'd really like to give it a higher rating than 3.0, but my conscience won't allow me to do so.

- We played it as a double with Mesker and it was a good day of golf.

- Very well manicured park
- Big, clear Teepads
- Excellent Teesigns showing the details of the course
- Practice Basket
- Map/Board of Information near Practice Basket
- Discs available for sale at Golf Course Pro Shop nearby
- Places to sit on most holes
- Some trashcans throughout the course
- Man made hills on several holes producing elevated Teepads & Baskets
- Lots of OB because of several walkways and roads going throughout the course

- Mostly Flat course (a couple of natural and man made hills though)
- Limited obstacles (trees, bushes)
- Walkways & roadways can present a problem with cars and pedestrians

Overall this is a fun course despite it being mostly flat and open.The holes that are open and flat are generally longer to make up for the lack of obstacles (>300). However, there are a 6-8 holes that have mature trees and require a more technical shot. Those holes are generally shorter in length (<300). The OB presents some challenges to holes making them more interesting.

Some Memorable Holes:
#10 403 foot shot onto a basket upon a mound
#11 327 foot shot onto a basket upon a mound
#12 360 foot shot from an elevated teepad

Final Verdict:
This course is fun even though it may appear boring. The use of length and OB makes the open holes more interesting and the wood holes provide a moderate challenge. While this course is not as good as Mesker Park, it is definitely a must play for locals. If you are in the area, play Mesker Park first and if you have time, play Atkinson Park.

Most of the holes are completly open but 4 or 5 have some tree obsticals in the fairway. Good course to let you open up your throw without having to worry about hiting anything. Even though alot of the course is pretty open it still offers some challenge. like holes 10 and 11 they are both on pretty steep mounds so if you try and run at and miss your gonna be shooting uphill at least one more time.
Very well marked, easy to navigate.

you get alot of cars parked on the edge of the course on the front 9, especially during the summer months when baseball season is in. Also if the couse has several low spots so if it's rained rececently your probably going to be geting your feet wet.

Scorecards are available at the start on the course map board.

Atkison sits in a nice multi-use park between a road bordering the park and the Ohio River. Each hole has nicely sized tee pads that are grippy and each have good signs that are quite helpful. The flow of the course is very easy to follow and the baskets are Innova Discatchers that catch well and are in great shape. The layout goes from completely open to semi-wooded and back again several times. The open holes are seemingly completely open with no obstacles while the wooded holes force either only one route or possibly two if you are creative off the tee. Atkison has hardly any underbrush to lose a disc in unless you go way off the beaten path. There's a good variety of length with several longer holes to let 'em rip and others that force a more technical shot. Most of the course is on a flat plot of land with a few exceptions. One plays across a large drainage basin, a couple on some man-made mounds, and the last few on some nice rolling slopes.

The completely open holes don't really do anything for me. Four or five of them are quite redundant in that you throw 350-400' in a wide open field to the basket. There's no real challenge there. Several of the walking paths and roads come right next to several tees and baskets which can be hazardous to foot and four wheel traffic. With as flat as the course is in spots, lots of standing water can accumulate after rain. Also with the Ohio River less than a putter throw away from the park, the course is in a prime spot for flooding.

Atkison is a fun course that plays quickly and can be gotten for low scores. When the wind isn't blowing off the river, this is a straight-foward course without any surprises. More skilled players won't really be challenged here except to hit their putts. Less skilled players can enjoy the openness and lack of difficulty here. The setting is enjoyable with the river adjacent to the park and most of the locals I talked to there were very friendly and happy to hear about how my round went.

Course map by Practice tee. Plenty of Trash Cans and Benches. Very nice Tee signs,Concrete tees,Innova Discatchers. Grassy fairways,Front 9 flows and uses rolling terrain well. Mature trees with very little underbrush (#2?). #7? has "Ridge to ridge" shot....not extreme. The Back 9 has man-made hills for roll-a-way greens,on #11,#12. interesting that a city park would o.k. this feature,they are usually worried about liability.It gets more interesting on holes #14,15,16,17. Using the rolling terrain well. To me #17 is the signature hole. Usually the basket is on top of the second hill not on the back side for a roll-a -way green, also having a low canopy shot just before the second hill is a little different.

No Alt. Tees or pin placements,water holes. A few wooded technical holes would be a plus. The paved trail COULD be problem for beginners or if you ricochet one off a tree. I did have a few walkers & joggers. But I threw anyway with no problems. The flow from #14 to #15 could be a problem,just cross the road,or you'll tee off on #17. Just look for the tee sign.

It was hard to find the park entrance. Take the street between Wendy's & Grandy's restaurants,(no street sign). One way road thru park. I played on a Sunday eve,about 6:00. It was still 90 degrees and being next to the Ohio river the humidity made it feel like 105. Bathrooms are at the end of the parking lot.

Atkison Park now has 18 holes. The tee pads and baskets are all in excellent condition. The views of the Ohio River are nice. There is a solid mix of holes requiring a variety of shots. Basket placements on the "mounds" which begin the back 9 were interesting. They provide a distinct chalenge in uphill approaching which is difficult with the swirling winds. The course is extremely windy, probably due to its location just off the river. There was a hole on the back 9 where the buttercups were in bloom covering 90% of the fairway. It was a really pretty hole that day.

While I enjoyed the course overall, there wasn't a hole that just made my mouth drop. My only major complaint is the same complaint I had about Madisonville City Park...Holes #1 and #18 are weak. At Atkison Park, Hole #1 is wide open and 280 feet. Not much of a challenge outside of wind. Hole #18 is wide open, flat, and 387 feet. Again, in my opinion, distance does not create difficulty. Especially when the Par listed for this hole is 4. It is an easy 3 for any reasonably experienced disc golfer. Walking trails come into play on a few throws, but nothing major.

Atkison Park is a nice course. By my estimation, it is slightly above average, but just slightly. There are some interesting holes but don't expect to be blown away. If you live in the area and need to practice playing in the wind, this is definitely the place to do it. This is a great place to stop by if you happen to be in the area, but its not a course I would drive 50 miles out of the way to play. We played it as we drove through, after playing Madisonville and before playing Mesker Park. It was a sensible stop and a relaxing round.

It is a great course, it moves from long holes to shorter holes. some are more technical while others just let you huk the disc at your own free will. 10 and 11 have the baskets on mounds...makes for some interesting putts (leaves you satisfied with a par but feeling like an ace when you hit a birdie). Wooded holes are shorter but require good shots for a birdie attempt. lots of risk reward areas and OB that makes you play smart instead of throwing a big shot everywhere.

hole 1 is very plain, about 300ft and pretty much a wide open field. there are some drainage issues because of the proximity to the river. 18 was shortened after the expansion...they should offer long and short tees on that one and a few others to help close some of the gap between "A" and "B" players.

didnt get to play it before the new 9 but the additions have made the park a lot bettwe from what seems to have been the original 9. there is plenty of room to add some more wooded holes and maybe make it a 27 hole course (9 - beginner; 9 - intermediate; 9 - pro). it is a great park and close to Evansville, can make a great day playing there and Mesker and enjoy some good food in both towns.

This is currently a nine hole course that has nice large teepads and good signs. The course is set in a very busy little park. The course is mainly all open with a couple holes in some large mature tees with no under growth. Most of the holes are long and are 350+. there are a couple on nice holes were they built large mounds for the baskets to be on and with the high winds it is really hard to putt. These 2 holes were pretty fun.

This course is almost completely open with very little trouble anywhere. The park also seems very cramped and looks like it could be very busy and you would have a lot of people in the way.

This is a decent course if you like long open holes. The park really doesn't have much woods so they had to work with what they had.

My Family and I like to play here. Easy to get around course very good signs.It has a practice basket to warm up putts on. Not to long not to short. Hole #3 great use of tree forces you to think before you throw. Hole 5 is a great annie shot. Elevation change on 6 is good, you throw across a SMALL valley.

Park is often busy and a road through the park can be a hazard.

I thought 7 & 8 are more like putt-putt golf, not really a con just different than what I am use to. Can't wait for back nine. Herd it is going in in 2009.