- incredible elevation change for a niner
- very steep and rocky
- concrete white tees
- overall park maintenance around course is good
- ample parking
- woods are mostly not overgrown
- notable length for a nine hole course
- significant technical challenge, particularly on holes 1-4
- variety of uphill and downhill shots requiring skill to keep from losing a roller
- good signage in park directing you to disc golf course
- area of park is almost entirely devoted to disc golf
- some garbage cans and benches at hole 5 mid-course
- one built-in bridge between holes 8 and 9

- high risk of losing discs way down the ravine
- unsuitable for beginners, and not obvious at first
- never found blue tees
- navigation near end of course is not completely clear and desperately needs next tee indicators
- baskets have single layer of chains and are in need of upgrade
- course feels neglected
- tee signs are just ok with very rudimentary maps

You'll want your hiking shoes for this one! Bluebird Park is set in a picturesque local park and you may not realize at first just how steep and treacherous the course is. It's probably one of the more exhausting nine hole courses I've played. Holes 5-8 flatten out a bit and open up more, but the rest is in the woods with tons of hikes uphill and downhill, and even the last few holes have a fair amount of this.

There are a number of cons here; the course feels older and a bit neglected in terms of upkeep with subpar equipment. The actual disc golf is quite fun, but there are some weird long walks between holes with unclear navigation and you will want a map. The level of challenge here is high and beginners will be supremely frustrated. Most niners don't reach this level of technical difficulty so it could be surprising to some.

With the elevation change, this is one of the most time-consuming nine hole courses I've played. I would recommend budgeting an hour solo. There is a decent mix of hole lengths but overall this is a longer course. The longest walk is from holes 8 to 9 and when you finally find it, hole 9 is a crazy steep uphill throw that is really hard to execute well.

Overall, I really enjoyed the disc golf here but this course could use a facelift. Concrete tees are nice, but they are a bit small. The blue tees referenced on DGCR are nonexistent as far as I can tell. Maybe they were marked at one point, but that's the problem with natural tees; they disappear with time if not maintained.

This course does create some level of frustration but I think with some more upkeep it would be at least a 3 if not slightly higher. It is fun and highly challenging disc golf, and fairly unique as nine hole courses go. No water hazards, but the steep, rocky terrain, high risk shots, and technical wooded challenge make it worth checking out for me. I played this course on my way through St. Louis to New Melle Lakes. There are niners all over the St. Louis metro and I think this is one of the more interesting ones.

Bluebird Park is a large, beautiful park in west St. Louis County, located just off of Manchester Rd. The disc golf course here uses the elevation and environment to make for a 9-hole experience that provides a challenging and variety-filled round.

In addition to disc golf, Bluebird has a wide variety of amenities and other activities. At the front of the park, you will find Ellisville's Parks and Rec Department, an aquatics center, tennis courts, and a nice playground area. Further in the park, you can find shelters, bathrooms, water fountains, a couple baseball fields, a dog park, and a community garden. In addition, this park has a large area of woods and fields, along with a trail system that connects to neighboring subdivisions and other parks. Overall, this park is well utilized by the community.

The disc golf course is located in the back end of the park, and can easily be found with the abundance of signage directing you to the parking lot that's next to the course. At the start of the course, you will find a bulletin board that has a course map as well as some Ellisville Parks information. Hole 1's tee is also right next to the edge of the woods, and leads you through the back woods of Bluebird.

Bluebird's disc golf course has 1 tee pad and 1 pin location for each hole. My understanding is that the blue tee pads have largely been abandoned in favor of 1 concrete tee per hole, though you can see some blue tee markers on some of the holes. The concrete tees were added within the last 5 or so years, and are a major improvement over the previous natural tee pads. Each hole also has a tee sign that has info on hole distance, and some show what the basic shape of the hole is. The baskets are DISCatchers that are shallow and look old, and while some folks have commented that they are prone to spit outs, I haven't had an issue with the baskets on this course yet.

Over the 9 holes on this course, you will find 5 wooded holes and 4 open holes that play around a field in the back of the park. Holes 1,2 and 3 all run along a wooded hillside and all have tough but fair lines off of each tee. Hole 4 has you throw through the woods on the other side of the trail, and leads you to the field that holes 5 through 8 use. Hole 9 ends the course with one more wooded hole, requiring a drive up a hill through the woods to the pin.

This way this course is designed makes elevation a major factor throughout the course. Over half of the pin placements are set on or near fairly steep hillsides, making for significant risk/reward approach and putting scenarios. A bad kick off of the pin on holes like 3 or 7 can easily result in your disc rolling 100 feet down a hill. Holes 5 and 8 are really the only holes with no obstructions and without significant risk/reward situations, as even hole 6 can be tricky with its distance if you want a birdie. The tighter fairways in the woods feel even tighter in the Spring and Summer, as some baskets will look completely protected with all of the foliage. All of these factors make for a challenging round of golf for a 9-hole course while providing a decent amount of variety.

The physical demand of this course won't be an issue for plenty of folks, but if you come to Bluebird for a round, you should be ready for a hike. The first few holes follow a hillside that is full of rocks and tree roots, making for some rough ground to traverse. You will also find yourself hiking up and down hills a lot. Hole 4 requires a drive and subsequent walk up a hillside, followed by a walk to hole 5 that is further up in elevation. Hole 7's pin is located down on a hillside, requiring a steep walk back up to hole 8. These sections, along with other walks between holes and the walk back to the parking lot, make for a decent hike to go with your round of golf. Having played a decent percentage of the local courses in St. Louis, my legs were more worn out after this course than many of the 18 holes in the area.

Some of the walks between holes are also on the longer side, such as between 3 and 4, 8 and 9, and 9 back to the parking lot. They are not the most egregious transitions you will find, but some are significant. Some of the transitions on this course are also not obvious. For instance, if you don't see the tee pad for hole 7 when walking up hole 6's tee, it could lead to a tough time finding hole 7 after finishing hole 6. When the trees are full of leaves, you may not immediately find the parking lot after you finish hole 9. If you don't have a great sense of direction, this course may prove to be challenging to navigate at times, which could mean even more of a hike on your round.

The tee sign design has potential to be very nice, but could use some updates. If the blue tee pads are truly not a part of the design anymore, those distances could be removed to save folks a lot of trouble looking for those tee locations. Another issue I have with the signs is that half of the signs don't have a a hole layout on them, but rather just the pin distance. The elevation changes on this course, combined with the density of trees on some of the holes, can result in half of the holes being blind shots during certain times of the year. This wouldn't be as much of an issue on a flatter course, but if you don't have a good idea of the pin location and make a blind drive, you could end up in a very tough spot. Walking up some of the fairways on this course to find the pin can also be rough given the amount of elevation on the course.

Hole 3's tee sign is a good 50 feet in front of the tee pad. Just keep walking and you'll find it.

I haven't played this course is wet conditions yet, but I imagine some of the hills could be unforgiving when wet. Even when the course is dry, watch your footing on the wooded holes.

Bluebird is pretty relentless, especially if you skip leg day. The variety on this course is nice to see on a 9 hole course, but the hiking combined with some very tough fairways could make for a discouraging round. This is close to a love it or hate it type of course, as many will find the hiking and tight fairways on some holes unappealing.

This course isn't one I would typically go out of the way for, but if paired with Schroeder down the road or Logan University, it can be a part of a nice day of disc golf. An new course in Chesterfield is also on the way, which will add to the nice little collection of courses in West County.

While Bluebird is in my opinion not the best 9 hole in St. Louis, I think it's worth checking out if you're close by. Visitors on a short trip to St. Louis should check other courses off their list before coming out to this one. This isn't intended as a smear on this course, but rather a compliment to the continuously improving collection of courses in the area. If you're a local, come check out one of the older courses in the area. If you stretch first, it can make for a good time.

In a very nice park , Bluebird installed their course way back in 1997 . They have since updated the tee pads to cement , the baskets are still good , although single chained , very good signage with 2 different lengths presented on them . The course designer , Dave McCormack , who seems to design most of the courses in the area , took the area given to him by the park board and molded a fairly hard 9 holer . Set way in the back of the park , anyone playing disc golf should not have distractions such as curious kids or cars or hikers . This course looks to be set up for disc golf only . Several of the holes are set up in the woods ( 1-4 ) and 9 , some are open ( 5 , and 7-8 ) , and 6 is a long downhill open drive into a narrowing fairway with a basket placement to the right . My signature hole on this course . Plenty of wildlife here , Saw 2 deer romping through the woods during my round . The kiosk has a map ( you want to download on for yourself ) , but you should carry one around with you or you may walk off the beaten path to find the next tee pad . This course doesn't seem to get much play . I was there on a memorial Day weekend and saw no one for my approximate hour there . There is some challenging length for the tightness of this course . The real challenge to some of these holes is to approach or putt and not have your disc stand up on its side and roll 100' + down a hill. You will be standing at all angles on this course . The toughest hole on this course would be #4 , where you have to throw uphill into the woods , with the ground always sloping downward left , hope the your disc catches the hill , then throw upwards toward the basket near the top of the hill . No water on this course , but the elevation is unreal here . The course ends with a good walk down a cement path to the bottom of the hill , cross the road , and throw straight uphill to the basket that sits on the hill to the right . A fine finishing hole .

The course looks to be clear enough on most of the fairways , Maybe a little attention to mowing in the back . The walks in between holes are very long for a nine hole course . I am not against the long walks , but the longer they are , sometimes the harder it is to find the next tee pad . Many of these holes have terrible angles , where you either are standing sideways left , sideways right , downhill or uphill . This can be a plus or a very big con , depending . Rolling down a hill after hitting the basket bucket will both break your heart and kill your score ( this happened to me on #3 , a short slight downhill hyzer in a tight alley , clip a tree and watch your disc roll away ) . The biggest problem with the elevation and woodsy slopes is that this course will be a wicked dangerous play after a rain . Especially on the downhill descent on 3 and uphill on 4 , and getting to your fairway throw on 9 . No benches or trash cans on the course , but it can be a quick enough play , so carry in and carry out .

A very nice park with a pretty challenging 9 hole course on the premises . This course will instantly make you either like it a lot , or hate it in the worst way . I actually liked it . Don't play this course after a rain , but otherwise , take the long walk and enjoy nature . My recommendation : Not a destination course by any stretch , but couple this course with Logan University ( 18 holes ) and/or Paul Schroeder ( 9 holes ) and TRY IT !

- Disc golf course in West County St. Louis
- Well-used elevation changes
- Good mix of technical shots and open drives
- Good mix of short and long holes
- Holes allow for different drive techniques that can be effective (backhand, sidearm, tomahawk, roller, etc.)
- Beatiful scenery--trees, squirrels, deer, rocks, grass, etc.
- Well-maintained park with aquatic center, dog park, tennis courts, pavilions
- Course does not overlap with other park features; no major safety concerns of hitting pedestrians or other park guests

- No concrete teepads; natural teepads are often rocky or eroded which prevents a confident run-up and also creates safety concerns with landing on natural features
- Baskets have one set of chains and generally do a terrible job of keeping putters in the basket
- Holes 1-4 require a higher fitness level, as the terrain has steep inclines filled with rocks and roots that slip; I have fallen several times trying to go down the hills for discs
- Long walks from 3 to 4 and 8 to 9
- Horribly unforgiving putting circles--no mulch on the rocky, hilly holes leads to a lot of putts turning from birdie-looks to 5s. It is obvious this course is left to the elements, as no noticeable effort has been made to maintain the course
- The ample trees on 1-4 provide a challenge that can punish decent shots; the fairway on 1 is especially nonexistent, so even the best of drives can kick off a tree and glide down into the dried up creek 50 feet down the hill

I thoroughly enjoy playing at The Bird. It is one of three courses in the Ballwin/Manchester/Chesterfield area, and even though it is only nine holes, it requires a number of different shots and discs to complete.

The course divides itself into two "halves": the technical, densely-wooded front 4 (and hole 9), and the long, open 5-8. 1-4 can be quite frustrating, as you are a bad roll away from turning a birdie-look into a 5 or 6. In any given round, you will have at least one instance of horrible luck, with a gem toss being kicked by the elements to bogeyland and beyond.

With that being said, it is still possible to put together a decent round, as the open holes reward good shots with deuces. The kicker is that on the open holes, the wind is often a major factor, so you need to bring a nice selection of distance drivers to account for the various winds that play on top of the hill for 5, 6, and 8.

Unlike the rest of the park, the disc golf course receives little to no attention in regards to maintenance. The natural teepads are long past their lifespan, and I can never take a 100% effort run-up when throwing my drives. After a little rain, the natural teepads become softer than a RFF Wizard and non-careful x-steps could result in a nice slip and fall.

I have played this course probably 100+ times because it is so close to me, and I keep coming back. My personal best for the 9 holes is a 27, and my average score probably ranges between 30 and 32. The bad luck adds strokes like you would not believe, and a few of the holes (4 and 6) are very difficult birdies, so it is hard to erase the several bogeys that will likely occur.

Come prepared for a hike, enjoy the scenery, and aim for par. The Bird is a fun one if you have patience and some nice weather.

HOLE SUMMARY:
1. Short, RHBH slight hyzer through a densely-wooded valley. I usually throw a Roc3 or Gateway Warrior and hope to miss trees.
2. Medium-distance, wooded tunnel shot. Throw a RH flick, and you will end up in the dried up creek at the bottom of the hill. Throw a RHBH and you will pray to not roll down the hill. I typically throw a Thunderbird and try to keep it straight, but a stronger arm would be best with a straight, low-flying putter drive.
3. Dogleg right down a hill and through trees. I typically through a Thunderbird or TeeBird with a RH flick that will go long if it happens not to hit the many trees. An understable RHBH drive can do the trick as well, but you are always at the mercy of the disc golf gods in keeping you from hitting trees and rolling down the hill.
4. Long, uphill drive. Good RHFH route, but the natural teepads prevent a full-power run-up, so drives are often left short of the basket. 40% of the time your drive will roll down the hill to the valley and give you an ugly 5.
5. Medium-distance, blind drive over a hill and onto an open field. Definitely aceable, but the lack of vision adds to the difficulty. Crosswinds normally play on this hole, but it does not favor BH or FH.
6. Long, straight bomb with a slight downhill. A large guardian tree swats discs halfway to the basket, so be prepared to throw a decent fairway drive to save par if you hit it. For power arms, best route is a RHBH flex shot that bends around the large tree. A RHFH with some power can curve around the tree nicely and set up for a good upshot. Usually a nice tailwind plays, so bring out the high-speed drivers and let it rip.
7. I hate this hole. Lay-up or suffer the wrath of the massive hill that the basket sits on. And then, workout your calves when walking to 8's teepad.
8. Straight shot in an open field. A right to left crosswind will alter your shot, but good players will deuce this hole consistently.
9. Short, sharp uphill shot. I throw a hyzer RHFH and end up with a good percentage of birdies. Tomahawk also works. Fun hole to end the course.

An impressive 9 holes located in a large city park with a ton of other activities available, that makes use of tight woods, big elevation, and some open space

Variety. 6 of the 9 holes are tight wooded technical lines most of which include impressive elevation. 3 of the 9 holes are open making use of longer distances and some minor elevation.

Well kept. Sporadic garbage cans keep the trash down, the park seems well taken care of though the disc golf course seems somewhat neglected, everything was in good playable shape.

Replayability. An intermediate to advanced level player could find this a good place to learn/practice tight wooded elevated lines, I could see visiting this course many times to try and improve my score.

Other Users. The course nears a couple of walking paths, but it is mostly only an area for DG, other users shouldn't be a concern.

Senery. A nice natural wooded area of a large city park makes it a pleasurable hike.

Baskets. Single chain disccatchers all in good shape (No practice basket).

Navigation. Directional sign point direct the way, with a little detective work I was always able to figure out where to go next.

Map/Scorecard. Scorecard box (Was empty, maybe they keep it stocked in the busy months), and a map was on the kiosk at the beginning.

Unfairways. Lines are extremely tight on a few holes but the roughs aren't terribly unforgiving. 2's are luck, 3's are relatively easy on many of the holes.

Beginner Friendly. The tight fairways and elevation may make this course quite frustrating for someone just learning the game.

Tees. Natural tees were mostly level marked by bricks. Several were quite rough or muddy. Some of the holes it was difficult to find both sets of tees.

Not by any means the best course of the area and not one I would make a top priority, but if you have some extra time after playing the higher rated courses nearby, these technical 9 holes are worth a visit.

Very technical( you are playing in a forest most of the time). Beautiful park.

A deer tried to murder my dog, I usually get a tick or two when playing this course. Some of the holes are just plain ridiculous.

If you live nearby and have 45 minutes, why not?