+ Some elevation changes.
+ Several technical shots required.
+ Good navigation (for the most part).
+ Good variety overall.
+ Lake view on some holes is great.
+ Multiple pin/basket locations on some holes.

- Disc loss potential in the later field holes.
-- Hole 14 has you essentially throwing blind down a hill (as tall bushes block your view) into a fairway where only some grass is mowed - with some overgrown grass that eats discs on the hill as well. If you have a spotter, they would be more than helpful on this one.
-- Hole 17 also plays along the overgrown grass. Go too far left and the grass will likely eat your disc. Another one where a spotter would be helpful.
- At least half of the tee signage is still missing - bring a map.
- Most of Holes 1-11 feature two baskets - meaning essentially it's "pick your basket and go." If it was just two basket locations that were switched every once in a while, a lot of confusion would be avoided, especially for first timers.
- Hole 10 plays right on the park sidewalk. Watch for other people before you tee off.
- Awkward navigation from Hole 11 to 12 - after exiting Hole 11, hang a right and go down the hill where you'll find an opening. Hole 12's tee pad will be down in there.

Amenities:
- Parking: Plenty.
- Restrooms: There is one near Hole 18's basket.
- Running water: None. Though there is a water fountain near Hole 1, it was not running the day I went. Pack in some water just in case.
- Benches: A few.
- Trash cans: None, at least that I saw.
- Bag holders: None.
- Tee signs: Of the ones that aren't missing, pretty basic - outline map of the hole, par, and distance. Pretty much it.
- Next tee/direction signs: None. The implied path to follow helps most of the time but other times, have a map ready.
- Wheelchair/cart friendly: No.

Buck Creek State Park is an 18 hole course in a state park that offers 11 wooded holes and 7 that are more open. There is a bathroom, plenty of parking, varying distances from a couple under 200' to a couple 400'+ holes.

PROS:

>Pretty nice shot selection, especially the mix of woods and open holes, though a well-played Roc would get good results on most of the front 11.
>Decent distance variety.
>Good mix of wooded and open holes
>Wooded holes have pretty clear fairways, though some of the lines/gaps are pretty tight. Maybe not a 1000-rated player, but for some of us…
>You may be the only one out there.
>Some nice vistas on the hill shots and the lake in the background.

>Missing about half the tee signs. For first timers, a map is strongly recommended. The course has a general air about it of not being well taken care of.
>Multiple pin positions on the front 11 holes add to this confusion. Have this course played twice, still not sure which are which on some holes.
>Some of the lines are really tight, but with the holes being so short, that is not a huge problem.
>No water near course, so pack it in.
>Some disc loss risk on the field holes, likely higher in the summer when the grass is high. Be mindful of getting off the fairway on the field holes in summer.

BASICS:

>Teepads--Concrete, fairly short but in decent condition. A couple holes seemed to have two pads.
>Baskets--DisCathers, good condition. Holes 1-11 have two basket positions. There are no indications which are which, I basically just chose the first one I could see on these holes. With many holes not having tee signs, this turns out to be quite confusing. Is it pick your basket each time? Are there A and B positions? Totally unsure.
># holes--18
>Setting--11 in the woods, though fairways are pretty open, though tight, 7 in more open fields.
>Elevation--Some nice elevation changes, including the wooded holes, especially considering the area is mostly flat.
>Distance of holes--A few woods holes in the <200' range, most in the 225'-250' range. The field holes are generally from 300'-400' plus.
>Free/pay to play, type of course--State park, free.
>Ease of getting to--A bit outside of town but not bad.

AMENITIES:

>Parking--Ample, includes practice basket.
>Bathrooms--There is one by hole 18 (next to parking lot). It was closed this day, but possibly due to COVID. Unsure if it is usually open this time of year.
>Water/food nearby--There is a park office nearby with water, a non-functional (COVID?) water fountain on hole 1, and a marina with a snack bar (possibly closed due to COVID, did not visit). Beyond that, fast food is about 15 minutes away.
>Clubhouse/disc shop--No
>Benches--Yes, several throughout the course.
>Trash cans--A few scattered, one large one was filled to overflowing.
>Bag holders--No
>Tee signs--More than half the holes have no sign at all. Most of the wooded holes baskets can be seen from the tee pads, but several overall cannot. An online map is suggested, download before you get there, my cell carrier had signal there but it is out in the sticks a bit. Yours might not.
>Next tee direction/signs--A few, but mostly not. Wooded holes have well-worn trails, but here again a map is helpful.
>Wheelchair/cart friendly--No, somewhat.

COURSE PLAY:

>Shot variety--Pretty nice. Some touch shots in the woods, FH, BH, even a couple where a flex shot is the best play.
>Layout, long walks (inc back to car), loops--one long loop, though 1-11 make a nice wooded hole only loop as well that ends near the parking lot. No long walks from basket to next tees, most are 100' or less.
>Total distance walked--1.8 miles.
>Ease of finding next tee--Not bad, but next tee signs are few. A map would be helpful the first time.
>General difficulty--If you can hit tight lines (heaven knows I can't all the time), the wooded holes are quite easy--fairly short. The field holes require good (325'+) distance for birdie opps, except the par 4's, which most rec players could get birdies on (if I can get them…) with a couple decent drives.
>Mud/water issues--Seems to drain pretty well, but has been dry lately.
>Water or O/B to contend with--Hole 10 is near the lake, but it would take a bad tree kick or grip lock to find it. No O/B except hole 17 and holes near roads, where an errant shot could cross or land in the road).
>Difficult rough/lost disc risk--Medium risk on the field holes, especially 12 and 14, which are long downhill shots with lots of places a disc could hide. A spotter is recommended if you throw like me.
>Scrape/scratch risk--Medium, mostly on the wooded holes.
>How busy was course/park--Nary a soul was playing besides me, on a very nice weekday around noon.

OVERALL

>Fun/enjoyment factor, would I play again? Yes, I like the course, a few of the field holes are quite fun--12 and 14 are long downhill bombs. 17 is a long left to right island hole with a decent size hill on the left and near constant left to right headwinds from lake making shots interesting.
>Who will this course challenge? Most up to mid 900 ratings. Perhaps up to a 1000 rated for those who aren't great at hitting small gaps.
>Is it worth a drive? Yes, especially if you can play it twice--once to see where all the teepads are, the 2nd you can pick which baskets you want to throw to.
>Anything unique? Holes 1, 4, 5, 12, 14, and 17 (a nice island hole) are pretty nice.
>Would be a half star higher with--Tee signs, next tee directions, emptied out trash cans, a general appearance of being maintained--looks like it has been ignored for some time, not any welcome sign or map at hole one or anything.

I am in my 50s, 80 or so courses played, 875ish.

Buck Creek's variety and views place it firmly among the top tier of local courses. There's a lot to like here, with a well-designed variety of technical and open looks to satisfy players of all tastes and skill levels. Most of the wooded holes early in the course feature tight but fair lines to multiple baskets, offering ace run opportunities on holes that play more creatively than simply straight ahead off the tee. Once the course shifts to the open after Hole 11, you'll contend with a bit more length and a lot more wind. Bombers will appreciate these chances to get back in contention after being cramped through the front of the circuit.

The open holes revolve around a high vista overlooking the sizable reservoir that dominates the park. Holes 12 & 17 are highlighted by inspiring views of the water, especially in the evening when the sun sets.

Lucky Hole 13 is an underrated monster that plays 305 feet straight uphill with prairie grass rough on either side of the fairway. The pin is set on a small mound atop the highest and most exposed portion of the course, inviting the wind to wreak havoc on any and all putts.

A notable, lesser known pro of this course is that it drains better than any other course in the Dayton area. Buck Creek is consistently in good shape, no matter how much rain the area receives.

All holes feature concrete tees playing to DISCatchers - frequently two per hole in the woods. Benches are strategically positioned to provide welcome rest.

Buck Creek's biggest issues are primarily summer problems. First, the course can get overrun with insects from late spring to early fall. Mosquitoes, biting flies, and ticks all patrol the area in numbers. Second, the maintenance tends to lag during the same period. The wooded fairways get a little wooly in both rough and ground cover, while the open holes are overrun by tall grass. The disc-eating, hillside prairie grass rough on 12, 14, and especially 17 can make it very challenging to locate discs. You'll want to pay close attention to where you land.

Hole 6 is a tight 90 degree fairway to the right with minimal margin for error and most of the hole length coming after the turn. With all the fun, technical holes out here, this one seems a bit contrived.

Buck Creek is one of the Dayton metro's better courses, and its convenient location to I-70 marks it as a perfect road trip stopover. If you've got the time, swing by here and Englewood Metropark DGC for a good overview of what Ohio disc golf has to offer.

For more local players, the forthcoming Snyder Park course will provide an excellent complement to Buck Creek, and the two will make a top-notch doubleheader here in Springfield.

Nice baskets, really like the innova discatchers.

Great layout. Like the wooded terrain.

Good use of elevation.

Good signage. I had no problems navigating as a first timer.

I would definitely stop off and visit this one again.

excellent use of the land with a wonderful variety of shots, very easy to follow and minimal walking required between holes. This course will test your accuracy on the front and your ability to fight the wind on the back. Great views of the lake and a clean park overall.

If only the holes were a little longer.

The real reason I'm writing this review - I shot a round with a local today and he told me the new park ranger is quite strict. Be smart on the course as he has been known to walk throughout the park looking for suspicious activity, pot, booze. Be wise, and don't speed! Rangers have the authority to pull vehicles over and had one pulled over as I left at 8pm.

On the whole, the course makes excellent use of the terrain. There's good use of elevation, and the course combines technical holes early on with more open shots towards the back of the course.

Teepads are all concrete, with well made signage throughout. Multiple holes have alternate pin positions, with a few holes having an alternate teepad as well.

Some holes have very narrow or barely defined fairways. Additionally, some of the middle holes are very short and sharply doglegged which makes them somewhat less interesting. Links style holes are good, but not when they're less than 300ft in total length.

On the hole, this is a really solid course that can provide a good, technical challenge while having a few holes, most notably 14, where you can really air out a disc. The one major issue however is that it's fairly remote, with the park being well off the beaten path compared to most of the other courses in the area. It's still well worth the trip out, however.

This course is probably one of the hilliest in Ohio. There are some pretty views from atop the hills, #12 especially.
There are challenging left/right/straight holes that keep you entertained!
#12 easily was my favorite hole in that you could have a variety of different drives (out right come back left, vis versa, roller all the way down the hill, and even attempting straight at it).
The holes in the woods are forgiving because even if you hit a tree, you should still have a decent shot to make par since the woods holes aren't too long.

No par on the printed signs.
Printed signs quite inaccurate to the hole locations.
No next tee signs, you can get lost for a few seconds.
#18 could have been made better. It is not challenging nor is it near the hole #1 tee.

All in all makes for a fun day where shooting par is quite good for this course. Not a long course, but not terribly short either. Just about right. Not recommended for the first timer as woods holes will make for a depressing day.

Excellent use of a nice piece of property for disc golf. The course itself is very well thought out. With a fairly good balance of hyzer and anhyzer tee shots required, slightly favoring the RHBH anhyzer shot. There are plenty of risk/reward decisions available with definite penalty for errant shots. The first nine holes are all fairly short and wooded. Accuracy is must on these holes with plenty of elevation change. There are definite lines available on every hole, but banging of off a tree can really put you in trouble. Good shots will be rewarded with realistic ace runs available for the higher skilled players. The back nine begins to open up and lengthen up, however the longest hole is 480 feet so there is nothing to challenge the truly big arms as far as distance goes. Very good job with hole design and basket placement I thought. There is some kind of challenge on every hole. With baskets placed on the side of hills, behind trees, and even elevated on a mound. The course navigates fairly easily with little need for course map. There are some next tee signs to help, a few more would be great. The few locals we encountered were very friendly and helpful. The people in the office were very nice and even provided a course map for me. There are restrooms not far and all the amenities of a state park right there.
The condition of the course was very good, even considering we were there right after the big storms. Lots of little branches down but no real damage done to the course. The baskets are Innova Discatchers and are in very good shape. The tees are concrete and there are trash cans and benches at every tee. The tees seemed a little short to me but the longer holes had longer tees so the played well. For the most part you are secluded from the rest of the park and won't have to worry about pedestrians. Except for the last few holes where picnic tables can come into play. This is a shame since there is enough property here that this would not have necessary. However we did not have any issues and it was July 4 so you would think this will be a rare occurrence. Great sign at the entrance to the course and a very nice touch is the water fountain; I wish more courses had this.

The only real con here is signs, more specifically the lack of signs. As you enter the main park there is nice big sign pointing you in the right direction. Unfortunately there is no sign telling you where to turn. Look for the picnic sign. As others have pointed out there no real signs other than number at the tees. Since many of the baskets can not be seen from the tee it would be helpful to know where the doglegs are. Unfortunately the course map did not have any information either. Every hole was shown as being straight with no distance given.

This was a really fun course to play with many challenges and shot decisions to make. I would not call this a beginner friendly course. Red tees would help in that regard. I missed the alternate tee pads except for 18. This really added challenge to this hole. It appears as though there is an active disc golf community here and they are to be commended on their work. This course is definitely a fun one to play and would be worth going out of your way to do so. I hope to have the opportunity to come back some day.

Good use of Trees and Elevation Changes, Very Challenging, Mostly Short holes.

Some T-boxes in bad shape, I hear this spring they will be replaced with concrete. No Distance maps or par.

Very much enjoying this course best in the area.

Challenging shots, great views, baskets still have that new smell, never been too busy, not that difficult to find next hole.

If you go right your searching for your disc, if you go left you've probably lost your disc, tee boxes are difficult for proper footing, some holes are numbered at the tee box but others have worn off, course map available at ranger station is of old course before the remodel, there are men who circle the parking lot looking for you know what.

There was a group called Springfield disc golf crew (I think that's the correct name) but they seem to be gone. I would like to start this back up. I play the last four holes as par 4 due to length and because no one is there to argue with me about it. I think it's hole 11 that I play from outside the tee box because I don't want to lose a disc. You drive from behind a huge amount of tall brush into a narrow area. If I have time I will make a new map of this place and post it where I do not know.

Great views of the lake. Wish it was used more. Good mix of "types" of holes. Open, tight, elevation. Has good flow through the woods. Like what they did with the redesign. Good facilities and also a practice basket!

Tee pads. I was told they are trying to get them in sometime this or next year. Also no tee signs.

Would have rated it higher, but without tee pads or signs, i could only give it a 3.5. This is a solid course with a solid challenge for all skill levels. Can't wait to play it once tee pads are installed

The course plays through a corner of a nice state park with a large lake. Several of the holes have great views out over the marina and lake from the top of a hill. The first half of the course plays through tight woods with some elevation changes. There is enough underbrush to punish errant shots but not enough to really eat discs. The second half of the course opens up and uses more elevation and wider fairways with brushy rough. This makes for a really fun variety with lots of different types of holes.

There is a nice balance of tight shorter holes and open longer holes with a few that let you open up a little more. The wooded holes call for a great variety of shot shapes, with enough trouble to make you hit your lines if you want to score well. The elevation on the property s used very well to make some fun downhill shots and some tough uphill holes.

The course feels like it's still a work in progress, and definitely has some room to improve. The wooded holes still need a little clearing and cleaning up, they feel a little unfinished at the moment. The open holes have some tall grass rough, not my favorite kind of obstacle on a course when it eats discs and doesn't do a good job of making your next shot harder after an errant drive.

The tees are terrible. They are loose piles of gravel that shift under your feet and make for really awful footing. They are even poor for stand and deliver shots because they are so uneven and loose. The signage is pretty poor, and doesn't do a great job of showing where to throw or where to go next.

The design of this course is really solid, with lots of fun and challenging holes and enough variety to keep it really interesting. With a little work on the amenities, this could be a great course in a cool state park with lots of other fun things to do. Beginners might find it a little tough and punishing. More experienced players will find some really good challenges here, it's not a championship level course but it has enough variety to make it a lot of fun. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

-great looking course
-large variety of shots
-great use of natural landscape
-great use of elevation changes
-no wait to throw
-very advanced course play
-good local dg scene

-gravel tee pads
-lots of blind shots
-no signs
-high weeds
-not beginner friendly

a very enjoyable course! very technical , i have never had to scramble so hard to get 3's on some of the holes. the gravel tee pads kind of kill it for me, they are ok in the shorter wooded holes but on several of the longer open holes i couldn't get the power i would normally use because i was sinking in to the stones. i read at the course that they are planning to add rubber tee pads and this will be a great improvement. when the pads are installed i will likely give this course a better rating. i will definatly be back to this course for future rounds

Beautiful State Park. Good mixture of tight wooded holes and open fairways that makes you hit your shots. Good use of elevation and well manicured holes. The first 9 holes have been redesigned again since 2009 and I love the changes. Before those holes were mostly luck if you made it down the non existant "fairway" in the woods now there are like 5 to 10 feet wide gaps that gives you a chance if your shot holds it anhyzer or hyzer line or s-curve.

Wish there were accurate tee pad maps and concrete tee pads vesus rubber or natural because the tee pad areas don't drain well from the rain. The fairways are well defined but if your off course just a touch there is thick overgrowth to contend with.

Because of the redesign of the first 9 holes (they added 2 holes on completely different acres of land than before and cleared out some brush on the other front nine) I now have this course at 3 1/2 rating. They could improve the signage a bit and put in better tee pads but this is a pretty great play on a sunny day as is. Very challenging fun holes in a beautiful State Park. Worth the drive out to play it for sure. After playing this course a couple more times, I think its just so important they fix the gravel tee pads because it really affects the type of game you have to throw for the holes designed here. If they do, watch out this course will really become premier.

Great land, good mix of wooded and open holes, need a plethora of shots to get under par (pro par)

Raw course, needs a lot of beautification efforts. Course is going to have changes made which should create a better overall experience. No tee pads, no signs, but all of which will be taken care of later this spring