It could be argued Cottonmill DGC is the best the state of Nebraska has to offer. It has versatility, with multiple pin locations on nearly every hole, and short tees on a couple. The layout is challenging, featuring elevation change, water in play and some thick rough that can be punishing. The tee pads are concrete, and they have signs posted for each hole with all of the relevant info.
The baskets were fit for play.

There are a few of really amazing holes, and the quality is consistently very good throughout. Hole 2 is the first real doozy. It's downhill steeply toward the water, with the basket cutting into the woods on the left before you reach the bottom. The fairway is pretty wide, but if you leave it you will be in very thick woods and brush. 3 is the first play over the water, but there is a short tee if you would like to reduce the risk. 4 is a good tunnel shot. Hole 6 plays similar to 2, and features a similar steep drop with heavy rough on either side of the fairway. The pin was placed in a risky spot to the right on the waters edge. Hole 9 plays across the water again, with a couple of good lanes up the hill on the way to the basket. 12 and 14 are shorter holes that are downhill and kind of fun. 12 is steeper and more heavily wooded than 14. 18 gives you a final chance to pick up a birdie with a short hole, but don't overshoot it too much, or you will be coming back out of the woods.

This course is not for the faint of heart. I was surprised by how thick the rough was, and spent a fair amount of time fighting my way out. This and the lake will both be able to steal a stray disc. Not the place to take a noob.

Hole 15 plays next to the swimming area, but it was drained. I don't know if this is refilled for the summer, but if it is there is likely to be lawn chairs, beach towels and children running around not far from the basket.

Cottonmill DGC gave me a hard time, but I would play there often if I lived in the area. It takes a sharp game to play at or below par here. The birdie opportunities are there, more of them on the back nine, but giving shots back is easy to do. I finished at 69, with only one birdie on the day, on hole 15 (in the short position).

I am in the double digits in Nebraska now, and this course is one of the best I have played there. It has superior tees and signage to my favorite NE course, Hummel Park in Omaha. It is far more versatile and difficult than my second favorite course, Kelley Park in McCook. I can see why it may deserve a better rating than the others, but I have to go with my heart. That being said, this is a marvelous course, and do not pass it up if you're in the vicinity. It is definitely unique, and I can not think of a course that is a great comparison off the top of my head.

- Great variety: short, moderate and longer holes that offer unique challenges.
- Elevation: makes even the the greatest think twice about their shots.
- Beautiful layout: lake, swimming pond, foliage and plenty of vegetation to challenge every kind of player

- Water hazards.
- Some holes are hard to follow your shots so make sure you have a second pair of eyes watching.
- Navigation is a little tricky. There is a large gap between 9 and 10.

This is a quality course that will test even the most skilled disc golfers. The layout and length may seem intimidating to a beginner but don't let that keep you from playing one of the best courses in the midwest.
If you can shoot under par on this course you have a pretty solid game. The elevation, shot variety and overall setup of this course makes it fun for all levels. If you have never played a course with elevation I challenge you to play a round at Cottonmill!

This course has a good mix of short, moderate, and longer holes.
Excellent elevation changes providing you with both uphill and downhill shots.
Well maintained, adequate signage, and ample tee pads.
Disc golf exclusive course.
Dog leg L/R holes, tunnel shots, and low ceiling shots.
There are a few holes that are Aceable and there are a couple of spots to air out some drives.
Also there are 2 holes with a lake to give you a water threat.
If you don't want to throw across the water holes 3 and 9 offer an alternative pad.
Pine/cedar grinding to help with erosion. Other amenities nearby like hiking, fishing, etc. A kiosk to tell visitors which position the pins are currently in.
Multiple pins placements to keep things from getting stale.
There are benches and trash cans sprinkled throughout the course.
This course provides many lines that need to be shaped and it will test your accuracy and your mental approach as well as your distance and shot making abilities.
There is a lot of risk/reward on many holes.

Navigation can be tricky in spots so taking the map is highly advised for the first time visitor.
Next tee arrows might help with the confusion for players not familiar with the layout.
Long walk from 15's basket(when it is in the B position) to 16's tee.
Some players might complain about having to walk around the lake on 3 and again on 9 to get to the other side of the fairway, for me this wasn't an issue.

This is a quality course that will test even the most seasoned of golfers. Its not overly technical so lesser skilled players can still enjoy their round.
If you can shoot under par on this course you have a pretty solid game and can compete with most players that you will encounter.
The shot variety coupled with the elevation and then add in the terrain make for some excellent golfing. This course has pretty much everything that a disc golfer could want in a course.
I throughly enjoyed my round at this course. If you are close to the area, or like road trips, hit this course up. I'm sure you will find something here to enjoy.

Great variety.
Excellent mix of left, right, straight, tight, and wide open shots with water hazards and alternate tees.
Great views. Scenery changes throughout the course with meadows, woods, shade, sun, sand, people, wildlife, wild flowers, water, etc.
Lots of good elevation changes.
The course is not at all repetitive or monotonous.
Nicely maintained.
The mature cottonwoods and other trees are nice.
You could have a tough time finding a couple discs and want to scream after a couple throws, but the challenge of the course is not so insane as to make you not want to play it; it is about ideal.

Tee offs and flow is confusing unless you have played it several times or have a map (print the one off this site before playing). This is sad, because it is a fairly big con, but about the only one I have of this course.

This is my favorite course in Nebraska and the one we play most often. It never gets old and is the course that really got my wife and I into disc golf. Many avid players consider it one of the best despite the flow being awkward at times. If you want to make an all-day or overnight trip out of it, Kearney has nice places to stay and other things to do. You can also play Centennial and get a park pass and play Ft. Kearny while you are in the area. The Kearney community has an app (Kearney App) that also marks out the golf disc holes and tee offs as part of its "Disc Golf Tour" within the app. This might help locating tee.

Excellent course! Very professional design and maintenance. Great variety in holes with elevation changes, trees, turns, doglegs, and other obstacles. Surrounded by a nice park. Tee pads, signs and directions are present.

I can't think of many cons. This is a near perfect course. The water hazard can be a problem for losing discs or having to get wet searching for one.

This is probably the best course I have played out of many throughout the country. It really makes you forget that you're in central Nebraska when you're surrounded by scenery that looks more like a forested mountain area. This is a place where you can expect many experienced players to be. University of Nebraska Kearney is also nearby.

-Course is in a very nice, scenic local park/recreation area built around a fishing lake (which the course plays along in places).
-Well-kept and free of litter for the most part
-Decent concrete teepads
-Signage at the start of the course which shows which pins are in their alternate(B) positions (most recent trip it was not being used, though)
-Small signs at each teepad which show distance and rough pin location
-Nice use of elevation changes, significant in some places (#2,#6, #9, for instance)
-Variety of hole distances (200-ish to 400+ ft)
-Lots of mature trees add to the challenge
- "Secret" hole in the woods to the left of the fairway on #2.

-For those unfamiliar with the layout, it can be tricky to navigate in places. Some signage that directs to the next teebox would help.
-You sometimes may have to walk the fairway to see which position the pin is in
-#4 and #8's fairways play pretty close to each other
-Golfers teeing off on #3 and crossing over to #10 from #9 have to watch out for throws on #2. #3 and #9 do tee off crossways over the same finger of the lake, also
-The road can come into play in a couple of areas. Also, people seem to like to park at a turnaround near #5 which puts them in range of a drive off the tee there almost directly straight ahead
-Non-golfers like to hike around the course as well, so be mindful of that
-#15 plays very near a swim lake, and a sand volleyball course sits in the middle of the fairway when the pin is in the long position as well (marked OB)
-The rough is very thick in places
-While fun, could be very frustrating to beginners
-A long, hilly hike could be a "con" to some

Cottonmill is challenging, at times punishingly so, but ultimately is a very fun course to play. Between the mature trees and the well-used elevation changes, along with sometimes very gusty winds (this is in the central plains, after all), a golfer will find their game tested. Accuracy is a must on this course, as a shot off of the fairways can quickly balloon your score.

I make it up to Nebraska maybe a couple times a year, and stay in the Kearney area. I make it a point to play Cottonmill as much as I can while I am there. I cannot say enough about this course. It is a blast to play, and I highly recommend playing this course if the opportunity arises.

This course would be challenging for most everyone if the holes are all in the B location which they were for our first outing but even in the A position a player just starting out or learning how to play could become very frustrated in a hurry. If you're just starting out don't keep track of your score and just take in the experience of playing at such a good course. I see this as a positive because after playing this course with two others who were new to the course we quickly had absolutely no fear of any other course we've encountered because they all seem a lot more friendly compared to a course like this that is intended to give an experienced player a challenge.

Beautiful scenery all year round and something different to look at each time. This would be a great place for the whole family to spend an afternoon while you put your arm to the test.

This course will force you to learn to throw different kinds of shots because without them it will cost you strokes. The different holes will force you to throw straight shots, hyzer shots, anhyzer shots, and even tempt you into throwing rollers on certain occasions if you have a consistent roller in your bag. It will even force you reevaluate your approach/putt game because some of the B position pins are right near the waters edge.

Some of the shots you'll take here are nothing like what you'll find anywhere else in central Nebraska, it really is a unique experience especially on a windy day when the pins are in the B position.

The course had great signage including a scoreboard at hole 1 which indicated the positions of the pins so you know which are in the A position or the B position. Make sure to write this down before heading out on the course.

The course had good teepads which were level with the ground and usually placed in a visible place from the previous hole. All of the tees are in great condition and very well kept.

All of the baskets are in good shape and well maintained. They are moved around at various times of the year for different events.

All holes are listed as par 3 which is not reasonable for most average players but then again this may not be a con because again this disc golf course was not designed to be a normal run of the mill (no pun intended) DGC.

Some of the holes are not always clearly laid out the first time around so it might be confusing the first go round.

The first time you play this you are bound to end up making a lot of bad shots because you have no idea how close or far you are until you are right on top of the hole in some cases. This course could use more detailed maps like those at Tierra park in Lincoln or possibly a printable map/scorecard.

I would highly recommend this course for even the casual player if they live in the state because it really is an amazing course at all times of the year. During the winter the swimming lake is drained and most of the water hazards are frozen over which reduces the fear of loosing a disc. During the summer this is a beautiful park with a lot to take in while you walk the course.

I would recommend walking the full course before playing it the first time. I would also recommend not going alone because on at least 3 or 4 of the holes you need a spotter to watch your disc because you are throwing blind over a hill or down hill between a narrow path of trees were you could loose a disc or hit someone. This normally would not be a concern on some disc golf courses that are out in remote parks like this but while we were playing there were a lot of people walking their dogs in the park or running along the fairways which could result in an unpleasant experience if you were to hit someone on a blind shot.

This is a MUST PLAY course for anyone who has the chance to play it and is well worth the drive even for someone passing by along the interstate. If you have a trip passing by Kearney and are from out of state make plans to stop and take in the course because it will certainly not let you down.

On a side note I have heavily revised my previous review since the original date it was wrote. Hopefully it gives a better portrayal of what Cottonmill has to offer.

Great use of trees and mixture of left and right hand holes. Great layout for the most part. Pretty easy to follow. This course is beautiful!

Not much outside of a little confusing finding some of the tees and baskets on first time through. (i.e. the back 9)