-Always enjoy the layout of this course. Plenty of challenge without too much unnecessary risk.
-Good length without requiring a monster arm usually.
-Lovely State Park setting

-Holes 1 -3 can be a bit technical and hazardous for the short drives.
-Can get very busy.
-Mud can be an issue during wet climes.
-Some crossing route in open field.

I love this course. It is not unblemished, but it has always given me a good time.

Dabney St Park right next to the Sandy River is one of my favorite courses in the Columbia River George. This course offers that esthetically pleasing views and the sounds of nature all around. There are great variety of shots all around. This course moderately hilly as it plays through some woods, as well as some open shots. This course was placed in a great area I think. Kind of reminds me of Riverbend DGC just because of the terrain.

Great Hardware such as teepads and teesigns and baskets. There is a practice basket as well which is always great.

First hole is one of my favs. This hole is a fun shot over the water in the winter.
The rest of the holes. Are played around amazing views and in some woods.
Hole 3 straight over water. This hole reminds me of one of the holes at horning hideouts.

Hole 4 straight to left hole kind of wide open. Hole 5 one of my other favorite holes. Downhill hyzer is the play great bombing shot.

This course plays through open with a few trees on the left and right. That is on the front nine.
On the back side it is wooded. For some parts. On the last holes there is a cliff of to the left.

Mach V or X baskets get the job done I would like to see a little more high quality baskets.

For beginners I would say play the holes you know you can play. Some holes have steep cliffs and other holes have water on them.

I would recommend going here in the summer. In the winter it is muddy wet and standing water. Decently good tee signs. They get the job done I do wish they would be more detailed.

Some of the brush should be cleared but its not too much of a problem. Also it is a state park so you do have to pay to play.

I would recomend a map some baskets are hard to find because they are either blocked by quite a few other trees or etc.

In the woods holes I would say they need to clear some trees. Some of them are right neer the teepad as well as the basket.

If you live out there I would recommend a state parks pass. It makes it easier to mange you way around and you don't have to dig in you wallet for $5. Also the pass comes to other amazing courses such as Milo Mciver Timber and others.

AND I do recommend playing here in the summer.

Overall I like this course I have played here a couple of times. I like the variety of shots that they have. It challenges players from all skill levels.
I would like to see them have a couple more pin locations on each hole though. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area or visiting IN the summer.

Fun layout with variations of wooded and open holes, long and short.

If you don't make the fairway on every shot you will meet some hazards. From ravines to nettles and ferns. Spotter almost mando. Some areas are naturally mucky even in summer.

Not a good place to go alone. If your line does not stick to the fairway there is a good chance you will lose your disc.

-Very aesthetically pleasing course set in the western end of the Columbia River Gorge near the Sandy River. Huge conifers, rushing streams, and misty air are one of a kind to the Cascade Mountains.
-Super peaceful and serene way out here in the boonies.
-Great variety of holes: water holes, short tree lined holes, longer open holes. The first 11 were more open, whereas the last 7 holes were shorter and played through a tight forested area, offering more technical shots.
-Fun pin locations
-Not too many players when I played on a Saturday morning.
-Signs were present but not that helpful.
-Mach 5's were in good condition.

-Was wet. I played during summer and it was a bit damp. It'll be very nasty and muddy, I'm sure, during wintertime. It is the Gorge, after all.
-On a decent number of holes, including the last four, if you miss the fairway left you'll go down a steep hill. The undergrowth isn't too thick, so you can find your disc, but the problem is managing to make your way down TO it. I slipped way too many times.
-A little far out from civilization. It's not very easily accessed.
-Transitions between holes are tricky if you don't know the place.

-Holes 1 and 3 were long carries, not good for beginners or anyone not OK with losing a disc.
-Very good course to practice shot placement with mid-ranges, but not a good one to try a new driver. There are only a few holes (4, 10 come to mind), where you can throw full power.
-Definitely a course I'd play again.

-Different selection of holes
-beautiful layout
-Pin changes alot
-Inspired hole design
-Huge disc selection needed
-No dogs allowed (sorry I love dogs but not on a chamionship level course)
-Low risk of losing discs
-Cool players
-awesome parking

-Some holes need to be par 4 (hole 4, 5 and 11 & 14) or better yet move pins to a more technical location.
-can get damp so bring water proof shoes if it rains or rained the night before
-Can get crowded during peak times (sunday sat afternoon)
-discs WILL hit trees. trust me.

I average even to -4 on Mciver but this course I have yet to crack even. Its tough! Pin placement has a HUGE impact on your score. I really love this course but some holes are hard to earn a par. daily pass cost unless u buy a year for 30$ totally worth it.

-Dabney is a wonderful course in a beautiful setting. The holes are fun and challenging and at the same time they're all different. With variety in elevation, hazards, LHBH/RHBH shots, open holes and tight technical holes, this course has it covered.

-The course is almost never crowded, and the course is almost exclusively used by other disc golfers. So you're never waiting for a dog walker or jogger, etc.

-Lots of benches at this course are great if, like me, you don't have a chair.

-With lots of parking, a lost disc return, a practice basket, restrooms, and clean fairways/teeing areas Dabney offers a comfortable and enjoyable disc golf experience.

-The tee signs could use updating. While the course has multiple pins, the signs do not reflect this. This is especially frustrating when playing one of the courses many blind holes.

-The last few holes play next to a large ravine and through the most wooded part of the course. It's easy to get a bad kick and end up in the ravine. This is a rather frustrating way to end your round.

-The Tee for hole #4 is halfway down the fairway for hole #3 so after holing out on #3 you have to walk back down the fairway.

-First timers can easily get lost after hole #11, not realizing where to go for hole #12. This spot needs a 'Next Tee' sign.

Attn: iPhone users - Apple maps won't get you to this course if you just get directions to "Dabney State Park" - It will take you to some random dirt road on the back side of the park (Hocker Rd). Make sure you put in the proper address when getting directions.

Tee Pads, Multiple pin placement, Pin placements are changed weekly , Practice basket, Challenging, -/+ elevation, Clean, Plenty of parking, Restrooms, Trash cans throughout, Benches at all pads, Pavilion w/tables and BBQ, good mix of shot variations RHBH & LHBH, Defined fairways, Great bunch of locals and usually never crowded.

$5 per car or $30 for annual pass. During winter, holes 5-7 are prone to be soggy. No dogs. Some baskets are not visible from the tee can be frustrating for first timers, tee signs are currently not accurate with distances or show all pin locations.

The first time I played this course was three years ago. It had underbrush and berry bushes that were unforgiving. There have been many improvements from the local disc golf community since then and is still making improvements. The course is designed strictly for DG, eliminating any other distractions. It has made my favorite list since the first time and I keep going back for more. The pin placements make this course diversified and challenge all calibers of players. New tee signs are in the making for this course, which will improve my rating for the course once it is done. Oregon has many beautiful courses and this one in my opinion is under rated and under the radar. If you are in the area or coming to the Portland area this is a must.

Variety! Every shot is different than the last! Only one hole (11 I believe) is a wide open bomb, every other hole has some kind of obstacle to shoot around, over, under, or through!
Great tee pads
Good tee signs, only show 1 placement though.
Very nice flow and setting!

Can be windy
Can be muddy in places

This is what disc golf is all about!

Good course. Varied play. Trees and water hazards kept things interesting. Traffic was light.

Very muddy grounds. Holes weren't always marked well, and could be hard to find.

Nice course to play on the weekend, easy drive to get to.

Awesome Course. All together extremely fun... Water hazard on 2 can be intimidating but if you want to swim, just throw your disc in... I did and came up with three more...

Some mud but not much and there was quite a bit of garbage.

Great Course to take the family to for a picnic and some golf...

The course has had park staff cutting grass and trimming bushes to the course is in good shape. If you like blackberries the bushes are full on ripe berries for a snack along the way! The baskets were recently moved so if you play this course you might want to take a second look for the baskets before shooting.

On hot days during the weekend you will want to arrive at this park prior to 1130 am because this park is popular with river use users. Parking will run out by noon.

On hot days take water with you on this course because a drinkable water source is difficult to find at this park.

You are going to love playing this course. It requires accuracy on nearly every hole because mature trees are in play. If you hit the gap then it's a birdie, but if you hit a tree it could be double bogey. High risk, high reward as it should be.There did not seem to be many other people in the area besides players. The front 10 are more open and play differently than the back 8. You must utilize different skills throughout the course. You can get a birdie on several holes but only with a perfect shot. There are multiple pin positions, but I seem to always play when the course is toughest. Great signs for navigation.

Thorns and brush. In the summer, the rough consists of unmitigated plant growth with swampy conditions. Very easy to lose a disc with the right ricochet. The thorns make searching for discs very hazardous. Not a lot of ace opportunities. One tee box per hole. You need a spotter as several holes are blind. A map is necessary for your first time.

Blackberries! I ran this course with my friend and we asked to play through a group of 2 on 18. They looked at us like we were crazy and said no. They both missed their putts. Karma. We birdied and bolted over to Rooster Rock. The course is just outside of Portland, but the drive along the river is great.

Great mix of holes, an insane amount of variety, and plenty of alternate placings to keep it even fresher,

Its beautiful out there as well. Almost every hole has a garbage can AND recycling bin, which is essential since its a state park and therefore legal to have an open container.

BBQ spots, river access, boat access and a practice basket!

Awesome tee pads and baskets, good signs with frequent sharpie updates on target placements.

Disc drop for lost discs, with a list of lost ones and a contact e-mail. (ive heard it actually works!)

Booty when it comes to blackberry/thistle combo plants. If you cant throw in control, bring pants and long sleeves or write your number all over your disc.

Can get soggy.

Over all, when I sit down and think of where to play, Dabney always seems to win. its got everything you could want.

Just be aware of how god awful looking for discs can be there,

A good tomahawk can make or brake this course, with lots of shots on target that need to go around obstacles, or over trees.

People rip on all the trees and obstacles, but i think it just goes to improve your game. I learned to play on this course, and now when i play it with folks who normally crush on their drives, i can actually stay even with them because the course has forced me to develop my throws. If you can figure out how to get your disc to turn and fade when you want it to, you can realllly thread the needle on some of these holes. it is very satisfying to see your disc make it through an absurdly dense stand of trees because you got your accuracy perfect, and then have one of your pro rated friends get a double bogie because they are too used to open drives.

Like this course allot just wish it hadn't been raining. Great mix of of open and tight holes back 9 can kick your butt. Can't wait to make it back out to play again.

Back 9 has a nasty drop off and you can bet on a disc going off that edge. Loved the course other then that.

Lost a beast there first hole went straight long into the pond.

Challenging course with good hole variety, longer and shorter holes, doglegs left and right, tight holes and a few wide open shots.
Good tee pads and baskets.
Hole 3 offers a rare over-water shot.
Weekly league through the summer.
Course has a nice overall setting when the weather holds up.
Other courses not too far away allow for a good day of disc golfing.
High "fun factor" overall, course is well suited to a wide variety of skill levels. Short enough for newer players (though I wouldn't recommend it for a first time player due to underbrush) but tight enough to challenge even pro players.

2021 Update: I have bumped my 3.5 up to a 4. Dabney as a course has aged like fine wine, largely as a result of lots of hard work and care by the locals. There are now quite a few holes with 3 pin positions, which get rotated very regularly. There's more mowing in the summer, and in general it feels like the edges have been touched up in recent years. Hole 18 which had safety concerns was replaced with a new hole 1 which is closer to the main parking lot, and there's now a little practice basket with plenty of space near the first tee. At this point one of the only things the course could really use is quality tee signs that can show different pin positions, as the course has lots of blind holes and a few non-intuitive pin locations. That and perhaps some sort of Hole 1 kiosk.

Element of luck is very present, course can be very fickle.
As mentioned course can get pretty overgrown in the summertime
Tweakers have been known to break into cars (don't leave any valuables)
Some might find the lack of longer drives a minus factor.

On the whole Dabney is a very nice course, it challenges pretty much all ability levels and gives those with less distance a fighting chance. It's also one of the closest 18 hole courses to many in Portland. If you live somewhere in the metro area definitely play Dabney, if you're in Portland for a few days come check it out, but I would prioritize more marquee courses like Milo, Stub/Buxton, Pier (though I think Dabney could rival Pier if it's crowded)