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Rochester, NY

Ellison Park

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3.685(based on 17 reviews)
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Ellison Park reviews

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7 0
peachwein
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A hilly old favorite. drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 10, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Rubber Tee-pads an improvement over the old dirt ones.
-Great course design utilizing the extreme elevation changes in the area.
-Good diversity of shot shapes.
-Most baskets in decent shape.

Cons:

-Can be very swampy in the valleys.
-Ground Bees on hole 10 halfway between tee-pad and basket. They don't seem to be aggressive, but if you can't drive the basket you might want to leave your shot more to the left edge of the fairway.
-Hole 4 basket has been vandalized and bent out of shape. It is useable, but very uneven.
-Course can be very busy, you will likely find yourself sitting and waiting a lot between holes due to some very large newer groups playing 10 people to a hole.

Other Thoughts:

Overall one of my favorite courses in the Rochester area. I will always hit this course up if I'm in the area and i have the time. The course utilizes some extreme downhill, uphill, and cross hill play. Be prepared to get a proper hike in while playing this course. Mostly some pretty open lines to the basket, but there is good use of trees throughout to force some finesse drives. Hole 12 is a very picturesque wildly down hill 524' shot that i look forward to every time i come here. Would definitely recommend this if you find yourself in the area.
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2 1
aarpag1023
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Wide Open Course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Fantastic Wide open course with some trees here and there
Lots of hills
Well marked course

Cons:

Not the most technically challenging... or a more technical course go to Basil Marcell Park
Crowded on and off-peak times
poor rubber tees

Other Thoughts:

Over all this is an awesome course! Some great par 3s that are a very exciting birdie if you get your drive right.. like other have said hole 12 and others are amazing because you are throwing downs some steep hills!
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7 0
B The V
Experience: 9.8 years 93 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of Rochester's finest 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Well maintained, mowed, and clean.
-Variety of types of shots needed
-Bathrooms in the parking lot
-Fun top of the world shot (12)
-Nice new signs that are informative and accurate
-Little chance to lose discs
-Great use of the hill
-Wooded holes have multiple routes
-Multiple ace run opportunities
-A deli down the street sells discs and has great burgers

Cons:

-Can be crowded
-Some wet spots, especially if it has rained recently. Particularly on holes 5 and 11.
-Climbing up and down the hill can be a bit much for the out of shape
-I'm not a fan of the rubber tee pad, but I have played on much worse
-The baskets are not the greatest, but again I have seen much worse

Other Thoughts:

A great course that utilizes elevation, distance and just enough trees to add difficulty. The holes all seem to be well thought out and the course is easy to follow.
Newer players will learn the difficulty of throwing up and down hills quickly, as the first 5 holes mainly use elevation to challenge the player. Holes 6 though 10 play through a slightly wooded mostly flat part of the park that requires some shot shaping. 11 is back up the hill to lead you to hole 12. A top of the mountain shot that will make you want to throw all of your discs. Holes 13 through 18 lead you back into some more technical lightly wooded holes with a few ace run opportunities for well placed shots.
This course does a great job of making every hole unique. Despite it being very busy most of the time, it is definitely worth playing a round and is one of the best Rochester area courses. Stop down to Sonny's Deli, grab a new disc, a slice of pizza, your beverage of choice and go throw a challenging fun round.
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8 0
Tdelano3
Experience: 37.9 years 41 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Ellison DGC 2.0 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-decent redesign from the original layout improves the flow
-great use of the terrain, with many different types of shots required
-serious challenge for players of all abilities, requiring length & accuracy off almost every tee
-great workout for 18 holes, as the course traverses a massive hill
-the original Rochester dg haven

Cons:

-rubber pads are getting beat, and the baskets are ancient, but still fair
-frequently mobbed with players...which is great, but can make a round last well over an hour
-navigation is decent, but there are several holes where wayward shots could flirt with people
-seasonal course=no winter rounds

Other Thoughts:

Ellison is our town's original championship course, and it's reputation/central location have led to it also being the most popular course in the area. I grew up a few blocks away and have been playing here since I was a kid, and it is a great challenge every time I go. The crowds may detract somewhat from the overall experience, but they speak to the greatness of the course. If you are in the area while the baskets are in, Ellison DGC is a must-play; you will not be disappointed.
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4 0
Mr_Grigsby
Experience: 13.1 years 16 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 3, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Great location
-Fun, challenging course
-Good variety in types of holes / shots
-Excellent course design

Cons:

-Can be very busy
-Large hill to walk up
-Some tees are close to baskets
-Baskets can be hard to spot sometimes (Plain grey baskets)

Other Thoughts:

The Ellison course is a great place to play. With 18 holes, it makes for an awesome day of disc golf.

The course runs along a pretty steep hill, with several of the holes running along or up / down it. You also move in and out of the trees along the course, giving a good variety of long bomb holes and more technical ones. Most of the holes are straight shots, with the notable exceptions being hole #4 and maybe hole #6.

The course design is great, lending to a pretty straight forward tee / basket / tee path. This makes it easy to find where you are going quickly, allowing for a good flow to the course. The downside to this is that some of the holes are bunched up close to their corresponding next tee, especially on the last three or four holes. There have been a couple of times I have been waiting to throw on hole #15 or #18 only to have a disc land right near the teepad.

With this being a great course to play, it does get pretty packed quickly. This can lead to bottle necks if you have someone that you just can't seem to catch up to to ask if you can play through. Each time I have been at the course, there have been a lot of people playing. If you come during a busy time of the day, just expect to let someone play through or ask a group to let you play through, and you should be alright.

Overall, this is an awesome course to play. I always enjoy my time here and get quite a bit of exercise while playing. I highly recommend giving this course a try.
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4 1
The Don
Experience: 7.8 years 18 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Busy Busy 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very scenic course. It has a nice change of pace between open holes, wooded holes, uphill, downhill, and different lengths. Just 15 minutes outside of downtown Rochester and not far off the thruway makes this course very easy to get to.

Cons:

Super busy. I got there at 8:15AM and their was already a couple groups of guys on the course. We started playing at 8:30 and by the time we were done their was a line to play. I've never seen that before on a disc golf course. Maybe it was busy because Dynamic Disc had a booth setup in the parking lot that day.
Also, the course is a little confusing. I threw in the wrong basket on one hole so bring a course map.

Other Thoughts:

Great course if you like being in the woods. Worth the trip.
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3 0
ELItheICEman
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of my favorites 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-The course is mostly wide-open, and even the areas that aren't that open are still not so dense that you couldn't find your disc.
-It's very forgiving for beginners, or if you're practicing your technique.
-It's a great hike with several holes built into the hill.
-The course is very well maintained - there are "regulars" who take it upon themselves to clean up as they play.

Cons:

-Because it's such a beginner-friendly course, it's often quite crowded.
-As with any other course, there will still be some trash and empty bottles strewn about.
-The hill is quite steep, and can be discouraging for those with weaker arms.
-It can get a bit soggy after a decent rain.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I can say with absolute certainty this is my favorite course to play. Sure, there may be prettier, better thought-out, more challenging courses in the area, but this one's always a pleasure.

The re-design is a minor change overall, and I think it was well-done. Sure, it sucks that the old #16 is gone, but life goes on; and the flow of the course is still excellent.

As long as you plan for the worst (i.e. wear crappy shoes/clothes that you don't mind getting a bit soggy and/or muddy) it's a great place to throw!
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2 0
rb106098
Experience: 23.2 years 37 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Ellison has a new groove 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 16, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- The overall flow of the course, with the new layout, has been improved. (Just moving hole #1 helped)
- The elevation climbs are much more efficient than the previous layout, leaving less distance from previous basket to the next tee pad. I think this really helps new players to transition quickly
- The additional wooded shot adds a little more variety to shot approach
- The flow of the back 9 holes are especially great way to end a round.
- Although some holes can be challenging to a newbie, this is still a new player friendly course (Just make sure to follow DG etiquette)

Cons:

- Signs' distances and layouts currently don't match. This may confuse new players to the course.
- Most holes still seem pretty much straight shots
- The overall challenge level has seemed to decreased a bit with the new layout

Other Thoughts:

At first I was a bit hesitant to like the change, but I would have to say that, all in all I believe the layout change is an improvement.

Sure some people will miss a couple signature holes, but in reality the right signature holes still remain. Bombing a drive down the fairway of #12 is still a highlight of my round, at times it is the only reason I want to play hole #11 :)

Elevation is what makes Ellison a great course to me, and I'm glad to see the hill being used more efficiently and wisely.

R.I.P. (old) hole #16. You'll be missed but not forgotten.
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5 2
lcra0825
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.7 years 152 played 39 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Redesign 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 3, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- bathrooms on sight
- rubber fly pads
- healthy amount of elevation
- There are signs with distance and pars, however I don't know if they are all updated for the redesign, but if they aren't I am sure that will come soon
- More wooded holes than last design to give more of a mix between wooded and open (still mostly open though)
- A good mix of short to far distances. It doesn't seem overly challenging or too easy (at least for me)
- Lots of other things to do in the park besides play disc golf (However the disc golf course is mainly disc golfers with a dog walkers)
- There is a good flow to the course and there aren't any huge walks in between each hole. I would say the course is pretty easy to navigate, but always bring a map just in case

Cons:

- It would probably be pretty busy with disc golfers and other people after 10 am on the weekends. I play early so that's usually not a problem
- Some of the holes are facing each other so you might have to weight until a group is done with some of the holes before you start or risk getting hit with discs

Other Thoughts:

I think the best part of the redesign was that the hilly holes are separated from each other so that you aren't exhausted after going up and down hill several times on the front nine. I also like the addition of some more wooded holes. The designers were able to keep most of my favorite holes except for hole 15 which the county told couldn't be used anymore. I liked the course before, but I feel there is more variety of hole design in the remake or at least the holes that were similar to each other are spread out throughout the course. Overall I am very pleased with the redesign.
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