A lovely grove of trees has most of the F9. Another pleasant grove holds holes 10-16. Beautiful view of Owasco Lake, particularly from the green of no. 3 and the tee of no. 4.

Challenging no. 4 is over 400 feet (from the gold tee) and has a double mando with a creek running dead through the fairway the length of said. Could be a signature hole although uphill no. 6 (with the basket on a mound) and wide-open massive no. 17 (489 feet from the gold tee) would give no. 4 a run for its money.

The course doesn't seem to be busy. The first time I played it (F9), I think there were 3-4 others on the course but (happily) not coming along right behind me. Different parties, but all started on no. 10. Second time at the course (B9 played), it was just me and one of the groundskeepers on a large mower.

F9 elevation is subtle but real. Most of the holes are on a wooded slope down to the creek. The play is down and up, over and again. The B9 though is dead flat, but it has tighter woods after opening with mostly-treeless no. 10. You stay in tight woods with fairly short but challenging holes until you punch out of no. 15's teebox to the open field.

Every hole presents some sort of challenge. Generally involving trees (!), parkland-style and more densely-wooded fairways. There are also dogleg fairways, the creek, the densely-reeded pond near nos. 15 and 16, and distance (nos. 4, 6, and 17).

Your disc is a goner in that pond unless you manage to land on an edge of the water...

It's an unassuming-looking course that actually packs a good deal of variety.

On your first visit, you will probably wind up in the main park at Emerson. Ultimately, you discover that the disc golf course is across the street behind the agriculture museum. Directions here in DGCR indicate that as well as UDisc.

I only accurately ID'ed the gold tee for each hole. There were some forward potential pads that are more square. Short blue? Even shorter junior tees? Such does not exist at every hole though. Expect to play the concrete pad that is the gold tee and forget the rest.

The biggest problem the course has is the gathering of water after rain and snow. Big puddles of water and mud are everywhere. Makes establishing a stance difficult. You are likely to leave with a higher score as well, as all that casual water forces you to relocate your lie behind the large puddles if you land in them. Most are pretty big. Chances of landing in said? 100%.

Everything is a par 3, and a 500-ft, uphill hole like no. 6 should be par 4 (at the least). Other par-4 candidates could be nos. 4, 10, and 17. Only from the gold tees, I am suggesting.

If you don't live in the area, you want to attach other things to the drive out here. Perhaps visit the Harriet Tubman and the William Seward houses in Auburn. Maybe get lunch or dinner in chic Skaneatales (15-20 minutes away from the course and the same from Auburn).

Or maybe Emerson is part of a far-ranging DG day trip from Syracuse, also including TC3 north of Ithaca and one of the Syracuse courses (Clay West, Clay Central, Van Buren, Oxbow Falls or 9-holers Heritage, Sullivan, or Green Lakes).

It appears that some seasons are better than others to play here. Perhaps a dry, summer day is best to avoid the mud (though others talk about the bugs). It had rained the night or morning I came in July. Plenty mud. Bugs not so bad (had bug cream which went on from the start). Perhaps a dry mid-fall day features a thinner canopy/higher ceiling on the F9, slightly wider fairways on the wooded part of the B9, dry leaves, and less wetness? I don't know; I am just guessing. The locals can say.

Muddy fairways drowning in puddles seems to be par for the course for these upstate NY courses. I found similar in March 2023 at Van Buren, Heritage, Clay West, and Oxbow Falls.

This course is littered with mature trees on the front nine. The back nine has nice lanes through dense woods. Fairways are well taken care of while throwing from a concrete tee pad is always nice.

a hole on the back nine has a 90 degree turn in the middle of the fairway. I think they could have used that space for that whole a little more creatively.

good time with some great disc control

This course is set in a well-maintained grassy park, with many trees and a small wooded section. It offers challenging fairways, yet easy walking:
* beautifully maintained park - clean and manicured
* concrete long tees and marked shorter layouts
* family friendly - great beginner course
* easy walking
* several low ceiling shots, left turns, right turns - does not seem to favor any particular shot
* long tees are clearly marked
* wind can often be a factor,which adds challenge

There are a few shortcoming, nothing major. The entire park is mowed, so there is not high grass/low grass to help shape fairway. Also, the trees are random, and while plenty of them, there are few defined edges.
* most fairways are not well-defined
* shorter tees are not as clearly marked
* no hole maps on tee signs
* Hole 18, while a nice open bomb, plays across a soccer field - you will have to skip if there is a game

This course sets in a section of a large public park that is on the east side of Owasco Lake. This means wind, which adds a nice challenge. The entire Finger Lakes region is beautiful, so I enjoyed the ride to and from the course as much as the round itself.

The front nine play through the grassy areas of the park. The back nine has four holes that play through the woods in the back, requiring risk/reward decisions. I played this course as a "rest stop" on my way to a vacation place. So, given that context, I enjoyed the easier walking attributes of the course.

It is a fun course to play. It will require shaping lines and good placement, but does not punish you terribly for a mistake for the most part.

Short, compact course that can be completed fairly quickly. A bit of variety adds to the character. The trees provide plenty of shade for hot summer days and the lake provides fabulous views and a cooling breeze.

Cement tee pads for the Yellows are a HUGE help. The give you a good spot to throw from and also "point" you in the correct direction for the basket if you are not sure where it is.

Several of the holes on the back 9 through the woods are VERY tough. You will often only have a 6-10 ft wide window to throw through. If your disc doesn't fly straight through that narrow window you could be in for a pretty high score for that hole. A better course map or small maps at each hole would be helpful for those here for the first time.

I actually liked the course I just didn't like the round that I had. Having just played a great round at Emery Park and avoiding the trees there I more than made up for it today. When even a tomahawk throw hits a tree no wider in diameter than 3" you know today isn't your day (and that happened twice!).

Better to go conservative and accurate on many of the holes than to try for long distance. Two accurate throws will often between you in position at a shot for par on most holes as the distances from tee to basket are on the short side.

... and can anyone explain the color scheme for the tees? Why is Blue shorter than Red and why is Yellow the longest? It would be nice if they followed the PDGA standard colors.

Course is located on near the Owasco Lake shoreline in a large park. The disc golf course is separateed from other park activities so yuor round won't be interfered with by other park users. Nice concrete tee pads. Grass on fairways is mowed and well maintained. Signs with distances at tees. Most of course is played through semi-wooded fields of mature hardwoods. Lots of trees, but lots of lines to hit also. No fairways were unreasonable to play, and every hole had at least one path to the basket.

This is classic NY lakefront property. Which means water. The course has a creek running through it, and also has enough low-lying land to hold water anytime it has rained. It rained quite a bit the week before I played, and the course had large puddles throughout the fairways and thick mud throughout the hevily wooded holes. It was not pretty. An upgrade of signs shwoing basket positions with better graphics wouldn't hurt. Especially for the wooded holes on the back 9.

Many of the holes not in the thick woods are fairly straight and simply use the trees as obstacles. It works, but a few more creative holes would be good.

#17 plays a little too close to a soccer field. If there is a game going on you might have to skip that one. I like the slightly elevated tee pad, but maybe putting it over the field wasn't such a great idea.

If you start to get bored throwing through the big trees on the first 9 holes don't worry. #10 takes you towards the woods, and #11 through #16 adds a little more line-shapping and challenge to the round. The pond shot on 16 can be especially challenging. I nicked a tree branch and watched my Orange Cheetah sail into the pond. It's a fair hole, but any error will cost you. There is a creek running through or along holes 4, 8, 9, 10, 15 and 18, but it fairly easy to avoid, and get dics back from.

Overall this is a really nice course to play. I can see why some people would give it a higher rating than me. But with the mud and water issues I can see why others would downgrade this course. One day it's a 3, the next week it plays like a 4. If a little water and mud doesn't bother you play it any time. If you want pristine playing conditions choose your spots. It a nice course with several different kinds of challenges to keep you on your toes.

-Big, long, and level Cement throwing pads
-Big long holes
-Big trees everywhere
-Wind training course
-Wooded like no other in the area on the back 9
-Intuitive course layout w/ two 9 hole loops that lead to the parking lot
-Friendly park staff
-Course being worked on constantly since its inception (new bridges and wood chips most recently)
-Strongest League in the area

- Flat, so flat. the only elevation is 17s long tee
- This course has truly poor drainage; although this has been an issue that is being worked on it is definitely still a problem after some rain, or a thaw
- Wind and cold can make the front 9 brutal depending on the day and your character
- a few holes on the front have a redundant feel, but, I attribute that more to topology than design

- Probably my favorite course within an hours drive of my house, and this course is definitely fun all year round if i could id give it a 3.8 or so, just short of the 4
- I do not see the back 9 as many others seem to. there are lanes to be hit on each hole; although they are definitely much tighter on the back 9
-I have heard rumors that auburn will be installing another course close to emerson because of emersons popularity
-park office has cheap x outs for sale (seperate from the course, closest to 17s tee pad)

Mix of open holes, wooded holes, open wooded holes, some water, and one nice elevation change. Tees are Cement and really nice. The signs are big and easy to see, but don't have pictures. The map I got on the scorecard at hole 1 worked great!

The course is well taken care of, and it appears that they are continuing to work on the course by doing things like digging trenches to keep the fairways dry.

This course get breezy on the first..8 or so holes, due to it being near a lake. Come prepared for that.

This course tends to hold water on some spots, wear waterproof shoes.

I had a great time playing this course, it wasn't very hard to navigate using the map I picked up while I was there, but if you want to bring your own the one DGCR has is wonderful!

I would recommend that anyone getting out this way certainly take a look at this course.

With the great mixture of shots, the changes in wind and density of trees, you can't help but find a few holes that just sing your name.

You really should try this course!

Lots of different holes. Front nine is really open and gives you the freedom to bomb a couple shots, but at the same time you have to work on your accuracy. Back nine are really technical but fun.

You wont be able to navigate very well your first time on the course, but it is easy to learn. There is also that god forsaken pond on 16 .

If you are pressed for time the course is set up really well to just play nine holes. It's a 3 par on every hole and in the past year I've been going I have yet to pay for parking or get a ticket.