Flats Rocks DGC in Lancaster (pronounced lank' a ster) occupies a just about perfect piece of land for a disc golf course. Keller-Kirin Nature Park features gentle rolling hills of emerald green grass, pockets of thick trees and meadows of grass, which by the way is mowed in multiple fairways strips still leaving strips of tall grass but thereby eliminating some, but not all of the hunting for discs in said tall grass. There is a sign at the entrance stating that the Lancaster Disc Club has taken over guardianship of the course or something to that effect. Club members-feel free to correct me on both my pronunication of Lancaster and the exact words on the sign. I'd be happy to make some editorial corrections.

Upon entering the disc golf area there is a decent sized parking lot. There is a kiosk with course information, sani can, practice basket and some picnic tables set under the shade of some large trees. This is a wonderful spot for awaiting friends or hanging out after your rounds or on the Sunday morning I visited, a staging area for tournaments. Speaking of tournaments, I showed up just a few minutes too late to participate in their weekly Sunday morning at 11:00 random doubles draw. One of the Lancaster locals was extremely fortunate to have missed the burden of being stuck with the likes of me.

The tee signs are nice colored ones with all the pertinent information including the next arrow. That's the next tee arrow that I can never remember to watch for, only rembering it as I putt out. The pads are nice long, carpet with railroad ties for borders. There are two tees (blue and red) for each hole. Besides the cleverly mowed strip fairways, Flat Rocks has one feature that I have not seen on my over 1000 courses played. Hole # 4 has a spotting tower set behind the long tee box. The basket is sitting atop a small hill and not visible from the tee pad. This tower is probably 4 feet high and is well constructed. It looks like it could be set on a children's playground.

The course plays at an intermediate level. It was a pretty comfortable round for a complete recreation level player like myself, playing alone. Advanced players would have their way here. There was a group of rank beginners starting a round and they weren't going to have a fun experience here. The course is way over their heads, too long and too much rough.

Many holes stand out to me. # 1 is a big, slightly uphill Annie toss. # 9 is a 325' downhill with the basket hidden. You have to throw to a spot on this hole. 17 was perhaps my favorite. It's 298' down and up again with a very pretty natural looking fairway.

Certainly nothing major comes to mind. I guess more next tee signs would be helpful. I got turned around a couple of times and had to ask the friendly local players for help.
Even on the grass strips, I witnessed players hunting for discs.
I read other reviewer's cons and feel they were just stretching to find something to write in the cons section. I mean, no water fountain. Com'on! Well, I was disappointed there wasn't a Coke machine. I coulda used a cold Diet Coke after my round. Get on it, would you guys!
Oh yeah, I thought of another con. There is another spotting tower somewhere on the course but it was shoddily constructed and I wasn't sure of it's holding my weight.

Beside being a lovely green course with wonderful rolling terrain, this course was a perfect fit for my game. Challenging enough, some rough but not menacing, some nice downhills, a couple of ace runs and a nice variety of hysers, long bombs and annies. This is a course that I would love to transport back home with me. My congrats to the local club scene and I was told that the other Lancaster course is a good one, with more challenge involved.

Multiple tees and pin positions.

Solid mix of wooded and open holes, as well as long and short.

Nice amenities such as elevated viewing platforms so your playing partners can keep and eye on your shot on hilly holes.

Hilly terrain means the open holes play harder than they look with even a mild breeze.

Well manicured rough makes it hard to lose a disc, but punishes errant throws by restricting run ups.

Tees are carpet (long) and rubber (short).

Open holes can be somewhat repetitive, but could certainly be worse.

Flat Rocks is is a beautiful moderately hilly course set roughly half an hour southeast of Columbus. I've only played the course a couple times on a single weekday morning, so I didn't factor in potential issues I could foresee, but that didn't come up on the day I played. Those issues include the fact that the course looked like it wouldn't be much fun at all on a 90 degree hot summer day, and the fact that as the best course in the area it looked as though the course gets quite busy at times. But as I said, I played the course under near ideal conditions (65-70 degrees, light to moderate wind) so I graded the course on those.

Flat Rocks offers minimal challenge to an Intermediate player or above from the short tees. However, the course is fun from the short tees regardless of your skill level, and I'd recommend playing the shorts first to learn the course. The long tees up the level of difficulty on all holes, and are creatively cruel on a couple. I mean that in the best possible way, as the long tees on certain holes provide a significant opportunity to separate yourself from the pack or make up strokes with a good drive.

Grooming the rough on the field holes by leaving ~3' of rough for every 6' that's mowed is a great idea. As I mentioned in my pros, this allows you to find your disc, but punishes you for a bad throw by preventing a run-up.

I'd play this course frequently if it were only 20-30 minutes from my home. At 45 minutes, it's competing with Lobdell and Deleware, and comes up in 3rd when compared to those two. However, it's a close third, and overall I'd rate this in the top 5 courses within an hour of Columbus.

-Practice putting area
-Picnic area
-Porta potty on site
-Trash cans
-Tee signs
-Score cards
-Pro and Am tees
-A nice park in a nice area
-Dog friendly
-Nice use of space and interesting course design with loads of different shot opportunities
-Lots of elevation change to keep things interesting

-No water fountain
-Tee sign maps are inaccurate with their distances and they only display one pin location. Numerous pins were not where they were said to be on the map. The Pro tee signs are just a wooden post with the hole number carved into it.
-Not a single "next tee" sign in sight so there is a lot of guessing where you need to go next. Some of the course direction is confusing and you will definitely be searching for the next tee.
-The entrance to this park is hard to find

This is a decent golf course that will have you throwing every disc in your bag. It is a nice park in a nice area and makes for a good stroll through the woods. The course is in good shape and looks like it is well taken care of. It has numerous memorable shots and scenic views. It is challenging and the natural hilliness makes for a good workout.
My first time playing here the park entrance was a bit difficult to find. The flow of this course is confusing at times because there are paths all over the place and no signs to point you to the next tee which is not always immediately apparent. The Pro tees finally got pads of their own, which is an improvement from the clunky natural tees they were. The tee signs that are on the Am tees are way off on their distances and the pin placement is not always correct. The holes have multiple pin locations but the tee signs do not account for this.

This course is a nice change of pace from my usual home-base courses. It offers many shot opportunities and has its own sense of charm. The confusedness of the signage or lack thereof is kind of annoying but it can be managed. It would be nice to see something done about that and if they put in concrete tees it would make this course even better. Also a drink machine would be nice. Regardless, Flat Rocks is a nice course that should definitely be in anyone's rotation in the area.

-Very open (my preference)
-Fun, tight, wooded holes
-Very well maintained
-Benches and trash cans located throughout the course
-Rubber tee boxes, and good signage at the tee box

-Can get crowded
-Need a spotter on a few wooded holes, some wooded towers are there if you're playing with a buddy
-The rough seemed to be a little too rough. Had a few tics on me after I was done

This is a very fun, intermediate course. It is very well maintained and easy to navigate. The rubber tee pads are nice but easy to slip on if your trying to bomb one. The long tees are hard to find and not as well made as the short tees. The baskets are also a little odd. Small compared to others I have played. Many different holes for all types of shots. Not much of elevation changes. #18 is an interesting hole and fun to end on.

Located in a very clean, scenic and well maintained park. A nice mixture of open and wooded holes.

The tee signs were great showing the details.

The grass fairways were cut like a ball golf course helping define and/or frame the fairways.

Benches on most of the holes. The tower behind the tee of #4 to watch the others in your group on the blind tee shot.

Great uses of the elevation changes within the park, this might be it's biggest plus.

Multiple tees on most of the holes, I played the shorts and they were easy to locate.

While not a 4 star course, it was a lot of FUN to play. #18 is a great finishing hole!

Print a map ahead of time, it helped with my navigation of the course my only time through.

A next tee sign is needed btw 15 and 16.

The hard rubber tee pads were slippery even on a nice summer day. Fly Pads would be better.

The model of baskets are just OK.

A few blind shots with the elevation changes. A spotter,especially on hole 18 is recommended.

A nice detour off I-70, it's worth the time if passing by the south side of Columbus. I played here on my way to Cincinnati and since I'm a tough grader of courses, it simply doesn't match up to Mt Airy and Lincoln Ridge which I will give both 4 stars.

I don't get the "Flat Rocks" name, it wasn't flat and I didn't see many rocks.

Pro and Am Tees on Most Holes
Benches at Nearly Every Hole
Great Variety
Distances Vary
Very Well-Maintained
Great Use of Elevation
Trash Cans at Many Tee Pads
Great Views
Both Wooded and Open Holes
Bathroom On-Site (Port-O-Jon)
Good Tee Signs at Am Tees
Very Clean
Rarely Crowded
Disc Golf Exclusive Area
Ample Parking
Fairly Easy To Navigate
Practice Basket

Rubber Tee Pads Are Slick (Both wet and dry.)
Pro Tees (Natural) Are Hard To Locate
Baskets Are Older and Could Use Work

Flat Rock Disc Golf Course in Lancaster, Ohio is a scenic and well-maintained 18-hole course. From Route 33 East get on the business loop and make a left at the first light, Coothpath Road. Drive for 2.2 miles and make a right on Rainbow Drive. Stay on Rainbow Drive for 3.2 miles and turn right onto Stringtown Road. The entrance to the park will be on your right, exactly 1.5 miles ahead. The park name, on the sign, is Keller Kilns Nature Park.

The parking lot has ample parking for the course and from the lot you can see the port-o-jon. The first tee is located past the port-o-john, near the benches.

Near the first tee pad you will see a log bench and table to sit your bag on. These features will be found throughout the course, the benches are at all of the short tees. The tee pads are rubber. I have played rubber tee pads before and the other didn't really seem as slick as these are. The first time I played here it had recently rained so I chalked it up to the tee pads being wet. I have since been out to play and even though the course and tee pads were dry, they were still a little more slippery than I would like. A lot of times I found myself throwing from beside the tee pad, but I'm not sure if they are really slick or if I am just not use to them and have problems with them myself. Just be sure to a feel for them before you try to rip drives off them and you should be okay.

Hole 1 at this course is pretty unique and a nice way to start the course. The basket is on an extreme hyzer (LHBH), making it quite challenging for a RHBH player and even a RHFH shot is hard to cut around this corner. The fairway is bordered by tall grass on one side, the far side, and heavy woods on the inside. While right handed players should be able to par with no problems getting there in two would be difficult without a fairly long putt so just try to play it safe and not take anything more than that. Left handers, backhand, could get it fairly close to the basket, with birdie being reachable for exerienced players.

Hole 2, short and technical, starts near the edge of the woods, and plays down a hill and into the woods. The fairway is fairly tight, but with the right shot a birdie can easily be picked up here. Holes 3 through 5 are all on the short side, and moderately to heavily wooded. While these holes are shorter, that doesn't neccessarily translate to easy. The trees are fairly thick and elevation comes into play as well. A bad bounce off of a tree or roll down a hill can put you into the woods and rough leaving you with a lot of work left to do.

After hole 5, head towards the treeline and out of the woods. The tee pad for 6 will be just outside of the trees. Hole 6 has an open fairway that is bordered by moderate woods on each side. If you keep it in the fairway, there will be no problems, but the rough on each side can be thick and does a good job of hiding discs. Keep an eye on your throws and you should be fine.

Holes 7 through 11 all play out in the open. While a couple of the open holes on this course are similar, most of them, especially holes 9 and 11 have some great character to them and are also the longest two holes on the course. Hole 9, 358 feet, plays down a very large rolling hill. Its a blind shot so be sure to make sure its clear and let them rip, its a fun hole. Hole 11, the longest hole at 385 feet, plays across rolling hills with a huge grassy fairway.

Holes 12 and 13 start to bring the trees back into play. Hole 12 is more open with trees forcing the anhyzer/straight shot (RHBH). Some elevation comes into play here, and an errant shot can end up in the woods or in the tall grass.

Holes 14 and 15 are both heavily wooded. They are both great holes but the fairway for 14 creates more of a "poke and hope" type hole, where luck may have more to do with a good shot than skill. Just clearing out a tree or two could go a long way on this hole.

After hole 15 you continue past the basket to the treeline and out of the woods. This is the only place we had any issues navigating the course. To get to the tee pad for hole 16 head right once you get out of the woods and follow the treeline around until you see the tee. This hole is pretty self eplanatory, straight and short, as well as the flatest hole on the course. You do want to watch for the slope that is just past the basket, overshoot it and it could take off on you.

To get to hole 17 look for the path through the woods, shouldn't be hard to spot and follow it to the other side of the trees. The tee pad will be up the hill facing away from you. Hole 17 is somewhat of a ravine shot where you are throwing from the top of one hill to the top of the other. The fairway is bordered, on both side, by trees but it is pretty wide so there shouldn't be too many problems here.

Last but not least hole 18 is a blind shot over a decent sized rolling hill. From the tee pad the fairway goes uphill, flattens for a very short distance, then drops back down to the basket. Get the nose up on this one, or put to much behind it and your disc could really said on you. Just keep an eye out and maybe even have a spotter near the top of the hill.

Overall I really enjoy Flat Rocks and plan on playing it whenever I can get out to Lancaster. Its a fun, very well-maintained course and you can gell the folks that take care of it really put a lot of work into it. All of the little things/nice touches they have added really make this a great disc golf experience. The first is the log benches. Rustic and very visually appealing they are perfect for disc golf courses. Another thing to look out for is the downed tree/log just in front of the tee pad of hole 3. If you look at the ends of the log they have disc golf baskets carved into them. I thought this was a really cool idea, and things like this really add to the appeal of a course. Another added tough is the platforms on holes 4 and 8, if you climb up to the top you can see the baskets, otherwise these are blind shots.

All of these things, plus the fact that the course is pretty fun to begin with are what keep the rating of this course up. Its not the most difficult and it doesn't have the longest holes in the world, but it does have a great crew taking care of it, a nice variety, and like I said, its just downright fun to play. I would recommend this course to anyone thinking about making the trip out to play it, its definitely worth the drive or stop if you are in the area.

This is a very nice course that the whole family can enjoy. First with the pros where better to began than the practice pin. Like i always say this lets you get warmed up before you go out there and get started. I really enjoy the practice pin as should you. The big wooden board with all the papers in it was nice. It showed you how to play and how to do many other things. At that wooden sign they had a scorecard, so if you want to keep score you can just grab one of those. On the scorecard they had a map on the back. I used the map at times but you really dont need to. It is nice how the front 9 ends right by the parking lot as does the back 9. So if you need a break in between the two parts you can here. I really liked the rubber tee. It was different, i had never really seen one before until now. You cannot lose your balance or your grip. The sign at the tee was very helpful, but most of the time you could just see the pin from the tee. It is a very well taken care of course. The lawns are nicely cut and very beautiful. On the open fields the long grass is nice so that you are actually aiming at a fairway, instead of having the whole course as a fairway. The park gets a decent amount of people there. This is nice so they know that they have done a good job with the course. There is a broom at the beginning of a couple of holes with thick stuff on the side. It was new for me i had never really seen a broom at the beginning of a hole, but it was helpful. The next tee sign at the bottom of the pin really helps because the course can get a little confusing, but not that bad. I almost forgot to mention the long tee. With this there if you want to be more challenged you can throw from there. Well thats about it for the pros so lets see what the cons have to bring us.

Well i dont know really where to begin because of the shortage of cons. The one thing that really caught my attention was the pins were kind of cheap. The pins were really short so i doubt that they were regulation size. Also on the pins at the bottom instead of a metal loop they had a steel cable along it. So the pin wasn't very sturdy. I guess on the wooded holes they could cut down some of the tree limbs in the way but its not too bad. If you go into the woods here good luck finding it because they are thick. Also alot of the bushes are sticker bushes, so watch out. Well i cant think of anything else that was bad about this course, so what you see is what you get.

Like i said this is a very fun course for the family. While i was playing here i played behind a family the whole time. The even had the little kids out there playing. They looked like they were having the time of there life. So really if your in the area come here and you wont regret it. It was kind of tough to get there going on back roads and stuff but its not too challenging. The entrance is very small so if its your first time coming here look out for that. I would stay out here all day and play if i could. This course will never get boring. On one hole i forget the number but they have a par 5 when it really shouldn't be. I couldn't consider this a con. I actually eagled the hole. So i think that they should mone it to either a par 3 or a par 4. Well thats about ii for me, so i hope that you come here because you wont be disappointed.

Great mix of shots

Sexy landscaping

Nice elevation changes

Diverse mix of open and wooded holes

Awkward baskets

Rubber pads can be short

This is a fantastic course on beautiful land

This course truly has it all. I use pretty much every disc in my bag here. You will need distance drives, accurate mids, hooks and slices. Some baskets are on sloping greens.

There is a pretty even mix of open and wooded holes. There are a couple more open. But all of them have some added challenge. The open holes deal with elevation changes and various natural hazards. The wooded holes have tight fairways and gorgeous lookouts (you have to venture slightly off course to see the best vista, it is off hole 4, I believe).

It can get pretty windy on some of the open holes. Bring a stable wind driver. You have to shoot over little valleys on a few holes.

The maintenance of this course is also top notch. The fairways are mowed into patterns and pathways. It's very sharp.

Very nice course, gives you alot of challenging shots.. Some what hilly and moderately wooded.. Bring lots of discs, many different types of shots required.. Will deffinetly play again!

Baskets are kinda wierd, very small diameter and extremely deep, reqires a acurate putt....