-offers a good mix of holes (long/short, technical/open, hyzer/anhyzer/straight)
--good test of all shot types
-many holes require lay up shots, while you can 'go for it,' the smart play is to lay up.
-Also many placement/setup shots where from the tee, you have to put your shot in a 40-50 ft circle to have a chance at a 3 (number 5, 7, 11)
-you are punished by the rough for an errant shot
-many true par 4 holes
-new signs between holes ease navigation problems for first timers.
-Two tee positions and two pin placements.
-Facilities include grills, water fountains accessible at parking lot, after 9, after 10 (across creek), after 17 and 18, bathrooms, and 9 holer across the Rd.
--update for May 2012-nice 12x5 concrete tees on the red tees.
--concrete columns across most creek spots, except for 18, which is generally low and has a bridge toward the road for high water crossing.

-a lot of poison ivy grows off the fairways, but is taken care of annually by the club.
-not beginner friendly, but there is a recreational course onsite.

This is the best course in IL that I've played (98 played in IL), it is a little off the beaten path, so it doesn't get a lot of use. It has good tight fairways, and really makes you place your shots wisely for up shots. Also the rough has not been beaten down too much so it's pretty wild off the fairways.

If you need a guide or want a local to join you. go to www.centraliadiscgolf.com , go to the message board and post up under 'Tee Times'

Also, you can find a GPS course map on the site.

All pins are in 'A' position as of Aug 2010

UPDATE 1/10/10:
new steps down to creek on 11 with concrete stepping stones poured to cross. Similar crossings are planned for 2010.
UPDATE 8/2010: steps poured for the creek crossing at 8, new blue tee posts put in at most holes (2, 4, 6, 8, 17, 18 don't have posts, but are easy to find (generally directly behind reds, 10-70 ft back)
UPDATE: 12/2010: both driving range (50 ft increments) and practice basket with 5 ft incremental markers installed
UPDATE: 5/2012 concrete tee pads
Update 2013 nice bridge installed on 7

This course brings a magnitude of difficulty to any player. For the professionals, the blue tees will adequately challenge any player. Also, the red tees will provide a sore arm for any advanced player throwing just a handful of poor shots because getting off the fairway can be treacherous. Many holes require "forced" shots that make the player throw anhyzers, hyzers, and straight shots. The front nine offers tight fairways with the exception of the first hole, while most of the back nine offers wider and longer bombs to be thrown. Various holes also offer elevation changes and creek crossings adding to the experience.

The park offers parking, maps, scorecards, wildlife(plenty of deer), bathrooms, benches, water fountains, and grilling to celebrate a well played game.

Who wouldn't want to play this course?

The tees are natural but only become a problem after rain. Playing from the side or further back will present no problems.

This course is not for players who are new to the game but that's what the rec 9 is for right across the street. The Rec 9 can also be played for a great warm-up.

Foundations park is located in a nice quiet area. It's a great place to play disc golf.

VARIETY
9 Hole Recreational Course
18 Hole Championship Course
-Great design
-Long Tees
-Short Tees
-Multiple pinplacements
-True golf. Many Par 4's.
-Water
-Slight elevation
-Tight Woods
-Open
-Rough
-Creek crossings
-Navigational aids

This course has it all!

The tee pads are grass/dirt. If there were cement tees on both long/shorts i'd rate this coruse a 5.

*Update--course arrows and next tee signs have been added.* If you do not have a map or play with someone who knows where they are going you will have a difficult time navigating this course.

*Update--Many creek crossings have been constructed.*
When I played there was quite a bit of water in the creek. A few bridges would have made navigation much easier.

This course is one of the best courses in the Midwest.

You can get a good idea of what the course is like from these videos.

Link to video of hole 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvK_J2pqhSY

Genearl Highlights

#1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC31OctXuUc

#2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytl2vq9dgVw

#3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO0pFoQTc54

Maybe Gateway Dave will donate another set of powder coated red baskets to keep both pin positions in at all times? That would be sweet!

Check out my Illinois Top 10.
http://discontinuum.org/index...1486.msg68704#msg68704

This course has a good variety of shots, and with two tees and two pin placements, the opportunity for a new course each time you play. Some very interesting pin placements, good elevation variety, and the trees vary nicely from hole to hole: some have large low hanging trees, some have smaller denser growth, some are open with a narrow bottle neck at the far end. The creek that winds through the course comes into play on several (4 or 5) holes. IN the winter, it was mostly dry, but in the spring/summer, this thing might be a problem. All in all, a day well spent.

Not all of the blue tees were marked (at least I couldn't find them at first). The natural tee pads were pretty muddy today.

It's kind of a drive from Saint Louis, so I didn't have time to play the rec 9, but I will certainly bring a couple buddies with me and play this course again.

27 holes in the park.
9 hole rec. course on one side of park(hoping to install 9 more soon)
championship 18 lives up to it's description.this is a course where champions are made. if you can't find shots here to improve your game,you should prbably take up another sport.the front 9 starts you off with a long 599' (red) 789' (blue) ripper with a few trees,one big holly tree protecting the pin.
then your off to the woods for the next 8 holes. from each tee to pin these are some of the toughest holes i have ever played. several teeshots have you trying to drive a nice anhyzer to get good placement for your next shot.#7 starts off this way,then crossing the creek to get up a 30' hill to putt out.
it's just a fun hike to play trhough this front 9.lot's o' trees to challenge your skills.
also nice layout,each hole has it's own look.
and i'm just talking about the red tees.level of play required for par gets pushed up a couple of notches when you play from the blues(adds distance and differant looks to each hole).
when pins are in "B" position, you basically have a whole new course to play.and "B" positions are longer than the "A"s.

back 9 starts you off throwing downhill 295' (red) / 380' (blue) back towards the creek.#11 also plays through woods/creek. #12-16 play long and fairly open,but once again shot placement/pin placement plays a role in how well you will score. #17 and 18 will take a good round of play and humble your score.they both have interesting right-handed doglegs(17 is really a big 412' horseshoe w/ a ton of trees between you and the pin.#18 plays across the creek,up a hill BEFORE it doglegs down the hill to the pin. oh....and don't forget all the trees in between.) excellent finishing holes.easy to complete the round with bogeys boys.
i guess what i'm trying to get across here is that this particular course does a damn fine job of bringing a sense of how good a player i know I AM.with how good of a player i know I COULD BE.

every course can use some kind of tweaking here and there.
but i have no "cons" about this course.
i love this course.
i would play it every day if i could make it out there.

don't just read my review and think i'm trying to be take this "over the top".
make the time,take a little road trip,go to our website (wwwcentraliadiscgolf.com),get in contact with some of the locals and we will show you around the course.
then you tell ME!!!
come here and rate this course yourself and let others in on what you took away with you after playing a fun course with some fun people!!

beautiful park. front nine scenic with lots of tight wooded fairways.multitude of shot demands.(had to dig deep in my bag for some shots).
nice ,tough pin placements.each hole has its own personality.
back nine good mix of open fairways to rip on. #17 & 18 are tremendous finishing holes to this park.(tough doglegs with trees a major factor.)
good risk/reward for most of this course.

a little off the beaten track.1/2 from my house. 1 hour from st.louis.probably does'nt get played that much.
not really a con tho',cuz the course is in great shape.

i really enjoyed playing this course!!
it is a tough course if your game that day isn't on.(lucky for me mine was the second round).had to play the second round to get some redemption.
even tho' this park isn't that close,i will still make the drive to get there to play.

plenty of shot challenges. front 9 tight with ton o' woods to play thru. lots of anhyzer shots. shot/disc placement a must. back 9 llooonnngg, plenty of room to grip it and rip it. nice overall layout.

better signage from basket to tee.but it was not at all difficult to find your way around.

what a course!!!! risk/reward on several holes. fun,fun,fun!!!!
GO PLAY THIS COURSE!!!!!

Wide variety of holes from 250' tunnel drives to "bring your 450' mad drives". Beautiful hike through natural scenery, not uncommon to come across deer, owls, eagles.

First time visitors will need to scout ahead to find basket locations, though not terribly problematic. Local disc golf club, Centralia Disc Golf Club (http://www.centraliadiscgolf.com ), is in process of working out tee location markings.

Course was designed by Gateway's own Dave McCormack ('nuff said) and is frequented by Dave and a number of top pros. This course is still young, only coming into existence in 2006, but will probably be on the PDGA pro tour before very long.

challenges abound! something for every level of player, front 9 tight,wooded,water(creek) to play across.back 9 mostly open to "letter rip". holes 17 and 18 are great finish holes.you could be having a great round until then,and walk away with a substantial change on the card.

the only real "con" here is that it is off the beaten path for most players.BUT it is well worth the drive from either st.louis or kentucky or indiana or chicago.the other con from other reviews about finding your way around the course will be addressed this spring.

i've played several courses in several states,and this is a course well worth any effort to get to.it's one of those courses that you can find reward on a personal level, and realize that you can't wait to get back out on. or regret that your next road trip doesn't include a stop there!

Very challenging, but a fair test of golf. The Champ 18 is one of the best courses anywhere. Rec 9 is a good course for beginners as an introduction to the sport,
Will test all parts of your game, as you need distance, especially from the Blue tees. You will need to be able to throw left to right as well as right to left to really score well.
Front 9 is really tight, with a premium on accuracy, but on the back 9 you can let it rip. Though holes 17 and 18 can really wreck your round!!!!!!!

Creek crossings can be a little tough. In the summer the poison ivy is pretty thick, which just means you need to keep it in the fairway!!!!!

Tee boxes could be better, especially in the winter/spring.

A fabulous course. Teeboxes will be improved somewhat this winter. With some improved signage to make getting around the course easier.
If your going to go play this course for the first time, contact the local club. One of the local guys will be glad to show you around.

Foundation Park is a beautiful setting for just about any activity, made all the better with 27 holes of challenging and fair disc golf! Well maintained and manicured, and I ran across 3 deer while playing as well.
- There is a hole for all players out here. Long open bombers, short technical turnovers, sharp hyzers, downhill floaters, roller and over the top opportunities all exist here.
- Challenging 2 and 3 shot holes, which are a favorite of mine are common.
- Tee signs that show tee and pin placement make hole navigation easier.
- 27 holes! I played both courses, and while the pro course is definitely more challenging, I found the rec course enjoyable as well. It's a good place to work on your finesse game.

- The dirt tee pads were not a problem when I played due to recent lack of rain. Mid spring however, I imagine the experience would be different.
- There are maps at the first hole, but navigating to the next hole can be confusing if you don't know where you're going. There are directional arrows under most baskets, but not all.

Overall, if you're near Centralia, go play Foundation. You will not be disappointed.

-Very challenging for all skill levels, yet mostly fair
-27 Holes in one park
-Tee signs/maps and scorecards
-Well designed
-Good variety

-Poison Ivy everywhere off fairway, several times in the fairway
-Large thorns on some bushes
-Grass tees
-Even with map and sign, can be hard to determine where to throw off tee

Wear long pants, bring lots of water, have a buddy spot on some holes and scout ahead your first time to have twice as much fun.

This is a great course. It has a lot a variety-some open holes, some wooded holes, water, elevation, tough pin placements...it is just a fantastic disc golf course. The design is tough but fair. In the long set-up, this is a LOOOONNNNGGGG (10,000+ ft) killer of a course. However, a smart player can overcome lack of distance through course management. Several seemingly long holes require a two or three shot progression that reward accuracy over pure distance.

The course layout is very nice, but it can be hard to find your way around. There are some long walks between holes, and the course could be marked better. The type of park that it is in can leave you with the feeling that you are wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. Given the quality of the shots, a little wandering around in the woods is a pretty minor gripe.

UPDATE Spring 2009: There was a scorecard holder with a course map by #1, and there were yellow arrows on the ground to help you find your way around. It looks like the local Club is taking steps to help the flow of this course.

The tees are dirt. They were in good shape when I was there and I don't mind dirt tees, but some people get upset over dirt tees. **NOTE: Concrete tees are supposed to be poured in 2012**
There is a recreational 9-hole course in the same park, so you can combine them for 27 holes.

Very peaceful park, with 27 holes (9 are a rec course). There are some REALLY long holes that allow you to throw just about any kind of shot you want to try, and the holes designs were interesting to say the least.

There are no tee pads. It can be a little hard to find your way around, you just have to grab a scorecard/map and pay attention to the arrows on the ground next to the baskets. The upkeep of the course was definately something to be desired, but not too bad.

If you are driving a long distance to play this course you might as well drive the additional hour to play in St. Louis. But if you really like long holes (several over 600 ft) then this is a good course for you.