+It is a HUGE park with disc golf seemingly the main attraction.
+Very little foot traffic apart from golfers on the Champ side.
+Large concrete teepads
+Gateway Titan baskets, deep with 3 layers of chains. My favorite basket type.
+Multiple tees, but the "shorts" are plenty tough to shoot par for a sub-960 rated player.
+Multiple pin positions that update regularly
+Many "true" par 4s and 5s (see below).
+Will throw putters, mids, fairways, and drivers on multiple lines.
+Bathrooms on hole 1 and 9.
+Trashcans and benches on many of the holes.
+ Easy to navigate and a good "flow"

-Better parking would be needed for large tournaments, but this does not affect the course rating, as the course itself is fantastic. Plus, I'd prefer to take my time and play the 2 course on the property by throwing multiple drives rather than rush through them in a tournament setting.
-The long teepads are not concrete, but as I said earlier, the shorts play as one of the hardest courses you've played.

I think I am up to 82 courses played thus far in 9 states. I have two 5/5 courses so far. Not Hornet's nest, not Flip City, not Dellwood or Visionquest. No. The two 5/5 for me so far are Blue Ribbon Pines and little ol Centralia. The Centralia Championship 18 plays like a ball golf course. In most courses, you have a birdie shot if one of your preceding throws are "good." At Centralia, you must string together multiple good shots to have a birdie look. The Par 4s are the best Par 4s I have played in disc golf. Typically, a Par 4 is just long, and you always break out your driver off the tee. Not here. The doglegs, S-shaped fairways, creek-in-your-landing-zone, and elevation changes allow you to attack the par 4s in multiple ways. Every disc golf course should strive to be like Centralia.

The Champ side at Centralia offers fun in a brutal way for a sub-900 player, and a challenge to shoot par for all others. A must play for all within an 8 hour drive.

36 holes total in the park
Challenging shot shaping
Varied terrain
Multiple lines to pin
Pro and regular tees
Concrete pads
Long course. Mostly par 4's

I didn't see a bathroom near the start of either course?
Centralia sucks
Far from where I live

Beautiful. Just beautiful course. Both aesthetically and technically.
Drove an hour twenty to play this course. I'll be going back as often as I can. I think that says a lot.

-Amazing flow
-Good signage
-Tight, but fair gaps. Low ceiling shots that make you play for your par.
-Scenic shots
-STEPPING STONES THAT ARE EASY TO WALK ON!!!!! First time I have seen great passages across water.
-Variety of shots, not just a lefty or righty course.
-Water fountains

-Some of the long tees were natural and not concrete
-Hole 18 was overgrown a bit much as my buddy was less than 20 feet away from the basket and we had to look for his disc.

Best course I have played in a while. My buddy and I didn't want to leave, we could have easily played another round it was that amazing of an experience. There were water fountains that were around the course at crucial points in the round. I can't wait to come back and play. Words of wisdom; don't shoot off the fairway.

Foundation park is the best course i have seen thusfar in my 3 year career in disc golf. Anyone who successfully throws under par here will do so almost anywbere i would bet.

As you get out of the car by the sentinel shelter, youre greeted with a practice basket with markers in a semi circle around the baskt from 10-65'. Toss around a bit and find that putt before letting loose on the park's driving range. A driving range with markers marking ever 50' starting at 150' and extending out to 600' is a great way to stretch out your arm as well as testing out new plastic.

The front nine holes start off in the open on hole one before into the woods for holes 2-8. Holes 1 and 9 are semi open with the other 7 holes being pretty tight through lots of trees over a winding creek and through a couple of well planned natural obstacles. (I.e. a field goal shaped tree right off the teebox on hole 8)

The front nine ends back where you started where there are some tables, a restroom and a water fountain to refill tbose water bottles before tackling a monster of a back nine.

The back nine starts off with one of the last 2 par 3 holes remaining. (Holes 2,4,6,8,10, and 18 are the only par threes on the course. Each one CAN and HAS been aced.)

Holes 11-16 play complementary to the wooded front nine with a more open playing style. Similar to a links set up in ball golf the back nine is quite long but requirres more than just random throws to be setup nicely for your next shot. The first round will be tough due to thefact most pins cant be seen from the teebox. (Most locals will be happy to act as course guide for the day free of charge)
17-18 play tighter again with 18 ending with another drive back.over the creek.

Theres plenty of trash cans.. benches every few holes.. bag hooks.. next tee arrows. All th amenities a chamionsbip caliber course should have.

As i said in the pros section.. this is the best course i have seen so i dont have many cons. Just a few picky suggestions is all... the oarking bere can get a bit out of hand when theres a tournament on site. But the oark doesnt mind temporary grass parking in tbose situations.
Also.. hole 18 is a let down. After a beatiful course with tough par threes.. long oar fours and daunting par fives... the course ends with a short par three that plays over a creek up a small incline and back down the back side. Thats all fine and dandy but the amount of trees here makes it pretty close to a poke and pray. Now in the clubs defense they HAVE taken a few saoling down along the main route but its a very tough route to hit. a hole simiLAR to hole 1 would be a much better nding. Again.. thats just oickiness.. nothing to take the rating down over.

This course in awesome. If youre an avid disc golfer and somehow find yourself with in driving distance of centralia illinois then definetely make a stop bere. You will not regret it.

Foundation Park is a gnarly championship level course. This place will force even the most crafty veteran to really be on their A-game to shoot well on this course and can punish those less seasoned players. Out of the gate, you are faced with a 800+ monster and quickly move to gorgeous turnover tunnel shot.. You will have an opportunity to throw every disc in your bag as you wind through the gentle wooded hills of centrellia, IL. This place is really too awesome to describe and always seems to be pretty free of any other disc golf traffic at all.

Other Features:
-not so "rec" 9 hole course to warm up on!!!!!
-Concrete Tee Pads
-Multiple Pad locations
-Multiple Pin Placements
-Restrooms
-Pavilion
-Practice Basket
-Secluded/Peaceful place to golf
-Trash Cans (park is very clean)

-Isnt closer to my house

Personally one of my favorite places to play.. In my top 5 courses.. Thank you David Mac and Justin Bunnell.. This is really a job well done!!

This course has everything from A to Z.

Lets start with the courses. You have two separate courses to play. A rec 9 perfect for beginners and families. Not many courses have an area where you can play at your leisure with out feeling like your in the way of people who already know how to play. And this course has not been neglected it features the same concrete pads and tee post as the champ side.

The Champ 18 is difficult and challenging yet enjoyable to play. The holes seem to have every variety of length and shot selection. The woods is thin enough you can find your disc when you get off line. That is a huge plus. Although this course has many long holes there are many strategic obstacles that prevent big arms from dominating. The champ side is a great course for tournaments and large group play.

The Tees--On the champ side you have very separate red an blue tees. On the rec side you have red blue and even youth yellow. A person could spend a day just playing all the different tee locations.

Pin locations are also changed seasonally by the local club.

There is a club that host a league and fund raising tournaments.

This is also a great park with bike trails, fishing, pavilions, rest rooms and plenty of room to park.

There are no cons I can find for this course or park.

Centralia is a fairly small town with your basic fast food restaurants and a walmart.

Awesome use of the existing park and trail system. Challenging course that will test all parts of your game. Good mix of left to right and right to left playing holes. Bring your accuracy game!

Awesomely maintained and beautiful park.

A very decent Rec 9 accross the street that is a pretty good challenge also.

The creek crossings would be the weak spot now, though I hear there are some improvements coming in that area.

Distance from major cities is pretty good. But trust me, it's worth it!!!!!!!

A trip to Foundation Park is well worth it, make a day of it!!!

Local club of is full a a bunch of good guys that are more than willing to show you around.

This course is worthy of a National level tournament. Hopefully that will be recognized by the powers that be, and combined with the local club, make a big tournament here a reality

This is a big course with new concrete tpads, gateway titans, mulitple pin positions, and 3 sets of t boxes (only reds are concrete, as of right now). This course has everything, long drives, a few short aceable baskets, creek comes into play a few holes, hills, trees, beautiful landscape. This park is very well taken care of. Has better creek crossings, It also has a 9 hole rec course on the other side of the park.

Concrete on both the 18 hole champ and 9 hole rec side of the park, sometime in the future adding another 9 holes to that. Its a great course, and its only getting greater!

Awesome shot variety, awesome scenery, course and park is very well maintained, Gateway Titans, concrete teepads, distance, everything!!!

This course is getting nowhere near the recognition that it should. But it will shortly! This course will very, VERY quickly become known as one of the top courses on the planet.

Ok guys. All you have to do is read all the reviews. This course achieved a 4.5 rating WITHOUT concrete teepads! Our lack of concrete was the #1 complaint, but guess what. We have concrete now!!! This is my home course, so I may be a little biased, but there is no other course I've played that comes anywhere close to the quality of this course. Everybody involved with the disc golf club here, and the people who run the park make sure the park is always in excellent shape! This course is well worth any drive! This course is the epitome of a hidden gem, but mark my words, the world will know about this course soon, and the world will love it.

-The course is set in a beautiful park that is almost always peaceful and quiet, Amazing for a relaxing fun round.

-The variety of holes is a huge plus, Long open "ball golf" like fairways where you can just rip it, to dense wooded shots that take great precision.

-Navigation is very easy with markers in the ground and even signs on some trees, also Scorecards w/ maps are always stocked. The course also plays very smoothly from hole to hole.(the course is long enough already, its great that the walking from hole to hole is minimized)

-Marked driving range parallel to hole #1 with markings from 150' to 550' which great for a day of field practice. Plus a practice basket for putting!

-All baskets are Titan-24's, by far my favorite baskets and all are in great condition.

-I love that there are grills for cooking out, bathrooms, and shelter right at the start of the course. Really great for when i take groups out to spend the day disc golfing and just to enjoy the park.

-Natural teepads are a downer and would lower my score, BUT money is being raised now and concrete is going in soon!

-Poison ivy is abundant, and i get it very easy. But again the local club actually takes there time to go around and kill any poison ivy that will interfere with play. so again this would lower my rating but simply knowing that the club is doing there best to control the problem makes me look past it.

I returned for my second go at Foundation one year after I gave it a less than stellar review. My initial claim was that this course was great for big arms but too tough for players like myself who can't throw a country mile.
This year I approached the course with a different attitude. I knew what to expect, I knew it was long and challenging, but this time I would shape my strategy accordingly. I concentrated on placing my shots and trying to manage each hole wisely. In the process, I found myself enjoying the round more than any I have played in a long time. I learned to appreciate the length as an opportunity to test my skills far more than I'm able to do on a typical, par 54 course. I marveled at the beautiful design and the way the holes flow through the terrain.
I enjoyed the front nine last year. The journey through the woods and over the creek is as fun as disc golf gets, in my opinion. Holes 6-8 are my favorite holes on the course. I love the way that 7 and 8 both play over the creek, but not on the first shot (at least for me). Here's where good placement accuracy counts as your drive has to set up your second shot to go over the water.
The back 9 gave me fits last year. I found it much more manageable this time around by whittling the length down to little bite sized pieces. Even if you only throw 250 feet, you can still be near the 800 footer in three shots, providing you place them accurately. Simple math means par is possible on most of these holes, even for finesse players like me.

I'm retracting all the negative things I wrote here in my initial review. I realize that the real negative was my own attitude. Honestly, I find no faults in Foundation at all. No, it's not easy to make pars and birdies here, but that's what makes it so fun.

I can hardly believe this was the same course I whined about a year ago. When I finished that first round I vowed I would never be back. But reading the reviews of others caused me to re-think my opinion and I'm so glad I gave it another chance. Now it's one of my favorite courses ever and I can hardly wait to play it again. With the new concrete tee pads in place, I have to give Foundation a high 5!

Gateway Titans
Variety of shot types
Pavilions with fireplace grills
Water during the warmer times of the year
Lots of trees not native to the area that were planted 100+ years ago

Limited designated parking although there's plenty along the side of the not so busy road
Not as busy as I prefer (although that can be a bad thing in sometimes)

Easily the best course within 100 miles of St. Louis.

through a round you will have thrown all of the shots in your arsenal other than 3 pars most can not reach green from tee so shot placement is essential! It is challanging, in fact statistics from the 2007 gateway open with
'b placements" had this course the highest ssa (scratch scoring average) of any course (71.6-red and 72.1 from blue). some of the problems with difficulty finding tees have been addressed including wooden guides to next tees on certian holes.

natural teepads (very rough in certian conditions),and poisen ivy is often punishment for a bad throw though if you just throw it in the fairway you will have no problem.three holes go over a creek and only one has a actual crossing( a crooked ladder) but the club have tried to fix this issue.

-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

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!!!!!

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!