Handyman Ace Hardware DGC is set in the the sprawling Fairborn Community Park that has seemingly endless amenities across the massive property. The disc golf course is one of the highest rated in Ohio, and it's easy to see why that's the case!

+ Each hole features multiple concrete tee pads with colored signs next to each pad. The baskets are like-new DISCatchers.

+ Contrary to the name of the course, there aren't many ace opportunities to be found here. There are enough sub 400' holes to keep things balanced with a few of the longer wooded holes.

+ Hole #18 is one of the best finishing holes I've played to date! It's a steep, blind downhill shot with a tough pin position. Other favorite holes include #5 and #12.

+ While there are a few longer walks between holes, navigation is pretty much flawless. Had no issues from start to finish.

- The lack of benches combined with the fact that the course doesn't make two 9-hole loops will make for a grueling round. Just bring plenty of water!

- Heavily wooded courses with multiple pin positions aren't the best concept in my book. Makes it tricky at times for a first time player.

565 DGCR members have marked HMAHDGC since its opening in 2010. That's a pretty impressive number!

Being one of the highest rated courses in the state, this is a must play if you find yourself in the Dayton area!

Great shot variety.
Incredible signage--both tee signs and next tee signs--best I've seen.
Two teepads on most holes.
Baskets, teepads good condition.
Very well worn fairways in the woods.
Good distance variety. There is probably some great combination of long and short tees out there as well.
Fair pars on most holes so even rec players will have some birdie opps--I had several, and just missed (by a branch or a twig) on a few more. But if its too easy for you, just back on up to the long tees--don't see anyone shooting -18 from those...

Only a couple benches--at almost a 3 mile total walk, some older or out of shape folks (borderline both here) appreciate benches, as I am sure do foursomes during a tournament backup.
No water/bathrooms on course.
A few lines seem very tight and plinko-ish, not so much the initial gaps, but 150'-300' into the throws (talking woods holes).
I am not a fan of multiple pin positions, if only because the first time playing, one has no idea where the pin is, as on some of the woods holes one cannot see the basket from the teepad.
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DESCRIPTION:

>This is an 18 hole, well maintained city park course that will challenge most players, get most of your discs used at some point, but also fair enough to leave most with some good birdie memories. 5 holes are 'mostly' open, the rest are moderately or completely in the woods, though fairways are mostly quite fair.

BASICS:

>Teepads--concrete, good condition, long enough. Two sets on most holes (16/18 as I recall).
>Baskets--DisCatchers, good condition.
># holes--18.
>Setting--About 13 or so wooded holes, the rest in a city park setting.
>Elevation--A few hills, nothing huge but enough to make it interesting, with some decent up and down hill throws.
>Distance of holes--great variety, especially when considering both sets of tees.
>Free/pay to play, type of course--free city park.
>Ease of getting to--easy, course is way in the back--go to right and past volleyball courts. Keep going til the end.

AMENITIES:

>Parking--Abundant by hole 1.
>Bathrooms--Some in the park in general, but none I recall on the course itself.
>Water/food nearby--Fairborn has about everything.
>Clubhouse/disc shop--No
>Benches--A few scattered throughout.
>Trash cans--Yes, several.
>Bag holders--No
>Tee signs--Yes, very good, on both sets of tees as well.
>Next tee direction/signs--Best I've ever seen, both on the tee signs, and the baskets, clear yellow signs it is very hard to miss. Did not need an online map even the first time through.
>Wheelchair/cart friendly--No, yes.

COURSE PLAY

>Shot variety--I emptied my bag more or less. Had a couple rollers, forehand and backhand flex shots, straight shots and the usual turnover and big hyzer shots.
>Layout, long walks (inc back to car), loops--2.7 mile circuit--one large loop. Some longer walks between holes but flow is good, and the 'next tee' signs are great--even splits the long and short tees up when the path splits.
>Ease of finding next tee--Excellent.
>General difficulty--The short tees are tough but I felt birdie was possible on most of the holes with one or two well thrown shots. The long tees (did not play) should add enough difficulty, some of them are LONG. I think even a 1000-rated pro would be challenged by the long tees.
>Mud/water issues--Dry the first time, but played again 6-10, and it was quite muddy--especially in the woods between basket and next tee. Some of the areas, even though flat, are very slick, so be careful.
>Water or O/B to contend with--These is water in play on 5, 7, and 8, but not too hard to miss it. No epic pond shots or anything. There is also O/B on a few holes because the course is adjacent to some homes, so those fence lines are O/B of course.
>Difficult rough/lost disc risk--Low when we played in April, might be higher in summer. All fairways were very well groomed, but again, April.
>Scrape/scratch risk--Light, but not to sound like a broken record, but in April. I can see it being moderate in summer, though much of the woods are well cleared out.
>How busy was course/park--Pretty busy around 5PM on a weekday with beautiful weather. But no waiting.

OVERALL

>Fun/enjoyment factor, would I play again? Absolutely. One of my new favorite courses.
>Who will this course challenge? Between the two sets of teepads, most everyone.
>Is it worth a drive? Yes, couple hour drive would be well rewarded. And if not, there are many strong courses in the Dayton metro area. There are at least a half dozen, and Idlewild is 90 minutes or less from here as well.
>Anything unique? I loved holes 5 thru 11. 5 from the long tees is a tunnel to open throw with a pond right behind the basket. 6 is a long flex shot, VERY challenging line from the long tee (we just played shorts but did preview the lines on the longs, since we had to walk by them anyway). 8 plays across a creek--enough to make you think but not hard. Holes 12 (longer throw with a grove of trees blocking any sort of RHBH hyzer play) and 18 (long tight downhill shot to a protected basket) stood out as well. If you have a long RHFH, 12 may not be a huge challenge, but was for me.
>Would be a half star higher with--not much more to do here, I would rate it 4.25 as is, but can only go by one half increments, so 4.0 it is. A LITTLE thinning on a few holes (deep into the hole, not any initial gaps), a few more benches, and water/bathroom availability (that is more rare I know) is all I can really think of. Any bramble thinning out in the summer of course is always preferred, and IF the grass does indeed get high in the summer, taking care of that. Some have commented on the smell by the creek, we did not notice this, but again, April.

I am in my 50s, 80 or so courses played, 875ish.

Baskets/Tee Pads are in good spots and are in good shape.

Course design is great and puts you right back at the parking lot at the end.

Course has benches and trash bins.

Some major elevation changes at this course, which I find to be a really fun part of this course,

A couple of really epic holes. Specifically I can think of #11 and #8.

Major variety of hole distances. Challenging short wood holes and some long just as challenging open holes.

I think this course tested my shot variety more than any other. I had to use so many discs and different shots to navigate some of the holes. I find that to be really enjoyable as it only makes your game better.

Probably fewer open bombs than tight and technical, but the tight holes are so fun that I can't see a distance thrower not enjoying the shorter holes.

I would say this is the most challenging course in the Dayton area. I had some major blunders on the back half of the front 9 and never recovered. Back I found to be much easier than the front.

Parking right by #1 tee box.

This course is very scenic and in a great park setting. However there are some holes where the "creek" runs through that can get a little stinky.

For how popular this course it was not crowded at all on a Saturday afternoon when I went. Some people might have another opinion.

I am sure with being rated so high this course has some regular events to play in.

Locals were really nice. I left a disc on a hole and ran back and some guys had already grabbed it and were walking towards me. Super friendly.

This course has to get new map markers. Some of them are weathered and ripped up you can't even read them. This is essential for a course like this.

I played this course in Mid-Summer so take that for what you will, but the foliage on this course is absolutely brutal. Also bugs galore.

No Camping

No restrooms/running water throughout the course, which isn't a huge deal but when your in a park setting with kids around I think it would be a nice addition.

Practice basket, nice concrete tee pads, scorecards, course is fairly easy to navigate thanks to signs, course gives a chance to learn new shots.

No holes under 200 ft(personal preference), wooded holes can be very muddy after rain, some graffiti on a fence on hole 13 I believe( show some class). Hole 18 gets close to the road so watch for cars

This is by far the toughest course I've played. I do not recommend this for a new player. You will be tested. If you can shoot in the 60s, you might be ready for a competitive level. Take some throw away discs. You can easily loose a disc in the water(lost my favorite driver). If you have a favorite disc, don't throw it on the holes with water. This course will give you a heck of a work out. This is probably the toughest course in Dayton. You will have to earn every par and birdie. For first time visitors, I recommend throwing from the shorter tee pads

Handyman is clearly the crown jewel of Dayton-area disc golf, and stands as a testament to modern design in an area primarily comprised of older courses. Nearly every hole is memorable in some fashion, either because of the fantastic strategic design or the 8 you carded in a moment of John Daly-esque weakness.

Great design can be found throughout HAH, with holes that require both hyzer and anhyzer shots off the tee, as well as creative approaches that rely heavily on good placement (holes #1, #6, #14, and #18 are some of my favorites). Many holes are par 4's because of strategic difficulty rather than sheer length, which makes for a much more interesting and rewarding experience. Every birdie at Handyman is earned.

Two large and sturdily constructed concrete pads can be found on each tee, along with superior tee signs that are both attractive and informative. Routing could be confusing for first-timers, but visible next tee signs help put players on the right track. Every hole plays to Innova baskets with the potential for multiple basket positions.

In addition to the top-notch amenities, the course is well-maintained and drains well, with occasional mud but nothing that will ruin your shoes.

While the design of Handyman is the course's greatest strength, it's also HAH's greatest weakness. Disclaimer: although many (if not all) of my complaints were a result of the designers being handcuffed in some capacity, they still negatively affect the course.

There are a couple throwaway holes in #4 and #12, but without them it would be a VERY long walk between the front and back sections of the course. As it stands, some long walks to the next tee remain, but nothing that will leave you in agony or throw you out of a rhythm.

Holes #6-9 (especially the locally infamous #8) feature a "water" hazard that stinks to high heaven, and takes away from the otherwise pleasant woods. Hole #8 requires a not-insignificant carry over the widest part of this smelly creek, and if you throw your disc in the drink you'll have a very difficult time getting it out due to the 18 inches of muck beneath the shallow water. Don't throw a disc you can't afford to lose.

Finally, despite the thoughtful design, I personally feel that the course lacks the aesthetic "wow" factor. Unlike regional favorites Pike Lake and Idlewild, there aren't any breathtaking tee shots that make me pause and admire the natural beauty. As a discer who gives nearly as much consideration to the view as the gameplay, Handyman comes up a bit lacking.

Although I gave the course a 4.0, it really feels like a 4.25. Valid but nitpicky items keep HAH from a 4.5, but there's no doubt in my mind that Handyman was created as well as it could possibly be based upon the available land and restrictions placed upon the designers.

Bottom line: this is a SW Ohio must-play, and succeeds admirably as a difficult yet highly enjoyable wooded disc golf experience.

Very challenging course in a clean, well-maintained suburban park, pleasantly free of graffiti when I visited.
• Great variety featuring densely wooded holes, varied terrain, and perhaps a couple of holes open enough to provide a break from playing lumberjack. Wonderfully designed to bring all available elements into play; uphill, downhill, over troughs/gulleys, pins on or near slopes or water to increase risk/reward possibilities. Water comes into in play a couple of different ways, as do OB, a mando, and a flat open field.
• Fairway shapes run the gamut with left/right doglegs, fairways that hook hard, straight shots, some requiring more complex lines and more than a few blind pin placements. I wouldn't recommend playing solo your first time through. Some holes pretty much force one or two obvious lines. Others offer more choices, but all of them make you choose a strategy and execute off the tee.
• Good mix of distances, but the Handyman doesn't offer up easy birdies - they gotta be earned. The Handyman works hard for a living. If you wanna earn his respect, you better work hard, too.
• Dual tees offer different looks, lines and levels of challenge in addition to changing distance considerably. The whites were very challenging, often feeling longer than posted distances given the well-wooded nature of many holes - think placement over distance on these. The blues in the woods looked brutal for all but the most skilled players, requiring both distance and finesse - somewhat reminiscent of Nevin in that respect.
• About half the holes feature pin placements which rotate from A to B periodically. I'd say the B's were tougher to reach than the A's more often than not.
• Seems designer(s) brought the pond into play as best they could on hole 5 given the constraints they had to work with (apparently not allowed to have a hole play over the pond), and the OB created by walk/bike path makes sense and creates additional challenge given that wind can play a factor on that hole. Likewise, the Mando on hole 12 makes sense as well (see cons).
• Equipment was in tiptop shape. Tee signs present at both sets of tees; blue markers show the hole in its entirety, with position of whites and both possible pin placements. Whites show both pins, but only white tees. Bright yellow Discatchers look new and are easy to spot anywhere. Concrete tees were in good shape.
• Routing/Nav was a bit confusing a few times, but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle with the color scorecard w/map (and pencils) available at the kiosk near the parking lot. Good use of Next Tee signs and the easy to spot tee markers help keep you moving along.
• Course is aestheically pleasing with hardwoods, hills, fields and creeks. Several bridges get you across the creek and add a bit of charm and ambience.

Way more right than there is wrong,but:
• I'm all for well-wooded, challenging courses, but I thought some of the wooded holes were a bit unfair at points. I like the idea of making you hit a window off the tee, but hitting a window off the tee limits the trajectories you can put a disc on. It's frustrating to hit your window off the tee, only to run into a pinball machine further down the fairway - maybe I just picked the wrong window.
• A sign at the kiosk (next to the parking lot) indicated the pins were in the "B" position. Great idea, except the pins were in position "A." Not a factor in my ratings as this may be a one- time deal, but there's no substitute for spotting the pin yourself.
• Hole 12: anything right of the tree line is OB. The mando makes sense (keeps discs out of backyards), but the OB doesn't. Keep in mind that the pin's directly in line with a long, very straight line of pines. If you run at the pin from inbounds (i.e. left of the tree line) and it goes anywhere behind the pin, it's OB, and essentially forces a layup for a lot of upshots unless your drive puts you in position to putt.
• I'd have preferred 1 or 2 more open "bomber" holes around the field, if only to privide a more complete, well rounded course.
• There's nothing like the thrill of throwing over water. The powers that be may have prevented it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's not present - it merely explains/forgives it. I'm not beating anyone up over it, or blaming the designers for something they couldn't do (kudos for using it as best they could). It doesn't make the course worse, but there's no denying the course would be better if "they suddenly changed their minds." It's just frustrating to see it there and simply walk past it onto the next hole.

More challenging than it is fun (at least IMO), HAH is a championship caliber course that's well executed for the most part, and sure to frustrate beginners - thus I'd only recommend it for intermediate players and above. Keep in mind I played in the fall, with no foliage, and had some recovery shots that wouldn't be availble in the spring and summer. That said, I was also too aggressive off the tee.

Even if it left me a bit butt-sore, HAH shows what you can do when a great piece of property receives great treatment. My biggest gripe might turn out be one of this course's greatest strengths years down the road - it should age nicely and maintain its intimidating personality over the years as time and weather inevitably claim trees.

Not a quick round - expect to walk a few fairways the first couple of times you play here.

A few long walks between holes, but it seems they opted for that rather than connecting good holes with "meh" filler holes.

While I don't like the stagnant water on holes 7-9, the designer couldn't really do anything about it and overall, I'm actually glad it was brought into play on those holes.

An excellent course overall, HAH scores very high on my list in terms of shot variety (which forms the basis of my ratings) but falls short of phenomenal because of the way you can thread the first couple of needles off the tee and still end up playing plinko further down the fairway. If I come back to see this has changed over time, so will my rating.

Some of you might know about Toby Keith's "Songs from the back of the bus". One of the tunes has to do with 'complimenting' Willie Nelson for the potency of his, ahem (something that we're not technically supposed to discuss on this site). The title is, "I'll never smoke (ahem) with Willie again". Well, when it comes to this course in Fairborn, OH (just East of Dayton), I feel like Toby: I've just not developed the tolerance for how strong this course is. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing, but, as a sub-900 rated player, I'll paraphrase..."in the fetal position, with drool on my chin, I'll never play long tees in Fairborn again!"

Handyman Ace Hardware DGC is one of the best supported in the region, has an incredible website (see links), and is intentionally being developed and refined to compare with other great Midwestern courses used for major competition, like Mt. Airy and Idlewild in Cincinnati, the Brent Hambrink Memorial in Columbus, and Seviren Lang or Charlie Vettiner in Louisville. From the long tees, and in the neighborhood of 8000 feet, this course is a true challenge to the talents of Advanced to Open disc golfers. Even from the short tees (over 6200 feet), it can be difficult for Recreational to Intermediate arms to get anywhere near course par (forget par 54, that's just going to bruise your ego).

From the kiosk (including really nice scorecards with a map) and practice basket at the spacious main parking lot, to the large, level, concrete tees (occasionally with a durable bench and trash receptacles), to each of the DISCatcher baskets, H.A.H. shows off the ongoing effort and commitment needed for a quality course. The holes have variety galore, considering there are already multiple tees and pin positions setting up entirely different lines as early as the second hole. Signage is excellent, showing each option, along with the obstacles, distances, and directions you'll need to reach the often blind baskets. You will work your way into and out of woods many different times, and even face water hazards on more holes than you expect. You'll see the pond on 5, but with or without tree hits on 6-10, you could go into one of the drainage/creeks. Even the long drives you'll face coming out of the woods on holes 3 and 4 demand very precise release points from the long tee.

The long tees will give you a number of memorable holes: 2 seems to have more wood than air as you try to fade left off the tee, and finishes hard to the right in the tricky pin position. 9 has a really challenging tee shot through a narrow gap, over a blind creek, and then a wide fairway zone to the basket that leaves a grove of trees to navigate, and the deep creek long to the right. Oh, and a ridge top basket with a smaller creek beyond. 11 is tight as heck if you take the direct route, while the short tee sets up a more generous second fairway to the left. The basket is still a couple of hundred feet beyond where these fairways converge. 18 long is a true finishing hole downhill through the woods with challenges galore if you don't have the skill to handle this one.

This course is improving as it gets into it's early maturing years, and some of the trees that made it formerly impossible, have been cleared to make it merely difficult. The trees that remain can be extraordinarily frustrating for players below advanced level skills (see below). And you do still need to watch out for the little stumps (now buried in fall leaves) as you work your way down the fairways. I only stubbed three toes my last time there.

The one thing that keeps striking me here is the occasional long walks transitioning to different parts of the course. I know however, that inserting an uncharacteristically short hole here and there might change the flavor of the place. Maybe there are some thoughts toward branching out in the future with a few letter holes (a la Idlewild?).

I know the design always has to work with what is given, but the deep water along holes 7-9 is kind of nasty, still, and a little trash-filled. If the parks department can ever do anything about making that a fresher body of water, the course would certainly benefit.

As a player making the transition from recreational to intermediate skills, this course requires me to play almost every hole for position. That is, with the exception of holes 8 and 16 short, I can only keep my score down by thinking, "what kind of tee shot is going to best set up a good approach for a three, and not get me into 4-5 (6, ugh 7?) territory?" And I believe that's what they intended to do here: to bring out a strong mental game for the majority of the competitive disc golf community. And maybe to set up a course where it would be fun to just watch the top tier players go after some real risk-reward opportunities (they have the skill set to attack this course in an entirely different way than the rest of us!).

So, a final thought: if you love a really challenging, woods course, and have really good control of all the different types of shots, plus the 'D' to shoot out through a tight gap and carry over 400', this may be the course for you. If you're just starting out, I might say wait to play this one until your skills match up to the potency of this (ahem).

Great layout. Very challanging and makes for a beautiful hike.

Still a bit to many trees on some holes with no defined lines/fairways. With so many trees, a good score on some of the holes is more based on luck rather than skill. However the course is new and constantly improving

Course is improving all the time.

Fun course, made me us rhbh and rhfh. I had to use hyzer straight and anhyzer shots. Had risk reward between going for it or laying up before the creek. I really enjoyed playing this course.
- scorecard and map provided. Thats awesome. Really helped on a few holes where the next ree was further away.

None really. The last reviewer felt the trees on the holes werent fair, but playing fron the white tees i felt i could see the right shot for a low score on virtually every hole. Blue tees looking really tough though, but i didnt play them.

It was 45 and windy as all heck (20mph) but i really enjoyed this course. Like my pros said. Every shot in my book was needed to score well. That is the definition of a good course to me. Im not much of a woods course fan, but slowly learning them and this was a good one. I highly recommend playing it.

Awesome, challenging course, with fields and spacey wooded areas.

Needs to a mini bridge on Hole 8 over the swamp, rather than having to go back to the bridge you just came from.

Great, Tough, course, with some nice field shots and lots of areas to roam in the woods.

Great course design! The variety is fantastic. There is elevation used, open/wooded holes, turns, distances, and risk/reward. There are plenty of signs of a lot of hard work done by the locals. The fairways and paths will become nicely defined with time. The park property is perfect for a DG course.


Other Pros:

- easy navigation
- perfect tee signs
- multiple large concrete tee pads per hole
- alternate pin positions
- well maintained
- challenging and technical
- extras including benches and trash cans

The creek/ drainage ditch comes into play on a several holes. It is wide and disc retrieval can be tough. Some parts of the creek are backed up with trash and green scum. I am a big fan of water holes but I thought this ditch took away from the course because of the nastiness of it.

Some fairways might be tight but I think it adds to a nice variety.

This is not a course you can finish quickly. This is one of the most mentally challenging courses I have played. The distances and obstacles will have you out for a nice challenge.

I definitely recommend playing here; this was the top course I played on my Dayton area trip.

I made a quick stop here on my way to Michigan and only played the short tees so my review will be based off of that. Though I only played the shorts, I looked down the fairways from the longs and can't wait to come back again for the longs. Each hole has dual pads (white-am, blue-pro) and dual pin sleeves that force vastly different shots and even more precise course management. The white tees in the current layout come in at around 6300' with the blues at 7800' so there's no shortage of long holes, several of which I'd consider legit par 4s. Between most holes are signs directing you to the next tees so navigation is a breeze. Handyman has a good mix of open-to-wooded, wooded, and semi-wooded holes so there is very little repetition among consecutive holes. There is some elevation here particularly early in the front nine and consistently after number 12. Those holes that do not have significant elevation aren't any easier with water coming into play on most of these. I don't know how deep the water is but it appeared rather stagnant when I was there and might be deep enough to lose your plastic in. The wooded fairways range from moderately open to some very tight lines that must be managed alongside dealing with a low ceiling that's waiting to swat down any errant shots. The wooded fairways also force you to hit a line or landing area in order to have a chance at running at the basket, and venturing off into the rough will cost you at least a stroke. Also, the fairways are carved in such a way that skilled shot-shaping can be rewarded over laying up. The open holes leave a lot of space into which to throw but require long range distance control to have a chance at a birdie. A good number of the baskets present a big risk-reward putting situation with either a big roll away potential or water lurking close by. The layout doesn't provide a half loop at nine so once you're in, you have to be committed to the entire round. I enjoyed that feature of the layout.

Considering the age of the course, I was really impressed with the work that's been done so far but its still quite rough around the edges. Multiple times during the round I found myself in what I'd consider fairway (compared to looking at the rough) but the underbrush/weeds were still untouched by a weed whacker or sickle. I imagine in due time this will be cleaned up but I couldn't overlook this fact right now. Also along those lines, there were many half inch to three inch stumps still sticking out of the ground which weren't helping in traversing the course or getting any favorable skips on shots.

**Update - I have been informed by the course designer that several of the cons have been addressed such as more clearing of the rough and little stumps as well as the addition of benches throughout the course. Guess I should put this in the pro section but it covers what I said in this section.

This is a tough, fun layout that can challenge players of any caliber. Located right off the highway, its easily accessible and well worth the time for any serious player. I'd really like to rate this course higher but with the work that still needs to be done, I don't feel that I can. I plan on getting back up to Handyman Ace later in the year for at least another round and will readjust my rating according then.

Course is very challenging with multiple water hazards and an across the river shot. Trees are strategically place to increase challenges and dual pad locations allow increase in difficulty as desired. Course offers open holes and wooded holes with increased difficulty and also dual hole placement on varying days.

Some areas have a bit too many trees and should be trimmed back. A few holes are difficult to identify hole location from T-pad and may need a map to navigate these holes.

Being a fairly new player to the sport of disc golf, I've tried to play as many of the local courses as I can. That being said, this course is the only one in the Dayton area that I consider to be a pro level course. From the moment you arive you can tell this course is different. There is the large engraved rock course sign, ball golf style scorecards, white and blue tee pads, and well thought out pin placement. The course even has it's own website, which includes a mobile version that has a hole map, hole length, par, overview, improvements list, and photos. I've also been told that QR codes are being added to the tee signs so you can use your smartphone to go directly to each holes mobile page. So many courses in this area look like they were installed and forgotten, but this course is under constant improvement. You can feel that those that manage the course really care about maintaining and advancing it as the best course in the area. It's this constant improvement and care that pushed me towards giving this course a 5 star rating.

This is not a beginner's course. It's long and it's challenging. Even from the white tees you must carefully plan your next throw. No throw and go here. The last time I played here some of the wooded fairways needed to be a little more defined, but I've heard that's either been taken care of, or will be soon. Expect a long, challenging, but fun game out here.

UPDATE: I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to drop the rating from a 5 to 4 discs. There are just too many holes with completely undefined "fairways". Just because there is a flight path on the tee sign, doesn't mean that flight path actually exists. There seem to be several tee shots that feel like the only thing you can do is throw and pray that you don't hit a tree. I'd rather rely on skill than luck. This is also going to make your scores inconsistant from day to day, making it harder to determin if you're getting better or worse, or just lucky or unlucky.

UPDATE x2: So, now that I have a little more experience under my belt (and the Fairborn BID is coming up) I decided to tackle HAH again. I found that this course really relies on thinking, much more than others. You can't just throw towards the basket, get there in 3, then move on. For most of the holes you really have to take the time to plan each throw. I think this is what makes HAH a Pro level course. it's not for the casual 'throw and go" player. Just by planning my throws and being careful I was able to knock 7 strokes off my game, and could have knocked off a few more if I'd have taken a little more care.

Plan your throws carefully. Don't just think about your current throw, but the next one too.

Course is in a public park with plenty of land and activities going on. great tee pads, tee signs, baskets, and navigational signs. I believe the layout is fantastic! designers used the land and provided all types of shots from open bombs to short and technical, over creeks, challenging pin locations, Short and Long tee pads and 2 pin positions for all holes. The course will challenge all skill levels and can frustrate even the best of players. there are some awesome shots out in the open as well and the wind adds challenge on these holes. There are low ceilings, creeks, great elevation changes (especially in Ohio), and even a pond as a back drop to a pin.

As it goes with all new courses there needs to be some thinning out in some areas. The potential here is awesome though. there are a couple long walks but i think it is well worth it to complete the layout so not necessarily a con.

I have only played the long tees to A pins. the course is very enjoyable and certainly tests your ability to scramble. I can only see this course getting better with time. As holes open up and players trample some of the brush, the lines will open up but still be challenging and realistic. I am definitely looking forward to coming back and seeing how the course progresses. i could easily see this beeing a 4.5 rated course in a year. great job to the designers for giving Ohio another higher par course.

This is a good Challenging Course. It has a good variety of holes. Having two Tee Pads and Two Baskets For most of the holes will add a lot of re-playability. Signs for each tee are very good looking. Course is well marked Letting you know the way to your next tee.

The walks between holes are kinda long. Not a lot of well defined Fairways.

Simply put, I love that you will never have a boring round at this course. Personally, I hate playing courses with nothing but pars and the occasional deuce or bogie. This course gives you the "opportunity" to shoot anything from deuce to a 9 depending on the hole. Unlike many courses you could actually see a 2 or 3 stroke swing between you and an opponent on one hole. To me thats interesting.

I love the shots that this course makes me throw, especially from the longs. Hole 2 for example has a very winding "fairway" to the hole. I like to take the most overstable disc in my bag and throw a high RHFH spike anhyzer and get it to flex out into a severe s-turn. Thats just fun stuff!
This course is a throwers course, and I dont mean distance. You must execute throw after throw. Some holes are par 5 from the longs which means 4 out of 5 throws you are not putting, more or less. I love/hate that, haha.

This course is young and is still pretty raw in some areas. I feel each hole was designed well but the beauty in the lines/fairways is sometimes overshadowed by unlucky obstacles. There are still lots of brambles and 1 inch thick vines hanging around all over the place. The fairways are already so tight, I want to be rewarded for executing and many times you just throw your hands up because you need luck in addition to skill. Often you see a line, execute it perfectly and one time it goes straight to the hole and other times it doesnt even get half way, same hole, same route.

Because of all that I feel like this will be a difficult course to shoot consistently at(at least right now). In tournament I could see you shooting 5-8 strokes difference between rounds, especially from the longs.

Hole 13 is the only one that right now is an unfair hole. There is just no clear fairway to the basket from the pad (shorts in particular) there might be two different unconnected paths, but even thats a stretch. You're taking anywhere from a 3-6 on this hole.

Overall, I love the course and would rather see them remove to little than too much in terms of trees and overgrowth.

I'm a 942 rated player right now and feel that the par 65 for the shorts (A pins) is fair. I have shot a few 990+ rated tournament rounds this summer for reference and I played well today shooting a 61. Playing my best I could probably knock 3 strokes off that score. On the other hand, you're on crack if you think a 67 is a reasonable par from the longs. I believe 65 or so would be an SSA rating for this course. Par should be in the range of 73 or so.

Great Park, Whenever you find a course located inside a public park odds are it's going to be mowed and well cared for, this one is no exception. Beautiful course

Great Land, You wouldn't think at first glance when you arrive but there is some excellent land out there and they did a great job taking advantage of it.

On alot of courses the hard tees are pretty much the same shot as the beginner tees but longer. Not here though, they did a great job of making the advanced tees noticeably different and harder. Often placed from a different elevation or vantage point or strategically placed behind some obstacle

Challenging, weaving around the trees can be frustrating but it's almost always fun.

Challenging, some will say that some of the fairways have too many trees. Those people could be right but there are definable lines. They may be tough but they are there. Whether or not I felt it was too dense varied from hole to hole. It seemed that when I hit the line I thought they were great but when I cracked it off a tree I thought the lines were too tight. It's funny how that works

Still a lot of brush (and maybe excess trees) to be cleared out but that's the case with nearly every single new course. I'm pretty sure that with time and care that will stop being a problem.


This is the 1st course I've every played with a corporate name. I know Handyman Ace Hardware is hardly an evil bloodsucking corporate giant but I live in fear of the day when the sport grows to the point where I have to pay 20 bucks to play Disc Golf at Nike Woods Park

Another great course to add to a Dayton area that's already loaded with great courses. Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati together form some sort of Disc Golf Triangle of Greatness. They all have some fantastic courses and it seems like there's a new great course being built every week

It weaves in and out from a field into the woods
but the majority of the course is wooded. It's tough but fair and hitting some of the lines will be difficult but I think this course was designed with an advanced player in mind. If you just starting out then you may want to try somewhere else

There are a series of holes that start at 7 and go till 12 or so that wind around a creek. I loved those holes! The creek comes into play several times and they really used the land to perfection.

If you live anywhere in the Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati area then it's a must to hit this place up. Hitting a great line can be just as fun as launching a giant open field drive. (which by the way this course has several of those as well) It would be a great course to work on your accuracy. Good job guys

Tough challenging holes. I loved the change in terrain. The holes are well-designed. This course is really coming into it's own. The fairways are in great shape and the course is just getting better with time.

-Easy to find your way around the 1st time

-2 pads on most holes

-2 interchangeable pins on most holes

-great variety of shots from tee to green

-distance is useful but accuracy is key

-solid use of land, and creeks

-The course tells you where to go next, great signs

-perfect course if you need to beat in a new sidewinder

The city of Dayton seems to take a certain pride in course design and use of land and Fairborn is no exception. First i must start off by saying that, like most new wooded courses, this one is a little rough around the edges and even rougher around others... this course has the potential to be a 5 "disc" course, but what it comes down to is lack of fairways and on some holes a lack of anything besides luck.

It seems that the sport of disc golf is migrating towards harder and longer holes, which i think is great. Its nice when "golf" actually comes into play: planning out holes, risk reward, recovery shots, laying up... or not. You will deal with all of these when playing this course.

All the pins have been in for less than a week at this point so ive only been able to play each pad a couple times but there quite a few memorable holes. I think the true nature of the course comes out in holes 6 through 11. These are the funnest and most distinct holes in my head b/c they were long and wooded, but a little fairer than the other wooded holes.

6 is great, it starts in the open with a big left to right shot into the woods, from there its a careful up shot through the trees to the pin about 15 feet from a creek that runs the length of the right side of the hole.

7's most crucial shot is the drive. anything not in the fairway, generally (on this entire course) there's not much from the rough. your up shot has to stop fast on one of the more open greens, anything long and its in a bigger creek that runs the length of this hole as well. The long pin on this hole is on the other side of said creek adding at least one more stroke to the hole.

8 is probable the easiest hole on the course but still a good one. its a straight putter shot over the bigger creek. your facing the creek at a 45 degree angle so 90% of your shot is over water. There are a couple of guardian trees on the other side that can knock you into the water and a mildly protected green, so i wouldn't be surprised if there are quite a few 4's here as well as 2's.
One of the coolest parts of this hole is a tree near the basket that hangs right out over the big creek. Its big enough for you to climb on and hang out about 5 feet above to water out in the middle of the creek.

9 in a great multi-shot hole where i think a 3 is amazing and a 6 isn't that bad. The drive is more about staying out of trouble than anything. You really just need about a 250' forehand to more or less lay up to the fairway. A lot can go wrong though as you have to hit about a 10' gap w/ that forehand in order to stay out of thick woods or the little creek. About the first 75' of the right to left second shot is open, after that you have to navigate a couple hundred feet of moderate woods in order to get to the base of a small mound on which the basket sits.

10's drive can be somewhat difficult as this is one of the holes that seems like it could use one or two less trees. After the first couple hundred feet the next couple hundred aren't as bad, The little creek once again comes into play, and i think is a great touch throughout this course. A well protected green makes a 4 not too bad here.

11 stands out in my mind as much as any other hole at this course. This hole offers the player their choice of two distinctly different fairways. after about a hundred feet the player has a choice to add about 100' to the hole by playing to an open fairway to the left that loops around like a half circle or make a slight right and go straight ahead. The fairway to the right is a pretty typical Fairborn fairway so there's not much there besides pain and suffering, but that is the risk you take.

Just too many trees...

As i was driving into the park for the first time i was just looking for a pad or a basket b/c i didn't know exactly where the course was. The first pad i saw was the longs on 18. I got out of my car and looked everywhere for the basket. I couldn't even tell which way the pad was facing. After i found the basket i thought it was some kind of joke. Once i started playing the course i realized it wasn't a joke and that some of the holes here are so wooded that there really just isn't a fairway.

There are few things more frustrating than ripping a perfect drive in the woods, right where you want it just to have it hit some random tree that you either didn't see or has no reason being in the middle of what some call a fairway.
The problem here is that great shots don't get rewarded as much a luck. The end of the course is especially daunting, at that point your almost just ready for it to be over. 15 is a perfect example b/c it could be such a sweet hole. Its a med length downhill into a beautiful forest, but barring a perfect shot its going to hit a something somewhere. Im not whining either...its a little much at the end. I live near Idlewild and play it one or twice a month. When i read reviews about that course on here people often talk about the loss of fun they experience as they progress though that course just because of the difficulty level. Where as i love Idlewild and can get very frustrated there, i have yet to feel this "lack of fun" until playing Fairborn. By the end it was just one to many trees.

As I was touching on in the beginning, Ive noticed a standard of quality in the courses in the Dayton area. While there aren't as many courses as some other cities, it seems like they just keep getting better as they get put in. This is a new course, a few years from now it might be thinned out a little and a truly top level course. The design is there, the difficulty is there and i love the length through the woods, but in the mean time ill stick w/ sycamore