Cones

Cones

During the summer of 1976, my family moved from Minnesota to Connecticut. Not yet having gone to school there, my brother and I hadn't made any local friends yet, and spent quite a bit of time throwing old Wham-O's at trees, stop signs and mailboxes in our improvised version of frisbee golf. It was all very low key, and nothing like the modern game technologically.

Looking back, it's interesting to think that Hansen Park was laid out just a few years later, and go this day sports the old Saucer Golf cone-style baskets. What I experienced in childhood as spontaneous and non-organized was coalescing onto dedicated properties with new technologies.

I'm glad that the cone targets did not represent the final stage in disc golf development. They're damned hard to put on, honestly, with a narrower vertical approach and a tendency to deflect much of that which is not a dead center effort. Still, being honest, I probably wouldn't have ventured to Hansen if not for the opportunity to experience the alternatively styled baskets.

Do not be tempted to think of Hansen as merely a museum piece, slowly corroding on an overgrown, under-trafficked parcel of land. It's well-kempt and hosts active and enthusiastic league play. On the Saturday I visited, it was positively overrun with disc golfers capitalizing on the warmest early March in Minnesota history...a record I fear will not last.

It's not a long course by any means, but offers good up and downhill throwing opportunities, sharp doglegs, mandos and water crossings. The hole I will remember most was #4, which calls for a sharply executed uphill putt. I played it rather shabbily, missing a 20 foot bogey putt, which the cone deflected into the longest roller I have ever experienced. Personal experience notwithstanding, I think it's a great hole, and know that I'm probably not the first to have rolled as far as I did.

I don't think I'll play Hansen Park again, but evidently many people call it their home course and continue to make good use of it. For me, the draw of the excellent course at Bethel University, just 2 miles away, is just too potent. I think it would be a mistake though, to pass HP by if you are bagging the Twin Cities area. It's a living link to the sport's past, and I hope it remains as such.

-Free
-More than 9 holes (12)
-Good variety of distances
-Multiple tee locations
-Unique baskets (also a con)
-Elevation plays into multiple shots
-Variety of lines-hyzer, left, right, straight could all be needed/used

-Foot traffic is a risk on at least half of the drives, and the paths are busy
-The south end layout is hectic with cross-overs and confusion. Have an image of the map with you.
-Unique baskets result in your typical putting style gonging out. They are neat, but you need to change the way you putt quite a bit, which can negatively affect your next round.
-Fairways are close to other teepads and routes to the next tee can put you line with a drive or approach

This is a nice little course to have nearby. In summer months you need to be very careful of your surroundings due to the foot-traffic, and the hills are popular for sledding in the winter which causes some conflict. The cone-style basket is an interesting fixture rich in history, but can be very frustrating especially if you accidentally get used to an adjusted approach for them.

This one is very nearby and I want to be more excited about it, but it lacks the draw, I believe, many players are looking for. The layout seems haphazard and the whole course lacks a feel of seclusion. If you are willing to put up with the traffic you will see at this course, just go to Acorn.

+Cones! They are so unique that I must consider them a pro. They are not ideal for putting on but this course isn't a tournament course so does it really need all Mach baskets? The cones add to the atmosphere and add challenge to some short holes.
+Ace runs. There are some shorter holes here and some of the cone holes are among the shorter ones. I would love to have a cone ace.
+Elevation. Most holes here have some ups and downs.
+Multiple concrete pads on all holes.
+Some open and some wooded. Only one hole that was really tight.

-The flow is pretty bad here. Hole 1 and 2 are disconnected for the rest of the park. There are crossing fairways and some tees that are in the path of other fairways. It was busy when I played so this added to the danger and confusion of the course.
-Some may say that cones are a negative.
-This course gets pretty busy. This leads to large groups, trash, erosion, mud.
-Not the best crowd here. They didn't bother me but I would rather not have to see 40 year old men stoned and drunk lounging around the woods.
-The course is shorter overall and doesn't have much for distance variation. Lots of shorter tweener holes.
-Not really any amenities here at all.
-The extra concrete tees were often not much different than one of the other tees on the hole. They could have done a better job at creating different looks off the tee.

+I would stop and play here to experience the cones. Moir might be a more authentic cone experience but it is pretty good here.
+Saturdays look pretty busy. Play during the week if you can.

Hansen Park DGC is one of those older courses around that is just begging for a complete makeover. But a makeover seems harder to get done than building a course in the first place so it looks as though you'll have to content with this for a while.
It's not a terrible course. I liked the way they used the little elevation they had. Those holes were fun throws. The short, technical, wooded holes in the middle part of the course were also enjoyable. I always enjoy ACE runs.

The cone baskets suck. They're relics. They're not history. They were never mainstream disc golf. They were never popular. They were weird and strange when they were installed back in the 80's. Some parks department guy who didn't know disc golf from Barbie's Playhouse got sold a white elephant by the Mushroom Disc Golf Target Company.

This is a simple recreational course with two nice downhill throws, some crappy turnip type targets, no signage. But it's playable if you live close. It has some challenge, some enjoyment factor.

For the age of the course there are some very interesting holes. There are several holes that are fun to play. Mainly the ones dealing the one major hill on the property. The back to back up and down holes on the course are the two best on the entire course and are really well done. The course also make interesting use of mandos. Though the mandos are so easy that it is almost impossible to miss them. The course has both left and right break holes. The distance is not overly challenging on any of the holes. The tee pads are adequate and are usually asphalt. Some of them could be better maintained.

The con section must start with a discussion of the baskets. First, the saucers baskets are just horrible. I can deal with it being very hard to sink putts with the saucer but the baskets are in such bad shape that there the metal rungs on the actual baskets missing on a lot of the baskets. This leads to putts falling down into the basket and then falling out. In an ideal world, saucer baskets would not exist. The one positive of saucer baskets is that it teaches you to throw your putts harder because if a putt it thrown soft at a saucer basket it will not go in. Even on the holes that have normal baskets the baskets are an issue. The chain baskets are fairly beatup and are either placed way to high or have very narrow baskets and chains. There is almost no signage on the course and it is guessing game on where the next tee and hole is. There is some signage on some of the holes but the signage does not match up to the hole because it is for how the course use to be before the redesign more than 7 years ago. The course is also very swampy on several holes such as 1 and 12. The swampyiness of the course leads to very bad bugs in summer. The course can get very crowded at night but during the day it is almost always empty.

An old course that is in need of some repair. The biggest issue is the baskets. If they replaced all 12 baskets with new ones the course would jump up to three stars.

- Very good use of the land
- Well-manicured
- Woods and Hills
- Fairways are fun

- Horrible baskets. Coned baskets are inconsistent in the gap between cone and basket. The newer baskets have the same issue.
- Tee pads not very good
- Not easy to navigate first time through
- There are only 2-3 holes most people couldn't deuce consistently.

It's for the most part a pitch-n-putt course. There are some good hole designs. The available land didn't allow the designer to get enough space I believe, to really make a good twelve hole. The installation of the baskets is a big part of any course and they get a giant FAIL for that.
Basically if you live in the area play it, its interesting. If you don't then don't waste your time. There are so many more courses worth playing minutes away. For those of you playing, cross the bridge for the other holes.

This is one of Chuck Kennedy's first courses; may have been his very first.
Attempts have been made to keep this course somewhat up to date; over the years.
I personally, think the cone baskets are a national treasure for our sport. Playing here is like playing at baseball park before they tear it down to make room for a modern stadium. Tell me you wouldn't have wanted to see some of the old ball parks before they were torn down....
Decent use of elevation and rollaway pins.
Chuck loves his super class disc; and I think this is a course that reflects this.

Somewhat difficult navigation.
Varied basket types; some of which do not catch well.
Short length.
Course pretty crowded on my two visits. (For all the legitimate cons to this course, I think this is a testament towards love of old school designs and the fact that rec players have a need for shorter courses.)

Hansen Park is worth a nostalgic visit. It is a fun course to play as well. The skill level needed here is low; but not horrendously so. Play one or more tough courses in the area; and use this one as a "blast to the past"/chance to score well, if you can sink those cone basket putts...

the distances between holes is good and there are hills which makes it fun to mix up your stratagey.

where the hell are all the chain baskets? instead they have these goofy looking space ship baskets.

it looks like some people have been vandalizing the baskets

There are some holes 300'+ allowing most players to drive hard, but there are also a number of holes where driving with a mid-range disc is appropriate. There is a good mix of open and wooded trees. There are multiple tee positions on all the holes, and all the tees are asphalt.

For me the use of the "cone" baskets really killed the course for me. I can normally sink most of my 20'-30' putts, but with these baskets I found it essentially impossible. As was mentioned in some of the previous reviews, there was a very small target to hit, and even if you could, half the time your disc would be spit out. A number of the holes were excessively short, making them too easy (hole 3 comes to mind).

There was also a lack of any water hazards on this course, making it pretty low risk (This could be a pro or con).