Sorry folks not a course review really but found a disc today may 14th so if you lost one email at [email protected] if you want it back. Of course no charge or anything.


The course was nice

It's a decent course but I think back at 4 5 6 they're too close together so heads up.

This course is a must-play for MN throwers for the cones alone. Many people list these as a con, but I embrace the challenge. The cones are responsible for upping my putting game, if you can make putts on these, you can make em anywhere. This course has a great variety of holes, ranging from wide open bomb oppurtunities to anger-inducing tunnels. Also, the Friends Of Hansen are a riotous bunch.

I guess you could say the cones are a con too, since they add about 4 strokes to my round when I miss what would be an easy-in on a chain basket. Also, the consistency of the cones vary. Some of them are like "trying to putt into a mailbox slot", direct quote from one of the Friends Of Hansen. Also, this course was a lot better when old holes 1-3 still existed.

Tip: bring a soft putter to conquer the cones. If this course had real baskets, it would be ridiculously busy I bet. For that reason alone, VIVA LA COOOOOOOOONE!

- good variety of shots
- definitely not too easy
- some holes had baskets
- lots of uphill and downhill shots.
- mix of tight wooded areas and wide open shots
- nice new teepads
- has long distance drive opportunity on the final hole.
- nearly impossible to lose a disc
- not too short
- port a potties

- cones
- difficult to navigate
- teepads aren't marked
- hole 3 seemed more luck then skill
- cones

This was truly a very well rounded descent length course, definitely one of the best free ones in the twin cities. It requires a different shot for almost every hole. I would have rated it higher if it wasn't for the cones, luckily they weren't on all the holes.

This course has a multitude of shots for every player. From long uphill, to short shots, it can suit any type of player from beginner to advanced. The cones are the best to putt on!

Not Enough Cones

VIVA LA CONE!!!

One of the few courses in the state of Minnesota with cones. Though others may not enjoy the difficulty of putting towards cones, I find it adds a dynamic this game truly needs. There are better courses out there but Hansen has a feel all its own.

The course needs more cones...

The "Friends of Hansen park" have done a great job improving the course and should be recognized for their charitable efforts.

This fun 12 hole course is one of the oldest courses in Minnesota and will provide most players with a varying degree of difficulty, shot selection, baskets and atmosphere. This course has come close to being shut down multiple times because the locals did not like it very much when this sport became more popular. The layout had a major revision done to appease the locals.

There is a group of dedicated locals which play random doubles Wednesday nights and has always provided me with a great time. They are known as the Friends of Hansen and have down a wonderful job with upkeep and improving the course. Without them this course wouldn't be here.

My original review was when this course had asphalt and natural tees. All the tees have been upgraded to concrete, with very nice benches being added to many of the holes.

Half the holes are out in the open while others are in the woods and require you to hit a variety of lines. Good use of elevation and most of the park space.

A lot of people do not like the cone baskets, however there is a positive way of looking at them. On some of the easier holes they provide an extra challenge as your putting range will go down due to the smaller sweet spot. This forces you to make better shots off the tee, which I and many other people enjoy.

The biggest con on this park is the cone shaped basket. Not because of the increased challenge, but because the quality is significantly lower than most chain baskets and require maintenance more often, especially due to the vandalism of oppressed white suburban kids who inhabit the park.

These cone shaped baskets were bought because they were cheaper and a local course who tried to put in home made chain baskets at another course was sued for patent infringement. So places like Moir and Hansen went for these green monsters.

The next biggest con is the major revision which was done to this park in the early 2000's, due to the rising popularity of disc golf. Holes 1, 2 and 3 used to be up near the cul-de-sac, at the top of the hill. The locals almost shut the course down, but instead a giant sign was erected telling disc golfers to now park on the other side of the creek, where you do now. However, most people ignored it because they didn't want to walk a 1/4 of a mile to the first tee.

The "compromise" was taking out holes 1, 2 and 3 and putting in the new holes 1, 3 and 12 while modifying a few others. Holes 4 - 10 remained the same layout.

If people are wondering why the few signs still left in the course are wrong it is because of this major revision. Every hole had a wooden post with a green sign indicating the hole, distance and par. When they changed the layout they haphazardly pounded the old signs into seemingly random tees.

Holes 1 and 12 can be quite wet at times. They were only ever put in to appease the locals who complained about increased traffic to the park.

If it weren't for a group of dedicated locals, known as "Friends of Hansen" those "lovable" green cone baskets wouldn't be here today, but then again neither would the chain baskets because the course would be gone and have faded into the night.

If you absolutely hate the cone baskets you can play at nearby Silverview Park, which isn't a bad course, but if you only birdie 7 of 9 there you are having a bad round.

This course would be improved slightly with chain baskets. I wouldn't wait for New Brighton to spend any taxpayers dollars to do so. If you want to see this course improve I'd consider going to the Wednesday night random doubles and ask about donating to the "friends of Hansen" group.

The biggest improvement to this course would be bringing the original holes 1, 2 and 3 back, making this a 15 hole course.

1) Hole 4 is long, up multiple hills (think staircase), and wide open, great hole to open up on.

2) Almost all holes have some sort of elevation change, that combined with mature trees in the middle and thick woods on either side of the fairway add up for a fun, sometimes frustrating challenge.

3) Holes 7 and 8 are tucked away in the back of the woods and are short and sweet, good little Ace runs.

1) Signs are confusing, non-existent, wrong, or some combination thereof. this course was re-designed not to long ago so i understand this fault, but still don't like it.

2) Odd setup, 1 and 12 are across the creek from 2-11, if they were going to do that why didn't they just go for the complete 18? there's plenty of room to expand around the ballfields.

3) Baskets are in rough shape. About half of them are the old cones(shudder) and the other half are old chainstars that are falling apart and let discs fall out.

This course has been vastly improved over the last couple years, but there's still a way to go.

Hansen is an old school park in a nice neighborhood with a big group of nice cone devoted regulars. Most of the locals play every day and some are quite strong players.

The course has long and short tees on each hole. The quality of the pads is inconsistent, but they are good enough to be an asset rather than a liability.

There is good use of elevation, making for some fun shots. You can really let a few rip up and down the big hill in the middle of the park.

Random doubles league takes place on Weds nights at 5:30 (sun light permitting, it starts earlier in fall) for a few bucks, cash payouts.

Updated: the cones have been drastically improved this spring (4/14/2012). New buckets were fabricated for the UFOs, greatly improving the overall quality of play at the course.

The layout isn't exactly intuitive in a few spots. The walk from hole 9 to 10 takes you around a blind corner directly through the line of fire 50' in front of hole 6's teepad.

It's not a very flashy course. While I don't consider the buckets to be a huge detractor, they don't do anything for me. I get annoyed by them more often than I find myself thinking "Yeah, everyone should get these!". I generally do a pitch/apex type putt where the disc descends into the chains and drops into the basket. This style doesn't work very well on some of the the cones. You are almost forced to putt low, flat, and hard because there is so little clearance between the bucket and the outer edge of the cone. (update: the clearance between the cone and cage on the new and improved baskets is larger and has alleviated this problem for me considerably).

There is a no smoking rule posted on a bunch of signs in the park. Though I've never seen it enforced, you could probably get a ticket for smoking cigarettes.

Hansen is a weird oasis for a certain type of disc golfer. The cones scare off a lot of people. Those who play there are generally happy to be there and be playing their relaxed brand of disc golf. It's like the local bar. Almost everyone you see goes there on the regular, lives close by, and they love it for it's chill atmosphere.

It's a fun 12 hole, but it's not worth going out of your way.

If you consider playing the league, it's recommended you practice there first. Those guys can putt on some cones like you wouldn't believe and shoot very good scores.

Hansen offers a decent variety of holes for both the beginner and advanced ranging from narrow to open fairways, elevation change, length variation, and difficult cone baskets that will help anyone hone their putting skills.

Long and short tee boxes on all holes but the 7th.

Picnic tables, trash cans and portable restrooms.

Very little litter on course.

It is difficult to lose a disc as most of the understory vegetation on most holes is sparse. Some exceptions to beware of are the woods on hole 1, woods on hole 3, and tall grasses on hole 12, which are OB.

A very quiet course to play on weekends and early part of the day midweek.

No water hazards except for the creek which is mostly out of play.

Basket type is an inconsistent mix of cones and newer chained baskets, but this adds to the unique nature of the course. Many cone baskets, though, have been refurbished and wire baskets replaced with newer ones that don't let discs fall through any more.

First timers may have a difficult time navigating the course for the first time as plans for new signage are currently underway.

After a heavy rain event holes 1 and 12 can become soggy in low areas as well as standing water at the base of the hill on hole 5.

Late afternoons and evenings the course becomes crowded. Wednesdays are league nights.

With some better signage, further maintenance on the existing baskets, and perhaps the addition of a couple holes down the road to add to the course's diversity Hansen will become a more attractive choice of play to disc golfers in the area. I would definitely recommend this course to others who want to play something different.

The local group Friends of Hansen Park have been committed to the constant improvement of the course through annual donations to the city, volunteer labor on the course, and working with the Parks and Recreation Department of New Brighton. On July 27, 2012, new concrete tee pads were poured. As of today, August 4, 2012 some block walls have been built to prevent washout around the new tees and a couple more yet to be built. Similar to the Lakewood Hills course in White Bear Lake a modular system of plastic cells infilled with crushed granite will ultimately surround the new tees. At some point as funds and planning align, new signage and more holes will be installed.

-Great variety of holes (long, short, open, tightly wooded, elevation)
-Long holes (five of twelve from the tee boxes are roughly 400 feet, but still deucable by the big guns)
-Multiple tee boxes (long and short boxes on every hole except hole 7).
UPDATE: Concrete tee pads installed July 27, 2012!!!!
-Cone holes (love them or hate them, many people would put this in the "Con" section. The cones are nostalgic and represent the early years of disc golf. Cones a con??? not on this review!!). The locals are trying to acquire five additional cones to replace the chains.
UPDATE: Existing cones were refurbished with new cages.
-Very well maintained (grass is mowed regularly, and there is not a piece of trash in sight, very few cig butts)
-Good overall flow to the course (if you haven't played it, print off a map from the files section!)
-Portable restrooms (2) available
-Safe tee box and pin placement (rarely hear anyone yelling "fore"!)
-No chance of losing a disc (unless you severely shank a drive on hole 1 or 2)

-Signage out of date (This course has seen several changes in its 30 years in the ground. New signage on the way in 2012)
-No par-4 type holes. Every hole can be deuced by skilled golfers.
-Can be busy during the week (During weekends, you may have the course to yourself. And as a previous reviewer noted, it is a testament towards the love of old school designs and baskets!)
-Long stinging nettles on hole 12 (they are OB, so best to stay out!)

This course is set in a residential neighborhood-PLEASE RESPECT IT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD (the course was nearly pulled out of the ground in 2006). Please don't litter.
CIGARETTE BUTTS ARE LITTER.
Watch the LANGUAGE (remember, its only disc golf, not life and death!!). In parts of the course, players are in people's back yards where children are playing.
It has been in the ground since the early 80's and has an old-school feel to it.
Many people simply hate the cone hole, and for good reason. The sweet spot is about as big as a mailbox slot. I personally love the cones...they are a great "equalizer"...and they make you a better putter.
This course is fun for both beginners and experienced players. I've seen several changes in recent years and things are looking better all the time. The City has been refurbishing the cones there are plans in the works for other updates (signage, shelter area, etc)
In my opinion, this is the best course under 18 holes in the Twin Cities.
Side note from a previous reviewer comment: I've played 1000+ rounds on this course in the past 12 years and I've never seen or heard of a car break-in or other crime.

-nice rolling hill that comes into play a few holes
-get to air it out on some holes, but still get to test your technicallity through some woods
-long and short tees
-stupid cone baskets make it more challenging

-tucked away very well within New Brighton, was tough to find.
-several types of baskets
-cone baskets mean you have to putt straight at the center of it or it will ricochet off sideways. Soft floppy putter would help considerably.
-no signage, the flow is awkward
-old asphalt tees on some, dirt tees on others
-long and short tees make it hard to know where to tee off for the correct order of play
-tees are kind of marked with what hole you're playing, but not too well
-backyards and walking path become obstacles
-random patch of tall weeds on the last hole by the baseball field

-to the guy who said there could be more holes and the course could be longer: No. Not at all. There are already 12 squeezed into a small place with bad flow and almost-crossing fairways. there's no room for more holes

A fun course with challenging holes! There is a wide variety of holes that you will not get bored playing it a few times. There are a couple of holes with down hill shots that really let you air it out!!!

There is a variety of different types of baskets. Many of which are out of date or are being held together by duct tape. The chained baskets are holding up well, but the solid baskets are not.

There can be at times people walking through the park and with the course going along the path you may need to watch out for pedestrians.

Other then some of the baskets this is a real fun course! It is worth a stop!