* Variety -- every hole is different and offers its own challenges. Idlewild offers an excellent mixture between wooded and open, hilly and flat, short and long.
* Very few "filler" holes (maybe #F, if I'm being picky)
* A mental challenge -- accuracy is paramount, so consider each shot carefully. It you "throw and hope," you'll likely be sorry.
* Beauty -- the most aesthetically pleasing course I've encountered. I've seen deer and squirrels and birds and lush green fairways and vibrant wildflowers ... hence the review title.
* Peaceful -- I've played Idlewild at least half a dozen times and typically have the park almost to myself.
* Artistic tee signage -- just one of the many touches that makes Idlewild great.
* Challenging -- when you make a par (or birdie) at Idlewild, you earned it!

* Could use a couple more navigation signs indicating "next tee."
* Can get muddy at times.

Idlewild is an excellent benchmark for disc golf courses.

Thoughtful, fair, and makes you use your entire arsenal of shot selection, and your brain.

If the grass is high, it's hellacious. If you can't throw more than 300-320' on a drive, you might have a hard time making par.

Beautiful work with the club to do what they have done with it. This course has teeth if you can't hit the landing zones. But if you take it a chunk at a time, you can do this!

This is a professional Disc golf course that will make you use every throw you know. If you play the strict OB this course really pushes you. The greens are very unique and help to set this course apart.

This course is not for beginners. If you are new to the sport, you may be better of going down the road 5 minutes to Boone Woods.

A group of 4 will take over 2 hours to play if you are doing all 24 holes. Take your time to enjoy this beautiful park.

What else can I say, I've been golfing for a long time and this is easily one of the best courses I've played. Truly a course you travel to play - a disc golf destination.

No casual rounds here

Just a fantastic course!

Will make you throw every shot in your arsenal. Beautiful island greens and running streams. One of the prettiest courses around. To truly experience Idlewild you have to play 24 longs. The water shots are awesome.Bring water and a snack!

Summertime brings the ticks. Make sure you check yourself after your round!

Don't think about it, it's worth the trip hop in the car and grab some friends and some disc!

Idlewild is a 24 hole course set in a super nice, multi-use park.

Concrete tee pads, in decent enough shape. Some could use some work, but no big deal. Most holes have one tee, some have two.

Mixture of baskets, but they all worked well enough. Some updates on these wouldn't be the worst thing. One pin position per hole, for the most part.

Distance. Everywhere. If you like long, winding holes, this is the place for you. You'll get open bombers, uphill hucks, tight tunnels, and anything else you can think of. There's a few shorter holes, but for the most part, you can expect plenty of legit par 4's, with placement being key.

Good use of elevation. There's not any top o' the world shots, but just about every hole has some sort of rolling hill incorporated.

Some holes have water as an obstacle, which is nice. No gigantic water carries, but several places where, if you get knocked by a tree, you could be in trouble.

Really nice landscaping, and tee signs. It's not quite country club nice, but not too far off. Navigation was relatively easy and the course has good flow.

I'm not a big fan of turf greens. I understand why they're used here, but they felt out of place and weird. Probably just a preference thing.

Idlewild is certainly not the most "accessible" course around...meaning new players, or players without bigger arms are going to get frustrated easily here.

Idlewild is a great course, especially if you're a top level player. I get it. What I don't like, is that as an Int player, I felt like I could go out there with a mid and putter, and score just as well as I could with my whole bag. In fact, I might score better just dinking and dunking my way through the course. There's places where it feels hard just for the sake of being hard. Of course, this is totally a personal feel, and will be different for every person.

For a course of this caliber, there should be at least two tees on every hole, and more than a single pin position. There's certainly plenty of space to do it.

Idlewild is a fun, tough, long course. I just didn't leave it feeling like I HAD TO come back and play it again, even though I'm glad I got the opportunity. Personally, I'd rather head up the road and play Lincoln Ridge.

Definitely a course you want to go play if you're in the area and make your own conclusions.

Good tee pads/ good tee signs
Plenty of benches
bright colored baskets
1000ft hole
elevation changes
Easy navigation
Clean park
free to play

None

This course was very well done with good use of elevation. Many tight shots that force you to be accurate though out the whole course. Many uphill shots may leave you exhausted playing on a hot day. There are not many short holes you will need a trusty driver for almost every hole. The 1000 foot hole was very cool with a big downhill slope towards a ball golf like green and a little river running all around it. Lots of OB to make you think your shots out better. I highly recommend this course and think everyone should play it at least once.

- Probably the best maintained course in the area. When you take in the amount of acreage in up keeping this course its kept nice.

-The tee signage is probably the best I have seen. The multiply pin placements and having a marker on the side if the tee signs marking the pins was great!

- Even though the concrete is showing some wear the nice long boxes are in great condition.

-Shot variety is the spice of life here. With multiple "pure" placement shots of the tee, the second shot is key to success. With that said a hzyer line off the tee (rhbh) often force an anny or forehand on the approach.

-Coming from playing a lot courses that usually play 54 par from all tees this was a rude awakening. This course in my opinion is championship caliber. I was not ready for it by any means and put up a terrible showing by the end of the day but it was worth every second.

*Disclaimer* Every course has it cons, however I feel as if Idlewild's doesn't detract from its over all score as much as people would think. If you can look past the minor things, you see the beauty.

-Multiple pins on one hole. This was a new thing for me and didn't really enjoy it. On 3 the short basket gets in the way, for me at least, on the approach to the other pin. This is just more a nit pick though on my part.

Idlewild is a long course. If you are not in great shape and plan on playing all 24 holes pack a lunch and take a break halfway through. If you are remotely tired towards the end this course will eat you and spit you out. With that said this place sits on special land and you can feel it. Must play for any fan of high level disc golf... Even if you cant throw at a high level yourself!

I cant say anything that hasn't already been stated. It's easily my favourite course.

NONE

Beautiful lines that require you to bring strategy into consideration. The follow was awesome and never felt rushed while playing. It was like having an entire course all to my self.

Technical, long,difficult, water, 24 holes...what more could you ask for?,

I have no complaints about Idlewild

Started playing here last fall, and as a beginner, it was an eye opener. WOW! This game is not easy! Played there all winter. Even in the snow. Have not even come close to par yet, but still have to list this as my favorite place to play. Playing all 24 holes is definitely a challenge, but the course is simply too much fun to pass up the chance.

- Very well maintained and groomed course
- Mutliple pin placements
- professional level

Idlewild is arguably the best course in the KOI Tri-State area if not in the entire US. The course is a mix of open distance holes combined with technical wooded fairways. This course is an incredibly challenging course that doesn't feel too hard due to the incredible quality of the design combined with the fun of playing it. Even holes that feel like gimme holes aren't necesarilly gimmes. Multiple pin placements keep the course feeling refreshed while changing it up and the water hazards combined with the tight technical wooded holes make this course an incredibly difficult but exciting course to play. If you get the chance and have not played here, you are doing a disservice to yourself by not playing here.

From the well groomed fairways to the beautiful basket positions this course is absolutely perfect! if you have a chance to play this course it's well worth your time!

NONE!

wish i could play this course much more often!

To date, this is the best and most challenging disc golf course I've ever played. It has everything: elevation, water carries, OB, tight wooded lines, and open bombs. Always feels like you should be paying a green fee to play this course.

Update: The statements above still apply. New baskets have been added, and holes renumbered (1-24) to include the letter holes.

The walk from 22 to 23 crosses 17's fairway, but Idlewild is rarely busy enough for this to matter. The creek is getting clogged and has stagnant water often. Maintenance and upkeep is starting to slow down as the volunteers get older.

The letter holes were added later and really don't fit the original 18 much.

Prettiest course, most difficult course, and best designed course. Idlewild has it all.

First, the stuff you'd expect from a top-level course:
Benches on most holes, plenty of trash cans, not much litter, great tee signs, well-defined fairways (mostly), solid baskets, large concrete tees, frequent elevation challenges, open and tight hole variety, great shot variety, multiple tees and multiple baskets for great re-playability, front and back end up near the parking lot, lots of Par5s and Par4s, water OB was there-but not too deep to recover your disc (except for one tee shot over the pond), well-defined greens and tee areas, "Facilities" on-site, bridges over ditches, rough is thick but not impassable, free. The "balance" is probably the best of any course I've played. As a lefty, I never felt like I didn't have a good line.

Not much here. I would have given it 4.75, if I could, because of the navigation challenges. I played the course on a Thursday morning and no one was there to help. I tried to line up a Course Guide, but couldn't get one on the short notice that I had. I know that the "Next Tee" was marked on the Tee Signs and a lot of the holes had red directional "Next Tee" signs, especially on the back, but frankly it was not enough. Adding to the Navigation issues, more than a few of the hole transitions are quite long. I'm sure that others will disagree, but my view of a 5-star course is that navigation and transitions should not be an afterthought. More work needs to be done here to make it deserve that fifth star, Another small quibble I had was the fairway/lines on some of the wooded holes were convoluted/random/luck over skill.

Beware the joggers and walkers. It wasn't a Con, but a few tee throws could conflict with other users in this multi-use park. Also, it is a long, grueling course that will require you to climb up and down and walk considerable distances. I'm just gald I didn't play this course in the summer. I cannot stress enough that this is not an easy course. I like that it sprinkles a few "breather" holes along the way, but this is a course that requires you to keep your mental game strong. It doesn't take much of a mental lapse to find yourself looking at a double or triple (or worse). Requires planning and placement for just about every shot. Allow 3+ hours to play, especially if you play in a group. As others have said, enjoy the beauty, the upkeep and the long hours that have gone into this course. Just don't hate it when it punishes the occasional errant throw.

Features 24 best of the best championship level holes playing over picturesque Kentucky rolling hills mixed with a few mostly open and mostly wooded technical fairways. Coming into play are elevation changes galore, creeks, ponds, tall grass, and island greens with a mix of par 3 and 4, and two 5s. Idlewild has phenomenal balance and variety from hole to hole and starts and ends with two of the best holes and 22 freaking awesome holes in-between them.

Amenities include excellent concrete tees and signage, and some multiple tees and baskets. Some benches. Grass is well maintained on fairways and underbrush wasn't too bad in the woods. Navigation was ok for the most part. Two loops of 9 holes back to parking lot and extra 6 letter holes on first loop. Nicely built greens and bridging over creeks and walking paths. Water fountains, portapotty, and trash cans in parking lot.

This is not a con in my book, but Idlewild is definitely not a beginner - intermediate level course and only has one set of gold level tees on most holes which is probably with good reason or warning that you probably shouldn't play here if can't get to the first basket within two drives and stay on the fairway which is fairly generous relative to the rest of the fairways.

Beware of crazy human joggers, I was the only disc golfer in the park and there was only a few other people in the whole park, and a few times someone ran down or across the fairway. I was shocked people would run this elevation in the heat. You cross a fairway at one point and backtrack a few places. Plays over and near a walking path/road, nothing too bad.

I played in the peak of summer so there's some poison ivy out there but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and actually was decent in that regard compared to the other 10 courses I played on this road trip. Just keep an eye open in/near the roughs and trees. The open bomber hole on 15 with tall grass rough is pretty gnarly, but the mowed strip is like 60' wide and I managed to stay out of it even with a blizzard destroyer and headwind. The family that just finished playing when I arrived found several ticks on them, but I didn't find any later. If you can't control a disc well these may be more of an issue.

Just a note that playing and walking over the elevation changes in the summer heat and humidity was rough the first 15 holes to loop back to the parking lot as the 6 extra letter holes are mostly open and elevated. In retrospect I should have probably played the 6 letter holes as a 3rd loop or warm up loop. I ran out of 24oz water after the first 9 holes with 6 to go on the loop. I had to take a decent break to rehydrate before the final 9 holes which is rare for me. It took me almost 2.5-3 hours to play from start to finish which is one of, if not the longest solo round I've ever played and my legs felt like jello.

It does get pretty noisy when planes fly over and are low, but it seems to be pretty sparse timing on the fly byes.

Idlewild is Where The Wild Things Are and definitely lived up to the hype. I'm not sure which was my favorite hole as most holes stand out not just among of Cincy area, but of every course I've played. Idlewild throws everything at you including the kitchen sink. You really have to think about where to land and what line to throw to help setup the next throw. Do you risk the plinko approach to the green and ending up OB or layup safe for a longer putt that is still quite makable? You must be able to throw a putter or mid straight and long on many holes to have a look for the next shot. Other holes require a driver out of sheer distance and/or for line shaping. I throw BH and FH equally, so I never felt like the course didn't have a line I couldn't feasibly hit. If you can't throw with opposite spin you may have trouble finding a fairway line on some holes. Some see these as course flaws, but it's really a player flaw of not playing the course like your game permits.

I've played 100+ courses and Idlewild easily ranks in my top 5 with Paw Paw WV, Hawk Hallow, Black Jack, Nockamixon, Moraine, and Orange Crush being of similar style awesomeness. What can I say, but I love me some crazy good epic disc golf! Idlewild made the two flat tires and 1,200 mile round trip drive totally worth it!

Top notch course with multiple tees.If you play this course on a regular basis you have to improve on your game.Nice tight fairways,long holes,a good mix with open and wooded.It has beautiful landscaping.Well done course,I'm very lucky to have a course like this so close to home.

If you don't have patience you may not want to play this course.If your a beginner play boon for awhile.

I haven't played much since 2008 do to my work schedule and some personal problems but Im back now and look forward to going to Idlewild!!!!!Remember it's rated pro for a reason so if your a whinner don't come to Idlewild it will beat you down!

There's not a whole lot to say about Idlewild that hasn't already been said, so just know that it's a world-class course with stunning design that's worthy of its Top-5 status. Variety is the spice of life, and it's also the spice of disc golf design. Holes range from 142' to 1001' and everything in between. Wooded and open, uphill and downhill, bomber and technical, water and OB paths...nearly every style of modern design is represented here and shines with substantial challenge and maximum enjoyment. The fact that this creative design was allowed to flourish in a public park is nothing short of amazing. Where a typical course will have one or two signature holes, Idlewild has at least 8-10 that can have you grinning while cursing your errant throw at the same time. Regardless of your personal design preferences, you'll have at least one hole (but realistically many more) that speaks to you here.

Certain greens are made of turf rather than natural grass, which is fantastic for erosion control and preserving the original design and integrity of the hole. Much to my surprise, I didn't find these artificial elements to clash with the abundant natural beauty of the course, making them a win-win.

The rough is thick, but not unfair. Recovery shots are difficult, but not impossible. There's not a lot of purposeless hacking to be found here.

Even if the golf was average, the exceptional maintenance would elevate the course rating. Someone clearly has (and continues to) put a great deal of blood, sweat, and tears into making this course world-class, and it shows. No signs of vandalism or even trash anywhere on the course. I played most recently following a few days of rain and was surprised to find the grass thick, the mud minimal, and the greens dry. Bravo!

The aesthetic wow factor is high here, with many holes requiring the player to pause for a moment to admire the beauty. Holes #5, #15, and #16 leap immediately to mind, and are just a small sample of the wonderful views on this gem. Play Idlewild at slightly slower than your normal pace for maximum enjoyment.

The course is free to play, which is akin to being able to play Augusta National for free, whenever you want.

Impeccable tee signs on all holes. Large, comfortable concrete tees on most holes. A mix of basket types, all of which catch very well.

Playing all 24 holes is a good workout! You'll probably need to stop and catch your breath now and again after some of the grueling uphill climbs. Bring water, even if you typically don't need it. You'll want it here.

There's not a lot to dislike here, but a couple of things are worth noting. The lettered holes, while enjoyable, are noticeably inferior to the 18. I'm not one to complain about extra holes, but the simple "good" of A-F contrasts sharply with the "exceptional" of 1-18. Since extras are exactly that, in my mind they shouldn't bring down the course rating. Taken by themselves, I'd give A-F a 4.0 disc rating.

WARNING: NITPICKY, UNCONFIRMED NOOB STATEMENTS AHEAD. EASILY OFFENDED NEED NOT APPLY. I've heard (but so far have been unable to confirm) that on a turfed green, your approach must land on the turf or it's considered OB. If this is indeed a course rule, I'm personally not a big fan of it. In my opinion, this element seems rather gimmicky and unnecessary to me. If the rule is designed to add challenge, the challenge seems inorganic and shoehorned in, clashing sharply with the rest of the course. If the rule is designed for erosion control, I understand it but still don't like it. If the rule doesn't exist, please disregard the preceding paragraph.

While most of the course is disc golf exclusive, there are a couple of places to be especially aware of other park goers. The tee shot on C plays over the road, while 2 long, 3 long, 4 long, and F play over a well-traveled walking path. E plays almost entirely in a high activity area, so be aware!

Idlewild is a world-class, destination course in the truest sense of the term. The reward of driving a significant distance to spend an afternoon of disc golf at Idlewild is special indeed. Some courses are designed to squeeze a round in on a Wednesday before it gets dark. Idlewild is meant to be savored on a sunny weekend afternoon. Lose yourself in one of the best disc golf has to offer.

A note on difficulty: you'll need to throw with some degree of accuracy, but you don't need world-class distance, making this course more accessible than it may appear. My best score is +20, and I'm proud of that mark. Previously I've shot a +41, and another person in our group shot a +51. Doesn't matter. You will have fun here. Go play it!

The course has a huge shot variation and a huge difference in length and par. There are a few wide open long holes and some very tightly wooded dinkers. A few holes play over water, which is fun, and there is quite a bit of elevation change.

Maybe a little bit too long. Playing singles at Idlewild takes a long while, and I've heard horror stories of playing doubles there.

Lots of variety here - yes with this many holes you still get variety out of a predominantly long wooded course. There are a wonderful mix of uphill/downhill/crosshill/rolling hills, insanely wooded/wide open, water hazards including longer water carries, etc.
Risky greens. I love the risk associated with many of the greens and approaches which are right on the creek or one of the ponds. Many of the wooded holes also have greens that are
Balance. Good mix of long/short, and left/right/straight/s-curves.
Water hazards. Personally I love water hazards. I love forced crossings with bail out zones that accommodate lack of distance. I love the 'tight off the tee' semi-hidden muck hole on the lettered loop. It's nice to have a water hazard that generally makes a disc un-recoverable - that type of challenge really changes the mindset of some players and I love to see how they react and change up their selection.
Beautiful physical terrain with sweeping views, huge majestic trees, sharp drastic elevation along creek bed ravines, and lots of woods and waters style beauty. Definitely the physical type of terrain ideal for a disc golf course.
Multiple tees and multiple pins. I love the variety this introduces and allows players to mix up the skill levels needed, as well as allow groups of varying skills to play and enjoy together.

The biggest downer was the shear repetitiveness of the wooded holes. I am the kind of player who LOVES wooded courses, but I was completely taken aback at how much this course started to wear on me. I wasn't necessarily on my game, but not throwing too bad. After eyeing some of the almost ridiculous lines off the tee, I stepped up and ripped drive after drive down the tunnels, watching and oohing and ahhing, only to get kicked into the brush by one tree or another. So, that brings up a secondary supporting con - the rough (and course in general) has a big poison ivy/oak problem. I've stated in my reviews before that I am a travelling player. I take time out of business trips and family vacations to play what appears to be superbly enticing courses. Idlewild did look superbly enticing, but when playing through with the family while on the way to Florida, worrying about quarantining our shoes and clothes due to poison ivy is a huge turnoff. Back to my original frustration regarding the layout, it just became too much and it took me far too long to admit the defeat. After a while, I began throwing a buzzz or other straight midrange disc anywhere from 2-3 times on the long wooded holes, then plunking in an easy putt for a 4. I found no real reward in ripping a driver down the fairway to achieve the perfect s-curve and maybe take a 2 or 3. To the contrary, the risk was high and punishment became awful as we tip-toed through poison ivy and thick brush.
The turf greens looked really neat in the pictures and were actually part of the draw to play the course, but in person they look REALLY tacky. The ugly bright green turf applied over a flattened green, and lined with ugly concrete bollards was just that - UGLY. I'm a fan of natural courses, so not having the natural sloping banks along the stream, keeping them really risky, was a turnoff. I'm sure with the number of players at the course, erosion was a concern, and I give the crews credit for addressing it though.
No huge downhill bomber. Yes, you may argue that you can really rip a disc down hole #1, and I agree, I'm talking the ski hill style downhill hole is missing.
The signs were nice but I didn't feel they really depicted the hole or the pin placements. With the number of pins and long blind holes, I found myself very often walking a few hundred feet down the fairway to get a better look.
Despite touting multiple tees, this really isn't the case as many holes have just one finished tee. I personally find this frustrating in trying to play a certain type of round at a specific skill level. Say I'm playing with my wife who is throwing the short tees, and I'm playing the long tees - when they're shared or often just one tee, or jump around from one to two to three tees, it's frustrating and not at all a consistent skill based complete round - calling a single tee both a red and a white/blue level tee and hole design is nonsense and a copout.
There is also a mix of basket types out here and some were just plain old junk, homemade (looking) with single rows of chains. 24 common baskets would be much nicer.
1001' across a field. Let me tell you again, with super tick grass off the runway, throwing a buzz three times down the middle, then going for a 40' putt, missing and taking a five, is WAY better than the minimal amount of reward in ripping two 450' drives and MAYBE making a 100' putt for a three!!!

Overall, I was thoroughly excited to play Idlewild, and as the round started, that excitement kept building for the first few holes and as I looked around at other holes. Then we got to the letter holes and half of them were completely passable. The first downhill hole was nice, the mucky watering hole was great, and the carry across the pond was great - the others were bland and useless, including the one (or two?) after original hole 3 which are entirely boring.
After getting the lettered holes out of the way and entering the woods is when things picked up again because I love watching discs sail wonderfully through the trees. But as we kept getting beat down by the fortress of trees, and searching through discs in thick brush and poisonous plants, the wonder began to wear and even the ace run wooded holes on the unique a neat ridges and valleys couldn't raise my spirits much. Eventually I accepted the beatdown and threw straight down the middle for an uninspired and lackluster round. All the shiny polish wore off and Idlewild became a chore. We were happy to leave and continue on our way.
So, all the hype and all the enticement still exists, however playing the course fails to live up to the hype and hysteria. I understand the appeal completely, and I get the references to "Championship Calibur". It takes a GREAT player to concquer this course. Unfortunately with 400-600' holes playing s-curves through the woods, some luck is bound to play a role in any round. My luck was bad, I was far from championship style, and I decided to play lame-duck golf to avoid the punishment, and I still scored decent (deaming 4s and 5s decent enough compared to penalty of kicking deep into the brush and taking 6s and 7s). Idlewild was beautiful, challenging, decently balanced, and full of variety - it just wasn't fun!

Fred Salaz has done a good job, Where to start? Its a super challenging course. Not for Noobs! The basket lay out plays the natural landscape well, and you get to see the KY rugged scenery.
Multiple pads, and pin placements everywhere, so watch out.
I thinks its 24 holes but I remember it when it was only 18, I have a feeling we may see more baskets...
Island greens are a nice touch, this course plays around a couple ponds, and many creek beds, loads of trees, OBs, Mandatory trees, Good mix of long, short, wooded, and open holes.. Sometime I feel its best to roll or throw your putter as far as possible to navigate its tight gaps and OB traps..

The same as its Pros, Its a tough course, very long, bring food, water, strong shoes, and your A game. Its a little tricky to find your way around, usually because your score goes in the toilet quickly...Also, if your frustrated, this course eats plastic night and day, and will eat your disc. So don't shoot wild...

Its better played in groups, Doubles works well here because the course is long, technical, and one bad shot at any given time can ruin a great game