Joseph C. Miller is a nice 18 hole course that has good elevation change on several holes, woods ranging from sparse to fairly dense, and a stream that might dampen your disc but is not likely to swallow it forever. Tees are concrete and they do have signs. The baskets are all there, and serve their purpose.

The fairways are commonly grassy, but pins are on the edge of tree lines to limit the angles. A few do have more trees, with gaps that restrict flight lines to narrow windows. Elevation is a big factor on hole 8, an open run downhill with the stream running right behind the basket. The long pin on 11 also crosses the stream right in front of the basket, with a tight squeeze through trees raising the risk another step. 15, 16 and 18 were also among my favorite holes, all heavily wooded with some distance. Making the drive and following with a
nice approach on those type of holes is always super satisfying for me.

A lot of the holes have many possible pin placements. Difficulty levels may increase significantly depending on what the layout is. Those really long ones drastically increase overall distance. The shape of fairway and the strategy from the tee is often impacted quite a bit also.

Hole 4 had two baskets, with the short pin several feet off the ground and a circular staircase to aid in retrieval. Hole 10 short pin also was on a bit of a raised terrace, but not nearly as high. Just a single or double layer of landscape blocks.

I had trouble spotting the baskets on several holes. A bright new coat of paint would help for sure. The dark metal blends in to the woodsy surroundings easily. I would have loved to have an indicator to signify what location the pin is in from the tee on blind shots. Many times best you can do is guess unless you walk the hole in advance to seek it out. My girl isn't waiting on me to do that all of the time.

JCM is less than two miles away from the Dam Course, which is also a really solid 18 hole layout. Throw in a visit to Holts Summit DGC and Harmony Bend and you have a killer day or two of disc golfing. I am searching for any reason to get to the Columbia area for a couple of days every chance I get now.

Miller beat me up pretty good. No birdies and a lot of red on the scorecard. Shot a 66, which is around 10 over I think, but I didn't note exactly where every pin was or if the par varies based on location. I would think it does. It would be worth hitting Jeff City again to play either one or both of these courses. I liked the Dam Course slightly better, but both are really pretty good.

(EDITED on 7/10/23: I played Joseph C. Miller again six years later. And wow, a very good course has delivered significant improvements and deserves a promotion to the 4.5 phenomenal rating. Every hole has two baskets, shorts and longs, and several possible pin placements. The long layout now includes 11 par-4s and one par-5. The new signage is incredibly detailed and some of the best I've ever seen. This is a top-notch course.)

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In Binder Park, on the outskirts of Missouri's state capital, is an extraordinary course with an ordinary name. The Joseph C. Miller DGC offers enjoyable disc golf with a variety of hole designs while including several engaging elevation changes.

The course conditions at Joseph C. Miller DGC were excellent when I played. Well-mowed and clearly defined fairways complemented easily navigable terrain, even in areas with wooded obstacles.

The variety of hole designs is excellent and provides a good challenge. The first three holes are decently wooded, and Hole #1 requires an accurate uphill drive immediately.

Hole #8 might be the signature hole - a picturesque and downhill 310-foot run that offers an opportunity for an ace run toward an edge-of-the-woods basket while facing the risk of sinking an inaccurate drive deep into the bushes. The long (white) basket is elevated and is sitting atop the short (pink) basket.

The back nine continues with a variety of holes that include nicely outlined fairways. The par-4s provide lots of challenges with opportunity to score birdies or get punished with bogeys.

After the changes in the last few years, there aren't many cons at Joseph C. Miller. There are a couple holes where the long basket is in a difficult area. There's some rough areas near the fairway. The walk from Hole #18 to the parking lot takes a few minutes. Hole #14 is a wide-open hole from the longs that fills the gap between holes but is fairly plain.

The design and diversity at Joseph C. Miller is impressive. The terrain is used well and none of the holes appear to copy a previous design. The elevation is incorporated flawlessly without feeling forced or unnecessary. This course is another mouth-watering treat on the tasty menu of disc golf in the central Missouri region.