Judson Mine is one of the most beautiful courses I've had the pleasure of playing on. The course wraps itself around the old mine, which now is a gorgeous lake with crystal clear water, in a clockwise manner. The course starts and ends right by the parking lot to the east of the mine.

The baskets here are Prodigy T-1's I think. Not too familiar with my Prodigy models. These have a blaze orange band and cage which makes them very easy to spot in the woods. These are all mounted properly and catch pretty well. One basket per hole.

There are 2 tee pads on nearly every hole. I believe hole 3 was the only shared tee pad. The pads are covered in an artificial turf which I personally really enjoy. Probably my second favorite teeing surface besides well done concrete. That being said, it's only been a handful of times I've played on these. Not sure how they handle any rain or snow. But when they're dry I find them hard to beat. The two sets of pads are generally set far away enough and/or at a different angle to make the hole play differently from each one.

The course is mostly wooded but it has it spots where it opens up and gives you a little more for options and airspace. Many shot shapes are needed to score well here. You'll be tested off the tee and definitely if you're out of position after the drive.

The elevation here is used well. There are numerous holes that play up or downhill, but nothing overwhelmingly so. Hole 4 is really the only shot where the lake comes into play, less so on the short tee but it's still there.There's a few other places where the drink can be found but it would require either a shank or some bad luck. Or both.

The tee signs are really well done. These have the hole #, a pretty solid looking hole layout map, both tee and pin locations and distances from each and pars. These are well made, durable looking signs that last a long time in the tough winters up here. Very well done with these.

The flow of the course is laid out superbly. I didn't need to look at the map once, minus the walk to hole 8. There were steps up the hill and also a pretty well traveled looking trail. Both would've probably got me there anyway. Other than that one spot it's pretty seamless from pin to the next pad.

The course was very clean, there were a few benches and trash cans throughout too. No cost to play and the course is permanent. Always a bonus for me.

As I mentioned above, I love the artificial turf pads. But I do have my doubt's about their durability and reliability in adverse weather conditions.

A couple of the holes play a bit close to each other. Nothing egregious really, actually only holes 12 and 13 I think they were. But that would take an absolute shank from the tee of 12 for it to really be an issue.

Hole 1 actually play right down a dirt road. Not normally a con, but that's actually the road Google maps had me take to get there. Literally driving up holes fairway. I'm just glad I didn't take a Destroyer to the windshield.

I'm honestly not able to come up with any other cons right now. Even what I have is kind of minor.

This course lived up to all of my expectations and then some. If I came back up to the Hibbing area I'd absolutely play this one again. This one is hands down the best course in the area, and it's not even that close.

While I can't say that it's a destination course, it is definitely a must play if you're up this way. This course is as solid of a 4 as I've played in a long time. It's just not quite at 4.5 level in my mind. Excellent course on a beautiful piece of land.

The first thing to point out is the setting of this course. This is a huge city-owned property that surrounds an old iron-ore mine pit. The pit is now filled with crystal clear water, which only comes into play on one hole. Unlike most other old mine pits on the Iron Range, this land has been reclaimed and has green grass and trees instead of rust-colored tailings.

Layout - The layout of utilizes the woods and elevation very well as it winds around the pit. There are long and short tees on nearly every hole. The holes are fairly balanced, requiring nearly every throw in your arsenal (i.e. long, short, open, tight, up, down, left, right etc.). This course can challenge all skill levels. As stated earlier, there is only one major water-carry from the long tees. Otherwise, the chance of going in the water is minimal, but can happen with unfortunate roll-aways that make it through the trees as all the land slopes downward to the pit. The water is very deep. If your disc ends up 15 feet from the shore, you may see the disc, but it could be 20 feet deep.

Baskets - There are new Prodigy baskets that are orange in color, which makes them highly visible. There are multiple basket positions on most, if not all, holes. Baskets may or may not be visible from the tee, depending on what tee pad is being used and what position the basket is in.

Signage/Navigation - There are beautiful tee signs with accurate footage at every tee box (long and short) as well as a large map at the beginning of the course. This makes it very easy to navigate. Top notch!

Tee boxes - It's hard to put this as a con, but the tee boxes are artificial turf. Most of the tee pads are beautiful, but a couple were a bit lumpy.

Mosquitos may be a problem at certain times of the year, but that's the case with any course in northern Minnesota. Mother nature shouldn't be a con, but for travelers from other parts of the country, this needs to be said.

The hard work of all the people involved in the construction of this course shows. Hats off to everyone involved! It is a great addition to the Iron Range disc golf. This place is beautiful!

There aren't any benches yet, but the course is very new. There are some boulders near the tee pads that can be used as seats.

There are a few garbage cans on this course, but if you can pack it in, you can pack it out! (this should be the same at EVERY park).

There is a donation box near hole one. The City manages the donation lock box.

Be careful if you need to enter the water. Old iron ore mining pits are very deep. If you fall in while trying to retrieve a disc, you need to be able to swim. It looks shallow, but it is not.

There isn't too much other park activity nearby, so disc golfers typically have the course to themselves.

A small city-owned campground is about a block away at Stubler Beach.

Bring good hiking footwear and water. Remember to take breaks, enjoy your surroundings, and maybe take a dip at Stubler Beach after the round.

I'm teetering between a 4.0 and a 4.5 rating. I need to play it a couple more times before I can give it a higher score.