Pros:
Kutter Park is a recreational 18 in the northern metro-east region of St. Louis. This course snakes around a multi-use park, and has a nice mix of elevation, openness, and woods to provide a little bit of everything during a round here.
Location of Kutter is in Cottage Hills, not far from Route 111. If you need food or gas, 111 or Bellwood Dr. are your best bets. If you're out bagging courses, this is one of six courses between Godfrey and Edwardsville, plus the Sioux Passage courses across the river. When arriving at Kutter Park, follow the park road to he left up the hill, and pass the ballfields and basketball courts. The start of the course is at the end of the road to the left.
Park Amenities at Kutter include Baseball fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts. There are also multiple playgrounds on site, along with bathrooms by the baseball diamonds. Benches and trash cans can also be found around the park and disc golf course.
Course Equipment is hit and miss at Kutter. That being said, the DISCatcher baskets are in great shape, with those yellow bands being easy to spot from afar. The tee signs are also all accounted for and include hole number, par, and distances. Some additional directional signs are also on the course to assist with navigation. There are also some very nice bridges in certain parts of the course that are a nice touch to limit erosion.
Course Design at Kutter provides a mix of open and wooded holes, with a little bit for everyone here. Between the distance variety, elevation, and shot shaping present, this course has everything I'm looking for from a shot variety standpoint in a rec course.
Shot-shaping, while not robust, is present throughout this course. While plenty of holes just require straight shots, others will require you to pull out some tricks. Holes 7 and 15 were holes that I found to be clear RH forehand holes, while other holes like 9 and 18 are shallower left turning holes that make for nice turnover shots for RHBH favoring players. Other holes like 1, 10, and 16 can be approached several ways, with backhand or forehand shots being legitimate options.
Elevation changes are also present, with a mix of uphill and downhill shots. Holes 3, 4, 6, and 16 all play downhill with varying openness, while holes 9 and 11 require uphill drives for your birdie. Hole 9 is a fun valley shot the requires you to hit a touchy left turning drive to avoid a long uphill putt.
Distances also vary at Kutter between short 200-ish foot holes and longer holes between 400 and 600 feet. Elevation will also impact how long or short some holes feel.
Course Difficulty in my opinion is firmly in the intermediate range. Anyone playing MPO or FPO in tournaments will likely breeze through this course with ease, but there is enough difficulty and risk/reward here to give new players trouble.
Cons:
Course Equipment is nice here except for the tee pads, which really put a damper on the course. Depending on what hole you are at, you may have gravel, rubber pads, or pavers to throw from. Most of these pads are on the short side, and many are also not level. More consistent tee pads, even if made from a cheaper material, would be very appreciated. Given the bridges on site, I found it a little puzzling that the tee pads have not been given more attention. Updated tee signs with additional information would also be a nice step up.
Erosion Risks also come to mind in multiple parts of the course. With the steeper pathways, the creek, and other factors, I could see this course being a nightmare after a rainy day.
Course Design. while nice in many ways. Leaves some more to be desired in certain areas. I feel like 17 and 18 are a weak ending given some of the other holes on the course; if these were combines into one hole, it would make for a fun challenging par 4 hole to end the course on. Some holes like 5 and 12 also play a little close to the perimeter fence, which already isn't ideal, but is especially not appreciated given the barb wire at the top of the fence surrounding this park. The field holes also get a little hole by the time you play 13 and14, given the woods and shot shaping that 2/3rds of the course are full of.
Other Thoughts:
This course, given how quiet is was on a nice day and the barbed wire fence around the perimeter, didn't really pass the vibe check for me. I initially drove to a more secluded part of the park that I initially thought was the start of the course, and a couple of folks hanging out asked if I was hiding a body or something. After playing the course, I concluded that this was not an unreasonable question for them to ask. Seriously, what's with the barb wire on a park fence? Who are you trying to keep out? Or in?
Overall, this is a nice recreational course from a variety standpoint. I think the feel of the park brings down the replay-ability of this course for me, and the lacking course equipment doesn't help bring an urge to go back here often, or at all, given the more quality options in the area.
If you are looking to play a nice 18-hole course in this part of St. Louis, I'd recommend driving a little further to La Vista, Sioux Passage, or Woodland Park before playing here. If you are course bagging, this is a good option to hit as you make your way around the Godfrey/Alton/Edwardsville courses.