This place is beautiful. The layout has a good flow and variety of distances, shot shapes and plenty of woods and elevation. Tees are concrete and the signage is great. Multiple pins on many holes, with good Innova baskets.

Following a considerable rain in the region this course drained nicely. I forgot to put on my tennis shoes and played it with some slip ons that I drive in, it turned out fine.

Fairways are almost always wooded, but on the long holes you are afforded a wider berth. The elevation changes combine with the trees to create some beautiful tee shots, evident on the first hole.
It's a downhill bomber, and the long pin takes a dogleg right. 3 is another cool downhill shot from the box. 4 is a cool top to top kind of shot over a creek bed that requires a zippy line drive. The front 9 are all par 3 and so is number 10, a short downhill to the edge of the lake. From hole 13 on are all par fours and fives. 13 is a 700' par 5 that has some good placement shots. 14 is super fun hole with an interesting pin placement. 15 is the par five monster that measures over 1000'.

The park is also home to another killer 18 hole course, as well as camping and other recreational activities. There are trash cans and picnic tables if you wanna pack a lunch and make a day of it.

This is a kind and gentle par 63. The professional might not have the same level of appreciation as I do. If I can go 2 under par on the first visit in casual footwear, maybe the challenge could be a tad bit higher.

I did run into an unfortunate raccoon on the 13th hole that had likely contracted canine distemper. I heard birds making an unholy racket from the tee box, and saw this critter hobbling across the fairway as I approached the basket. Two woodpeckers and a blue jay were heckling it mercilessly. What a way to go.

My favorite course in Louisiana now. The adjoining Dogwood course is equally good, making the $3 admission to the park a bargain. Make the trip to play here if you can, you'll be happy that you did. It's quiet, clean, and as nice of a setting as you might find anywhere.

I took 2 bogies, but offset them with 4 birds (3 of them in the last 6 holes). The long holes let me get back under par finishing with a 61 (-2). Felt great about that, and it warmed me up for the next round waiting very nearby.

This course really is a "Best of the Best." (the description of a 5.0 when choosing rating for a review) Playing this course had the sense of trail hiking at some points, sending my back to my camping days growing up, and leading camping/backpacking trips in college. The park is beautiful, and Whitetail shows off just how much.

The fairways are well-maintained, and the most open and fair ways (badum-tsh) I've ever seen on a wooded course. It gives you a real shot at staying on the fairway, but still is punishing for missing your line. But the rough isn't thick, so for at least the front 9 you could save your par.

Using elevation and using elevation well are two different things on a disc golf course. This is one that does it well.

It is almost breathtaking how beautiful the course is on a few holes. I have been to many state parks, and national parks, and wilderness areas, most of which were more scenic. But making the land into a disc golf course brings you into it in a different way. This course brought me into itself like no other course, even on very scenic land, has.

As mentioned, the lake is underutilized for being such an incredible park feature. I don't know if I would really change anything about this course (I mean, this is the best and highest rated course I've played to date), but if Claiborne State Park thinks about putting in a third course, that's where it should be.

I agree with reviewer MikeK about not having all the par 4/5s on the last 6 holes. I was sitting 4 under feeling great about my round after 10, but ended up 2 over on the day. Not that that's the course's fault, but once you get into a rhythm, an abrupt change of pace seems like you've just stepped onto a different course.

On hole.... shoot I can't remember. But on one hole the basket is placed on the ledge of a sharp drop off, and you can't really tell until you're there. I think that's not a great use of elevation, but mainly I worry about people going up to the ledge, even just to get their disc out of the basket, and the ground giving out. That happened to me on a creekbed about 6ft high, would have been way worse on a 20ft bank.

Being far away from civilization and cell phone service I don't think is much of a pro or a con. Just pick up a paper map/scorecard from the office and write your scores down. You won't need the map part.

This is by far a better course than any I thought Louisiana would be capable of. It is a must play for anyone in the area.

+Easily the best course in Louisiana
+Challenging course requiring accuracy and distance
+Paired with the Dogwood course at this same location in a state park with cabins and camping, it's a great "destination course"
+Hills add to the experience with dramatic elevation changes on several holes
+Scenic views of Lake Claiborne on a few holes
+Fairways are kept free of tree limbs and brush, and even off the fairways for many many feet as well, so it's rare to have to look very long for errant discs
+Signage is very good, navigation is pretty easy
+Course ends on perhaps the best 4-hole stretch anywhere
+Good baskets in good condition

-Natural tee pads. Although the tees are still level and seem to be root-free, expect erosion over time to make this more of an issue. During rain also don't think these tees will provide foolproof footing
-All the par 4s and 5s are on the last 6 holes. Would be nicer if it wasn't 12 par 3s in a row to start
-Cell phone coverage is very limited. On most of the course you probably won't get a signal. Seemed like the only place to get a signal at all was by Hole 1.
-Away from civilization, closest towns are many minutes away (could be a plus for some)

While Whitetail is not perfect, I rate it 4.8, and round up to five since we can't do 4.75 or quarter points on this awesome website. It's by far the best course in Louisiana and worth going out of the way for. The second-best course in Louisiana is in the same place too (Dogwood), so this state park is a bargain at $4 a car or whatever small entrance fee it is.

-Easy to find, the course entrance is right by the park entrance
-A ton of elevation throughout, with a dramatic downhill on hole 1 and uphill on 18, a number of tricky rollaway-inducing greens
-The natural tee pads give great traction, even after a bit of rain
-Backhand holes, forehand holes, a couple of tunnels, and one or two that will reward the long bombers, particularly the 1054 ft 16th; very well-rounded course
-Very fair, with achievable golf lines on every hole
-Excellent new Discatchers
-The blue tees are a good deal harder than the reds, which are great for a quicker fun round, especially if you don't have the greatest accuracy off the tee
-Not crowded at all, I have played here solo probably 25-30 times and have had to play through like twice
-Incredibly well-maintained given the relatively low foot-traffic it seems to receive, even when the leaves were falling the tees and paths were always cleared and fallen trees, branches etc. are quickly removed
-This course definitely rewards you if you are having a particularly good day, you can pile up lots of 2's on the front 12 if you hit your lines.

-A couple of the teepads, the reds on 2 and 8 come to mind, have tree roots sticking up that can disturb your runup
-The lake only really comes into play on 1 hole
-Cell service is sketchy at best and not many people around to hear you scream, try not to break a leg
-Some turf tee pads would definitely bring the place over the top, the existing ones are just as good as concrete ones though and much better in wet weather.

Beautiful and well-designed course in a not-particularly-active disc golf region, cool to see that it has broken onto the Top Rated page. Would love to see a pro tour-type event come through here someday.

Best course in LA
Elevation like none other in the state
Well maintained
Offers a variety of different shots for different skill levels
Great signage
Navigation is easy

Needs trash cans
Not cart friendly

Would love to see some concrete pads out there, but not a necessity to enjoy this awesome course!

A beautiful course that meanders through the entire north side of the state park. Excellent scenery and views are available on every hole. The course has two set s of tees (Blue and Red). The Blue tees require more advanced skill and will test you game, while the Red tees are set up for Amateurs and first time players. Excellent signage with some of the best tee signs I've ever seen. Hole 10 has to be one of the signature holes as you throw down towards the lake. Course is fair at the beginning, but stretches out on the finishing holes which makes it perfect for tournament play. The natural tee pads are a plus since it's in a State Park and helps keep the "nature" feel. You can tell the course is constantly maintained and in good shape. $2 to play, but well worth it. Scorecards provided at entry station.

none what so ever.

Course has another 18 hole course on the property.

two teepads for every hole
amazing scenery in a state wildlife park
camping and cabins onsite
Course design is phenomal.

bring toilet paper, cuase its far far away

This is hands down one of the best courses in the country, the amount of different shots, elevation change, terrain change, distance of holes, degree of difficulty, and just how beautiful it is be in this area of nature, make this a contender for best course in the country.

While there are a couple of opportunities to reach back and let one go, course management skills and accuracy are a requirement to be successful. A varied skill set of shots is needed here. Fairways are tough, but fair. Rough will punish, but not thick enough to be unfair.

Design is similar to that of ball golf courses. Landing areas, dog legs, and water are used to challenge advanced players.

Some of the best use of terrain I have seen on a disc golf course. Holes along ridges, rights of way, downhill shots with water behind the pin, creeks in front of green, and uphill approaches are all encountered at Whitetail.

Aesthetics, in my opinion, are a very important aspect of disc golf design. After experiencing some of the scenic views at Whitetail, you will understand.

Lodging (cabins, improved camping, and primitive camping) is available. Hot showers and restrooms. The park is isolated from traffic, sirens, and trains. Wildlife is abundant. Deer will be seen...and maybe, wild turkey.

An outstanding family vacation destination. Isolated swimming beach, boat launch, fishing, and playground are located in the park.

Easily the best course in Louisiana.

While natural tee pads are not, in themselves, a con...some were "loose" and could be improved.

Course could be difficult to safely navigate in wet conditions.

There are a very few courses where the scenery will force you to stop and absorb the beauty of nature....forgetting about everything....and transcending into an almost "enlightened" state. Lake Claiborne Whitetail and Dogwood are two of those courses.

As my title says, it's so much fun to play this course, I had to give it the best rating I could. I'd like to give it a 4.75, but I'm rounding up due to the great cabins and beautiful State Park it's in. It doesn't hurt that it has another awesome course on site that has a different character, but is still a "woods only" course.

Elevation changes on almost all of the holes (I think only #2 is completely flat) and trees that force lines that are very fair, but punishing if not hit.

As mentioned before, it's like a "ball golf" course. If you stay in the fairway and hit your lines, a low score can be yours. If you live in the rough, good luck on par. Either way, you'll have fun and admire the beauty of the park.

The on site cabins are great! Full kitchens with dishes and cookware. Full size fridge and stove/oven. Loft bedroom with full bed. Bunkroom that sleeps four. It's all the comforts of home with an awesome patio with a grill and great view. If tent camping is your thing, it's a great place for that too. There were quite a few people doing it that weren't there for disc golf. It's a really nice place to go even if you aren't playing disc golf.

The disc golf is there for all skill levels. Play from the longs is true championship level. The short tees give the casual disc golfer a chance to score well and have a great time doing it. The fairways are fair, and although it's an all wooded course, the holes aren't repetitive at all.

It is a good hike for those that like that. Up and down hills in a beautiful setting. Although there are literally millions of spiders (none that had any interest in us) that was pretty much all you'll see. The insects don't have much of a chance. I don't remember seeing a fly, much less a mosquito. We did see a lot of deer on the course at sunset. If you're also into wildlife viewing, this place will not disappoint you.

Woods only. No where to let one go that doesn't have to be "on line".

Your cell phone probably won't work in most places in the park. I have AT&T and I could get some reception on the tops of the highest hills only. (I'm not sure this is a negative). The park does have free wifi, but it isn't "fast". This is a place to escape the rest of the world, not a place to work online.

I'm glad we chose this park for our "Disc Golf Weekend". Both courses on site are fun to play (Whitetail is the best of the two for fun, Dogwood for exercise). I want to go back, soon. If you go there with friends and/or family, you'll have a good time.

We met the guys that maintain the courses as we played. They're very proud of the courses and it shows. If there's something that can be done (repairing natural tees for instance), there's no doubt that it could happen before the next round round if you let them know. The facility is top notch all around.

Lake Bistineau State park is about 45 minutes away with a more open design and another type of Louisiana beauty of Spanish moss from ball cypress trees.

This is a disc golf destination. Take the time to play the courses twice... at least.

This is a challenging course that rewards shots that stay in the fairway and punishes those that don't. The course is well-maintained, so the rough is "clean" and you won't have a problem finding your disc, but you probably won't have much more than a pitch out if you stray off the fairways.

You'll need every shot in your bag as the course mixes left/right, short/long, and up/down. Many holes offer multiple routes with risk/reward considerations in play.

Excellent signage with detailed tee signs and additional navigational signs as needed.

There is a bit of a walk from hole 3 to hole 4.

Limited cell service.

Seriously, that's about all I could come up with for negatives.

Whitetail is the original course and the longer of the two. If you're only playing one, I'd recommend Whitetail just because there are more "signature" type holes (1, 10, 16), but both are worth the trip.

The terrain is very unusual for Louisiana. The scenery is awesome. The course is shady and very relaxing. There are two courses at the park. You can play and stay too. You can't find a better spot.

The course is new and needs playing. There are a few things they are working on but the guys are adding new stuff all the time. With a little more work this course can be a premier course!

Better be in shape. It's not your mommas DG course. It's bad a$$. It will really work you.

I had a chance to visit this course on business last July and was surprised of the caliber of course that was in a state park. IT had very nice full color tees on the Blue tees on every hole with shorter red tees with just wooden posts and number plates. Course has a cool entrance with a heavy metal signed hanging over as you walk through.

Hole 1 starts off like a roller coaster and drops you into a fun filled round including a scenic hole 10 (or 11) that looks over the lake. The last bit of holes will test you on all levels. the last 5 or 6 holes changes dramatically into par 4's and 5's finishing on a large uphill par 4 back to parking.

Bring water! I'm not used to the heat down in Louisiana. Not any on course that I saw.

There is a $2.00 fee to play, but well worth it. I was told there was another course be install on the property.

This is an excellent course that plays on beautiful land. You'll throw every shot there is, and you better throw it well because this course will punish a bad shot as much as it rewards a good one. Holes 1-12 are birdie-able for most players but once you cross the road to 13, it's long, technical golf at its finest for pros and ams alike.

Bring plenty of water and bugspray, you'll be taking a hike while playing your round.

This course has many different elevation holes on it. Very scenic and requires many different types of shots to score well on the course. The first twelve holes are definitely birdie able. You'll need them for the last 6 holes. Holes 13-18 are the longest part of the course and require the utmost accuracy to score well. My favorite course in North Louisiana!!!

No Cons in my opinion,

This is disc golf at it's finest. It is not a course for whiners who do not like to walk between holes or go up and down hills. This course will challenge you and definitely make you a better golfer.

Tons of elevation. A wide range of shots required. Beautiful fairways, surrounded by wildlife and nature. The lake is enormous and well taken care of. The Ranger is supportive of the sport and very friendly. Cabins available and fun is welcomed!

N/A

This course has been recently updated. You guys should go check it out if you haven't been out there in a month or so!

We really enjoyed this course. It is very well laid out, and the signage is great. With this being our first time on this course, we had no problems knowing where the pins where, or where the next tee box was located. The location is picturesque, with great views of the lake, and plenty of wild life. Although we didn't see any deer, there were plenty of tracks. Some of the fairways were narrow, but that is what makes it more challenging. Even when the discs DID go in the woods, they were easy to located, due to the low amount of undergrowth.

The only thing I can think of that was confusing to us, we didn't know if the pin was going to be in the "A" position, or the "B" position, until we got close enough in range, on some of the holes.

This is just my opinion, but I think the natural tee boxes are just right for this course. Concrete is fine for city courses, but when you are dealing with a natural area, you want to leave as little behind as possible.

We played this from the Blues, which I guess is good for experienced players. We have only been playing about 5 months, and were REALLY wishing that we started from the Reds.

That being said, I can't wait to come out and play this course again. It is fun, and challenging.

The elevation and it's use by the designers is the best feature of this course. The very first hole is a 320' shot that travels downhill about 40 feet. I haven't played all the courses in Louisiana, but the elevation changes on this course are drastic compared to the ones that I have played.

There are some simply phenomenal holes that combine elevation, narrow but fair fairways, and fair distance. The holes that really stand out are 4, 9, 10 and 13. Many of the remaining holes are merely excellent by comparison.

Shot shaping will be rewarded above all else. Some of the baskets on fairly steep slopes are nothing to be trifled with. You will need your putting game here as well. A miss can easily take you out of putting range with a sickeningly long rollaway. I can only image how bad it could be on the 18th hole. I don't think that it would be impossible to roll from the basket all the way back to the tee.

Most of the course is shaded which will help some in the hot summers.

There is little interplay with other aspects of the park. Most of the course was blazed out of forest although trails were used in places. As a consequence there should be few pedestrians or bikers to deal with. I saw none on a weekday afternoon.

There are only a few holes that seem to be dictated by routing considerations. Much more emphasis seems to have been placed on creating some really challenging and beautiful holes.

For a course on a lake I expected the lake to come into play more than it did. There is only one hole with any realistic danger of losing a disc to the lake. Not knowing what was available to the designers, I can't count this as much of an issue, but I was a little disappointed.

This is NOT a course for beginners. Even intermediate players would be wise to consider playing the short tees. This is also not a course to play if you are not in reasonably good shape. Pushing carts may be a challenge here due to the terrain.

This course has natural tee pads. I would ordinarily lower my rating, but they do not hamper my game and unlevel tees can mess up my throw.

This is perhaps the most challenging and enjoyable course in Louisiana. The only real shame is that it isn't closer to my home.

If you are on I-20 on your way through North Louisiana, this is a must play course.

The nearest comparison among courses that I have played is Cedar Glades although I prefer this layout much more.

Ask for a scorecard with a map at the gate or take a picture of the map at the beginning of the course. You will need it - often. It is only $2 to play, which is a better deal that anyone should ask for.

The main thing I like about the course is that it rewards a good shot and punishes a bad one. It forces you to throw shots you're not used to and find creative lines. The elevation really adds a different dimension to the game than what I'm used to playing. There are 2 sets of tees and I recommend playing the reds if you are new to sport. The Blue tees will test your skills and endurance.

The park has a great entrance to the course(s) and great lake views. Scorecards are available at the entrance station.

Another course is being installed sometime soon, so a camping trip with friends would be fun.

This is a brand new course the was cut from a forest, so the tees are a little rough. I hear they are getting concrete tees sometime soon.

The course could use some navigation signs, but if you get a scorecard from the gate there is a map with paths marked on it to help.

When these 2 courses are finished 100% and broken in, it will be a great destination in LA.

I played the course for the first time during the doubles tournament on the opening day for the course. It was a fun course with some tough shots. There were a variety of shots from shot to long and from tight to open. Unlike many of the courses in the area, it has some great elevated holes. They were still adding signs and concrete tee's, but the course is off to a great start. I plan to play it as often as I can. If you plan to play make sure to bring your hiking shoes, as this is not a short or flat course.

None that I can think of.

Big thanks to the guys that took the time and effort to build the an shape the course. It will quickly become one of the best known courses in Louisiana.