Considered one of the "Big 3" courses in the Greater Cincinnati area, the Lincoln Ridge Park DGC has stood the test of time in offering a pleasant variety of fun hole designs for more than 40 years.

The park course features plenty of parking, some lovely views, a thrilling opening hole, and an overall enjoyable experience spread over 24 holes.

The course starts well, with a downhill bomber to the woods' edge, followed by a couple of fairly open holes, allowing proper warm-up before disappearing into the woods.

Some of the lines in the woods can be particular, which could lead to a decent amount of score separation, which I appreciate.

The ponds are present on a few of the last holes, but safe lines are available to avoid any splashes.

There are several nitpicks about Lincoln Ridge that keeps it from being rated higher in my book.

Especially for first-time visitors, there's a jumble of multiple teepads and alternative basket locations that can cause confusion for navigation and obtaining reliable distance information.

Some of the wooded holes will be a bit tougher on the first play without knowing the lines and not being able to see the basket from the teepad.

There are several mostly wide-open holes that just feel like fillers to get to the next hole. While I usually appreciate additional holes, an 18-hole version of Lincoln Ridge would probably be better.

The holes down the hill near the creek seemed slightly ignored. The basket on Hole #14 was leaning and just holding on. Holes #15 and #16 run alongside the creek and throws off the fairway might be tricky to retrieve or worse if the creek is up. Hole #17 is pretty narrow and the bushes might swallow up wayward drives.

Several of the holes bring the park roads into play. And some of the baskets have seen better days.

Lincoln Ridge Park has been on my wish list for several years - strangely enough, several of my disc golf buddies in Chattanooga had played it, while I was guilty of always playing Idlewild during previous travels through northern Kentucky. I enjoyed my visit, but with expectations that it would be more iconic, I left with a slight bit of disappointment.

With a rating just north of 4.4, Lincoln Ridge still maintains its spot as the third-highest-rated course in Kentucky, but there's a reason that four of its last five reviews (counting this one) rate the course as a 3.5. Lincoln Ridge feels worn out. Several of the holes feel neglected. The course needs a fresh paint job in order to maintain its lofty status from the glory days.

1) Lincoln Ridge is an old school style course that is for all intents and purposes an all par 3 layout. The holes are generally shorter than the other of the big 3 courses in Cincinnati (Idlewild and Mt. Airy) which helps the course stand out from the others and make the course more enjoyable for less skilled players. Accuracy and finesse is much more important than distance here. But, there are also a fair number of open holes that give an opportunity to bring out the fairway or distance drivers as well. The woods holes are dense, but not unfair. The elevation here is great, and is used very well; uphill, downhill, sidehill, and valley shots of varying steepness, and one shot (13) that falls off on all sides of the fairway are to be found. Even for lower level players there are more than a few very good birdie opportunities (holes 4, 7, 9, 18, and maybe 20), then there are a couple pretty tough holes (6, 16, 21 (long), and maybe 24) that will provide good challenge for higher level players.

2) Tee pads are concrete and plenty large (except for 15 and 16 which are nearly uselessly small) and grippy enough.

3) Most holes have decent tee signs (15 and 16 did not have signs or posts when I played) that get the gist of the hole's info across to first timers but quite a few of holes may require you to walk down the fairway to tell exactly what to do on your first time if you don't have a guide.

4) Baskets look pretty old but are still in good condition and catch well, no complaints about them.

1) Quite a few of the open holes are just lackluster, to say the least. 11 and 23 are just wide open with no obstacles, 12 is the same but has a slope on the left side that can punish a sawed off RHBH or turned over LHBH but still very little risk, and while 22 does have a small pond left of the basket it's just another open hole with no trees. IMO, holes 11, 12, 22, and 23 add basically nothing to the course except some extra throws on the scorecard.

2) IMO, the holes down by the creek (14-17) aren't that good and almost just feel out of place on the course. 14 isn't terrible, but it's so downhill that unless you hit something not going long is seemingly impossible; I threw my Proxy nearly as soft as I could and still went at least 100ft long OB in the creek. The fairway on 15 and 16 is just a path of large rocks (the pictures on here are old and the holes look nothing like that anymore), they do not have tee signs or markers, the tees themselves are tiny (maybe 5ft long at most), the pads stick up above the rock path so running up from behind the pad isn't really viable, and anything that leaks right is probably getting a kick that will send it into the creek or across. The creek isn't deep enough (or wasn't when I was there at least) to ever lose a disc but the bank is a bit steep and getting a disc out of it or getting across it can be a bit tricky. Just really awkward and annoying in general. 17 is a weird S shape that doesn't really have a good line to the pin and has a pretty good drop off on the left side that has good lost disc potential. I played two rounds and skipped those holes in my second. The first round the course was pretty busy and when I went down to them none of the groups behind me followed me onto those holes. My second round the group I joined up with said that they are terrible holes and almost no one plays them. The area is the most beautiful part of the course, but unless you really want to play all of the holes I'd just say skip them. If the holes still looked like the do in the pictures on here I think they'd be pretty good but currently they just simply aren't fun. To skip them, take a sharp left after 13s basket and go down the path behind 14s tee to go straight to 19s tees. You can also head across the small valley and still play 18 once you get down to 19, which is what the locals I played with during my second round did.

The plus side of skipping those holes down by the creek is that it makes the course pretty cart friendly. You still have quite a few hills to deal with, but no stairs or overly rough terrain that's difficult to get a cart over. But, for the love of god, do NOT take a cart down to holes 14-17 unless you want to carry it the whole time.

3) There is some back tracking and slightly weird navigation. My first time though I went entirely the wrong direction from 4 to 5 and 10 to 11 also took me a minute as I walked up to 13s tee initially after taking the wrong path up the hill. Without a map and if the course was empty I could also see some people not realizing 22 and 23 exist or just completely skipping 5, 6, and 7 as 8s tee is right next to 4s basket.

4) The park road comes into play a few holes. 2, 3 and 24 can easily see any bad shot head into the road and hole 4 could see a really bad shot or tree kick in the road as well. As the road is just for park access and for holes 2, 3, and 4 it is beyond the main parking lot traffic is very sparse, but it's still worth mentioning.

Overall, I definitely rate Lincoln Ridge as the worst of Cincinnati's big 3, but it's still a very good course and if you have the time to play it certainly worth your time. My highlights of course are as follows:

Hole 1 - A great starting hole. Not really that difficult but it's downhill with a blind basket and trouble long. Just enough trouble to keep you honest, but a very gettable biride to start off the round.
Hole 4 - Probably the best ace run on the course, but thick rough long that will punish anything coming in hot and make a birdie very tough if you find yourself in it.
Hole 13 - Straight forward, not very many trees to miss but you still need to hit a line. Steep hills on all sides of the green, basically anything out of the circle left, right, or long has a risk of a mean roll away.
Hole 21 - Steep up hill, well protected green, and a precarious basket placement. For me it took a full power turnover fairway driver shot up the right side to get to the pin, so playing at least 350ft.
Hole 24 - Big downhill bomber hole. Just fun, no other way to put it. Plays about 450ft-ish. You can go left or right to the pin so it's about equal difficulty for both lefty and righties.

The woods holes (except for the creek holes) are all a blast, and the few open holes that use the elevation well are as well and if the whole course was like that I'd probably give it a 4.0 all day. But as it is it gets a little bit too repetitive on some of the open holes and the creek holes really detract from the course, imo. For a lower skilled player this course is probably the best of Cincinnati's big 3, but for anyone of intermediate level or higher Lincoln Ridge is not very big of a challenge, except for a few of the holes, and you should be expecting to shoot under par most rounds. If you are traveling from out of town as I was and only have time for one course, I'd definitely go to Idlewild unless you are a sub-recreational level player, then if you have time for two courses it's a toss up between here and Mt. Airy depending on what type of golf you prefer.

Lincoln Ridge is a fun 24-hole course in Independence, Kentucky. This course is the oldest of the "Big Three" courses in the Cincinnati area, and is also probably the easiest of the three, though it will still give you a hard time if you are off your game. While Idlewild is probably the first course you think of when you think of Cincinnati disc golf, Lincoln Ridge is the 11th most favorited course on DGCR, one of the most played in the country, and the 3rd highest rated course in Kentucky. After playing this course, it's not hard to see why it gets so much love.

Lincoln Ridge's location is amongst subdivisions and wooded areas, providing a nice setting for a round of golf among the trees and hills of Kentucky. The course is not too far from restaurants or gas stations, but those services get sparser closer to the park, so make sure you stop while you still see those opportunities along the road. This course is also close enough to other courses in the area to make multiple stops on a full day of disc golf. Idlewild is 25 minutes away, with other courses being closer as well. Disc 'n Dat, the nearest disc golf shop, is also 14 minutes away, almost right off I-71, making this a nice stop on the way from much of the Cincinnati area.

Park amenities at Lincoln Ridge add to the attractiveness of playing here. Along with disc golf, hiking trails are scattered throughout the woods and perimeter of the park. There are two parking areas, both of which have a playground. In addition to Disc Golf, sports availability here includes a baseball field, soccer field, and horseshoes. You may also see folks fishing in one of the 2 ponds you pass in the back half of the disc golf course. There are also reservable 3 shelters, a port-a-potty, and water fountains, along with plenty of benches and picnic tables around (some benches were even swinging).

The course equipment at this course wasn't the flashiest in the world, but was all more than enough to enjoy a round. You'll want to park in the first parking lot for disc golf, and will see a practice basket between the lot and driveway. I felt there was enough room to practice all of the distances I wanted to with this basket location, and there is some slight elevation to work with as well. The baskets here definitely don't look new, but still catch well. They are gray, but weren't too hard to spot in the woods. The tee pads are all concrete, and were in good shape from what I noticed. The tee signs gave a layout of the holes as well as pin distance; not the most detailed signs you will find, but they served their purpose well. There's also a bulletin board at hole 1 for league and area information.

The course design at Lincoln Ridge is full of fun shots. This course is a mix of open and wooded holes, with elevation playing a factor on a good percentage of the holes. While 24 holes long, this course doesn't play long; you have one hole over 500 feet that plays downhill, and 11 holes that play under 300 feet. Some of the wooded holes felt reminiscent of old school, short hole golf, with many holes in the woods being very short ace runs. While many players will pull a driver out for the longer holes, this is a course where putters and midranges will get plenty of chances to shine.

The course provides good variety and transitions well between wooded and open holes. Hole 1 is a fun start with a throw across the road and down a hill to a somewhat protected green just within the woods line. Holes 2 and 3 also play open with woods and the road bordering the fairway. After that, you will find yourself in the woods for 6 holes until 10 opens up a little more. After that, you have 3 open holes that still come with some risk/reward, then 14-18 in the woods (See my cons section about these holes), and then some open holes to finish the round. Throughout the course, you will find a mix of shots in terms of hyzers, anhyzers, or genuine straight shots, requiring all golfers to address their less used shots while on course. There're also significant risk/reward opportunities, including on shorter holes. Hole 7 is 200 feet downhill, but has a pin surrounded by a creek and drop-offs that will get in your head. Hole 13 is a fairly open fairway, but has a hill behind the pin that can easily cause roll-aways and double bogeys to ruin an otherwise clean round (trust me).

The difficulty level at Lincoln Ridge, even with the risk/reward and occasional water, is very accessible to less experienced players. With the wooded holes playing pretty short, and the open holes having less obstacles around the fairways, newer players will be able to have a fun round at this course while they work their way up to harder courses in the area. Experienced players will also find enough challenge and variety at this course to have a good time as well; intermediate players will likely shoot well here, especially with the fairly forgiving pars on site.

In terms of course highlights, the course is bookmarked by fun and open downhill drives from the tees of holes 1 and 24. They may seem really simple, but I think the ace runs that are holes 4, 7, and 9 are all a blast to play as well. Hole 7 is especially deceptively hard; the basket is right in front of you, but is really risky to run at. These holes remind me of old school courses like White Birch in St. Louis and Shorewood Park near Chicago; fun, short wooded holes that can easily be aced but also easily messed up.

Erosion - this looks to be a huge issue for this course, and a big reason its rating isn't higher. Looking online at local groups, it's clear that this course has had a history of erosion issues, especially back in the woods. There have been hole closures in the past, and when I played this course, there was signage up saying holes 14 through 18 were closed. A local player informed me there was a landslide in that part of the park, and highly recommended not playing those holes. Even with skipping those holes, t wasn't hard to spot other places on the course where erosion could rear its head more. A large portion of hole 10 approaching the basket was soggy, with water going down the hill to the creek to the right. A lot of this course plays along or on hillsides near creeks, and while it's clear that this course has some great folks looking after it, I think the age of the course really showed when I played here. I could see more holes becoming issues down the road, and while I hope the holes in the back of the woods get fixed and can be maintained well, this isn't the first-time closures have happened back there, which isn't a great sign.

Mud and sogginess seems to stick around on this course after rain or snow melt for a good amount of time. I played Mt. Airy and Idlewild the same day that I played Lincoln Ridge (yes, my legs are still tired), and this was by far the wettest course of the 3. The green of Hole 20 and the fairway of hole 21 was especially wet, and putting on 21 was really interesting to put it one way.

This course can and will get crowded - this course was very busy when I played, with a line to play hole 1 forming when I started my round. Other larger groups were great about letting me play through, and everyone was very friendly. I played through larger groups 5 times, and still completed a relaxed-paced round of golf in under 90 minutes here. This course is a community favorite, on a local and national level, so don't be surprised to find a full parking lot when you arrive.

While I'm all for more holes on a course, some holes on this course felt a lot like filler holes. Holes 22 and 23 play down and then up a hill with a pond between them, with no trees or obstacles keeping you from playing both holes exactly the same. Holes 11 and 12 may also feel repetitive. While there's some good variety on course overall, a lot of holes do also play similarly to each other, with some holes feeling like they were put in to get to a magic number for the course.

Some folks may feel like safety could be a concern with 4 holes playing next or over the street. For all of these holes, I think looking both ways before throwing should suffice, as you can see down the road well on all of these holes. I'm not a huge fan of hole 21's long tee, which makes you play around a public works building. There's only 1 window at the end of the wall, but I've seen crazier and less likely obstacles get hit. It's a nice idea to force the anhyzer for RHBH players, but still.

For course difficulty, some more experienced players may find this course to be easier than they expected given its rating. Don't come to Lincoln Ridge looking for a significant challenge. This is a fun course that will provide a more chill round.

I think this course is a case where a lot of the ratings it has are older and are representative of a different time for the course. Over half the reviews for Lincoln Ridge was almost a decade old or even older. I could definitely see how this course was worthy of a 4.5 back in the day, but I think its age is starting to show in 2021. Erosion is a threat to a good portion of this course, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out overtime. I would have loved to play the full 24 holes; I'm sure there was some fun shots on 14-18. I also think that while there are some difficult shots on this course, it plays pretty easy. That doesn't make it a bad course, but there's also not many holes on this course that stuck with me after my round like with Mt. Airy and Idlewild. The low number of both difficult and memorable holes keeps me from rating this course higher.

That being said, this is still a very fun course. After Idlewild, this course was a fantastic change of pace for my day. Who doesn't love ace runs or open holes that let you air a disc out with minimal worry? This course is an older one, and gives you some old-school golf vibes on the wooded holes. I think that short woods golf is some of the most fun disc golf to be had, and this course does well in that regard. The course clearly still has a very strong following, and it's well deserved. This course has provided countless rounds of golf to locals and travelers, and I hope it continues to do so for a long time.

I think Lincoln Ridge is currently the weakest of the big three courses in the Cincinnati area. That being said, if a course like Lincoln Ridge is only the 3rd best course in your town, then your town is certainly doing something right. This course is a staple among disc golf history, and still provides a fun round of golf 40 years after it was first built.

If you're coming to Cincinnati, Lincoln Ridge is a must play. Catch it before you play Idlewild if you want a good warm up, or after Idlewild if you need a pick-me-up to end your day. Just make sure you get over to Independence, KY at some point - you won't regret it.

Lincoln Ridge is one of the most beloved courses in disc golf. It is the 21st most played on this website, and the 11th most favorited. On this abnormally warm February day, the course was full of players, and I understand why.

Lincoln Ridge is a fun course!

While every hole plays as a Par 3, the course is full of fun, interesting, and unique shots. You will be throwing downhill and uphill, through the woods and in the open, across creeks and over valleys. For a short course, there is a lot of variety in hot shaping and selection.

This course plays as mostly deuce or die, but that does not mean that it is incredibly easy. The holes are short, but demand a well placed shot and a solid putt most of the time to achieve the birdie. Extreme elevation changes cause an abundance of roll-away opportunities, as well as a fair amount of death putts. I had a few discs go sailing past the basket on shots that were supposed to be layups!

The park is beautiful, with mature trees lining the fairways, and bright green grass in the open fields. This was February! I really hope to get back here during the summertime and the course is in full bloom.

Lincoln Ridge is an extremely fun course, and that isn't debatable. I don't think it's possible to not love these kinds of courses, and it's easy to see that this course gets a lot of love and attention. However, there are a few cons that make it less than the best.

First, the course is showing it's age. Originally installed in 1981, there are a few structural issues that could be improved that would make the course so much better.

The old Chainstars are more grey than silver, and are hard to see through the woods. On top of that they don't catch as well as the newer, fancier baskets on the market.

The tee pads were shorter, and some were in rough shape. They never created too much of a problem, but enough to note.

Being in use for so many years, there have been some erosion issues, creating some steep drop offs, or slippery areas. This course was pretty muddy after the snow melt, and we had a few close calls.

There were a lot of holes that played close together, with no true overlapping holes, that was good, but I could see there being some issues on the most crowded of days, especially with the newer players out.

Navigation was a little bit of an issue, but wasn't horrible. I printed the map from the course links, which helped a ton.

Most of the holes only had one tee pad and one pin position, which leads to some repetitiveness for a local player, I would imagine. However, with so many local courses, and 24 holes at this course, it isn't that big of a deal.

Lastly, and in my opinion the biggest detractor, is the fact that this is not a championship course. I was not expecting it to be a brutal layout, and I knew it would be a lot of fun, but this keeps me from rating it any higher than I did. Short Par 3 golf is not the most ideal layout for tournament golf, but more suitable for the casual round. This course certainly has it's place, and I can see why it was more busy than the behemoth that is Idlewild, because people don't want to get beaten up. However, this does not make Lincoln Ridge the better course.

To date, I will be the 115th review for this course. I will be the third person to give it less than a 4.

I can see that this course is well-loved, and I understand why it's a lot of people's favorite. Lincoln Ridge had been on my wishlist for over two years, and I'm super glad I finally got to play here. The amount of fun to be had at this course is through the roof, so...

Come to Lincoln Ridge, relax, and have fun!

Nice layout. It has 24 holes. There is a good balance of open and wooded holes. Stay on the appropriate lines and a number of the holes can be birdies for sure. This course can be played in about 2 hours if it isn't too busy.

It gets a great deal of recreational traffic so be prepared to take longer to play the course when it is busy.

A few of the holes need some TLC. Course is worn in spots. These areas could use gravel or mulch to help.

There is some erosion around the baskets and it is slippery in spots even though it may not have rained.

There are a few places where there are some metal posts buried but exposed that someone could hurt themselves if they slip and fall on them. These were probably for holding steps, logs or ties for footing purposes.

Steps on last creek hole, hole 16 I think, need some work.

This course is a nice, casual play course that is definitely a fun course.

Lincoln Ridge is the 'fun' course of the Cincinnati area's Big 3. Leave the driver in the bag and focus on accuracy and birdie chances. It's a fantastic compliment to Idlewild.
- This is closer to a mid-range course than a long course. The 24 holes average 303 feet (longs) with only one hole longer than 400 feet, the downhiller, closing hole #24 at 519 feet. On a great many holes, mid-range or fairway driver is all you'll need off the tee.
- Excellent use of the terrain. Lots of uphill and downhill holes. Course weaves in and out of the woods throughout, forcing players to alternate between precise accuracy and a chance to catch a break.
- The best example of this course's natural beauty is the three-hole stretch of #14 - 16. #14 is a tight, downhill hole. Keep your shot low and soft to keep it from sailing or rolling away. #15 makes you feel like you're deep in the woods, miles from civilization. I enjoyed this hole slightly more with the recent erosion on the fairway, making it seems that much tighter. #16 is akin its predecessor, with the added touch of an uphill basket. Keep your disc in the fairway on these three holes or have fun making some tough climbs.
- This is a high risk/high reward course. It rewards accurate shot making and aggressive play. This makes for big scoring separations depending on how you're playing on a given day. If I played here regularly, I could see my scores varying by 8 - 10 strokes.
- Some of the course's most enjoyable holes are the simplest. #7 is a fun, short downhiller. I barely threw my putter, keeping it barely off the ground, and let gravity, and a nice roll, bring it 15 feet short of the basket. #10 is a simple, open, slight dogleg left 319-foot layout. A tree, 30 feet in front of the basket, is your challenge from going right at the basket. And, #18 is a 198-foot, uphill shot, throwing through a gap across a ravine. A tap-in birdie or a 6 are both in play, whether your aggressiveness pays off or you smack a tree.
- Take advantage of your birdie chances when you can. The course gets significantly harder in the final third where pars become solid scores. During this stretch is another fantastic hole, #21. Teeing off next to a pond, it's a dogleg right, uphill shot. A roller down the hill, or a bad kick off a tree, and your tee shot may end up wet. It's a simple 3 if played safe. Aggressive players may try for more.

Erosion is getting to be an issue on some of the sloping holes. You're seeing a lot of washed-away dirt on #8 & 14. Footing was very bad on #14 as I made my way down the hill to approach my shot. This is a similar issue to some of the older, heavily played courses in Charlotte.
- Course was lacking a good par 5, or simply a challenging par 4. Even on #24, I had a 25-foot putt for 3. The lack of length is the course's biggest undoing.
- #22 & 23 seemed unnecessary. After finishing #21, you should just wrap up the course. Instead you play a two-hole stretch of one downhill layout, turn around, and play right back up the hill, then walk to #24. I walked down and up a hill for two simple 3s. It would have been easier to just enter 3-3 in my scorecard, and about as much fun.
- Signage could have been better at times. A couple of next tee arrows are needed - thinking the transition from #13 to 14, and #21 to 22. Also, having a better descriptive tee sign would have helped. In this case, #17 is my example. For a regular, these are non-issues. For us first-timers, it would be a nice aid.
- With the elevation factor in play, there's a higher lost disc/lost time searching for discs factor. On #16, I clipped the edge of a tree, had a big kick to the right back to the creek, and had an adventure locating and getting to my disc. After that, I wasn't about to tempt fate on #17.
- On #24, you tee off next to the park road, close to the original parking lot. Then you throw downhill, play the hole, and walk right back up the hill you just played.

Lincoln Ridge was a fun round. Whereas Idlewild was a challenge, this was a walk in the park as I was knocking off holes at a quick rate.
- I never found any long baskets. I don't know if the baskets alternate locations, or if that's no longer an option.
- The first three holes are a fun warm-up to your round. #1 is a downhill, 335-foot layout. You want to be aggressive with your first throw of the round, or ease into your round? #2 is a slight downhill, curved left, 360-foot hole. You need a little more arm here. Then #3 is your first real birdie chance on an open 303-foot layout. For mid-level players, there's no shame in three straight 3s.
- Besides its lack of length, the other drawback here is the lack of memorable holes. There's lot of simple layouts. It's enough to keep it from being elite level. That said, this does make the better holes stand out even more.
- This is a very good course. It isn't elite level. It's overrated being in the 4.5-range. Instead of being in the top 5%, it's a top 10-15%. That's still in the must-play range for me.
- Course gets higher marks for fun-factor than it does for challenge. After playing Idlewild earlier in the day, I needed something easier. This is the perfect compliment to that course. Just don't confuse them for being in the same league.

lots of long throws really gets you to test your accuracy at distance shots holes were easy to spot on almost every hole.

Direction to the next tee would have been useful in some areas.

good course ill play it when ever im in the area for sure.