Baskets are nice Discatchers (but band color is a misfire, see cons - below). Ten holes have alt pin positions. Navigation is the best of any woods course I have ever played, and about as good as any course period. Baskets have yellow tape wrapped around one spoke of the tray, pointing to the trail to the next tee, and between each hole and the next is a little 4x4 post with a next tee arrow in order to eliminate any confusion (including at trail junctions etc.). These are sturdily made, same as the signs used at trail junctions in the park (with which these occasionally share a post).

Very technical woods course. A few holes have a cut for power lines as their fairway, but the other 15 or 16 are actually in the woods, with one or more tight, defined routes to the basket. Some feature a small OB stream, which is placed so as to be a hazard but a fair hazard. They require a wide variety of lines; as a backhand dominant player, I felt comfortable and very uncomfortable by turns, as I should. In this aspect, Monte Sano is flat out better than Mastin Lake, no ifs buts or ands. Monte Sano is also substantially longer than Mastin, though only six holes measure over 300 feet, and there are no par 4s (though I would willingly count 9 long as one).

Setting is beautiful: after my most recent round, I wandered over to the overlook a couple hundred feet from hole four and just took it all in, then went down to O'Shaughnessy Point for more.

Tees. Carpet, not always carpet side up, of varying lengths. Most are close to level, thanks to some recent work. Some have gravel in wooden frames, which is nice. Overall, though, tee quality is so-so in an otherwise concrete-happy town.

Baskets have green bands. In the woods. You get where this is going. Unless this was requested by the park, this is a righteous d'oh moment. They do, however, commemorate (is that the word?) the 2008 USWDGC.

Relative lack of elevation changes: Mastin actually has more, despite lack of mountain. There is some change in elevation on most holes, but it rarely substantially affects play.

The lack of longer holes sets Monte Sano apart from truly incredible technical courses, but it is not a joke, and is easily the best course of this type Huntsville has.

Tee markers have pin position indicators, but about a third were wrong on my latest visit, so I'm not listing this under pros.

Entry to the park is $5 per day. It's worth it, but if you want to make your money go further, play another round, take a hike, etc. There's even a playground for the little discers.

Monte Sano was the first disc golf course I ever played; as such, it holds a special if odd place in my heart. I held off on reviewing it for a while because of this, but ultimately decided to do it anyway and try my best to be fair.

(3.313 Rating) (REVISED - replayed March 2023) A heavily wooded layout on top of a flat mountain.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Monte Sano State Park is a splendid forested mountainous area with lots of hiking and biking trails in addition to the disc golf course. Located just 15 minutes from downtown Huntsville, this course is easily accessible for players doing a sweep of the Huntsville area courses. Although there are no drop-dead gorgeous views from the layout itself, a short 150-foot walk from basket (4) has views over McKay Hollow Valley and a waterfall. As for the course itself, fully wooded and there are some mini creeks that come into view and play. There are some mild elevation changes as well. During late fall, Monte Sano is arguably the most beautiful course in the area. Overall, I have Sano ranked 6th in Northern Alabama for beauty, after Kudzu, Flying Dragon, V-Rock, Sharon Johnston and Joe Wheeler. The course loses quite a bit of charm from December thru March.
- CHALLENGING - IMO, the second most difficult 18 hole course in town after Indian Creek which is something I personally cherish about the course. A bit more difficult than UAH, Mastin and the new Sharon Johnston course. Lots of 300 to 350-foot tunnel shots and some have considerable shot shaping requirements. The difficulty reads most closest to upper MA2 level with a mix of front and back placements and it will be much more challenging in the summer versus the winter. Figure MA2s will average around even par and MA1 level players will average 3 to 4 down. Players that excel in accuracy over distance or vice versa will skew these figures by a shot or two. When positioned in all longs, The course is a great MA1 level test.
- HOLE VARIETY - Above average. As noted above, lots of tunnel shots with basket placements finishing in both directions, although far more do finish to the left. Lots of tree gaps and fairway windows to hit. A few 15 to 25-foot elevation changes but it could have been way much more (see cons, Elevation). A few small creeks to play across and one hole has recently been relisted as a par 4 for the long placement on (14.) The hole distances vary a good bit, from 200 to 500 feet depending on basket placements.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - Near perfect. There is a big new course map posted on the community board. Hole signage is also new with all the distances updated. In addition, there are well constructed and informative navigational markers everywhere along the layout. These markers to date, are still among the most effective I've ever seen on a heavily wooded course.
- REPAIRED TEES - The tees were in bad shape pre November 2018. Although they are still below average as they are new carpet pads, they are light years better than the 18 tripping hazards from before. Most are very flat and it will be a good couple years before they go downhill again. Three tees have been upgraded to pavers and hole (17) has a wood deck with turf surface.
- AMENITIES - In addition to improved tees, the course has gotten some additional niceties. Tee seating is present on about half of the holes. Also eight alternate basket placements, basket flags, park shelters and full tee shading. The course however doesn't have extra tees or a practice basket.

Monte Sano has been getting attention since late 2018, but some things are hard to fix.
- LACK OF ELEVATION - Not a flat course, but for being located on top of a mountain and 1,000 feet above Huntsville, I am shocked by how flat the course is. Not one hole on the entire layout changes by 30 feet. Hole (9) changes the most, approaching the 30-foot mark, however the elevation prominence is lost on this hole as it's 500 feet long. Hole (12) has a nice 20 to 25-foot valley and there are a few other holes that have 15 feet of elevation play in them. All stated, it could have been a whole lot more.
- FORGIVENESS - Like most heavily wooded courses, Monte Sano may not be kind to some misguided shots. Over my 14 recorded rounds, I think my clean runs to within circle 2 is under 60 percent. Being a good mid range thrower to scramble for par will be key to shoot low.
- PAY TO PLAY - Currently its $5 to enter the park per person (less for seniors and children.) A yearly pass can also be obtained for those that live in the area at $100 or for families for $150.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - This is not a Beginner's course or even a Novice level course. Although the odds of losing a disc is lower than some courses, the course is way too tight to provide any enjoyment to inaccurate new throwers. Players also need about a 250-foot arm to have a realistic chance to chalk up a few birdies. The course would garner a lot more appeal if it had short tees on about half the holes.
- TIME PLAY - Not the quickest play. A round will likely involve some searching and lots of recovery shot planning. I spend well over an hour here for my solo rounds and well over 2 hours on group rounds.

One of my favorite courses in the area as I personally like medium length wooded technical courses. This will definitely test a player's resolve and patience as bad kicks are almost certain. I personally would not bring a newer player up here, I'd take them to either Brahan or Southside instead. However, this course should work great for MA2s and MA1s looking to improve their precision. Overall, the course is really good despite a few blemishes. With all the recent improvements, I recently bumped Monte Sano above the 3.25 threshold for a 3.5. Seasonally however, it would drop back to the 3.0 level from December thru March due to the lost charm and increase in disc loss potential. Players that have already hit Indian Creek, Sharon Johnston and Brahan should consider this among the next courses to hit along with Redstone, Mastin Lake and UAH. Personally I rank Monte Sano 5th among the 20 DGCR listed courses within 25 minutes of downtown Huntsville. Regionally, it reminds me of courses such as, Mastin Lake, Joe Wheeler and Flying Dragon.

Tough challenging layout in a state park on top of a mountain! Tight lines to hit to get to the basket. Good throwers will be rewarded. Easy to navigate. Good signage. Course is isolated from most other park activities. Rarely have to worry about walkers on trails.

Always cooler on top of the mountain in the summer. Plenty of shade!

Carpet teepads in horrible shape. Hole 4 is a little dinker that doesn't fit well with the rest of the course. Rarely see the pins moved around.
$5 park entry fee PER PERSON!

The yellow banded Innova baskets were mostly covered with a green decal. GREEN in the woods! Very hard to locate even after playing the course several times.

With upgraded tee pads and some course cleanup, I'd rate this course much higher. It's one of the better ones in town that scares away the newer players scared of a challenge. You will often have the course to yourself.

10/29/2018 Update: Opportunities to see an abundance of wildlife. Just this year we have seen an ancient looking giant turtle making his way across 17's fairway, a pregnant doe chilling near 15's teepad, and two does living around a downed tree on hole 5.

10/29/2018 Update: Appears to be very neglected. Broken limbs everywhere. Weeds growing 5 feet tall on several holes. Desperately needs some TLC.

3/10/2019: A ton of work has been put into this course in the last few months by the locals. Almost all carpet teepads have been replaced with new carpet. Baskets are being moved more frequently. Hole 5 has a really unique long position I've never seen before. Love seeing this course get the TLC it deserves!

The course is set on beautiful Burritt Mountain with some great wooded landscape for a course. Parking for the course and hole #1 are the very first right after the guard shack. At each tee pad there is a distance marker with a red circle indicating which pin position is being used (1-2 pin positions for each hole). Each tee pad is carpeted. The first few holes are some of the least difficult on the course, so as to warm you up for the back 9. Overall, this is a well-balanced, technically wooded course that rewards accuracy in nearly all shot types. The course has short and long holes with enough elevation changes to test nearly any arm. For the most part, there are arrows and signs leading you to the next hole from each basket. Each chain basket continues to be in good shape. So, the course is very enjoyable with a great hike through the woods. It is also has enough challenge to it so that you will want to play it again and hone your skills.

There are a few cons that is holding this course back a bit.
SIGNS: At each tee pad there is a distance marker but there isn't a visual layout of each hole, so you would often need to walk down the fairway a bit to know where the basket lies, especially when the pin was in the long position. Also, there could be some better and more updated indicators between holes as sometimes there wasn't one or it was labeled incorrectly. I would also have a sign directing car drivers to the first hole from the road.
TEE PADS: Biggest complaint. Unfortunately, these affected gameplay. Pretty much all were unlevel with undulations, making it very difficult to trust your footing (many times I would use the ground just next to the carpet). Then, nearly all of the carpets (due to wear over time) were covered with dirt/sand making it tough not to slide when planting your foot for each drive. This is particularly pivotal as many holes were long distances in terms of a tightly-knit wooded course.
FYI: in the spring/summer times watch out for snakes and poison ivy

In conclusion, I believe this course is a great part of the many enjoyable courses in Huntsville. I would liken it most to Mastin Lake, but is probably more technical. And if I had to choose between the two it would be Mastin Lake due to funness level and not having to pay there to get in.
If this course updated the tee pads and added hole layout visual signs then I would rate this course higher at around a 4/5.

NEWS UPDATE:

ANOTHER COURSE HAS BEEN ADDED TO HUNTSVILLE THAT IS CALLED DRAKE SPRINGS (9 hole course) AND LOCATED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM BRAHAM SPRINGS BY THE SMALL LAKE/POND. IT IS A QUICK AND FUN.

You will surely enjoy the drive as you work your way up the mountain and finally reach Monte Sano State Park. Inside you'll find a very scenic and enjoyable course. Once you enter you'll get excited as you pass a few baskets on your way to generous parking all around the course. There is a park store for goodie's if needed near hole one.

If tight wooded courses are your thing you'll certainly be pleased. After all the course plays through a virtual wildlife preserve. If a tree could be spared it was and it makes for some fun and challenging holes. A creek meanders it way through and finds itself in play on a few holes too. Slight elevation changes, a blend of hole lengths and a variety of fairway shapes are here as well. In fact, strait shots to almost impossible doglegs are here. Look for lengths between upper 200's all the way to over 600'. As a bonus, summer shade is a welcomed addition.

There are nice tee signs, sufficient tee pads (see cons), and great baskets. Next tee indicators are nice too. Virtually new baskets were really nice. I enjoyed the Discatchers with the custom bands. It made it feel like you were throwing at some one of kind baskets.

The course itself is easy enough to follow. The fairways are beaten in and guide you around well enough. Look to cross the road between 6/7 and 16/17. Bridges are installed at all the areas were they're necessary and they were a nice touch.

There's a modest fee to enter the park but overall I think it's worth it.

The carpet tee pads are sufficient but some more thorough leveling before it was laid would have been nice.

I am a huge wooded course fan and can tolerate some pretty "unfair" holes. For the most part I feel like a few rounds would help you find a route on almost every hole. The remaining ones might leave you a little frustrated. If you don't like tight technical courses you might want to skip this one.

The biggest con which hopefully is going to be fixed soon is a big one. The story I'm told by the locals is that apparently the tank for the sewage from the campers has leaked. Not only is there a foul odor on 1/3 of the holes but you don't want to end up in the creek that plays along some of the holes. Thankfully a guy on my card had some antibacterial hand wash to share as I found myself getting a disc from the water. He told stories of illnesses related to folks contacting the water. I must stress, this is of May 2010 and hopefully this will correct itself with time.

When you add up the features of this course with all the other great courses in the area it makes it well worth a lengthy trip. This great park offers camping and makes it a very hospitable base for a big disc golf weekend. It is yet again another Huntsville course that I have to highly recommend. I really hope you get a chance to play it. Enjoy!

Nice Landscaping, Course is on a State Park so it was nice and shady on a warm Alabama Day. Course was marked vey well with Red and Yellow "NexTee" signs pointing the way and also with spray paint on the trees. Required a good variety of shots. Trees were everywhere in the fairway but I was used to that at my home course so it was not anything new to me. Took a friend with me to play and it was the first time he played. He loved it!

The only beef I had with the course is that the course signs often showed two pin positions "A" and "B". The problem is that there was only one pin positions. Some times it was "A" and sometimes it was "B". This was hard to make a good shot sometimes on hard doglegs where you could not see the basket. Also the custom baskets were nice and in good shape, the green color made them hard to spot sometimes against all the green trees(May not be that big of deal in the fall)

It cost $2 to get in but it was well worth it.

Monte Sano is a 2000+ acre mountain top state park with camping, a lodge and extensive network of hiking/biking trails.
It would make a perfect base for anyone exploring the 5 (soon to be 6) quality disc golf courses in Huntsville. Great long-range views along the brow of the mountain. Best disc golf sign I've seen at 40+ courses. Very cool.
The course itself is relatively flat as it winds through a gorgeous mature Oak Forest. I thought the layout was outstanding, very tight but fair, requiring all the shots in your repetoire.
I value courses designed for long-term playability and Monte Sano has it. Yes, you will hit some trees, but the clean understory enables you to easily find your disc and recover if you end up in the rough.
I played in sandals and had no issues with schule. A couple of friendly locals guided me around the course which was great. 5 degrees cooler than Huntsville on a summer day was a nice bonus.

The spray paint is probably necessary navigate the course, but detracts from the aesthetics of the forest.

After reading the reviews, I expected a pinball-fest, but it never materialized.
I've played much tighter woods courses, so I guess it just depends on your frame of reference. I love the challenge of having to throw FH, BH and an occaisonal hammer to negotiate the tight gaps.

Situated atop Monte Sano in Monte Sano State Park, which is a nice place to be on any sunny day. There are campgrounds literally just a minute or two walk from the first tee if you want to camp and play all weekend. There is a good variety of shots required from annies, hyzers, to straight tunnel shots. The course also has custom MSDGC DISCatcher Pro baskets, which are a pretty cool touch. One of my favorite things about the course is the old country store right next to the tee for hole 1. You can pick up sodas, ice cream, snacks, tobacco, beer, etc., there, which adds some comfort. Also, you will notice an awesome main board before hole 1 that was hand carved and made by three of the locals. Very nice touch.

A few holes lack legit routes to the pin, and undergrowth is starting to come back on some as well. There are a few teepads that could use additional leveling, but nothing major. There is a lot of elevation changes in the park, unfortunately the course doesn't use much of this at all. A lot of good holes, but no holes really stand out as "great" holes; the type of holes that make you want to play just one more round.

Overall this is a solid addition to the other courses in the area. The course definitely has potential, but still needs much work to see that potential realized. Many holes have routes that are questionable, and the fine line between a good shot and poor shot sometimes seems to blur here. Nothing wrong with a tough course, as I prefer a challenging layout, however, I feel the score should be left up to the golfer and his abilities, not a stray limb that no one sees from the tee. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in the area, and I feel that with more work this course can become a jewel.

Favorite Holes: 2, 7, 10, 11(long), 15