This is the first 27-hole course I've ever played, and the only one within the 50-mile "Kentickiana" radius.

The first 18, considering it is the oldest course in KY, are very enjoyable. Almost completely shaded with pine trees (the ones that don't capture discs). Holes are short, but only two or three of them are wide open for the ace.

The last 9 holes (installed summer 2014) are less wooded, so you'll want to prepare for more sunshine, maybe take a pit stop since hole 19 is at the parking lot. There is also more prairie brush - I almost lost a disc on hole 21. Incidentally, this hole is 510 feet; it and hole 22 are very difficult to birdie, even for moderately experienced players.

FIRST-TIMER ALERT: There are currently only hand-drawn signs on the new holes. DGCR marks this as laser-measured, but many of the first 18 holes seemed shorter than their posted length. I was particularly surprised with hole 8 (305ft) which I skipped pass on a slight uphill throw. I can rarely reach 290ft on a flat surface. The diagrams were not particularly accurate, either. We had a hard time figuring out where to throw based on the diagrams.

Great place to spend about 2 1/2 hours - worth $3/person park fee. While signage makes it tough for first-timers, I would definitely play the course again next time I'm in the area (although I do prefer Muldraugh just 10 minutes away).

This course has recently seen the addition of nine holes, making it the only 27-hole course in the area. As Otter Creek was the fist disc golf course in Kentucky the new holes obviously add distance in contrast to the shorter, original holes.

That being said, the emphasis at Otter Creek is still accuracy more so than length. You have multiple ace runs which is kind of nice sometimes in lieu of the newer courses that seem to be increasing in length, favoring monster-armed players.
If you're wanting to "make a day of it" this is a good area to go, as you have several courses (Otter Creek, Meade Olin, Muldraugh, Radcliff, and Freeman Lake,) all in fairly close proximity.

DO NOT try to play on Monday or Tuesday, as the park is closed. I made that mistake, as I knew it was closed on Monday but didn't know Tuesday would also be a no-go. Like I said earlier, at least I didn't have to go far to get to another course.
Some people are also bothered by pay courses, but it's only $3 for me and I'm from Indiana--I don't know if in-state residents pay less or not.
Some of what I mentioned as pros could also be put in the cons section, depending on your viewpoint. Many of the original 18 holes are short (5 are less than 200',) so if you just want to air it out go somewhere else--down the road to Freeman Lake or the other direction to Meade Olin, perhaps.
Being the oldest course in Kentucky, some of the baskets aren't in the greatest of condition and you can even have your disc go through the bottom if it hits the wrong way. I was told that at least some of these are the original baskets put there by "Steady" Ed Headrick.
There is no permanent bathroom or water available at the parking lot (I believe there is a portable toilet.) I'm sure there is somewhere in the park but I haven't driven around to look for it.
Ticks are usually pretty thick so plan on bringing your bug spray.

Expect a lot of low-ceiling shots.
#1-309'. You have two options. The basket is downhill to the left. Most opt to go through the opening in the trees (mostly pine,) but others with bigger arms can go far right, hang it up high, and go for a major hyzer. The trees end at the bottom of the hill and it's open field. If you do choose the big hyzer route and you don't hyzer (or bounce off a tree,) you can get left and OB.
#2-282'. Trees on both sides for about the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the way to the basket where it opens up with more pine trees up to the right and the basket is placed among them.

#3-172'. Short, but no straight shot. You need to make a left turn back into the pine trees to get to the basket. If you end up going to far right you can be in some nasty thorns. Go too far right or too long and you can get OB.

#4-180'. You have to navigate around and through a few big trees to get to the basket, which is placed along the back edge of a mound that is a few feet tall. There is also a low-hanging tree on that same mound that is left of the basket, hanging over it.

#5-270'. Fairway is gradually uphill, and relatively open but there are trees on either side. The hole plays slightly left-to-right.

#6-269'. Downhill (not overly steep,) but you have to keep it relatively low. The shot is straight but there is a large tree along the right of the fairway that will affect your throw.

#7-267'. The fairway goes straight ahead and makes a right turn. The basket sits in kind of a bowl that is encircled by large trees.

#8-305'. You throw up over a slight hill and the fairway turns from left to right. The hill continues to slope off to the right. From the tee you have a couple of trees directly in front of you that will force you to make a decision in what way to throw.
#9-195'. The first hole in "birdie alley." This one plays left-to-right, but you almost require a bit of an "S" shot to get through the trees to the basket. Lots of roots on the ground near the basket can alter skips.

#10-224'. Downhill. Get too far right and you can get knocked down by branches, go too long you can be in weeds, get left too soon and you'll probably hit a tree. You need your disc to get about 200' and bank left.

#11-156'. Basket is uphill tucked in between a couple of big trees.

#12-202'. Downhill. Fairly narrow off the tee with trees to the left that will make you run as straight as possible at the basket. Rough to the left and behind the basket.

#13-304'. Dogleg right. You throw out of a tunnel and make the turn about 100' from the tee. There is a VERY small alley that goes straight at the basket from the tee but if you aren't perfect you'll be in stuff that is probably impossible to throw out of.

#14-301'. Downhill from the tee through an alley of trees where the fairway opens up but is still lined by trees on either side. You'll need to get right to get on the correct side of the trees that line the left side of the fairway to have an approach but if you go too far left past the opening you'll be in thick briers. If you don't get in the opening, however, there are trees that hang low, hindering your approach to the basket.

#15-315'. The fairway is pretty open most of the way to the basket but there are a couple of large trees to either side that can knock you down. Go too far straight and you can get in rough; same thing is you turn left too soon. The basket is a bit left of the tee and is placed past a few small trees.

#16-189'. You have to go straight at it, as there are a couple of big trees you have to split that keep you from going with a big hyzer or anhyzer. It's flat all the way to the basket but the basket/putting area is in an old building foundation that sits a couple of feet higher than the rest of the ground. Trees have grown up all around the foundation's edge so it's hard to get in there.

#17-290'. Flat most of the way, but a bit uphill at the end of the fairway. The fairway is pretty much wide open with the basket on the left placed among trees.

#18-242'. This one requires a bit of an "S" as the fairway kind of meanders towards the basket, which is pretty well-guarded by trees.

#19-300'. The first of the new holes and the first time you'll really be out in the open. It's a straight shot and a bit downhill but you do have to be accurate as there is rough on either side of a narrow fairway. The basket sets back in an area cut out of the edge of the woods.

#20-350'. This is another "S" shaped hole. You'll play left-right-left with weedy rough on both sides of a narrow fairway. A large tree is along the right side of the fairway affecting your drive. The basket is encircled by trees.

#21-510' Trees to the left and rough to the right of a long fairway that is just the remnants of an old road. There's a building off the right side of the fairway with a circular open area behind it that is your putting area.

#22-335'. Lots of pine trees to the left of a very narrow fairway, another line of pine trees to the right, with the road (OB) right beside those trees. You'll have to get back into the trees on the left to get to the basket.

#23-296'.Two big trees you have to split right in front of the tee and another big tree on the right side fairway as it turns left. Get right of the fairway and you'll be in the rough.

#24-242'. You can go left or right, but you can't go straight (left is far more open,) and the basket is guarded by trees.

#25-354'. You can air it out here but you can't get too high off the tee because there's a tree hanging out in front of you. The fairway is pretty open but the basket is placed between a couple of trees.

#26-319'. Pretty straight hole, very slightly uphill, with a few random trees to avoid on the way to the basket. There is OB to the left but it shouldn't generally be a problem.

#27-450'. You throw over an open field that has rough to either side. Your approach to the basket will be uphill and the parking lot is not far behind the basket bringing OB into play.

The course plays through a mostly flat wooded area. It's tucked into the corner of a larger park, there doesn't seem to be any overlap with other park uses and there's a disc golf dedicated parking lot and portajohn. The tight woods make for a fun variety of lines, there are several straight shots, some with left or right turns late, and a mix of other hole shapes.

There is enough rough to make things tricky if you get off some of the fairways, but it's not so thick that you'll lose discs. There are concrete tees and adequate signage with hole distance and layout. The flow of the course is good, no navigation issues or long walks.

There are some major safety issues here, compounded by disc technology different than what this course was designed for. This is a fantastic super class course, and if players were only throwing lids there wouldn't be a problem. When people are throwing high speed drivers, however, the proximity of many of the holes makes for some dangerous overlap.

The course is very short, and presents few challenges if discs faster than putters are used. The tees are cracked and very short (though the length of the tees is not a big deal with the length of the course). The couple small hills showed a lot of compaction and some erosion, it looked like it would get pretty slick when wet.

I threw nothing but a couple putters here, and enjoyed many of the lines and the short game work. Beginners can have a blast here, it makes you hit some different shots without severe punishment or much length. More experienced players won't find a ton of challenge, but there is some fun to be had.

1) Nice new signs with a decent map, Hole #, and distance listed. Also a rules sign at the first tee.

2) Nice big concrete tees on most of the course. Some of them are the standard size but most are about 6' wide by 8' long.

3) Kiosk available at the first tee listing leagues and other assorted disc golf information.

4) Benches, garbage cans, and bag racks on every tee . . .talk about all of the amenities.

5) The mound used on Hole #4 is a great feature . . .it is something I have rarely seen in my 300+ courses.

6) There are a couple of old building foundations out on the 15th and 16th holes. . . one is just a cool visual and I love it when courses leave old buildings and such. Then they actually incorporated the old foundation into the basket placement on #16.

7) Baskets while they look to be homemade seem to catch just fine. The inner chains were an add on and they used some u-bolts to attach them to the posts. The chain configuration seemed to be about normal however.

8) Nice shot variety on the course having to throw some anyhzers and hyzers as well as a few dead straight shots.

9) Nice rolling fairways, nothing too extreme just enough elevation change to make it fun.

10) Good variety of trees and density. There are deciduous there are nice tall pines and even a couple pockets of Cedar trees which are some of my favorite trees on disc golf courses.

11) Very clean course . . . I don't think I saw a single piece of garbage on the course. It must be the locals and the garbage cans at every tee.

1) Baskets have been painted silver but that doesn't help them in how visible they are . . .any of the baskets tucked int he woods are tough to spot. The other issue I have with the baskets are the nubs which seem to be raised higher than any other basket I have seen. The basket is actually somewhat shallow too, so putt gingerly or risk a bounce out of the shallow tray.

2) The course is set on a lot of clay soil and it is clear that the course is the oldest in Kentucky based on how compacted the soils seem to be. The turf is pretty thin in a lot of spots and nonexistent in the wooded holes.

3) This course seems like it has been redesigned . . . knowing it is the oldest course in Kentucky. It seems like the course has a better layout than how it is set up right now. It just seems like they took the baskets and just moved them all 15-20' in either sideways direction. The shots are still fun but the shots seemed somewhat contrived.

4) A couple of the fairways were a little gimmicky like #7. It just feels like there is really only one play . . . throw straight out of the fairway and then throw up to the basket from 150'. It shows a fairway to the right but it sure doesn't feel like that is a fairway, kindof like #1 unless those paths are intended to just be visual lines of sight.

5) The teepads seems to be in a little disrepair in a few spots . . . some are cracked and pieces gone or the whole thing shifted, and then they also seem to be a little too grippy with the really rough texture.

6) Dangerous in a few spots . . . this course is on a really small piece of property for 18 holes and there are fairways that run near tees and baskets. There are a couple of tees and baskets that are also too close on occasion.

7) Some drainage issues in multiple places on the course. The compacted and heavy soils probably doesn't help the issues, but there were 4 or 5 places where it was purely mud and standing water was visible.

This is a slightly hypocritical course, it has all the amenities you can ask for, however it has some dangerous areas and average conditions.This is one of those situations where I am actually rating a course higher than I might normally because it has all of the amenities, while suffering from some design or layout issues. I know it was designed by Steady Ed but it looks like it must have received some alterations over the years because it just didn't feel natural on a few occasions.

What a neat course. It was nice to traverse a course that has been around for over 30 years. A short, but technical course, it was fun to play. Very easy flow. New sign poles are in the ground, but no designs on them yet, but they look to be about ready. Even without them, I had no problem distinguishing the course flow and where the baskets were located. Mature woods, and an easy fun play!

Being an old course that they didn't change the layout on, the tee pads sure show their age. Some are cracked, and they are wide, but very short. However the holes are short, so not much of a drawback. When I say short, I mean it. I overthrew 3 holes from the teebox, and I hardly EVER do that as I am a noodle arm. To beat a dead horse, the people below aren't lying about the ticks. Come prepared. I sprayed Off all over me, and still came away with 3 ticks on my legs.

I'm just glad they brought this course back from the dead, as I never had the opportunity to play it till today. It is literally 4 miles away from Muldraugh, another top notch technical course. Combine the two and you have a great day of relaxing, not too strenuous disc golf! Who knew disc golf existed in Kentucky in 1978? Thanks for reopening it!

*Reopened May 2011*

Otter Creek is a historical disc golf course, the 1st in KY, and designed by Steady Ed himself. It is set in a relatively small piece of land, but the land is only used for disc golf with no interference from other park activities. The holes and overall design are its strength as the course fits in with the contours of the land and uses the available features to the max. This is not a long or difficult course, mainly because it was not meant to be played with today's disc technology, but it is still challenging in its own way forcing you to hit your lines. Most of all, this is a really fun course that can be enjoyed by any level player. Casual players will find the course requires a variety of shots and emphasizes accuracy and control. Advanced players will enjoy the opportunity to have a birdie fest and to take a step back in time to play where so many people have played disc golf in the past.

Because the course is one of the oldest around, it is relatively short by today's standards. If you are decent and played here regularly you might eventually get bored and want new challenges. (thankfully the Louisville area has many courses to offer.)

Because of its age, the signs, tees, and baskets were showing age in 2008. (I hope that these have been upgraded for the grand-reopening.)

The course was closed for about 3 years, so it is hard to say how that time period has affected things- (basket condition, grounds keeping). I hope that with new park ownership, that some work has been done to get this ready for the re-opening. I am very glad that Otter Creek is back because it is an excellent classic-style course with a bit of disc golf history attached.

*I have not played this course since it has reopened. It closed shortly after I played it, so I was unable to review it until now. This review describes how it was in 2008, but the layout is supposed to still be the same, however, and the layout on its own makes it worthy. I hope to get back and play it again soon, and I will definitely update my review if needed. (I hesitated to review it at this time knowing my info is out of date, but I wanted to give it some publicity because it was a really good course and it is not every day that a course that closes gets reopened in its original layout.)

The second coarse I ever played. Great fun learning on it. Many mid range holes. Many tree obstacles, love playing it when camping at the homebrewers campout. Lots and lots of great camping. Classic old coarse.

Part of the front nine is a little ho hum yawn, but the back really make up for it.

This park will be closed on January 1st 09' indefinitely.

Could use a little TLC. Couldn't Louisville just trade control of Otter Creek to the state for control of EP Tom Sawyer park?

As someone who just picked up the sport this year, I enjoyed playing Otter Creek because of varying hills and wooded terrain. Course layout is simple to follow. Great for a newbie like myself.

It's a short course and some upkeep is needed, but don't let that keep you from playing this enjoyable course.

Otter Creek is a great place to camp as well.

Shady, peaceful, serene. It's cool to consider that you are playing disc golf on a piece of the sport's history.

Great course for beginners. This is the first course I ever played, and I was immediately hooked.

Normally I'd lament the length of a course like this, but considering the advances in disc technology since this course was designed, I'd say that the layout has held up quite well.

Unfortunately, the signs and teepads have not held up equally well. Otter Creek is in need of a little TLC. New signs and larger teepads, and possibly new baskets, would make a world of difference in preserving the legacy of this classic course.

Great course for beginners and seasoned pros. A lot of ace runs available, and you must putt with some finesse. A hard putt may kick out of the basket.

I wish it were 27, or OC had another 18 holes.

Great camping at that Park!

This was the first course installed in Kentucky, one of the first in the world, and the first course I ever played. Only one pin has been moved from it's original design. The course is very appealing to the eye. It's mostly right to left shots with a FEW left to right. Elevation is at a minamum. The course is mostly wooded and forces you to be accurate to get you birdies. There are VERY few holes OVER 300 feet. Having this course to play GREATLY enhances your short game. It's important that this course remains in it's original design for the sake of history.

Pretty easy by most standards. There aren't ANY "long" holes and you should expect to reach all but one hole in one shot. The baskets are all VERY old and are "Steady" Ed's original design. They don't catch real well anymore. Sometimes your disc will fall out of the bottom of the basket. This is just part of the course though. It's a fun quirk that is unique to Otter Creek. It's now "pay to play" but it's a SMALL fee for such a great piece of disc golf history.

This course was closed for over two years and having it taken from the community felt much like losing a close friend to many players. Please support the history of disc golf in Kentucky by paying the small fee to play this course.