If you enjoy short & technical courses with a bit of history, Otter Creek is definitely one you'll want to visit. A Steady Ed original, and the first course installed in Kentucky, it's astonishing that the challenge and playability has held up well here for forty years. The 'original' 18 holes play through rolling pine woods and sparse underbrush, and has been weathered in to where you're unlikely to lose a disc, even with a tree kick, until you get to the longer, blind, right bending 13th. The folks here enjoy disc golf so well that they added 9 additional holes to the course a few years ago, so you can come and enjoy the woods, or challenge yourself to the slightly longer added holes as well, for a full 27 hole layout.

The shot variety is really nice in a small package, with the intended audience being no higher than recreational to intermediate players, but I'd think more skilled players will still enjoy their round here, as a chance to work on their short control game. There are lines that can get as tight as just a couple of arm-spans, like the option to shoot off the corner of the tee and straight down the hill off the first tee, rather than the originally designed "J-shaped" fairway that probably existed when the rough wasn't so weathered in. You'll find balance left and right, up and down slope, and some low-ceiling shots. I really enjoyed the short rhbh fade shots at the top of the hill, starting on 9. Ace run city!

The park seems to be clean and well cared for. My first visit, I met some locals getting ready to start on the original 18 with what looked like a loosely structured event (doubles?). They were very friendly, and invited me to join in, but I was just swinging through the area, and started my round on 19. The tee pads seem to be pretty old, but they were installed with grooves in the concrete that still hold up pretty well, even when damp. They're big enough for the holes here. The baskets are older (with shallow cages & nubs) but they still catch well enough.

Those of you who don't want to spend a dime might miss out. The state park gate asks which activity you're coming in for, and charges $3 for the day for disc golfers. And note they're usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The added holes were not done in the same charming manner as the originals. They play slightly longer (though none are really monster bomber holes), are almost all flat, and tend to be bordered by prairie grasses and thicker rough. One plays down a gravel lane and past an old concrete structure. The finishing hole comes back across a field that can hold some water after a rain. Though it looks as if several of the holes toward the end of the "first 18" can be buggy when wet, as well.

Finally, being an older course designed in the days of Frisbees, the course has opened up where several fairways play too close together for today's modern discs, so throw carefully, and be patient!.

I played this once a few years ago, but wanted to hold off on my review til I brought my buddy Troy over here to enjoy a course that suits both our games. He had a blast, and we wound up timing it so that when we threw hole 6, it was the 50,000th in my scorebook, making this a special return visit. We're likely to road trip this way again for more chances at 'history'.

Reviewer Background as of this writing: played 307 courses and written 288 reviews, via skills hovering around a 900 rating, with folks ranging from age 7 to 87, so I try to write reviews helpful to all.

Easy the locate baskets and tees. Nice signs on each tee as well. Very technical course and good to play because its a classic. The new 9 holes that have been added gives the course another level. You can actually use drivers on the new hole. Only 27 hole course in the area, so it's definitely worth the 3 bucks to play all day.

1 - 18 Very short course. Used putters and midranges 90 percent of time. Course was wooded most the the holes except a few and very swampy after rains the day before.

With the addition of the new 9 holes this course is a definite play. Also u can definitely tell the new 9 are not Steady Ed holes. They just can't be recreated.

Otter Creek DGC is truly a piece of disc golf history in the state of Kentucky. This course, established in the late 70's, is a short, technical style par54 course that was built in a small, but moderate-heavily wooded section of the park with slight to moderate elevations. The course uses a variety of baskets that have recently been updated and are in good shape. The course uses small, concrete tee pads that show signs of wear. There are tee signs on all the holes that provide an adequate description of the layout, but a lot of the signs are broken or laying on the ground beside the box.

The course is easy to follow, and flows great from start to finish. Otter Creek more or less makes one continuous loop, but provides easy access back to the parking area from Hole No5, No8, and No10. There are no crossing fairways on the course, but due to the small area in which the course is designed, several tees, fairways, and baskets are located in close proximity to other tees, fairways, or baskets at any point throughout the course. The fairways are well defined, and a lot of holes offer multiple routes to the basket. There is only a small amount of underbrush and foliage around the course, nothing to be concerned about. There is a small gap (shortcut) that you can throw through on No13 that does cross an area of tall, thick weeds and briar bushes, but this is an optional risk/reward shot, shouldn't come into play if you follow the fairway. There are benches and trash receptacles located throughout the course.

The course is very short (4384ft) with holes ranging from 156ft to right around 300ft, but there are plenty of obstacles to throw around, and plenty of trees to hit. Despite the short nature of the course, it does offer an adequate challenge and good variety of shot types, with a good mix of straight, right and left fairways. The course is masterfully designed through a small space, is easy to walk, and there is plenty of shade during the summer months. There is camping available in the park, but no running water or restrooms directly at the site of the course. There are always people at the course, but it isn't typically crowded.

No real cons to speak of. Otter Creek is an older course, the tee pads and signs could use some updates, and the course shows some wear, but other than that, a really great experience.

Otter Creek is a great little course, and tons of fun to play with plenty of Ace Runs. The course plays pretty quick, so you can squeeze in a lot of holes in a little amount of time. Great place to throw a variety of shots and work on your mid-range/putting game.

Please keep in mind that I played this course after its baskets were removed. We used two portable baskets on the spots where the permanent baskets had been.

My favorite parts of this course have to be the history behind it, as well as the fun and technical, but not overly difficult aspect of most of the holes. My reasoning is as follows:

Even though this course is laid out over probably the smallest plot of land I've seen an 18 hole course on, it plays like a larger course. Whoever planned it out did a great job of making sure they designed out monotony. No hole is all that long, but you feel like you've accomplished something at the end of most of them.

I really like moderately wooded courses, with a few open holes, and OCP delivers pretty well on this. I like to try to test my accuracy trying to hit a gap in the trees a good ways out.
-Hole 1 has two routes you can take, either a HUGE hyzer route, or you can try to shoot the gap in a small opening dead ahead, and then softly fade at the end.
-Hole 4 zigs around some well-placed trees, basket is on a built-up mound of dirt. Challenging to put that one, since if you go for it and miss you'll be about 30 feet long.
-Hole 7 is like looking at a hole with no fairway, but if you look closely, you can make out a couple paths. Unfortunately my disc was looking for a tree and not a path. Then the basket is down in a bowl surrounded by trees.
-Hole 8 I really like because it was blind, up over a hill, through the trees. It's neat to just launch the disc in the direction you hope will be best, then walk up to see how well you did. Almost like opening a present, could be really good, or could be really bad.
-Hole 10 is a cool downhill with slight curve left, and if you threw enough discs, you'd definitely leave with an ace.
-Hole 13 was my favorite, goes out 150 or so feet, then hard dogleg right into the trees where the basket hides. There is actually a diagonal path that cuts the corner, although it requires some accuracy. I was able to hit the gap and land right in the middle of the fairway on the other side of the dogleg.
-Hole 16 was pretty short and mostly open, but there were two trees just off the tee that you could split and do a nice anhyzer through, then the basket is in the middle of an old building foundation (who knows how long that has been there, nice history).

I wish the actual basket were still there, although I've heard they were old and a bit rough, they had to have been a little better than portables.

Otherwise, facilities are good, no overly treacherous terrain, benches signs, trash cans, port-o-lets, etc were available.

The course was also small enough to allow for very easy navigation to the next hole, even if you did not know the layout.

This course would also be a good one for someone just started out learning the sport.

The ground is well-worn due to the amount of traffic over they years, and since it is largely under tree cover, not much ground vegetation exists, so when it is wet, it is kind of nasty.

Between that and just the overall shortness of the course, are the only Cons I can really come up with for OCP.

Such a historic course (first in Kentucky and I think the 10th or so in the world), it's a shame they had to shut the park. Hopefully they will find a way to get it reopened soon.

Very calm and tranquilic. Well defined fairways and signage. A good course for your short game.

Other than it being a short course not many cons at Otter Creek.

Very clean with trash cans and benches at most holes.

Beautiful wooded course. Great for beginners to work on accuracy. Lots of ace runs.

Maybe too easy for seasoned players. Wish it were a bit longer.

oldest course in kentucky, accurate short drives make it a birdie course, the fir trees give great cover,

I really liked this course when a friend and I went up to the Elizabethtown, KY area to play a few of the course along 31. It was one of my favorites, probably since I had my best score of the weekend here (-8 / 46). Okay to the
Pros: Very easy course and there is a stretch of holes called "birdie alley" in which you can just starting nailing birdies and have ace runs. The tall evergreen trees are very nice and it creates beautiful scenery while playing.

I cannot think of many Cons for this course except that I'll probably be just a bit too easy for some and probably get boring very quickly after playing it a lot. One last thing, the baskets are jinxed or something because I had at least 4 putts "pop out" when I hit the chains directly in the middle of the basket. I've never seen anything like it.

Great beginner course or for that person looking to have plenty of ace runs and birdies!! Beware of the chains!!