River Ranch DGC is set up in the mostly high desert scrub bordering two new housing projects. Being visible from I-25, makes it easy to hop off the freeway for a quick 18. The course starts right near the red siloh, a kids playground and the newly constructed swimming pool. This course has these great solid posts with the hole number on them. There are nice concrete pads and DGA baskets with the numbers on top. The numbers aren't always facing back toward the teepad and some of the baskets are sunk a little too low.
The course starts out with three extremely short holes and I'm thinking this this will be one of those quick easy 20 minute rounds. Then # 4 and # 5 are like more normal recreational course length. # 5 is a neat little hole where you throw over a retention pond, it's probably empty much of the year, to a basket on the other side. It's not far but it's just kind of natural bowl effect and a fun little throw for some of us. # 6 is probably 300' and then you have a long walk to the mostly scrub, open area.

Holes 14, 15 and 16 all play around a rather large pond. # 14 was sitting near the edge and was partially in the water. # 15 basket was 20 feet out in the water while # 16 involved throwing over the pond to a basket just 20 feet past the ponds edge. This was in mid-July. Granted there had been a heavy rainstorm the previous night, but is it always this soggy?

This course starts with an 75' easy ACE run and followed by two more 100' holes. Then later has these three Risk/Reward holes that the average SMART recreational player will choose to pass over. That might just be an oxymoron insinuating that the average disc golfers is smart. My point is, Who is this course designed for? The first three holes are pitch and putt all the way. The middle holes are more or less mundane, hot and dusty recreational level and then you have a couple of disc eating Risk/Reward throws.

Maybe the pond water problems aren't always there. I might have just played this course as an inopportune time. I realize the shortness of the first three was made neccessary by the construction of the pool.

And that pool looked awfully inviting after stumbling around through the dry scrubland on this warm day. A couple of those young yuppie mothers were looking fine. I really would have liked a chance to cool off. After all, it's construction did negatively effect my disc golf course.

Good for beginners and the family. Nice playground near first tee. Nice concrete pads.

Baskets are very low to the ground. Holes are incredibly short. Advanced players will shoot well under par. I wont go there again due to too short of holes.

-Nice concrete tee pads
-Quite a few ace chances as many of the holes are quite short
-The baskets are in great shape
-A water hazard that three of the holes play around including one hole that throws over it and those are probably the best holes on the course.
-The course doesn't get very crowded so you don't have to worry about waiting on other people.
-Right off of I-25 so it is a quick stop if you need a break on a long road trip.

-The hole design on this course is really boring. Many of the holes are straight ahead with very few obstacles and very few of the holes are over three hundred feet. It starts to feel like you are playing the same holes over and over again.
-Many of the tee pads are pointed away from the basket and with many baskets in one area it can be difficult to know which hole you are playing to.
-Many of the holes are missing tee signs, there are posts marking the holes but very few of the holes have tee signs on them. The tee signs that are there don't even tell you the distance.
-Holes 1 and 2 are so short and boring that they are almost not worth playing unless you want a really easy chance at an ace.
-The course flow can be very hard to follow as there are usually a long walk between many of the holes and it is not always clear as to which direction to go next and several of the tees could easily be missed when looking for them. We were playing with someone who had played before and with out them I doubt we would have found a couple of tee pads or we would have at least spent a lot more time wandering around looking for tee pads.
-Lots of tall grass and cattails on the most of the holes so keep a good eye on your disc or you might lose several discs while playing.
-No benches or trashcans and very little shade throughout the course.
-When we were there the pond had overflowed and baskets 14 and 15 were surrounded by water

I feel like this course could be better with some redesign and a little work but as it currently it is not worth going out of your way to play. If you are in Loveland or Johnstown looking for a quick play then or traveling through and need a quick stop, then it is a decent stop.

It might be the closest course to I-25. If you were afraid of getting lost trying to find a course, this is your course. Just look for the red silo east of the interstate just past the hwy 34 exit, and that is your first tee. This course has cement tee pads and numbered posts on all the holes. The baskets are in great shape. There is a park at the beginning of the course with a restroom and picnic shelter. If you want to make ace runs, this is your course. I thought of it as practice with teepads, especially since you will most likely have the whole thing to yourself. My recommendation is for ace runs, beginners, and for rounds when you want to be alone. I've thought about stopping here every time I pass by because I know it would be a sweet quickie.

There are lots of stickers in the weeds it may not be a good place to take your dog or play in sandals. This course lacks shade, if you find yourself here in August as I did, it would be wise to take water. One of the water hazards is a kiss-it-goodbye raging irrigation switch you may need to be aware of. For the most part this course lacks any type of obstacle to speak of. There is a bike path and a few drainage ditches and a few saplings. Sometimes there is confusion as to what basket you are aiming for and some of the baskets feel about four inches too deep. 6, 14, and 18 are hard to find if you don't take the directions with you from the course information page. I keep holding out hope that someone from one of the northern Colorado clubs will make a map.

I had always seen the silo from the interstate and every time I pass it I cannot resist telling whomever will listen there is a course right there. I assume that this course is one of the selling points for buying a home in this subdivision which is pretty cool. If my time comes and I move to a new home development in the suburbs I hope that it has a disc golf course in and around it like this one has. The course has the tee-pads, posts and baskets of a good course, just not the land. I would say the character of this course is short flat and a full of baby trees.