River Rock DGC is a pretty damn awesome 9 holer in a small town in south central MN. The park itself is beautiful. There's a clear stream that runs throughout the course and comes into play on four of the holes. The elevation is a factor as well. It's nothing too extreme but it's utilized very well on this one. Just a well designed course all around. One of the better nines I've played in awhile.

The tee pads are nicely done on this one. Long and grippy concrete. Not the widest but good enough for what you're being asked of off the tee for this one. There's two tees per hole even, which isn't all that common aren't the area. There's a good variance between the hole on each too. They actually make the hole play significantly harder from the longs on most. At least they would have for a noodle arm like me in the cold November rain.

The tee signs are stellar. These each have the hole #, distance, next tee arrow and even the loss/gain in elevation from tee to pin. The best part is the actual map itself. These are among the best I've ever seen. The map is extremely descriptive showing distances to various landmarks in the fairway, a shadow route from tee to pin for the other tee, a compass and about as nice and realistic looking map as can be imagined. The signs are located at BOTH tees even. Can't ask for anything more than this. Wow.

Great design, as I mentioned above. There's enough water in play to keep you on your toes and the elevation is used nicely to force you to shape shots and pick landing areas to hit more than anything. It's a course that rewards precision and accuracy more than sheer power. I wouldn't say it's favorable to BH or FH. You can do well either way, you just need to be on point. It's mostly in the open park area but does get you into the woods for holes 5 and 6. Just an excellent design all around.

The baskets are older Mach III's. These each have the number plate on the top which are painted white for the background with a large, bold red number to hole. These really make them stand out nicely, which is one of the major drawbacks of the older Mach's. All are mounted nicely and catch decent enough. One basket and placement per hole.

The course is free to play, in ground year round and should never be busy as far as other players are concerned.

The baskets are dated by today's standards and were definitely the weakest aspect as far as amenities goes. Not a huge deal or anything but they do leave something to be desired nowadays.

The navigation was a little goofy in a couple spots, notably the wooded section in the middle. You'll figure it out but it's not the most obvious, transitionwise, on this section.

The walking path comes into play on numerous spots so be cautious of walkers. Hole 2 is not the safest hole I've ever seen since you throw over two sections of trail on that one. Both of which come out of the woods to the left of the fairway. You could easily flare skip left throwing RHBH on either path and launch quite a ways left to any walkers coming out of the woods. Just not a great design on this hole in that regard.

Probably not the best option in the spring or after lots of rain. It'd seem to be pretty sloppy and hole 1 may even be underwater depending on the height of the creek.

I can't say for sure since I played in November, but I'd wager that the mosquitoes are horrendous in the summer months. Not a con but worth noting. Bring bug spray just in case in the hotter parts of the year.

This course was awesome. I'd love to have this one near me. I wasn't expecting much but I had a blast here. This was even as a solo round in mid morning November rain. Should you play this one? Absolutely. It's not really near anything, and being only nine holes, isn't worth any kind of trek out of your way for. But if you're in the area it's better than anything to the east at least. Much better than I was expecting going in. I'd gladly play this one again.

I love to see a course like this in a small town. River Rock is pretty, somewhat technical 9/18 with dual concrete tees throughout. The woods are well populated with birds, and muskrats can be glimpsed in the perfectly sized (i.e. a disc retriever can recover a dead center splash from either side) stream. Water is in play on 4 holes, and most of the rest is moderately to fully wooded.

The longs mostly just add distance, but #1 adds a second stream crossing, and #9 comes from a 90 degree different angle and adds the only significantly elevated tee of the course.

The stream crossing holes (1,3,4) are fun from either tee and #8 is an up-and-over that can roll away an otherwise perfectly executed tee shot.

Nothing really horrible. On #2, an errant shot left could end up in a picnic pavilion. There are only 2 bridges to cross the stream on the course itself. Because of this, the flow can get a little weird, with the longest walk from 6 to 7. The Mach III's are of the age that prove DGA's reputation of building them to last. They're fine, honestly. Non-disc traffic in the park can be pretty heavy. Make sure you're clear to throw.

You're going to want to ignore the first set of parking lots, passing them and taking a left, which will loop you around a pavilion, over a bridge to the DG parking lot. A suction style retriever works great for the stream, which you'll probably only find by deflecting into it.

River Rock DGC a 9 hole mostly park like course in the southern Minnesota town of Owatonna. The park was well maintained, grass was cut and no trash or downed limbs to be found.

2 serviceable concrete teepads at each hole, long and short. Along with a very nice teesign showing shot shape and elevation profile. Baskets were older DGA's. Nice course map provided at hole 1.

The creek with its well constructed banks winds through the park and is an obstacle on holes 1, 3 and 4 where you need to throw across. Could also come into play with a rightward shank on hole 2 or a green overshoot on hole 9.

Most of the holes were pretty straight forward, not much shot shaping required. The long tees of 1,3,4,8 and 9 provided a different angle or challenge rather than just being longer than the shorts. Holes 5 and 6 were straight tunnel shots in the woods at the edge of the park which added variety.

My two favorites were hole 4 which was a slight turnover ~220' shot through a framed gap then over the creek, and hole 9 which was a straight tunnel shot ~270' but about 40' downhill with the basket by the creek.

There are a couple of holes where the teepads are blind to each other. Could be an issue on a busy day especially with kids or newer players (which this course is well suited to).

I played the course around 11 on a beautiful Sunday morning and was not surprised to see several other groups and a single out playing. What did surprise me was that everyone else was playing from the short pads, probably a first for me. In the cities the short pads are usually neglected and overgrown for the most part.

I really like the teesigns done by Customcoursemaps. First saw them at Kaposia and the Valley some years ago and now am seeing them at more courses in Southern Minnesota.

Very technical. Lots of river that plays. Wooded. Variety of short shots

No signage, not all baskets are labeled. CN get muddy.

Overall 3.5/5. This was a fun course for 9 holes. I played it twice and only got a tiny bit lost. Lots of river that's plays. Definitely short but still technical. I play lots of disc and shot -1 and even. So for a short course , it's legit. You can lose discs

Multiple tees, dynamic terrain, challenging, well placed

Faster moving water (river) on many holes, a few holes have poor tee pads, indefinitely wet in certain walk-ways, typically unsatisfactory maintenance on holes 5 & 6, lacks simple sineage, needs updates

With a better maintenance budget, this course could be top notch. Very intimidating on your first few rounds due to the fact that water is in-play for 90% of the holes, but exhilarating after the fear fades. Bug spray is a must every round. Plenty of trees and obstacles with regularily dynamic terrain make it a fun course regardless of your score. Playground, rain shelters, and brick & mortar restrooms are on-site near hole 1.

excellent variety of elevation, water hazards, distances, obstacles. challenging for ametuer and above, well protected course from wind

only 9 holes - looks like this park is land locked and won't be able to expand to a full 18, river is usually muddy and deep (up to 4') - very easy to lose discs in the water.

Overall Great Course - My Favorite Course in Southeastern MN!!

River comes into play on the first hole, concrete dual teepads, some narrow wooded holes, beautiful park.

Teepads were a little short for my liking, no signs so I had no idea where I was going(followed the group ahead of me). Almost cut a guy's head off because you have to walk right into the fairway on hole 6(I think it was?). and it is very wooded for two holes so I never saw him til the last second. Rest of the holes are fairly open.

It says the river comes into play on a few holes but really you throw over it on holes 1 and 3, and then it just runs beside you on the other holes. Anyone with a little experiece should be able to keep it out of the drink. and its only a couple feet deep anyway. Overall nice course, but could use some money put into a little refresh.

*All teepads are paved
*Each hole has short and long tees
*Well maintained
*You should never loose a disc as the river is only about 3ft deep most of the year
*It's a fast 9 so you can easily throw the short then the long in about an hour and a half on your own
*Nice to see wildlife throughout the course
*Nice park adjacent to this for kids to play on if needed (con- as it can also make it busy)

**Update** new teepads are now in for 1 long, 4 long, 5 long, 6 short, 7 long, & 9 long... These updated teepad locations are much better (all are new locations other than 1 long where you used to throw from walking path)

*It's a large park and they could have easily made it 18 holes
*There are two holes that go into the woods but you come back out in the same spot and have to cross another hole
*Not enough garbage cans
*Mosquitoes can be had
*They are mostly short holes with a few trees to throw around
*Not much for a view
*Baskets are not bad but not great either
*No nearby shops (that is not the fault of the course, just the lack of a market for it in Owatonna)

It is a great beginners course, as this is the course I have pretty much learned on. While I am far from a pro, I have since gone to dozens of other courses and seen much better (baskets, teepads, views, levels of difficulty etc).



This course, if the money was there to put into it, could be much better. There is a nice hill on the far side of 1 and it would be nice to go up in there and then later have a hole going down the hillside. The woods could use another hole or two, and you shouldn't have to walk back across another hole and backtrack. Most importantly there is a lot of hilly and wooded land (part of the park) right along side and after 8 & 9 that could be tapped into for an awesome 9 more holes.

With all that said, I like this course as a "home" course, and it is nice to be able to just quick throw 9 (or even 6) in under an hour. The level of difficulty is what it is, and this is a great course to practice on, but I think it could be better. I also think that if the money was put into it, people like me would be willing to pay a couple bucks to play it..

**Edit** The changes made to the course in 2020 are phenomenal. I previously rated it a 2.5, to drop the rating to reflect what I thought it was. I think after these changes it is closer to a 4 now. I'm very happy to see the changes but would still really love to see it go into the woods up by 8 & 9..

1) Unique name. . .quite honestly I picked this course because of the name. I quickly figured out where it came from. I chose the name as the theme for a few courses include Bear Cave Park . . . I was really hoping I played through a Bear Cave and was disappointed I missed the opportunity, but River Rock did not disappoint with an incredible 10' round boulder in the middle of the river.
2) The river comes into play but also visually is a nice feature creating some aesthetics to play around.
3) Nice big dual trapezoidal concrete tees are always a positive in my eyes. The best of the best in terms of tee surface and shape and size.
4) Old concrete structures including walls, river retention, etc. It simply is something I can always appreciate and disc golf courses are popular places to leave old concrete and hard-scapes in place even when they are decades old or when disc golf comes through the property. I suppose it reminds me of the character of these small towns.
5) DGA mach baskets in pretty good shape.
6) Map and kiosk available at the first tee, try and remember the map for your general flow.
7) There are some benches available but they are not necessarily intended for the disc golf course.
8) Distance variation is great for a 9 hole park course. There are 100's, 200's, and 300's to make sure you throw a little bit of everything.
9) Hole #, distance, and sponsor on the board in the ground by the tees. It does not help navigation
10) This course is fairly beginner friendly because it is mostly open, but they will be challenged.
11) Good use of elevation going up and down the hills plus throwing over the river was slightly downhill.

1) No tee signs to help navigation, it is only tough to figure where you are going once or twice, but I always like to see tee signs for direction, but also for the information.
2) While this course is beginner friendly, I could imagine beginners being very frustrated if they keep throwing in the river. There are only a couple tight wooded holes and those might be tough but at east beginners won't lose their discs.
3) No garbage cans when I played but that could very well be just a seasonal thing for the disc golf course. I have no information otherwise so I am leaving this is a con even if it is just a seasonal change.
4) Slight safety issue with other park users . . . there just seemed to be places where other park users might congregate and get in the way. There was noon there when I was there, but I am sure a lot of people come down to check out the river rock.
5) Routing is goofy from #6 to #7 because you have to walk across #4. This is only a minor con because they could not really lay this out much different to avoid crossing a fairway. They could have turned #4 around and thrown over the river the other way allowing #5 and #6 to become #4 and #5 and then play #6 (the reverse of #4).

I am so happy I decided to come here because of the course name. I wanted to see what the River Rock was all about and I saw it. I took a picture of it and it will forever be a part of my blog. This is one of my favorite 9 hole courses I have ever played. It had a little bit of everything including water, tight woods, forced carries, elevation, and shot shaping. I even got to throw a roller on the long hole along the fairway. There is not much to say other than for a 9 hole course this is pretty great. It becomes one of my top 5 nine hole courses and is pushing the 3.75 limit to make it in my top 100 courses. I cannot quite give it that high of a rating because of no tee signs and the general condition of the turf. I know I went in fall, but the turf looked like it had seen a lot of play over the season.

*Multiple water holes, and the water isn't very deep, so not much of a chance of losing a disc
*Nice use of the little elevation possible
*Multiple opportunities for an ace
*Couple of holes in the woods
*Fairly easy to navigate, just finding 7 after 6 was the trickiest
*Nice tee pads with hole and distance in the board at the end of it

*Only has 9 holes
*Not many garbage cans on the course

*Hole 1: Nice starter going over creek to basket
*Hole 2: Longer hole along creek
*Hole 3: Back across the creek while avoiding a large pine tree
*Hole 4: Nice ace opportunity as long as you don't hit the trees on the bank
*Hole 5: Tight wooded shot
*Hole 6: Another tight wooded shot
*Hole 7: Longer hole going up a slight incline
*Hole 8: Fun hole going over a small hill with the basket on the downside of the hill
*Hole 9: Good ace opportunity if you can avoid the trees around the basket
*Overall a fun course with a little of everything
*Definitely will play if I'm in the area again

This course is set in a well-maintained city park. There are restrooms and an outhouse, and multiple benches/picnic tables. It is a multiuse park, so watch out for pedestrians. The tees are all concrete with wooden planks at the front listing the hole number, length, and a sponsor.

The park was very naturally beautiful, with the trees, creek, and fallen leaves. All the holes have a moderate amount of scattered trees, forcing you to think about your shot and vary it for each hole.

My favorite hole was #7. The drive is guarded by many mature trees and the fairway slopes upward and narrows to the basket at the top of the hill.

Except for #2 and #6, all the holes are short.
Getting to the basket on hole #1 is annoying - you have to go across a bridge to the left and then down a steep path.
The holes across the creek are all similar; short holes with the creek right in the middle.

It's called River Rock due to the giant rock in the middle of the creek, but it's located in Mineral Springs Park.

-Creek provides obstacle on many holes
-Woods on 2 holes, tight and challenging shots
-Signs are pretty good with distance, map and par
-Good elevation comes into play on holes 7-8. 8 can be very tricky if you overshoot it
-Good parking and bathrooms
-Pretty scenic, lots of trees, very nice park.
-This part of the park is used only for disc golf
-Lots of ace/birdie runs
-Nice baskets
-Dual tees on some holes
-Risk/reward shots on most holes

-A little short, only one "long" hole
-Discs can be lost in the creek and I saw a very professional disc hunter searching the creek with waders and a piece of PVC pipe. He found about 10 discs and probably isn't going to call the numbers.
-Bugs were pretty bad when I played
-Layout wasn't the best, it was hard to find the way from 6-7 especially the first time you play
-Park can be busy with golfers and non-golfers alike

This course had a lot of fun factor for me. Birdie and ace runs but at the same time if you mess up it can be bad. The park looked very nice and it was a nice, quiet place to be. This place is worth a stop for sure.

Nice course,very well spaced out.
Some holes really make you think how you should throw it because on hole #8 there is a massive hill right behind the basket, and if you miss your disc goes rolling down the hill.

If you dont like wooded holes then i dont think you would like holes #5, #6.
A few water holes like #1,#3,#4
Be careful on hole #9 if you over throw your disc goes into the water.

Great place to disc golf.
Can get a quick game in.
Some holes hard to make par.
Fun place to get a nice quick game in.

-multiple concrete tees
-lots of water
-lots of trees

-can get congested on a nice day

A good course for the beginning player or to work on your approach game. For the most part, the holes can be reached with a putter or mid-range. #2 is 400+ feet. Small creek comes into play on 5 of the holes. Nice variety of shot shapes and tight/open holes.

If it's not busy, you can knock this course out in less than half an hour.

This course weaves alongside and across a small river/large creek for some tough risk/reward shots. In nine holes, they incorporate water, elevation, distance, and tight tree lines. There are also two teepads, shorts and longs, for every hole. The course itself is in a very beautiful park with walking paths, bathrooms, picnic tables, and everything is well maintained and cleaned. The course has you throw over the water three times, but it comes into play on 5 holes.

Tons of Ace opportunities on this course, but there is also the risk factor.

The course designers and locals are very passionate about this course, and the townspeople are very passionate about keeping their parks beautiful and clean.

The only cons I see here are the fact that it's a busy city park. Families will bring their kids down to splash around in the water,and can produce waits or hazardous throws, nobody wants to clock a kick upside the head with a disc.

I played this course 3 times the way it is always, and twice as an 18 hole temp course. I believe that if this course were to be set up at least similar to the temp tourney course then this course could be a 4 or 4.5 where the only problem would be the cons I stated above.

The 18 hole temp course was one of the most difficult courses I've ever played in tourney. The course had us weaving back and forth even moreso than the original, having O.B. areas on 16 holes, and a 575 foot mando double O.B. island shot on one hole.

Well balanced course for beginners and professionals alike. Dual tees on many of the holes. Mixes in water, hills, trees, and open fairways very well.

Very difficult course. All par 3's making the long holes (2, 6 and 7) very difficult to par. Could add more holes.

Beautiful park!!!