Situated between the Kansas City Southern rail line and the Kansas River sits a course nestled in and around the massive riverside trees.  Tunnels to navigate and trees to avoid are the main features of the course.

There are two baskets off of each tee.  The first set are numbered 1-9, and the second (and mostly shorter) set are numbered 10-18 to encourage a second playthrough.  All the baskets are still in very good condition and the DGA number pucks on top are clearly visible.

The average distance the first set of 9 is right around 375.  Helps the course to stand out from most 9-hole park courses.

The tunnel holes are the highlight of the course.  4/13 play down a 10ft wide tunnel all the way to the pin, the long pin (4) is 30ft around a small dogleg at the end of the tunnel while 13 is just before the dogleg, and the same goes for 5/14, but that one is a bit wider and shorter.  7 is the other tunnel, it has the lowest ceiling of them all, but is also the shortest of the tunnels (right about 220ft), but 16 is in a different direction completely.

The variation in the pins of 2/11, 7/16, and 9/18 keeps this course from feeling like just 9 holes with two baskets, those three split left and right and require very different shot shapes.  7/16 are actually two completely separate fairways!  However...

The other 6 basket sets are extremely similar, either playing slightly around a dogleg or just adding distance to the hole.  No extra spice is added, just an extra pin spot and a difference in distance.  This doesn't do much to help the "this is an 18-hole course" narrative.

Dirt/clay tees that turn to mud easily and stay that way for a while.  Along with this, some par listings would be nice (8 and 12 are definitely par 4s and there's a few others that could make the list).

The rough is very rough.  And I hear the "just stay on the fairway" crowd gathering now, but these tunnels are tight, you try staying on the fairway!  In any case, lost discs are not just possible here, they're likely. Also, the Kansas prairie grass in the summer looks to be very good at swallowing discs,

Along with the similarity, many holes have nothing but air in the way.  6/15 have the right side guarded, but the left is wide open, while 1/10 and 3/12 are the opposite.  8/17 has trees about 50ft off the tee and nothing else in the way except the basket of 8 is 10ft into the trees 500ft away.  At least it isn't all one shot type.

Overall, Riverfront has a great course that I wouldn't classify as a full 18, but if we're judging it as a 9, it's a very solid 9.  It holds replay value with the tunnel shots and dual baskets per fairway, and the distance required caters more to the experienced player.

With some concrete tees and maybe a few new pin spots this course would reach new heights.  It's a very good choice if you have some time to get out of Lawrence proper, but not a necessity to play.

Both my trusty GPS and Google Maps on my phone couldn't lead me to Riverfront Park. My GPS lead me miles from here and then my phone guided me right by the park entrance and took me on a scenic 5 mile drive on some dirt roads down by the river somewhere. I had given up finding the park when I happened to be driving by and noticed the park sign. Found it by chance!

The course plays two basket off each of the 9 natural tee pads. I was lazy and so played two drives off each pad, completing my 18 hole round in half the time and more importantly, half the energy expended. It was a long day of discing, 5 courses played including Water Works!

The two baskets idea seems to work pretty well. I would like to see it in action in a tournament setting.

Some of the holes are long, as in boringly long # 12.

The next tee signs on every basket were a huge help with me playing course for the first time solo. Thank you for those helpful signs.

But then I agree with the bigreddog that it wasn't always clear which basket was which off the tee. How are you to know which is 7 or 16?

I did like final hole ( 9 & 18) which forces you to make a decision on which route to take.

The tee pads don't seem to bother anyone else but I think they're an issue. Some of them have been extended out for 10-15 feet in front. This could easily be an issue come tournament time. How difficult would it be to simply bury a front board. Since you only have 9 tee pads. Buy nine 4" x 4"s and bury them so each tee box has a front border. Problem solved.

I thought it was really disgusting to see a pile of cans by a couple of the tee pads. Guys, if there's no garbage can there, it's sure as hell not a dumping site. Pack them out yourselves!

I played the course in October so the grass was not tall.

I give this course a great big average rating. The two holes per teepad idea is unique and seems to be working. There were some creative, challenging holes, for sure. Nice variety of length, nice variety of open versus technical. There just wasn't any holes that I got real excited about and the park wasn't all that visually appealing. Flat river bottom property never fails to leave me unimpressed. Plus I couldn't find the damn park in the first place!

Navigation between the holes is very easy, every basket has a sign attached to the post telling you where to go for the next tee, plus the grass is more mowed down on that path. 10/10

There's a great variety of openness on shots, as several holes are narrow roads through trees, while several others are pretty wide open, and there are some in between. 9/10

Great variety of distances on holes. Because there are two baskets from every tee, most of the tees (all of the treed ones since there's nowhere else to go) have one shorter and one longer basket, so there's a variety by necessity. 9/10

This course uses obstacles pretty well, and there are a ton present. I don't really like the waist high grass, but it does add to the challenge (the most recent time the waist high grass was gone except for hole 3/12, which made it much more enjoyable). No hole is completely void of obstacles, with either one or both sides being tree-lined. 7/10

Navigation on the holes themselves is unique. Tee signs are present, but provide minimal information, just telling you which two holes that tee is for (not telling you which is which). It's easy to tell where the holes go because you can see where the fairways/trails through the trees go. The reason I say it's unique though is that there are two baskets from each tee, so it's easy to see both baskets (or tell about where on treed holes) . The problem is that there is no way to tell from the tee which basket is which. For example, on the 2/11 tee, you can clearly see both baskets, but you don't know which is 2 and which is 11. It's not important as long as you remember which you play the first time through and play the other the second time through, but due to the confusion I'm dropping it to an 8/10.

Baskets are decent, a few are kind of tilted but not too bad. 7/10

Many holes require a certain shot path to be successful, so that's good. There isn't a huge variety of this though since it's all the same shots twice, but it still does a good job of making players throw every shot in the bag. 6/10

No alternate hole positions (unless you're playing it as a 9 hole course where you can pick...) 0/10

Not much elevation present, almost every hole is completely flat. There is an interesting valley on holes 6 and 15 that comes into play that brings it to a 2/10

Discs can be very difficult to find, especially with the waist high grass. (this is the only course I've ever lost a disc on) The woods don't help much either, although they are thinner due to the drought. I'm hoping they keep the waist high grass mowed down, but I'm not optimistic. 2/10

Course maintenance is... I'm not sure. Both times the fairways have been mowed, I'm not sure if the waist high grass was there because of neglect or by design. No benches, no water fountains, no bathrooms I could find. 3/10

Tees are made of packed down rocky dirt, like a baseball field, some are beginning to be eroded and they're a little if you have a big run up like me. There are only nine tees to 18 baskets, so that's kind of weird, but I guess it works because of the limited space. 2/10

The first time I played this course was the second most uncomfortable round I have played in six months (Cambridge Park still takes the cake), the waist high grass was manageable on the open holes, but it was in the forested areas too and was full of razor leaf crap and poison ivy, and it was nearly impossible to avoid it as the fairways were only about 10 feet wide in most places. It just seemed a bit unfair. This most recent time it was gone and in the forested areas it was more dried out, so I'll say 3/10 for overall comfort during the round.

There isn't much decisionmaking required, as most of the holes are pretty straightforward. 9 and 18 are exceptions, with obstacles right in the middle that force players to pick a way around. I guess you could make the argument that some of the treed holes require a decision between playing safe and aggressive, but I'm saying 3/10 overall

Definitely not a beginner course, this was the second course I ever played (first was centennial park) and I was still a beginner and I hated it because of the treed holes. I swore I'd never go back but now that I'm better I think it's okay. Not good for challenging all levels, but does help to learn control. 3/10

I go to school at KU so there aren't too many courses nearby. This was only the second course I ever played. When I first started I mostly only played Centennial Park, which I definitely like better, but I'm glad I found another course in Lawrence that's a different style and good for some variety.

This is one of the most unforgiving courses I've played, there are so many shots where you can miss your spot by three feet and end up bouncing off a tree and being deep in the woods and need to take a shot just to get out.

Only having nine tees makes just playing one round fairly repetitive, there are a couple holes with different feels (2/11, 7/16, 9/18), but most of them are the same.

9 and 18 are two pretty cool holes, I like the obstacle in the middle that makes for an interesting decision.

To me this course is a 2 when the waist high grass is present, and a 2.5 when it isn't. Both of the two most recent times it was gone, so I'm giving it a 2.5, but if it comes back I won't hesitate to change it.

By a river, so when you get eaten alive by bugs and thorns, go there.

Not a good course for beginners. Also very bug infested with awful things in the rough.

Maybe its because I was playing for the first time and it was with another first timer, but this was not worth the drive. To be fair, I have only played it once and I was terrible, but my bad memories make me not want to return.

If you can get past the whole shared tee/ two baskets concept, Riverfront does have some challenging and unique holes and some good wooded versus open variety. The best holes IMO are the tunnel shots on 4/13 and 5/14. 7/16 is a nice hole too as each has its own tunnel the only one of the nine that doesn't share a fairway. I also like the fact that for the most part, the holes by numerical order alternate in length. 13 is the short basket on 4/13, whereas 14 is the long basket on 5/14. Good to help challenge rec players if its in decent shape and has been mowed.

The whole one tee shooting to two baskets concept is strange and to my knowledge Riverfront is the only course in the area with this sort of a layout. I would have really just preferred they call this nine holes as most of the holes on any other course would have been just alternate placements. Two baskets are nice for player choice, but calling them 1A and 1B as opposed to 1 and 10 would help define to users that there is only one fairway than can practically be used at any given time. Terrain is your typical choppy flood plain course terrain, and while it was decent during my visit, I'm sure this becomes borderline unplayable after a hard rain, not to mention mosquito heaven. Not mowed park style for the most part, just a fairway to guide you. Hole signs are deteriorating.

Not a soul on the course when I was here, which suited me fine, but I could imagine crowds being here on the weekends during the summer. In which case, I could perhaps see some conflicts arrising on which group gets to use the teepad, and hence the hole first. Not as good as Centennial, but if that course is too crowded and Topeka or KC is too far, this is your best bet in Lawrence.

Good mix of distance with well manicured fairways

Immediately off of the fairways you find yourself in knee high-head high grass or dense foilage in the summer. Not much room for error

I won't play this course again until winter when there is little foilage to navigate. Or until I become quite a bit better and don't have to spend more time looking for the disc than actually playing.