Course:
-Ability to start a round on holes 1, 5, or 10 without much walk from the 2 parking lots
-Single concrete tee with 2 baskets at each hole (newer DD Veterans usually short, old Mach IIIs in alternate positions) so players can choose their layout for the day and mix/match targets if they want.
-Favorite pins: 1E, 2D, 4D, 7C, 9E & F, 10C, 12C & D, 13B & D, 14D, 15D, 16B, 18C & D
-Longer pins are most interesting with some being very challenging par 3s. After getting the Veteran targets in 2020, these pins are in play more now with the second set of targets (old Mach IIIs). Set to the longest par 54 layout can make Rosedale a great challenge to string together a hot round (especially on windy days). Par 4 pins available on holes 4, 8, 16, and 18.
-Short pins can be a quick round (around an hour for solo/pair even with backups) or a good casual round for a mixed skill level group. Generally 1.5-2 hours maximum for 3-4 people.
-Elevation change is subtle on most holes with a lot of the front 9 having drop-offs to the right tree line going towards 'Down under'. Back 9 offers a bit more variety and hazards with OB roads and trees obstructing more of the left sides of fairways. Severe tree kick and roll away possibilities on 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 15 could leave players scrambling.
-Road in play/bordering fairway on 13, 14, and 17
-Veteran baskets get moved most weeks for league so playing Up Top can offer variety for locals and visitors from out of town.
-Risk of losing a disc is below average (except in Fall/Winter with the ground cover leaves/snow). With the amount of foot traffic & play Rosedale receives there is a decent chance discs will be found and returned to the lost disc return bin.

Park Amenities:
-Permanent bathrooms near skatepark by hole 1 and newly installed one near softball field by hole 10. Water fountain near hole 10 as well (used to be one near hole 1/tennis courts that got capped - maybe due to COVID precautions)
-Near KC city center, easy course to meetup at with access to/from I-35 at park entrance (Mission Rd)

Navigation/Course flow issues:
-Navigation from hole 3->4 and 15->16 requires walking back up the fairway causing some slight backups
-Navigation from hole 5 left long pin to 6 tee, 11 long right back to 12's tee, and 13 longer tees near street corner back to 14's tee can all cause slight backups when they are being played
-Must cross street between 13/14 and back between 17/18.
-Some pins are missing from tee signs, no indication on tee sign which pins have targets in them.

Safety issues:
-Hole 8 and 12 tees in play from tee shots on hole 7 & 11. Windy conditions are common and new/unfamiliar players often do not realize how close their drives are flying towards those tees.
-Hole 5 pins in line with hole 6 fairway/tee shot, especially when playing hole 6 left pins.
-Some fairways are covered in broken up concrete/gravel (3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16), careful footing up and down hole 16, visible broken glass on 15 fairway
-Hole 10 tee shots towards pavilion and playground where park goers may be picnicking/playing. Sinkhole in fairway
-old pin locations are still around to cause tripping hazards

Course Layout
-Similar pin positions offer less variety on a few holes. Lack of shot variety especially when playing the short pins
-Some of the greens/landscaping/erosion control maintenance has been neglected. Baskets are mounted too low due to sinking/mulch accumulation around the pins.
-old Mach III practice basket is surrounded by concrete and doesn't match the DD Veterans that are primarily used for competition and casual players.

Rosedale park has a long history being used in many Kansas City Wide Open tournaments and various events throughout the years. Many of the KC club members have offered up time to maintain and keep the course accessible to the community and players of all skill levels.
-Rosedale Up Top underwent a redesign around 2015 which altered the flow on a number of holes and added current hole 10 and 16. No longer playing alongside backyards for 16 & 17.
-Busy after work/school hours (4pm-sunset) and on weekends midday through the evening.
-Leagues on multiple weeknights during the summer, glow league later in the year (park doesn't close after dark).
-High level of traffic means the park requires a lot of maintenance/upkeep. Some holes with erosion/soil control problems. Attempts to grow new trees in open fairways have had limited success.
-Rain brings long grass and mud to some of the low-lying fairways (4, 5, 10, 11, 14)
-2 courses in the same park offer a good variety of park/wooded golf
-Shared multi-use park with pavilion/picnic tables, playground, skatepark, tennis courts, 1 fenced baseball/softball field & 1 open baseball/softball/soccer field (useful for fieldwork), and trails joined up to the Rosedale trail system (many dog walkers). This can make parking a challenge during different parts of the year.
-Dynamic Discs KC store up the street where lost discs return bin goes (2-3 month holding then donated)

Rosedale Park is a Kansas City favorite. My first day was to play Up Top first and then Down Under another day. Both visits saw a lot of locals. There was a waiting line to tee off at #1.

The layout uses the park's open areas well that are adjacent to the thick woods on the edges, which are the upper edge of parts of Down Under. The basket placements are strategically woven into the trees.

I like number 3, which is entirely in the woods and you are throwing 233 ft to a blind basket to the right in the woods at the top of a hill. This was a perfect shot for my RHFH. I skipped it, hit chains, then ended up down the slope in the woods. A little further down the hill and I would have been Down Under.

Hole 14 is a nice dogleg to the left to a blind basket in a recessed area. Hole 15 is a tight line next to the woods. I grip locked and never found my disc in that thicket. Hole 16 is the signature hole. It is 350 ft, so not too long, but the path takes you over an open fairway that leads to a line through the woods that will punish you if you don't get through since there's a 50 foot drop you've got to get over.

One of the locals I played with told me that the park was not safe many years ago since it was the home of many Kansas City vices (e.g. gangs and drugs). But the disc golf culture has changed the park atmosphere and the conversion is a success story. This is the hope for Elysian Park - Buena Vista Hill, a new course in Los Angeles, which will hopefully change that park's atmosphere.

Navigation could be better since there are no next tee signs. With a map and many locals around this is not a big problem.

When you finish the third hole you need to walk back up the third fairway to get to the 4th tee. This seemed so odd to me that I went into the woods and down the hill a little to avoid the fairway and I ended up on the Down Under course, which has different color baskets to help you differentiate.

I was surprised to see the description for Rosedale Top as the highest point in Kansas City. I just posted a review of Blue Valley Park and I said it was the highest point in K.C. since someone told me that. Blue Valley Park definitely feels higher than Rosedale, but I checked and here's the actual elevations:

Rosedale Park- 296m
Blue Valley Park Short - 283m
Blue Valley Park Pro - 276m
Water Works - 274m

So I stand to be corrected, but Blue Valley Park is more open and feels higher.

Dynamic Discs has a nice factory outlet store at 2866 W 47th St, which is less than one mile from Rosedale Park and serves like a pro shop for Rosedale. They have a sheet of paper, which is worth your stop, that breaks down all the courses in the Kansas City area. It'd be a shame to be so close to a factory outlet and not check it out. I thought this was a nice benefit to these two excellent Rosedale courses. And they return lost discs that are turned in.

If you like disc golf, which I'm pretty sure you do or you wouldn't be reading this, then you will want to visit Rosedale Park when in Kansas City. If you're newer to the sport or not up the challenge of Down Under then stay Up Top and you'll have fun. If you're brave and have time then play both.

I struggled on the rating. It is a very good course, which is a 3.5 rating. But it does not have the challenges of Down Under, which I rated as excellent, or 4.0. And Water Works I rated as Phenomenal, or 4.5. If you think I'm unfair in my rating or want to give me pointers on how to write more helpful reviews then please send me a note.

Every tee has a nice tee pad all had some kind of seating around and a trash can.

Bathrooms close by, along with a shelter not far from the first hole and a number of benches by the first pin, which is awesome if you are meeting up with a group.

Nice signage showing the multiple pin locations, normally 3 different placements, didn't have the ability to show current placement.

The majority of shots are going to be the most challenging and you can tackle the shots in a variety of way. The front nine, will have many wide open shots, not HUGE holes, but decent. Being a LHBH player, the back nine is perfect of my game, as the majority of holes have a sit to the right from the tee.

In the past two years, the course has seen some changes in flow (between 9 and 10) and trees have been planted on 10 making it a very good looking hole.

I wouldn't say there is a staple hole, but this course is fantastic for beginners.

Course is at a public park that has other users which makes it very challenging to find good parking. They only have two small lots and if there are softball or kickball games those will fill up very quickly. None of the holes really bring the fields into play, so you shouldn't have anyone walking through fairways.

Decent course, not the best area, but the local disc golf club is very good at keep the course up to date.

This is one of the courses that rotates through my course selection I really enjoy the course to practice different kind of shots for more challenging courses.

The top course at Rosedale Park offers a contrasting and challenging complement to its Down Under counterpart. While the Down Under course features tight lines and technical challenges, the Top course provides ample opportunities to "let 'em rip."

Some of the best signage I've ever seen. The map at each teepad is colorful and detailed (though it wasn't always clear which pin position was being used).

An ever-changing course. Each hole has multiple possibilities for pin locations - for example, Hole #8 boasted SEVEN possible spots for the basket. In fact, the basket to Hole #6 was uprooted and moved by a gentleman in a pickup truck as my playing partner and I stood on the teepad, instantly making the hole longer.

The top course also offers an excellent opportunity for beginner and intermediate players to work on their accuracy and upshots/long putts. Precise driving will be required to garner many birdies.

Two of the holes (Hole #3 and #15) require walking back down the fairway after completing the hole. These holes could result in some congestion if the course is crowded.

A lack of variety in spots. While the back nine offers some gratifying elevation changes, the front nine is mainly flat with not much variance in hole distance.

The photos (from 2009) need updating. Several holes appeared to have been recently changed, including a modification on the back nine that resulted in much better flow and hole design.

The top course at Rosedale is an enjoyable challenge that is easy to traverse and less susceptible to previous precipitation. Combining the Top course with the Down Under course will result in a diverse and pleasurable 36-hole experience.

Long Teepads
Good Sinage
Lots of locals to help
Dynamic Discs down the street
Lost disc return
Cool drop offs for challenging holes

Poor navigation (hole 3) and others
Lots of rocks for possible chunks taken out of cheap discs
Personal preference but the baskets don't catch well for my spin putt

Good course, I perfer Water Works though
Needs to be longer with par 4s

Tees are nice with benches at most.

Right side holes.

Clean park. Nice tees. Benches at most holes. Most holes bend right right or have obstacles on left. close to Oklahoma Joe's. Plenty of parking.

-Tons of different shots/hole types.
-Easy to follow no confusion on hole placement or tee pads.
-Tees and baskets are in good condition.
-Shaded most of the course so it was no problem playing in 100+temps.
-Lots of benches and trash cans.
-Multi-basket locations

-For how many well placed trash cans there are it was kinda trashy.
-Some holes placements are just a tad far fetched for some par 3s but far from impossible.

Overall I really liked this course and I love the fact that there is a bottom 18 course just down the hill. It's a great location to meet people from anywhere in kc and would be a great park to play all 36 holes and have a vast variety of land holes and shot types. Great course for beginners and pros alike.

Tons of alternate hole locations keeps it fresh and fun every time. Every hole has at least three positions, and many have five (hole 8 has 7) 10/10

There is a great variety of openness on shots. Some holes have tight drives, some tight approaches, some of both, only a couple that are pretty open the whole way, but those are nice for a breather. For example, drive on the first hole is pretty open, but the approach is into a treed region and is very technical. 10/10

Baskets are in great condition and tees are concrete and also in great condition. 10/10

Navigation between holes is pretty easy. A couple of exceptions are after the ninth hole (look for the staircase down the slope to the right) and also the 18 tee looks like it could be the 13 tee (13 is across the road to the right), but nothing too difficult. 9/10

The course is pretty well manicured most of the time. There are visible, regularly mowed fairways that help with navigation, but the rough isn't too deep or uncomfortable. There are lots of benches and several trash cans that help with litter. 9/10

Tee signs with maps on every hole that show distances and all of the various hole positions help with navigation of the actual holes. Several holes are blind, but the maps and fairways make it pretty easy most of the time. 8/10

Obstacles are used very well and help make up for the lack of more than mild elevation on the first 12 holes. 9/10

Not too difficult for more advanced beginners. You probably don't want to play this course if you're occaisionally a wild thrower because of the dropoffs mentioned in the cons. Overall though the course does a good job of challenging many skill levels, longer hole positions can challenge more advanced players, while shorter positions can be exciting for beginners. 7/10


There is good variety in the distance. However, longer holes tend to be more open while shorter holes are more technical or require more shot shaping. The difference in numerical lengths is there, but not as much in how long the holes feel.There are some holes that are exceptions to this for sure (5 immediately comes to mind as a short hole, while 8 can be a monster with either of the back 2 positions). It could definitely be better, but it's still pretty good. 7/10

There isn't a ton of severe elevation present, there is definitely more of it in play on the back nine, while the front nine is pretty flat. The elevation is still used well even at spots where there isn't a ton. How flat it is isn't really noticeable while playing, even after playing it about eight times I never really noticed until I thought about it for this review. 5/10

Most holes are pretty simple and straightforward, and there aren't very many different ways to play them. 3/10

Discs can be pretty easy to lose. There are lots of steep dropoffs if you venture very far off the fairways, and getting down to them can be dangerous and nearly impossible. 3/10

Not a huge variety in distance. Longer holes tend to be more open while shorter holes are more technical or require more shot shaping. The difference in numerical lengths is there, but not in how long the holes feel.There are some holes that are exceptions for sure (5 immediately comes to mind as a short hole, while 8 can be a monster with either of the back 2 positions), but overall 4/10

Some hole positions demand different shot paths (5, 6, 10, 12 favor left to right, 13 favors right to left), but the course is below average in this area overall. 4/10

Overall difficulty 6/10

Often appears more crowded than it is since there is another 18 hole course on site.

Be sure to bring solid footwear, the course is rocky in places.

I played this course in 102-degree heat and came away happy. (Three bottles of water helped, but still.)

Lots of variety here, with long bombs, shorter technical shots, uphills, downhills, valleys, blind shots over crestlines, and so forth. The grass is groomed and the fairways clean. Multiple pin placements on every hole, benches to rest on, lots of safe parking, centrally located in the KC metro - not surprising that this place has been popular for so long.

For hot-weather play, there's also a water spigot after #5 (I think), which is a definite plus.

I played with two local groups and found everyone friendly and willing to show a traveler how to play the course.

There are a few holes near the beginning of this course where the fairway consists of rough rock. This forces air shots and rewards rollers and worm-burners with pretty severe disc damage. Not much that can be done about it but it's certainly less than optimum.

There's also a couple of places where fairways are close together. This is not an issue if you can direct your shots accurately but hey, not everyone's Ken Climo. #18 also runs closely parallel to a major street and if your shot gets into the right-side rough, it'll likely roll down to asphalt (mine did and got hit by a car).

Overall I'd say this course was close to the ultimate in recreational disc golf. Not so challenging as to require a commitment to play, definitely not a pitch-and-putt practice course. I'll be back.

Nice long tee pads. Good mix of shots required. Good mix of open and lightly wooded. Great overall design. Another totally different 18 hole course right there. Best BBQ in KC and Dynamic Discs right down the road.

Heavily used because its so popular so a little worn out.

- Course is set around the outside of a large multi-use park, which includes a skate park and some tennis courts. The holes are well separated from this, so there shouldn't be any interference except by #18.
- Majority of the course is more or less in the open, with larger mature trees or bits of forest to make things interesting. There are obvious lines that need to be hit, like hyzers or anhyzers to get around the woods, and a few windows like on #10 and #15. A lot of baskets are located within trees or woods, to add challenge to an otherwise open shot.
-With at least four different pin positions on every hole, the course can play very differently from round to round. #9 especially, which can be an easy 290' shot or a tough 520' hole with a huge bush to get around, and then a pinch point to a downhill approach. #7 can be a nice easy shot in the shorts, or a big-risk island shot that needs big D to reach. Great variety overall.
- Some parts of the course are pretty hilly, with the steepest parts by #13-#17. The more open terrain has the most elevation changes, but a lot of holes have some sort of slope. #10 is a shorter downhill shot that has punishment for going too far, and the area right of #15's fairway is a wooded hill. Others play uphill to add more difficulty, like #6 or #11.
- Road O.B. by a few basket placements definitely adds more challenge, like #12 and #17, and the island on #7 of course, and the road on/next to #14.
- Nice teepads, baskets, and signage. Some baskets have large flags so you know which one to throw to in a few spots, which is nice. Pretty good amenities overall. Navigation is pretty easy, especially with the map in front.

- A lot of fairly wide open holes here, with only some forest on the back end, or a few trees in the fairway to worry about. Almost any kind of shot can get you by the basket, so line shaping isn't a huge factor in many spots.
- Layout is a little funky, you have to backtrack down #3's fairway to get to #4's tee? That is a huge bottleneck. A few teepads in precarious spots, like #7, #11, and maybe #15. And while the roads offer some more challenge, it is a pain to be playing while cars cruise by.

- A fun course to let some drives fly, many opportunities to grip it and rip it. Enough trees and woods, or elevation, to keep things interesting, but maybe not exciting. The wooded holes are definitely more enjoyable, though the potential of the island green on #7 and the par-4 placement on #9 are also right up there. Still, after one round you'll probably be a little bored of throwing hyzers, especially those with a bigger arm.
- More experienced players will find some things to like, everyone else should find fun and challenge. Also, a perfect complement to the Down Under course.

-Benches on most tees
-very long tee pads
-very mature trees and lots of elevation changes
-mix of technical shots and distance shots
-mutliple pin locations
-full color signs
-easy to navigate

-one fairway parallel with a busy road (only separated by thin treeline)
-one fairway next to fenced in backyards

A nice park course situated in Kansas City, KS. This course offers a nice mix of open and technical shots with good variations of distances throughout. There is a lot of different pin placements, which I thought added a lot to the course, because with the 6 or so layouts available there are new challenges and changes every time you play the course. The course also offers a good mix of elevation shots throughout. The tee signs a well marked and have nice concrete tee pads. The course flows well throughout the park which makes it easy to navigate the park. The park also offers a bottom, more technical course, which is another bonus. There is a variety of shots required to play this course which add to the overall challenge of the course.

There are a few flaws with this course. The course was a fun course, but challenge wise was only about a 3.5/5. This course also was lacking the wow factor to put it above other courses. The course was also rather boring with design and beauty.

Overall this was a fun course that I would recommend if you are in the Kansas City area after Water Works. This course has some challenge and is very fun to play, but many of the locals were rude and disrespectful of the course which is a big negative in my book. The multiple pin placements really add to the course and make it stand out in my book, because you are basically getting more than one course with different difficulties.

A lot of baskets that are moved frequently.
Diverse holes, some long and open, some short with obstacles.
Right off the highway.
Challenging for all players, but good place to learn.
Flows very locigally.
Has another course, Down Under, literally right below it.

This is the most crowded course in KC which can be good and bad. You might be able to hop in with a group and have fun with them, or be stuck behind a group of beginners that don't understand ettiquette.

Great course for beginners and advanced players that play a variety of courses.
Allow yourself plenty of time to finish as it is busy.
There is also one of the best courses anywhere, at the same park.
Great KC course!

Open course than can be played easily with any skill level. Some interesting terrain changes and reasonable tree challenges.

Sometimes hard to find the next tee.

Can be incredibly busy on weekends, so be prepared to queue up.

I love how many pin placements there are, fun variety

cliffs can be a problem, especially with the proximity to the hole. don't overshoot the putts, rollers can be a bad idea

Good variety of length. One of the closer courses in the area. It is very well trafficked, so do not expcet to blow torugh the course, there are occastionally holdups. Very popular course to hold tournaments, so plese be aware of those as they hapen.

The park is quite large and this course borders the tree line to the "Down Under" couse which provides for a nice scenery backdrop. This is another one of Kansas Cities great courses and has been around for along time. The established DG community in KC probably favors this course over others due to its location and having a sister course that is a technical wonder!
-There are minor elevation changes with 10 Down/4 Up/and 4 Flat. The front 9 was much more flat than the back 9.
-There is a great mix of tee placement that ranges from tight within trees to out in an open fairway.
-Has great extended concrete tee pads along with benches at every hole.
-All holes have trees as a factor to deal with. Only a few holes really require tight corridor type drives.
-Overall Scenic Beauty is fantastic.
-Tee signs very helpful and located at each tee. Up to 5 different basket locations on some holes.

-No map other than through the course review link on this site.
-Length variety is average. 7 of 244-299/ 10 of 300-399? 1 of 429.
-Most of the fairways are straight (13) with 1 left and 4 right.

Favorite holes:

# 3 which is a great corridor hole and absolutely terrific.

# 14 which felt like a pinball machine of trees with a nice narrow corridor to slip through.

-Portable restrooms are located next to Tee #1.

-There were only a couple of holes where navigation as a first time player was odd.
-Transition from #3 - #4 is via a path on the left side of Hole #3. We actually walked back up the fairway because we did not see it until we got to #4.
-Transition from #12 - #13 is up the hill toward the entrance and crosses the road.

For a more detailed hole by hole review - http://www.dgcoursereview.com.../d143ce5b.pdf

Good variety of left and right holes makes you expand your game. Elevation changes were nothing spectacular but I wouldn't call it flat by any measure. A lot of trees but I always had an open shot at the pin.

A little crowded and all the pin placements appeared to be in the shortest positions (maybe for the winter?).

3rd hole gives you a feel for the other Rosedale course narrow fairway in a solid tree lined rough rugged terrain.

I liked the variety of shots required to play well on this course. It presents a nice mix of short/long holes and elevation changes.

This is a great course for all ability levels.

Unless you've played there before, you may have a hard time knowing where the next tee is after finishing each hole.

Not much cover from the wind.

I wish I would've had more time to play the bottom course while I was in KC.