Spearfish Canyon is a 27 hole track on a beautiful property just out of the town of Spearfish. Course plays up and along a nice rocky yet mostly grassy hill and provides great views. Teepads were great (artificial turf is my favorite tee surface, baskets were fine (DGA something) and teesigns were fantastic. Nice variety of shot shapes on the more wooded holes at the beginning and enough trees on the more open holes to make you consider your line. Excellent variety of hole lengths. I drove with putters, mids, fairway drivers and distance drivers. Navigation was pretty easy, only got a little confused on I would guess the 15-17 holes.

After the first third or so of the course which winds its way up the hill there are a couple holes where you walk downhill to the next pad only to throw back uphill. Nothing major distance or elevation wise, just annoying. Hole 17 in the long position seemed out of place to me. Almost 700' par 4 playing uphill with a small right turning gap to the green. Hole 26 is a fun downhill drive but has a weird barbed wire fence towards the green that runs from left to probably 2/3rds of the fairway then ends, must be a remnant of past times. I enjoyed the finishing hole, throwing downhill is always fun times. But was disappointed that it was a standstill putter shot (I threw an Envy and was fortunate to crash into a large tree on the right side of the green or that thing was prob 100' past). Was hoping for an epic bomber to reward all that hiking uphill...

Overall fantastic course that I very much enjoyed, will return. Skipped playing anything in Rapid City this trip so have a DG reason to return to the area. The Black Hills region has some great scenery, some great windy roads (Needles and Iron Mountain highways) and Mount Rushmore is pretty dang epic.

Pro tip: if you enjoy camping like I do the very nice Spearfish city campground is less than half a mile away from the course.

Also noticed an alternate parking spot after hole 20 complete with practice basket. So if you wanted to start at the top of the hill for some reason there is that option.

Spearfish Canyon is located in a beautiful park in the badlands of Western South Dakota. The course is set in a disc golf exclusive section, minus maybe the first couple holes. So there should be little to no outside interference. The course offers excellent views of the surrounding hills once you get to the top.

The tee pads are artificial turf. Clearly they were used on an old football field somewhere. The size is just about perfect. Nice and wide and plenty long. I actually like these kinds of pads, though I know not everyone does. They were plenty grippy and worked great on a gorgeous mid September afternoon. One tee pad per hole. There appeared to be either some natural short tees on a few holes. Not sure if they're on all of them. Didn't notice them if there was.

The baskets are Mach III's. These were all mounted nice and level and caught as well as can be expected of these. There is anywhere from 1 to 3 pin positions per hole. Many of these offered quite different looks. Both in placement and distances. There are also 4 hanging baskets out of the 27. Nice little touch there.

The tee signs are pretty unique. There's an actual picture taken off the tee pad with white dots showing the intended route down the fairway. There are also distances to all the pin placements, pars and a next hole arrow on one half of the sign. The hole sponsor makes up the other half of each sign.

This course features so severe elevation changes. Starting from hole 3 and continuing right to the end. It lessens on the last 5 or 6 before the last hole, but none are completely flat. The wind could certainly be a factor too. Trees come into play on every single hole.

All the shots in your bag will be needed here. There's left to right, right to left and some fun dead nuts straight ones. Ending up off the fairway will cost you the majority of the time.

The navigation here is very intuitive. I only had to use the Udisc map a couple times. Between the next tee arrows on each sign and the numerous yellow painted wood next tee arrows on the trees by the baskets, it's pretty seamless. On top of that the grass is worn down enough from basket to next tee that you can get a pretty good idea just looking for that.

The course is permanent, free to play and immaculately clean. Trash cans and picnic tables on every third or fourth hole it seemed. The picnic tables are much appreciated, as this course is quite the hike. Expect 3 or so hours to play depending on your speed of play and group size. Be sure to bring plenty of liquids too, especially on warmer days.

It would be nice if it was designated on the sign somewhere what pin position is currently in play. It's annoying having to walk half the fairway to see the basket. Doubly so on such an elevated course like this.

A few of the holes play pretty close to each other. They put up some mandos to help with this but it could still be a little sketchy if it's ever real busy. Hole 27 is the biggest culprit. It's an 80 to 100 vertical drop down to the pin. Any shot that goes off line lands in neighboring fairways or very close to them.

As mentioned in a prior review. The gun range nearby does get a bit obnoxious after awhile. It's a shame to, otherwise this would be such a quiet and peaceful place.

It seems like there's double the amount of uphill compared to downhill holes. I'm sure it's not, but it certainly feels that way, especially early in the round. A number of longish walks between holes to. I'm fine with it because it's done to maximize the property to it's fullest.

This course surpassed my expectations. It's rated high but I've heard numerous people talk about how it's overrated. It's not overrated at all. This is a damn fine course. I'd recommend this course to anybody. I'd advise anybody to go out of your way to play this one. It's that good.

I debated long and hard between a 4 and a 4.5 for this one. It's honestly right in between them imo. Solid 4.25, but that's not an option, so I ended up going with a 4. If the baskets and tee pads were upgraded this is a no doubt 4.5. Either way you slice it this course is excellent. I can guarantee I'll be back here at some point. Must play.

DG in the Spearfish Canyon!

LodgePole Pines with an understory of Shrubby Oaks
The Oak sets this DGC apart from many other Mountain Courses, that often just have Coniferous Trees

Really Fun Discgolf with Plenty of Elevation, Distances, and Shot Shapes to continuously challenge you all the way thru

Designed by a former World Champ, so you just know the Design will be Excellent

Some Rememorable Unique Rock Stuff that gives Spearfish a definitive Individuality

Plethora of Cool Basket Positions
Numerous Hanging, Framed, or Cliff'd

Metal Plate on Teesign Posts showing Color related to Basket Position

Picnic Table at each Tee

21 called 'Quitters Ridge'
Then 22 n 23 still go up too

Finishes pretty Strong, 24-27
With 3 Downhill Holes, and 4 Good Greens

Felt like a good balanced Mix of Red Blue or Gold Basket Positions

1 Alt is Fun Bonus Wooded Hole, between 1 n 2

Woodchips on flatter Bottom Holes

Not many Blind Baskets during my Visit
2 4 17 & 8 Gold

I Like the Beginning Holes on the Bottom. Denser Woods with more Oak than Pine, and Each Hole is a pretty Cool challenge

Practice Basket is one of those Mach3s that has the 'Around 9 Putting Game' for a number plate
And there's Numbered Bricks to Play along!
Always a Fun warmup

Heard 'Four' yelled a few times, when buzy on a Saturday afternoon

Thrown on, on 25... the general public, whaduya gonna do!?!

Course had 7A 7B 7C Alts, that can be played in succession Between 7 & 8

7A Basket could maybe also be used for a Gold on 17

7B Basket should be used for a 9 Gold position, AND this is a verymost Awesome Green

7C makes a Next Level Challenge for 6, going All the way to the Top of the Cliff

With all the Turf Tees, it kinda looks a like Bailey DGC out there, hence my Title

Amazing views, unique location, good mix of tech/dist holes, some very unique holes that make the course memorable

Fairly easy to lose a disc with an off drive on a few holes; I mean gonner

This course makes a 4+ hour trip well worth it.

+ Awesome golf with lots of elevation in play, moderate to dense trees forcing lines, and technical greens that add great risk/reward. Holes cover a huge variety of distances, from shorter ace runs to all-out bomber throws. None of the holes feel repetitive. This course will test every shot you've got and then some.
+ Beautiful scenery. Course is tucked into the edge of the Black Hills. The natural mix of vegetation and rock outcroppings makes every view unique.
+ Navigation was pretty easy with awesome signage, next tee indicators, etc.
+ Multiple baskets and pin locations available, adding even more variety and diversity to this 27 hole course.
+ Plenty of tables and garbage cans available throughout the course.

- Tee pads are uneven and small. I don't mind gravel, but I do mind when it's pitted out to an extent that affects my footing. The frames that hold the gravel are often not even with the surrounding dirt, which also causes trouble for longer run ups.
- The rough gets pretty thick and nasty, and even some fairways have tall grass that makes finding discs and throwing upshots tough.

This is a really beautiful course and a great challenge. I enjoyed playing and I hope to make it back and play again at some point.

I realize that these "Cons" I've listed are normal features of mountain golf. It would take a huge effort to maintain this course in a highly polished state, and the rugged aspects do add a certain charm. However, these characteristics do have a negative impact on play.

The first two hanging baskets are pretty cool. After that, the novelty wears off and they seem a little gimmicky. The last one is pretty high and shorter players might need to get creative to retrieve their discs. Some people may not find it fun to try to line up a putt on a target that's swaying in the breeze.

Walking all 27 holes is a hike! A friend in my group measured it out at about 5 miles and 500' of elevation climb. Wear sturdy footwear and bring water.

Only mountains can offer the kind of course features that mountains offer; It has those unique features of rocks, cliffs, large timber, etc.
I thought it flowed very well despite it feeling like I might otherwise be lost wandering around in this area. No problems finding the next tee.
Lots of picnic tables and other amenities.
The hanging baskets. A bit of a novelty, but you can't really complain when you get to play (four) hanging baskets.
Hole #27 is probably the most extreme elevation drop I've played. It's one of those holes you come up to it and you feel like a young kid again unlocking something secret in a video game. Overall, many extreme elevation changes keep this fun.
Lots of trees and natural vegetation, but not overgrown.
Very "native."
Great signage and markers.
A lot of passion is supporting this course.

Climbing up and down a couple hillsides can be a bit tricky. I was worried about my young kids making it up and down okay, but the fact that they made it tells me that "a kid can do it." Still, if you have physical limitations, this one will be a challenge for you in places. I imagine this course has a bit shorter of a season due to the potential for large snow accumulations and mud, but I only played it once in late June, so I'm not sure.

Right after parring the first hanging basket (hole #7?), I ran into Don Altmyer and another player, who were stepping up to play the cliff hole #27. I learned that Don is the course designer. It was nice to talk to the two and get a feel for the passion and care that goes into this course. They took time to offer tips on the nuances of the course and current playing conditions. Apparently, there is alternate parking up top and they often play some of the upper holes when they feel like mixing it up. That is good to know since playing all 27 holes isn't always practical for those who can only spare an hour in the area. A hike/bike trail at the start of the course looks like fun if that also interests you.

Beautiful area
Fun set up
Easy to navigate
Some interesting basket placements

You can't just walk in and play, you'll need to bring good shoes. Not really much of a con.
However, some are pretty basic

The new gravel tee-boxes and signs make this course even better than it already was. A hidden gem in Spearfish. If you are a fan of disc golf and hiking, you have to check it out.