27 holes that cover a big chunk of a mountainside. The hike around the layout includes a lot of interesting hole designs, and the landscape provides nice changes in elevation and density of trees. Some easier holes are sprinkled in among many consistently demanding tee shots. Very tough in a couple of spots, but only one par 4, and fairways are usually generous enough to allow some room for error.

The first couple of holes are pretty flat, but there are bends around the trees that require solid throws to get near the pins. Hole 3 is when you begin to climb the hill and elevation change really starts to come into play. I enjoyed the middle section of the course that works up, down, back and forth across the slopes, with scattered pines and boulders. The drives are tough, but there are chances for birdies. If you don't make a perfect throw from the box, a recovery shot for par will usually be makable. Some of the rough is thick, but finding discs isn't to difficult in most places.

The signs are pretty great, I loved the route traced over actual photos of each hole. Tee pads are nice, level and solid, usually covered with swaths of artificial turf salvaged from a football field. The baskets don't have any major flaws.

Parking near the first hole seemed a little limited, but it looked like you can park near the top of the hill and begin around hole 21 if necessary.

I did lose two discs on hole 26. It maybe the toughest hole on the course, and also maybe my favorite. My first drive went left into the thick trees down the steep drop down the hill. The second flipped and flew way right, with lots of rocky drops, tall grass and a big pile of tree limbs. Took an 8 at the end of the round, taking the shine off a scorecard that looked decent up to that point.

Spearfish Canyon will definitely test every shot you have. Tough terrain and lots of sun made me glad I brought extra water. It isn't the most extreme physical effort, but no walk in the park to say the least.

Somewhere in between pro level difficulty and not beginner friendly. I scored a +9 (82), but could have been 4 or 5 over par if I hadn't lost the two drives on hole 26. Finished with two birdies, four bogies, a double bogey and the snowman 8, for five over on 26.

I played this on the second stop of a long road trip, after Pageant Hill in Custer. What a great way to spend the day driving around some gorgeous landscapes. Both courses are great, but Spearfish has more holes, and is closer to the interstate, so I would give it the nod if you must choose one or the other. Making time to play them both is well worth the extra driving. This part of South Dakota is truly amazing and beautiful.

Great teepads (Turf).
Fantastic tee signs and signage throughout
Nice baskets
Good Flow, map not needed
Baskets are for the most part always visible from pad
Multiple pin positions on almost every hole
Indicators for which pin position is in play
Lots of elevation change and variation of holes

All of the pins seemed a little short, or possibly were just in all the short positions. A few holes had longer baskets in place in addition to the short positions, but I didn't realize they were there until after I had played the hole. I would love to play this course in all long positions as the current layout ended up being quite easy. I mostly only used a Teebird or Buzz on the majority of the holes.
As stated in other reviews, there were a few gravel teepads that gave me issues, however most the holes were turf and only a few were gravel. Perhaps they are working on getting them all to turf

This course was overall amazing, well worth the high rating. Often I have played courses with high ratings and walked away disappointed. The designers of this course have built something that other courses should strive to work towards. I just hope that I can play this course again in long positions and give it more time to really explore it a little more.

Amazing views, challenging holes, great hike, TOTALLY FUN DISC GOLF! This is mountain disc golfing at its best. The course has wonderful signs not only telling you where the holes are, but which direction to the next tee box. Overall a well marked course.
There is a nice combination of technical holes and holes that have a bit more options to throw.
The hanging baskets on some of the holes are creative and give this course a nice signature look.

Not for a beginner if that is what you are looking for. Not a fan of blind holes, where you can't see the basket from the tee box, but not everyone would see that as a negative.
It seemed as if all the holes went up the mountain, but maybe that was just me.

It is quite the hike, so if you are expecting an easy park course you will be disappointed. This corse is not for the faint of heart. However if you are a fan of mountain disc golf, this is one of my favorites. Makes me almost wish I lived in Spearfish!

-27 holes of fun!
-Excellent signage, with arrows at the end of the hole pointing to the next tee
-Mostly challenging technical drives
-Setting of course is on the side of a hill which the course design utilizes very well
-Multiple shot options on most holes
-If you think you're a good disc golfer-- this course will test your skills
-4 hanging baskets!!! All of which make their holes way more challenging and fun
-Easy parking and easy getting to the course
-Awesome putting green

-Rocky/uneven tee pads... have to deduct a half star from my rating because of them. Definitely had to modify my steps...
-Probably not the best beginner course, I am an AM1 player and I felt very challenged

-Right off I-90, this gem should be played by any disc golfer making a cross country trek.
-Got to the course at sunrise, it took me about an hour and a half to play. I was hustling up the hill but took my time coming down due to many rocks, branches, and uneven ground
-I was out of breath after about 3-4 holes, mainly due to elevation but also because you start off going right up hill.

-Very challenging
-Solid layout for being 27 holes
-Each sign is very detailed
-Most of the course is very well managed
-Easy access, close to town
-Very peaceful, besides the occasional blast from the gun range
-The recent expansion to 27 holes was very well placed
-Nice practice putting area

-Not all holes have concrete tee pads
-A few of the new holes have a lot of unkempt overgrowth
-My dog always gets coated in these tiny sticky balls that take forever to get out of her coat
-I've heard there are mountain lions and my dog is strictly for companionship and there is nothing protective about her

Being from Northern California, this course reminds me of home. Many trees and a hilly terrain makes this course very challenging. The group that put this course together did an excellent job.

the best signage i have seen on a course, good description of hole layout and directions to next tee box. they even have stones by the baskets that point to the next tee box if you get turned around. excellent use of elevation, nice variety of shots, beautiful scenery.

not much of a con, but the tee boxes get a little slippery when the tiny pebbles and dirt cover the rocks on the tee boxes, just need to make sure you clean them off if you're wondering about your footing

anyone traveling thru the black hills should stop and give this course a try you won't be disappointed. played the course last year before it was expanded to 27 holes, the spearfish disc golf club did an excellent job with the expansion

Lots of challenging holes, everything from narrow tightly treed lanes to wide open meadows. Three hanging baskets make for some very interesting shots especially hole 4 with its steep steep hillside to a basket hung from a chain suspended between two trees. Lots of different ecosystems. Oak forest on the lower four holes, pine forest on most the upper course and some beautiful meadows filled with flowers, sumac and cactus. Lots of wildlife. Amazing signage, new map and welcome board at entrance. Easy to follow trails. Course will be expanded by nine holes making for a huge 27 hole course, will take more than 3 hours to play a round.

Located in South Dakota the course gets hit with lots of snow during the winter months. If you happen to throw wide on a few holes there is a really good chance of loosing a disc. Really rough roughs.

Wood cleaned from fairways has been chipped and used around baskets and on some trails, looks great and keeps weeds and grass down.

-Possibly the best signs I have seen. They have a picture of the hole with the proper line drawn on the picture along with the baskets circled. Each hole is named and has a distance on it. The signs also lead to the next hole so look for that before finishing the hole.
-Lots of elevation on most every hole. Holes 4 and 18 are just plain awesome due to this.
-A fair amount of trees for it to be fun but not too hard.
-One of the more scenic courses I have ever played.
-Some tees concrete and I think the rest of them will be done fairly soon. Even if not, most of the natural tees aren't horrible.
-3 hanging baskets. Two are legit and one is ok.
-Practice basket with slabs in the ground to indicate a putting game.
-Worn paths to next hole along with slabs that point to the next tee.
-This course was the perfect level and challenge for me and had a very high fun factor.
-A few good ace runs!
-Not too many people here, a very secluded course.
-May see some cool fauna, hopefully not mountain lions!
-Close to Deadwood!

-Most holes were a tad short. I like having a few ace runs here and there but I have a feeling some won't like this feature.
-Could lose a disc here and there.
-Tees are mostly natural (for now, I'm pretty sure they're just not done yet.
-May have to watch out for hikers, horse riders, etc but not too often.

The first review should be taken off. The guy played the course before it was close to done and his score for the course reflects that. This course is great and a 3 is not acceptable. You should bring your hiking shoes and water. The course plays fairly slow.

Update as of 5/10/13: course is prepared for a big tournament which is fine. However, the detailed signs don't reflect that. I would have thought that concrete tees would be installed by now. The course is more clear and easily navigable this time around. Bright flags are on the top of baskets for added visibility. The new holes are longer and harder than the old ones. Newly layed mulch and landscaping added to the feel.