-Some of the most interesting elevation use in the Dayton area, including 2 holes that cross a small creek
-Concrete tee pads
-Bathrooms and trash available
-Very helpful and clear tee signs with pin position markers
-Wide variety of hole types and required throws, ranging from tightly wooded lines to wide open bombers
-Wide variety of hole distances
-Pin positions change regularly, especially in the summer
-Course upkeep has been very good recently
-Recent changes include a modified hole #4 that is shorter but more technical, new tee for hole 5, next hole markers on all baskets, and opening brush throughout the course

-All holes have reasonable lines, possible, but some have enough trees that less experienced players may struggle
-Limited parking directly at the tee for hole 1, and this specific parking can be a little risky because of the proximity to the fairway of hole #3

For a few years, I felt this course was more aggravation than it was worth, but the recent care and updates have dramatically changed my perspective. This is definitely a challenging but fair course, with fun water shots and dynamic elevation. the changes in pin positions can give you very different experiences depending on the day. Very worth your time for any skill level

+ Well upkept fairways.
+ New Prodigy baskets were installed in 2019 to replace the aged Innova Discatchers. A plus in itself.
+ Multiple basket positions on most holes.
+ Some technical shots required.
+ Multiple tees on hole 18.
+ In many ways, your ability to throw straight is tested on this course.

- Bug spray is recommended.
- Disc loss potential on the field holes with bushes as well as some of the wooded holes. Errant throws can go quite far into the bushes which could usually result in a lost disc.
- Some blind throws.
- Hole 18's short tee pad is showing signs of neglect, complete with a lack of a tee sign.
- Hole 18 finishes near the practice basket. For reference, 18's basket is the one further up on the hill.

Amenities:
- Parking: Plenty.
- Restrooms: There is one near the parking lot - not a far walk from where Hole 1 starts and where Hole 18 finishes. The practice basket is also next to it.
- Running water: None - the drinking fountain by Hole 1 was not running when I went. Pack in some water just in case.
- Benches: At least some that I saw.
- Trash cans: There is a bucket for trash on several holes.
- Bag holders: None.
- Tee signs: Newer tee signs showing a map of the hole, par, distance, and directions to the next tee pad.
- Next tee/direction signs: Plenty that I remember.
- Wheelchair/cart friendly: On some of the field holes, somewhat - not so much on the rest of the holes.

Other Thoughts:
- On each tee sign is a screw indicating which basket position is in play. They were mostly in B when I went.
- Mowing crews were out when I went - which to me indicates they take maintaining the fairways seriously.

Sycamore Trails DGC is an 18 hole course in a public, well-maintained park with great overall variety. Some of the wooded lines are tight (one is 4' wide about 25' in front of the teepad) but none of the wooded holes are too long. Woods not your cup of tea? No problem--plenty of more open field shots as well, though each one is a little bit different, so you won't get bored.

PROS: .
>Great shot and distance variety
>Solid tee signs, next tee signs, baskets, and teepads
>Nice use of elevation
>Nice mix of open, and wooded shots
> Not all field shots are simply long hyzers--shot shaping is needed here as well.

.
>Some blind shots, not sure exactly where baskets are--flags would help.
>Benches, while on most holes, are quite low to the ground. More effort to scooch down to them then the rest if will provide.
>Trash buckets were mostly filled
>Rough is fairly rough, and some disc loss potential on a few holes (we only had one 5 minute search though)
>Par 3 for everything is unrealistic.

BASICS:

>Teepads--Concrete, one per hole, medium length, good condition.
>Baskets--18 nice condition Prodigy baskets. I personally like these, but that's just me.
># holes--18, each with A and B pin positions. They were in mostly in A when we played. There is a market on each tee sign indicating which position, they did seem to be correct this day.
>Setting--In and out of a public park, both in and out of the woods.
>Elevation--Pretty good elevation change, including a nice finishing hole 18 downhill.
>Distance of holes--One of the wooded holes was 110' or so (16) in one position.
>Free/pay to play, type of course--Free public park.
>Ease of getting to--Very, right in Miamisburg.

AMENITIES:

>Parking--Ample, right by hole 1, and hole 18 finishes right there. A practice basket is there as well.
>Bathrooms--Yes, but closed until April 15, per sign.
>Water/food nearby--Arbys and Wendys one block from park entrance.
>Clubhouse/disc shop--No
>Benches--Most holes, yes, but many are quite low to the ground, not useful for us ostriches.
>Trash cans--Buckets at most holes, mostly full. I am sure park maintenance overall is down with COVID still.
>Bag holders--No.
>Tee signs--Good, all but #18 as I recall.
>Next tee direction/signs--Most holes had these, just look around. Navigation was pretty easy.
>Wheelchair/cart friendly--An emphatic no/not really.

COURSE PLAY:

>All of the posted pars were 3. Some of the holes would take pretty epic shots to get into birdie position, even for a pro, especially hole 7--about 375' to a small gap thru a tree-lined border, then another 150' or so to the pin in an open field. And the entire right side is woods, so big RHBH hyzer shots need not apply. This is clearly a par 4. I think there are at least 3 true par 4s for all but pro players, maybe 4 or 5. I am thinking holes 3,7,14, and 18 could easily be par 4's. But I have always been one to play within my means and I don't worry about par too much.

>Shot variety--Very good, perhaps a bit much on the far right ending holes. By this I mean holes where a long straight throw (over 300') must then be followed by a medium to hard right turn. Hole 3 is a great example. But several other holes have this, maybe a lefty designed the course to get back at all us righty's? The wooded holes also have good variety.
>Layout, long walks (inc back to car), loops--One overall loop, ends right where you start (well about 100' away). Nothing too long between holes. Flows pretty well, as long as you are looking for next tee signs or using a map.
>Total distance walked--2.3 miles.
>Ease of finding next tee--Pretty good, next tee signs on most holes. The issue one a couple holes is knowing where to throw--there are several blind shots (but again, the tee signs are pretty accurate). Hole 5 is not the basket straight ahead, is 75' to the left at the end of the treeline. On 18, the basket is slightly raised, on the left. The basket on the right is the practice basket.
>General difficulty--Several wooded holes had pretty tight lines, especially 16, where there is a 4' gap about 25' in front of the teepad. The open holes are mostly difficult to birdie if playing them all as 3's. Overall, the course is moderately difficult.
>Mud/water issues--Not many--the creek has pretty shallow water. Mud looks like it could be an issue in a few creek crossings.
>Water or O/B to contend with--Hole 1 has a creek on the right side it also cuts thru the fairway. It is mostly shallow. There is now a bridge across the creek on hole 2, but holes 1 and 8 require creek crossings on rocks. Not friendly for carts here, but most of the course is.
>Difficult rough/lost disc risk--The rough in the woods is pretty rough. There are also a couple hills in the woods where one can lose track of even a well thrown disc that kicks of a tree (4, 11, 12). There are long treelines along the fairway on holes 3,5,7,9,10,14, and 15. Discs can go pretty deep in those woods as well (I know).
>Scrape/scratch risk--Medium on the wooded holes. Brambles did not appear too bad, but it was only April.
>How busy was course/park--Several groups playing on a nice SAT late morning, but the rain cleared them out. We were the last ones there when we finished 18.

OVERALL
.
>Fun/enjoyment factor, would I play again? Yes, it is challenging but does offer even a rec player several birdie chances. Especially if you call the true par 4's…well, par 4's.
>Who will this course challenge? Most everyone I think. Even the wooded holes, while mostly short, offer the challenge of either small gaps to hit, or fairly specific lines to get the dance floor in one throw. And a tree hit early can make par a challenge even on the shorter wooded holes. Some of the field holes, if played as par 3's would challenge a top 10 pro.
>Is it worth a drive? Yes, especially combined with some of the other great Dayton courses. If you have never disc golfed in Dayton, you will see what I am finding out--that the DG scene here is awesome. Come. You will not be sorry!
>Anything unique? Hole one plays along and then over a creek. Hole 3 is a long straight drive, then a 90 degree right turn up a large hill another 150'. I really would be impressed with anyone who can consistently get even to circle 2 here. Hole 4 is a short hole, but with a tight line, and alongside a huge hill. It makes you think. You have to commit and be fearless. Hole 7 (played as par 4) is a great hole. 11 is a downhill hyzer shot requiring both a great line and speed control. Some of these holes remind me of holes I see on DGPT courses.
>Would be a half star higher with--flags on baskets to help on the blind holes; a couple more bridges over the creek; higher benches that adults can be comfortable in; emptied trash buckets; slightly more cleared out rough, at least right along the fairways; and change a few of the holes to par 4. Who cares if a pro gets a couple eagles?

I am in my 50s, 80 or so courses played, 875ish.

Concrete tee pads
Nice variety of holes
New tee signs!
Tough but not impossible
Bathrooms
Practice tee

Some teepads are short
Very narrow wooded holes
No bridge across the creek (Hole 6-7&8-9)
Difficult to find

This course is Tough. There is a wide variety of holes starting off very narrow and wooded and then opening up in the middle just to narrow back down at the end. The wooded holes are very tight. Hole 16 for instance is only about 150 ft downhill, but the fairway is only 10 feet wide and there is a tree in the middle.The flip side of this is that the tight wooded holes are all pretty short. with the exception of 1 in the long positon and 11.

Long story being short, this is a great course to play if you want to get better at throwing through the woods. Just expect every disc you own to be slightly less stable when you leave.

Physcal challenging course. Some recent work has been done here to make this place more challenging. Lots of elevation changes, and a nice varity of shots.

Some fresh signs by the tee pads would go a long way. Some are missing and others were just wrong.

The course starts out very poorly, but once you get to 3rd and 4th holes it makes a great comeback. Many long throws that are not open directly to the basket. You will have to play around obstacles throughout the entire course. One of my playing partners lost a disk, but found another one to replace it. Keep your disk on the groomed path and you will have a great time. Venture off the path and good luck on the hunt.

The underbrush off the fairways can be a little to thick at times. This is the first course I lost a disk on, but also the first course I found a replacement at the same time. The thick bushes and trees like to hold the disk and not allow them to fall to the ground. I am sure my disk will fall to the ground after a strong wind storm and found by the next golfer.

As for the first two holes it was like the course was created and they came up short of 18 holes. So to fix it the first two hole where created quickly and not laid out very well.

Few of the tee boxes have marker posts that are functional. Time needs to be spent to repair the broken or missing marker post. The post that are present where very helpful to guide play.

You must have the map to play the course. Play does not flow easy enough and it would make for a long day of hunting for the tee box and basket without a map. Small trash cans on the course and they are full of trash, but trash was very limited on the field of play. This is a good example of how a course can be maintained if the golfers do their part.

This course is very challenging, without beating you up like another local course I won't mention. There are a lot of elevation and terrain changes that add to the fun. The best advice I can give is to not rush and go with the first shot that comes to mind. Quite a few of these holes take some creativity to shoot well on.

This course is not easy to navigate. The signs have needed replaced for quite some time now. If you're a newer player and not up for a real challenge, this isn't the course for you.

Download one of the maps for the course from this site before going for the first time. That's why maps exist. If you can't take the time to investigate a course a little bit before playing it, don't come on here afterwards and complain about how hard it was to find your way around.

This course is in my top 3 in the Dayton area. If you're anywhere in the vicinity I would deflinitely take the time to check Sycamore out. Every hole is unique and has it's own "personality". Don't get discouraged if you don't shoot par, because most non-pro players here don't.

Also, don't jugde the course based on the photos on this site. I've played there numerous times and these photos don't do it justice.

Pro calibur coarse, extreme variety, extreme walking required, great 18 holes, open and wooded.

Really tough, youll find discs and lose them.

they just started addding some more trees, Hole 1 basket now sits atop stairs on a cement mound.

Wide variety of shots. Some shorter throws through narrow woods, some medium throws with a few tree obstacles, and some long open throws. In order to be successful, you will need be able to throw shots that curve to both the right and to the left.

In the event that your throw veers off into the woods, finding your disc isn't usually a problem. The woods are often thickest near the edge, but open up once inside.

For the most part, the signs are in good shape. They indicate the location of the pin relative to the tee, as well as the location of the next tee and the distance.

A few holes are missing signs.

No indication of par on any of the holes. I suppose everything can be considered to be a par 3, but this assumption is just unfair on a few difficult holes (#2 comes to mind, especially with the new pin placement).

Navigation may be an issue for some. There are many trails here, and in several instances the nearest trail does not lead to the next hole. Consequently, "next tee" signs would be very helpful (they don't exist here). After playing the course a few times, navigation does becomes much easier.

In my opinion, the first 4 holes are the toughest. #1 requires equal amounts of skill and luck to go through the woods, across the creek, and to the pin.

#2 may be the toughest hole on the course. Opening drive back across the creek will most likely strike a tree, forcing a difficult path up a hill through many trees to reach the pin. I've averaged about a 5 on this hole since the pin was moved up the hill, but I'm also pretty terrible.

#3 requires a long straight drive, followed by sharp right turn into an opening in the woods. Very difficult to make par on this hole, especially if your opening drive is inaccurate.

Finally, #4 is a short hyzer shot, where anything less than perfect will result in your disc rolling down a steep hill into heavy woods. It's just as easy to score a 2 or 3 on this hole as it is to score a 9 or 10. More than any other, this hole punishes mistakes.

tough... not a pro to all i guess, but i prefer a challenge. this course has everything from wide open bombs to 100 foot touch shots through the woods and a duck pond that has the biggest ducks ive ever seen. a great variety of shot types so bring them all. the designers made great use of the tight woods and a creek that runs though the middle of the course... hole 9 is one of my favorite holes in golf, a moderately wooded 300 foot drive, then an approach shot over the creek to a basket precariously perched on the other side. the more i play this course the more i realize the importance of the placement your drive. there are a number of legit par 4's here that require planning if you want a 3... hole 7 is a perfect example. you can try to hit a tiny gap in a line of trees 285' away (which if you miss, your screwed). or do what i do and lay up my drive to the left and throw a giant spike over the trees. its a fun course in the regard that you can play it a few times and not have the same shot twice.
the fist couple of holes can be very daunting, esspecially to new players, but a great course that can have you leaving happy or quite the opposite.

not marked very well. the first pad is hard to find and once you get to 11 they have you going around in a circle so bring a map. i also got stung by a wasp or something on 13 one time... it swelled up pretty good but im alright.

there are a few good courses in the dayton area for sure, but i think this ones the best...sorry belmont i know people have wet dreams about you apparently, but you're second best.

This course not only provides a great exercise its also a very demanding and difficult course.

( Hole #1 Update: tee has changed to where you are looking straight at the Basket around 235' away, sounds easier than it is. Tee shot is looking through quite a few slim trees but watch out for the 20'wide creek that is flowing only 130' from the tee box. Shot selection is key, lay up and go for 3 or shoot for it and try not to hit the trees and then fly over the creek into the green. If you make it that's one H*ll of a shot. )

This course is set in a very nice location and sets you in some deep woods and spits you out for some long bomb shoots into some open fields, course is hard to navigate if you dont have a map and its your first time, some locals have made signs that point you to the next tee. I would not recommend beginners playing this course unless they go in knowing its gonna be a rough ride. Make sure you watch where your disc is going if its heading towards the woods, its VERY easy to lose a disc here, I wouldn't suggest throwing any green discs.

Fairly decent tee signs will show you pin location, they do switch the pins often so be sure to scout the hole before teeing off. 5 gallon buckets for trash cans are on all tee pads.

Navigation can be hard at times if its your first time out.

all around fun course with great elevation changes and difficult pin locations. I enjoy playing this course cause it forces me to dedicate myself to certain shots that you wouldn't normally play on your home course.

A well rounded course with wooded holes and open ones, short technical holes and long gripit-n-ripit holes. Many blind shots requiering control in both long and short game. There are flat to rolling holes with some holes that have dramatic elevation changes.

Difficult to find way around for first round with no course map available at shelter.

A good course for only a few years old and many improvements continue to be made to make the course more playable.