~Easy to navigate
~Wooded layout within an expansive park
~Dual tee pads (on most holes)
~Plenty of benches
~Fairly technical

~A lot of fallen debris and trip hazards along the fairways
~Becomes a bit too repetitive
~A couple long driver type holes would add more variety

Early November visit provided a secluded round within this wooded, technical course. I played the red tees for this first time visit and was overall pleased with the course. The park is beautiful and the course fits well within it's boundaries. Huge parking lot with a highly visible course map kiosk and practice basket right by Hole 1.

Tee signs are top notch and have a unique 8-bit Nintendo vibe. Good information on the tee signs including next tee information. Navigation throughout the entire course was made easy with ample directional aids, no map or GPS needed to find your way around. The course forms two loops (1-9 & 10-18) which is always a good design feature for those looking to play a quick nine.

Overall it's a mid-range dominant technical wooded layout, I did throw fairway driver on some holes, but this relies on shot shaping and hitting lines instead of bombing drives (which I don't mind at all). There are a few holes that break out of the woods, but you are mostly immersed in trees. Red and blue tee pads provide variety to different skill levels. The fairways are cleared out nicely and the rough isn't overly difficult to scoring potential is there. Plenty of benches throughout the course.

Being a wooded course the ground fall can be thick at times. Just be careful to avoid trip hazards and you'll be OK. While I enjoyed the layout overall, it did get a bit repetitive with many holes sharing similar distances and lines, however there is good variety overall and many holes have multiple fairway lines to the basket.

This is a really fun wooded course in a beautiful location, it's worth the visit, and I would not hesitate to play it again.

The Woodsman 18 Hole Disc Golf Course sits in Ontario Ohio , just out of Mansfield in Ontario Marshall Park . The park features several fields , a track , tennis courts , swimming pool , basketball courts and a concert area . The Woodsman fortunately sits away from all of it . There is a huge parking lot across the street from the course entrance . I spotted a Port O Let close by , and there are better accessible bathrooms a short drive into the park .
THE EQUIPMENT -- I ran into one of the better local players when I parked , and he said that the putting basket was stolen a short time ago . I told him that I hoped it was a prank and it is returned soon . There is a nice kiosk at the entrance to the course with a large map . Take a picture of it or print the online map . I doubt you need it other than a sport or 2 , though , because it is so well marked . There are 2 tees to every basket . Both are roomy trapezoid cement tees pads at least 8' long . The tee signs are even better and at both tees . They are brownish looking , sit on posts and give all the useful information you want . The baskets are yellow banded Discatchers , which are easy to see in the woods . For navigation , there are plenty of Next Tee signs , plus arrows on the trees ,
THE LANDSCAPE -- Other than a couple of popouts , like long 18 , or leaving the trees briefly on 2 and a couple of other holes , the course is otherwise woods . Not a lot of elevation , but the course rolls and basket placements take advantage of slopes and small hills . Some gullies come into play , like back to back holes 4 & 5 . The fairways can be tight but fair . The course was clean from most sticks , and what grass there was here was mowed . A nice feature was the wood chips and sand that was distributed in flat fairways that receive most of the brunt of hard rains .
THE HIGHLIGHTS -- This is where the course shines . I don't know if any of these holes will make your " best of " collection , but the holes here are solid . If you favor left or right handed shots , they give you some dual fairways so you can choose . Most of these holes are unique , and force you to think on how you want to attack each fairway . I played some longs and shorts , and the longs not only give you length , but most times give you different angles or a different fairway . Don't pay much attention to the scorecard ( it needs some updating ) . The first hole starts you off at over 400' for the longs and about 360 from the short , both merging into the same fairway part of the way down , with the fairway bending left . The #2 tee pad starts in the woods and opens into a clearing , with the basket perched on an elongated ridge with dropoffs on both sides . You can easily take a 4 on this short hole if you miss your putt . #5 is a gulley drive , where you have to throw a narrow path between 2 trees near the tee pad , and across a creek . #12 is a downsloping drive into a narrowing fairway , where the high elevated basket is slightly left . #13 ( 369' from the short position ) , is a dogleg left , down a slope to the basket that sits just above a dry creek .
#18 finishes you off , either from the longs that sit outside the woods near the road , or just inside the woods from the shorts . The fairway is open , but the basket is tucked into a group of trees in the woods .
SIGNATURE HOLE -- #17 was my pick . 399' , bending and downsloping left . The elevated basket is sitting on the hill , and you can easily blow right by the hole either on an approach or your drive .
DISC RISK -- For a long course in the woods , with lots of chances for a ricochet , it is lower than average . The course is clean of most overgrowth . I might see a small problem in the fall , when the leaves are on the ground .
THE TIME -- I bounced around a little , playing some longs and shorts . It took me just over 75 minutes to play this course . A group of 4 ( depending on short or long tees ) could take over 2 hours .
These 18 holes are easy to follow because to the navigation signs . most signs tell you where to go for the long AND the short tees . On the long walk from 9 to 10 , make sure you don't stop at the first tee pad that you see . That is the long tee for 17 .
The course is popular . There were no less than 25 people sharing the course with me during my round .
The 9th and 18th holes finish near the parking lot , which give you options of playing either 9 , all 18 , or dropping by the car for a beverage or 2 .
They have a lost disc box at the entrance to the course . If you have your name on your plastic , the local club will call you .

I had to try hard to find flaws here .
#1 Safety -There are a couple of paths that are shared by walkers . It might happen less than once a round ( didn't affect me at all ) .Also , the tees are spaced , but the course can crowd up . #18 from the longs can take an errant drive into an oncoming car going around a hidden bend . You may want to take turns spotting .
#2 Nature Walk -- The course utilizes most of this woods , which can mean some longer than normal walks . The walk from 9-10 is really long . You might be able to add 2 holes to pass the time you are walking to it . Bring water .
# 3 Bomb Ban - No bomber holes . All technical .

I would have liked to meet Michael Taylor . He designed the Woodsman and did a great job . The Fun Factor is high . Short tees for the old men and locals , and longs for the better skilled players . Either way , you want to play this course with others . The locals are friendly and don't mind if you jump into their group . The Woodsman has a lot of variety . You will constantly have to guess which disc works well with each hole

I scored this course out originally as a 3.7 , but after going back and looking at the cons again or lack of them , I had to bump the course to a 4 , and I grade hard . The people who believe in this course just try so hard to improve your experience .
Thank You , Ontario Parks And Rec for allowing me to play this course , Thanks to the local club for both promoting the game in the Mansfield area , and the upkeep and improvements of the course .
You may want to check out the Facebook page if unfamiliar as to when to play . There are tournaments here , as well as a Thursday Night Play .

MY RECOMMENDATION -- A great idea , to drop off your child at practice or lessons in the park and get in a quick 9 . A tough technical course to cut your beginning teeth on as a newbie , but the short tees and playing with friends on the weekends would be fine . This would be a go-to course for the locals . The Woodsman just naturally has you identify with it . The longs are impressive here .Not only challenging , but fun for the intermediates all the way through pros . This course is a tough task for the traveler to just hop off of I-71 or US-30 and stretch legs . It is close and worthwhile for the traveler staying overnight to go to the famous Ohio State Reformatory ( Shawshank filmed there ) or sample the Wine and Ale Trail .
This area is a bonanza for the Course Collector . Close by is Clear Fork , Reservoir Ridge , and Aumiller . Combine the course with a visit to Reservoir Ridge , and you have a destination drive . PLAY THIS COURSE !!!!

Clear signs for every hole. The even provide a QR code for a downloadable map at the beginning of the course.Tees are easy to find and baskets are easy to see. No trouble knowing where to shoot.

You double back on a couple holes so you might get lost for second trying to figure out where to go. If you pay attention to the signage at each tee or use the downloadable map they have you won\'t have a problem though.

Beautifully put together course with some fun technical shots. I had a lot of fun playing this course on my way through Ohio. I suggest and player to stop here and give it a try.

- Nice Technical shots, not for someone who just likes to muscle it out there.

- Beautiful signs that lay out the course nicely.

-Unique basket placements for 12 and 17

- Some of the tee pads are very close to ones that aren't next up.
(Example: The tee pad for 10 is right behind the basket for 8, and from hole 9, the next teepad is for 17, not 10. That is more nit picky than anything else.)

- A lot the course is you throwing across the main walking trail for the park. Pay attention for walkers/runners.

The course is 95% in the woods, which creates for some careful throwing and making sure you hit your lines. If not, you might need to come up with ways to get yourself out from behind decent sized trees. Not for taking someone who is first learning how to play.

For someone who is used to playing courses close to the city, driving an hour to get to this course did not disappoint. Will definitely return to more rounds!

Nice teepads and I love the disc catcher baskets.. wood chips in some areas on fairways.. love the technical part of this course..

No full rips off the teepad except maybe 17.. otherwise no really wide open shots..

Definitely can be good to you if your hitting your lines or if your not well except some trees to interfere..

This course has come a long way and all the hard work put in is very obvious! The teepads are nice but could be a couple feet longer. At least they're there. The signs are really nice! There are next tee signs and tape on the baskets as well as spray paint arrows on trees so you really can't get lost. The follow is really nice. There are only a couple of "long" walks between holes but you still can't really get off track. Innova DisCatcher baskets aren't bad either. I'll definitely be back for a Clearfork Res/Woodsman day.

Some of the fairways needed beat down or mowed. That's about it for the cons.

Great job on this course!! It's come a long way and is now a new favorite of mine. Thank you!!!

UPDATED (10-26-17): Lots of clearing was done over the last month. Concrete tees were also added, making for a more enjoyable round! I've bumped my rating up from 2.5 to 3.5.

The Woodsman winds through the wooded area of a MASSIVE park in the heart of Ontario.

The designers had to find a way to make 18 heavily wooded holes stand out from each other. They did it successfully for the most part. From elevated baskets (#12's basket is equivalent to making a shot in basketball, about 10 feet high), to holes with multiple plowed fairways, this place really could stand out.

Navigation is as easy as it could possibly be. Arrows on every hole mark where the baskets are, and where to go next.

Plenty of unique shots. Even though most holes are pretty short, you'll still find fun in your round.

Nice little kiosk, with a bold sign and a practice basket. All surrounded by fresh wood chips.

Stream winds through the course, adding a little extra difficulty if you play it as OB.

Wood chips are in place throughout the course in some of the muddier spots.

Absolutely massive parking lot, so even when there's activities going on you still should have a spot.

Holes #9 and #18 end back at the parking lot, so you have the option to play the front nine, back nine, or the full 18.

Beautiful park with lots of different activities. Also, the park is just outside Mansfield.

Lots of logs, roots, branches, etc. in the fairways. Lots of tripping hazards.

Right now, there are no tee signs. Having a map will be useful.

Holes 2, 4, and 5 open up. Besides that, all other holes are in dense woods. Great for the technical played, but I'd enjoy a few more open holes.


Since there's virtually no sunlight getting through the thick canopy. Just a little rain could leave the course full of mud and standing water for days. That'll also draw mosquitos.

The Woodsman is perfect for players with more precision that arm. Lots of fun lines carved into the woods. Definetly worth checking out, especially in the fall time!

-Fun challenging wooded holes

-Good variety of shots

-Great baskets

-Will be an excellent course once it is officially done.

-Easy to navigate with arrows on trees and tape on basket to direct you in the right direction to the next tee.

-Practice basket

-Natural tees currently

-A lot of branches, logs and debri on the course

-Swampy area on one of the fairways

-Better signs needed

-A lot of this will come in due time

- close to home
- plenty of free parking
-potential to be a brilliant course
- Concrete tee pads
- Brilliant scenery...very picturesque at times!
- I've heard there will be added holes in open areas in the future
- a couple of really cool, unique and challenging basket locations!
- HIGHLY improved in only 18 months!

- Very little signage

**Updating after a year and a half**
I'm jumping my score from a 1.5 to a 3.5!
WOW what a difference a little time and dedication makes to a young course! I first said it wasn't a good place for beginners...I'm now changing my tune. What was once difficult to navigate is now much easier (although some signs will take this course up to a 4!). There are no longer a plethora of tiny trees everywhere you throw - they've now carefully cleared out a ton of flora without disturbing or damaging the ecosystem (One day last year I even helped remove a good deal of trees with my brother and the guy of whom assumes responsibility for the courses upkeep and updates). What used to be congested now has many open spaces whilst still being challenging. Concrete pads have also been put in. All in all...such a fantastic course now and it's only getting better! Well done!