+ The course plays within a quiet community park right alongside the famous Wabash River.
+ Some nice hills, slopes and a well-used water feature breathe life into the course.
+ All tee areas have signs with the par and distance, but...

- ...the tee signs don't have a diagram to indicate where to throw and/or which basket you should aim for.
- Some of the sign posts are located way too close to the tee.
- The course is scrunched in with multiple baskets often visible from multiple tees.
-/+ The tee pads are made of solid concrete but on the small side.
- Some baskets are uncomfortably close to the following tee.
- Shared baskets and tees all over the course.
- Most of the fairways fly close to places where other parkgoers could be.

My favorite hole to play and look at was hole4 because it is a grand downhill throw. My least favorite was hole14 because it played straight, flat and wide open with a park bench and road to deal with.

Regarding the course as a whole, I feel like Wabash Run can best be described as "efficient at a cost."
The course wasn't given much land to work with, so the planners did what they could. It packs the punch of a full 18-hole course in a concentrated area, but they pulled it off by reusing multiples tees and baskets for some holes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't have the same appeal of a conventional course with eighteen tees and eighteen baskets.

Worse, many of the fairways are criss-crossed and reversed. Holes6 and 13 illustrate this perfectly because it is nearly the same exact fairway for both holes but played in opposite directions. To make matters worse, some fairways involve structures of the park where other people might be. Benches, playgrounds and pavilions are all possible unintended targets of throws. On a busy day, some holes may have to be skipped if there are lots of other people.

On the upside, I liked the variation of natural features among the holes. Hole4 has that immense downhill. Hole15 goes right back up it. And there are lots of slopes and slants to force the player to plan ahead to avoid rollaways. Also, the lake in play is another factor to consider for four or five of the holes. I should mention that there are no tree puzzles to speak of. Wabash Run is mostly wide open.

So, in closing, Wabash Run is undeniably well-intentioned. The elevation and lake in play make it a nice surprise to enjoy. However, the lack of woods, the reused tees, fairways & baskets, the risk to other park goers, the worrying proximity of signposts to their teepads and the occasionally unclear layout subtract from the rating that might have been. Still, it's a pretty place to look at. And as far as the golfing goes, you can definitlely do worse. But you're not missing out on anything special if you decide to skip it.

Wabash Run is an 18-hole disc golf course that resides in Memorial Park in Grayville, Illinois. Situated on along the shore of the Wabash River and the border between Indiana and Illinois, this course is close enough to I-64 to be a relatively quick stop for course baggers that are traveling through the area. There're some restaurants close to the highway and in town to provide you with some food on your travels, along with gas stations, making it easy to fit the course into a stop that can fill multiple needs on a longer trip.

Park Amenities are pretty robust at Memorial Park, as this is the primary park for the town. In addition to disc golf, there's also a baseball field, basketball court, sand volleyball court, and tennis court on site. The volleyball and tennis courts are just beyond the outfield fence of the baseball field, so watch your head. There are also a couple picnic shelters in the park, with each one having playground equipment nearby. At the entrance to the park, there's also a pool that holes 9 and 10 play next to. Down by the river, there's a boat launch area, as well as some horseshoe pits. I believe the park also connects to some hiking trails, and there's also camping down the road. For the disc golf course, drive past the pool and park in the area near the tank. Yes, you read that right, the tank. Does your park not have a tank? Neither does mine, but Grayville sure does. Don't climb on the tank though, because there are signs that tell you not too. I didn't want to climb the tank until I read the sign, but then I wanted to after being told not to. Sorry for the rambling, but c'mon....... it's a tank!

ANYWAY, course equipment! This course uses 9 DISCatcher baskets that are in great shape. The tee pads are relatively new and still have that new look for the most part. There is a course map at the parking area which is very beneficial since the tee signs on course do not have maps. The course map sign also has instructions about how to play the game, a nice touch to welcome in newer players - The next 5 nearest courses are all over 20 miles away, so this could very well be the first course a lot of locals see. The tee signs are shiny and new looking, and include the hole number, hole distance, and par.

{b]Course design[/b] at Wabash Run is pretty unique, and makes the most out of the space provided. The course incorporates 9 baskets and 10 tees to make an 18-hole course. To do this, the course takes you through holes 1-9 in one direction, gives hole 10 its own tee pad to go back to the basket of hole 8, and then uses the same tee pads for the front 9 to effectively go through the course backwards. I've seen 18-hole courses that use 18 tee pads and 9 baskets, but this is the first time I've seen a 9 basket, 18-hole course designed in this way. It's a nice cost-effective solution that saves on concrete and baskets, and gets the most out of a 9-basket set up. This is also a nice design for times when you only have time or want to play 9 holes, as you can go forward or backward on the course.

In terms of variety, the biggest point might be elevation. While some of the holes are pretty flat, many holes have significant elevation changes. Holes 4 and 15 are the most dramatic, with hole 4 being a birdie or even ace run off of a hill to the basket below, and hole 15 going back up the same hill. Other holes like 1, 3, and 16 play along hills that could easily lead to roll away situations. While the course doesn't go near the river, there is a pond that comes into play for 6 holes, adding another obstacle to keep in mind on your round. Other than that, the course plays like a pretty typical park course, with tree lines and mature trees being the primary obstacles for you to avoid.

Course difficulty is pretty accessible at Wabash. The course has some longer, 400-foot holes, with the longest one being hole 7 at 567 feet, but the pars on the course represent the distances while keeping newer players in mind. There are so particularly difficult holes on the course, but some obstacles like the pond will keep players honest with how much they risk with their shots. Newer players will find this course to be a test of a variety of skills and shots, while intermediate players will find a decent challenge on some holes, and good birdie chances on others.

While the equipment at Wabash Run is pretty new given the course's age, there's some early signs of wear that are a little concerning. The tee pad for holes 8 and 12 is cracked on one end, which is a little concerning given its age. The tee sign for holes 2 and 18 is also knocked down, so hopefully that gets repaired. The tee pads vary in size to try and accommodate play in multiple directions, so some tee pads are a square instead of a rectangle. It would be nice if many of the tee pads were longer, as some are a little short when being used to play in certain directions. I wasn't a fan of some of the tee sign locations used; many of the tee sign posts were near the front of the tee pad on the right-hand side. As a RHBH player, this was pretty annoying, as I needed to check and see if I was going to wreck my hand on the post with my follow through. Considering the percentage of players out there that use this type of throw, this will affect a lot of players. It can be hard to find a place to put the signs given that they effectively serve two holes, but being set away from the tee pad would be better. None of the signs have a graphic showing the shape of the hole, so make sure you take a picture of the course map so the blind shots don't confuse you.

Safety is another thing that could be a concern on this course. A lot of the shots on this course are blind, which in of itself isn't a bad thing. That being said, a lot of the holes on this course play close to other activities in the park. Holes 3, 9, and 18 play pretty close to playground equipment, which could be problematic on nicer days when shelters and playgrounds are getting more use. A lot of the holes also play close to the road that goes through the park, which is used for both cars and walkers. Some shots along this road are also blind, which can lead to risky situations if you don't notice other park-goers walking along the road. Another risk with this kind of course design could be other disc golf players. Holes 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 16, and 18 are all blind shots, and considering that this course is played in both directions, other disc golfers could be in the line of fire of your drive without you knowing. I know this course doesn't get a lot of play, but keep an eye out to see if other players are on course when you play here.

This course is a decent physical workout due to the elevation it uses, which may turn some players off of this course. While elevation is a nice thing to have, this course does go up and down hills a good amount and can be a little taxing on your legs and feet. Hole 15 is especially grueling, as that hill is a little daunting to have to climb up near the end of your round, especially when you then go back down the hill a bit before going up in elevation again to end a full 18-hole round. If you're in great shape, this may not be an issue for you. This was also my 6th course in 2 days, so maybe I was more tired than I realized. All that being said, limber up before your round.

Wabash run provides some unique aspects to get the most out of the land available, and I applaud the creativity used in the course design. That being said, while there are some fun shots on the course, many players will not be fans of either safety concerns or the amount of shots that are along gravely or paved roads.

How big of a concern is the safety aspect here? It's kind of hard to say. If this park was in a bigger town or city, it would be a big concern for me. However, this is a rural town of 1,600 people, so I'm not sure how busy this park gets. I played on a colder day with a threat of rain during my whole round, so it was understandably fairly quiet during my round. I also asked a local how often they see folks playing on the course, and she said not often. Her nonverbal response told me I was the first player she's seen in a while.

That being said, disc golf courses are an investment, so I hope this course gets played more than I feel that it does. I'm not sure where locals would even buy discs. Maybe the Dollar General in town; I was considering looking, but by the end of my round here I was more than ready to get back home.

If you're traveling along I-64 and want to bag a new course, by all means check this course out. There are some fun holes, and it shouldn't take you too long to play. If you're not already driving through the area and aren't a local, I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way to play Wabash Run. There're some good courses in Evansville that seem to be good options to drive out to check out first. That being said, if you're really about that course-bagging life, the location of Wabash Run right off the highway is hard to beat. Just please, for the love of Grayville, don't climb the tank.

Steep hills and a sizeable lake highlight this scenic 9 basket, 18 hole city park course. I was pleasantly surprised by the basket placements- the uphill and downhill nature make for some wicked shots. There are a few long bomber holes to test big arms. Water comes into play on the middle third of the round, with a low chance to lose plastic here otherwise. Concrete tees and adequate signage throughout. Navigation was straightforward. Discatcher baskets are in good shape. Low traffic. A portion of the Wabash River is the backdrop but does not come into play.

Some of the tees are a bit short and awkwardly shaped. Could use more seating, garbage cans and a practice basket. Watch out for vehicles near the private entrance on holes 6 and 12.

The steepness here will be a turnoff to some players- plenty of shots and putts have a chance to roll a hundred feet away- not to mention being a legitimate physical workout.

If your disc happens to go into the lake, it's unlikely you'll be getting it back.

Having no reviews and being right off the highway, this course intrigued me and did not disappoint! I was immediately impressed by the beautiful terrain, and the layout takes full advantage of the space. I had a blast here and really wish this one was closer to home.

Experienced players will appreciate the shot diversity and demands of this course.