- Best scenery of any year-round Oregon course
- First 9 holes are fantastic
- Most of the course is challenging but not impossible, even for non-pros
- Elevation is a huge factor
- Good mix of lengths & openness
- Easy to navigate
- Well-maintained

- Back 9 has too many long, similar holes
- A bit far away from stores, restaurants, etc.
- Some poison oak

Whistler's Bend may be the best disc golf course in Oregon. It's a long drive from most population centers, but with camping on-site, it can be a weekend destination. It's also an easy detour for those heading up or down I-5. The scenery is beautiful at any time of year; the park is nestled in a steep valley along a horseshoe-shaped bend in the rocky Umpqua River, so that you're surrounded on almost all sides by the beautiful blue-green water. (The river only comes into play on a few holes, however.)

Holes #1-#6 and #8 are in pretty heavy woods, with numerous doglegs both left and right, and a couple of uphill & downhill shots as well. #7 requires you to navigate a long corridor of oak trees, with the basket dangerously close to the river. #9 is an amazing signature hole: a grassy downhill slope, bordered by shrubs and trees on either side, with the basket in plain view but just a few feet in front of a 30-foot cliff that drops down to the water. If you go over the cliff, there's a rocky shelf that might catch your disc, but it's not an easy shot back up.

The massive downhill shot on the famous hole #14 (600' out and 120' down) is fun, but seldom mentioned is the tough uphill low-ceiling shot on #13 that gets you there. Both are unlike anything else in Oregon.

My only complaint about Whistler's Bend, apart from its remoteness, is that most of the holes in the back nine are very long and don't have many obstacles (and a surprising number of them require you to shoot at a basket you can't see, just down a gentle hill or over a small rise). Out of #11, #12, #15, #16, and #18, the shortest hole is about 350'. I don't have a huge arm, and I don't find these types of holes as much fun, especially with so many of them in quick succession. That's the only thing keeping my rating from being a full 5 stars.

The good news is that while the back nine may be long and (in my opinion) a little boring, you're unlikely to lose a disc there, and those long open holes are pretty predictable -- by which I mean they're more skill than luck, and a solid shot isn't going to get deflected off course by a capricious tree. I think even beginning disc golfers could enjoy a round at Whistler's Bend.

Perhaps THE BEST top of the world shot I have played. The course occupies an incredible vista surrounded by a huge bend in the Umpqua River, and has camping available on site. Lots of variety with extreme elevation in a couple places, long sweeping faiways, peppered with some tight woods and tricky landing zones.

In the days I played it, it was not yet permanent with baskets, concrete tees, or even a permanent layout (seems like it changed every time I went - but that's not even really a drawback). If it were any less dramatic - maybe the distance off the highway might be a drawback - but given the quality - it's not an issue.

This was a course I gladly drove 6-7 hours to get to from Seattle. Yeah it's out of the way - but WOW is all I can say. Out of 240 courses this one stays in my top 10 forever.

Great variety in hole design, use of dog legs and large elevation changes make almost every hole interesting.
Great variety in distance from short wooded approach shots to huge 600 foot field holes.
Unmatched natural beauty, the scenery is intense.
Top of the world hole as hole 9 are two of the most memorable signature holes in the state.
Very challenging design, will challenge all levels up to the professionals.
Good Baskets.
Good Teepads.
Navigation isn't a large issue.
On site camping makes the course even more of a disc golf destination for out-of-towners.

A few of the final field holes are quite open and not terribly interesting.
Quite a bit off the beaten path for many disc golfers.

Whistler's Bend is a truly fantastic course, an often hidden gem, even many Oregonians haven't made the trek YET. If you're going up the I-5 corridor it's a must see. It's the epitome of destination golf, camping amenities and an awesome river and surrounding nature make it a memorable experience for everyone.

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