North Tonawanda, NY

Payne Park

Permanent course
0.755(based on 8 reviews)
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6 0
Startedw165
Experience: 39.6 years 343 played 10 reviews
0.50 star(s)

shell of (perhaps) a once proud course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

7 baskets still in the ground
Most tee pad positions can still be located
Payne Park is easy to find.
Good enough for new players or kids to fool around and play with actual baskets.

Cons:

Only the skeletal framework remains at Payne Park. Some tees have the old pole and rectangular sign typical of pre-2000 courses. None of the signs currently have any legible information. The sign itself is gone at some other tees, but the pole still stands and the worn patch of grass identifies the tee with some certainty. Tees 7 & 9 were not found. Recent installation of a nice basketball court with clear backboards likely forced tee 7s destruction.

Payne Park has a nice Municipal swimming pool and hosts summer camps for kids during the day.

Other Thoughts:

Listed as a polehole course in the 1990 & 1995 editions of the PDGA course guide, Payne Park graduate to a combination of Mach II & Mach III baskets by 1997. And has been going downhill ever since.
As a place for neighborhood kids to be introduced to the sport, its nice as there are actual baskets. For that purpose a 'Passable' rating would apply. But I am rating Payne Park as a disc golf course.
Is this really a DG course ?
I enjoy 'bagging' a lesser course as part of my travels to some destination or wish list course. But counting Payne Park as a DG course that I have played feels like I am padding my stats.
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5 1
Timeetyo
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10 years 41 played 33 reviews
0.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 24, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- There are baskets and some room to throw at em.

Cons:

Where to start, this course is just in rough shape all around:
- Safety issues everywhere. Pool, parking lot, ball fields, kids walking through. And the best was getting directed to 9s tee by some (very nice) locals and shown the basket. Great - throw a 275' hyzer OVER a playground without skipping into the street either left, right, or long as it is tucked in a corner. I just gave up and made up a 9th safari hole as that was just silly and I didn't want to take out the 4yo having a great time on the slide.
- Maintenance. There are comments from 2007 about a lack of it - and I don't think other than a regular mowing it's seen any DG love since then. I had a hard time finding teepads. There is virtually no signage left (the few holes that have signs are unreadable). This left me guessing and winging it on quite a few holes as I couldn't tell what basket was even supposed to be for what hole on a few (no mark at either tee or pin)
- The holes are all rather bland even for a typical short 9 in the park setup.

Other Thoughts:

Unless you live across the street or are bagging courses (why I stopped by) don't bother with this one. There is a nicer short 9 a mile down the road - go there instead. The only thing this one has going over it is there is more room for some longer throws - but even then I'd be here for fieldwork more than playing a round.
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3 1
losuch419
Experience: 3 played 2 reviews
1.00 star(s)

not worth it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Not at all busy. Course to play your first time out.

Cons:

The course is not marked well at all. There are alot of obstacles to watch out for including a playground, public pool and baseball diamonds.

Other Thoughts:

Needs a lot of work. The couse seems like an after thought and there is no care or maintenance done
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2 2
ssejhill
Experience: 22.7 years 21 played 11 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Ok for practicing 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

ummm ... close by?!? That's a "pro". Probably good for beginners. Very generous par(s).

Cons:

Short course ... too short. Be careful shooting near the pool and the playground and the diamonds and the parking lot and the swings ...

Other Thoughts:

I preferred Pinewoods Park which is only a about a mile away. That park is a bit more shaded and a little less used (less chance of "plunking" someone).
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3 0
bryon
Experience: 63 played 58 reviews
0.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 21, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

9 holes very close together not to mention close to road and playground, (watch out for people). Very short in today's disc golf standards. I did just as good with one disc compared to carrying my entire bag. Signs were misleading. Did I mention the holes were close together? At least they did not criss cross. Possibly good course for beginners, but with holes close together and playing through a playground, I wouldn't want to take a beginner there.
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2 0
bfaslewis
Experience: 19.8 years 16 played 8 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Puttputtforthefunofit! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 24, 2007 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-This is a great place to work on your short game, and does have some potential if several improvements were made.
-It's a tight, technical course that doesn't allow for error (since a poor shot could wind up across a street, over a fence to a baseball diamond, into a public pool, or into a playground)
-it's free to play and park
-fairly easy to navigate even when i first played here

Cons:

-From '07 when i last played to today in '10 the tee signs have really taken a beating, while 7 of 9 are still present i think i could only read 2 of those that remained.
-this course seems to be an after thought and plays along the outside edge of the park which leads to no real change or variation between holes. an improvement could be the addition of some OB (since there's no room to adjust any holes to make for hyzer or anne shots), there's also no elevation change.
-During the summer, kids that are here to use the public pool and don't know what disc golf is, will lock up their bikes to the sign posts and even the baskets...which actually makes your "easy" shots, a little more challenging. But it has also causes some of those baskets have more wear-n-tear then you'd normally find.
-The 9th hole is almost always unplayable, because it goes through a picnic area and a playground. This was true in '07 and even today there was one woman with her kid at the picnic table that is in the middle of the fairway. Additionally the tee sign is now missing from #9 and i think it could be to deter people from playing through on that hole, since you do shot over a picnic area and a swing set
-course does not loop back to the begining
-some of the fairways overlap: 1&2, and then again at 5&6

Other Thoughts:

-From Payne there is parking lot directly in front of the public pool, and then another one just to the left of it, if you park in the one off to the side the first tee is at the far left end of the lot.
-If I can't find anyone else to go out with, this isn't a terrible place to go, but with having better courses in the area it's never a group outing.
-This course plus Pinewoods Park just down the street does make for a passable 18 hole course
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1 1
gang1027
Experience: 17.2 years 28 played 2 reviews
0.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 17, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

makes one feel like they are shooting a good round

Cons:

not very challening you almost better off shooting into a garbage can in your own backyard

Other Thoughts:

my dad who only playes once shot 4 or 5 under par and he is not skilled in disc golf by any means so basically the course is a great confidence booster for a beginner
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2 0
MattK
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.8 years 81 played 40 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Beginner course needs TLC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 21, 2007 Played the course:never

Pros:

The location is convenient from Buffalo and the north towns, and park entry is free. Most, if not all of the holes fall into the "pitch and putt" category, but there are just enough tall trees in the park to make the course interesting (and keep it cool in the summer). The park is in a nice town setting across the street from several places to eat.

Cons:

There really isn't enough acreage here for even this 9 hole pitch and putt. The park can get crowded, and the non disc golfers have ZERO respect for the course. Kids park their bikes on the course, adults park their cars on the course. The 9th hole is in a poor position, with a playground between the tee and basket. Tee signs are beat up, and at least one of the baskets is somewhat bent. What is such a shame is that the course is frequently used, and the golfers that go there do what they can to keep it up, to the point of updating the worn out tee signs with sharpies...but the course really could use some professional renovation. I used to have more hope for this course, but things just seem to be getting worse.

Other Thoughts:

It can be a good place for a beginner to learn the game, depending on when you go. Ignore the posted par and play all holes as a par 3. Be prepared to skip a hole or so to avoid hitting innocent bystanders. At times in the summer, be prepared to forgo the idea of "playing a round" and just practice, as the course can become unplayable do to the number of people in the park.
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