Bloomington, IN

Karst Farm Park

2.385(based on 13 reviews)
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5 0
acrosley
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 3.9 years 46 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

New and Improved?

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course must have received quite the overhaul in the last 7 or 8 years since the last review.

There are now 18 numbered baskets and tee pads to make it a true 18-hole course. There's even a warm-up basket so I guess you could say its got 19 baskets! (I'm here all week folks). Tee signs are also informative and give you the general idea of what the intended shot-shape is, plus any OB.

There's also some decent use of elevation in the design. You'll find yourself throwing both uphill and downhill. Nothing crazy (this is still Indiana afterall), but enough to make you take notice. Plus some basket placements will make you think twice about giving 'er a run unless you want a 30+ footer comeback.

The distances range from around 180-315. There aren't many wide open holes either. Plenty of mature trees abound and are incorporated to force you to shape some kind of line on most of the holes here.

There are on-site bathroom facilities. Also plenty of spots to have a picnic if you are so inclined. The Parks department did a great job with the upkeep. Grass is mowed and not too much rough to mention.

Cons:

I could have used some next tee signs. The layout isn't terribly confusing, but even with UDisc I got turned around on occasion. The walk between 9 and 10 and then 12 and 13 were relatively long. Luckily some friendly locals were able to point me in the right direction.

The course may play a bit too easy for MA2 and above. It was more than challenging enough for myself, but I could see it being a deuce-or-die type course if you can throw a midrange 300 feet accurately. While there are some trees like I said earlier, there's really no tight gaps you're required to hit.

There is a walking path that comes into play on a couple of the back 9 holes. I didn't have to wait for any pedestrians but there is that possibility you may have to share the space so to speak.

Other Thoughts:

All in all this is a well-manicured, clean park style course and if that's your jam, you won't find much to complain about here. There's plenty else to do in the park here too so you could potentially make it into a family affair.

I'm not quite hip to the Bloomington Disc Golf scene but kudos to whoever overhauled the course here!
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7 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.6 years 397 played 383 reviews
2.00 star(s)

One of a kind…or Two? 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Well, this is the first time I've ever played a course that has pairs of baskets to shoot at (on 7 of its 9 holes, anyway) with no discernable reason for having a second basket there. I took advantage of the layout to play two sets of discs 'left versus right', and was a little surprised to enjoy myself on the way. A very open layout in a family friendly park, the disc golf holes play to recreational to intermediate distances, and interestingly have signage that shows course par as mostly 4 per hole on 'longer' ones (seemingly indicating the target audience to be casual players), and a par of 2 (!) on one or two shortie ace runs (which might be 'true' for tournament players). Different.

Decently sized, level, concrete tee pads, simple and direct flow, and 18 chain baskets mean the amenities here are fine. There's even a kiosk sign (pretty much empty) at the first tee (behind the #3 shelter) and a couple of trash barrels on the loop. Maintenance is good, possibly because almost every hole plays pretty wide open. You do have gently rolling slopes and some widely spaced trees to work around.

The holes that might challenge a tournament player somewhat would be hole 5, which plays to a just-blind basket position slightly left and 40-50' past the middle tree, and hole 9, where an overthrow will put you into a bit of a foliage sanctuary. Otherwise, it's a very quick round with very little chance of misplacing a disc.

Cons:

The openness of most of the holes means there's not much to challenge your shot-shaping, and the family-oriented nature of the park means you might have folks climbing a tree near your fairway or even dozing in a hammock 40 feet from the 8th baskets, on a warm summer weekend. I felt obliged to be sure and lay up, rather than bothering them.

It would be nice to see either a course map at the kiosk, or next tee signage (or both) out here for first timers.

Other Thoughts:

Added a map here on DGCR for first timers. The oddity of having pairs of baskets, usually within 30 feet of each other, in the open, is striking. Clearly, they had access to more of the park in the past, and pulled back from an 18 hole layout to a 9, but the extra baskets could definitely be used to greater benefit. I'd even suggest pulling the extras (from holes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 & 9) and using them for one practice basket and a six hole, putt-putt, introductory course even closer to the shelters, if it were up to me.
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2 1
blclevenger2
Experience: 14.5 years 34 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Great begginer course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Its a great beginner course. Hole ones layout playing behind the oak forces beginners to practice both low ceiling and uphill shot. This course is open and that draws a focus on the accuracy of your game. Decent use the elevation.

Cons:

Its not the original 18 and cant see the point in having two baskets per hole.

Other Thoughts:

Plain and simple its no built to cater to pro calibre players. Its built for families and new players to enjoy and hone their skills on. That's not to say pro calibre players wont find layouts they enjoy, you just have to use your mind and find the lines you want to practice.
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3 1
GMcAtee
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15 years 754 played 89 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Closest course to my hometown. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

There's baskets (two on each hole).

Teepads

Some signage matches up.

Cons:

I'm not sure what they were thinking by putting two baskets on each hole approx. 10 feet apart. It doesn't add anything.

The course is long and boring with little shade in the summer.

Some of the tee signs are not accurate.

Other Thoughts:

Such a shame that this is the closest course to where I grew up (Greene County) It was not in the ground when I played soccer at Karst Park in the early 90's. Kind of embarrassing to tell people I play disc golf when this course is what they think of.

I've played an alternate layout with temp baskets during a Bloomington Disc Golf Club tourney. It was really fun. I'm curious what's keeping them from installing that course permanently.
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7 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.5 years 264 played 143 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Karst Farm is a mostly open 9 hole course with concrete tee pads, good tee signs and a good variety of hole distance ranging from 200 feet to 360 feet. There are some modest elevation changes that come into play on many holes. They're not big enough to be a major factor, but the rolling hills are enough to make you take them into account and add a little spice to the otherwise bland course.

This course used to be 18 holes but has been reduced to 9 holes. A few previous reviews mentioned that some holes were hard to find, didn't have signs or were mis-numbered as a result of this. I'm happy to report that I didn't have any problem finding the next hole, every hole has a tee signs and they are all appropriately labeled.

Cons:

This is a great course for new players to get started so I feel bad criticizing it, but I feel an opportunity was missed here. So many of the holes have large, mature trees on either side of the fairway but they don't actually come into play so while there are trees around, most holes play as if it is wide open.

There are two baskets on almost every hole, I'm guessing as a result of the course being downgraded from 18 to 9 holes. I wouldn't consider this a con, but the baskets are like 15 feet away from each other on every hole! Which, IMO, is about the most useless way to used extra baskets. But maybe I'm completely missing something so please send me a PM if you know something I don't.

No shot variety.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun little course and is an excellent place to bring beginners to learn the game and some of the longer holes will continue to challenge players as they learn to gain distance and accuracy. More experienced players will not find a challenge here.

The tee signs made me laugh! The pictures of the baskets look like those square, old school clothes lines.
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4 0
gkeberhart
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 36 played 31 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A shame it was reduced 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice concrete tee pads, baskets were clean. Park was in great condition with plenty of parking and restrooms and fountains available. The course itself was in general simple to follow, signs were easily spotted and marked very well. Grass was cut well and the holes were good for a 9-hole course.

Cons:

it was only 9 holes. shots were redundant and fairly wide open. there was not much use of elevation or obstacles. the holes were short which was a let down. Hole 7 was just randomly placed by the parks department from what I understood and it is really lacking. There was also a listed Par 2 which was a long putt or soft drive.

Other Thoughts:

with the addition of alternate tees by the saturday morning league players it was interesting and there is an opportunity that they could put them in permanently if they pushed for it in my mind. location was great and it really is nice park.
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6 0
dickyp1113
Experience: 14 years 6 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice distance on several of the holes. Decently maintained tees make for a nice course to pratice on. Several of the holes on this course have some beautiful old trees that make for a nice scenic game. Nice changes in elevation that makes a mostly open course a little more challenging.

Cons:

The biggest con in this course is the poor signage. It used to be 18 and now its nine and the course really is hurt by that. Some holes have signs. Some dont. Hole 7 is completly unmarked and is a short and pointless hole. Too many open holes which makes it pretty boring to play often.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, not the worst course but certainly not the best. The elevation changes are the highlight and its worth playing just for that feature. Hole 7 is unmarked and theres 2 baskets nearby. Youll want to throw at the basket at the top of the hill and to the right rather than the one at the bottom of the hill. Hole 8 and 9 are labled as hole 17 and 18. Overall if your in the Bloomington area its worth playing all 3 courses and making your own judgement on which courses are the best but i find that Sherwood is generally the same difficulty level but alot nicer. And Cresmont is alot more challeging and of a course.
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1 4
tlgobble
Experience: 10 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Where Did The Last Holes Go 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good beginning courses. Good to practice (especially straight-on drives and putts.) Nice concrete tees on most holes. Par ratings ridiculously easy.

Cons:

I couldn't find hole 7 or 8 or 9...all the way until 17. So we played 1-6, 17, 18. Thus we only could play 8 holes. Also, I saw a few holes without tees and tees without pins. The area around the tee pads were poorly maintained and susceptible to flooding. Overall, the course just seemed poorly maintained.
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6 0
bilemshious
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.9 years 27 played 17 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Long & Open 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 22, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Baskets and concrete tee pads in perfect shape. Good use of land (obstacles/trees and hills). There is only disc golf on this side of the park. Restrooms and water fountain very close to holes 1 & 9,

Cons:

Only 9 holes. It is very open - makes things a little boring visually. Not very challenging - does not really require too many different or difficult shots regardless of your where your disc lands.

Other Thoughts:

Good, fun course for a quick round - too bad it is so far from everything (aka campus, downtown, etc.) It's a small step up from Sherwood in Bloomington mostly because of it's length. Does not offer much of a challenge. Maybe try the alternate tees on Saturdays during league play...

It's a good course for beginners to learn to throw far and accurate. More advanced players looking for more of a challenge should check out Crestmont instead...
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2 5
KETBLC
Experience: 15.7 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Gallop Stretch 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 4, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I love playing this course. Open tee shots make it good for trying out a new disc of trying to get the perfect shot. Most holes are on some kind of incline, pins are easy to find and well signed. Most players are courteous if they have big groups.

Cons:

If it's windy prepare to watch your disc go haywire if you don't account for it you'll find yourself on the next hole. The course hasn't been mowed yet.

Other Thoughts:

I wish it were longer!
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10 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Nice open course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 20, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is a great course for beginners and players looking for a fairly quick round. There is plenty of parking unless large events are going on, and lots of space to practice throws before/after a round.

There are rolling hills throughout the course, and many holes have some elevation changes. Much of the space is open and grassy, with scattered mature trees. These trees are well-used as obstacles on some holes, adding interest beyond simple open shots.

For a small course, Karst has good length, with a number of holes over 300'. A couple holes force shots other than simple RHBH hyzer shots, though a new player with only this shot will still find the course easy to play.

The tees are all nice concrete, and in good shape. The tee signs are easy to follow, and well marked with distance (though the pictures look nothing like actual disc golf baskets...). The park is nice, and well maintained for the most part, and the part of the park that the course is in usually remains free of other traffic.

Cons:

The biggest con is the loss of the other half of the course to be used as a parking lot once a year. Other than this, the course is nice, but a little easy. Many of the holes are wide open, and easily reachable on a single drive by an experienced player.

Update: The city has decided that mowing will be very infrequent during the summer of 2009, so the grass might get pretty tall...

Other Thoughts:

This course uses the space well, and has a few interesting holes. There are generous pars on the signs that are beginner friendly, though locals play all the holes as par 3.

League play happens every Saturday, with an alternate set of tees for each hole to make 18.
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11 0
phish3460
Experience: 22.8 years 54 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Ah, the days of yore 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 1, 2007 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Although the course is fairly open, it still takes a very good shot on most holes to get you a birdie. There are trees on nearly every hole that come into play, but no ceiling limits for the most part. There are alternate tees, but there aren't alternate concrete tee pads. Look for pairs of little colored flags (like one might see marking a gas line underground) that mark the alternate tees -- which are a nice change of pace and require more challenging shots, IMO. The course is well maintained and very clean. Restrooms and water fountain on site.

Cons:

The loss of those 10 holes really puts a damper on the course.
Only 9 holes (18 if you play alternates).
Some very, very short holes.

Other Thoughts:

Karst used to be an outstanding (4+) 18 hole course, but the nearby fairground annexed back land it had loaned to the complex and 10 holes were subsequently lost. I had heard chatter of a new 9 being put in, but that didn't happen during my stay in Bloomington.

UPDATE (9/10) - The baskets that were used on the old back 9 have been placed again. They're all located within 20 feet of another basket. Now there are two targets to shoot for, but unfortunately it doesn't change a single shot.
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3 5
Victory33
Experience: 16.8 years 17 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good 9 Hole Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Mostly open shots with some moderate elevation changes on almost every hole. Well kept course, with some longer holes and some shorter/possible ace holes. Minimal chance of losing discs.

Cons:

Only 9 holes, no multiple tees.

Other Thoughts:

If your in Bloomington give this course a shot, it's pretty fun.
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