One of my all time favorites now.
The course is well laid out and worthy of playing.
The park is in great shape.
Plenty of elevation changes.
Challenging but not so demanding as to be frustrating.
Good use of obstacles.

Can be slippery when wet.
Getting from 7 to 8 is tricky as is from 10 to 11.

Really enjoyed playing this course.
The course is not wide open but open enough that you can get (with right elevation changes) some spectacular shots.
Of course, if you decide to video your spectacular shot you had better hope to actually throw it correctly.
Enough of a challenge to make you want to play it again.

Kelley Park in McCook is a really fun disc golf course, boasting an unusual amount of elevation change for the Great Plains. An 18 hole, par 54 layout that is compact and uses all of the available space very well. There are some longish holes, but the majority are reachable from the tee.

The tees are concrete, and they're all marked by posts with signs listing the hole and the distance, along with an illustration. The baskets were all in good condition, and are usually visible out of the box.

There are many holes that can be birdies, but a number of mature trees and tricky pin locations also provide a fair amount of resistance. I played it through once, and would have made a few different disc selections if I had played it a second time. Getting the distance right and playing the elevation correctly is a challenge. In windy conditions, difficulty would be even higher.

Hole 1 is a great starting hole, downhill a bit navigating around several large old trees. Hole 2 doubles down on the elevation, with a massive drop and windows in between branches reaching out from a line of mature trees. 3 goes back up the hill, requiring a good snap to reach the top and set up the easy approach. 4 gives you another big downhill drive. 5 is shorter, and uphill but not as steep. I bonked the birdie putt, and took a nasty roll, leading to two more putts and a bogey. The basket on 10 is blind from the box, and has a steep hill behind the pin. There are lots of trees and brushy limbs blocking the come back if you skip/roll past the basket and down the hill. 13 is one more monster downhill, with a lot of open airspace to bomb it if you want to go for it. 15 is a cool dogleg right, with a turn up the hill into the woods making it a tough par 3.

The layout is a bit choppy, with holes 8-10, and 11-13 in corners of the park that are separated from the main portion by roads. Take a good look at the map to make sure you play everything in order without searching and aimless wandering.

No dynamic features, with only one set of tees and one set of pin positions. Few places to sit down if you want to catch your breath. Could use another trash can or two. The practice basket is near not near the first tee, it is across the street from the tee for hole 7, next to the picnic pavilion.

I drove into McCook from the South end of town on Highway 83. As soon as I saw the vista overlooking town I had a good feeling about the first course to be played on this road trip. It was a great view, coming after a long drive featuring mostly corn fields and feed lots.

McCook gave me a good first impression, and Kelley Park disc golf course cemented the deal. I loved the fun drives up and down the hills. The mature trees established fairway lines that kept things interesting.

It is not a championship quality layout, but the level of fun is consistently high. I didn't make any birdies at all, but not because there were no opportunities. My putts just weren't falling, and I had a couple of nasty rolls. At the end of the day I shot a 62. I would love to try this one over again a few more times. After getting a feel for the course and knowing what to throw, under par would not be unimaginable.

This is now my second favorite course in the state, behind Hummel in Omaha. It isn't super versatile or challenging, but the fun factor is undeniable. Reminds me of Jackson Park in Atchison, KS or Earlewood Park in Columbia, SC. Worth a detour if you are driving across that stretch of I-70 or I-80.

-excellent terrain with lots of great elevation changes and plenty of trees to shape fairways
-lots of fun holes
-creek and small flood areas that can present water danger
-holes laid out well to take advantage of the park's natural features; demands accuracy, shaping lines on a few holes, low ceiling drives on a few holes, and distance control up & downhill
-there are 1-4 holes that could be considered 2-shot holes, depending on your distance but hole 15 definitely requires a placement shot off the tee
-great concrete tee pads
-Mach baskets in good condition, 2 pin locations per hole
-nice signs at each tee but no indicators of present pin locations
-maps at the kiosk near hole 1, navigation is easy with the map
-plenty of parking
-lots of other park amenities
-park is beautiful and well-maintained
-nice staircase between holes 16 & 17
-not a lot of dense rough, few places to lose a disc

-i wish there were some more tough pin locations or long tees to challenge the advanced player but there doesn't seem to be much more room; the course is fun but not a complete test
-if you're not using the map, you may be confused as to where to go after holes 7, 10, 13; you need to cross a street in each case
-you also need to watch out after hole 5, tee 7 looks like the next obvious spot but tee 6 is on the hillside
-crossing to hole 11 there is a little bit of a blind corner as you cross the street; stay alert while you cross!
-the street can come into play on holes 1, 8-9, 11-12, & 16
-hope you aren't too tired climbing up and down hills after your round... because you'll have to walk back up the first big hill from basket 18 to the parking lot

Kelley Park is an awesome park with a great disc golf course. The park is full of large hills, many mature trees, some thicker tree lines, and a couple of creeks. The holes are well-designed to take advantage of the elevation changes and the trees demand accuracy, often creating low ceilings or shaping the fairway. There are a bunch of fun holes, especially the big downhills on 4 & 13, hole 15 that plays to a 90 degree, uphill dogleg right, and hole 17 that plays long and slowly drifting right with a creek to avoid on the left that will punish hyzers and big skips.

The course equipment is great: nice, concrete tees; solid Mach baskets; tee signs at each tee; kiosk with course map, each hole map, info, and scorecards & maps. The only thing missing is indicators for pin position on the tee signs but only two of the holes are blind. I only had to walk down the fairway to look before throwing on holes 10 and 15.

Since the course is broken up into different areas by the roads that run through the park, you end up with a few consecutive holes with a certain character. 1-7, 14 & 18 are in the main park area, 8-10 has subtle elevation and low ceilings, 11-13 are on a major hillside, and 15-17 play in or near a wooded gully. I liked the variety of different vibes each area has and the distinct challenges they pose.

That challenge is pretty manageable for players with some experience. The trees do shape the fairways but there are few instances of demanding a specific line. There is some distance required on a few holes and definitely some tricky greens with lots of rollaway potential. Hole 15 is the only 2-shot hole for even a longer arm, though scoring a 2 is not out of the question. It would be nice if there were some long tees or significantly different pin locations but there doesn't seem to be much more space to do it safely. I guess I'd call it a lower white level layout.

Kelley Park is a little bit out of the way but it has to be in the discussion of top courses in Nebraska. Cottonmill is more challenging but Kelley is more polished. Consider going out of your way for this one if time permits. It's a lot of fun and a beautiful park. Park on M St. near the corner of 5th for the course parking lot.


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This course is a ton of fun. I first played it close to 5 years ago when I just started playing. I've played more through the years, and returned back last week. I now appreciate the design of the course even more. The holes vary in distance and difficulty. The trees provide some difficulty. The course also provides a map on the first hole which you don't see very often. The course takes up a good chunk of Kelley Park which is a very well taken care of. When I was there it was being watered and mowed. Each hole also has nice displays of each hole and nice tee pads to go along with it.

I struggle to come up with any cons on this course.

I would say this is an elite disc gold course especially in the state of Nebraska.

Nice green grass that has been irrigated and well manicured.
Great tees that allow for a proper run up.
Adequate signage.
Great elevation and a good mix of open and park style holes.
Some holes have ace run opportunities.
Good mix on distances ranging from short-longer holes.
Low ceiling shots and tunnel shots as well.
Multiple pins and maps at the kiosk to assist in your navigation.
Dog leg L and R holes and a great mix of trees to provide in line shaping.
Other amenities like the pool, sand volleyball, playground, etc.
A good challenging course that will improved your overall game.

Long walk between some holes, 7's basket to 8's tee, 10's basket to 11's tee and 18's basket to the parking lot are a tad on the long side and slow the flow of the round down a bit.
Crossing the street to get to holes 8-10 and again to get to 11-13 might be a concern to some players. Just watch out for on coming traffic and you will be fine.
Kids from the pool and park area might cut across the fairways so be careful before you throw.
Could use a few more benches throughout the course as some players might be winded and need to sit down more frequently because of the elevation changes.

This is a solid course that offers a variety of shots. Some players might not like the way the course starts off, playing up and down the same hill for the first 6 holes, but it really bounces back nicely with holes 7-18.
Good lines to be shaped on many holes and there are places where you can rip a drive or two as well. There really is a good mix of everything on this course.
This is a quality course that Southern Nebraska can be proud of. I throughly enjoyed my round here and would play this course again in a heartbeat if I were in the area.
If you are close to the area, or would like to drive and play a quality course, then you owe it to yourself to play this course. I'm sure you will find it has a lot to offer.

Good mix of long, short, and technical. For big arm players there is a chance to let the arm out as well as work on placing shots. All player levels will have a good time on the course and the wind can add to the advantages if you can feel it out. Elevation shifts add to the experience. Hole 13 is a long downhill, there is a big dogleg on holes 10 and 15, 7 and 17 let you get a long drive in, 8, 9, and 14 offer a tunnel shot, and the shorts are 5,6, and 11.

Alternate pin placement only goes 10-15 yards for each pin. If we get more involvement, the local club wants to get sleeves and add more challenging alternates for each pin. So stop out and play, and if you are somewhat local head down on the weekends at 930 AM to play a round with us.

This course is well kept and has some awesome holes that are very reasonably placed.

The course is a very nice one, there are a lot of trees and wooded areas but not too much that you cant work around it and its very Fluent and play flows rather smooth

Nicely maintained park with mowed-grass fairways and nice amenities in the park, including jogging/bike paths, a swimming pool, and a nice playground. Surprising amount of elevation change for a course in Nebraska. Nice concrete tees. A lot of variety in hole shape - up, down, left, right, open, and tight. The trees add a lot of challenge to this course. Several holes have low ceilings, which force you to keep the disc low, while other holes are more open, giving more flexibility with how to throw the tee shot. The 14th was a challenging short hole that has either a tight tunnel shot, or a big swinging shot for a chance at birdie. Both would be tough, but it was a fun hole to try for birdie. There were a couple of fun, fairly open, downhill teeshots. Also, a couple holes play near or over a small creek.

Navigation was a bit challenging. Signage wasn't great, but adequate. A couple holes play a little too close to roads. The first hole has a big side slope that leads to a neighborhood road. If your disc starts rolling when it hits the ground, it can go into the street or into people's yards on the other side of the street (I know this from experience).

This wasn't a planned stop, so normally, I'd check the course map better beforehand, but navigation was a bit tricky. You have to cross streets a few times to get to the next hole. I parked near a practice basket near the 7th hole. I didn't know where the 1st hole was, so I started on the 3rd. The first hole is at the top of the hill, near the swimming pool. I'd suggest printing the map and carrying it with you if you haven't played here before. Be careful with the trees here. My disc got caught in the trees twice, which has only happened very rarely prior to my round here, so there must be something about the trees here.

Scorecards and course map at kiosk that doubled as a giant map.
Concrete tee pads, elevation, sections of good flow and navigation, and some signature holes.
So many good holes; Hole one starts off with a risky slanting hill by the basket. A putt that hits the basket could roll OB. Hole 2 was a big downhill with a creek behind the basket. 3 was a fun 375 foot uphill shot. 4 was a 400 foot downhill into the center of a small valley. 5 was a small uphill with the basket peeking out from behind a hill. This is another hole where a disc that hits the basket can roll away adding a stroke. Hole 13 was a big dog leg right 525 where you had to hit a gap 300 feet away. Hole 14 was a right to left downhill wooded slope. 15 looked like professional golf greens. It would have been a perfect hole if you could play across the creek.
Par is attainable for an intermediate player, but it is not given away as easy as many of the other Nebraska courses.
I played a dozen Nebraska courses and this was by far my favorite. It tested skill while maintaing the maximum fun factor. I remember walking by hole 14 earlier in the course and could not wait to play it. The course is broken up into little sections and there is some issues navigating from section to section, but it appears this land was used in some of the best ways possible. It is a great design for the land available and it is evident work is still being done to improve this course.

Same 6x6 signs as Cottonmill. 2 pin positions with no idea which location they are in on blind holes.
Some small navigation and flow issues. I needed the map to find holes 6, 8, 11, 15. Some took a while to find even with the map. Hole 6 seemed like a filler hole. Flow did not fit. From 5's basket you are closer to 7's tee.

Hole 8 was a bit of a safety issue, playing parallel with road.

While this course had some challenge, I would like to see a little more challenge for more advanced players.

This is a must play. I tried to play everything from North Platte to Kearney then south to McCook and this course was the best.

One of the best laid out course in the area, you will not be disapointed. It is both beginner and pro friendly, you will need every shot you have to pull off a good score and for those used to playing flat courses you better get those calf muscels in shape there are several hills lots of trees and several new trees which will make some holes much more challenging in the future. Do not miss this one.

They have alt pins but they haven't moved them in a long time. Can be a mosquito magnent at times, bug spray a must durring the summer.

I have played this course many times and it never gets old, wind is a big factor on most days so having a wind game is a must. Overall beautiful course well kept and a great time.

This is a well designed course in a well maintained park. The parks and Rece dpartment like having this course and do what they can to make sure the park is in greak condition. The Tru Line Customs guys and rest of the local crowd do a great job of keeping this course looking amazing. The tee pads are all concrete and very consistant from hole to hole. The design has a great mix of long and short holes. The design also makes really good use of the natural terrain. There are also some nice amenities in this park including a pretty spectacular looking playground and a very nice pavillion right in the middle of the course.

The tee signs are very basic and may not give you the best idea of what the hole is actually like. There are a couple of places where finding the next hole may be difficult without having a map. The trick is getting from 7 to 8 and then 10 to 11. The bathrooms in the park are run down and one doesn't even have a door on it, just in case you want to let someone watch you pee.

I had an absolute blast playing this course and everyone I have talked to that has played this course wishes they lived closer to the course. It honestly felt at times like I was playing on some private ball golf course with how well this course was maintained. I have to give props to the guys at Tru Line Customs again because they run quality tournaments and this is their home course. They run at least three tournaments here a year and you will not be disappointed when you play one of these events.

This course offers players a great park setting. You will throw a good mix of up and down hill shots. The parks and rec group does a great job of upkeep.

What you see is what you get. The alt pin placments do not offer much of a diffrence of play. Overall the course plays more on the short side.

Make the trip to McCook.

I just want to say, if you are from this area, or just passing by, this course is a must play!!!!!

Alt. pins are a little close together, but original pins are very good! I am sure the sleeves could be moved in the future.

This course is a blast!

This course provides the perfect balance of fun and skill. The rolling hills on this course make for plenty of creative and enjoyable upshots and bombs. The fairways are logical and are nearly perfect in width and length. The next tee box is always near the last basket. There is just about every different type of shot to be found here, and many of the fairways are non-repetitive. They have good tee boxes and posts and a good kiosk.

The stairway from 16 to 17 is a great touch! After walking across that stairway it becomes quickly apparent how much effort they put into this course and it shows, reflected in the design and the shot variety need throughout. Some of my favorite holes here are number 14 that provides a narrow alley and has an awesome pin placement next to a murky pond. Number 15 is also great, in that you have to put out a well placed drive to a tree opening and then you are shooting uphill to the basket, very creative. Number 13 and 4 provide you a chance to let out epic downhill bombs. Long story short, the variety here is top notch!

This course has to be one of the best, most honest, courses in Nebraska.

The course ends in the middle of the park somewhat. There is some confusion when looking for the next tee boxes when at Numbers 7, 10 and 13 where you must cross the street. Nothing a few little signs couldn't fix. Be prepared to climb up and down hills a bunch. I got tired and could use a bench or two thrown in.

I played this course with fellow reviewer Donovan. We decided that this course was better than we anticipated. Together we forged a strange dccoursereview phenomenon in which two critical reviewers came to a consensus on a course at the same time. While playing, my initial reaction was to give the courses a 3.5 but, like Donovan, I have decided that a four suits the course well. Since playing Kelley Park, I have been trying to come up with excuses to return!

This has some real fun elevation changes. There was a little water coming into play, besides the old fashioned sprinklers they use. This had one of the best message boards I have seen so far. It had the hole signs for each hole on it and the entire course map like a Google satellite image. The holes signs were on posts and were just fine. The cement tees were great. It has a bathroom available on #4 tee and #18 green. There are no real safety issues, except falling and rolling down one of the hills. LOL The fun factor was pretty high. I liked all the uphill throws and cliff like tee shots. Teeing off way up high #13 and watching it glide out of sight as it goes down the hill is a real blast.

It is quite a walk back to #1 when you are done. You will need the map to find your way around. You have to cross a road in three times (after #7, #10, #13). #16 will get muddy as it seems to be a good place for some water drainage.

There are lots of trees on this course but not forest like. I was getting tired after 2 rounds of these hills. My putting and scores were showing this too. LOL They built a beautiful stairway to get you down from 16 green to 17 tee. I had lots of fun and wouldn't mind having this course near me as a regular.