Mt. Kisco, NY

Leonard Park

3.685(based on 33 reviews)
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17 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 6.8 years 216 played 182 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Lovely Leonard Park

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ There are a practice basket, info board and lost & found right next to hole1.
+ Tee pads are long, sturdy, flat and wide pavers.
+ Most of the course has visible and reliable 'next' signs.
+/- The entire course plays in a deep dark forest with plenty of hills.
+The tee signs are illustrative and have the necessary info.
+ The baskets are numbered, but...

Cons:

- ...Those baskets are hard to spot. Tons of overlapping shadows permanently inhabit this place, easily shrouding the dimly colored pins.
-/+ Some steep walks here and there.
- Just a little repetitive.

Other Thoughts:

When I think of a hilly and wooded disc golf course, Leonard Park is exactly the type of place that comes to mind.

This is exemplified perfectly by hole10. To my mind, that one is the star of the show with its impressive steep valley peppered with trees from start to finish. The woods provide the obstacles while the valley provides the beauty and (slight) intimidation factor. The hole functionally plays straight, but who can deny that a tree-speckled valley almost never *feels* straight?

It's not perfect, though. So let me get the negative stuff out of the way real quick...

I should ackowledge how samey the holes could feel for some players. Those of us who prefer open or park style courses might get irritated with this course because it really is nothing but wooded holes until the very end. I didn't mind it, but just be aware what you're getting into. Hole5 might be the most boring example. It isn't a bad hole- just plain and direct.

Between holes4 and 11, I didn't see any 'next' signs. That was a little disappointing. It's possible that I simply wasn't looking in the right spots. Plus, I was playing the short layout. Maybe 'next' signage is more prevalent with the long baskets? (Quick shout-out to Tim from Middletown for being my guide.)

Also, as good and useful as the tee signs are, they appeared a little worn. The signs at holes9 and 17 (18 during my visit) are visibly damaged, and many of the others are scuffed, scratched, dented and the paint is beginning to peel off of pretty much all of them.

...But back to the positive stuff.

The course feels as though it is part of the landscape. Hole6 has clusters of tall rock formations that add to the mystery for first-time players. Holes13 and 14 have satisfying deep valleys, which give the course a more adventurous feel. On the more dangerous walks, rope banisters have been installed for safety.

And it's so peaceful. The park is far from any truly busy roads, industrial plants and commercial buildings. With so many trees and hills around, almost no outside sound interferes with the player's round. You're enjoying a disc golf course in the area's original woods with very few distractions.

As a sidenote, if you come here between late June and mid-August, Leonard Park hosts a youth summer day camp. They remove basket18, change hole17 into 18 and set up a temporary hole17. It doesn't subtract much from the experience, but it's something to be aware of.

Chances are you already know if you're going to like Leonard Park. If you prefer courses with wide open fairways, then this course won't make you happy. If you don't mind plenty of trees and hills in your disc golf, then this is just the place to go.

But whether you enjoy or hate this type of disc golf, I think we can all agree upon how impressive it is for a course to exist for more than 45 years.
Regarding the cell tower that is rumored to be built here, the most recent news articles say that Leonard Park is no longer the likely site for it. That's some good news for this historic course, and I hope it's true. How sad it would be if a course designed by Ed Headrick himself and this natural park at large were to be damaged for the sake of technology.
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18 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 225 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Historically significant and currently wonderful!

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Leonard Park is located in Mt. Kisco, NY. If you are lucky enough to not run into traffic, it's under an hour's drive from Times Square in midtown Manhattan - which makes this one of the closest disc golf options to NYC. You won't see any garish neon billboards here though - just a large park with tons of amenities like various ball fields, playgrounds, and even a pool. The 18-hole disc golf course plays well away from all of these in the back of the park.

Leonard Park DGC provides a challenging round of technical disc golf. The course plays in an old-growth forest, with a strong variety of fairways cut through the trees. Things are tight enough throughout the course to force all kinds of different shots. Those who are able to will definitely want to use both their backhand and forehand. The lines are fair though, and wide enough to be scorable if you can throw 250'ish or further with accuracy. Hole #17 is completely open (other than the approach to the basket) to provide a little variety. Distances range from 175' to 595', with six par 4's if playing the long layout.

Elevation changes also add challenge throughout the course - and help create a few holes that will stick in my mind. Hole 4 plays over rolling terrain that also slopes downward from left to right, and is where the exposed rock you'll get familiar with comes into play for the first time. Hole 5 is flatter but has much more rock lining the left side of the hole. Hole 8 is a nasty little 325' throw with a narrow fairway along the side of a hill that slopes steeply from right to left. The last 100' or so of the hole crests the ridge and slopes downhill to a basket tucked off to the right. Speaking as a RHBH thrower, this was one of the holes where I really wished I had spent more time working on my RHFH. :)

I'll probably remember hole 9 the most though. This one looks like a simple 350' dogleg left based on the tee sign, appearing from the tee to play along the bottom of a valley. But the same sign notes it is a par 4 hole, and after you round the corner you'll see why. The basket is perched on the top of an exposed rock face (basically a cliff) that is maybe 15'-20' tall. There are also a couple of trees next to the basket that can knock an approach shot that might otherwise be parked, back down the hill. I was fortunate to take my par on this one.

The back nine has several holes that play down a valley and back up the other side, which I always like. There are many more baskets perched on the edges of drop offs, or right on steep slopes. The exposed rocks add both challenge and aesthetic to the course throughout.

The baskets are DGA models, I think. Or were they Chainstars? I'm honestly not sure. It may have also been a mix of both. I am never a huge fan of baskets that have no band on wooded courses, as I feel they are difficult to see. But these are all in fine condition. The six par 4 holes had two baskets permanently installed - a long and short position. The shorts basically feel like a way to make these longest holes more accessible for recreational players.

The teepads are expertly laid arrays of patio pavers in wood frames. They are large, flat, and level. One tee pad per hole.

The tee signs looked to be on the older side, but they are nice. They show a map of the hole with all pin locations, distances, pars, and other info you would want. Something I wish I had taken more notice of during my round is that each sign also has a nickname for the hole! This is a fun touch that I have only seen on a couple of other courses.

There is a practice area at the first tee that has little stones in the ground indicating distances from the basket in 5 foot increments out to 30 ft. Another nice touch! The front nine and back nine each loop back to this area. A porta potty is available at the parking lot, and I think the rec building probably has bathrooms in it too (I didn't check).

Cons:

Navigation is a bit of a mixed bag. After some holes there are nice "Next Tee" signs that direct you where to go. On other holes these were missing and I had to look around carefully. Playing the long baskets, there is quite a bit of doubling back to find the next tee which added to the confusion (I noticed this more on the front nine than the back nine). There was a nice kiosk at the first tee, but no map was on it. I used the map uploaded here a couple times, which I believe is still more or less correct.

A walking path and picnic area can come into play on the finishing hole #18. In fairness, this hole is closed in the summer (the basket was actually pulled as of my visit). Signage indicates that you can play hole 16's short basket to long basket as hole 17, and hole 17 as hole 18 to make an 18-hole round. I appreciated this effort to make the course safer!

Note that the terrain is quite steep in places. In a couple of spots, it is so steep that ropes have been installed to help DG'ers clamber up and down the rocks. I would definitely recommend wearing shoes or boots with good grip.

There is plenty of distance here, but those who prefer a more open style of golf might not enjoy this one as much. There are no water hazards or wide open bomber holes (the one open hole #17 is only 330' long).

The land between hole 2's short and long baskets looked like it could be very swampy during the wet season, or even after a heavy rain. There was a very narrow path through this that was basically just a couple of wood boards sitting on the ground.

There are no trash cans on the course, although signs tell you to pack out what you pack in.

The first part of the course had several benches to sit down at, but on the back nine when I was getting tired I don't remember any.

Other Thoughts:

Finding the course within the huge park may not be immediately obvious. You'll want to park in the very back parking lot, near the rec center/pool building. Then proceed to walk around the left side of the building and up the hill behind it to find the beginning of the course.

I did not know this prior to visiting, but a note on hole 12's tee sign indicates that this course was originally designed by Ed Headrick - PDGA#001 and the father of disc golf. Unlike some other early courses I have read about though, this one still has some serious teeth and will provide a fun and challenging round for most skill levels today.

Signs on the kiosk and at a couple places on the course indicate that the park is being considered for construction of a cell tower. The signs oppose this effort and imply that could affect the future of this course. Losing this course to something like that would truly be a shame (and cell reception on the course was fine for me).

This was my first course played in the state of New York and it greatly exceeded my expectations. It is definitely a must-play for DG'ers local to the greater NYC area, and for visitors looking to get a round in it's a worthy choice. I drove here, but I believe it is fairly accessible via train from the city as well. If the locals were to refresh the navigational signage and add a second basket to the remaining holes, I would probably increase this rating to 4.5.

Thanks Ed!
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15 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 382 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A Terrific Woods Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 13, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Terrific course: lots of elevation changes and heavily wooded, but all holes have fair lines

+ Great teepads and signage. When I played there were brooms at every tee

+ Practice basket at 1st tee. Look for the stone distance markers set in the ground by the practice basket, marking out 5 ft increments from the basket - nice touch!

+ Long and short baskets on many of the holes: make time to play the course twice

+ The course starts out pretty tame with holes #1 and #2. They're wooded, but the fairway gaps are fairly wide. You can use the big tree behind the first basket as a backstop

+ Hole #3 introduces the elevation - pretty dramatically - it's a short hole with the basket perched at the top of a steep hill. Hole #4 is also uphill, but it's longer and a much more gradual change

+ If you're a right-hander, I hope you brought your forehand to hole #6. The basket is off to the right, placed midway up a rocky ridge. The best way in is from the side, so a big sweeping FH is your best bet, knowing the rocks will stop the disc

+ Hole #8 can be devious, because of the way the landscape affects your eye. The basket is off to the right and hidden way down in a valley. All you can see is the dramatically sloped fairway, from high-right to low-left. Plus, there are a couple of big trees off the left side of the tee that can get in your head. This shot will test your ability to concentrate on your line, and not be distracted by everything around it

+ Hole #9 is a big finish to the front. Your drive is up and over a humped fairway, to get down into a wide receiving bowl. The short basket was missing to day I played (you can find the spot for the post in the middle of the fairway landing area). The long basket is off to the left, high up on a rocky ridge. Makes for a challenging approach

+ Hole #10 (and it's little brother Hole #14) are dramatic shots across a valley. This was my first time playing here, so I didn't know it was coming - but I have to think #10 looms in your head for a few holes leading up to it

+ Be careful about going too far right on Hole #11. It's a steep and rocky hill as you get nearer to the basket. Lots of trees and growth. You'll be obstructed and have a poor stance (that's experience speaking...)

+ After the stretch of three or four tough holes, it felt like the course eased up a little on #12 - #14, with #14 being a fun mid/putter across a valley. It's not apparent, but there's a clean hyzer line through the trees on the right

+ #15 is fairly open, but the challenge comes at the "green" - another basket placement on a rocky hillside with possible death putts

+ #16 long is soooo long - I'm guessing the update to the layout combined a couple of par 3's to make this par 5, because the walk from the short basket to the long basket felt like the length of an entire hole

+ The basket on #17 is well hidden in the woods at the base of the hill. It's straight out from the tee even though you can't see it. This is a great chance to open up because it's the first time you're not in the woods. Elevation makes this tricky though, because a disc that turns over will likely keep flying all the way to the OB baseball diamond at the base of the hill. My suggestion is to throw something reliably overstable that's going to hook up for you

+ A fun open finishing hole on #18 - with the option to make it an island green


Cons:

- The only real con is the baskets: the old chainstars are hard to spot in the woods. I carry a rangefinder, and having the scope helps a lot.

- The short basket on #9 was missing when I played (it seems to be in use on #17; I guess they're just down one basket)

- There's some difficulty understanding the courses on uDisc: "Main" seems to be the short baskets, and "New" seems to be the longs, although they both show Par 55. Luckily the on-course signage is really good

Other Thoughts:

~ The terrain reminds me a lot of Veteran's Park in Bridgeport, but Leonard's design is much better

~ One of the aspects that makes Leonard's design a standout is the differing distances of the gaps you have to hit off the tees. A lot of courses use trees to create narrow gaps near the tees. If you clear the big trees 40 feet out, you're fine. Leonard Park's layout features some gaps near the tees (like #2 and #5), but it also has some holes where the gap is 150 - 200 feet out (like #11 and #12). This variety makes every hole its own challenge, requiring its own unique plan for playing

~ With the exception of the two closing holes, this is all woods. I personally think that "best of the best" courses provide a mix of woods and open holes, so I put courses like Brakewell, FDR and Stafford Woods a notch above Leonard Park. But as an almost entirely woods course, Leonard more than holds its own with other woods courses like Doc Cramer, Tyler East, Allaire and Greystone

~ This was my first time at Leonard Park. Reading back through some of the reviews, I have no idea how this course "used to be", but in 2019 it's one of the very best in the area. I don't know if the park employees tend to the course, but the volunteers at WEDGE deserve a ton of credit and thanks
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5 1
slippingdiscs
Experience: 27 played 27 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Location 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Mostly in the woods
Not crowded
Located in a nice park
Friendly players
Nice hike while going hole to hole
Putting-practice basket
No water or ravine hazards
Plenty of parking

Cons:

On most holes, it's hard to see the basket from the tee and the signs aren't always accurate.
18th hole is across an open picnic area. If people are sitting in this area, they might get hit by discs.


Other Thoughts:

Located less than an hour from NYC.
Though the park says it's for residents of Mt. Kisco, no one checks.
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1 0
MikeSKY
Experience: 9 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Leonard Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 11, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course layout with nice tee pads on every hole.

Nice length make some holes feel long, but they feel like they play fun and easy.

My favorite thing about this course are the three holes that the tee pad is on a hill and the basket is across a valley on another hill... great course idea.

Up kept well.

Cons:

On holes where you have the option for a par 3 and a par 4, we couldn't find the par 3 baskets for three of the holes so we just played the par 4s.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, Great fun, Great Disc Golf.
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2 4
Tan-Vic-Own-Sim-Moon
Experience: 12.9 years 92 played 10 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Awesome course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great course, ton's of tight holes with good length and huge elevation changes.
Good mix of shorter and longer holes. Very challenging course. Even for the Shawn Simon's of the world.

Cons:

Tiring AF! Definitely bring lots of beer and take a couple breaks if you have some lazy bastards with you!

Could use some water holes.
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9 0
whitefedora
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.5 years 905 played 36 reviews
4.00 star(s)

a redesign worth visiting 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

- level paver tee pads
- nice baskets
- variety of length and shot shaping
- alternate pin positions
- great elevation
- beautiful woods set off from a very nice multiuse park where the course is still quite private
- concession stand near hole 1 during the summer
- benches
- uses the best parts of the topography available while keeping a very easy flow for navigation
- fairways are always fair

Cons:

Not a lot of cons here.

- some of the hiking through the course can be a bit difficult, but I certainly appreciate it.
- not terribly cart friendly with all the rocks throughout.
- first timers might have a couple tricky spots with navigation or which basket they are throwing to. Just bring the map on here. It is current. And they should have some at the kiosk there as well.

Other Thoughts:

The course has some real charm and great wooded golf. I love that there are some original steady Ed holes left that really define the roots of the course, but ultimately the course plays to Today's standards of golf very well.

Hole 1 is a great opener that lets you air out a straight shot with a deceptive little elevation change

The old holes 2 and 3 were combined to make a much longer hole 2 that begs you to break out your biggest driver, but still requires you to maintain control and not anny out or hit any trees.

Hole 3 is super uphill straight shot that lets you know there will be some fun elevation here and that you are going to be winding through some serious woods.

Hole 4 is off to the right of 3 and has a sloping elevation left to right with a valley it's pretty neat and a little daunting with how tight it is, but I still think it is quite fair.

Hole 5 has you back track a tiny bit to the tee pad and is a nice anny shot with a basket that is on a hillside

Hole 7 was a great downhill kind of flex RHBH shot. Seemed like there were more lines that I wanted to explore as well

Hole 8 was really neat with the hillside. It goes up and then way down and to the right, but has a very nasty right to left slope early on that would cause for some serious bogeys

Hole 9 had the best basket placement with a long hyzer hole where the basket was perched on top of a huge boulder very close to the edge.

Hole 10 went from the top of 9's hill over the valley and up another hill. Distance felt a bit off from the sign, but I could have just stunk up the hole, lol. Nice FH and a nice gentle turnover route.

Hole 12 was a perfectly straight, slightly uphill, low ceiling shot that was an original steady Ed hole. Really fun interesting character that really isn't as easy as you would think.

13 has an awesome downhill shot off a drop off that you have to walk around to get off. Just beautiful golf here

14 is another short steady Ed hole that is short, but this time tight and downhill with a slightly guarded green

15 has a great hillside green on a hyzer lane

16 is a bomber hole that winds through a mostly flat fairway, but has some really fun gentle curves with multiple lanes available. Really great hole.

17 plays downhill with hyzer. Starts in the trees with 80% of the fairway in the middle an open field, but goes right back into the woods. Makes you think this short hole is easy, but really to get a 2 you need a precise throw

18 has an island green and is quite flat/open except for the green. Tables here could be problematic, but are very visable. Kinda sad way to end such a great course experience, but it gets you back where you started and it isn't terrible, just not up to the rest of the courses standards I feel.

All in all, it's a real shame this course is being held back by reviews of yore. The club here has done amazing things and really revitalized this course without taking away the original charm from it's routes. Just a stellar job here and I'd love to come back and throw it again.
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1 2
Distructo
Experience: 18.4 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

New layout over cliffs
New brick teepads
Easy to follow course

Cons:

Ticks
A little bit of a climb for walking

Other Thoughts:

This course has made a significant turn around after Ryan, the course manager took over. New layouts and teepads made from brick. Its marked well and each hole is true to its hole information.
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2 0
luma
Experience: 11.7 years 35 played 11 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Worth a visit 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 4, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

- It is certainly very challenging. I usually play -5 or better a round and I was really happy about my -1 that I just got because of a Birdie on 18. Not sure if this is a plus for everyone, but I love courses where Par is a good score, and you don't have to play like -12 on 18 holes to consider it a good round. After all its Professional Average Score...
- Anyway, I liked the Tee Pads, they were absolutely NOT slippery, even though it was cold and had rained the days before and the shoes were muddy. Best Tee Pads except Järva that I had in my short "career"
- Even though the new tee signs on the secnd 9 werent put up yet I could nearly always find the new tee. That tells me that it is a nice flowing course rather than a 300' hole-500' walk course, which I like a lot
- The holes themselves were overall really nice, even though there were only the short pins up instead of long ones on a few holes, nice use of elevation as well, makes for some beautiful shots over small valleys or up to the basket on the rock on hole 9

Cons:

- really not much cons, maybe that it gets a little slippery when it rained before, and as it is for a wooded course, lots of leaves during winter time, but thats nnot really much of a con
- maybe the "biggest" con is that the holes get "boring" towards the end of the round. you really have no drive that needs to be longer than 350', 18 is maybe the most diffierent hole from all the others with a more wide open fairway and just some larger trees. the rest is very wooded and always plays through tight gaps.
- I dont like "luck holes" with no real fairway like hole 2, but tahst basically the only luck hole i think. fairways are mostly tight but fair, if you get off the fairway better get your recovery game on

Other Thoughts:

Well, I've been to the US for vacation and visitied NYC for 10 days. If you stay in central manhattan, this course is certainly worth a visit. Just hop into the northbound train at grand central and it takes you an hour (except if there is a track fire....man that sucked) to go to mt kisco station. from there 20 minutes of walking to the course. like halfway there you find a nice pizza, i thing it was something like maranella or so. make sure to get a slice of pizza there, best pizza i got while being in the US.
Make sure you have old shoes and some pants to get dirty, maybe even if it didn't rain the day(s) before. I liked the course a lot because at home we dont really have those tight wooded courses, they are mostly in a park with more open space. If you're used to wooded courses you might not find it that spectacular, but still - worth a visit i think.
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1 0
adkponds
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Leonard Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice layout, heavily wooded. Makes for a nice challenge. Much nicer than wide open courses.

Cons:

Need better signs at each tee box for the hole layout. (some don't have any) Certainly needs a better job in pointing the player in the correct direction between many of the holes. Fortunately was able to pickup a scorecard at the kiosk at the start. Without that may have not, or had a very difficult time locating the next tee box in some cases. A long walk between #17 and 18 and again nothing to point you in the right direction. #18 was odd as it played through a picnic area. Didn't realize there were more than 18 holes until reading reviews as I was writing this one.

Other Thoughts:

When all the tee boxes are completed will be very nice. Surely would play this course again if I were in the area.
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5 0
runningDoc
Experience: 9.9 years 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

New Tee Boxes are excellent... now a excellent and fun course to check out. 2+ years

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

Pros:

This is a very old school course situated in a elevated area with almost all 18 holes being entirely inside the woods.

It looks like all the tees are are getting new tee boxes and some already have them installed. The new tee boxes look great (with brick patterns).

UPDATE (11/1/14): the new teepads are in! and are excellent. It looks like brick/terraform so its very grippy and confidence inducing during long run ups.

There are some great challenging/interesting holes (like hole 8 and 6 which play very long. And other holes which you have to throw up a large hill (looks to be at least 45ft high) or across a ravine.

UPDATE (11/1/14): they have combined holes 2 and 3 for a mega 500ft par 4 inside the dense woods. Its more open than it looks though and adds a nice long hole to this park which didn't seem possible since its 95% inside the thick forest.

The park has free parking and is actually located on a larger park that has many ball fields, nice public pool, and some pretty good sandwich shops/pizza slice places nearby.

The ball fields right next to the course is great to do some nice field practice work warm ups before a round.

UPDATE 11/1/14 - Since the new tee boxes are installed this park is definitely a 4.0 now. Its a great north east DG park with super technical wooded shots mixed in with some fun elevation holes (hole 3 where you throw upward on a 40ft high hill) and hole 8 where you throw down the the other side of the hill on a slight dog leg right.

Hole 13 is a fun one where you throw across a large ravine, where righties/LHFH throwers have to think twice about going wide or else it'll hit rock wall and roll all the way down.

Cons:

as of 11/1/14 the new excellent brick/terraform tee boxes are in, but no permanent signage has been created. Its confusing because they combined holes 2 and three and the numbering on some of the old signs are now one off.

It was easy enough for me to figure it out since I've played the course before, but definitely confusing for new players. Fortunately there is a map on the WEDGE website of the new layout so if you have a smartphone just go to wedge (westchesterdiscgolf.com) and work from there.

if you're used to nicer courses with proper tee signage this might be a negative.

Other Thoughts:

I played here for the 1st time and it was a tournament no less and had some extra time to run through the course quickly with just a putter an a midrange before the tournament started.

I actually scored better with just the putter and midrange running quickly to get in a round than my actual tournament with all my discs a little later... doh!

as of 11/1/14 I finally got to play this course again and since I knew a lot of the tricks and lines to take I scored a lot better than the monthly tournament I did when I was a total beginner. Its a fun course.
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1 1
evilempire
Experience: 9.8 years 27 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 13, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very friendly people who were out doing course work. Very natural and lots of elevation. Each hole was very unique from the next.

Cons:

Signage and tee boxes could use a little work and updating. Def some muddy parts wear some old shoes when you go

Other Thoughts:

very neat course only got about 9 holes in before we had to go but its enjoyable !
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1 1
DPGRAY1962
Experience: 11.8 years 13 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wooded Challenging Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging course with wooded and hilly fairways. On edge of the park away from main traffic areas so little interference from other park goers.

Cons:

Course signage is weak or non-existent. Definitely need to take a map along. Lots of low lying areas that can be very muddy.

Other Thoughts:

Use insect repellent as mosquitoes can be present.
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1 0
SnowSerf
Experience: 25.1 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Leonard 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 5, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Classic east coast course first designed by a legend. I like this course quite a bit. I almost didn't want to write about it because it is little hidden gem. Yes the holes are a little tough to follow first time around but it does have all new baskets and some new beautiful brick tees are going in. Great to see this classic course being upgraded. Nice changes of elevation. Mainly woods, with workable fairways. Also a couple a practice baskets are nice

Cons:

Course layout is a little crazy. The 18th is a big hike from the first and parking lot. Also there is some garbage here and there. Pretty decent signage but it really deserves better, which it seems will be coming.
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2 1
nnelson42
Experience: 11.7 years 13 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Download Course Map 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 4, 2013 Played the course:once

Other Thoughts:

Not much to add to reviews other than what has already been mentioned other than the old baskets have been mostly updated with brand new baskets.

****IMPORTANT*****

If you have never played Leonard Park before, make sure you bring the course map. I just uploaded it in the media section. Friday was the first time I have played the course and without the map I would never have found all the holes (specifically 15-18)
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6 0
rphancock1
Experience: 11.3 years 34 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

An Historic Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 15, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-A piece of disc golf history, designed by Ed Headrick in 1977. One of the first on the east coast.
-The baskets, which were very old and notorious for spitting out discs, are now being replaced. All but three or four holes are new, as of 9/15/13.
-There is also a new practice basket next to hole one, which is a welcome relief from the confidence destroying basket on a rocky slope that doubled as the hole 21/practice basket before.
-The easiest course to reach from Manhattan for those of us without cars. $23 round trip ticket on Metro-North to Mt. Kisco, grab a sandwich across the street at Cosi for between rounds, and take one of the cabs waiting at the train station to Leonard Park (tell him to take you back by the pool, then walk up the hill behind the pool for hole one) for only $5 plus tip. Get his card and call to pick you up when you're done.
-Very rarely have I ever had to wait on other players. Not at all a crowded course.

Cons:

-tee pads are awful. If you need a runup to throw, this isn't your course. I throw from a standstill, and it still takes me a minute to find a spot that I feel comfortable throwing from.
-bathrooms are closed when the pool is closed, which is basically when it isn't summer.
-no water fountain.
-Holes 19, 20, 21 should be eliminated. These holes are awkward, and mar an otherwise fantastic short wooded course. They cross each other as well as other fairways, then share 14's basket, which is super annoying when you're about to tee off on 14 and see a disc come flying into your landing zone. 21 crosses a soccer and baseball field (which in summer are always full of people and unplayable anyway) just to get you back to the parking lot. As if you couldn't just walk back to the parking lot without throwing a disc. This hole especially should be eliminated. The course has a great character by being tight and wooded and technical, and it doesn't need the silly tack-on of long open field shots at the end.
-hikers often wander through.. not a big deal, but be aware.
-signage is negligible. Print out a map if you need.

Other Thoughts:

This course isn't particularly friendly to first-timers.. few amenities, maps, signs.. no spacious concrete tee pads.. However, this course is full of great and deceptively challenging holes. 270' holes that play like 325', and 270' holes that play like 175'. This was the first course I played in the east, after being introduced to disc golf on the west coast (on the first permanent course Oak Grove in LA). It's been really interesting to play it over and over as I've progressed. I've probably played more than 50 rounds here, and still love trying to find the perfect shot on many holes. I regularly play Nockamixon, Tyler, Warwick, and Cranbury, and I believe that although those courses have more variety, this course rivals them in terms of challenging shot-making and line shaping. Old and new deciduous trees, boulders, and great elevation changes on every hole.

This course is technically short, but it won't feel like it. There are some ace runs (but almost always with a fast green behind to make you think twice), and all birdies have to be earned.

Hole 1 has a slight hill in front of it that can really affect you mentally (especially forehand), sloping up from the tee box and then levels off down a 200' fairway which opens into a large clearing around a beautiful old oak tree. The line makes a hard right turn at the clearing and the pin is about 50' to the right. A very tricky hole to birdie for backhanders, though there is a small route to cut the corner off the right turn and get under the basket.

Hole 2 is one of the longer par 3's at 339'. Nice variety of routes through a wide fairway then a good number of trees halfway to the pin.

Hole 3 is a 315' tunnel of terror. You can either nail your hyzer-flip and laser it down the very narrow fairway, or take your chances forehanding something off to the left into the relatively more open area and giving up on the birdie.

I won't go through the whole course, as there is a good earlier review that describes most of the other holes. I will add that the rough is punishing, but there is almost always an opportunity to save par with a stellar shot, and there are some blind holes where it's possible to lose a disc.. holes 8 and 9 particularly.

All 18 holes are wooded, and there are some very tight fairways, but there's always a way through.

In general, the beauty of this course is that the risk/reward is so balanced.. the more you play this course the more routes you see. There are many holes that have a safer route and a birdie/ace run route... try them both on multiple rounds.

If the tee pads, signs, and useless extra three holes were dealt with, this would easily be a 4.5 star course based on the quality of golf required alone. Hopefully that's underway in the "redesign" notice I saw on the new kiosk near hole one.. It's hard to imagine the 18 main holes altered in any other way.
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2 0
adevuyst
Experience: 10 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

oldie but a goodie 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 6, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great layout. Alot of the wooded courses we have around here are too wooded. This course has just the right amount of trouble to give the players a choice of a couple different lines. Also, good mix of rightie/leftie favoring holes.

Cons:

The signage (where it exists) is a bit weak. Lots of mud potential so don't go after rain. WEAR BUG SPRAY... Lots of mosquitoes!

Other Thoughts:

Hole 13 gets skipped a lot since the tee for 14 is right next to the basket for 12, so make sure you walk through the woods off to the right for 13. Hole 16 is by far the most fun, giving players a nice gap to clear with a slight annie or well placed late finishing sidearm being rewarding here. Hole 17 is your bag emptying hole with a nice long downhill shot slowly curving left around a hill with a pretty fast green. If you're out of shape you can skip hole 4 by going right of the hill which leads to 5.
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2 1
aktmjcor
Experience: 16.5 years 6 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

1st Time at Kisco 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 7, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

great terrain. I loved the fact that the birdies are there you just have to go get em! Not an easy course but I could see shooting par or better as a local. I am a 890 rated player so Pros could rip this up pretty good but even so the fairway shots are not give away's you have to earn em all. Wooded but not ridiculous. Short but not simple.

Cons:

tee pads need work. Better signs. I went for an Ice Bowl but I said to myself at least a few times "I'm glad I'm not alone, I wouldn't find some of these tees"

Other Thoughts:

During winter months, provide sleds for a nice down hill going to 18 tee by the pump house!!! hahha. Some kids were tearing it up!
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2 1
KingOTheCask624
Experience: 16.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Leonard Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice and secluded (despite being in a big town park), tons of overgrowth to keep out the sun (but little undergrowth), not too challenging but not too easy

Cons:

Not well marked

Other Thoughts:

Must be even nicer when it's warmer out.
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2 3
komo418
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

A great test of accuracy because of the heavily guarded holes and fairways. Great work out and setting.

Cons:

This course can be very frustrating. Dirt tee pads make it difficult to tee off in wet conditions. Bugs can be aggravating due to the marshy landscape under the dense canopy of trees. Finally, the tee at hole 21 (the longest and most difficult hole) turned into a pond the last day I played. This course would be more fun during the winter time or a doubles tournament. Not for beginners.

Other Thoughts:

This course has a lot of potential. All that is needed is better tee pads, new baskets, and a tree here and there cut down.
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