Fort Wayne, IN

Shoaff Park

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3.255(based on 24 reviews)
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12 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Loafin' at Shoaff: Sliced White Bread with Butter and Jam!

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 1, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Shoaff Park DGC's 24 holes navigate three distinct sections of the park. Hole #1's tee can be located just past the pavilion...if you see #9's basket you're headed the right way. The first seven holes work their way around and through a section containing mature oaks, before hole #8 enters the woods, followed by the six letter holes (A-F) which play through a heavily wooded deciduous forest. After emerging from the woods back into the open, hole #'s 9-18 start stretching things out a bit distance wise over an mostly open, mostly flat area that is dotted with a few trees to break up the monotony. It's a solid mix of terrain for a city park-style course.
- Elevation has its moments but nothing to write home about. Hole #7 is fun in this regard, with a downhill hyzer along the edge of the woods, basket tucked just into the tree line. Design does a good job eking out most of the choicest bits.
- Good mix of distances with the one-pin, two-tee configuration. Everything from short ace runs to deuce-or-die to longer 500'+ holes. Dual tees here are the key, as the blues play long and tough while the reds are a more digestible layout (for the most part).
- Amenities: a pair of concrete tees on each hole, red/blue course signs make navigation easy despite being able to see *a ton* of baskets and pads all at once from most locations. Reasonably decent flow, although with so much jammed in together near the start, it may take a minute to orient oneself.
- The wooded holes are beautiful if non-descript midwestern deciduous forest. The tight, fun holes help add a lot to balance out a bit of the back half's blandness.

Cons:

- A lot of the holes seem to be jammed into the mature tree/grassy park area by the pavilion. Not sure how this plays on a busy day but I imagine it gets a bit clustery.
- Busy multi-use park mostly avoids conflicts. There's a playground and a walking path by a couple of holes but nothing out of the norm. The pavilion can be rented/reserved and spillover can definitely impact the course. I saw a sign (on the ground from a previous date) saying certain holes were closed due to a reception. Not sure how often this impacts play.
- Hole E was the only hole that kinda didn't quite fit. It's pretty scruffy from the Blue tee, with a chuck-and-pray sort of vibe, in comparison to the rest of the wooded holes, which are exceptional technical golf exercises.

Other Thoughts:

- Lots of other park activities/amenities that I didn't get a chance to scope. I did see the ball golf course, soccer fields, tennis courts, playgrounds/splashpad and river walking path.
- Shoaff definitely screams "hit me early or during off-hours"...I could be wrong, but this strikes me as a course you don't want to be on while it's crowded.
- I played Blue Tees for this review.
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3 0
BigDiscDaddy
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun course to learn and grow your skills 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Front 9 has good mix of shots
-Easy to navigate
-Multiple tee locations
-Nice cement tee pads
-Front 9 has lots of elevation changes
-Good signage
-Big map of course at start
-New 6 holes in the woods for more technical shots

Cons:

-Back 9 mostly open bombers with barely any obstacles
-Can get very crowded with other golfers or park users
-Back 9 can get very windy
-6 extra holes can get very buggy/overgrown during summer

Other Thoughts:

Course is a fun beginner friendly course that offers a lot on the front 9 to intermediate to advanced players as well. Careful of others using the park as they often walk or sit on fairways.
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3 1
JAgasgrill
Experience: 12.8 years 66 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good Beginner Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wide Open
Multiple shot options
Mowed and maintained by the parks department
Adding some extra holes in the near future, as well as,the alternate pin placement.

Cons:

Very Simple
No real room for error
Trees have fallen recently and made it even easier
Park can become full with other patrons
Driving paths at times are a constant flow

Other Thoughts:

Worth your time playing. With future changes, this course has some potential to bring in new players.
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2 2
deisel
Experience: 7.8 years 13 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Shoaff Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good layout
Decent hole signage
Multiple tees

Cons:

No concrete on the back tees
No directional signage

Other Thoughts:

Really liked this course. If I hadn't taken a picture of the course map though I would have been lost. Loved the mix of long open holes with the short and technical.
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2 0
cmsieja
Experience: 12.8 years 19 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Not Bad for a Road Trip 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained, very spacious, good mix of challenging holes and easier ones, no water hazards!

Cons:

Some of the holes seem repetitive, a little hard to navigate the course as there is no map on the park property and no arrows/markers to let you know where the next tee is

Other Thoughts:

We stopped by Shoaff park on the way back to Toledo, OH from Fishers, IN. This was the second course we played for the day, and one of the better courses we have been to. There was a few cross country teams practicing in the park, so we had to wait for them to cross a few times, but other than that, the course itself was very nice. It would be pretty great if they painted some arrows or at least put up a map though, we ended up starting on hole 16 and then finding our way to each hole, but it would have been nice to know where to go!
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3 0
dmgeng
Experience: 7.9 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great beginner course with few major hazards 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

All signage and pads are clear and visible.
A forgiving mix of open and slightly wooded to have some variety.
Some left and right dog legs to open all skills.
Great beginner course or low profile outing for better players.
No significant hazards like rivers or ponds.
Always well kept, ie. grass cut, trees trimmed, and signs repaired.

Cons:

Not too challenging for those above beginner.
Not a lot of distance for better players.
Alternate tees are only marked with posts.
Many people most of the time since it is near the college.

Other Thoughts:

A great course to go out and have fun with a friend or a whole group. Not going to loose too many discs on this beginner friendly course.
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3 0
Gizmotronx
Experience: 12 years 23 played 14 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Tale of Two Courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 3, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Front 9 are interesting and fun. Nice elevation changes, challenging and fun trees/lines.

Nice park for family/others to enjoy

Cons:

Front 9 had a lot of people to watch out for.
Back 9 are boring. Flat, wide open, few trees.
Very close to a road, dangerous.
Signs are in bad shape.
Hard to navigate. Had to go back to the beginning at one point to find the next tee.

Other Thoughts:

It was very windy when I played, not sure if that is common or just a bad day.
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2 0
smoothie
Experience: 10.9 years 8 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very well maintained
Along a beautiful golf course
Easy to navigate
Concrete Tee Boxes

Cons:

No trash cans
Hole Signs need redone - very hard to read
Lots of people and car traffic around course
Not real difficult, few mature trees
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2 1
Musicphan
Experience: 10.8 years 29 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Fun wide open course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 31, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This was the first course I've played in a many years. It was good for me because I didn't have my own discs and it was realistically my first time out. The course was wide open so no harm spraying the disc a bit. Fairly flat layout and I don't recall it being terribly long.

Cons:

OK condition... no real complaints but it looked like the course could use a little refresh. It was hard at times to figure out which hole was next. Not a lot of signage so we followed some locals in front of us. I don't believe the bathrooms were open either.

Other Thoughts:

Fun community course at a fairly nice park.
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2 1
mgcarney
Experience: 14.9 years 94 played 55 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wide Open Spaces 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained. The grass isn't too tall. The course makes use of what it has very well. The lines of trees cover baskets and create interesting shots. A few holes have mandos which are a nice addition. The baskets are old, but do not show much wear outside of the faded numbers on top of the baskets.

Cons:

Very popular park for non-disc golfers. We had a few dog walkers interrupt our game. There is also a steady stream of cars along the left side of a couple of holes. Be mindful. The course doesn't flow very well either. The tee pads are highly visible and marked, but knowing where to go next is tricky. The biggest problem to a person first playing this course is that hole one starts in the center of the park. The person I played with says he usually starts at #15 so he finishes by the parking lot. The signs do not lead to the closest lot.

Other Thoughts:

I finished this course with a local. He told me that all of the trees with an orange dot will soon be removed. When this happens, they may have to move some hole locations to keep it interesting. There were a couple holes where the only tree that was in play is going to be removed.
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7 1
KGB84
Experience: 18.8 years 325 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Run of the mill 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Practice basket
-Club announcement board
-Course maps on board
-Score cards available
-Very spacious tee pads
-Good baskets
-Easy to navigate
-Front and Back loops
-Alt natural tees
-Bathrooms/water fountain at Conklin pavillion
-Food nearby
-Large, mature trees

Cons:

-Very open back 9
-Even with mature trees; front is still pretty open
-No forced shots
-Only 1 trashcan
-Very popular with beginning disc golfers
-Lots of foot traffic from other park users
-Large playground/splash pad by #6 can be very distracting
-Picnics in the fairways( due to tables being moved to where ever wanted)

Other Thoughts:

This is the oldest course in town. It sets in a large, well maintained, mutli-use public park. There are baseball fields, soccer fields, a playground, splashpad, fishing pond, ball golf course, boat ramp for river access, and tennis courts. So, look out for fellow park users.

The course itself is not what I would call exciting, by any means. It is a straight forward round. I refer to it as a longer "Pitch & Putt". Throw your drive 100' left of the fairway and you still have a wide open shot to the basket. There is now rough to really speak of. The only OB on the course are roads and Mandotories. Which are on #5 and #13, both to the left of the marked tree.

I played here a lot when I was a "Noob". Now a days I like more of a challenge and will bypass Shoaff and go to The 2 courses at Swinney. If you want a fun, easy day of golf where you wont lose a disc. Then Shoaff Is the course for you.
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3 0
yoshi_jockey
Experience: 23 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good options 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice mix of lengths, especially with the new recently installed alternate tees.

The cement tees offer a pretty standard course, which is good for beginners to learn on.

The front 9 is slightly wooded, and offers some shots that require accuracy

The alternate course definitely adds some challenge for more serious disc golfers

Cons:

The cement tees in the back 9 are basically wide open shots, which can be too daunting to new players (because of the length) and too boring for advanced players (because of the lack of obstacles to avoid).

The front 9 is also built along a pavilion, which often houses gigantic parties, allowing children to run wildly through the course without parental supervision. This is especially bad on holes 5-9, which are also by a playground and splash pad. It can be very frustrating trying to play a round when someone has dragged a picnic table into the fairway, or when there are a group of teenagers randomly sitting right where you need to throw.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoy this course because it is easy enough to play regardless of skill level, especially since the alt tees have been put in that lead to the same baskets. Therefore, I can play from the regular tees, and my husband can play from the alts, but we still end up at the same spot.
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9 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Pretty easy 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course has two very different sections. The front 9 plays through nice mature trees with rolling hills. Many of the holes take advantage of the elevation changes with some fun downhill shots and a couple interesting holes back up the hill. The back nine is much flatter and more open, with longer holes and wide open shots on many holes. Stands of trees are used to protect several of the pins on the back, making it a little more challenging. There is a nice variety of hole lengths, especially with the alternate tees. The front 9 calls for some different shot shapes, and offers multiple lines through the mature trees on many holes.

There are good concrete tees, with plenty of space and a decent texture. The baskets show some age, but are in good shape and catch well. The grounds were nicely mowed, and there wasn't too much trash or vandalism. There were some good hole maps available at the beginning of the course that were really helpful in navigating the course.

Cons:

This course doesn't really test a better disc golfer at all. The front 9 is pretty short, and offers plenty of generous lines. The back 9 is longer, but is wide open so it's not hard to drive the pin on nearly every hole. There isn't any punishment for missing your line, and the course doesn't at all push players to throw very many different lines. The back 9 feels a little repetitive, most of the holes are flat, open, and straight ahead with a little protection around some of the baskets.

The signage is pretty poor, it doesn't show hole layout, and many of the distances seemed off. There are often multiple baskets in view, and the navigation is a little weird in spots, so without a map or guide it could get a little frustrating. The alternate tees looked like they changed up the course on the map, but they were not marked at all, and were difficult to find.

Other Thoughts:

This is a nice beginner course, not too much trouble, and plenty of shorter holes for newer players. More experienced throwers won't find too many challenges or really much variety to keep them coming back. It's a good warm up for the Swinney courses, but not really worth much of a trip out of your way all on it's own.
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1 8
mello d
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

two thumbs up! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1st course played & have a jolly good time every time i play...talk about viva variety?!?!? 1st 9 are trees & shade...whilst the back 9 is open & sunshiney! aesthetically pleasing to the eye & easy to learn the layout after a couple o' rounds.

Cons:

poor hole markings on the signage...though a mysterious someone has recently updated...<thank u whoever you are>

Other Thoughts:

quite a bit of glass and aluminum debris out on the course...which really takes away from the natural beauty of the place ...a couple of recycling bins strategically placed would cure this problem :) until then mates PLEASE pick up after yourselves!
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4 1
Mixilpidilstick
Experience: 16.8 years 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beginner Friendly 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Shoaff park is an excellent course to introduce new players to the exciting world of disc golf. This course has few OB and no water hazards. The front 9 is well shaded with mature growth trees and makes use of this park's small rolling hills. Over the past few years, several of the baskets have been relocated to provide more challenge.

Cons:

In the middle of the day during the summer months, the back 9 is almost unplayable due to lack of shade. With a lot of rainfall, some of the shaded areas can stay swampy and muddy for weeks. This course can be busy. There are a lot of non-players in the vicinity.

Other Thoughts:

This course could use some TLC. Most of the signs are broken or unreadable. Some of the sign didn't seem to have been updated after the last time they moved the baskets. The grounds are well kept, which makes locating your discs very easy.
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8 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.5 years 264 played 143 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 20, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a nice course set in a large park with big mature trees. The front nine plays up and down some rolling hills and has more trees to deal with, while the back nine is more open. There's a great variety of hole length here and the shot selection is good given what there is to work with.

Cons:

Navigation is fairly easy once you get started. Hole 1 is a long walk from the parking lot and after hole 9, you walk past 1's tee to get to 10. Hole 18 finishes even further away from the parking lot.

Holes 5-7 are semi-close to a large playground area. When I played here on a busy Sunday there were tons of people here but we didn't have a problem with any of them being in the way.

Risk/reward is almost non-existent here. Since the course is filled with mature trees and no rough, bad shots are rarely punished.

Tee signs are pretty old and only tell you the hole number and distance. But to be fair, this is a pretty old course so the signs do have some nostalgia about them.

The back nine is mostly open without much shade so bring water if you play in the summer.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this is a really fun course that I enjoyed playing. It's great for newer players to work on their game without the risk of losing a disc like at Swinney east & west, but more advanced players won't find a challenge here.
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2 2
Kramer
Experience: 14.9 years 37 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

It's Shoaff! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 18, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Lots of Lanes, some good runs for aces, great places for some alts for the tourneys. It is a feel good course... cause most the time you can recover nicely on an upshot.

Cons:

Lots of non-disc golf traffic... some Tee's right next to playground, and weekends means people eating next to you while you are throwing.

Challenge isn't the highest... but the fun is there.

Other Thoughts:

No water, but that doesn't mean you can't lose one. Like on the golf course across the road.
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1 3
Zigzaggler
Experience: 42 played 14 reviews
3.00 star(s)

"like" 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 24, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Long drives, concrete launch pads. Pretty forgiving second shot attempts if you happen to throw a not so good drive. Alternate tees have been put in to add to the course!!!..

Cons:

Most of the back nine is in the open..

Other Thoughts:

Nice open park if long shots are what you like to throw. ..A great place to check out some new molds as there is a nice shop that sells descent plastic just across the street!!..This is always a good time course to stop in and play!!
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4 7
supernaut
Experience: 110 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Learn to shoot here 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 10, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Hard to lose a disc on this one. Concrete pads, maps usually available, signs, Al Pier baskets. Alternate 18 with natural pads if that's your preference. Great looking course up close and from a distance considering this area of the state is FLAT.

Cons:

Pretty popular course which means traffic both on and off the fairways. Always other things going on in the park, which includes people oblivious to the game. Don't be afraid to yell fore from time to time.

Other Thoughts:

I learned the game on this course and its still a favorite with my friends and I. Great course to take beginners out on to learn technique. Eventually the course gets pretty easy though so try either the alternate 18 here or one of the Swinney courses for more challenging rounds if you're in the area.
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2 5
yalokim9
Experience: 14.7 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 19, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Easy to play. Very clean. Tees are fairly good. Easy to get to know the course. Great for beginners.

Cons:

Some tee's signs have fallen. Front 9 is more through the trees and back 9 is more in the open.

Other Thoughts:

Need more OB holes and needs to be more difficult. This course is great for people just starting out and want to get better at the sport
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