Eau Claire, WI

Tower Ridge Park - I

4.065(based on 24 reviews)
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Tower Ridge Park - I reviews

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4 0
Johnsondere
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.1 months 136 played 83 reviews
4.00 star(s)

The Hidden Gem of Wisconsin Disc Golf Part 2

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2022 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Two sets of tee pads and rotating pin positions for every hole.
- Plenty of elevation in play. You will get a workout!
- Baskets are decent. Are painted red so you can identify them easily!
- A great mix of shot shapes and distances.
- Well maintained by the CVDGO crew!

Cons:

- Gets pretty buggy during the summer months.
- Can get a little soggy if it was rainy.
- Baskets are prone to "spit out" a putt or two.

Other Thoughts:

Was my home course for a year or so and man I miss it! Tower Ridge is a hidden gem of Wisconsin Disc Golf. Both Tower 1 and 2 are quality courses that I highly recommend that everyone checks out!
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2 1
Offconstantly
Experience: 26.7 years 17 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great place! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Just about ever part of this place is well kept. This make Tower Ridge just about the best in the area. The option to play a flat course if someone doesn\'t walk that well or a hilly, wooded tough course is one of the best things about TR. separate parking lot for the tougher course. Benches in good spots. Shelter I chase it storms bad at first hole of the flat course.

Cons:

Almost nothing. The workers that are there are not the coolest. Been on a tee when they come driving by with the chipper running with the shoot pointing right at the 3 of us. After removing the splinters we went on our way with our round. No cons really.

Other Thoughts:

A fun county park that mixes up the distances well. The north, the hilly expert course, is probably the toughest test in Northern WI if you ask me. Well done Eau Claire County Parks. This place is a perfect place to play.
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1 1
Slinde295
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Prepare for WOODS 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 15, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course a lot of elevation changes....you WILL get a walking workout. A lot of woods and tunnel shots for both lefties and righties. Course is usually groomed in fairways and has gotten better over the years. Good baskets and tee boxes.

Cons:

Like i said earlier..it is a workout...you will be tired of walking by the end of 18 holes. You are ALWAYS in fear of losing your disc, so after every throw...CAREFULLY watch your disc or you may lose it In the woods. Not many OPEN holes to grip and rip without worrying all the time. Ok...one word...TICKS! I got a tick a year ago and got the LYMES...so wear all the protection needed to help yourself. The course NEEDS defintate arrows or something to show you where to go next.

Other Thoughts:

I have explored other courses and I realize it is SOO much more fun not worrying about losing discs. If you like the deep woods and tight corners and placement shots, this is the course for you. For me though...I kind of am done with this place and will play courses more open so I can watch my disc FLYYY!
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1 1
Muskiebite
Experience: 13.9 years 174 played 28 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The better of the Two 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

• Good use of elevation
• A variety of shots available
• $3 Parking pass for two courses is more than fair

Cons:

• Fairways are XC ski paths so they are completely clear of obstacles
• Course can be a pain to navigate if its wet and muddy

Other Thoughts:

I personally enjoyed this course more than Tower Ridge II, Lots of fun elevation throwing up and down the hills and the lanes force you to make controlled drives. They do a pretty good job with placing tees and baskets along the paths so you have to throw a variety of shots. The only issue I have with this is since the fairways are XC ski paths almost every hole has a completely clear fairway so besides the initial line off the tee you don't need to do much line shaping to avoid obstacles. The rough was moderate but not punishing if you couldn't stay on the open fairways. We played while the course was in its "Non Championship" Layout but it looked like the alt pin positions would add only another 50-60' and more difficult upshots. I wish the course map and signs would tell you where to jump to Tower Ridge II so you can play 36 holes in one loop, If you jump over between holes 7 on TR I and 9 TRII we didn't know this and wound up playing all of TR I then going over and playing all of TR II.
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1 0
Bitter Mouse
Experience: 28.8 years 92 played 14 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 23, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a solid course. It has plenty of very enjoyable holes and lots of elevation (which is my favorite feature). Many good holes which make you challenge yourself to make that perfect high risk shot (I ended up chasing a few risks gone wrong).

Cons:

The flow of the course is not ideal and it can be a bit hard to navigate, but we brought a map and figured it out, even with the temporary pads.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a fun course and the fee is not much, but if you are not accurate you might spend some time hunting down discs.
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1 3
Scooter47
Experience: 5 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A bit over rated 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Concrete tee pads for most holes. Baskets are in decent shape.

good course if you like very technical shots. Lanes are very tight on many holes.

Lots of elevation.

Cons:

Lots of temporary tee pads right now. Not sure why. Original tee pads looked okay.

Very tight lanes through the trees.

Lots of trash. Bugs too.

Other Thoughts:

Unsure of the high rating for this course. I expected better than what we actually discovered. It would be nice if they trimmed some of the undergrowth along the throwing lanes. Better signage between temp tees would be good too.
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5 3
Spike Hyzer 23
Experience: 30.7 years 92 played 87 reviews
5.00 star(s)

My College Stomping Grounds 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 26, 1998 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

In 1980, my buddies and I designed the first course in Eau Claire, using master frisbees to navigate a course the size of one square city block. Little did we know what awaited when we visited as adults.

This is simply one of the best courses in the country. It is long, but not overly long, extremely hilly and wooded, and requires a great deal of accuracy and both hyzers and anhyzers throughout. If you score well, you know you're on your game. If you don't, it might just be that you were off by inches and rightfully penalized by kicking into the woods.

This is what disc golf is all about.

Cons:

It's a pay course now, which is no big deal. You will see a lot of wild turkeys and hear gunshots, but don't worry: it isn't hunters on the course, but a target range nearby that we all believe shoots away from the course.
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8 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1003 played 214 reviews
4.50 star(s)

An overlooked gem 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

One of two 18 hole courses located at Tower Ridge Park outside Eau Claire, WI.

Two tee areas on most holes, with the longs in concrete (with a few carpeted), and the shorts usually natural or carpet. The short tees here are usually just that...shorter. A few offer different lines, which were still pretty fun looking. Honestly, though...if you're not a beginner, play the longs here.

Mach 3 baskets, all older, but in good repair. One pin position per hole.

Lots of elevation here. LOTS. Like, just about every hole, even the shorter ones. Combined with tight-ish, wooded lines, it makes for a ton of fun. Every hole has at least one completely fair line, and you'll need a ton of precision to go with your distance on most. Lots of risk/reward when you're deciding whether to let it rip, or play safe. I love these kinds of courses.

Nice signs at every hole, and navigation was pretty simple. The Tower Ridge II course can be played by looping off of I, which is a nice touch.

Really nice variety of distance here. From 215 to 571, and just about everything in between. Nice selection of straight, hyzer, anny, and flex routes. Nice carved out fairways and well mowed.

Cons:

Pay to play, which isn't a big deal to me, but some people don't like it. $3 for two really nice courses is a pittance.

It would be nice to have concrete tees throughout (including the shorts). I was there on a day after some rain, and I didn't really have any problems.

No water...I guess that's a con, but I didn't really think about it until doing this review.

Other Thoughts:

This is my favorite type of course. Up and down, left and right, wooded....awesome. If I hadn't been on a time schedule, I would have played this one again, and I can't wait to get back. To me, it's one of the best in Wisconsin.

Absolutely worth a play if you're in the area. You're really missing out if you don't make it here!
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7 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
4.00 star(s)

By far the best near Eau Claire 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course along with the other 18 on site are set through cross country ski trails. This course has the elevation. The baskets are Mach 3's that are a little beat up but still catch just fine. There are two tees on each hole. The shorts are usually just shorter (obviously) and maybe set off to one side or the other. It's nice having two tee sets though. And on quite a few holes there is a pretty drastic distance or shot shaping difference between the two sets. The tees are concrete for the longs (mostly, not all) and just natural or worn out carpet for shorts. The elevation changes here are awesome and there are a number of holes with major rollaway potential. This can really affect your score with poor shot execution/choice. The course is very easy to follow with hole 1 starting and hole 18 ending right next to the parking lot. There is also a restroom at the lot too. There are signs by almost if not all long tees. A few short tees have signs. This course connects to the tower ridge 2 course so it can be played as a whole 36 hole loop or the 2 eighteen hole courses separately. This is a really peaceful and serene course to play. You feel really secluded for the most part and that's a big plus to me.

Cons:

The decision to use carpet on the short tees makes no sense. They're rutted, moss covered and are not as good as just gravel or grass would be. It's $3 a day for a parking pass but is well worth it in my opinion, especially considering what else is around. the bugs (especially gnats) can be insane. Bug spray will hold off the mosquitoes but the gnats and flies can be overwhelming for some. The tee signs are pretty awful. Many are missing, almost all the shorts are long gone. For a pay to play the tees and signs should be way better than they currently are. The course is only seasonal due to the cross country ski trails they play on, not much they can do about this.

Other Thoughts:

Out of the two tower ridge courses this is the more challenging. Both are very nice but if you only have time to play one, pick this one. There are a few other courses in Eau Claire but the only other decent one is Mount Simon. And that doesn't even compare to these two at all as far as difficulty. It's worth the fee to play.
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2 3
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.2 years 203 played 201 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Scenery 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 5, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really nice heavily wooded course. Nice elevation changes and a good variety. Some long holes with hard upshots and great downhill drives as well.

Cons:

Needs a map or some more signs. Just a bit hard to navigate. Pretty deserted in Nov. Kind of remote, so at the end of the day I heard a lot of gunshots. Just a bit unsettling on an unfamiliar course.

Other Thoughts:

Would love to play in the spring, hopefully will get to. Fewer gunshots would make me feel better too.
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3 2
deafdgolfer
Experience: 125 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 13, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-challenging fairways
-some hidden baskets
-still can find your discs in wooded area after your shank drives
-scenic views


Cons:

-trash laying around the tee pads, very few trash bins
(thank goodness that it is not everywhere and its all at the tee pads)
-not all holes that have concrete tee pads

Other Thoughts:

Signature holes (Pro tee to longest pin)
Hole 1
Hole 7
Hole 12
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2 3
Charlie Deville
Experience: 16 years 37 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Fantastic course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Big course with big holes. Long, epic drives off (for the most part) cement tee pads. Big time elevation changes but with wide, groomed fairways. Thin underbrush for the rough makes it easy to find your disc. Well designed course!

Cons:

There are a few tee pads that aren't cement but are pretty flat. Baskets are hard to see, could be painted brighter color
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2 2
kjdutter
Experience: 19.9 years 74 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Challenging and Fun! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

There are multiple pin positions.
There are concrete pads on nearly every hole (except two).
The course is well-maintained all year round.
It is never too busy.
The scenery is beautiful.
It is only $3/day (for two courses) or $25/year.
The baskets are awesome and in great condition!
There is a great mix of distance and elevation.

Cons:

Needs more trash cans.
Needs better tee signs and next hole indicators.




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4 2
Martin Dewgarita
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.4 years 1589 played 93 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Lime Green Jello Fight 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Personal Rank: 104

Of the two courses on site, this is the only one that I've included on my favorites list. Don't get me wrong, the fact that there's another very good course at the same location is incentive to make the trip here, it's a two for one package.

This is a rather grueling round of significant elevation changes through a variety of technical shots through heavily wooded, but "fair" fairways. Most holes limit the options for shots and test your ability to hit your line. If you're hitting your lines, you'll be rewarded. If you miss your line, changes in elevation and fairly dense rough will create some challenging recovery shots.

Wisconsin is full of amazing courses and destination areas, this would be towards the bottom of my list of favorite destination areas as well. But that does not mean it isn't worth it, two courses here and close proximity to the Menominee courses makes a very enjoyable weekend of disc golf.

Other Thoughts:

After playing 1000 courses, I'm excited to share my opinion on some of my favorites. My top 100+ list can be found on my blog, my favorites list is at 110 of 1020 as of writing this review. Of all courses played, the top 1.5% receive a rating of 5, down to 6% is a 4.5, and 15% is a 4.0 creating a bell curve distribution. I apologize that my reviews are not as detailed as they have been previously. I have included the details as to why this course stands out to the best that my memory serves.

My personal criteria is very subjective, a gut feeling:
~Physical beauty stands out, both scenery and the beauty of each hole.
~Amenities don't mean much to me, it doesn't much matter if there's benches, concrete tee pads, or garbage cans.
~Technical design - How well designed are the fairways/airways and landing areas? Are there unique holes that stand out? Variety of holes - distances, shapes, elevation, tree density, rough thickness. Pars 4 and 5?
~I love extreme/adventure golf. Rugged and secluded courses stand out more than park style courses. In general I prefer more technical over more open.
~Local Scene. If I was involved in a tournament or league or met up with some locals and played the course multiple times I appreciate different aspects of a course.
~The main thing I ask myself is "Does this course make me want to come back?" if the answer is yes, it makes the list.

Thank you, enjoy my reviews and if you don't find this information helpful, please let me know what I can do to improve.
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2 4
Frolfer102
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Tower Ridge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

A very fun course with a lot of challenging obstacles and distances. Can follow the course with ease and have nice tee boxes to throw from.

Cons:

Not enough trash cans (if any).
Fairways are kind of narrow adding some challenge.

Other Thoughts:

Great course! Definitely my favorite course played on.
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4 0
SleekrBeekr
Experience: 14.8 years 63 played 20 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tower Ridge 1 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 3, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

18-hole layout with nice new maps on each.
Concrete tees and multiple pin locations on most holes.
Spread out so there aren't a lot of back-ups even when it's busy out there.
A lot of elevation changes.
Great mix of long tight fairways and short technical holes.
A couple tournaments held here and leagues every week in the warmer months.
Right next to another 18-hole disc course.
Shares the property with walking/running trails and even horse trails. For the most part these don't interfere with the disc golf course.
Bathroom on site at beginning of course.

Cons:

The hills can get to be a bit much, especially if your playing both the courses one right after the other.
Bugs!
Pay to play (but totally worth it) $3/day-$25/season.
Not enough trash cans.
Baskets not in all year.
Thick brush and trees off the fairways.

Other Thoughts:

This course is very fun and challenging. I'm a local and play this course as much as possible when it's up in the warmer months. The elevation changes offer a very nice challenge as well as a good leg workout. The layout is very good with a lot of tight fairways, a few are fairly long. There is a spot after hole #8 where the old and new course meet, and this is a great spot to jump on the new course and play the 36 loop. Otherwise the entrances to each course are very close and can be played individually. There are a few bigger tournaments (bigger for the area) held on the Tower courses each summer. The leagues that are played out here swap the pin positions each time they meet, so the layout changes slightly, pretty much weekly.
The multiple pin locations, variety of holes, and proximity to the other course, gives Tower 1 a high replay value. I recommend hitting this course and it's companion, Tower Ridge 2, anytime your in the area, it will not disappoint.
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6 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun hilly course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a large cross country ski area that seems to be pretty disc golf exclusive in the warmer months. There is great elevation on many holes, and good variety with tough uphills and fun downhills along with some shots that go across valleys or play to hilly greens with roll away risks.

There is a nice mix of lengths here, with some shorter holes you can take an ace run on and some longer tough holes that challenge you to get down the fairway and stay out of the rough. The course is wooded, with narrow to medium fairways. There is some underbrush off the fairways, but not enough to eat too many discs, though an errant shot will nearly always be punished by at least a stroke getting back on the fairway. You'll need a good variety of left and right turning shots to score well here, and it felt pretty balanced for right and left handed players. The course feels very secluded, and it's a nice peaceful place to walk through the woods. There are dual tee pads for most holes, and they make a pretty big difference in how the course plays on most holes.

Cons:

The course feels a bit neglected. The tees are a random mix of some chipped up old concrete pads and muddy dirt tees that are often rutted and eroded. The baskets are older and don't catch great. The tee signs were nice, but the majority were ripped down and vandalized. There was a pretty good amount of trash and vandalism here, taking away from the natural beauty of the forest. There are a few spots where navigation isn't obvious, there is a decent course map here that's worth printing. The course uses the ski trails for nearly all the fairways, which makes for nice cleared paths without too much clearing, but it gets a bit repetitive.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun course to play with some tough challenges and fun elevation. With two good courses on site, this is definitely a place to stop if you have the chance. This first course is the better of the two in my opinion, with elevation, less brush, and a more secluded feel. Beginners will find the short tees challenging but not ridiculous, while more experienced players will be tested to hit lines through the woods and need to try to get distance while staying on the fairway from the long tees.
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4 1
Ric Roc
Experience: 20.8 years 84 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Don't drive by!!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great mix of shots including flat, uphill, downhill and valley!
Woods come into play on every hole (may be a con for some) which requires accuracy and placement is key to get your 3 on some holes. (1,3,7,13,18)
When in long positions course is def. not a par 54, requires even more precise shots and bad shots punish your score. (2,5,6,8,12,14,15,16,17)

Cons:

There are not concrete pads on all holes (2,3,14,15,16,17,18) This is due to to Cross country skiing in the winter and the groomer hits them and chips them (evident on holes 5,7)
Tee sings are ripped off, displaced or completely gone. (course is easy to navigate imo)
Mach 3's are not as easy to see and don't catch as well (personal pref. here)
Not many garbage cans but unless you are drinking a 12 pack during your round you shouldn't have a problem, and maybe pick up a stray can,bottle,etc if you see one..
Closed Nov.1 through April 1 : (

Other Thoughts:

Great course and you are always able to play the 36 loop with Tower 2 after hole 7. 3$ to park daily or $25 yearly is well worth it. If you are in the area I would check it out as there is nothing else like it around here, top 3 in the state for sure!!
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1 4
djphilzy
Experience: 23 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Best of the two 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 18, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice mix of long, short, elevation, touch shots and narrowing/ low ceiling/ dogleg fairways. worth the money! you should play this course first, as it is the best. Super fun atmosphere, great locals and great nature scape.

Cons:

One of my top 10 nation wide no complaints.

Other Thoughts:

I will be back next time I visit wild apple.
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1 2
pvilleDiscgolfer
Experience: 16.9 years 24 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

First Stop 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 18, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging, tightly wooded, and beautiful. It is out in the woods and almost every hole is completly different from the last.

Cons:

Vandals have destroyed the signs and there aren't many garbage cans.

Other Thoughts:

This was the first stop on a trip that took us up to Highbridge. It was an excellent course to start the trip. If it wasn't for this site I wouldn't have found the additional 18 located right down the street. It says nothing about the other cousre at the first one.
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