Kewaunee, WI

Winter Park

4.275(based on 53 reviews)
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2 0
Johnsondere
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9 months 136 played 83 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The return of Winter Park?

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

*THIS REVIEW IS BASED OFF OF THE COURSE WHEN I LAST PLAYED IT. THE COURSE IS CLOSED RIGHT NOW BUT HOPEFULLY RETURNING SOON.

- Very challenging course.
- Lot of elevation change, course uses is well.
- Baskets were decent (but aging)

Cons:

- Course needed a lot of TLC at the time.
- They apparently took out the "top of the world shot"??? I hope it's back when the course returns.
- Course closes during the winter.

Other Thoughts:

Currently the course is closed. When I played it, the course was very fun and challenging but needed some more attention.
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12 0
Mushin No Shin
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.1 years 1192 played 67 reviews
4.00 star(s)

18 plus Awesome Letters 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 27, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautiful property on a Kewaunee River Valley Ridge

2021 Update: 16 & 17 Redesign
No longer playing out around by Dana Farm, 16 & 17 stay up in the Woods on the Ridge
Updated Map on Koisk and DGCR
Also, someone Cleaned up the Red Teepads :) New Flags for both Blue and Red Tees


Letter Holes out at Winter Park are the Standout sections of this DGC:
A throws thru Pines, down to a Basket on a Rib
B throws down a Ravine Washout to a Basket on a Ledge, with serious Rollaway/Rollback potential
C is kinda like 3, a 'Dragon Spine' with the Basket up the second Hill
D 'Tims Ravine' is one of my personal Favs... Unless I roll into the Ravine
E Poke n Pray back up in the Pines. Classic WP :)
F Airout Drive opportunity, with 2 good Basket positions
G Ace Run Fun, Elevated Tees throwing down over the Creek to a (Fern Gully?) Basket
H one Basket position up on Ridge, n one near the Creek
I another Fun Fun Ace Run throwing over the Creek

1 & 2 were modified after some Construction several years ago. These holes are playable again, but that sweet Green for 1 is gone

Hole 3 is an outstanding Dg hole. It's been in the Short Alt lately, but the regular Pin Position makes this hole tough, up on the second Ridgeside

4s often been in the Alt lately also. This Green is quite the challenge to get to with all them Pines, and then the basket is on a Rib/Knoll to really keep things challenging

5 has one of the Best Greens. Welcome to the 'Wind Funnel'

6-9 throw around and or thru the Pines:
6s Tee area has pretty Great views, and gets you uptop into the Pine Forest
7 'Wedgie Hourglass' thru Pines
8 'Hallway' thru Pines
9 used to be Poke n Pray. Tree clearing opened things up, but Pines are still around the Basket and Blue Tee

10 is another great Green. Blind from any Tee, there's a Ravine Ledge 20ft behind the Basket

11 throws down to a Basket with the Creek Left of and Behind the Green. Fun tunnel run!

12 throws along the Creek, and the closer to the Basket you get, the closer the Creek gets

13 is a Funky Birdie opportunity. Elevated Tees down to a Peninsula Green surrounded by the Creek

14 throws up to a Basket under some Cedars, with serious Rollaway/Rollback danger

New 15 throws down thru Woods to a Terraced Green. A downhill 'Dragon Spine' to a Basket surrounded by Oldgrowth Pines

New 16 throws along the Wooded Ridge to a Basket by Oldgrowth Pines

New 17 Tees from up the Ridge. 17s Basket still where it used to be. Not old 15, but a pretty cool Hole (reminds me of Ashe County 9 or 18. Half wooded half open, throwing out from a steep up Tee)

18 finishes the round with throw over a retention Pond

Red Tees are beginner lengths, but still challenging Birdie opportunities, and tons of Fun. Makes a second Round worthwhile :)

Cons:

Not the best place to Throw during Wet conditions, due to Creek and Ravines

Red Tees not always obvious, though many of these are marked with Flags, but sometimes they'll go missing

Pines being Logged around A-hole & 9, create some poor landing spots

Top of the World hole is Goners

Other Thoughts:

Indifferent to Tees, WP uses Crushed Stone

After Hole 2; walk to 4s Blue Tee, take that trail down for Hole 3, then you'll see the Basket position for 3 and the Red Tee

With the Bomber holes 16 & 17 relocated into the Woods, the best opportunity to Bomb at WP would be going up the Slope on 4 & 5 Gold... or 10 & 11 Gold are great for LHBH/RHFH

Lot at 11s Basket

Portopotty at 1 and 7 F

Cart friendly Trail to G starts by 14 Red Tee

Typically we'll hit up Kewaunee, Algoma, and Sugar Creek in the Fall, for best Odds of good Playing conditions...
Played in March and June 20, was pleasantly surprised by the Great course conditions at Winter both times :) Great conditions again April May 21
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8 0
hurler23
Experience: 25.1 years 12 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun and Frustrating 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 6, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Multiple tee pads and supposed rotating basket locations. Technical holes. Great scenery.

Cons:

Not beginner or first time friendly. Can be confusing with additional 9 holes thrown in between classic 18. Overgrown on some holes. Many blind holes surrounded by very tall and dense growth. Mosquito hell on 12-14.

Other Thoughts:

I want like this course but as I could only play it once during my vacation to the area, I found it a chore. Mediocre signage depicting hole layout meant having to walk the hole prior to playing. Many of the holes are uphill and on blind corners so it was difficult to gauge what disc to throw. Plus uphill shots kill distance which in turn kills throw satisfaction. I really enjoyed 7,8 and 10. 7 and 8 are short, tight tunnels and 10 is a hump shot with the green backed by a steep drop off. There are MANY opportunities to lose plastic here or at least lose time searching. Tall growth, brush piles and steep slopes combined with tight fairways and blind holes demand pinpoint accuracy, something that I lack at times.Tee pads are crushed gravel some of which are bordered by sunken cut natural stone which is aesthetically pleasing. Most holes have signs. Some are missing or have fallen down. Fairway maintenance is good. Trash cans and benches at some tees. Overall, this is a beautiful setting for a disc golf course. If I played it somewhat regularly I would maybe rate it higher. But as a visitor and first timer, it was difficult to navigate and ultimately doubled the time to play 18.
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10 0
nin1002
Experience: 20.5 years 12 played 12 reviews
4.50 star(s)

An amazing course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 7, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Before I say anything, I am SHOCKED by the previous ratings people have given this course recently. This is truly an elite course.

I played with two other people and this was my second time playing this course. We played it once before with the intention to continue to Brillion last time, but were pretty wiped out. This proved the case once again this time, but our group played all 27 holes and then played up to #11 a second time (no loop) which ends right at the parking lot.

None of us are pros (between the three of us, we scored a 2 just 2 times the whole day), but I felt like we all played a respectable game. To those who say the course is "too short", I don't see it. Of the 27 holes, I would say for our group maybe 10-12 of them were even reachable in 2 shots for us. The rest were either too long of par 3's or par 4's. The course is a hike. The hills are really not too bad, outside of a few of the loop holes. One of them ("G" I think) had an 80 degree or so muddy slope to climb up about 40 feet to get to the tee pad. Most of the other holes were pretty manageable, but you will be going up and down for the majority of the time.

All holes had clear paths to the basket. Some were rather narrow and one or two of them were maybe 24 inches wide and the only shot I could really consider was a tommy into that narrow of a long passage. Many of the holes featured a decent amount of risk/reward. However, even the "safe" path was rarely all that safe when these choices came up and led to long moments of pondering for our group on shot selections. It would not be all that uncommon for all three of us to ultimately perform a widely different shot type and path to the hole.

The course was in excellent condition. The entire six hours we were there, we encountered one other group of two guys playing. It made me wonder who is doing all this upkeep and lawnmowing as it is a very long course.

The tee pads are natural and that is my preference as I tend to slip more often than others on cement boxes for whatever reason.

Signage was pretty good. We never had an issue figuring our where the next hole was, but I will say, you need to pay attention and definitely pay attention to where the loop holes start and end (A-E are after hole #9, F is after hole #10, and G-I are after hole #13).

Benches are scattered about the course and there were ample areas to sit down and rest as needed (and you will need it going up and down the hill). On top of that, I would estimate 85% of the course was well shaded and this was much appreciated for a July frolfing day.

Cons:

The one hole that seemed totally lost to time was #10. There has literally been zero mowing on this one all year and the "fairway" was essentially waist high grass (not very thick and some dead spots in there where your objective would be to throw it onto one of these "no grass" spots). We did use spotters quite a bit, but this one we had to position ourselves to monitor the fairway fairly closely.

Hole #15 is the signature hole and is the "top of the world" throw. Last time I was here, I could see the basket waaayyy down at the bottom of an incredibly wide fairway (hundreds of yards wide). There is no real challenge here, but having the opportunity to throw down a black diamond hill from top to bottom is something that must be experienced by all. However, this time around the pin was moved to a location hidden in the woods on the right hand side of the fairway about 25% of the way down the hill and instead was turned into a short, technical, right hook shot. :( What a massive bummer. Our group all threw our discs to the bottom of the hill anyway and then slogged back up the 600 feet to the tee basket to do the repositioned basket...basket be damned!! Either way, what a massive shame to replace that hole with a technical hole (as most every other hole on the course is a technical hole). To add insult to injury, you will then proceed to walk 400 feet down the hill you could have had a basket to throw at in the first place and it's essentially wasted, unused steps.

There are six gold tee boxes, and I only found one that I remembered from last time I was there. Where these hidden tee boxes are...I have no earthly idea, but rumor has it they make some insane holes off the chart epic. Major bummer not to find the other five.

Other Thoughts:

As no one has reviewed this course since 2017 (23 months to be exact), let me say that any of the missing holes because of construction are all taken care. All holes have excellent signage. All holes are present and there is no sign of any construction ever being performed there. So, do not worry about holes being missing.

Donations are accepted and there is a nice box you can leave that in. It is not required to P2P, but I felt more than compelled to leave $10 in the box.

This course offers a great challenge and a tremendous variety of shots. Almost all the curvature on the holes is to the left, so this makes it more enjoyable for a not-so-great RHBH thrower like myself.

I honestly am mystified by the negative comments given to this course recently and strongly disagree with them. Perhaps they were written in the heart of this "construction" phase, but again, that is long over with and there is no sign of this construction any longer so you can safely disregard that concern from prior/outdated reviews. This course has many hundreds of reviews and the rating should speak for itself over that large of a polling pool to the quality of this course.

And final thought, I'm not much of a bug spray guy, but the mosquitoes are killer on the lettered loop holes. If you are playing them, be prepared for them and some nasty vegetation that will sting and prick you. If you are just playing the 18 hole course, the mosquitoes aren't really an issue and the rough will not destroy your legs (it is still quite thick...but is mainly very long grass and not of the mean vegetation type that lurks on the lettered holes).
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Designer response by superberry
Just to report on Hole 15 - THE SIGNATURE HOLE - it had to be redesigned after complaints by the ski/tubing operations personnel. Apparently too many people were hitting the buildings. I agree this is a MAJOR bummer, but not much the club could do. I suggest one of two things, and do this when I play there - 1) play to the practice basket if there are no cars in the lot. 2) play a huge par 4 over to basket (essentially an awesome drive off the hill that carries to the right over the pond will end up near tee 16, then you finish out playing 16, if both ponds are full, this is a TOUGH placement drive from 150' above off the blue tee).

Gold tees were a dream when I still lived in the area. They are unbelievably epic on some of the holes (especially 11), but they have all been overgrown and un-maintained in more than 5 years. Maybe some day...

The club is still working hard out there, fitting things into their daily lives, brand new signs will be coming soon!
5 6
tbomb989
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Average Course at Best 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 10, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety of shot types.
Pretty.

Cons:

Bad tees.
Hole 1 not usable due to construction.
Overgrown.
Mostly short shots.

Other Thoughts:

The course's current, really high rating is a lie.

Tees are mostly short, dirt tees; there's a lot of overgrown areas; and the layout just isn't that great. There's one really cool hole which is throwing from the top of the ski hill, but the rest are meh. Nothing overly technical, nothing overly cool or out of the ordinary, and they're mostly short holes that either aren't hard enough or are trying to be hard in the wrong way by making the basket placement and fairway weird so it's just a luck shot.

Rules say I can't advertise other courses in a review so I won't name them, but how this course has a rating that matches two of the best courses in the state nearby is baffling to me. I legitimately do not understand.

This is a 2.5-3 rating course at best.
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Designer response by superberry
This isn't a review so I feel comfortable naming a solid trio of courses you can enjoy around the Green Bay area - go play all of Winter Park, Silver Creek, and of course Rollin Ridge! They will make for a fun weekend of disc golf fer sure!
7 6
Horsman
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.6 years 222 played 100 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Super Underwelming 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 25, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Baskets - Discatchers are always a welcome site

Views - Just beautiful land and view all throughout the course

Easy to get to and easy parking. Seems like there could be some good amenities on the course but the ski shack was not open when I was there.

Cons:

Teepads - For a course that is rated this high I would have expected some concrete teepads but instead they have worn down dirt pads that many times were not long enough to get a run up on.

The Course - I was again expecting something better from this course since it is so highly rated. Most shots were in the 250'-300' range and most had odd shots that needed to be thrown to get to the hole. Basket placements were good but lines to them were not.

There is no indicator for what pin placement the hole is in so you have to run up the fairway on every shot to know which one you are throwing to.

Everything is just overgrown, you get off the fairway or even get on the fairway and you could be looking for a while for your disc.

Other Thoughts:

I would feel very comfortable covering every shot on this course with just a Roc and an Aviar which should not be the case for a course rated 4.4

Multiple holes were taken out for construction

I have heard for years about how amazing this course is and was excited to finally play it but I was completely let down and do not ever plan on going back. This is just not a good course and I cant see how it is rated so high.
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Designer response by superberry
Absolutely right about the lack of maintenance and ski hill construction efforts. Upkeep has been placed on hold, waiting for whatever the ski hill guys are doing. The local group of volunteers take on small little upkeep and beautification projects along the way. As far as the challenge aspect, well it was designed as a Blue level PDGA course so yes a 1000 rated pro should be able to tackle it with a Aviar and a Roc. If you can bomb a Roc 450+ feet that's awesome, otherwise you'll still not be able to reach holes 1 (440' temp hole), 15 (715' blue tee), 16 (480' blue tee), and 17 (390' with 90 degree dogleg and OB inside it) - so there is still a distance challenge. Best played in late fall or early spring.
6 3
Bitter Mouse
Experience: 28.8 years 92 played 14 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The potential is there, but ... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 22, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Elevation is my favorite thing on a disc gold course and this course delivered on that. There is also plenty of technical holes and a fair variety in the 27, so that you end up using your all your discs and throws.

The views were really nice, especially on 15.

Cons:

There is a bunch of wasted potential. The land is there for a world class course and it just isn't there.

The maintenance of the holes was spotty, many of the pads were temporary or rough, the extra loop holes (off shoots from the main 18) were kind of the same. The flow of the course was iffy and wasn't helped by the signage (not good in several places).

Finally the technical holes, well many of them were "throw that way and hope you miss trees, because there is not really a fairway". A couple of those is fine, but way too many.

Other Thoughts:

I enjoyed the course (more than the people I was with), but it could be much much better. The DG course is clearly not a priority here and it shows.

If you love elevation then this is a very good course, but bring a map and unless you love tree holes ignore the loop holes.
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5 1
Primer74
Experience: 9.8 years 29 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great course!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

This place will test all your skills. Many different types of shots needed, and accuracy is important on most of the holes.
There was a lot of different types of holes, R to L, L to R, uphill, DOWNhill, water hazards, and trees.
Enjoyed the advanced part of the course, really had some tight shots.
Some incredible views, especially from the top of the hill on 15

Cons:

Hole 1 and pad for two were unusable due to improvements to the park. From the posting they had up,hole one looks pretty impressive so I was bummed I didn't get to play it.
Not really a con but more a heads up. Some of the terrain is steep if you choose to take the short ways down on a couple holes. There are longer easier ways down.
Garbage cans need to be emptied

Other Thoughts:

I had a great time at Winter park. I live about 30 min away and am surprised that I never knew about this place. (Thanks DGCR). Will be going back a lot and would suggest this course to anyone.
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6 2
J.Bolton
Experience: 10.9 years 26 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Hidden Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Demanding technical course that challenges you to use all the shots you possess.
The course was easy to follow along except in my case going from hole 4 to hole 5.
I really enjoyed the additional 9 holes marked a b c d e f g h I.
There was only one other two-some the entire Saturday I was there...no stress from others!
The last four holes are all out in the "open" which is nice to really air it out after being in the woods most of the day. Hole 15 might be my favorite hole I have EVER played...a true top of the world shot looking down the ski hill some 720 ft.
I really enjoyed the hole descriptions on the course including the witty names and humor in the description but the signage itself needs to be improved.
Awesome baskets that have a bright yellow band are easy to spot amongst the trees.

Cons:

Hole 1 was not available due to construction on the ski hill.
Natural tee pads and errant shots off the fairway make it nearly impossible to get a running start on your shots.

Other Thoughts:

The course is going to make you work...you traverse up and down and sideways across a ski hill so be sure you are downing water.
Some of the holes almost seem impossible but if you are like me and enjoy creating shots then you should have no problem.
If you are in Green Bay, or spending a day at Rollin Ridge make this a stop of yours and you wont regret it.
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2 5
Wetlawnmulch
Experience: 26 years 12 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

1 - No course traffic

Cons:

1 - Course can be difficult to navigate, there are some steep climbs, and signage could be slightly better.
2 - Teepads, dirt and some need work.
3 - quite a few pull and prays

Other Thoughts:

We spent the whole day playing this course twice from the longs and once from the shorts. The shorts were a challenge to locate on a few holes. Don't plan on bringing cart, or have any injuries. A few of the climbs to teepads are pretty steep and it could get worst if you have errant shots on a few holes.
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2 11
James McGirr
Experience: 11 played 11 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course did have some very nice disc golf holes

Cons:

The tree trouble on a substaincial number of other holes could be herrendus. Mosquitos could be a proublem on certain parts of course

Other Thoughts:

If I lived in the area I would play the course as a decent course.I don't know that I would go out of my way to play because of all the tree trouble although it did have some very nice disc golf holes.
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19 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1002 played 214 reviews
4.50 star(s)

You'll either love it, or hate it... 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 22, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Winter Park is a 27 hole course set on and around a ski/sledding hill outside Kewaunee, WI.

Nice Discatcher baskets (yellow band), which show up quite nicely throughout the bountiful woods here. Most holes have a couple pin positions. Even a 5' shift in pin position here can completely change a hole. You'll find some very unique pin placements here, and long rollaways, hillside plateaus, and other obstacles help to guard them. One of my favorite parts of the course.

Elevation everywhere. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it's quite obvious, but there's a lot of it. The course basically plays between three hills. There's a lot of holes that run down in the gulleys between those hills. Also, hole 15 is a top o' the world shot, and super fun. 715' from the longs, and reachable if you hit it right.

One water carry, on the last hole. It's about 270' of carry, but with plenty of bailout areas. It feels pretty weird after all the tight, technical golf, but it's a fun way to end your round.

Two, and sometimes three, tee pads on most holes. They're natural pads, but in decent repair, as there's not a ton of traffic here. A decent amount of them are adding just distance, but here, that can change the entire complexion of a hole.

So Winter Park is a conundrum. Some people (like me) absolutely love it...others, not so much. Even from the blue tees, it's not particularly long. Winter Park beats you down with some of the tightest lines you'll ever see. If you have the imagination to see the lines, they're there. If you are used to open fields and wide fairways, you'll look at many of the holes here and think they're not fair. To me, they're awesome. You have to hone in hard off the tee, and you'll test your recovery/approach skills in ways you never have before. It's something completely different in this area of WI, but it couldn't be a better complement to other highly rated area courses.

While WP is mostly tight, wooded golf, there are a number of more open holes as well. Even on these holes, though, an errant shot will be punished. The rough here isn't thick (you'll have a hard time actually losing a disc), but it can be dense. Not a lot of undergrowth, but plenty of obstacles.

The tee signs here are decent, and give distances and hole numbers.

Cons:

Navigation here can be a bit wonky, especially for first timers. Having a map will help tremendously. There are signs out that help with the lettered holes, but it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to just renumber all the holes here, to make it less confusing. Breaking up the lettered holes into a couple segments is just odd. To be fair, though...the lettered holes are some of the best on the course.

The natural tee pads are what they are. They're tough if they're wet. There was a smattering of crushed gravel on some, which helps a bit, for sure. It would be extremely difficult to ever put concrete in here, though.

Winter Park is rugged. There's no other good word for it. Play a couple rounds here, and you'll know it afterwards. There's a pretty fair amount of steep slopes to climb and descend. If Rollin' Ridge is a Corvette, then Winter Park is an off-road Jeep.

There's some safety concerns with several mountain biking trails that wind around the property, but to be honest, I've never seen a single mountain bike out here. Also, I've only ever seen one other group out here discing while I was there, and I've always been there on Saturdays. The course isn't really around anything, and is decently far away from everything. You're definitely out in the boonies while playing here.

Other Thoughts:

I love Winter Park. I usually ding courses for less than stellar tee pads and the like, but I just can't here. To me, it's a destination course. The layout, while wonky in places, is just awesome. There's holes here you just can't have in other places...it's a wonderful spot for a course. Some people will bemoan the fact that it's so rough around the edges, but to me, it feels perfectly imperfect. The holes are tough, the terrain is tough, the scoring is tough. You need to be on your game in a serious way to score well here.

If you're close, love disc golf, and have some time, you absolutely must play here. If you hate it, blame me. If you love it, tell everybody you know. Either way, you'll leave with an appreciation for it. An absolute must play.
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14 4
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
4.00 star(s)

unique factor 11... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 10, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic-- plays up and down and all around a ski area. Crosses paths with mountain biking trails thoughout the course. Didn't ever see any mountain bikers on a saturday in June so I'm not expecting it to be a huge issue but watch for people.

Teesigns-- Nice, gives a little description of the hole and the layout (map) along with pin placement and teepads. In good shape.

Baskets-- another example of DisCatchers being appreciated. They only enhance the visibility of the target in these thick woods. Another great feature is that they put the basket #(letter) on the band so that you aren't confused in some of the tighter areas.

Routing and Nav-- Definite issues but not huge ones with respect to navigation. During the GHI loop, the routing is pretty horrendous, for the most part on the rest of the course, it's not too bad at all. Having a guide helped to find the teepads though.

Challenge-- Challenge factor was pretty high here. Throwing down uber narrow fairways and over some pretty extreme terrain was interesting and provided a pretty strong challenge.

Special Mention-- While the Red Tees were near impossible to find, they are appreciated as we had a couple of 13(?) year old regulars who were playing from that set of tees. I guess there are some gold tees as well? Also, the separate set of pin placements on some holes is also appreciated (more on all of this later)

ABCDE Loop-- Some of the most extreme terrain I've played DG in. the washouts and chasms here were sweet just keep your disc out of there!

Variety-- pretty wide variety of holes here will keep you guessing and keep you throwing every throw in your repertoire. I actually appreciated the variety of 15-18. it was nice to open my arm up after 23 holes of mostly technical disc golf.

Cons:

GHI loop-- There were places on this course that felt like punishment. The GHI loop, specifically, didn't add anything to the course IMHO. The GHI loop while interesting and added the water element, was poorly navigable and just laid out badly. the loop after 8, ABCDE I think, was some of the most extreme terrain I've played in and was far more appreciated than the GHI loop.

Challenge factor-- some of the holes here are just hard for the sake of being hard. Not saying they're not fair, but rather just they're thrown between rows of trees because that's where you are from the next hole.

Teepads-- Most of the teepads here are pretty horrendous. rutty, uneven, unkempt and just overgrown. Red tees were unrecognizable in most areas and if there were gold tees, I wouldn't know where to look for them without a guide.

Out-of-Towner discadvantage-- It would have been nice to know that most of the course was in alternate layout pin positions. I could have been posted on the kiosk or something, that would have made the day easier and saved some strokes.

Other Thoughts:

I've played a lot of both, ski courses and WIB courses. This is WIB to the extreme. As for a ski course, it's a physical course but it's nowhere near as extremely physical as say, Mt McSauba in Charlevoix. I got huffing and puffing a few times but wasn't whipped after playing by any means. Good course but needs some love for sure.
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14 5
stubborn puppet
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.2 years 48 played 27 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Winter in the Summer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 3, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

>This is, indeed, a very unique course on a unique piece of land - super scenic and peaceful.
-
>Good 27 hole option that flows together without compromise.
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>Very, very challenging in many areas - great for forced accuracy improvement.
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>All three of the tees on the holes here actually do provide a legitimate bump in challenge. Heck, having two to three tees for most of the holes is a big plus.
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>Course was clean and almost totally trash free.
-
>Although it becomes a cliche in these reviews: there was a pretty strong mix of shots spread across the entire 27 and I used a good variety of discs. I seem to feel like it was a bit RHBH heavy... but not overtly so.
-
>Decent signs at the tees and great navigation signs for the most part.
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>Hole 15, going down the ski slope, is a real fun throw and a major morale booster. It's not often that I get to say "I threw a 715ft. drive!" (even if it was down a massive hill). Quite a teaser - because it looks so far away and all that overgrown grass on the hill is threatening to steal your discs... but it won't. You can make it all the way to the basket off the pro pad. I was the only player in the park, so I unloaded on this one. Not a great disc golf hole, but it's really fun.
---

Cons:

>Let me start with a safety concern. As both a disc golfer and a mountain biker, I was uncomfortable with the fact that the mountain bike trail literally crosses some of the fairways and crosses over some of the paths between holes. When I golf, my attention is strictly on what I am aiming for - when I bike, my attention is strictly on the ground in front of me. This seems like a recipe for disaster.
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>The natural tees are in need of maintenance. Perhaps this property does not permit installation of concrete, and that's fine, but these are often not level and inconsistent.
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>There are many places where more stone or log stairways are needed. The ones that are there could also use some maintenance. I get the impression that this course is a bit soggy most of the year, so slipping and struggling around in the mud and clay is a reality that could be addressed a bit more. I didn't, but I saw many opportunities where someone could slip and take a painful and dirty tumble...
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>The biggest con, in my opinion, at Winter Park is the far too frequently uber-narrow or non-existent fairways in the woods. I like a challenge and I like plotting paths through trees... but this course goes too far. There were several holes that were nothing more than shooting a straight 200' to the basket through a 4ft. gap in the trees. A good gimmick for one hole - lame when it is repeated several times. Worse than that were the holes which had no fairway at all - just throw your frisbee and cross your fingers as it pinball's from tree to tree. I don't find that challenging, it's just about getting lucky enough to find the 10 inch gaps.
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>While the variety and uniqueness are certainly present at Winter Park... I personally felt like there weren't more than a few exciting holes. With a handful of exceptions, the course also seems a bit short, with a lot of easy ace possibilities.
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>A few holes, like 16-18, were a little "ho-hum", even if they were a welcome change from the woods.
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>I hate using it as a "con" for a course, but my goodness were the mosquitoes and other bugs thick out here. I was covered head to toe with Deep Woods Off and still couldn't keep them away. On several holes, I could barely see to shoot because the cloud of mosquitoes were so thick in front of my face. It's pretty hard to concentrate on a throw with that much annoyance, otherwise I'd just make the bug problem an "other thought" for this course. I've scheduled a malaria booster shot for next week.
---

Other Thoughts:

I'm really glad I made the long drive out to this course. It was certainly a unique opportunity and a must for anyone within a few hours. Bring some hiking shoes, bug spray and a big can of patience... and then enjoy an ego-boosting end to the round with the big drive down 15 and the easy finish up in the field.
I will get lots of "not helpful" votes on this review because it was not given 4.5 or 5 stars... which is sad, because I'm giving an honest review from my perspective - the only one any of us can have.
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Designer response by superberry
I myself am a mountain biker and have ridden all around the WP and DNR trails at the property. The inter-woven course was done in in effort along with the bikers. Disc golfers' etiquette is to always yield to the bikers because they'll be gone in a flash. The trails are also supposed to be abandon when a new trail opens up down the road. When speaking with the bike club and county officials, the very low number of disc golfers on the course, coupled with the low number of bikers, and the low probability of either of the two meeting up with one another on the property at the same time, resulted in a very low probability that there would be many, if any issues. Course is closed during races, trails are closed during tournaments.

Glad you had fun!
13 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
4.50 star(s)

One of Wisconsin's Finest 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 18, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is located just outside Kewaunee but seems like you are out in the middle of nowhere. It's very quiet and peaceful here. The baskets are DISCatchers that are in good shape and caught alright. The tee pads are just crushed gravel but were mostly flat and got the job done. There are also 2 sets of tees on almost all if not all holes. They have tee signs that have a basic hole layout, distances, hole # and direction to the next tee. The signs also show or describe any OB and mention any other dangers like steep drop-offs which is very helpful. They also have many next tee signs throughout the course so navigation here is a breeze. Maps are also provided but once you find hole 1 it's a pretty intuitive layout. The course can be played as 18 or 27 holes. There are 18 numbered holes and 9 lettered holes. The lettered holes can be played in between sections of the numbered holes to make it the full 27. This sounds confusing but it's so well marked that it's not. Torque creek can come into play on many of the holes adding a water hazard and there are 2 ponds by the last 4 holes. These were both emptied when we went but if full would be a nice added element of risk. The elevation on this course is very drastic and can really affect a number of your shots. There is an excellent mix of left, right and straight shots as well as up, down and along the hillside. Most holes are more wooded but it starts and ends in more open areas. The wooded holes all have fair lines to the pin. When I say fair I don't mean wide open, many are very tight lanes but they all have lanes. For as wooded as it is it seems like it wouldn't be very easy to lose discs. The course was very clean and well taken care of. There are multiple benches throughout the course which you will need here. There also is a port o potty at the top of the hill which is nice. The course is $3/round or $5/day. Either way well worth every cent.

Cons:

The tees would be better if they were concrete but as far as gravel pads these were real nice. The distances are more on the shorter side here. But with the tighter shots that's ok here. There's not much to complain about at this one, it's an all around awesome course that will challenge everyone.

Other Thoughts:

This is a destination course in Wisconsin. If you're a serious golfer I'd recommend checking this one out and be sure to have enough time to play it twice at least. It's similar to Justin Trails in Sparta or Axldog Acres by Menomonie. I wish this place was closer to me because I would play it all the time, just a great, great course. And beside that there are a bunch of other excellent courses to play in this area of the state like Rollin Ridge and Silver Creek.
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11 0
LeddZepp8687
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 115 played 19 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Best course I've played to date 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Tons of elevation change, More than I have ever seen at any other disc golf course for that matter.
-Some heavily wooded, super tight and narrow fairways that offer tons of challenge and demand nothing short of an on-target throw.
-Punishing roughs that will cost you at least one or two throws to get out of trouble. There are a couple holes that have a "pinball golf" feel to them as they are so insanely wooded that a lot of luck comes into play, but that adds to the fun. Most wooded holes can be shot well if you have a good finesse game though. I have a lot of respect for courses that punish bad throws and force players to pay for their mistakes and after a round here I have a great deal of respect for this course.
-Extremely straightforward navigation with plenty of signs and obvious foot paths that clearly lead to the next hole
-Good signage that illustrates each hole well
-Alternate tee pads for each hole
-There is an option to play this as an 18 or a 27 hole course (You will want to play the 27, trust me)
-Beautiful forest setting that is quiet and secluded. The only sounds we heard was the sounds of animals in the woods and water flowing over the nearby dam on the Kewaunee river. We also heard tons of gunshots but that is because it was opening day of deer season.
-If you like to hike, This place is for you. After a round here I legitimately felt that I deserved a break before we hit another course in the area. Tons of uphill and downhill hikes through the woods, which was a big plus for me.
-There is a pretty good mix of holes here in the sense that after you played an open hole or two, you were back in the woods. That is somewhat relieving after some of the wooded holes. I absolutely loved the heavily wooded ones but I welcomed a couple open holes here and there in between the tougher ones.
-Hole 15 is an absolute bomber, If you shoot the long tee you are looking at huge downhill throw that clicks in at a hair over 700 feet. Awesome!
-There are not a ton of huge, long holes here but what this course offers instead of tons of distance is challenging, fun, shorter holes. We shot blue tees when we played here and while there were only three or four holes with distances that are above my skill level I feel that just about anyone of any skill level will be working hard to make good shots here. Players with a good finesse game will foresee themselves shooting plenty of deuces but the trees may have other plans for you. Almost all of the open holes are deuceable but in the woods it is another story.

Cons:

-Natural tee pads, I wholeheartedly realize that this is being picky but it is a con. They were in rough shape when I played here and on a few holes they were almost unusable. A course of this stature deserves some sort of solid pad option.
-The last few holes were very disappointing after all of the other fantastic holes at this course. Perhaps they could re-work those holes into the woods as well? I think that would be a good change but I can also understand that from a space constraint standpoint it is likely not possible as this park is also used by mountain bikers.

Other Thoughts:

This is the slickest course I've played to date. No doubt about it. I pretty much loved every second of it and I am already planning another trip back up this way to play this one and a few of the other awesome courses in the area. I really wanted to play Rollin Ridge but it was closed because it was hunting season so that is just another reason to make the 5 hour drive back up to WI from IL. This course is without a doubt a destination course and to sweeten the deal there are multiple other courses in the area that are also rated very highly.

I wish this course was closer to my house, I could spend an entire weekend at this course, it has so many things around it that I am into. I also spend a lot of time mountain biking single-track trails and I also fish about as much as I disc golf and the river across the street is loaded with salmon and steelhead at the right times of the year.

In response to the course designers comments. The last few holes are by no means any reasons to skip this course. The last two holes are plenty interesting. They are just different than all the other holes. This is a must play course, everything about this course is epic.
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Designer response by superberry
There has been a bad rap about the last three holes in the past few reviews. Don't let these deter you, these holes add to the variety that makes winter park what it is. While these are technically the ONLY three holes that are not wooded, they are not throw-aways.
Hole 16 is 480' from the blue tees with an OB road the entire length of the left side and an elevated pond on the right to avoid and shape your throw.
Hole 17 is a 90 degree dogleg that offers a slick deuce opportunity if you can punch through the trees, or throw a 400' spike hyzer over 75' tall pines. If you're traying to cut the corner, anything inside the left side fence or short of the pine tree needles is OB. If you play the safe dogleg route, don't go too far (over 350') or you will be OB in a pond.
Hole 18 is 300' entirely across a pond. Not a particularly difficult throw, but a mental challenge.
7 1
booradly
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 165 played 24 reviews
5.00 star(s)

by far the best course i have played to date 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-nice park
-huge changes in elevation
-easy navigation
-holes 1,2 ,4 make for good warm up holes to get you lose
- holes 7,8,9,a,b,c,d,e made for some of the hardest/ most fun holes i have ever played up on the top of the hill in the woods(not to take away from holes 12,13,g,h,i,14,15 that are awesome i was just on top of my game up on top of the hill) the 8 holes on the top of the hill are all very heavily wooded that force you to throw through really tight windows.
-12,13,g,h,i,14 are all in a valley around a creek and are also awesome holes that really test your skill, g is my my personal my favorite in this section of the course the pad is up on the side of the valley and you throw a tight line back down into it
-15 is super fun you throw from the top of the hill all the way down to the bottom its a bomber but with how high up you are its not hard to get a good way up the fairway. but it is awesome to see your disc fly that far up in the air.

Cons:

-this course could really use some better pads
-hole 3 is a really fun hole but i would have liked to get a little more warmed up before a though hole like that
-holes 10,f,11 could be made a little harder being mostly open with woods around them
-after how epic 15 was 16,17,18 were lame being open field shots down near the road that leads to the parking lot and are by far the worst 3 holes on the course. but all of the epic ones more then make up for it

Other Thoughts:

i drove from the west burbs of Chicago up here to play and if i only played this course it would be well worth the trip. this blows all of my local courses away.
this is by far the best course i have played. there are many courses down by me that are rated in the 4's but this course is so much better i had to rate it a five maybe if i find something better i might change this to a 4.5 but its a 5 to me until i play something better
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8 0
Jax11
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 103 played 35 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Adventurous Round of Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Awesome variety in hole design
- Extremely high fun factor
- Good use of terrain (could have been better)
- Nice elevation changes
- High risk/reward greens
- Challenging, yet fair
- Navigation was not a huge problem
- Excellent Atmosphere
- #15 is an awesome hole, one of my favorites of all time

Cons:

- Teepads are rough, probably worse when wet
- Some of the walks between holes were a little long
- Navigation was a little confusing at the letter loops.
- Layout could have been a little better planned so the course ended with #15.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, Winter Park is definitely a destination course. It is set on a ski and tubing hill and lends itself to being an exciting round of disc golf. With that said, since it is on such terrain it can be extremely tiring and may take a longer amount of time to play than a typical 27 hole course. Bring well supported shoes and plenty of liquids to stay hydrated.

It has all the good making of a disc golf course in the course design aspect. It has all types of shots, from tight technical shots, to wide open bombers. Anhyzers and hyzers, uphills and downhills. The designer made good use of the natural terrain to offer players with high risk reward decisions. Roll away greens and thick rough adds to the challenge. A definite positive aspect of the course design is that almost every hole offers a clear and fair line to the basket.

The atmosphere here is nearly unbeatable, it is secluded and extremely rustic and provides an excellent escape from urban civilization.

Teepads are definitely the biggest issue with this course. With the extreme terrain in some spots well constructed concrete teepads could really make a huge difference. Furthermore, with the erosion on some of the natural teepads it is a borderline safety hazard to be throwing from them with a run up.

With a little bit more navigation assistance, a few adjustments to the layout that allow players to finish on current hole #15, and concrete teepads Winter Park could easily be a 5/5 for me. It is definitely worth the trip.

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11 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 351 played 175 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Winter Park Funland! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Winter Park is located on a small ski hill area. The course has pretty much everything you'd want in terms of land. Water, hills, open, woods, and ravines.

Practice basket near #1 tee.

Innova Discatcher baskets are in good shape. Each had the hole # or letter on them.

The tee signs although homemade printed were very nice. They were located on the standard middle tee.

No 2 holes were the same. Tons of variety! 27 holes of golf. I like to golf!!!

Hole #15 is one of the funnest holes that I've played. What a bomber down the hill.

Hole #18 has some nice pucker factor with the water in play.

This course was not crowded at all. We played on a perfect Saturday afternoon. We saw 1 group when we arrived and 4 others when we left. Freaking awesome!

Cons:

The #1 issue I have are the tee pads. I'd consider giving this a 5 review if all the tee pads were taken care of. Many were uneven and very short. Some had trees very close. Luckily I got a dry time to play the course.

Most holes had 2 tees and some had 3. Some were in even worse shape than the regular tees and weren't marked by tee signs.

Navigation can be a little tricky in a few places especially from 13 to G. The letter holes can make it tricky.

Although this coruse has long tees I probably wouldn't play them since they aren't marked. The standard course is more of a traditional par 3 course lacking of par 4's and 5s.

It's too bad more of the ski hill itself was not in play. The area below hole #10 looked awesome!

Other Thoughts:

If you are a hard core mountain biker there are some areas trails at this park.

I did not take this into consideration in my rating. If I were to return and play this course I'd play hole #16, 17, 18 then head over to #1. I think #15 should be the finishing hole on this course. What an awesome hole!

What a great day of golf. We stopped by Brillion, WI (Rolling Ridge) on the way up. 2 great courses in 1 day.
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9 0
ReinZ_96
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 104 played 46 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Winter Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 15, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

1) amazing design
2) great use of all the hills, ski runs, and woods
3) variety, variety, variety (great mix of short, long, left, right, straight, up, down, and flat holes...this course will make you use every shot in your bag and then some)
4) very well maintained
5) practice basket
6) nice Discatcher baskets
7) very descriptive signs
8) great risk reward on most all of the holes

Cons:

1) although they offered great grip the gravel tee pads. I understand that cement pads aren't possible because of the skiing in the winter but I still am not the biggest fan of the gravel.
2) a little tough to navigate the first time thru the course, I'd have been lost about 6 times if I'd not been with someone who was familiar with the course my first time thru.

Other Thoughts:

Amazing, amazing course, I'll certainly be playing this again and again even though I live an hour away. Hole 15 is just the most awesome hole I've ever played, 710ft with a hundred or so feet of elevation drop, it's just amazing. At ~8,100 feet from the blue tees and probably 10,000-11,000 feet (maybe even more) of total walking distance it is a grueling hike, you will sleep well the night after you play this course. And lastly...EVERYONE MUST PLAY THIS COURSE AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIFETIME!!
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