Blackfoot, ID

Blackfoot DGC

Permanent course
2.545(based on 12 reviews)
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9 0
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 407 played 392 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Magic Number Issues

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 9, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety and shots required to score well:

Although not a very long course or super treed course it still offers challenges in line shaping and placement. Many holes look straight off the tee and basically are but then the fairway either bends slightly affecting your approach/putt or has more obstacles on one side or the other. On top of that, many of the baskets are placed near a tree or to one side of a tree which make you think about how the end of the flight of your disc should be. One of the strongest parts of my game are BH and FH rollers and found myself throwing them on a majority of holes thanks to the mowed grass and no underbrush.

Tee pads/signs/navigations:

Tee pads are plenty wide, long and flat enough for a course that has a majority of its holes under 300 feet. There is a large course available at hole one and though I took a picture of it with my phone, I only once took my phone out to look at it so navigation isn't terrible but more on that later. Signs give you distance in feet and meters so you Europeans aren't left out!

Aesthetics and accessibility:

This course features green grass, nice large trees that produce shade (which is a big deal in this area) and an overall calming experience IMO. The course is visible from the freeway, and the exit has options for gas and food so this is a perfect stop for course bagging road trippers. The course plays right next to the freeway and some maybe find this less than ideal when trying to putt I find it soothing for some odd reason.

Other park activities:

There is a walking path that circles the edges of the course, most of the time it shouldn't interfere much with the golf, maybe hole 6. There is a lake behind the parking lot next to the course that people swim in in the summer months. There was a little shop in the park selling drinks and ice cream that looks nice. There is a nice playground and slide for the kiddos, floating docks, all sorts of cool stuff here for a small town park.

Cons:

Magic Number issues:

My biggest pet peeve is when course designers have a number of holes in mind before they start that they have to hit (usually 18,9, or multiples of 3) and take little or no consideration of if the space being used can handle it. Sure you can put 18 holes in any space but is it going to be the best course? Safe for multiple groups? NO! Personally I would rather play 7 or 9 or 10 or 13 or whatever awesome holes than 4 or 5 decent to good holes and a bunch of filler. Quality over quantity; the number of holes is far less important. When you start with the magic number you end up making bad holes that aren't safe for multiple groups and do a disservice to what you were given. Apparently this used to be a 9 hole course and was converted into 18 - 9 seems much MUCH more reasonable.

Safety concerns:

Kind of continued from above, the magic number issue here has many, many tee pads, fairways, and baskets using the same space. So many holes follow the same pattern of throw to basket and then walk backwards into last the hole's fairways in order to get to the next tee pad which is also in the last hole's fairway. Trying to navigate you find what you think is the next logical tee pad in front of you only to find it's a few holes away and have to use a few more fairways to other holes first. This course just isn't playable if there are more than a few groups on it which is insane for an 18 hole course. Although I doubt this course was built for tournaments in mind it would be impossible to even play doubles here with any decent turnout. I played this on a Tuesday morning and there were a few other people out and had to wait for people who were 4 holes ahead of us which is ridiculous - can't imagine playing this on a Saturday afternoon.

Other Thoughts:

Although this course was slightly disappointing from the perspective of what could have been or maybe what once was I still had a really good time and appreciate that this little town put in a course here in an area that's pretty nice looking. I wouldn't make this a mandatory stop or anything but if you like to bag courses its 30 seconds off the freeway and takes an hour probably. This review felt a little more negative than I wanted it to so just want to say that I appreciate whomever thought of it and got it approved. The basket, tee pad, and signs all took a good amount of work and probably in the hot sun.
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14 0
aphilso1
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.5 years 52 played 49 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

+Excellent trifecta of infrastructure - tee pads, signs, and baskets were all in great shape. Based on the previous review stating the tee signs were a just laminated number on a fence post, that means the signs are pretty new.
+Located in a very nice city park. Beautiful mature trees, green mowed grass, and located across the parking lot from a recreational-use reservoir (although the reservoir is currently dry due to the extreme drought this year).
+Park was well used, but most disc golf holes are designed to not interfere with the other park activities. The one exception to this is the holes that throw along the jogging track. However, none of those throws are blind and it is easy enough to wait 30 seconds for a jogger to pass. For the quality and popularity of the park, there were minimal spots to worry about hitting a non-disc golfer.
+The layout is very beginner friendly. Lots of short holes with just a couple key obstacles to avoid. Other than getting a disc stuck way up high in pine tree branches, there really isn't a way to lose a disc either.
+Good enough layout to still be fun for more experienced players. There are no "throw 300' in a wide open field" holes. Every hole has at least some sort of line to hit, even if those lines are relatively easy for better players. And the back 9 has a few holes with some length to them.
+ It is a great spot to stretch your legs during a road trip along I-15. The course is spitting distance from the interstate. There is minimal walking between holes. And even on a Saturday morning there were only a couple other golfers out there. Add all that up, and this is a course that will only set you back 60-75 minutes on your road trip. Well worth the stop.

Cons:

-The course is good enough to play 1-2x per year when passing through town, but most serious golfers would be pretty sad if it was their home course. Not a lot of replay value. This is the obvious flipside of a beginner friendly, "grow the sport" style course. Just too bland to be somewhere I'd look forward to playing regularly.
-If this course is ever full with disc golfers then it would be pretty dangerous. Quite a few holes are throwing parallel to each other and close together. Now granted, if it's not busy at 10:30am on a Saturday morning, then perhaps it is never super busy. But this is not a course I would want to play Leagues at because someone will eventually catch a flying disc with their face.
-No elevation change, no water, no real hazards to speak of. No "wow factor."

Other Thoughts:

This is the very definition of an average course. 18 well maintained holes, but in a location where there really isn't room for 18 holes if busy. Beginner friendly and quick to play, but a course that players will grow bored of as they progress in their skillset. A great pit stop during a long road trip, but not somewhere that you'll be excited to play again. 3*.
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9 0
brentjacobs
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.6 years 641 played 59 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Pretty little park course PACKED in too tight 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 21, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- 18 Permanent DISCatcher 28's all with a level mounting.
- 18 asphalt tees of adequate size.
- Beautiful, old growth trees through most of the course.
- A good amount of shot shaping requirements. Some holes allow more options, some only a couple and a few where a specific line is the right choice.
- Well kept park. Grass was mown, almost no garbage(what was around likely came from the adjacent freeway - see cons)
- Fairly easy to follow navigation. Not great but we didn't have a map of the new layout and never had to do more than a little double checking.
- Good extra infrastructure such as the railroad tie protection walls and rock ring around 18's green.
- Course located at a park with a nice lake beach access.
- Free to play.
- Good intermediate level course with lots of shorter to mid range hole lengths and a few longer and more technically challenging holes mixed in.
- While in the worst part of the course they have added a double mando to hole 14 and an island on Hole 16. Looks like they used weed killer to make the circle for the island about 6" wide around the basket. Pretty neat idea.

Cons:

- This Course is packed in an area that's way too tight for 18 holes. While no holes actually criss-cross, the fairways are very tight together and many tees and greens are on top of each other as well. Would be scary to play with more than 6-8 groups out there. I actually had a friend hit his line on a tee shot but black aced because of how packed in it is. It was pretty funny actually.
- No elevation. Like, a hump of ground or two.
- Lots of holes in the 220'ish range. Fortunately the trees help those holes from getting too repetitive.
- No course Map was available and at times, with how packed in the course is, you see many baskets and tee signs so some checking is required.
- Tee signs are just laminated numbers on big metal fence posts. They have left the old signs from the original 9 Hole layout but the distance on most is off since the pins have moved. Not sure why those with an accurate distance weren't just pulled down.
- Holes 14-16 are very meh. They're the only 3 holes across the walking path in the separate grass area.
- Holes 1, 2, 3, and 6 all play along the freeway edge of the park.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fine little course despite being ridiculously packed into the space. A lot of work and care has obviously been put into it. I got a bit excited on my way as the last review had noted that they updated all the tees and baskets for the 9 Hole layout, rating it a 3.5. I'm guessing that around 12 holes would be the sweet spot for this piece of land. I can't say I was truly disappointed as we played a very fun round. That said, there was 1 other twosome playing other than us so we had the place to ourselves for the most part. I'm not sure I'd play there on a busy day for fear getting hit and the necessary waiting that would have to take place. With the crowded nature of the course, needing multiple safety walls, it's tough to go too high on rating this. Also, the complete lack of elevation is big turn off for me. Definely worth a spin if you're around Blackfoot(and the course isn't busy). There certainly are a few signature-ish type holes and enough ace/birdie runs to make it enjoyable throughout.

Update: I returned to Blackfoot 3 months after my initial review and the tee pads have been completed and all the signs were up, albeit just laminated sheets of paper that are already bleeding from moisture. There were about 5 other groups this time and as expected, this caused flow issues in numerous places throughout the course.
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0 0
Skyhumper
Experience: 8.8 years 40 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great 9 hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Asphalt tee pads have just been re-done
- Great flow and signage
- Good amount of trees
- Starts you with an ace run hole then difficulty increase to holes where you are happy to get par
- Next to a beach for you to cool off after summer rounds

Cons:

- The baskets have some catching quirks
- Holes 1 & 2 have the possibility of going on to the freeway

Other Thoughts:

This is the course I started playing on and has been my home course for 2 years now and I've never gotten board of playing it.
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1 0
pacatak
Experience: 14 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Hometown 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 27, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I like the simplicity, its not always a bad thing and getting a good score helps with the confidence.

Well Marked. Easy to find holes.

Nice location. by a lake and river bottoms

Cons:

Easy now that they removed the trees.

Other Thoughts:

I've played this for years. Love the location, probalby the first place I played Disc golf.

We recently played in the winter. Our discs flew far and skipped off the snow.
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1 1
Topher
Experience: 15 years 10 played 8 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Needs trees 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 14, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

-quick easy course, can be completed in 30 minutes (I spent about 20 minutes on my first time to the course)
-easy to find next tee
-easy to locate baskets from the tee

Cons:

-too short, the first basket I overthrew by about 20 feet (and I don't have very far drives compared to most people with my experience)
-not enough trees or obstacles, but it sounds like that was due to dead ones being pulled out, hopefully new ones will fill in fast
-home made baskets, they threw off my game terribly, didn't have very good chains for catching, they also seemed to be too high but that may have been an optical illusion.

Other Thoughts:

Overall it was a decent course, if you want to try out a new course and want a quick break from driving down the interstate, it's worth it. Only about 3 minutes off the interstate and right next to a lake and skatepark. Also, it is located just past many food places and walmart and other such places which you may need to visit during a long drive.
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0 1
fiya79
Experience: 10 played 9 reviews
2.50 star(s)

getting better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 9, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

easy to navigate, close to me, lots of stuff to do in the park, some interesting shots.

Cons:

Terrible, terrible tee pads. throw from the grass. Lots of trees were removed circa 2006 and really made the course super easy. baskets don't catch well.

Other Thoughts:

tons of trees were planted in 2008, a sprinkler system was installed and maintenance has improved. Inn 5-10 years this course could be tough! still worth playing during a 30 minutes break on a road trip or as part of a family outing to swim or boat.
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1 0
troyskeen
Experience: 15.8 years 11 played
2.50 star(s)

Hey...it's something to throw at w/extras 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Ok....so this is Blackfoot Disc Golf Course at Jensen's Grove in Idaho. The course was clearly added without too much worry about technical difficulty, or maybe they did. The course is very small; it's a 9 hole course with the longest hole being #8 at 341. The funny thing is that this course really only has 2 holes that are semi-technical and #8 is one of them. Ok...so I have shanked a driver onto the freeway on my first big throw of the day a couple of months ago. I'm a guy that can appreciate simple and this course is definitely simple. I love it because I can be there from my home/office in 5 minutes and I can rush through the course in about a half an hour. It's a great "take a break" course. Another big plus for this course in the summer is that the park has more to offer like the reservoir, playgrounds, a skate park and such. It's pretty darned good for a small town park.

Cons:

It's quite short. The tee pads are deteriorated asphalt.

Other Thoughts:

I'm not experienced enough to complain about the baskets. They seem to work for me, but if you're an ol' pro and really serious about the game, you may not like them, but then again...if that's the case, you don't belong on this course.
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1 0
English101
Experience: 16.8 years 32 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A Quick Lunch 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Easy to find and play. Nicely maintained park full of places to entertain children. You can literally see where kids are playing from any hole on the course without having to worry about them getting hit by a disc. Course is very beginner friendly. Some of the holes have interesting obstacles, some of which are man made.

Cons:

The pros and cons of this course may be the same things. For many, this course is too easy. An ace on this course may barely even feel like an ace on some holes. The catchers and teepads are odd. The teepads (although okay) are made of asphalt, and it remains to be seen how they will wear. The catchers are homemade, and are workable. (some will probably find them frustrating.)

Other Thoughts:

It is a fairly small convenient park. If you are taking the family or want to sneak in a quick round at lunch, this is a great place to get it done.

If you are looking for a bit more of a challange or want to sample what the local area has to offer in terms of disc golf you would probably check out: Bengal Ridge (Pocatello), Freeman Park (Idaho Falls), or Lake Walcott (Rupert). If you want a short course that still presents more of a technical challange, try Upper Ross Park.
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0 0
[email protected]
Experience: 23.8 years 39 played 14 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Alright little park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2006 Played the course:never

Pros:

Not a bad stop for a quick little trip. Easy to find your way around and can be played very quickly. A player can blast through these 9 holes on a 30 min lunch break. Signs are helpful, and course is easy to find.

Cons:

Tees started fairly well, but the gravel had came loose last time I played through and their integrity was a bit compromised. Baskets are very strange, like nothing I've ever really seen, some people love them, I am not very fond of them.... I disc hitting the rim of the basket will be shot right out, as well as discs hitting the very top.

Many trees have been removed since the originally design, thus making the course a bit less challenging than even the original design.

Other Thoughts:

It's been nearly 2 years since i've played through the course, so there could be many changes since then.
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0 0
High Flyer
Experience: 23 played 22 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 19, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good, easy, beginner course. Well maintained. Metal signs provide a well marked course.

Cons:

Short course, all flat terrain.
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1 0
weum107
Experience: 27.9 years 110 played 16 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Jensen Grove Joy! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2004 Played the course:never

Pros:

Literally a stone's throw from the highway....Well marked tee boxes and nice baskets. Good looks and angles around cozy park foliage.

Cons:

A little small....but not a bad course at all considering it is is the heart of agriculturally prolific rural Idaho....a nice trip...

Other Thoughts:

Played here on occasion while working in Idaho Falls....placed 7th in 2004's 2nd annual Pride Days Tournament....led the pro pack with a -5 after round 1, but finished -2 overall after 3 rounds (ouch)....Watch for dense shrubbery near the turn and try not to hit any path-walkers! Good times....was previously called Jensen Grove Disc Golf Course....nice people in Idaho if you haven't been there...recommended!
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