Rice, MN

Osprey DGC @ Benton Beach

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2.425(based on 12 reviews)
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Osprey DGC @ Benton Beach reviews

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5 0
Steve West
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10 months 612 played 30 reviews
1.00 star(s)

No. Just no. 2+ years

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

Pros:

Signs, tees, and baskets. For a very highly skilled player, some really tough lines.

Cons:

Many places where it would be next to impossible to land safely on the preferred line, with no safe place to lay up.

Other Thoughts:

Not every course should be made as tough as possible. Toughness was added by making low-chance-of-success shots. Gaps too narrow, landing places too small, too much OB too near the basket, too many blind throws, too many places a disc could be lost.
The best way to save this course would be to adapt it to be the easy course the land allows. That might be a par 2 course.
If you have a non-playing co-worker you can't stand who is always begging you to take him disc golfing, take him here. Tell him all disc golf is like this.
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3 0
Muskiebite
Experience: 13.9 years 174 played 28 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Disc eating creek with a course on it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 4, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Good Signs, Score card box and map on first tee (I didn't even check to see if there was cards in there. I was using Udisc for my map, but its fairly easy to follow

Cons:

-Short tee boxes
-Some baskets are dangerously close to other tee pads
-Water comes into play on almost half of the holes, with tons of branches and tight lanes all it takes is to be a little off and you will be getting wet
-Hole 12 is next to impossible, its over 250' water carry and there are bushes and trees where you need to land that will very easily knock your disc back into the water, I played in late fall so the pond was clear but in the summer I'm sure its coverd in scuzz
-I played in late fall so bugs were a non issue, but being familiar with this area I'm sure bugs can be terrible in the summer, also Little Rock Lake has notorious green alge problem in the summer which smells and looks terrible

Other Thoughts:

I've know about this course since I started playing disc golf, it's 10 minutes from where I grew up and still have family so I've had ample opportunities to play it but I always passed it up because I was waiting for the right time when the creek is froze over but there is little to no snow on the ground. I got impatient and decided to play it in early November before the creek froze on the justification the creek is clear and shallow enough I can get my disc back if I went in. Now that I finally played it to check it off the list I can say it lived up to my non existent expectations and not in a good way. I didnt even finish the course, after hole 14 I had already gone in the creek 4 times, lost one disc when the current took it to a deep part of the creek over 5' deep, I skipped hole 12 because I knew it was guaranteed lost disc, when I saw 15 was over 300' hugging the creek the hole way I skipped that one too and looked at the rest of the holes which also played close to the creek (which is way wider and way deeper than you expect) I threw my hands up and said "I'm good" and walked off the course.
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1 8
Spike Hyzer 23
Experience: 30.7 years 92 played 87 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Botched Opportunity 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 23, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Hole 1
Hole 8 (with a caveat)
Hole 11
Hole 12
Hole 15 (with huge caveats)

Cons:

--Horrible overall design. It is shocking that a pro who has played all over could create something so miserable.
--There is dangerous backtracking everywhere. Cale must be a righty, because he didn't even consider that a LHBH on hole 2 would go right over the tee of #3 (you have to go BACK 50 feet to that tee). Ridiculous.
Additionally, you have to backtrack somewhat from #8 to the tee for #9.
Worst of all, you have to backtrack 200 of the 230 feet from #11's pin to get to the tee for #12. These are the best two holes on the course, yet a huge hazard. The best part of the woods and the creek are at the pin for #11 and you could clearly have woven some holes in there and come around later to create the great #12.
--Hole 8 would have been one of my favorites, except is is completely unfair for a lefty. Clearing brush along the creek and an opening to the pin would both make it fair and tempt the lefty to hang one out and end up in the creek. The way it is designed for a righty, the lefty can only hope to lay it out in the open 150' and hope to make the 35' putt.
--#15 would be a great hole, except it's another of those 90 degree turns. 300 feet straight out and then 75 feet left. Ridiculous. What makes it worse, especially for players who throw in the 250' range is that the basket for #17 and the tee for #18 are almost straight ahead. A 200' forehand from a righty could hit players in that area. The basket should be on the edge of the creek near the birdhouse.
--The sign was missing for #14. I think.
--The tee pads aren't just short, they don't even approach level. The fact is, the back of the first concrete square is raised, and the front of the front square is as well. The tee pads literally form a little 'V' and you are always walking down into that before walking upward to the end. And these pads are WAY too short. Something like 10 feet short of standard. You can't get a decent run up at all.
--It's hugely righty friendly overall.

Other Thoughts:

I was so psyched to find two courses within 5 miles of each other.
I was horribly disappointed that BOTH of them rated 1 or below.

What an awful day of disc golf.
Better to go to Millstream, the finest I've played in the region thus far.
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4 0
Rush2112
Experience: 27.8 years 13 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Disc swallowing back 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

- decent signs and well marked - pretty easy to follow for first time play
- front 9 is mostly open but has some nice mature trees mixed in to guard the baskets

Cons:

- too many places to lose a disc (water and heavy brush)
- back 9 is a little ridiculous unless you're an advanced player
- hole 12 over a stagnant pond is too long for a lot of people to throw over
- nitpicking, but concrete pads are a little too short
- mosquitoes were thick, bring bug spray

Other Thoughts:

I enjoy a tight and challenging course (like Mississippi River Park which is just a few miles west and a far better option) but I found this course annoying rather then fun. There are just way too many unforgiving water hazards and mosquito infested narrow cut paths through heavy brush on the back 9 to make for an enjoyable round. I'd rather find discs then lose them and although I consider myself an intermediate player I laid up over and over and over just to get through it. While I didn't see any poison ivy, there's a lot of burning nettle mixed into areas where your disc is likely to end up if you're not extremely accurate (and even mid-distance lay-ups have at least some potential to find trouble). I see no reason why i'd come back here as there are just too many better options within 20 minutes that are challenging but far more enjoyable.
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1 0
Disconkey
Experience: 12.1 years 12 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 20, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great course to warm up on
Love the first 6 holes
Nice tee-pads
Some variety in obstacles

Cons:

There are way to many water hazards
The grass on hole 6 if you throw your disc accidently with an anihyzer angle and land in the grass you will most likely not find your discs!

Other Thoughts:

If they mowed that tall grass on hole 6 and set up the baskets differently away from the water i would give this maybe 3-4 discs
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3 1
timj5304
Experience: 19.8 years 161 played 32 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

I have drove through this area many times and never knew of a course right off of Hwy 10 right there. It is in a nice campground which as many before have stated it gets the sport out there.

-Little to no traffic
-a quick round, only took 45 minutes to play
-nicely mowed, which surprised me
-scorecards at the first hole, was my first time and I would not of known where to go.
-Nice tee pads
-well used land that they have, used the creek and pond and made some tight fairways that were not fair!

Cons:

-nasty pond
-too many short holes that were mostly straight that did not take alot of skill to deuce

Other Thoughts:

Overall I rate any course high based on nice teepads, scorecards and being mowed well. A great course for any family or newer players without a big arm. IF your just looking to throw 400 ft+ bombs, do not waste your time. If your a person who does not have pinpoint accuracy and want to work on it this place is great because there is little to no traffic and you can work on extra shots!
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4 2
jskatt21
Experience: 14.7 years 16 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Nice new baskets, very well marked, each hole has a sign with an accuracte description of the hole, and I felt that the tee pads were perfect size, however my wife and I are beginners.
-They proved a map and scorecard right at the beginning.
-This was a great course to test out our drives, without having to worry about hitting a tree every five feet. It starts out with some nice open shots, with some good positioning of the holes, and then tightens up at the end.
-I agree with the last reviewer, that the creek kept you honset on your approaches. Without the creek, some of these would have been too short and too easy. We had no problems retrieving a disc that landed in the creek. Very clear, and not mucky!
-Nice campground, would be nice to camp there and play a bunch over a weekend.
-Really fun Hole 8, with a huge dog leg left. Too a bit to scout out and decide how to approach.

Cons:

-Pond on hole 12 is NASTY! I tried to clear the pond, and as I stated I am a beginner, I used a crappy disc just in case I lost it, which I did. Wife went around on the left side as the map suggests, later we went to the edge where we thought it could have gone. It is so gross that you could see where is landed and skipped in the water. I would not recomend going in there.
-We wanted to go for a dip in the lake. DO NOT GO IN THERE. This lake has been having problems with green algae, and is very disgusting. To bad too, cause it would make this an even better campground.
-Needs to have signs as you approach the campground, letting you know where the course starts.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this was a fun course. Was able to test throwing harder and farther, rather than hitting trees everytime. It has some challenging shots, and enough to make it interesting. I really liked the course, and will be going back soon!
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3 1
mndiscg
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 480 played 478 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Short but not bad 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Lots of chances for aces and deuces
-Good concrete tees, if the course was longer these would be too short but its short so not much run up is needed on most holes.
-Nice, new baskets.
-Course map/scorecard provided at start although they were out when I played on 8/24.
-All holes have signs with distance, map and par.
-Enough trees to keep it interesting.
-Contrary to other reviewers I found the creek interesting. These holes would be too short and too boring without the creek. Its also very clear so I wouldnt worry about losing a disc in it. The pond however comes into play on 2 holes 10, 12 and is nasty. I would doubt a disc would come back out of there. Throwing right over the pond is the best way by far to throw hole 12.
-Its in a campground so you can stay for a weekend and play this course as well as the many other wonderful courses in the St. Cloud area.
-Its on a nice lake so you can go for a dip on a hot day.
-Hole 8 is unique. It is a huge dogleg left. The hole is probably only 100 feet away from the tee but its pretty hard to get there. I though for awhile on how to get there. Very interesting hole. Hole 15 later is kind of a longer version of this hole.
-You probably wont lose a disc unless you put it in the pond. Woods aren't thick and the stream is very clear.

Cons:

-It's pretty much a pitch and putt with some interesting holes thrown in.
-Nasty wind whips up of the lake
-Bugs are not the worst but can be an annoyance
-Holes without lots of trees or water are boring because they are so short.
-Lack of length in general. Only one true long hole at 430 feet.

Other Thoughts:

This course is too hard for beginners but too easy for true advanced players. I am an alright disc golfer and this course was pretty fun but it definitely was too short. By using more campground they could increase the size and most likely the fun. I would stop by this course if you are looking for aces or are going to be here for awhile but there are better courses in the St. Cloud area.
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4 2
Cradical
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.8 years 110 played 61 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

I like that it is in a campground, so that it is easily accesible to campers. This helps get this sport out there. There is a lake on site as well which is nice. There are bathrooms somewhere and some trashcans.
The front nine on this course would be very good for beginners. There is good use of obstacles on a couple of the first few holes, and a couple of the late holes. There are a bunch of out of bounds areas around the course.
There is a holding pond that you have to throw over, which I really like (though I'd hate to try to retrieve a disc as it is very thick with green slime).

Cons:

Way too many short holes with very little obstacles. There is only one hole over 400 and the rest are dinky little holes.
The creek gets really ridiculous on one hole, where it runs parallel to the 10 foot wide fairway and then wraps around the 15 foot wide green. I guess I see why water is out of bounds, though it makes for lots of really easy circle threes.
Too many holes on the back nine were just right next to the creek and playing over it. On the front nine, the road is ob and one hole is about 5 feet in front of the hole, which I guess is ok.
Some of the last holes don't really have any clear fairways to the holes, they're basically luck holes.

Other Thoughts:

my review might be a little harsh because I was feeling grumpy when I played the course. Furthermore, as my score card sort of shows, I started out really well (-4 on 5 holes) and then just kinda fell apart. If I were you and I played here, I might consider not playing the clear creek water as ob, which would make your score go up most probably.
Also, I'd probably wear swimming trunks and scout the holes before you throw.
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1 4
d4nk
Experience: 15 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Be very wary 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is not a course for beginners, There are more than 4 holes with waterhazards, there's 2 of holes on penisulas with a deep, dark creek right near the pin, Pins are nice tournament legal. Very nice technical course, only one 400+ hole, there is a course map somewhere on the net, very helpful for the first time, the tees are very nice new cement, but the hole signs are very poor, also park carfully.

Cons:

Water Hazards, Needs signs pointing out where to go for first hole, 2nd, etc...
Water Hazards.
Also the lake being right there can generate A LOT of wind making those water hazards even tougher.

Other Thoughts:

Not a bad course though
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1 3
420ninja
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Update On Conditions 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good course. A new 18 holes in the area. There are a good number of holes that are in the open with not too many obstacles. The course is easy to follow and maps are provided if need be.

Cons:

There are also a large number of holes that have major water hazards. There is a slow moving stream that runs with many of the holes that can be fairly deep in places. On one of the holes you must go over or around a large pond which is difficult to retrieve discs from.

Other Thoughts:

There are now rubber tees and the baskets have the numbers on them
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5 2
mike_riewer
Experience: 17 years 44 played 19 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Benton Beach 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 7, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

This course, if thats what it could be called, has very nice pins. If one wanted to practice approach shots this is the course.

Cons:

There was no way to tell where to start discing. There was no tee off boxes and no numbers on top of the baskets, so just trying to figure out the layout of the couse was impossible. There was no one at the office to ask how to play the course and there was no score cards to see the layout.The baskets are extremely close together, shots never more than 250 feet with most of them being chip shots. It looked like the fairways of the course were mowed but were only the width of the mower. Extremely unrealistic for discing. Then the rest of the grass was left at almost knee height. The pin placement on most holes were right next to hazards. (20 feet from a river) Part of the course runs through the swamp, which was almost too wet to travel through the day I went.

Other Thoughts:

The Baskets look very new and are very nice. I dont understand why they put so much money into the baskets and not put together a playable course. Or, for that matter put up pin numbers and tee off boxes. IF the pins could be moved and placed in more desirable places for discers this could be a nice location for a disc course. But, the way it is now, dont go out of your way to play this course. The only reason I gave it a 0.5 instead of a 0 was because of the excellent baskets.
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