River Falls, WI

River Falls DGC

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2.55(based on 13 reviews)
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10 0
ReinZ_96
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 104 played 46 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Hoffman Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 2, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) While the course is very light on trees, there are specific lines you need to hit on a couple holes to get looks at birdie. Hole 2 and 3 specifically. Hole 2 is a genuinely great hole; ~350ft, low ceiling, and three attackable lines to the pin. The LHBH line is the most open, the up the gut and the RHBH line are both very doable, albeit a little tougher to execute. Truly the highlight of the course. Hole 3 is also about 350ft, a bit downhill and a (pretty much) forced LHBH/RHFH shot through/over the tree line if you want to get in the circle consistently.

2) Grippy, albeit very small, tee pads.

3) Tee signs are detailed and inlayed into the back corner of the tee pads. They have hole maps, recreational par, and some usually wildly inaccurate distances.

Cons:

1) With the exception of holes 2 and 3 mentioned above the only real challenge here is distance. If you can't pump 350+ most of the holes are a drive, a layup, and a tap in without much chance for birdies. Even a couple of the shorter holes (1 and 7) are deceptively uphill and feel like they play about 30-50ft longer than they actually are. And, due to the general lack of trees, anyone one with 400ft of power is just going to be throwing hyzers off almost every tee and expecting birdie on at least 5 or 6 of them. Gets repetitive very quickly.

2) Some of the tee pads are not level. Hole 1 is slanted very noticeably uphill, hole 5 is slanted downhill, hole 6 tilted a little bit right to left and hole 8 feels very slightly slanted down as well. These all make getting proper release angles and nose angles unreasonably frustrating.

3) Layout is a bit wonky. The walks between holes 3/4 and 6/7 are around the softball fields and could trip up first timers if they didn't check out the map in the parking lot or aren't using UDisc. Also a couple years ago, after complaints from campers, they moved hole 9 to a shorter position and relocated the tee pad literally inside circle 1 for basket 8. When it's busy these two holes can have giant backups for this reason. There is a 'short pad' that gets used for leagues that avoids this issue but most people don't use it.

4) Interactions with other park users can vary from annoying to dangerous depending on the time of year. The walking paths are mostly a non-issue, just pay attention and it's fine, but the softball fields around holes 3 and 6 are the main issue. The ideal line for hole 3 is to throw over the outfield fence and fade back in bounds, which as one could imagine poses issues during games. Hole 6 plays directly alongside the walking path to access the fields and it gets very busy during games. This leads to lots of waiting and backups on the hole. Additionally, teams tend to use the fairway of hole 6 for warm up. Generally they are understanding and will jump out of the way if you politely ask to throw, but every once in a while you'll get a group that feels like they own the place. During the summer these are at least once day a week, sometimes 3 or more. The trees near hole 6's basket are also very attractive to hammock people. Again, like the softball people, they generally move for a minute if you ask politely but I've seen many groups of high school/college kids not care and nearly hit people with their drives. Because of these issues, during the yearly 'River Falls Days' softball tournaments in July hole 6 is pulled for a few days.

5) Holes 4, 5, and 6 play in and around a drainage area and can get hella wet. During the spring they are usually unplayable for a few weeks or more due to the flooding. I've seen the water up to 4s basket, which is at least 5 feet of water, both this spring and after a large rainstorm during the summer. During wet years the area at the bottom of the hill near 4s basket, 5s tee, 5s basket, and all along 6s fairway will almost always have standing water. There was 1-2 feet of water below 5s basket and along 6s fairway for a solid 6 months this year.

Other Thoughts:

I've played hundreds (maybe thousands) of rounds at this course since I started university/moved to town a few years ago since it's the only course within 30 minutes and have grown to dislike the course quite a bit due to the only real challenge here being distance. Maybe objectively this course deserves a 2.0 for someone just playing the course once or twice. But having played it so much, the repetitiveness and other cons all add up to enough for me to knock it down to a 1.5. It's not necessarily a bad course, it just gets old pretty quickly, especially if you can push 350-375ft+ off the tee. For low power players it might provide enough of a challenge to prevent becoming repetitive and frustrating, but I can't give input on that. I'd never recommend driving out of your way to play here, but if you are just swinging through town and have nothing to do it's a quick 30-40 minute round and I'd recommend stopping by and checking it off the list.

Lastly, this course is seeing a redesign in conjunction with general development plans in the park, probably within 2 years depending on how fast the city works. Looking at the proposed layout, the biggest cons (3 and 4) look like they will be mostly solved but the basic issues related to the land itself can't be mitigated with a redesign. The flooding issues could be solved, but that all depends how the city alters the drainage area during construction. The preliminary construction they did this fall does look promising, though.
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3 1
Badgerman
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.6 years 550 played 62 reviews
2.50 star(s)

River Falls 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+ Good use of trees and elevation
+ Course map at beginning, Tee signs set into concrete tees with dist, par, # and minimap.
+ Clean and well maintained
+ Good variety of hole lengths. 275'-450'
+ Does a good job avoiding other park activities, Very nice flow

Cons:

- I wish the tee signs were on posts, it would make the tees much easier to spot
- The signs in the tees are fading
- 4 and 5 get very soggy

Other Thoughts:

This is a good model for a city park course.

There is a water hazard on 5, avoid the patch of longer grass

After 3, follow the baseball field fence to the right
After 6, follow the baseball field fence around the corner to the left

To get 3.0: Have tee sign posts
for 3.5: Add a second set of tees and start planting more trees
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3 2
Hazard
Experience: 11 years 37 played 12 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice For College Students 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 28, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is close to the UWRF campus which makes ideal for students, since the next closest courses are 25 mins away.
Most holes are in open areas, so it's a good course for beginners and you wont loose your disk.
Good for quick rounds with some friends.
Good place to meet other UWRF students that play disc golf.

Cons:

The holes pars are 1 above what they should be, which makes it very easy to score is the -3 to -6 range.
Although the holes are open and it's nice for practice, the holes are pretty boring and not very challenging for seasoned disc golfer.
On nice days it can be very busy and you may have to wait for other players to finish the holes.

Other Thoughts:

Over all the course is pretty decent. Although it isn't very diverse course, it's a nice quick course with open area, which makes it nice to practice your power throws without the fear of loosing your disks.
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2 1
1_Nation_Under_Par
Experience: 18.9 years 27 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Great for a "Quickie" Round 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Free-to-play 9-Hole course with concrete tees. It's the only course worth mentioning in a 15 mile radius. It is very close to UWRF. Nicely maintained, well manicured. A couple long holes. Playing solo, you could finish your round easily in 35 minutes.

Cons:

Not really "wooded" anywhere, there are trees but they are in the open. Inconsistent distances given on the green distance markers on the tee pads. For me, see the other thoughts.

Other Thoughts:

If you find yourself in River Falls play the course, otherwise save your gas. Pay attention to the sign before hole one, it's the only one that really gives you the full lay-out of the course. Near a cemetery, a play ground, softball fields, camp grounds, a hockey rink, 'beach' volleyball, skate park, a walking path etc.
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0 2
FireThrower
Experience: 10 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Perfect Casual Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 14, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Near impossible to loose a disc.
Cement tee boxes.
Nice signage inlay on boxes.

Cons:

Lacks variety in layout since most holes are strait and wide.
Tee boxes are a bit narrow and small.

Other Thoughts:

I've come to appreciate this course over time after visiting other nearby courses. You wont spend half your time retrieving discs in the woods rather then enjoying the game. I always take first time players here to introduce them to the game since it's a very easy course to learn on with such open holes. Always people here playing and enjoying the course.
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5 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
2.50 star(s)

River Falls short of my expectations. 2+ years

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

Pros:

1) Probably some of the coolest tee-signs I have ever seen. They looked to be some sort of copper or bronze inlay into the concrete. They had Hole #, distance, par and a decent diagram of the hole including the trees. These are idiot proof (meaning tough to vandalize) and they get the point across as to what the hole it all about and I think they are the coolest thing I have ever seen in terms of signage.

2) Concrete tees are always appreciated (see also cons).

3) Excellent rolling terrain on this course. Some of it is "man-made" because it is obviously a serious runoff area (or overflow retention pond). If the retention pond were full that would be a tough couple of holes! There isn't much elevation change on any given hole, but nothing is completely flat either.

4) Nice baskets as always. I wrote down they were Mach baskets with Orange on the pole but that would lead me to believe they were Chainstars. So I apologize for my poor note taking, but there were no pictures or discussions available about which basket they are. Either way they are new and in good shape.

5) Excellent variety in challenge ranging from rollaway putts, to distance, to trees, and shot shaping. It is nice to be challenged in different ways on a course.

6) This course does a really good job of avoiding the other activity areas. At first I was fearful with the amount of people out during the first 60 degree day that I would be battling with other park users, but the one kid who was hanging around on #8 disappeared by the time we had to throw so I was happy to not have a run-in with anyone on the course.

7) Mulch was used to help with the immediate areas around the basket which is always a plus. It means they don't want the course turning to mud and I can appreciate not having to walk through mud on every hole.

8) Distance variation was good ranging from 200's, 300's and some 400's. There were not many parkable holes here which I can appreciate especially since I do not throw very far as it is, but the variety is key to good design in my opinion . . . at least in terms of the overall feel of the course. Could I play a course with 18 awesome 200-300' holes sure . . . but it would be better if there was more variety thrown in there.

9) Dual basket locations on every hole . . . I would love t play the alternate holes just to see how it affects the course and the challenge.

10) Beginner friendly from the standpoint that you cannot lose a disc here.

11) Throwing a roller here is always an option . . . on almost any hole. I only use it when I have the wind for it and a hole that is out of my reach, but many of these holes are beyond my max throw distance so I got the opportunity. Unfortunately, there was a lot of wind when I played.

Cons:

1) There are a couple places where a directional would help (going from #3 to #4, and from #6 to #7), but it didn't take me long to figure it out. My wife even commented . . ."how did you know this is where the tee would be" to which I responded I have played a lot of courses and seen a lot of designs, and I can figure out layout a lot better now.

2) The concrete seems to be just a little bit small for my liking especially with the distance of these holes. I don't need a huge run-up but when the hole is longer than I can throw I prefer to not be limited by the concrete and here I was.

3) Garbage cans are plentiful in the park, but not near the disc golf tees or holes in general. They are along the walking path and near the pavilions.

4) Overall this course does not challenge me enough for my liking. Sure they have a good variety of challenge, but it is not what I would consider a hard course. Unfortunately, I played it on a day where there was strong wind so the main factor in my score was the wind and the distance. That to me does not make a challenging course.

5) Maybe a little bit too long for beginners to enjoy, although the beginners who play here will love the fact they can't lose a disc, so maybe it's a horse apiece.

6) Variety is lacking on this course because it is so open. Sure there are some trees but nothing that forces any particular shot. I simply prefer more thought than just how much power you have.

7) The lack of signs can be frustrating . . . at least in terms of routing. You might struggle to find a couple tees because all you have to go by is concrete flush with the ground.

Other Thoughts:

A decent course that could use some more challenge and some more woods. The amenities are ok, but I don't like how short the teepads are especially on a long course.

I wouldn't play tis regularly because it isn't that much fun, most of the challenge comes from distance and wind and less from the trees, obstacles, and shot shaping.
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5 0
E_Rock25
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 77 played 35 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Great for night rounds 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 21, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

River Falls DGC is basically a long Pitch-and-Putt that gives you many opportunities to let some rip. With 2 holes at or over 400' this is a great course to work on your drives with no real risk of losing a disc. There are also a few shorter ace run holes and overall the diversity in hole length is really good for a 9 hole park course. The park is very well kept and every time I play here it is nicely mowed (great course to learn or work on rollers). There are plenty of other activates offered inside the park including baseball fields, soccer fields, volley ball courts, a skate park, play area for kids, grills and even a camp ground. The course is mostly open with the exception of the first three holes that play threw some medium sized trees. This is a great course to introduce someone to disc golf.

1. Nice tee pads with tee signs molded right into the concert. The signs in the pads are a great idea because it is damn near impossible to vandalize them. The signs have hole distance, hole number and par on them. The only small complaint I have about the pads is they are a bit narrow.
2. The park is very clean, no graffiti what so ever.
3. Good variety of hole length. The shortest hole is 250' and the longest is 450' with everything in between as far as distance goes.
4. Good use of available elevation changes. Hole #5 tee is on top of about a 15'-20' hill and is also the 450' hole so you can really let one rip.
5. The course has good flow with the exception of a longer walk between hole #6 & #7.
6. Great course for learning or practicing roller, because it is always well mowed and is mostly open.
7. Great night course with very little chance of losing a disc. There are very few bushes for a disc to hide in and only really bad shots have a chance to go into some thick woods on hole #1.(I play lots of night golf here in the summer)
8. There are alt basket locations but this course always seems to be in the same layout.
9. Very beginner friendly and a great place to teach someone to play.
10. The park has a great variety of other activates and the skate park is actually pretty nice.

Cons:

There are a few cons to this course but it is really nice for an in town, multi-use, park course IMO. I wish there were one or two holes that were more technical, because for the most part you don't have to think about your line on any of the holes. I don't know if the city owns any of the woods to the right of hole #1 but if they do it would be great to use some of that land to make the course more technical. The wide open nature of the course has to be the biggest con but can be good in a way as well. You can practice all kinds of throws here with little to no fear of losing plastic.

1. This course really has no imagination. All the pins are straight in front of the pad and none of the holes force you to choose a line.
2. There are a few places where other park activates come into play. Watch out for kids playing and people walking.
3. The course gets a lot of play in the afternoons because it is in a college town. This can cause backups that make for a frustrating round.
4. Tee pads are very narrow and don't allow for different angles of attack. Some of the pads can be hard to find because the tee signs are built right into the pads.
5. There are chucker's here from time to time that can be DB's. They seem like college guys that just want to drink beer and have no course etiquette what so ever. I have been thrown on by large groups of 5 or more even after asking them to wait till our group clears the green.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this course is what it is. I love playing night rounds here but the course is not worth going out of your way to play. The course would be much better if they repositioned some of the pins to force you to pick a line, or used the woods at the far end of the course. I will play this course a few time every year (mostly night rounds) because my GF goes to school in River Falls.
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1 1
PastorRick
Experience: 15.9 years 12 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun to play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice course, with good flow. For beginners or intermediate players this course offers a good mix.
Long holes set with a casual par system.
nice tee boxes (although a little small)
This park has a nice children's play area, picnic tables, volley ball court, skate park, are also in the park as well as a camp ground, bring your whole family, they can use the rest of the park while you grab a couple of quick rounds

Cons:

could have used better use of the land for more challenging layout. There are no really tough holes, and every course should have at least one "signature hole"

Other Thoughts:

I enjoy playing this course a a lot. Sure there are better courses, but for a casual game with friends, this course is a nice place to play.
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7 0
whitechocolate
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16 years 437 played 23 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Longer the average 9 holer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Longer holes for a nine hole
-Cement teepads
-Easy to navigate
-Can work multiple lines

This a longer nine hole about 30 minutes outside of St. Paul. It does take a little time to get to and is easier to find them the directions sound like. It is at Hoffman Park and probably should be called Hoffman Park DGC.

The course is a mostly open, most flat course. There is a slight elevation change in a couple places. The trees are the main obstacle as you go around the course. You have opportunities to work on different types of shots here. The is only one hole that really limits your short selection.

It winds the back side of the park going around the picnic grounds, behind the baseball fields, along the cemetery, and over the retention area (wasn't a pond, but definitely for retention). Holes range from around 250-450 which actually give you the opportunity to get some use out of your drivers which is generally rare for a park nice hole. Tee "signs" are on the actual cement pads with distance from the holes on them. A couple did not look accurate however. There is a sign with a map of the course at hole 1 but it is easy pretty easy to navigate. There is a decent walk from hole 6 to 7, but it pretty much common sense.

Cons:

-Long for the sake of being long
-Could have used elevation better
-All baskets were straight lines from the tee
-If park was busy with picnic and such, some hole could be unplayable

This course has both of my personal pet peeves. First, all basket were straight out for the teepad. Whether it was 275 or 450, when you stood on the teepad the back was straight ahead. There were trees in the path, however, there was not a shot were you really had to a certain line at all, with the except of maybe hole 4. With the natural obstacle there are at the park, there could have easily been a couple hyzer and anhzyer protected baskets and the course would have been so much better.

Secondly, the course was "long for the sake of being long". When I say that I mean, the holes were longer because they could be, not for any rhyme or reason. Majority of the baskets did not have an obstacle within 30 meters. I cannot even think of one that did, but sticking with majority. I would have rather of seen holes as short as 180', if it really had a purpose for why it was that short. The slightly elevation changes could have been used a lot better as well. With playing around the retention area for three holes, there was some potential for more use of those elevation. You got to throw over the retention area on hole 5, so it seems like you are throwing downhill, however, you are really just throwing into the retention area if you cannot throw over 400'.

Other Thoughts:

I found the course to be a good opportunity to be able to work some lines if that what you came here to do. Because I was only here to check out the course and play it for its face value, I did not. After catching the tree on hole 1 and taking a bogey, I went the safest route for my ability. I threw forehand rollers, approached and took the three on the rest of the holes, with the exception for 5, where I still took a 3, or where I deuced. This did not make the course challenging for me, which normally a longer course would be I do not have the strongest arm. The course was too open to avoid major issues. I also clipped a picnic table with a roller, thus proving it wouldn't be a safe to throw if people were there.

This course is ideal for learning your drivers, but it not a destination course by any means. If I lived in the Twin Cites area, it still would be a one and done for me. If I lived in the River Falls area, I would be grateful for this course and use it religiously. There is not a lot of courses near by and most of them are really short by comparison. I would use this course for learning how to drive and play, and work with the park district to make improvements on the course. I would take my skills on the weekends to the Twin Cities area or Menomonie area to test my progress on some more challenging courses.
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3 0
deadbody
Experience: 20.1 years 152 played 66 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Local Multi-use park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice baskets, nice concrete tees. some elevation changes, good use of trees, good use of the space in the park.

The tees have a sign on them showing the distance and the pin. Nice touch. Well maintained. Made the best use of limited space.

Cons:

It's a multi-use park, there are other people who can walk into the line of fire. For the most part that is minimized, but there are a couple spots where the park board put picnic tables right in the fairways. The teeboxes are a bit small, short and skinny, but with nothing too long you don't need a huge run-up so they are passable. Raised tee markers would be nice, we spent a couple minutes trying to fine hole 7 because it is a bit of a walk, and it's hard to see cement pads that are ground level.

Other Thoughts:

Really this is a fine local course. I wouldn't make a special trip to play it, but if you are in the area it's worth getting a round in.

Wraps around the outside of the park using all the space they can, and creating some decent holes. No tight technical shots really, but there are trees that you do have to be cognizant of. A couple holes play over a field and are really just open up and toss holes, but the wind comes into play a bit here.

Overall a nice local course, not something I'd play again unless I was in the area for something else, but not something I feel like I wasted time to play.
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2 1
theflick
Experience: 14.8 years 12 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 16, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Pins are in good shape tee pads aswell in good shape. Good begginer course pending the wind. If its windy it will challange almost anyone. Has a few ace chances for ace. Has a nice long 450 footerh(hole 5). Offers a many different lines on the same holes.

Cons:

If you have a long drive 350+ shouldn't have a problem getting under par. Gets busy on most days around 4-7 anytime before or after that you will see maybe one or two groups.
Hole 8 and 9 can get a bit hectic in summer with little kids running around. Tee pads could be longer and wider.
Hole 9 if you throw RHFH might wanna throw a touch lower and play it short or you could hit a car. (speaking from almost hitting a few already this year)

Other Thoughts:

Could make alt. tees or make another 9 holes in the woods. If they made the 9 holes in the woods it would make the course a lot harder and a lot more altuide change. Other then that its a fun 9 hole course.
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0 4
bloodydisc
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hoffman Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 25, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very nice beginners course. This is where I learned to throw and still keep coming back. Many open lanes and and good use of natural terrain.

Cons:

This course if you have a long drive is very easy and doesn't have many obstacles or hazards.

Other Thoughts:

The course is a nice 9 hole course with Alternate tees to make it a comfortable 18.
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4 1
falcon79
Experience: 15.8 years 286 played 19 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice city park course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 27, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Park area is well-groomed and open. Concrete tee boxes, signs and baskets in good shape. The course makes good use of the available landscape. No real overlap with other holes, and the course loops back to the start.

Cons:

The last three holes cross by and through the kids playground area, so if the weather is nice, there will be conflicts. Amenities are all tied to other park facilities. Holes are

Other Thoughts:

For a course set up within the developed parts of a pre-existing park, this course isn't too bad. 5th fairway crosses over a storm water retention pond, so spring play could be fun.
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