Bozeman, MT

Rose Park

2.035(based on 16 reviews)
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7 0
brentjacobs
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.6 years 641 played 59 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ground squirrel holes, dirt mounds, and few trees 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 12, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- 12 permanent DISCatchers with level mounting in ok repair. They're older models and have seen better days but they do the trick.
- Level cement tee pads on 9/12 holes. The course recently expanded back to 12 holes and new pads haven't been installed yet. Those that are in are nice and large, just how mama likes em.
-Course kiosk with large map and rules right by hole 1.
- Cool metal Tee signs with Par, Distance(for multiple pin locations if the hole has them), and a depiction of the hole showing trees, OB, mandos, etc.
- Decent variety of hole lengths between 220' and 480'. A little heavy on the 220'-330' range where 9 of the 12 holes fall.
-A few water hazards, however some are seasonal.
- The available elevation was used.
- Free to play.
- The views are spectacular. So many mountain ranges around the city of Bozeman. While you're on a very ugly course, you get to look at very pretty country.

Cons:

- The land. It's just not a good piece of land for a disc golf course. It was built on a vacant field behind some large box stores where they dumped all of their excavation dirt. Mostly covered in crummy scrub grass and dirt. That said, the layout has maximized for what was available to use.
- Lack of trees makes for a lack of good golf holes. The course is so wide open that you can throw pretty much any shot you'd like on almost every hole. #6 does have a mando that forces left to right finish and takes away the Hyzer route for safety purposes. They have planted some trees in the last few years, but they're still very small and some were poorly placed(i.e. Lining the tee box. Will create shade but not good golf). Others have just died.
-Ground squirrels everywhere. These little terrorists have littered the entire property with ankle breaking holes. Watch out. To make it worse, people think shoving their beer can in the holes help.
- Very busy in the evenings and weekends. A round could take anywhere between 25 minutes to an hour +.

Other Thoughts:

This is an example of a city putting a course on whatever land they have available because they have it available, not because it's great golf land. I've played much worse but this course really lacks much golf substance outside of a few holes. Great place for chuckers, beginners, course baggers, or somebody looking to pad their ace count. If you're travelling through, its not exactly a quick in and out of town to get this bagged but not that far from the interstate. If you're staying in Bozeman or travelling through town already you can give it a very quick spin during quieter hours. For reference, I live a 6 minute drive away and have played it less than 10 times in 4 years. With the recent re-redesign taking it back to 12 holes and putting in the kiosk and nice signage I had to check it out again. Certainly nothing to write home about but the improvements are nice and my round was more entertaining than my most recent play there in the summer of 2019. With that in mind I was happy to bump my rating up to a 2/5 because it is truly reasonable now.
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3 2
ricklev
Experience: 30 played 30 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Hard to navigate but kind of fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great views of the mountains, right from hole #1
The many gophers are fun to watch
Dramatically different from other courses I've played
Holes not too long

Cons:

-Hard to follow layout, even with map
-Watch out for gopher holes
-Except for the mowed fairways, the surrounding grass is tall and discs can be hard to find

Other Thoughts:

Nice course to play when visiting and short on time, but not easy to follow the layout. I was able to play several holes, though. Just not in order. I had a good time, and watching the mountains and the gophers made it worthwhile too.
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5 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

This Rose Is More Thorn Than Rose! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Rose Park is a fairly new park in a Bozeman superb. The park is maybe two or three city block square. It's almost entirely flat crept for a couple small hills which are 10-20 feet high. There is only tree of any size. That's an small apple tree by the # 3 or 4 tee pad. Lots of small trees have been planted including what looks like a future hedge circle around the # 8 basket.

The parking is right next to the # 1 tee pad. The trapezoid shaped, concrete pads are great. The baskets look older than are, I think. They've already been painted, some have multiple numbers and many have stickers plastered all over them. I was glad to remove a couple of stickers on my round. The tee signs are large and strong. Most have a small course map but none have a distance on them. Also, they have small hole numbers. These could benefit from having large, brightly colored house numbers.

The holes all have a certain sameness to them. Lots of straight, medium length holes with no line shaping needed here. The only challenge this morning was the wind.

I did enjoy teeing off from the park's largest hill on # 9. Standing atop this behemoth with the thin air at an altitude of approximately 22 feet above sea level, the surrounding view was magnificent. The basket looms below about 300 feet out.

Cons:

Rose Park DGC suffers from a distinct lack of interesting holes.
Or maybe it's just a little lacking on the creative side.
Okay, it's flat out boring.

Basic flat terrain.

Lack of trees.

Little challenge beside the wind.

I didn't see any trash cans but I also saw very little trash in the park.

Other Thoughts:

I guess with the next nearest courses some twenty miles away, this would suffice for casual rounds. Also for youth and beginners.

It was fine for a course bagger such as myself. It also makes for a nice little pit stop on your drive across Montana on Interstae 90. It's just minutes off the Interstate.
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3 6
un4fR4y3d
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Family Friendly Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Close to Hotels and VRBOs;
Adjacent to REI and Sports Warehouse;
Great place to throw new plastic before heading to the hills;
Family friendly, ADA friendly, Night Golf friendly;
Great place to practice throwing in the wind (afternoons);
Tons of prairie dogs and other small mammals;
Cool, clear, ankle deep marsh on the 11th hole;
Huge variety of native plants and grasses.

Cons:

Course is still under construction.
11th hole swamp edges should be marked for OB purposes and to keep people from walking straight into a swamp hidden by tall grass;
you need to watch where you are going;
No benches or clearly defined bowl holes.
The average distance seems to be around 280 feet; perfect for intermediate players but it's not great for pros who want to practice pinpoint accuracy of drives over distances greater than 425 feet.

Other Thoughts:

Trash and recycling bins are in. Groomed for the summer, I had no trouble following the paths around from tee to tee, even without a map. One of the organizations affiliated with this club is actively promoting disc golf as a new sport for Youth. See http://motodom.com/RosePark.html. The Park is managed by the Gallatin Valley Land Trust and was established as an environmental mitigation of the subdivisions and shopping malls sprouting up over some of the most productive prairie. This course would be greatly improved by interpretive/informational nature signs and a bulletin board for posting messages and annoucements.
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7 2
humchris85
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.8 years 143 played 77 reviews
0.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Concrete tees
- Baskets are all DiscCatchers in good shape
- Walking distance from hotels
- One small mound of dirt to provide some slight variation
- Good for beginners and kids
- The only place to practice without driving out of town (also a con)

Cons:

- BORING!
- No trees over a foot tall anywhere on the course
- Half of the signs were knocked down
- Some holes have the potential to end up throwing at the wrong basket if you haven't played the course before
- Muddy in some spots during the time of year when I was there
- It's really boring
- No bathrooms, port-o-potty, or really anywhere to go to the bathroom
- No benches or trashcans, but the course isn't that long, so it's not too big of a con
- Small creek and marshy areas around the course with no real way to cross them without getting wet in some spots
- The signs are nothing more than a wooden post sticking out of the ground with a number sticker on it. Not that they need to really be more than that, as every basket is visible from the tee. A bunch of them were missing their #'s though.
- Deep gopher holes around the course
- Trash and empty bottles laying around on the course
- Did I mention how boring this course is? Because it is probably the most boring course I've ever played.

Other Thoughts:

I think my buddy Adam summed up this course the best when he said "The hardest part about this course is finding a place to pee."
The course consists of an open block in the middle of Bozeman. There are a few trees on the lot, but most of them don't come into play, and the ones that do are less than a foot tall. It's mostly flat, with a tiny bit of mounds that add a slight bit of variation to it, but not much. The course is surrounded by houses and business, so the immediate surroundings aren't anything to write home about, but there are mountains that are visible in the background, so, it's got that going for it, which is nice. When I was there the course had standing water on it in a lot of spots, with no real ways to get through without getting your feet wet. The 2x4 bridges that they had put over some of them were not strong enough to keep me from sinking into the water, and I'm a pretty small guy.
There are only 3 reasons I can see to play this course, if you are a course bagger, if you live in Bozeman and can't drive to one of the courses outside of town, or if you are staying at one of the hotels in town and want to walk to a course for a little driving and putting practice.
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2 3
mrwheeling
Experience: 25.8 years 3 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Foot of snow 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tall tee pad pillars do a good job of marking tees, especially in snow.

Cons:

Boring. Mostly flat. Logic was not used in the course layout. Getting to the next tee on most holes involves a lot of needless walking.

Other Thoughts:

Plant trees.
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4 2
POLeary29
Experience: 19.4 years 11 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Quick Getaway 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 14, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Great to play a quick round before work/ school or on a break from either
-Good targets
-Concrete tees
-Paved parking lot (finally! after two years of a muddy dirt lot)

Cons:

-Not very challenging
-Windy
-Crowded during the summer, on weekends, and in the afternoons
-GOPHER HOLES
-Tall grass in spring (mowed in the summer though)

Other Thoughts:

This is a good course in Bozeman city limits. Unfortunately the funding has diminished since they first built the course. There are some improvements going in every 6 months or so. Finally after two years a paved parking lot has gone in eliminating the parking on the street. They starting putting in hole signs but stopped at putting wood posts in the ground. This is a good course to play in the winter when the snow gets packed down and days are warm (for Montana). Mud can get extremely bad in the spring and makes the course un-playable for at least a month.
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4 2
OldDog
Experience: 47.9 years 49 played 8 reviews
1.50 star(s)

It's what you have... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

It's the only course right in Bozeman
You can see all the baskets
Most of it is mowed
I met friendly players

Cons:

The trees they planted died, so it is wide open grassland
The land is pretty flat
Not much you can do with flat grassland, huh?

Other Thoughts:

I can see the course planners envisioning the saplings growing into trees that could define the course, and they could! If trees were planted, this could be a really fun course.
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7 0
trevzilla
Experience: 23.8 years 53 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Meh, I guess it's better than nothing. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-This course is pretty easy to follow. Especially when they've just mowed. Also, besides hole 1, the baskets and tees are very nice. It's good to have a course in Bozeman with baskets and tees.
-This is a great course if you are bored and just want to throw a disc quickly. It takes max an hour to play.
-Feel free to bring Fido! Bozeman is a dog loving community.
-Absolutely stunning views of both the Bridgers and the Spanish Peaks.

Cons:

-Absolutely no obstacles. That is beside the ankle twisting gopher holes. And contrary to popular belief, shoving a beer bottle/can down a gopher hole will not get rid of the gophers.
-There are a few shots with some elevation change, but not enough. Most every shot is flat, open, and short.
-Can get very muddy if you play in the rain or shortly after a rainstorm or early in the spring.
-What happened to hole 1? Why is it no longer there? Instead, shoot for the sign in the rocks.

Other Thoughts:

Sadly, the disc golf community in Bozeman hasn't gained too much popularity, hence the removal of the course in Lindley park. It's starting to turn around, and with a little funding and some work Rose park could become a great spot. But in the mean time treat it with respect! Don't leave your trash around, and for the love of god, don't go spray paint trees in other parks! Maybe some day we can get the Disc Golf ban in other parks lifted!
Besides that, this course is the best we have IN town, and I suppose it certainly is better than nothing!
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4 0
dmbfan
Experience: 12.5 years 8 played 8 reviews
2.00 star(s)

1st time at Rose Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Course is easy to follow from hole to hole.
-Some of the baskets are either elevated or are placed to make your putt/approach at least a little interesting.

Cons:

-Tee shots are definitely not challenging. Nearly every tee shot is wide open to any type of shot you want to take.
-Trash and gopher holes everywhere.
-No signs on posts by tee pads (maybe they get installed later in the year).

Other Thoughts:

-Overall I enjoyed playing the course. Rose Park is perfect if you have a spare hour and want to practice your short game. Also good for boosting your confidence as every hole is definitely birdie-able.
-Luckily this is not the only course in the area
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8 1
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 407 played 392 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Rose Park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 8, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Rose Park is a very easy to follow twelve hole course near downtown. There is a disc golf only parking lot that was built by a local player. The course plays on mostly flat terrain with a few interesting sections of elevation coming into play especially on last three or four holes. All of the holes on this course are reachable although a couple out here you will need to carry around 350 feet. The baskets are sneakily placed on, around or near a hill or slope so making sure that your putts aren't thrown too hard is key to staying away from multiple putts.

Cons:

The biggest problem is that the course has zero obstacles in the way. They mowed the grass in places to make fairways but if this wasn't happening you would be searching for and losing discs in the high grass. The course is open, flat and boring for most of the course with only a couple of interesting shots throughout.

I hate to mention this but the litter problem is disgusting. There are lots of little gopher or prairie dog holes around the course, mostly concentrated near the baskets and people have decided to stuff their empty beer bottles and cans in these holes. A few garbage cans or really just a very small trash pick up day from the local club (if there is one) and the problem might be solved.

Other Thoughts:

This course is not the only option in the area although it is the only option near downtown. Bohart Ranch and Battle Ridge are about 20 minutes away and I would head out that way most of the time if I lived in Bozeman.
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8 1
Feli
Experience: 10 played 8 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice beginner or "lazy day" course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This 12 hole course is in a good location for the area players, so that's a big plus. Rose Park is near downtown, the MSU campus, and pretty much everything else in the small town.

There are concrete tees and chain baskets which make for a nice, easy round with very little danger of losing, hunting for, or damaging any discs. The holes aren't too tough, but it's designed as a casual or beginner course. It plays fast yet offers some decent challenge on the last few holes due to elevation and a bit of water. It's been in pretty good condition recently, and that's probably due to the fact that it's getting more and more players.

Cons:

There's not a lot of obstacles to navigate... no trees and mostly flat holes. The couse improves over its second half by adding some creeks and hills to the layout.

Distances aren't marked, but it's pretty easy to see the chains on most holes and you definitely know they're all pro par 3s (most/all are course par 3s too I'm sure).

Other Thoughts:

This is a good place to hang out with friends, introduce new players to DG, and just have a relaxing day of disc. You could hit the chains from most tees, but a few of the later baskets on hill tops will still get you thinking about your approach. This is probably the easiest course in Bozeman, but its simplicity makes it fun. You don't have to worry about having to hike back for miles on a sprained ankle or running into bears, snakes, or mountain lions at Rose Park. Best of all, the Main Street bars are nearby for happy hour or a night on the town when you finish up ;)

However, if you're in the area looking for more DG challenge, then drive awhile and go to Battle Ridge, Big Sky, or Bohart Ranch (probably in that order)... but bring a lot of drinking water and be prepared to spend much longer on your rounds... and probably damage/lose some discs.
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1 7
geezergolfer
Experience: 14.4 years 6 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

geezergolfer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

good open terrain with challenging basket placements. Good course to introduce beginners to the sport. Excellent location for travelers to play as it is near many motels. It was easy to determine tee-offs and baskets

Cons:

Rose park seems to be a park that might be developed but as of now, not much has been done to it to encourage use.
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9 0
Danger
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.7 years 105 played 68 reviews
2.00 star(s)

I REALLY hope it's not done! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 25, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Concrete tees
-DISCatcher baskets
-Solid, friendly local crowd supporting the course
-Tee Signs
-12 holes. Not 9, but not 18 either. An unused area of the park would probably nicely fit another 6 holes. This area has (small) trees, as well, which would be a welcome addition to the course.

Cons:

-No benches or trashcans
-No obstructions, risk/reward, or lines to follow
-Limited variety
-Could have utilized piece of property better

Other Thoughts:

Rose Park is a course situated on an undeveloped block in a developing part of Bozeman, MT. The course is mostly flat and is completely open, with one tree that sits next to a tee pad and therefore does not come into play. Some marshy areas exist toward the back half of the course, as well as a hill that rises about 10' high.

Being the only course in Bozeman proper, we were glad to see a good number of people playing the course and supporting the sport. That being said, I feel bad for the locals that have to call this their home course. It just does not offer that much of a challenge. On the bright side, it was like practicing in a field, only you were also playing a course in the meantime.

Fortunately, all of the holes varied in length. While nothing was posted, I feel that the range was from 150' - about 450'. I'm assuming everything was par 3.

A few hills and humps here and there were home to tee pads, and a couple of the baskets hugged the side of these hills adding some minor approach challenges. After playing the mostly flat first half of the course, these small additions of variety toward the end of the course were quite welcome.

The last few holes navigate some swampy areas with boardwalks crossing over them. If you fire a disc into one of these areas, I can imagine it would be an unpleasant experience retrieving it. These marshes represent the only obstacles on the course other than the large hill that plays on the last few holes.

If any hole on the course would carry the coveted 'signature' status, it would be hole 10. A quite long slightly uphill throw to a pin situated on the side of the largest hill in the field (I mean park) could make for a nasty roller ruining your putt.

Other reviews mention 'no shade,' and they are right. There is ONE small tree in the entire field, and it does not come into play on the course.I really hope this piece of land sees some tree planting and improvements over time. Sadly, it just felt like a yet-to-be-developed piece of land that happened to have some tee pads and DISCatchers scattered around it. The grass was long and unmaintained on our first visit, but fresh mowed grass and defined fairways pleasantly greeted us on our second visit, which prompted me to raise the rating up to 2 discs. With such a visible disc golf following in the park, I have no doubt that this will slowly turn into a quite fun park. The park has plenty of potential.
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2 5
hildetf
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

In Town, will produce players that can throw in the wind, concrete tees, nice baskets

Cons:

Not completed, Long open throws

Other Thoughts:

The course is still 3-5 years out from being completed. The throws are longer than at most courses I have played (8-10 others). Wind is often a factor... great for learning how to play when windy. After talking with the designer, it should be about a 3.5-4.5 after the course is complete. They are mowing the course, not nearly as many lost discs found this summer as last fall.
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5 0
MTsnow
Experience: 28 years 7 played 3 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A place to folf 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Course is located in the middle of Bozeman and is the only in-town course available (except MSU campus which is not an official course). Fairly easy for all experience levels.

Cons:

It's in Bozeman and now it has some grass.

Other Thoughts:

No trees or shade any time of the day so bring water. If it rains marsh areas will be very soupy. DON'T WEAR SANDALS unless you like various thorns and prickers in your feet. No trash cans and large groups get annoying. This course was created after disc golf was banned at Lindley Park, the original and best course in Bozeman. Find some one to take you to Battle Ridge course north of Bridger Bowl Ski Area.
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