Frankstown, PA

Canoe Creek State Park

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3.215(based on 14 reviews)
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8 0
chrispreperato
Experience: 4 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A little one note

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

The park you enter is beautiful, and the course starts and ends from the lakeside, so I imagine summer and fall rounds are especially lovely.

It has decent rubber mats with layout and distance noted. I imagine they get slippery during the rain, but in my case, being about 2 days after a rain/snow melt, they were fine.

A decent mix of open and wooded holes, Holes 1-4 see you play across the fields where the wind is a factor, Holes 5-7 play through a small forested area, and then back out into the open for Holes 8-9. Hole 7 has a nice variation between short and long tees, with short being a stock 275ish foot forehand, and long being a pro-level 375ft low ceiling forehand or difficult downhill turnover shot.

Cons:

You can play basically every hole but hole 7 with the same disc. Each shot from the short pads requires a very straight or shot with a little finish fade, or a slight turning shot to finish straight. The difference between the short and long tees on almost every hole is about 30 feet back and 5 feet to the side (with Hole 7 being the exception), so 16 of the potential 18 holes play as a very similar shot.

The transition between holes was extremely muddy; particularly between Hole 5->6 and Hole 7->8...and the number of logs/sticks on the trail buried in the mud suggests this is a problem in all but the driest summer days.

Other Thoughts:

I played this the same day as a few other 9-hole courses in the area, and certainly this has the most potential of the courses. The park is large and could easily hold an 18-hole course or more...feels like there is more woods towards the boat ramp to spruce up the variety of holes as well. But i actually had more fun at Highland Park, which despite a few wonky holes and being in a small park, had more variety and elevation change.
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10 0
AndyShissler
Experience: 3.8 years 5 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Course Update 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 27, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

-- Nice recreational courese for beginners to play
-- Tees are easy to find
-- Restrooms nearby

Cons:

-- Rubber Tee mats. Concrete tee pads would be nice, but rarely found on a 9 hole course.

Other Thoughts:

This is more of a course update than a review. Previous reviews cited bad tee mats and worn wooden bridges. As of 2020, the mats are newer and in good shape. The wooden bridges have been replaced.

Compared to other courses I've played, one thing that stood out to me is that there are no dog legs, except maybe for hole #7. The baskets are literally straight out from the tees. Yes, they might be hiding behind a tree or two, but they are straight ahead. That's why I consider this a fun recreational course. Grab some friends who are new to disc golf and have fun playing here.

I plan to be back in the summer to play this course again.
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2 0
Jags
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.6 years 84 played 41 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Mid-state good 9'er. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 30, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

These are the things that make this a good course:
- nice variety of open to wooded holes
- decent baskets
- ease of navigation through the course
- multiple bathrooms around course
- other amenities throughout park (theirs a concession stand behind #1 tee box if it's in season)

Cons:

These are the things I think needs mentioned or could be improved upon:
- better signage & directional signage
-updated tee pads (some of the rubber pads were worn and a couple were uneven)
- a little more clear cutting on the wooded holes
- this course can be down-right muddy in spots
- I imagine this course is usually a windy course being right beside the lake (it blew my entire round anyhow)
- some of the wooden bridges that take you between fairways need replaced

Other Thoughts:

This is a good 9 hole course that could be even better given a little more TLC around the edges. Navigation through the course was pretty straightforward but some directional signs and better tee signs on every hole would make it that much nicer. It would also be nice to see this turned into an 18 hole course. Cement tee pads would go a long way but I've never played a 9 hole course that has them. Overall I think this is a good 9 hole course that is worth playing if you're in the area. I believe every hole is a par 3 so it would be nice to see... if they put another 9 holes in, a couple 4's or a 5.
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3 1
I_Like_Juice
Experience: 11.9 years 31 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

My favorite course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 24, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great location and use of empty space within the park. Lots of parking close to the first hole. Great signs directing you to the course, and from hole to hole. Nice length of holes, and 2 different sets of tee pads for each hole. The water isn't a hazard unless you get crazy on hole 9. Great for beginners, not too many obstacles, rough isn't overly thick. Still fun to play in the winter, even with some snow on the ground.

Cons:

The rubber tee pads are getting a bit lumpy. Sometimes the grass can be a little high, weeds on the sides of holes 2/3 can be very high. On a busy day, hole 8 and 9 could be crowded with park visitors. (particularly speaking of a group of sunbathers right between basket 8 and tee pad 9?? Why??)

Other Thoughts:

This is my favorite place in the area to play as of right now. I have been playing for a couple of months, and I am still learning how to increase distance and be more accurate. This course is more forgiving for mistakes, but yet still challenging and fun. I play here every time I get near it! Highly highly recommend it!
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3 0
obi1keno
Experience: 11.6 years 12 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A great course in the Altoona area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 17, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Course is in great condition! There is a nice variety of hole types. Some are wooded, some are open, some have trees you'll strategically have to throw around. As a beginner, I found the white tees very intimidating as some trees were planted right in front of them. Perhaps in a year or two I'll be able to tackle those. The red tees were a lot of fun though.

There is a disc golf display board next to the first tee that has scorecards and it also states you can borrow discs if you have an ID (sorry voters) and can return them before 400PM. I didn't confirm this though as I had my own discs.

The holes were in great shape also. I'd play here again in a heart beat.

Cons:

I found the hole description signs at the tees difficult to read at times because they weren't clear (in my opinion) where the hole was and what direction you facing. As it was my first time playing here, I had to walk couple holes first to find the holes because the tee sign just wasn't making sense to me and you can't see the hole from the tee. It would be nice if the pictures looked more like a ball-golf layout. At least I could understand that. Some of the holes are near the park road so you may need to wait for traffic to pass before launching one.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course in the Altoona, PA area. I found it a little nicer than Valley View Park, but then again on a sunny, calm day in early fall, not much would be better than this place.

The park was hardly populated when I went on a Wednesday afternoon. It would likely be much busier on a weekend.
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1 2
timbur3
Experience: 16.8 years 101 played 50 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Quality 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 7, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course has great signs, tee pads, and baskets. It uses the woods that are near and around the park well. All of the holes are long enough to be "real holes" there are not any of those wide open 200 foot holes.

Cons:

It is only 9 holes which kind of stinks. Other than that I can not really think of any cons that would prevent you from wanting to play this course.

Other Thoughts:

This is a nice 9 holes course. It is in the middle of literally nowhere. I don't think I would recommend driving more than 25-30 minutes to play this course. But if you are in that range it is at a really nice park and a fun course.
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2 0
dm734593
Experience: 12.9 years 9 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Solid course with great backdrop 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

-Course has a great atmosphere with the lake in sight and it combines a woodsy feel as well.
-Wide open fairways, with a few short wooded holes as well that test one's accuracy as well
-Good Innova baskets
-Grass was in good length and well maintained
-Bathrooms in close proximity

Cons:

-Wooded areas have lots of thorn bushes, so finding a disc that has gone off the path can be trying
-Experienced players may find the course too easy
-Picnic tables near holes 8 & 9, and if you over shoot hole 1, the main road coming into the parking lot is there

Other Thoughts:

The park was very busy when I went (albeit it was July 4), but the people were out of reach and not a liability when throwing. Overall, a good course that is close to where I normally play (Valley View Park, Altoona, PA). It was a good change up from playing at Valley View, and I recommend the course to intermediate players like myself and also to beginners who are just learning.
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3 0
sloppyeric
Experience: 13 years 12 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great 9 hole starter 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 22, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a great 9 hole course located in central PA. The multiple tee positions make it possible to play an "18 hole" course. There are a wide variety of holes, with open fields you can bomb as well as tight wooded fairways that require more finesse and control. Plays through the park very well with some secluded holes away from any people at the park and it makes great use of the natural surroundings. Several of the holes have elevation changes that provide an added challenge. A fun course to walk through and enjoy. There are beautiful views of the mountains as well as the lake. It's also usually pretty well maintained as the park employees often keep the grass cut and fields free of liter. Favorite holes: 1, 4, 8, 9.

Cons:

There are only 9 holes. They definitely have the space to make at least 5 other holes (use of many of the already cleared woods and trails). It's shortness also means it is played rather quickly. Some advanced players may not find it challenging enough. On nice summer day, especially weekends, the park can be very crowded, which can be hazardous on some of the hole (8 and 9, which are close to the water and picnic/fishing areas, in particular)

Other Thoughts:

A great and somewhat challenging course for beginner and intermediate players. Great use of the natural alleys and offers a nice walk through a beautiful park.
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1 4
skinrazors
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good course in PA 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice surrondings, love playing this course close to home, good disccatcher baskets

Cons:

ground was a little bit muddy and they could have cut the grass a little bit better

Other Thoughts:

if you have a chance to play don't hesitate
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2 1
amusedbum
Experience: 45.9 years 289 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Another Great PA State Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Dual tees make it so you can play 18 holes on this nine hole course. Scorecards and maps are available at the kiosk. Great park to take the family and spend the afternoon or the weekend.

Cons:

Even with the map it was a bit difficult to navigate between a few holes. We played on memorial day so the park was very crowded and a few holes had safety issues.

Other Thoughts:

This is a beginner friendly course. It is great for the whole family.
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6 0
irishdw
Experience: 14.1 years 12 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great family/ beginner course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 19, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Located just mintues outside of Altoona, Canoe Creek State Park has a beautiful 9 basket course. finding the course was easy once you got into the park via Canoe Creek Rd. Scorecards (with a course map on them) are located right beside the first teepad. The course offers two teepads for every hole (Red- Recreational and White- Pros). The Flypad tees looked brand new and were in excellent shape. The baskets were in top notch shape and easy to spot from the teepad. The course looks well maintained and trash free! Its a great course to introduce someone to disc golf, because of how flat it is and requires no finesse types of shots.

Cons:

The teepads were not level, but they were usable. They're not too out of wack that you're going to brake an ankle, but they could use some stone underneath them to level up. Although the course was well maintained, it would be nice to see a trashcan at a few holes to help limit the litter on the course. The flight path signs behind the tee's could use a touch up. Even though this course is easy to navigate with the course map, next tee arrows at the bottom of the basket are always helpful. My biggest con is that it is not an 18 hole course! Eric Jon Keim did a wonderful job designing a 9 hole course for what he was giving, but hopefully in the near future the park will allow another 9 to go in.

Other Thoughts:

Safety wasn't that much of an issue for me when I was there. The only ones out at the time I played were the guys fishing. I think the designer did a great job keeping the public in mind while designing the course. If I were to nitpick, I would say #1 (playing in between the parking lots and #4 (overthrows could end up in the road) were the two where safety could come into play. I wish the water was more of a factor than it was. if you overthrow #9 by 50' then it could be an issue of you, but other than #9, water doesn't come into play. There are tons of birdie capable baskets. #5 sticks out where its only 200' literally straight ahead of you with nothing in between.
I would definitely come back to Canoe Creek and I would encourage anyone thats in the area to check it out. Its a great course for the whole family to play!
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5 0
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 755 played 414 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Sabathia 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Two tee locations per hole, each with its own basic sign. When combined with the map, the course is easy to navigate. Great baskets. Bathroom and concessions on site. Jump in the creek to cool off!

Cons:

Natural tees. Single basket. Quite flat. Non-players may come into play! :-(

Other Thoughts:

Course plays in the open spaces and through some batches of trees of a very nice public park. The first three holes are very much straight and on the open side. Holes 5-7 challenge you with small trees and brush to force some turns. #8 has you throw through a window formed by a treeline early and miss one large tree late, and #9 is a right-turner, quite pretty with the creek in the background.

Favourite hole: #4. About 350', basket only approachable from the right side. Too short and you'll have large white pines between you and the basket, too long or too far right, and you'll have brush and/or additional trees to deal with - need a well placed initial shot for a simple approach/putt on your second shot.

Very fun course with options for non-golfers. Would be a challenge for beginners, quite good for intermediates, and fun for advanced.
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6 0
Jimb
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.1 years 126 played 54 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Thanks again PA State Parks! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 21, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is at a nice, little state park with a lot of additional activities: hiking, fishing, boating, swimming, etc. Restrooms & water fountains close to tee #1. #1 starts out between parking lots so it's easy to park close. #9 ends up only about a 2 minute walk from tee #1. It's close to Altoona (lots of places to eat and shop, etc.) and very close to Hollidaysburg (some places to eat and shop, etc.).

Nice, Innova chains. Map & scorecard near tee #1. Very easy to navigate. Tee markers have been updated since the last review with hole details & directions to next tees. Two tees per hole.

Fairways were nicely groomed. Undergrowth off the fairways isn't thick yet. But it's only mid May.

Length is nice for a 9 holer to keep experienced players entertained while not turning off beginners. Well placed drives should provide a chance for at least a long birdie putt on most holes. Poor drives, though, will find enough trees & high grass/weeds to make you regret straying far from the fairway.

Nice variety of open holes to lightly wooded holes. Several holes finish to the left... good for this RHBH dominant player. A couple forced big right turning anhyzer drives. Some require very straight drives. I got to throw a bigger variety of discs off the tee than on most 9 hole courses.

While there's only one hole that I would consider even moderately wooded, the pin placements are mostly protected from just a straight drive & approach. Most pins are either tucked in-between a group of trees, or there will be a couple strategically placed trees that you have to throw around in the fairways. The course takes advantage of what little elevation change there is on the property.

Cons:

jblough's review was dead on. The natural tees are already worn down to bare dirt/mud at the boards that mark the line to throw behind. I played several holes slightly off to the side because I was slipping when I planted my foot. This is the primary improvement needed at this course in my opinion. Any improvement at all would move my rating up to 3.5.

*****Update: Played again 11-13-10 and rubber tee pads have been added. They need to level the ground and lay some gravel underneath them, as they're currently just laid on top of the grass. But it is an improvement already. So... rating bumped up to 3.5.*****

The length might be a drawback for the "big arms." The only true "wooded" hole was also the shortest on the course at only 200' and 212' from the two tees. The relatively simple setup might turn off the uber-experienced player. And if you love water holes, the water here shouldn't come into play (unless you go way long on #9).

Losing a disc in the rough could become a challenge if the rough isn't cut back during the year. (Not really a con, but thought that I'd mention it.)

Other Thoughts:

To start, I throw a little over 300' on flat ground consistently. So from the reds, I got to throw one full driver (#2) and two almost full drives (#3 & #4 slightly downhill). From the whites, I threw three full drives (#2-4) and two almost full drives (#1 & 6). So the length was great for me.

I really enjoy this sort of, semi-open, hole setup. If you hit your gaps, you should score well. If you don't, you still shouldn't shoot a huge number, but you will mix in some bogies.

Favorite holes: #2. It looks like a ball golf hole. 353', slightly downhill. The drive starts totally open. At about 250' (from the Reds) you have to hit a gap between trees that's about 50' wide. From there, the fairway continues narrowing the remaining 100' back to the pin. It's a classic hole.

#4, from the reds. 327', slightly downhill. There's a thick wall of evergreens about 300' from the tee. The pin is 10' feet past the trees and 30' to the left of the first tree on the right, It's simple enough, but boy is that fun.

Other, other thoughts: #7's gap is much more narrow than pictures can show, with the pin tucked way back to the right. And the gap to hit in the hedge/trees on #8 is much more intimidating in person.

jblough's pictures are great. But with the leaves on the trees, the course looks considerably different. I hope to take some pictures the next time I'm there. (Although if you're there any time soon, jblough, your pics are nicer than mine. Hint, hint.)

If you can't tell, I love Canoe Creek. It's my new favorite 9 hole course. It really has most of what I want in a course. Plenty of length for me & good options for disc selection and throw type.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully this will help a couple people out.
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5 1
jblough
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 85 played 82 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Another Course in the Altoona area DG scene! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 25, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I'd like to start by saying that this course is brand new. And I mean BRAND NEW. The baskets were just installed a few weeks ago. Pros to this course include:

1.) Close proximity to Altoona
2.) first tee right by parking lot
3.) information kiosk with map/scorecards
4.) nice DISCatcher baskets
5.) some tree hazards make the course more interesting/challenging
6.) bathrooms and picnic tables abundant
7.) pro and am tees
8.) the lake partially comes into play on hole #9 -- if you really shank it, that is.

Cons:

While I'm sure more adjustments will be made to this new course, some things should be considered:

1.) The tees have posts, but they are not numbered of labeled. Signs that designate the hole, par, length, and other facts would be useful in the future

2.) The tees are merely grass with a wooden strip. Concrete, rubber, wood chips -- anything would be better than what's there now

Other cons:

3.) course is a little too flat and open. While there are several wooded holes, I wish there were some more trees and variety with terrain. A dogleg or two would be nice as well.

4.) Not the most challenging course, but that may be a good thing for beginners.

Other Thoughts:

Despite the 2.5 rating, I was really impressed with how the DCNR utilized the space of the park to make the course. What was empty, uninhabited state park space is now a nice disc golf course for the public good.

It's nice to have a third course in the greater Altoona area. Check out Prince Gallitzin State Park and Valley View Park for other local disc golfing, too.

As I mentioned, this course is still in its infancy; I'm not even sure if the course had a "grand opening" yet. With that being said, be patient while they add tees/signs to the course and take a map to navigate more easily. With some improvement and an additional 9 holes, this could be a great park in the future!
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