Fort Snelling, MN

Fort Snelling - Old Layout

3.075(based on 21 reviews)
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2 0
jland969
Experience: 18.6 years 77 played 11 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Maybe If It Were Free 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 1, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

1. Very well groomed.
2. Multiple placements allow for variation
3. Quality baskets

Cons:

1. Expensive! For DG
2. Grass pads, and poorly identified with broom-handle markers which point you in odd directions
3. We do not belong here, according to the ball-golfers (generalizing of course). It is relatively confrontational as the disc course directly and calculatedly interferes with the flow of ball golf.
4. Quite wide open with little technical throwing required
5. Marked distances are nowhere near accurate and confusing

Other Thoughts:

Only played this one once, and it was on a weekend; fairly busy. I felt very out of place, and relatively uncomfortable. My arm is middle range, and this is long, open drive course which made it less interesting. The layout crosses every fairway at least once which made progress slow waiting and watching for golf balls flying at us. I will not be paying the better part of ten bucks to play this one again.
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0 4
MPLSLam
Experience: 15.8 years 10 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Bit off more than we could chew 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well Groomed
Clean Course
Great Signage
Nice Staff

Cons:

Long Holes
Flat

Other Thoughts:

This is a great novelty course. If you have a big arm it's great.

We played the gold tees the first time out. They asked us to start at 14 and play from there to offset the ball golfers. These holes were shorter, so we said why not. Once we got to the front 9 we knew we chose poorly. We did rent a cart to make the round easier. We tied at 18 Over. Total play time was a little over 2 hours.

Lost a new disc on hole 2 (900+ ft) over the fence to the airport. Aim to the right as the jet stream pushes disc over the fence.

I would go back, rent a cart, and play from the Blue tees on a nice day with the right group of people.
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5 3
nbenke
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Not What I Was Expecting 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 24, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

If you like longer holes with no water hazards, this is your place to go.

Cons:

I haven't dealt with too many pay-to-play courses. The ones I have encountered have been my favorite places to play, for the most part. This course was well kept, because it was on a stick course, but it was as boring and simple as a round of disc golf can be. With no major obstacles (other than the tree two feet in front of the tee on either 15 or 16) and no real variations from hole to hole, it just felt like I was throwing the disc as far as I could every single time. If that wasn't bad enough, the course was hard to navigate and several of the pro tees were missing altogether. I'm still baffled that I had to pay for something so poorly kept. I'd rather go to Highland Park, which is basically just half the size of Fort Snelling but free.

Other Thoughts:

18 was an interesting hole to finish off the course. You get a 2 stroke penalty for stepping on any of the greens, and a 2 stroke penalty if you hit or walk in a sand trap and don't rake it. 18 had 4 sand traps, the first being fifty yards directly in front of the tee, and the pin was 20 yards behind a green. My friend and I laughed through the entire hole, still mystified as to why we had to pay to play on a stick course that obviously didn't want any disc golfers.
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2 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.7 years 568 played 281 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Beginner/Intermediate 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 21, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course is set on the same land as a 9 hole ball golf course, so there is definitely a chance for interference there! At least nothing else is going on there, I suppose.
- Disc golf takes advantage of trees and woods to make things interesting, as much as possible. There a lot of low ceiling shots off the tee, especially from the golds, like on #3, #4, #13, and a wall of trees to go under or way over on #8. Large, mature trees are used as obstacles as well, like a wall of tall trees on #14, a gap off the tee on #15 and by the basket on #10 and #18. These are in play no matter what type of shot is used.
- Bigger clumps are trees are also used to force a line off the tee, like a RHBH anny shot from #6 and #9, some hyzers from #10, #11, and #13, and some flex shots or flick shots here and there. Some places have denser woods or bushes to capture errant shots as well.
- There some spots with minor elevation changes, like the downhill shot on #1, #11, and a slightly elevated tee on #17. Also a blind shot over a hump and through a gap on #15.
- Excellent variety of hole lengths here, especially with three different sets of tees to choose from. The gold layout provides lots of distance, with TWO holes over 900', one nearly at 700', two over 500', and two more over 400'. And for the most part, they are not mindless open holes; there is some line shaping and hazardous spots, like a golf green on #18 and #2, and trees by the baskets. Multiple basket positions add even more variety.
- Good signs with all distances listed, tees well marked with posts, and good baskets with hole number clearly marked. Navigation is easy with multiple arrows on the previous basket pointing to all three of the next tees. Natural teepads are OK, though some of the golds are getting worn down to dirt.

Cons:

- Obvious con here is the presence of a golf course on-site. They have the right-of-way, and the disc golf is definitely a secondary operation. I was lucky enough to play during a thunderstorm, so I had the course to myself.
- Some pretty open land when playing by the ball golf fairways, as ball golfers usually don't care for trees in the middle of their fairways. This just means it is more of a park style course in many spots.
- There are some valleys and similar areas that aren't really used that much, only on #11. It might have messed up the flow, but it was painful to walk around the hilly terrain.

Other Thoughts:

- All in all, a pretty fun course that has a wide variety of hole types. There are some pretty straightforward hyzers and anhyzers, some very low ceiling shots, some nasty clumps of trees off the tee and by the baskets, some shorties and some very long bombers. If I played here regularly I would HAVE to learn a roller to get some extra D, and sneak past some of the tighter areas. A great course for beginners, and the gold tees should be a challenge to almost every skill level.
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4 1
Arnie
Experience: 15.8 years 61 played 38 reviews
4.50 star(s)

GREAT TIME. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of great shots, through trees, around trees and over small mounds. I like #15, because you shot over a small mound and through the trees, into the open. The baskets were easy to spot, with the big signs under them. Also under the baskets were the next Tee box, in the color gold, blue and red.You look for the big Tee sign then you look for the color sticks.Couple of the holes are a short throw, were you could get an ACE. One hole is over a wide dip, and the basket is setting on the slope. If you can throw rollers, you are luckly. A great place for rollers. I love the layout of the course.

Cons:

The bugs were bad. It was hard to follow the course at first, but the course map on the score card helped. This was my first time here. You don't need any special throws here, so that part of the game will be hurt.

Other Thoughts:

The staff is outstanding, at this course. They were very helpful and super nice. I play at 0630AM, so bring a towel, because the grass is wet. I love watching the airplanes takeoff, right next to the course. Because, you are on an ball golf course, it does seen to be wide open and far. I had no problems with the ball golfers. Over all, I really had a time, even that I shot 9 over from the Blue course. I shall play here again and again.
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5 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Golf course disc golf 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Excellent distance variation on this course with a few short reachable holes, some that will require a drive and an upshot to get close, and some that will take a few drives to get there. I love it when you have to be able to throw everything iny our bag and all shots on one course, and this is one of those courses.

2) This course uses the trees on the golf course very well to define fairways and also provide some obstacles. There are plenty of trees that come into play and that surprised me a little bit, but because this is an old course the trees are mature and can be much more of an impact. The design did a lot of running between golf fairways or crossing golf fairways so you start in the trees and end in the trees on the other side of the golf fairway. This is essential to being a well designed course on a golf course.

3) The design of this course does not surprise me in the least . . . Steve West is a ver analytical designer and probably did dozens of calculations to figure out specifics of the layout. The course basically plays 18 holes on a 9 hole golf course. While 9 holes of golf typically take 2 to 2 1/2 hours to play 18 holes of disc golf takes somewhere between 1 to 1 1/2 hours. What this tells me is the course was designed specifically to not disturb the golfers on the course. Disc golf is secondary to golf in this world (as it should be because of the costs associated with golf versus disc golf) and they didn't want the golfers to be disturbed or slowed down by disc golfers. If anything . . . the disc golfers should have to wait for golfers. I think there may have actually been room for a few more holes to tighten the gap up since the disc golfers will play much faster than the golfers. We actually had 3 disc golfers (2 rec or lower level and 1 intermediate level) and we were holding up the 2-some of golfers behind us for the first 4 golf holes, but eventually we pulled away. If the golf group were to have been a 4-some we never would have slowed them down except on the first hole.

4) Nice powder coated baskets with Blue and Yellow. They catch well and look great.

5) Nice # sign attached to the basket at basket level. It does not affect play at all but is very helpful to decipher what basket you are supposed to throw at. You can easily see the # on the sign from most of the tees (except the really long ones). This helps navigation and also speeds up the disc golfers.

6) Recycled plastic posts mark the tees and a color coded per each tee. There are also two small discs inserted into the ground to mark the tee area. They are also color coded so you know what tee you are on.

7) Incredibly nice looking signs (Equivalent to the nicest golf signs I have ever seen). They are made from the recycled plastic and show the Hole #, Par, and Distance of each hole (albeit it in yards and not feet). No map of the holes unfortunately but do the job for sure.

8) Some nice rolling elevation changes on this course.

9) Using the golf fairways is a way to get more distance if you know how to throw rollers. Since I learned the roller I have always wanted to throw rollers on a lush golf fairway, unfortunately I forgot my roller disc at home on this trip. Ahh what could have been.

9) Dual pins on the entire course to cut down on wear and also change up the variety of the shots from time to time. I like this idea for functionality as well as variety.

10) Low branches on the trees might be considered a hinderance to golfers, but they act to force really tight low shots or force you to go out and around trees. There might be more options if the branches were ever limbed up, but I like that it forces you to really think.

11) Carts are available and a beer cart on occasion. What more could you ask for on a disc golf course. . . oh yeah a nice clubhouse with refreshments afterwards. Check!

12) $5 to play is a deterrant to the douchiest of disc golfers which is good. I am all for it if it means we can have more courses and a better variety of courses to play!

13) Next tee signs hanging from the underside of the baskets . . . and they have one for each tee and are color coded!!! Awesome

14) Mandos are used well to protect golf greens, the safety of the golfers and the disc golfers, and are appropriate when used. They are not shown on the course, but they are discussed on the

15) Scorecards!!!!

Cons:

1) While the design incorporated most of the trees well, I still prefer more wooded courses or at least more variety of the density of the woods. Here it is what I would consider mostly open with a smattering of trees.

2) No maps on the course signs. Always a negative in my mind even if the signs are super nice. I like to see the general layout of each hole before throwing.

3) It might be considered a little dangerous with golfers and disc golfers intermingling. We had two balls come very close to us, one from the group behind us playing golf not waiting long enough fo us to leave Our green area, which was off in the rough so they probably couldnt even see us, and another from a group on an adjacent holes hat missed their fairway and ended up in between two golf fairways right where our basket was. I would hate to think a golf or disc golfer would ever get really hurt out here for fear the course might be shut down. This is something I am going to address in my designs on golf courses and having a decade of experience on golf course management and being a pretty good golfer will help me to be sure to avoid the common spray areas of the golf ball as well as the discs.

4) Grass tees are always a negative, but they picked flat and level spots at least. They are in perfect condition which means this course is not played all that often. Considering we were the only disc golfers at 7:30 on a saturday morning mixed with only 20 golfers I would guess this is a perfect place to intermingle disc golf with golf.

5) Technicality is missing on many holes. Just throw your longest drive whatever direction you want and then approach from there. I played the blues, so maybe the reds would have been more technical for me and the golds would have simply added longer throws and distance to the blue tees, it wouldnt have altered the holes much.

Other Thoughts:

This is now my third disc golf course set on a golf course that I have played. The first two were closed to golfers when we played so some issues are non-existant at that time, but when intermingling disc golf with golf has its ups and downs. I hope to account for all of these things in my disc golf course designs.
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8 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Decent shared course 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

The course shares space with a golf course, so it's beautifully manicured and nicely taken care of. Carts are available, which is always a fun bonus. Big arms will find lots of opportunities to open up here and throw for distance, and the short mowed grass makes for great rollers. There are three sets of tees for different level players, all are fairly long for their respective player levels but the shorter tees do offer a little less distance.

The available trees are used as much as possible to keep the course from feeling completely wide open, and a few mandos add some difficulty. The tees are grass, but all were level and in pretty good shape. The basket numbers were large enough to see from the tees, even on the longer holes, and the next tee arrows are helpful. There is a course map and scorecard available in the clubhouse.

Cons:

The difficulty here comes primarily from distance, it's definitely not a technical course at all and can feel a bit repetitive at times. Many of the tees are difficult to find, even with the map and next tee arrows, the carts make it a little less annoying to have to search for them, but it still adds a little extra time and frustration to the round. Golfers have the right of way, so you'll need to keep an eye out ahead and behind your group.

Other Thoughts:

As shared courses go, this one tries really hard to keep from being totally one dimensional. The available obstacles were used well, but it still feels mostly like a bomber course with just a few holes requiring interesting lines. Beginners will find even the shorter tees a little long and frustrating. More experienced players who want to test their distance will find some challenges here, but there are other parts of your game that you'll need to find challenges for elsewhere.
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2 0
J Blaze
Experience: 23.1 years 67 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Bombs Away! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 15, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Pin numbers on baskets really helped for my first time, nice idea
-Long course
-Not too much rough to deal with at all
-Great course for "big" arms, specifically from Gold tees
-Tough to get birdies: Long Holes and Very windy up by airport, so when you do nail drives, your 20 foot putt is that much more difficult
-

Cons:

-No elevation changes at all, really
-Windy as hell
-Not too much rough to deal with
--Tough to get birdies: Long Holes and Very windy up by airport, so when you do nail drives, your 20 foot putt is that much more difficult

Other Thoughts:

Like I rated it, it is a good course, pretty challenging and deep..just kind of blah.....took me an hour and 20 minutes to play by myself from the Gold Tees, so even though it's long, you can get in and out pretty quick....I live very close to it and considering some of the other courses in the area, I would say I might play here 2-3 times a year. So, not mind blowing by any means.

From here on out I leave the amount of time it takes me to play courses in my review...I find that to be one of the most useful tools for someone like me, who likes to try new places or go to old, "if I have an extra hr or two" to drop in.
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2 1
bigbeano
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.9 years 34 played 28 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Very little value here 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 15, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Longest course in the Twin Cities
-Baskets are new and very nice
-Large number signs on each basket that are visible from the tees so you know which basket you're throwing to
-It's on a golf course so the grounds are obviously well manicured
-Nice scorecards
-If you're interested power carts are available
-Clubhouse has food and beverages

Cons:

-It's on a golf course so you have to yield to ball golfers (and watch out so you don't get killed by a golf ball)
-There is nothing but distance here, no technical shots are required at any point
-The mandos are poorly labeled and pretty much pointless
-The tees can be extremely difficult to find despite the fact there are tee signs and arrows pointing towards the tee from the previous basket
-It's right next to the airport so it's constantly loud
-There is very little to stop the wind from whipping around, and trust me it does. There were gusts pushing 25-30 MPH consistently during the round and there were no trees to stop it.

Other Thoughts:

There were only a couple of ball golfers out on the course during my round, however we still almost got hit by one of their drives. It literally went right through the tee box and would've hit me if I had been teeing off; of course they didn't yell "fore" either so it really just seemed like they could've cared less. Even if the rest of the course was awesome (which it was not), I still would not come back here because of this safety issue.
Despite the scorecard having a decent map, arrows pointing to the next tee from the baskets, stakes in the ground where the tees are, and signage at the tees we still had a very difficult time finding some of the tees. We were playing the golds, and we had to tee off from the blues a couple of times because we could not find the gold tees. This is simply unacceptable for a pay-to-play course. If I'm paying money to play at a course it needs to have adequate navigation.
There's a handful of mandos on the course, but they are so poorly labeled and pointless it doesn't add any technicality to the course. This is another area where this course fails; it has nothing but distance. The land is absolutely flat with no elevation changes, trees are only really even in play on a couple of holes, and there is not really any water in play even though there is a one pond on the property. If you want to air it out and it doesn't matter if you throw it straight, then by all means come here because it really doesn't matter if your throw is not on a line here.
Also of note, the pay to play was $5.30. Not an even $5 or $3 like all the other ones I can think of; so don't come here with just a $5 bill.
To conclude, I am glad I came here because it's a new course and I'm always down for trying a new course; but it literally stops at that point. This course has very little redeeming value and I highly doubt I'll be coming back. If I really want to air out some drives I'd rather go to Hyland Hills or The Valley or just about anywhere else.
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1 1
EpicScientist
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bring the long game 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 6, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-This course has some LONG holes. I'm talking 300 YARDS long. Which for being a metro course (the only other I know of being Wabun...which isn't long in the least)
-Very nicely maintained. Next to no litter.
-Nice baskets with soft chains
-A proshop with all you need. Beer, soda, snacks, discs, and an awesome old guy who will piss the breeze for as long as you want.
-The format is a change of pace. You play alongside stick golfers most of the time. And while most would think this is a deterrent, I found most of the golfers to be very amenable and friendly to us discers.

Cons:

-WINDY. As I come from North Dakota, I know wind. And if you get the cross winds from the open airfield right next door, it makes for a pretty tough round. I used my Nuke OS and Groove on just about every hole.
-Not overly challenging. Not alot of elevation change (though they make use of what they do have nicely) and a good portion of the wholes are right around 100 yds.
-No tee pads. I normally don't have much of an issue with this. I'm not a stickler when it comes to pads as long as what's there isn't wrecked. It makes for a very interesting long game when you're trying to get some power in the legs.

Other Thoughts:

My biggest complaint is that I lost my phone. And that's not the courses fault. It's just a bummer. Anyways, despite that I had a great time here. If you live in the downtown metro or close to it, this is probably your best option that's somewhat close. I usually play Acorn in Roseville, but I'll be making alot more trips here. Like I said, the dudes in the proshop are cool as hell and you don't get a whole lot of riff-raff from snobby golfers or immature discers.
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8 4
coolbrees15
Premium Member
Experience: 19 years 1983 played 15 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A Nice Idea, Poor Execution 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Fort Snelling is a well-maintained disc golf course. The fairways on the course were excellent and finding your disc was always fairly easy to do. In addition, the course really demanded distance on your throws and provided some of the longest holes in the Twin Cities. The baskets are in excellent condition and were fairly easy to spot. The scorecard provided a nice map of the entire course. For me there were not a lot of pros to this course. The faults just kept rearing their ugly head and kept lessening the disc golf experience.

Cons:

Fort Snelling has many faults. While the idea of incorporating a disc golf course on to a ball golf course is not bad in theory the execution here was poor. Almost every hole on the course played either down or across the ball golf fairways. This is not a good thing. Multiple ball golfers did not wait for us to clear the hole before taking their shot and we had more than one ball land within 10 feet of us. I have played other ball golf courses that have incorporated disc golf into and all of them did a better job of placing the disc golf course as not to interfere with the ball golfers.

When we played there were little to no signage. The tees are not clearly marked and the only identifying mark is to small circles in the color of the tee you are playing placed in the ground. This lead to us spending a great deal of time looking at the map and going the tee should be somewhere around here.

The tees are grass, which in my book is a negative. While the grass was well kept, it did not provide the best footing for throwing. This was especially true with the length of the holes. You really had to rip it on several of the holes and there was just enough dew on the grass to make this a risky proposition.

While the baskets were easy to spot to many times more than one basket was clearly visible from the tee. This lead to pulling out the map and going which basket is it? Nothing frustrates a round more than nailing a great drive to what you believed to be the correct basket and than walking up to it and realizing that it is not the correct basket.

I also though the overall design of the course was poor. Almost all of the shots were basically just rip it as far as you can and as straight as you can. There was not any real need for shaping shots just chuck it hard and even if you are off on the accuracy, there was no real punishment.

Other Thoughts:

I found the course to be lacking in anything that would keep me coming back. Other than distance, there was no real challenge to the course. While I applaud the city for trying to create a disc golf course on a ball golf course I do not feel this course should be there after playing it. The course is poorly laid out and creates a safety hazard for disc golfers. In addition due to the way the course is laid out there is a lot of congestion and long waits will occur. The waits are not caused by other disc golfers but are instead caused by waiting for the ball golfers to finish up a hole.
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2 4
frylock
Experience: 19 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Looking for a wonderful laid back round? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 7, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

~This course is a laid on top of a beautiful 9 hole ball golf course, making for very upkept terrain. Awesome fairways.
~Even with all the openness the trees were still very much in play.
~Great use of the mandos
~Even though there are no concrete tees I had no problem driving out there

Cons:

~No concrete tees
~Signage measured in yards (not that big of a deal)
~Can be a little confusing to navigate
~You have to pay $5 per round

Other Thoughts:

Be sure to bring your drivers because you'll be letting them rip allllllll day. Be sure to respect the ball golfers as they respected us very much.
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2 3
Gabe9006
Experience: 14.9 years 131 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Love the course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great new course this year playing alongside Ball golfers. Pay to play a non issue cause you won't lose a disc. Carts can be rented for 8$ pp and clubhouse well stocked with snacks and beer. Have I mentioned the world famous hot dogs? New color-coded stakes in the ground marking tee boxes. Cool backdrop of planes taking off from MSP. Very nice long fairways to air it out

Cons:

Be sure to call for a tee time. Have to watch out for flying balls. Not a lot of elevation change.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a must play for any decent disc golfer. Very different than say playing Kaposia where it is narrowly wooded fairways.
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4 1
ertai
Experience: 16 years 25 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful course near MSP airport 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 21, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- beautiful course with long, open fairways (this course is great if you like to throw for long distances)
- clean and well kept with restrooms near the club house
- the club house near hole 1/18 has drinks/food/score card/course map and friendly staff
- there are signs near every tee
- grass tees (some may think of this as a con but it adds some to the challenge)
- new, bright colored baskets
- mando's (added challenge was nice since there isn't much risk/reward here)
- easy to navigate with the help of a course map
- $5 pay-to-play, which isn't a bad price when you consider that you play on a nice golf course)

Cons:

- many holes with multiple baskets were missing a basket but due to the openness of the course it was easy to see if the basket wasn't there - so not much of a con
- the tee pads - there were markers (gold, blue, red) in the ground indicating where you would tee off but they were very difficult to find, although not impossible (I'm optimistic that they'll install something better for the tee pads someday)
- mostly flat course with little elevation change

Other Thoughts:

Most memorable hole: hole 12 mostly due to the length. Least favorite hole: hole 14 because it's short and straight with no technicality, even from the longer tees.
This is a great course if you like a lengthier, open course where you could throw a driver sometimes twice on one hole. Some of the holes may be a little long for a beginner, but otherwise a great beginner course. You do share the course with stick golfers, which tends to slow the game down - I played 1 round in 2.5 hours on a course that shouldn't take much more than 1.5 hours (I didn't think of this as a con). Again, stay aware of the other golfers there and you shouldn't have problems (e.g. get hit by a little white ball). The stick golfers were friendly and some were very interested in disc golf. There were biting flies the day I was there, so I might suggest bug spray or just ignore them as I did. I'd recommend this course any time it's open and I would definitely come back the next time I visit Minneapolis.
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4 1
joe po
Experience: 20.7 years 70 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Growing the sport of disc golf. 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Championship caliber course.

Great Upkeep! No nasty tall grass.

Awesome baskets, bright and easy to see.

Cons:

Tough navigating your first time through. Tees can be hard to find. They'll improve this down the road if disc golf format works on the golf course.

Other Thoughts:

Some good things to keep in mind when playing here.

1. The golfers that play Ft. Snelling have been out there for years. We disc golfers are very new to them. If you play respectfully the golfers will become more postive towards disc golf's presence on the course.

2. If you choose to rent a cart, please use it in an appropriate manner. Don't drive down the fairway, use the rough as a path. Whether there is rough or a cart path, please leave and return to the path at a 90 degree angle.

3. Keep a respecful distance from other patrons of the course. Its very rude to ride up on other groups on the course.

4. To the best of your ability, please refrain from bringing outside liquor/beer or "other" items of consumption. The course does sell beer and snacks at reasonable prices, plus you can rent a cooler for a refundable deposit.

I know we need to be respected by the golfers. If we can play with etiquette and respect, they will come around to our presence on the course. Be friendly, play well, and be smart.

There are more golf courses out there that want to incorporate disc golf. They're reluctant to given the culture of disc golf and the culture of golf and the problems that arise combining the two. I'm volunteering with Minneapolis Parks at both new disc golf courses. I'll be out there rangering the course and improving golfers knowledge of disc golf. Hoping to create a diplomatic and positive relation between the two groups.

Hope to see you out there!
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3 2
Aim For The Chains
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 134 played 24 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fourrrr! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 11, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Well maintained long course and requires many different shots to be used. A great idea for the Twin Cities area which is over-run by partially used ball golf courses. Gold Tees are a superior challenge to that of ANY MN course, specially with distance. No stupid trees or thick bushes. Nice Baskets, Good Signs, great views and easy to navigate as well as play. Huge drives needed from Gold, Solid Pars (no gimmes) and plays fairly quickly given not a high ball golf traffic time. Easy on the body even with long holes due to not much elevation but it is used as much as possible. Nice guys working in the clubhouse. Being adjacent to airport makes for some very windy rounds at times given no surrounding trees and adds to the difficulty where the elevation lacks.

Cons:

Golfers are not a issue if you don't go out during IDEAL golfing times... but just call before you go and ask if they are busy! Some trees were removed which opened things up this year (2013) Some odd mando's due to trying to keep players safe and mostly flat course which gets slightly repetitive.

Other Thoughts:

Once finished and set in stone (concrete tees) course will be one of the best advanced distance courses to play in MN.

Golfers and Airplanes are not even a big deal at all and if anything add to the character of the course.
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4 0
Adontalis
Experience: 13.9 years 84 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Be ready to bomb 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 11, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

There are many things that can be said for this coarse:
-Very long holes as said by previous reviews. Multiple drives required.
-Very well groomed. You will spend little to no time searching for your discs here.
-For a golf coarse, I was pleasently surprised at how well they used their trees to make shots much harder than they could have been.
-Multiple tee locations allowing you to decide how hard you want to make your round.
Very detailed map/scorecard provided.
-Employees extremely friendly and helpful. The employee I met admitted to being very new to the disc golf on the coarse. He was however very honest about the coarse and eager for input about ways it could be improved.

Cons:

Bugs and stick golfers.
-You are on a golf coarse, and there are golfers. It is important to remain vigilant about the possabilty of a small white ball flying at you. The employee stressed this point seeing as how a disc golfer got hit last week.
-I found that some of the stick golfers that I ran into viewed this coarse as a golf coarse and would play whether I was there or not.
-Sometimes it is possible to see multiple pins from your tee location. Ensure that you have looked at your map in relation to the fairways of stick golf to know exactly where you are going.
-They usually have flags on the coarse next to the tee markers, however when I was there the mower had ran them all over.
-Maybe it was just the day I was there but there were gnats EVERYWHERE!!!

Other Thoughts:

Overall I had an enjoyable experience while I was there. The P2P of $5 (plus tax) was not terrible however I would hope that they make that into a day pass later. At least make it a day pass if you rent a cart as well as pay for the round.

Some holes afford a lot of room for driving so the coarse really lets you work on your driving technique if you are new and would like to incorporate that into a game instead of driving in a field.
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2 12
PErickson
Experience: 23.8 years 434 played 1 reviews
0.00 star(s)

spare yourselves 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

little to none. I guess the course is mowed frequently. Next to a historical site. Good baskets. You get to see planes take off from the airport.

Cons:

getting hit by golf balls, getting lost on course, missing baskets, pay to play.

Other Thoughts:

Terrible, probably gone by the end of the summer.
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7 0
Zambono
Experience: 14.7 years 12 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

$5 Well Spent 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 24, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

There are two things you must do before you go check out Fort Snelling:
1. Dust off that old max distance driver in your bag...or go buy a NUKE!
2. Call ahead and make sure there are no golf leagues, so you can get a tee time.

When you get there, make sure to stop inside the clubhouse and chat it up with whoever is on duty. They gave us a great rundown of the course rules and design. Also, after the round, they were very open to honest critique of the course, and I believe they will improve it directly.

The Gold Tee at this course must be the longest course in the cities! I hope your ready to THROW!!

Other Pros include:
- Multiple tees for varying skills and experience
- Professional Map and Scorecard allow for nice playthrough
- Long, open fairways for fun drives.
- The course is well groomed and includes all the amenities you need
- Can even rent a cart for a change of pace

Cons:

This is not just on a golf course, it IS the golf course. You tee off in between players, and are considered a golfer. Since discing is typically a faster paced game, getting behind a slow group can make for a boring afternoon.

During our visit, we have a very rude couple tee off behind us. They would consistently slice balls at us without warning, even though we were waiting for other players. Luckily, the group in front of us were friendly, and let us play through. It is just the chance you will take here.

- Hole #2 plays along a barbed wire fence surrounding the airport. A poorly thrown disc will be lost for good. I recommend turning into the fairway.
- I personally think $5 is worth the course, since we played a good 2 hour round. However, it is still P2P which will discourage some people.
- the tees are markers in the grass, which are not always easy to find, and could very easily get moved or lost. the map is a must

Other Thoughts:

Interesting fact: This is the only course I have seen in the area that measures in yards and not feet. It goes to show you how LONG it is. There was one hole that was well over 300 yards. That was 3 NUKE bombs just to salvage par.

Follow the directions on this site closely. Mapquest or Google will lead you astray. It is tough to find your first time here.

We started on the gold tee, and ended up moving to the blue tee for the back nine. Don't underestimate the difficulty of this course. If you are an intermediate/expert thrower, consider taking the blue. It provides plenty of challenge to maintain par.
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8 0
keepDGobscure
Experience: 27.8 years 94 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

ear-plug huk-zone 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is exactly what Twin Cities DG needed, a long open course that is not in the suburbs. The shortest hole is 285ft, so you are going to throw a driver on pretty much every hole (two or three drives sometimes). There are enough trees to force different kinds of shots. The ball golf 'rough' is still short grass by DG standards, so finding discs is super simple (and great for rollers). If you cut across the course on foot, the club house is a 5min walk from the Fort Snelling Light Rail Station!!! Not bad for what is now the longest course in the metro area.

Cons:

The course is adjacent to the MSP airport. On the left side of the second fairway is a barbed wire fence with a runway on the other side. The constant plane traffic made it difficult to relax, but as you work your way to the other side of the course there is a noticeable drop in decibels. The $5 (plus tax) green fee is a bit steep, but its to be expected for a decent course in the Twin Cities these days. Also, it is a flat course, really no elevation to speak of (sans a few berms).

Other Thoughts:

It is designed so there are basically two DG holes that run parallel, on, or across each of the nine ball golf holes. Keep that in mind and you shouldn't be taken by surprise when you come across a small white ball. Because of the 2:1 DG to ball hole flow, there should be a healthy flow of coexistence with the other kind of golfer. I played on a mon. afternoon, so I did not get a real sense of how much ball golf traffic they usually get. I had the feeling, though, that the course had seen better days - the sand traps were dirt with plants growing in them - it was quite obvious they were looking for new clientele. I fancy that it will become more popular as a disc course and permanently converted .... maybe. If you are looking for a quintessentially technical MN course don't bother coming here, this course is for the throwers!
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