Marshall, MO

Indian Foothills Park - North

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4.115(based on 9 reviews)
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Indian Foothills Park - North reviews

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11 0
bigreddog
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.1 years 195 played 63 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Hidden Gem 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Elevation 10/10. This course has perfect terrain for disc golf, lots of unique elevation changes beyond just the standard uphill/downhill shots.

Variety of openness 10/10 - A fantastic mix of technical (3, 6, and 13-17) and more open shots, and they're mixed well throughout the round, unlike some courses where you play nine in the woods and then nine in the open or vice-versa.

Variety of distances 10/10 - There are some chances to really air one out, but also some holes with either ace runs or that require a more tactical placement drive that take more touch.

Variety of shot paths 10/10 - This course will make you throw every shot in the bag, the elevation makes it a little more complex than just needing to shape left to right or right to left. Some low overhangs have an impact too and bring rollers into play on a couple holes.

Decisionmaking 10/10 - Many holes have multiple viable routes to take to the basket, and there are a lot with risk/reward for either going OB on the road (particularly on 2 and 7) or into the creek on 18. Some high risk/high reward spikes are in play as well.

Use of obstacles 10/10 - The designer did a great job incorporating the elevation and mature trees/woods to make some truly unique holes.

Finding discs 8/10 - You shouldn't have to spend a ton of time searching for discs on most holes here. Hole 3 is an exception, it's pretty thick and a tight throw to a blind basket. There are some thick spots on the other wooded holes but they aren't horrible.

Baskets/Tees 8/10 - Red tees are concrete. They're getting a little worn along with the baskets. Blue tees are natural and are tough to find if you aren't with a local.

Comfort 7/10 - There is a lot of shade and there are benches on a majority of the holes. A couple of spots with water if you need to refill mid-round, which if it's hot you probably will. Bathrooms present near the parking lot. A couple of throws that you might have to be concerned about non-disc golfers (mainly 4 and 18).

Challenging all levels 7/10 - The wooded holes and the length on some of the open holes will probably frustrate beginners, but intermediates and above will love this course. If you're really looking for a challenge you can play the blue tees where available if you can find them.

Cons:

Navigation between holes 3/10 - This will be tough if it's your first time, make sure to bring a map. (see course maintenance for more)

Course maintenance 4/10 - There was originally just one 18 hole course here, they converted it to two and split some of the original holes onto each of the two courses here now. They left the original hole numbers in place as well as the new hole numbers, which is very confusing the first couple times playing. So a hole might say like "N1" and "7" which was hole 7 of the original course, but now hole 1 of the North course. Having some signage at the start showing these numbers would help out a lot. The blue tees are an awesome challenge added in by a local club, but many of them are unplayable due to lack of maintenance at this point. One last thing on this, the wooded holes will have a lot of spiderwebs due to lack of traffic, not anyone's fault, just be prepared if you hate spiders like I do.

Alternate Placements 6/10 - Every hole has 2 possible locations. Several of them make a pretty big difference, while others just add 30' or change the angle a little.

Navigation on the holes 6/10 - Tee signs with distances are present, but they aren't the most descriptive.

Other Thoughts:

Overall Challenge 9/10
More Precise Rating 4.367

I've been to this course 5 times between 2013 and 2020, and it has been about a year since I last played here. I've seen people mentioning bad maintenance this year, which is really unfortunate if it's the case. This review is based on the course as I played it over this 7 year stretch, which was not the best maintained, but was apparently better than it may be now.

The categories rated 6/10 would normally be pros, but this course is so good that I put them in cons since they are cons relative to the rest of the course.
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16 0
Surge5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 9.7 years 167 played 166 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Age is Evident 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 18, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

A good mix of 18 holes with lots of elevation.  Some wooded, some more open - but those have a lot of looming OB with elevation to roll you toward said OB.

There are greens that are tough to reach (3, 10, 11), greens that have OB danger if you try to get there in one (2, 4, 15, 18), and greens that are on hills that are very tough to play on (1, 7, 8, 17).  Your game on the green will be a big factor in your score, so practice your putting beforehand (practice basket is by hole 1).

The course starts right across the road from where it ends.  Plenty of parking near there, too. 

Over half the holes have benches.  That was very nice when I stupidly decided to play in 101° heat.

A few of the wooded holes are good.  Hole 3 is a sharp right dogleg and hole 15 has a creek running all the way down the right side of the fairway, then in front of the green.

Cons:

It's old.  Tee signs have been reduced to hole number and distance.  They don't even note if there is a long tee on the hole (the only one I saw was on 5).

The baskets show age, too.  The chains are all in place, but the catching power has diminished... just like the color.

The numbering on the baskets is all wrong.  The first three are good, then after that the basket is numbered 13.  Some of the holes have had the correct numbers added to them with mailbox stickers, but some are bare.  Not a huge issue, but more of an annoyance.

Maintenance is Jekyll and Hyde.  The open holes were beautifully mowed and trimmed, but the woods... were terrible.  3 and 17 were almost unplayable as the branches have started creeping into the fairway, and a lot of the rough nearer to the ground needed major trimming.  This doesn't seem like it's only due to my playthrough being in the summer either.

Navigation can be a little difficult, but nothing is crazy hard to find except 8 to 9.

Hole 6 is nice, but your tee shot is directly at 3's tee.  This is the only real safety issue besides throwing near roads on 8, 9, and 18.

Holes 13-17 are very similar.  200-250ft straighaways then the basket is tucked around the corner, or up on a wee hill.  Hole 17 comes back into the open, but the shot is the same.  Feels like these were wedged in to get the number of holes to 18.

Other Thoughts:

This is an enjoyable course, and I think it may be a little easier to play in the winter.  Lost disc potential is higher than most park courses, which is frustrating, but the open holes are more than worth it.  With a little more upkeep, and one major weed-whacking this will be a fine course to make a trip to.
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12 0
Pevio
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12 years 189 played 120 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great design, poor upkeep 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 18, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

The North course has some really unique lines and excellent use of elevation - no two holes are the same. The elevation will encourage midrange shots that sail forever but also discing up on short holes. Every hole is at least moderately wooded, so shot selection is important while still giving a few opportunities to air it out.

A handful of holes are especially heavily wooded, and while not super fun to play once, provide opportunity for anyone more familiar with the course to know which disc they should throw and at what speed since small mistakes will leave you off the fairway or with a long upshot.

There's hills near a few greens where disc speed and rollaways are possible, especially when there's an OB road nearby. It's especially difficult on the downhill holes, where getting up and down from quite away back, sometimes from the tee pad, is tempting but risky.

On some of the down-and-up holes, there's some great opportunity to launch the disc through all the trees, but hitting a trunk or some foliage will leave you far from the basket and down a hill. They again give both aggressive and conservative shot opportunities.

The summary of all this is, most holes require some kind of power, but whether you're shooting from the tee or the fairway, the angle and speed of the disc coming in are important if you want to land close to the basket.

Cons:

Many tee signs were broken/missing, so I was relying on the map constantly. The baskets sometimes have hole numbers on them, but they're not the ones originally painted on the basket; they're stickered on later. It creates confusion a few times - be prepared to rely on the map.

There's some non-DG issues. The course plays near several roads and playgrounds, and at one point, a railroad track. Is that even legal? While it adds an OB challenge, it's a safety hazard especially when the optimal line plays over the road. It's especially bad if you don't know exactly where the obstacles are or where you are shooting.

As of this review, hole 15 is unplayable due to erosion destroying half the tee pad. But you can still walk down the fairway to 16 and see what 15 would be like, and its basket is still in place.

A couple of the heavily wooded holes (3, 14, 16) feel pretty boring, like a path already existed and a tee pad and basket are just stuck in. The others have a much better design.

Weeds have overgrown some of the fairways, making a variety of holes, especially the wooded ones, less fun. They're even growing over the tee pads a couple of times. Mowing is good because of the other park functions, but it seems like no one is working on the course.

Other Thoughts:

With a second course on site, this park is a great place to come for a full afternoon of Disc Golf fun. In my opinion, North is the better of the two. There's also lots of other amenities in the park if you have a family or other hobbies.

The tee pads are a little small, but I rarely found the need for a massive run-up, and when I did, there was room behind the tee for one.

While this course could be a lot better, I appreciate the excellent design and hole variety enough to give it a pretty good rating.

Some holes have two tee pads, but I found them to add little to the course, and I just played from the first pad I saw for the hole. The alternate pin placements, however, will change up the course significantly.
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1 3
Kitt5
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun and challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well marked tees. Has map and scorecard that can be picked up at rec center admin office. No fees. Not busy during weekdays. Challenging with three different tee boxes per hole.

Cons:

Tons of poison ivy even in the fairways. Most holes on the front 9 are unreachable in par.

Other Thoughts:

Nice layout. Especially enjoyed the back nine with lots of shade and narrow fairways.
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7 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.9 years 550 played 429 reviews
4.50 star(s)

North is Nice! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Upside of the North course at Indian Foothills Park is similar to the attributes of the South. It is also a very good 18 hole layout with concrete tees and DISCatcher baskets. There are holes that cross grassy hills with mature trees, and others that are through more wooded areas. There is good elevation change on many holes, but maybe not as drastic as the South course. Water is nearby in the low area in the woods, but it wasn't a big risk.

The challenge factor is pretty high. Pars are makable, and birdies are a possibility, but shot making has to be almost perfect form the tee or really great putting. I got some great drives off, but missed on the putts. Really had good looks on 8, 9 and 11 and settled for pars. A few of the late holes are shorter, giving an opportunity to make up shots on the back 9.

There were a number of really great holes. The opening hole was a lengthy run over a hillside with a big tree on it, followed by a downhill approach to the basket under another stand of mature trees. Hole 3 is a fun downhill bomb into the woods, with a right to left fade. Perfect for the RHBH drive and very reachable if you can stay out of the tree branches. 9 was a pretty cool elevated tee where the fairway is a left to right bend around very tall trees. The basket is on the side of the next hill next to the road. I killed a perfect, flexing anhyzer that came to rest 20 feet from the pin, but I bonked on the birdie putt. 11 runs through the trees without a lot of elevation change, with a very tricky line. Again my drive with the Sidewinder was right on target, snaking a perfect path toward the basket and landing inside of 30', but I could not convert on the birdie putt. 15 is a fun, shorter hole in the woods that runs along the left side of the creek. The basket is slightly uphill on the bank, again begging for that right to left hyzer around the trees, and again I two putted for par. 17 isn't a great hole, but I did get the elusive birdie there. It's a tunnel shot over a foot bridge that is midrange. 18 is a tough final test, downhill with a number of trees.

Cons:

I would like to see some better signage, at the tees and for navigational purposes. Kiosks with course maps would also be pretty nice to help find the parking areas.

There are two sets of tees on the map, but only one is concrete. I think the long blue tees may have been marked with stakes. Multiple pin positions for most holes, but no way to tell which one you're throwing to on a blind shot.

Grass was sort of long, and holding water in the low areas. With all of the rain in the region this spring, it is a common condition at many disc golf courses I have played recently.

Other Thoughts:

I have wanted to return to Marshall and play this course since 2016, when I first visited and played the South course. It did not disappoint. They're both very good, but they could benefit from installation of updated signs. I think the South might be a tad better, but both are very much worth playing. Be prepared with maps and line up a guide if you are easily frustrated or lost, because the layouts are a little funky.

Two awesome courses that make for a great stop on a disc golf road trip. I will award a 4.5 rating for both despite the lack of nice quality tee signs, maps and navigational aids to help with flow.

I finished my round with a 60 (5 over par) on 6 bogies and a birdie. Could improve that with a couple of good putts and one or two better approaches, but playing par golf here is not easy.
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2 0
maxburn
Experience: 11.1 years 20 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

DG at it's very best! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 3, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Elevation use is dramatic
Beautiful mix of woods, water
Used most of my discs
Fair but challenging
Super quiet
Camping at Van Meter State Park is very convenient

Cons:

A long drive from St. Louis
Signage can be confusing,
Some baskets/tees are shared
Absolutely need a course map 1st few times around

Other Thoughts:

Van Meter State Park is about 10-12 miles to the north and offers terrific camping, lake fishing and killer trails. These courses, (North and South), are a must play! Just tie in an overnight stay (or two)!
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7 0
Grip N' Rip 944
Experience: 18 years 7 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Favorite Marshall course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 22, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great variation throughout the course. Some in the woods and some in the open. The tee pads are nice and open. This is also the shorter course of the 3 here in Marshall. Don't let it fool you though, because you will still be hiking over a mile by the time you're done. Easily played in 2 hours or less by myself and never has it taken more than 3 hours. (Never played with more than 5 people though) I also like that some of the holes are integrated from the original course. All but 6 holes are also on the original course. So playing this course will also benefit you if you decide to play the original. This course does pose many challenges and makes you use a variety of throws and discs. There are several holes over 400 feet and also several under 200 feet. Well designed and probably the best maintained of the 3 in Marshall. I would recommend making a day of it and playing all 3 courses. Within 100ft of #1 tee for North and Original course (where you park) are restrooms and 2-3 shelter houses. Then just a short jaunt into the woods is the #1 tee box for the south course. You'll never have to move your car.

Cons:

I don't have many. Some paths from tee to tee are a decent uphill hike. Can be a little challenging for older players. Also can be hard if you have a lot to carry. I also know the park has had problems in the past with kids taking or breaking the disc golf signs, which is unfortunate. But many of the baskets have the wrong numbers on them. This course is currently very well groomed and mulch has been laid on the paths in the woods. (Very Nice) At times though these paths can be over grown. Overall a great course with a great layout.

Other Thoughts:

Definitly my favorite course in the Marshall area. I tend to put up better scores on this course and also I'm usually in a time crunch so I go to this one because I know it will be quicker. 9/15/14-* Signage is up. Every tee has a new sign, a tee and pin location as well as hole layout. Also next tee signs put up. Thanks to the local club for this. They have made this course one of the best in Missouri.
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3 3
asjzn6
Experience: 18.6 years 136 played 59 reviews
3.50 star(s)

YES Play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 3, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Excellent course. Like said before all shots are needed. Great use of elevation, ob, woods. Teepads are amazing, dual pads on some holes, very heavily brushed pads for grip in all weather. No signs on course but flow is not bad (from from 2's green go in the woods) Most of the hole they created nice paths lined with mulch and long pole branches. Good baskets all north baskets have innova discatchers.

Cons:

No signage. No trash cans. next tee indicators would be nice.

Other Thoughts:

Great park, plenty of picnic area for lunch between rounds. bring good shoes water and extra calories
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7 2
AceWraith
Experience: 18.8 years 133 played 9 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Best course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 13, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-this course has it all: lefty & righty holes, elevation change, open holes and tighter fairways, long and short holes
- concrete tee pads
- short and long tees on most holes
- course has good course flow. As long as you follow the beaten path you shouldn't get lost
-beautiful landscape
-the baskets are in great shape and in great spots (18 is placed down the hill on the other side of the creek perfect for a flippy disc)
-great mix of ace runs and holes that you will need every shot just to make par
- IF YOUR IN THE AREA PLAY THIS COURSE

Cons:

-some signage is missing and the the most basket still have the number on from before the course was redone. (first time I Played it took me a while and a trip to inspect the basket for whole 4, it says 13 but there's a sticker on the far side that marks it 4)
-some rough rough, nothing you can't get through but if the disc get away from you, you will feel the wraith of thorns lol.
-alot of the next tee signs are wrong, again just something left over from the over haul.
-none of these cons took any points off minor flaws on a amazing course.

Other Thoughts:

I'm from southern Ohio and I have family in Missouri but you bet you bet your sweet fanny I'm playing this course every time I come out to visit! Also this park has two courses. I tired to play the other course but that layout is more complicated both are awesome courses but the other course has alot of walking between holes and ALOT of uphill walking. But still two different courses and you dont have to move your car!!

- all in all this course deserves every point it got!
PLAY IT, LOVE IT, RATE IT
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