Belle Fourche, SD

Center of the Nation DGC

Permanent course
2.385(based on 4 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Center of the Nation DGC reviews

Filter
5 0
brentjacobs
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.6 years 641 played 59 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Solid 9 holer in the Center of the Nation 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 28, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 9 Permanent metal baskets, all in good repair. 2 pin locations for each hole.
- Tee signs with a hole map noting the distance for each of the 2 pin locations. They also help with navigation since there's no course map available.
- Level concrete teepad on each hole.
- Practice basket at the beginning of the course.
- The course is in a beautiful park that abuts the Belle Fourche River. Well maintain and full of beautiful, mature trees.
- Nice variety of shot types and hole lengths. Not championship level golf by any matter of means but certainly not a beginner course. A bit of distance ability and a diverse shot selection is required to score well.
- Good use of the trees, bushes, etc. Holes vary from playing in and out of the vegetation with well placed pins that require appropriate drive or approach shot placement.
- It's kinda weird but I really liked playing under the bridge for holes 1 & 9.
- Free to play.

Cons:

- No course map. It's easy enough to get started and the tee signs help but there's a couple places where a map could save a little wandering and looking for the next tee.
- Almost no elevation change. It's very slight in a couple-few holes but really nothing even close to drastic.
- Not all of the baskets were level, I believe hole 3 was the worst.
- Course is built in a flood plain. Was in great shape when we were there but I can imagine it being an issue during high water and would guess that has something to with the baskets that have tilted.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun 9 hole course in a really pretty area. We played in the middle of the day on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and despite the beautiful weather, saw only one other group. The Center of the Nation monument is pretty cool and the Visitor Center/ Museum located onsite has basic amenities during operating hours. I'd recommend this course to anyone traveling in the area. At only about 15 minutes from Spearfish, it's a worthwhile add on to a trip to bag this course.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 0
mndiscg
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 480 played 478 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Enjoyable Round in the Northern Hills 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Course maps/scorecards located at hole 2's tee
-Multiple pin positions on most holes
-Nice baskets
-Nice, large concrete tees
-Signage with hole distance
-Decent amount of trees for challenge as well as the bridge which comes into play on the first and last holes. The trees usually give you a few different lines to choose from but the course is far from open.
-You shouldn't lose a disc here, the holes are far enough from the river that it shouldn't be a problem.
-Easy to find, just look for the town's visitor center and Center of the Nation Monument and it is just down the hill and starts near the bridge. If you are in to history you can be entertained a bit by their exhibits there.
-This course probably is never busy, I was out there on a friday afternoon and had the course to myself.
-A few ace opportunities, hole 3 especially comes to mind.
-Seems well maintained.

Cons:

-It's a floodplain which brings its own set of problems and is very flat.
-Navigation, even with the map and signage, is only ok. Some tees have multiple baskets in sight and you might not know which one to throw at.
-Not a ton of hole length variation, most were in the 250-350 range.
-Be careful if anybody is using the river walk.

Other Thoughts:

This is one of those courses that I can't really find much bad to say about it but also can't really give it a high rating. It is a city park course near a river. It plays in a slightly tree'd floodplain under a bridge. I especially liked hole 9, the last hole which shot back under the bridge. The bridge actually came into play on this hole and I thought it was fun. If you are in town I would recommend a stop here but unless you are a course bagger I wouldn't bother going out of your way. Spearfish Canyon and Pagent Hill in Custer are the premier courses in the Black Hills with others like Angostura in Hot Springs, Jackson in Rapid, Black Hills State U in Spearfish making up the 2nd tier.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 0
kutz167
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 282 played 6 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Good Beginner Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 20, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good signage and variety of shots present. The use of closely guarded baskets gives favor to the finesse player. Course provides a good place for beginners to learn, but also has enough technicality and shot variety to not bore more advanced players. The prevalence of wind on the creek bottom adds a nice extra bit of difficulty to the course. Not many places to worry about losing a disc. Baskets are Mach 3's and are in good condition.

Cons:

When I played the course, there was waist-high grass in spots. Also, the presence of broken beer bottles under the bridge presents a safety hazard for small children/pets. Not a very long course. When I played, water did not come in to play on any holes despite the course's location along a river. Finally, the transition between holes 7 and 8 was awkward and would put people in danger of being shot upon by people playing hole #4.

Other Thoughts:

Great use of the land provided. With a little better upkeep, this could be a great way to spend the afternoon in the Geographic Center of the U.S. The shot on hole #9 back towards the start of the course is quite the sight with all the state flags blowing in the wind. This course is definitely worth a play if you're in the area. I was told by the course designer that a back 9 is in the works to finish this course off with a full 18 holes.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 0
falcon79
Experience: 15.8 years 286 played 19 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Under the Bridge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 23, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Score cards at the Museum, signage and open areas makes getting around pretty easy. Most baskets are well protected by trees/brush, so aces will be very tough.

Shots that have to go under US 85 are a nice local touch.

Cons:

If there are crowds, players moving from the 7th basket to the 8th tee will have to dodge disks, but I suspect crowds would be a welcome problem.

Limited variation, as the whole course is on the river bottom. Not much variation in distances.

Other Thoughts:

They have made very good use of the available space, which was otherwise wasted. Most of the shots are for RHBH (slice) throwers.

The Museum gift shop sells discs, which might be the only source in town. Staff was very helpful. Pretty much what you'd expect from a city park course, but worth the stop.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top