Providence, UT

Von Baer Park

2.735(based on 13 reviews)
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8 0
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.2 years 407 played 392 reviews
3.00 star(s)

One of the better 9 hole courses out there!

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 10, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Elevation:

Tons of it and used well. I especially like the section near hole 4 where you are throwing from elevated tee pads in the open downhill into the wooded area near the river. The downhill holes at the beginning and end of the course really make you think about distance control and the way your disc lands. Having the disc land the same way helps to minimize roll away potential or as new players call it "bad luck".

Multiple tee pads and extra baskets:

Every hole has an alternate tee pad that they have listed as hole A and hole B. What I rally love about them is it's not just a long and short pad like so many courses do; these pads are often completely different looking throws from each other, a left to right for one of the pads and perhaps a right to left for the other pad on the same hole, love it wish more designers would do it this way. There are even alternative baskets for some holes that are installed at all times it seems.

Different types of terrain and shots needed to score well:

The elevated part is a majority of the course but a few are tucked into the woods by the river with the river coming into play quite often. It's weird but nice to go from throwing off of a rugged hill to all of a sudden a stroll in a lush forest. There are several straight, right to left, and left to right holes as well as low ceiling. The course isn't super long distance wise but like I said earlier distance control is key as it finding the best route through the trees while also avoiding the river.

Cons:

Navigation:

The course is extremely frustrating to try and navigate for first timers and factor in many blind basket locations and a rugged landscape and it can be a frustrating round if you don't know the course well. There are tee pads and baskets everywhere and the baskets aren't numbered. Luckily the tee signs are nice and labeled A or B. I was using Udisc to help me navigate it (I know, sue me) and there are 12 different layouts on that app so it wasn't all that helpful not knowing which one I was looking for so I put the phone away and did it old school.

Dangerous design aspects:

Lots of either crossing fairways or just fairways or baskets that are close to other tee pads. With so many different layouts here you could be playing the same basket as someone playing from a tee pad you don't see at the same time. How do you let people play through or be cautious about throwing when people are there if you don't know others are there? A few holes are near the road and errant drives, not even anything crazy bad could lad there, not good.

It's located right next to the city garbage dump and the place smells and is ugly to look at. This is one of the only courses in North Utah that doesn't have spectacular views and aesthetics.

Other Thoughts:

I feel as though the designer did a great job to try and squeeze as much as they could out of this place and perhaps went a little too far but maybe not. I think if I lived close I would figure the course quickly and many issues I experienced as a first timer here would disappear. I think it's not the greatest piece of land I've ever seen but was used almost to its fullest. I highly recommend checking this out unless you're a beginner or you have bad ankles, feet, knees or back as the hilly portion is bit harsh. This is a longer round than your typical 9 hole course so prepare for that. Overall very good.
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7 0
Smoothy
Experience: 3.6 years 12 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Unexpected Gem!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 8, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

I don't get the negative reviews, this course was a difficult blast!
- Great signs
- Great elevation Changes
- Quite technical
- Tee Pads were just fine
- Multiple baskets on each hole to make a very engaging 18 hole course
- Love the hike it takes to finish the course
- Great course to work on many different shots
- Has great mix of shot distances
- Wasn't busy

Cons:

- Blind shots on many holes, so the first time through, I aimed incorrectly, but now that I know where they are, it's just fine.
- Many holes will offer unforgiving rough if you miss wide, but there is an appeal to that as well.
- The green waste area is unfortunate eye sore
- Hole 8, is right next to a road, so you have to time your shots
- Good chance of losing a disc. Spotters need to watch carefully
- Footing can be tricky if you rush or don't pay attention. Again, not really a con and adds difficulty to the course.

Other Thoughts:

This course is definitely worth the trip, totally different vibe than most of the courses you will play. If you hate tough rough and hiking, then this isn't the course for you. I highly recommend this course if you are in the area though!!!
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6 0
jasonandsharon
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 39.8 years 498 played 65 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Where did the love go? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Once upon a time: this was the fairest course in all of Northern Utah beloved by all, or secretly hated but not mentioned, in fact at one point it was the only course in Northern Utah, but then came the fairgrounds, and everybody forgot all about little Von Baer. Cache County Fairgrounds and Von Baer Park are a tale of opposites. The fairgrounds are flat and long while Von is hilly and short. The fairgrounds are groomed and beautiful while Von is treacherous and ugly. The fairgrounds allows players to rip long drives down fairly wide open fairways with little penalty, while Von requires more finesse shots and placements to avoid severe trouble. There is little chance to lose a disc at Cache while at Von it would be quite easy. While the fairgrounds are 18 holes you could play rounds all day on them without needing a break, with Von you will be winded after the first couple of holes let alone all 9 or 18 if you play alternates. The fairgrounds are an afternoon walk in the park, while at Von you could trip and kill yourself. I actually think these two courses complement each other rather nicely providing the best of both worlds. Obviously, I would want the fairgrounds as my daily course to play on all the time, but Von would provide for a nice change of pace and a chance to spice up the game a little every now and then. But I could see why, a lot of players would simply choose to leave Von in the rear view mirror.

Von Baer is an all Par 3 course, except for hole 4 on the red tees which is listed as a par 4, although at 430 feet it is an iffy call. It has excellent signage for all tees provide by Infinite Discs, which show all of the relevant information: par, distance, and map. It has 9 Innova Discatchers that do the job. It has an interesting variety of shots and challenges for all skill levels. There are plenty of elevation changes and obstacles to keep the course interesting. Of the 9 baskets all but 3 are not located on the hillside. Hole 9 was a nice little finishing hole, with a big hyzer across a gully to the basket, a nice risk/reward shot; I would have liked it a little more if the incorporation yard had not been there underneath.

Cons:

Ugly. We were there in summer and this course was quite dry and desolate, it doesn't help you have to walk past the city's green waste dump to get to hole 1 from the parking lot, or that the city's truck yard is located on the left of hole 1 and under hole 9s fairway. I have seen pictures of the course at other times of year when it is green and lush and it is a much prettier picture, but in August this was ugly. If the little creek had water it would also have improved the feel of the park.

Treacherous Footing. Snow and rain have cause quite a bit of erosion on these hills making a lot of the course a little dangerous and difficult to find footing. Once you've played a while there are lines that make the course easier and safer but it is a matter of learning the course and where not to go.

Lost Discs. Losing your disc is never fun and the weeds are definitely tall enough here to eat them a plenty.

Traffic. The course, especially hole 8, plays too close to the road; and to the truck yard on hole 9, for comfort.

Crossing Fairways. Holes 5 and 6 have crossing fairways, a no, no in course design, but considering you will probably be the only one on the course anymore, a minor quibble.

Tees. There are no tees, just cleared patches of dirt.

Navigation. The navigation wasn't intuitive especially when looking for alternative tees, the map would definitely be needed.

Shorter Holes. Not a lot of distance on holes to really air out some drives, but holes are definitely technical and challenging.

Other Thoughts:

There is a lot to like and a lot to dislike about Von Baer disc golf course. Von Baer could definitely use a few tweaks and could definitely use better tee pads. Like I said I probably would not want this for my everyday course, but it does provide a fun challenge and "hike" for an occasional throw or a small tournament challenge. The treacherous hilly nature of the course is probably going to find this as a love it/leave it type course, where if you like a good mountain course then you will favor Von Baer, or if you prefer a more groomed flatter course you won't. You can definitely get a little bruised and scraped up on this course. Von Baer is a very rough and rugged course with a variety of difficult shots and obstacles.

One last thing on the comparison between the fairground and Von is that Von is always open. I have heard from many a local that the fairgrounds pull the baskets quite often. In fact, when I was there the first day we played, the baskets were in we came back the second and were told they had been pulled for horses and the fair. So at the very least Von will provide a good alternative when the fairgrounds are not available.

On a final note I normally preface all of my reviews by going to the city's page and learning more about the park, but I was greatly confused by Providence's webpage for this course. In fact, I wasn't even sure that I was remembering the right course. The city's site lists a reserveable picnic pavilion, restrooms, and other amenities and shows a picture of large trees and a black iron gate. I got to say I saw none of those things here, and I actually had to go and look at the aerial view of the park from home just to make sure I was thinking about the same course. If that stuff is here on this property it would definitely help with the appeal, my guess is that if it exists that's its somewhere in the woods beneath hole 4s tee to the right of the parking lot when you pull in. I really didn't do much exploring of the area other than the course, so I didn't see any of this stuff, but there is a big parking lot, it makes sense that somewhere there is an actual park.
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0 5
Nathan Stahl
Experience: 11.7 years 18 played 12 reviews
0.50 star(s)

What was that!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 19, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good signs once you found the tee boxes.

Cons:

The city piled rocks and planted way to many weeds on this course to make it fun. Bring the bug spray and long pants with hiking spikes to walk the course. If you like to play long stay away from going for it, you will suffer if you can not place the throw exactly right.

Other Thoughts:

I have never plays such a bad course and will never do it again. I gave it half a disk only because there was a course, even though it was a far stretch to call it a playable course.
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3 0
tstack10
Experience: 21.6 years 23 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Quarry Disc 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

I like that this course has a variety of shot from elevated tees throwing down hill to the first hole which plays quite a bit uphill. Plus the final hole had an island feel being perched atop a hill with severe drop off of you miss short or right. When I played the growth or trees and bushes made shots more difficult which could change depending when you play the course. Course map is easy enough to follow and helpful to find number 1. If I played it again id start with hole 3 and after 9 hit up one and two.

Cons:

Was a little difficult to navigate and some holes such as 3 to 4 you have back track to the tee pad and holes five and six the fairways overlap which could be difficult if the course is busy. Later in summer growth can make getting to baskets and finding discs somewhat difficult. Tee pads are marked but not always the best shape.

Other Thoughts:

Was fun to see the little town had a disc golf course. The elevation changes on most throws is fun for the area and the views of Utah State and Logan are excellent.
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1 1
MrDarkHorse
Experience: 11.3 years 55 played 13 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Treacherous course, needs some love 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging course.
Multiple Teepads are nice.
Hole 9 is a very cool, signature hole.

Cons:

Course is extremely treacherous, lots of elevation but really bad footing, a lot of dirt and river rocks. I have bad knees and was really worried about injury.

The poor footing also made finding discs more frustrating, and with all the drop offs and vegetation losing your discs is a very real possibility.

Many of the baskets are blind shots, and the signage is mostly gone or unhelpful, I had a hard time knowing what i was aiming at.

Teepads are slanted, uneven, just dirt and rocks, and often too short.

I would worry about fairways overlapping.

Other Thoughts:

Course seems to have fallen into disrepair. Needs some love from a local club or something.

I would never play this course again. I kind of hated this course.

It was hard, but in many ways for the wrong reasons. I want a course that will challenge my skill, but this was more an exercise in frustration.
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1 1
abarker
Experience: 12.1 years 5 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun Technical Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a fun challenging technical course for experienced players. It really tests your skills and requires a variety of different shots and techniques. It keeps you thinking, and helps you develop your game with a variety of high risk/reward shots.

The course designer did an excellent job making use of otherwise unusable city land. Great views of Cache Valley.

Cons:

Tee pads struggle.
Can be very frustrating for beginners who don't have much control or power, especially in the spring when foliage is deep.

Other Thoughts:

While there are only 9 baskets, the alternate teepads give this course 18 unique holes.

There are lots of blind shots and it can be difficult to find the baskets the first time you play, but the tee-signs are very informative and make it navigable even without playing with an experienced player.
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1 2
Disc chaser
Experience: 12.2 years 35 played 13 reviews
1.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Great tee signs.
One or two passable holes.
Multiple Tees.
Good baskets
A good effort has been put forth here and my hat is off to those who worked hard to make this happen.

Cons:

Poor course design.
Nearly every hole is poorly conceived. Expect one or more of the following when you step on the tee.
-Straight uphill throw
-Blind
-Difficult to traverse fairways
-Unimaginative and wide open
-parallels a very close road
-Built on a gravel pit/dumping ground
-High risk of injury unless you have some mountain goat in your blood.

Other Thoughts:

I never met a disc golf course I didn't like, however, this one comes close. This course would be unplayable (due to confusing layout/blind holes) were it not for the remarkably informative tee signs showing exactly where the baskets are. Much of the area is beautiful with trees, bridges, dry riverbeds, etc. It would interesting to see what a professional course designer would do with this same location. Good work establishing a designated area, but before concrete tees are considered... the future of this course would be well served by some professional design work.
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3 0
TheGrim
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.5 years 75 played 44 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Rock Pit 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 15, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The pictures of the course don't do it justice. It really is a beautiful course (when it's green anyhow) in an absolutely beautiful surrounding area. The Cache valley is a fantastic area, perfect for disc golf courses.

A lot of work has obviously been done on this course and it shows. Someone has gone to the effort to (for the most part) level off the dirt tee pads and provide some pretty good signage, which is important given the first con I mention.

The beginner and pro (B and A respectively) tee pads for every hole are a nice touch. Some of the A shots are quite challenging which I think adds to the rating of the course.

It makes good use of the terrain, not that it has a lot of uphill/downhill shots, (Holes 1, 7 and 8 do, mind you), but it gives great risk/reward opportunities on almost every hole. No more than hole 9 where you throw over the gravel pit of doom!

Cons:

Although I think this is a very good course, it certainly has some little issues.

First, there are several blind shots that, if you aren't familiar with the course, can prove exceptionally difficult. Hole 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 come to mind, but only when throwing from the A tees. This is where the risk/reward bit can come into play, for sure, but it's just a touch excessive on this short little course.

A couple holes cross each other, 5 &6, which is never a good thing on a disc golf course. They aren't too bad though.

Dirt tee pads are a little uneven. Cement pads would go a long way.

As mentioned, there is a lot slippery hills. It's easy to lose your footing, particularly on holes 8, if your disc goes left, and 9 if you can't clear the chasm, but in general footing can be tricky on the course. I can't even imagine how horrific this course must be in inclement weather!

Other Thoughts:

Someone mentioned that taking a beginner here could turn them off from disc golf. I think that is pretty accurate. It is a tough course, particularly from the A pads. My wife has been throwing for a few months and she was put off after three holes.

Other than figuring out something to eliminate the crossing holes I think the best improvement this course could see would be a couple Eagle projects to install cement tee pads.
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0 2
Memphis Newbie
Experience: 12.3 years 33 played 22 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Adventure golf 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Nice signs with photos

Nice baskets

Dual tees

Cons:

Too many blind baskets for my taste

A lot of scrambling around on a loose scree hillside to get to the last basket

Overlapping fairways

Half the course is set around a municipal junk yard. It's ugly.

Other Thoughts:

Good effort put into this course.

This course is an example of how hard it is to find a good piece of land in Utah for disc golf. In all of cache valley this is the only course so far.
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3 0
Disc Buddy
Experience: 12 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great use of park for a smaller course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 26, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good use of the park and its layout. I love having a course that has a lot of elevation change to give a bit of a challenge. Great short and long tees depending on if you want to really push yourself or just have a short easy game. Tee Pads are pretty easy to find. You can play a quick nine in about 30 minutes.

Cons:

Even though it is nice having a course with elevation change, this course takes it to the extreme. It would be wise to have hiking shoes for this course. The hill is SO steep. Even with the nice new bridge between holes 6 and 7, it still could use some stairs up. Expect to spend extra time scrambling up the hill causing a massive rock slide behind you. There are a few trails to get up or down.

Other Thoughts:

Fun course to improve your short game. On the last two holes, it feels like you are throwing around a gravel pit. If your disc ends up down the hill it is not fun scrambling down to fetch it. It takes away some of the fun from the game and you end up more frustrated just because it isn't just a hill you have to climb. I am glad there is at least one real course in cache valley.
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2 0
Topher
Experience: 15 years 10 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Finally a new course in Logan 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Technical- requires a variety of different throws to do well on this course.

Short- only takes about an hour or less to play, allows multiple rounds in a day.

"A" and "B" tee pads allow for 18 holes or a friendly alternative to beginners.

Sturdy Posts marking pads.

Cons:

Rough tee pads, although they are significantly better than they were last fall, and I heard that they will be replaced with concrete this summer.

Aggressive terrain, it's like hiking the mountains in some areas.

Not really beginner friendly, try to take new players somewhere else first so they catch the itch for disc golf, I've accidentally turned some people off to the sport by taking them here first.

Easy to lose discs. Watch discs carefully when entering trees and rolling down hills, it's easy to spend an extra thirty minutes looking for discs. Losing a disc in the reeds on hole 8 and 9 (bottom of the hill) means you're pretty much SOL, it's nearly impossible to find a disc in there.

Other Thoughts:

Overall it's a very fun course, and it's great to have one back in the Logan area. After better tee pads are put in, and possible some stairs or railings (this is just wishful thinking on my part) on the hill for holes 8/9 it will be a very welcoming course that I think could be 3.5 or maybe even 4. A few holes have new tees this year which I actually really like, it makes it just that much more challenging. Exit by walking back through the top of hole 1 instead of off the backside of 9, it's a lot easier on yourself and you won't risk sliding down half the hill.

Make sure to keep a close eye on the disc if it rolls down the hill between 8 and 9, if you don't you may not find it.
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9 0
Chiefstang
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 101 played 21 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great little course with some work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 25, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Excellent use of aggressive terrain. Bring boots, as some holes will have you climbing big hills.
-Brand new DisCatcher baskets.
-Two sets of tees on every hole make it accessable for a range of players.
-A very fun mix of righty, lefty, open, short, uphill, and downhill holes.
-Some very interesting pin placements.
-A river comes into play on a few holes. When I played it was dry, so I'm not sure if it will eat discs in the summer. As it stands, it will just add strokes, especially on hole 6!
-A very fun finishing set of holes in #s 8 and 9.
-Plenty of parking.
-I would love to have this as my home course.

Cons:

-No restrooms that I saw.
-The natural teepads are rough on some holes, notably #7.
-No signage at all, just stakes in the ground and some were missing. Download the map I provided here. That said, navigation wasn't much of a problem.
-Holes 5-6 share a fairway. I don't know how crowded it ever gets here, but it could be an issue.

Other Thoughts:

This is a new course, and I understand signage is on the way. That, paired with some work on the tees would really make this a special course. Even as I played it, it was absolutely worth hitting up, especially considering the lack of courses in Northern Utah. I really enjoyed my round.

Since there are no reviews, I'll give a hole by hole with a guess on distances:

#1- Steep, straight 200'ish uphill throw with the basket at the top behind some trees. Plays long.
#2-Slight downhill throw with the basket behing a tree about 225' out.
#3-Blind 250'ish hyzer throw down a gully. Basket on left protected by trees.
#4-Around 300' up a walking path into a meadow. Basket is on left of clearing.
#5-Around 300' across another meadow to a basket on the left. Basket is protected by a mature tree. (Look for #6 Basket on left as you walk up the fairway)
#6-About 280' back across the meadow. The well protected basket is hidden on the right near the stream. There was a ribbon marking the opening when I played, but a big RHBH anny, or RHFH is needed. OB river is right behind basket. I was lucky to 4 it.
#7-Only about 250', but up a very steep hill on the right. Basket is at the top protected by trees.
#8-About 320' down a slight hill. OB road on the right and behind the basket, but DO NOT GO LEFT! There's a huge ravine, and IF you find you're disc, you will hate trying to throw back out.
#9-Signature hole, and a great finish to the round. A 350'ish hill-top to hill-top hole, with a ravine between the tee and basket. Accuracy is essential, or the disc can roll quite a ways away from the basket here.

Again, the course is very new. Signs and some work on some of the tees could bump this to a 3.5, or maybe even a 4. It's a very solid 9-holer that can be played in about an hour that will leave you wanting to run through it again. It's worth noting that there is no drinking on the course. Residents of Northern Utah are lucky to have gotten this course put in!
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