Topeka, KS

Crestview Park - West

3.035(based on 16 reviews)
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13 0
Pevio
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 188 played 120 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Olden but Golden

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

The oldest course in the state continues to impress with its perfect preservation, providing a powerful first peek to any players who pace onto its property and pursue its premises. The tees and signs look good, the baskets don't have any rust, and there's plenty of parking. With the river to one side, there's a good bit of scenery, especially if there's some mist in the air.

Most holes classify as moderately wooded, and they're all pretty solid. There are opportunities for wide hyzers, low ceiling shots, and even some rollers. The raised pin on 1 is a nice touch, though I might have preferred that on a different hole.

While there aren't any hilly holes, there are a few holes that play slightly downhill, and those are pretty cool. They give a chance to get a little more distance off the tee, but don't make the hole gimmicky at all.

This course features a lot of holes that will make you want to finish left or right, even if they aren't complete doglegs. There's the baseball shot on 2, and then several long pins will have some sort of spicy finish around a tree. Even if you have multiple options, this course emphasizes shot shaping at a fairly long distance. But newer players can also just chuck whatever and still get to the basket eventually.

The many pin placements here are used pretty well. They vary the distance quite a bit, but they all seem to focus on accuracy in the 300 foot range, so if you're born with that ability, you're in luck.

Cons:

There's almost no elevation change. Only a few holes play even slightly up or down, and while some holes don't need it, elevation would make the easy holes a lot more interesting. Holes 11-14 are all pretty short, and a lot of the short pins stand to be fairly boring as well.

While I would have liked a few more par 4's, the ones there are don't fit in with the course very well. They take up a lot of space in a park that doesn't have much real estate to work with, and on most of them, there isn't any kind of landing zone. It kind of feels like a few holes, or potential holes, are ruined by extra space given to some rather uninteresting par 4's.

Even with the good holes, a lot of them are just about the same: throw it straight for 300-400 feet, then finish right or left. It starts to get a little boring, which is why adding more, or possibly fewer, par 4's could help a bit to give a little more variety. It seems like the variety of the course comes in the different pin positions, which is fine, but probably isn't ideal, especially when you're sacrificing other aspects of the course.

Holes 16-18 are not a good way to finish the course. They're across the parking lot from the rest of the course, and they're just not very good, playing over several roads or sidewalks, causing some backtracking, and just being rather uninteresting. Actually, a few other holes play near some sidewalks, and you don't want to venture across them on holes 10 and 12, where weeds and the river await.

Other Thoughts:

It would be nice if all 18 holes could be on the same side of the park, but it would make the course even more squished than it already is.
It would also involve splitting holes 4 and 15 in two, and that result would be lousy at best.

It is technically possible to end up in the water on hole 1, because of course it is if you're in Topeka.

Overall, this is a fairly average course, but it doesn't do anything exceptionally bad. It has stood the test of time and looks to be here to stay.
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12 0
Surge5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 9.7 years 166 played 166 reviews
3.00 star(s)

The Ancient One

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 27, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

There's a tale that this is the oldest course in Kansas.  After so long, it still holds up as a decent course against the more modern courses in the area.

Concrete tees, good tee signs, a bright blue DD Veteran per hole, and the main positive, 2 or 3 pin spots per hole.  Most of the holes have benches at the tee.

Tree ceilings through holes 5-10 are a big part of the challenge.  Right around 10-15ft of height, keeping it low as you get into the trees from the open on 8 and 9 is the toughest challenge in my book.  And of course the lines shaped throughout the mature trees are tough but fair.

Hole 10 has two options: 10 In and 10 Out.  10 In is a thin midrange shot that will kick your disc into the creek with a bad tree bounce to the right, but 10 Out is a fairly normal par 3 with a bit of an uphill at the end.

Maintenance throughout the park was sublime.  Everything was cut, teepads were edged, and some mulch around the baskets would be the only improvement I would ask for.

Cons:

Flatness.  There are bits of elevation on 3, 10-12, and 17 long, but they're minimal and overall this side of the park is incredibly flat.  Not much that could've been done, but a con nonetheless.

Sameness of holes 3-15.  Beat a few trees, get to the pin, make a putt.  5, 6 and 15 add some difficulty in their 450+ foot long pins (especially since 5 and 6 are labeled par 3s), but if they're not there it's a very monotonous round spiced up by a few tree ceilings or playing 10 In.

Several bad navigation spots and close fairways.  5/6 and 9-12 all play pretty close on top of each other (using 10 Out), and coming most of the way back up 1 to tee off on 2 isn't much fun.  But these gripes pale in comparison to the real fun-killer, 16-18.

From 15's pin, the tee of 16 is over 700ft away across the parking lot, then if 17 is in its longest pin (which isn't on the sign, by the way) you have a full 400ft walk back to the tee of 18.  Add in playing near roads on 16/17 and over them on 18 and you have a very, very poor end to the round.  I suggest playing these three first, then holes 1-15.

Hole 2 is your standard "wrap-around-the-back-of-a-baseball-field" hole.  Nothing much going for it except the mando to keep you from going over the field.

Other Thoughts:

The difficulty of your round will have a lot to do with the pin placements, they seemed to have a good mix of short and long settings in the winter (5 and 6 long are brutal par 3s). 

It's not going to stand up against the newer, flashier designed courses, but there is definitely fun to be had here.  Don't come in expecting too much and you'll be fine.  And for your own good, start on 16.
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6 0
Bryan.kelly1
Experience: 13.9 years 44 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Solid, Clean, Enjoyable, Low-ceiling Shots, Dynamic Baskets 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 22, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Very well maintained and grass is always cut
-New blue Dynamic Veteran baskets for easy visibility (installed 9/20/2019)
-Large concrete tee pads
-Benches on most holes
-New helpful tee signs
-Trash cans
-One alternative wooded hole with concrete tee
-Multiple pin placements
-Cart-friendly
-Practice basket for those waiting on a group
-Picnic table near hole 1 and on hole 7 tee area
-Great for rollers
-Within walking distance to 2 permanent courses

Cons:

-No restrooms
-Busy trail on fairway of hole 1
-Relatively high traffic during early evening hours
-Transition from hole 15 to 16 (cross the parking lot to front entrance)
-Somewhat repetitive

Other Thoughts:

Located in a multi-use park, it is Topeka's most popular course. This course has been used since the 1970s. Although it is old, it feels like brand-new with the recent upgrades on pads, baskets, and tee signs. Huge shoutout to those with Dawn to Dusk Disc Club for making this course a great one for the community.
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8 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Not the Best View 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 11, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Crestview Park is a pretty good 18 holes in a pretty nice park. There are concrete tees, and most of them have a sign with distance and a picture of the hole that highlights pin locations. The baskets are mismatched, and a couple were beat up, but there are 18, plus one for a practice target.

The course is mostly open and grassy, with some very large old trees that can get your drives if you don't give them a wide enough berth. All par 3 in the layout as I played it, and not particularly long or difficult. Elevation changes are not severe, but in places the hills can create some bad rolls around the basket. There is a river along one side of the park, and it is in play behind the basket on hole 1. On some holes there is OB that can make it a bit more interesting.

I liked the quick play, and it was easy enough to find my way around the place. It had plenty of room to let go with the big drives, and enough trees to give some variation from hole to hole.

Cons:

Not a hard course, no extreme tests of accuracy. The tee pads were not all the same size, some were pretty short, and there were several with muddy spots at the end where the grass was trampled to death.

A few tees had no signs, and I played the old hole 10, which had an old bucket with a broken chain mounted on a moveable base. I guess I totally missed the alternate hole 10, I didn't know anything about it till I scrolled through the photos before writing this review. It looks like it has much more vegetation than the rest of the holes. You do have to walk across the parking lot to get from 15 to 16.

There are spots that holes are near sidewalks, roads, baseball fields, and areas that others are also likely to be using. I saw multiple dog walkers, some kids on the way home from school, a jogger and a few other randos walking in and around the park.

Other Thoughts:

Crestview has the old school charm that is common to disc golf courses from the early days of the sport. In comparison to modern courses it is a little dull. The park is nice enough, and the trees look beautiful in the photos, I would like to see them in the summer with full canopy some time.

I say it is not too hard, but I did get 4 penalty strokes from going OB, and the wind was strong enough to be a major nuisance. I finished 7 over with no birdies. I also saw a bad bounce and roll take a disc into the river on hole 1. The water was mostly frozen over, but the banks were steep and muddy. The disc might not have been recoverable on a lot of days, but this one was salvaged.

I will probably be back in the summer to play this one again eventually, since I live fairly close now. It would be a good course for beginners, and does make you throw some different shaped shots, while still leaving some room for error.

Cody played a few holes with me, and told me about the Groove Shack Gift Shop, who has a wide variety of discs. Also he mentioned they have league play on Wednesdays starting in Spring. Tip of the cap to him.
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7 1
bigreddog
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.1 years 195 played 62 reviews
3.50 star(s)

My favorite in Topeka 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 5, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

There is a great variety of shot paths on this course, holes 1, 5, 11 require right to left, while 2, 4, and 13 require left to right with many more where the player has an option to throw multiple paths. 10/10 on variety of shot paths, 8/10 on decisionmaking required.

This course uses obstacles very well, every tree on the course could potentially come into play, giving all holes a challenge but not making any unfair. 10/10

Discs were very easy to find with no real chance to lose one except on hole 10 or if you get one stuck in a tree. 9/10

Baskets were in great condition, tees are concrete and good size, but some are a little cracked around the corners. 9/10

There is a great variety of distance on this course, with a few very aceable holes, while others have enough length to make them a tough par. 9/10

The course was mowed and there was a lot of shade and several benches throughout. No water or bathrooms along the course but it's available at the start in the Crestview pool. 8/10 on comfort

Consistently mowed and there are posts marking the tees but the only information they provide is the hole number. No trash cans along the way. 7/10 on maintenance

This course does a good job of providing all players with a challenge. Under normal conditions, it is a pretty good course for beginners as it is relatively forgiving and there is not too much length. It is also challenging enough to be fun for advanced players, and when it's in the gold setting especially. 7/10

Alternate hole positions are pretty good. They really change the feel of some holes, but others it just adds or subtracts 50ft without changing much else. 6/10

Cons:

The biggest problem this course has is the lack of elevation. The elevation that is present is brought into play on a few of the holes, but they just didn't have very much to work with here. 2/10

Navigation on the holes is not very since the tees don't have a map. There are also several baskets close to other baskets or holes where two baskets can be seen from the tee. 3/10

Navigation between holes isn't great but the posts marking the tees can generally be seen from the previous basket. 5/10

There is some variety of openness on shots, especially hole 10 in the woods, or a few more wide open holes like 2 and 7, but overall most holes have several trees to create different lines with not much more or less. 5/10

Other Thoughts:

This course is around average difficulty. I first saw this course at the Capital City Classic set up in the gold positions and decided it was owrth a drive, and I'm glad I did even though it wasn't still in gold.
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1 2
shaun103183
Experience: 12.6 years 9 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

nice mix of shots 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

signage , multiple pins, most hole are open with trees mixed in moderately . 10 is a change of pace completly wooded with the creek on the right side. nice anny lines mixed with straight or hyzer shots,memorable holes for me were 1,3,and 10

Cons:

couple pin placements are still a little confusing even with the signs, minimal elavation change, not much else

Other Thoughts:

gold tee's make the course totally different maybe adds 2500ft?
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3 0
DisCat13
Experience: 25.1 years 110 played 19 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Home to Have 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 27, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

My home course, however, I will be very honest. Very scenic as far as Topeka goes. Many trees and large ones at that, add to the scenery and challenges on the course. Good mix of longer par 3s and shorter par 3s. NEW TEE SIGNS help out immensely if you don't know where you are going, as they show hole maps, as well as all of the multiple pin placements!

Cons:

Even though there are lots of trees, there are many open holes where you can be extremely exposed to the sun. This is a con from June-Aug. for sure when it reaches 90-105 nearly everyday! Twilight course is in play a couple of weeks a year. If you come during this time (and are not familiar) you might as well play without trying to keep close tabs, as 6 baskets are removed to add to the Twilight course and it can be highly confusing if you haven't played it before. However, I believe this to be the most frequented course in Topeka and probably for any course within 50 miles. So, ask one of the friendly locals about the directions from one hole to the next during the Twilight course. Any other time of the year this course is very easy to navigate with the exception of #15 basket-#16 tee (see other thoughts).

Other Thoughts:

Last 3 holes are across the parking lot, don't give in after 15!

During Twilight, it would be great to add those 6 additional holes, without taking the baskets away from the original course.
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1 2
Natedoog
Experience: 15 years 7 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 10, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Multiple pin placements and multiple ways to shoot make this a fun course. Someone put trim the Canopies, I disagree, I think it adds some more challenge.

Cons:

a couple baskets in bad shape, doesn't get switched up enough, creek water is nasty.

Other Thoughts:

I learned on this course and traveling to other states and playing I've noticed it has helped me. Great place to go if you want to play more technical and controlled instead of just throwing bombs and hoping you don't hit something.
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4 0
kcplease
Experience: 14.8 years 133 played 31 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Go for it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 27, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good variety
Nice park
Feels very friendly
Good poeple
LSDiscs is not far away, so a good store is super close
Well mowed usually

Cons:

Fairways in the fall can be an issue, those old oaks dump lots of leaves
Configuration can be confusing
disregard the numbers on the baskets, they mean nothing
Call the LSDIscs guys if you donow know where to go, they do. great people -785 220 1226
No tee signs, which would help greatly

Other Thoughts:

Good course, tee signs would give them another half a point, because they are needed, since it rambles through the park. You will need help the first time. The course varies a lot, but if you are patient, it is worhth the wait.
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3 4
hogleggbob
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 217 played 47 reviews
1.50 star(s)

what a shame 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

its a disc golf course, it has baskets,

Cons:

i hate being too negative here, but this course had too many flaws. a few of the baskets were in poor shape maybe vandalized. someone needs to limb up some of the lower hanging limbs on the trees, the shots were mostly wide open but you had to keep your shots at about a five foot height to reach the pin or you woill get knocked down by a limb. hole#10 was a pointless hole, just throw it in the woods with no real route at all. the park was in poor shape in general, tall grass cracked pads,...etc

Other Thoughts:

this course could easily improve with a little TLC, trim up the canopy of the trees,put some tee signs up, mow the grass, cut a route to #10 pin. this was the first course i played in topeka , i was a little let down and would suggest if you are in the area to skip this one and go to shawnee lake.
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8 1
Donovan
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 37 years 300 played 187 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ho Hum, Ho Hum, Not That Much Fun 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has wide-open holes, a few trees, mostly flat grounds, and makes fair use of the park grounds. These are simple holes use the occasional tree as an obstacle. Some of the baskets here are in a protected position. There are multiple pins on this course to keep the look of the holes refreshing. This park is well maintained and they were mowing the day I played here as well. There is a welcome sign for disc golfers.

Cons:

The cement tee pads seemed to be hand poured and are in rough shape. There are little hole markers at the tee pads and many of those are missing or not legible. Navigation is a bit messy. This place needs trashcans and can get a bit busy with walkers. After completing the first 15 you will need to head toward the park entrance by the road and 16-18 are located in the grass sections in front of the main building and tennis courts.

Other Thoughts:

The Fun Factor here was just OK. There really isn't much to get excited about at this course. Once you get past the navigation issues, this can be a decent place to learn how to play for beginners. If you are in the area I suppose this is an OK to play, but I would not make road trip for it. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to see this community getting involved in the sport; I just didn't find this course that much fun.
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1 10
ROCKHAWK1
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Not impressed with this course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful park. Easy to get to from I-470.
Good obstacles, come open spots for distance, nice technicals.

Cons:

Pin markers old and falling apart. Atleast 5 pin placements are missing in the middle of the park (Holes 8, 11, 12, 13, 14)

Other Thoughts:

We would never play this course again, or atleast until they replace the placements.
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10 1
scarpfish
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.8 years 360 played 98 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Thirty years old and still going strong 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 21, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Set in a well manicured park in SW Topeka along the Shunganunga Creek which comes into play on two holes. Friendly for rec players as it is relatively short. Plays tougher in the summer when the foliage on the trees. Sort of set down in a low area with a tall strand of trees to the south so there is some wind protection here. Multiple pins can give you different challenges for your upshots (although they generally won't affect your tee strategy).

Cons:

Mostly open and flat as a pancake and sometimes gets a bit spongy after a big rain as it doesn't drain well. Big arms may find it a bit underwhelming and will just go over what they can't get around. Some of the teepads are cracked, and hole markers are deteriorating or missing. Kind of a flow issue between 15 and 16 if you don't know where you're going (head up by the parking lot entrance to find 16's teebox). Ped/bike trail in park is often busy and people on bikes can dart into your line of fire easily. There is a kiosk for the local club, but there was no map of the course there, and while its not a hard course to find your way around, one would be helpful here.

Other Thoughts:

Installed thirty years ago, Crestview is starting to show its age, but for the majority of players this will be a fine venue to enjoy a round or work on their skills. The trail going through the park can get very busy on a nice day. The shot from the primary tee to the wooded pin position is cool, but if you're waiting on too many pedestrians, I'd advise using the alt tee on Hole 10 which you need to walk back by the trees on the other side of the trail from the main tee to find. A recommended time to play a "souped up" version of Crestview would be during one of the tournaments ran by the local club here, when the course is expanded to its "gold" layout, which the Front 15 is reconfigured into 10 holes and 8 new holes are used further east in the park. A decent stop if you're in Topeka, but nothing spectacular.

UPDATE (4/27/2010): After playing Crestview last week, I am deciding to lower the rating from 3 to 2.5. Course seems to further deteriorating, and baskets being moved from the gold layout back to the regular layout aren't being put back in the same hole they came from, leading to confusion on holes 10 through 14. This is a problem that a new map of the course, both available online for printing and at the course kiosk and new tee sign markers or signs could alleviate.
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7 0
rlangton
Experience: 15 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 18, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Crestview is a nice course nestled back in a fairly wooded park with very large, mature trees. The 18 holes offer a variety of shots and distances. The pins are moved pretty regularly so you never know what you'll get. Concrete tees are nice and long, baskets are nice.

The park is well maintained and mowed. The large trees provide a lot of shade and protection from the wind. This is my favorite park to take my kids to on a hot day.

Cons:

Minimal elevation shots due to being a fairly flat course (not a bad thing if you're wanting to save your legs). Course layout can be fairly confusing if you've never played there before. Holes cross back on eachother. Recommend playing with a local if you can first time through. Some layouts are more confusing than others. The last few holes cross roads that sometimes cars like to park on.

Other Thoughts:

An alternate location for hole #10 is back in the trees. Head towards the busy road and the stream from hole #6 tee (hole #9 basket area).
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3 4
aspentopeka
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Crestview 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 21, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Good course thats not too tight, not too open. It does encourage you to hit your gaps or get in some trouble. This is the course to play in Topeka if it's windy, as the wind doesn't blow quite as hard on this course as some others. Multiple pins on every hole. NEW BASKETS.

Cons:

The new baskets need another set of chains. Spit outs very common.
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4 1
jace
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 46 played 33 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Crestview - diamond in the rough 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 5, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

This is nice course tucked into a pretty compact area. Has bathrooms at the parking area.

Hole number 1 starts right off with a significant tree challenge. we played with pin located short which was barely visible from the tee due to trees.

This course has lots of mature trees, and pins are placed to encourage the low shots (which is not necessarily good for those of us who still have a tendency to let one ride high) but makes accuracy a must.

A couple of open holes which allowed us to air it out without worry. Most of the time we found ourselves with a unique approach to a pin from behind a tree, up a short hill, or in a couple cases throwing without sight of the pin from the tee.

This was a really fun course. i took my son and two girls on a campout to Lake Shawnee specifically to play this course and Lake Shawnee. we quit after three holes on the Lake course - way to windy & all i saw was large open expanses that didn;t look like much fun to continue. If you're in the area, this is a great course to play! Hardly anyone there on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Cons:

Tough with the wind, but that's probably more me than anything else.

Other Thoughts:

probably would not play again since it is an hour from home and i have many equal and better options, but worth the trip with the kids!
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