Oshkosh, WI

Winnebago County Park - Yellow

2.55(based on 8 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Winnebago County Park - Yellow reviews

Filter
5 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.2 years 652 played 631 reviews
2.50 star(s)

As Fun As Lighting Hundred Dollar Bills On Fire 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.693 Rating) A challenging park style course.
- CHALLENGING - Clearly this course was not designed for the average Joe. Advanced players may be delighted though. Nine par 3s are over 350 feet in length. Water hazards and/or waste high grass have to be avoided on 14 of the 18 holes. I'd say that it would take about a 950 rated player in nice conditions to average par 56.
- RAW BEAUTY - The better looking of the two course. The run of holes (8) thru (11) was an absolute delight using 20-foot high manmade hills and carving greens and fairways into the 3-foot-high grasses. Hole (16) is a beautiful shot too, for those that can clear 500 feet. Otherwise it will likely be a "Oh, no thank you." thought and then the disc goes back into the bag.
- UNIQUENESS - Mostly longer shots from the mid 200s to over 600 feet. A couple listed par 4s, but there really should be five listed par 4s. Water makes an big impact on three shots and elevation in the 20 foot range is present on four holes.
- CHARACTER - The Yellow layout pretty much has everything the Green layout has. The basics and extras are a touch above average. Nice concrete tees being 5 feet by 12 feet. Adequate baskets, although not top of the line models. There is seating at the tees for about 5 or 6 holes and there's a nice shelter with numerous picnic tables. I believe there are restrooms in the park, but everything was locked up on my round.
- NAVIGATION - Good. Course map of both layouts at the community board. Tee signage shows layout of the hole with obstacles, par designation, distance and next tee direction. There are navigation arrows indicated on the number placard on top of the basket. For some unknown reason to me this arrow is missing on (12).

Cons:

An overzealous design.
- LACK OF FUN - Despite some really nice aspects on the Yellow layout, the thing that holds this course back is the high possibility of unforgivable punishment and unrealistic lines. There is only one set of tees on this layout. So unlike some courses that offer a similar Advanced challenge, there's no way for us common folk to dial it down a bit. 3-foot-high grasses were present on a dozen holes and sometimes only a 20-foot-wide fairway cut was available to hit. Had it not been for late fall conditions, I likely would have spent a half hour or more searching for discs instead of 10 minutes. At least three holes are gravely flawed. (16) is listed as a 629-foot par 3 over water. (roll eyes emoji.) The hole is actually about 585 feet as the crow flies and is a 500 foot total water clear. There's a wonderful guardian tree at this 500 water mark that laughs as it swats discs back into the pond. Just because McBeth can deuce it doesn't mean you list a hole as a par 3. To make matters worse, for the hoards of us that have to play around the lake edge on (16), there is no enlarged landing cut and a 300-foot water clear is required to take the trees out of play. I personally took a 6 on the hole. Hole (17) is moronic. A 459-foot 90 degree right bending par 3. Even McBeth would be happy with a (3) as the fairway isn't much more than 20 feet wide and punishing 3-foot-tall grass is to the left the whole way. The only way to successfully achieve the arc required on the hole from tee to basket is to carry the disc. Hole (10) is an unrealistic 439-foot uphill par 3 requiring a low drive under the trees, then catching a miraculous updraft sending the disc 20 feet into the air and then pushing it to the right. These three noted par 3s are all more difficult than the two listed par 4s. The only thing that may be enjoyable about this layout is that it may be fun to watch a fellow clubmate have a complete meltdown.
- WATER HAZARDS - Yes. Read first con.
- LOOSE DISC OPPS - You batcha. Read first con.
- FORGIVENESS - None. Read first con.
- OVERGROWTH - Lots. Read first con.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - No. Read first five cons.
- MULTI USE HAZARDS - The Yellow layout I think has less impact on other park amenities impact than the Green layout, but walkways and roads may come into play a few times. During the traversing of this course, players will have walk across a park road 6 times. So be cognizant of traffic.
- TIME PLAY - I got in and out in just over an hour. During the summer at pear overgrowth I would add an additional half hour for disc reconnaissance. Groups of four would likely take 3 to 4 hours.
- TRASH - I didn't spot as much compared to what I saw on the Green Layout. However there are no garbage cans along the layout, so please pack-in and pack-out.

Other Thoughts:

A total mind game of a course. Hole (1) is just sitting there saying "play me, I'm nice and easy." Only to then ratchet it up continuously through hole (17). I liked a bunch of the elements on the course. It's definitely more beautiful and offers way more wow holes over the green layout. However, some of the design is just so wack you hope the designer never gets to do another layout. (My apologies to the designer, I'm sure he or she is a nice person). Although I've scored the course approximately average, there nothing average about it. I scored Character, Uniqueness and Beauty all roughly a 3.0 and Difficulty a 4.0, ie Advanced level. I rated Fun Factor a zero. Although, players that like to machete through tall grasses or that like to leave souvenirs may like this place. I personally will never play this course again and I'm so grateful for the frozen ponds and dead tall grasses on my appearance.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
smatthew854
Experience: 22.8 years 22 played 13 reviews
3.00 star(s)

LONG, long long long long. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 14, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

As another reviewer said this course fills a niche as its very long something not many courses in the area are. The park is extremely well kept, and there is a second 18 hole course in the same park.
They make great use of the mounds for elevation changes and shots and great use of the trees to add difficulty to the shots.
The tees and signs are great. And all but hole 12 shows you where you need to go for the next hole. As 13-18 were added later this is the reason 12 doesn't have it listed.
All the baskets are in great condition and there is nothing to complain about cosmetically about this course.

Cons:

With all the up sides there are definitely down sides to this course.
1st. It is not for the weak of arm. These holes are LONG by comparison to most courses in the area. And its ugly at times to throw if its windy or if you just don't have a cannon.
Several holes are nothing more than a mowed strip within prarie grass. And in my opinion the strips are too narrow. Another pass or two with the mower would make these holes far more playable. As they are now you have to have your shot drop within the 30ft path to make sure you don't get lost in tall grass. That wouldn't be so bad except those noodle arms aren't ever going to reach the basket on a tee shot as it is as all these holes are over 350ft some over 450ft.
Hole 16 is a beast, coming in at over 600ft and playing next to a pond the entire length. For some this isn't a negative but for the average player this hole is hell.
There isn't a single short technical shot to be had, every shot is air it out and see what happens.
Like the other course on this site the pars are WAY off from what they should be. 629ft with trees and water is not a par 3. That is simply insane. No average player has a chance at that. That said like always I added a red tee 850 skill level par to the course for when you record your scores.

Other Thoughts:

This is a higher skill level course in an area that lacks many. With the exception of a few boring prairie grass holes the rest have good distance combined with trees and elevation changes used when available.
Though I probably won't play it again, as it is above my skill level, I recommend it to those looking for a challenge.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1002 played 214 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Long, and somewhat interesting. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 26, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 holes set up in Winnebago County Park, with plenty of parking, and easy to find.

DGA Mach 3 baskets, which were all in good shape and caught as well as you'd expect. Only one pin position per hole. Each number sign on top of the basket had a "next tee" arrow, which really helps with navigation.

Concrete tee pads, all very grippy, and in solid condition. Plenty long enough, and good texture on most.

Good tee signs at each hole, showing distance, par, intended line, and any possible OB. Very nice, easy to read, with all the info you could need.

This is not a course for noodle arms. Coming in at an average of 385' per hole, you'll be pulling back and bombing quite a bit. I like it, as there's not a ton of courses in the area with a lot of "let 'er rip" type holes. It fills a decent niche, IMO.

There are some fun holes here, as well. 5 and 6 both offer fun turnover lines. 9, 10, and 11 add some nice elevation changes in the form of a big mound. 13 plays 390ish feet along a river (don't go in here...it's kind of yuck). 16 is fantastic, IMO. 629', with the fairway running along the edge of a large pond. A super cool hole. 18 is something you don't see a ton of, a long, right turning fairway. All in all, some decent designs here.

Cons:

This course can get a big monotonous at times. Lots of longer holes with almost no obstacles really mar what could have been a great course. I don't mind a few holes where you get to just pull back and air it out, but there's just a few too many here.

The back 9 is rife with prairie grass. We played it before the grass was tall, so it wasn't really an issue, but I can't imagine it's fun to play here in late summer with the wind blowing.

There's a few long walks between holes, and the Green and Yellow courses play close to each other over holes 3 and 4.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this is a decent course, and is helped by the fact that it somewhat stands alone in the area for what it is...a long, open-ish course. For me (a person throwing 360-390, usually), it was pretty fun, as there were a few holes that played to my max distance. For shorter throwers, it's going to be pretty boring, I would think. A lot of drive/upshot/putt.

I probably won't go out of my way to play it too often, especially with so many great courses in the area. In fact, if I was in a group, I'd probably prefer the Green course. You could definitely do worse, though. Just make sure to get out there before the grass gets too long!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
kmsbart
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Wow - Tough Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is easily accessible and free - there is a large parking lot; donations are accepted!

The course is well marked and the tee signs actually tell the players what's coming and where the next tee lies.

The course is pretty - they are rebuilding the prairie and there are water hazards which add to the scenic beauty of the park.

The course is definitely more challenging than many courses in the area. If you're a big, and very accurate thrower, you'd probably have a great time.

Cons:

The course is extremely long - if your idea of fun is a 629 ft par three (hole 16) with water on one side and chest high prairie on the other, you're in for a treat! If you're like me, you skipped this hole because after hole 15 you got sick of bushwhacking for your disc after every throw and the water didn't offer much alternative to throwing towards the prairie.

The pars are unreasonable in many cases. Course designer could have placed reasonable pars on each hole and assumed that pro level players would use the standard "everything par 3" mark without making the scoring so untenable for the amateur user.

While the prairie is pretty, it makes finding errant throws quite a challenge. It's also full of prickly plants that eat up your legs
.
Course has some low spots that are pretty wet.

Other Thoughts:

I'm a decent player, good enough that I pretty much play courses with the standard "pro par," but this course went from challenging (mostly 4's and a few 3's on the front 9) to really not fun at all on the back 9. It would behoove the park to put a sign at hole 1 of the yellow course that gives warning that it is a long challenging course, well suited for advanced players. I would hate to see someone turned off to the sport because one of the first courses they played was next to impossible.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 0
Anton
Experience: 16.7 years 22 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Challenge in Oshkosh 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging Pro-level holes (600+ft)
Maintained very well
New pads
Accurate & Informative Signs
Free (Donations accepted)
Not busy

Cons:

Narrow fairways on very long holes
Roughs laden with prickers and stickers
Lack of woods/hills
Wind is a BIG factor

Other Thoughts:

This course takes around 1.5 to 2 hrs to complete. It contains some of the longest holes in the area and therefore seems to have more of a "pro feel". Unless you can drop 600 ft bombs, you will have to rely on a solid approach shot. This particular course seems to be more ideal for forehand throws, so having a complete game is a must for success. It's a highly challenging course, especially for a park without a ton of resources (not much for woods/elevation changes). The biggest pitfalls with this course are the narrow fairways combined with awful roughs on hole 7 and most of the back 9 (Searching for discs can be a huge pain here!). While most of the course is open-fields there are a few water hazards and holes 8-11 take advantage of elevation changes. The challenges of these features really redeem the courses poor roughs/lack of resources. If you can keep it on the fairways or mark your shots well, this course is a lot of fun; however, if you can't, this course ends up being very frustrating. I'd recommend it to seasoned "big-arm" throwers or those looking for a challenge.

Noteworthy Items:

-When there is little to no wind this course is (In my mind) the best in the Oshkosh area. However! Be warned: Oshkosh is windy, county park is flat, has few trees, and wind is almost always a factor. When it's really windy, and you still want to disc in Oshkosh, go with Winnebago County Park's Green route. (Wind will still be a factor, but the course is much more forgiving)

-Talks are taking place to widen the fairways and to set up distance markers on the longer holes.

-If you have time and gas money head up to Plamann Park in Appleton for the best discing in the Fox Valley.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 3
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Not as good as the green 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 8, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course just like the green plays through a very well manicured and maintained multi use park. As of when we were there in early September 2013 they didn't have all the concrete tees in yet. However the few that weren't were all boxed in and ready to be poured. They have awesome Mach 3 baskets just like the green course. These were in excellent shape and caught well. The tee signs here are the same as on the green course. These are some of the best around. They have a descriptive hole layout, par and distance, hole #, any OB and show where the next tee is located. This course has a few water hazards and a number of holes with awesome elevation. The flow is pretty easy to figure out, though not as easy as the green course. There is a good mix of different distances with some being pretty short to some 500 foot plus holes. There aren't too many trees here but plenty to keep things interesting. The wind will be a big factor here as well. The course wouldn't seem to ever be too busy either. Both this course and the green start and end near each other which is a plus.

Cons:

The ridiculously long, straight prairie hole on 15 with a tiny fairway is not fun. Hole 16 is the most impossible hole I've seen in awhile, possibly ever. I didn't even play it. I could throw a disc into the pond or not lose plastic and skip it. Hole 17 is also pretty dumb. It's a 500 footish hole going right with a pond along the right and thick prairie to the left. That combined with trees and its blind make for no fun at all. Horrible design on this and the 2 before it. I really enjoyed this course until I got to these 3 holes. Also hole 10 I believe it was is just a weak design point. It's a pretty long drive to an uphill shot at the pin surrounded by rough prairie grass. Also you have no idea where the pin is until after your first shot. It's very easy to lose a disc here in the prairie grass or at least waste a lot of time searching for it.

Other Thoughts:

This course starts out real nice then gets extremely frustrating at the end. Like I said earlier holes 15 through 17 are just not fun at all. This is still a fun course but that's mostly because of the green course. The holes towards the middle of the course on the hills really save this course from being a total disaster. Basically a third to more reasonably a sixth of this course are poorly designed. The rest is comparable to the green course. The 36 holes here are fun to play with the exception of a few on this 18 holer. Also as a warning if you use herbal supplements during your round I'd recommend being VERY careful here. I found but didn't take a Ziploc bag IN hole 1's basket. Then at the end of both rounds seen 2 men in the parking lot with very bovinish faces who seemed out of place to say the least. Be very careful with what you do here. That made me mad and I don't "juice" anymore if you got me.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 0
Sturmus
Experience: 20.8 years 90 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Super cool 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

36 hole park with two separate 18 hole courses.
Great baskets.
Fantastic utilization of the limited obstacles the park has.
Lots of distance with some shorter holes mixed in.
Love the elevation changes.
Some great par 4's.
Difficult park, even though it's mostly open.
The new signs are great.
NEVER crowded.

Cons:

Tall grass makes discs hard to find.
Not many trees.

Other Thoughts:

Love this park. 36 holes. Lots of long drives and nice shots. The hills on the Yellow course are really cool and well used.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 6
ACE_Holes4Life
Experience: 24.8 years 58 played 7 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Thistle Party 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

It's still disc golf, and by the grace of god I've only lost one disc here in two rounds.

Cons:

There are zero holes here I consider fun to throw. About 50% of my round was spent searching for discs in the restored prairie, composed mostly of thistle and vetch. Several long holes 350+ have unrealistic fairways. Several hole transitions are long walks or tough to find the next tee.

Other Thoughts:

I'm all about prairie restoration and disc golf, but if you're considering both in the same space, well, just don't. Disc golfers lose discs, and the prairie gets trampled, nobody wins.

Lastly, a handful of the holes, 16 and 17 in particular, are just terrible. It will be years before I play here again.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top