- Nice variety of intense woods, mixed fairways and open bombers.
- Good baskets
- GREAT tee pads
- EXCELLENT tee signs
- Very picturesque wooded holes, particularly 13 & 14
- Benches on a lot of holes
- Whiskers marking 10M circle on a majority of pin placements
- Excellent bridges to gap ravines when and where needed.

Nothing really.

What's preventing me from giving it above a 4.0 is that there are some courses that are just mindblowing like Maple Hill, The Fort in Utah, Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania, Longview DGC in Kansas. It's definitely worth driving to just to play this course. I really, really like it.

The Dam Course is located on Binder Lake. The course's start is across the street from little brown building which was, in a former life, a bait shop. There is kiosk at the start showing some basic information. The concrete tee pads are enormous, probably 10 feet wide, way bigger than needed. The baskets are Kingpins which used to orange but most have faded to hot pink. They and my putter are a perfect match. The tee signs need to be replaced with something permanent. They are currently laminated and staples on. With all the traffic that passes through the course, I'm surprised that any remain. Maybe four were missing.

Some holes had benches and here's a first for me, a couple of the benches had a rubber pad in front so your little feet don't make mud pies. My guess is, that when they replaced the old rubber tee pads with concrete, someone had the clever idea to utilize the old pads .

Navigation is helped by next tee signs.

The course is not aimed at beginners or rec players. It's intermediate level challenging. Possibly, 6-7 holes are over 500' (depending on basket placement) and # 18 stretches for 775'. There is some nice elevation to play down, up and over. Nice combination of wooded and open holes.

There were two interesting things on the last three holes. On # 16, the fairway is lined on both sides with small logs. I guess to prevent rollaways. Then in the middle of the # 17 fairway is a what must be a tribute to someone. There is a circle of rocks with a cross inside it. Players have left 25 minis as part of this tribute. Interesting!

Binder Lake seems to be a sailing mecca as I see lots of sailboats for rent. That howling wind that the sailors love raises havoc with my game.

The laminated tee signs just won't up on any public course. I hope some permanent metal signs are in the future plans.

And speaking of permanent signs...As this course has many holes with multiple basket positions, there is no way that information can be conveyed via laminated signage. I hope if and when permanent signs are added, that these signs have the washer system to indicate which position the basket is in on this day.

Course is probably just enough and challenging enough that the casual rec golfers won't be returning. And the Joseph Miller DGC, just over one mile away, is a much more comfortable and less stressful round.

With two competitive and quite different really nice courses just a mile apart, players can enjoy a great days of golfing at the lake. The courses combined should be able to host a rather impressive tournament, too.

The Dam is a really fine course. It lacks severe elevation and doesn't feature that really memorable hole like several at Harmony Bends or # 6 at Dragon Ridge. There are holes that you just have to tell people about. Or in the case of # 6 at Dragon Ridge, a hole you have a love-hate relationship with. I don't find myself dreaming about any one hole at The Dam Course.

I played The Dam Course in Jefferson City on a cold April afternoon. Snow flurries were forecast and the mercury was hovering just above the freezing point. Luckily, the wind was not bad, and I had time to get a round in.

This is a really good disc golf course. All of the things I want to see on a good course are here. Hills around the lake provide elevation change on nearly every hole. There are some holes that are mostly open, but a very nice wooded element on many holes as well. Water is in play on a few holes, but the risk of losing discs is low.

There are trash cans and restrooms near the parking lot. The rest of the park was nicely groomed and litter free. Many holes have benches by the tees. The boxes are concrete, and big enough. The fluorescent orange baskets and the flags topping them were a bit faded, but I liked the Kingpin baskets a lot. All tees were numbered, and the layout was easy to follow. Arrows pointed out the transitions between several holes. Converging nines allow an easy trip to the vehicle between holes 9 and 10 with a minimal walk.

The pin locations were in good spots on many holes. Overshooting can lead to difficult recovery shots. Hole 14 is in a wild spot, with a trench crossing in front of the pin, and steep hill down to the creek not very far behind it. I was putting for par from the trench, and was very relieved that the put fell. Could easily see skips or rolls into the water taking place there.

My favorite holes on the front nine were 2, 6, 8, and 9. 2 is a steady downhill with evergreen trees that create the low ceiling in the fairway. 6 is the first par four, and tees up a large hill through a line of trees. The downhill approach from the top is more open and not as steep but still has a few branches in play. 8 is down a steep hill, with mature trees blocking access to the pocket in the woods surrounding the long pin, and another pin behind a large tree, up the hill to the right side. 9 has a couple of pin locations, one left and one right. The tee shot is downhill, and there are numerous small trees beginning about halfway down. My drive was knocked down by the first line, and the second throw was also rejected by a low limb. I took a bogey on the left side pin position.

The back nine was the better half to me, and I really liked the stretch of holes in the woods from 13 through 16. I hit a solid drive on 15, and made a birdie. It's at the top of a steep hill, with a couple of large trees sitting directly in front of the basket. My disc hit one of them, but was far enough past to bounce off and continue toward the pin.

Though some of the characteristics of this course may be frustrating to new players, I like having the added difficulty. I describe some of those features under the cons, but the holes described were still parts of the course that I enjoyed.

The paper signs at the tees were laminated, but several were missing or damaged. The ones that were there had the hole number and distance, with no illustration. Many holes have multiple pin locations that have yet to be noted on existing signs. Upgrading these signs is one of the few improvements I would want.

The wooded holes were some of my favorites, but the lines can be tight. Some might think they're too tight. Holes 9, 10 and 11 are maybe the worst offenders in this respect. 9 got me for a bogey, but 10 and 11 are the two shortest holes on the course, and I did make birdies on both of them. 10 is a good putter throw with a narrow fairway that is lined by trees on both sides. It is downhill out of the box, and climbs back uphill to the pin. My drive was short, but took a good skip to within ten feet of the basket. 11 is slightly uphill and it's tree population and location is especially crazy. I was fairly amazed my mid range held the line I was aiming for up the left side, and landed pin high in the bottom of the ravine to the right of the pin.

There are a few long holes that take great throws to make par. 17 and 18 are maybe the best examples. They're clear of trees mostly, but one poor throw can cost you the par, and birdie will require a long distance hole out. Hole 17 is par 3, and listed at 424'. I threw my driver hard twice, and was past the pin by 15'. The drive is uphill and the approach is downhill, and you have to nail both of them to get a good putt. Hole 18 is a par 4 that is 789'. I made par on that one too, but it took a really nice comeback out of the trees after I overshot the pin on my third throw.

The Dam Course is a beauty. I played terribly on the front nine. Made pars on one hole 1 and hole 7, and bogeys on the rest. 7 over par after 9 holes, with a lot of missed putts. I think I was overdressed for the cold weather. It was 35 degrees, so I had on long sleeves, a hoody, a jacket and a wool cap. Hiking up the hill on hole 7 I took off the beanie hat. After hole 9 I dropped my jacket off in the truck. And my fortune took a turn for the better.

Hole 10, birdie! Hole 11 birdie! Sure they are the two shortest holes on the course, but I made the throws, and I was making up some ground. I two putted and took a bogey on 13, but got one back with the birdie on 15. Finished the day at 61 (+5), and enjoyed every hole, results be damned.

Check it out if you are able, it is worth the trip. I am glad I stopped and will try to get back to Jefferson City to play the other courses in the area. Joseph C. Miller is 1.3 miles away, on a nicer day I would have played it also.

A fun challenging course . Everything you want to throw will be thrown here; wide open bombs down the fairway, tight tunnels, up hill, downhill, up and downhill, double doglegs, water and more.

Be careful crossing the road between one of the holes cars can't see walkers very well.

Easy to navigate, extremely user friendly. There are some distances to walk, and I doubted myself a couple times; but gut instinct and/or a makeshift laminated arrow guided me to quickly to the next tee every time.

Everything there is beautiful. The lake, the woods, the houses I'm jealous of near the course.

VARIETY: elevation changes, water hazards, mandos, ditches(which are probably creeks seasonally), tunnels(2), forced tree windows, a plethora of lengths (pin to tee), this course keeps you guessing and I love it.

Fair, Balanced, and challenging:
There are some tough holes that reward strategy and plenty of long ones. I wouldn't be surprised to see, once they get the holes labeled; some figure like 3 par fives and at LEAST 2 par fours. This course offers both challenges, gambles, and rewards to both backhand and sidearm dominant players. Hole 1 is the only wide open par three and hole 18 is a wide, extra long, wide-open par five: the only big drive on the course that doesn't restrict either sidearm or backhand at least somewhat, birdied it after straight up crushing it. My habit of field work is paying off. Seven was my favorite and could be a par 4 or 5, probably 5. Starts out really restricted, uphill, through trees with a medium ceiling. 3/4 of the way through the trees there is a large ditch, then it levels out to a slight downhill through a long fairway open on the right and doglegging to the left, but with a tree near the right of the basket. I scuffed a birdie attempt and salvaged par (If it's par 5), but the variety of that hole really embodies the whole course for me.

benches everywhere, EVERYWHERE, some boy scouts scooped themselves up some bench badges

No hole or course maps, only three tee pads (and they are waaaay bigger than they need to be);Some temporary mats; and one carpet as tees. I will say they have forms up to pour more tees and they are regular sized rectangles

Some of the distances may be intimidating to beginners.

I hope they get bridges over the ditches before rainy season. There were some, not enough.

they have marked which trees are to be removed. We were basically playing a lot of the back 9 on hard mode with extra trees, some of it got pretty hairy; but that can be rewarding too. some of the trees they marked to remove make it look like some holes will get alternative basket placements, which is always a plus.
They still have quite a bit of work to do to finish, but it looks like they are hard at work. I can't really dock the course's review points for too many trees in the fairways when the only tree I felt really robbed me turned out to be marked for removal when I got closer.

Challenging course with a variety of shots. Hills come into play on most holes. There is a nice mix of open and wooded shots. I think this is a championship course in the making. The scenery of the lake and all the geese is wonderful. loads of benches and easy to navigate.

Course is still a work in progress. Some drivers are in a hurry over the blind hills and curvy roads getting to the park. No permanent tee pads yet. A few holes still need some work to make them safe. Some bees and poison ivy to avoid.

I was there for the first tournament and so it was recently cleaned and nicely marked for the event. It's going to be a year or so before this course is completed I'd guess. It's a demanding course to play and walk. Not really cart friendly thru the woods. I loved the care taken in marking paths using the downed trees. I enjoyed the temporary island hole 16, the rollercoaster #8, #2 with a narrow downhill and the basket just 20 feet in front of the lake. I don't know if the course is playable full time now. Course ate my lunch but I am looking forward to redemption next year. It's probably just a 3 right now as it is unfinished - but it was a 3.5 for the tourney and should be a 4 by next year.