Prairie Du Sac, WI

Marion Park

2.045(based on 12 reviews)
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8 0
primedisc
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.8 years 33 played 20 reviews
2.50 star(s)

The Innova Starter Pack of courses drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Concrete teepads
-Innova Disc catcher baskets
-Mature trees scattered throughout
-Beginner friendly
-Decent length (for a public park 9 hole)
-Rarely crowded?
-Open year round (so I've heard)

Cons:

-No tee signs
-Tight
-Flat
-Overlap with other park users
-Somewhat bland

Other Thoughts:

It's been a minute since someone reviewed this course. I played it on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. There's a nice sign at the first tee depicting the hole layout and length of each hole. I'd recommend taking a picture of it, since there are no teesigns at the teepads. The pictures for this course (now outdated) show they had some at one point in time, but imagine they pulled them after they fell into disrepair. Would be a nice touch to bring them back, although you won't get lost here. They did add a metal number to each teepad corresponding to the hole, so you know you're at the right hole and not the wrong tee by accident. The teepads are also concrete, which is a big plus for me.
The park is flat and typical of a public park course - there is not a ton of variety and it plays pretty easy. Not necessarily a bad thing. There are some mature trees scattered throughout that are incorporated nicely on a few holes, forcing a line or at least a decision on how to attack.
For a public park 9, there is actually some decent length here - by decent I mean more than half are 200'+ and a couple 250'+. That is impressive considering the footprint of the course, which is ultimately the main con. The course is tight. If it was ever crowded, shanks or treekicks could easily end up in the fairway or teepad of another hole. There are several other park structures (shelters, swingset) that have baskets pretty darn close to them. I was the only disc golfer when I went, but not the only park user and it rendered hole 9 unplayable due to park users at the shelter. A few others were iffy. I'm glad these type of courses exist, they are a great way to get people into the game, and they can be fun short courses. Unfortunately, the overlap with the rest of the park really diminishes it. That said, I've played worse. If I lived in town I'd play it all the time. Since I don't, I wouldn't go out of my way to play it again.
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0 1
natewusa
Experience: 7 played 5 reviews
1.00 star(s)

In NEED of some TLC!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice open holes. With some trees to play around. Tees are in great shape.

Cons:

For starters hole #4 is missing a basket and it seems like from other reviews it has been missing for awhile. The signs for the holes are broken or in some cases gone.

Other Thoughts:

If some one was to replace hole #4 and fix the signs this would be a lovely little course. It is too bad that people have to damage property, I'll never understand it.
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3 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 212 played 197 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Typical 2.0 Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 11, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Open year round! At the time of this review, there are at least four courses closed in the Madison area, so it's nice that this course is available all year.

Free to play! Another big plus for the Madison area given that there's a movement for Pay 2 Play within Dane county.

The baskets were in decent shape and there are concrete tees.

Cons:

The Pros basically stop there. In terms of the cons...

This course isn't well taken care of. I think a basket was missing, but couldn't tell which one because there was duct tape all over the tee signs so I had no idea where anything was. Luckily, there was a little bit of course flow in a few spots, which helped clear things up.

This is a good course for beginners, but terribly boring for advanced players. It's basically a "deuce or die" type of course. Alternatively, you could call it an ace run course.

Other Thoughts:

It wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be. Then again, I don't really know why I had my hopes up given that this is next to an elementary school. I'd say if you're absolutely dying to play a course after winter, this is probably your best bet in the Madison area, which is really unfortunate.

Update: I posted a few pictures from my trip today.
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0 1
Jimmy_Saskatchewan
Experience: 21.8 years 13 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun Rec Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very clean, quiet, and nice-looking park. Surprised by decent concrete tees for a rec course. Free-to-play! Large trees added some challenge to play, but not so much that a beginner would have major troubles.

Cons:

Holes poorly marked and mapped out led to some confusion about which hole you are on and what is the correct pin. Because it weaves in and out thru a park (playground in the middle of the park), I was a little unsettled about biffing a little kid with a disc or something like that.

Other Thoughts:

I think it is a pretty solid park for a quick 9 or taking a beginner to show them the ropes.
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1 0
JeremyAD
Experience: 13 years 77 played 9 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Hey, it has 9 baskets! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 25, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ It has 9 decent cages
+ Concrete tees
+ At least there are trees
+ Not many people to contend with
+ Perfect beginners course, hence the elementary school it plays next to
+ The parks department at least made the effort
+ Is a very quick play (which is good, because trust me, you just want to move on to the next course...)
+ You will come out with a great score!

Cons:

- Very short holes in a compact and tight park (honestly surprised they were able to fit 9 holes in there)
- No elevation or other challenging natural obstacles
- Is simply a park with pads and a basket. Calling this a course would be a misnomer

Other Thoughts:

I played this course as a last-ditch effort to get in 9 final holes before the sun went down on the way back home from Elver park. If you are anywhere close to the area, make the trip to the Baraboo Lions Club course at UW Baraboo, or Elver Park in the west side of Madison.

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2 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Short typical nine holer. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

There are concrete tees on every hole which is always a bonus. They were all large and grippy enough for a course this size. Newer mach 2's on every hole. These were all in good shape and caught well. There were trees to contend with on every hole which is basically the only challenge on this course. Hole 1 is located in the southeastern corner of the park and is pretty easy to navigate as it's not a very big park. All of the holes are pretty short. This is basically an ace run course.

Cons:

The distances are very short. This is probably the biggest con here. Also the tee signs and baskets were all mixed up here. For example the basket for hole 1 was numbered as 9 and there was no tee sign on hole 7. Hole 7's sign was on 8's tee pad for some reason. It's still easy to figure out even with this con but really? The course is completely flat. Trees are your only challenge. Also there is a playground in the middle of the park and a few holes run pretty close to each other making it a potential safety issue.

Other Thoughts:

Not worth a trip out of your way to play here. I probably would've bumped up my rating to a 2 if the signs and baskets were in the right spots. Basically just an ace run course. Fun for what it is but nothing too amazing.
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6 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Jusr Your Basic Little Anhyser ACE Run Course! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I had a great time playing this course early one lovely July morning. If you can throw a 225 foot hyser with any kind of accuracy, you should be able to shoot at least a negative 5 here. The disc golf course at Marion Park plays through the picnic area of the park. The other half of the park contains an elementary school and ballfields. The area in which the baskets are is flat with scattered mature trees, two picnic shelters and an octagon shaped building used for ??? concessions??? I don't really know? I doubt if it's a pro shop!

The course has concrete teepads. The baskets are DGA models with the red numbers on top. There are signs at 7 of the holes with the hole numbers but no distances listed. # 2 and # 7 signs are missing. The course starts at the corner of the park nearest the hospital, plays to the other end and back. It's a nice quick 20 minute round. I thought it had very simple lines. You don't to throw a anhyser here although rollers helped on 3 & 4. Very family/beginner friendly.

Cons:

With all the holes between 173' and 280' and flat with no underbrush to contend with, I would guess these qualifies as a Pitch & Putt. It's simple! It's fun! Bring a mid range and your putter. Go for those ACES.

Other Thoughts:

For being one of these small town REC or Pitch and Putts, I really enjoyed it. It was fun playing without the pressure of looking for discs in the brush. Another great course to teach someone to play on. Nice course to work on your forehand or backhand roller. Great course for the local elementary and teen population to learn to play on. Graduate from this course and then go to play Baraboo. It's the next step up.
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2 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Not Shabby but Not Flashy! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 12, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Concrete tees are nice and helpful on this course. it is a flat course so it would be very wet on the tee areas if it had rained recently. I just am always happy to play on concrete versus grass.

2) Nice mix of trees on the property. There are a lot of large old Oak trees on half of the course and the first half has a lot of newer shade trees planted to help create more challenge on these more open holes.

3) DGA baskets in pretty good condition and they catch well.

4) The design of this course makes you play quite a few different shots. It is a simple hyzer or simple anhyzer mostly, but there are plenty of obstacles to force you to throw around certain trees. Pick your line and execute and you will score well.

5) Beginner friendly course because it is fairly short. I always like to see courses that accomodate all skill levels and this is perfect for beginners to intermediate players. The highly skilled players will get bored and not feel challenged.

Cons:

1) DGA signs . . . some without distance and #4 is broken. Not real helpful for figuring out the holes or the course, but the information isn't totaly needed on this short beginner course.

2) This course would be a little dangerous if there were other park users. There is a large pavilion and a snack bar/gazebo very close to 4-5 of the baskets and tees. Be courteous and avoid hitting other park patrons.

3) School nearby (#9 runs completely along the school building) might also contribute to a crowded course. Kids probably run out of the school to head home and would run right through the park and DG course.

4) # plate on the first hole says #6 but i didn't pay close enough attention as to if #1 was also in the wrong spot or just not there. Regardless I always like the number plates to help a new player figure out the course and it didnt help out here.

5) Flat . . . NO ELEVATION CHANGE WHATSOEVER!

Other Thoughts:

This is an allright small town course. It is fun to play despite being rather short. You have a nice setting with the mature trees and you really need to think about each shot. If you forget to focus you will hit a tree and go the WRONG direction.

Nice to see small towns install disc golf . . . and this one won't disappoint the local players, but it probably doesn't see a lot of outsiders. It is a long way from the freeway and is a simple course.
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2 0
puttlikeablowfly
Experience: 23.8 years 139 played 16 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Family-friendly course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 5, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

As others have said, the course is in a nice, multi-use park, with facilities available. The course makes good use of the mature trees and allows you to use different shot shapes. A good place to bring small kids who might play a couple of holes and then want to do something else.

Cons:

Flat as a pancake. Not much variety in hole lengths.

Other Thoughts:

They just poured concrete tee pads (literally ... the forms were still on), which should make for more consistent footing. Since the holes are short, the tees are likely the only place you would need much of a run-up.
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5 0
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
1.00 star(s)

C- = a little below average for a 9 holer 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 9 hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == C- (This course is crammed into a small space. The holes are very short. Only 2 come close to forcing you to hit a certain line to get your birdie. A big risk is hitting people since you are throwing over picnic tables on a lot of the holes. Not sure if there is any associated reward for actually tagging someone! :)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == C- (Short and relatively open holes make deuces expected on every hole....so not too much of a rewarding experience playing here.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == C- (Flat course. As stated before, the holes are open or have enough routes between trees that the course does not force you to shape your shot in any particular way. 1 or 2 holes are slight exceptions to this.)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == C (Not ugly, but not pretty. Just an average town park. No seclusion.)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

Other Thoughts:

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (125 18-hole, 64 9-hole as of mid 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
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3 0
-HUC-
Experience: 21.8 years 32 played 11 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Kind of small 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 28, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

This is a very small course that really did a lot with what it had. It requires you to execute different kinds of shots on each hole. Park is well cared for with great facilities including bathrooms and water. There are tee signs and dirt teepads.

Cons:

This is a very short course in a multi use park. It can be a little tough to play as there are bystanders walking through. The sidewalk and road come into play on a few holes bring up some safety concerns. The holes are pretty short and are pretty straight forward.

Other Thoughts:

This course is best for beginners. Even though it has problems, it is amazing that a nine hole fits as well as it does on the space that hold the course, a gazebo, a pavilion, and a playground. It is almost worth a visit just to see that.
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2 1
kvanorsdel
Experience: 19.8 years 33 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good beginner course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 21, 2007 Played the course:never

Pros:

This is a small 9 hole course in a neighborhood park. It is a good course to take people who are new to the sport. Nice use of mature Oak trees to provide some challenge. Water fountain, bathrooms and park shelters and playground make this a nice place to bring a family with young children.

Cons:

Holes are very short all are under 300ft

Other Thoughts:

This course was designed by an afterschool Middle school group with input from "Duster"
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