Roadtripping through 12 states from Seattle to Chicago

[Daffron24]

Next month (september) I will be roadtripping from Seattle to Chicago with my friend. As of now we have 23 courses covering 3500 miles. We are starting in Washington then going to Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnestoa, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.

I am looking for locals or anyone who has played in these states for advice on courses that I should/need to play. For the most part we will be traveling on the main highways throughout the trip and going through the major cities.

 

[AdamE]

What an exciting trip, I hope you and your buddy have a blast!

It sounds like you'll be approaching Chicago from the south so you might be in the area of the Foundation Park DG Complex - Champ 18 in Centralia, IL. I haven't played there but it's rated 4.39 on 19 reviews and I've heard it is an excellent course.

If you are approaching from the east or north, I would tell you to stop at Highbridge. If you aren't then you should reconsider your route and play Highbridge. If you're in shape, you can play all the courses in a day and a half. Disc golf courses can start to blend together, especially if you play a bunch of new ones all at once, but you won't soon forget how special and amazing Highbridge is.

 

[scarpfish]

I can help you out a bit better if you can give me somewhat of a route you're planning to travel (not so much highway by highway, but think of where your stop for the night places will be).

The best courses aren't always the most convenient ones to hit, and they're not always in the major cities. This is particularly true for Nebraska.

 

[Daffron24]

Adam H: At first we were thinking of taking the northern route to play highbridge, but we decided we wanted to go into Nebraska and Missouri to frolf and do other things. I know we are going to play foundation park. I think I'm going to have to plan a seperate trip to play higbridge though.

Scarpfish: We are planning on going from Seattle to Portland, OR back up to Spokane, WA to Missoula. MT to Billings, MT to Rapid City. SD to Sioux City, SD down to Omaha, NE then to KCMO then STL then back up to Chicago.

 

[scarpfish]

Scarpfish: We are planning on going from Seattle to Portland, OR back up to Spokane, WA to Missoula. MT to Billings, MT to Rapid City. SD to Sioux City, SD down to Omaha, NE then to KCMO then STL then back up to Chicago.

Good thing I asked.

Your route negates pretty much any course in Nebraska, Iowa, or Kansas visit, sans maybe two.

Sioux Falls, SD
Tuthill Park. Decent course. 3.5/4.0 ish or so. Has some water, some elevation, some woods.
Big Sioux Recreational Area, just east of SF in Brandon. Didn't get to play this, but I hear its pretty good.

I-29 between Sioux Falls and Omaha is a disc golf desert. If you don't mind a small deviation in route between these points, I would find some way to get over to US-81, and head to Norfolk, Nebraska.

Norfolk, NE
Skyview Park. Nice park with some elevation, water, and three tee pads on every hole.
TaHaZooka Park. An absolute wooded gem. Unfortunately suffering from the after effects of recent flooding. I was at a tournament here back in June and we watched an angry river all day. Literally hours after we were done it inundated the course. They're fixing it up, but expect lots of sand about if you go here. After here, take US-275 to Omaha.

Omaha, NE
Iowa Western Community College (Treasure Cove). Best course in the Omaha metro. $1 fee.
Seymour Smith Park. An okay play if you can get here early, but gets very crowded in the PM.
Lake Cunningham. Links style with tall grass rough, and from what I hear, not that well maintained. Best to avoid.

Omaha is in the process of building a newer course which looks like its going to be amazing, but its a bit slow going. Probably won't be playable until 2011.

 

[scarpfish]

And leaving Omaha for KC, I-29 again is a disc golf desert. When you get to Kansas City...

Missouri side
Water Works Park. The absolute must hit. Rolling hills with runaway potential. Steep drop offs. Dense woods. Everything except ironically enough...water. I've been told some maintenance is going on here right now, leaving a big gash in the course's signature hole (#1).
Cliff Drive. Probably the second best option. Front nine is a wooded gem. Back nine is less interesting, long, and open. Best lock your car here cause its in the hood.
Blue Valley Park. KC's 11,000 foot monster. Big arms like this thing for obvious reasons, but I personally find it overrated. Only play this is you have the time to spare.
Wilbur Young Park. Out in the east suburbs just off of I-70. Brand new, densely wooded, and getting positive reviews thusfar.

Kansas side
Which you can avoid entirely, as all of these except for the Rosedale courses are pretty out of the way if you're planning to head to STL).
Rosedale Park (Top course). Excellent course, and very popular with the locals, but very crowded. If things are overwhelming, then try the Down Under course in the park's wooded perimeter.
Wyandotte County Park. Way out on the west side by the speedway (hence way out of the way). Long and mostly open, with some strategically placed trees.
Shawnee Mission Park. Nice serene park. The front nine here is pretty cool. The back nine is repetitive and very garden variety.
Prairie Center Park. Decent suburban city course. Has some nasty disc catching evergreens. Very popular, but not Rosedale popular.

 

[scarpfish]

And heading east toward St. Louis...

Columbia, MO
Albert Oakland Park (front). Old school course, the first built in Missouri I believe, but still kind of fun. Its sister course, the Back Course is a bit more challenging, but the orientation is a bit suspect. Recently, both of these have undergone some reconfiguration with two back course holes going over to the front side. I would definitely try to get a local to show you around.

In all honesty, if I had to choose a route between Omaha and St. Louis, I would take I-80 across Iowa, at least to Des Moines (lots of good courses around here), and then veer off across SE Iowa (even more), before going the I-70 route. Of course, you'll miss Water Works that way.

And that's about the extent of my knowledge where you're going. Have a safe trip. :thmbup:

 

[NothinButChing]

sounds epic!

 

[Cgkdisc]

Check out my article on the Lincoln Highway for some ideas: http://www.pdga.com/lincoln-highway-west

 

[grodney]

As scarpfish intimated, from Omaha, I'm not sure KC and STL are worth missing Des Moines and the Quad Cities. Probably a toss-up on courses. You might want to review the ratings/reviews for the top courses each direction, just to make sure you're doing the right thing.

Of course there are other factors: KC and STL have better BBQ, but Des Moines has Tasty Tacos and pork tenderloin sandwiches!

 

[tallpaul]

I've played some in Des Moines, some in K.C., most in St. Louis and all in Quad Cities. They are all excellent disc areas. IMHO Quad Cities is one of the best disc areas I've ever played.

 

[Daffron24]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I probably will stay the KC STL route just because I've played a few courses in Iowa and I have a lot of friends on the I-80 route that I will be visiting over the next year so I'll def. be hitting up the quad cities and des moines soon. Plus i've had KC BBQ once and it was the best bbq i've ever had.

 

[bigjon318]

That sounds great! When you get to the Spokane leg, let me know. Downriver and Highbridge are really great courses. The two in Kennewick, WA are also fun rounds. When you head through to MT, there are two good stops on the way through in Idaho, both are right off of I-90. Let me know before you head this way, I'll get you directions, pointers, etc. If you play early enough in the AM, i'd even join you for a round if ya want!

 

[REDARMY]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I probably will stay the KC STL route just because I've played a few courses in Iowa and I have a lot of friends on the I-80 route that I will be visiting over the next year so I'll def. be hitting up the quad cities and des moines soon. Plus i've had KC BBQ once and it was the best bbq i've ever had.

if you choose to do sioux passage or endicott in st. louis, gimmie a buzz, i'd be happy to show you around

 

[JR Stengele]

I can guide you to some of the best in Seattle if interested. Just PM me.

 

[hognosesucker]

I can definitely show you around foundation park. Sounds like a great trip. Keep in touch if you want a guide to foundation.

 

[KCJoe]

All 18 holes are back open at Water Works in Kansas City. There is still some construction going on, but nothing worth skipping the course for. If you can only play one course in KC it has to be Water Works, although Cliff Drive is a very close second.

 

[Gflap]

Along I-70, stop at Indian Hills in Columbia, Veterans Park in Fulton and try Quail Ridge in Wentzville, MO. Need a guide at Quail Ridge, feel free to contact me.

 

[jasonc]

For Chicago courses, you should stop in the Joliet area.
Community Park http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=302
Highland Park http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3021
West Park http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=832

If you make it north of the City, we have plenty of options and I would be happy to show you around. However, the quality courses for Chicagoland are all in the Joliet area. Lemon Lake, IN is also a short drive. http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=463

 

[a_beautifulplace]

It would be a shame to not stop in MN! :wall:

The Twin Cities area has a TON of courses, and the same goes for the rest of the state.

A few courses that I would recommend playing if you make your way up here.

St. Cloud
Millstream Park -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1561
Riverside Park -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1759
Calvary Hill Park -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1059

St. Bonifacius(right outside of metro)
Crown College -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2951

Twin Cities Metro Area
Elm Creek -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3370
Bethel University -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=357
Hyland Ski and Snowboard "Hill" -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=307
Blue Ribbon Pines (A MUST PLAY) -- http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1022

Just check the map, there is a lot up here worth playing. If you and your crew make your way up here and wanna play, send a message my way. We got the MN nice...kinda.