Disc Golf Course Review

Nine tough holes around the west side of Pioneer Ridge Middle school that may just be the best school 9-hole I've ever played.

Course comforts are all installed now. Color tee signs showing distance to both pins, a rough map, and elevation change (great touch). Concrete tees, benches on 1, 5, and 7, and new-gen Veteran baskets all round out the experience.

Right off the bat you'll notice elevation. The first tee towers over a 35ft drop down to a green with rough close behind. Hole 2 drops away off the tee, then hard over to the right. Hole 5's short pin is 25 feet up and 300 away. Finally, Hole 9 greets you with a tight tunnel and the basket sitting four stories above you. The elevation is used incredibly well and is a signature element of the course.

Some crazy greens. Hole 3 long is uphill, around a quick right-left jink, and the pin is tucked back in a "cove" of land. Holes 4 and 8 have a green on a steep left-to-right slope. 5 long is on a large hillside making any putt risky.

Enjoyable holes on the back stretch. 6-8 play between a bush-lined stream and the tree-lined property line with some elevation to make things spicy if you get a skip. Would make one heck of a par 5 going from 6's tee to 8's basket.

Navigating between holes isn't difficult at all. Directions are on each tee sign, baskets have the arrows pointing the way, and there's often painted arrows on the ground or trees to help out.


The valley setting is noticeable and very enjoyable. It feels as though the land was carved for disc golf on 2 and 3, and the tunnel of 6-8 also seems tailor-made for throwing. Immersion breaks a little on 5, but after teeing on hole 1 you're pretty much in your own space until climbing back up to the car.

The rough is incredibly rough. Nasty brush, dense trees that can catch and hold a disc in them, and add in that some of these areas are on steep hillsides and it's a nasty time if you get off the fairway.

Somewhat too RHFH-friendly. 1 long and 4 short are the only obviously RHBH holes, while 2, 5 long, and all of 6-8 (except 8 long) would prefer the RHFH. Not a major gripe as most lines are workable. Except 3 long. No idea how you're gonna get there.

6 long is listed as a 503ft par 3. I'm not sure I'd agree since it's pretty tight off the tee, and is only 20ft downhill.

The long uphill walk after hole 9.

It's possible 9 more holes are in the works, but nothing is finalized.

This course would be an amazing addition to any city park or golf course, and yet it's hiding on the side a school. I guess it's proper since it will teach you to stay in the fairway or pay the price.

You'll notice I didn't have a hole itself in my cons, because there isn't a bad hole. 6 and 7 may be a bit similar, 2 may be too hard of a dogleg, and 3 long might be... insane, but you'll get a full set of challenges every round here, especially with the multiple basket placements. Well worth a play if you want a new round on the east side of Kansas City, or you're sneaking south away from the KC Wide Open crowd.

(If you happened to read my original review, the improvements made are phenomenal and have bumped my original 1.0 rating up two full points. Hats off to Jordan's design.)

* This course has a great mix of holes. Flat vs. elevation changes (as much as they can for Illinois!), more open field holes vs. woodsy, short vs. long, some blind holes were can't see basket from tee, straight vs. dog legs, etc

* The baskets are all new and in great shape

* Tee box areas are clearly defined

* Park area is very nice and can take a few minutes to pay respect at the veteran memorial

* Parking is right next to 1st tee box

* There is currently no signage outside of posts at each tee box with a hand written marker on it with hole number. Hopefully some signage forthcoming. Course website does not have any maps or layout as a result will need to do some back and forth walking or utilize other methods or apps to assist in directions.

* Tee boxes are nice but for a newer course the wood block is already coming out of many of them

* There are a couple holes which have to throw over a walkway but they walkways are basically right in front of the tee box and I would not anticipate it would cause really any issues

Understanding the number of coursed I have played is limited, I enjoyed the mix of holes and different shots on this one. Hole #7 is a really challenging one for a novice like me as very narrow and tree filled.

two tees and two baskets on every hole

Paved tees and nice signs

Hilly terrain is put to good use with tricky basket locations

Water is just close enough to be a concern on several holes

Lots of twists and turns to get close to the baskets

Lots of parking options, can start on almost any hole without much of a walk.

The tees are pretty small

The baskets are very hard to see and they're not always where the map indicates

the fairways in the woods are wide and beautiful but if you get off them, it's time to bleed.

This is a rolling hilly course with lots of downhill tee shots and then a basket up on a little hillside. That concept is used a lot in ball golf architecture too. Let people blast away from the tee down a hill, but the second shots are tough and uphill. It's almost entirely in the woods too, with a few tight gaps, but it's not soul-crushing.

The shortest possible course is all par-3s but it's no pushover, and the course is well designed to minimize long walks, no matter which configuration you're playing.

There's a nice variety of holes as well, although a standard flex shot will work on pretty much every hole. Stay out of the water and bushes and every hole is a good par or birdie chance.

While I like that there is a long and a short tee, here the long tees often don't do much other than make you throw a shot into the general vicinity of the short tee and then proceed from there. And on some other holes, the long tee is basically the same shot as the short tee, just another 40 feet longer. I wish the two tees provided something dramatically different.

Some of the baskets were unusually close together too. On a few holes, the two baskets were no more than 30 feet away from each other. It's nice that there are two though, it was just odd that at times they were in each other's Circle 1.

I preferred the Long Tee to the Short Basket configuration the best The tee shots are a little more fun from the long tees but the average player can get to most of the short baskets for a birdie look. The long tees add about 2000 feet and 7 shots to par, which is reasonable. Going to the long baskets adds 1000 more feet and only 1 more to Par. That's a bogey factory for the mortals.

The short tee to short basket is definitely beginner friendly. It's all par 3s, and there's minimal chance of losing a disc and a lot of the holes are right around 200 feet. A few tough shots though, to keep it real. Short tees to long baskets adds another 1000 feet and yet it's still all par 3s. Good luck with that. If you can get through the first 6 holes anywhere near even par you'll enjoy the rest of the day.

- Excellent variety throughout the course with just about every type of fairway shape or type and constantly interesting greens.

- Outstanding amenities with just about everything you could want during a disc golf round (and probably multiple things you didn't know you wanted).

- The three sets of tees allow for anyone to be challenged and make the course enjoyable for a decently wide range of skill levels.

- Tee signs still not in place as of 5/18/2023, though we were told they were only a few weeks away. ***EDIT October 2024*** I was unable to play a round on the original course during my latest visit to play Wild Times, but there are now tee signs on both courses.

- A few areas of slightly confusing navigation, but again, additional signage is coming soon.

- Cost. Easily the most expensive round of disc golf I've played.

Eagles Crossing is a singular course in the disc golf world. Even at such a young age it has developed a unique notoriety. I don't think I have ever had a course jump up my wish list so quickly with the actual golf being a secondary reason. The vast amount of money put into the course, the drama with the big money skins events, the sculptures, the goal of challenging the top professionals, and all the other grand plans for the complex generated more buzzz than any other course I can remember. With all of that at the top of my mind, I arrived at Eagles Crossing expecting an over-the-top experience from the amenities and course dressing, but wasn't sure if the quality of golf would live up to the rest of it all. For me, at least, it did.

When you check in at the pro-shop for your tee-time you are given a rundown of the course and the caddy guide which is filled out for you with the current pin locations. The caddy guide also goes over the various irritating or dangerous flora and fauna you may encounter during your round. Gnats were the only thing we had issue with during our visit in mid May, but they were heavy only around the lower lying areas of the driving range and Hole 1. We opted to rent a golf cart which was washed for us while we made use of the excellent practice putting green and driving range. The cart rental was expensive at $60 for 4-hours but, for a once-a-year at most trip, I thought it was worth it. The cart was the most comfortable I've driven, saved us a lot of energy navigating the various hills, and I'd wager our play time could easily have gone up from ~3 hours to ~4 without it.

This place really has a feel unlike any other course. The meticulous landscaping, water features, and at times odd variety of statues provide a unique vibe that feels at once both posh and kitschy. The large color coded tee pads are excellent and the baskets caught well, if not my favorite. And all of this is just the wrapper on top of what is actually an incredibly well designed, fun, and challenging course. My brother and I played the White tees and as ~930 rated players it felt like a great fit for our skill levels. The gaps you need to hit and water carries you need to cross are tough but not oppressive, and feel great when you execute. There are a few locations where the OB felt slightly too tight or unnecessary, but the fairways were generous enough on the whole. That said, getting off the fairway early can easily spell double bogey or worse on many holes. The Blue tees obviously challenge even the top professionals with tighter gaps and big distance required. The red tees looked to be a good fit for those with less distance or accuracy, but I would likely caution against playing this track if you are less than about 850 rated.

With two to four pin locations on every hole, your experience can vary quite a bit on each visit. I don't know how frequently they change up the basket locations on each hole, but some are significantly different, and a few seemed to have a position that was superior to the others. In general though, all pin positions were great and many have significant roll away potential with landing angle and speed being very important. I feel like I threw a pretty good balance of forehands and backhands during my round, and there is a great variety of fairway shapes and types, the round never felt stale. The length of the course meant I leaned more heavily on distance and fairway drivers, but I definitely made good use of most of my bag.

Navigation was usually seamless, but there were a couple of more tricky spots (9 to 10 and 13 to 14 notably). The provided caddy guide and forewarning of the confusing locations during check-in meant we were never stumped for long. Tee signs and bit more directional signage would completely alleviate these minor issues and are apparently weeks away from installation. The second course on site is currently undergoing play testing and will be open before long as well. It will purportedly have a more rugged feel and be more heavily wooded to compliment the current track. There are some additional activities you can do as part of your greens fee, including fishing. You can easily spend an entire day here, especially once the second course is open, which you will likely want to do as it is a bit of a trek from anywhere.

This was the most expensive round of disc golf I have ever played. Discussing value is an interesting proposition, as I preferred my round at the (relatively) nearby Harmony Bends a few days later, which was free. However, this is a singular experience and not something most people are likely to do with any frequency. I felt the cost was worth it, and will definitely make an effort to come back and play the second course in the future. Eagles Crossing jumped up into my personal top 5 courses played and is easily deserving of its Best of the Best status.

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Disc golf in the Adirondacks wilderness. Incredibly beautiful course that's mostly in deep woods featuring towering pines. The layout has continuous elevation change, a lot of tight fairways and a few open bombers.


The creek plays a significant role bordering and occasionally crossing many holes, but 1 and 15 are unique, where the baskets are surrounded by OB water, literally standing in the middle of the creek.


The open holes 12 and 17 play in opposite directions in a wide pasture. They both 650+ par 4's. 12 is steeply downhill and manageable, but 17 has the first half playing back up the pasture, and then turns severely hard left. A very tough hole if you throw less than 300' off the tee. The only other somewhat open hole is 15 (540' par4) which plays out of a chute, then finishes down an alley in the woods.

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- Some will find the teepads too short. The problem is increased by erosion around the tees, requiring a step up mid run-up. I don't do a lot of run-up, so it wasn't a problem for me. The worst is #11 - it's a short par 3, but the pad seems extra short, and the back of it drops off considerably. Easy to back off it and risk injury.


- The signs are just plastic-covered paper, and many of them are water-damaged or too faded to read. Not a problem if you think to download and print the map on the course website.

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~ Pictures capture some of the beauty of the setting, but don't do justice to the amount of elevation change on some holes


~ While there's lots of variety in hole distances and elevation changes, there isn't much requiring left-to-right shapes. Hole 5 is a long dogleg right, and a few of the baskets are tucked to the right, but playing RHBH only won't put you at too much of a disadvantage.



NOTES TO FIRST TIMERS

Look for the mailbox at the side of the road with "Hyzer Creek" on it.

It's worth downloading and copying the course map to verify distances. Some of the signs have faded beyond recognition, and uDisc distances don't always match up.

Bring bug spray - it's an Adirondack forest.

Admiral Farragut is an excellent 9-hole course. He may have been a Civil War soldier, but he's now known for this disc golf course as well.
- A good variety of holes, especially for a 9-holer. There are four true wooded holes, two true open holes, and three mixture holes (#3, 4 & 9). Throw in some elevation, water and rocks, and you've got a little bit of everything. The rock formations were pretty cool throughout the course, especially on #9.
- Most holes have dual tee pads. Most of those give you a different look, but several are essentially the same look, just pushed back 30 - 40 feet. #3 gives you the best changeup in looks (change in dogleg direction), while #7 adds the most distance to the tee shot.
- This course rewards aggressiveness, without punishing you (for the most part). The wooded holes are mostly forgiving, so you can still redeem par with an erratic tee shot. The worst rough appears to be on the right side of the fairway on #8. Also, a wet disc on #6 would probably be considered unforgiving.
- A couple of really fun, creative holes. #4 is a dogleg right, starting in a field to a basket surrounded by trees. #6 is a downhill water hole. Basket is close to the water, so don't go long - a true risk/reward hole. #9 is similar to #4, in that you tee off from the field, to a wooded setting around the basket. The tee is also surrounded by rocks, so don't expect many skip shots to get close to the basket.

Nothing major here, just a few small observations.
- The course could use better signage between holes. There are a lot of extra paths on the wooded holes, so it's easy to walk down one and end up somewhere that's not the next hole. This isn't an easy course for a first-timer to play without a map.
- The basket is a little too close to the water on #6. It's one thing to penalize tee shots that sail away. It's another to be concerned about a 30 foot putt possibly getting wet because you have no margin for error. Even if the basket was moved in front of trees, so there'd be some sort of barrier between you and the water.
- The tee pads are shorter than normal. You don't need a full run-up on some holes, but on the others (especially #4, 7 - 9) it can be an issue.

Admiral Farragut is an above average nine-holer. I'm not sure if this was a pro or con, so it's ending up in the other thoughts. The holes are cramped together in a small space, especially 1 - 6, but I was surprised that they still felt somewhat isolated from each other. It might not feel that way when the park is busy, but it does on a Saturday morning.
- There's a ton of stuff in the area named after the admiral. You look around any there's Farragut this and Farragut that all over the place. I had to look it up online to find out who he was.
- I like the creative holes here. The first two are decent wooded holes, but after that, it picks up. I mentioned the notable ones above. My favorite layout of those is #9. It's a great mixture of all the holes together into one.
- Overall, a very good nine-holer that's worth a play. An 18-hole version of this course would be very fun.

Mach 4 baskets

Bad signage when available
Horrible tee pads
Holes 7-9
Long confusing walk back to hole 1 / car

There's plenty of room to expand & move some holes around & make this a really nice course

- Balanced and enjoyable course design is varied and should provide a good challenge for most skill levels.

- Newly installed course equipment is of good quality.

- Located in a well maintained park, mostly separate from other park users/amenities.

- Some of the more open, parks-style holes on the front nine are not as interesting as the rest of the course.

- A few areas where navigation was not straightforward and the next-tee indicators on the baskets were missing or not helpful enough.

- No concrete tee pads for the blue tees.

Brewer's Spring popped up on my radar thanks to mrbro885's review in early October 2024 as I was scouting potential courses to play during my drive from Chicago to St. Louis. The course is a little bit out of the way, but the review intrigued me enough to make the stop, and I am very glad I made the decision to play. This course is a joy to play through and a fantastic first addition to an area without any other courses in the immediate vicinity.

The first ten holes play as somewhat typical parks-style golf: mostly open with fewer large trees shaping the fairway. However, with a couple exceptions, even on the more open holes there is rolling topography that adds more interest as you throw uphill, downhill, or across valleys. Holes 6 and 9 are the standout on the first half of the course. Hole 6 requires a very exact shot downhill through a narrow tunnel of trees and then back up the hill to a basket on a very steep green, probably the hardest par 3 on the course. Hole 9 is one of two par 4s from the main (white) tees and requires a downhill placement shot to a landing zone before throwing through a gap across another valley to the basket at the top of the hill.

The front nine ends back near hole 1, allowing for an abbreviated (and easier) round before entering the woods on hole 11. The round really amps up at this point with tighter fairways and more extreme elevation and dangerous greens. Hole 15 is the star of this great run of holes, it is only ~200ft long but plays significantly up-hill to a steep green. There is a sign near the tee for hole 15 with information about the course's eponymous spring that makes for an interesting read and a short break before scaling the hill. On that note, many spots on this course, and a bit more on the back nine, require walking up and down hills with some uneven ground that could be an issue for those with limited mobility or trying to use carts.

There is a nice mix of distances and shot shapes required throughout the course and the two tee pads provide layouts that should provide a good challenge to all but the highest rated players. Newer or lower rated players may also be frustrated with certain sections of this course, but I think just about everyone would have an enjoyable round.

The equipment here is all great. The titan baskets will never be my favorite but they catch well enough, the tee signs show all the necessary information including which of the two pin positions is currently in play, and the concrete pads for the white tees are sufficiently large and grippy. The large blue pavers for the blue tees were easy enough to see, but it would be nice if there were concrete pads for these tees as well. There are a few trash cans sprinkled throughout the course, but no benches. There are some other amenities and trails in the park surrounding Lake Hillsboro. I did not have time to explore any of them but it all looked well maintained, and largely separated from the disc golf course.

Brewer's Spring would be a great addition to any area's pool of courses, but is fantastic for an area's first course. This is not a destination course that people will be traveling just to play, but if you live relatively close or, like me, are traveling along I-55 it is well worth the detour if you have time.

The designers have done a good job of fitting a fun 18 hole course into a smaller city park. Good use of the park's woods and elevation has created a mostly short course with a good variety of holes. A couple of longer open holes on the back 9 allow players to air it out a bit. Great for beginner and intermediate level players to get a feel for the game. Some tight lines through the woods make it fun and challenging for more experienced players too. If you manage to stay off of the paved OB trail and the Soap Box Derby track you will be able to score well here. The baskets and tee pads are very nice and the tee signs provide all the necessary info. OB is clearly marked and the course is well maintained.

No real cons that come to mind. I don't recall seeing a course info board but I might have missed it.

This course is fun to play and a pretty easy walk. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

The map is good and it has signs and baskets. Hole 1 is good with a tree and elevation

The rest are boring around a walking path. Zero elevation no obstacles no fun. Its also marked for HOA only.

Dont go out of your way. If they ever plant trees around the baseball area they could redesign and make it okay.