It's a shame that this review comes on the heels of fourteen of Devou's baskets being stolen, but I think that right now it's important to try to make what we can out of this situation. Even though the course isn't playable at the moment, I'm going to publish this review anyway because showing everyone how much we love this place is the best thing we can do. So, with that said, let's talk about Devou Park.
Excuse the horrible pun it the title. I realize I haven't written a review in over a year now, but, wow, what a course for me to come back to and talk about. The Greater Cincy area offers some of the best disc golf in the country, and Devou is only another reason for locals to brag about that fact to anyone they meet. Located just across the river, Devou offers everything that Cincy was in need of. The course still has that Cincy vibe while at the same time standing on its own two feet. I've heard it compared to multiple different courses in the area now: "It's like X but there's more Y," or "It's a cross between A and Z." I think the fact that no one can agree on what it's most similar to shows just how unique it truly is.
The variety offered at Devou is fantastic, with no two holes ever feeling repetitive. There are holes that are shorter, holes that are longer, others that are uphill, downhill, narrow, open... you name it. While all of this is great, the aspect of the course I am personally most excited about is the elevation. While Cincy has very few courses that are "flat," Devou dials the hilliness up to eleven, at least compared to the rest of the area. Rollaways are going to be pretty common, as a decent number of the greens are, to put it mildly, slanted. If you play in the area often, you'll find yourself questioning whether to run a putt or not much more frequently than you're used to. I'd also like to apologize to the poor people I saw trying to use their pull carts the other day. It looked miserable. Make no mistake, this is a hike, so bring lots of water.
Devou does a near perfect job balancing challenge with fun, and I found that whether a hole was difficult or not had little bearing on how much I enjoyed it. This is due in large part to the fact that pretty much every single hole is an absolute blast, while at the same time offering something very different than the one before it. The holes are all unique in their own right, and each has its own individual place within the fantastic cohesion of Devou. There are a few gimmies, but the majority of holes feel good to birdie. Even the shorter ones usually have some aspect to them to make them a bit less stale. This could be an island green, a drop-off behind the basket, or a tight gap to hit. While trickier, all of the difficult holes are still gettable, which make them that much more tantalizing. The only downside to this (but, honestly, an upside too) is that you're never going to be fully satisfied with a round out there. There are always going to be the ones that you should've gotten, if only you hadn't missed that putt or hit that tree. And, shocker, that's going to keep you coming back.
Aside from a few issues that I'll touch on later, the course feels pretty dang polished considering it opened less than a week ago. There are certainly still remnants from course work that signify its infancy, but many of the awkward hanging vines and limbs present at a lot of new courses are nowhere to be found. The tee signs are some of the best I've ever seen, which feature the distance, elevation change, and a line that shows how far you need to throw to hit optimal landing zones. To see what I mean by that, check the UDisc photos featuring some of the tee signs. I'm sure DCGR will have some soon too. The tee pads are adequate length and have pretty, white rocks around them. Quick tip, the rocks are perfect for your hands. Pick some of them up and rub them around for grippy chalk that rivals most dry bags I've tried.