Pros:
Dexter Park is an 18 disc golf course located south of Eugene in the beautiful city of Dexter along the reservoir. This scenic course is about 20 minutes off I-5 along the Willamette Highway, and well worth the drive! As soon as you pull up to the park you will find ample parking, along with a wooden kiosk near tee pad one indicating events, work parties, and local disc vendors. A warm up basket can be found off to the side of the first hole as well as picnic tables, garbage cans, and a restroom.
Designed in 2001, Dexter is yet another example of a pro caliber course in the beautiful state of Oregon. With breathtaking views from the start, this course challenges even the best of players, and rewards those who are accurate. Although some of the holes are wide open and present fewer obstacles, there are many more on the course that are tight and narrow, which add to the overall challenge. Each hole on the course is fair, well thought out, and include multiple pin positions which helps change it up for the locals. The course has huge cement tee pads, Mach 3 baskets, and informative tee signs to help with navigation. Holes are all par 3, and range anywhere from 201-525 feet. The designer of the course spent a lot of time incorporating doglegs, straight shots, low ceiling shots, and elevation, which allows for players to work on several skill sets rather than just a few.
Although there were several holes which stood out to me on the course, holes nine and ten were two of my favorite. I enjoyed the tight lines off the tee, with an elevated pin located on the side of a hill like hole nine or at the top on hole ten. With hole nine being longer and more technical, hole ten was a fairly short ace run that had my heart pumping the entire time. The fact that each hole on the course has a clever name on the tee sign was interesting as well!
Cons:
As many others have stated, I could not really find much wrong with Dexter. I did find myself having to walk down the fairways multiple times to find the pin location, but that was because it was my first time. I could see this not ever being a problem for locals, but first timers will not only need a map, but a clearer idea as to where to throw.
Hole #14 could be an issue as well for some, especially off the tee. With the hole running parallel with the highway, it was difficult to stay focused with cars zooming by as well as honking. So if you are a person that must have silence while teeing off, you might find yourself waiting for a while. It wasn't that bad, but for some it might be so just be aware.
Last, the course can sometimes get very crowded, especially in the summer or on the weekends. Honestly, this is both a pro and con. It is a pro and testament to how large the local club and disc golf scene is in the Eugene area, but also that it is so well designed that people are always coming back to play. It can also be a con because you will end up waiting a while on each hole and a round ends up taking much longer than expected. However, the people are so friendly that it usually isn't a problem to play on through.
Other Thoughts:
Every year when I plan my road trip in the northwest I always end up with the same answer...Oregon. There are so many quality courses in such a small state and the parks department, local clubs, as well as other Oregonians seem to put so much love into the disc golf scene that it seems like a no brainer when choosing to travel here. I have played in 13 states and 3 countries and feel that the true love of the game can be found here. I feel very lucky to live so close to this state and am glad that over the years I have gotten the opportunity to play some of the best this state has to offer. Thank you for making me a better player and allowing me to truly understand what fantastic courses looks like.