-Some nice elevation change, especially holes 1 and 16
-Great mix of fairway shapes and distances
-Most baskets have a metal arrow under the cage pointing in the general direction of the next tee pad
-Maps at each tee pad with hole number and distance
-Long concrete tee pads
-Attractive and well maintained
-4 Practice baskets and an open field next to the parking lot

-Hole 12's tee pad location
-Beginners will need to bring a spotter, but this really isn't a beginner course
-I was confused at a couple points as to how to get to the next tee pad, but it didn't take too long to find them

From reading previous reviews, it sounds like this course has come a long way- and I believe it! It was fun to see a couple old style baskets out there and to imagine how much has changed over the last 30 years.
I really enjoyed the beauty and variety the NW course offers. I crave downhill throws and #1 and #16 were certainly satisfying. Also throwing across the pit at hole 11 was fun and there is a nice set of stairs to walk down.
I didn't like start of hole 12. You are forced to hit a small gap with sizable drop-offs to both the right and left and even a great drive can't reach the green due to the stiff right turn uphill. I'd prefer to see the tee pad at the base of the hill- it would be safer for those walking up from hole 11 and it would still be a fun hole.
But overall this was a great round of 18 and I highly recommend this place for serious disc golfers.

The northwest course is a great compliment to the southeast. It's a pretty wooded but fair 18 hole course. Hole 1 starts off by the roadway on a very fun downhill throw. This course has great elevation change, with one signature hole I think it's hole 11 or around that a super fun downhill throw. Great mix of distances with couple par 4s thrown in. There's a couple birdie chances but also holes you can get in trouble. Even with being wooded course finding disc isn't to hard as it's in pretty good shape. Good mando signs and fair fairways. Nice tee pads and okay tee signs. Overall a fun challenging course for sure worth the play.

First timers might get confused as hole 1 isn't where you would assume. Take a picture of the course map on the kiosk board. There's what I'm guessing our old tee pads around make sure you play the holes with tee signs as all but hole 12 have one. The walk from hole 4 to 5 is confusing hole 5 should be a 500 and some foot par 4 if you're playing the pro tee pads.

Outside of getting turned around a few times this course is great not many complaints all besides a couple our good holes. For sure worth the day trip to play all 3

Good verity of hole shape, length, and elevation changes.
Decent signs
Great tee pads, some extra long. I have an extra step in my run-up that necessitates me starting off the teepad but I didnt have to on some of these.
Hole 11 was especially fun, not a long hole, just over 300, but it drops about 6 stories down into a wooded ravine, very fun, I played that one twice.
Holes not too crowded, not packed into a small space.
Arrows on baskets pointing to next tee-pad.

Could use better signs on the course to help navigate, I did get lost on my first time. The locals pointed me in the right direction. I did miss one or two holes though. Hole 1 is hard to find.

Of the three courses this is my favorite, it's not close to my house but I am willing to drive the 30 min to it every once and a while. Would recommend. When it looks like your gps is taking you to the Golf course just trust it, it's not confused, the disc golf course is right next to the golf course. The first course you come on is the south east course, then you go up the hill and you have the 9 hole course and this course. Hole one playes down the hill into the woods on the north side of the parking lot. Walk back down the road you drove up about 20-30 yards to see the teepad on the left. The tee by the map is not hole 1 that's 16.

There is plenty of variety between long holes and short technical holes with wonderful elevation changes. Most of the tee signs, tee pads and baskets are in excellent condition. There are many alternate tees and baskets that will keep the course fresh. There are lots of benches to sit down at when you need them.

The course is impossible to navigate, even when you find a tee sign it has four different options to play and almost none of the baskets have numbers on them so you think you are throwing to the right basket but there are three others around that could be the right basket as well. I don't think I even played a designed hole the entire day, I just threw my drive and went for the nearest basket I could find and made it up as I went along. I asked a group of locals and they said they play it thier own way and that there isn't really a number "1" or a "18" hole because it can be played many different ways so even the locals don't know how it's played! I was frustrated by all of this and it drained a lot of the fun out of it for me. Also my buddy left a disc in a bush accidentally and he went back for it about fifteen minutes later and it was gone and no one called him to give it back. Due to the many versions of the course people were playing, the course became a cluster with people playing different holes but playing the same baskets or fairways.

The course eventually goes to another part of the park in the back nine (I think) that is totally different from the rolling hills and long open drives and is a more technical, shorter area that is much easier to navigate. If this course was just that, one course with signs and got rid of the confusion it would be a four star course for sure. If you don't mind making up your own way to play then you won't mind too much and if you like to play a standard 18 holes then you should avoid this.


2014 UPDATE:

This course along with the SE are both much easier to navigate and enjoy than they were when I first played this course ten years ago. Rating bump -

My ratings are probably a bit biased, as this is my home course and one I play at least several times a week, but I think that this is my favorite place I have ever played, and I have played Morley, DelaVeaga, and a couple dozen other courses throughout the country. It has a wide variety of hole types, uphill, downhill, short, long, blind, tight, and wide open. The signage is constantly improving, and if you haven't ever been here before, the chances are good you can latch onto a group so that you can find your way around. The maintenance level here is also outstanding. From when I started playing the course 15 years ago or so, it has been cleaned up and professionalized immensely.

I wish there were some holes that involved water, for one. Of course, other than building a man made lake, this is just impossible. Also, I miss the maps that used to be displayed here on the bulletin board near the parking lot. Although I can play the pro, alt, NW, SE, 27, amateur, and a few others that we have invented from memory, I realize that many people can't. Even if the maps were available online, or at least one map of each course was posted, it would be an improvement.

Located next to a corrections facility on a 40 acre lot, Ft. Steilacoom NW is the most technical and challenging course of the three. It includes several varieties of trees and other native growthfoliage. It was designed to take advantage of the terrain, presenting multiple approaches to the pin off the tee, use of elevation shots, and even the occasional OB to make things more interesting. This course provides a great deal of challenges and requires every shot in the bag. There are several tight fairway shots, rewarding precision and placement over the big open drives like on the SW course. Tee pads are all cement and in pretty good shape, along with nice baskets and NEW tee signs. Tournaments are a blast to play here as well since a lot of the locals are out there and helping to navigate throughout the course. The local course pro is very helpful and informative, and sells discs if needed

Like the other two courses, this course can to be difficult to navigate for first timers. There are several areas that have cement tee pads due to the old layouts but if you just be on the lookout for the new tee signs which provide pin locations and distance from the tee to each basket. Hopefully over time they will continue to remove some of the older tee pads now that they have three "official" layouts here at Ft. Steilacoom.

This course, in my opinion, rates as the hardest course to play in terms of difficulty and course navigation (Ray's 9 being the easiest and the Southeast 18 being in the middle). All memorable and well worth anybody's time as an all day event or a single round. They are all unique and unlike the other and continue to get better with age. Since the time of its installation in 1986, the local club has gone above and beyond to keep these courses not only stay in the ground but also flourish. As of 2014, Ft. Steilacoom has been added as an NT on the PDGA tour which says a lot! My hats off to all those who were able to make this happen as all your hard work has not gone unnoticed.