-Concrete tee pads
-Mach V baskets in good repair
-Accurate and useful tee signs
-Bathrooms and water available inside Kettering Rec center. Open most days
-Lots of parking
-Mix of open and wooded holes. the first 7 holes are wooded, the remaining holes are wide open for the most part

-The basket for hole 1 has been pulled because of complaints of discs going into private property over the fence to the right. Traditionally this has now been played to the tree wrapped in fencing as an object hole
-Course layout is confusing, leading to multiple walks between holes outside of line of sight. No "Next Tee" signs are present. A wayfinding app is very recommended
-Drainage throughout the entire course is poor, so bring waterproof shoes for a comfortable round if it has rained recently
-Mixed use park can lead to conflicts, ranging from picnics, biking, cross-country meets, and other events

This is a course that has been part of the Dayton scene for a long time. It's current layout could be improved by adding some more holes in the woods and deleting a few of the monotonous open holes. The first hole could be remedied by moving the tee and avoiding the private property, but I don't know why the change hasn't been made. This is a great course to add variety, but some simple investment could greatly improve the experience and make it less confusing for new players.

~Fun, casual, recreational layout
~Nice area of town, beautiful park with plenty of amenities
~Good concrete tee pads & descriptive hole signs
~Approachable for all skill levels

~Course finishes fairly far away from where it starts
~A few tricky navigation spots, could use some next tee indicators
~Poor drainage, much of the course holds water and gets sloppy
~Some lackluster & unimaginative holes

Indian Riffle comes across as an old school parks style course that winds around an expansive public area. The holes are intermediate level in distances and difficulty, experienced players can score really well here.

A solid mix of wooded holes and open ones along with a variety of shots, it's a fun play but nothing overly exciting. Would be a good course for friendly rounds of mixed skill levels. Tee pads, and hole signage are both in great condition.

Some navigation flow issues in a few spots, more directional aids would be helpful, but overall the flow is awkward more that it should be. Much of the course holds water and get very sloppy and muddy. I imagine it takes time to dry out and firm up, so probably most desirable during the summer months.

It's a decent course to hit, and fun to throw, but isn't memorable.

Indian Riffle used to be one of those courses that I never went to for a combination of reasons. The layout wasn't great, the baskets didn't catch, and it was kind of far. However, since the redesign, Kettering's course has become one of my favorite par 3 layouts in the area. Indian Riffle plays through a good mix of wooded and open holes, starting off in the trees and gradually moving into wider holes as the course goes along. There is relative variety in shot shapes required as well, although not quite as much as may be preferred. Some of the early holes are deceptively difficult, with gaps being a bit narrower than they appear off of the tee. The baskets, while not my personal favorite, are more than acceptable, and a major improvement over the baskets before the redesign. Upkeep of the park/course is good as well. In general, this just feels like a quality course.

Repetitiveness comes to mind here. While not too bad as far as shot shape goes (although that does start to get old towards the end), the majority of holes, especially on the front, are roughly the same length. Those that want to air it out also won't have much of a chance to do so here, with the exception of maybe 8 and 10, and even those have their limitations. While the front nine is in its own little area of the park, the back nine plays through a walking area to the baseball fields and around a playground, so waiting is common, especially in the evening. Caution needs to be taken when throwing the majority of these holes. The beginning walk is also a detractor. 18's basket and 1's tee are easily a quarter to a half mile apart. This used to be the walk from 4/5 (or 5/6 I can't remember which), but it is now the beginning and end of the course. While you can park right by the first tee, I recommend parking in the lot between the school and the rec center, so that the walk after playing the course isn't horrendously long.

For what It's supposed to be, Indian Riffle pretty much delivers. You aren't going to find sprawling holes here or fantastically drawn out lines, but you are going to find an enjoyable par 3 course, perfect for after-school/work play, or to get in a quick round. If there isn't a baseball game going on, I recommend playing number 12 from the top of the hill, as that is where the original teepad was, and it makes the hole a little more fun. If there is a game going on, please don't risk nailing someone with your shot and instead take the easy ace run This is a great course for newer players/families, and a good spot to practice. While the front nine here shines a little brighter than the back, overall, Indian Riffle is worth your time if you are in the area.

- New Mach V baskets
- 4 new holes play through woods
- well maintained open holes, grass cut low
- new tee signs

- Many holes can be marshy after a rain, and remain so for several days.
- long walk from hole 18 back to parking area
- two holes unplayable when youth baseball games are being held

The course map is misleading for hole 5. After finishing hole 4, continue in straight line (from #4 tee to basket) to reach #5. Hole #11 used to have a basket on the big hill. It was moved around hill to left, so the tee points in the wrong direction. You can play it by throwing around the right side, but its easier to throw around the left side of the hill (the tee sign shows it playing to right).
Due to the redesign, the old hole 6 is now hole #1, holes 2-5 are new, and holes 6-18 are mostly the same, although 6 was the old hole #11, 7 was #12, etc.

This course is set in a nice multi-use park. The park itself is very well-maintained, and grass is cut frequently. There are a mix of distances, and even the open holes require a little line-shaping (with one exception-see cons below).

There's a very family-friendly environment here. This would be a great place to teach the game to kids.

A few port-a-johns are scattered out through the course, and there are even a couple of water fountains (which is uncommon in this area).

There's a nice open field to warm up on located by hole 14's parking lot (old hole 2), or by hole 1 when the youth soccer fields aren't being used.

The city installed 18 new Mach V baskets to replace the previous 1980's-era antiques in 2018. Tee pads are in very good condition.

The course underwent a substantial redesign in 2018 after a housing development forced the removal of most of the original woods holes. The old 6 was left in place and is now the new 1, with 2-5 being new holes altogether. 3-5 in particular are well-designed, shorter woods holes that provide some variety on an otherwise mostly open course. 7 is another highlight, a RHBH tunnel shot that can result in some high numbers if you get off the fairway.

Hole 11 is a silly 150' putter shot with nothing between the tee and basket but flat ground and grass. Worse still, it's right between two youth baseball fields and can't be played when they're being used. Don't trust the distance on the tee sign.

Not many benches to use if there's a backup on a hole.

This course drains very poorly and will be soggy even when others in the area are playable. Holes 7 and 13 in particular can require a squishy walk through mud just to get to the teepad.

With the new layout, there is a long (about 1/3 mile) walk from hole 18 to the parking lot by hole 1.

With the redesign now complete, it's now fair to judge how it will play going forward. It's a traditional park course with a few nice wooded holes, and that's all.

-Holes through the woods are fun
-Hole 16, where a large sledding hill comes into play, is an interesting but fun challenge
-The teepads are surprisingly nice, considering their age

I could imagine that this course was great back in its heyday. Unfortunately, this is NOT its heyday.
-Due to the construction of a new suburban neighborhood, holes 6, 7, and 8 were removed
-A very long walk from 5 to 6. The walk is over half a mile, and on the teepad of hole 5 it only shows you the direction to go to find the hole, not that it is over half a mile away, and across a parking lot. Without the help of a reviewer on DGCR, I would have never thought that the hole would be that far away and across a senior center parking lot
-Holes are not in good condition

I feel that this course has potential, if they were to completely redesign it. The park has a very nice pond and sledding hill, which could add some unique holes, as few courses in Ohio utilize water features. Holes 1-5 are solid, and 18 is fun as well. If they made the course start at the 6th hole across the parking lot, and finish where the 5th is, I think this course could be very good. Unfortunately, as of right now, I do not believe there are any plans to renovate the course, and therefore it is unplayable and should be avoided

Mostly nice setting.
Mix of open and technical

Busy park
Recent "fixes" made the course worse
Showing its age; could use a shutdown and rebuild

(The original review, pre-2015) Before I begin, my primary judging criteria for a course is: how far is it worth driving to get to this place? And the answer for this one is, only if you're local and looking for some variety, but it does fine for that.

This course has three distinct sections: city park (moderate trees), wooded (technical), and mostly open. It would have been nice if they had mixed it up better, but they had to use what they had. Most of the holes are decent, but not amazing. Course signage is spotty, due to the age of the course, so printing out a course map is a good idea.

They rerouted holes 5, 16, 17, and 18 to avoid conflict with pedestrians and water... the new 18 isn't bad, but 17 is all of 100', no obstacles. 16 was simply not allowed to be played the last time I was there, which means that there is essentially no elevation in the course now. 5 is now OK, but not as good as it was.

For some reason, hole 1 starts away from all the parking lots. Most people start at either 2, 3, or 6, depending on where they park. There's a long walk from 5 to 6.

Because of its age, the course seriously needs to be taken down and rebuilt. If they want to avoid conflict with the busy areas, they could probably reroute a good portion of the course through the area that's currently unused in the back part, by the woods.


Late 2017 edit: due to more changes to the course, I'm downgrading my rating. The course used to be a decent but not amazing place to come, but it's been changed over the last few years, and not for the better; keep this in mind when reading reviews from 2015 or before.

This course has a nice combination of wood shots and open shots. It has a little bit of difficulty to it but most holes are beginner rated. Some of the shots you cannot see the basket so it's kind of a crap shoot to get a decent shot but most of the time you get a decent shot anyhow. I like the wood shots because they are somewhat challenging. Open shots are a combination of short and too easy or long and decent. not a super challenging course but fun for just an afternoon out.

I agree with the other commentators that the first hole should actually be whole number 2. It makes a lot more sense because it's right off the parking lot. The walk to hole 6 is hard to find the first time and is a good trek across the park. Some guys just come and just play through the woods from 6 through 10 just for practice and to get a couple throws in....

t's kind of a nice course when you're playing with others for some kicks and giggles. It's not for heavy competition but more just for goofing around.

Good variety of holes and shot opportunities, good course for beginners, decent tee pads and hole signs, course layout gives you a good workout.

Often crowded, wooded holes can be muddy after rain, trees could use a trim, course layout can be confusing for a first time player. Fall time, there are squirrels everywhere and will try to take your discs(not joking). Bugs can be bad on humid days on holes 8-10.

This is the first course my wife and I played. Overall, I like playing there. If you play in the morning there aren't a lot of people on the course. I'd avoid playing on Friday evenings. There's a good chance you will get behind a group of 6+ that smoke, are rude, and play slow. IMO, smoking shouldn't be allowed. Holes 1-5 you need to be mindful of pedestrians. The potential to loose discs is definitely there. The course gets boring after you've played it a few times. Once you've played Fairborn or Sycamore, chances are you won't play here much.

Good variety of holes, a lot of short but technical ace opportunities.
A lot of amenities, picnic tables and water fountains.
Some challenging OB and longer holes.
Good beginner course or sub-par course for better players
Players looking to get a quick round in can shoot through the easy wooded holes and end up in the parking lot in less than 30 minutes.

Usually crowded, especially with slow moving beginner players, and normal park goers near the baseball diamonds.
Very long walk in between holes 5 and 6 (Players generally start on hole 6 to avoid a long walk in the middle of the round.)
Tall grass on #6 and #18
Recent new teepads on #17 and #18 took away from originality of the course and eliminated water hazards.

Indian RIffle Park, or The Kettering Rec Center as it is more commonly referred to, is my home course. Being less than 5 minutes from my house, this is the first course I played and have played it over 100 times. However, if it wasn't my home course I would rarely play it. Heavy park usage from little leaguers and track and field runners make this course unplayable many times during the peak hours of late afternoon in the summer. The layout change last year really took away from the beauty of the course and the risk reward water holes. It is constantly water logged and muddy and receives a lot of traffic. This course is generally a sub-par course for me but can difficulty when the wind is blowing, especially on the open holes.

Decent course for beginners. Good mix of wooded and open holes. Lots of shade.

You may want to play this course in the summer. There is some serious drainage issues on a few of the wooded holes. I wouldn't recommend playing this one after a rainy day either due to the drainage issues. This course used to be better before they changed a few holes around. The water no longer plays at all, and the elevation changes were reduced by half.

"The Riff" is a park course with some creative design elements that generally take good advantage of the available land to provide a solid, if unspectacular playing experience. Beginning players can experience both long, open holes and wooded, technical holes without being penalized too harshly for missed shots. Holes #1-5 play around a playground in an area with mature trees. Holes #6-12 play in the woods. Holes #13-18 play in an open area with very few trees. Elevation comes into play on a short, blind uphill hole (#9) and a basket on the sloping summit of a sledding hill (#16).

Each tee consists of a single concrete pad, all of which are decent-sized and in good repair, and hole diagram tee sign, most of which are readable, accurate, and in good repair. Holes play to older, occasionally rough-looking baskets, but none are actively damaged, and the catching ability is still pretty good.

Underbrush is managed quite well, and it's rare that a throw from the rough will result in a sting or scratch.

The routing is probably the biggest gripe here, as it can be confusing for a first-time player, and remains obnoxious for veterans. The course often seems shoehorned in amongst other park activities and features a couple of long walks, most notably between #5 and #6 where golfers have to traverse the entire length of the park, cutting across a road and two busy parking lots. Starting play at #6 and ending at #5 alleviates some of this pain (see other thoughts), but you're going to have to walk regardless if you want to play all 18. This type of open-ended U-shaped (or C-shaped in the case of Indian Riffle) routing works for smaller parks, but not for the massive park complex here.

The difficulty level is excellent for beginners and rec players, but can get tiresome in a hurry for higher levels looking for a challenge. Most players can avoid the mature trees with ease on the wooded holes, and the open holes leave a great deal of room for error.

Indian Riffle's other big problem is the mud. After any precipitation, most greens turn into a sludgy mudpit that gets discs and shoes nasty in a hurry. This is especially noticeable in the spring with the combination of rain and snow melt. Apart from most greens, other troublesome mud areas include the walk to #8, the #9 tee, and the #12 tee. If it's been wet at all, you'll want to bring extra shoes to play in.

EDIT 5/12/15: Park maintenance has removed a number of trees from the area that houses holes 1-5, possibly due to the Emerald Ash Borer. Regardless of why, the removal has made these holes significantly less challenging/fun/interesting. As a result, I've lowered my score from 3.0 to 2.5.

On the whole, the park is very well-maintained, but fairly high-use. Even on days where there may not be many fellow golfers, it's not uncommon to wait on tee pads for other park users. I never played the original design, but apparently holes #5, 17, & 18 have been modified in recent years to address some safety concerns associated with the high concentration of other patrons. You'll always want to be alert when throwing, especially on the playground and open holes.

PROTIPS: Many of the locals (myself included) play the routing 6-18, 1-5. It doesn't make for a spectacular finish golf-wise, but it leaves the long walk to the other side of the park for post-round, rather than mid-round. As you approach the Kettering Rec Center at the end of Glengarry, take a right into the parking lot and park at the furthest point from the building by the hole 6 tee.

In an effort to make #17 more interesting, many golfers will throw from the top of the hill to the pin below rather than using the concrete tee pad at the foot of the hill. As you face the #16 basket with your back to the #16 tee, look beyond and slightly left for a worn-out patch of earth. This is the guerrilla alt #17 tee. Take extra care in watching for other park patrons when executing this tee shot.

Indian Riffle Park is a wonderful community attraction, ranging widely alongside a school, a Rec Center, and an Arts center, that features a water park, playgrounds, sports fields, beautiful park shelters, a lake, and numerous walking paths. The park goes from mature and stately trees to open fields to woods, and is a busy, well-enjoyed feature in Kettering, Ohio. The disc golf course here is incorporated around the other activities, usually steering clear of them, which makes for an, er, 'interesting' layout. Three of the holes were redone between my two visits here (June, 2012 and May, 2013) in order to separate the flying discs from the pedestrians who stroll along the path by the lake.

Hole 5 has been shortened as the basket is now to the right, and not near the pond/path. #17 has been repositioned at the foot of the mound, and is a short ace run alongside the little ball field, #18 was moved from pond side to the woods behind the two bigger ball fields, finishing at its original basket position through a break in the wood line, and leads nicely back to hole 1.

The course itself has adequately sized, level, concrete tee pads, DGA baskets (oddly in better repair and relatively less rusty in the woods than those out in the open), and variable signage that probably needs updating and re-measuring for hole lengths, now that there have been some changes.

The course seems to slightly favor hyzer lines (for rhbh throwers), but has a little variety, and uses the elevation available fairly well, particularly in the woods, and up on the mound on #16. There is variety here in that you have to play Park-style, as well as open shots and woods/technical lines as you go around. The course lengths are geared toward Recreational to Intermediate arms, with only three holes over 350'.

The course essentially runs around the perimeter of the park, which means there are some long walks between holes. The one ridiculously LONG walk between the #5 basket and the #6 tee means that, even if you parked on the Rec Center side, you'll have nearly a half mile of your circuit that is just walking, and NOT engaged playing disc golf.

The changed holes do increase safety for park patrons, but eliminate what were a couple of waterside shots that formerly added that gut-check challenge (but I guess the other plus is that it takes your discs away from the duck- and goose-check challenge, too!)

There are no benches on the disc golf course, despite it probably being a good two mile loop to walk. There is no sign at the #6 basket (which might be a logical place to start, if they ever wanted to re-number the holes). There are three or four trash cans on the course, but I thought it odd to see one of them essentially IN the #7 fairway. I suspect that means there are hiking trails used through the woods, so it is important that all disc golfers be on the lookout for other park patrons at ALL times at Indian Riffle.

This a really nice park, and a fun disc golf course to play, but it does give the feeling that that the disc golf is being (or was originally) pushed out to the perimeter so folks could enjoy the rest of the park's amenities. I'm not saying this is wrong, or even a problem, but should be kept in mind by players who might be used to playing courses where disc golf is the central focus.

Mix of open holes and tight wooded holes.

Park is very well maintained.

Nice concrete pads.

Park is very, very crowded. People cut through the course and will walk right in front of you while you're trying to throw.

Baskets are pretty beat up.

Ridiculous course layout.

Course layout is definitely a bit confusing. You have to walk right by hole 2's tee pad from the parking lot only to start at what feels like should be hole 18.
Holes 5, 17 and 18 have been drastically altered and now no longer play anywhere near the pond.
First timers should definitely bring a map if you ever hope to find hole 6.
I had an "ok" experience playing this course. But with the amount of people there, and the very poor layout, I don't think that I'll be back any time soon.

Concrete Tees
Tee Signs
Good mixture of 'deep' woods, open field, and Mature trees & grass
Water in Play
One hill
Free

Some of the Tee signs are out dated and hard to read or missing.
Multi Use park so you have to watch for people
LONG walk from 5 to 6
Baskets are banged up and old

Make sure you bring a map when you come and note how to get from 5 to 6. The rest of the holes are laid out logically. Might make sense to Start at hole 6.

I really like to course, it's a classic. The park is also very clean.

This is a decent course in a well-maintained park. There is a good mix of variety. There is some elevation used (1 hill), different turns, and wooded/open holes. Distances are on the shorter end making this a beginner friendly course.

Other Pros:

-concrete tee pads
-water hazards in play

The day I showed up to play there was a cross-country meet going on directly on the course so I needed to come back the next day.

The park (course area) is multi-use, so there are safety issues for the ball field, walking paths, and sport practices.

Navigation can be an issue (bring the map for those tricky spots!)

Long walk from #5 to #6.

There just isn't anything special to talk about here. If you took away all the safety issues this would be a much better course. I definitely enjoyed playing the other Dayton area courses much more.

This is an awesome course because it has some very challanging holes. I love some of the holes that you can't see at first. Then you see the hole and you actualy had a good shot!

It's hard to find the first tee. You actualy have to go across the rec center and in to the woods after hole 5.

Well maintained concrete tees with nice, accurate map of the hole.

Good use of mature trees throughout the park.

Excellent course for beginners to gain confidence with their shot selection.

Hole markers did not include par. Some of the holes had it written on with marker, but several were worn off. Also, the mounting screws on some of the markers went right through the distance of the hole on the board.

Tee boxes were different sizes depending on the length of the hole. This was hard to get used to.

The walk between holes 5 and 6 was extremely long. Without a course map, it would be almost impossible to find your way between these holes.

Had to walk past the first basket to get to the first tee. Hole 2 would make a better beginning hole.

There was a lot of foot traffic, but for a public park, this should be expected I guess.

For a beginner like myself, this course is great. If I were a bit more seasoned, this course would not offer too many challenges.

Next time I play, I will start at hole two and finish with hole one. Hole 18 is a nice finishing hole, but the walk to the first tee is not really worth it.

Although the majority of the holel played through trees, the course had an open feel to it. Park patrons did not get in the way too much, and the DG players were spread out enough that we rarely had to wait and we were not holding anyone up behind us.

I definitely recommend this course to anyone new to the sport. Nice setting and easy course that is very forgiving on almost all shots.

I live within walking distance from park. They give scorecard/maps out at main recreation building. It is nice course for beginners. There are a variety of challenges on the holes (nothing too hard). Kettering parks maintains this park nicely.

You are limited when you can play, like all the other posts have said. There are baseball and football games as well as a summer day camp. Walk/Bike paths cross the course numerous times so beware of the passer-by.
The new holes = blah...
#5, #17 and #18 were all relocated so all discs lost in the drink would not impede with the pond's pump system...Thanks disc rakers!

I agree with all other posts, #2 hole should be #1 and finish with #1 instead of #18. #6 hole is a bit of a long hike and had I not got a map from the office the first time I don't know if I would have found it! Creators could have utilized other areas to make the course transition to the next hole better in my opinion. Utilize the football fields by hole #3 for disc testing, most of the year they have yardage marked for an easy distance gauge!

close to home. open, short holes, easy without wind, tricky with wind. fun course with the woods AND open holes

too many people

i was meaning to do this for a while but didnt get to it till now. when i last got out they had new signs out and made the course up NICE! i think its a nice course. i hit the basket in #9 about 3 times and still dont have my first ace...maybe THIS spring, wish me luck!