Kircher Park is a small park in Eureka, Missouri that hosts a short, recreational 9-hole disc golf course. This is the last disc golf course along I-44 in the St. Louis region, and a good course for newer players to get their feet wet with the game.
Kircher Park's location is about as accessible as a disc golf course can be off of a highway. Kircher is on William's Road, and is the first thing you'll run into when you take exit 265 on I-44 East. Folks coming from St. Louis will actually be told by their GPA to make a U-turn at Rt. 109 to take this exit on the East side of the highway. While there aren't any restaurants or gas stations by the park, the exit most folks will take for the U-turn has plenty of options if you need gas or a snack.
Park Amenities are nice and in good shape at Kircher Park, many of which are ADA accessible. In addition to disc golf, this park has a playground and two shelters that are reservable, and come complete with grills. The parking lot provides plenty of parking, and you'll find a bathroom and water fountain next to the lot. Perhaps the most used part of this park is the trail system that runs through it. Eureka has an abundance of smaller parks along with the larger Route 66 State Park across the highway, and between Eureka's trail system and the connection to the Meramec Greenway, you'll likely see plenty of trail users during a round here. The disc golf course doesn't really come close to the trails, paths, or other park uses except for hole 4, but it's easy to spot trail users and wait for them to pass if you aren't confident about avoiding a shanked throw off the tee. This park used to have a small gauge railroad in the back part of the park which made the course unplayable once a month, but this railroad seems to have been removed with only the rocks that the rails went along remaining. While this makes the course more consistently available, it's disappointing to see such a unique feature removed. You can see that there was a full rail system when you look at the course map on here; I'd love to know if this railroad is getting renovated or is gone for good.
Course Equipment at Kircher is in good shape. The baskets look like oder Gateway Titans, but they still work great. The course now has 9 concrete tee pads in place of the previous tees, making for 1 tee pad n each hole instead of the previous 2. The pads were all nice with good footing during my round. The signage is in good shape, and includes hole number, par (all are 3s), and distance, along with OB information. There aren't graphics of pictures of the hole layouts on the tee signs, but only hole 6 isn't immediate visible from the tee (it's around the corner to the right).
Course design at Eureka Park is very beginner friendly, and about as good as you can expect given the land provided. The park is relatively small for a 9-hole disc golf course, and while there are some spots where a longer hole could have been installed, but this course instead incorporates eight holes that sit mostly between 190 and 275 feet long, with the longest hole being hole 2 at 330 feet. Most of the holes straight, and use a mix of mature trees and other natural obstacles to encourage some different lines to each basket. The course is pretty easy to navigate, with only hole 4 providing a chance to get lost - after hole 3, go past the gate to the right, and then follow the tree line to the right to the opening to hole 4's tee. Once you realize there are 2 sections to the park, the course is easy to find your way around.
While this course is short and beginner friendly, there is some variety when it comes to the best shot for each hole. If you can throw dead straight, then seven of the holes pretty straightforward. That being said, holes 1, 4, 5, and 6 all have some obstacles on the right side of the fairway that make forehands for right handed players more accessible, with 8 potentially falling into that category too. Many of the holes on this course are also just as accessible with a backhand for right handed players though, but this course is surprising in how much it may encourage different throws given how open the course plays overall.
Course difficulty at Kircher Park is very beginner friendly. If you have 300-foot distance, every hole on this course is gettable for a birdie with a little shot shaping ability, with many holes providing ace run opportunities for most players. Beginners will find this course to be a great option for learning the game, as the woods along 4, 5, and 6 being the only real opportunity to lose discs if you really throw off target. With different holes favoring different shot types, this is a good course to learn how to throw both backhands and forehands accurately in that 200 to 300-foot distance. Intermediate players will find some of the shots here fun, and will have a generally stress free round full of birdie opportunities.