Baskets are nice Discatchers (but band color is a misfire, see cons - below). Ten holes have alt pin positions. Navigation is the best of any woods course I have ever played, and about as good as any course period. Baskets have yellow tape wrapped around one spoke of the tray, pointing to the trail to the next tee, and between each hole and the next is a little 4x4 post with a next tee arrow in order to eliminate any confusion (including at trail junctions etc.). These are sturdily made, same as the signs used at trail junctions in the park (with which these occasionally share a post).

Very technical woods course. A few holes have a cut for power lines as their fairway, but the other 15 or 16 are actually in the woods, with one or more tight, defined routes to the basket. Some feature a small OB stream, which is placed so as to be a hazard but a fair hazard. They require a wide variety of lines; as a backhand dominant player, I felt comfortable and very uncomfortable by turns, as I should. In this aspect, Monte Sano is flat out better than Mastin Lake, no ifs buts or ands. Monte Sano is also substantially longer than Mastin, though only six holes measure over 300 feet, and there are no par 4s (though I would willingly count 9 long as one).

Setting is beautiful: after my most recent round, I wandered over to the overlook a couple hundred feet from hole four and just took it all in, then went down to O'Shaughnessy Point for more.

Tees. Carpet, not always carpet side up, of varying lengths. Most are close to level, thanks to some recent work. Some have gravel in wooden frames, which is nice. Overall, though, tee quality is so-so in an otherwise concrete-happy town.

Baskets have green bands. In the woods. You get where this is going. Unless this was requested by the park, this is a righteous d'oh moment. They do, however, commemorate (is that the word?) the 2008 USWDGC.

Relative lack of elevation changes: Mastin actually has more, despite lack of mountain. There is some change in elevation on most holes, but it rarely substantially affects play.

The lack of longer holes sets Monte Sano apart from truly incredible technical courses, but it is not a joke, and is easily the best course of this type Huntsville has.

Tee markers have pin position indicators, but about a third were wrong on my latest visit, so I'm not listing this under pros.

Entry to the park is $5 per day. It's worth it, but if you want to make your money go further, play another round, take a hike, etc. There's even a playground for the little discers.

Monte Sano was the first disc golf course I ever played; as such, it holds a special if odd place in my heart. I held off on reviewing it for a while because of this, but ultimately decided to do it anyway and try my best to be fair.

- Course set in a gorgeous state park not far from downtown Huntsville.
- Baskets are older Discatchers and for the most part in good shape.
- Be to check out the cool little waterfall after playing #4. And when you're done with that be sure to take a look at that beautiful view.
- Loved the signage. Tee signs are well made and illustrate the hole layout nicely. There are 4x4 posts with next tee information on them. Very well done. Getting lost here means you're stupid and probably shouldn't be playing disc golf.
- The back nine was a bit of a butt kicker. Not too bad but certainly more difficult than the front nine.
- Starting at hole 7 there is a neat little mini-disc golf course. I've never tried it and I didn't really have time today which is too bad since it looks like a ton of fun.
- Didn't see a lot of trash cans on the course but it was well picked up regardless.
- Benches of some sort were spread throughout. Thanks!
- There are streams and little springs all over this course. Really appreciated all the pedestrian foot bridges.
- No real poke-n-hope fairways in this course which seems to be an issue at other wooded courses I've been to. Every hole had a defined easy to follow fairway with the occational hole that had multiple route.

- Far and away the biggest con is the tees. I would almost rather have a toe-kick than this nonsense. In most cases, the tee consisted of a cheap piece of carpet thrown down over whatever happened to be there. These are dangerous ankle-twisters with all the lumps and divots. Be very careful when tee-ing off of these abominations. I'm pretty sure I lost several strokes due to the my tentative tee shots.
- Driving up the mountain from downtown Huntsville I have to admit I was pretty excited for this course thinking there is going to be a plethora of elevation changes. Unfortunately, no giant elevation changes exist within this course. That was a bit of a let-down.
- There are some really long walks between holes. I understand why a lot of them exist what with the hiking trails that meander all over the park but there are a few spots it didn't make sense. For example the area between #2 and #3 could easily be a cool little hole going over the ravine.

This is the kind of course most anyone of most any skill level will enjoy. Even the pros. Yes it is pay to play but to me it was worth it. There are dozens of hiking trails and all sorts of placed to bring the family and make the day of it.

(3.313 Rating) (REVISED - replayed March 2023) A heavily wooded layout on top of a flat mountain.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Monte Sano State Park is a splendid forested mountainous area with lots of hiking and biking trails in addition to the disc golf course. Located just 15 minutes from downtown Huntsville, this course is easily accessible for players doing a sweep of the Huntsville area courses. Although there are no drop-dead gorgeous views from the layout itself, a short 150-foot walk from basket (4) has views over McKay Hollow Valley and a waterfall. As for the course itself, fully wooded and there are some mini creeks that come into view and play. There are some mild elevation changes as well. During late fall, Monte Sano is arguably the most beautiful course in the area. Overall, I have Sano ranked 6th in Northern Alabama for beauty, after Kudzu, Flying Dragon, V-Rock, Sharon Johnston and Joe Wheeler. The course loses quite a bit of charm from December thru March.
- CHALLENGING - IMO, the second most difficult 18 hole course in town after Indian Creek which is something I personally cherish about the course. A bit more difficult than UAH, Mastin and the new Sharon Johnston course. Lots of 300 to 350-foot tunnel shots and some have considerable shot shaping requirements. The difficulty reads most closest to upper MA2 level with a mix of front and back placements and it will be much more challenging in the summer versus the winter. Figure MA2s will average around even par and MA1 level players will average 3 to 4 down. Players that excel in accuracy over distance or vice versa will skew these figures by a shot or two. When positioned in all longs, The course is a great MA1 level test.
- HOLE VARIETY - Above average. As noted above, lots of tunnel shots with basket placements finishing in both directions, although far more do finish to the left. Lots of tree gaps and fairway windows to hit. A few 15 to 25-foot elevation changes but it could have been way much more (see cons, Elevation). A few small creeks to play across and one hole has recently been relisted as a par 4 for the long placement on (14.) The hole distances vary a good bit, from 200 to 500 feet depending on basket placements.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - Near perfect. There is a big new course map posted on the community board. Hole signage is also new with all the distances updated. In addition, there are well constructed and informative navigational markers everywhere along the layout. These markers to date, are still among the most effective I've ever seen on a heavily wooded course.
- REPAIRED TEES - The tees were in bad shape pre November 2018. Although they are still below average as they are new carpet pads, they are light years better than the 18 tripping hazards from before. Most are very flat and it will be a good couple years before they go downhill again. Three tees have been upgraded to pavers and hole (17) has a wood deck with turf surface.
- AMENITIES - In addition to improved tees, the course has gotten some additional niceties. Tee seating is present on about half of the holes. Also eight alternate basket placements, basket flags, park shelters and full tee shading. The course however doesn't have extra tees or a practice basket.

Monte Sano has been getting attention since late 2018, but some things are hard to fix.
- LACK OF ELEVATION - Not a flat course, but for being located on top of a mountain and 1,000 feet above Huntsville, I am shocked by how flat the course is. Not one hole on the entire layout changes by 30 feet. Hole (9) changes the most, approaching the 30-foot mark, however the elevation prominence is lost on this hole as it's 500 feet long. Hole (12) has a nice 20 to 25-foot valley and there are a few other holes that have 15 feet of elevation play in them. All stated, it could have been a whole lot more.
- FORGIVENESS - Like most heavily wooded courses, Monte Sano may not be kind to some misguided shots. Over my 14 recorded rounds, I think my clean runs to within circle 2 is under 60 percent. Being a good mid range thrower to scramble for par will be key to shoot low.
- PAY TO PLAY - Currently its $5 to enter the park per person (less for seniors and children.) A yearly pass can also be obtained for those that live in the area at $100 or for families for $150.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - This is not a Beginner's course or even a Novice level course. Although the odds of losing a disc is lower than some courses, the course is way too tight to provide any enjoyment to inaccurate new throwers. Players also need about a 250-foot arm to have a realistic chance to chalk up a few birdies. The course would garner a lot more appeal if it had short tees on about half the holes.
- TIME PLAY - Not the quickest play. A round will likely involve some searching and lots of recovery shot planning. I spend well over an hour here for my solo rounds and well over 2 hours on group rounds.

One of my favorite courses in the area as I personally like medium length wooded technical courses. This will definitely test a player's resolve and patience as bad kicks are almost certain. I personally would not bring a newer player up here, I'd take them to either Brahan or Southside instead. However, this course should work great for MA2s and MA1s looking to improve their precision. Overall, the course is really good despite a few blemishes. With all the recent improvements, I recently bumped Monte Sano above the 3.25 threshold for a 3.5. Seasonally however, it would drop back to the 3.0 level from December thru March due to the lost charm and increase in disc loss potential. Players that have already hit Indian Creek, Sharon Johnston and Brahan should consider this among the next courses to hit along with Redstone, Mastin Lake and UAH. Personally I rank Monte Sano 5th among the 20 DGCR listed courses within 25 minutes of downtown Huntsville. Regionally, it reminds me of courses such as, Mastin Lake, Joe Wheeler and Flying Dragon.

The courses is set in a very nice state park with good views very close to the disc course (there is a good overlook just to the right of hole 4). There are a number of small streams running through the course which just adds to the feeling of being in nature. You also pass near the Japanese Tea Garden (which is currently being rebuilt).
The courses is a fun tight technical course with a few longer holes mixed in although those longer holes are not wide open. I guess this could be a pro or a con depending on the kind of course you like.
There are multiple pin positions for several of the holes (although they don't move very often).
There is also a mini course on site (small baskets for minis)

There is a $5 entrance fee to the park (but if you want to do some hiking or mountain biking as well there are a number of very trails in the park)
The tee pads are not very good. They are carpet and very uneven. I understand part of it is due to the rules of the park. Be careful on the pads. This is by far the biggest problem with course. I do a standing drive on most the pads.
The signage between holes could be better. The first time I played there I got of courses once or twice.

This is one of my favorite courses to play in Huntsville due to the mix of holes, the layout and location. While it is my favorite to play, it probably wouldn't be my first recommendation in Huntsville due to the tee pads and the need to pay.
I do not agree with some reviewers that there are no flight paths on any of the holes. The only one I could see this being a realistic compliant on hole 6.
In the summer, watch out for poison ivy. In the fall (actually pretty much year round), bring bright colored discs.
Parking is in the parking lot on the right as soon as you enter the park. The course starts near the road.
There are bathrooms at the end of the parking lot. You will also be near them between hole 5 and 6.
The course has Innova Discatcher baskets.
My personal favorite holes are 9 and 14. 4 is an ace run hole.
It can be foggy in the morning on the mountain so if you are staying in town maybe have a look up the mountain to see if it is covered in fog before heading up.

If you are visiting Huntsville, I think this course is worth a play if you like wooded courses (but I would play Mastin and Brahan first). If like open courses, play UAH and Indian Creek.

Tough challenging layout in a state park on top of a mountain! Tight lines to hit to get to the basket. Good throwers will be rewarded. Easy to navigate. Good signage. Course is isolated from most other park activities. Rarely have to worry about walkers on trails.

Always cooler on top of the mountain in the summer. Plenty of shade!

Carpet teepads in horrible shape. Hole 4 is a little dinker that doesn't fit well with the rest of the course. Rarely see the pins moved around.
$5 park entry fee PER PERSON!

The yellow banded Innova baskets were mostly covered with a green decal. GREEN in the woods! Very hard to locate even after playing the course several times.

With upgraded tee pads and some course cleanup, I'd rate this course much higher. It's one of the better ones in town that scares away the newer players scared of a challenge. You will often have the course to yourself.

10/29/2018 Update: Opportunities to see an abundance of wildlife. Just this year we have seen an ancient looking giant turtle making his way across 17's fairway, a pregnant doe chilling near 15's teepad, and two does living around a downed tree on hole 5.

10/29/2018 Update: Appears to be very neglected. Broken limbs everywhere. Weeds growing 5 feet tall on several holes. Desperately needs some TLC.

3/10/2019: A ton of work has been put into this course in the last few months by the locals. Almost all carpet teepads have been replaced with new carpet. Baskets are being moved more frequently. Hole 5 has a really unique long position I've never seen before. Love seeing this course get the TLC it deserves!

The course is set on beautiful Burritt Mountain with some great wooded landscape for a course. Parking for the course and hole #1 are the very first right after the guard shack. At each tee pad there is a distance marker with a red circle indicating which pin position is being used (1-2 pin positions for each hole). Each tee pad is carpeted. The first few holes are some of the least difficult on the course, so as to warm you up for the back 9. Overall, this is a well-balanced, technically wooded course that rewards accuracy in nearly all shot types. The course has short and long holes with enough elevation changes to test nearly any arm. For the most part, there are arrows and signs leading you to the next hole from each basket. Each chain basket continues to be in good shape. So, the course is very enjoyable with a great hike through the woods. It is also has enough challenge to it so that you will want to play it again and hone your skills.

There are a few cons that is holding this course back a bit.
SIGNS: At each tee pad there is a distance marker but there isn't a visual layout of each hole, so you would often need to walk down the fairway a bit to know where the basket lies, especially when the pin was in the long position. Also, there could be some better and more updated indicators between holes as sometimes there wasn't one or it was labeled incorrectly. I would also have a sign directing car drivers to the first hole from the road.
TEE PADS: Biggest complaint. Unfortunately, these affected gameplay. Pretty much all were unlevel with undulations, making it very difficult to trust your footing (many times I would use the ground just next to the carpet). Then, nearly all of the carpets (due to wear over time) were covered with dirt/sand making it tough not to slide when planting your foot for each drive. This is particularly pivotal as many holes were long distances in terms of a tightly-knit wooded course.
FYI: in the spring/summer times watch out for snakes and poison ivy

In conclusion, I believe this course is a great part of the many enjoyable courses in Huntsville. I would liken it most to Mastin Lake, but is probably more technical. And if I had to choose between the two it would be Mastin Lake due to funness level and not having to pay there to get in.
If this course updated the tee pads and added hole layout visual signs then I would rate this course higher at around a 4/5.

NEWS UPDATE:

ANOTHER COURSE HAS BEEN ADDED TO HUNTSVILLE THAT IS CALLED DRAKE SPRINGS (9 hole course) AND LOCATED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM BRAHAM SPRINGS BY THE SMALL LAKE/POND. IT IS A QUICK AND FUN.

Pretty location, there are some great views from the top of a mountain.
Decently challenging, some holes feel alot longer than they are due to narrow or absent throwing lanes.
Little chance of losing a disc due to water.

Biggest flaw were the trees in middle of what should be fairways. For some holes there were no possible realistic flight paths. Just hope your disc goes more than 20 yards without hitting a tree. I know they aren't allowed to cut many trees there so I cut them a little slack on my rating.
No signature holes in my opinion.

I played the week of thanksgiving 2012. I don't know when they changed up the course but the map and hole info listed here was not up to date. The map that was given to me by a park employee was wrong too. I almost gave up after not being able to find hole 1. Luckily there is a sign up near the parking lot that has an updated course map. Had I not taken pictures of it with my phone I doubt I would have found my way to some of the holes.
In the fall there are deep leaves everywhere, play with bright discs or you may have a hard time finding them at times.
Personally I would have liked more incorporation of the elevation changes and scenic overlook views, but I understand reserving the natural beauty for walking trails and such.

You will surely enjoy the drive as you work your way up the mountain and finally reach Monte Sano State Park. Inside you'll find a very scenic and enjoyable course. Once you enter you'll get excited as you pass a few baskets on your way to generous parking all around the course. There is a park store for goodie's if needed near hole one.

If tight wooded courses are your thing you'll certainly be pleased. After all the course plays through a virtual wildlife preserve. If a tree could be spared it was and it makes for some fun and challenging holes. A creek meanders it way through and finds itself in play on a few holes too. Slight elevation changes, a blend of hole lengths and a variety of fairway shapes are here as well. In fact, strait shots to almost impossible doglegs are here. Look for lengths between upper 200's all the way to over 600'. As a bonus, summer shade is a welcomed addition.

There are nice tee signs, sufficient tee pads (see cons), and great baskets. Next tee indicators are nice too. Virtually new baskets were really nice. I enjoyed the Discatchers with the custom bands. It made it feel like you were throwing at some one of kind baskets.

The course itself is easy enough to follow. The fairways are beaten in and guide you around well enough. Look to cross the road between 6/7 and 16/17. Bridges are installed at all the areas were they're necessary and they were a nice touch.

There's a modest fee to enter the park but overall I think it's worth it.

The carpet tee pads are sufficient but some more thorough leveling before it was laid would have been nice.

I am a huge wooded course fan and can tolerate some pretty "unfair" holes. For the most part I feel like a few rounds would help you find a route on almost every hole. The remaining ones might leave you a little frustrated. If you don't like tight technical courses you might want to skip this one.

The biggest con which hopefully is going to be fixed soon is a big one. The story I'm told by the locals is that apparently the tank for the sewage from the campers has leaked. Not only is there a foul odor on 1/3 of the holes but you don't want to end up in the creek that plays along some of the holes. Thankfully a guy on my card had some antibacterial hand wash to share as I found myself getting a disc from the water. He told stories of illnesses related to folks contacting the water. I must stress, this is of May 2010 and hopefully this will correct itself with time.

When you add up the features of this course with all the other great courses in the area it makes it well worth a lengthy trip. This great park offers camping and makes it a very hospitable base for a big disc golf weekend. It is yet again another Huntsville course that I have to highly recommend. I really hope you get a chance to play it. Enjoy!

Baskets are great! Love the nature feel of things. If u love a good game of disc golf and a nice hike, then i highly recomend

Carpet teepads arent the best but trust me, it wont affect ur game

haha i saw a copperhead on hole 15 s watch out!

Nice Landscaping, Course is on a State Park so it was nice and shady on a warm Alabama Day. Course was marked vey well with Red and Yellow "NexTee" signs pointing the way and also with spray paint on the trees. Required a good variety of shots. Trees were everywhere in the fairway but I was used to that at my home course so it was not anything new to me. Took a friend with me to play and it was the first time he played. He loved it!

The only beef I had with the course is that the course signs often showed two pin positions "A" and "B". The problem is that there was only one pin positions. Some times it was "A" and sometimes it was "B". This was hard to make a good shot sometimes on hard doglegs where you could not see the basket. Also the custom baskets were nice and in good shape, the green color made them hard to spot sometimes against all the green trees(May not be that big of deal in the fall)

It cost $2 to get in but it was well worth it.

Monte Sano State Park is situated in the hills above Huntsville. The few hundred feet of altitude probably keeps it a few degrees cooler year around. The entire course is set in the trees also helping with the temp. The course is very tight and technical. I thought every hole but one had at least "honest" route to the basket. Of course, I often missed that "honest " route and ended up in the underbrush, which can be quite punishing. A couple of the holes can be quite long ( 500' plus ) depending on the pin position. Remember that's 500' with a narrow fairway. Navigation was fairly easy thanks to the signs and red marks on the trees. For a newly opened course, it felt well broken with clearly defined paths, etc. I felt those holes with the almost 90 degree turns were fun and doable throws. And Yes, there were at least, two gimmee birdie holes. The camping would be a bonus.

The carpet teepads aren't the best but I'm sure they'll be replaced in time. I'd love to chainsaw one tree on each hole but I understand the course designers are dealing with park people and others. It's a flat course with basically no water so I can't see getting totally excited and talking about ever giving it anything higher than a 4.

Personally, I preferred the Mastin Lake course more. I thought it was a little more fair with more elevation to work with. But the lower temperatures up here on the mountain could even things up a bit in those hot Alabama summer days.

Monte Sano is a 2000+ acre mountain top state park with camping, a lodge and extensive network of hiking/biking trails.
It would make a perfect base for anyone exploring the 5 (soon to be 6) quality disc golf courses in Huntsville. Great long-range views along the brow of the mountain. Best disc golf sign I've seen at 40+ courses. Very cool.
The course itself is relatively flat as it winds through a gorgeous mature Oak Forest. I thought the layout was outstanding, very tight but fair, requiring all the shots in your repetoire.
I value courses designed for long-term playability and Monte Sano has it. Yes, you will hit some trees, but the clean understory enables you to easily find your disc and recover if you end up in the rough.
I played in sandals and had no issues with schule. A couple of friendly locals guided me around the course which was great. 5 degrees cooler than Huntsville on a summer day was a nice bonus.

The spray paint is probably necessary navigate the course, but detracts from the aesthetics of the forest.

After reading the reviews, I expected a pinball-fest, but it never materialized.
I've played much tighter woods courses, so I guess it just depends on your frame of reference. I love the challenge of having to throw FH, BH and an occaisonal hammer to negotiate the tight gaps.

Update in 2019- I had not played here in 10 years (when this course was brand new) and I was very pleased with how mature the course now looks and plays. The fairways are still mostly tight, but very reasonable now. Navigational aids are abundant and match the style of all the hiking trail markers in the park. Many holes had 2 possible placements, and I appreciated that the markers on the tee sign were there and always correct.

From 2009- New 18 hole course to add to what is already a good disc golf city in Huntsville, AL. The course was very shady and provided some relief as we had to battle the Alabama summer heat. The custom baskets are neat, and give the course and each hole some personality. Very nice signs at every tee. Navigation was a breeze- there were already well-worn paths, but I really liked the orange spray paint dots on the trees to help you get from one hole to the next (as some holes have decent walks and you cross the road a few times.)

Update in 2019- Fee is now $5/adult to enter the park. Tees are still carpet but were exceptionally flat, way different than last time. Concrete is preferred to me, but had no issues today. Reading my comments below, there must have been some redesign because 18 ended right back in the parking lot to where 1 begins. And I thought the difficulty and interest level and variety were the same from beginning to end, or at least from front 9 to back 9.

Fairways to me are no longer cons. Either they have been able to remove a few more trees over the years, or I am more tolerant, or I am better (maybe some of each), regardless my opinion from 2009 is no longer valid.

From 2009- The fee is $2/person, not per vehicle, to enter the park. Right now the tees are in the form of very lumpy carpet. There are some long walks between holes that look like they would have made a good hole, maybe better than an existing hole. Overall, the back nine to me are weaker than the front, which is always anti-climactic when the best holes are at the beginning. #18 ended in the middle of the woods with no signs pointing as to which path was the way out.

The biggest con, however, were the "fairways" which should be called "luckways" for many of the holes. As others have said, the park has limited the trees that could be cut down, but there needs to be a few more trees cut down. I am not saying make it easy, but holes with realistic paths that require pinpoint accuracy and skill are always better than "close your eyes and hope for good luck." I will admit there was more room to throw than I had expected based on the course description and other reviews, but there needs to be just a bit more refining on several of the holes.

Update 2019- Course to myself on a nice spring Saturday late morning round. The drive up the mountain and the cost of admission likely keeps many away, but if I lived here I would play here often because I love technical woods courses.

I was visiting with family and was able to sneak in a solo round while my kids played on the nice playground, which is the same parking lot as the course. Lots of parking, restrooms are there, plenty of picnic tables. Hiking and mountain biking trails abound if you like those things also.

I rated it 3.0 in 2009, and in 2019 I think it is still that, but on the high side of it (3.25).

From 2009- The water hazards are nothing more than small creeks, so no danger of losing a disc in water. This is a new course and is in pretty good shape already. There are ace and birdie opportunities, but you need to make a good shot and have some good luck for many of the holes. It has the potential to be a really good course, but as it is right now it just a shade above average.

*Beautiful setting -- Monte Sano is a nice state park, minutes from Huntsville but secluded on top of a mountain. The course meanders through the park in a heavily wooded oak forest, mostly set apart from other activities (think flatter ERP in Roswell, GA)
*Camping on site - a stone's throw from tee #1
*Fun course to play; in large part due to the serene wooded setting
*Well maintained - i played with the designer and he told me that the fairways were carved out by volunteers with hand tools, mostly machetes! it looks well worn in after 1 month; should be in phenomenal shape if the volunteers keep at it
*Great trails between holes make the course easy to follow despite lack of signage
*Custom Monte Sano innova discatcher baskets

*This is a state park course where the designers could only cut trees to a certain (small) caliper, so there are many holes with fairway trees & luck routes
*Several holes (#1 & #6 as examples) have extreme doglegs that don't allow for realistic disc flight, at least on the fairway....the baskets are WAY over to the side of a possible line
*Many of the fairways lacked a good route. As an example, some of the longer holes require a shot that goes straight for 300', then turns into a small 20' opening at the left, then stops fading left & straightens out -- not how a disc flies
*No great holes....some good ones, but nothing that comes close to sticking out as a signature hole/holes
*Many blind holes from teepad, some for no apparent reason that take away from the holes
*No signage, carpet teepads -- not a major con as it's easy to figure out where to go & the course is brand new

I enjoyed this course, but it was definitely not what i expected after reading two reviews prior to playing that made it sound like the best course in huntsville. The setting is beautiful and made the course really enjoyable to play...but the course itself was average due to some invalid fairways. Could be significantly improved by removing fairway trees & adjusting some of the holes that aren't reachable as a disc flies. I'll definitely return. This is probably the place to go in the summertime as it's got shade, altitude & streams. Awesome place to camp & play.

Monte Sano is a challenging wooded course with some elevation changes on a few holes. Don't let the distances deceive you, 300ft on a course like this makes for a very tough hole. If you have a bad drive, it can be very difficult to recover and get par. Bad drives are almost always punished here.

This course has a great variety of shots. There are big turnovers, straight and narrow shots, and a few hyzer shots as well.

There are some shorter holes where birdies are possible, but they all require accuracy, there are no gimmie birdies here.

A rec player will have a difficult time with this course. I believe it's the kind of course that will teach you to make the necessary shot on each hole which will make you a better player, but it will punish you until you do.

There were carpet tee pads secured nicely to prevent them from moving when I was there. I understand the course is new, so this is completely understandable.

There were a few holes I felt relied strongly on luck rather than skill. A couple holes had so many trees there wasn't really a fairway in some places, just throw and hope. A couple holes had a tree literally 10 feet in front of the tee pad. I like having the option to throw multiple routes on a hole, but this seems a little extreme to me, especially since the fairways are so small to begin with.

A few times you have a walk to get to the next hole, however, they did a good job making this course easy to navigate. There is orange spray paint on the ground and trees leading from one hole to another where the next hole isn't close by. Between the three of us playing, we never had a problem finding the next hole.

There are small streams on a few holes, but they were so small it took one step to cross them when I was there. So I wouldn't say they're in play since they seem more like casual water to me.

***UPDATE 10/18/09***
I played here again and can see some big improvements. Every hole has a tee sign with diagram and distance on it. There are bridges on every hole that crosses the stream now. Next tee signs are in place on holes that have a walk in between them. Holes 3, 4 and I believe 14 are the only holes that seem to rely heavily on luck still. There were pink ribbons around some trees throughout the course so perhaps those trees are coming down. The course is looking better than ever, keep up the great work!

This is a course that isn't going to break the spirit of your newbies, but will still challenge the best of them. If you shoot close to par here you should be in the money at most tournaments. Once the course breaks in better I'm sure it'll get easier. There are 4 to 5 aceable holes here, and 4 or 5 WHAT??? SERIOUSLY??? holes here. It actually plays much longer than it is too.

Huntsville is one of the best cities for disc golf, there is something within a 20 minute drive for everyone, and terrific progression of course challenge, Dublin Park for the young ones, or people really new to throwing discs, Brahan Springs for the new players that are starting to get their throwing arm together, Mastin lake for those that are playing well at Brahan, they can go to Mastin lake for the next logical step in skill progression, Then UAH to work on your distance without being punished bad for a loss in accuracy while learning to throw long, and Monte Sano pulls it all together perfectly! Can't wait to see what they have for Indian Creek!

No tee pads, but those are in the works, and some holes have NO fairway routes, you have to find a doable route through the trees and pray no trees jump in the way.

Some holes need a little more fairway grooming, lots of toe catchers, some muddy areas, some excessively difficult holes with no route whatsoever they are just a toss and pray. But it's the closest thing to a perfect overall course I have seen thus far.

Situated atop Monte Sano in Monte Sano State Park, which is a nice place to be on any sunny day. There are campgrounds literally just a minute or two walk from the first tee if you want to camp and play all weekend. There is a good variety of shots required from annies, hyzers, to straight tunnel shots. The course also has custom MSDGC DISCatcher Pro baskets, which are a pretty cool touch. One of my favorite things about the course is the old country store right next to the tee for hole 1. You can pick up sodas, ice cream, snacks, tobacco, beer, etc., there, which adds some comfort. Also, you will notice an awesome main board before hole 1 that was hand carved and made by three of the locals. Very nice touch.

A few holes lack legit routes to the pin, and undergrowth is starting to come back on some as well. There are a few teepads that could use additional leveling, but nothing major. There is a lot of elevation changes in the park, unfortunately the course doesn't use much of this at all. A lot of good holes, but no holes really stand out as "great" holes; the type of holes that make you want to play just one more round.

Overall this is a solid addition to the other courses in the area. The course definitely has potential, but still needs much work to see that potential realized. Many holes have routes that are questionable, and the fine line between a good shot and poor shot sometimes seems to blur here. Nothing wrong with a tough course, as I prefer a challenging layout, however, I feel the score should be left up to the golfer and his abilities, not a stray limb that no one sees from the tee. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in the area, and I feel that with more work this course can become a jewel.

Favorite Holes: 2, 7, 10, 11(long), 15