Disc Golf Course Review

Basics:
- Innova DISCatcher baskets in great shape
- excellent full color tee signs at every tee with maps and suggested
flight patterns
- dual or triple concrete tees for every hole
- flawlessly maintained park with beautiful natural scenery
- dual pin positions per hole (1 populated at a time)

Amenities/Extras:
- ample parking
- practice basket
- pack in/pack out course, but still has some garbage cans on
course
- hole numbers on baskets
- good use of next tee indicators
- some built in bridges and stairs
- some benches throughout course
- kiosk with large course map at start

Course Design/General Thoughts:
- fantastic incorporation of elevation change
- mix of open and wooded holes, but leans more wooded
- fairways are open enough to be fair but include obstacles
- generally a pretty long course with several par 4s and 5s
- three tees offer options for multiple skill levels, though none are
easy
- excellent incorporation of winding creek
- navigation is mostly very straightforward
- rough/undergrowth is minimal and very manageable
- good variety of hole distances - though few are super short

Difficulty/Uniqueness:
- very few courses combine all of the elements you see here in 18
holes
- quite challenging for most players but fair and not punishing
- forces a variety of shot types and shaping; you will need a
complete game to score well
- high risk shots on steep edges are well thought out

- would be nice if the tee signs indicated which tee you were at
- supposedly, flooding issues - no indication of any issues Apr 2024
- some creek crossings have uneven/wobbly rocks
- may get more buggy in summer
- road noise from interstate is a slight downer

It's very satisfying to say I finally made it to Harmony Bends. It unquestionably lived up to the hype. On an epic 5-state road trip, I have to say that this was one of my top 3 experiences, but it would be really hard to pick a favorite - and that says more about the quality of the other courses than being a knock in any way on Harmony Bends.

Let's start with the cons, because they are brief. It's all nits, as far as I'm concerned, and nothing that would make me bump this below 4.75 - which means it warrants my 3rd ever perfect 5. Being near the interstate means despite the serenity of this park, you definitely can hear road noise. It's a bummer, but also means this course is super convenient to get to vs. most 5 star courses. The tee signs here are phenomenal - but I wish they'd indicate "red tee" vs. "white tee" vs. "blue tee". Personal pet peeve of mine, but still very minor. Otherwise, as others have said a few of the creek crossings are a bit dicey. I like the natural stone crossings, but making them a bit less wobbly might be a good idea. I saw ZERO evidence of flooding when I was here - maybe I got lucky, but it seems like this has been much improved over the years.

Everything else about this course was an incredible experience. You feel immersed in nature, and as you don't circle back to the parking lot during the round - a con for some - I feel like you really just get lost in the course, which adds to the experience for me. The basics are top notch here - fantastic tee signs, great large concrete tees, multiple pin positions, and classic Innova DISCatcher baskets with those nice yellow rings to see at a distance. Maintenance also appeared good here. I saw one trash can that some vandals had lit on fire, and parks & rec was already there cleaning it up.

Navigation was pretty straightforward, though I did consult my map a few times. Hole numbers on baskets did help, but the fairways are open enough here it's not always a sole obvious path. However, flow felt good. Built-in bridges and stairs on the most treacherous areas helped traverse the terrain. Elevation change here is in the upper echelon of courses I have played. I think Justin Trails - Big Brother in Wisconsin and Hummel Park in Nebraska might be my all-time champs for steep terrain, but Harmony Bends is pretty notable. It is incorporated into the course so well - there are uphill shots, downhill shots, baskets perched on edges, throws along hillsides, flat shots - everything. A few holes are more open and bring some real distance, but none felt so open and effortless the course was disjointed.

I budgeted for 2 hours here, and I think I came in slightly below that playing solo - it is a long course, but can move at a decent pace.

A full third of the course plays with water, which is a great challenge. It was lightly raining on and off while I was here, but I honestly loved the ambience of that with the creek throughout. This course is quite tough, but didn't feel absolutely punishing. Beginners could get very frustrated, as even the red tees are long. White/blue are closer in length, but both would be considered "really long." However, the red tees give an easier look for players with some experience. Pars are fair and as the fairways aren't "dense woods" style, multiple paths to the basket often exist. I love a good dense woods course more than almost anything, but Harmony Bends excels at creating an ideal moderately wooded course. The terrain will wear you out, and you should come with boots, a good attitude, and some stamina.

The course starts off in excellent fashion throwing over multiple bends in the Harmony Creek. Yes, I ended up in the water multiple times on the first hole, and I loved it! This reminds me so strongly of Idlewild, which was one of, if not the first iconic course to implement this type of hole. Harmony Bends is the 2010-onwards version of this type of course with all we've learned through decades of course design.

The course proceeds to play up and down some steep hills, with hole 6 having a nice basket up on the steep section of a hill. Hole 7 is the first really open shot, once you get off the tee set back in the woods, and hole 8 takes you over multiple creek crossings and right up the hill again.

I particularly enjoyed hole 13, which was kind of unexpected. This is a tough 500-ish ft. hole curving to the right with creek to your left and trees on the right. A little open for my usual tastes, and not the type of shot I'm great at. In the past I would have thrown a forehand shot here, but I'd been working on a big-air anhyzer I wanted to try throwing here, with the area over the creek to the left wide open without a ceiling. This would have bombed if not executed correctly, but I threw an understable anny shot perfectly on the rightward curve I needed. Immensely satisfying, and one of the best examples of how this caliber of course both rewards good shot selection and also can punish poor choices. Ability to throw a variety of shots will immensely improve your play.

Hole 18 was under construction to grow grass while I was here, but an alternate hole was in place, which I found excellent - though it was a bit confusing where you were supposed to throw from and which areas you needed to stay out of. Regardless, it was nice the park had a temporary hole set up at all.

Ultimately, in fewer words - Harmony Bends may be the best course I've played in over 250 courses. I don't know if it's my favorite (though certainly top 10), but it's probably objectively the best designed course. It is well-deserving of a 5 and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for ultimate disc golf experiences.

(Note: This course was redesigned in August of 2020 to accommodate new outbuildings)
-The baskets are great
-Can be combined with Liberty Woods to make 18
-Lots of ace runs
-Good for beginners with no hazards to speak of

-Very small in a crowded park
-N̶o̶ t̶e̶e̶p̶a̶d̶s̶ - I've heard pads were added.
-Plays very close to a busy walking path on holes 1 & 2
-Was redesigned in 2020 to avoid new out building which forced holes 3-5 right on top of each other and very short.
-Most shots are very short, with only one over 250' and five are under 200'
-Hole 9 teepad was redesigned to cut down on the walk, which I appreciate, but is only 150' near a tennis court.
-Some fairways play overtop of others

This course is what it is, a local community course made for families. If you want to get some putting practice in, a quick casual round, or go for an ace, this place works fine. Otherwise, there's not a lot here.

Behind Chuckey-Doak High School, there's a new nine-hole course that is fairly open with lots of downhill throws and a unidirectional design that requires a considerable hike back at the end.

The course starts off with a tease, as the first two holes are in a lovely and shaded wooded patch. After that, the final seven holes are on a beautiful grassy area but without a tree in play.

A majority of the holes involve throwing downhill. The fairways for Holes #2 and #4 are uphill, but the rest of the holes are either flat like Hole #8 or include a modest to significant elevation decline.

The colorful signage is top notch, with a depiction of the hole, though every basket can be seen from the tee area. The signs also include a "Did You Know?" section. The tee areas are natural but indicated by a sign, and the spots are fairly flat and easy to throw from.

Navigation is straight forward and should be easy to decipher without a map.

On Holes #3 through #5, the grass off the middle of the fairway remained a little longer. The cool aesthetic reminded me of a ball golf fairway.

The baskets are Mach 5 and seemed to catch well.

The most frustrating part of the Chuckey-Doak High School course occurs after the round, when you're about a quarter-mile from the parking lot near Hole #1. And the trek back is nearly all uphill.

The pars on the signs are goofy as Holes #5 and #9 are over 300 feet (but downhill) and listed as par 4s, while Hole #6 is a downhill ace run of about 175 feet but is listed as a par 2. Just play them all as par 3s and you'll be fine.

There's a parking lot down the hill and beyond the Hole #3 basket, and then Hole #5 runs parallel to a small side road, so the chance of hitting a car is greater than zero.

Even though the course is a decent distance from the school buildings, the course is closed during the day when school is in session. You should be fine to visit the course after 3 p.m. on school days and during the weekend, of course.

Design-wise, this high school courses gets the basics right and is well-suited for novice disc golfers. An addition of turf or concrete teepads would be nice. However, overall, it's a simplistic design that doesn't merit return visits unless you live nearby.

If I played the Chuckey-Doak course frequently, I'd be tempted to park near the final hole and tackle the uphill journey first. Or stick out a thumb and skip the long walk.

Baker Lake Park is home to an 18 hole course. The terrain is lightly wooded and ever so slightly hilly. There's the namesake lake located in the middle of the course, though it doesn't really come into play for the most part. Holes 13 and to a much lesser extent 14 are the only two where it will potentially be a factor.

The baskets are Discatcher Pro 28's. All are in good shape and catch great. One basket and pin placement per hole.

One concrete tee pad per hole. These are average size if not a bit smaller. Regardless these are all that's needed out here. Hole 13's is spraypainted on the asphalt walking path but works just as well. It appears that at some point recently, possibly this last fall or winter they built a parking lot and maintenance building in what used to be hole 9's fairway. They shifted all the holes after hole 8 up one spot and used hole 9's basket to make a new hole (13) that throws over the edge of the lake and that's the one asphalt tee as a result. Honestly this seems to be for the better imo.

The design is pretty good. There's not much that could've been done to make the course better with what's available here. It certainly could've been designed much worse. Luckily that's not the case though.

Tee signs on every hole (with the exception of the new 13). Very basic. Hole #, distance and par. Plenty serviceable though since every basket is visible from the tee anyway.

The park is actually pretty scenic with the lake in the middle. Clean, free to play, up year round and there's a practice basket by the parking lot.

Kind of repetitive as far as holes go. I get it, there's just not much for things that could be done out here. They made some of the holes longer to add challenge. That doesn't change the fact that it's just a lot of the same feeling types of holes, especially on the front nine.

The walking path weaves through the course and comes into play on a number of holes. Not ideal obviously. It's a pretty busy path though so be aware of your surroundings out here.

There's a few longer walks from one hole to the next. I'd recommend having a map if possible to help out with this. It's doable without of course but there will be numerous tees visible on spots and anyone of them could be the next tee for first time players. Even the Udisc map is off with the elimination of old hole 9 so that map will be goofy as far as hole numbering.

The last two holes are pretty weak. Honestly the last 4 holes are pretty weak and feel like they were just afterthoughts.

It's by a lake so expect some soggy conditions in the spring or after rain. And goose poop.

It's kind of telling that this course has been here for 5+ years and it had 2 reviews before this one, meanwhile the two brand new courses nearby have the same or more. It's just not a real exciting course and certainly nothing to write home about (much less a review). It's not terrible but it's also just kind of nondescript. Even more so with the addition of two newer, and better, courses nearby. That said this course is still worth a visit if you're near here. Nothing special but nothing wrong with it either.

Starved Rock DGC is a mix of lightly wooded park style and hilly wooded holes. And I mean split down the middle kind of split. It's about 50/50 between the two styles of holes here. The course starts out easy enough with some generic, flat grassy holes with a few trees to navigate. It steadily ramps up in intensity by adding in a few more trees, a little more elevation, and just upping the challenge gradually. Suddenly you're in the grassless, hilly and much more wooded section just like that. It's a shocking contrast and it happens fast. Hole 17 is a beast of a hole and the highlight of the course. It's the climax moment on this course. Hole 18 is back to the opening types of holes, which makes sense since it gets you back to the parking lot.

The baskets are blue Discgolfpark models. These are really nice baskets, basically Discatcher clones if you've never played on them before. One basket and pin placement per hole. These baskets have a metal arrow pointing toward the next tee pad affixed on the underside of the cage. I love this feature on these things.

Two concrete tee pads on every hole out here. Nicely sized and just all around well done for these things. They're framed up with railroad ties on some of the hillier locations which will help with erosion. Very well done with these.

The course design is great for the amount of space available. They used about every last inch that they had to use without it feeling congested or playing on top of other holes. Great mix of different shapes required here too. The woods holes on the back half offer a surprising amount of challenge despite what it looks like at first. The fairways are fast with the lack grass. There's also a legit cliff just behind a few of the holes where you will not get your disc back without some climbing gear.

The tee signs are excellent. Nice looking hole map which shows both tee locations to go along with the hole #, par, distance and even some hole advice/tips. The box with the par and distance will be black for the longs or gold for the shorts.

The park was clean and there's a decent amount of parking. There's a practice basket by the lot as well as a kiosk with a full course map.

A lot of the holes don't offer much of a different look between the two tees. Just a little more distance. The first 8 holes are also pretty standard fare.

The course seems to be a hit with the locals, and for good reason. That being said it can get pretty busy. May be best to get here early if you want to avoid traffic.

There's a real chance to lose a disc out here on hole 12. There's a straight up cliff 25 or so feet behind the pin. The ground is very skippy too so one flare skip and you may never see you disc again on that one.

This course was a good one. It's definitely the tale of two halves as others have said. The locals have clearly taken a liking to it, which isn't a surprise. This is just a damn fun course and in my opinion the best in this area. Absolutely worth a stop if you're nearby or even just travelling through. Starts slow but ends strong. Really liked this one.

A few actual Cement Tee pads, then a few shots off the walking path
new DD Vet baskets
Nice DD Signs and course map

Small town park, 9 holes crammed into it.
Tee's off sidewalks
Throws over parking areas and park road.

What I love about small town courses. Very small park with 9 holes added recently.

hole 1 has you throwing AROUND the tennis course where your shot is over the parking area. When I was playing, a car was parked in the ideal landing spot and the guy was inline skating in the tennis courts.
Hole 2 is simple enough
Hole 3 is throwing off the sidewalk with a mando not keeping you from throwing down the sidewalk, but FORCING you to throw down the sidewalk. Don't get me wrong, the hole is pretty cool, it's just a major liability.

Hole 4 uses the same tee pad as hole 1 and is a nice longer shot to the left.

Hole 5 is another liability, teeing off the sidewalk with the sidewalk on both sides of the fairway marking OB. It's a good hole, gust dangerous if you have any walkers/joggers.

Hole 6 is a long hole that is wide open with backyards to your left.

Hole 7 throws back down

Hole 8 plays as an island hole in the parking area of the ball field. Again, good hole if it were not a parking lot. I did have a couple of cars parked to my left I made sure to avoid.

Then hole 9 a longer throw down, across the park road and that walking path to a mostly open basket.

In general, this is your typical small town/too small park course that it may have interesting holes, it's just a liability to you and the city.

Would I play here again? Nope, it's a one and done course. But with that said, as long as you are the only one in the park, it's got some fun holes.

Weldon Spring DGC is a short 9-hole track that snakes around the north and east sides of a nice park. This course is a great challenge for new players, with a great combination of low disc-losing risk and a good level of obstacles to navigate.

Location of Weldon Spring City Park is just a little ways from I-64, with the research park junction just north of the bridge over the Missouri River likely being the way most people get here. From there, just a couple turns get you to the park. Once parked, you'll walk along the east side of the park past a (currently under construction) shelter/bathroom, and see hole one along the walkway. There aren't gas stations or food options close to the park, but nearby 64 exits have more; if you're coming from the east, Chesterfield has just about every fast food chain imaginable. If you're making a day out of golfing, College Meadows, Railroad, and Laurel are close by, and further up 64 or nearby highways are also the St. Charles County Parks trifecta of Indian Camp Creek, New Melle, and Quail Ridge.

Park Amenities are very nice, with the park clearly getting continued attention. There are bathrooms near the parking lot by the maintenance building, with more under construction by the new pavilion. THere are water fountains available as well. There's also a nice playground and multiple baseball fields, along with a catch and release pond and walking trails. This park clearly gets great upkeep, which bodes well for the disc golf course.

Course Equipment is great considering how fresh this course is. Being a Dave McCormack design, you have brand new Titan baskets. The tee signs have all the info you want, including par, distance, a hole layout, and next tee directions. The tees are natural with a couple pavers noting where to throw from; given the look of the rest of the park, I'd be shocked if these don't get an upgrade.

Course Design revolves around short, accessible holes, partially due to the amount of space available, but likely also to attract new players. While there are certainly tight fairways and gaps at times, the distance makes it so that no one should be getting high numbers on their scorecard. The mix of wooded and open holes made for one of my favorite rounds at a course that averages under 200 feet a hole.

Elevation plays a little bit of a role at Weldon Spring. Hole 1 plays a little downhill, as does hole 7, with these holes being vastly different in terms of openness. Hole 9 plays uphill, as does 2 to a lesser degree.

Shot-Shaping actually plays a little bit of a role as well. Hole 1 is clearly encouraging a gently right ending shot, though you can also spike a RH hyzer as well if you want some pepper on your eggs. Holes 7 and 9 are very tight, and require a pretty dead straight shot to have a good chance at birdie. Hole 5 also kind of encourages a right ending shot with a larger tree to the right of the hole. Hole 4 probably favors a righty BH given the tree gaps. The other holes definitely allow some variety of options that can get a positive result off the tee.

Hole Variety is surprisingly in great supply for such a small 9 hole course and park. Holes 1, 5, 6, and 8 are very open with small obstacles such as ditches in front of 8's pin and the line of trees along the right side of 1's fairway. Holes 2, and 4 have trees to navigate after having a little space off the tee. Hole 3 has tight gaps right off the tee with a mostly open fairway. Holes 7 and 9 round everything out with very tight fairways. All in all, you have a bit of everything here when it comes to obstacles!

Difficulty definitely leans towards new players, though 7 and 9 will likely give new players a hard time at first just because of the thick foliage running along the tight fairways. As an intermediate player, I found the course to be very easy on a quick round without a warm up. That being said, it was very fun given the variety the course offers. I really think this is a great course for new players to learn accuracy on given the differences between all of the holes.

Tee pads are natural right now at Weldon Spring, which isn't the most ideal option in the long term. Given how the rest of the park is cared for, I'd be shocked if these were not upgraded soon.

Distances are the one spot that may keep everyone from enjoying this course, as the average hole length is under 200 feet and the max is 231 feet. This will feel like a warm up course for non-new players, though on the flip side, many players will be able to leave the drivers in the car for a lighter bag.

Proximity to Pathways comes into play in a few spots, mainly in the area around holes 4, 5, 6, and 7, where there's a junction point between a few paths. I played pretty early in the morning but was still sharing the park with a few pedestrians out walking. Hole 4 has the path running along the right side of the fairway, while hole 6 plays towards a path as well. I could see a bad kick on 7 making it on a path as well. The nice thing is that all of the paths are visible from each tee pad, so this is solved as easily as looking before you throw; your tee shot might just get delayed a bit.

This course was such a pleasant surprise, as I didn't even know a course was going in this park until I saw pictures posted online last week. I figured I'd get a quick birthday round in this past Saturday to bag a new course, but my expectations were far exceeded.

To be clear, this is a very recreational 9-hole course and will not provide much of a challenge to a good percentage of players. That being said, I'd argue this type of course is just as important (if not more so) than the elite courses of our sport. Everyone starts somewhere, and I would have loved to have this course to learn shot shaping on. This course punches above its stats, and seasoned players can use this course as a fun quick warm up before going to play tougher nearby courses like New Melle, Quail, or the Creve Coeur Lake complex.

St. Charles County is on track to get three new courses this year. The new nearby Missouri Bluffs Park will be getting a new wooded 18 courtesy of the St. Charles Parks Department, whose current four 18-hole courses make for a stellar resume. Also, McNair Park in St. Charles will be opening a new 18-hole course as well, also designed by Dave at Gateway. As fun as it is to keep getting new and challenging 18-hole courses like these, it's always nice to see courses like Weldon Spring go in as well.

If you're passing through on 64, take a half hour and get a quick round at Weldon Spring. I'm glad this course is now a part of the St. Louis line-up, and I hope the parks department over in Weldon Spring like the numbers they see on the course this year.

There's baskets, eighteen holes, and fairways do not cross. Hole 2 is good.

There are several cons!

This course was almost completely unplayable when I first attempted to bag. I bet it's like that often in nice weather.

Hole 1: Throwing at parked cars (overflow parking) with a big anny. Not horrible. Just not preferred.

Hole 3: Unplayable due to overflow parking in the field. No trees. Just a field shot. Holes 3 and 4 almost share a fairway.

Hole 4: Almost shares a fairway with hole 3. Same shot and same distance as hole 3. Teepad covered by vehicles for overflow parking.

Hole 5: I'd hate to be short legged and climb into this rock quarry. Am I out of bounds parked under the basket? The whole green is gravel!

Hole 6: Bad shots skip off the road into the food truck festival area. Fore!

Hole 7: Walking path traffic. More overflow parking in the fairway.

Hole 8: Basket sits a foot or two in front of an extremely busy walkway for little league players and their parents. Enjoyed the glares while I putted out.

Hole 9: Big hyzer that finishes along the walking path again. Fore!

Hole 10: Walking path head shots again.

Hole 11: Plays across a busy field. People everywhere to dodge.

Hole 12: More walking path head shots.

Hole 13: I don't even know what to say here. Is the pavilion a quadruple mando? That's the only route!

Hole 14: A busy walking path is mostly the fairway (green is awesome!).

Hole 15: Busy walking path head shots with your booming sidearm.

Hole 16: Blind uphill shot to remove heads from kids playing in the field.

Hole 17: Unplayable for me due to kid's football practice using the hill to run.

Hole 18: Have to thread the gap between cars parked for the dog park and dog park patrons! Holy moly!

The main challenge at this course is controlling your stress levels while dodging park patrons. This course needs a major redesign down to 9 safe holes.

One huge pro, this course isn't 9 holes anymore! It's actually 18 now.

The first 9 holes are wooded and mainly pretty short, the opening hole is 95'ft and the longest in the front is 290' with some winding lines and while some are tight it's pretty scoreable.

I played league there and most players were -3 to -9 coming out of the front. After that you walk across the parking lot over by the soccer fields to the brand new back 9 that is longer, more heavily wooded and pretty fun.

Baskets are blue DGA baskets, I think Mach 3s and I know they have a bad rap but I didn't have any spit outs on them and the blue is good to see in the woods.

Pads are natural and on the front packed down well. On the front there are good signs and directions, the new ones on the back are just small metal ones in the ground to show the hole number and the designer said they would have full ones in the future.

Shorter and sort of funky, with the long walk between the 9s is a challenge of this course. The main issue people will have is many holes are so close together an errant shot could go to another fairway, and holes 10/18 are near other park features so you need to be careful.

Fun little spot, largely beginner friendly especially on the front 9. But the back is a challenge for far more players.

Worth the stop on your travels and they have a fun league group out there.

In the land of sand a Joe's Crab Shacks disc golf is not a big priority for many, so seeing a valid little course tucked in to this smallish city park was a welcome sight.

You begin on some dunes near the front of the park with the rolling sands creating some fun little shots with heavy bushes around to create some challenges.

After hole 4 you cross the road and play some shorter more typically park style holes that are pretty fun and valid but not playable while baseball and softball games are going.

The courses is straightforward, easy to navigate for the most part and has decent baskets and signs. The tees are concrete, but small and they taper a little oddly but on the short holes it's no issue.

There are a ton of holes near the parking lots/roads/fields that makes this one a dicey play when anything at the park is going on and though it would be super fun for a glow dubs it would probably have to be winter only.

The pads are fine, but eroding some with the sand under them shifting so much but I don't know what could be done about it.

If you play concrete OB there you could have a ton of frustration among newer players as well.

The safety aspect is the big one though, is mainly play this one in the morning if you are able.

Fun little beachside diversion and a breezy play. If I go again I might just camp out on the first four holes and do the sand dune ace runs until I get one.