Basic Information
Course Location: Mason Sports Park
Geographic Location: Mason, OH (39.37680, -84.27394)
Date Visited: October 2022
Number of Holes: 9
Course Length: 3246 feet, par 32
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, high
Carts: probably OK, but care needs to be taken on a couple of steep areas
Potential to Lose Discs: high due to very dense brush and 2 forced carries over a creek
Park Information: https://imaginemason.org/things-to-do/parks/mason-sports-park/
DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2628
UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/mason-sports-park-SHx3
Course Walkabout Video:
Driving Directions: From the intersection of SR 741 and US 42 in Mason, take US 42 north 0.6 miles to Mason Morrow Millgrove Road and turn right on Mason Morrow Millgrove Rd. The park entrance is 0.3 miles ahead on the left. Turn left to enter the park, then turn right at the first intersection. Park in the large paved lot near the dog park. To reach #1 tee, walk back out the park road you drove in on and look to the right.
Course Constructions:
Tees: concrete, 1 per hole
Baskets: Innova Disccatcher, 1 per hole; 1 had damage on my visit
Signage: hole sign on each tee
Amenities: dog park, trash cans, restrooms by baseball fields, playground
Summary Review: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)
Far longer and more challenging than your average 9 hole city park course, the disc golf course at Mason Sports Park occupies rolling terrain covered in young honeysuckle-choked forest. Every hole measures greater than 200 feet in length, and only 5 of the holes are par 3's. The most memorable holes are #5 and #8, the two holes that require forced carries over a creek. This creek could become a raging torrent after a good rain, so lost discs are a real possibility. Also, while the fairways are fairly wide, they are surrounded by woods with very dense undergrowth. If you throw a disc into the woods, finding it or even just getting to it could be a real problem. There are a couple of long walks from basket to the next tee. These walks could be eliminated, but entire parts of the course would have to be redesigned. The basket on hole #6 was damaged; otherwise I saw no major maintenance issues. Overall, while there are things that could be better, the disc golf value offered by this course is quite high. I had an excellent half-round here, but I may not return often due to the lost discs.
Hole-by-Hole Review
Distances taken from hole signs. Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.
Hole #1: 210 feet, par 3
Comments: a slight dogleg right, this hole plays steeply uphill at first, but it levels out when you get near the basket. A dense pocket of honeysuckle-choked woods guards the inside of the dogleg. The area around the basket is completely open. #2 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #2: 309 feet, par 3
Comments: this hole plays back down the hill you just came up. A few isolated large trees stand between the tee and the basket, and another dense pocket of honeysuckle-choked woods sits to the left of the basket. The park road and parking lot can be seen to the right, but they are far enough right that only errant throws will find them. #3 tee is behind the basket and uphill to the left; you can either go straight up the hill or up the switchbacking asphalt bike path.
Hole #3: 309 feet, par 3
Comments: the steep left to right cross slope makes this hole the average of the first two terrain-wise (nod to the mathematicians with this sentence). The hole is also a slight dogleg left, so a right-to-left disc flight is preferred here. The fairway is wide, but any disc thrown into the dense brush on either side will be tough to find and retrieve. #4 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #4: 411 feet, par 4
Comments: the persistent downhill on this hole makes it rather short for a par 4, but it is a slight double dogleg with persistent dense brush on either side. #5 tee is several hundred feet away; walk along the left edge of the soccer field toward the bike trail bridge over the creek and look to the right.
Hole #5: 336 feet, par 3
Comments: this tee shot is the first of two forced carries over the creek, but the creek is right in front of the tee. Thus, the trees and brush might be more of a hazard than the creek. The dogleg right favors a left-to-right disc flight. As has become customary, the fairway is wide, but missing the fairway is costly in terms of throws and discs. #6 tee is to the left.
Hole #6: 369 feet, par 3
Comments: this dogleg right plays somewhat uphill, and therefore it is a long hole for a par 3. The usual wide fairway surrounded by very dense brush starts to get repetitive now. Also, this basket was damaged but playable when I came here. #7 tee is to the left.
Hole #7: 432 feet, par 4
Comments: a sweeping dogleg left with the usual wide fairway surrounded by very dense brush. A couple of larger trees on either side of the line of play must also be avoided. Holes #6 and #7 are not bad holes, but they are rather repetitive and unimaginative. To get to #8 tee, walk to the right to reach the bike path and then turn left on the bike path.
Hole #8: 285 feet, par 4
Comments: now comes the second forced carry over the creek, but this time the far creekbank is almost 200 feet from the tee. Also, a few large trees grow along the creek, so accuracy is called to account too. Once you clear the creek, no other obstacles stand near the basket, so birdies and eagles are possible with a good first throw. This is easily the best hole on this course. #9 tee is to the left between the bike path and the creek.
Hole #9: 585 feet, par 5
Comments: a long sweeping dogleg right, you need to check for pedestrians and bikers on the bike path to the right, and more of the dense brush lies to the left. The tee actually points you to the brush, so be careful where you aim with your tee shot. Also, a row of tall trees on the right has to be negotiated. This is a long and (possibly) punishing ending to a long and (possibly) punishing course. The parking lot is behind the basket.
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