Growing up, my “vacations” consisted of Disney trips to Florida, a summer in Oklahoma City and Spring Break in Arizona — only because these trips also included sport tournaments. Now that I’m older and no longer playing competitive softball, my “vacations” haven’t changed.

This weekend, my family “vacation” consisted of playing eight different disc golf courses in four days. Each 18-hole course was rated at least a 3.5 out of 5 on UDisc, a score-, statistic- and event-tracking app. For each course, a player could use one mulligan or rethrow. With that being said, here are some statistics on the weekend.

Between all four players — myself, my brother, his girlfriend and my dad — we recorded just shy of 2,000 throws, walked over 216,000 steps and lost just three discs — two of which were mine. Although no one hit an ace, we did hit a lot of trees! 

I had only played Elver once before nearly two years prior. I recorded the same score, so at least I didn’t get worse. The course has a lot of elevation changes, namely in the first four holes and hole 18. The first four play width-wise along a hill, while the last hole’s teepad is at the top of the hill while the basket is at the bottom. Hole 18 defines Elver for its over 350-foot downhill drive. MadMando, a disc golf shop less than a mile from the course, sells posters of this hole. The course has some challenging shots in the woods, but the gaps aren’t too tight. My only complaint of the course is runners use the hill for conditioning, so you have to be patient while they run through the course.

I first played Token Creek during the WiscoDisco ladies only tournament in late June, and I enjoyed it so much I convinced my brother to include it in this trip. Although there are quite a few technical holes in the woods, there are also open shots that allow for mistakes. While the longest hole from the farther teepads measures 535 feet, beginners can drive from the closer teepads, where the longest hole is 378 feet. The course offers two different layouts — one 18-hole and one 27-hole. Because we had a long road ahead of us, we chose the 18-hole option. I had no complaints on this course. The only downside was I lost one of my most-used discs, an MVP Wave, as it kicked off a tree into the woods. We searched all around the area before giving up. I had another Wave in my bag that I could use instead. 

If Montello weren’t so far from Monroe, I’d play this course again and again, as it was my favorite of the weekend. While the course can be difficult in the long teepad to the long basket position — the longest hole measuring 895 feet — we decided to boost our morale and play the short teepad to the short basket. Even in that layout, the longest hole was 471 feet. Outside of that hole, the rest of the course was shorter and more technical in the woods. The holes were a perfect mix for both left- and right-handed throwers. Additionally, there were port-a-potties and trash cans between holes, which very few other courses have. The only downside of this course, in my opinion, would be the sandiness of it, providing little traction for jump putts.

Although Zobel was rated above a four on UDisc, this was my least favorite course on the whole trip. In fact, the decision for least favorite course was unanimous among the four of us, as we only finished 13 holes and cut out early. The scenery of Zobel is beautiful, but the gaps are extremely tight and unforgiving. If you don’t hit the right gap and hit the one of many MANY trees, you will be in thick brush scrambling the rest of the hole. If you putt out on your second throw to get back on the fairway, odds are you’ll be back in the woods on your third throw. I’d like to think I’m decent at disc golf, but I struggled a lot on this course. In fact, my brother, who is the best disc golfer of us all, said he was struggling too. Aside from the gaps, the short layout we chose had a lot of baskets missing. We improvised by having my mom stand on the short basket position and throwing to her. Additionally, the course favors right-hand backhand throwers or left-hand forehand throwers. Many baskets fade to the left and the teepads begin to the right. I would not play this course again, and I would recommend it only to advanced players.

We went back to my alma mater for some disc golf, playing at the course I’d often go to between practice and classes — Winnebago County. It’s changed some since I’ve been there, but much of it was the same. I suggested the Gold layout for its elevation changes. Holes 8-11 play on two large mounds — or very small hills. Eight begins on ground level with the basket on top of the first hill. Hole 9 starts on one hill and ends on the other. Ten begins on the ground again, curves around the hill and ends on the peak, while Hole 11 starts on top of the second hill and plays down to ground level. Aside from elevation changes, the course is also known for its length holes with five holes over 450 feet. For someone who averages 250 feet on drives, I sometimes struggled making par. At first, I was discouraged by my score of +12, but when I looked on UDisc to see my scores from college, I saw I had cut my score in half from +24. That gave me a bit of perspective, and I was instantly happier.

O’Hauser was another course I threw during college, as Neenah is roughly 15 miles from Oshkosh. More notably, this is where I first saw professional disc golfer Hailey King. The 21-year-old Appleton-native has been playing professionally since 2018 and has won $17,289 so far this season. O’Hauser is a great course to challenge your long, technical shots with five wooded holes over 400 feet. Outside of my double-bogey on Hole 3, I played my best disc golf on O’Hauser this weekend. I parred the 426-foot Hole 15 and birdied Holes 14 and 16. I took the teepad — meaning I had the best score on the previous hole — six times in the last nine holes. While the course has some wooded shots, the gaps are wider and more forgiving than Zobel; if you miss your line, you won’t be in thick woods or hit too many trees. Besides, the layout we played was just one of 18 — if you feel like you’ve mastered one layout, you can try another.

Apple Creek was busy, as to be expected on National Disc Golf Day — the first Saturday in August. As a group of four, we let many single players or pairs play through, which is common courtesy. If you are playing slower than the group behind you, let them play ahead so there aren’t long lines at each hole. Like Winnebago County Park Gold layout, Apple Creek had lots of elevation changes. Hole 9, which I nearly aced, sits on the side of a hill. Much like Elver’s Hole 18, Apple Creek’s Hole 13 is a 394-foot downhill shot where you’d like to throw all the drivers in your bag just to watch them fly. On Hole 15, you go back up the hill, and down again on Hole 16. I thoroughly enjoyed this course except for my experience at the end. I forgot my brand-new MD1 on Hole 16, and when I went back to pick it up after finishing the course, it was gone. I had my family ask the groups behind us if they found my disc while I searched some more, but no one had seen it. It wasn’t until I approached one of the same groups myself and asked again did they cough up my disc. Another common courtesy tip in disc golf: if you find a disc with a name, phone number or PDGA number on it, contact that person to return it. Do not put it in your bag as your own. An average discs costs anywhere from $15-30. To lose one stinks. To have someone else steal it when you have your contact information on it stinks even more. 

After my brother forgot one of his discs on the Gold layout the day before, we returned to Oshkosh for the Green layout and to retrieve his disc. The first four holes of the Green layout are located near the first four holes of the Gold layout before the two split off in different directions. While the Gold layout has a lot of elevation changes, the Green layout is flatter with more sustainable greenery. This includes more shots around ponds — where I sacrificed another disc to the Disc Golf Gods. Ignoring my score and the fact that this was the final course of the weekend, the Green layout is more beginner friendly.