Riverside Disc Golf Course — Local services in Sumner

Topography: Riverside is an 18-hole course with beautiful river views, lush tree canopies, and abundant wildlife. This wooded course offers a variety of technical holes with strategically placed trees and foliage, making each hole unique and challenging. Some holes run alongside the Puyallup River, adding to the scenic appeal.

Difficulty: This course offers a good range of hole distances, from short to medium, with most falling between 250-450 feet. Its layout is challenging, with tight fairways and dense foliage that require accuracy and skill. Riverside isn’t ideal for brand-new players, as missed throws can lead to discs landing in the Puyallup River or dense bushes. Though it it can definitely be enjoyed by all skill levels. Be prepared to search for stray discs, especially in summer when the foliage becomes particularly thick.

Course Layout: The tee pads are spacious, concrete rectangles, providing plenty of room for throws. Benches are available at nearly every hole, which is a great feature for taking breaks. The course has good pathways, clear signage, and easy-to-follow transitions from hole to hole. The tee maps are minimalist but effective.

Baskets: Practice baskets are available near the starting area, which is convenient for warming up before the game. Regular baskets are innova disc catchers well-placed and in good condition. Great baskets!

Maintenance: Overall, Riverside is well-groomed, although there are occasional spots of overgrowth, especially during peak summer. Still, the course is rarely unplayable, and the care taken in its upkeep is evident.

Amenities: Amenities are minimal. There’s a portable restroom (honey bucket) on site, but not much else, so bringing snacks and plenty of water is recommended.

Overall Experience / Personal Opinion: Riverside is a stunning course full of character, history, and thoughtful design. The beautiful scenery, varied wildlife, and challenging layout make for an enjoyable experience, especially for seasoned players. It’s clear a lot of love goes into maintaining Riverside, and it’s a great place for a scenic, challenging round of disc golf. I’ll definitely be back, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable course in a...

Pro's: --Nice 18-hole course in Riverside Park (Pierce County), some holes with multiple tee locations. --Mostly level but good use of limited terrain features, woods and river (if RHBH, practice your Annie turns for the three river holes--disks that fade into in the fast-moving steep-bank river are probably lost for good). --Well thought-out holes with logical lines to basket usually including risk/reward options. --Shady and cool in the summer. Shaded warm-up/practice baskets and pavilion/tables near first hole. --About three partial out-and-back loops allow several opportunities to short-cut back to the pavilion or parking if need be (took advantage of that once while accompanied by the grandchildren).

Cons: --Heavily overgrown underbrush lining narrow tee corridors--badly needs substantial brush (blackberry tangles) removal. You'll likely spend a lot of time searching for only slightly off-target disks (especially if you're scatter-armed like me, just leave the green discs at home). Not sure how often it's maintained...as of mid-June, doesn't look like it been touched so far this year. --Related to course maintenance, some of the signage needs to be repaired/replaced. --Depending on the season, don't forget your bug spray.

Because of the quality of design and pleasant ambiance, will keep in the local rota for a while. With more consistent maintenance, would upgrade to 4/5 stars (and be motivated to make the drive out...

One of the more confusing courses in the area for new players, however what this course lacks in clear structure it makes up for in versatility of play-throughs (when course is not full). Print out a map from dgcoursereview before your first game and you'll be fine. *Addendum : The course has recently added boards with the layout of each hole and the various approaches, pads and baskets. * Unlike some of the other courses in the area this one offers more typical "California" holes which is to say longer flat holes with some obstacles instead of the course itself being the opsticle, which is good for beginners and people working to hone their long-put ace-shots. Word of caution: Local farming community causes unpleasant odors on occasion certain parts...