colyer park

Colyer Park Disc Golf course is a little unique as it sits in the middle of South Central Missouri just off I-44 near Saint Robert. It is one of the first courses that I have played that is on a military base, Ft. Leonard Wood. To be fair, I have not researched other bases to see if they have courses too, but this is the first I’ve come across.

Location

The course is situated on the main base, south of the retail areas at 1609 South Dakota Ave. It is right behind the military museums and next to the back of the bowling alley. You will need to stop at the Welcome Center next to the main gate to get access to the base. If you are a US citizen, this is generally not too hard, but rules change all the time so it is best to check in advance. Folks often come to visit the museums and graduations, so don’t pass by the course just because it is on base. Parking is best just behind the Bowling Ally and then walk across the street up the stairs to the first tee.

ID is required to enter the post. You can check out the requirements here or call the visitor center at 573-596-0590/0356.

Game Play

Colyer Park is only a 9-hole course so gameplay is pretty fast. The other nice thing is that it is greatly underutilized. I have played the course a number of times and if I play during the week, I often have the course to myself. On weekends, I have never seen more than 2 or 3 groups on the course at once.

The course is fair flat with a fair number of trees. Not so many trees to require super technical skills but enough that a tree will grab your disk more than once for the average player. Tees are concrete pads and the baskets are pretty standard Mach II.

One of the frustrating parts is outside of the first hole, the signage is nonexistent. Take a picture of the map or use an app because you may need to use it to find the next tee pad. As I mentioned, the course is flat, so seeing the next pad is hard especially if the grass is due for mowing or in fall when there are leaves on the ground covering the pads up.

Using your map will help as some of the tee pads are a small hike from the previous basket. For example, where basket 4 ends is right by the NW cormer of the park but the tee that is next to it is number 8. To get to the fifth tee, you have to cross the street and head to the SE corner of the next section of the park (yes, there is a street splitting the park in two.)

Special Challenges

Being that the course is on a military base, you do have some fun challenges on occasion. Ft Leonard Wood is a large training facility so you have folks going through both basic training for the Army as well as advanced training for the several other specialties that bring in Marines, Air Force, Navy, and international soldiers to the base. It is not uncommon, especially earlier in the day or at the end of the training day to have units crossing the park in masse. Expect some delays and be glad that you are playing and not marching past.

I’ve also seen the parking lot behind the bowling alley be used for the transportation trainees as a spot to start and end the truck driving practice. The folks that are waiting for their turn will often be under the trees in the park near hole 8 and 9. Finally, for some excitement, I’ve seen the Military Police practice takedowns as folks pretend to run from police. Some of the chases can go right through your game. Lots of screaming and sirens to liven up your day.

Conclusion

Colyer Park is a fun quick play if you are in the area. If you are not military, there is some extra effort to get on base, but don’t let the access requirements scare you. Access is possible (but not guaranteed), so give it a try and enjoy the course.  Worst-case scenario, hop over to Hanna Hills which is only about 20 minutes away.