Driftless 18 at Gamehaven Park

Driftless 18 is the longer of two disc golf courses the City of Rochester opened at Gamehaven Park on October 8, 2021. Disc golf had been part of the park's 2014 master plan, and the city brought in Minnesota touring professional Cale Leiviska to design both layouts — an 18-hole championship-caliber course and a nine-hole recreational one — across what his firm describes as a 450-acre undeveloped natural area with a large reservoir, woodlands and plenty of topographic relief. Two Legacy grants from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission funded much of the work, alongside contributions from Rochester residents and the Rochester Active Sports Club. Mountain bike trails went in on the same property during the same buildout.

The course is free to play. Mike Nigbur, who heads Rochester's Parks & Forestry Division, said at the opening that the pair of courses had surpassed his expectations by including some of the best views in the park. Neither the city nor the designer publishes a par or a total distance for the 18-hole layout, so this page doesn't list either. If you want the shorter round, Driftless 9 sits on the same property, and Gamehaven's other draws — hiking, mountain biking, fishing the reservoir, archery, a nature-based playground, and cross-country skiing in winter — are worth the trip on their own.