5 Disc Golf Courses to Check Out in RVA
As the amount of daylight dwindles each day, the outdoor-spirited often find themselves stuck leaving work with little time to spend outside. If you’re like me, you’ve probably become accustomed to clocking out and spending hours on the river, lying out alongside Chloe in the VMFA’s Sculpture Garden, riding mountain bike trails, or just soaking in the sunset at one of RVA’s many accessible outdoor spaces.
But looking out my office window at 5 pm this afternoon, winter is certainly here. The end of daylight saving time is an outdoor person’s worst nightmare, and finding new activities to fill the void is a challenge, especially for the nine-to-fivers. Luckily, there’s one sport here in the city that can be played in less than an hour, costs ZERO dollars, and requires little to no previous experience: disc golf.
While “ball golf” often gets the glory, disc golf is the outdoor activity to save your winter and satisfy your need for Vitamin D. Disc golf doesn’t leave you in debt or in a bad mood from a four-hour day of bogeys, and nothing screams RVA more than the granola, craft beer-loving disc golf community that is always welcoming newbies.
So, here are a few local courses for you to give a rip or two, and hopefully satisfy your winter-induced outdoor craze. (And by the way, like all courses in Richmond, you can follow along with each of these as you play by using the UDisc app, which conveniently shows you a GPS map of each hole and par number.)
— by Andrew Knight, Contributing Writer (and the brains behind RVA James River Fishing Report. Follow him @rvajamesriverfishreport!)
For starting out
Bryan Park Disc Golf Course
With mostly open fields, a few narrow tree lines, and one or two mildly-far water shots, Bryan Park is where all humble disc golf beginnings start. This 18-hole course is a Richmond staple and gives anyone interested in the sport a nice place to test the waters. The park is beautiful, even for a friend just coming along as your company, and each hole has a short and long tee pad to throw from, giving beginners and seasoned veterans a chance at par.
I love playing here because I can practice throwing long shots, tailor my short game on the few narrow holes, and challenge my accuracy tossing across the lake. Plus, my girlfriend (a non-golfer) can tag along, go for a stroll, and be perfectly content watching me try to look cool hurling a plastic disc for miles. It’s certainly a vibe. There’s plenty of parking available, and if it’s a Saturday morning, you can even start the day with a warm apple cider donut at the RVA Big Market.
Don’t be afraid if you’re not ripping birdies here at first; the holes are long and take some getting used to. Especially number 16 over the water — beware!
Location: 4308 Hermitage Rd (Lakeside)
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
UDisc info: Found here
For your short game
University of Richmond Disc Golf Course
Offering much shorter holes, predominantly surrounded by thick tree cover, University of Richmond’s 18-hole course is short and sweet — until you hit your first tree! Many local golfers, even the most talented, consider this course a challenge, as the trees make most shots a bit of luck. (See the pic above and on the right to understand what I mean. That tree has seen better days; RIP, all of those shots.) If you’re lucky — and happen to make it through the narrow gaps — you’ll often find yourself parked right next to the basket. The entire course is made of par-3 holes, so getting a birdie requires an exceptional first shot!
The course winds its way around the school’s campus lake and offers a nice escape for folks living in the Tuckahoe area. It also seems to draw a high number of dog-caddies, so be ready to come across many furry friends along the way, and keep a few treats in your bag if you want to become a local legend.
My favorite hole on this course is the first one, as the chance for a hole-in-one (called an “ace” in disc golf) is definitely the highest. Watch out for hole 12, since the lake surrounds the basket, and don’t be upset if you get stuck behind a patch of trees on hole 8 — it’s a doozy; good luck!
Location: 50 Crenshaw Way (Tuckahoe)
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
UDisc info: Found here
For disc golf & beer
Hardywood West Creek Disc Golf Course
I don’t need any more excuses to drink gingerbread stouts this winter, but Hardywood West Creek’s newest disc golf course certainly makes it easy to indulge. This 9-hole, par-3 course just opened this past summer and gives casual players and devoted golfers the chance to enjoy a beer and have fun playing a well-designed course along the brewery’s wooded property. Even young kids have a great time — without a cold one in hand, of course!
I went here for the first time last weekend and was surprised how uniquely each hole was designed. Most holes follow a narrow alley, dotted with trees on either side, but there are also some great open shots that provide a forgiving fairway for golfers having a difficult round. You can expect to play this course in fewer than 45 minutes, and it was actually designed to be played starting with the nine short tees and then played back through using the long tee pads for a full 18 holes.
After I played a few rounds, I grabbed a beer and sat outside by the fire pits. Being the only brewery-based course in the city, Hardywood capitalizes on the disc golf community’s love for craft beer and has created an excellent new stomping ground for all kinds of golf players.
Note: The spot does charge $2 to play one round or $3 for all-day golfing, with proceeds supporting course maintenance and the surrounding wildlife habitat.
Location: 820 Sanctuary Trail Dr (Tuckahoe)
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
UDisc info: Found here
For calm & quiet
Dorey Disc Golf Course
Driving by an array of sport fields, a horse arena, a dog park, and a stocked trout pond with a walking trail, you might wonder if there is a more multifaceted park in America. I checked, and there isn’t. Jokes aside, what you will find on the disc-golf side of Dorey Park is a secluded 18-hole course with both short and long tee pads for all skill levels.
Consisting of mainly par-3s, this course varies significantly based on whether you decide to throw from the short tees or from the long tees. As a very mid-tier player, I began the course trying my luck from the far tees but was quickly moving closer after knocking on wood for too many throws in a row. Most holes feature dense tree populations and narrow tunnels to aim through, but there are a few “easy money” holes with open pathways that provide a confidence boost for folks having a rough day.
I recently visited this course on a Sunday afternoon and was surprised how few people were playing. If you decide to give this one a try this winter, you can expect to enjoy a quiet nature walk with fewer leaves on the trees, which will only help your odds. The course also gives me beach vibes with a handful of the early holes featuring heavy pine needles and sand.
This is a great spot for families looking to break up a soccer tournament weekend with a change of pace and break for shade. The only critique I have for the course is a lack of tee pads on most holes. Be careful throwing from stump-infested trails while you otherwise enjoy a beautiful, quiet getaway.
Location: 2999 Darbytown Rd (Henrico)
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
UDisc info: Found here
For old-school & original
Gillies Creek Park
Richmond’s list of courses wouldn’t be complete without the region’s first-ever course created back in the early ‘90s when the sport was still gaining traction. Gillies Creek Park has character and invites city dwellers to put on their trail shoes for once and get outside for some fresh air. This 18-hole course — located right around the corner from the Stone Brewing Tap Room and Rocketts Landing — doesn't try to be something that it isn’t; it’s a classic par-3 with a mix of open fields and tunnel shots. It gives all skill levels an opportunity for a day of disc golf right outside the heart of the city.
Gillies might not be the most scenic course in Richmond, as some shots border the back of neighborhoods and get dangerously close to a baseball field, but it's accessible, and the holes have a nice, clear pathway to follow. My favorite hole on this course is hole 5, and if you enjoy throwing down a steep hill, you’ll understand why. As an added bonus, the course is also home to a family of goats located near hole 7. I would hate to rename such a historic course, but Gillies Goat Course is kind of stuck in my head on replay.
Location: 4425 Williamsburg Ave (East End)
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
UDisc info: Found here
For more ways to get outside:
