Fun, open course. Some really long holes, some ace runs, and other easily birdie-able holes. Two sets of tees, yellow tending to provide the easier approach.

Park Congestion. I had to stop six times (one stoppage was for about 10 minutes) for different summer camps who were also using the grounds. It wasn't a problem except for a kid who reached my disc before I did, picked it up and tried to take off with it.

Another thing to be aware of, I rolled my ankle pretty bad and had to retire early. The natural tees need real work to become safe.

There's no signage from hole to hole, at all. I was lost between 8 and 9, and found myself on numerous occasions throwing blindly to where I anticipated the pin being, only to be about 30 yards in the side.

If the course had dedicated teepads, with some formal type of surfacing, it'd get a four in my book.

It's definitely one I'd like to try again if I find out the improvements are made.

Bryan Park is a very good course located in a very nice park that isn't difficult to find. Good (but faded) course map by practice basket. Mature trees are scattered through the course, with very few densely wooded areas. Plenty of windows to approach the baskets on the many lengthy holes. Elevation adds challenge and makes for some exciting drives. Water that comes into play on some holes is mostly low risk, but makes things a little more interesting. All baskets are in good condition. Each has two spokes on the top of the baskets painted, one blue and one gold, indicating the direction to each of the tee boxes for the next hole.

One of the small faults here is the natural tee pads. They aren't in poor condition, but I am spoiled by concrete tees at most courses I play. The other would be a lack of technical accuracy required to negotiate fairways. Without a lot of variety required, I leaned heavily on the old RHBH hyzer. Only once or twice did I switch to a forehand throw, since most baskets are in very accessible positions. High winds made approaches and putts extremely difficult on the day I visited Bryan Park.

I'm sure I would enjoy playing this course many times over again. Glad I was able to find this gem. My favorite kind of course, combining elevation, distance, and fairways that have well placed large trees to dictate your usually generous lines to the hole. Not overly difficult for an established player, but surely it's no pushover.

Very solid, challenging course. It's clearly the best, and toughest, course in Richmond. It's a no-doubt, must-play for any DGer in the region.
- Course has all sorts of challenges - water holes, long holes, doglegs, elevation & some tighter than expected fairways due to strategic trees.
- Lots of distance and open holes = lots of chances to let it rip. 5 holes longer than 400 feet from short tees, 7 longer than 400 from longs. There's only 1 hole under 200 feet (and that one is throwing over water.)
- My most enjoyable holes were the longer ones - #4 (555 ft); #11 (690 ft) & 14 (435 ft). Three fantastic holes that were a blast to play while also combining a fair amount of challenge and risk.
- Course is spaced out nicely throughout the park. You'll walk from one side of the park to the other while playing. And while the course is spaced out, it really doesn't interfere with other park activities, or vice versa.
- Long and short tees present some different looks.
- Good challenge for advanced players. Probably not the best course for beginners, but there are other course in the area they can play.

Two major cons on the water holes ruin an otherwise elite course.
- The first is the erosion/sloping from the baskets down to the water. On holes #1, 9 &18 (and a small degree on #17), the ground slopes sharply from the basket areas to the water. There's no grass between the baskets and the water, which means if a disc doesn't land softly, it can easily start rolling, and won't stop until it's in the water. I saw this happen to my buddy's disc on his very first shot on #1.
- The second problem is the water itself. It's deep even right up to the edge, and its swift moving. We had 2 discs land within 2 feet of the edge of the water, but it was at least 4 feet deep, so we had no chance of finding them.
- I understand if the water came into play through a risk/reward factor, but not when a disc could land within 10 feet of the basket, and then it rolls off into the water.
- The tees are dirt and are only marked by small blue/gold wooden markers. It'd be helpful if they were more visible/larger.
- There are a couple of weird transitions. For example, after #8, you see a tee close by, but that's for #11.
- #9 & 10 have crossing fairways; #4 & 11 have intersecting fairways. The lesson as always - pay attention when you throw.
- The course runs awfully close to the interstate. You can hear and see it, especially on holes #4 - 6. It would take a herculean throw, but if you threw a shot long enough, and far enough right, the road on #14 could come into play.

The water issues listed above were a major concern. Maybe it had something to do with losing 3 discs between 2 people. On a normal course/normal pond, all 3 discs should have easily been found, or not even made it to the pond.
- I loved that there were no "throw away"/easy holes. There are plenty of birdie chances, but it's going to take a good shot(s) to make it happen. Solid course throughout.
- It's great that the longer holes were the most fun and most challenging. You want the par 4s & 5 to force multiple good shots, and these don't disappoint.
- #11 was easily my favorite hole. Playing 690 feet (701 from longs), you throw downhill towards a creek, then back up a hill to a basket nestled between several trees. The biggest arms can be in putting range in 2 shots, but it'll realistically take 3 shots (at least) for the rest of us.
- Very good course. It's the best of the lot in Richmond. A must play for anyone in the area, or driving down I-95 or I-64.

Excellent condition. Clean, well maybe not hole 15 with the homeless guy, but hey, he was polite. Great course to really show off the arm. Pretty open with the occasional tree to throw around. Baskets and grounds in good shape.

Could really use some tee signs with info on them. How about a few of these parks having signs at the entrance showing where to park for disc golfers. I had to ask 2 people before I figured out where the course started and where to park.

Richmond's pride and joy in my opinion. I love this course.....

This course offers an excellent variety of terrains and shots! The course is almost entirely wide open, with few trees and for the most part they aren't even in your line of fire. The course winds its way around a pond, with two of the holes (16 and 18) actually requiring tee offs from across the pond...which means you better have a good arm, or a spare disc as one of the two is required! For those less adventurous, these holes offer second tee locations that don't require crossing the water.
Many of the shots make use of the park's rolling hills. The elevation changes make for some great distance shots, as well as some challenging up hill throws.

The tee boxes are just dirt pads with little wooden blocks on the ground. Many tees are missing one of the wooden blocks, and the writing on the tee blocks that tells you the distance, hole number, and par, are hard to make out on most tees.
Unless you have played the course before, or are with someone who has, it may be hard at a couple points to find where the next hole is as there is no direction or map for the course from hole to hole.

An excellent course that I recommend to players of all skill level. This course will definitely require your distance driver as the majority of holes are over 300 feet. The park is very well maintained and very scenic and the water hazards make for a terrific challenge. I will definitely be back for another round soon!

I play this course 3-4 times a week and have been for months. The holes flow very nicely with the landscape. the baskets are in great shape and the grass is always mowed. The holes are long, so you can let her rip quite frequently! This course is convenient in every way!

Not many trash cans.
Bums live in the woods on 15 so there's extra trash.(they are only there at night, cops will run them off during daylight and they know this.)
Eroded teeboxes are this courses only real important flaw. Wath out for poison ivy at the base of most trees.

I play this course with every disc in my bag!

Bathrooms across from the parking lot, variety in distance and elevation, painted directions on baskets to the next tee, multiple tees, good use of water hazards, benches throughout the course

Not many trash cans, no tee signs, crowded at times, dirt tees

Bryan Park is an open course with no tightly wooded holes, but enough trees and vegetation to make each hole unique. The holes range from about 150' to 700' and can vary greatly in elevation depending on which one of the dual tee locations you play from. There are plenty of chances to air out your drivers and a few holes allow for more technical shots. Each basket has yellow and blue painted rungs to lead you to the following tee location. The tees themselves are marked by painted wood blocks and a dirt tee pad, however the tee locations are moved occasionally when they become overly worn (most recently hole number 6). There are no signs at each tee, but distances are painted on the blocks and, with the exception of the longer holes, the baskets are pretty well visible. The park is hilly with a few streams running to and from a pond that all come into play at some point in the course. Holes 16 (pro tee) and 18 are actually across the pond. And of course around the the pond there are plenty of geese to add even more obstacles (If you see one with a limp tell him I'm sorry).

Holes 9 and 18 both end around the first tee and parking lot for the course which has a practice basket as well as bathroom facilities across the street (though they aren't open year-round). The park can be crowded at times, which not only means waiting at tees, but also avoiding other park users. From my experience, metal baskets and wooden blocks seem to make great picnic locations. If you do wind up having to wait for other groups, there are benches and picnic tables placed around the course. Unfortunately there are not enough trash cans for the amount of usage the park gets as it can become littered from (hopefully) non disc golfers.

Overall, Bryan Park has a great disc golf course, but it does have room for some improvement.

This is a great open course. The people are pretty friendly. Not too crowded during the day. Not that you would really notice because the holes are so spread out. Although open, huge trees provide some nice shade and a little bit of challenge.

The markings on the top of the basket are an AWESOME touch, that i have rarely seen of course, but LOVE when they are present.

Overall a great course with good length holes and great variety.

It's Virginia, it gets hot in the summer and sometimes there is not enough shade. Be sure to bring a water bottle; as you will be out there for a while as well.

RIGHT on I-95, pretty loud, but not that it really matters, but could be annoying for some.

Hole 18 is a laugh, throwing 200+ feet uphill over water is a gas. Over all a great park with an awesome course.

Coming from Florida, I enjoyed the challenge of lateral slopes on many of the holes. There is good variety in the holes, and some will be tough for even the best pros.

Several holes had huge elevation drops that cancelled out their length. On several holes the hills provided more assistance than challenge. The course could also use better pads and garbage cans.

A really good design for the piece of land. The course uses elevation well for the most part, and it provides some challenges for great golfers while offering some easy holes for beginners. Some are too easy from the pro tees.

Excellent shots from the top of a hill, not much opportunity to lose a disc, decent hole distances, paint markers on each set of chains are good indicators to find the next tee, plenty of wide open shots.

Holes over water (especially 18) that might not work for some beginners, a few other places to toss a disc into a stream

After playing it again a few more times, it's easily become one of my favorite courses close to where I live... good opportunities for some grip n rip.

Uses a whole lot of area. No real overlapping of holes. Lots of wide open area covered. Great water holes.

Not enough precision shots through the trees. Would like to have a few more shots with some obstacles Long shot over the water. Be ready to swim if you don't have an arm..

Just went recently and there were park renovations going on which messed up a couple of the holes, including the closing of the bridge to get over the water on 18.

UPDATE: 5-20-10
Course had been repaired. All holes are open!

Massive sweeping lawns under beautiful old growth oak and poplar trees.

Water comes into play on several holes.

Extremely long holes will challenge even the strongest arm.

Few technical shots required as most holes are wide open.

Other park patrons are often picnicking or sunbathing in the fairways oblivious to the disc golfers.

This is my favorite course in Richmond.

Lots of friendly locals at various levels from competitive guys with Gorilla bags to little girls with Barbie bags.

I loved the arrows on the top of the basket guiding you to the next tee. The online map ensured that navigation was a breeze.

Multiple tee locations (gold and blue) The tees really do change the way you play instead of just adding 60 feet. For example; hole 16's far tee has you down by a stream throwing through some tight woods, while the closer tee is up away from the water and far more open.

Some elevation changes come into play, like hole 11 (700ft.) where you get to attempt a nice downhill drive over a tiny creek, then have to go back up hill to the basket. Hole 12 was downhill with not much room to over throw.

In it's current state (during construction) possibility for disc loss is minimal. Don't worry about packing the floater discs and your swim suit.

Practice basket available by the kiosk.

Nice variety of distances, 9 baskets under 300 feet while the other 9 range from 300-700 ft.

Lots of friendly locals also means course was very crowded. there were college kids playing with old frisbees, groups of advanced regulars, families with children playing, dog walkers, picnincers (some of whom chose to picninc right on the course).

I would like more visible tee pads or tee signs. While many baskets are visable, some holes have you throwing blind only knowing the distance, but not basket location.

No Bathrooms nearby.

13 has you throwing across the road.

This course covers over a mile from tee pad to basket, so prepare for a walk in the park (very possibly a muddy walk)

It appears the construction will be going on throughout March so be prepared for the final tees and baskets to be different. I liked hole 17, It was like throwing over the water hazard, but with less chance of losing your disc since the lake bed was empty.

Hole 18 gives the illusion that there is a steep drop off behind the basket, but it is not really steep, so don't worry about playing it safe. Knowing this may just give you that 1 stroke advantage.

Lakeside Decks less than ½ mile away (5522-B Lakeside Ave) has a limited selection of Innovas for sale. There is also Play It Again less than 10 minutes away for a wider variety of discs. YeRen outdoor adventures (a former disc seller 6 miles north) is no longer in business.

This course gives you a nice variety to use all your disc golf skills. Beautiful setting with friendly locals. Practice baskets and bathrooms near the first hole is nice. The course can be fun for any level player. Not hard to navigate if you're patient. Park is clean and safe.

While I was there the park was under construction so I wasn't able to throw over the water which I was looking forward to. Better tee pads would make this course even better. It can also get fairly crowded.

The park is not hard to find from the highway. The variety of holes keeps things interesting the whole way. There are not too many trees as obstacles which allows you to let a big shot go on those longer holes. Definetely worth stopping by if you are nearby!

I played this course with a mixed group of people, some who had never played and some who have played 10+ years and everyone had a great time. It was challenging enough for experienced players but not impossible for beginners.I really liked the multiple water hazards, the convenient location, and the well maintained park. Also kudos to whoever brought out the multiple bamboo poles for retrieving disks from the ponds.

Dirt tees are never good to see, the park is very popular and very crowded.

This course is ideal for someone visiting richmond for a few days. It's very close to the Interstate, VCU, and downtown .I'll go every time I visit.

Nice mix of open and wooded holes. Some wide open holes you can just crank on.

Needs concrete pads and maybe some bag posts.

Love this place, I live a mile away. And it just looks beautiful out there every time I go.

Consistently good and a mile from my house.

Can be crowded.

I hope this is a good place to post this. There is construction going on for the next 2 months which completely blocks the 18th hole and partially blocks 1. The city is replacing the retaining wall around the pond.

Update: Looks like a temporary 18 is going up in the woods between 14 and 15.

Every hole provides a unique challenge. The baskets are pretty awesome, especially with the painted markings on top to direct players to the following tee pads. Tee pads are well marked with distance/par info. Good for people watching, lots of other things going on. Tuesday markets, soccer games, picnics, dogs etc. The ice cream man rules! Nice mix of short and long holes with big tree obstacles. Course is constantly evolving with 3 pro tees to complement the short yellows and long blues.

Sometimes the tee pads get run over by lawn mowers. Hole 16 floods after big rain. Could have some more woods challenges.

Beautiful walk through the park, fun in the winter, great course for beginners and pros alike!

This park is very nicely groomed. The trimmed grass, nicely pruned trees (for the most part), and well-marked tees make this a pretty course. The hills and water in play on several of the holes add a nice element to the round, including a deceptively long, downhill drive.

There's not much variety to the layout of the holes. They are all basically straight. A slight hyzer or anhyzer from time to time is helpful, and elevation adds a bit to the course, but for the most part, it's extremely straight. The natural tees are less than desirable, as some of them have exposed roots, and none are even. Teeing off is always somewhat of an ankle-risk.

Not a bad course, overall, but to be painfully honest, I wasn't overly thrilled. Granted, from what I have been told, it's the best course in the Richmond area, so I will play it again out of proximity, but it makes me miss Bayville in Virginia Beach.

-dual tees, and three tees on 3 of the holes (1, 16, 18)
-great par 58 layout
-practice basket near billboard
-lots of benches on course
-short technical holes & hole you can rip and let it fly on (like 4 & 11)
-everyone you meet in the park is super nice, disc golfers & otherwise and many people may ask you what you're doing because they've never seen it before

-no tee signs (just distance markings on tee blocks)
-no cement tees. Bryan would easily be a dream with cement pads and one more pin position per hole.
-no bathrooms close to the course, nearest ones are port-a-pottys near the soccer fields

Bryan is a great course, and by far the best of the three major courses in the Richmond area. Very close to I-95 for quick access for those from out of town and just passing through.

It calls for every type and distance of shot, has some great water hazards, up hill, down hill winding through trees and rolling hills. The park itself offers a scenic walk.

There is room for a second spectacular course on the other side of Bryan Park in the woods, and I think that would be a great addition to have two great and vastly different courses in the same park.

Bryan Park is a must if you're in Richmond and care about disc golf to any degree. It is a challenging course, but not so challenging that you can't shoot under par if you're playing well. Fun for all skill levels and definitely worth hitting on a road trip. Stop in to Roy's Big Burger, north (left) out of the Park on Lakeside, 1/4 mile for some great local food.