Nicely wooded section of a big regional park, makes for narrow lanes that reward control over distance



+ Poured tees, old DisCatcher baskets still in good shape. Holes have alternate tees and/or baskets to make "Pro" and "Advanced" layouts, and the signs have bolts inserted to indicate basket in use

+ The signage is very informative (maybe to a fault), including an illustrated map that shows the multiple tees and basket positions, adjacent hole shapes and park structures, topography lines indicating change in elevation, an arrow to the next tee, any relevant mando information, and hole sponsorship. It's a bit much to take in at a glance

+ This is primarily a short, wooded course - but the back 9 features three open holes which create a change of pace. Although none of the three are particularly memorable holes, just having them adds to the overall quality of the layout

- Very tight multi use property that includes a playground, minigolf, carousel and miniature railway for the kids. Fairway #2 has the train track bordering much of the left side. Pretty funny - until you imagine the possible consequences of a stray shot


- Many of the fairways border a popular walking trail, so delays are inevitable


- Too bad the nearby lake isn't incorporated. A water carry or two would really add to the personality of the course


- There are only two mandos, but I couldn't locate one of them. The sign on #5 indicates a mando on the left. I didn't see markings on anything, so I had to guess based on the map. I'm wondering if the mando tree has rotted and been removed?

~ Due to the compact nature of the layout, you're almost guaranteed to spend some time throwing from opposing fairways. That's fine when the course is empty, but when you add that to the traffic on the walking trails (and miniature train), I can't imagine ever getting into a good flow of play on summer or weekend days


~ For such an old course with hole lengths that were common 30 years ago, Burke Lake holds up pretty well because of the wooded lines and changes in elevation. Sure, you might be throwing a mid now where you were throwing a "max length driver" 25 years ago, but the course still forces you to be accurate and to plan your landing angles


RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS: I combined this with the short 18 at Pohick Bay for a fun morning in January. You could easily add in Bluemont for a trifecta, as long as the courses (and roads) aren't crowded

I'm still a beginner (playing for a bit over 2 years). I like that the Burke Lake course starts short (many holes under 200 feet from the red tees), and then steadily goes to low 200s, then mid/high 200s. Holes are distinctly longer on the back 9.

I believe most holes have at least 2 pin locations possible and some have 3. That is great variety for a regular visitor.

Don't be fooled. There is alot of elevation change. Uphill a little more than downhill, I believe. A few mandatories. I still score poorly on the uphill holes and that remains a challenge.

As noted by many, the holes are pretty close together. Maybe use a midrange disc on the wooded holes on the drive to stay in your lane, reserving driver for 9-11. However, some of the wooded holes are long enough for driver for a newbie! Something pretty stable then or if you have a hyzer flip in your arsenal.

Clueless pedestrian traffic (hey, I used to be such) is troublesome. Also a very busy course. My first outing in 2019, I came the weekend after Xmas. Several of us had the same idea, and it was a lovely, lovely day weather-wise.

I certainly won't be here in the spring-summer unless really early in the day. I see being here in the fall/winter is no guarantee of a peaceful round either. The cooler months though mean no entrance fee for anyone (Fairfax County resident or otherwise). The entrance fee is collected April-October.

Relatively short course that plays quickly. Dual teepads allow for different layout on repeat rounds. Lots of birdie holes!
Despite being in the woods, I didn't see or get any ticks! (this is pet peeve of mine as my local course has tons of ticks).
Decent variety up/down hill, left/right/straight shots.
Fun!

Several fairways are close together such that errant shots may cross paths.
Few holes truly separate the pros from the ams. Everything is a par3, and a whole lot can be birdied without much difficulty.
Not so cart-friendly: lots of roots, logs, rocks and uneven surfaces.

I've only played this course once, and it was a tournament, so the baskets had been moved into their longest positions. This is a short technical course that can be played with a mid and a putter.
I'd play this course again if I was in the area.

It's not a super challenging course, but it does allow practice for all types of shots. Beginners and advanced players can play this course and get enjoyment from it. Advanced players will generally score very well here, but it still provides an element of interest. I grew up playing this course and would still play it today. There are a lot of ace runs that are great for confidence building. Highly recommend this course for anyone just getting started or advanced players who want a relaxing afternoon.

Course plays just long enough to keep you from playing 3 or 4 rounds, but short enough to make you want to play 3 or 4 rounds. Beware of thorn bushes in the woods.

Get out and throw, it's a fine course considering the area. There's no place like home.

Wooded course, with some tight shots. The course has great signs at each hole which have the length of the hole and alternate pins/pads.

Not too many long holes, the course is pretty tight for most of the holes, and the course fairway's cross over each other.

The signs and tee pads were great which is the first thing you notice when you walk up to the first tee. Easy to follow course. It has nice medium length holes that seem longer sometimes which is nice. The signs have the pars on there for you which is awesome.

The first 5 or 6 holes are right near the entrance to a kiddie train ride and an ice cream stand and a playground. So on a busy day ( like when we went) kids will wander on to the course and put sticks in the baskets which we had to remove and warn kids to get out of the way so they wouldn't get hit. But not to many course cons I can think of which is great.

The first few holes are very short but after hole 5 it gets a bit longer with some tougher drives to make the course more challenging. This course requires a good mid-range game and putting well will help get those birdies.

I really enjoyed the flow of this course. The signs were very well done (Full color, showed path to next hole, pegs showed which current hole was in use). There were plenty of ace possibilities, as a few holes were very short. Manditories were also well marked.

The biggest complaint I have with this course are the ultra-high tee pads (There were more than one occasion where I was sure I was going to fall off and twist my ankle). My other big complaints were the foot traffic around the course, how close each hole was to one another, and the amount of other players on the course. Not that a lot of players is a bad thing, but when the holes are that close to each other, you run the risk of hitting someone on another hole and visa versa. As for the foot traffic, the course is situated between a carousel, train, and trail. One hole was so close to the carousel that we got heckeled by the riders. The joggers with thier kids also made the way onto the course as they used it for a short cut to the train or ice cream shop. My last complaint is all the trash. For a public park, there were a ton of empty beer cans and no trash cans.

I know I rambled on with my complaints, and while there were a lot of them, this was still a fun & exciting course to bring a couple newcomers to. They had a great time and so did I !

This was a fun, crazy little course.

First off you walk through a mini carnival to get to hole #1. There is an ice cream parlor, playground, bathrooms, miniature golf, vending machines, a train and a freakin carousel! This could be the easiest course ever to convince your wife and kids to come to so you can get a round in.

Next up you get to hole #1 and look at the tee sign which just happens to be "The Nicest Tee Sign Ever"! And there are 17 more of these little beauties out there. They are full color, accurate overviews of the hole (and surrounding area), with distance for all pin positions and tees and where the next tee is located. There is also peg hole to indicate which pin position it is currently in. These signs should be held up as shining examples of what disc golf tee signs can be. Of course after you look at the sweet tee sign you realize that the hole is like 140 ft long and a super easy deuce/ace run...

Burke Lake has a really nice progression to it. The course starts pretty easy with a lot of deuce opportunities on the front 9 but as you go along the holes become a little more difficult, the distance increases a bit, the elevation changes get a little bigger and the angles to pin are harder.

All but 2-3 holes are in thick woods but the fairways are easy to navigate and the underbrush is minimal. There is a good balance to the holes with maybe a slight edge to a gentle anny off the tee. Some good line shaping is necessary to get a shot at a deuce on most holes and the whole course places a nice emphasis on hitting your lines and touch shots. Even if you do get offline though the rough is pretty forgiving.

The Innova Disc Catchers are in great shape and are good to have since they are so visible in the thick woods. There are two concrete tees every hole with the "Advanced" tee adding some extra distance and usually a shifted starting angle.

Maintenance on the course is very good. The grass (what little there is) was mowed and there was very little debris on the course.

Navigation was very easy even without the tee signs telling you where the next tee is. There is a very good flow to the course that makes it easy to follow.

A very fun course with a lot to offer for all levels of players.

Busy. Even without the mini carnival in operation this course gets a good amount of play on it. On a weekday morning there were easily 10 groups playing. With the fairways so close together that means a lot of discs flying close by. There were also lots of joggers and pedestrians near the course (although I didn't see any non dgers on the course itself). You might run into back ups here and you definitely want to keep an eye out for other players.

Some of the tees had some pretty significant drop offs around them. A couple were 6 to 8 inches off the ground which can easily lead to turned ankles or falls.

Short and not terribly challenging. On this course it is unlikely that you will need to break out the drivers. If you can throw a controlled mid you should get a lot of deuce looks here. If you like to air out your plastic then this is not the course for you.

This is a fun course that I can see has a good following with good reason.

There are lots of deuces available with a couple of good ace runs. I would love to take a beginner out on this course since it would be challenging for them without being discouraging.

It is always nice to have to other courses right down the road in Giles Run and Pohick Bay.

Please keep in mind this round was played with 3 inches of snow on the ground. The tees boxes were not slippy at all. They are made of that coarse concrete that has a slight roughness to it. This helped with traction alot and although I could not use as much leg action in my throw it was close considering the conditions.

There were only two other groups of golfers so we had the whole course practically to ourselves.

The snow made it easy to find discs. The last few times we played here the leaves got thick so this was a nice treat.

Course in good shape.

Bathrooms are open in main house before hole # 1.

A lot of hikers on trails but not enough to impact throws.

I was elated to be out playing a game of golf on a brisk december day. temp was about 31 but no wind and a very nice day.

its a good starter course nice and wooded loved it that way great area for a family outing lots of stuff to do for families...not very changeling but has a few good holes

some of the pro teas are not very well marked but kinda figured it out as we went along...think there is to many people that just walk onto the course without starting from the beginning since the baskets are so close together so not a good idea to hit someone while they play the course when they just randomly walk and play any holes they want

there should be a box for score cards with the map on it at number 1 tea box or as u walk onto the course at 1

good starter course with a few technical holes from the long tee's. The park is well maintained they just mowed the fields again. There are only a few trash cans speckled trough out the course but people seem to be pretty good about keeping the park clean

lots and lots of people, you will have to wait on the tees for larger groups. watch out for people picking up discs on some of the longer holes when the park is busy if you shot is not on the fairway people seem to think its ok to just pick up your disc and walk away with it

fun coarse but get there early to avoid the crowds. watch out for people picking up discs if you can throw. some of the baskets are blind from the tee so if you can get you frisbee down near the basket you are right along the trail. I had a disc stolen by a runner on hole 2 last week.

Beyond friendly atmosphere makes this a down-right fun course. You can't possibly have a bad temper at Burke Lake. Everyone smiles! (See other thoughts section for details).

- Midrange shot-shaping course through woods with defined fairways. While all are short, nearly all holes are Dog Legs and scattered with trees. The straighter holes will benefit from overhand shots and rollers.
- Cement Tee Pads, two per hole, and well marked baskets.
- Easy to follow layout with accurate tee signs.
- Elevation Changes on every hole, however nothing extreme.
- Favorite hole: #16 is Dog Leg Right with a Mando in middle of fairway. The drive is a 200' up and down hill shot, finishing well right of the Mando behind a couple tree-stump obstacles.

No need for distance drivers. Even though some are longer, nothing feels beyond 260 even from the hard tees due to elevation changes.

- The holes marked Par 4 are too generous and are easily played in 3.
- The lake itself never comes into play, and there are no water hazards.
- Easy to hit a tree and ricochet on other fairways. On busy days you will need to be aware of other golfers.
- Entrance fee: $8.00 -- although worth it if staying for more than Disc Golf.
- Very busy park during good weather. Many pedestrians wondering fairways thinking they are hiking trails.

Friendly for entire family. $8.00 entrance fee is steep, but it will get you inside a fantastic community park with great features. Plan a day with your friends, family, or special someone and enjoy everything the park has to offer.

A 218-acre lake with fishing, boating, rowboat rental, camping, a miniature train, a carousel, outdoor volleyball courts, open fields, an 18-hole par 3 golf course, clubhouse with snack bar and driving range, horse shoe pits, an ice cream parlor, picnic areas with grills, 3 playgrounds, trails, amphitheater, and miniature golf course.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelake/

18 holes, new white tees added as of May 2009 to change up an old course, well maintained, free entrance with VA plates, lake scenery, trees that add challenge, close to home for me, good for beginners

fairly short course, takes longer on weekends, very popular for NOVA residents and crowded - families walk from carousel to lake right in your way and are clueless

where i grew up and learned to play...nice classic course

Pretty setting by a lake. A few really nice tight shots like #3, #7, #14, #15 and #17. #18 is a nice closing hole. Some interesting technical holes like #13 and #16. Lots of other attractions in the park like boating, fishing, golf (and putt putt), attractions for kids like the mini-railroad and merry-go-round.

Course has been overtaken by advances in disc technology. Remember, it was installed in 1979.

This was the first course I ever played so it will always have a special place in my heart. I think I may have played over a 1000 rounds there, most of them from '83 - 89. Started with Super Pros until I saw Whamo 86's on sale in Bradlees. Back then disc technology hadn't advance to where it is today so it was pretty challenging. The course has been tweaked and lengthened over the years to add diificulty where at all possible. I think it's been stretched as much as possible, it'll take some more real estate (which is hard to come by) to stretch it any more.