+ The course plays mostly away from the rest of this active yet peaceful park.
+ Good balance of lefty vs. righty, open holes, tunnel throws and true wooded challenges with some water features to boot. I was impressed with the diversity at this 9-hole course.
+ About three or four of the holes have significant elevation changes. (A lot of trials are densely packed into this course!)
+ Approachable for new players thanks to two tee off areas for each and every hole...

- ... but there are no actual tee pads here: just patches of worn down dirt denoted by stout vertical wooden markers painted different colors depending on which distance it is, which can be hard to see in the first place. Some tee areas have exposed roots and rocks.
- The tee signs have distance and par but no diagram of the hole.
- It's rather brief with only two holes near or exceeding 350ft from the long tees. (A positive thing for the new players)
- Some of the tees are too close to the previous fairway or basket. Tee4 and fairway3 come to mind.
- Some areas of absolutely impenetrable rough here- especially on hole 2.

My favorite hole here was definitely hole 5. From my limited experience It's so delightfully rare to encounter a 9-hole course with a healthy stream that the player throws over not once but twice! Hole five is a downhill glide through some trees and over that stream. My least favorite hole was hole 8. I was nervous throwing out of there because it's the part of the course that heads back towards the main park, and I couldn't see if anyone was at the end of the tunnel. It felt necessary to yell, "Fore!" both times I played it.

As for the course as a whole, Chimney Rock deserves a higher score than what I gave it today. Everything that I love about a course is right here. It's got some nice elevation challenges, a well-used water feature, a nice setting with an enjoyable walk, tree dodging, and the kind of hybrid-style holes that are both open and just wooded enough to force the player to think before they throw. It is a great example of what a 9-hole course can be.

But the tee areas have a lot to be desired. Those roots and rocks in the wooded holes can easily cause a stumble, and the areas probably get soggy after rain. The tee signs should be updated to include diagrams of the hole ahead, and maybe they could be installed at each tee area instead of just the black (long) one. And even though it is a brief 9-hole course, some 'next tee' signs would be nice to help out new players as well.

In closing, Chimney Rock is already a good 9-hole course with some enjoyable disc golf for all players. All that's missing is some extra love of groundskeeping and some touches of infrastructure. I aim to return one day in the future. If the above issues are addressed, then I will gladly award a higher score! Recommended.

A park nine with several wooded holes. It's got two tee positions, good DisCatcher baskets and a local following. But the park doesn't appear to do anything other than mow, and some of the holes have changed for the worse as trees and bushes have grown over the years.

The non-wooded holes (1-2, 6-9) play along narrow grass fairways that are fair. They require accuracy, but the punishment for being offline is pretty brutal: very thick and tall rough, lots of prickers, no clear lines to the basket. For a mild nine in a park, the penalty for missing your shot is pretty extreme

The wooded holes are a different story: 5 and 7 are very short (7 is almost a straight jump putt, and 5 is a crazy hard turning right dogleg down a steep slope - also a putter shot). Hole #6 is a gem: straight, almost 300' along a river bed with a creek crossing, and plenty of trees guarding the green. The only drawback is that the natural tees are in the old riverbed, and footing is very rocky (especially the White tee) - you can't run up, and have to throw 250' from a standstill

Tees have never been more than natural, with small markers embedded at ground level. Many are missing, but the signage is located at the back (Blue) position. Some of the signs are gone, leaving only the posts.

Holes 8 and 9 were always blind teeshots, but returning recently for the first time in more than three years, I was struck by how much less playable they've become due to growing trees and encroaching rough.

When I first played Chimney Rock in 2018 and 2019, it was fair, fun and a great place for "advanced beginners." Short, but more challenging than wide open parks like nearby Harry Dunham, a good stepping stone to longer, narrower and wooded courses. It still is - but the lack of park maintenance hurts. It looks to me like a situation where the park management just tolerates having a sport that it doesn't really understand (not uncommon in northern New Jersey).You can't blame the enthusiastic local supporters when the park won't help out

1 - Quality professional baskets
2 - Clean
3 - Short but enough obstacles to compensate

1 - No tee pads, markers or anything to indicate where to tee off.
2 - Signage is poor or nonexistent
3 - Woods are THICK and littered with sticker bushes

Far ways are narrow which is ok and forces you to work on accuracy but the thickness of the woods makes going for distance unappealing as a shanked disc will get swallowed.

The course layout is pretty simple but could be really great fun if all my "Cons" are addressed.

If someone wants to organize a clean-up effort I'll help, PM me.

Cool layout, secluded, great woods holes, baskets are in great shape, was a fun course for both beginners or the more advanced

Poor signage, couldnt find Hole #9 tee box, the place needed a good mowing, WOODS ARE THICK, stay in the fairway or else you'll spend half the round in the woods searching for a needle in a haysack, i lost a Silver Discraft Ti Buzzz on the 6th hole, please call me if you find it, i had it for literally one day

The idea is there, this is my 2nd time playing this course and I'm not sure if i will go back, id rather play other courses and not spend an hour per 9 holes looking for discs.... i know i should stay in the fairway... haha but sometimes it don't work out like that, ill come back in the fall when the foliage is less thick, TONS OF PRICKERS in the woods

1. There was a decent use of terrain. Some holes were downhill, some uphill, and some flat. I especially liked the downhill holes.
2. Chimney Rock offered a long tee but half of the time I couldn't find it.

1. There really weren't any tee pads. They were grass and on a rainy day you have absolutely no footing. They should really add new concrete tee pads
2. The signage is awful here. Most holes have faded signage and some holes don't even have signage at all! I heard that they were supposed to make new updated tee signs in January 2015 but they didn't.
3. Absolutely no course amenities. No benches at tees, garbage cans on course, disc bag posts/hooks, next tee arrows, etc.
4. Not really that much hole variety in distance. Other than one 485 par 4, all holes are 160 feet.
5. There really wasn't a signature hole on the course. Most holes are not very unique. Maybe if they extended hole 2 and moved the basket to on top of the hill, it could be signature.
6. Most important: the overall fun factor. I really don't know what to say but most of the time this course really isn't interesting at all but it is a good course for a quick round.

Don't really come here if you are looking for a challenge or hoping for a solid 4 rated course. Play the new Thompson Park or Greystone Woods.

Good mix of open and wooded holes, not to mention the use of a stream to add the water factor. Has some nice technical shots and the change to rip some long drives. Nice scenery.

Signage
-Should include at least a crude map to show what and where you're aiming for. Example: For #1, the sign orientation suggests to aim to the left, which I believe was actually #8's fairway. On second inspection, it seemed that the fairway was to the right of the tree line and left of the playground. Finally, after walking around a bit more, I located the basket and realized that you shoot through a prison of trees. (At this point I brought up dgcoursereview on my phone).

-Should include a next tee location as well. I could not find the tee for #4, even with the help of the site. The signs are all mounted on the same type of posts as nature trail's signs, so it got somewhat confused.

Overrall, for a first time visitor, I had a lot of trouble navigating (this does not mean the course didn't run smoothly, because it does flow nicely). I'm sure the addition of a map would solve this.

Holes
The #5 hole is a joke. I could practically spit to the basket. Yes it's over a stream, but from that close, a water hazard doesn't even factor into it. If the tee box was backed up a few hundred feet it would definitely turn into a great hole.

Should add permanent tee pads and better signage. Make #5 hole longer. Decent layout but could have utilized a lot more trails and elevation changes.

Chimney Rock DGC is an interesting little course that would be good for families and those new to the sport.

In my opinion, the first hole is the best on the course. The tee sits on top of a hill and you're driving down to a basket almost completely surrounded by trees. Your drive is really an all-or-nothing throw; an off-track drive could easily put you over par, but a well-parked throw will reward a birdie.

For only 9 holes, this course has a decent amount of variety as far as the hole lengths go, from 100 to 485'. The course does make some use of both open and wooded fairways and incorporates several natural obstacles.

The baskets at Chimney Rock are in great shape.

The signage at Chimney Rock isn't the best...if it's even there at all. For those holes that actually have tee signs, the hole number and distance to pin are all that is available. For the rest of the holes, the tee signs are non-existent.

Another issue I had was with the lack of tees. Some holes had markers showing the edge of the tee, but other holes you had to figure out where the tee was based on the ruts.

Several of the fairways border very sharp and very dense briar patches. If your disc goes astray and into the thicket, good luck finding it without getting bloody (if you find it).

Although there is variety to the hole lengths, some of the holes are simply too short. No matter how you slice it, a 100' hole doesn't belong on a course unless there is significant OB or other obstacles that would make it a legitimate par 3. There are a few other holes at Chimney Rock that are extremely short and are not challenging enough for a par 3.

The layout of the course is so-so. Specifically, you have to double-back from hole 8 to play hole 9. On a few of the holes you're driving toward a blind basket and in some cases, it's near other public walkways, basketball courts, and the ice rink. This is fairly dangerous when you consider that it's a multi-use course.

This course is another example of how good land is underutilized. There are numerous mountain bike paths that dip into the woods at Chimney Rock that could either expand this course into 18 holes or at least lengthen the existing 9 holes.

You have to commend the vision of the scout that helped get this course installed, but expert advice would have really helped make this course so much more.

Specific upgrades that would really have a big impact would be tee pads, more detailed tee signs (or tee signs for those that are missing), and lengthening several of the holes.

Woods holes
Tall grass/trees as hazards

Poor markings/tee areas

I like that the designers of this course tried to make it challenging, even though this is a small, short course. The woods holes are nicely done, and I hope they extend the course further back that way. There is certainly the possibility of lost discs here, and there are a couple of blind holes that aim directly at picnic benches and such, so be careful if the park is busy. I like this course better than Greenwood, but not quite as much as I do Harry Dunham, although I really do appreciate the few woods holes here.

Chimney Rock is a nice quick 9 hole, with some versatile holes. A few open holes lead to a few wooded holes then back into the open. While you'll see a variety of hole types, most play very simply. The most difficult, and my favorite of the course was the first hole. From an elevated tee you throw down to a pin in an alley created by large pine trees. Wooded holes are very short and offer pretty easy ace runs. While not very well marked, course was pretty easy to navigate. All and all a nicely kept, beginner friendly course.

Tee pads and signs could be an improvement. Tees are marked, but only with a numbered post that may or may not be vandalized. Some of the open holes have nasty rough on the edges so throw clear of that. Wooded holes may feel to simple for experienced players, something you would only throw a putter at. I'm not sure how hole 9 is supposed to be played, the numbered post is in the oddest place I've ever seen. then about a 100 ft away was a log laid down in a much more logical position with 'hole 9' written on it. Again, some signage could really clear this up.

A fine 9 hole, nothing very memorable but a nice course when compared to a lot of the other courses in new jersey. Great place for local play and practice. When combined with nearby 9 hole Greenwood Meadows and Harry Dunham Park you could have a decent 27 hole afternoon.

The course is on the grounds of a beautiful and well kept park. The course is not very challenging, but it is still fun to play. A great course for beginnners. The field holes (1-2, 6-9) are longer, and the rough on the sides are pretty easy to lose a disc in. The wooded holes (3-5) are short and pretty easy. They have a really nice bridge over the creek along the wooded holes, and a deck path back up the steep incline making it very easy to get from hole to hole. Overall the course is very nice and well worth playing.

Some of the signs were missing or hard to read. Also one or two of the tees were not clearly marked - these two factors kept the rating from being a 4.

Would be nice if it was a full 18 hole course.
Chimney Rock is not a course to travel to, but it is definitely an above average course for locals to play. The course could use some improvments, but overall its still a fun play and an excellent way to introduce new players to the sport.