+ Nearly the whole course, with one or two exceptions, plays in wide open, sunny, breezey and peaceful fields within a much larger park. Some appreciated elevation challenges keep this course from becoming a bore.
+ There are two baskets on all holes, and there are 'next tee' signs after every fairway.
+ Tee signs at every hole are illustrative and informative.
+ All tee pads are made of sufficiently long and wide contigous slabs of concrete. Three tee pads on all eighteen holes, but...

- ...some tees are showing damage, wear, erosion or other signs of disrepair.
- The tee signs are only at the blue tees. Those players seeking a shorter layout will have to first travel to the blue pad to see the info about what's ahead.
- The whole course, with one or two exceptions, is wide open. Therefore, the challenges boil down to mostly distance.
- There is no dedicated practice pin and no lost disc box that I could find. Then again, an open course like this probably doesn't need one.

It would be a bit too obvious to say that hole17 is my favorite to look at and play, so I won't. But still, that hole is a ridiculously perfect double tunnel of pine trees. As I looked at it I could picture a horsedrawn carriage gently transporting a 19th-Century aristocratic dignitary to some fancy banquet going down that corridor.
Instead, I'll say that my favorite to play is hole11 because of its bounding terrain and dense (for Franklin Park) tree cover. Hole13 was my favorite to look at because I could easily imagine a huge mansion in the style of Downton Abbey at the far end of that upward sloping hill with trees on three sides.
My least favorite was hole3 because it was the flattest, most direct and super wide open with a road on the right hand side.

In broad strokes, Franklin Park is a wide open course that definitely accommodates the power arms out there. There isn't much use for tactical approaches at this one. The elevation on offer isn't terribly daunting, but it can catch you off guard if you aren't adaptable. I like how approachable it is with two baskets and three tee pads on literally every hole. Mathematically, that makes for six different layouts, which not many other courses can claim. Also, there is a bit of a classy vibe to this course. With how peaceful and well-groomed it is, I almost expected to see a country club on the premises.

In finer strokes, I should mention that hole6 was unplayable during my visit due to construction within the park. Many laminated notices tacked to the fences guide players around the construction from hole5 to hole7. That's a shame, too, because it looked like hole6 would be a fun downhill hole to play. Holes8 and 9 got into my head because there are other fenced-in park features along those fairways. If my aim wasn't true or an unlucky nasty breeze came by, I might have lost a disc. Some of the holes feel copy-pasted. Holes3, 4, 13 - 15 play similarly. But there are definitely moments of satisfaction here. Hole12 puts an empty retention basin in the way. I Imagine it must feel good to skirt along the edge instead of having to climb out of it. What few fairways with trees in the way are much appreciated for how rare of a treat it is. Holes7, 11, 16 and 17 are probably the best examples of that. Also, hole18 gets a special mention for throwing a whole pond in the way when you least expect it. (Good thing I played from the white tees that day!)

Bottom line: The course at Franklin Park is not brilliant or particularly memorable, but it is still a good and quiet place to play so you can practice your longer throws and get some light exercise. Come here with a friend or two, try the different layouts and just enjoy the nice breezes and sunshine. Gently recommended.

- 3 sets of well marked, well built concrete tee pads
- 2 baskets for each hole
- Well maintained, which is key with the large amounts of grass this course plays over. They were mowing the day I was there and it was evident that it is mowed frequently.
- A few unique water holes, or shots where a carry over a creek is required.
- Elevation on the property was used successfully
- Signs (when present) were helpful
- A few well-executed multi-shot holes, which are always enjoyable for me
- Nice to have a course that has huuuge length, although it becomes a con (see below)

- Largest con is that this course is almost completely open and somewhere on the back nine I found myself bored. I didn't want to throw another destroyer into an open field to throw another destroyer to see if I can get close to the basket in an open field.
- In tandem, the course definitely lacks in variety. As noted above, it uses the elevation well and there are definitely some cool holes, but it is not a course that requires every shot in the bag
- Where trees do come into play, they are either easily avoided or there were no true gaps and over them was the only way. If you don't have 450+, this course is not accessible for birdies, at least in the long to long layout.
- A few of the holes are in highly trafficked areas; there were picnic tables doting one of the greens. It didn't interfere with my round, but easily could.
- In a few places the rough was a pit of doom. As in don't even bother looking, you'll only get poison ivy (a con in and of itself).
- Lack of benches on tee pads. A course this long needs a couple more places to sit.
- There is a note somewhere on this site that the signs are no longer up to date, so while they helped somewhat with navigation, it's frustrating because at one point they were well-made signs. Now they are cracking and fading and missing in multiple locations.
- Navigation was definitely an issue long to long as well. There are a few places one must backtrack, and a hidden tee pad or two

The elevation and multiple ways to play the course keep it from sliding too far down on the rating scale. I definitely enjoyed parts of the round, but have rarely felt as disinterested playing disc golf as I did on 13-16.17 and 18 are cool finishing holes, but the back to back open field par 5s sucked a lot of the fun out. A break in some wooded holes between 9 and 10 would be great, if the county would let them do that much work.

The remarks about the lack of shade are to be taken seriously. I played a fairly quick solo round on a very warm day and it took it out of me by the end.

I enjoy throwing frisbees a far way, but don't think there is much to bring me back to the course. That being said, I'm glad to have played it because there were fun bombs and multi-shot holes that a lot of East Coast courses don't have.

Open spaces, good for first timers

As others have said, 3 tee boxes and 2 baskets on each hole gives lots of playing options.

Beautiful setting and an enjoyable park

Start of course not clearly marked. We ended up starting on 10 and working our way around

If you are looking for a technical course, this is not it.

If you want a nice open course in a great setting, this course is for you.

Good use of elevation changes to very the feel of holes and to help shape fairways, the course is also very well maintained. Being that the course is largely in fields you shouldn't have to worry about fighting through weeds and underbrush to find a lost disc. Signage is good and navigation is easy.

The course is almost exclusively wide open holes with very few trees or underbrush to punish bad shots.

While the course is largely wide open, the placement of the course was designed well in order to very the feel of each hole. The distance also provides for a descent challenge. I think this is a great "change-up" course, for this course you can worry less about accuracy and more about distance.

Wonderful course for those of us who are just starting out. Three tees and two baskets on each hole make for some variety, but none of it is difficult. Signs on all the holes and mostly on two of the tees at each, along with concret tee pads for almost all the tees.

Because the course is so well marked, it makes you notice when it's not.

The red tees don't have signs. Not a big deal except signs on the other two tee pads spoils you.

No tee pads on hole twelve. Again, normally not a big deal except all the other holes have them.

One biggie: since there are no tee pads on 12, the red tee doesn't seem to be marked. The other two tees have the signs, but nothing for red. You have to estimate where the tee should be.

Experienced players will likely find this course boring and unchallenging, but not everyone is experienced. Sometimes it's nice to have a simple course like this one when you're a beginner.

3 tee's per hole, 2 baskets per hole, plenty of choices, no lost discs, decent flow

Wide open every single hole, not much of a change got lost once or twice

Great course for an ace race, red tees to yellow baskets usually under 300ft

This course was recently upgraded. The upgrades are a massive improvement. The course now has three tees and two pins per hole and some excellent tee signs. Played from the long tees to the dark pins, it has decent flow and offers significant challenges both in distance and angles. If you want a lark in the park, the short tees to the yellow pins are about as easy as a course gets (though you'll have long walks between holes).

The tees are concrete, the baskets are new, and the park is well maintained. The course worms through a large number of other fields and facilities which have plenty of water, benches, restrooms, and trashcans.

Played on a day when the park is not heavily used (or during a work day), it is a very enjoyable course with a variable level of challenge in a beautifully maintained park.

Played on the weekend, the park can get so crowded that the course will be frustrating; there are just too many people.

The course backtracks a little and crosses paved roads, but you can find your way around if you pay attention to the tee signs.

Though many of the individual fairways are quality (and fun) shots, they are not often demanding (unless you are playing the purple baskets from the long tees), but they do often border other facilities where the people (and children and horses and cars and picnics) don't like getting hity by flying discs. Also, a few fairways are gimmicky; #15 particularly has a tight, artificial OB designed to protect the horses.

Risk-reward decisions are sparse (though the last, long shot is a 400ft. shot across water) and the course is so well manicured that recovery shots are typically easy tosses from open, well-mowed fields. You aren't going to get into any major trouble or lose discs on this course (except for, perhaps, in the lake at the end).

The course is a single loop which starts and ends in the back-left of the park by the lake.

Walls of trees that act as wind screens are all around the course. As a result, the shifts in wind strength and direction on a single fairway can surprise you.

I can't emphasize enough how much the recent upgrades have improved this course. If you haven't played it since late in 2011, you should give it another try.

Beautiful pastoral setting, I think Dave242 would give this one an A for Appalachian beauty.

Three concrete tees per hole (except #12 where I could find none). I only found 2 tees on 18 but I easily could have missed one.

Two baskets per hole, normal yellow Discatchers in the short positions and purple Discatchers in the long (or nasty) position.

Nice elevation put to good use, including a couple big downhillers that everybody loves.

Mostly open but all except a few holes have some tree(s) that you have to consider. Decent distance allows you to air it out on a bunch of holes (from the white or blue tees).

My favorites were #6 (big downhill air), #10, #12 (air across a big bowl to a pin perched delicately atop a ridge) and #17 (cool tunnel shot lines with pines on either side)

Tough to follow, especially most of the front nine. Don't even consider playing it with printing out the map in the links section on this site. They have some maps up in the park office but they're not near as current as the linked map according to a local I ran into.

Even with the map, the tees and some of the baskets can be hard to find. No signs or directions anywhere on the course. Marking the hole number and color on the tees and adding some next tee signs near the pins would be worth at least a .5 bump.

Hole #11 doesn't have much of a fairway from the white or blue tees due to a wall of fairly tall white pines that leaves little to no gap. Big arms will go up and over, otherwise it's roll and pray for luck. It does make for a satisfying par if you're good/fortunate enough.

There are a number of picnic tables either in fairways or close enough to be in play, so portions of the course may not be playable on weekends or unseasonably nice weather days when pinic'ers and other park patrons are present.

I played white tees (at least what I thought were the white tees) to the yellow pins, so that was my perspective for this review. The purple baskets are significantly longer most of the time, but when they're not they're usually in a particularly diabolical location.

I tend to favor woodsey technical course but I really enjoyed this layout, so the designers really did a nice job with this property.

The previous reviewers have really been spot-on, especially HawaiiJack. I didn't find the finish on the tees to be as much of a problem, but then I don't have a very good pivot. I did catch my foot on #17 white.

Because the course is so open wind can be a significant factor on most holes.

Even though the tees seem to be missing on #12 it's really easy to imagine where they should be.

After the #17 purple pin you'll see what I'm guessing is the #18 blue tee. This is the one that requires a big carry over part of the lake (that I don't have). Whether you decide to play this or not, you have to take a non-intuitive long walk along the tree line to your left down to a bridge to clear a big bog between you and the hole/other tee. If it's been dry and/or you have good Goretex footwear you might be able to cut across sooner.

Add good signs, mark the tees and and add next tee signs and this course becomes a 4 easy.

The directions from the east on the main page are a little misleading as they suggest the exit is about 20 miles from Leesburg. I measured it at 14 miles from the beginning of the Leesburg bypass on Route 7, 12 miles from the intersection with Route 15, and 10 miles from the Roue 7 business exit just west of Leesburg. It's really not that big a deal as long as you look for the Route 7 Business exit marked for Round Hill/Purcellville, the rest is all perfect. I'll see if I can get this fixed on the main page.

This course should be on your itinerary if you're planning a trip anywhere nearby, it looks like it will only get better.

Nicely maintained, wide open course. There seems to be a lot of effort being put in here and this moderate course could be on it's way to greatness. The finishing holes are superb and the scenery along the course is splendid. The multiple tees allow a lot of different experiences.

The rough cement tee pads in place now are HORRIBLE. They are an invitation to a knee or ankle injury if you attempt to drive off hard and pivot. Are there plans to place a better surface on these once they are all poured? When I played only hole #12 was still lacking tees and driving from grass was more enjoyable than from these rough tees. Course navigation is difficult particularly finding the start, some of the multiple tee placements, and working your way through #9 - #10 - #11 and the multiple road crossings. The course can be very wet and swampy but also blazingly hot with no shade or relief. The current #18 has wildly separated tees with a basket hidden behind a tree which was hard to locate even with a course map. I had no issues with sports teams or a ball golf driving range as some reviewers mentioned. In fact there is no driving range here now.

This course can be very punishing even though it is so wide open. By wide open I mean there is generally a clear flight line from the tee to the pin, hole #1 being a dramatic exception. I had no business being in the rough but kept finding myself there all day long as many fairways and basket placements are close to it. #12 requires a very precise and accurate drive to clear a large swampy drainage area and land on a narrow ridge before sailing out of bounds into disc devouring hip high weeds. #9 has potential trouble left and right and plasnetic (like magnetic only they attract plastic) fields all along this course seem to suck your disc to places you had no intention to be. I lost one disc, found three, and was inspired to bring coveralls in the future after tangllng with the briars, cutting grass, and sticker bushes. Hole #18 looks like it could become magnificent. It appears there is going to be an option to throw over a lake on the last drive and you will definitely risk losing your disc. There were picnickers present but no alternate basket visible when I played. You will get cheers or boos from the crowd if you decide to try to be a hero here. I hope they put in some of those disc retreivers tethered to a pole or train some dogs to go get your disc as wading in the lake is currently verbotten. Combined with #16 and #17 this will make for an awesome string of holes at the finis. I agree with the reviewer who says he is always inspired to empty the bag while teeing off on #6. It would be fine to bring friends and spend a day at ths park having a picnic, playing a round, then rewarding yourself with time in the pool/water park near the entrance.

This is a great course to air it out and watch your disc fly which is a nice change from most courses in the area. Each hole has three concrete tee pads (some still need to be poured but the frames are in place) and will eventually have two baskets per hole.

Pin placements make excellent use of the elevation change in the park and wind is often in play as this park sits close to Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The senery is beautiful at Franklin Park and hole 6 to me is the signature hole of the park (some will argue it's 17) and I have emptied my bag many times standing at the top of the hill.

Download the course map before you start. There are no signs yet and the course crosses over the park roads a bunch of times.

Football and lacrosse practices will take holes 2, 3, 4, and maybe 6 out of play when they're in season.

Holes 13, 14, and 15 are redundant and could use some trees to make them more interesting.

Franklin Park is the only disc golf course in Loudoun County and the park manager is really trying to create a great course. He's close and once signs are in place and completes the concrete tees this course will deserve four discs.

Two tee locations per hole. New, top quality baskets. Online map made the course easy for a first-time visitor to navigate. Located in a very large and beautiful park with many non-disc golf options available.

Natural tees currently marked by small coloured flags. A couple of the long tee locations (10, 11) seemed a bit harsh, as there is a treeline immediately in front of them.

Potential negative interactions with other park users:
#9 - long, downslope shot, but too far right and land in the outdoor in-line hockey rink
#13 - plays along the leftside of a ball golf driving range
#14 - plays along the leftside of a ball golf driving range - long tee-14 is practically in the middle of the range, at the 175-yard mark!
#15 - plays across the top of a ball golf driving range. Isolated picnic table located near basket.

Update 2/22/11: A snippet from the course designer "... the driving range is actually not in use and not even technically supposed to be there ..." which hopefully means that dgers shouldn't have to worry about being drilled in the back of the head with a golf ball.

This fairly open course offers plenty of chances to admire the flight of your discs. After short (don't be too far, or you'll find water), right-turning #1, you'll find flat and wide open 2-4. Number-5 is also open but uphill, while number-6 is a major downhill - stop and admire the views for awhile. Numbers 7-8 are uphill, and begin to bring trees into play, although a wide hyzer route can be used to avoid them on #8. Number-9 is long, open, and downslope, while number-10 is uphill to a basket surrounded by trees. Number-11 is a short, upslope shot, while #12 is slightly downhill across a retention basin. Numbers 13-15 go steadily up a slope, with trees along the leftside. Number-16 has a tight, tree-lined path, but a wide hyzer option is also available. Number-17 is a hallway shot, and finally to tee-18, at the edge of the pond, across a valley to a basket at about the same elevation.

Word has it that concrete teepads will be installed soon, but will only be 3'x2'?! Hopefully longer teepads, and signage, will be coming soon, to complement this up-n-coming course.

Fun course to play for a wide range of skill types, as there will be some ace runs, birdy opportunities, obtainable pars, and bogeys to struggle to avoid.

Update 12/31/11: Now has two baskets per hole, and three 5'x10' concrete tees per hole, providing lots different length options.

An 18 hole course in Loudoun County.

Brand new Discatcher baskets.

Challenging. Much more than I thought it would be. Get your birdies when you have the chance if you want to shoot under par.

Good use of the available space. There is a ton of room to really air it out in this layout with room to grow as the course matures.

Some great elevation changes.

The potential here is amazing. I can see multiple pin and tee postions extending the length of this course to championship length.

Fun!

No tee boxes yet. The temporary markers were hard to find on my first visit. I played from the Pro markers and I have a feeling a couple were moved from their intended postion due to the rather peculiar locations they were in.

I didn't see another soul actually in the park while I was there on a cold Tuesday morning but I can imagine it might be a problem on a warm weekend day with other users of the park. A lot of holes have picnic tables in the middle of the fairways and some are even located next to the baskets.

I would love to see the water come into play on this course. I can think of some long tee positions on at least three holes that would provide more intensity to a round. It would really raise the caliber of this course significantly.

I just moved to Leesburg, VA from San Jose, CA where my home course was world famous De Laveaga in Santa Cruz. I was resigned to driving all the way out to Seneca to get some quality golf. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this little gem just 20 minutes from door-to-tee. I look forward to getting out to Franklin Park at least a couple times a week.

The first half of the course is nice and open with a good flow. The second part of the course has some tricker shots with trees, etc.

The holes are long!

There are a couple of holes that have significant elevation changes - fun!

Brand spanking new Innova DISCatcher Pro baskets.

Bathrooms are available.

Trashcans at some holes.

Parking is easy and plentiful.

No tee boxes yet. Small flags mark the tee locations and are easy to find, but could easily be kicked out - some where missing already!

No signs of any kind - you would not know there was a course there if you did not see the baskets (or read about it here!)

The course goes around the perimeter of the park - no out nine and back here!

Beautiful scenery with lots of amenities - fishing pond, gazebos, BBQ pits, pool, etc.

There were no crowds when we played. Of course we went on the coldest day of the year and not many people wanted to be out in the sub 20-degree weather. During the summer there might be some more people.