I give this course an "excellent" rating for the varying shots you get to play. It's a fairly open course with natural obstacles that are fair and fun.
The variety is what makes this course fun to play.
Not a "long" course so if shot making is what like this is a good course for you.
The site may say "closed" due to pandemic I can assure you it is very much open! (Somewhere in the Constitution is the Right to Play DiscGolf, right?)
Decent signage with multiple baskets to play on most holes.

While a great layout, the course needs grooming. I don't know who or if there is an organization that is responsible for it but a good mower and weedeater could do wonders for this course. That is literally the only con I can say about George Ward.

We play this course whenever we are in Birmingham. We like it a lot and grateful it's there.

My favorite course so far. Only played 18 and will definitely be back to play again and throw all 24. There are at least two pin options on every hole I played. Busy course even the day after Christmas. I would say it was very well-maintained. A lot of thought was put into making the pin placement challenging. Enough trees to be a factor and make you shave some of your shots but not enough to make it really frustrating. I would recommend this course to beginners and veterans.

They were only two pins on some of the holes maybe due to vandalism? Some of the distances look like they might be a little off.

Added to favorites.

Varied pin locations, good tee pads, Disc Golf Legend Tom Monroe (white van), lots of dg traffic, front and back 9 end at the parking lot, plenty of trash cans, and fun to play.

Lots of dg traffic, nothing extremely technical, no restroom onsite.

A definite must play if you are traveling through the area. Birmingham's oldest course.

Great layout, multiple pins at every hole, well groomed, nice park.

No really technical holes

It's definitely a course worth playing. With having two baskets at every hole, two rounds is like 36 different holes.

The Birmingham area has several great courses each with their own unique flavor. George Ward park is no exception and I enjoyed playing here. There is a great variety of holes and although it is not the most difficult course out there you still need to throw well to get a decent score. The course is set in a city park not far from downtown Birmingham and is easily accessible from all parts of the city. The majority of the course crosses the park itself and does not restrict itself to the perimeter like other courses tend to do. This allows the course to be more open and not be solely restricted to tunnel shots down a narrow fairway. The course meanders through the park and does a great job of using the space well and is able to use the topography of the park to its advantage but does not impede on the use of the park for other patrons. The majority of the course is lightly wooded so it is a great place to introduce the game to your family and friends as it is very beginner friendly and the chance of losing a disc here is minimal. Most of the course is fairly open but there are still plenty of trees that will penalize you for errant shots. Even though the holes are open many of them have well protected greens so its not too easy. A few of the holes are in more densely wooded areas so its not all out in the open (in particular holes 10-12 and the bonus holes A-F) There is some elevation on the course and the designers made great use of it. Overall the course is well designed and should be enjoyed by all disc golfers. Below are some of main positive points about the course.
1: Course is well marked. I had no trouble finding the tees or the baskets on any of the holes and this was without a map. Very first timer friendly.
2: The course is free and has a dedicated parking lot next to the practice basket for disc golfers. There is a guy who sells discs and bags out of a van in the parking lot so if you need something he is right there.
3: Good use of the parkland and elevation. Has plenty of hole types to suit just about every type of player.
4: Beginner friendly - This course would be great to bring friends and family and introduce them to the game but still challenging enough to test the skills of seasoned players.
5: Signature Holes. Every great course should have at least one memorable hole and George Ward has at least a few for me. Hole 1 is a great hole to start off with as you head down the hill and try and hit the green that is defending by the granite boulders. Hole 13 with the creek running down the right side which will cause instant pain for an errant throw and hole 15 just because I enjoy throwing a disc off a high teepad.
6: Bonus holes: I beleive the course was designed with 18 holes but there is now an additional 6 holes set in the South West corner of the park between holes 14 and 15. These holes are more technical than most of the others and is a great addition to the course.

The course is well designed and I can't really think of any complaints. I did find a couple of things that players should be aware of:
1: Its a popular park including a lot of non disc golfers. Several of the holes are in areas where other people may be using the park so keep an eye out for pedestrians before throwing. Most of the time it was people walking their dogs or just strolling around the park so its not a big inconvience.
2: The bonus holes A-F are not quite as finished as the other 18 holes. I don't recall them having concrete tees which is not something that bothers me but it is a concern for some. I am sure that with time these holes will be brought up to the same standard as the original 18.

George Ward Park is an excellent course and should be on the map for any disc golfer who is in the Birmingham area. If I am in the Birmingham area again I will definetely have to stop by to play a round or two. This is an excellent example of how a city park course should be and is a good showcase for disc golf. If you have limited time in Birmingham and can only play one course you can't go wrong here. Nearby courses are more technical and challenging and well suited for expierienced players but George Ward is great for playing a good round of disc golf without having to spend loads of time looking for your disc after a bad throw.

- Well designed park course.
- Balanced mix of different elevation, right/left, distance, wooded/open.
- Friendly, helpful locals and course pro on sight.
- Often discs for sale on sight.
- Good baskets, benches, signs, practice basket and bulletin board.

- Tough to find the parking area by hole 1 the first time.
- Bathrooms are not always easily available.
- Walkers can come into play on some holes.

I think GW is just a classic course. It's a beautiful park. It uses the hilly terrain of the area really well in the course design. I love holes 14 and 15 (I think) that play around the creek. The locals are great and plastic has been available each time I've been out there so far. I've played it about 5 times and it's one of my all-time favorite courses.

I just moved here from an area that had more courses, but we didn't have many that approached GW in terms of quality and character. You'll use all of your shots on this one and enjoy a really nice city park. There are new plantings around the course and it's well maintained. The 6 wooded holes (A-F) didn't all have concrete tee pads, but I thought they were more than sufficient.

I think one great improvement to the course would be some kind of sign on the Green Springs Hwy parking lot indicating where to park for disc golf. It's not obvious, and the first two times I played GW (separated by about 7 years time), I ended up there. This would be great for out-of-towners as GW is a "destination course" in my opinion. I even ran into someone else who was in the same boat: he had played there back in the day but couldn't remember where hole 1 was located from that side.

This one added feature would greatly improve the sketchy vibe that comes from ending up in the park's often-abandoned Green Springs' side parking lot. There's not as much activity over there. The real disc golf parking area (linked on the "Map Location" button here) is off of 4th Street South, just past the tennis complex.

Once you get there, you'll probably see other disc golfers, dog walkers and people using the sports facilities. I've personally never felt unsafe at George Ward, and the last time I played, I took my three kids. We played until dark and had a good time. It's a well used park, and this parking area is between the front and back 9 (with six bonus holes in the woods on the back side).

There's apparently a bathroom at the tennis center which is only open a couple of days per week or possibly at the baseball area nearby, but even the locals weren't really clear on this. Restroom options either on-site or nearby would be a helpful addition to the bulletin board. Apparently, girls like real bathrooms.

You're going to run into people walking dogs and such, but this only comes into play in a big way on maybe 2 holes. There are some other holes where it may be a very occasional issue.

Of course, one of the best things about this course is the presence of course pro Tom Monroe most afternoons. If you see his white van you'll have a great selection of plastic and some good conversation with a local legend. Tom teaches disc golf classes for two colleges nearby and is a super nice guy. The last time I was out, I had left my putters in the basket at home. He insisted that my kids borrow a couple of discs for their round.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Monroe

I'm still kind of amazed after reading the Wikipedia article on Tom. I'll have to soak up some disc golf wisdom next time I'm out there.

Ward has a lot to offer players of all levels. It's a very pretty park and the course is challenging, but not brutal. The course has lots of hills and big, old trees.

There are short holes and long holes and lefts, rights, and straights. I like to throw rollers there, too. The baskets and tee pads are good.

It does get a little crowded at times and some of the shots are tight on the pedestrian walkways.

If you're traveling to B-ham, hit me up and we'll play a round.

*Well taken care of
*Pin positions changed daily
*Course is fair but challenging
*Can use all your shots in a round
*Tom to buy discs from in the parking lot
*Front 9 and back 9 holes separated perfectly

*Some holes can play extremely long
*Can get crowded

This is my Home course, and a great one to learn on

Will force you to take different shots off the tee, including multiple high to low tee shots. Tom sells discs in the parking lot and is willing to give advice.

Park is not in the best area of town, but I never had any safety problems.

-Beautiful Park
-Nice layout of course
-Nice descriptive tee pad signs
-Tee pads at almost every hole

-Some baskets either need to be replaced or need some attention
-Need tee pads in some areas
-Take along maps would be great

Been playing for about a year and this was my first time to play this park. I really enjoyed the park and the layout of the tees. Beautiful park with a mixture of shots. Really nice signs at each hole along with good tee pads for holes in the park. The day we played the course was set up with the baskets located in the 'A' position. There are three different pin positioins that each hole can choose to place a basket. Park course does include a walking park as you can see by the pictures, but we had no real delays with walkers. Benches at almost every tee pad. Very well maintained park, when we went hardly anyone even there, it is was Memorial Day. Layout was fairly easy with hole 13 taking a moment to find. The extra holes after 14 are pretty much all in the woods which makes the game more interesting. Beware of losing your disc in the leaves that cover that area. Once you 'get out of the woods' you are brought back to the tee pad for hole 15 which brings you right back into the park area. If you are in the area I highly recommend playing. Started at around 9 a.m. I believe it took us about two hours to play all 24 holes.

This is a very enjoyable course for starters as well as experienced players

- Course is well maintained and clean
- Three pin sets (giving variety)
- 6 more extra holes between hole 14 and 15
- Good use of the terrain
- New tee signs and benches at each hole
- Bulletin board with announcements, scorecards, and map of the course
- A variety of play
- A separate pin for practicing putting before playing the course

- For newcomers it can be confusing to find the next hole, so clear directions would be nice
- It looks like it is in a bad neighborhood (but don't let looks be deceiving)
- not for little children as some of the courses are near roads (though if you do bring children there are two playgrounds nearby)

I have played this course over 20 times and I have never gotten tired of playing this course. I know the local pro and he takes pride into maintaining the course. There are always tournaments happening.

Great Course in the Heart of Birmingham. It's really well designed, and has 6 extra holes for a total of 24 holes of disc golf. Offers a variety of challenges and makes really good use of the terrain. Seemed to have a local following of golfers, there was even a local pro there hanging out in the park offering advice, and selling discs out of his van. Good tees and good baskets.

Was a little run down. Needs new tee signage on certain holes, and better signage in the park, so that you know where to start (we wandered a bit before figuring it out). It's kind of in the ghetto (not that I care, but some might). It needed mowing when we were there.

Really enjoyable course with a great design. It's rather open, but makes good use of terrain and trees. This course will continue to challenge players of all levels, but it's not outlandishly hard. I'll definitely visit it again if I'm in Birmingham.

Private Location located in the city.
VERY CLEAN-when i drove up, the course pro was blowing leaves out of the parking lot. he noticed that i was new and was going to ask a few guys to show me around. he then told me the layout.
Elevation changes-there were various holes that shot up hill and down and it caused me to really think about the proper disc and lines to hit.
Beautiful park, mature trees, layout nicely.
Locals were very friendly.
Baskets were in good shape

Signage was VERY worn out (course pro told me they were being replaced.)
other than that, it was a great course for the land provided.

if you're close, stop by throw a few

the course is extremely well kept. The Disc Golfers that call this course home, take great pride in keeping it trash free and in good shape. Tee boxes at every hole with multiple goal locations (which are changed about every three weeks from what I can tell). Nice mixture of long throw opportunities with tight shots mixed in.

Not a lot to say negative about this course except that it is right in the middle of what looks like a pretty rough section of town. I have never had any trouble and play it often, so don't worry but don't plan to play past dark either.

My favorite course to play! I get to sample quite a few courses around the southeast and this is one of the best I've played. If you live in B'ham, you should be here all the time and if you don't live there, then it's worth a few hour drive to play a few rounds.

<span class="italic">Design</span>
*Multiple basket layouts- 3 basket layouts add variety so it's different every time I play here. Each layout has a mixture of short, medium, and long holes. This adds variety to each layout so that one isn't all short and one all long. I applaud them for keeping all the baskets in the same layout, i.e.- all A, all B, or all C. This produces consistency and allows you to meaningfully compare rounds over time.
*Terrain- I love the rolling hills with nicely manicured grass and scattered trees. There are plenty of obstacles, without too much rough.
*Elevation changes on almost every hole. The configuration I played had only 1 Flat hole with 9 Up/ 8 Down. A few are as much as 45 ft up or down.
*Nice length variety. Layout A has 2<199/ 6<of 200-299/ 8<of 300-399/ 1 of 401/ 1 of 605
*Water- there's a little bit with a stream on 13 and 15. (The stream on 4 is in view, but no longer in play.)
*6 optional extra holes (A-F) add even more variety and more playing options. These are all in the woods with nice elevation changes.
*Figure 8 layout: the front and back nine both start and finish at the parking lot, so you can start on either or just get in a quick 9 if you're pressed for time.
*The course is extremely clean and trash free.

<span class="italic">Basics</span>
*Tees- concrete; some are long trapezoids
*Little touches- the tee on hole 1 is very nicely landscaped. This starts you off with a very positive mood.

<span class="italic">Amenities</span>
*Map- online
*Warm up basket- it's a little old, but various putting distances are marked off. Nice touch.
*A good message board
*Restrooms
*Benches on every hole and some trash cans

-Tee signs: need to be updated with the new layouts labeled correctly. A few signs have been vandalized.
-Navigation: it's a little tricky to find a few of the tees. 14's tee is a bit a walk from 13's basket
-Nothing can be done about the area the course is in, but it feels kind of sketchy to me, so I don't feel totally safe. I've never had a problem, but I always lock my car and I don't leave any valuables in it.

Course Level = White (most suited for Intermediate players rated 875-925)
Course Difficulty: 5 (out of 10)

My favorite hole is 13. Very scenic, slightly downhill with a creek. My favorite layout is when the basket is near the creek on the other side so that you have lots of risk to get it close.

~A natural consequence of having 3 basket positions on each hole is that first timers and out of town players will have a little trouble finding some of the baskets. When they update the tee signs this will help. In the layout I played I couldn't see baskets 5, 6, 11, 12, 14, 18 from the tee.
~Since each layout has a mixture of short, medium, and long holes the only drawback to this is that each layout is very similar in total length. The lengths are 5615/ 5481/ 5779, so with only a 300 ft. difference between the shortest and longest layouts that makes the scoring average for each layout very similar.

George Ward is a really solid course with a great local player base. You might even run into Hall of Famer and former World Champion Tom Monroe; he's one of the legends of disc golf. I've played this course numerous times since 2000, and I always enjoy the course. I'd recommend it to everyone to play!

<span class="underline">A note about my rating:</span> My rating is a subjective measure of my <span class="bold"><span class="italic">enjoyment</span></span> of the course, on the day I played it, and it is NOT intended to be a measure of the <span class="italic">quality</span> of the course. My Enjoyment Ratings are given "on the curve" in relation to all other courses I've played.

Look in the "Links/Files" section for my files with Hole-by-hole ratings and a more detailed Overall review. You can also read more of my review philosophy and rating notes at Disc Golf Course Reviews

• Very clean older park in older neighborhood
• Course spread out over big, big area
• Concrete tee pads on all holes
• Multiple pin positions on all holes
• Lots of benches, trash cans
• Lots of shade--very helpful since I played during 100 degree weather
• Good mix of long/open and medium/technical holes
• Great mix of elevation: flat holes, up holes and down holes
• Creek in play on many holes affecting your shot selection
• Easy to navigate for a first-timer using the map printed from this website

• Lots of conflict with other park activities at busy times (walking trails, roads & pavilions)
• Many of the unique tee signs are heavily rusted and unreadable

This is a 20-year old course in an ancient park near downtown Birmingham, and both have aged quite well. The park is obviously well maintained as is the course. The landscaping was pristine and there was not a speck of trash to be found anywhere. Also, I observed the local guys at a few holes talking to the park officials to obtain permission to upgrade the tee pads with new concrete. Considering the tee pads are already in pretty good shape, this shows just how high a standard the locals want to maintain. I played at midday on a Friday when the park was virtually deserted, but during busy times I could see a lot of conflict with other park users since the course is intertwined with numerous walking trails and access roads. Otherwise, this is just a super nice course that I highly recommend as a "must play" to anyone in the area.

NOTE: I did not play (nor did I even see) the newest six holes since I was somewhat pressed for time, so this review is based on the original 18 holes only.

Located in the historic George Ward Park, which is just south of Downtown Birmingham, off 65. (Use the 10th Ave S entrance to access the DG course).
-Bulletin board at 1st, this is where you will find the Scorecards
-Well manicured, maintained, and landscaped park
-Multiple Pin Placements
-Great use of elevation. Multiple tee's will have you driving from atop a hill or along a hillside.
-Excellent and informative Tee signs, with maps, all 3 pin locations, and footage. As well as concrete tees. (A couple of the Tee signs are little bit faded)
-9 of the holes are between 300-400ft.
-There is an extra 6 holes between 14 and 15. (For the sake of time, I opted out of playing them.)
-Course is divided nicely, allowing for a quick 9 hole round on either front or back 9. Both Front and back 9 start and finish at the parking lot
-Beginner friendly, yet will still offer a challenge to the advanced player.
-Multiple water shots, discs should be easy to retrieve. ...for the most part.
-Vendors. Tom Monroe does sell discs here on certain days.
-Great overall "Fun Factor", This is one of my favorite courses.
-The people here have been very nice, and friendly.
-The people that are behind this course, have done an excellent job in maintaining this course. It looks great, and it's fun to play.

FWIW...
-George Ward now has a Dog Park or "Bark Park".

-Course is fairly easy to navigate, but a map could be a helpful aid for first timers. I would print one of from this site. (I threw on the wrong baskets a couple of times. Mainly because the basket appeared to be in the right place. This happened to me teeing off from #4, I threw on 6's basket and interrupted an other groups game. I apologized, though they didn't appear amused by my error.)
-You could find yourself playing near a family reunion or birthday party that is using the shelter house on 16.
-There are walking trails on some of the holes.
-Sometimes they will reorganize the baskets during a competition. They are usually changed the week of, and might still be in the same placements the week after. This could create some confusion, since they are not in sync with the board. (I've ran into this both times I've played here.)

I have always enjoyed visiting Birmingham, it is just a great city. Now I can add George Ward to my list of things "To do" while in town. George Ward offers a challenging course, where you will find yourself throwing a variety of shots. Each hole offers it's own unique challenge. Though it may not offer a big challenge to a pro;I have read where a few pros still enjoy playing here. It's a fun course to play, and the park itself is enjoyable to walk through. Here at George Ward, you will find yourself throwing up and down hills, across fields, and working lines between a fair amount of trees. Here you will be required to think about your lines, and plan your approach. Speaking of lines, definitely consider the power line on #7. I've been deflected twice by that power line, mainly because I didn't see it.

While I was waiting to tee off, I got to chat with Tom Monroe, the "course professional", for a few minutes. He talked to us about the history of the park, and the course itself. Which I found very interesting. He also helped navigate me around some of the different pin placements that were left over from the previous weekends tournament.

If you are in Birmingham, this course is a must play. I prefer to come here during the middle of the week, when it is less crowded. Everyone that I have met here has been very nice and friendly. I won't hold anything against the group whose game I interrupted! That was, after all, my fault! I look forward to playing George Ward every time I come to Birmingham.

The course has a good mix of all types of holes and shots required- short/long, up/down, open/wooded. The water hazards are interesting, fun, and fair. Other obstacles are trees, boulders, hills, and power lines.

There are 24 holes, with options. If you want to only play 9 holes, you can choose the front or back and each brings you right back to the parking lot. You can also insert the new 6 holes on the back.

I thought the overall course design was excellent, nice variety and spread out. Each hole is unique with several memorable holes (little to no repetition from hole to hole). Tee signs are fantastic and the kiosk is very informative. The locals were very friendly and helpful.

My favorite thing about this course was the combination of 3 basket locations per hole, the tee signs, and the system of basket placement. Each hole has 3 pin placements (A, B, C) and the kiosk tells you what placement is being used that day which makes locating the baskets a breeze. The tee signs clearly indicate the 3 positions. But what I love is that the A location is not the shortest on every hole. Sometimes B is the shortest, sometimes C, same for middle and longest. This means that all 3 rotations are relatively equal in total course length. (In contrast with- one day it is easy breezy day, and another day you decide to make every hole a par 4 so you don't feel so bad, like so many courses I have played.) The course designer and basket movers deserve a lot of credit here.

The new 6 holes. Yeah, it adds 6 holes, but to me they detract from the rest of the course (at least right now.) First, they are poorly marked, and baskets and tees are hard to find. I played a couple of the holes to wrong baskets. Second, they don't really fit in with the style of the rest of the course, thicker woods with narrow fairways, the area is not as pretty as the rest of the course and, and a few holes are very close to a busy exterior road. However, the nice thing is they are set up in such a way that you can play them or skip them without interrupting course flow or adding long, unnecessary walks. It seems most people were only playing the original 18. So these 6 holes are only a minor con because you have the option (which in some ways could be a plus!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Hole #1 is a great starting hole. The 2 holes over the ditch are terrific. Much fun playing here! I would highly recommend this course, I would like to get a chance to play it again.

I like it better than the other popular course in Birmingham (Civitan), and it seems most people feel the same, because this course was crowded and Civitan was practically deserted.

George Ward Park represents the fundamentals of maximizing a given space and showing players what good course design looks like. Its looping design allows players to play a quick nine holes (front or back at their choosing), take in a full 18, or be a little adventurous and play the bonus six holes for a full 24 hole experience.

Much like Civitan Park (John LeMaster DGC), this course makes good use of the elevation, trees, water hazards, and other terrain features. Plus, I love having water hazards come into play, but never have to worry about actually losing my disc.

There is decent length variation from the short 200' shots, to some high 300' and 400' bombs indicative of early 90's designs. The longer holes are very open allowing you to really shape a big drive, while many holes make you shoot a precise line if you're hunting for birdie.

Also, there are three possible basket locations, which get rotated frequently to keep the course playing fresh. In addition, holes #5 and #13 had an additional long basket to shoot for if the front placement isn't enough challenge for you.

BEST HOLE/S: #13; #15

Some of the tee boxes definitely show their age, and I almost sprained an ankle on the absurdly short #12 box, which is unfortunate since it plays as such a nicely elevated tee area. Crowds can also be an issue - with this being the only course centrally located in Birmingham. Plus, there are many other walkers and other park uses you'll need to be wary to watch for. If you're not a crowd person - this course can be a real pain.

The bonus six holes - is this a negative or just an interesting bonus? The good - you get six more tree lined holes to play that again utilize the elevation, obstacles, and length to its greatest advantage. The bad - they are completely unmarked, so you had better be willing to scour the hill for worn down dirt pads tees and shoot to what you hope is the correct basket. Hole F is the easiest to spot being in close relation to #14 and #15, so you'll just have to make the choice if you want this additional experience. My ranking doesn't suffer because of these holes, but it certainly doesn't improve it much either.

WORST HOLE/S: #5; #7

Although I personally wasn't playing well that day, I still was impressed how a 20-year old course could still hold a challenge to today's player. I had an equally good time playing Civitan Park (John LeMaster DGC), but rate this course higher based on the better overall course design and versatility that has made it the most popular course in the greater Birmingham area. Play it, and enjoy.

This course is right off of I-65 and is very easy to get to. The course is set in a clean park and has concrete pads, mulitple pin locations, and a couple of pro pins as well. There are an extra 6 holes inbetween 14 and 15 that you can play if you like but don't have too.

This course was not a tough play and is pretty begginer/intermediate friendly but was a ton of fun to play. You have a good mix of up hill, down hill, long, short, water, woods, and open. There are no reall heavily wooded holes and the wooded holes are very clean. Not much underbrush. There was almost no poison ivy on the course. #6, 13, and 15 stand out the most to me and were my favorites on the course. The course was extremely easy to fallow and flowed well. There wasn't a hole on the course that I really disliked.

There is a nice disc golf store right before the park that had a good selection of discs.

The signs are faded and some cannot be read at all. They need to be replace.

The course is pretty easy. Do not expect a championship style round.

THis was just a really fun course to play. I played it twice while I was in town and really enjoyed it. If you are a good player you are not going to find a lot of stress but you will still enjoy the variety of holes and nice clean setup. This course is very well designed for anyone to be able to play it. If you are close it is well worth playing.