A gorgeous state park on the banks of a lake. It's a great piece of land for a course. Just don't except any views of the lake.
- It didn't dawn on me until a day or two after playing here that I never once saw Lake Russell. I drove to and from the course one direction, and the course itself is a half mile from any lakefront views. I'll have to take the word of others that the lake does indeed exist.
- This course has more of a feel of a mountain/foothills course than playing alongside a lake. The comps I had for this course were all in more mountainous regions than eastern Georgia.
- Course starts immediately with an open, slightly downhill scenic shot. Another pleasant stroll through the field offers up the second hole before you enter a wooded section of the course.
- #7 is the first excellent hole. Wooded and downhill, this 338-foot layout is high on the risk/reward spectrum. Keep your shot in the fairway, and you can make a beeline for the basket. Straying off the fairway will lead to some thick rough and potential for bad scores.
- The course hits its stride on the back nine, with the stretch of #10 - 15 offering the best parts of this course. #10 was a highlight in this section. It's a fun downhill layout, with another drop-off just past the basket. It was fun with the grass low during a late Winter round. Based on the pictures showing tall grass off the fairway, that adds an even greater challenge during the growing season.
- Course puts all the emphasis on accuracy over big arms. No holes are longer than 500 feet. #16 is the longest at 435 feet. If you can throw straight, you'll see birdie putts, or at worst, even pars. This is mostly a par 3 course, so a bad tee shot makes bogey a very likely outcome.
- The extra 9-hole loop is a nice extra touch. It's basically a putter course. In fact, the only time I threw anything other than putter is when I was throwing a couple of second tee shots for fun and on #16I, as I needed something else to throw on this 260-foot hole. These nine holes are a birdie fest/ace race setup. My only nitpick is that it's weird to play this in the middle of the round, playing a different style of game, then having to hit reality and play the final two holes on the real course.

I'd like to see the course have a little more length. Having the longest hole top out at 435 feet seems like a relic from days gone by.
- Signage could be better in a couple spots. After finishing #4, it's very easy to go straight to #7 and miss 5 & 6. After #7, you could easily head straight to #12. After #15, it's somewhat easy to wander to the right and end up on #16B. All these areas would benefit from a couple of next tee signs.
- Not a con against the course itself, rather an observation. Being way out in the country, wifi is a little spotty. So, if you're trying to pull up a course map to help with navigation, you may have mixed results.
- Course will be a bear in the middle of summer. The open holes are wide open with little to no shade. You're also a good 20 minutes from Elberton, 30 minutes to Hartwell so make sure you bring plenty of drinks, food, and whatever else you need.
- This course really feels like it's in the middle of nowhere. You're less than an hour from Anderson and Athens, but wow, this felt like one of the most secluded courses I played.

Lake Russell is an excellent course in its traditional, straight-ahead layout. It's a solid course from the first hole to the last. There wasn't a single bad or below average hole on the proper 18. The extra 9 have some gimmicky layouts, but that's a separate matter.
- Park offers camping. You could do far worse than playing a couple rounds here. Plus, there's a golf course so one can really get their fill without leaving the park.
- There were times when I was playing the back nine, stepping up on the tee I realized I was surrounded by silence. No cars. No planes overhead. No people. No music. Just silence. If I wasn't playing a late afternoon round, I really would have spent more time soaking that in. As soon as the round was over, I fired up my truck and turned on the radio.
- #13 & 14 gave you a perfect taste of the park's strong points. You're essentially in a mostly open field with some trees in play while being bordered by the woods. If you want to know the best type of land for a disc golf course, study this layout.
- I've wanted to play this course for years. It always intrigued me by its lofty rating, yet it had so few reviews, course updates, or any recognition on this site. Its biggest hindrance is the location. It's just far enough away that most players can't easily combine it with another course or two and make it a day trip. I'm not most players. This was the fourth of five course I played that day, including a course in Alabama and Hobbs Farm.
- This is a solid 4.0 for me. It's a perfect, relaxing course for being in the middle of nowhere. As for comps, it has similarities to Warriors Path and Winged Deer in eastern Tennessee with elements of Lake's Edge in Reidsville, NC.
- This is worth the detour to play. Even if you only drive here to play this course, play it twice. It's well worth the time.

This interesting combination of a "conventional" 18-hole state park course coupled with a short, technical 9-hole woods course results in a fine morning of disc golf.

The 18-hole course is a pleasant combination of open, partially wooded, and wooded holes. Although the course description lists it as mostly flat it is knocking at the door of "moderately hilly" as there are plenty of modest uphill and downhill fairways.

Distances on the 18-hole course are primarily in the 225 - 350 foot range, so lots of birdie opportunities available if you can land your drive. Fairway shapes vary from straight to curves to mild doglegs, though nothing extreme. Plenty of right-finishing holes so a forehand or turnover shot is useful for us righties!

The 9-hole addition has a totally different flavor, that of a short, technical woods course. Hole lengths are in the 150 - 200 foot range, with tight fairways and lines to hit. While the two parts of the course were very different they complimented each other well.

Innova DISCatcher baskets were really showing their age but still catching well. Concrete teepad and simple signs were all that was needed at this course.

This is a old-school Par 3 course with no Par 4 or 5 offerings, and only a couple of holes over 350'.

The 9-hole woods course had an element of poke-and-pray on some holes as you neared the basket. While the initial fairways were there, often there were numerous trees spaced 4 - 8' apart near the basket. Good drives might get a late kick off line, while slightly errant drives could sneak through.

Some of the alt pin positions were very close together and at the same distance, so seemed redundant.

I was charged $5 to enter the park plus $4 to play disc golf, which seemed a little steep. But I was happy to play the course and would return if in the area again.

Lake Russel SP is a beautiful, peaceful park well off of the beaten path. I had the course entirely to myself on a pleasant Wednesday morning, and imagine that is the case most weekdays. And perhaps even weekends as well?

First don't let the 'pay to play' change your mind. I'll pay $4 in a heartbeat to play this course. I even pay for folks who refuse to pay! Even when it's not tournament time the course is usually gorgeous. Also multiple pin positions on most holes

Hole #13 is one of the most picturesque holes in disc golf. When the grass is green and mown, just stunning. Makes you want to bring a tent and camp.

Long, winding fairways going up and over hills. Extremely easy to navigate. Stevie Wonder could find his way around this course! Benches on every tee, and all the tees long and wide.

Course is a lefty, or forehand friendly dream. On the main 18 (there's another 9 I'll get to later) I drove with 6 forehands (RH) and I almost never drive forehand! Just the best way to get around the links. Lots of holes finish left, so without a flick or forehand drive, it can be a bit tough.

Course has 2 nice 9 hole loops that bring you back to the parking area.

On to the nine 'wooded holes'. The are off #16, look for tee by the basket. These are 9 placement shots. Stand still and thread a needle through the pines. I use a mixture of flicks, thumbers and short shots. These 9 will eat up a new player, but are fun for the experienced. Not as easy to navigate as the original 9. There's a few places you have to spin a 360 to find the tee or path leading to the next hole. But well worth the tromp through the pines.

Not the most mentally challenging course. You can see the pin from almost every hole and it's simple execution. Big arms will crush the course. Smaller arms will do well. But almost anyone can play and enjoy. One thing I would definitely recommend - not playing alone. You will DEFINITELY want a spotter on some holes. If the ruff is high and you throw something green, it might be dark before you find it. Holes 1,9,10 & 16 are the main culprits

My only cons are very minimal. Some of the alternate pin positions are 10' from each other, just kind of silly if you ask me and don't change the hole one iota.

The tees will get sandy after rains, so can be a bit slick.

Lastly...put your phone on airplane mode as there is only signal near the bleachers (by parking area) and by the #1 pin. Either that or deal with a dead battery!

Beyind anything else, Lake Russell is a fun course to play. And fun is good, right? (That's what Dr. Seuss says)

The aesthetic of the course is quite good. With mowed fairway and slightly higher "rough" outside, the course has a golf course feel.

The course is set in rolling hills on abandoned (or acquired through eminent domain) pasture land near Lake Russell on the Georgia-South Carolina line. Things I love about the course.

The course has a good mix of straight shots and shots which require an anyhyzer/hyzer line (depending on your throwing style)

Good signs on each hole which give a rough map, distance, and par (see cons for further details on par)

Decent concrete tee pads

Good maintenance on the fairways, with a well mowed fairway with higher rough. The higher rough is not so high you can't find your disc, though.

There is a good mix of shorter ace runs and longer holes where a strategic first and second shots leads to a 3.

Risk and reward is present on many holes with the evergreen trees (Cedars and Junipers, I think) that swallow up discs if you stray off the fairway.

The course has one of the best flows of any of the 100+ courses I have played. It just seems like a natural progression from hole to hole. There are signs after 6 that lead to 7, rather than the visible pad for 9.

Hole 9's basket loops back near the parking lot, so if you want to just play 9 (or a multiple thereof), you can.

The course doesn't get much use, so there is little worry for backups. On the last 2 days I played, I did not see another disc golfer. I did see a energetic turkey and several deer, though.

Benches are scattered throughout the course.

I really like 16a - i. It is almost a different course, with dirt teepads in the woods and 9 relatively short holes. It's a good break from the rest course on a hot sunny afternoon. You have a good chance for a birdie, but also a good chance for a bogey with a bad kick off a tree. Due to the lack of vegetation on the understory, you have little chance of losing a disc unless you bury one under the leaves.

Pars. Maybe the pars remain from when the course was first installed. They do seem rather generous. I'm not sure what others think, but if I was assigning pars, I would make 8, 15, and 16 par 4 with the rest par 3.

Some of the baskets, especially on the back nine and 16a-i, are older and in less than desired condition. I don't think it a affected my score much, but I am not a fan of the old sloped Innova baskets.

There are no restrooms. water sources, or trash baskets on the course. There is a trash basket and aluminum can recycle bin at the parking lot. Plan accordingly

Holes 9, 10, and 11 are basically straight shots in an open field. Some elevation comes into play, but these holes lack a little of the shot shaping required on the rest of the course.

Some might say the $5 vehicle entrance fee and $4/day disc golf fee is steep, but I have the annual park pass and family disc golf pass.

When I most recently played the course, the basket for 16i was missing.

This course is one of my favorites, and I'm not exactly sure why. There are more challenging courses, longer courses, and courses with more elevation. This course has such a nice flow to it, with the scenic appeal, that I always list it among my favorites.

This may sound trite or stupid, but I love the walk from 12 to 13. After you hole out on 12, you walk downhill on a rock lined path through the trees, to the ace/birdie run that is 13.

It is off of the beaten track, which is both a plus and minus. My wife and I camped at the state park, and I was able to get in an early morning round each day before she woke up.

The course is off the beaten track, so stock up on snacks and drinks before hitting the course. There is a decent selection of newer Innova discs at the office. One of the rangers is a disc golfer. He pulled out the Innova flight chart when I checked in and some ball golfers were talking about disc golf.

Cell phone service is spotty at the park. I found the vicinity of the practice was the only place I had cell service (Verizon) in the park.

With updates to the old and rusting baskets, I could easily bump up my rating to 4.5.

This course is well maintained and has a good overall flow. Its nice that you can chose to play the front 18 or include the "woods" holes. The course has nice benches to sit on while waiting your turn on the tee. the mix of woods and open holes is also a great attribute.

I think the only downfall is that many of the holes marked as par 4s should really be par 3s. I shot 7 under on my first time playing the course "as is ".

This park makes a great weekend outing for discgolf. We stayed in one of the cottages on the lake.

This is a great course situated in the cozy and relaxing Richard B Russell State Park. Coupled with the course, ample accommodations in the park make it tough to talk yourself out of not visiting and once you do, you'll wonder why you waited. After all, the course itself makes it worthwhile and the rest is just a bonus. Surely a weekend trip won't be a disappointment for anyone.

This course has lots going for it and you'll probably notice it before you even get the first hole behind you. After parking you'll approach the roomy practice area with its own basket and scenic view from the top of the hill that overlooks the course. It's a perfect introduction of what lies ahead. Moving to hole one's downhill shot quickly introduces you to some of the varied elevation changes that pepper the course. It's a nice shot that'll demand a right fade at the end. Hole two is flat, tight, and you'll need a left turning shot this time. Of course there is a big "local route" for the big arms over the trees coming in from left to right.

And so it goes for the rest of the round. There's variety galore with plenty of ups and downs, left and (maybe a majority of) right turning shots. As you might imagine, there's varied shot lengths too. All the way from hole three's 211' must make birdie shot to 16's 450' par 4 there is a hole for everyone. Not once can I imagine someone getting the feeling of repetitive holes. Over all, this is a well thought out course and just a pleasure to play.

The second highlight beyond the scenery would be the course maintenance. Neatly cut fairways meander their way through the course. Pressure to place your disc accurately is punctuated by the rough intentionally left long outside of the fairways and at times is waist high. Beyond that you're sure to notice the unforgiving cedar trees scattered throughout the course that seem to reach out and slap your disc strait to the ground.

The course itself is marked well with tee signs with plenty of info to lead the way. Widespread benches are available as you wait for your turn to tee off. Concrete tees pads are the icing on the cake. The main course does two 9 hole loops with holes 1, 9,10, and 18 bringing you right back to the parking lot.

A big bonus for those interested is the "woods course". It has 9 short, optional, and very wooded holes spurring off of hole 16, hence the numbered holes 16-A through 16-I. Sufficient tee signs lead the way as you play across gravel tee pads and traipse across the forest floor. These holes have a completely different feel the main 18 holes and for me offered a fun way to warm up for a tournament round. Overall, most of the holes will frustrate you if you don't get a birdie on each one. The ninth hole (16-I) is the exception as it's a 260' shot that I think plays a little longer and is heavily wooded and is a satisfying three.

Although the taller rough outside the fairways adds a nice look and challenge, errant shots can be difficult to locate. It also impedes a clean run up if needed for a good upshot. There's a few fussy, older baskets mixed in but you might not even notice unless you get one of those nasty spit outs.

The course/state park is off the beaten path and will likely require a decent drive to visit for most. Others will complain about the fee to play. The consolation is that it's well worth the time and money.

Ignore the posted pars.

This was a very fun course that I could probably find room for on my top 5 course list and could easily stick it in my top 10. I played 4 rounds on my visit with the later three being tournament rounds. This course is an ideal for causal rounds and tournament rounds alike. By the way, the legendary Lake Russell Open is all it's said to be.

The state park has lot's to do with its lake, bike and hiking trails, canoe rentals, and what I've been told is a very good "traditional" golf course. It's perfect for a guy's weekend or a family outing. Of course, the disc golf is the real reason you'd want to visit. Enjoy!

This course has a nice layout with multiple types of challenges. There are some narrow fairways that challenge a beginner such as me, but there are some that you can really let it sail. There are enough woods, elevation changes, and right and left hand turns to keep everyone honest. Overall a very nice course that I will play again.

On the day I played, the fairways were in desperate need of having the grass cut. On a couple holes, the baskets had been relocated and weren't very close to what was indicated on the map.
The biggest thing to be aware of is the fact that while it only costs $5 per carload to enter the park, if you tell them you are entering to play disc golf, they will charge you an additional $3 per person. I questioned this and was told that is policy. The person at the gate even inquired at the check-in station and that was confirmed. However, if someone enters to go swimming or visit a camper, there is no additional fee. Go figure. You be the judge as to how to use this information.

Course is well maintained. Wide open holes that will give you a chance to really open up your throws. Variety in the layout of the course makes it a challenge for both left-handed and right-handed players. All tees clearly marked for easy navigation.

Wooded holes are a little short, most of them are under 200 ft. This is possible due to the fact that it is in a state park. Wooded holes not shown on the course map so, you really have to know about it to find them.

Great course, but I feel that the most of the hole should have been rated par 3's than, par 4's. Camping in the park makes it easy to make a trip out of the experience, since this course can be a bit out of the way for most players. If you are in the area it is worth checking out.

This is a true gem to the disc golfing community in northeast Georgia!
The course is far away from any highways or even main roads in a wildlife/ camping ground. No traffic noises, lots of wildlife to see(the deer don't seem to be afraid of discs or disc golfers at all!).
Lots of different shots to try. Great variety. Some shots are downhill, some are up, some are dogleg left, some right.
The elevation changes, while not steep, will challenge you, largely due to the wind differences. Really explore your bag and what your discs can do with the wind, even on a light wind day.
Tee signs are excellent, with hole layouts and o.b./ obstacles clearly marked.
The extra 9 holes play deep in the woods, and are a nice break into the shade and seclusion of the forest. The lines for these holes are very tight, but it's a great addition, and your choice to play them or skip them.
The fairways are well maintained, and we didn't see much trash/ debri at all. Park is very nice!

Many of the pins are one-chain, with no looping a second chain. This isn't really a big con, but it's something to consider when going for it as there are less chains to hit than a two-chain pin.
The course is a good bit off the highways. Not hard to find with today's technology though. Be sure to plan the day for this course, or at least a road trip.
Pay to access the park, but well worth it.

We played through the break of a Georgia DG tourney, and we made it through playing doubles in just over an hour, and we played even the 9-hole extra in the middle. I would have prefered to play slower, but it was fun nonetheless, and will definitely be back to conquer this gem in Georgia!

The basic 18-hole course is on rolling hills of reclaimed pastureland in a state park. The hilltop holes catch some pretty good winds; holes further down wind among disc-catching cedars and other trees, and the odd old farm building. Elevation is a factor, but mostly gentle changes, not a grueling climb.

The hole design is great, with many different flight paths and no redundant holes, nor any holes that seem to be "fillers".

The extra-9 is a tight wooded loop. It's out of character with the main 18 but a bonus if you like that sort of thing.

Aethetics and amenities are great. The course is on beautiful land, with long views of the countryside from the highest point. The grass is often mown short on the main fairway and a higher off it, but not so that you'd lose a disc, a great visual appeal. It's in a very remote state park, so there's peace & quiet & no non-disc-golfers to contend with.

The park also offers campground, cabin rentals, picnic areas, and a swimming area on the beautiful, and undeveloped, lake. (The course is not on the lake, nor particularly near the other park features).

Remote. Bring your lunch. Stay if you can.

It's not free, but it's well worth the fee, plus it's insignificant compared to the cost of gas to get there.

With the remoteness, make it a day and plan to play the course twice.

Great scenery. The mowed fairways with 'real' rough are very cool. Lots of elevation changes and holes to challenge both lefties and righties.

None that I can remember -- it's been a couple of years since I played it but nothing sticks out as negative in my mind.

Played one round here with some friends who were passing thru the area. It's at least an hour away from me but I will definitely play it again in the future. Really nice course overall.

Well manicured, sweet state park course. Well worth the fee. Tournaments here are a blast with camping,cabins, good amenities and a beautiful lake encompassing it all. The lake does not come into play. Good variety of shots.
I can't express how well kept the course is. Pay to play seems to be a good thing here!

If you are not camping or staying in a cabin, there are not many choices for nearby hotels or food.

27 holes, with a distinct 18 hole course then a bonus 9 hole loop to the right of #16. Cement tees on 18, very nice tee signs. Course map online and at parking lot (18 holes). Free park entry on Wednesdays. Meticuously mowed and clean.
The course: The 18 hole course is sweet, offering up all types of shots from several bomber field shots with trees to keep you in check, to a few tight woods shots between rows of cedars. Significant elevation changes. The 9 bonus holes add a different challenge to maybe balance out the course for all skill types and levels.

The 9 bonus holes are VERY short and easy, somewhat poke and pray without distinct fairways on a few. Dirt/gravel tees on those holes. Some fire ants. Map not of these holes and no major indication of where they are except stumbling on them during the round.

#16 A-#16 I are back and to the right in the woods after finishing #16 regular. Highly recommended course.