Schenley is a course that serves its purpose well as a convenient (for much of Pittsburgh) place to enjoy a casual round or two of Par 3 disc golf.

It offers the standard amenities for a good course...Concrete tee pads (white and red tees). Baskets are nice and in excellent shape. A practice basket, three pin positions per hole, an extra hole (14A), and blue tees add variety to the course.

You get at least a little bit of wide open shots, mostly open shots, wooded shots with big lanes, and wooded shots with small lanes--all with substantial elevation changes. And there are some ace runs and risk/reward decisions to make things interesting. All holes are Par 3, so putting is key and playing Schenley often will make your putting improve.

The course is conveniently located to the city of Pittsburgh, and especially its college campuses, so it does good work promoting the sport to families and college students.

Bring your best driver for hole 2, as it's long, open, and downhill. Other than that, almost every hole will have you throwing a unique style tee shot.

The design is nothing spectacular, especially when compared to championship courses in the Pittsburgh area. The wooded holes simply try to pack too many holes into too small of an area, making for teepads which are in danger of being hit by players on other holes.

I also feel like the open holes (1-4) could have been designed and laid out better to make better use of the space. I don't like how a poor shot can hit parked or moving cars on Holes 3 or 4. Similarly, watch out for a hole or two that requires a downhill tee shot with a parking lot not far behind the basket.

Store all valuables and power cords out of view. The park has had problems this fall with car windows being smashed to steal contents inside.

As an urban park, Schenley gets a lot of use by the general public with many people unaware of the disc golf course.

Definitely play later in the day so you can see a panorama of Pittsburgh's city lights.

Be sure to check out hole 14A, which is on the other side of the pavilion after you finish hole 14.

Come play in Wednesday night leagues (handicapped) from mid-spring to mid-fall.

Overall, it's a fairly typical/decent course, but the location (convenience and panorama) and quality baskets give it a bump up.

Close to Downtown. Concrete on white and red tees. Great view of Pittsburgh from the first tee.

Not long at all. Hard to go a whole round without hitting a tree. Can get very crowded.

This is the course I started on. You need a variety of shots to navigate the tight woods from # 8 thru # 17. Beginners can play here without getting overwhelmed. And more experienced players have to be on their game to hit a string a duece runs. A very entertaining course when playing with friends. #13 great hole to take a "break". Not a championship course by any means, but a definite gem in the heart of Pittsburgh.

Lots of terrain changes with challenging tunnel shots and a couple of long open drives. Tee pads are nice, and the course flows pretty well.

Sometimes drives can get close to picnic areas. Some drives get close to other drives and risk hitting other players.

This course will challenge you to learn to throw accurately.

A great course for beginners and families, Schenley also offers nice views of Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh. Play is quick and fun, and provides just enough hole variety to offer new players a chance to practice the shots they'll need for more difficult courses. The course also makes good use of the limited city space.

Location is a big plus for Schenely. Situated right in Pittsburgh, it's a short trip to nearby amenities and also well placed in a beautiful city park. There are also a number of other great courses not far away, if you improve your game and are looking for more!

This course is quite short, and not particularly challenging. It's also typically quite crowded, which only adds to the space problems already inherent in a small city park. While holes are generally laid out well, there are moderate issues with holes 8-12, with stray shots (of which there are many at a beginner friendly course) often flying into nearby fairways.

A good beginner course, although I'd recommend nearby Knob Hill if you have the option. There's simply too much crowding to make this course viable for most disc golfers, and the lack longer, more challenging holes keeps anyone with more than an Innova starter set away.

Schenley is a good starter course (I learned here). Many of the holes are short enough for beginners to birdie. This helped me build a foundation for my game with putting, approaching, and accuracy. Holes 2 and 5 are longer and gave me a taste of the necessary power for longer courses (like Deer Lakes).

Some players feel that the tree-ridden fairways of the back 9 are crap-shoots, but I found at least one manageable line to the basket at every hole. I just played a round hitting only 2 trees on 18 holes, and both were from turning over a new midrange disc. Most likely, prudent shot selection and creativity will be necessary for a clean scorecard.

The park is very popular, so you might want to play a different course on a nice summer day if you are impatient. There are often ignorant people that get in the way of baskets, but I've never had a problem asking them to move.

The Veteran's Pavilion at the back 9 can make some holes unpleasant or unplayable if cars are parked on the path. If you play through when a party is going on, expect to have unknowing bystanders ask you about disc golf or even pick up your drive (happened to me more then once, but never had one stolen).

The blue tees can be difficult to find, even with the guidance from the signs. I'm still not sure where the blue tees are at 11 and 15 (EDIT: I believe 11 uses the back of the white teepad for the blue tee, and 15's blue tee is up the path by the practice hole basket. Some of the signs should be updated, or there should be signs for the blue tees.).

I've played with many new players at Schenley, and they all had fun. The length and difficulty of the course make it easy to play for all ages and skill levels. Nonetheless, I challenge any experienced player to make it through this course without smacking a tree, car, or person.

Easy course, if your a beginner would be excellent to learn because all the holes arent lengthy and are par 3s beside number two which is an open par 4

Also if ur more advanced or have a tighter grasp on the game you can play shenley to boost your confidence and shoot in the negatives.

Nice change of scenery through beautiful Schenley park

Cement tee pads on whites and reds
which are amateur and womens
blue for pros just has wooden markers

Many people constantly on course, vechicles behind and on near sides of the holes where possibly can be hit, many holes on the back 9 are congested aimed towards one area and criss cross back and forth between fairways (wooded fairways)

If its your first time playing your best bet of finding all the right pins might be asking someone nearby whos playing it gets a little confusing but their are numbers on the baskets if you want to walk down to check if its the right one

- GREAT views of downtown and Oakland!
- wooded and open shots
- changes in elevation from flat to hilly holes
- beginner friendly, as low scores are attainable from both the red and white tees
- bathrooms, water, parking, and a kiosk are available
- good signage, tees, and baskets
- easy to navigate
- has at least one -- maybe two mandos, which add for some excitement
- right in the nucleus of Pittsburgh

- watch out for parkgoers who are not aware of flying discs
- pars may be outdated -- especially for advanced/pro disc golfers
- doesn't require much technical throwing (this may be a pro depending on your preference)
- I had a really hard time finding the blue tees. As such, I just played the whites.

Sure, courses like Deer Lakes, Moraine, Knob Hill, and even IUP's College Lodge are much better, but they're not exactly near Pittsburgh. Yinzers and visitors alike need not travel far to enjoy 18 holes on this course.

Despite lacking much challenge, the course still has some degree of diversity and is a very good time. I like to play a few holes here form time to time and really enjoy bringing beginners here.

A beautiful view of the city from the opening tee. Nice new hole signs and baskets. A great place to practice your finesse game- though the holes are short, accuracy is a must once you get to hole 6.

Typically very crowded, especially on summer weekends. Many non-golfers don't seem to "get it", and will throw down a blanket right in front of a tee box or basket- c'mon people!

A very manageable course- you'll probably feel good about your game after a round from the whites or reds. However, if you think you're too good for Schenley, try playing the blue tees, which make the course significantly longer and more difficult.

Great park surrounding. Decent walking workout.

Newest installation of baskets are now a year old - it really brightens up the place, and makes the holes easier to see. Signage has also improved.

Added basket placements in the past year, and frequent shifting, make the course play very differently from one week to the next. Some holes play almost a stroke's worth of difference - best examples of this are #2, #5, #13, #17.

I especially like the following holes: descriptions apply best, but not exclusively, from the white tees.

#1: pretty simple short sidehill shot, but it's easy to mess up if you fade too far left or right. Trees on both sides pinch the approach to the basket. Good way to start a round.

#5 with the long basket: You have to keep your drive clear of the line of trees along the left, and the fairway slopes left as well. The approach needs to clear a huge shrub on the left, without overshooting the mark and hitting the road.

#7: Very short and sharp dogleg right. Basket is almost always set in a small clearing at the edge of the thicker forest.

#11: Tight straight drive between two trees. There's a huge fallen tree trunk across the divide, as much as 6 feet high. You have to control a throw that's high enough, but still won't fade off course in late flight.

#13: at first glance it's just a mass of thin trees, but there's a gap that's perfect for an S-curve forehand. Still takes a bit of luck to stay on course, but if you manage to miss the trees it's a great ego boost.

Lots of short relatively straight holes, especially through the woods. The same principle applies: figure out your best gap, aim straight, and hope you don't lose much distance, or roll too far off line, when you inevitably hit a tree. 16 is especially short and cluttered with trees for a steep downhill. One of many holes where birdies and bogeys are equally likely at our skill level.

Two clear sets of mostly concrete tees - blue tees are typically a painted plank of wood, and can be very tough to find. The blue tees make the course play significantly tougher - my family always plays from the whites.

Deceptive tee placements include 11 - uphill across road from 10, and 13 - back down across road from 12.

On the other hand, #10 basket was on the short high side of the road when we most recently played. It couldn't be much more than 120 ft. in this configuration, with lots of trees - a bit like navigating putt-putt obstacles.

I've changed my mind about the toughest basket location on #17, tucked into the top of a steep hill, and surrounded by scrub and forest. It's difficult, but not impossible, to get your approach close.

The road as out of bounds can come into play on at least 9 of the holes. Sometimes, especially for hackers like us, it's a matter of how the disc bounces or rolls off the trees.

There's always somebody playing, but never too crowded. It's easy to finish 18 holes in an hour.

Opening two holes have the best view of the city. As others have mentioned, the open slope makes it popular for sunbathers. Walkers can cross the course at any point, but it's never a huge problem.

Schenley and Frick are two great inner-city parks within a few miles of each other.

Has both holes that are wide open and heavily wooded. It is readily accessible from the suburbs and the city, and has a beautiful view of the city skyline. Concrete tee pads for both red and white tees with signs posted at each are a rare luxury.

The woods are somewhat dense, and some of the wooded holes do not seem to have much of an optimal throwing lane or landing zone. Many of the tee signs have been damaged or destroyed. A severe storm in the summer of 2007 took its toll on some of the trees and baskets.
In addition, the course is approaching 20 years in age, and it is rather short by today's standards. A couple of holes are stretched into the par 4 range for the blue tees (in addition to #2, which is a real P4 from the white tee), but for the majority of holes there is simply no room to lengthen them. And since concrete tees cannot be moved, this course will always play short from the whites and very short form the reds.

This used to be a big time course, having in the past hosted the Ironwoods Open and the current women's national champion. It has now been eclipsed by the newer, bigger courses outside of the city. However Schenley is still very frequently played and well maintained, and a trip here affords one the opportunity to see the city of Pittsburgh from the crown jewel of its parks.
Experts should make Moraine, Deer Lakes and Knob Hill a higher priority; they are really higher caliper courses. For the rest of us, Schenley can still be a fun time.