9 baskets making an 18 hole layout around middle school athletic fields




+ Extra credit for making the 9 baskets into an 18 hole layout by placing 9 additional teeing locations around the grounds


+ Good use of the property tree line along several holes, and incorporating drainage swales into basket placements; Landing your disc on slanted ground adds a bit of challenge


+ Almost every part of the course is out in the open, so wind will create some shotmaking challenge that the layout itself doesn't have

- The tees are marked by short white wooden posts with numbers on one side and because there are 18 of them scattered around, you're going to do some wandering around to find the correct order on your first play


- Hole #8 has a contrived dogleg left by forcing a throw around a baseball backstop looming over the left side of the tee. The hole is unbalanced, with the forced turn being about 60' into the 450'hole. Unnecessarily poor design


- Most of the holes intersect other facilities (the track, basketball courts, baseball diamond, soccer fields) and you're not going to be able to play disc golf when they're in use

~ I support any school installing baskets (and hopefully, making disc golf part of the physical education program. Disc golf gym class? Yes please!). But, the school also placed large steel storage containers on either side of the 9th basket. which completely change the focus of a pretty good downhill finishing hole. Maybe they'll be gone soon. If not, they ought to move the basket a little bit to take them out of play


~ This facility fits into a really narrow niche: it isn't meant for experienced players unless they're looking to throw practice, or bagging area courses (like me). It's a good place to bring a beginner, but you can't play the whole course if there are other activities going on. If you live nearby, use the facility a few times to introduce a newbie to throwing before moving on to "real" courses



RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:
I guess you could pair this with nearby Stonewall Middle School, but that course is in really poor shape due to neglect. Or you could use either/both as a warmup on the way to Bull Run or Burke Lake

-Course made to introduce players to the sport. (Built & designed to be used for middle school PE classes)
-9 Mach II baskets
-Fairways are mostly unobstructed but does play around school facilities & ball fields.
-Some OB to provide more challenge (asphalt & some ball fields come into play)
-Good for practice - especially accuracy, approach, putting & novelty shots.
-Clean & Well maintained area.
-Great promoting of the sport to young people.

-Plays on school grounds (Many restrictions and potential interruptions to play)
-May not challenge more experienced players.
-No Tee pads (Posts mark tee position but are no help in navigating hole or identifying target)
-Basket numbers do not face tee pads (Really adds confusion to which target to play)
-Very difficult to navigate course (MUST play with someone who knows course)
-No restrooms
-Design is repetitive.
-Must deal with other facility users.
-Parking near course is limited.

If given a choice of no course or the Eagle's Claw, I would not hesitate and take the Claw. That said, it is still just a little 9 hole made for middle schoolers to play during PE class in the middle of a large planned community. It is not well marked so near impossible to play unless you know the course. It can't be played during school hours and after school activities may impede your play. Your best bet, if you need to play this course, is to do so during summer recess.
The design itself isn't so bad considering the terrain & property available. The holes are mostly wide open and a few will let you fire the cannon. I enjoyed the last four holes the most: #6 between the ball fields, #7 a dandy ace run with a back stop, #8 over the ball field is like trying to hit a foul ball & #9 a nice huck from elevation to behind the bleachers. With so many great courses in the DC Metro area, its hard to place the Claw anywhere near the top. But if all those other courses didn't exist, the Claw would be the Bomb! It serves a great purpose and I hope it will be enjoyed by kids & community for a long time.

This is an excellent course to teach people skills or introduce people to disc golf.
Course taunts you with multiple ace attempts. I threw my entire bag on hole 7 my first time because I kept coming so close to ace (I know I couldn't count it as an ace, but I'd still be happy)

It's a nine hole course with short flat holes and no obsticles. This makes the course less appealing to more advanced players.
The baskets face the wrong way so you can not see the numbers until you make your putt. No tee signs to make sure you are shooting at the right basket. My first time a local pointed out that I shot at basket 4 from tee 3 and missed a hole.
There are white pegs at a tee spot, but they do not indicate what direction you should be pointing.
You can not play much during the week because it plays so close to the track and football field. The course also plays between the 2 baseball/softball fields, hole 8 is a long huck over the field or tight around the outside.

This is on school grounds so no drinking or drugs. you may even need to check before using tobacco on school property.

Maybe the school can plant a few trees in honor of past coaches/teachers/ect. That way there are some obsticles to add some degree of difficulty and someone is being honored.

New baskets and reasonable variety on the distance for practicing. Open holes almost impossible to loose a disc. A couple holes have some elevation change to add to the fun. Now has a second set of tees.

In the middle of a middle school sports conplex. All numbers on baskets face away from tee post so you can't tell first time out if your throwing at the right basket. 6,7, and 8 are bunched and would interfere with each other if this place were crowd with golfers. No real tee pad or box just one marker.

First off the course is at Bull run middle school but because there is already a bull run course i imagine they named it after their mascot the eagle. It is a nice little course with not a great deal of challenge, all holes are wide open with a few requiring you to throw around back stops or fences, add in that pavement equals OB and there is a bit more challenge. There has been a second set of tees added numbered 10-18, however I was sure while playing it they where to play to the same baskets as the orginal tees. This course fits it's location in that it is a practice/beginners course great for the younger players learning the game and for those in the surrounding community. This course however could not be played if any of a number of events was going on the sports fields that it throws around, to much risk of hitting people.