Lake Olmstead Park was the pleasant surprise in my visit to Augusta. The IDGC and Hippodrome get all the accolades in this area, but don't overlook the course overlooking the water.
- Just a solid, well-laid out course. There's a great mix of fun, difficulty and risk, resulting in one great ground.
- Course has a sampling of different hole layouts. Several holes have good elevation to them: #3, 16, 17; a couple have tight fairways and/or landing spots: #4, 6 & 18; a couple with tricky pin locations: #2, 8 & 14; and then there are the holes that play alongside and/or over the water: #7, 11 & 15. I think everyone is going to find at least several holes that they really like.
- Of the holes I mentioned above, there were two that really stood out to me. #8 is a 390-foot, dogleg right hole. You can try to go out wide to the right, throwing over the road, and bringing OB into play or shoot a tight fairway. From there, the basket is on the edge of a slight slope, with a tree creating a low ceiling for your approach.
- #15 is the best of the water holes. It's a 360 foot hole that goes over the edge of the lake. Or you can take the safe approach and go around the water. From there the basket has a hill behind it, meaning you can be aggressive with your approach shot.
- The course has a high risk/reward factor. On holes #11 & 15, you can throw over the water for the best line to the basket. On #16 & 17, your aggressiveness can pay off with a birdie chance, or it could backfire with a disc rolling down the hill, towards the water.
- Holes are well designed. With so much variety, there's a risk at times of holes feeling too gimmicky. I didn't sense any of that here. All holes had a feel of being of good quality and well thought out. It's clear this course was designed by disc golfers for disc golfers.
- Great scenic views throughout the course. On the one side you have Lake Olmstead. So maybe it's not the most majestic of lakes, but it's still a great scene. Even better than that, you have the minor league baseball stadium on the other side. You basically play alongside the park the entire way out and back. I bet it's a great scene to be playing a round while a game is going on in the background. That's got to be a fun atmosphere.

The biggest issue here is navigation. In its simplest form, the course plays nine holes out, turn around and plays nine holes back in. In reality, the front and back 9 cross over each other at different times. For example, after finishing #2, you first see the tee for #16, before you get to #3. After finishing #5, you pass the tee for #14 and the basket for #13 before you get to the tee for #6. First timers will need a map or a lot of patience.
- Rounds here could quickly turn frustrating with some bad breaks. Between unnecessary risks - for example, throwing over water - and bad luck of rollers down hills or hitting trees on tight fairways, I could see a round going south quick. And because of the course's variety, you could get multiple whammies from the different hole types.
- I thought there were long tee pads and/or long basket positions, but I couldn't find any of them. Hole #11 is supposed to have a 550 foot layout and #16 a 620 foot layout, but there was no indication of any alternatives.
- A couple holes may place too close to the road/parking lot, which could be an issue at times. #2 throws over a park road, I already mentioned about #8's layout and #18's basket is close to the parking lot. A little caution will be needed on these holes.

I really enjoyed my round at Lake Olmstead. I couldn't get a sense of how the course would actually play, so I was cautiously optimistic about the layout. Lake O exceeded what I was expecting.
- The course does optimize the terrain, making this course better than it probably should be. When you get here, this piece of land really shouldn't be big enough for a 18-hole course of this caliber. It did take a lot of creativity to make this course as good as it is.
- Holes #3 & 16 were really nice playing alongside the park's gazebo. I can picture a couple enjoying a relaxing view of the lake, sitting in it, only to be mortified by having a group of disc golfers show up to play through. Speaking of, #3 is a hole you might end up throwing an extra disc on. It's a fun tee shot.
- I don't know how much usage this park gets. There's the main parking lot near holes #1 & 18, there's also a lot between #14 & 15. The point being that if this park has peak usage times, I could see parts of the course being difficult to play. At 7a on a Wednesday, I didn't have that problem.
- This course is a must play in my book. If you're in town to play the IDGC and Hippodrome, you'll want to make time for Lake O as well. Of the other courses in the area, this is the best of those and will be worth the time.

Very well kept up fairways. Good basket placement. challenging course for beginners and pros both.

Alot of chances for lost disc if your pretty new to throwing.

At the time of this review the baskets for 8 and 11 had been stole, but its not too bad to play 8 to the 10 basket and 11 to the 7 basket.

Lake Olmstead is a beautiful course set right next to the lake. The course is very beautiful from the lake to the gardens to the gazebo and almost worth visiting just for those things. The course starts out near the entrance to the park and makes its way eventually to the lake playing on the sides of the sloping hills. The course plays over long green grass that does get a little tall around the lake. The course plays out and then all of the way back the length of the property. The course is challenging to intermediate players on some holes but there are tweeners throughout the course for that same set of players than it challenges.

The biggest con of the course for me as a first time player there was navigation, navigation, navigation. The tee pads were not in obvious locations from the last basket and there were no tee signs that I could see. I've seen courses before put yellow tape on the basket in the location of where you need to walk to the next tee pad and this is a tiny thing that could make all the difference here.

This is a nice course but not the best in the area in my opinion. This place is worth checking out based on the lake and the course is decent but I would go to Riverview or Patriot's Park first. I wouldn't recommend taking newer players here because it's not the easiest course and the water shots can get tricky for those still felling out their n00b hyzers.

This course is so much fun to play. A bad roller or bad shot make the water a threat on almost every hole. It is not heavily wooded, but the use of what trees and elevation are there make this a very challenging course. It is easily one of my favorite courses in Augusta.

There are no bathrooms on the course that I am aware of. Also, because of the water this is not a course for beginners. I had to fish a few discs out when I took the family. you do have to wait on people to move sometimes, but for the most part they know the deal.

Since the baskets have been replaced this is one of the best courses in Augusta in my opinion. It has a very high risk reward factor if you are brave enough to throw out over the lake. Hole 35 is a bit long to be a par three, but other than that it is a pretty fair course. Play it often!

The course plays through a hilly, grassy park with mature trees. A couple holes bring some rough into play, but for the most part the course is free of underbrush. Several holes play along the water, a couple offer routes with a water carry, though all have safer (longer) routes that stay over land. The water holes are a nice balance of a tough shot with a bailout option so that beginners aren't forced to risk losing their disc.

There is a decent mix of hole lengths here, a couple are long enough to pull out a driver and there are some ace runs mixed in. You'll need a good variety of shots to be successful, though many holes offer multiple routes. Elevation comes into play, there are some fun downhill shots, a few uphill shots, and some really tricky holes that play along the hills with roll away possibilities.

The course has a lot of safety issues. The first two holes bring a main road and a park road into play, and a walking path winds through a good chunk of the course. Many holes play near picnic areas, on a nice day I could see a lot of conflicts between disc golfers and other park users. In the middle of the course, several holes play pretty close to one another, and you often walk very near other fairways in between holes. There are a few spots where navigation isn't at all obvious, the closest tee isn't always the next one.

For a park course, this one really makes you hit your lines, and offers some great risk/reward water shots. I had a lot of fun playing here, though it was on a weekday when the park wasn't as heavily used. Beginners will find the course a little long, but entirely reasonable, there are always safe routes that avoid the water and rough. More experienced players will find a lot of deuces if they hit their lines, but it doesn't play all that easy.

This a beautiful lakeside course and it plays along a slender piece of land beside a lake. This priovides for several water hazards and many steep elevation changes where the course drops many feet down to the lake edge.

I was invited to play a round with 4 guys who play it on a regular basis. They stated this is not a heavily played course, although it is a favorite of many in the area. The reason for this is because it is not a course for recreational players nor even many intermediate players.

The layout has maximized the use of land here and the course runs from one end of the park and back again. It starts out with a nice 310' throw on the edge of a softball field where the trees and brick wall, on the right, are in place to protect a very busy street.From there is just gets tougher and tougher.

On 5 baskets water is a direct and big hazard. But on several others a bad drive or a roll on the landing and it will end up in the water. (NOTE: if it gets caught in the reeds on the side your disc may not be retrieveable.)

The elevation here is put to good use. Especailly on 17 and 18. Seventeen is played along the bottom of the slope on the lake edge, with the basket up aganist a heavy shule area and a small area on the right is full of reeds. Eightteen is on top of the same slope around some tough trees and rolling is almost a given if you do not hit it right.

The shule here is not really a problem except on each end of the course on 10 and 17. If you get into it you will probably never see your disc again (we fished out many discs along the lake while looking for our errant throws, about eight alone while hunting for a disc on 17). However, in most of the park you spend your time working your throws around old growth oaks and maples.

Because this is a city park their are benches, and trashcans everywhere. Clean restrooms are available. The park is well kept and pleasant.

The teepads are in very good shape with reliable tee signs on each.

The flow of the course is good. Play it one time through with a map and you should be able to play it again without one.

The baskets are in good shape and putting greens are excellent.

Baskets 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 12 all play along side a road. One was the most disturbing. It is a very busy street. There is a brick wall barrier and some 15 foot trees but a disc can can get through (I have to admit I put one on the sidewalk) A fast moving vehicle is going to get hit.

There is a also a nice, wide, and paved path that you play along alot and was in constant use, although not heavy, when I was there. The people are not very concious of the course next to them. We had to make people aware of our presense on more than one occasion.

This not a course a new or inexperienced person should play. In a different location and with a good guide it could be.

I really enjoyed myself here and while my score was not great, I had played over 250 holes in the 3 days prior and was very tired, it is a place I will play again.

The people here were kind, well mannered, and helpful.

The park is a beauty and very relaxing to play because ot it.

Due to the road and pedestrian traffic I cannot justify a higher score.

Easy to follow, very open, pretty. great signage, concrete tee pads. The 06 Worlds were held here. The innova wraith was introduced here.

lots of water. I take my kayak out there and find discs in the water all the time and try to get them back home. no trash cans

I take old discs I don't mind losing.

-Lake Olmstead DGC is located in a beautiful scenic park alongside a lake in Augusta.
-Tee's were concrete, excellent signs w/maps
-Challenging water shots
-Easy to find and plenty of parking.
-Multiple Risk/Reward shots
-Not a course for beginners, although they could opt out of the water holes and still have a good time here.
-Good Pin Placement
-Good "Fun Factor" for me
-Varying terrain and good use of elevation
-Tight shots, playing through rows of trees
-Course plays out 9 and back 9 to the parking lot
-Variety of shots are required to play this course
- Holes are mostly 300 to 400ft long, 5 are less the 300, and one is 620ft long.
-17 is a 620ft shot, that plays along the side of a hill, with the lake on your other side. Placement is key, as well as landing. It could roll down the hill into the lake.

FWIW: Other activities here include Biking, Walking, and fishing

-Small parking lot near #2 Basket. I was a little nervous about hitting someones car
-Navigation can be confusing, I recommend printing off the map on this page. (Links/files Tab)
-Walking path through the course
-Park goers can be walking around and fishing off the bank. (Although, the park goers seemed to know what disc golf is, and were aware of the protocol. A couple times, I had people, stop and motion for me to throw. They watched, one complimented me, and the other one pointed out where my errant throw went. lol)
-Hole 18 plays over a big stairwell. (I had to play around a gentleman standing on the stairs. The same one that motioned for me to throw, and pointed out where it went.)
-Holes 1 and 2 play around the outside of a baseball field. They don't yell "Fore" in baseball. Look out.
-No Bathrooms on the course
-No garbage cans (There was a bunch of trash strewn around the course and I removed some trash that was stuffed into the chains of a basket. I had no where to put the trash.)
-Humane Society across the street from 9 & 10. Dogs barking, it wasn't so much an irritant, I just have a soft spot for dogs in the pound.
-The stairs from 16 to 17 are extremely dangerous! There is a piece of rebar sticking up in front of the 4th or 5th step from the bottom. and another one sticking up in front of the 2nd or 3rd step from the bottom.
**see bottom of review for caution

This is a course that has maximized the use of a park that is located in a narrow stretch of land. It is very well laid out, although course navigation can be tricky without a map. (Namely tee's 4 and 6) Even though this course can play relatively fast, do not underestimate it. Most of these holes require a strategy for your approach. A hillside landing could find your disc rolling towards the water. I didn't see any place to get a map or scorecard. (I may have missed that) but a map will definitely be an asset to have. Casual footwear will be fine here, no need for hiking boots. I didn't see to many places to eat between here and Riverview DGC, but you are not far from more fast food places. Riverview DGC is not far from here, if you wanted to make a day out of hitting multiple courses in Augusta. I had a great time playing here, and I walked away with all my discs! ...that may not always be the case.
FYI: The Masters is played just down the street. If you are playing during that time, be mindful that the streets are going to be packed!

UPDATE:06/16 I just found out that the trash on the grounds is still really bad. They need to invest in garbage cans urgently!

**CAUTION!!! As I was coming down the steps from 16 to 17, My foot got caught on the first piece of rebar sticking straight up in front of the steps. As I was falling down, I got my foot dislodged and immediately planted it to stop myself. I planted it right in front of the second piece of rebar and, once again, began falling down the steps! I could've ended up on my face or even in the lake. I just barely stopped myself from going over the edge into the water. So Important safety tip!

Beautifully maintained and quite scenic. Tees are nice with good structure for grip. Pretty much the whole course plays on a sidehill, so it will teach you that aspect of the game for sure. Not overly tight or long, and rollers seem a good option on several holes. If you like risk-reward set-ups, this is the place for you. The holes are very pleasing to the eye from the tees, and some are just plain scary. Routes are fair, if a bit dangerous.

Navigation is rough. The flow is reminiscent of pick-up sticks in places, due, I'm sure, to the quite narrow strip of lakeside used for the layout.
I found myself playing unconscionably safe shots for fear of losing discs to the lake, which comes into play on many of the holes. The first two holes have busy street OB in play, but not water. The guy selling discs here probably does well replacing drowned plastic. At least two of the holes have trees almost directly in front of them, a feature I find unfair on golf courses. Another has a metal fence you must throw over directly in front of the tee, making the hole unplayable for children.

For the first time I found myself wondering about the aesthetics of the bright yellow Discatcher targets in such a beautiful setting. On a wooded course they are highly visible and welcome, but somehow here they are jarring. Not a knock on the course- just an observation.

*Great use of terrain - plays on sloped hillside (very steep in spots) adjacent to Lake Olmstead -- up, down, along the slope & several shots over water make this an interesting course
*Very challenging, especially if it's windy -- OB comes into play on several holes with pavement (parking lot & paved paths), and water is in play on several other holes
*Risk reward -- there are several excellent risk/reward holes where you can safely layup for par or go for it and risk going OB
*Aesthetics - lakeside, big trees, nice grassy park
*Cement teepads, quality baskets
*Location - right in the heart of Augusta - close enough to I-20, near downtown
*Variety of shots required; good mix of holes (long, short, etc)

*Park is shared by other users & can get crowded on weekends -- the OB paths often have people on them
*You might lose a disc (or several) -- the lake eats them up
*Only one setup of teepads

Completely disregard the 1.5 star rating that someone gave previously -- this is an excellent course in a great setting. Aside from the nearby IDGC courses, this is the favorite Augusta course among many players.

This should be the course you check out while in Augusta (after the IDGC of course, which is ~20 minutes away). Then play riverview & hippodrome if it's open.