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Jamesburg, NJ

Thompson Park

Permanent course
3.925(based on 18 reviews)
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7 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.9 years 421 played 388 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Classic Park Course

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 18, 2022 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

*** 2022 UPDATE *****


+ Excellent park course combining treed and open areas with some elevation changes and only occasional interference with other park users and roads. The course is always in great shape: a vicious storm (rumored to be a micro tornado) wreaked havoc on one section last year, and park maintenance worked its magic


+ Excellent signage and good baskets, two sets of tees add to replayability. The course has a strong local presence, and is a perennial stop for anyone in the area. Reminds me a lot of South Hills in PA


+ This is a good "hybrid" course: enough trees to make you shape shots, but you're not going to lose discs in heavy undergrowth. The layouts serve a wide variety of players: the Whites are safe for beginners and fun for intermediates. When you get to the point that the par 4s start getting soft, the Blues add another 1100 feet. At 7546 feet, the Blues are a bit short and the course is a bit too open by current standards, but it remains a popular course for hosting tournaments, local clubs, tags, etc


Cons:

- Longtime complaints about the rubber tee mates. Most are ground level and get a bit lumpy, some puddle with rainwater. The biggest problem is that several of them are not level (the worst offender is the hillside White tee on Hole #17 which tilts so sharply uphill that your runup does not have much more power than a standstill. The Blue tee on 17 is mounted on a platform - it adds 50 feet, but easier to make the green throwing from a level tee)


Other Thoughts:

~ A few new trees have been added (a sapling in front of the tee on #8 that will change the throw once it grows a bit). The large gravel piles on the downhill short #12 have been removed, and the entire area has been planted. The gravel mounds did not affect the line, but they tended to get in your head


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1 0
Z.Dailey
Experience: 15 years 6 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Excellent Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is challenging, but if you mess up a shot it doesn't tend to punish you with deep brush or lost discs.

Its an amazing course that's well maintained and has the right distance on holes to present a fun game for new or advanced players.

Each hole is completely different which makes the course that much better. We've all seen the courses where it's practically the same play on the majority of holes.

Super easy to navigate with well marked tees and baskets, and the guides to the next tee pad on each basket are great.

Cons:

Possibly a few too many trees mid-course resulting in a lot of obstacles.

Only 1 or 2 trashcans with easy access and the 2 bathrooms that are available are pretty far off course. For a course of this length there should be amenities a little closer to the course as newer players can expect to take a few hours to finish if in a group of 3 or more people.

Other Thoughts:

Overall the course is great and absolutely beautiful. Would like to participate in leagues and tournaments on this course.
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7 0
iHitTree
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.9 years 100 played 38 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun, easy, long course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I'm a big fan of courses like this. There are lots of mature trees, creating a bunch of cool fairways and unique golf lines, but not much undergrowth to lose discs. It isn't a "woods" course, but rather a park-style course. What's really unique about this course is that the long layout (Blue) is a relatively long par 64 layout, but EASY. Most long layouts are challenging. This puts this course in a unique sphere of its own, and the name of the game is to get your 3's on the par 4's. I guess that's always the name of the game, but failing to do so here means that you will have trouble competing. The layout, tee pads, tee signs, navigation are all strong here. Plenty of variety exists hole to hole. Some favorites include hole 3 (a long par 4 through the trees, with the end of the fairway clearing up, lots of options off the tee); hole 6 (a nice turnover bomb off the tee with a protected approach to the basket); hole 8 (another cool par 4 with plenty of trees to pick a line through); hole 11 (the signature hole, huge par 5 that requires a great shot-shape downhill bomb, an approach over an OB creek, then another 300 feet of up hill dogleg approach to the basket, awesome hole!); hole 13 (cool, low ceiling slightly downhill par 4, big drive distance potential on this one); hole 15 (awesome downhill par 4, probably another signature hole, tee shot tempts you to throw a big full flight over an OB road, fading back into fairway); and hole 18 (long downhill par 4 with a drive busy with obstacles near the tee, but a pretty open approach, cool finishing hole).

Cons:

There are some repetitive or filler type holes. Holes 1 and 9 are similar, 300 ft. straight shots (some play anhyzer line). Holes 5 and 10 are very similar (straight or slight hyzer putter shots). Holes 16 and 17 are very similar (straight or slight turnover uphill shots). Sometimes, pedestrians are on the fairways, as this is a popular dog walking park.

Other Thoughts:

The course is only a few minutes off of Jersey Turnpike exit 8A, so it's really easy to get to. I like this course a lot! The only other course in the mid-Atlantic area that I've played that seems similar is South Hills in the Lebanon, PA area a few hours west of Philly.
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1 1
xred54x
Experience: 8.2 years 6 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

High quality course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 30, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

great layouts and a nice variety of shots.
You are not likely to loose any discs.
Nice tee pads.
Park is very well maintained.

Cons:

No kiosk with a score card or a course map for new visitors.
Par 4s are more like 3s.

Other Thoughts:

I was visiting from Connecticut and had time for one round. I was able to visit the park and enjoy the nice course. A woman walking her dog told me that it was regarded as one of the top 3 courses in the state. If you have a chance definitely visit and play. I will return to play again if I'm in the area.
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3 0
Radarx
Experience: 14.2 years 80 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Totally enjoyed the visit! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Perfect Park setting course which offers a variation of throws. Basically a disc golf paradise with multiple tees and park amenities. Great course for beginner as well as advanced players. The Par 4's really stand out here along with signature par 5 hole 11. You should not loose a disc here. Easy to navigate. Overall just fun to play.

Cons:

Some pars felt off to me in some cases where some should be par 3's instead of 4's. A couple of holes (like 14) could have been lengthen and made better use of the land. Course is still little to short for Pros mostly do to the many short par 3's.

Other Thoughts:

Solid course all the way around, its a blast to play, a must stop by if your in the area. Great job of routing the course away from general public areas in most cases. Looks like there is room to expand or revise the course as it grows. More length for pros could bump this course up to 4.5. Its the kind of course you wish you live next to!
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1 4
DiscFlicker77
Experience: 11.1 years 8 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Awesome Course in a Nice Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 5, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great variation in types of throws, elevation, hole length.
Course is always in good condition and well maintained.

Cons:

Update pars on for shorter tees?

(That's about all I can think of)

Other Thoughts:

I love this course. Challenging enough to always be fun yet not too hard that an average player could hit par.

Centrally located in NJ and easy to get to from the Turnpike or Rt 130.
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3 0
odysseus
Experience: 29 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Quality Park-style Golf = Lots of Fun! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 25, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Great use of elevation for park-style golf. Combos of drive & approach uphill, drive & approach downhill, and drive downhill/approach uphill can be seen on Par 4s. Many undulating Par 3 fairways, downhill Par 3s, and even steep uphill Par 3s, one from a platformed tee box.
-Greens were well placed and equally protected. Tree protection varied per green, whether it be tree limbs hanging 50' in front on the RHBH & LHBH hyzer approach, small bushes, tight hallway approaches for both RH & LH, mature trees guarding the front of pins, evergreens closely guarding left or right. Definitely a little bit of everything, with a few open greens.
-The elevation & usage of trees allowed for multiple shot choices both FH & BH from the tee and approaches. Proper drive placement was rewarded on Par 3s, but not required to score on Par 4s.
-Signage was spot on. Excellent graphics.
-Easy access to park, ample parking w/ first tee directly across street.

Cons:

-Some Blue Par 4s were a tad short. I didn't play the White tees because of the shortness of Par 4s and repetitiveness to their Blue counterparts
-Teepad areas are still developing, but this does not take away from the quality of the course design.

Other Thoughts:

If some of the Blue Par 4s were lengthened, or had their Teepads moved to provide a different drive angle, this would be an epic park course.
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8 0
RamsFan1
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.6 years 91 played 91 reviews
4.00 star(s)

NJ Getting it Together 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 15, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

18 hole permanent course located in a nice county park. A practice basket sits by the main gazebo near hole 1. With only a couple of exceptions, there are long (blue) and short (white) tee pads at every hole. Good aluminum signs depict hole #, par, distance and flight path. Good hole and distance variety with hilly terrain adding to the challenge. The fairways are groomed and manicured. Large mature trees force the player to hit lines and create playing options. The par 5 hole 11 featuring a long downhill shot over a creek and then an upshot to the basket provides a nice signature hole. Small "next tee" markers allow for easy navigation. Very nice job on the railroad-tie tiered tee pad at 17. A porta pottie is available near hole 5.

Cons:

Many of these "cons" are byproducts of this course being relatively new and will be addressed in time. Quality tee pads must be installed at most holes. The tee posts for short holes 2 and 3 must be moved; they currently sit right in the fairway if playing from the long tees. Cross country runners, dog walkers and the occasional clueless park patron sometimes interrupt your round. A branch or two here and there on a few holes should be cut. Amenities like benches, bag poles and a few trash cans would add to the course.

Other Thoughts:

Thompson Park has large picnic areas, ball fields, a lake and a deer preserve. The DG course is one of the better 18 hole venues in NJ, and it's a nice playing experience here. It's obvious time and thought went into its design. It flows pretty well and is balanced. It is challenging yet not overly difficult. Along with some legitimate par 4s, a couple of ace runs are present, especially from the short tees. Thompson provides a good balance between an open and wooded course, and while there are many trees on most holes, it never seems overly wooded or oppressive. The terrain and layout require a variety of throws, and rollers can be a huge part of your game here.

I think an argument can be made that several of the short tee par 4's are "tweener" holes and could be considered a "3". To me, it's not a big deal and selfishly, it works to my benefit.

This course will easily bump up to a "4" once the tee pads are installed. Another quality course in a rapidly expanding NJ DG scene!

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11 0
Buchajs1
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.8 years 168 played 44 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Super Fun Course! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 13, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

First of all, huge props to the boy scout that was able to make this course possible, raising that much money for a course like this would definitely cause most of us trouble. I appreciate the boy scout allowing other designers, and those more experienced than him to give advice, as most boy scout/eagle scout project courses that I have seen (3-4) have been designed very poorly or unsafely.

Fun factor- This course presents a tremendous amount of fun, unlike most courses, this place does not punish an errant shot too badly and will allow the more average or recreational player to not only have fun and get hooked, but enjoy the course as well. Some of the course may grow in during the summer, and make some of the more wooded holes tougher, most of the holes play along grassy areas where the county mows.

Variety- This course, although not overly challenging, and very rewarding, does force the average golfer to execute specific lines on each hole and will allow the local to develop a well-rounded game and a variety of shots. Many of the holes have a plethora of lines that one can choose to take off of the tee, once again making the player need to have multiple types of shots to score well. Many of the par 4's incorporate a very good amount of Risk vs. Reward, as most are reachable, if somebody with a big arm chooses to go for it. The thing with this is that there are specific landing zones in the fairway that are designed for the average player to land, where those who throw farther, can throw a midrange or a putter too, and have a fairly difficult upshot. However, the risk with trying to bite off more, is that most of the holes where one has the opportunity to do this, the shot required to get farther down the fairway and towards the green requires a more, precise/difficult/risky line, that is usually much harder to hit. There is also a small creek/ditch (may change depending on recent weather) that comes into play on several holes, creating some picturesque greens, challenging OB's, and interesting putts. The course also incorporates a good amount of elevation (especially for this area). There are some areas on this course that will teach locals to throw a precision low shot, because of some ceiling issues on many holes.


Overall course design- The course itself is designed fantastically, and thought is put into nearly every hole. There is a variety of par 4's, which are balanced out with an abundance of par 3's and a single par 5.

Feel- This course has a very cool feeling, as most of the course is what I would consider somewhat wooded, plenty enough to force lines, but the fairways are full of grass make the course look very cool.

Cons:

Although most of the cons are fairly minute compared to the rest of the course, they still have to be expressed

I feel as though, although some may not agree with me, that there are a few 2-3 filler holes on the course, and with the land available, could be executed.

The other cons have to do with the relative new-ness of this course, and that is signage and teepads. Most of the signs are laminated paper mounted on small wooden poles, although I am sure this will change in the future, and I will update when necessary. Furthermore, along the same lines, the teepads are now natural and although there are plans to upgrade these in the future, this remains a con as of now.

The course also has a few overhanging branches as of the last time I played, and may have to be cleaned up, as a good shot could be penalized unfairly because of this.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, this is a fantastic course, and a great addition to the New Jersey disc golf scene. I am eager to see this course evolve over time, as I think the locals are very passionate and will do a great job.
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7 0
tomwdub
Experience: 9.9 years 79 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Place to Learn the Sport! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 30, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The grounds are well maintained by the county. Low cut grass and beautiful surroundings. The course is very forgiving. Although it has many challenging shots, an errant throw does not always mean you lose your birdie or par opportunity.

As a new player I find the layout gives me a chance to experiment with many different discs and throwing styles. This is definitely a course where your game will improve and the course can accommodate that growth.

Elevation changes and careful design will make this a must play course in NJ

Cons:

It seems the blue tees (longs) are a little too easy for some of the higher level players. Perhaps alternate basket locations can be used in the future

Other Thoughts:

As the father of the Eagle Scout who co-designed this course with Adam Harris, my hat goes off to both of them. They have taken an opportunity that only comes once or twice in life and have built a legacy. Proud of both of these gentleman.
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6 0
MichaelWebster
Experience: 18.4 years 76 played 13 reviews
4.00 star(s)

New Course in Jersey! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 29, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course is brand new! I focus on the design in all of my reviews rather than the amenities. This course design consists of many par 4's that are not too long considering the semi-wooded land. You don't need a lot of distance to score well here, but you probably need 250-300 from the short tees, and 300-350 from the long tees to have a chance to birdie on every hole. There is very little danger on the course, so you want to play an aggressive strategy. The semi-wooded landscape offers many options to recover from an errant tee-shot, as there are usually lanes to the basket. The key here is hitting the wide lanes and getting some good distance off the drive. Elevation is used well here for interesting tee and basket locations, this site is hilly for NJ. This course is extremely fair and fun to play.

Cons:

There aren't tee-pads yet, but should be within a few weeks. I enjoy when the design requires one or two very unusual lines off the tee, but I didn't have to throw anything too challenging here from the tee.

Other Thoughts:

This course will be a staple of NJ disc golf and is one of the strongest courses in the state. I am impressed that this was able to be pulled together by a boy scout, and I thank him for his initiative.
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