Course 100

-An 18-hole course with a top variety of holes to play, including elevation, open, wooded, bushes, water carry, tee gaps, creeks come into play, ravines, and roller greens. The course is located in a rural park in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The course is also very memorable.

-Amazing combinations of variety tee to basket: #15 wooded/bushes/upslope/ravine drop/roller green baskets, #2 elevated/woods/water/open/up slope, #16 elevated/ravine drop/bushes/woods/uphill/roller green, #6 wooded/open/uphill/roller green, and other combinations. No holes looked alike. Only #11 and #13 had only a level wooded hole, with short #11 an elevated basket hooked right from a narrow fairway, #13 a wider open wooded fairway that narrows on approach which starts to slope downward, with both baskets hooked behind trees. Both holes had separate appeal.

-There were several what I'll call X tee to basket fairways. Long to long crossing short to short fairway lines, very unique offering a different look on those holes. #4 both tees uphill in moderate trees, but separated by about 200 feet, basket separation about 150 feet. A short tee to long basket would be a 90-degree dogleg left.

-One of the top scenic courses I've played with a lake also in play or in the backdrop. The #5 open elevated downhill hole has the backdrop of the lake, with fairways 2 an elevated water carry teeing out of the woods to open baskets, and 3 open tees climbing uphill right back into the woods both in the foreground of the lake, and behind baskets #5. Offering a scenic view from elevated 5th tee.

-Two turf pads and two Chainstar baskets per hole, except #18 may have a third basket placement. Long to long offers a technical challenge for the most part. If you have played here before, #5 long tee is now located across the road, you're throwing across the road elevated. There are other long tee pad relocations, and some baskets as well.

-Tee signs looked recently new with hole number, distances for all four combo's, bright color graphics on map, and next tee indicator. Navigation is clockwise, only had to pull up Udisc from 8 basket to 9 tee, and 9 baskets to 10 tees because of network of trails and height of bushes.

-The bushes I've never seen the variety before, tried lens finder no connection, even web search for this review, no luck. There is thick of branches with small leaves and cluster together, height 4-7 feet not able to see the floor. But there a little more than 2 feet off of the ground with a clean floor that looks swept, just dirt. There in play from holes 9 thru 16 and look like a potential disc lost every hole. #15 starts up a ridge and then back down to a ravine with long basket hooked right and a roller green. Bushes and trees on both sides' narrow fairway, looks like disc loss from the tee because you lose sight of your disc. I bent down to the ground and found my disc about 70 feet away and had easy finds on two other holes. A unique variety of bushes.

-Beginner and Recreational players you'll have fun on the course short tees will be manageable. Intermediate and Advanced you'll enjoy a variety of bomber and technical holes playing longs and will pull a lot of discs from your bag.

-On a Saturday morning below freezing temps with patches of snow the parking lot close to #1 was about packed and not with disc golfers, the other parking lot I passed was filling up as well. The park is popular for hiking, jogging, walking a dog, or laying out in the sun even on a cold morning. There are trails that cross fairways in the woods, and open fairways popular for laying out. I encountered all several times on a below freezing morning with another snowstorm moving in, delaying my game flow.

-On the X fairways on a busy day, need to make sure you're crossing a long fairway or short if you happen to catch up to a group. May not see other tee, hit by disc potential.

-The gray colored baskets can be hard to spot, I played long baskets, all except 18 across the water because I couldn't see it, perhaps because of the bright sun and backdrop of woods. There were a few short baskets that I missed seeing they were off from my fairway line, but I also wasn't playing them.

-Tee signs don't have par listed, it's a pet peeve of mine including my home course Munden Point. I like knowing the thoughts of the designer or local club in relation to par on those holes that border a par 3 or 4 because of distance. IMO some of the par's long tees to both baskets on DGCR are too generous for some players, I adjusted a few holes for my game. The long tees have no tee sign and can be hard to find in the woods.

-Lost disc potential is going to be high with the water carries, tree kisses that may take you deeper into the woods or creeks, and blind fairways. Those bushes if you keep your eyes off your disc may swallow your disc if there caught in the branches. I managed to walk up to my disc every time and a few times looking ground level and finding my disc under the bushes.

"Freestyle Disc Golfing" is how I decided to play my Course 100 at Walnut Creek Park which I decided to choose based on the variety of holes the course offered. Meaning if the long tee was elevated higher than shorts such as #16, I was playing it. I mostly played short tees to long baskets, on a few holes both tees and even both baskets. Keep it fun and casual. The course offered every element I enjoy in Disc Golf with the primary draw elevation. Every hole offered something different, and months later still memorable! I look forward to returning to give it a go long to longs and on a warm weekday morning. Kudos to the local club and park, #8 long basket was crushed a few days before I played by a tree and was replaced quickly within a few weeks.

My biggest personnel con was the amount of non-disc golfers crossing fairways, and there were several delays. The biggest scare was on #13 when a little girl came running from the woods into the fairway with her father chasing her as my disc sailed by. When I heard voices the rest of the way in, I had to pause to make sure I wasn't surprised by others. If its busy in the park and if a good flow or rhythm is important to your game, you could be interrupted.

My overall rating is anchored on a rock solid 5.0 from the 1st tee to the 18th basket. The time to play was 95 minutes taking pictures, and the delays.

The Closing Holes:

Part of my overall rating on any course is how far back from the 18th basket are the closing holes at least excellent. I like to see it at least from the 16th tee, but at Walnut Creek with the variety of holes starts at tee #12. #18 a scenic level open water carries from the long to long need to carry at least 400 feet or a double water carry to the short basket area of at least 260 feet, then crossing shorter distance to reach the long basket. Walnut Creek rivals all three of my 5.0 rated courses (Lake Marshall Lions and Lair, and Hawk Hollow) in closing out a round.

Featured Holes:

-No. 7 a Par 3 is one of the X fairways. From short-to-short downhill at 259 feet, long to long at 322 feet sloping down and across the hill left to right. Heavily wooded, canopy, and tight gaps for both fairways. Short tee with a creek on the left all the way to the short basket. The long basket is not seen from the short tee since its 90-degree fairway left, and maybe not from longs as well. Long tee straight to the long basket with 5 to 10-foot tree gaps about 225 feet down, and the creek within C2. Long basket was my most scenic basket played sits on a shelf across the creek surrounded by bushes and trees all within 10 feet of the basket, and a green roller into the creek. There's a foot bridge to cross the creek for a scenic ending to the hole.

-No. 12 Par 3 short tees to short basket 270 feet, Par 4 long tee to long basket at 435 feet is a tree lined hole to the short basket on a downward slope, but plenty of space. The short basket green was reddish dirt offering appeal, and surrounding guardian trees, go long or to the right down the hill you go into the bushes. Long tee to long basket is not seen from the tee, target your tee right center on the border of C1 for short basket, too long or short you won't see the basket to the right. To the right the fairway drops all the way to the basket about 180 feet and the gap narrows from 20 to 6 feet with bushes about 4 feet high and within 5 feet of basket. Scenic from the shelf, but an "oh boy" on the approach, and disc can roll into the bushes. Haven't seen a basket placement quite like it, and huge disc lost potential if gunning for it from the tee. My eagle approach ran about 5 feet into the bushes and finding my disc.

Signature Hole/My No. 1 Hole in Disc Golf:

No. 17 is freaking epic! From my research an elevated tee of about 85 feet to long basket, short tee seems to be about 5 feet higher than long tee which is to the right, so that's where I played from. I played both baskets, shorts maybe a height of 55 feet. Short distance tee 290 feet/480 feet Par 3, long tee adds another 30 feet. Its wide-open space all the way to long basket except for towering pine trees lined from left to right stopping in the middle of the fairway hiding the short basket which sits on a down slope. Right center fairway is a dirt road that's crested, to the right of it, a roller into the lake, to the left your fairway rolling right to left. From the tee there's a wave effect as you drop elevation, two waves. The open fairway narrows as you reach the long basket continuing with the right to left roller, approaching heavy woods on left as fairway narrows, and a pond prior to reaching long basket on the left, all of it outside C1. Just a scenic look from the tee, with the excitement of throwing from the tee. I threw to both baskets, a Star Leopard 3 to short on a fade thru the tree line disappearing past it, and found it parked behind basket. A Star Mamba with too much height that tombstone just short of the crest of the road on the way to long basket. I'll never forget the park job.

Trouble Hole:

No. 8 Long tee to short basket 289 feet Par 3, long tee to long basket 346 feet Par 4. Short tee directly ahead from long. From the long tee a fairway lined with heavy woods small as 20-foot gaps, gently level downslope, until the short tee with a drop, and fairway slopes left to right into a creek and disc can roll. The fairway will have a rolling dogleg left to short basket with a hook left to basket outside C1 and can roll into creek. The hook continues to long basket up hill, and not so bad on a roller green. From the tee very scenic, with trouble written all over it both in score and lost disc potential. Took a tree kiss into the creek, before playing out of the creek decided to check out the long basket to see if playable at all, nope totally crushed under a large tree. Pitched out to short basket.

The course is now very well marked.
Requires a variety of shots.
Good mix of open and wooded holes.
Includes water hazards.
Lots of elevation.
Hole 17 is awesome!!!
Great scenery.
Very peaceful.

Some of the steep trails are getting washed out.
Losing discs in the water hazards.
Pins can be difficult to spot.
Can be difficult for new players like myself but I certainly see the potential.

Great course! Glad to be living within 10 miles of it.

Elevation. Elevation. Elevation! I have never played a course this nice. It has rolling hills, tight woods, long shots, short shots, 4 total layouts to play, tunnel shots, water hazards. It requires you to use all discs and all sorts of throws. The tee signs were basic, however totally helpful. No reason you cannot find a tee or basket based on those signs.

The elevation is one of the things of love the most about this course. That being said, there are several holes where you tee off and either go over a hill, down a hill and around a corner, or just big doglegs in the woods. I played for the first time today and was alone. I looked and looked on some holes for my drives. It thankfully isn't super thick woods with nasty thorns or anything, but difficult nevertheless. (looked for 20 min on I believe hole 12. Long basket is off to the right, down a hill, then straight back through a very narrow channel in the woods)

Also 17 Short to Long. I looked for 10 minutes to find my disc in the woods about 30 feet to the left of the pin. (No I didn't deuce).

I have lived in Richmond for 5 years and have been playing disc golf for 2. Absolutely bummed out that it took me this long to come play it. Probably my favorite course that I have ever played. Navigation wasn't as hard as people on here made it seem. I took a screenshot of the map on here (thankfully I did it because my phone had no signal to look it up when there), but it wasn't bad. Only somewhat confusing spot was the field which encompasses holes 2,3,5,6.

Looking at the hole info on here and the suggested par, I was thinking I was going to have a long day ahead of me. I played Long to Long Long to Short, Short to Long and then was a bit too tired to walk this course again for Short to Short. but I shot under suggested par each time and I left A LOT of putts out there. My strength is off the tee, but I shouldn't deuce a par 4.

No joke, this is a hike and a half. I am a fit dude with good joints, but it was tiring. Not for the faint of heart.

I was passing through the area and decided to take a detour to play this course; and, am I glad I did. This course is a true GEM in the purest since of the word. As others have already mentioned, a well thought out course in a beautiful setting. This course employs every single shot type there is; if you have a weakness in your game, you will find it here. I only wish I had time for a second round.

Each hole has multiple tees & baskets; it is possible to play 72 different holes here. The "short" tee mats are the lighter color (green I believe, as I am color blind); the "long" tees are the dark (black) mats.

None come to mind as Navigation, though a problem, has been remedied by the links on this site (see Below)

Navigation can be difficult and some of the signage, especially that which is out in the open, has been weathered and hard to read. I cannot stress this enough, TAKE A COPY OF THE COURSE MAP WITH YOU! The map linked to on this site is perfect. Cell reception in the area can be spotty and you may not be able to download any course info while playing.

Also, if you are not in the best of physical condition, you may not wish to tackle this course without a partner to keep an eye on you. The course is very rugged. You will get a decent workout.

And, depending on the time of year, bug spray and/or sunscreen are a good idea. There are many holes in the woods; but the few in the open will allow the sun enough time to work on you. Also might be a good idea (and possibly a pleasurable one ), to have a friend perform a thorough tick check after playing. Who knows? Having that done could add to the great experience this course will have already provided. HA!

For starters, if I were a disc born and thrown in Central Virginia, my last wishes would to be lost after being tossed in "The Tub" at the bottom of Hole 17 at Walnut Creek. This is certainly the finest local hole for any disc's final resting place. (And potentially resurrected by one of the local snorkelers if you use a Sharpie...)

Anyway, this course is hands-down the headiest in the Charlottesville area. With everything from fair wooded fairways to open fields with beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain views, the variety of Walnut Creek keeps disc life spicy, salty AND sweet. In an ideal world, be sure to time your round to be perched up at Hole 17 around sunset for surely one of the more picturesque "Top of the World" style holes ever.

Yes the signage could be better, yes it could be free to play (it mostly is, depending on the time of year and how "attendant" the parking lot attendant is), and yes there could be free beers and snacks and live bands at every tee-box 24/7, but come on - don't be that guy. Just be happy to have 36 sets of dangling chains in such a beautiful area, 20 minutes south of Charlottesville.

PRO-TIPS:

1.) Hole 1 can be tricky to find upon first visit. From the parking lot, go past the Disc Golf sign, through the open air pavilion, and down to the left towards the lake.
2.) Holes 2 and 17 are great spots to discretely celebrate not losing your disc in the water.
3.) Watch out for an old barbed wire fence that runs about 10 yards deep in the woods on the left side of the fairway for Holes 12 & 13. A lot of it has been pushed to the ground at this point, but still.
4.) Cell phone service is very limited.
5.) By joining the Blue Ridge Disc Golf Club ($20 annually), it gets you 50% off a season pass entrance to Walnut Creek. This essentially pays for the club membership itself, and is a great way to support the local throwers.

Really liked the combinations of tees and holes. Some beautiful views and well layed out to take advantage of lake, fields, and woods.

Some of the signs are damaged and unreadable.

Played this after heavy rains, but not too muddy. Brought my 10 yr old son along and we were able to play together off the same tees and then white baskets for him and blues for me. Worked out well.

Dual color coded boxed astroturf tees and dual color coded baskets on just about every hole provide multiple playing options. Phenomenal use of the available elevation and terrain and dam. Challenges include white and blue level par 3s and 4s with every variety of elevation changes, lengths, water, hardwoods and line shaping. Fun factor here is also great. Two loops of 9 holes back to parking lot is very much appreciated on a course with this much hiking elevation and distance. Navigation and signage is pretty good now, kiosk in parking lot with sign describing how to get to hole 1. Well maintained and very little underbrush. Bathrooms, water fountain, pavilion, beach, swimming, fishing, mountain biking, hiking, beautiful views overlooking the lake.

Very minor things. No Gold level layout. Short basket on hole 10 is right in the path of the long basket. A few holes play a little too close to the next hole. Could use signs on both tees and numbers on baskets but it's really not hard to figure out. Decent chance to lose a disc in water. High slope = roll aways. Hiking trail near a few holes, other people around the park, but doesn't seem to interfere with holes much. Could use some benches. Biting flies in summer, found tick on leg after round.

Not really a con, $3/day to play in the summer, well worth it. Might be too hard for rank beginners and people that aren't physically able to hike the elevation.

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Walnut Creek is one of the most B-E-A-utiful courses I've played and it might be the best blue or advanced level course I've ever played. This course should be rated much higher than it is. The previous low rated reviews can be ignored since the major navigational and signage issues have been addressed by the local club for the most part, I only had to refer to the map to figure out which baskets were on hole 5 vs 6, and after hole 12 you backtrack instead of following the path to 16. Hole 2 sports a sign about the legend of Stud Muffin's review on here, lol.

Hole 2 reminds me of Deer Lakes signature hole 15 over the pond. Hole 3 is open bomb sloping uphill to a basket slightly tucked into the woods. Hole 5 is a par 4 with elevated tee across the street and the basket on a downslope and the lake behind it, reminds me of Moraine's signature hole 15 with the Lake in the backdrop. Hole 6 is then a monster par 4 back uphill. The next 7 holes takes you through a gauntlet of heavily lined wooded fairways and ravines. Hole 13 is a flat par 4 bomber hole with a little trouble right off the tee, then mostly open middle section and then the basket tucked 100' back through some hardwoods. Holes 14 and 15 test your U-turn skillz in the opposite directions.

Then comes the crescendo of perhaps the greatest 3 finishing holes. Hole 16 has an elevated tee with slight hyzer wooded fairway and ravine to the basket on a very fast sloping green. Hole 17 is probably the signature hole here, it's one of the most unique and memorable holes I've played as it drops almost 100' vertically with ob water to the right of the dam and ob mini waterfall left of the basket and fast right to left slope to the basket. What a hole, but hold the phone, there's still number 18! Hole 18 features a drive to a peninsula green to the short basket or landing area to the long basket, if shooting to the long basket you then have a water carry to a fast sloping island green.

So with all that said, I'm tempted to throw a 5 Disc Rating at Walnut Creek. It's one of the easiest 4.5's I've given. I put Walnut Creek in a similar category to Moraine, Deer Lakes and Nockamixon, but the main difference is that those have gold level layouts and Walnut Creek is only a white and blue level course so it's a little shorter, but also a little more fun. It would be nice if there was another high quality course in the area to make this more of a destination, but at any rate I still highly recommend anyone play this course, it's Virginia's finest public course!

Very well thought out course 2 tees and 2 baskets extremely beautiful park.water elevation and a dam shot. Everything you could dream of in one course. Also very nicely kept.

Didnt see any!

Everyone said it would be hard to navigate, but after finding hole one,(looked on map by parking lot) it was extremely easy to follow. Once you find the long basket to each hole you arnt far away from the next 2 holes. Dont let other reviews stop you from coming here. Well worth a many hour drive.

great elevation change
multiple tees/pads
BEAUTIFUL scenery
challenging course!
nice tee pads for both tees
Heck of a workout
17th hole is INCREDIBLE

A tad hard to navigate w/0 a map

Took a 2 hour road trip to play this place and it was worth it. Really enjoyed this course and hole 17 was the most amazing hole iv ever played!

>Challenging, mostly wooded course, with multiple tees and baskets.

>Beautiful scenery.

>A few stand out holes.

>Confusing.
*First, without telling someone, just try to find the first basket.

*The multiple Tees were not confusing, green carpet=white, blue carpet=blue. What was confusing is 2 baskets standing on each hole, so while playing in a match, if you do not determine which basket you are playing to before you throw, you will always find yourself in a argument with which basket to play, since we always want to play with what worked best with our tee shot..

A enjoyable experience.
Could be a 5 rated course (in my book) with a few simple little corrections like:

*Put up a sign on a tree near the Pavilion that says "Tee #1 This Way".
*Only have 1 basket up at a time, rotate their positions.
*Signs to next tees when it is not obvious.

But the biggest downfall to this course is it's location. You have to be either a toothless, or buck tooth hillbilly to live near this course.

...hope you like curvy roads.

Fun, hilly course that epitomizes the beauty and terrain of central Virginia. Some challenging holes and amazing views.
- Walnut Creek is mainly a wooded course, but there's even variety that everyone should holes they both love & hate. Course features some extreme elevations, both up & down. some holes with not-so much elevation, or none at all. Some doglegs, open holes, and, of course, plenty of wooded holes.
- Dual tee pads and/or baskets on just about every hole. With the long tees, you get some layouts that are completely different layouts that the short tees. #2 & 7, for example, play different depending on which tee you're throwing from.
- Every hole also has a long & short basket location. The kiosk in the parking lot lets you know which position the baskets are in. This is very helpful with so many blind tee shots.
- Major love for the tee signs showing the distance to clear the water (on water holes, obviously.) It's one thing to guess the distance (it looks like 200 - 250 to throw over the water); it's another to have it on a sign and remove the doubt.
- The park itself is amazing. Huge plot of land (enough for a second 18 maybe??) that really puts you out in nature. There are vey few courses I've played when you don't hear cars/traffic in the distance. I loved the views of the lake from holes #2,3 & 5.
- This is a great course for all skill levels. I saw many people carrying 1 or 2 discs and other casual players on the course when I played.
- Plenty of benches throughout course. You'll need them as you walk up and down the hills.

I noticed several reasonable issues during my time at the course that could pose problems.
- Course signage could be improved. During a stretch on the front 9, you can see 5 baskets (for 4 different holes), along with several tee pads. On other holes, you see the basket for a different hole than the one your playing. On multiple holes, I had to walk almost the entire way to the basket before I could spot it. I understand doing that on blind tee shots, but on #7, it's almost a straight shot, but the basket blends into the shadows. A big help for both of these problems would be yellow baskets with numbers on them.
- A bigger issue with signage is the transition between holes. The problem here is the bike trails that wind through the woods, often near, and/or crossing holes. On at least one occasion I started walking down a path only to realize I'd been on a bike trail. Even with a map, it's easy to get lost. There was only signage on several holes, such as from #16 basket to #17 tee. More of these signs would be extremely helpful for first-time players.
- The course intertwines a little too closely with the bike trails at times. Not only did I get confused between disc golf fairways/paths & bike trails, but so did bikers. I had some pedal up a fairway just as I was about to tee off, at which time they realized they'd gotten lost. You really need to use extreme caution when throwing.
- I was surprised at the lack of restrooms & water fountains. It appeared (from my out-of-town perspective) that the real bathrooms are only open during the summer, when the waterfront is open. Playing in October, when the waterfront was closed, I only saw 1 port-a-jon for the entire park.
- This course has huge "lost disc potential." In a weird way, the biggest risk for losing a disc in the water, isn't on a true water hole (#2, 17 & 18), but on #1. This is a dogleg right, with the fairway sloping down to the left, to the water. It'd be easy to have a disc sail or roll right into the water if you're not careful, or unlucky.
- The other, bigger threat for losing discs is the combination of blind tee shots, and elevation changes. Throwing around a corner with a steep drop-off equals problems if you're not careful. My buddy & I passed a group of 3 guys on #16 (a blind tee shot, dogleg right hole) who were searching for a lost disc. Nothing out of the ordinary there. The problem was the disc had sailed off to the left, down the slope, and they were searching from about a third of the way down the fairway to about 100 feet past the basket, about a 300 foot-span going up and down the hill. I felt that easily could have been us, on about half a dozen holes.

I think the several negatives about the course were more prevalent than normal because Walnut Creek is so close to being great. Even with the concern of losing a disc, or walking around an extra 30 minutes, this course is in "must play" list.
- Be prepared for a slow round your first time here. Between find the holes & baskets and taking in all the sights and sounds, it's a slow go. The first time we played, it took two of us more than 2 hours to finish a round. The second time through, we knocked off about 45 minutes, finishing in less than an hour and a half.
- I was a let down by #17, by most accounts, the course's signature hole. The scenery is great, watching your disc sail forever is cool, but it's actually a relatively easy hole. The first time through I missed an easy putt for 3, the second time I had a longer putt for 2, and had a tap-in 3. The lake on the right should never come in to play. You're much more likely to land in the small creek near the basket than the lake. At least you get your exercise walking up the hills.
- For natural course beauty, this ranks right up there with High Country in Jefferson, NC as the best I've played. The view from the fairway of #5 to the tee, with the lake in the background is simply amazing. Playing the hole with the leaves changing colors was picturesque. Trust me, the pics on here don't do justice for the view. And there are other great views throughout the course as well.
- This is definitely a must play for anyone within several hours. If you live in Virginia and don't make a trip here, you're doing an injustice. It'd be nice if there were another course within 30 minutes, but it's good enough by itself.

- Very beautiful, very scenic course. A quiet, serene experience.
- A must-visit for anyone playing in Virginia. Centrally located in the state, it is well worth even a two or three hour drive.
- Four different tee/basket combinations available, on most holes.
- Tee/basket combinations range from moderately difficult to very difficult.
- Course has a wide variety of hole types including wooded and open with varying elevation changes.
- Great use of water hazards on several holes.

- Course can be difficult to navigate without a map, at least for first-timers.
- Not all of the holes have the long baskets in place. This can be very confusing for those trying to play the long baskets, but who are unfamiliar with the course.

Score Breakdown:
Variety:5 Balance:4 Strategy:5 Character:5 Fun:4 Avg: 4.6

Large, scenic and located off the beaten path in the Blue Mountains, Walnut Creek Park is the quintessential destination course. The park itself is multi-use, has amenities and is well maintained.

The World Class layout includes:

Pro/Am tees (labeled blue/white respectively) for each hole with multiple baskets on some and alternate pin positions on others which equates to a variety of options for multiple skill levels.

Elevation change on practically every hole - from the gradually mild to the greatly extreme!

A well balanced mix of right/left/straight throws, open, semi-open and woods holes, uphill/downhill, risk/reward, fast greens, elevated tees, blind holes, water hazards, etc - basically most of the characteristics found in top rated, championship quality courses.

The tee signs are descriptive, the gravel tee boxes presented no footing issues and the baskets were in good shape. The course is well broken in and devoid of excessively thick, disc eating brush which reduces frustrating searches and disc loss possibilities (with the exception of the water hazards of course!).

The design and flow was flawless - while most certainly created with physical and mental challenge in mind, it registers highest on what I feel is the most important aspect of a course: Fun Factor!

Since its pay-to-play, I'll nit-pick here a bit.

While I did not have difficulty with the gravel/natural tee pads, some players may and honestly, rubber or concrete would be ideal but not necessary. Additionally, some of the blue tees were only marked with blue blocks rather than being carved out boxes with a wood defined border (as the majority were). I'd prefer there were tee signs at all the tee boxes as well. Navigation could be improved some with more directional arrows, etc (I had a map, did not have an issue but sense it could be a concern). In a perfect world this would be a disc golf only area. However it is not and DGers should be aware and mindful as there are mountain bikers, fisherman, and other park goers nearby/passing through the course (not a problem when I played).

I played from the Blue Tees; while it was tough both mentally & physically and challenged my game, I felt it was extraordinarily fair. None of the annoyances to detract from enjoying a round were to be found here (such as tedious navigation issues, excessively long walks between holes, flow or design flaws, overcrowding, etc). Therefore I could concentrate on my game which is a necessity if you want to play well here.

The flow was just perfect. It felt like the balance and sequence of hole types was always kept 'in check' and never seemed repetitive. The anticipation grew on each hole as the course unfolded which is a tell tale sign of a top notch course.

Most reviewers mention the last two holes as some of the best finishing holes anywhere. While that's true, I felt as if #16 (from the blue tee) needs to be included in this sequence. It's an elevated tee through a nearly 400 ft, tight wooded fairway sloping down into a ravine with the basket uphill at the edge of the woods. After playing this hole and stepping out to the majestic view of the lake, all I can say is 'wow, these may be the best THREE finishing holes I've ever played'.

Walnut Creek Park is pure disc golf delight which I'd recommend as a must play destination for any serious disc golfer.

World Class layout employs every element to test your game...employs elevation, fast greens, tight woods, open air wind holes, doglegs,water , and length to challenge your game and your psyche. Plenty of treats here that you will remember:
#1 has a constructed elevated basket
#2 is a reachable throw across the pond if you can negotiate the tight off the tee trouble
#3,5,6 are elevation shift open bombs
#7 is a down and up over a ravine dogleg L that is quite fun finishes uphill to a fast green
#8 is quite a thrill..it's a downhill tight drive that L Hyzers back uphill like a J but all along the R side of the fairway theres a drop into steeper woods and stream...misplay here and you are in all kinds of trouble...challenging fun.
#11 has a crazy fast clay green that can cause havoc
#15 is another down and up dogleg but this one fades R uphill.
This all brings you to the greatest Tri-fecta of holes I have encountered in Disc Golf:
#16 shoots from atop a wooded hillside and you must throw straight a great distance through a fair but punishing gauntlet of trees over a valley to a basket perched on a hillside across the valley. Just pure wooded perfection here..the view of the lake from the basket and the lookback to the tee are amazing. (did I really just make that drive)
#17 is the funnest hole I have played to date...the signature hole that tees from 45 feet above the dam and the lake and then drops another 40 to the basket..which is placed just 10 feet from a 20 by 30 ft healthy deep pond. Oh it is a glorious view and best of all it's a glorious drive...you have to actually throw over the dam..often my discs would turn over the water in a terrifying way before fading hard down the steep sloped green grass of the dam. I parked my drive and missed the putt for birdie here...damn! Has got to be amongst the best holes ever made..makes a great course elite and a must play.
#18 Got balls how about a tee that shoots 250ish over water to a peninsula and then from that placement it's another 250ish to the basket over the lake again..oh and the basket is tucked on a hillside guarded by trees that might doink you into the drink. It's possible 4 here but also possible to double circle triple bogey as well. It's also a very pretty hole that will scare the hell out of you at the same time your taking in the view.
Overall not a bad hole here....not one bad hole..just some more epic than others. Multiple tees and a few multiple baskets here and there. Immediately makes my top 20. Water available near hole 1 and 9. Kiosk and plenty of parking.

Natural tees...not a problem for me but many want perfection and the luxury of perfect tees. Lots of sunbathers and mountain bikers for such a secluded park. I doubt they ever get too overwhelming but the public was nearby.

I love this place and the anticipation builds as you come to the finish...Play the long tees for a bigger thrill...many of the pics and video are from the shorts and these are not nearly as dramatic. Designed for the serious DGer and not for families and newcomers. Simply an amazing and beautiful while challenging and unique experience.

Scenic! Great for experienced players but less experienced players will still have a good time.
There is a nice variety of holes using elevation, water hazards, and obstacles. Multiple tee and basket placements are always a plus. Course wasn't crowded while I was there.

*Edit (4/12): The natural tees are gone and turf tees are in. Green turf for short tees and blue turf for long tees.

Navigation can be an issue for first timers.
The first tee is tricky to find, from the parking area go towards the beach then to the right.

Bringing a map will help.

The fee is to get into the park during the summer season. Bring the family because there is plenty for them to do if they aren't disc golfers. I enjoyed a swim after my round. You get a great view on #17 where you may want to slow down and take it all in, maybe bring a camera too. This is one of my favorites to play!

Two tee positions, two basket positions per hole. Some holes - 4,7,16,18 come to mind - had two baskets. The map and scorecard available online made the course easy to follow/play. Beautiful park, an especially good play during the middle of October-November when the foliage is at its colourful peak.

Stone/gravel teepads less than ideal. No current basket position indicator at teepad. (There was a current-location list at the welcome sign, but half of them were wrong).

This course had tremendous variety. Some holes have very significant elevation changes, both downhill and uphill, a few are flat, but most have some minor change in elevation. A few wide open holes, a few completely wooded holes with challenging-but-fair throwing lanes, a few holes where you start in the open/woods finishing in the other, a few with broad fairways defined by woods/brush, a few across-the-meadow holes. A couple dead-straight initial drives, but most require some type of turn, with left/right in relatively equal balance. The sharpness of the turns vary - some near 90-degrees, others short-n-shallow, others requiring very long, continuous arcing shots, some fishhook/J-shaped!. Many tough pin positions - some elevated on mounds, others with sharp drop-offs or water nearby. Water potentially comes into play on four holes, with #18 requiring the player to make an accurate assessment of his abilities - throwing, or swimming, as the case may be!

Favourite hole: #17-long, the obvious choice. Long, major downhill bomb with water on the right (R.I.P. Destroyer), with a left-turn and more downhill to reach the basket - with a small amount of water near the basket, too.

To-date, I've played 81 courses, 17 of them in Virginia, and this course easily makes it into my top five - certainly a must-play if anywhere near the area. The variety of the holes is fantastic, and playing from the long tees could pose a tremendous challenge - my round from the short tees was plenty tough for me.

Very challenging, even from the the whites. Tons of elevation changes. Beautiful scenery all around. Interesting basket placements. A lot of thought went into the design of the course.

Tee boxes could be a little better. Course can be a bit confusing for someone who has never played it. Signage could be improved. Cement pads and improved signage would make this course just about perfect.

Just a great course to play after a 10-year hiatus from disc golf. It's really a shame there aren't more courses in the area, but I doubt I'll get tired of this Walnut Creek for a while.

This course is amazing. The views offered here are like nothing I'd ever seen on a disc golf course before. A picturesque lake is visible from many of the holes, and you throw over small parts of it twice. This is easily the most scenic course I have ever played - I would recommend bringing along a camera if you have room in your bag. In addition to the beauty of the lake, there is also a designated swimming area that provides a nice chance to cool off after a few rounds on a hot day.

Awesome views aside, the course itself is great. It has to be the best mix of open and wooded shots, uphill and downhill shots, doglegs, blind shots, etc. that I have ever seen. The course makes great use of the land - the open shots all feature different types of hills and slopes, and the wooded shots are varied between straight tunnel shots and sharp doglegs. The course is also very well marked, with quality signs at every tee and signs marking the trails to the next hole.

Like most other reviewers mentioned, the highlight of the course is easily Hole 17. The view from here is as good as it gets, with the winding lake to your right surrounded by tree-covered hills. The fairway is insane - the first 1/3 is a very steep hill, which briefly flattens out, followed by another steep hill that slopes off to the left of the fairway. The basket is 460 ft away next to a creek. This hole alone makes the course worth checking out.

I really don't think that there are many negatives here, but that's just me. If you prefer shorter courses that require less hiking, this is not the course for you. The tees here are all natural, but most of them were nice and flat without any roots so it wasn't really a big deal. The trails between the wooded holes are well-established, and most of them have bridges built where needed, but there is one or two places where the bridges are broken and you have to do a little exploring to find your way around. None of these factors really take away from the overall quality of this course, though.

The 4.5/5 rating that I'm giving this course is the highest I've ever given. Aside from a few small things like the natural tees and a broken bridge, this course is close to perfect. I'm hesitant to give out a 5/5, but I can't imagine a course being any closer to one than this.

Very pretty park with a lake in the middle. Rolling, heavily wooded hills offer challenging elevation changes. Course is on the long side, but there are several easy birdie opportunities. Multiple tees for many of the holes make for interesting variety.

Costs a few bucks to get into the park during swimming season. Not a course for beginners.

I have played this course only a half-dozen times. I have never played it particularly well, but it remains one of my favorite parks nonetheless. Challenging, beautiful, and quiet when you go early in the day.

Awesome views... empty your bag on hole #17...Plays through a wooded county park with an idyllic lake that comes into play on 4 holes.

For a mid to advanced player, one of the best tests of golf in central Virginia. Multiple pin positions and tees on most holes. Holes 4, 5, 7, 12, 16, and 18 have baskets in both pin positions... pick your poison...

As varied as a course without many true par 4s can be. Variation in holes from "must deuce" to "real tough 3" holes.

Memorial-Labor Day $3 for county residents/$4.50 non residents to enter park ($2/$3 for children)
27 of 35 (white/blue) teeboxes have stone, others are natural, but only bad after heavy rain.

A real fun course that keeps getting better as the local club adds pin positions and builds more tee boxes each year.