Pittsburgh, PA

Phillips Park

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2.385(based on 26 reviews)
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7 0
The Red Death 30
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 26.8 years 78 played 33 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Great Place to Practice

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 27, 2024 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course has been around forever. Back in the dark days of 90s disc golf, we had two 18 holes and two 9-hole courses in town. This was one of the very few we had. As such, I had played it quite a bit, but now living in city limits, I play this course frequently.

So, let's start there as far as "pros" of this course. There really are very few within city limits. There are hardly any you could take a bus to go play (if you needed) but this is one of them. It is situated on the slope of an embankment between a school and a neighborhood in the middle of Carrick. Now, I'm sure that there are a few surbananites who think this is a sketchy neighborhood, but it really is not. I have been here dozens of times and not yet had any experience that ever made me feel unsafe.

The course does a great job of setting up challenge given the limited landscaping that it had to work with here. Every hole has a grade of some sort, but rather than playing a lot of up and downhill, you mostly play along the sides of the slope. That can be a bit more taxing to walk, but really does open up a lot of shots that you need to learn and this is a great place to learn them. It plays so the slope is on both your right and your left, depending on what hole you are playing, so you get to see the challenges of discs fading downhill and uphill and how to react to each of them, which includes the putting greens, though most of those have done a great job of going as level as they could. Still, on a few of these holes you will always be putting up or down hill.

The distances on these holes make this a unique challenge, as well. Bigger arms will find it easier to go out and birdie a number of these, but for the average player, this is the kind of course that may play Par easily, but getting under par is harder than it would seem. That's one of the things that continually draws me back to this course. When everything is in that 250ish range, then landing your drives in the circle is a fun little exercise.

You do get to throw downhill once on the 2nd Hole. It's a dinky hole, but the slope makes it harder. Getting your disc down to the green, without oversailing it into OB land, is not something I can do easily on that hole. The 7th Hole is another that I like about this course. You have a choice of an easier BH hyzer path, but risk it skipping miles downhill, or take the uphill anhyzer shot.

There are concrete White tees here and they recently put in Red tees, though those are still dirt. The baskets are a bit older style but I don't get hung up on those things. They aren't as bad as Schenley's and one of them even has a fun graffiti pattern!

Cons:

Starting with the disc golf itself, I meant my words when I said that this course is a great place to come practice. I really do enjoy playing this course. That said, 2/3 of this course is the same hole. It's a straight shot, 250 foot run, with a couple of trees to navigate and some sloping. Beyond that, they all run together pretty much. That isn't helped by the fact that the park itself is generic. It's your standard "piece of land stuck between property" parks that pop up in cities. It wasn't usual for much else and it's great to have a course here, but not the most scenic ever.

There is very limited parking here. I would imagine less than 10 spots. That's usually never a problem, but I have shown up on a weeknight and the lot is full of students there for practice and afterschool activities. There are no amenities of any sort. Don't take an hour drive and need to relieve yourself when you get here. Not only is there not a restroom, you won't even find a private place to duck behind some bushes.

The course doesn't get all that much traffic, though that is starting to change. I'm noticing more people here than I ever have before. That doesn't mean that there aren't people though. This is probably one of the courses where I experience the most "non disc golfer" interaction. I have had teenagers making out on a fairway that I had to give a heads up to before. I have seen children playing on the fairways. There is a path that runs the entire way along holes 3-6. This presents a number of issues. First off, an errant throw is likely to end up in a private yard. Mostly, though, this path is frequented by dog walkers and early morning by packs of them. That's all well and good, but they have very little disc golf awareness. I often have to wait and let groups walk past before I can throw or they'll stop to converse not noticing that they are in my drive zone. Many of them seem to care less if their dogs bark at you the entire time as well. None of those things are huge negatives. People will use parks and that's great, but they are things to be aware of before going.
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14 0
Jamesmarcus
Experience: 28.1 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Best Course in Pittsburgh (City Limits) 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 28, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Beautiful park
-Not very crowded even on weekends
-Utilizes elevation changes in a non-linear way
-Challenging from a approach/putt standpoint because of fast greens
-Beautiful flight lines on many holes that give you multiple angles of attack and similar percentages of success. Very balanced course
-9 Holes so you can quickly get in and out or can replay the shots you messed up the first go around and not spend too much time doing it.

Cons:

-Some baskets have been damaged in ways that could impact play (bent bottom rims etc.)
-No shots are available for folks who throw far 500+ feet
-9 holes so the fun is limited!

Other Thoughts:

Full disclosure this is probably the only course review I will ever publish and don't have a reference point for other course ratings. I have however played disc golf competitively all the way from Junior Worlds through Open level NT events.

I played a round a few weeks ago, Saturday afternoon, we were the only players out on the course save for some high school aged lads in their Saturday best and we were able to play 27 holes in about two hours (making some mulligans and alternate shots etc.) How many courses in Pittsburgh have you played 3 times in a row on the same day? It's probably not many, but it's something you can do EASILY at Phillips!

If there's one thing I hope to accomplish with this review, it's to get people to discover this hidden gem in the middle of the city that you either looked at on this site and said "Nah, I don't want to waste my time with a 9 hole course, let's just play Deer Lakes for the millionth time," or played it once, thought "I can't throw my driver on this course, what fun is that?" and never gave it a second thought. I'm here to tell you you are missing out on the biggest kept secret in the Pittsburgh disc golf course experience.

The oak trees in this park are just magnificent, creating wide undulating fairways that are just a joy to watch your disc fly through. Playing amongst the canopies, saving your pars that rolled 50 feet away from the basket on an approach shot and being genuinely challenged on a variety of short holes to make birdie are just some of the joyous experiences that await you here.

The best part about this course is you can just leave your bag at home and bring 3 discs you want to workshop. How about take your least well known fairway driver, your midrange that sticks around in your bag for "technical" shots and the practice putter and play a round with just those discs. Literally that's all you will need to play this course, and stripping down to the bare essentials is as liberating as the joy you felt lacing your first fairway or draining your first outside the circle putt.

The way the course uses the hill is necessary (from a space and design perspective) as well as creative. You play the entire layout on a huge sloping hill, but there is only one downhill hole (#2) and one uphill hole (#8). This creates an accessibility that don't have you climbing up the admittedly massive hill every other hole to be able to play out painstaking uphill grinds and soaring downhill escapes. It plays on a nice middle ground utilizing slight elevation changes forcing you to keep shots low, or carry drives or approaches further than you thought as the hill climbs away from you.

For those who haven't played Philips, I can't recommend it enough. For beginner players and advanced players alike, there's something here for everyone if you just open yourself to experience it.

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7 1
armiller
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.9 years 273 played 60 reviews
2.50 star(s)

9-hole park golf with some character 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 7, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

- decent character for a 9-hole
- Discatchers, concrete tees, decent tee signs
- elevation throughout, mostly with sideways slope but with a memorable downhill on hole 2
- easy navigation
- beautiful park environment overlooking the city

Cons:

- parking lot pretty small
- too many fairways sloping sideways
- significant interaction with park path (could be especially dangerous on that hole 2 downhill), somewhat alleviated by not being too busy

Other Thoughts:

I played this at the end of a long disc golf day, including Deer Lakes, Schenley, and some less impressive 9-hole courses. Phillips Park was a nice breath of fresh air, and I enjoyed both the park atmosphere and the disc golf. Even with a bit of elevation change, it wasn't overly strenuous and felt relaxing even though I broke a sweat.

As far as the golf, know what you're getting into! This is a bit more than you might expect if I you heard "9-hole park course." I ran into a newer pair of players who were slightly overwhelmed by this park's unexpected challenge. The sloping greens are not typical for a 9-hole park course, and there is some decent technically challenging distance from the long tees, especially on holes 3 through 5. Other courses are better if you're looking for relaxed pitch-and-putt round or for open distance shots.

As far as the park, it's a nicely treed and relatively quiet park. The small parking lot was a bit crowded, possibly due to a local group presenting Much Ado About Nothing (possibly another Shakespeare play?). A park path borders the course for most holes, but I didn't have issues with safety and didn't have to wait for walkers to get out of the way.

Rating: I was tempted to give it a 3 (good) simply because its character impressed me and I'm not used to so much elevation and some particularly memorable shots. 2.5 (decent/typical) is about right. I didn't find the holes repetitive, though I started to tire of the lateral slope on holes 3 through 8. I don't regret my round here and wouldn't mind coming back.
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5 2
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 755 played 414 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Pony, One Trick 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

A chance to focus on your up/cross slope game.

Cons:

Holes 3-9 are only slight variants of each other.

Other Thoughts:

Course is set on a steep slope in a small public park, a few miles south of Pittsburgh's downtown. On this slope is a smattering of large hardwoods, not so much as defining throwing lanes, but as random objects to avoid.

Two tees per hole provided some choices. Concrete at all the whites, and teesigns are sufficient. I played from the whites.

After hole-1, a straight shot up-n-over a small rise, and hole-2, a steep-short downhill control shot, the last several holes are very similar, as you'll be throwing up/across the slope as you make your way to one end of the park, then doubleback, as you regain the altitude as you make your way to basket-9.

The variables are the up/cross ratio, typically much more across than up, and distances, although these, too, didn't vary too much - about half were in possible birdy range for me, and half were simple drive/approach/putt. The trees are fairly spread out, and hitting one simply lengthens the approach, but not posing any other difficulties.

The size and topography limited what could be done, but maybe increasing the up-slopers, so that there could be some down-slopers, too, would have been better. too
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10 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Small Hilly City Course-Rollaway Discs A Distinct Possibility! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 18, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Phillips Park is a small city park located across the street from Carrick High School. There is a sign which says "Course created by teachers and students of Carrick High School. The small park is built on a steeply sloping side of a hillside. There doesn't seem to be much other activity in the park. The course starts at the top of the stairs near the recreation center. There is a small parking lot here with space for maybe 10 cars.

The colored tee signs list a distance for both the red (shorts) and longer white tees. The reds are marked with a small pole with the hole number on it. Then each basket has both an A and a B position. The whites generally just seem longer. The white have a smallish concrete pad while the reds are just played from a bare spot on the ground. The baskets are a very pretty blue Discatcher.

The challenge is probably recreational level. The biggest problem for me was the constant walking on this steep hillside and quite a few rollaways. I could be like some rookies and list the trees as a Con since I happened to hit a tree or two on every hole but in actuality, the trees are pretty and wonderfully spaced. I just mostly sucked this morning!

A deer went wandering through the park this morning...In downtown Pittsburgh! Very cool!

A hole by hole description.

1. 243' across the sloping fairway. Some branches force you to keep your shot low off the tee. Watch for rollaways.
2. 243' downhill with the basket just barely visible. You gotta Annie your drive around some big bush. This basket sits probably a foot too low.
3. 291' slightly upward along hillside. Rollaway and the neighbor's backyards are a concern here.
4. 420' along hillside. I could see it being fairly easy to Annie one into someone's backyard here and the ever present threat of rollaways.
5. 285' along hillside. Backyard threat, rollaway threat but a very cool basket placement two large trees.
6. 255' starting back toward the beginning. Also along hillside.
7. 285' on hillside. Rollaway threat. Basket has no pole. It sits on the ground. Gee, I hope no-one thought this was a clever idea, like a raised basket in reverse.
8. 222' on hillside. Rollaway threat. One big tree directly in your line.
9. 249' back to start. Another hole on the hillside, another rollaway threat, uphill with a low ceiling.

Cons:

How do you design a 9 hole course on a steep, sloping piece of land and only manage to have one hole playing downhill? I would find a way to incorporate at least three fun little downhill Ace runs here.

# 2 basket is set low.
# 7 basket is set on the ground.

Neighbors yards could be in play on 3-4-5.

Other Thoughts:

I should have been liking this course but frankly, I grew weary of navigating the steep hillside. I kind of grew bored with the course in general. I liked # 2, the short, downhill anhyser throw. I liked the cool basket placement on # 5. My favorite hole was an unofficial one. I played # 1 backwards, back to the # 8 basket. Now that was a fun, longish downhill throw along the hillside. I didn't have time to pursue that idea anymore but I think it might be a fun possibility, perhaps playing the entire course backward. I know I would have found ways to create a few more downhill holes.
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4 0
Jags
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.6 years 84 played 41 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice course for a quick round. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course in a quiet neighboorhood not far from the city. Course was easy to navigate and had nice signs that show the layout of tee to pin placement. There are two tee pads on every hole. Not much rough on this course being more city park setting.

Cons:

Most baskets are on hill's so getting discs to lie can be a problem. There are some dead trees/branches that need trimmed for safety purposes. I think the parking lot had only 8-10 spots for parking which could cause a problem if the course was busy.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this is a nice short course for a quick round. We were the only ones on the course and seems like this park don't get as many players as some other nearby courses. This isn't such an amazing course that one should travel for 2 hours to get to but definitely if your in the area its worth playing.
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10 0
BigAl724
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.6 years 178 played 144 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Small Park - Fun Peaceful Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Phillips Park is located in a peaceful setting in a residential neighborhood away from the busyness of downtown. It is in a small park and the area that the course is in is primarily dedicated to the course. There is a small playground and basketball courts next to the course if your family wants to pass time while you're playing a round. There is a bathroom and water fountain inside the rec area, just tell them that you're playing the course and they will let you use the facilities.

The course has two sets of tees (concrete for the longs) that offer appropriately different looks and challenges and two pin positions that seem to be changed at a decent rate. The blue DISCatcher baskets are easy to spot and in great shape. The tee signs give a very nice depiction of the lines available and the pin positions.

The course designers did a great job of maximizing the park's full potential and created some fun shots using the elevation and trees. The aspect I enjoyed the most about playing here was how every hole offered multiple lines off the tee. This allows the player to be creative in how they approach the holes the different times they play this course, and it's a good quality to make a short course like this more interesting. It's hard to pick a favorite hole here since they are so similar, but I liked hole 2 a lot for its extreme downhill shot and hole 4 for its length and the many lines offered.

The course flows well and it is very easy to navigate the short walks to the next tee. Also, there is virtually no rough at all on the course which is unusual for the area. Couple these two things together and the course makes for a very quick play: took me 25-30 minutes to play a round.

I've never seen anyone else playing here so I'd say you would generally have the course to yourself, which is nice compared to Schenley.

Cons:

-Not a whole lot of parking space available
-You have to drive on some very thin, windy roads to get here which can be tough to travel on when cars are going in opposite directions. Nothing alarming, but something to be aware of.
-School traffic could cause problems since it is right across the street from the park. Plan your round time accordingly.
-Not much variety - all 9 holes have a similar feel to them and their distances only range from 165-345 feet between both tees. This is not the course to go to if you like to air out every drive.
-Holes 2-5 play right next to a jogging path and dangerously close to people's backyards. I lost a Stag in someone's backyard on hole 5 - my fault for sure, but the course plays uncomfortably close to their properties.
-The course plays on a steep slope, which can make for some fun risk/reward putts. However, the constant chance at roll-aways makes for some frustrating upshots and drives. It gets old after awhile and holes 7 and 8 are especially steep. Again, fun for a little bit, but not something I want incorporated on every hole on a course.
-The red tees are natural and often positioned on sloping terrain.

Other Thoughts:

It was enjoyable to play a course that was made by the faculty and students of Carrick HS; we need more of these kinds of courses throughout the country. According to the course's page, J. Gary Dropcho - one of the leading course designers in the area - designed this course. So, I am guessing it was a collaborative effort between him and the high school, which is cool to see.

I definitely recommend stopping to play this course if you are in the area. It's a quick round and surprisingly technical for being a short course in such a small park. Kudos to the designers for turning this small piece of property into a fun little course.
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3 0
shipleyrobinson
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A pleasant surprise. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 26, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Elevation and sloping greens were a challenge, but a fun one. I enjoyed that there were well-defined fairways, but not a lot of "rough," which is usually not the case in SW PA. Also, a huge plus for one without an automobile: this course is right on the 51 bus line, so is accessible by public transportation

Cons:

Only nine holes. The short pins placements would be too short to be much fun, but they are in the longer configuration at the time of this review. There aren't any really hard holes on this course, though in extreme wind with the super steep greens, most of the holes could turn ugly.

Other Thoughts:

If this course were 18 holes (presuming that these fictional extra holes were similar in style to the pre-existing 9), it would be better than Schenley Park, in my opinion.
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4 0
nytrate
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
1.50 star(s)

It is what it is 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 29, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Phillips is almost always empty -- very quiet for being in the middle of a crowded neighborhood. It is a quick 9-hole round with as much variety as is possible on the patch of land. Good place to drive with a mid-range and practice narrow 200-240 ft. shots through a heavily wooded area.

Cons:

Nowhere to unwind a long distance driver. Many of the holes play laterally on the hill which is hard on the ankles and makes for frustrating skips/rolls. The course is heavily wooded so it is somewhat dark, even on a sunny day.

Other Thoughts:

One or two open holes would make this course a lot better, but there is not much room for it.

There was an open area around the 1st or 2nd pin that is not used. You may be able to get creative here and create your own holes using existing baskets and random tee-off positions that are more open. No one ever seems to be playing here, so you can probably do stuff like that without being rude.
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4 0
Jabumbo
Experience: 25.7 years 72 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The technical nature of the course has helped me shape my playing style and learn how to get out of a jam. The new baskets and added pin placements give even myself (who has played the course thousands off times) a refreshing look and lots more playability

Cons:

Rollers are frequent and very frustrating, a common round killer. The course is also very short and so most tee shots are the same with slight changes.

Other Thoughts:

While I admit to being sentimental here, this course really makes the most out of the space that is there. Not really worth going out of your way for but a fun way to get a workout while reading your accuracy!
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1 6
hogwild428
Experience: 25 years 296 played 24 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Watch for rolling discs 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 24, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Relatively short course is pretty good for beginners. Great use of the space available to them.

Cons:

Entire course is played on the side of a hill. Easy to get punished for a decent shot because of the hill.
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5 0
el_duder
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.8 years 44 played 14 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Great Practice Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 26, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+Nice baskets, concrete tees (whites), nice tee signs
+Multiple Pin Positions/Multiple Tee Pads
+Good Variety of shots even though it lacks distance
+Generally well maintained
+Football field nearby if you do want to air out your drivers. Although even that is limited to almost exactly 360 ft by a fence.

Cons:

-Holes 2-5 are affected by a trail and properties near the fairways. Can't do much about this, but there is some risk of hitting a bystander or tossing a disc into someones yard.
-Most holes are similar distance and somewhat short.
-Roll-a-ways can get pretty ugly.

Other Thoughts:

I consider Phillips Park my practice facility. The course itself requires just about every shot you could ask for and utilizes the trees to create just enough of a challenge that it won't get boring. Add to that that the baskets get moved around occasionally and there is more variety. The only thing the course lacks is more distance. While the holes aren't chip shots, I have only ever felt like pulling a driver on hole 4 and only when it is in the long position.

My favorite hole is probably 5 when it's in B position. I usually play it with a touch of anhyzer (to get around trees) and try to land where I can get a good view of the basket which is tucked neatly between two trees.

Overall, Phillips is a nice course to get in a couple quick rounds after work or to get a mid/putter workout. I wouldn't say it's completely passable, but it's definitely not a must play. It's just a solid 9-holer. If you live close by, like me, you'll probably play it regularly. If you have to travel a bit, play it once or twice before heading to Schenley sometime.
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5 0
Geepster
Experience: 13.7 years 40 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 10, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Maximizes the space for the nine hole layout.
Excellent use of the trees and slope to increase shot difficulty.
Level concrete tee pads and good singage.
Holes #3-5 play against my RHFH delivery.

Cons:

Othan than the 400'+ #4, all the holes are between 222-288' so the distance except for the downhill #2 felt too similar.
Rollers tend to keep going, even my floppiest putter rolled away a good 15' from an errant putt.

Other Thoughts:

The course was in good shape considering the trees are dropping leaves and the oaks have all dropped their acorns. I never felt like I was going to lose my footing even in the rain.
This is a decent walking course for those with little ones and there's a playground onsite.
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1 3
timbur3
Experience: 16.8 years 101 played 50 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Short course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 28, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great signs and an easy walk through. Good for beginners.

Cons:

The baskets struggle a little bit. The holes are all very very short because there is not much land. The pars seem kind of weird for the distence of the holes

Other Thoughts:

Since it is on the side of a hill some holes give you a great chance for your disc to roll allllll the way down the hil and add 3 strokes to your hole.
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8 0
joshmo65
Experience: 17.1 years 271 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice shot. Oh, its rolling....... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 30, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Baskets: Nine brand new DISCatcher baskets were installed this past winter with alternate pin positions. Gone are the old rusty homemade baskets that everyone complained about.

Elevation: If you are looking to work on your game throwing up and downhill, this 9 hole course has plenty of it. The holes run up and down of a very steep hill and require a good mix of up, down, and across hill shots. Really makes you think about running your putt if you land above the hole.

Tees: Although there are two sets of tees listed, the red tees are only slats of wood and are hard to find. However, the white tees are concrete and have brand new signs detailing the pin locations and distances.

Old Growth Trees: For the most part the course feels open, but the trees that are on the course are great looking and make for required line shaping. There is no undergrowth here, just grass that is mowed often so the chance that you lose a disc is slim to none.

Cons:

Runners: A few of the holes play next to a running path. Errant throws may head toward the path and although the park is not jam-packed, runners are frequent on the path. In addition, throws over the path will end up in someone's back yard and will require fence jumping.

Rollaways: With the course being on such a steep elevation, many good shots can turn bad when discs catch an edge and start rolling. And when they start rolling, they go forever here. It adds a bit of unfairness to a round, but will put much more importance on hitting putts.

Other Thoughts:

As a nine hole course, there really isn't much room to open up and let a throw rip except for one or two holes. There is quite a bit of variation in the nine holes however with left turning, right turning, and straight shots.

The park has been in really great shape every time I have played. Leaves have been raked, fallen tree branches picked up, and grass has been mowed. Some people have mentioned that it is not really in the best part of town. I usually play around the time that the nearby school gets out and never felt threatened while at the course.

I have not seen any amenities around the course, so be sure to bring your water (you will need it climbing up and down the hill). It is also very public, so don't expect that you can just hide behind a tree if you need to take a break. In addition, there are no benches around, so be ready for a hike up and down with little breaks.

Overall, a very nice nine hole course that allows for some good work with your midrange discs.
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8 1
tistoude
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 198 played 60 reviews
2.00 star(s)

New baskets make a diffrence 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 11, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Phillips Park is one of two courses located within the city of Pittsburgh.

The course plays almost entirely on a grassy slope and each hole is defined by the many mature hardwoods through the park. The slope will make you worry about rollaways and the trees force you to hit your lines.

Almost all of the holes incorporate elevation changes which make this short course very interesting.

There is no RH or LH bias on this course. Most holes have multiple lines available and allow for some creativity.

Brand new baskets have been installed. As the reviews below have mentioned the baskets used to be homemade and in pretty rough shape. Now they are brand new Discatchers and second pin positions have been installed on every hole to add some variety.

There are two tees on each hole but only one is concrete. There are also tee signs for each hole but with the new pin positions the distances are probably off by a bit.

Cons:

Playing on the slope constantly gets a little repetitive and with the walking trail and houses nearby errant throws can be potentially dangerous.

The course is a little short and a little easy. Will not challenge an experience player.

Not in the best location. The neighborhood that the park is located in is a little rough. There is also not enough parking for the course. If you play on a weekend sometimes you will need to park on the street near the course.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun little course. The course fits the property perfectly using pretty much all of the available space.

Even though Phillips Park does not compare to the area's 18 hole courses (Knob, Moraine, Deer Lakes, Schenley) it is still a fun fast play that is worth your time and is pretty easily accessible from most of the Pittsburgh area.
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3 1
mjoyce
Experience: 14.7 years 446 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Passable 9 holer 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 12, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good use of land to make a course.
Quick nine hole you can play in about 30 minutes.
The city is planning on replacing the baskets.

Cons:

6 of the 9 baskets were made by the high school metal shop when the course was created in the late 90's. They show their age. But they're not that bad
Course gets repetitve but if you live in the area it's better than not playing.

Other Thoughts:

I live pretty close to this course so if you're ever in the area and you want to play it PM me I'm in.
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3 2
JHoleczy
Experience: 12.8 years 72 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

much better than it used to be 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 10, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Small course, you can play it in about a half an hour. Not too many trees to contend with, there are definite lines to the baskets unlike some of the bigger courses. Brand new baskets and great new signs

Cons:

The problem used to be the pars were too high (there were 2 5's and a number of 4's). Now it may be too low on the 420' par 3 hole #4.

Other Thoughts:

I played this course last year and I hated it. They addressed all of the problems, and it's much better now. Fun course to play if you're in the area, or if you just want to check it off your list.
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8 0
ProFiction
Experience: 13.7 years 39 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 25, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very solid layout for the size of the land. Seriously, find the course on Google maps and tell me how there are nine disc golf holes on this hillside.

Every hole was fun, something just a little different about each one. Lots of tree-dodging but you also have to worry about rollaways and factor in that all of your shots are landing on a slope.

Quiet patch of land, at least when I played.

Two tees for each hole but I played from the concrete. The other tees are like Knob's red tees from what I gather.

Good place to work with your mids and putters.

Would definitely be a fun place to come for ace runs.

Cons:

I didn't really like how close some of the first few holes were right alongside fenced-in yards. It would be pretty easy to lose your disc over there and have to jump a fence or knock on someone's door, especially if you're a LHBH or RHFH thrower.

Not a great location, but I guess that's a preference thing. Why is a course in the middle of nowhere inherently better than one in the middle of a city? Part of the problem here though is the lack of parking. I played early on a Saturday morning and sort of had to fish around for a spot. I imagine it would be hard to park/play when school is in or the park or surrounding area is busy.

Some of the baskets are subpar.

Speaking of which, I remember a few pars being too high. I eagled a hole and didn't really do anything out of the ordinary.

The acorns here will kill you. It seemed like you couldn't take a step without slipping on a little acorn roller skate. Not great for a course which is made up entirely of a hillside. I imagine it can also get pretty sloppy after a rain.

Other Thoughts:

They won't be holding the world championships here any time soon, but you can still have a plenty good time. It's a quick play but there weren't any amenities to speak of so bring your own water if you want it.

This the only 9 hole course I've played where 9 felt like the perfect amount. A nice, concise round. Any more of the same would probably get boring. As it is, it's a solid place to start your multi-round day. I played here, then went to Schenley, then finished off at Monroeville and had a nice little DG day.

Recommend checking this place out if you've already played Knob, Schenley, Deer Lakes, Moraine, Two Mile Run, etc. It won't change your life, but I bet you have a good time anyway.
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5 1
jblough
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 85 played 82 reviews
2.00 star(s)

No High School Should be Without One! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course is easily accessible from the Southside and is a nice urban complement to Schenley.

- Elevation changes make for interesting shots, even if they are short in length.

- Two sets of tees (regular and rec) for people of different skill levels.

- Course has many trees and the fairways utilize these well, proving both guidance (safety mandos) as well as obstacles to the basket. Anhyzers and hyzers are evident, as well as semi-technical straight shots to the basket.

- Dropcho utilized the little land that was available and made a pretty decent glass of lemonade out of inner-city Pittsburgh lemons. As a fellow teacher, I am so jealous that he got to design a course right across the street from where he works!

Cons:

- One of the hilliest courses I've ever played on. Not sure if this is really necessarily a con, seeing as how elevation changes make the game interesting. Nevertheless, there are two elevation considerations that must be noted for this course:
1.) Blind elevation drops + frequent parkgoers = hardcore spotting and attention when driving
2.) The course is lined with giant oaks, which means a slip on the million acorns will surely send you tumbling down the hill if you're not careful.

- Baskets are quite warped and seem a little larger than PDGA regulation ones. I wondered why I was sinking so many putts :D

- Majority of course (holes #3-6) play around a trail that circles the park, not to mention that a really errant throw will go into the residential neighborhood nearby. Again, watch out for stuff around you!

- Very short lengths on holes; only one hole exceeds 300 feet.

- Signage/tees show their 15-year age. Concrete is worn and the signs are heavily vandalized, although the wooden markers are still in-tact.

Other Thoughts:

I've been meaning to play here sooner, but I usually opt to play Schenley, Knob Hill, or Deer Lakes when I'm in Pittsburgh instead. Strangely enough, I didn't even plan on playing here when I did and I only had a spare putter and midrange in my trunk. Needless to say, these were more than enough sufficient and I suggest playing a putter-only round if you want to make this a fun set of nine! Check this place out, but definitely go to the other Pittsburgh courses first.
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