Manalapan, NJ

Manalapan Recreation Center

1.65(based on 10 reviews)
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3 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 382 reviews
2.00 star(s)

OK for a quick practice round 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 12, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Good tee signs and baskets
+ The tees are spots in the grass, but they work fine
+ A fun place for a quick round when you can't make it out to a full course

Cons:

- As others have noted, the tree branches are really low on a few holes. Some of the holes accommodate rollers (BH or FH) as a way to compensate
- The sign for 5 in missing
- 6 is a bit of an odd hole because you're teeing off with a 4' chain link fence about 10 feet in front of you. It covers the corner of a ball field, and it wasn't there when the course was originally laid out. The challenge is that the best line to the elevated basket is low and straight because of overhanging branches - but the fence limits how low you can throw. It's not impossible - it's just a sort of unnatural obstacle
- The sign for hole 7 is wrong. The basket has been moved to the patch of tress almost straight out ahead of the trees. Look for it. I'm really surprised by the oversight of leaving an inaccurate sign in place
- The new layout for hole 7 is straight across a field with a large stage (a portable stage with walls and roof. I imagine if you hit that sheet metal with your drive, the entire park will hear it!
- Don't try to play when there are park activities like concerts, ball games, summer camps, etc. Most of the finishing holes will be unplayable because of these activities

Other Thoughts:

- I was left with a feeling that the disc golf course was established and then never looked after. Missing/inaccurate signs, new obstacles, no pruning of trees to keep throwing lines, etc.
- I usually find 9 holers in parks like these are good places to introduce new players to the game (I'm thinking of Brielle, Harry Dunham, Freehold HS, Chimney Rock). I would not recommend Manalapan for new players though, just because you have to consider throwing rollers, working around park obstacles, etc. If you're a seasoned player and you just want to throw on a course for a while, this fits the bill fine. And it's fun in it's own quirky way...
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4 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 6.8 years 216 played 182 reviews
1.00 star(s)

The Nine Pins of Manalapan's 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 22, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

+ Simple but effective tee signs with diagrams and distances but no par. Everything is par 3 here.
+ Course fluctuates between wide open and hybrid style.
+ A few modest hills add texture to this otherwise 2-D course.
+ The shorter distances make things accessible to new players and families. Experienced players can try for birdies or aces.
+ Some surprisingly well-protected baskets.

Cons:

- Tee areas are just patches of grass with a horizontal wooden beam acting as the upper edge. Some are supremely difficult to find because of no 'next hole' signs.
- Some tee areas are way too close to the previous pin! The first four holes especially do this.
- Almost all holes are also way too close to sporting fields, walking paths, picnic pavilions and other park amenities. Safety hazards abound- especially holes 3 through 5 throwing kind of close to a road!
- The shorter distances make things rather dull for seasoned players and course explorers.
- The tee signs are missing for holes 5 & 6, and hole 7's is wildly inaccurate.

Other Thoughts:

If I had to choose a favorite hole here, that would be hole 3 because of its low ceiling and tight lines provided by pine trees. For some reason, I like to play through pine trees more than deciduous trees. It probably has something to do with the branches and leaves. As for a least favorite hole, that would have to be 2 because of how overgrown the grass and tree branches are.

As for the course as a whole, the nine holes found at Manalapan (pronounced [muh-NAL-uh-pin] for any readers outside of New Jersey) Rec Center are slightly less than okay. The whole course outlines a pair of soccer fields and a football field. If there is a game happening at any one of those arenas, a good chunk of the already small course will be rendered unplayable because of athletes, spectators, wandering kids, and so forth.

I will say that the baskets are well-placed. Most are guarded by trees, and it took a surprising amount of effort and aiming to reach them. The baskets are old and rusty, though. Some of them are visibly slanted. There is no course maintenance happening here, either. The township may mow the grass once in a while, but they likely don't know to do anything about the unreasonably low branches here. Hole 2 is a nightmarish example of that. The tee area for hole 4 has a leafy bough dangling right in front of the player's face. So, despite the course's simplicity, it isn't so fun to play when basic problems like that creep in- especially for a 9 hole course.

On the other hand, this course would be just fine for training. Short distances are always a good thing when just starting out. Plus, the hybrid-style layouts of the holes won't frustrate new players too much. So, I would sooner recommend this course to the freshmen golfers out there who are eager to learn through the frustration.

Bottom line: Habitual players will find nothing special about this course, and the nearby sport fields severely limit the course's playability, but newbies may learn to love the sport here if they can manage the branches.
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4 0
Z.Dailey
Experience: 14.9 years 6 played 3 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Good control practice. 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

The course is maintained, playable, and easy to navigate. Great for newer players as the distances are short and it's highly unlikely you'll lose any discs. Great for practicing height control and aim as there are an abundance of trees throughout the course.

Cons:

Hole 7 is unplayable while games are going on which is quite often but you can play 8 or 9 twice to make it up. Hole 7 sign is wrong as the basket has been moved to the left and across the path. Just visible behind the corner of the football field. The sign is missing for 5.

Other Thoughts:

Great for practicing controlled approaches and putts. The only 2 holes over 300 ft are either not playable most of the time or you can't get that distance under the trees without a roller anyway. Giving it a 2* rating because it's nothing special but it's still fun.
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3 1
skier
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
2.00 star(s)

fun course for what it is 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 3, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice short 9 hole course. It is a good place to learn to play and a fun place to stop by if you're in the area. All 9 baskets are now there, but the sign for the 7th basket is wrong. It is now over towards the 8th basket past the end of the football field.

Trees create a canopy on a couple of the holes, requiring you to keep your disc low to get through.

Cons:

As others have noted, if the fields are being used for soccer/football/etc, the course would become unplayable.

Other Thoughts:

If you live in the area and want to kill a little time, it can be a fun place to go. I wouldn't travel much of a distance to play the course, but who can argue with a short course 10 minutes from your house.
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2 1
owvanguard
Experience: 15.8 years 170 played 34 reviews
1.50 star(s)

First Time Here 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 7, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is a short 9 hole course that is a decent introduction to disc golf. Several hole have thick trees up high but a clear shot low.

Cons:

The park system does not post signs where the course is located in this large park. Pin # 7 is missing. If any sporting event was going on this course would be unplayable. A pavilion was put up that is in play on #8 and #9

Other Thoughts:

Disc Golf sign on main road is needed. Put pin # 7 somewhere. I don't think I will ever go back with other courses closer and better for me.
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12 0
optidiscic
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 156 played 147 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Practice Facility at Best 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

A clean park and safe park. Good signage and 8 nice baskets. I enjoyed hole #1 a solid ace run and hole #2 is the perfect roller hole with several trees a bit too wide and a bit too high to reasonably throw over or around but with flat well manicured grass all the way to the basket 290 ft away. I also thought 8&9 were fun ace runs, 8 being a slight uphill hyzer and 9 being a downward hyzer with a different line than most holes to the basket. Simple but still challenging to some degree to find that perfect line. No undergrowth and very well maintained grass and shrubs. Hole #6 has a nice elevated protected pin. Before or after your round, you can practice drives on the soccer or football field.

Cons:

Course simply winds around the perimeter of a soccer and football field 1-7 before ending up shooting around a pavillion for 8 and 9. Simply uncreative and hazzardous design will not appeal to seasoned DGers and is probably unplayable when any game/practice is in session. There are only 3 ace runs despite the fact that all 9 holes are extremely short in length. Holes 3,4,5, and 6 are very short but the baskets are so protected you can't reasonably have an ace chase round...so the fun factor is diminsihed greatly. Who wants 150 footers that are impossible to ace.....very unsatisfying. Hole 7's basket was missing completely. There seemed to be plenty of woods and a bigger unused field nearby that could have been utilized to provide more fun for the players and more safety for the public. Limited to play during park hours (the gates close at sunset I think..I got locked in) and unplayable during game/practice times.

Other Thoughts:

This is the kind of course I hate to see. A municipality slaps it up with little thought. It does not appeal to anyone. After a few years of nobody playing the course, the township will deem disc golf an overrated hazzardous sport and a waste of money to the taxpayers. They will then pass this foolish knowledge on to other government officials in neighboring towns and before you know it...you have the state of New Jersey. A true Disc Golf Wasteland. If they would just ask a disc golfer to help design the course. I've played plenty of fun municipal courses that are fun little courses for the experts and beginner friendly at the same time.This is not one of those courses. Spend your time at Rutgers if your in this area of NJ.
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4 0
RamsFan1
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.5 years 91 played 91 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Could be a nice course... 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 22, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course has potential to be a solid beginners course. Hole 2 is a decent distance hole and hole 6 features an elevated basket on top of a small hill. Holes 3 & 4 aren't terribly long but one must successfully navigate trees and shrubery to get good putt position. Manalapan Rec. Center is used extensively for all sorts of activities and is thus well maintained.

Cons:

Not really a course for the advanced player. Holes around the soccer fields remain very, very wet days after heavy rain. A picnic pavilion, pedestrian traffic and soccer games can all affect play on any given day and the course is basically unplayable from 8-4 on summer camp days.

Other Thoughts:

The Manalapan Rec. Dept. finally got its act together (after more than a year) and reinstalled basket #7. They also fixed the sign to hole #8 and replanted the tee pole for hole #9. As with many municipal park courses, this one gets repetitive after awhile, though it is a good practice course and worthwhile for a few casual rounds.
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4 2
5thElement
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Something To Sign Up New players 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 31, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very Well-Maintained field, great equipment utilized for the course and it was very clear where each tee and basket was.

Cons:

Hole 7's Basket was pulled out of the ground and Hole 9 had no tee

Other Thoughts:

This is definitely a course i will return to because it was small but the obstacles were reasonable for it's size. From what I understand, one of the workers told me that they were gonna move 8 and 9 around for the new pavilion, but I just used 9 at the end for some putting practice. I would say that this is a nice place to bring people that know nothing about the sport because of how short it is, but offers a glimpse into every aspect of the Disc Golf world.
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13 0
valkyriefb11
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.5 years 23 played 22 reviews
1.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 13, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Manalapan Rec DGC is in a well groomed sports complex. The course pretty much starts at one end of a soccer field and circles around several athletic fields ending near a pavilion and parking lot. Holes 1 and 2 are wide open and are pretty short, straightforward holes. Holes 3 and 4 are very short, but feature some nice tree cover making an ace run much more difficult. Holes 5-6 are more open but still have enough tree cover to add somewhat of a challenge. Hole 7 is a gradual right turning shot around a thick cluster of pine trees. Hole 8 is a short uphill run and hole 9 is a short run back down the hill.
There are restrooms in the park and plenty of areas in the park to eat.

Cons:

This course is really a great course for beginners and locals who don't have any others courses to choose from. Because of how closely situated the course is to the athletic fields it would be almost unplayable during any soccer or football games. Hole 7 has been removed and there are plans to permanently move it. A pavilion was being placed in between holes 8 and 9 making them unplayable once the pavilion is finished. (The tee and sign for hole 9 have actually been removed.
The tees were clearly marked, but the 'advanced tees' were ridiculously placed 4 ft behind the regular tee. The tees are also very close to the previous pin on several of the holes making it dangerous if the course were ever crowded.

Other Thoughts:

I spoke to the parks dept. about the course and they said that it is not going to be removed, but they will be moving holes 7-9 to make way for other park improvements. They also said that there are plans to add another 9 holes in the south of that park eventually, but they were unsure when these holes would be put in.
Do not travel far to play this course, as it isn't worth it. It is better than nothing, but its nothing great. During the summer the course is highly unplayable. Unfortunately this course doesn't have much going for it, the best thing for this course would be if the parks dept adds a better planned back 9.

In the condition the course is in I have to give it a 1, if and when the parks dept repairs holes 7-9 and/or adds the addition back 9 I will re-review the course and hopefully be able to raise the score a bit.
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10 0
Godard
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.6 years 65 played 45 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Simple but seemingly often unplayable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Perfectly maintained since it's in a park. Holes 3 and 4 are probably the best 150-foot holes you'll ever see, with nice tree cover. Most baskets are well hidden behind trees.

Cons:

Hole 7 seemed to be missing. Holes 8 and 9 were completely unplayable as a children's tent was set up on the hill. I assume the course is usually unplayable, as I would not attempt a throw anywhere if there was a football game or soccer match in progress. Holes are ridiculously short and unchallenging.

Other Thoughts:

Probably not a bad way to introduce children to the sport. But not worth the trip for anyone else, unless you just want to try out holes 3 and 4. There are tee markers for each hole, but no pads, and there seemed to be "advanced" markers exactly 4 feet behind every tee, which didn't make sense to me.
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