Lancaster, PA

Overlook Community Park

25(based on 13 reviews)
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1 5
DCriola
Experience: 22 played 16 reviews
4.50 star(s)

I liked it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 14, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This park is making improvements like putting signs to point you to the next hole.Many different shaped and distance shots.Clean and well maintained

Cons:

Most shots are wide open

Other Thoughts:

Idk what the course is like during the summer but the time I went nothing was over grown so I enjoyed it.
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1 1
crowdpleaser
Experience: 16 years 21 played 5 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Lost Disc Simulator 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Not many pros to be found.

Cons:

- The main issue is the lack of mowing. A lot of holes are in wide open fields, but to create something like a fairway, the park has only mowed a portion of the field, leaving waist high grass in the "rough". If you put a disc in this tall weedy-grass, you can count on spending 15 minutes searching for it.

- There are no tee pads.

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6 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 6.8 years 216 played 182 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A Look Over For Overlook 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ All baskets are numbered and have eye-catching flags on top to give visibility from a distance.
+ Plenty of long and wide-open throws for the power arms.
+ Tall green signs point the way between the longer walks.
+ The course is set within a peaceful & breezy community park.
+ Tall grasses on most holes force players to be more accurate with their throws.

Cons:

- Those same tall grasses and other wild growth areas swallow discs whole!
- Just about all of the holes are a straight shot to the baskets with no tricks or shot shaping necessary.
- Practically no elevation changes here. What few slopes exist are so gradual that the player does not notice.
- Nearly all holes play in wide open areas. Trees don't really come into play until the final few holes.
- No practice pin or lost disc box.

Other Thoughts:

My favorite hole to play here might be the last one. 18 begins out in the open, uses a mando to force the player into a tunnel on the right and finishes among some guardian trees. My least favorite hole was either 3, 4 or 5. Those three were set in the same field and played almost identically.

As for Overlook Park as a whole, that's a phrase that could describe much of the golf here: almost identical. With the exceptions of holes 6 and 7, the entirety of the front nine are all wide open fields with tall grasses serving as the only challenge. Tall grasses are also present on 6 and 7, of course, but they have other challenges to differentiate themselves a bit. Still, the player will quickly find the course to be repetitive.

The same applies a little bit less to the back nine. To be fair, there are some fun challenges to be had like two massive mulch bunkers at hole 12 that can block throws and some proper tunnels at 14, 16, and 17 that provide a nice exercise in aiming among the shade of the trees. I was grateful for that, but I wish there could have been more like them.

And I suppose that is the whole message of this review. I feel that this course will not scratch that disc golf itch for most players. Yes, there are 18 baskets and 18 well-maintained fairways. It plays within a calm and sunny setting, but most of these fairways feel copy-pasted. When I am visiting a course I've never been to before, I write down my thoughts on an index card as I play. For most of the holes here, my notes say "flat, wide open, tall grass" Not a good sign...

So, in conclusion, I think that the power throwers will get the most enjoyment out of Overlook Community Park, but perhaps even they may feel underwhelmed after throwing the same throw over and over. Still, if you live nearby or dislike throwing near trees, then it might be worth a visit. (Bring your B-team discs that you won't mind losing.) For most everyone else, I suggest looking elsewhere for meaningful disc golf.
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2 0
Shaunjay
Experience: 17.9 years 25 played 5 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Poorly designed, poorly maintained 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 21, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It has 18 holes, a few fun shots, and good quality baskets.

Cons:

The course was designed by a ball golfer, not a disc golfer. The OB grass is never mowed, which makes for too much wasted time looking for frisbees... And that's if you even can find them. Blind tee shots which finish in the center of high grass fields are a nightmare. This course seriously needs a major overhaul. However, with wider fairways, planting some trees, or even just better maintained grass height would really improve this problem.

The one through five holes are on a completely separate section of the park as the six through 18. It's difficult to navigate if you haven't played it before, and there is no flow to it. I only play holes 6-18 and only with discs I can find with my UV light at night. I won't even look for my lost discs anymore in the High Grass while playing, because it's a needle in a haystack and you could seriously spend 45 minutes looking for a disc in a 20 square foot area. I only play the course because it is basically in my backyard, and flat enough to push the stroller with my kids in it while I throw. At this point, it is not worth traveling for or playing if you aren't already there.
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6 0
Bombarde16
Experience: 10 years 44 played 4 reviews
1.00 star(s)

A turd among gems 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 21, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It's rarely crowded.

Cons:

It's rarely crowded because it's a flat-out lousy course.

Other Thoughts:

Yes, I want to find something positive to say (anything, really!) about Overlook. But the few decent holes (i.e. 1, 6, etc.) only stand out in testimony to how bad everything else is. The more I visit this park, the less I care about details such as what kind of baskets it has or how the tees are (or are not) constructed because, ultimately, Overlook Park Disc Golf is a complete failure of course design. Concrete tees won't save it. Mach X (or insert your favorite brand) baskets won't save it.
We locals aren't just harsh in our evaluation of this course because we have so many other great options nearby. We're harsh because this course cries out for a comprehensive redesign by somebody who actually knows the sport. It's all the more galling when you look at the park with an eye for what could have been. They have woods. They have not one but two potential water features. The only thing that's absent is changes of elevation. This could have been so, so, so much better.
South central PA has plenty of excellent courses to offer and this is not one of them. If you love the sport, don't waste your time. If you're trying to introduce someone to the sport, *please* do not bring them here.
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1 0
pwolfinger
Experience: 9.8 years 59 played 12 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Course is alright, better ones in area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 1, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course has some good length. Basket quality is great. Good signage. Course has some variety in shots. The wooded section from hole 12 to 18 is fun and offers some challenge.

The park is really nice!

Cons:

Tee boxes are dirt rings with a tee sign; it'd be nice to have pads as the rings get muddy where you throw. Not much elevation change on holes. There are three significant walks that the player must make (its more of a time and flow of game issue than the exercise). First long walk is from the lot to hole 1. After hole 2 you have to backtrack to hole 3, but I'm not counting this. From hole 5 to 6, its probably about 1/3 mile. From hole 6 to 7, its about 1,000 ft.

Other Thoughts:

The first 5 holes are in a different area of the park. The first hole is cool, but then the rest are just long open holes, which gets boring. The course could be laid out better for flow, but I understand constraints with the park and usable real estate.

All in all, its a fun course to hit over lunch! Also, the park is really great. There are a lot of amenities there, such as golf, driving range, walking trail, ball fields, jungle gym, pavilion, and even horseshoe pits.
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1 0
Draino
Experience: 6 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

ok but confusing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 12, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice open park setting with ample space and good baskets. I imagine it's a good course for new players to become aquainted with the sport. I only played the front 9 but from what I saw the course is well maintained.

Cons:

Confusing layout and signage. Like i said I only played the front 9 but that was because i couldn't figure out where i was going so I ran out of time. The lack of tee boxes adds to the confusion. "Boxes" are circles drawn in the grass which are tough to find and even when you do you're not exactly sure where you are throwing. I basically looked for the worn part of the circle and figured that was the way to the basket. Given the space available I think the course definitely could have been more interestingly designed.

Other Thoughts:

This is a pretty open park with people doing other activities around you which takes away from the overall experience. Front is mostly bomber holes across windy meadows but all in all I'm sure it's fun once you know the lay of the land. If proper tee boxes are installed and the signage is made a bit clearer I'm sure this course will improve.
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2 0
Caelstrom
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13 years 33 played 13 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun Course For Beginner/Intermediate Players 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 9, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The setting for this course is very nice, and the course itself appeared to be very well kept. There are very few obstacles, so it's a great course for picking up the sport, and as an intermediate player it made me feel better than I really am. The openness really gives you a chance to work on your long drives.

Cons:

The signage was plentiful and pretty, but not terribly helpful. The first tee was not particularly easy to find (behind the dog park), and there were no arrows on the baskets indicating the direction to the next tee. There were tall posts on the path indicating what direction to walk to stay on the disc golf course, but some were close enough together (and pointing in different directions) that you didn't know which to follow to get to your next tee. They should have been numbered to indicate which tee they were pointing towards. Combine that with a couple long walks between tees (2 to 3, 5 to 6, and 6 to 7), and the course became pretty confusing to follow. The pictures on the tee posts often did not show the tee, and the tees were circular as opposed to the standard rectangular, so on a few of the tees it took me a minute to figure out which direction I was supposed to throw. This course is also very flat.

Other Thoughts:

All in all this was a fun course. It would be a great place to bring a friend to get them interested in disc golf. If you come here, follow the signs to the dog park parking lot, and then walk up along the fence on the left side of the dog park to find the first tee.
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1 1
Upstate_Chad
Experience: 25.8 years 7 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Worth the time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Quality cages, generally good signage, some different type holes requiring controlled disc flight, well maintained.

Cons:

The tee boxes are actually just large marked ovals, unnumbered cages, incredibly flat.

Other Thoughts:

I saw 2 or 3 large raptors (probably hawks). Not many people on the course.
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2 0
jonmcd
Experience: 26.1 years 12 played 6 reviews
2.00 star(s)

The only one like it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 23, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It's unique, I'll give it that. Like the other reviewers said, lots of long open shots. Though it is fun to launch a few and build up that distance. The back 9 is pretty interesting, with tight fairways, mandos, and ob. Lots of ob on this course. If you don't play with the ob, it's pretty straight forward. With it, it becomes a challenge. Mulched fairways on a couple of holes are different in a good way. Windy - that's right, I'm puttin' it as a pro. Top-notch baskets and signs. Nice amenities in a nice park.

Cons:

Tall grass. The tall grass plays ob which makes the course tougher, but it's too tall and discs are easily lost in it. Wonderful tick habitat too. That could be good or bad depending on your love for ticks, I guess.

Very little shade. Brutal in the summer. No running water. Thousands of dollars into the park and there is no water? Not at the playground or other areas either, as far as I can tell. Bring water in the summer or suffer.

You probably walk twice as far as you need to since there are looong walks between 5 & 6 and 6 & 7. From 5, cross the street and follow the walking path. From 6, follow the path farther for 7.

Other Thoughts:

I've had some fun rounds here so far. It's unique for sure. Not the greatest course and if I were coming in from out of town I'd hit Roland or Buchmiller first, but it's worth trying out. Seriously though, stay out of that grass in the spring. You can watch exactly where it goes and it will disappear! I have had some head-scratchers there on lost discs. Makes for good risk/reward plays though as you can play it safe in the fairway or push yourself to max distance trying to pick up the birdie.
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4 0
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 755 played 414 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ovaltine 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 6, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The baskets are in excellent condition, and the flags atop them assist you in spotting the basket, and determining if the wind will be much of a factor.

The large, multi-purpose park where the course resides is very well maintained.

The tall posts with the green arrows greatly aid in finding the next tee. Kudos to whoever created the shortcut (look for a yellow disc in a tree, and some surveyor's tape) through the strip of woods from basket-2 to tee-3.

Cons:

Quite a long walk from the parking lot to tee-1, basket-5 to tee-6, basket-2 to tee-3 (if you don't notice the shortcut)..

Definitely on the flat-and-open, especially the front nine, side of the spectrum.

The vegetation forming the out-of-bound areas on holes 11-13, especially #11, is quite thick, creating a disc-gobbling monster.

Other Thoughts:

The tee areas are grass, large, irregularly-shaped ovals, delineated by a small band of gravel. The tee signs to the side of the oval will provide you with the essential information.

Other than a sharp, right-turn through a broad opening at the midpoint of hole-1, the first five holes are wide open chucks. Hole-6 is interesting, with the tee on one side of a hedgerow, and the basket on the other, ~320' away, offering you several different ways to attack it. Holes 7-10 continue the open theme, although #7 does require a late left-turn, and hole-10 requires a window be hit late - or that you have a good spike hyzer! The final eight holes contain various obstacles - windows to hit early, mounds to throw up-n-over, narrow flightpaths defined by hedges and/or trees, precision turns to be executed - but all dead flat, except for the artificial mounds on 12 and 13.

Favourite hole: #17. The edge of the tee-off oval abuts a few scattered trees, so you get to decide which two trees to throw between. The hole requires an immediate right-turn, then a long straight run down a tunnel, to find the basket tucked slightly inside the end of the trees forming the right edge.

A course worth bagging, but probably not re-visited by the travelling player. If I lived locally, I'd probably skip holes 1-5 - not worth the time, as they are primarily just open hucks, and located on the opposite side of the park from the remainder of the course.
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8 0
aussieshs89
Experience: 14.7 years 53 played 3 reviews
1.50 star(s)

The Biggest Letdown 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 12, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-This course has some of the best signage that I have seen. The holes, for the most part, are easy to find and all along the trails there are constant arrows telling you where the next hole is.
-It also contains brand new baskets, each one with another 6 foot flag on top of it to identify the hole from a distance.
-There are a few neat holes that cause you to go back to your bag to change your disc before you throw, but these holes only make up a small minority of the course.

Cons:

-The design of this course is almost obviously from a ball golfer or someone with very little DG experience. When I first examined the signs, there were "roughs" and "intricately carved fairways" to each the holes, but in reality you were throwing across a wide open field with no distinction in the grass.
-Even with the incredible signage, my brother and I were unable to find holes 13-16. If these holes exist, the signs led us to 17 and we searched for 15 minutes around the area and never found 1 of those 4 holes. According to what I found in an article in the local newspaper, these holes may not be complete yet. If I was around here more I would go argue to the township board to let someone redesign these last 4 holes before they too are ruined.
-Between hole 5 and 6 there is a ten minute walk and hole 18 and 1 end pretty far from each other which is a little frustrating.
-The course never crosses any walking paths, which is understandable because they would like to protect the kids and families that walk through the park, but gets to be very obnoxious. More on this in "other thoughts"
-The tee boxes are a 10 foot egg shaped plot of grass with gravel outlining it. I played this course following a long night and few days of rain and the tee boxes were a mess. With just me and my brother playing and throwing two or three discs on each hole, the front of the tee boxes were torn apart, slick, muddy, and some of them had already begun to erode where the gravel meets the grass.
-Hole Review:
Out of the 18 (14) holes, only 5 were not wide open field shots. Hole 1 is a nice "S" bend through some trees which is a short but challenging hole. Holes 2-5 are all in the open 300-500' holes: nothing special or even worth playing. Hole 6 and 7 are a little entertaining, but then again 8-10 are shot across on open field. 10 ends shooting through a small gap of trees. 11 and 12 are again holes that show some of the potential that this course could have but any shot seems to still end with a basket sitting in the middle of a field. Hole 17 and 18 are fun to play and are heavily LHBH favored.
-The openness of these holes also provides little protection from the elements. I played on a windy day which made putting impossible and some of the open holes at least somewhat challenging because I threw against 25 knot winds, but you could play one hole ten times and it would just save you the walk between tees.

Other Thoughts:

-The amount of paths that are around the park eliminate so many potential holes or improvements. If they were to move tee boxes so you cross a path on a drive, this would not endanger any "civilians" because no disc golfer will throw when a person is 10 feet in front of them. I understand the thoughts from keeping a disc from landing close to a path but there is some misunderstanding in the mindset of a disc golfer to not let a disc cross any paths at any time.
-Walking along the course I saw so much potential and great holes that would be interesting, challenging, and fun for all levels. The course, the way it is now, would be too long for most beginners, and not challenging enough for most players who have played for at least 6 months. The pars for most holes are tweeners. It is easy to par, but it would take a horrible throw to bogey, or a monstrous throw to birdie.
-Overall this course just angered me. With how much money they had, and potential of the land around (it contains a good combination of thick pine trees, marshlands, and LOTS of open space, just lacks in elevation change), the course is a huge disappointment. I feel it will have little draw to bring new players into this course, and unless I lived walking distance from the course, I will rarely go back to it. Next time I go to the course I will take a portable basket and make my own holes. This way I can at least enjoy the game at Overlook. With a little bit of DG community support, I hope that we can breathe some sense into the township board and redesign some of these holes to make this course an enjoyable experience for all skill levels. There are other courses around the Lancaster County area that are worth playing and greatly outshine Overlook.
UPDATE:
I played this course again in the beginning of May, 2011. Most of the open field holes have knee high grass and fairways carved into the,. This is an interesting concept but only more of a nuisance to find your disc but not really a problem to throw out of. If these are played as OB, the course becomes very interesting. The new holes (13-16) are nice holes that make use of a few rows of tall pine trees.
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10 0
vslaugh
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.8 years 48 played 22 reviews
1.50 star(s)

They almost got the idea... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 25, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Built on farmland purchased ten years ago to develop into a township mega-park, this course feels like more money was spent on it than any other course I've played (unfortunately the design is, well, uninspired). Brand new baskets and very nice directional and tee signs help the course fit in with the many other activities of the "Overlook Community Campus". A couple holes are interesting, including a 200' carry over a marsh on "links-style" Hole 11 and a tee shot on 12 that takes you through an early tree arch towards a green flanked by two big man-made mounds. Hole 18 has a unique tunnel through evergreen trees with front door/back door options, and Hole 6 is an aesthetically pleasing open shot over a gap in an old farm tree/fence line.

The tees are basically ~8'-diameter circles of grass outlined with by a narrow gravel path. They are an interesting concept and allow a nice run-up, but I'm skeptical about how well they will hold up.

Cons:

The biggest con is that most holes are simply bland long-ish open holes that feel like they were designed by someone who never threw a golf disc before. Holes 3-5 make possibly the most boring three-hole stretch design-wise in Pennsylvania. You could just put two baskets at opposite ends of a soccer field, throw back and forth a bunch of times, and get the idea for about half of Overlook's holes. Hole 17 has a botched teepad location that prevents it from being a good par 3 hole. Layout issues produce extremely long walks between a couple holes. Hole 2 puts pedestrians in danger on a path along the fairway (which you must backtrack to get to the next tee).

Par is not well-defined for many holes, which play as Par 3.5s except for the cannon-armed. It seems to be designed as a red-level course, but I have a hard time envisioning this course attracting beginner/recreational disc golfers because of all the long open holes with no good ace runs.

Other Thoughts:

I generally look at courses as an optimist, but for all the money ($30,000+, according to 6/29/09 township minutes) and effort the township presumably put into the course it's a shame they couldn't get a more fun/challenging/professional layout that could engage both recreational and advanced players (or at least one of those two groups). Apparently, early course designs for the course done in conjunction with a certified course designer were jettisoned after a change in park management. It's not ideal disc golf terrain, but it still could have suited a pretty unique and fun-to-play Par ~60 course with a unique "links-style" feel close to a large population of prospective disc golfers. Because of design issues, though, the course really feels like a lost opportunity and a setback for disc golf.

All-but-twenty-year-old Buchmiller Park on the other side of Lancaster City still far outshines Overlook Park for while/blue/gold players as a much more interesting course to play with many holes framed beautifully by challenge-inducing trees. Roland Park, too, in Akron also has holes that make you excited to play disc golf. And consider the wonders of youth-pastor-with-low-budget-produced Camp Sankanac DGC in neighboring Chester County. Overlook, on the other hand, would seem to make an outside observer wonder what's so appealing about disc golf. Hopefully, some of the problems I mentioned will be addressed as the course matures and perhaps they can find ways to create a more engaging course.
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