Philadelphia, PA

Sedgley Woods

3.435(based on 60 reviews)
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9 0
rocitop
Experience: 5.8 years 33 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Skip 19-27 and play either 1-9 or 10-18 twice. drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 13, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Holes 1-18 are great.
Easy to get to from downtown.
funny variety of holes.
More tight shots than long bombs.

Cons:

Some of the rough was very rough.
Lots of blind tee shots.
Does not dry out quickly
Holes 19-27
Even some decent shots wind up on other holes.

Other Thoughts:

I played the short blue tees. It was the day after some rain and the course was a bit muddy, a dry day might have made it a better experience.

On the front 18 I did not have any issues with navigation. A few times there would be two options but the tee signs were always readable.

It was about $30 in lyft rides from downtown to play and I thought it was worth the cost. I wish I would have skipped 19-27 though. I could not find much for signage and compared to 1-18 it felt like playing in the jungle. There were benches, stone tee boxes and other improvements just no signs.
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19 0
Shadrach3
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 5.5 years 318 played 306 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good and Overused 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 1, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

A historically old park that still presents a reasonable, fun 27 holes.

-9 & 9 & 9: The course consists of three clear loops, so you can stop as often as you want or mix and match loops. The last loop was obviously added at a later date.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: The original 18 are short and breezy, but still have enough trees, limbs, elevation, and such to be interesting. With virtually nothing over 300' it's a birdie fest and, I imagine, the location of many an ace. The first nine were mostly open, using strategic trees to force shapes, while the middle nine have more consistent, though not thick, tree coverage and also incorporate some steep elevation for errant shots. The newer back 9 ramp up the difficulty by tightening and lengthening the fairways. They have some more exotic tunnels, elevation, low ceilings, and greens, but still basically all par-3 golf.

-Rec-Friendly: I can see why Sedgley is popular--it must be a great course for newer players to have fun. The first 18 especially are easily achievable by any skill level with short length and a good degree of forgiveness.

-Multi-Tees: Three tees throughout the course. I don't think the longer tees would make a particularly big difference for most of the front 18, but on the back 9 they make it a totally different (and much harder) ballgame. I didn't have any difficulty distinguishing which tee was which, which makes me think they must have been color-coded in the cement and I just don't remember.

-Bonus Basket: Just for kicks, it looks like (23) has a second basket down and to the right. On my playthrough, it was a dry but treacherous green, but apparently it's not always dry per a Jan. 2019 review below.

-Central Area: Large area seemed to have a lot going on. When I was there a barbeque was ongoing and it was full, so I didn't poke around too much, but judging from other reviews it's always a hangout.

-Busy: You'll see this as both a pro and a con. The pro is that this place feels alive. On the wet and cold New Year's Day I stopped by, it was humming and full to the brim with golfers of several skill levels. It felt like it would be a great community to be in if I didn't live 800 miles away.

Cons:

Mainly traffic, but also scope.

-Scope: We'll start with the shorter one. Sedgley is 27 holes and par-81 (82 from the reds). That's a lot of par-3 golf, which equates to cutting out the huge swath of variety offered by multi-shot designs. Furthermore, the front 18 are short and cramped enough that you don't really get to use the arm's potential. It's great to have a feel-good and short round, but it definitely means that Sedgley isn't going near the upper tier of courses.

-Busy: I recognize that there might be higher than usual traffic on a New Year's Day like when I played, but from everything I know about Sedgley it's always busy. As a solo I played through at least three groups. This busyness also leads to a host of other issues.

-Safety: The biggest one to me is the risk of being hit by a flying disc. A lot of the front 18 at Sedgley play very close to each other, with some tee pads practically in the fairways for other holes. I had to take evasive maneuvers twice, without a single "Fore!" ever heard, and a local friend walking the course with me came about two inches away from the ER. I wouldn't mock you if you wore a baseball helmet while playing here.

-Erosion: I have never seen a park with so little grass left. Forty-five years of constant use have left the fairways more dirt than grass, and with just a little bit of rain or snow it turns into gross and sometimes-slippery mud. The drainage is also bad in parts, so when I played after a bit of rain it was muddy, slippery, and occasionally deep enough to flood your shoes.

-Tee Signs: Mostly covered in graffiti and stickers. I called it a win when I could discern the number on the sign and ensure I was at the right tee. Of course, then I had to guess which of multiple visible or invisible baskets I was throwing towards. I don't recall seeing signs on the back nine at all. First timer issues, I suppose, but still a nuisance.

-Navigation: On the front 18, "There are five tees visible--which one is next?" On the back 9, "Which path do I take to the next hole?" and "Are we there yet?" Even with UDisc there was a fair amount of guesswork involved.

Other Thoughts:

It's happenin' at Sedgley (or insert whichever phrase the cool kids use here). My front 18 was quite an experience in between Billy Joel pumped loudly through speakers, barbeque scents wafting throughout, flying discs coming straight for my head, and a continuous wondering if *this* muddy fairway is the right one to go down. It was fun, but surprisingly short and simple. The back 9 were more quiet and difficult, kind of what I expected to find for the whole course. Overall, it's a Good course that lacks the variety and pristine condition to be a top-level destination, but it's also a historical gem and community hub.
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21 0
Ryal
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 6.8 years 216 played 182 reviews
3.50 star(s)

So, See Sedgley Woods's Goods 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Lost disc box, two practice pins, splendid information board and plenty of seating between the parking lot and hole one for the many players that this course accommodates.
+ A fair arrangement of left and right-turning holes through a nice balance of open, wooded and hyrbid fairways with some touches of elevation to boot.
+ All holes have at least two tee pads, and many have three, for the beginner and advanced players to select.
+ The majority of the tee pads that I could see were all well manicured stone pavers neatly framed within beams of wood implanted in the ground. They were long, wide, level and had virtually no damage.
+ The local/regular scene here is one of the liveliest I've seen in my limited experience with disc golf.
+ Small trash bags are readily available for all players to use as they consume their food and drink items. Please use them. As a result, the course grounds are near spotless!

Cons:

- Many fairways throw right alongside each other-- especially among the first 18 holes. Since disc golfers of all levels play here at all times, this means a real chance of getting struck by a disc.
- There are no next hole signs that I could identify. Navigation for first-timers is tricky. Also, there's no path back to the parking lot from hole 27 that doesn't cross through fairways.
- The tee signs exist, but many of them are faded, vandalized, covered with stickers and sometimes all three! Hole 15's sign is a humorous example. At this point, that one is more sticker than it is tee sign!
- The baskets are quite old, but so is the course. So I don't mention this as a big con against the course but more as something to be aware of.
- On the more crowded days, playing from anything other than the blue tee pads might be an impossibility.

Other Thoughts:

My favorite hole here to look at was hole13 because of its unexpected valley when most every other hole up to that point is slightly sloped. My favorite hole here to play might have been hole21 because I've still got a softspot for downhill tee-offs, and 21 is a nice throw down through a foresty tunnel from start to finish. My least favorite hole here might be hole...8? I guess it was kind of flat and dull along with a chance of getting hit by discs.

Sedgley Woods is a unique specimen in the disc golf universe. I've never before played at such a popular course. With all of the cars in the parking lot and people roaming the grounds, I mistakenly thought that there was a tournament going on. But apparently, it was just another Saturday...! Saturdays are one of their league tag days, but most of the players I saw were definitely not here for that.

As I was waiting to start my round, I had the good fortune to bump into a solitary local, Tony, who was a great guide for the course's layout. At hole 12 we were joined by two more locals, Greg and Doug. The four of us hit it off as disc golfers often do. It's always nice to see that our sport can bring strangers together as though they are friends.

While we played, I was grateful to have them as guides because the directional signage is clumsy at best. Of course, I couldn't be as attentive to all of the details with three other people around me like I could if I were on my own. Still, I did notice that the holes were clumped together because each one of us was nearly hit with a disc at least once. I still noticed the run-down appearance in some areas. The ground in a few areas is solidly compacted. More than a few of the trees have toppled over and left those areas of the course looking naked and boring. And I still noticed the shorter distances.

However, I also noticed the fun everyone was having. This course is perfectly suited towards the new and the learning. You've got your front 18 for introductory lessons. That's your manageable distances, fair tree puzzles and nice tastes of elevation. And then there's the outback 9 for extra credit involving all of that stuff in stronger doses. A player can feel the vibrance at a place like this, too. Active city courses like Sedgley contain a certain zest within them that few other courses can match.

But, I'll be honest, here. If this course had only 18 holes, I would have scored it, at best, as a 3.0 out of 5 because of how close together some of those fairways are, how close some baskets are to some tees and how boilerplate some holes' layouts are-- not to mention the mostly short lengths. Were it not for the outback nine holes extending the fun, this course would be a lot more forgettable.

Still, what we have is not an ordinary 18-hole but a well-known and historic 27-hole course: quite the rarity in our sport. Sedgley Woods started its journey back in the late 1970s when disc golf was just a curiosity. Now in 2021, the sport's popularity has taken off for space, which means that, with the massive influx of new players, Sedgley Woods's job isn't over yet! Go experience it for yourself.
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1 5
Tiwal
Experience: 10 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

It's a fun place in the city. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Lots of technical shots in different circumstances. Hills, woods, fields. It's fun. While you can overthrow or have a bad curve, you won't impact other players despite being a tight course in some areas.

Cons:

A lot of the holes are on the shorter side, and some holes can be really muddy. I've overthrown some par 3 holes on throw 1.

Other Thoughts:

It is a great course to show and play. It helped with my tee off distance and accuracy that I didn't have to worry about too much before.
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15 0
c_a_miller
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 299 played 207 reviews
3.50 star(s)

You can feel the age 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 14, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

With a course established in 1977, my expectation for what qualified as "good disc golf" in 1977 is different than what it means now. I was pleasantly surprised when I played though. The course offers a technical experience with lots of trees, narrow fairways and a good amount of elevation.

Probably my biggest pro is that there are three different sets of tees and all of which are well marked and have some teepad beyond natural tees whether that be bricks or rubber mats. The blue tees are very short but still challenging while the yellow and red tees have significantly more length and difficulty. There is something for everyone here.

The last nine holes offer a little bit more length than the first 18. It's obvious they were added at a later date than the original holes. Holes 1-9, 10-18 and 19-27 all start and end near the parking lot. This can be utilized for a quick 9 holes or a pick-and-choose 18 holes.

Cons:

With three sets of tees on 27 holes on a small piece of land, it's sometimes not clear which tee is next as there are so many tees scattered throughout and signage isn't great.

Navigation isn't terrible except for a few spots where it's not immediately obvious which direction to go. The tee signs are rough on most holes from years of heavy use and graffiti. Being the only course in Philadelphia proper, there is quite a bit of erosion throughout the course. The baskets also have seen better days from the heavy use.

No one stuck out to me as being a really cool or great hole. I played the blues where generally holes were around 250' and all of the holes tend to blur together minus the longer and more challenging hole 19-27.

Other Thoughts:

This was a fun course to cap off a fun long weekend in Philadelphia. The course obviously gets a lot of play as I got there at 7:30 am and still had people that started in front of me. The blue tees can be played fairly quickly so you are able to get the full experience.

I enjoyed this course a lot more than I thought I would. You can feel the history much like you can feel it in the rest of the city. I would happily play this course every day if I lived nearby.
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10 3
DumfriesLizzie
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 5.5 years 111 played 101 reviews
3.00 star(s)

some original old-school disc golf 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 10, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

My rating will be higher when I play 19-27. Didn't have that much time, so only played 1-18. As noted by all, tight and technical. But has its charm. I like that there is a variety of downhillers, uphillers, some holes that are both, and some flat stuff. I like that 9 and 18 are long(ish) and straight. One wants to finish without a lot of drama, yes? The community that runs this seems to be a passionate bunch, and that is necessary for this park which is in an edgy part of town and needs the real support it gets.

Cons:

The passionate bunch that runs this park are also pretty funky people. If you are not funky yourself (totally or somewhat), you might feel a bit uneasy with the crowd. I am slightly funky, so I felt pretty good with the community here. There is a lot of graphic graffiti to be offended by if you are not at all funky. There are a few creepy but artsy masks hung up in trees. Mardi Gras theme? Nailed that, for sure. As noted by all, the tightness of 1-18 requires caution and care on everyone's part. If you have any mobility issues, the rolling hills will be tough on you. I suspect all the walking required of holes 19-27 will be too. I am accustomed to red tees being the short tees (coming from the ball golf world). Was a bit confusing for those to be the long tees. Eventually, I got over that, of course. Every bench was dilapidated; some of us do need to sit down from time to time. The baskets are super-old but still solid. On my next visit, I will park in the newer parking lot across the street which looks to have even and complete asphalt. The close parking lot is largely dirt/mud and has some serious dips (low-riding vehicles, ease across these and the driveway apron).

Other Thoughts:

This is a historic course, and I agree diehard disc golfers need to come to this mecca at least once. I will certainly play it again when next in Philly and try holes 19-27 and pair that with either 1-9 or 10-18. I particularly liked holes 3, 7, 9, 10-11, 18. I'm not sure if no. 5 has two baskets or if the closer one is meant to be a practice basket. Probably the former, but I couldn't tell. As someone else mentioned, a lot of info on the signs is totally obliterated by stickers, drawings, and graffiti. I came on a drizzly Sunday morning. I was on the course with 1 or 2 other single players, one duo or trio, and a large group of guys (6-7). We all got along just dandy.
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14 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 382 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sedgley is a time travel experience! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 29, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ The first 18 holes are a very good old wooded city park course. The holes are fairly short, but the elevation changes and the trees make them all interesting. Then starting on hole #19: a completely different course! Much tighter, a bit longer. Clearly built with today's game and discs in mind.
+ You'll be happy if you brought along your RH forehand. Later in the round, it will come in very handy.
+ Choice of three tees on every hole. I played the blues for my first visit, to get a sense of the place. I'll play the yellows for sure. Some of the reds (especially on the last 9) look extra challenging.
+ There's a good map at the first tee area - take a photo.
+ Lots of different layout combinations on UDisc - so I imagine playing here never gets boring.
+ 19: Three terraced tees, and an old cobblestone walkway most of the way down until you rise up to the elevated green. Look for the manmade pond at the base of the rise up to the green. This hole feels great - like you're headed into a magic forest or something...
+ 20: the green will surprise you. After all this time in the woods (holes 1-19), you suddenly pop out onto grass.
+ 21: Another set of terraced tees - each one a challenging shot down to a basket placed halfway down a fairly steep slope. Don't let this shot get away from you!
+ 22: uphill this time, with some great old guardian trees creating gates up the fairway. Throw carefully.
+ 23: tight RH dogleg with water trouble down past the basket. Make sure to look for the extra basket out in the middle of the pond (a joke, right? Right???)
+ 24: Tight, up, straight. Great basket position on a small rise, with a big dropoff behind and right.
+ 25: You want to shape a hyzer to get to the green but watch out for those damned trees to the right of the fairway. And being far right is death.
+ 26: The basket here is probably a signature of Sedgley, with all the tree limbs over and around it.
+ 27: A very good finishing hole. One of the longer ones at Sedgley. Nothing fancy - but it's tight.

Cons:

- There are a few long walks between holes on 19-27. The walk from 20-21 is a bit confusing, and the walk from 24 to 25 is really long (but at least there's signage tell you it's 450 ft!).
- Long walk back to the parking lot from 27.
- Mud can be a problem - dress accordingly.
- The signage on the final nine is a little spotty (at times, nonexistent). Take a photo of the map near Tee 1 - it will help you your first time around.
- Others have written about how close the baskets are to tees on the front 9 - and they really are. I have to think this place gets a little crazy when it's crowded. My advice: if there are other groups on the course, try to keep an eye on where they are!

Other Thoughts:

+ From the looks of things around the first tee, this is a club that knows how to party: tables, benches, even gas grilles!
+ I play a lot in NJ, and I'm fairly close to Greystone Woods. About 4 holes in on the last 9 at Sedgley, I found myself thinking "Hey! I thought I was playing in a nice old city park. How did I end up at Greystone???"
+ I'm so glad to have spent some time at Sedgley, and I really recommend playing all 27 holes, because the first 18 and the last 9 are both worth experiencing - like two completely different eras of disc golf at a single location.
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14 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Perhaps The Most Over-Loved Course In America! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sedgley Woods DGC is northern Philadelphia claims to be the oldest course on the east coast. I think Ben Franklin might have installed these baskets. They are getting a little tired looking. Each has been painted about a dozen times, and vandalized countless more times.

The course has the most amazing staging area I've ever seen. Here you'll find two large picnic tables, countless chairs and benches, two practice baskets, a three sided kiosk with all kinds of information, at least two heavy metal locking storage bins like you have in the back of your pick up truck, a barbecue, a small wood burning stove, some kind of a drying rack, I think ?, lots of players just hanging out before or after their round and probably many other items I missed. I also talked to one of their board of directors who had a key to one of the locking containers. Among other duties, he collects money for bag tags, calls and collects $1 for returning discs, sells water, rents discs, collect donations, and who know what else. All profits go back into the club's bank.

The 27 hole course is well designed and frankly, quite amazing in it's complexity. Each separate 9 hole set up begins near the staging area. The first two nines are amazing in how close proximity the holes are to each other. Some tee boxes are just a few feet from the last basket. Fairways are just feet from each other but somehow this all manages to work. There are three separate tees, the longer Reds, the middle Yellows, and the short recreational length, Blues. I played only the Blues and estimated many of them to be less than 200'.

The amenities are old and very worn and covered with graffiti. The tee pads are a combo of patio block and concrete. I think they have just recently replaced some of the oldest pads with new patio block ones. The signs are trashed. A few are still legible but many are covered with paint and stickers.

I found the last nine (holes 19-27) to be a little longer, a more challenging and containing more interesting and creative hole designs and interesting basket placements. # 20's basket was set up with a downed tree in front of it as well as a downed tree. # 24 features a raised basket protected by a group of trees. # 26, I think, was another very cool and fun basket placement with a downed tree and a very cool leaning tree just in front of the basket which obscures part of your puttIng line.

Cons:

Long walkout (1/5 mile) from 24 to 25.

Graffiti everywhere.

Equipment is old, tired looking and covered with stickers.

The entire course is in such close proximity that there must be some safety concerns.

The staging area, while cool and most interesting, also is fairly junky looking. I'm think the Park Department must be understanding and very tolerant.

Lots of erosion issues. If this course was located in Minnesota, park officials and the environmentalists would would have roped off/closed off many parts of the course.

Other Thoughts:

This must be the most over-loved course in America. The usage it apparently receives seems to be amazing. But like any park type facility that receives so much use, it comes with drawbacks in the form of erosion, overuse, graffiti, large groups, etc. The players I encountered were friendly and courteous allowing me to play through.

Sedgley Woods is really an enigma. It is an historical institution being possibly the first course on the east coast. The amount of heavy use it receives is readily apparent and all this use causes problems. The local club seems very active and recent improvements are evident. I only wish idiots would quit painting the signs and plastering them with stickers. I like to be able to read the information on them.
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1 9
Redzo
Experience: 7.5 years 13 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

One of the oldest and one of the most fun courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 20, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Awesome wooded course nestled among one of America's biggest parks. 27 holes of awesome, challenging disc golf. Always being maintained and updated, and always full of friendly people. Always a pleasant experience.

Cons:

None
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4 0
EJLESQ
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Urban treasure 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 14, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

27 holes 10 minutes from Center City on a bad day.
3 different tee pads for folks with differing skills.
Tight and hilly with some real challenges, but some holes are very birdy-able.
Great clubhouse area with lots of info.
Lots of benches to sit on if you're waiting

Cons:

- I wasn't there when it was crowded and we still ran into some folks. I can see things getting crazy on a crowded day.
- Signage is spotty. Sometimes you know where you're going, other times not. We wandered for 20 minutes between hole 24 and 25 because there was no indication that hole 25 was 300 yards down a narrow path running along the train tracks.
- No real wide open holes for ripping a tee shot.

Other Thoughts:

Very cool course and worth the trip down into the city from the burbs. But beware and do it on a week day morning or early afternoon when the crowds are sparse.
Instead of making a bunch of new benches (which are nice) they should invest a bit in refurbishing the signage.
The last 9 (holes 19-27) are really cool and secluded from the rest of the course with some interesting obstacles and trees.
Some nice city views as well.
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4 0
will1442
Experience: 7.8 years 20 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very Cool Inner City Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

27 holes, inner city play, seems to be a nice community of locals that play there. I played this course with 2 of my friends yesterday and we all had a lot of fun. There are no very long holes, its more of a tight and technical course that will have you pulling every shot you can think of out of the bag. There are some very cool holes but there are also some very forgettable holes. We came at 10AM on a Sunday and the locals were already setting up a bbq and tv to watch the Eagles game. We thought this was awesome and if we didn't already have plans we most likely would have stayed. My friends and I agreed that we actually like holes 19-27 the most, this may bc we weren't as worried about being hit by an arrant disc though. Either way this is a very cool course.

Cons:

The course has so many holes that are right on top of each other to the point that almost every hole you are making sure you aren't throwing into anyone or having someone throwing into you. Hole number 13 in particular is a blind downhill shot where the next tee box is literally 10ft away from the basket (this is the case for many holes but this one in particular stuck out). A disc came about 2 feet away from knocking me the hell out. While mostly every hole on the course is on top of another we found that we could always see if there were people that we may be throwing into or throwing into us. Minus that one hole.. Jesus throwing from yellow on 14 is scary.

Other Thoughts:

Great short technical course. Can be a bit scary at times. Could have better signage, we did manage to get a bit lost a couple times.
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2 3
spencervh
Experience: 7.8 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

challenging course for beginners 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

need to mention that this was the first place I ever played. I thought it was a good introduction to the game, with some straight-forward holes and others that needed explanation on how to get to the basket. the foliage makes for a challenging and fun obstacle on almost every hole.

Cons:

difficult for beginners, distance-wise and obstruction-wise.
tees are decently maintained but signage and park are overall coated in garbage.

Other Thoughts:

a good course that motivates me to get better. the drive distances are hard for someone new to the game and i spent a few holes looking for my disc in the brush but I think this course is great, especially for being in such an urban area.
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3 2
templink
Experience: 20.7 years 124 played 27 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Classic 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 26, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Free parking, free to play. Easy enough to navigate. I felt challenged on many holes to thread a small gap, make a sharp turn, shoot blind, avoid trees, etc. I felt there were no gimmies, even on the shortest holes. There seems to be a big group of locals who play here weekly.

Cons:

Some fairways are adjacent. Crossfire happens. No water in play. No signature hole.

Other Thoughts:

As the name implies, it is a "woods" course. Despite this, I wish there were a couple of wide open, grip and rip holes just for fun.
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4 2
TBabb
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.7 years 65 played 56 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great City Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 25, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sedgley Woods Disc Golf is located within Philadelphia's fabulous Fairmount Park. It's been around since the late 70's adding to Philadelphia's rich history. 27 holes snake through a moderately wooded grounds. Baskets seem like they've been around for a while but they're still in good condition. The tees are a mixture of concrete, flypads, and natural tees but all are in good condition. There are three tees on every hole; the short tees make for a nice par three recreational course and the longer ones mostly add a few extra feet and maybe a less forgiving window to the fairway. One can find free parking at the course which is noteworthy for a city where parking is hard to find. Furthermore, if you're from out of town and driving in Philly, the course is pretty easy to get to without having to do too many crazy Philly traffic maneuvers (unless you get lost). There is a nice mixture of shots. The grounds are kept very nicely, fairways are well-defined, very little overgrowth, and very little litter. There are port-a-potties in the parking area and a large bulletin board at the head of the course with information about nearby courses, regular events and tournaments, and an "alien" to feed lost discs to (presumably, there is a system for those lost discs to find their owners too). The front 9 and middle 9 loop around to the head of the course in case anyone needs to scoot out early. I found the locals to be friendly and helpful.

Cons:

Most holes are very short. Even the long tees have few holes over 300 feet. I rarely threw a driver for the whole round. The course design is just a little too tight. Fairways play really close to one another and I'm sure that an errant shot could interfere with another round on crowded days. The course is so compressed that I actually caught myself throwing at the wrong basket on more than one occasion. On nice weekends I imagine the course can get incredibly crowded. I played at 10am on a Monday morning so I had a pleasant round with only a few other groups playing around me, but I'm sure that a crowded day can make for a long round. While still a challenging course, most holes are rather forgettable and there isn't much of anything that would qualify as a signature hole. The back 9 ends far away from the parking lot and it's a little tough to find one's way back. More signage on the back 9 would be nice and there's a big meadow on the back 9 that would make for some nice longer shots that isn't utilized. Maps on tee signs (when they're present) aren't particularly helpful and some have fallen victim to vandalism making them useless.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a great course for recreational players to work on their control, short game, and get-out-of-trouble shots. There seems to be a really nice community of players here and courses right in the middle of a major city like this one are few and far between. Players used to playing suburban/country courses with more room may find this underwhelming, but it's definitely worth seeking out. If you're visiting Philly, I'd suggest playing your first round here on an off peak time of day, maybe when it's a little overcast or cool even. You'll avoid the crowds and enjoy a wonderful little course with a wonderful city to the east of you. Pick up a few deuces and find a cheese steak after to replenish your caloric deficit (and then some)!
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3 22
lynxonyx
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Just aweful 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Only course in Philadelphia

Cons:

Very short, tons of people on top of you all the time, holes are not spread out, and the tee boxes often intersect other holes, or even the tee boxes of other holes... really frustrating.

Other Thoughts:

I would recommend avoiding this course if at all possible, it is by far the worst I've ever played. They should maybe remove 9 of the 27 holes and make a real 18 hole course that is the proper distance (they are all mostly short par 3s that are under 200 feet) with the holes not on top of eachother.
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11 0
Afropirg
Experience: 9.7 years 34 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Sedgley Woods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 7, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Multiple tee boxes. Short technical holes. Lots of fun. Well worth the 50 minute drive from the Lehigh Valley. Easy to navigate. Relatively easy to find the course, not far from the highway.

Cons:

Can get very crowded. Holes are very close to each other. High chance of hitting or being hit if your not paying attention.

Other Thoughts:

I can't believe I lived in Philly for over 30 years and never heard of Sedgley. Really fun course to play. My friend and I played 1-18 and quickly went back and played 1-27. 45 holes with multiple shots the second time around in less than 2 hours. I've heard it gets crowded we went early to beat the crowded.

If you play from the blue tee's, you can play most if not all of this course with mid's and putters.

Most of the tee signs where pretty good with the exception of one or two being worn out or covered with graffiti. At some point it gets a little confusing with which way to go with multiple tee boxes being so close to each other. There is also times when you can end up landing in the fairway of another hole. On my second round I had a drive on hole 5 i think and the disc faded a little to much and I ended up in the fairway of hole 2. I can see how this can become an issue when it gets crowded. There is also times when the basket to one hole is very close to the tee on another.

With the location of the course being in the city near the zoo....I was expecting it to be riddled with trash. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean 1-18 was...19-27 has some spots that had some trash but nothing that was overwhelmingly bad. There is also a spot that has a bench that looks over the river.

If you're skipping this course because of the location then you're really missing out. This is one of my favorite courses.

UPDATE 11/06/2016. The more I play this course the more I love it. I've since played 4 or 5 tournaments at Sedgley and it is by far the best group of people I've encountered at a disc golf course. The Friends of Sedgley Woods know how to throw a tournament and a party.

I've taken my 9 year old daughter to play at Sedgley and the ladies there welcomed her with open arms. My daughter can't wait playing there again.
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8 1
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Freedom of '76 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sedgley Woods is one of the earliest models of the true spirit of disc golf, much as Philadelphia is linked to the conceptualization and birth of our free nation. I visited on a marvelous Monday, arriving just after noon. I met a local, Dr. Dave, and he showed me around, and shared some history and other insights about the course. I will say now I only played the first 9 holes, and the last 9 holes, unfortunately skipping 10-18. I did play 18 holes and thought what I did see was pretty special. I could picture our disc golf fore-fathers chucking lids here over 3 decades ago. Head bands, sideburns, short shorts. Must have been a sight to see. The first 9 was fun, but my putts weren't going. I could see coming out here with one disc and being -6 after 9 holes. Bogey on number 2, the longest distance of the first 9. Really liked the downhill run at hole 4 and the bench following if you should need a defensive T.O. Five was uphill, and the basket was perched on a fallen tree, in a very cool and funky manner. I two putted every hole, except managing to birdie hole 6. 7 gave me a look after a nice drive, but I missed and took par again. 8 and 9 are both moderately wooded, but still very reachable. Shooting even after 9, could do far better, but having fun all the same. The final 9 holes were tougher, with thicker rough, and had some cool nicknames. I was +1 to par on this portion of the course. 19 is a cool hole where you tee from a cobblestone path, and the basket is up a hill, meeting the ridge running along the left side of the trail. I slipped and wound up throwing out of bounds, onto a golf driving range across the fence at the top of that ridge. Retrieved my disc, and saved my bogey there, after penalizing myself for the bad drive. 20 is known as "the blender". I took a bogey after a tree knocked down my drive, about half of the distance of the fairway. There is a cool graffiti covered ruins in sight on the walk between holes around this point. I got one back with a birdie on 21, a short downhill hole. 23 is called "Lefty's hole", in memory of a local who tragically died in an accident several years ago. It isn't hard to see why a southpaw would like it, another down hill hole, bending to the right. 24 is called "the Anthill" due to the basket location at the summit of a sizable mound of dirt. At this point there is another bench, giving a nice vantage point across the river into the rest of West Philly. 25 from the long tee was reputed to be "the mini-blender", driving through a tight, bushy corridor to the basket. 27 is another rare hole of over 400 feet to finish the course.

I wish I would've seen the middle nine, but with 27 holes with multiple tees and pin positions, great history, and a fairly nice clean park, there is a lot of upside here. There are benches, trash cans and recycling bins nears the parking area. The local crowd I met were all friendly.

Cons:

I didn't experience large crowds, but several other groups were on the course as well. I can see how crowding and slow pace may be an issue. Also, some holes are adjacent to others, so be alert to other players throwing nearby. The par is 3 on every hole, and it is not a technical or difficult course.

Other Thoughts:

I almost passed up Sedgley Woods, but I am glad I stopped to see an East coast original. Wish I had played more than 18 holes, but saw enough to get a good feel for it. I expect the middle 9 play more like the first than the last. Will likely return to finish this one out and further explore the area in the future. The 3.5 rating seems lower than I felt it deserves, but with numerous other reviews, I trust some others would have a far more complete view of this one. Steady Ed, well done sir.
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1 1
PhillyPhan69
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

OK 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

The regulars were very friendly and helpful in getting us started
Signs were done adequately to help newbies to the course
Tee pads were easy to find
nice use of elevation and using the natural habitat of the park
Park/course fairly simple to navigate

Cons:

CROWDED-people on every hole (wait for the tee, and people waiting on you)
tight hole lay out- discs fly from multiple directions as holes are very close together

Other Thoughts:

A nice enough park as my son had a school trip to Philly- we decided to hit this on the way back..well worth the time to check out, but I wouldn't plan a trip just to hit here.
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17 0
roadtrip
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.8 years 200 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety of shots. 27 holes (3 separate 9-hole loops that all play back to the parking lot). 3 tees on each hole. Lots of right/left/straight, some up/down shots. A lot of lines to carve through. Club events will mix 1-9 longs then 19-27 medium (as an example - they mix lots of configurations) so each round is varied.

Maintained well. Club seems very active and creative. Tee pads aren't concrete and tee signs don't really help with the blind shots, but there are well-marked signs to each tee, which is greatly helpful. Elevated boards/steps above mud spots. Not much debris/trash on the course despite how crowded this city park area is.
Supposedly they have glow rounds.

Vibe - it looks super shady once you pull off the highway. It looks even shadier when you pull into the park. But all the people I chatted with were private-course friendly, open, inviting, sharing. Lots of folks really appreciated the disc golf oasis, biking distance from downtown. There were open fields and benches overlooking trees and the river. You could hear the city around you but you're totally shielded under thick forest canopy. Pretty cool lost-disc-return on site.

Cons:

Crowded. Fairways don't criss cross but they run very close to each other. You need to be prepared for discs coming at you anytime from any direction. It wasn't a problem at all, it's just something you'll need to consider. Obviously - also make sure no one is in your disc's path. It's not just letting the lead group clear the hole, sometimes they have to clear the next tee pad too before you can throw.

Lost disc potential. Tall grass and thick brush (admittedly - the only time I've played is during a rainy summer - locals told me it clears out a lot in the winter).

Variety - it's almost all tight lines. Several aceable holes but plenty of unnatural lines along the way. This is one of those courses for the threads about - redesigning the 27-holes as an 18-hole course with a few long, open shots along the way could make it a championship caliber course (however, if I lived here, I'd likely prefer the clustered 27 so I can play a different 18 configuration just about every day)

Other Thoughts:

This was a unique park to me. I don't usually think of Philly as the friendliest, most outdoorsy town. But this course had all of that. The disc golf reminded me of a lot of other 2.5-3.5 courses, but it fits this locale perfectly.

I had trouble linking this site to GPS but the narrative directions were perfect. Especially the warning about local trafic. Grab water before you come - no gas station off the I-76 exit. Fair amount of bugs.

I wouldn't recommend traveling to Philly just for this course, but if you were there already I'd highly recommend one of the weekly club events.
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3 1
crispy13fsw
Experience: 26.8 years 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sedgley Woods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 6, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

27 Historic Holes of Disc Golf. The original 18 are for beginners, while the "outback" nine will test even the best game. 99% of the people are very friendly. I learned my disc golf game here and the course will teach you to be technically sound.

Weekly tags rounds with a lot of membership support. FSW proudly boasts over 200 active members.

Cons:

It is a tight course on the front 18. Hearing "FORE" a lot is not un-common. The course is always a work in progress. New tee pads and new signs are going in. If more people packed out what they packed in, the litter would disappear, but since it is in the middle of Philly, good luck with that.
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