*** 2022 UPDATE *****


+ Excellent park course combining treed and open areas with some elevation changes and only occasional interference with other park users and roads. The course is always in great shape: a vicious storm (rumored to be a micro tornado) wreaked havoc on one section last year, and park maintenance worked its magic


+ Excellent signage and good baskets, two sets of tees add to replayability. The course has a strong local presence, and is a perennial stop for anyone in the area. Reminds me a lot of South Hills in PA


+ This is a good "hybrid" course: enough trees to make you shape shots, but you're not going to lose discs in heavy undergrowth. The layouts serve a wide variety of players: the Whites are safe for beginners and fun for intermediates. When you get to the point that the par 4s start getting soft, the Blues add another 1100 feet. At 7546 feet, the Blues are a bit short and the course is a bit too open by current standards, but it remains a popular course for hosting tournaments, local clubs, tags, etc

- Longtime complaints about the rubber tee mates. Most are ground level and get a bit lumpy, some puddle with rainwater. The biggest problem is that several of them are not level (the worst offender is the hillside White tee on Hole #17 which tilts so sharply uphill that your runup does not have much more power than a standstill. The Blue tee on 17 is mounted on a platform - it adds 50 feet, but easier to make the green throwing from a level tee)

~ A few new trees have been added (a sapling in front of the tee on #8 that will change the throw once it grows a bit). The large gravel piles on the downhill short #12 have been removed, and the entire area has been planted. The gravel mounds did not affect the line, but they tended to get in your head

+ The course is lengthy and sprawling. It takes you through open wooded areas and breezey field regions. Many holes are 400+ feet, even for the short tees. Be ready for a walk!
+ All tees have an anchored sheet metal diagram that clearly instruct the player where to throw, how far, and the par.
+ The whole course nicely demonstrates how a 'park-style' course can look and play.
+ The fairways are immense and clearly distinguishable from the denser rough areas. Due to their expansiveness, even the worst throws feel salvageable.
+ The elevation challenges are manageable and not too intimidating with the exceptions of hole 2's long tee and perhaps hole 11's uphill finale.
+ Practice basket, lost disc box and nice info board, but...

- ...There are very few benches, almost no trash cans, and the bathrooms (nearest to holes 2, 8 and 16) are quite a ways off course.
- Two or three of the holes are intersected by the nearby high school's cross-country course. If you decide to play here during the autumn months on a weekend, you might have to skip a hole or two due to runners.
- The course's open nature does not demand precision. Distance players might feel unchallenged.
- It is time for those rubber tee pads to be replaced.
-Despite the bright color of the 'next tee' signs, there are no additional signs during the particularly longer walks to reassure new players that they are still headed in the right direction. The biggest offenders of this are the walks between 7 & 8 and 14 & 15.

My favorite hole is definitely 11 because of its grand valley, water OB and distance challenge. It is the first par five I've ever encountered. I use it as my metric for how much I am improving as a disc golfer. My least favorite might be hole 15 simply because it plays right alongside a commonly used park road by both cars and pedestrians. Double check your surroundings before teeing off on that one.

Full disc-losure, this course is located in the town where I grew up, and it is the course that introduced me to the sport of disc golf way back in June 2017. So, I feel a disproportionate amount of pride when it comes to Thompson Park. As a result, this will always be my personal favorite course of all time. I do not mean to say that this is the best course out there. Make no mistake: there are, objectively, much better courses out there, but Thompson will always be my personal number one.

Barring that, I do feel that the course is quite good by its own merits. Why? It is a very accessible course. New players will enjoy the straightforward nature of the holes. More experienced players will enjoy the open-ended approaches that exist for the holes. Many of them are wide enough to allow for all throwing styles.

Thompson Park is a quintessential 'park-style' course. Almost every hole has trees, but they are spaced out just enough to encourage powerful throws every time while taking just enough consideration to aim. This course does not require any one skill in excess in order to play successfully, which means that all players can use their own style successfully. The course does not rely on narrow tunnel shots. Nor does it rely on brute force flinging like any open-air course you may have played. Thompson Park is a 'choose your own approach' course. Regardless of where the lie is, the player will not feel too obstructed or limited because of the space between the trees, which allows the player to open up and experiment. It isn't a very demanding course except by distance, but I think that is the whole point. I think it can be quite refreshing to play at a course that doesn't demand its players to obey the one-and-only line set before them. You wanna try out that thumber or tomahawk you just learned? Go ahead. Thompson won't punish you too harshly.

That said, I need to emphasize how bad those rubber tee pads are. Once upon a time, they were flat, sturdy and provided enough friction. Now? Forgetaboutit. Just as two examples: Tee11 is lumpy spaghetti, and tee12 is an ice-skating rink. The park committee will soon have new board members, so we'll see if the tees <i>finally</i> get upgraded to pavers or poured concrete. And they are beginning to replace the many trees that were destroyed by the many wind storms over the past several years (Rest In Peace, Link7 evergreen guardian.), but it will be quite a long time before Thompson feels as dense as it once was. But Thompson isn't truly meant to be a trial. It's more of a social place.

In closing, come to Thompson Park if you are seeking a pleasant environment to enjoy some stress-free disc golf. Take in the landscape, listen to the birds, throw your disc, out-throw your friends and do it again. As long as you understand that it doesn't demand too much of you, you won't be disappointed with Thompson Park.

First time trying this course, which is set in a lovely state park right off of the turnpike i-95 with a deli (Jamesburg Deli) right along the way, a block or so from the entrance in case anyone needs to fill up on water or eat a quick sandwich/breakfast (no beers here FYI).
The course begins and ends at the parking lot, which is convenient
Great signage to show next tees, easy to navigate
Great maps for each hole at each tee, painted on top in white or blue (or both in some cases) so you can see from further away which tee you're walking towards
The entire park was nicely maintained
Overall great course and can only improve with more benches, garbage cans, bathroom options.

Some of the par assignments are off. We played white (short) tees and noticed this. Par 4's that should be Par 3's.
Other people enjoying the park aren't too familiar with disc golf yet, a couple picked up and threw our disc back after a throw by the road...ugh
Some of the tees aren't level or are bumpy
Not exclusive to this park, but I killed two ticks so beware when entering the bushes looking for your disc..wear repellent and long pants.

I have only played 3 courses in NJ (Campgaw, Field of Dreams, this one) and find this to easily be the best one of the three. Next up I'll be trying Greystone Woods.
Very convenient that across the exit is a pizza place AND ice cream shop..which were both fantastic
There's a good amount of shade, but also a fair amount of direct sunlight, so it's best to apply sunscreen and bring a hat/shades.
Tip - on the course map, the number location indicates where the side where the tee is.
On hole 13 be careful not to throw the disc over the fence by the hole..it's then in the zoo for the deer to keep!
If you're playing with friends who are novice or are close to the next step, this is a good course given you can see the hole from almost all tees and there are a good amount of short/easy holes.

Thompson Park is a superb disc golf course. It has 2 sets of tees (White or Blue). Beautifully maintained with nice elevation changes. Most of the par 4 holes are scoring holes. The course is forgiving, so if you have a bad shot, you can still manage to scramble to get par. The course has a good feel to it. There are other people doing other activities in the park on any given day, but they never hinder the game as the course is designed where nobody could interfere. Its a different round than simply playing in the woods with nobody else around. One of my favorite courses in NJ. Go & Throw!!

This course is challenging, but if you mess up a shot it doesn't tend to punish you with deep brush or lost discs.

Its an amazing course that's well maintained and has the right distance on holes to present a fun game for new or advanced players.

Each hole is completely different which makes the course that much better. We've all seen the courses where it's practically the same play on the majority of holes.

Super easy to navigate with well marked tees and baskets, and the guides to the next tee pad on each basket are great.

Possibly a few too many trees mid-course resulting in a lot of obstacles.

Only 1 or 2 trashcans with easy access and the 2 bathrooms that are available are pretty far off course. For a course of this length there should be amenities a little closer to the course as newer players can expect to take a few hours to finish if in a group of 3 or more people.

Overall the course is great and absolutely beautiful. Would like to participate in leagues and tournaments on this course.

I'm a big fan of courses like this. There are lots of mature trees, creating a bunch of cool fairways and unique golf lines, but not much undergrowth to lose discs. It isn't a "woods" course, but rather a park-style course. What's really unique about this course is that the long layout (Blue) is a relatively long par 64 layout, but EASY. Most long layouts are challenging. This puts this course in a unique sphere of its own, and the name of the game is to get your 3's on the par 4's. I guess that's always the name of the game, but failing to do so here means that you will have trouble competing. The layout, tee pads, tee signs, navigation are all strong here. Plenty of variety exists hole to hole. Some favorites include hole 3 (a long par 4 through the trees, with the end of the fairway clearing up, lots of options off the tee); hole 6 (a nice turnover bomb off the tee with a protected approach to the basket); hole 8 (another cool par 4 with plenty of trees to pick a line through); hole 11 (the signature hole, huge par 5 that requires a great shot-shape downhill bomb, an approach over an OB creek, then another 300 feet of up hill dogleg approach to the basket, awesome hole!); hole 13 (cool, low ceiling slightly downhill par 4, big drive distance potential on this one); hole 15 (awesome downhill par 4, probably another signature hole, tee shot tempts you to throw a big full flight over an OB road, fading back into fairway); and hole 18 (long downhill par 4 with a drive busy with obstacles near the tee, but a pretty open approach, cool finishing hole).

There are some repetitive or filler type holes. Holes 1 and 9 are similar, 300 ft. straight shots (some play anhyzer line). Holes 5 and 10 are very similar (straight or slight hyzer putter shots). Holes 16 and 17 are very similar (straight or slight turnover uphill shots). Sometimes, pedestrians are on the fairways, as this is a popular dog walking park.

The course is only a few minutes off of Jersey Turnpike exit 8A, so it's really easy to get to. I like this course a lot! The only other course in the mid-Atlantic area that I've played that seems similar is South Hills in the Lebanon, PA area a few hours west of Philly.

great layouts and a nice variety of shots.
You are not likely to loose any discs.
Nice tee pads.
Park is very well maintained.

No kiosk with a score card or a course map for new visitors.
Par 4s are more like 3s.

I was visiting from Connecticut and had time for one round. I was able to visit the park and enjoy the nice course. A woman walking her dog told me that it was regarded as one of the top 3 courses in the state. If you have a chance definitely visit and play. I will return to play again if I'm in the area.

Perfect Park setting course which offers a variation of throws. Basically a disc golf paradise with multiple tees and park amenities. Great course for beginner as well as advanced players. The Par 4's really stand out here along with signature par 5 hole 11. You should not loose a disc here. Easy to navigate. Overall just fun to play.

Some pars felt off to me in some cases where some should be par 3's instead of 4's. A couple of holes (like 14) could have been lengthen and made better use of the land. Course is still little to short for Pros mostly do to the many short par 3's.

Solid course all the way around, its a blast to play, a must stop by if your in the area. Great job of routing the course away from general public areas in most cases. Looks like there is room to expand or revise the course as it grows. More length for pros could bump this course up to 4.5. Its the kind of course you wish you live next to!

Great variation in types of throws, elevation, hole length.
Course is always in good condition and well maintained.

Update pars on for shorter tees?

(That's about all I can think of)

I love this course. Challenging enough to always be fun yet not too hard that an average player could hit par.

Centrally located in NJ and easy to get to from the Turnpike or Rt 130.

-Great use of elevation for park-style golf. Combos of drive & approach uphill, drive & approach downhill, and drive downhill/approach uphill can be seen on Par 4s. Many undulating Par 3 fairways, downhill Par 3s, and even steep uphill Par 3s, one from a platformed tee box.
-Greens were well placed and equally protected. Tree protection varied per green, whether it be tree limbs hanging 50' in front on the RHBH & LHBH hyzer approach, small bushes, tight hallway approaches for both RH & LH, mature trees guarding the front of pins, evergreens closely guarding left or right. Definitely a little bit of everything, with a few open greens.
-The elevation & usage of trees allowed for multiple shot choices both FH & BH from the tee and approaches. Proper drive placement was rewarded on Par 3s, but not required to score on Par 4s.
-Signage was spot on. Excellent graphics.
-Easy access to park, ample parking w/ first tee directly across street.

-Some Blue Par 4s were a tad short. I didn't play the White tees because of the shortness of Par 4s and repetitiveness to their Blue counterparts
-Teepad areas are still developing, but this does not take away from the quality of the course design.

If some of the Blue Par 4s were lengthened, or had their Teepads moved to provide a different drive angle, this would be an epic park course.

18 hole permanent course located in a nice county park. A practice basket sits by the main gazebo near hole 1. With only a couple of exceptions, there are long (blue) and short (white) tee pads at every hole. Good aluminum signs depict hole #, par, distance and flight path. Good hole and distance variety with hilly terrain adding to the challenge. The fairways are groomed and manicured. Large mature trees force the player to hit lines and create playing options. The par 5 hole 11 featuring a long downhill shot over a creek and then an upshot to the basket provides a nice signature hole. Small "next tee" markers allow for easy navigation. Very nice job on the railroad-tie tiered tee pad at 17. A porta pottie is available near hole 5.

Many of these "cons" are byproducts of this course being relatively new and will be addressed in time. Quality tee pads must be installed at most holes. The tee posts for short holes 2 and 3 must be moved; they currently sit right in the fairway if playing from the long tees. Cross country runners, dog walkers and the occasional clueless park patron sometimes interrupt your round. A branch or two here and there on a few holes should be cut. Amenities like benches, bag poles and a few trash cans would add to the course.

Thompson Park has large picnic areas, ball fields, a lake and a deer preserve. The DG course is one of the better 18 hole venues in NJ, and it's a nice playing experience here. It's obvious time and thought went into its design. It flows pretty well and is balanced. It is challenging yet not overly difficult. Along with some legitimate par 4s, a couple of ace runs are present, especially from the short tees. Thompson provides a good balance between an open and wooded course, and while there are many trees on most holes, it never seems overly wooded or oppressive. The terrain and layout require a variety of throws, and rollers can be a huge part of your game here.

I think an argument can be made that several of the short tee par 4's are "tweener" holes and could be considered a "3". To me, it's not a big deal and selfishly, it works to my benefit.

This course will easily bump up to a "4" once the tee pads are installed. Another quality course in a rapidly expanding NJ DG scene!

New courses in central NJ are always a pleasing sight, and this is nice addition that can only get better. I wouldn't personally call this a wooded course though it's not necessarily a completely open course either. While playing you will notice very little "rough" most fairways are dotted with trees or sparse groupings and copse of trees somewhere to navigate in/around. Also this course rewards placement shots and accuracy over distance, with OB as a factor on most holes. Some gradual elevation changes add to the challenge. Thompson offers a mix of 3s & 4s along with the signature hole 11 as the lone par 5 (not to mention 2/3 possible ace runs) Though not a super technical course like Tyler or nock you will definitely find yourself using many different shots (during round I did find myself favoring RHFH). Low ceiling on many holes adds a risk factor. Interesting turf tee box on 18. Short tee areas usually offer a different look/shot all together.

The layout for Thompson more or less tracks along the car path that weaves around the park, because of this you never really get the rugged/secluded aspect. No sources of drinking water on course. Portable only option for bathroom. Needs more trash/recycle can. Flags are missing on many tee areas and paper tee signs have seen better days.

Thompson definitely has room to grow over time. After tees go in and some of the other cons I mentioned are addressed I think my rating could be in the 4+ area.

Park goers have no idea what your doing out there keep your eyes open and be polite. Hopefully the park ranger who parks by the forest fire tower will realize it might not be the best spot for his car.

Not sure if par should be same for short/long on some holes

Not a extremely strenuous walk, adds to ability to play 36 in an afternoon.

quality park style golf with tall trees spread throughout a lot of the fairways. the grounds are well maintained since it's a park. there's barely any rough to worry about and low potential to lose discs

a few holes could be a little more interesting or difficult, such as 12 and 16, which are just straight, short shots.

bumped it up 1/2 a disc because teepads are being installed where there used to be just dirt and a sign

I was thrilled when I heard that a course was going in a mere 15 minutes from my parent's house. What a great treat to have a beautifully manicured course so close for the visits home. The scenery is beautiful. The course is fun to play. The rolling hills make for some great elevation changes to help mix up the course. A few ace run opportunities scattered within the longer/more challenging holes make for a very enjoyable round.

I would like to see some more variety between the two layouts. I noticed a lot of instances where the Blue tee has almost the exact same look, but 30-60 feet farther. I would rather a 2nd layout provide its own distinct feel. The "Hard," course doesn't always even have to be longer. Place the tee off to one side to force a player to link shots together in order to hit par. The long course was still nice. I just would have liked to see a bit more variety

I also think that some of the holes could have a bit more difficulty thrown in. Hold 12, for instance, is just a simple downhill run at a basket with no obstacles. There is a very large dirt/asphalt area maybe 30-40 feet in front of the basket. Making that area OB would add a bit more placement challenge to an otherwise straightforward hole.

Only other thought has to do with the pars. I think a lot of the pars are very generous. Hole 13, for example, is a long downhill approach with a few trees. 1 drive and 1 upshot should put any average golfer in position for a putt. Hole 11 is another one that sticks out. A par 5 that I think should be a par 4. 1 shot to the bottom of the hill. 1 shot out into the field. An upshot to the basket. Putt.

In the long run, as long as you have a fun round, the par for a course isn't terribly important. But when I play, especially solo rounds, I take the pars as a personal challenge. I know that I want to meet or beat the par on a hole, and having challenging pars helps make it feel that much better.

I still very much enjoyed this course, and look forward to my next trip home so that I can play again. Excellent job to everyone who worked on the design, basket installation, fund raising, etc.

First of all, huge props to the boy scout that was able to make this course possible, raising that much money for a course like this would definitely cause most of us trouble. I appreciate the boy scout allowing other designers, and those more experienced than him to give advice, as most boy scout/eagle scout project courses that I have seen (3-4) have been designed very poorly or unsafely.

Fun factor- This course presents a tremendous amount of fun, unlike most courses, this place does not punish an errant shot too badly and will allow the more average or recreational player to not only have fun and get hooked, but enjoy the course as well. Some of the course may grow in during the summer, and make some of the more wooded holes tougher, most of the holes play along grassy areas where the county mows.

Variety- This course, although not overly challenging, and very rewarding, does force the average golfer to execute specific lines on each hole and will allow the local to develop a well-rounded game and a variety of shots. Many of the holes have a plethora of lines that one can choose to take off of the tee, once again making the player need to have multiple types of shots to score well. Many of the par 4's incorporate a very good amount of Risk vs. Reward, as most are reachable, if somebody with a big arm chooses to go for it. The thing with this is that there are specific landing zones in the fairway that are designed for the average player to land, where those who throw farther, can throw a midrange or a putter too, and have a fairly difficult upshot. However, the risk with trying to bite off more, is that most of the holes where one has the opportunity to do this, the shot required to get farther down the fairway and towards the green requires a more, precise/difficult/risky line, that is usually much harder to hit. There is also a small creek/ditch (may change depending on recent weather) that comes into play on several holes, creating some picturesque greens, challenging OB's, and interesting putts. The course also incorporates a good amount of elevation (especially for this area). There are some areas on this course that will teach locals to throw a precision low shot, because of some ceiling issues on many holes.


Overall course design- The course itself is designed fantastically, and thought is put into nearly every hole. There is a variety of par 4's, which are balanced out with an abundance of par 3's and a single par 5.

Feel- This course has a very cool feeling, as most of the course is what I would consider somewhat wooded, plenty enough to force lines, but the fairways are full of grass make the course look very cool.

Although most of the cons are fairly minute compared to the rest of the course, they still have to be expressed

I feel as though, although some may not agree with me, that there are a few 2-3 filler holes on the course, and with the land available, could be executed.

The other cons have to do with the relative new-ness of this course, and that is signage and teepads. Most of the signs are laminated paper mounted on small wooden poles, although I am sure this will change in the future, and I will update when necessary. Furthermore, along the same lines, the teepads are now natural and although there are plans to upgrade these in the future, this remains a con as of now.

The course also has a few overhanging branches as of the last time I played, and may have to be cleaned up, as a good shot could be penalized unfairly because of this.

Overall, this is a fantastic course, and a great addition to the New Jersey disc golf scene. I am eager to see this course evolve over time, as I think the locals are very passionate and will do a great job.

The grounds are well maintained by the county. Low cut grass and beautiful surroundings. The course is very forgiving. Although it has many challenging shots, an errant throw does not always mean you lose your birdie or par opportunity.

As a new player I find the layout gives me a chance to experiment with many different discs and throwing styles. This is definitely a course where your game will improve and the course can accommodate that growth.

Elevation changes and careful design will make this a must play course in NJ

It seems the blue tees (longs) are a little too easy for some of the higher level players. Perhaps alternate basket locations can be used in the future

As the father of the Eagle Scout who co-designed this course with Adam Harris, my hat goes off to both of them. They have taken an opportunity that only comes once or twice in life and have built a legacy. Proud of both of these gentleman.

This course is brand new! I focus on the design in all of my reviews rather than the amenities. This course design consists of many par 4's that are not too long considering the semi-wooded land. You don't need a lot of distance to score well here, but you probably need 250-300 from the short tees, and 300-350 from the long tees to have a chance to birdie on every hole. There is very little danger on the course, so you want to play an aggressive strategy. The semi-wooded landscape offers many options to recover from an errant tee-shot, as there are usually lanes to the basket. The key here is hitting the wide lanes and getting some good distance off the drive. Elevation is used well here for interesting tee and basket locations, this site is hilly for NJ. This course is extremely fair and fun to play.

There aren't tee-pads yet, but should be within a few weeks. I enjoy when the design requires one or two very unusual lines off the tee, but I didn't have to throw anything too challenging here from the tee.

This course will be a staple of NJ disc golf and is one of the strongest courses in the state. I am impressed that this was able to be pulled together by a boy scout, and I thank him for his initiative.

Beautiful park, well manicured grass, very little rough (unless you get way off the fairways), bathrooms, running water, ample parking, and a pavilion by the practice basket all add to an out standing course.
On the course, its 7,500ft or so of rolling hills, large mature trees, with a good mix of par 4s and one very fun par 5 (Hole 11).
The shot variety is there for a relatively open course, and several holes have multiple lanes to choose from on the tee, creating different looks at the basket from the landing zones, as well as allowing the player a hyzer/anhyzer choice several times. Ther are shots that have low celings, and others that have tighter lanes with higher ceilings, some wide open hopes with very little trees, others are downhill with lanes to allow a nicely shaped shot a chance at an eagle, others are uphill that play much longer than the measured distances. The overall variety is one of the reasons this course will be enjoyed by many that play the game.
Overall its a wonderful park, with a very good course.

Since the baskets only went in this January, the course is still a work in progress.
Temp tee signs are on stakes, and the next tee signs are laminated an attached to each basket. These items will be taken care of, but need some time.
Tees as of now are mostly natural grass surface, and are not level as construction has yet to happen on these.

Being a designer of the course, I've tried to give an honest appraisal.
The course will be an easy 4-4.5 when construction is completed (tee pads, tee signs, next tee signs, course map/kiosk, etc.).

Two options of tee materials are installed, White Hole 2 has a very nice rubber tee that was rather expensive, and was moved on for a less costly material. White Hole 18 has a very nice turf tee that has been installed, leveled and waiting final approval from the Township before we may proceed with installing these at every tee.

I co-designed the course, with the Boy Scout who got the project approved and funded. This is not your typical Eagle Scout course, as this young man has done a great job, and consulted seasoned disc golfers on the layout.

The "plan" was to have a White Level (900 rated) course with par in the mid-60s, and Blue Level Tees (950 rated) as a longer layout. With the Grand Opening Tournament this weekend, we will find out how close we came to the goals, and discover if/what holes might need some slight adjustments.
Congrats David, your efforts will be cherished for years to come.