Yes, Florida has hills, you just need to know where to look. I don't know if this is the hilliest course in Florida but it must certainly be in the conversation. The course was in pristine condition when we played it. All of the work on the course appears to be done and there wasn't a speck of trash anywhere on the course.

The course is set in a large multi-use park and features exceptional tee pads, very nice tee signs, and has most of the amenities found on other top courses. The course is set in a scenic park with plenty of diverse shot types and lengths and massive (for Florida) elevation changes. The course is fun for all except the most feeble.

Not too much in the con department for this course. It is in a multi-use park and walking paths and roads could come into play on some holes and you may have to wait for some randoms to mosey through once in a while.

We played the course in pretty much perfect condition and all five people in my group had a blast playing here. I would encourage folks who played it in the past and maybe saw it in an unfavorable light to play it again now. It is one of Florida's best and most hilly courses and should put a smile on pretty much any disc golfer's face. Highly recommend!

Tom Brown is a beast of a course, not just because he has 24 holes, but thanks to the challenge available from the long tees, oftentimes even the short ones. Bonus holes A-F are the best holes out here, featuring C as a signature challenge. Its long tee calls for a shot across a tree-filled valley that feels great if you can surpass the short tee onto the fairway. The pin remains elusive from there, tucked uphill to the right. But let's start at the beginning...Tom has two practice baskets (one oddly(?) near #5), large perfectly-textured concrete tees, framed and leveled, and benches on most holes. Good navigation and tee signs. Two or three pin positions add variety and the layout takes advantage of available elevation, particularly on 7-9, A-F, then back to 10-12. 18 is a long par 4 finisher, albeit much more open. Still signature-ish with it's framed/elevated basket. EPIC.

Tom Brown isn't perfect only because some of the more open holes, though still solid, have a slight filler feel to them (1,3,5,13,14). It's also busy--playgrounds, a dog park, picnicking, tennis and racquetball courts. But that keeps other family members busy while you play!

Fast approaching 60 with a weakening arm, I thank God for the short tees. Also, often lacking time for 24 holes, I've taken to parking near 5, playing 5-9 then A-F, then finishing 10-11 back to my car, a fantastic-though-strenuous 13 hole round. Maybe that's why the second practice basket was put by 5? Tom Brown and Jack McLean Parks make Tallahassee a solid DG destination. There's also a worthwhile private 18-hole course north of town not on DGCR yet. Plantation something...find it on udisc and make a reservation! It has the biggest cow pie mound I've ever seen LOL.

- A complete course in an area of Florida with not many courses.
- A handful of beautiful holes, especially in Autumn.
- Concrete tee pads.
- Fairly new baskets and benches.
- Free to play. (most DG Courses are)

I would give it a 3.5 if it was described as GOOD.

- There is a road with steady thru traffic that can come into play in some way at some point on all 24 holes.
- There is trash on almost every hole, including in every "bucket" under all 24 baskets.
- Many of the holes are the same exact shot.
- Many holes are "tweener" holes.
- Some tee signs are missing.
- Every tee pad was surrounded by small pebbles that get stuck in your shoe from time to time. So, I find myself constantly kicking the pebbles off each pad.
- There are basically an unlimited amount of distractions because it is a park course. (I take this into consideration because there are other courses in Florida where the land is solely dedicated to Disc Golf)
- You're going to get the occasional sketchy park goers. I definitely wouldn't play alone out there if I were a girl. I've heard stories from women friends and I have experienced it myself.
- To no fault of its own the course is almost always crowded because of its popularity and only real option in town. Especially for those just starting out. So, you get a lot of beginner players/groups that aren't up on course etiquette yet.
******* Now to admittedly knit pick, i'd also say that Veteran Baskets MIGHT be the 5th best baskets on the market. Also, the red band with blue cage color scheme doesn't go well with the beauty North Florida has to offer. Lastly, I have NEVER had a disc with my name on it returned to me.

I am not sure how Tom Brown is the #1 course in Florida when it's not the best course in Tallahassee. I would actually rate it as the 3rd best course in Tallahassee behind Millstone and Jack McLean. Obviously, this is only my opinion. However, this is my opinion after playing 500+ rounds at Tom Brown. I've also played over 100 courses in America.


I feel that you shouldn't even be able to say it is the best in Florida unless you have played at least 20 courses in Florida. In my personal opinion when you rate a Disc Golf course, everything has to be put in consideration. When a restaurant is rated you take multiple things into consideration. (Ambiance, food, customer service, cleanliness, price, staff etc etc)

Tom Brown was the first disc golf course I ever played. Went over to Play It Again Sports, bought three used discs, and started chucking on pre-revamp hole 1. Fell in love from there.

Tom Brown has its pros and cons... mostly pros, though.

+ Great hole diversity. Like, really great. Some open, some partially open, some wooded, some long wooded, some dogleg wooded, some open bomber, some water. It's got it all.
+ Usually pretty darn well kept. COVID-19 has taken its toll recently and it's pretty overgrown (as early May). Still, it's absolutely worth playing.
+ Signage/paths between holes is pretty solid. Tee signs disappear somewhat frequently, but as a whole, it's pretty navigable. The foot traffic path should give you a general idea as to where the next tee is.
+ Trash cans and benches are decent. They're recently added more benches and a few more trash cans.
+ Tee pads are concrete and good size. They recently redid a few in order to make them more flush with the ground to prevent ankle destruction.
+ New baskets... don't remember what kind, but they're 'Merica colors and catch discs pretty well.
+ Two cards, either 18 or 24 holes depending on if you want your round ruined by the letter holes. Only kidding, definitely play them if you're visiting Tom Brown. They're challenging but good.

-- Litter is a bit of an issue. There are a decent number of trash cans, but the volume of people at Tom Brown is just hard to condense into the ~5 trash cans on 24 holes. I'm not saying that means throw your trash on the ground, but there could be a few more. Please don't litter.
-- As mentioned before, some tee signs are missing. As a local, this doesn't affect me at all, but it can definitely be irritating to visitors/new players.
-- Not the easiest for beginners, but still reasonable. If you're a local and TB is your first disc golf course, you'll develop into a pretty darn good player if committing the time to practice.
-- Tom Brown is a public multi-purpose park. You will run into some completely oblivious pedestrians. Yeah, frolf isn't the biggest sport and you may not realize you're picnicking in the fairway. From my experience, which is sorta disappointing, a lot of them aren't the most receptive to moving when you holler. Oh, and you'll run into some terribly parked cars. If you're lucky, you'll see the coveted "car parked on the tee pad".

Go. Go go go. Play Tom Brown. Then play Jack when you think you've defeated Tom Brown. You'll be back begging for forgiveness when Jack whoops your ass.

Seriously though, I think Tom just got crowned #1 in Florida. I haven't played enough courses in FL to decisively say I agree with that, but it's seriously excellent.

- The course gives you two natural options - play 24 (1-9, A-F, 10-18) or play 18 (skipping the letter holes).
- The tees and baskets are all in good shape.
- Going from one hole to the next normally results in me grabbing a different disc to use off the tee due to the variety of hole shapes.
- There are several "natural" starting holes (depending on crowds and daylight) to include 1 (has a practice putting basket), 5 (near the lake and open field in which to warm up), and hole 16 (a good starting hole for late after-work rounds on days with limited sunlight (you finish with holes 12-15 out in the open)).
- There are a good variety of holes that provide opportunities for uphill, downhill, forehand and backhand tee shots. Many reward you for having good technical shot-making ability while others reward distance throwers.
- The lost and found box near hole 1 gives you a chance to get lost discs returned.
- The city and Tallahassee Disc Golf Association (TDGA) work together to keep the course in good shape and regularly make improvements.

- The course is a multi-use park which occasionally results in various festivals that attract lots of people (people picnicking or parking on the fairways, stringing up hammocks and generally not realizing that they are in the way).
- The course could have a few additional seating options as there are only a few benches around the course.
- Having a marker on the tee signs indicating the basket location is long overdue even if primarily helpful only on holes 4(long tee), 8(long tee), A, F and 17.
- "Next tee" signs are mainly missing
- While the course is pretty clean, having a few more trashcans might encourage people to not throw their trash in the basket mount boxes.
- A fence/rope restricting people from parking near hole 18's elevated basket would lessen the likelihood of vehicle damage due to overeager approach shots missing their mark (similar to hole 5).

I started playing disc golf less than 2 years ago and as my skill level has improved, the course becomes more interesting. Holes that were once a challenge to par, are now a challenge to birdie. As I got a little confidence, playing the pro pads opened up a new course altogether along with the variable pin positions and layouts. I play this course 2-3 times a week and sometimes more than one round/day on the weekends. It can wear on you due to the elevation changes and length of the course, but there are places to refill water along the course. I enjoy disc golf partially for the exercise, so no complaints.

I love this course!

The Baskets are all in great shape
Some of the best tees I've played on. The Parks and Rec in Tallahassee cares about Disc Golf
Great mix of terrain
Plenty of challenging wooded shots
Great elevation for Florida
The Am and Pro tees both offer a challenge
It's a busy park but people rarely get in the way
Lots of beautiful and signature holes
The Letter holes have a great and challenging design

Sometimes they let the grass get too high on Hole B and C
The course ends with not as much shade as it starts, but it's Florida it is going to be hot
I wish they utilized the lake on a hole
There are a couple of impossible birdies from the Am tees
The long pin on hole 4 could use some clearing out

Overall this course is great and a lot of fun to play. In the summer it can really zap your energy don't you dare forget your water bottle. The best holes on the course are 8, 9, A, C, E,F,and 18. This is one of my favorite courses I've played, I'm a sucker for beautiful courses so this course isn't my absolute favorite since it isn't stunning like some other courses I've played, but it is a great compliment to Jack Mclean in my opinion.

For Florida, great elevation change.
New layout provides nice shade.
Awesome use of the Park, not intrusive to other park users

Old layout allowed you to start on hole 1 or hole 9
The heavily wooded areas have vines, poison ivy etc.

- free to play
- more holes to throw than you can shake a stick at
- quality concrete tees, large
- multiple tees
- informative tee signs listing distances, fairways shapes, and possible pin positions
- lots of variations in elevation
- lots of distance variation
- lots of fairway technicality
- plenty of risk/reward
- quality baskets, numbered/lettered
- challenging layouts
- designers did a great job of placing tees in the available shade
- well maintained course
- intuitive layout, though the letter thing was a little confusing
- bathrooms on location
- course ends at near parking lot.
- minimal pedestrian traffic for such a popular multi use park

- some signs missing, some damaged, all could use a pin indicators where multiple pins were present
- not all holes have multiple pins
- not well suited for all levels
- lacked directional signage between holes
- I personally didn't like hole 4
- not very punitive towards the end of the course
- could use more benches
- course doesn't loop back to the parking lot half way through.

Tom Brown is a long, difficult, hilly course. It starts out simple and unassuming at first, then plunges players into more technical gameplay. Once in the woods, players will be fighting for pars and praying for birdie chances. I had my hands full playing from mostly Am tees. All the ups and downs had me sweating like OJ Simpson at a parole hearing. The risk reward was plentiful, but landing drives to position yourself for the next shot was often the best practice. I was very impressed with how challenging these fairways were, even on holes without much rough. It was a well rounded experience, indeed. The course forced me to use my whole tournament bag setup. On top of that, Tom Brown was immaculately maintained and scenic. A roller deuce I received on hole 15 from Ams was my shot of the round

An area that needs improvement is the signage situation. Many tee signs had weird orientation, or were behind the pads. Players couldn't size up the fairway distances or pin positions while on the pad. They had to step off it and walk back to take a gaze at the sign. This isn't a huge con, but it's worth noting. Also, a bunch of Am pads lacked tee signs. It would be nice if there were pin position indicators on signs too, especially for holes with blind pin positions. The directional arrows attached to the basket were comprised of laminated paper. Some were missing, I imagine they got wet and fell off.

If pressed for additional cons, I'd probably site some from a recreational players standpoint. Am tees weren't an easy go for the lower skilled players in general. If there were descending tee offs, it was an experience disproportionately hogged by the Pro pads. It seemed like the Ams threw uphill more than the Pros. Mixing in a couple shorter holes would have a nice break from the distance heavy course theme, too. I could have done without hole 4 in general. A lot of laying up and luck is involved to successfully throw that pain of a fairway.

Overall, Tom Brown is truly an amazing course. There's variations in length, technicality, changes elevation, and the park was well maintained during my visit. A few minor details could to be improved, but for the most part a majority of course aspects were executed quite well. I feel comfortable rating T.B. a 4, which is the highest rating I've personally given a course on DGCR. It compared well my personal favorites. I'd probably try to use a cart if I came here again, even though some areas look less than ideal for one. Walking up and down the terrain with a fully loaded bag forced me to skimp on water my supply. I was dying of thirst and exhaustion halfway through the course. Show up early to avoid the crowds and the heat.

If you enjoy a little historical sight seeing with your course traveling, then I recommend driving over to the Mission of San Luis . Admission is cheap, like 5$ (free for military). There's a bunch of interesting stuff to meander through. They have wide concrete walkways, an intuitive layout, and informative signage. The thatched huts and building recreations were very authentic. I'd give that place 4 out of 5 arrowheads.

(4.187 Rating) (RE-EVALUATED) A huge hybrid parks style and woods course with a ton of variety and two distinguished sets of tees to test the game on.
- HOLE VARIETY - Excellent. The first seven holes at Tom Brown are all different. An openish shot on (1), then a moderately wooded play on (2), a wooded pocket to hit on (3), a heavily wooded dogleg par 4 on (4), a lightly wooded play on (5), a technical hook on (6) and an uphill wooded play on (7). What a nice mix to start off. However, once I hit hole (8) my jaw dropped as there is just an amazing run of awesome tee shots. Several holes on this course could be the signature hole on 80 percent of the courses out there. I keep a running list of my favorite 100 holes ever played (over 6500 unique holes played as of this revision), and I still have 2 holes at Tom Brown on the list. Hole (C) is my personal favorite, where it's a 150 foot long tunnel shot atop a ridge and over a creek and into a meadow. The next shot to the basket plays across a shallow creek and is well guarded by numerous pines. Another shallow creek lies beyond as well for those that are too aggressive. There are very few similar shots on this course and I can still visually remember them all 3 years later.
- HOLES A THRU F - The course is laid out in a way so that when one finishes hole (9) they can either play a loop of six bonus holes labeled (A, B, C, D, E, F) or move right onto (10). Do not skip these holes if you are here for the first time. IMO, 5 of the best 9 holes at Tom Brown are in this loop.
- ELEVATION FOR FLORIDA - Amongst the biggest elevation changes I've seen on a Florida course (114 Florida courses played as of this revision). There are several holes that change by over 30 feet and a couple are in the 40 foot range. Still not as much as the courses 4 hours to the north, but a welcome surprise to those expecting just another flat Florida course.
- TEES - Wow did this course drop some money on the tees. Long and wide for both pros and ams. In addition, several tees are on raised platforms boxed by heavy timbers. 446 courses in now, and Tom Brown is still in my top 10 for the tees.
- EQUIPMENT AND EXTRAS - In addition to the amazing tees, Tom Brown has a lot of the niceties that one would expect of an established course with a great club presence. Practice basket, community board, tables, benches, shelters, multiple pin placements, Veteran baskets and a disc return box.
- CHALLENGING - Not as challenging as nearby Jack McLean, but the challenge from the backs will still very much push your typical Advanced player to break par. At the 2017 Tally open, and with all placements in the far position, only 17 of the 39 open players broke par on their round (par 81). The round was officially rated at 984, ie shooting even par got you that rating. Even in a normal mix of placements, the back tees are going to test all the skills of veteran players. There's some short technical plays and some long bombs. Hole management even comes into play on a few of the par 4s where placement and execution are key.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Tom Brown is ideal for a wide swath of skill levels. The red tees are perfect for Recreational players. I could also see beginners enjoying it as well with a skip of the bonus holes. The back tees will appease most Advanced players and Intermediates.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Some pretty amazing scenery on many of the holes. The best part is clearly the middle portion. I'd give the stretch of holes, 7 thru 11 (includes hole A thru F) a 4.25 out of 5. But the rest of the course does bring it back a little. The abandoned tee pads are a minor eyesore and there's some trash issues. Some may also consider the power lines running down holes (A and B) to be less than ideal, but IMO the power line path offered up its space for a wonderful wide dogleg right down shot.
- EVENTS - This course is known to hold major tournaments in the region and state. So if you're into tournaments you'll want to schedule a weekend here.

An excellent course with only ticky tack issues.
- PAR - I don't understand the par switching on some holes. There are several holes where the par will switch from a par 3 to a par 4 for the pro tees (blue) depending on basket location. Yet the ams tees (red) will still stay a par 3. Hole (E) is a good example of this where the farther pin placement from the pro tee is a par 4 at 480 feet, yet from the ams its a par 3 at 415 feet.
- SPACING - Low use park roads and walking trails come into play on several holes. Over 3 rounds here, I waited only a couple times for a walker or car to pass. Overall a very minor issue. I could name more than 50 courses in Florida with worse spacing issues.
- PARKING - Despite all the money dropped to revise this course, the one thing that didn't change was the horrible parking area. Pitted, uneven and unpaved. Thankfully for the courses sake, it only affected my rating of the course by .03 points.
- TIME PLAY - This beast is going to take some time out of your day, which can play sometimes at over 10,000 feet from the back tees. I ran between some holes and it still took me nearly 90 minutes to complete this one. Figure your average group of 4 skilled players will play this in 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

I've played 114 Florida courses, including all of top ten on DGCR, and this is without question one of the best in Florida. The only course I've personally enjoyed more in Florida, was New World, which has a bit more variety with its decadent water plays and it has golf carts you can zip around on. As for the Tallahassee course scene, This is the top dog without question. Maybe 1 in 8 random players will prefer Jack over Tom. Jack appeals to the small niche of woods players that are likely masochists. I do like Jack though, its beautiful and challenging, I just don't like having the same two plays, twelve times each. Anyways, back to Tom Brown, this is an Excellent course. I originally scored it at a 4.269, but I've now seen an additional 300 courses. I reran the numbers with my updated scoring method and I also used info from the last few reviews. With this, I got a revised score below the 4.25 threshold, hence this revision. Regardless of me dropping it a peg, this is a destination course for the panhandle. I've played just about every course within two hours of here and none of them come close. Actually, Jack would be second imo. If you find yourself traveling along I10 you need to check this monster course out.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - I have heard that this has degraded quite a bit since I was last here. There has been some vandalism to the signs, and some have even disappeared. Be sure and download the DGCR map. If you do so, you should have no issues navigating this course first time solo. Next tee callouts are indicated on the hole signs that remain.

This is probably as of the time I'm writing this, the best course I have ever played. There are a lot of great holes here that make you think "wow this is a great hole".

Brand new tee pads on almost almost every single hole, and brand new Discatcher baskets.

There is still some overgrowth that makes it extremely difficult if you get off the fairway, but that just forces you to make great shots, and is not necessarily a bad thing.

I would go out of my way to play this course any chance I get

I played the course on two different days, each time from the long tees. There's a nice variety of terrain: relatively open holes, tight wooded holes, and rolling hills. There are a lot of long drives, but they all require some control. The gaps are generally reasonable and fair. The tee pads are generally huge, and the course is not too hard to navigate for a first-timer. The course is well-maintained.

Hole letters are mixed with numbers, which is a bit confusing. Since many holes have alternate positions, it would be nice to have an indicator on the tee for the current position.

- Quite technical, even from the short pads.
- Beautiful park which is very well maintained by the city and club.
- Such a variety of shots with quite a handful of shots favoring the LHBH thrower
- Good use of elevation in north florida

- It's a great course, and attracts a TON of people to play it. Often very crowded on weekends which can lead to waiting a bit to tee off.
- Not the best course to try and introduce the sport to your great aunt Betsy.
- I've played this course from the day it was opened, the club is still in the process of making some improvements. Some long tee pads are unplayable at the time of this review. Once those few adjustments are finalized this is a four star course in my eyes.

All around, very enjoyable course with a lot of shot variety and unique features.