If it's possible to love and hate a course at the same time, I think I found it while playing Fishburn Park. Every good feature seemed to feature an equal part danger to it.
- In and of itself, this is an excellent layout. Unfortunately, the course plays in a compacted layout that butts up against itself and a main road, while also playing over itself and a park walking trail.
- If you didn't have to worry about blind tee shots throwing towards walking trails or the road, most tee shots would be fun. Instead, I had to play a lot of safe, soft fairway drivers.
- #1 is one of the few tee shots that have zero interference. Basket is protected by a tree. Good opening hole.
- #2 would be excellent if you weren't throwing back towards the parking lot and over a walking trail. Open tee shot to a slight doglegged, tight putting circle. A simple 3 can be had. A birdie putt requires an excellent tee shot.
- #3 is the softest, most relaxed tee shot on the entire course. It's the most birdie-able hole on the course.
- #5 is the first interesting tee shot. The hole shares a tee pad with #9. Did I mention the course is crammed in?
- #6 & 7, in almost any other setting, would be two fun, scenic layouts. #6's basket plays up close to a creek. #7 is a fun dogleg right with the basket tucked back near a wooded portion of the park. Alas, you're throwing directly at the walking trail with a blind tee shot around the bend.
- #8 & 9 are perfectly fine. By this point, I was glad to be wrapping up without any errant tee shots.
- This park seems to have some lovely walking trails throughout. They're a bigger feature of the park than disc golf. At least, they're garnering more attention.

In case you think I'm exaggerating, on #7, the road is only 40 feet left of the walking trail. So, if you throw a disc out far left on this hole, hoping it'll fade back right around the bend EXCEPT it fails to do so, the road does come into play. My tee shot, didn't fade left, but it also didn't fade right. It stayed dead straight, remaining close to the trail. So, I was halfway to bringing the road into play.
- Holes #1, 3, & 4 are the only holes on the park that don't interfere with anything else on the park. That said, #1, does somewhat share a fairway with #2, so call it 2.5 holes can be played without interference.
- This is a bigger issue than other courses I've played (hello Dorton in Concord, NC), because hole lengths are longer. Have fun throwing a semi-blind tee shot on #8, a 497 foot layout. You can be considerate and throw a simple, soft 250 – 275-foot midrange. Or you can actually attack the hole and bring risk into the hole.
- When I played in late February, drainage was a major issue. There was standing water/major muddy portions of holes #4 & 5.
- If two holes playing in opposite direction are sharing a tee in opposite direction, maybe the course is crammed in. It wasn't until I was halfway to #9 that I realized while I was walking on the trail, I was now on the fairway for #5, and in the way for fellow disc golfers. Because why does that happen?

I tend to get frustrated with courses that have wasted potential. If there wasn't a walking trail nor a road in play, Fishburn would be getting 0.5 – 1.0 points higher in my rating. What should be a fun course instead was a stressful, not-much-fun layout.
- What added to my frustration with this course is that I played Highland Park immediately after this round. That was one of the best 9-holers I've ever played. Everything that was wrong here was done exceptionally well over there.
- The course has some decent elevation factors in play here. What should be a positive just adds to some of the risk.
- I both liked and hated this layout. The course has tremendous flow and a fun, varied layout. The course is also a major risk. Or, maybe I'm overthinking it and flying discs are just something walkers and drivers accept in these parts.
- #8 should be a fun hole. Instead, after having to wait a couple minutes for walkers to clear, I was just glad to be finished. I took a simple par 3 on #9 to wrap up my round.
- Maybe playing this course at 10am on a Tuesday is the best time to play. Traffic will be light. There won't be many walkers. I can attest that 2 on a Sunday afternoon isn't an ideal time.
- An above average layout plus a below average locale equals an uninspiring average 9-hole layout. 9 birdies and 9 bogeys equal a par round. But it's an adventure to get there. Kind of how I feel about this place.

-- The 9 hole course has an okay bathroom at the parking lot .
-- The parking lot will be able to handle the small traffic of park goers .
--- The course is mostly flat ( a downhill shot on #1 is the exception ) with deceptive length .
--Mach 3 numbered baskets , with circular markers for where to tee off .
And , that's about it for the pros

Now , for all of the cons :
#1 Safety . There is a walking path that runs right through the first 4 holes , and can be a factor in many of the other holes . If a walker does it just right , He/she can walk one way , get hit , turn around at the end of the path , only to get hit again by the same person .maybe only in the back this time . Plenty of people walk this cement path . Try to be careful , even if it holds you up a lot .
#2 . Equipment .No signage , I didn't mind the old Mach 3 baskets , but these old time markers , most of which you will fail to find because the have been buried from mud and rain .are terrible.I know they are a convenience to the mowers , but ,,,,, Really ? The parks believe in this relic of a course so much , that they don't even mention it on the kiosk map of the park .So there is no online map or course map . I had to safari many of the holes .
#3 On the level section of the park forms a basin , which is where almost 90% of the course lies , On any kind of decent rain , the course will be so wet that your shoes will fill up with water by about ,,,, hole 2 . I didn't even try a couple of the back 2 holes . #9 hooks around to the left and goes out into an overgrown field . I didn't know if it was just a giant puddle in the fairway , and couldn't tell because the areas hadn't been mowed in a long time ( 3' high grass ) . Weeds had grown up inside the basket .
mower friendly ? this course isn't one of them . High grass abounds . You are warned .
#4 Almost everything is a right to left shot .
#5 After hole #9 ,There are plenty of trees to climb and throw yourself out of after you have realized that you have literally wasted 30+ minutes of time on this course when there are other course a very short drive from here .
Disc Risk : You are going to shank on this course because the shots are so repetitive , and since most of the players are going to be newbies and the very casual players , and basket placements are under trees , a disc can easily be swallowed up by the trees , or the brush on the back 5 .

I am almost always for the promotion of disc golf through its many courses . The course here , because of it's age ( 1992 ) , should be considered a piece of history , Instead it is a piece of something , other than that . I scouted some woods behind the bathrooms that could hold a few holes , maybe taking the pressure off the tight strip of out and back holes that make up this course .
If no one wants to take up the cause , maybe it would be better to pull the course before too many people get hit by discs . This small park was loaded with families and kids using the playgrounds , the paths , sitting on the hillsides . There is just not enough room here for a disc golf course , too . The parks have had 28 years and counting to get this right .My recommendation : Donate the baskets to a bigger park , melt the big metal circle tee pads to scrap , and enjoy the park for the other multi uses it offers . Drive On By .

Good location, nice park overall.

The grass was incredibly overgrown, to the point that we left and went to play somewhere else.

Could use a sign of some sort to help find the first tee, the round markers are very easy to overlook (especially in 1-2 foot grass)

Just in case anyone recognizes the tune of my Review Title. That would be taps.

I found out later, as I was off playing courses 30 miles away, Roanoke had been hit that morning by three heavy rainstorms. But regardless, this course is located in a flood pain and I think will always have drainage issues.

But I won't apologize for the Roanoke Park's Department not owning a lawn mower. The grass down by the creek was 6" tall and obviously very wet. Trudging through this deep, wet grass was in no way an enjoyable experience.

The round, metal tee signs which look like man hole covers are terrible. Many are overgrown with grass and are hard to locate. On the day I played Fishburn, three were completely submerged, like sunken treasure!

The course starts above the tennis courts and plays five holes heading out and then the last four coming back. There are no tee pads. I don't think you're supposed to be teeing off the man hole covers, are you? The baskets are Mach III with the red numbers.

I did like # 4's basket placement. The basket is set under a large tree beneath the gurgling creek. However, this creek is probably dry this time of year and there would be no gurgling. # 8 was also a cool little downhill shot through the trees. Unfortunately, I was never able to locate the man hole cover tee.

Grass needs cutting!
Too many holes playing over walking/running path.
Man hole cover tee signs are extremely hard to locate.
No tee pads.

Like other reviewers before have noted, this course probably isn't a great idea in the first place and has definitely seen better days. My best advice would be to pull the baskets, sell the man hole tee markers for scrap and relocate this course to somewhere above ground.

And then petition the Roanoke Park's Department to save up their tax dollars and maybe buy a lawn mower.

Out of the available land in the park, Fishburn utilizes it ok for probably 2 of the 9 holes (1 and 8). The other holes all felt contrived.

Hole 1 gets you off to a fun start with a downhill shot to a basket tucked safely behind a tree. The only other fun hole on the course is hole 8, which is pretty unique I must admit, but forces a semi blind shot over a walking path which is in use every time I've been out.

There is water in play, both in the form of a river and surely in your shoes as well! That does create a mild risk/reward element, but no other real challenge to speak of.

The length of the holes are actually long enough that, despite the low rating of this course, requires you to pull out a driver on. Usually courses rated this poorly will be pitch and putt deals, but you'll at least get to let a few rip on a few holes.

Other than the other amenities in the park, there are very little pro's to this course other than holes 1 and 8.

Where do I begin?

First off, the tee "pads" are merely circular concrete markers, often times overgrown so much with grass they are hard to spot. Forget throwing off of these, they simply serve as a starting point.

The baskets are old and in extreme disrepair. Several of the baskets are bent or are angled awkwardly and simply need to be replaced.

The entire course is located in a flood zone and any little amount of rain is sure to saturate the ground on every hole. This also attracts the mosquitoes rather fiercely in the summer and makes for an almost miserable experience.

I know this course was made a while ago, and I have no idea how the park was set up during its inception, but nearly every hole has the walking path in play. (In fact I'd say only holes 1,2 and 3 are the exception). This is not only dangerous for the other park goers, it's frustrating for the golfers as well as they are forced to wait at nearly every hole for the walkers to pass.

There are zero signs, either tee or navigational. Be prepared to stumble about in the swamp to find a bit of concrete marking the "tee area".

I know the back story of this course and I realize it was the only local course for many years. I know there is a lot of emotional ties to the course but that simply doesn't excuse the disrepair it is in.

Someone should really go in and overhaul this course. I wouldn't advocate removing it entirely, mostly because I think any course is better than no course, but it doesn't represent our sport well and would be a complete turnoff for a beginner golfer.

* Lots of open fairway space
* Mixed terrain
* Varying play heights and hills

* Large patches of unmowed land in the middle of the course from lack of funding
* Old/bent holes
* "Natural" tees that are hidden under grass
* No par/course information at tees
* Standing water throughout
* Illogical flow to hole progress
* Crowded design

A lot of the cons are related to being a smaller/casual 9 hole course designed in 1992 and just sort of left there as disc golf isn't huge in the area. However, I played this as a kid regularly and after ~10 years away it's pretty shabby even for a casual set. I couldn't even find three of the holes anymore which seem like they may have been removed.

Beautiful creek and lay of the land. Like holes #1, #5 and #8. The concrete tee signs are a good idea.

The flow of the course is choppy at best. Par is way off, i have never seen a clear 350' be a par 5. Tee pads are mud pits after a little rain.

This course is screaming for a new design with an additional 9. Roanoke is ready for a Pro 18 hole course and Fishburn has the land to do it.

1. The tees show par and distance.
2. Good course for beginners.
3. Playground for the kids.
4. Hole 8 is a unique blind throw over a small hill.
5. Used the creek as a water hazard.

Baskets are old and worn.
Tee 8 is hard to find.
1. The pars are too high.
2. Very buggy because of the nearby creek.
3. Course floods with any amount of rain.
4. Walking path through the course which can be annoying.

Installation of better tees would be great. Baskets work but could be better. I really don't like when courses play across walking paths, it just makes it annoying for players as well as people walking the path.
If you have been playing for a while this is a great course to make yourself feel better after a rough game somewhere else. If you're just starting this is an excellent course for you. Try playing as all 3 pars for a better challenge.

- Holes 1, 4 and 5 are nice driving holes that make good use of the creek as a hazard
- Can be played in about 30 minutes, convenient for a quick round on a lunch break or after work
- Hole 8 is a unique shot over a hill to the basket
- Decent beginner course, holes are all wide open

- No tee pads, tees markers are concrete disks in the ground so may not be easy to spot at all holes
- Located in a floodplain, so parts of the course turn into a swamp after any significant amount of rain
- All holes could easily be played as par 3 instead of 4/5 as several are marked
- Poorly maintained

This course has definitely seen better days. A little maintenance would be nice (weedeating on holes 7 & 8, fixing broken basket). I think tee pads, even if they are just compacted gravel, would go a long way. Drainage seems to be a major problem.

Overall, the course layout isn't bad, they make good use of the space available. The course provides an opportunity to practice open drives and some shorter placement shots.

Good variation in holes.
Nice quiet park; no one else was playing.
Nice creek comes into play on a few holes.
Nice concrete tee markers, noting hole # and distance.

Course doesn't flow very well from one hole to the next. It's very confusing trying to find the next tee. There are no tee pads or stakes to identify next tee, you basically have to walk over the tee markers to find the next tee. The bottom of the course was very soggy. The basket on hole one was damaged pretty severely.

This course has the potential to be a top quality pitch and putt course. It needs some TLC. Concrete tee pads with markers. Maintenance to the damaged basket. And perhaps a little tweaking to the layout(hole 5 and 6 come to mind).

Easy access.
Good course for newer players or recreation for couples.
Relaxing fun

Tees are not well marked for first timers.
Wouldn't be challenging for advanced players.

I met three groups of people and all were helpful and friendly with any questions I had. Nice for relaxing game yet allowed me to practice different types of shots. Need course map at board in parking lot.

Nice. (in a lazy afternoon kinda way). Just relax and throw a few rounds. Not the most challenging, but they have a few that are slightly memorable and interesting. #1, #7 & #8 are kinda cool shots.

It rained the day before. Pretty wet. Could use signs and markers for the tee boxes, but they do have those circular concrete slabs with the info on them so they do beat Walrond Park to death in this category.

If your choice is one or the other, play this course over Walrond, great course for the beginners like me.
I thought this way last year, but after a few more rounds there, I have changed my mind. Walrond and the new course layout will easily eclipse this course. This course is one that is just there and seems as though it will never be improved. Walrond's designers, though recreational in thought, are seaming to really make it a nicer, better coure.

- A good beginner course, but still fun for the more experienced player.
- Makes for a quick round, can be played in less than 30 minutes.
- Holes 1, 3, 4, and 5 make good use of the stream as a hazard.
- Nice use of elevation change on holes 1, 8, and 9.

- Pars are incredibly over-stated. Every hole can be made in 3 shots.
- Holes 5 and 6 are right next to the road. An errant shot could potentially become roadkill.
- Hole 7 has very thick brush (increasingly thick as the summer progresses) on each side of the fairway. Can be nasty to sort through for errant tee shots.
- Course does not drain well. Most holes will be very soggy after a hard rain.

- Another 9 holes would be great, and would have to go up into the woods. Would make for a great blend of open and wooded holes. I don't forsee this happening due to the fact that it would interfere with the trails which are frequently used by the local park-goers.

Score Breakdown:
Variety:2 Balance:2 Strategy:2 Character:3 Fun:3 Avg: 2.4

Good use of a small park without much in the way of natural obstacles.

Hole 1 is very nice with a drive coming down a hill and around a large tree to the basket.

Many holes make good use of a stream that runs along the side of the course. Holes 3-5 all play very similarly as they bend around a few trees and toward the stream. Shots require good control of distance as one long shot will get you wet.

Hole 8 Is probably the most unique hole I have played. It uses a hill brilliantly as you have to throw a blind shot over the hill and around a tree. Very unique and hard to explain, but well worth playing.

Holes 6-9 are set up around a walking path. There are occasional walkers or bikers who can interrupt a round.

Grass is occasionally long and can disturb your throws.

If there has been ANY rain in the past few days, water will be a problem. Drainage is horrible here and water can be found standing in the middle of about 4 fairways.

This course could be better with an additional 9 holes. Overall, it utilizes the space it has very well and is worth playing if you are in Roanoke. I would not recommend a long drive to come see the great fishburn park, but if you're nearby, it is well worth the time to stop by and play.

I just flat out like this course. It is fun to play, decent amount of elevation, and does not have much non-playing public traffic. The course starts and ends at the same area near the parking lot. Even though it is only 9 holes, it gives a good variety of shot demands to stay out of hazards. Hole #8 is completely awesome and unlike any other I have seen on any disc golf course. Hole #5 is also a beautiful hole to play, and reminds me of some premier ball golf hole design. It is well marked, although the tee areas are a bit worn.

The lower side of the course can be a bit soggy sometimes after a rain spell. You must walk back to the tee for Hole #6 after playing out to Hole #5.

This is a great course for a quick 9, and open enough that you can design your own hole layout if you want some variety. One of the oldest courses in Virginia, it has held up well and still fun to play. Remember people, this course is 21 years old as of 2013, and was funded by individuals. I gave it a 5 because I spent 14 years of my life trying to get permission to put it in.

Water and brush hazards are interesting. #8 is very unique, Can be challenging for beginners if you play all par threes(the tee markers can be confusing for some people where some are listed as par fives and fours) this shows the courses age. Very convenient for a quick game.

Dirt/grass tees, swampy after it rains, too short, city doesn't mow the grass consistently, road is close to the edge of the course.New walking path goes though the course.

Ive found the wind plays a big role in the difficulty of this course. It seems the narrow low lying area the course is on funnels the wind right though, its very unpredictable at times.

Since the city has built a fenced dog park on the other side of town, there aren't as many people with dogs. They also have planted a ton of new trees and cut down a few old ones, this has changed the dynamic of the course a bit ,some for the better and some for the worse

The course has many good shots that can be challenging for the moderate player. The park hardly ever has people but when they are there they usually have dogs. Considering this is Roanoke's Dog Park. The course should be played as a pro if you aren't too bad. Interesting course for a 9 hole.

The course is terrible if it has rained at all within a couple days of playing. The course is designed below Brambleton Road and is a flood plane if it has rained too much. I have played this course many times and still have yet to find tee to 8.(Found the tee for 8 and Love that hole now due to the location of that tee) The pars are ridiculous for the moderate player to play the standard par. The tees can be hard to find at first if you have never played here before. Also the natural tees play right next to each other on a couple holes.

This course is located less than 5 minutes from virginia western community college which is a plus for me. This course offers more difficulty than walrond park but this course is often too saturated. If you really want a pick me up you can play the true par and easily go under par.

Fairly interesting shots, no really bad holes. Clear creek comes into play on several holes, providing mild challenge and scenic setting, but not at risk of losing a disc. Mild elevation in play.

One hole has tee and basket on opposite sides of a tall hill/ridge---something different.

Only 9 holes.

No great holes

For a 9-hole course, not bad. Certainly worth playing if you're there. Average holes, or maybe slightly better, but an average hour of disc golf is much better than not playing at all.

Tees marked by in-ground circular concrete medallions which list the hole number, the distance, and the direction to the basket.

Webpage at http://www.overacker.com/fishburn.htm provides an excellent description of each hole.

Good use of the land available (water-holding land between a road and a creek).

Holes #7-#9 play near a walking path.

Tee "pad" is the dirt/grass next to the tee marker.

Being below street level and next to the creek, the ground holds water quite well.

Most holes geared for a RHBH hyzer throw.

First tee is to the right of the tennis courts. Course plays in a counter-clockwise direction, first down the hill, then down the meadow, keeping the creek to your right, until you reverse course after hole #5, keeping the road to your right.

Distance of holes: minimim 156', maximum 352', average about 275'.

Fairly open, with a few trees or the creek to keep your focus.

Did great with creating some variety with a mostly open area to work with. Pin placement was key in creating difficulty. Great for beginners because it is fairly open and there is a low chance you will loose a disc. Hole 8 the up and over was a really fun hole.

my biggest grip was that the tee pads were not really defines. nice big markers but no other definition to the pad. A few of the teepads were right next to one another which i would find annoying if i had to wait to tee because the pads are so close. The grass was thick and wet which put a holt on anything i put down that would have had a chance at rolling or skipping.

This is a nice little rec park, great for beginners or if you live near by. The first is at the right side of the tennis courts, and shoots down the hill. works back around to the parking lot again. Great job for what they had to work with.