+Lots of big trees. If you like wooded but still park style courses, this course is for you. The lines are somewhat tight but not too bad. There's 40 years of people hitting trees and branches to clear things out a bit for you.
+Really nice carvings out of old trees all over the course.
+Shouldn't lose a disc here. There's a few places on the fringes of the course that have a tiny bit of "rough" but not much.
+3 different tees on every hole. Sometimes they just add a slightly more difficult line, sometimes more distance, sometimes both.
+Multiple basket positions. Only played once so I don't know how often they move. The course is open and short enough that you can see your target most of the time.
+Course loops back to lot after 9 which is convenient in many ways.
+The holes are generally pretty straight although the trees sometimes provide a low ceiling or make you throw a specific shot to avoid the foliage.

-Very limited elevation. Definitely a flat course. Apparently drainage issues sometimes but not when I played on a very warm spring day.
-While this course appears to be well maintained as far as mowing, trash cleanup, branch and tree removal, etc, it could use general updates to baskets and signage. They get the job done but still worth noting.
-This course could get busy! Not many courses in this populated area. There could be safety concerns with some errant tosses. They did a good job with using mandos to alleviate those concerns sometimes but I've seen discs do crazy things. This property is just big enough to house an 18 holer.
-Not challenging enough to warrant a higher rating. The properties size and flat profile really limit the quality of play. The design here is solid and utilizes the land well. Not much more they could do outside of some cosmetic updates.

+This course is very easily accessed from downtown DC on bicycle via the Anacostia River Trail and the NE Branch Trail. The NE Branch takes you right to the park. You just need to leave the trail on Campus Dr, cross the river, and head into the park.
+I did play this course with just a Buzzz which was nearly adequate. There were a few holes that I was wanting for a bit more distance. My putting is surprisingly good with a mid.
+This course has a good feel about it. The park is old, the course is old, there's definitely a historical feel about it. To me, it had a high fun factor with aces possible but not super likely. It wasn't a challenging course. Whoever gets the most 2s will win here. Not too many mistakes that should lead to 4s for any skilled player.

+ Three tee pads per hole. All are flat and sturdy concrete.
+ Friendly and welcoming locals/regulars.
+ Trees on every hole can make for a challenging round.
+ "Next" arrows hang below most baskets.

- But many of those baskets are old. (Just be extra accurate!)
- Overwhelmingly flat.
- Trees on every hole can make for a boring round.

I liked the look of hole5 the most because it had the shadiest area of trees in the middle of the woods. Hole13 felt the most fun to play because of its small valley and right turn at the end. As for a least favorite hole...? I can't really choose. The other holes felt too similar.

That isn't to imply that this course is bad. Calvert Road Park struck me as the perfect 'back to basics' course. I looked at the flat parcel of land and thought, "How tough could this place possibly be?" Then I actually played it and got my answer. Yes, the distances are on the short side with the absolute longest measuring a smidge over 400 feet, but the player still has to contend with the trees that are always in the way. A uniform tree cover surrounds the player on all holes. It isn't dense, but it is omnipresent. Players will always have to focus, set up their shots and be true with their aim. The sparse tree can deflect your discs just as easily as a forest.

Still, players would be hard pressed to come up with any impressionable fairways. It really is a flat and nigh featureless course. So it isn't a particularly memorable place. Special mention to those wooden statues, though! Spread out within the course are huge figures made of wood. They give the course character and personality, which is a nice touch. They didn't really impact the golfing, but they were still fun to look at.

I guess there really isn't that much else to say. It's flat, which is dull, but there are trees everywhere, which is good. There is a lot of space in between those trees, which can be dull, but the distances are on the short side, which can be good. It's pretty because of its well-kept fairways and landscaping. It's consistent because of those tee pads and signage. Calvert Road would appeal most to those players who want to reacquaint themselves with tactical approaches and power control. New players would especially appreciate this place, but I suspect that they would soon want more topography to spice things up a bit.
From start to finish, there are no surprises and no tricks. What you see is what there is. You wouldn't be missing much if you decided to skip it, but it's honestly not that bad.

Overall, Calvert Road Park feels like a typical Florida course, except you're in Maryland. It's flat, lightly wooded, and just kind of ho-hum average. However, there are some nice things:
- Location: it's one of only 2 courses "downtown", as in inside the I-495 loop around D.C.
- Plenty of parking right by the first tee and 18th basket.
- Well mowed and maintained by the park staff and devoted locals.
- 4 tees and 3 potential basket positions at every hole provide for a surprising variety of ways to play each hole. This is impressive given the limited space here, and even better is that almost every one is well labeled with a detailed tee sign and/or with corresponding colored front corners to the concrete pad.
- The Red (short), White, and Blue (long) tees are all nice long concrete tees. There are also beginner/kids tees that are grass and marked by two neon green bricks set into the grass ahead of each Red tee. I wasn't really looking for them, but they do stand out pretty well and provide a great way for your kids, wife, or girlfriend to give the game a try from a manageable distance.
- Baskets are in good shape.
- Some intriguing, large wood carved statues clearly made by a talented artist are scattered throughout the course (a bear, eagle, hand...), in case you appreciate art or a slight distraction to talk about during your round.
- No real disc loss risk here thanks to the lack of water and rough.

- The Red, White, and Blue tees do give you slightly different layouts and distances, but honestly most of them don't differ very much. Add on top of that how the trees are fairly sparse, then playing from different tees just doesn't change your hole experience all that much.
- Lack of variety. Basically every hole is pretty straight and requires light to moderate shot shaping around a half dozen trees or so, with no elevation change. A few mando trees are scattered around (on #5, 6, 11, and 17) to try to help force shot shaping, but most of them don't really force you to throw differently than you'd like to anyway. However, #13 stands out as an exception to the straight hole design, where if the basket is at the white or blue position then you're forced to play a fairly high and significant right turn shot to get near the basket.
- No water hazards, true par 4s, or signature hole designs. I played the Blue tees to the white basket positions the day I was here, but even from the Blue tees to the blue basket positions (the longest possible combo), every hole would be a reasonable par 3 for intermediate and advanced players.
- Many of the holes parallel each other very tightly/closely, especially on the front 9, which on a busy day could make for a lot of waiting and potentially dangerous situations.
- Navigation was pretty intuitive except for finding the 10th tee, but you could get confused a bit by the wealth of tees scattered everywhere. Also, from the tee on #13 the basket you see straight ahead of you is actually the one for #15. That was a bit confusing.

- Generally seems like a great course for beginners and intermediate players that I'm sure is very popular with local UMD students and busy during the school year. Would make for a fine home course, but for a traveling course bagger it will probably feel kind of "Meh".

- I enjoyed my round. Playing here is definitely worth the time if you're in the area. Most memorable thing though is probably the impressive wood carvings!

Very nice course for beginners, no foliage to deal with and loose discs, easy to navigate holes, has good signage, friendly people.

Course is very tight and a lot of cross over if discs are thrown bad. I have almost been hit several times because of this.

For being one of the first disc golf courses in Maryland, it has really stayed in great condition despite the trees getting old. The volunteers have really done a great job with removing dead tree limbs and branches.

- Nice course, well maintained.
- Easy Parking
- Multiple Tees

- Can get crowded with large groups.
- Can get very wet for a day or two after heavy rain.

Average distance and not super challenging, but good for a nice quick afternoon round.

+Great mix of older trees with high branches (providing a ceiling) and lower, younger trees with leafy branches, combining to make for a shorter, technical course. Mandos on 5, 6, 11, and 17 make for interesting shots and aren't gimmicky.

+Three sets of tee pads (white and blue often share a pad though), with a fourth set of yellow junior/novice tee stones added in March 2021. Yellows and Reds are excellent for introducing beginners to the game. Whites average just a touch under 300' per hole (all par 3s). Blues are over 300' per hole (all par 3s) and are fairly challenging (1000-rated round is usually around -5 to -6).

+Grounds are very well-maintained, free of litter, and have many benches and some trash cans. Turn from 9 to 10 goes past the parking lot so you can easily grab water or a snack without having to haul it. Almost no rough or water to get too worried about, so you kind of have to be trying to lose a disc (nice, considering it's my home course that I play twice a week...).

+Nice playground and picnic area right across the street. Walking distance from metro (<10 min from College Park metro). No danger of hitting non-player pedestrians as no trails go through/near the course.

-The location is what it is. Flat as a pancake, so the course's moniker of "The Swamp" is earned after a hard rain or during most of the winter (although mostly affects holes 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 (somewhat), and 17 (somewhat) - the rest dries about as quickly as you could hope for). All par 3s, although still plenty long enough to challenge on white and blue.

-Very tight, with most fairways running parallel to one another, and in some cases (3/4, 13/15) easily able to cross a bit. If the course is crowded, you need to keep your eyes and ears open.

-Only one pin per hole (although it moves fairly regularly).

-No bathroom facilities or water on-site. Creek running along 14 and 18 is...dirty.

Easily the most accessible disc golf course to Washington, DC, and the only one that's metro-accessible. Located next to the oldest continually-operating airport in the world, College Park Airport. You can buy discs at the airport museum (walkable from the metro and the course) or occasionally on the weekends from folks selling them on-site.

Terrific course for beginners to lower intermediates to hone their game. Advanced players will find a challenge with blues, but it ain't Iron Hill Golds. Oldest course in MD, so it was designed before newer, faster discs were designed. It's my home course (5 min from my house), so great for mid-week practice before hitting up a bigger course on the weekends.

-nice, clean park with no underbrush
-lots of mature trees to shape fairways
-three sets of tees (red, white, blue)
-multiple basket positions on every hole
-next tee arrows under each basket
-detailed tee signs showing all tees and pin positions
-a few benches throughout the course
-practice basket
-easy access from the Metro

-a few crossing fairways
-many holes are too close together
-no standout holes
-completely flat
-can be a bit repetitive

Calvert Road Park is the oldest course in Maryland and while it shows, it is still a fun recreational course. The park is clean, free of underbrush (no lost discs), and easy to navigate. The shots make their way through the mature trees that are fairly widely spaced throughout the park. Most tee shots give you options to run straight at the pin or attack with a wider hyzer BH or FH. Most of the pins are fairly straight ahead of the tee but there are a couple of holes with more of a dogleg (15 comes to mind).

The myriad tees and pin positions give a lot of options. It's great for appropriately challenging a range of skill levels or just creating more interesting replay value for locals. The different tees usually add a little more distance but some of them give you access to different lines through the lanes of trees.

The tees are nice concrete, the baskets are well-used but serviceable, and the signs show all the tee and basket positions. There is a newer practice basket near the 1st and 10th tees (next to the parking lot).

The main drawback for the golf is the general lack of variety but the real problem for this course is how packed it is into a relatively small area. It's nice that you can bag a round fairly quickly but if there are a number of other players out, you really need to pay attention to your surroundings. Shots on other holes can easily end up coming at you.

Overall, this is a pretty average course but it's easy to play, easy to access for visitors to DC, and has more playing options than the typical park-style course. It's tempting to give it a 3 for a rating since it has all the extra tees and basket positions but the safety concerns and lack of any real standout holes just doesn't warrant it. The airfield next door to the park is the oldest in the world and the Wright Brothers flew there. It's a cool historical spot and may help players sell a round of DG to the family since you can stop at the Aviation Museum before or after your round (they also sell discs there).


**Like this review? Hate it? Message me and let me know why! I want to make them better!**

Multiple tee pads in good condition with good markers.
Arrows at the bottom of the cage pointing to the next tee.
Well maintained.
Benches on every hole, and trashcans on multiple holes.
Nice and shaded, a lot of mature trees that provided good shade, but not too many trees where you have to play pinball to the basket.

Not too challenging.
Fairways are not crossing, but they run pretty close parallel to each other.
No elevation change.
Signage has par, feet to the basket, but there is an actual picture of the basket zoomed up, it is not a diagram of the whole hole.
Kinda the same flat shot on every hole (throw about 200-300ft either to the left or to the right of the trees and have it hyzer/anhyzer back)

It was a nice park and the parking was good. There was a bathroom across the street.

This was my home course in college; I've played 58 rounds.
- Front 9 holes are a bit short (with 2-3 exceptions), but playing from the blue tees will still bring a challenge
- Love the back 9, blue tees are challenging...although the course is very flat overall
- Impossible to lose a disc! I lost 1 ever there. The course has no brush except for the edges which are wooded.
- Layout -- very good use of space and the course provides the illusion that you're in a much bigger park / wooded area than you are

- Some holes are too short even from the blues (1,10,15). The blues on these holes are equal or less than 10 feet behind the white tees. But they're the shortest holes on the course, and variety is the spice of life
- A pro would be disappointed with the # of holes that allow straight lines for drives. I play recreationally so I'm OK with this

This course has a special place in my heart; great place to relax and play a casually challenging round!

Great for bringing along first timers! I've had a few friends fall in love with dg on this course. It's forgiving to mistakes.

Imo 11 and 14 are the toughest holes on the course (blue tees). 11 is long (450ft or so) and has a dog leg to the left. Could never manage a birdie on this one. 14 tee allows a straight drive but has a tough mando requiring a bend to the right 20-30ft before the hole.

After 10 rounds, I've upped my initial rating of 2.5. I do like this course and have continued to regularly play it.

Very pretty park setting. Flat. Big trees to deal with but not discouraging. Even though many baskets are tucked behind trees.

No underbrush in the fairways. There is such along the edges, and there is a creek to remember.

There is a subtle variety among the holes, and the confidence-building no. 18 is enough to bring one back: one can make a full-throw drive straight down the pike. So far, I have managed to par it 3 times and strike birdie 3 times.

Holes do overlap one another, so if busy (sort of was the first time I played), we can be upon one another. However, you can virtually see every hole from every other hole. So shift and parry to avoid congestion.

The ground is muddy after rain and icy after a freeze. Despite the trench cut from no. 1's tee pads to the creek on the east side near the 17 basket, drainage is a real issue. Wear hiking boots or the like. There are little footbridges hither and yon. If it is wet and muddy, use them even it means walking more.

Now that I know the format well, navigation to the correct, next hole is no longer an issue. However, for someone new to the course, I still think a course map would be helpful (on the kiosk).

There is distance information on the signs but no par information. In the past, I used the par information here on DGCR. Later created my own par per hole based on PDGA's formula. And as of 2021, there is a course map on DGCR with actual par information now.

I think my change of heart about the course has to do with playing it in spring and summer. Very pleasant place to be when it is dry and sunny.

The course is very conveniently located for DC and MD residents. And a nice stop on the way somewhere else for VA residents. My GPS took me to the wrong location in December 2018, but I ultimately found it. In January 2019, I also figured out that the left turn at Campus Drive (then turn right on Riverside) is a safer left turn than off Kenilworth (left onto Old Calvert). This is from traveling north on Kenilworth.

In December 2018, I brought along my rather non-athletic sisters. One actually played 5 of the holes with me. The other enjoyed the walk and took pictures. Something for everyone.

I was at the nearby College Park Aviation Museum in October 2021, which is worth the $5 admission for their small but wonderful displays. The museum shop has *new* Innova discs for sale. Not sure if they also have used discs as well, but the new stuff is on a rack on one of the walls. As I didn't need anything, I didn't buy anything. But FYI if you find that you do.

Calvert Road is one of only a couple courses inside the Beltway (and the only 18-hole track). Due to the scarcity of courses, it's one of the only options if you're in DC and also worth checking out. It's a trip back in time with old school pars and 18 holes crammed into a small, park-style property.

+ East navigation for newbies: tee signs with layouts, yardage, and tee/basket combinations; Next Tee signs; holes are so close together, it's pretty tough to get lost anyway

+ Big mature trees are the obstacles on every hole

+ Decent mix of lines needed: hyzer, anhyzer, flick, Dead straight

+ Good use of mandos to make the course more challenging and to attempt to help with safety (close proximity to other holes)

+ Excellent concrete tee pads

+ Pretty, park-style course and well maintained

While this is a fun time machine course and one of the precious few tracks to play in DC, it's pretty limited and would not be a standout in most cities with more options.

- Old baskets, tough to spot from the tee

- Huge drainage issues. Try not to play after rain as the mud is universal and there is standing water on much of the course.

- If you play here on a busy day, have your head on a swivel. Holes are jammed in here and errant shots can easily skip a fairway...or two...or three.

- No elevation to work with

- No standout holes

- This isn't really a negative, and some reviewers have even listed it as a positive, but the old school pars are kind of silly. I played a below average round and finished with 7 birdies and 4 eagles! Hahaha. This is really a par 54 course with a low 40s SSA...not a par 67 course. lol

Fun course. Worth playing if you're in DC. It's a time machine to early 1980s disc golf. It will challenge beginners to intermediate players.

Nice, large multiple tee pads on every hole. All have 2 and most holes have 3.
Good baskets, all are labeled.
Large, old-growth trees throughout the course provide plenty of obstacles but without the undergrowth that hides your discs. Mandos are also used to create challenge and for safety.
Not much chance of losing a disc here, maybe on the backside and right of #18.
Several par 4s and a couple of par 5s on this rather small property.
Both nines start and end at the parking lot, so you could start on either, if crowded.
The locals seemed very friendly and active in course upkeep.

If this course is crowded, I could see it being an issue. Relatively small piece of property with several parallel fairways.
Didn't see any water or drinks at the start, restrooms appeared to be nearby.

No real signature hole on the course, but they found a way to lay out a couple of long holes, #7 and especially #18 are fun to play.
This was my first course in MD and the oldest course in the state. I've had it on my wishlist for a couple of years, since a previous trip to DC when I didn't get to play it.
Very nice to play a course this old that is kept in good shape and still plenty of challenge. You can tell the local Parks dept and/or locals keep the course up.
The locals were taking a break the day I was there, so I played with a guy from the Czech Republic. He was in town visiting relatives and always plays Calvert on his visits there. Kind of fitting that I run into a European player while playing in DC! He was interesting to talk to, hearing about the Euro courses, tournaments he's attended and FINALLY finding out to pronounce - "Kono-piss-tea"!
I had this course in mind when planning the family vacation this year, this was #97 on my final four countdown to 100 courses played!

Flat and shortish. A decent number of trees, but nothing dense and no underbrush except along the periphery. Course makes okay use of what trees there are. Little risk of losing a disc.

Concrete tee pads and well-kept grass. Officially three tee positions, but many of the white/blue are shared. Also three pin positions, but I haven't played it regularly enough yet to know how often they are switched.

Many of the arrows marking manditories are faded and difficult to see from the tee, which leads you to look out from the tee questioning whether that discoloration is a faded arrow or just a shadow.

Flat area near creeks, so drainage is poor, leaving some areas muddy or with standing water. Not too bad, but can be a nuisance on several holes.

Lack of real trouble means good players will not find it challenging.

Density of course and lack of substantial tree demarcation means holes sometimes interfere with each other.

Short, relatively open old-school course great for beginners and other low-level rec players. As the only 18-hole course inside the beltway, it still is interesting enough for a more experienced player to get in a quick round, even if it won't blow anyone away.

Great, tight course with excellent markers for layout. Tee boxes are clean, course is very well maintained. Nice mix of trees and open alleys. You could play this course with three discs if you wanted.

Course is flat, and might get crowded on Sunday double days. Some crossover between holes with fairways.

I played 27 holes on a sunny Saturday afternoon and nearly had the course to myself. I live in DC and this is easily the best course nearest to the city. Metro accessible from CP station, too.

The baskets are all in great shape on this course, as are the signs and directional aids. You can tell the designers tried to make the most of the space alloted to them.

As others have mentioned, the course is basically flat and the holes are pretty short. It's not going to blow anyone's mind and isn't super challenging, but the shots still need to be thrown and puts need to be made.

I recently moved to the area and this is the closest course to where I live. Despite the issues this is a fun little course that I will be happy to play as often as I can. A "meh" disc golf course is better than lots of other ways to spend your time!

The oldest course in Maryland and it still delivers some good kicks. The only thing that is age-apparent is the shorter distance of many holes. Otherwise, the baskets and tees (and the course in general) are in lovely condition!

The course makes an intermediate like myself feel good about their game. It plays through mature deciduous trees and short grass. It's just open enough to allow them to fly, but the trees provide many adequate challenges. Also, two to three tee pads per hole offer extra angles and distances.

Extra props for their navigation aids - wooden arrows mounted on the baskets to point you to the next tee. The DGA baskets all have gold number plates on top which are really helpful (wish all courses have these!).

The designers were creative with the space - often offering multiple options to attack the hole off the tee. Hole #14 is really interesting - a double mando that encourages a backhand flex shot. If your disc doesn't flex left at the end, a creek bed will be waiting for your disc. I know some think this type of thing is gimmicky, but with almost every hole giving players multiple options off the tee, I found it refreshing.

The course is really crammed together and though they have tried to separate the fairways with mandos, it's not enough. The worst of these is that hole 17's tees jut out into 11's fairway, and #5 blue tee is right off the edge of #1's green.

Almost completely flat.

I felt that, other than the numerous mandos, there was no punishment for shots that strayed off the fairway (due to the openness of the course.

Since I don't get out here very often, I decided to give myself the greatest variety (and fun) by rotating tee pads every hole. The Reds (easiest) yielded more birdies, and the whites and blues (often sharing the same tee pad) yielded a wider range of scores for me.

As previously mentioned by the Valkyrie Kid, many pars listed on the signs were 4's! I think this is due to the days of low speed discs, or perhaps there were more trees back in 1980!

Easy to get to if you are visiting DC. I was just able to get 18 in before Sunday doubles. The mandos make the course interesting by require a variety of shots. You do not need very many discs. I played the course with 4 discs. Tee pads are concrete and in good shape and size. This is not a course where you need a huge run up. Most of my throws were from a standstill. Local players were friendly and helpful. Directed us to the next ho)-

Course was very muddy and had some huge puddles (standing water). I had to fish my disc out with a long stick. Bring an extra pair of shoes. Also holes very close together.

Changed rating from 2.5 to 3. I do not want to discourage anyone from playing this course. It was a fun little course.

Simple layout

Easy to navigate

Concrete tees.

Good usage of multiple tees and basket positions.

Good use of mandos, although a bit excessive sometimes.

Mandos are sometimes a little/excessive/ridiculous. I agree with some of the reviews about a mando twenty feet in front for the tee is a little ridiculous.

This is your typical municipal park all in an open area type of disc golf course. It is all under a bunch of shade trees. It does wonders for your morale if your a suspect disc golfer like myself.

User friendly pars. Compact layout.

Poor drainage. High density of casual park users.

There are a bewildering number of mandos and only locals seem to know which are "active". Some are only a few feet off the tee pad and all can be safely ignored as their primary purpose was to create variety. Multiple tee pads create more diversity than would be expected as the park's many shade trees are used well for creating interesting lines. The dense course layout makes it easy to play multiple rounds in one visit. The folf course is the dominant feature in a small park seemingly created just for the course yet there were a bewildering number of picnicers and other naturists littering the fairways despite clear signage at the perimeter that this was a frisbee park and the course being heavily played. Multiple times I felt obliged to walk ahead and warn groups they might get buzzed by my tee shot but after all they were lounging on a golf course. Though unmarked there are areas which seem to be permanent water hazards given how long they remain submerged after precipitation.

The historic signage is wonderful as is "earning" an eagle which would be a par or birdie elsewhere. Though the course is on the flight path for a small nearby airport and it seems an overhead thrown in anger might be able to bag a Cessna the occasional plane overflight seems more a quirky feature than a distraction.

2-3 tees per hole, concrete
Technical challenges, some distance holes too
Good baskets, variable basket positions
Free, plenty parking, bathroom boxes too
Hard to lose a disc
Nice crew of regulars
Well maintained by the local govt

Tight fairways side by side, can feel confined
No wide open bomber holes

Most of these reviews here will give you a good idea of the course. I like this one better than the other courses this close to DC. There a a few good ones if you can drive further out.

There are orange mandos and white ones on the course. The orange ones are official, and the white ones add a challenge if you choose to follow them as well. They add interest to this course, but if you are playing there for the first time, don't stress about the white arrows. Between the multiple tees, multiple mandos, and multiple basket placements, we can play this course in several different ways.