Colonial Heights, VA

Pharaoh's Tomb at White Bank Park

3.255(based on 32 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Pharaoh's Tomb at White Bank Park reviews

Filter
7 0
mike3216
Experience: 8.7 years 13 played 8 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A Nice Challenge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice mix of holes. Mostly tight and wooded, with just a few open-field smashes. Water is not in play (other than a tiny hazard stream on hole 1).
I have been playing for three years, and this course is at the edge of my abilities. You need to be able to work your shot shape. I recently added the putter turnover shot to my arsenal, and I made good use of it here. FYI, we played from the white concrete pads.
There are at least four par 3s on the course that probably should be par 4s. There might be some "local" lines, but I doubt many locals would reach these either. One hole in particular would require a 375 foot sky-high lefty hyzer, and you would still have to crash the trees and get a little luck. Par is just a number though, so I'm not dinging the course for that. Signage and navigation are good, with only a couple of spots that are a bit confusing.

There is a water point next to each of the picnic pavillions.

Cons:

Bring hardcore (deet) bug spray. The biting flies and mosquitoes are aggressive and plentiful. My playing partner brought some non-deet organic bug spray, and it hardly slowed them down. That being said, bugs don't seem to like me, and I went the first 12 holes with no spray and no bug bites, but the biting flies were buzzing around my head constantly. Distracting.

This is truly a mixed use course. Many of the holes weave in and out of picnic areas. We visited on a weekday morning, and it was (awesomely) deserted. We were the only disc golfers. I wouldn't even consider playing this on a Saturday afternoon.

Other Thoughts:

I'd play here again. I think it would be a nice option in the winter, which might provide a few more lines and a few less flies.

There seems to be a healthy population of feral cats here. They are unhelpful, though, and refuse to aid you in finding a lost disc.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 3
tfoley
Experience: 23 years 53 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Cats in a Par Three 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

* Nice, new baskets
* Open and wooded holes
* Mix of shots: left, right, and straight
* All tees are marked and painted
* Maps and scorecards at board
* Lots of orange cats

Cons:

* Lots of bugs in the woods
* Some tees are very muddy
* Poor course design

Other Thoughts:

Overall I thought this was a really fun course and I would play here again. The large amount of cats there was hilarious and I've never see that before at another course. Those cats make this course memorable.

There is one item keeping this course from getting a better rating. The course layout is pretty poor. Some holes are too close together and others make you throw over a parking lot. It seems like this park could have about 11-13 holes, but the designers squeezed in 18.

Saying that, I liked almost all the holes by themselves and found it really fun to play. Make sure you get to the course early in the morning because there are a lot of other people in the park in the afternoon. It would be very difficult to play some of the holes because you would be throwing at people.

I personally really like natural tees so I was happy to see that they have three tees on every hole (I think) and the baskets look brand new. The tees are all clearly marked and most holes have a rock in the ground noting the distance to the hole.

If you are looking for a quick par 3 course with some character I recommend this course. Just make sure you go there in the morning.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
7 1
dobsonr
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.9 years 40 played 33 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Cats! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 9, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a really enjoyable course to play. It has a nice mixture of open and wooded holes. Near the first tee is a bulletin board with maps and scorecards (grab a map - you'll need it!). Multiple tees on every hole make the course playable for all skill levels. 9 of the holes have brand new baskets, and each tee has markers with the hole number and distance.

The course features some really unique holes, particularly #15 (a short throw over a gorge, close enough for a view of the water without bringing it into play). The holes vary in distance and design so you will use every aspect of your game at some point.

Cons:

The first noticeable con at Pharaoh's Tomb is the natural tees. I played in the evening after a tournament earlier in the day, and many of the tees were muddy and difficult to play on. While it was nice having the distance on the markers, it would be helpful if the markers stuck out of the ground - they lie flat next to the tees and can be tricky to find. The course could really benefit from signs at each tee with a diagram of the hole - some of the targets were hard to locate (particularly 16). Several holes have mandos, which are marked with signs, but not at the tee. After playing here once it won't be a problem, but I missed a few mandos just because I wasn't aware of them until after throwing my drive. I really didn't mind that half of the holes didn't have baskets, but the course will definitely jump up a notch once they are put in.

The course plays near several picnic areas, a playground, and a few parking lots as well. It doesn't take much away from the course, but on a few holes you have to be really careful - there were a lot of kids running around when I played.

Other Thoughts:

I had heard about the cats at the park but I didn't realize there were so many! When I arrived there was an old lady feeding about 20 of them at the pavilion near the parking lot. They seemed pretty wary of people and stayed out of the way, so it was not a problem, but it was pretty funny to see all of those cats on a DG course.

I wish that I had been able to play in the tournament earlier in the day, but I'm glad that I was still able to finally check this course out. Coming from Richmond's Museum District, this course is the 4th option (after Bryan Park, Gillies, Dorey, and Goyne), but it was nice enough that I will definitely make it back there. All of these courses are just minutes from the highway, and if you're passing through on a trip I would recommend checking out any of them - they are all unique and enjoyable. This course is a great addition to the Richmond DG scene - I can't wait to see how it evolves.
Was this review helpful? Yes No

Latest posts

Top