Albany, OR

Bryant Park

Seasonal course
3.45(based on 25 reviews)
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10 0
jasonc
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.9 years 258 played 35 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid Course at a Multiuse City Park

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Great variety of open and wooded holes.
-Nice kiosk with a course map by Hole 1.
-Teepads are concrete and in great condition.
-Navigation was easy with the course map.
-Signs at each teepad with a small lock to indicate the pin position. Some holes have 4 unique pin positions.
-Hole 5's teepad is just a line on the road, but I didn't see any cars drive through the little cul-de-sac/teepad area. It's a nice, downhill bomber type of shot.
-Holes 1--5 and 16--18 are relatively open holes, then you really get into the fun wooded holes for 6--15. The googly eyed tree on 6 is a nice start to the awesome, heavily wooded portion on this course.

Cons:

-The teepad for Hole 8 is right next to a road. While I was getting ready to tee off, a truck pulled up and parked right next to the teepad...less than 5' away.
-This course is in a multiuse park with baseball diamonds and other activities, so you don't get that secluded feel even in the woods.
-After the wooded holes, it is a bit of a bummer to finish with the 3 wide open holes that feel like they were just put in to get you back to the parking lot.

Other Thoughts:

If I lived in the area, I would be happy to call this my home course along the scenic Willamette River. It is easy to see that the course designers did a great job utilizing the available space. Some people may not like the tight fairways in the woods, but I really enjoyed all of them even when I didn't stay on the fairway.
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3 0
Breh
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.8 years 191 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Bryant lark has came a long ways since I first played it. There's now cement tee pads and tee signs on everyhole. There's a lock marking which position the pin is in as well which is a great feature. There's plenty of chances to air out drives as there's around 7 par 4s on the course depending on pin locations. There's a good mix of open holes 1-5-17-18 as well as wooded holes. This course will test your endurance as well as your ability to scramble in the woods and keep your composure. This is a course that can have huge score seperation which I see as a pro. Good mix of backhand/forehand lines and some tight fairways that actually give you a lane just really small. Couple of the wooded holes our full of sand which is better than all the undergrowth that used to be their.

Cons:

Couple of the wooded holes aren't that great to me example hole 10. If you get off the fairway you're in some really rough stuff and might get some blackberry wounds trying to get to your disc. Lots of spider webs and that stuff to deal with in the woods. Navigation can get tricky hole 1 starts by second parking lot when you get there. Holes 10-15 can be hard to find bring a map or you might get lost on the trails there. The wooded section has homeless camps back there from time to time and brings some sketchy people in that area I've noticed.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a solid course just not the most prestine or well kept feeling. It's grwat but dosen't stack up to the very nice top level style courses
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3 2
DG1234
Experience: 5 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun and Interesting Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well marked and quick play if you know what you are doing. It is well made and if you are lucky you might find a a softball game in action.

Cons:

On the 5th hole if miss aim your disc it can fly into a large patch of ivy. BE CAREFUL! The first and last holes have better signs but the others don't. On the last hole I saw something resembling a hole. Later I found out it was a electrical box.

Other Thoughts:

This is more of a observation that a pro or con but there are a lot of putts that if missed will fly down a hill. But other than those it is a great course.
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7 0
forehandfranz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.8 years 226 played 128 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Albany 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Bryant has a really mixed bag that begins in long open field holes to start and end the round, and sandwiched between is a gnarly run of woodsy technical holes that would be happy to have you for lunch.

Every part of the course kept me thinking strategy - shot placement is crucial here, as carelessly bombing anything (especially in the woods) can hamper your approach angle. Many of the woods holes are par 4 (though I found some of the 3's on the map should be substituted with 4's and vice versa).

I was especially impressed with the grassy holes that are peppered with mature trees (oak, etc). All of those had trees that protected approaches to the pins and made them much more interesting.

Cons:

Have a map handy! Although many tees have a sign, they are natural wood, and not terribly visible. I think some tees are missing signs.....sometimes there are multiple paths that lead away from the pin too. Just use the map that's here on this sight and you will EVENTUALLY find where you are going. Without a map, you will be angry.

No tee pads...... I'm played on a dry summer day and the dirt/carpets that served as pads were adequate, but I imagine a rainy day would be very slick. I think perhaps they can't install pads due to the winter flooding.

Other Thoughts:

This is part pro, part con - so I will list this comment here. The designers cleverly placed many pins on hills or next to sharp drop off "pits". While I like the thrill of a "death putt", some of these holes seemed to encourage the layup, even when the hole was played with skill.

Be prepared to do some searching if you shank one in the woods. The underbrush can get quite thick. They have done a pretty darn good job of managing most of the underbrush and they only have the summer in which to do it!
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6 4
Fro8888
Experience: 9 played 3 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Needs help 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 26, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Outside of the wooded mess, the course is fairly nice.
-Nice big park

Cons:

-There is nothing on the tee that shows you where the basket is in relation to you. There is just a laminated sign telling you what hole you are on.
-I only saw 1 sign that told me where the next tee was, and even at that, it was still difficult to find.
-Less than half of the tees actually have something marking them for what number you are on.
-No directions as to where you tee off almost the whole time. You get done with one basket, you're in a forest, then you walk around aimlessly for 15 minutes and then you randomly find it down one of the many random trails.

Other Thoughts:

I have recently picked up playing disc golf. I absolutely hated this course. I had to keep pulling out my phone to figure out where the baskets and tees were. I will not be coming back to this ever unless they did some serious improving.

*What they need to do is put down where the basket is on the tee.
*Then mark where the next tee spot is.
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5 3
beaverboy56
Experience: 11.9 years 4 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A course with potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Concrete pads on some holes
-Large Variety of holes
-Challenging

Cons:

-Not beginner friendly
-Easy to get lost looking for the next hole, despite the orange marker on the basket pointing the way
-Trash in the wooded areas
-Plays right through heavily occupied areas of the park
-Occasional homeless population in the wooded area
-Last time we went there were a bunch of teenagers smoking pot in the bushes, being extremely annoying
-Carpet pads on the majority of the holes

Other Thoughts:

This course is very much a hit or miss, you can expect to hit a tree on every wooded hole. At times it can be alot of fun, but then back in the woods you can easily take a 8-12 on a hole and ruin your round.

Not a good course to compete with your buddies as there is usually a lot of separation in scores and is not too competitive or exciting by the end.
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7 6
Martin Dewgarita
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.4 years 1587 played 93 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Penguins doing Pilates 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Personal Rank: 101

This is one of those courses that upon completing a round, I wasn't going to leave without immediately playing another. Long challenging technical holes with the occasional ace run or big open bomber keep things interesting through every hole. You must hit your lines and stay in the fairway to score well, the rough is thick, it will cost you strokes if you get off the fairway, recovery options are slim.

The Oregon coast was a very enjoyable road trip, every course along the way was unique and a pleasant surprise this is one of the courses that stood out as a favorite and should not be missed if you're passing by on the 5, paired with Adair you've got a wonderful day of golf.

Other Thoughts:

After playing 1000 courses, I'm excited to share my opinion on some of my favorites. My top 100+ list can be found on my blog, my favorites list is at 110 of 1020 as of writing this review. Of all courses played, the top 1.5% receive a rating of 5, down to 6% is a 4.5, and 15% is a 4.0 creating a bell curve distribution. I apologize that my reviews are not as detailed as they have been previously. I have included the details as to why this course stands out to the best that my memory serves.

My personal criteria is very subjective, a gut feeling:
~Physical beauty stands out, both scenery and the beauty of each hole.
~Amenities don't mean much to me, it doesn't much matter if there's benches, concrete tee pads, or garbage cans.
~Technical design - How well designed are the fairways/airways and landing areas? Are there unique holes that stand out? Variety of holes - distances, shapes, elevation, tree density, rough thickness. Pars 4 and 5?
~I love extreme/adventure golf. Rugged and secluded courses stand out more than park style courses. In general I prefer more technical over more open.
~Local Scene.
~The main thing I ask myself is "Does this course make me want to come back?" if the answer is yes, it makes the list.

Thank you, enjoy my reviews and if you don't find this information helpful, please let me know what I can do to improve.
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8 2
ian1
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Hometown Homer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Huge variety of shots, long and short (okay not a lot of short), par 4's that require accurate lay-ups, par 4's that require big D, left and right, open and wooded.
- Never really too crowded.
- New carpet tee pads.
- Alternate pins that significantly change the way in which the hole is played.
- Holes that are tough but fair, with the exception of hole 7 in the long (and maybe hole 6 in the right) this course requires skill and not just dumb luck, of course a few holes that require luck are fun IMO.
- Not a ton of elevation, but a little bit to add some fun.
- hole 3 in the right, and hole 15 through the tunnel really stand out to me as great holes.

Cons:

- Navigation can be tricky, the tape on the basket to lead to the next tee can be misleading, I haven't seen a good map, find a guide or hit me up if you want.
- Carpet pads can be muddy and slick when wet, from the sound of it there may be some more concrete pads to come but because of environmental regulations some will always be carpet.
- Flooding closes the course for half the year.
- People watch softball on hole 2 sometimes. Hole 4, 5, 17 and 18 can have people on them that don't realize it is a course, educate don't hate.
- Not a ton of elevation.
- Trash, some could be from the homeless but I think discers could do a better job.
- Not a ton of amenities, not a great place for grandma or little kids.
- Rough can be a bit rough but I always seem to find my discs here, best idea is to just stay in the fairway ;)

Other Thoughts:

This is my home town course. I love it and wanted to give it a 4.5 but I figured that since I am biased I better check myself a bit, but honestly I prefer this course over Milo McIver. I listed elevation as a pro and a con, I like to chuck off of hills like any other discer but appreciate the flat course after a day of working on my feet. I must admit I was half tempted to give this course 0.5 stars just to keep it all to myself but alas disc is a game with a selfless culture and it wouldn't feel right anyway. I dread the day this place become Willamette Park and has 8 person groups oblivious to the fact they are holding up 4 groups behind them. Anyway I love this place and greatly appreciate the work everyone puts in out here. I should probably help out more... all I do is pick up trash occasionally.
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3 4
MCW5379
Experience: 12.8 years 61 played 23 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 6, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Rating this course on potential. There were open and wooded holes. Don,t have a lot of good to say based on my partial round.

Cons:

SIGNAGE PLEASE!!!!!
Why is there not any signs to direct you around? Makes for a frustrating first time out. No tee boxes with some sort of map to tell you if the pin is left, right, or middle. 500' holes thru the woods seems a little long to me. Maybe I'm not good enough to play this course. Just found it really frustrating to get around! So we played 1-8 and then jumped to 18 and left. Orange tape on the basket is all you have to direct you to the next hole. And without some sort of map you are screwed. Hole 2 seems to be 500' from basket 1 and without tee box signs you can easily walk around before finding it. Seemed like to much work to figure things out when we just wanted to throw and have some fun.

Other Thoughts:

Could be a pain in the a$$ to play on weekends also as the holes run right by/near the picnic and playground areas to start with.
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8 1
Hector Chain
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 222 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great combo 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The bulletin board next to hole 1 (tucked in the bushes) helpfully explained that either all the evens or all the odds would be in their long positions. This made navigating with the map much easier, and I don't know why more courses aren't set up this way. Most of the holes have two positions.

The course begins with some fairly open holes that still have good design considering the holes they have to work with. Hole 2 is one of the best of these, with the pin guarded by a jail of trees. Jails like this can be annoying if it makes the hole random, but there were wider openings on different sides, so if you have a bad look at your putt, it's the result of a bad approach.

The course then alternates between open and wooded holes (hole 3 has a nice 265-foot uphill shot to a pin attached to the foundation of some old building that is long gone) before transitioning to completely wooded for holes 6-15. The wooded holes are very well designed and an excellent counterpoint to the open holes. Accuracy is a paramount, and if you insist on trying to get a 3 on some of the longer holes, you might well end up with a 7. Others are fairly short but require you to hit the right line.

The course ends with two pretty long holes. Hole 18 was in its 815-foot position.

Cons:

The tees in the open are concrete, but the ones in the woods are carpet. A couple of them looked like the sort of carpet that used to be in someone's basement. They were fine for me, but I can imagine they're bad when it's wet.

The wooded pins are often hidden from the tee pad, so you'll spend some time walking the fairway to figure out what line you'll want to hit. There is some thorny, scratchy stuff in the wooded part, but not enough to make it too frustrating (I'm more forgiving of this feature in the woods than on open courses...maintaining wooded courses is tough).

Even with the map we couldn't tell exactly where the tee for hole 5 is. I think it's just on the concrete turnout next to the road.

I don't remember there being any tee signs, but if you have the map you'll get around okay.

Other Thoughts:

The course plays along a river for some of the holes, although it would take a pretty bad shot to end up there.

I don't normally love really long holes, but I didn't mind the open holes here, and the 815-foot hole was even kind of fun. The wooded holes are a blast, and I say that even though they destroyed my score.Winning a tournament here would require a combination of big distance and careful accuracy, depending on the hole.

Fun course. I'd gladly return.
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4 13
joy4all
Experience: 15.1 years 82 played 13 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Never will return 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

None

Cons:

-bad tee pads
-poorest signage possible
-course plays in the highest traffic areas of park. It's down right dangerous.
-parks, parties picnics all taking place in the fairways on 2,4,5, and on the tail end hole.
-baskets seeing heavy wear
-many stringers, chains cables blocking fairways, especially 6

Other Thoughts:

take all the baskets, pick them up and find a new location. You cant keep trying to put a disc park in a heavy traffic park such as this. Its bad for the sport to injure people. I commend the effort but it's a waste of time.
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8 1
mthill
Experience: 18.8 years 25 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

The Darkhorse 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 31, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Raw potential. This course has the potential to be a 4.5+ star course, just needs a little bit of tidiness. (i.e course signs, garbage cans etc.)
-Rewards the superior upshot, rather than drive
-Extremely technical woodshots that will make you a better player in a quick fashion
-Plays through classic Oregon forestry and along the Willamette River

Cons:

-It is a popular city park, so be aware of people having BBQ's etc.(The picnic/playground is only in sight for about 5 holes so it's not that big of an issue)
-Lack of directional signs. A guide is heavily recommended for first time play (Chances are a local will be playing and will be glad to help you out)
-Carpet t pads can be slippery at times.
-Some roughs in the woods are treacherous. If you are throwing your favorite disc, make sure to keep an extra eye out, or use a spotter if possible.

Other Thoughts:

I like to call Bryant Park the Darkhorse of the Willamette Valley courses. What it lacks in aesthetic features, it makes up for in challenging play. This is one of the hardest courses around (in a good way) and will make you play better at your local course guaranteed. As mentioned above, this course has a lot of potential to be truly great. Props to the Disc Golf Club of Albany for putting up new tee signs, which makes navigation a bit easier. If course signs and garbage cans were placed, and varied overgrown shrub grooming were set forth, we'd all be looking at a wonderful course. Not quite a traveling course yet, but if you're in the area and are up for a true test of your skills, check out Bryant.
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4 1
steezejenkins
Experience: 14.8 years 32 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Calm yourself newbie 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-challenging wood shots
-friendly help for course navigation
-one of the harder courses in the area
-limited ace runs
-will make you a more rounded player

Cons:

-t pads need some love
-they open the park to camping some days and neglect the course in doing so.
-very lacking in signage.
-they cut some tree's for the classic that should NOT have been removed.
-

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoy this course. It can be retarded hard if your having an off day. It's easy to loose disc's but is that what makes us better player's? The park floods over the winter and I do believe that's why the directional signage is lacking. If your up for a challenge and are in the area this course is bitchin. Thanks to the gentlemen that clean the the course. And cheers to all of you that call numbers on found disc's
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6 1
prettyboyfloyd
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.9 years 16 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 16, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Quite challenging, with a good mix of huge open holes with some unique forested holes and elevation changes.
-Longest course in the area (now 8 par 4s ( as of May/13)).
-Forrest holes more clear, with winter flooding clearing many logs from wooded fairways
-Every hole has multiple pin placements
-Easily the most challenging course in the Corvallis/Albany area
-No real 'civilian' conflicts on the course itself
-Never truly crowded with golfers as compared to Willamette and Adair parks nearby

Cons:

-Course lacking in good signage
-Hard to navigate the first time w/o a map
-Carpet tee pads in forested holes (awful if it's wet)
-Park closes in winter due to flooding (park is located on Willamette River).
-Long positions on holes 7 & 12 could be considered unfair to some

Other Thoughts:

After playing in my first tournament here (Aug. 2011), the course has been cleaned up considerably. The huge flooding of the winter of 2011/12 has cleared much of the wooded debris in the forested holes into corner piles, making play a bit easier.

After that, they really do need signage around the course. I've heard the carpeted teepads in the woods are some environmental issue with rubber/concrete(?), so I don't see that changing soon.

To score well at this course, you really need distance and accuracy. The wooded sections of Adair (holes 6 - 10) are a bit tighter, but when you're doing it over a longer hole, it can be very frustrating. This course is definitely not for newbies.

That being said, it's slowly becoming my favorite course in the Albany/Corvallis area. I have started playing the holes 9 - 8 instead of 1 - 18. It breaks down to 7 holes in the woods, 8 mostly open holes, then the last three in the woods, with hole 6 and 7 being the hardest on the course. It breaks the course up nicely. Park at the southernmost lot, near the 18th tee, cross the street, and follow the path in the woods to hole 9.
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9 0
gwillim
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 169 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

YES! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 7, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Variety of shots (amazing variety, really!)
-Modern course design: par 3s, and 4s
-Great use of terrain on both field and forest holes
-Course flow is good (start and stop at parking lot)
-Dog-legs
-Shots to stretch out for Big D
-Shots that require *nearly* impossible pinpoint accuracy
-Well thought-out green locations
-Bathroom near parking lot (not sure of winter hours?)
-Practice basket near parking lot to warm up on
-Baskets in good shape
-Plenty of covered shelters for picnicking, etc
-Very Challenging
-Fairly scenic
-Fairly secluded once you enter the woods
-Requires very technical upshots (great practice!)
-At least two B-Tier large tournaments have used the course each of the last two years

Cons:

-Not all concrete tees, wooded holes have carpet!
-No permanent tee signs
-No course maps available (u need a guide first time!!!)
-Can't remember any benches
-Only remember one trash can in the wooded section
-Woods still needs quite a bit of work to clean up fairways.
-Many small (< 6") trees/bushes need to be removed on wooded holes to reward good tee shots more
-Course floods occasionally in winter

Other Thoughts:

I am really falling in love with Bryant Park. It has a little bit of everything I desire from a challenging course. Par 3's, Par 4's, and even a couple holes that could potentially be considered par 5s. The wooded holes are tight and VERY technical. They reward solid control of midranges and fairway drivers off the tee, instead of just blasting speed 13 drivers to the basket. Also, the open field holes are well thought out and are very enjoyable to play.

My one beef with Bryant is the tee pads. The pads in the woods are all carpet. Much better than gravel or mud, but still not nearly as nice as having solid concrete that you can trust under you. It appears that the local club has been busy putting in the concrete tees for the field holes, and I hope that they continue and put concrete into the woods as well.

One more issue with the course is the lack of signage. If you've never played here before, you will have no chance of navigating the course by yourself. With proper signage and concrete tees, this could be in the top five of Oregon courses, and I would gladly rate it a 4.5. With the tees, signs and a lot more work in the woods, this could be a gold level 5 star course! Thanks to the Albany DG club, and Jeromie Fields and Scott Duvall. You guys are rocking it!
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5 2
runnaman
Experience: 16.6 years 42 played 23 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Still needs some work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 26, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Good mix of wooded holes (200-300')
- Good mix of open holes (400-900')
- Baskets are good (DGA)
- Some change in elevation, but it's not too bad.

Cons:

- Many of the teepads are still natural or rubber. Some are concrete.
- Most of the wooded holes are still over grown and very tight and unforgiving.
- During the winter/rainy season, the course floods and is unplayable.

Other Thoughts:

This course has a lot of potential, but it still needs a lot of work (which I know the Albany Disc Golf Club is doing). I would recommend this course to experienced players, but not to new players.

I look forward to playing again as is, but will be really excited when this course reaches it's full potential.
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6 0
sillybizz
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 22.1 years 400 played 385 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Bryant Park 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Bryant Park is a very challenging disc golf course located in between where the Calapooia and Willamette rivers Collide. I played this course in October and I can tell you that this time of year it is very pretty with the two rivers nearby, a waterfall and of course the wonderful fall colors all around you. Like Cefire stated in his review the course and especially the more open bomber holes are in immaculate shape. Navigation is made much easier by the little pieces of tape on the basket as you simply walk in the general direction of where the tape is pointing. The only basket where the tape was wrong was on hole number 3 and this basket looks to be loose so that people could spin it. Simply walk back towards the grass fields as the next hole is long par 4 semi-open bomber field hole. I still recommend bringing a printed map.

The main draw to playing this course for me is the massive amount of challenge and overall skill level needed to tame this vicious beast. One thing I noticed was after 13 or 14 holes is that I had used almost every single disc in my bag. The more open holes are very long and require a large shot to get to birdie or even par territory and when combined with the tree obstacles guarding certain lines and making some lies very tough it makes these holes harder than you realize until after playing them and I found that most of these holes made me have to make decisions on where to land after every single throw. Accurate, calculated bomber shots is what these holes are all about so if you're not throwing at least 350 feet it's going to be a long day for you. Then you get into the nasty holes in the back that make you want to cry uncle! These are very tough lines, usually low ceiling and heavily wooded but still very long holes that are made even longer by the fact that you have to throw uphill, perfectly straight or extremely low to the ground to get anywhere but into a tree and kicked off into the abyss somewhere.

Cons:

There are a couple of pin placements that are a little crazy to me and seem like they were put there just to be hard instead of being a good challenge to your skills. Hole 7 is a prime example as the drive is a low ceiling, dead straight shot with a hill in the middle of the drive and this is very hard hole that only people with that skill or shot in their bag are going to be able to hit but then the upshot or putt is towards this basket that is behind a WALL of trees with the largest line being 2 feet wide so you go from a drive that takes a ton of skill to a putt/upshot that is mostly luck. I'm not sure if this hole should be moved out of that and closer or if there should be some clearing but there are at least a couple holes out here that could use some help in this sense.

This place is going to be extremely tough on just about anyone who hasn't mastered hitting tight lines with long accurate drives and newer players will become frustrated quickly. There isn't a ton amount of brush and hardly any on the fairway but newer players are going to find the thick stuff and even experienced players might find it as well with a strange kick off a tree, which happens quite a bit to be honest.

The other con is that the course gets flooded in the winter from the nearby rivers. I'm not sure how long it takes to dry out but it might make this course only playable for half the year which is a bummer for such an excellent course with so many good holes.

Other Thoughts:

This place is best suited for players at least in the 920 PDGA rating range and above, maybe even 950 or more. Your gold level players are going to enjoy the combo of long bomber holes and long wooded holes. I guess if the disc golf is too much you could always go to the other area courses or take a lovely walk or just sit down and enjoy the scenery.
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8 0
cefire
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 24.8 years 1123 played 136 reviews
4.50 star(s)

An under-rated course in Oregon? 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 5, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Located next to the Willamette river in a well-used community park, Bryant DGC offers a superb mix of challenging open and tightly wooded holes. One of the most unique characteristics of Bryant is the frequent shifting from relatively flat and open-bomber field holes on a soft field of grass to winding and treacherously tight fairways through densely wooded forest.

This course seems geared towards silver and gold level players and the wooded holes especially may frustrate those newer to the game. Most of the open holes require 350-400' drives with only moderate accuracy required while the wooded holes demand pinpoint accuracy off the tee and technical saves when trees are (inevitably) hit. One of the key features to this course is the constant changing from open to wooded holes. This back and forth shift gives the course a manic feel and never allows the player to settle comfortably into either driving pattern.

Navigation - Navigation has been greatly aided by the addition of small colored tape to the bottom of each basket. Although you may see a tee nearby (especially on the field holes) do not assume that it is the next tee as you may be weaving into/out of the woods for a 2 or 3 hole detour. Especially over the final few field holes, a marker of some sort might be helpful for marking the positions of the tees which are flush with the ground.

Maintenance - The park has looked immaculate both times I have played it, which were early and late summer. I would imagine that the wooded holes become very muddy with rainfall and have noted that the course experiences frequent flooding during the winter due to its proximity to the river.

Cons:

The course is difficult for the first-time player because several of the ideal landing areas for the par 4 holes are not obvious at all off the tee, both wooded and open holes included. Local players are going to have a pretty large advantage in knowing the highest percentage areas to land drives especially on holes like 17 where the only high ceiling approach to the pin is obscured by early trees off the tee. New players will throw left-fairway towards the more obvious looking opening but will have an extremely low-ceiling approach to the pin. Course veterans will be able to take advantage of the right-to-left gap in the trees along the right-center of the fairway. I'm almost not sure if this is a 'con' but it is something to note for first-time players and those headed to tournaments here.

Seasonal - As the course description states, this course does not likely lend itself to winter play with packed mud fairways in the forest and low-lying land adjacent to the river.

Trim - I hesitate to mention this but a few of the wooded holes would benefit from carefully planned pruning and trimming of trees to open lines in the fairway. I am all for holes with percentage success rates rather than completely open 'guaranteed' fairways, but a few holes and approaches currently border on total poke-and-hope.

Other Thoughts:

I would have to argue that, certainly according to the reviews thus far, this is one of the most underrated courses in Oregon. So far, I've played almost 80% of Oregon courses and would rank this one as 3rd best, behind only Whistler's Bend and Milo McIver.

Another nice feature of the course is its close proximity to downtown Albany which sports some nice restaurants and of course the Calapooia Brewery which deserves a special shout-out for their support for courses and tournaments in the area.
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2 5
The Bird Man
Experience: 21.7 years 51 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 2, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great combination of open holes and wooded holes. It is a very technical course that requires a well rounded game

Cons:

It is too long for me. Long walk outs, Too many long wooded holes. . Difficult doesn't always equal fun. It is a seasonal course and gets closed in the winter.

Other Thoughts:

I wish it was open all year.
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3 7
NateDizz0420
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

One of the best courses around 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 6, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Amazing holes. great shot variation. lots of elevation changes. a fair amoount of long hyzers open in the field. a couple really long holes. some forehand holes. just an awesome course that is very challenging. the variation of shots and long distances for each hole makes this course one of my favorite courses around that is reasonable to drive to from many areas. i like natural teepads which arent too roough.

Cons:

beautiful, fun course... just a blast

Other Thoughts:

they could clean the thing up and more people would come and discover this hidden gem that has potential to be one of everyones favorite courses around.. it has been for the 6 ive showed it to and myself
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