Vancouver, BC

Quilchena DGC

2.715(based on 17 reviews)
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5 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.1 years 652 played 629 reviews
2.00 star(s)

The Only Course In The World Named Quilchena.

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.122 Rating) A Basic Openish Park Style Course.
- BASICS AMENITIES - There are two things done well here. First, DISCatcher baskets. They catch well, they are in good shape and they are easy to spot. Second, tee surface. Large concrete pads and all of them are in great shape.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Because of the medium length and openness, this course will play well for a wide swath of skill levels. Beginners will not be punished routinely for bad throws. They may never birdie when they first start, but they won't lose any. MA4s and MA3s will be challenged to limit bogeys and MA2s will aim to shoot under par. All of these noted skill levels may enjoy this one as long as they enjoy openish courses.
- QUICK PLAY - The course plays in a loop starting on the southwest corner of the park. It was really easy for me to get around on this one and having to search for one will be rare unless they stop mowing. I finished in 30 minutes on a weekday morning. Perhaps conditions are different later in the day.
- MAINTENANCE - The park grounds were in fantastic shape for my early June appearance.

Cons:

Fields of grass.
- HOLE VARIETY - The biggest reason Quilchena scores a 2.0 in my rating methodology is due to the lack of differential elements. Lots of blandish parkstyle play. A couple have a little flair, like (5) in a thicket of trees for example, but most of the holes were easy for me to forget. I liked (9) in the pocket as well. Hole (11) was a decent par 4 labeled as a par 5 on two sources. Its 590 feet and mostly open. The course has a bit more variety than the average niner I've played, but less variety than the average 18 holer.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Although the park is pleasant and very well kept, it's not an exotic jewel. There is a vast sea of just mowed grass. Yes there are trees, but very few are giants. The course layout dabbles into these trees a few times, but perhaps only a couple I'd classify as moderately wooded. I scored Quilchena a bit below average on this attribute.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - I looked around for a minute or two and didn't spot a posted course map. In that effort, I did spot a pad, but unfortunately it didn't have a tee sign. Just a number flush on the pad. Those work and all, but it was frustrating trying to find pads quickly in my transitions as there is no post sticking out of the ground. Despite these omissions, figuring it out isn't impossible. I doubt I spent 5 extra minutes total trying to figure out where to go.
- AMENITIES AND EXTRAS - Almost no extras. One pad had a bench nearby. There are nice restrooms mid-way through. That's it.
- SIDEWALKS - Concrete sidewalks come into play on most holes. Nothing blind to us throwers, but players will need to wait on occasion.
- PARKING - Street parking only.

Other Thoughts:

Quilchena felt like barely decent disc golf to me. I'd definitely throw here often if I lived within 10 minutes. If I lived an hour a way I'd throw it too, but that's only because I'm a course bagger. Worth checking out once for those that live in the Vancouver area. For those on vacation here near downtown and looking to throw at least one near-by, I'd say its worth considering, but that's only because the options are not many. Nearby Little Mountain I personally think is slightly better, but it's close and they have slightly different dynamics. Anyways, Solid 2.0 course to me. If they ever added 6 more holes of the same quality, I'd consider upping my rating over a 2.25.
- TRANSLATION - Quilchena translates to low lying land. I can't be the only one that's wondered this seeing the name.
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5 0
Treeplant
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.8 years 109 played 62 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Wild Drivers Need Not Apply 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 30, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Logical course layout around perimeter of park.

Decent lengths on some of the holes considering the park setting. Definitely longer holes than Queen Elizabeth course 10 minutes away.

Reasonably challenging for intermediate players. The average intermediate/advanced amateur player will probably play this course five strokes or so tougher than QE.

Guarded tree hole is really interesting.

Concrete tee pads, baskets in good to decent shape.

Good mix of trees/open shots.

Cons:

Proximity to park goers and roads is a real problem, especially holes 10-12. Very easy to hyzer or grip lock a long bomb into people or onto a road, especially on 12 if you over-hyzer your drive.

Seems to be a very busy park. I went at what is normally a park quiet hour (11am) and it was super busy compared to almost nobody at the QE course. A lot of holes sort of throw alongside paths, so there's long waits for people to get safely out of range.

Couple of the holes go through an off leash dog area.

Other Thoughts:

If it wasn't for the people this course would be one of the few in the Vancouver area where you can rip full drives. I didn't rip any when I played however as I didn't want to risk it.

I just googled the park map in google images and had no problem with layout, pretty logical, could figure this one out without the course map probably.

The soccer/baseball fields in the bowl of the field were empty and a nice place to practice long drives.
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8 0
Qikly
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.7 years 181 played 148 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Fun Little Public Park Course 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Quilchena DGC is a public park course that is great example of a course designer getting the most out of an average piece of land. That's not to say Quilchena doesn't have any raw materials to work with: the sloping elevation, intermittant patches of trees, and ample space provided the 12 holes indeed offer some nice disc golfing possibilities that are largely maximized. There's a limit to what the land offers, but on the bright side, I feel that the course designers reached that limit.

Quilchena has some decent variety, especially considering there are only 12 holes: birdie opportunities abound, but there are also some chances to stretch out at the tail end of your round. There are a few low ceiling shots, either off the tee or further on down the fairway, that'll need a line drive or prompt a roller. Pins are often guarded by trees that will shape your approaches, and you'll need to contend with some sidewalk OB. Shot shaping isn't overly technical, but present and varied enough to keep you engaged and demand a decent mix of your bag.

Quilchena has a nice in and out. It plays around the perimeter of the park, with hole 12 bringing you right back to hole 1's tee pad. I appreciate the fact that the designers didn't feel obligated to squeeze a full 18 in here, as the land could hardly sustain it; the 12 holes feel just right given the space, and allow for the longer holes at the course's end.

The smooth, level concrete tees give ample space for drives, and are the best I saw in western Vancouver. Bathrooms on site are clean and accessible.

Favorite holes: 2, 8

Cons:

Quilchena's most notable con is its potential to conflict with other park goers. Tracing the park's perimeter, the course regularly runs along or throws over the primary and well-trafficked walking path. Elsewhere it plays across fields that seem popular to dog owners. I can see Quilchena getting frustrating on a busy day, with lots of waiting for dogs, walkers, and the like. Our round on an early Thursday afternoon featured a few such waiting periods, and the park was hardly busy.

Otherwise, Quilchena's drawbacks are that of many such smaller public park courses: single tees and pin positions, lack of a true technical challenge (although there are some relatively engaging shots, especially if you push for birdie), relative brevity. Quilchena also has no tee signs to speak of, although the elliptical shape makes navigation a snap. It's a short, simple course that entertains but doesn't leave a lasting impression.

Other Thoughts:

Quilchena is conveniently nearby western Vancouver's two other courses, Jericho Hill and Queen Elizabeth Park. I enjoyed Quilchena the most of these three courses, mostly for the larger variety it offers, especially in terms of distance. It offers a more enjoyable challenge if you play all of the sidewalk as OB. It's worth a trip if you're in the area, and if you only have time for one course, I'd vote Quilchena. You can easily hit all three in the span of a few hours.

Thanks to JedV for being a gracious host and all-around good dude!
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2 1
jeffs
Experience: 14 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Variety 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 28, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good variety of short and long holes. Some challenging, but not frustrating tree obstacles. Well kept grounds. Concrete Tees. One basket is guarded by trees, which makes for a unique challenge. Good to play some alternate holes as there are not many players out at once. Holes give opportunity to practice different shooting techniques. Very pleasant park in general.

Cons:

Can be lots of people very close to the holes. Course order can be misleading if you dont know the order already.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a good alternate to Little Mountain at Queen E park.
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4 0
DiscWestYoungMan
Experience: 10.8 years 8 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A good variety of shots in a beautiful location. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Lovely 12 hole course with a variety of shot types to make. From long wide open bombers to tight squeezes under the canopy, Quilchena is a decent challenge in a beautiful setting.
Fantastic concrete tee pads.
Baskets all are in good shape.
Bathrooms.

Cons:

As others have mentioned, this is a popular park for locals, and many don't pay much attention to people playing the course. Be prepared to wait or ask people to look out for your shots.
No map.
No practice baskets.

Other Thoughts:

This course doesn't seem to have many players the times I have been there. For such a beautiful park and such a large course, its nice that its not full all the time. This makes asking or waiting walkers/runners/dog-walkers not so bad, as this is the only slowing down you will likely have to deal with.
A lot of the course has wide open areas, so sunscreen is not a bad idea as you will get plenty of it here.
The course is fairly intuitive. The only two holes that might seem harder to find are #6 (which you walk between the buildings to get to) and #10 (after you finish 9, keep walking along the bush line, the pad is between the berry bushes and a tree, it's easy to spot once you know where to look).
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1 2
joelwpg
Experience: 15 years 92 played 21 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Nice 12 hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course follows the outside of Quilchena park. It has a nice variety of long and short holes, and is relatively easy to follow. It is not a very difficult course but a few holes force you to make some interesting shots. i liked the low ceiling shots, especially hole #1 and the one up the hill.

Cons:

A lot of dog walkers and joggers and such! Most people using the park have no idea there is a disc golf course here so you may have to wait a lot as they clear slowly from your path, or ask nicely for people to move.

Other Thoughts:

one of the better courses in Vancouver, only 25 min walk from Q.E. if you wanted to hit 2 in a day.
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6 0
tugboat
Experience: 13 years 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 8, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The best thing about this course is the variety of distances. Holes 3 and 12 use a midrange at most, while hole 9 is a full out drive and 11 takes two full shots even for an above average player. The rest are mostly fairway drives, with a couple of slightly uphill shots that might require a full throw depending on the player. This course can look pretty easy at first, but a bad shot can really put you behind. If you don't make it through the trees on 1, it's a tough save for par. Into the left woods on 8 or 9, and a drop might be the best option. Finally, the course does a great job of protecting the baskets with the few trees that are present. Holes 2, 3, 5 and 6 would be easy birdie chances if it weren't for the tough greens (5 is in the middle of about 10 trees).

Cons:

Quilchena is a very popular, multi-purpose park. You are constantly having to pay attention to the walkway for joggers and children, there are often soccer or softball games going on, and there is an off-lease dog park in the middle of the fairway for holes 10 and 11. If you're not comfortable asking people to look out, or confident in being able to control your tee shot, then you might be better off playing somewhere else.

Other Thoughts:

As a result of the public traffic, there usually aren't many disc golfers on the course, so it can be a good place to take someone who wants to learn. And since it is in a really nice park, take a picnic basket and a ball for a whole day with some friends.
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12 0
cefire
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 24.8 years 1123 played 136 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 7, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Quilchena park is one of several very pretty city parks in the Vancouver area which have playable, but largely unremarkable disc golf courses. Quilchena does have a few holes with enough distance required that players can air out a few shots which is often not an option at the surrounding largely putter/midrange only courses. Like a few of the other nearby courses such as Jericho Hill, there are plenty of options for some longer safari golf holes here because of the sparsely treed fields.

Not busy: We visited this park on a day when nearby Little Mountain was hopping with disc golfers and didn't find another soul out here golfing. There were several other park users (dog walkers mostly) but no other groups out playing. This combined with the decent potential for safari might make this course a bit more interesting over the long run than the regular layout. It seems that other reviewers have run into more pedestrians so perhaps our experience was a little out of the norm, but certainly there must be days like ours when the course is not very busy.

Variety: While the replay factor isn't very high as I note below, there are a decent variety in terms of what shots you'll need off the tee because of the more tightly wooded ceiling restrictions on the front half and then the longer more open holes on the back. There isn't all that much elevation besides a few small rolls here and there but these are effectively utilized to create a pretty nice uphill shot and add some interest to a few pin locations.

Cons:

Replay factor: There isn't much at Quilchena to keep me coming back as the tighter woods shots are pretty restrictive and the open shots are very open for the most part. It isn't really a fault of the design, just a park that doesn't have the types of terrain and space available to create a course that stays fresh after many plays.

Low ceiling: I'm totally not against ceiling restrictions on drives off the tee and this is a completely valid skill for any disc golfer to have but the opening stretch at Quilchena lines a few of them up one after the other - back-to-back shots where you are forced under the tree canopy. If these were a bit more spread out, it would likely not be an issue and it does complement several of the field holes nicely by restricting lines, but because they are so close in proximity, this stretch of holes just feels a little annoying.

Navigation: It appears that the course has been rerouted a few times and while we ended up finding all of the holes, there are several points where you might be apt to throw at an incorrect basket, throw holes out of order, or perhaps even skip a hole altogether. Like other reviewers have said, you can't entirely trust the numbers on the baskets.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, Quilchena is a pretty decent local park to check out if you are in the area or if you like to try out a bunch of courses. If you are looking for something a little more memorable check out Jericho or Little Mountain as they have a few holes each which are at least more interesting and Jericho really offers a lot more in terms of a practice or safari course for local players.
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2 3
iainw
Experience: 15.7 years 6 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun but not well marked 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 10, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

All baskets, no tonals and the tee pads have numbers on the concrete. The course is fun with some short, some long and some technical holes.

Cons:

No map and its hard to find your way at times, there are a couple of unknown baskets and tee pads.

Other Thoughts:

I'd play it again, but not before I play others in the area.
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4 2
Bikinimower
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.6 years 174 played 66 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Ehhh 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 1, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well Kept Park
Some really good hole placements considering the land available

Cons:

Kinda Busy
Pretty Small
Can be confusing to navigate

Other Thoughts:

It's a pretty good course. Some of the holes are located around trees. The problem is the traffic, make sure you check for people on the walking trail, baseball games and Dog Walkers before you throw. It was a little hard to find my way around. I wouldn't go out of your way to road trip this one but it's OK if you live nearby
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2 2
theHip
Experience: 15 years 20 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 7, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I like this course because it has a variety of short and long sots, open and tight. Fun course to play.

Cons:

It took me a while to figure out the layout of the course. If you haven't played there before and are by yourself it is kind of confusing. Also, this is a multi use course, and both times I went there were a lot of people walking dogs. Not really a con, but sometimes you have to wait to shoot.

Other Thoughts:

Pretty good 12 hole course.
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1 1
Bobbily
Experience: 21.7 years 39 played 22 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Too busy, unfortunately 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 25, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Some really neat signature holes, the one with all the tree guards is awesome. A good design for a small park, except for one exception... Dog park in the middle of 2 of the holes. Stay away on the weekends. Try to play this course in the mornings on weekdays, or when its raining. Lots of room to air out some big drives in the later stages of the course.

Cons:

Way too busy, There's a dog park smack dab in the middle of a couple of the fairways. A couple pretty dreary holes.

Other Thoughts:

Unless you play this in the rain, or really early in the morning, you will find it impossible to play without feeling like you will seriously injure a person/dog.
I've updated my rating because I played this course on a cool januarys monday morning and found myself really enjoying it. If it were strictly a disc golf course, it would rival the best in the lower mainland I believe.
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11 3
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Pretty Course In A Multi-Use Park! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is technical but not in the normal sense. Normally, when one is speaking of a technical course, you're talking about throwing through small windows in trees. Quilchena is technical in the vertical sense in that on about three of the holes, you have to keep your disc low enough as to pass under branches but high enough to carry any distance. I thought this made for a very interesting course feature. Like many of the BC courses, metal numbers were screwed into the concrete teepads. This helped with navigation. The baskets are fine but the #'s are mostly worn off. Unlike Vancouver's other courses,Quilchena does offer a couple of holes for the big bombers. #'s 9 and 11 are both 500 feet plus. And I'll have to respectfully disagree with previous reviewers who have stated that there were no interesting holes of note. I think the basket placement alone on # 5 makes for a very cool disc golf hole. Although it's only about 225 ft., the basket is set in a grove of 17 smaller trees. A very short putt here can be an adventure trying to get through the tiny cracks between the guardian trees. It's a plus to play a course with no thick underbrush lurking nearby.

Cons:

Definitely, the foot traffic here could be a major con. On the day I played, I did have to wait a few times for walkers. It's probably more of an intermediate course. Advanced players might get a little bored with it.

Other Thoughts:

The park is in a very nice, upcale neighborhood with either condos or apartments right across the street from # 1. It would be wonderful to live there and get in a quick round simply by walking across the street. It was nice to finally be able to stretch the arm out after playing the other shorter Vancouver courses. This is my favorite Vancouver area course.
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9 0
JR Stengele
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.9 years 251 played 191 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Quilchena DGC 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Located in a beautiful multi purpose park, Quichena DGC plays along the perimeter of this park, and is located in an upscale neighborhood. Along with a disc golf course this park includes a baseball field as well as an open area for what looked like soccer and smaller games such as bocce ball. Driving directions were easy to follow and this course is close to Jericho Hill and Little Mountain DGC in Q.E. Park (all in Vancouver).

Quilchena DGC provided cement tee pads which were in great shape and the Mach 2 baskets were well kept up.
The general course design had a nice flow with hole twelve ending close to where hole one began. Foliage and maintenance was wonderful with no underbrush. Blackberry bushes were apparent but were out of the way for the most part unless an errant shot was done on holes nine and eleven. Because I played in the fall, the trees were full of vibrant colors ready to drop, making the course visually appealing and that more enjoyable.Trash bins, benches, water, and restrooms were all accessable making this course more useful for all park users.

Cons:

As the previous reviewers have stated, walking paths entertwine throughout the course making it quite difficult to play when busy. During the warmer months park users are found walking, running, playing various sports, playing or even training dogs, or picnicing. Even though these things are completely normal in parks and quite expected, it makes it very difficult to play a round of disc golf.

The course has little elevation and for the most part few obstacles making it even less of a challenge. Even though I enjoyed the round I played here there were no holes on the course that I felt were really memorable (with the exception of maybe hole 2 which was a low tunnel shot that weaved through several trees). The majority of holes were fairly short with maybe two holes over 300 feet.

Other Thoughts:

Just being is Vancouver, B.C. is always an enjoyable experience. The locals are always very kind and the atmosphere is positive and diverse,reminding me of my hometown of Seattle, Wa.

When traveling through this beautiful city I would recommend playing all three courses here, but if you only have time for one I would recommend Little Mountain DGC in Q.E. Park, Quilchena, then Jericho in that order. Hopefully you will have time to stay and enjoy the wonderful food and nightlife of Vancouver but if not, the disc golf alone is well worth it!
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1 5
dcookie
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A Nice Course Ruined by Walking Paths 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 26, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Best distance of any of the three main Vancouver courses.

Cons:

Walking paths cut through most of the fairways and other park users seem annoyed by the presence of disc golfers. I had to ask people to watch out or step aside. There were also a lot of dogs off-leash which doesn't bug me, but there was a time that I was afraid one of the dogs would pick up my disc.
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5 0
maniak
Experience: 15.8 years 15 played 13 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Meh.. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 26, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has a nice mix of longer and shorter holes, but has a longer feel than the rest of the courses around Vancouver. It has concrete teepads and even though there are no signs or maps at the course, it is fairly easy to navigate.

Although the holes are not overly interesting, a few of the baskets are well guarded by mature trees leaving only tight shots at the chains.

Cons:

The course design itself seems uninspired, no special or memorable holes. The park space is completely maxed out and on a summer day the park will be full of non disc golfers which would be ok if there weren't paths through many fairways. I found myself waiting for people walking their dog, playing bocce, or baseball. Overall the course just seems like it was an after thought.

Other Thoughts:

There are no pars or distances given at the course but there are two holes I believe could be considered to be par 4's. Hole #9 appears to exceed 500 feet and is uphill. #11 appears to be more like 600ft, also uphill.

One last thought, don't pay attention to the numbers on the basket. While occasionally correct, more often than not, they are wrong.

Update: I've updated my rating from 1.5 to 2.5 as I believe it is average. It does not belong in the company of Shirley Macey Park or Winskill.
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3 2
Raoul Duke
Experience: 16 played 15 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Has since changed... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2004 Played the course:never

Pros:

Plays longer than the other two downtown Vancouver courses.

Cons:

Apparently, the park has undergone some changes, including a footpath that meanders through at least one fairway. Park space maxed out, 12 holes is an odd number, safari action required to play 18 holes.

Other Thoughts:

Another beautiful, clean BC park. Course was only 9 holes when I played there.
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