Very well-maintained large public park with long, gently-flowing hills and very large hardwoods scattered about. Bathrooms, water fountains, other activities available. Close to I95.

Practice basket. Two nine-hole loops. Easy-to-see baskets. Near water on several holes. Probably a good course for glo.

Dirt tees. Very few turning shots. Holes four and eleven cross fairways - maybe simply switching their tee positions would avoid this, and still leave long/interesting holes.

Many opportunities to let it rip, as several of the fairways and baskets were fairly open, and long. From the blues, about 1/3rd of the holes were 450'+, topping out at #11 at 700'. Most holes will have some change of elevation - up, down, up-down, and down-up. Large trees will also come into play on every hole, but only #15 would be classified as a bit tight.

Online map made the course fairly easy to navigate - and necessary, too, as the tee markers are very low. Distance also available at tees.

Two throw-across-pond holes, but only need to clear 175'~200', so not too far. Couldn't find non-across-water options as suggested by the map.

Favourite hole: #14, 520'. Small woods to the left, scattered trees with long branches narrowing the fairway from the right. Up a small rise the first 1/3rd of the distance, then down a moderate slope the remainder of the way.

Well marked, easy to find and navigate. Beautiful setting, long tees, open fairways that are great for all levels of play.

Lacks the challenge of wooded holes. Hole 16 is tough for those with short drives since the only two options are over a pond (with no elevation to the tee I lose discs, so I avoid this option) or a drive so ridiculously short you can use your putter.

I love this course. I've played for four years and found this course when visiting Richmond for a week. It is a stunningly beautiful and well maintained course. I play in the early hours of the morning (6 am) and there are very few people in the park at that time - mostly friendly dog walkers.
The course is very well marked and I was able to navigate it alone the first time I played - even without a map. Great for visitors to Richmond!
This is a great course for beginners or intermediate players who want to work on thier drives. Wide open tees give you the opportunity to let loose and see how far you can throw without much fear of trees. A gorgeous hole 11 is 700 feet and a very reasonable par 5 that can be regularly birdied by players who can drive for distance.
The only drawback is the lack of wooded areas. Most of the courses I've played weave in and out of the woods and trees create the greatest challenge. The lack of trees makes this a friendly course for beginners and kids, even though it is fairly long.

Well maintained, long, mostly-open winding course through one of Richmond's most beautiful parks.

The park can get crowded during peak hours, the long holes play a bit more slowly.

If you have an hour and a half to kill PLAY THIS COURSE. I played disc golf in Richmond for over a year and this is in my opinion the complete package. While it lacks the tight shots like Dorey Park or the history like Gillie's Creek it definitely is an amazing course.

Very scenic park, big old growth trees, moderate elevation, and a few holes where you can throw over water.
The baskets have blue and gold paint on the top spokes pointing the way to the next blue and gold tees; very helpful for first timers here.

Dirt tee pads, which is about my only complaint about Bryan Park.
Seems to get crowded at times.

Bryan Park should be renamed Squirrel Park for all the squirrels around holes 1-3 and 9-10.
My buddies and had a hard time finding a few tees the first time we played, so I highly recommend printing the map from this site and taking it with you the first time you play: http://www.friendsofbryanpark...sc%20Golf.htm
I'd give Bryan Park an extra half disc rating if they had concrete tee pads.

Beautiful park, well kept. The park itself has a lot to offer (tennis courts, picnic areas, azalea gardens, and more) It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

Practice basket by the parking lot & info sign.
Yellow and Blue tees for your difficulty level. The Yellow (easier) tees are still challenging.
Long and short shots (Yellows range from 150' - 690', Blues from 202'-701')
Elevation changes.
Water hazards for everyone. There is one hole for each tee color where you have to tee off and throw over the water (for blue it's 16, for yellow it's 18) and everyone has to get over the canal on 11.

The park smells good. Something must always be in bloom somewhere on the grounds, because the place just smells good.

I love the colored spokes on the top of the baskets pointing you in the direction of the next tee (except the basket for 5 has been moved a bit, and the spokes aren't quite going the right direction to get you to 6)

Not enough trash cans or benches.
Natural tees.
Crossing fairway. 4 & 11 cross each other. These are two of the longest holes on the course (11 is the longest), so I would imagine the crossing here can really cause bottlenecks on the front and back nine on a busy day.

Every shot is straight. Where are the doglegs??

The ice-cream man. That's right; the ice-cream man drives in a big circle around the outer park road. Over and over again. And as if the song the truck plays isn't bad enough, it also says "hello" in a voice that's like a cross between Curly from the Three Stooges and a parrot. Obnoxious.

If your disc goes in the water at 16, I hope you've got a retriever of some sort. Signs are posted "No swimming, or wading".

I kinda want signage and I kinda don't. The par and distance are marked on most of the tee blocks and the painted spokes on the baskets point you to the next tee. And since every shot is straight, you don't really need a diagram sign. That being said, sometimes the tee blocks are hard to spot, and an actual sign would be easier to see. Which is also why I don't want the signage, this park is beautiful and multifunctional. It's not just here for the sole use of disc golfers. Signs sticking up all over the place may take away some of the beauty of the landscape. Maps are available in the links section here. I recommend printing one out, at the very least it will make it clear when you need to cross the road for your next hole.

About the multifunctional park...I've played Bryan twice now; once on a Saturday afternoon, once on a Tuesday evening. On Saturday the park is crowded with people oblivious to discs. I had the fear that I was going to hit someone. And like I said, they are oblivious, you may yell "Four" or "Heads up" but they may or may not realize you mean them. Be Careful! On Tuesday evening, the park was much less crowded, mostly disc golfers and dog walkers. Way more conducive to throwing a round.

I like this course. It's beautiful. But if you've got distance, if you can "grip it and rip it" there's not much challenge here for you. This course is made for people who can throw far and straight. Yes, there are trees to be avoided, but it is a very open course. And it is relatively easy to recover from an errant throw, or evil tree bounce.

If you find yourself in the Richmond area, Bryan Park is definitely worth a stop. And since it is just off of 95, it's easy to get to even if you're just passing through.

Huge course. Beautiful landscape. Very challenging. I hated BP until I finally learned how to drive the disc far. There are always people playing but not enough to make you wait too long or get frustrated, and 90% of the people will say hey and ask how the day is going for you.

And of course, hole 15 from the blue tee is by far the greatest hole I have ever played. I think I have only birdied it once but the location is extremely unique. On a hot day, its the best for the shade and cool breeze that comes up off of the creek.

None really, except for my Leopard being at the bottom of the lake.

Play it! Enter the tourneys and have a good time. Dont let the water scare you. Some of the people I play with dont even throw on those holes in fear of losing the disc. Once you get your confidence up, let that thing fly.

This is a fantastic piece of land for a disc golf course. Big open green spaces, with enough terrain changes, and just enough trees to make it interesting and challenging. Next tee marking system uses painted links on top of basket to point to next tee. Course winds around and over water, you cross two cool little water falls. Water should not really be in play if you are a decent player, or you can use the forward tees which basically take the water out of play. Two sets of tees, although dirt. Really good mix of long and short holes, par 3's, 4's , and even one par 5 (700 feet plus). You can let it rip on the long holes, and then still have good birdie chances on the shorter holes. I nearly aced number 1. I really liked this course. Some reviewers call this course wide open, but I've played much more open courses. This has just enough trees. Its almost as if the land was just begging for a DG course. Course is close to I-95 if you are on a road trip.

Tees are dirt / grass. Not really smooth when we played. For the really bad tees, we simply stepped to the side. Most tees have distance only (some distances are gone). No hole maps or other signage at tee. As first timers we were guessing or walking forward to take a look on the longer holes. It is possible to lose discs in the water with errant or short throws. Even with the directional next tee markers, we still wandered around a bit looking for some tees.

We actually played 27 holes here over two days (rain on day one). Locals gave us the scoop on the directional next tee system on our second day. The first day we wandered all over the place looking for next tees. The info board at hole one has a map, and describes the directional system. Too bad we didn't bother to read it the first time.

BP is easily the most scenic course in Richmond. It is my home course and by far my favorite, for several reasons. First of all, the park is gorgeous. It is very well maintained year-round. It is also the most open park in the area, with a lot of opportunities for long drives (Par 4 on 4, 8, 9, 10, and 17; Par 5 on 11). A very hilly course, with a few short/flat holes in the mix. There are gold and blue tees on each hole, with one water hole on each so you don't have to throw over the water if you don't want to. Having a practice basket right by the parking lot is nice, and the course is quite easy to navigate. I have heard people complain that the course is too open and doesn't provide enough of a challenge, but I disagree. Although only 2 holes play over water, several others play next to it so you have to be careful. Also, while it is an open course, there are still some large trees on nearly every hole. While there are plenty of grip-and-rip holes, the trees and water make for plenty of technical shots as well.

It's also right off of I-95 (park is literally right off the exit), so it's perfect for a quick round if you're passing through town.

After a rain the tees can get pretty muddy, and some of them have some big roots to watch out for. The best thing that could be done for this course is to put in better tees - the natural tees don't drain well after a rain, and many of them will either be covered by puddles or too muddy to throw on. The course would also benefit from having access to the park bathrooms - there are some across from the parking lot and behind the tee for #11, but the doors are often locked on both. Also - bring water; there are water fountains in the same locations as the bathrooms, but also aren't always functional.

Bryan is a great park that everyone should try to play if given the opportunity. My favorite park in VA. There are lots of hills throughout the course - it's a great walk, but be sure to wear a good pair of shoes.

If you're in the Richmond area and want a scenic course with varied terrain, water hazards, and plenty of chances to air it out, Bryan is the place to check out.

This is the best park in Richmond. If you are driving through and are looking for a quick round stop by. It has easy access right off of 95. Free to play and easy parking. The primary pros for this course are its visual beauty and variable length. While it is indeed very open it is not a pure grip it and rip it course. Most of the 400 plus holes require a stylistically altered drive. Some uphill, some downhill, some over water, some through or around big trees(hopefully around). These holes are peppered with birdie holes and solid par holes.

The elevation changes from hole to hole cause pause for the first time player before his/her drive. The few water holes are not overbearing but the possibility of lost discs is very real.

The course is well maintained, although more permanent tees would be nice. For the most part it is easy to navigate. Painted bars on the baskets highlight the direction of the next tee. There is very little rough to speak of so most lost discs come to rest at the bottom of a body of water.

Most baskets are visible from the tee and therefore big drives are a beauty to watch. Gold and blue tees are situated so as to create a new hole rather than just a longer one making Bryan really 1 1/2 courses.

Again, visual beauty makes this course what it is. It has good length but players with less distance can compete on most holes with consistency and accuracy. This course pulls the absolute most out a picturesque setting. You will walk a lot, which I think is a good thing.

There are very few truly technical holes on this course. Big trees can and do create obstacles but should for the most part be easily avoided by the experienced player. Does not have the perfect mix of open and wooded holes as do elite courses.

The tee pads, while constantly under improvement, are natural and often muddy or root ridden. Also, there are no signs, only distance indicators on the tee pad markers.

As the sport grows and this course is discovered by more people it will become increasingly overcrowded. Already, it is getting to the point where the serious player should avoid it on nice weekend afternoons. I would like to see an expansion to alleviate some of the pressure. But hey, its free and we want the sport to grow, right?

I can burn myself out on this course and will make a day trip to Dorey or Spotsylvannia to mix it up. But with a group of friends this course allows for a great day of discin.

While the hardest holes are to be found on the back nine, also therein lie the most birdie opportunities. Many sloping greens can lead to three putts. This course can get really windy with its openness. Watch out for clueless pedestrians and cars passing through the many park roads.

This is my home course and I hold it dear. It will only improve over the years as the river city disc golf club coalesces and grows. Come out for doubles on Saturdays at 11. This may change to Fridays at 6 as the days lengthen and the weather softens.

Casual run down of holes:

8-11 is a brutal stretch

1. Short, avoid trees to right and water to left.
2. Slightly uphill, short, with trees and water.
3. Long, straight and slightly uphill.
4. Hate this hole, long, curvy, with trees I always hit and a second shot I haven't figured out yet.
5. Elevation change makes it play longer than it looks.
6. Just don't hit a tree on the drive and you'll be alright. Easier said than done.
7. First must have birdie opportunity.
8. Long, just don't end up behind the big tree and you should par it.
9. Love this hole, long and straight and beautiful to watch drives
10. Uphill and challenging. Usually requires a long putt to par.
11. This is the signature hole, very long. Try to get over the creek on your drive.
12. Deceptively hard must have birdie hole.
13. Another birdie, don't hit the greenhouse.
14. Very hard blind drive from blue and beautiful shot from yellow. Stay out of tress on left.
15. Another deceptively long birdie hole uphill. Great for forehand drives. The rocks will always stop your disc.
16. Get it over the water and get a birdie.
17. Most technical hole on course with an elevated basket. Easy blow up hole.
18. Uphill shot over the water. A good drive makes for an easy birdie but a poor second shot leaves you with a hard par.

Extremely challenging, very beautiful, a lot of variety, and a lot of great scenery

Certain Shots are "water shots" and you will lose your disks if you are not careful.

I play at Bryan Park more than any other course. It is by far my favorite. Playing there is great exercise, and the course is exceptionally challenging. Here is a hole by hole break down:
H1: Can be aced if the disk is thrown right.
H2: A straight long fairway drive.
H3: A fairway drive on a hill.
H4: A wide open shot into an open field. Thrown your fastest disc.
H5: A strategic hole. The trees will attempt to thwart your drive.
H6: Even more trees to block your drive. This one is down a nice hill.
H7: Picnicing families beware. This shot is right around the picnic area. But be careful, one wrong shot and you could ruin a family outing.
H8: This basket is on the other side of a giant pine tree and can not be seen. This hole is very complicated and requires perfect throws to par.
H9: Another open field shot. These types of holes are what make Bryan Park so grand.
H10: An easy fairway shot IF the giant tree doesn't grab your disc.
H11: The hardest hole in all of Richmond. This basket is almost on the other side of the park, across a stream. Discs get lost on this shot every day. This hole is ridiculously hard. Only the most trained can birdie this basket.
H12: Massively toned down from H11. However your disk can roll down hill into another part of the park, and that's a bad thing.
H13: Almost too easy. The most challenging part is not hitting oncoming cars. This basket can be aced.
H14: Going down towards the river. Massive trees and forest terrain will stand in your way.
H15: Never underestimate this hole. One wrong throw and you'll be in the river, or, even worse, on the rocks.
H16: Two choices, across the lake, or a super easy throw from an almost ridiculously close location. Coming from H11 this one is a joke, almost surreal in it's simplicity.
H17: From the first shot you have to go between two large trees. Your disc can easily stray into a swampy brush that will eat it alive. This is a very difficult hole. Even the basket sits on a mound, on a hill. Miss the basket and you will throw your chances as your disc will roll down the hill.
H18: The "Gut check" shot. Use a ragedy old disc. THIS shot eats discs EVERYDAY. I have seen it, and I have lost plenty discs myself doing this shot. The shot requires you to make a throw across a lake BUT that's not all. After your disc crosses the lake it must contend with a hill. If the disc is thrown wrong, gets blown by the wind, or rolls down that hill into the water, you can kiss it goodbye.

This is a beautiful park that is well maintained. There is good parking and bathrooms available.

The course is a drivers paradise with many long drives through open areas or just a few very large old oak trees. There are several baskets where water comes into play. One has the water on the left the entire length of the fairway. The second basket has it but the throw would have to be way off to make it a factor. On nine you won't see the water until you get close to the basket but its behind and down the hill behind the basket. You'd better pray it doesn't role. Then on 11 its a 690/701 drive with a 20 foot wide canal halfway down the fairway. Throw it over the canal or short it up to it because if it goes in have fun trying to get it out. Then 15, 16, and 18 will give your disc a bath with an errant drive or bad putt.

My favorite basket is 4. Its a long way and a challenging drive. It is also the most peaceful basket.

The way they use the ribs on the tees to show the direction of the next tee is great.

This course suits those who love to drive and can drive long but it is has only a couple of holes that would considered very technical (unless you count the water hazards). The dirt tees are dangerous with roots and craters in them. On 13 be careful because you are throwing across a road.

The trend for courses now seems to be big and long and this course is it. Those of us who are better technicians or just good average players will enjoy the course but your score is going to be up there.

Great wide open course located in a very scenic park location. Lots of grip and rip holes, mixed in with some technical layouts and hidden hole placements.

Some holes had blind baskets. Many of the tee pads (all natural) were uneven, or had root obstacles making me pay more attention to my footing rather than my windup and release.

Overall a very pleasant atmosphere. The local players were very friendly and pleased to help new visitors get oriented to the course.

This course is lots of fun. The setting is beautiful, just outside of the city of Richmond. Most fairways are wide open and chances of losing a disc are slim (although i lost my friends disc in the water my very first time playing. Sorry G-man).

Practice basket near Hole #1. Best part is its free

You will get some exercise on this course (not much of a negative but for a lazy college kid it seems like alot of walking). The length will never be a problem in my book though. I've had to wait for people on this popular course before but most of the time they are polite and let me go ahead if I was alone.

It's hard to think up negatives but there really are no major problems with the course. If your a pro then it may seem a little wide open for you and probably won't be too challenging.

I love the course as it allows me to "grip and rip" on most holes. You will work on every aspect of your game at Bryan. (Driving, Mid, and Putting)

I'm proud to consider this my home course.

Very goodcourse. Nothing I have seen before. Great pin placement.

Might measure the 4th hole seem a little long to me.

sign might help directing the players to the next hole

Fun course, lots of open, rolling park land, with lots of large, old trees scattered throughout. Lots of legnthy open holes, that challenge the best players. A couple of water holes.

CROSSING FAIRWAYS! There is too much room out there for this to happen. Tees can be tricky too.

Great little chunk of heaven right in the urban jungle.

Beautiful city park, with lots of old growth tree, rolling hills, water, wildlife and is well maintained. There are two sets of tees on each hole, offering shorter holes for newer players, and longer, tougher holes to challenge the pros. Due to the rolling hills and large trees, there is a lot of variety in holes. You have some kind of elevation challenge on almost every hole, sometimes multiple times. A few holes, either throw over water, or along side it, so accuracy is at a premium on these holes.

Chainstar baskets, that seem to catch even my bad putts, which is most of them. These baskets are very nice and have the biggest sweet spot. There is a small chance of losing a disc, even the water shots. The water is shallow enough to go in to retrieve your disc. There are benches on several holes and water fountains near holes 1 and 11. There is plenty of parking, a restroom and nice disc golf kiosk.

The biggest con for me was the dirt/natural tee pads. Many of them are near trees, with exposed roots, that make tripping fairly easy. A few of the tee pads, when dry, can be slippery, and if it's rainy and wet, they can be very sloppy. Some tees were difficult to locate and there are no tee signs. There is one criss cross fairway, which only comes into play if the course is crowded.

Since it's a public park, there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, dog walkers and joggers walking in and around the course, so be cautious before you throw.

I have rewritten this review, to provide more detail and explanation, hopefully this time it has much more information to help you to make a decision on whether you want to play the course or not.

This is one of my favorite courses, it is wide open enough to let some discs fly, but has enough strategically placed obstacles to penalize any bad throws.

Locals have worked hard to get this course in, despite the negative feedback from the parks department. If the park department would embrace disc golf, this course will only get better.

There is a nice old time feel about this city park. The scenery of the park is worth the trip by itself, the fact that I can spend some time here playing dg pushes it over the top.

Beautiful city park setting! Rolling hills for great scenery and great exercise. Variety of different holes. Baskets placed at a great distance apart for no overlapping. Also a wonderful color coded system on the top of all baskets pointing out the way to the next hole! Follow the yellow spoke to the next yellow tee and follow the blue spoke to the next blue tee. Wonderful trick I wish all Disk Courses would utilize!

Not much to complain about....A popular park so sometimes you have to contend with off leash dogs. More of a distance course than a technical course. If you leave the fairway you should beware of some poison oak, but otherwise a great day out of Disc Golf.

My favorite park to play in Richmond and one I love to hit at least once every weekend. New to the sport but so far this is my favorite course.

Note: The only restrooms around are across the street from the parking lot, across from Hole One and the Putting basket. After that you're on your own!

11/05/08: Update on Hole 12 they have now added a bridge to cross over the creek! A great addition to an already fun course. The Park and Rec staff really seem to care about the DG community here.

03/28/2011:
They changed the basket placement on #15 so that it sits up in the woods off to the left. It takes 15 and makes it far tougher and is a great modification!

Long rolling hills with over hanging trees

Better directions on the placement of first Tee

What a great course with the rolling hils and long holes. Adding that water comes in to play in 4 holes; with going over water on one I found it to be a great course.

Manicured park landscape

All but one or two holes are a straight line.

Bryan Park is an expansive and picturesque disc golf course in a manicured Civilian Conservation Corps-era city park. Overall, the course is somewhat long and mostly open. The course is also hilly, and while far from wooded, it does feature plenty of huge old trees to keep you honest. To me, the overriding advantage of city park courses like Bryan Park is the great old school park landscape, with the rolling hills, beautiful trees, and other well established landscaping.

Beyond the landscape, the other distinguishing feature of the Bryan Park course is its length. Each hole has blue (long) and yellow (less long) tees, and official par is 58; that 58 includes some long par 3s, however. Several holes are 400'+, including the beautiful downhill #4, the long slope of #9 and #10, and the 700' downhill and then back up again #11. In addition, several of holes feature "fast greens;" baskets set on the side of an incline that will turn a bare miss into a painfully long comeback putt. And finally, playing from the blue tees includes two relatively short but true water holes. Among the courses in the Richmond area, these are all truly distinguishing and welcome characteristics.

Most every hole is pretty straightforward, however. While you may need to control your flight path due to the trees in the fairway, from tee to basket is a straight line on most of the holes. Most every hole also involves at least some measure of up and down.

With its hills, smooth grass fairways, ancient oaks, and long holes, the course at Bryan Park is the queen of the Richmond disc golf scene. The blue tees have pavers; the yellows are natural. It's pretty easy to follow even though it lacks signs, and while it has minimal rough and no real wooded holes or even dog-leg fairways, the hills, length, and large trees that are there make it challenging enough.

Overall, I rate Bryan Park as Excellent, as the landscape is nearly ideal for a great day on the course.

Favorite Hole - #11 - 700' down a long slope among a variety of large, old oak trees, across a deep cut creek, and then back up again to the basket.