Other Thoughts:
Course sits in mildly rolling piedmont watershed of a 900 acre regional park with mature canopy. Park is very busy, especially in season, and features a wide variety of facilities. The lake comprises about 25% of the park's total acreage and the course covers about 15 acres of land.
Course is sequestered from other park activities, but nearby biking/walking paths and the generally crowded park milieu make alertness, patience and consideration a requirement for playing here. Originally, the course featured returning 9's, but currently it has 6 and 12 hole loops. Equipment is above average. Tee pads, signage and amenities are superior, almost to the point of being overkill for this type of course. Tee signs, which include topographic information and current pin location information, were some of the most detailed and aesthetically pleasing this reviewer has seen. Course is very playable and way finding simple. Rounds are swift for those on a tight time budget.
In all fairness, the first thing to consider about Burke Lake DGC is its age. It is nearly 40 years old, and despite at least one major renovation during that time, this is reflected in the average hole distances for the 18, which range from about 220' (reds) to 250' (whites). Burke Lake is an early east coast technical style course and has probably seen more than a 500,000 rounds during its life. For the advanced and above level golfer, it is probably not the golfing challenge that they would prefer, however, it's still a great course for new, young and/or recreational players. It's also a rare chance to observe the effects of massive foot traffic when paired with fairly limited and sporadic management practices directed specifically at the course. It is also interesting historically, as the seeds of what many take for granted in today's 'modern' disc golf world were planted in places like Burke Lake DGC.
All the basic fairway shapes are represented; decidedly favoring stable clock spin throws overall. There's no real guile here, although the 'hidden tree' effect is present in a couple of fairways. Greens are largely neutral with regards to slope and spin receptivity. Undergrowth in the main has been pounded away by foot traffic, and although roughs are frequently filled with downed trees in various stages of decomposition, they offer generous recovery and scrambling chances. These downed trees also offer some spatial definition and separation between adjoining fairways; courses of this vintage frequently are very compact spatially and over time the separating roughs tend to get worn thin.
Holes here are outstanding mainly for their historical precedent, as subsequent examples elsewhere have long since outpaced them. That being the case, I would mention #8, which is an early example of the split fairway concept and #17, an early example of the straight shot with fade control skill test.
While I wouldn't say this course is a 'must play', it certainly still has a vital role for the sport, certainly if you are introducing newcomers to disc golf or are with your family on an outing. I would also suggest a limit of speed 4 or less discs OR playing with your off-hand to make the contest more 'fair'; certainly the lessons here in technical consistency may be applied elsewhere. Burke Lake is also a perfect course for vintage/super class events.