Fort Walton Beach, FL

Ferry Park

3.155(based on 50 reviews)
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4 1
Razorback Ramsey
Experience: 16.3 years 16 played 14 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun Vacation Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great course near beach resorts
Highlights Florida landscape well.
Multiple tee pads allows for varying difficulty.

Good use of natural obstacles (i.e. Low tree canopy, stream, guarded baskets with trees)

Great course to hone your short game (most baskets under 300 ft)

Cons:

A little difficult to navigate. Directional arrows would have been helpful

Other Thoughts:

This was a great treat while visiting the area. I would highly recommend to anyone in the area. Fun and challenging little course.
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1 1
Buckwheat
Experience: 8.4 years 7 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Challenging short course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Fun course that requires accuracy and the ability to bend it both ways. Fairly easy to navigate and well kept.

Cons:

Heavy traffic in the park, some holes a little confusing.

Other Thoughts:

Much better than the Destin course, fun vacation course.
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2 3
Ginganinja
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Actually a fun course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

*Good for casual rounds on vacation
*easy to navigate
*2 tee-pads on most holes
*short tee-pads are good for beginners and long are good for *more experienced to have a little challenge

Cons:

*trying not to hit people
*its Florida so bugs and humidity
*shorts are so shorts its almost not fun
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3 0
YouGotXRAYd
Experience: 7.7 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

LHBH / RHFH Paradise! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 4, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Nice tee boxes
- Well maintained
- Multiple pin positions
- Pro / Am tee positions
- Has Restrooms

Cons:

- Almost caters to one style of throwing
- You sometimes have to throw over pedestrian paths
- Hole signs have incorrect distances
- Some of the fairways will hold water after it rains

Other Thoughts:

Are you a lefty, favor the RHFH shot, or trying to learn to throw your RHFH? Well then this is the course for you! Almost every hole catered to the LHBH or RHFH player. Which is unfortunate as I am not a Southpaw and have a terrible forehand (Getting better).

However, the course is in a beautiful park and has a decent layout. Hole 3 and 4 kinda cross each other so make sure to look both ways before crossing the fairway.

All-in-all the course is good. Its fun, its challenging, and can allow you to move up once your done with the Am tee boxes for a new set of shots. Go play this course. Its not perfect but it will not disappoint.

Update: I did not know this when I went, but each tee box has long and short pin positions! I must not have paid much attention. So thats a plus! I am just not sure when they rotate them. Still, GO PLAY THIS COURSE! :).
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6 0
Mr. Butlertron
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.7 years 684 played 131 reviews
2.50 star(s)

RHBH Purgatory 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 2, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- free to play, free to park
- bathrooms on location
- benches
- intuitive course layout, hole 18 loops back to the parking lot
- multiple concrete tees, multiple pin positions
- decent baskets
- uses creek to create risk/reward scenarios
- a fun mix of open and technical fairways
- clean, well maintained fairways
- family friendly course

Cons:

- signs don't account for multiple pin positions, distances were incorrect
- heavily LHBH favorable
- heavily used park filled with track walking pedestrians, as well as other players
- some fairway overlap
- mostly short holes
- mostly flat fairways
- some drives ran the risk of landing over a fence and in someone's yard

Other Thoughts:

I've been anxious to throw this course from the moment I first learned I'd be moving here 6 months ago. Ferry park is a lightly wooded, slightly longer pitch and putt style course that heavily favors LHBH or RHFH slightly over RHBH dominant players. Fairways tend to have limited, but not necessarily low, ceilings with very little undergrowth. The course was challenging and the fairways had clear lines to the baskets.

I felt like they tried to get a little too cute/cheap with these teepads, as they are a narrow "V" shape. The pads hardly let RHBH players position themselves for the variety of anhyzer throws they'll need to take to play this course. Another con was that the course wraps around and works its' way through a highly trafficked multi-use park that borders neighborhood housing. If your not worried about hitting a random jogger/dog walker then you're trying not to throw into someone's back yard or baseball field. Also, the short tees are so close to the basket that they're not really worth throwing from unless you're a true beginner or trying to pad the olde' ace stats.

Overall, there's a challenging yet simple feel to the course. Ferry Park forces players like me to practice their left to right line proficiency, which I appreciate. There's not too much punishment for errant throws unless you end up in someone's back yard or in the creek in front of 18. This casual course draws in a wide variety of players and skill levels due to Fort Walton Beach's centralized location between Navarre, Niceville, and Destin. Location Rush hour crowds can clog the course up with players and walkers, remember to be patient with both.

There's a charity league on Thursdays at 530. The entry fee is 3$ or three cans, with a dollar CTP and birdie pot for a dollar each. Also, there's a volunteer course maintenance group that meets on Saturdays at 8 am. Contact Gary Hunter in facebook for more information about both groups
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0 7
Cylemmulo
Experience: 6 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Short but amazing course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 15, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Phenomenal community around it.

The course is easily accessible. Great variety of shots that aren't too ridiculous or too likely to lose you a disc. Well upkept, in a great part of town.

Cons:

Some holes are pretty short (though great for me because i'm a terrible driver)
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6 1
Majshark
Experience: 13 played 13 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Favorite Course Among The Locals With Some Nice Features 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 1, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Holes are typically short that favors finesse over power. Narrow fairways between tees with the occasional water hazard provides some solid variety between the 18 holes.
Adequate signage for tee direction and location.
Although there is a lot of people traffic on and through the park (joggers, walkers, other players) the course is pretty clean.
Concrete tees. Nice, concrete paths between holes.
Benches found at most tees.

Cons:

As mentioned above, this course is VERY busy with other park visitors, and thus patience is a virtue.
Missing the fairway on several holes could mean landing a disc in someone's backyard or in the drink.

Other Thoughts:

This course is geared for those patient players who seek accuracy over slinging bombs. If you don't kind a crowded park with a nice variety of holes, this course is for you.
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2 3
HumDyn
Experience: 5.4 years 12 played 12 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Half sandy/Half wet 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 5, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1. Easy travel time to get to course.
2. Trees make it challenging
3. A sidewalk for walkers winds thru the course

Cons:

1. Heavy use has rendered the first six holes very sandy which makes walking difficult.
2. The second half of the course is swampy. If you go after a recent rain, you will have to hop from dry spot to dry spot.

Other Thoughts:

I wish the city of Fort Walton Beach would bring in several dump trucks of fill dirt for holes 12-15. That would help playability a lot. Great job by Robert Duck and other volunteers on moving baskets frequently.
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6 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Ace Of Hearts 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 25, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

(2.968 Rating) (REVISED - replayed May 2019) The perfect relaxing vacation course. Ace runs galore and a nice scenic park.
- ACEABILITY - Ferry is absolutely stacked with fun and highly aceable shots. You are probably 5 times more likely to ace here, than at a normal course. The front tee layout typically has eight or nine sub 200 foot shots depending on basket placements. I'm sure the locals are racking them up.
- CHARACTER - The course definitely feels like it has been taken care of well by a superb local club. There is seating at a majority of the holes, and numerous tees have a big wooden spindles to stow a bag off the ground. Some of the benches are partially secluded allowing for a greater than normal Zen ambience. There's a restroom building with drinking fountain. There's a shelter with picnic tables which provides a perfect end of round gathering point. There are also many alternate basket placements. I do wish there was a practice basket.
- TEEING EXPERIENCE - Two sets of tees at many holes, and both are with their own hole signage. Pads are all concrete and are adequately long. The tees are widened in the front instead of the back which goes against the PDGA recommendations. Since I use an arcing run-up, here I often find myself starting my footwork from off the tee. Thankfully, the tee sides have relatively flat transitions. Last I'll mention that most of the tee areas are shaded well.
- NAVIGATION - I don't find any major issues as a quick photo of the course map clears almost all of them up. Please note that hole (17) has been altered and is actually easier to transition compared to my prior visits. There are some directional cues along the course layout as well.
- MAINTENANCE - The grounds appear to be mowed weekly. The park is very clean with several garbage cans along the layout. Only a couple of small spots have significant overgrowth.
- RAW BEAUTY - IMO, Ferry is the second or third most scenic course in the area. Behind nearby Anderson Pond and near equivalent to Post'l Point. A nice gentle creek meanders thru the layout. For the most part, lush vegetation throughout. The nearby baseball field fences and a few backyards are the most notable blemishes. In all, the sum of the parts added to my personal course experience.
- QUICK PLAY - A single could easily complete a full 18 in under an hour. Groups of 4 will probably finish in under an hour and 45 minutes.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - This really is not a beginners course per say, but beginners should enjoy it regardless due to the short length. The fairways widths are moderately spaced and should challenge Novice and perhaps lower end Recreational players. Intermediate level players and above will not be challenged, see cons.

Cons:

Other than a lack of difficulty, no major issues with Ferry.
- TOO EASY - Too short and not a challenge to seasoned players. Advanced players should have no problem being well under course par, perhaps 10 down or more. Intermediate and Grand Master Recreational players should average 4 down or better from the back tees.
- ELEVATION - Really none to speak of. I know that this is typically for Florida, but this course is flat for even Florida standards. No more than 5 feet of elevation change throughout the entire course layout. There is one elevated basket on (5) when the placement is in the short position.
- SPACING - Slightly below average. If the course were full, there would be a few tees that could be reached by an errant throw because of little tee protection. A few fairways also feel partially shared.
- UNIQUENESS - The holes themselves are lacking the uniqueness that one would find on an average 18 hole course. The layout favors RHFH players and is very short with only a few holes over 300 feet in length from the back tees. There aren't any doglegs, par 4s or par 5s. No hole twists very much, perhaps one is 10 degrees. There are only a couple blind basket placements, there are a few windows to hit, and a few holes are very well guarded by trees. There is water in play on several holes, but I have yet to go in over three rounds. I have seen DGCR members Mr. Butlertron and Hello Kitty both throw one in the drink, but both were easily retrieved with a Kwikstik.

Other Thoughts:

As a vacationer who's now been here three times, I've always enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure I'd play this course a lot if I lived nearby. I rarely give courses this short a 3 rating, but it's just so fun and relaxing that my lust for the diabolical beauty seems to wane a bit when I'm here. Ferry Park is a perfect Recreational and Novice players course. Also great for those that prefer to throw shorter courses or to throw ace runs. Pro and Advanced players will come away untested and wish they had only brought a putter.
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3 1
Klingmeyer
Experience: 8.3 years 23 played 18 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 8, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Has both long and short tees on many holes. Tee boxes are marked nicely with yardage. Most baskets are easily seen from tee boxes. Baskets are in good shape. Water is in play on 4 holes, but easy enough to drive over. A Lot of natural obstacles placed strategically. One basket is raised up higher than all others, interesting touch.

Cons:

Since the course is placed throughout a park, there is a lot of foot traffic Most holes are reached easily enough by a driver.

Other Thoughts:

Although the conditions were windy, the natural surroundings cut the wind quite a bit. I enjoyed this course much more than Morgan Sports Complex and Chain Dragon. I saw a blue heron in the river also. I would play this course again.
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1 2
scotems1
Experience: 20.7 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Ferry Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 12, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Concrete tees, very well maintained, nice baskets, well marked hole numbers, absolutely beautiful scenery. Short but challenging course. Also challenging because there is lots of water.

Cons:

Very heavy traffic. Ferry Park also has a walking/jogging course, baseball fields and children's playground. Just a little rain can cause the course to get very wet and muddy.

Other Thoughts:

Overall a nice, challenging course. Great for working on your finesse game.
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4 0
calebwilliams507
Experience: 9.5 years 5 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Ferry Park Disc Golf Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 4, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Very well-maintained
- Concrete tees (pro and ameteur tees)
- Multiple pins
- Innova DisCatcher baskets
- Beautiful scenery
- Not an extremely long course

Cons:

- adjacent to fenced backyards
- Lots of walkers, runners, etc
- Often many other disc golfers, leading to waiting to tee off

Other Thoughts:

The Ferry Park disc golf course is a well-maintained disc golf course, however its location in a heavily-used park means that players often must wait to tee off to to walkers and other pedestrians. It is all too easy to throw a disc into someone's backyard with all of the trees, especially when playing from the red tees. There is a great variety of holes, and the course is never boring. If it weren't for the risk of losing a disc in a backyard, I would rate the course at a 3.5. I would rather lose a disc in a lake and not be able to see it then be able to see a disc in a someone's yard, but not able to reach it . . .
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1 4
mateo4815
Experience: 10.6 years 33 played 7 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Very fun
- Well marked
- Nice Little Park
- Lots of people playing
- Very Nice Tees

Cons:

- A little short for a full 18 hole course
- Lots of people playing

Other Thoughts:

While I was here there were lots of people playing. We had to wait several times to get to the next hole. However, its nice having other people on the course to point you in the right direction.
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2 6
LBC19
Experience: 12.2 years 7 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course was well taken care of! No problem finding our way around! Nice way to spend a couple hours while on vacation! Ace hardware had a great selection of disc.

Cons:

Marsh area was kinda sketchy. Some guy was telling me of some baby snakes back there. Hate snakes so i was on the watch lol

Other Thoughts:

My son,his friend and myself had a blast at this course. If I ever get back down this way It will be on my play list!
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2 3
cadillac77jk
Experience: 78 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Short & Sweet 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Clean park, good directionals between baskets, Pro/Am pads, very well taken care of, friendly locals, really NO reason you should lose a disc

Cons:

mostly short holes even from the Pro pads, lots of repetition and similar shaping shots (mostly straight), course could be played with only a stable midrange (Roc/Shark/Buzz) and still manage par or better - who doesn't love a good one disc challenge anyways :)

Other Thoughts:

Definitely play this course if you are in the area! With a few exceptions, most holes range between 190-250 feet, so leave the distance drivers in the car. Since playing it once will take you about an hour, go ahead and put a few more mid range discs in your bag and play each pad 3 times with different shot shapes. It won't take you more than an extra minute or so and you'll get more bang for your buck without all the extra walking.
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10 0
bpartrid
Experience: 13.3 years 81 played 27 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Play It If In Town 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has many pros to its name: good course layout, nice park, fun and easy, good tees and tee signs, Pro and amateur tees, good baskets. Overall, the course is very enjoyable as a short 18 hole par 3 layout. The holes weave through the park, giving you a nice walk through woods and open areas. Good place to just take a mid range and hone that part of your game. If you are a first timer then just play the shorter tees as it gives you the best opportunity to ace a hole (as many have done).

Cons:

Sometimes, next hole signs would be beneficial but for the most part the course is easy to navigate. Most distances marked on the tee signs are incorrect, so take with a grain of salt (or sand in this case). Since it is a short course there is little variety in disc choice.

Other Thoughts:

I would not go out of my way to play this course but if you are a disc golfer vacationing in the Destin/Fort Walton area then it is definitely worth the drive. For the most part I am not partial to beach area disc golf courses as they usually do not lend to any sort of elevation changes or interesting views/throws (only exception Blue Angels DGCs) but I would say that this is probably the best 18 hole course option in the Gulf area (if you're not going to Blue Angels). This is a very enjoyable course that has woods, water, and aces. The course is easy to find and navigate, so enjoy it.
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4 5
NickRappazini
Experience: 13.6 years 10 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A golf course in my home town!?!? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 3, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Signage... A complete course map at hole 1. Tee signs on each hole, with distance. +1

Baskets, Tee pads. Check and check. +1


Trash, Benches, Water and Restrooms...

The activity center was closed, so no water or restrooms, but plenty of trash and benches. +.5

Course design... You must have a OUT and IN to be a professional course. Other than that, for being a short course the throws are varied and the difficulty still exists. Aces are possible on most holes, but so are bogies!!! +.5

Cons:

Signage ... Other than an empty mailbox where scorecards would be, it's great.

Would like to have a Restroom and water, especially around hole nine. -.5


The course is in a multi-use park and doesn't have hole nine and ten around the clubhouse. Also the transition to hole three goes through the green of hole #4 and the tee pad of #5, probably the worst transition I've ever seen -.5

Other Thoughts:

Although this is a great course in a small park out of the way, I can't see giving it an *extra* point for anything special. I cannot think of an epic hole, or any really special for that matter.

So total points - 3 . Worth going out of your way for, but not too far.
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1 6
Bimbambogart
Experience: 13.2 years 5 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A waltz through a neighborhood... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 28, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The water shots are great and setup to where its hard to lose a disc.
There's nets so you don't throw into peoples yard.
This course was a lot of fun.

Cons:

I've got nothing.

Other Thoughts:

A drink machine would be cool...
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8 0
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.3 years 776 played 417 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Compact 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Just over half the holes have two concrete (12' long) tees, with red farther from basket than blue.

Cons:

Walking path often comes into play in this popular, midst-of-neighbourhood park

Other Thoughts:

Course is located in a very flat, fairly open, multi-purpose park, split in the middle by a small stream. In addition to the water, both random and copses of trees are used to define fairways, and provide obstacles. The water likely won't come into play for experienced players, but a beginner might manage to find it.

If bombing is your thing, you won't find it here, as the shorts average ~215', the longs ~240', with only three holes >300'. If twisting and turning your disc through tight paths and narrow windows is your preference, your won't find that here either, as even the tight holes aren't that tight, and are only tight for a limited duration. However, if you want to work on your ~225'+/- game, needing mostly straight throws, with a smattering of late rights or lefts to have many birdy chances, then this is a course you'll want to play.

Despite the absence of a map, there are lots of directional signs, and the course was fairly easy to navigate, as long as you realize to:
- cross a bridge to find holes 3, 4, and tee-5.
- cross a bridge to find tee-7, but you'll be throwing back across from whence you just came.
- after basket-16, go left for a bit of a walk to tee-17.
- after basket-17, go left for a bit of a walk to find tee-18.

It is actually kinda amazing the designers fit in an 18-hole course w/o the holes interfering with one another - holes 3&4 do a bit, but that's about it. Stop by for a round if you want to work on your short game.
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4 1
Jaysauls
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.3 years 129 played 71 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun, fun, fun! 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

If you're bringing a newbie out to teach the game, this is the course for you! If you need a course to put confidence back in your game, this is the place! If you need a course to test your arm...go some where else! But for me, a guy with moderate power and finesse, this course was perfect. I played 2 rounds back-to-back in a little over an hour and wasn't the least bit winded.

And with the majority of the holes being putter-shots, all I took was my putter, a buzzz and my trusty eagle. I shot 8-10 down every round.

The course is also very easy to navigate with hole 7 being the only tricky one. Lots of tee signs and markers with distance.

Cons:

Walkers, walkers, walkers. Did I mention walkers? Lots of 'em! That and walkers with dogs. We are the red-headed step children (no offence to red-headed step children!) in the sports world and don't get no respect! The walkers completely ignore you and trudge right down the fairways and where you are looking to throw. So you gotta be real careful before you chunk a shot out of sight.
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