The technical challenge of this long and beautiful course. It's ALL trees, all the time and it will challenge every aspect of your game. It's got great tee pads, great elevation, and great bridges that cross the creeks. If the lake is draining into the creeks on the back, it adds a really nice natural beauty. There are benches on most holes. It's got a cool 9-hole pitch-and-putt warm up course. There are great locals that maintain the course. In the Summer, this is the go-to course because almost all of it is under tree canopy.

Hole 2 - the Lake shot. I can get across the lake, but barely. I always throw a disc I can afford to put in the water on Hole 2 and I always aim for the diving platform on the left, which is the shortest distance across the lake. If you know you can't get across the lake, you end up walking to the 'drop zone' tee across the lake, shooting 3 at the basket about 80' away. For many, Hole 2 is a great shot and a scenic shot if you have the arm. For some, this hole is kinda lame because you know if you try, you're going in the water.... again. Other con is that the leaves really accumulate in the Fall months and it's easy to go underneath them. Throw bright colored plastic in the Fall. Weird note: No one seems to refer to this course as "Clarks Run".... just about everyone I know calls it Freedom Center.

If you like technical disc golf with decent elevation, you will love Freedom Center DGC. IMHO, it's the best disc golf course in the DC area (30 mi radius). Now, it's HARD... my best round is a 70 and I've probably played 15 rounds here. Holes 3, 5, 12, and 13 seem like genuine Par 5s - Hole 8 feels like a Par 6! Hole 8 is the hardest hole on the course. Hole 13 is an absolutely awesome hole and my personal fave. Check out Crooow's great review below for a good hole-by-hole description (he's a little tough on 18 - it's a good hole). There are only a handful of 'easy 3s' on this course, and you will be thankful for them. I like technical courses and I like elevation so on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, this course rates 5.5 stars in my book. Now, if you like mostly open courses, Freedom Center might not be your cup of tea. Yes, it's $5 to play but it's worth $10. Join the LOCO club and you don't have pay the daily fee. This course is just an absolute gem. That said, it ain't for beginners.

New concrete padsGreat clubMaintained often

Fun but tons of trees some holes have no direct lineNewcomers should use course map

Can I use the blob

-Update-
Tee Signs are in, new bridge or two is in place, every hole has a decent sized bench, work has started on the alternate tees and attention has been given to the restrooms. The course has broken in quite nicely! Home to an A-tier for the LoCo Open (Pros) weekend!

This course is a John Biscoe design. Both the LoCo club and John have done a great job here. I have visited this course probably 2 or 3 dozen times and I'm continually impressed how I discover nuances of things I've overlooked in previous visits. Initially, I was frustrated as it is a challenging course. Nothing is given away, every throw challenged. There are short par 3's, but you have tight tunnel gaps to hit. You have a longer par 5 on hole 8, but the twist and turns demand considered placement shots or you risk either OB or Jail. Remember, there's no shame throwing back to the fairway - it's the hardest shot in disc golf to take your medicine and move on cleanly. On hole 11, it may be a shorter par 3 but the elevation change, the pin placement and initial gap still challenge the score. Probably the best features on this course are; a mix of elevation change, the constant change in lines and the strategy you need to consider if you want to score well. The course is still fairly new but the foot traffic has finally settled it in quite nicely. The paths/routes from basket to tee are fairly obvious now. The basic canon of thought on this course is stay on the fairway, and in most places, the fairway is generous. However, tree-kicks do abound, and you will be scrambling more than once in your round, but that's where it gets interesting. I would say the two singularly hardest holes are holes 8 and 12. The locals refer to hole 8 lovingly as '8 on 8'. But I would argue 12 is much harder. Getting off the fairway on 12 is tough as there are spots on both sides where it's hard to navigate. Hole 12 forms a sort of double hour glass where you have 2 choke points to navigate through with lots of trees on either side to encourage you to disc down and stay on the fairway.

This course will require you to bring every shot in your game and point out some you'll want to work on. There are a couple of bomber opportunities, but they still demand accuracy. There are a ton of shots that require placement and accuracy. I can't decide what my favorite hole is..I really like the water carry on hole 2 as well as Hole 10's snaking line from the ridge across the valley and stream back onto the basket's shelf above the stream or possibly hole 13's placement landing out the 250 foot gap to cross a valley stream back up the hill to the basket. There are legitimately 8 or 9 holes that some courses would see as signature holes. Hang on to your hat on this course, it's a fun ride.

All in all, this course will make you a better player for visiting. I found the course showing me where I was weak in my game, and allowing me to work on that there.

Other Pro's as I see it:
- No real poison ivy observed
- I have not seen any ticks either - but I usually carry Deep Woods Off
- Heavy tree canopy, so lots of breaks from the summer's sun
- The local club (LoCo) has been very active it the upkeep of the course with permission of Freedom Center
-----To that point, they recently installed a new bridge between holes 10 and 17, and more work is still coming
- There is a concrete tee pad on every hole
-----The amount of work that went into the tee pads was amazing considering many of the pad locations had no easy way to get the volume of materials to the location other than by hand - the work that went into it is impressive
-----additional longer tee pad positions are being considered, so you may see some green turf laid down as consideration points
---------check out the alternate tee pads on hole's 15 and 16 - makes for interesting lines
- There is a new course map an kiosk by hole 1 and the parking lot.
- There is a par 2, 9 hole course to the right side of the property, ideal for warming up and a good way to introduce the game to a younger crowd.
- Generally, there is bench seating available for 2 or 3 people on 'most' holes
- It is a quieter setting and you may find yourself alone in the woods from time to time
- Finally - This course is still a work in progress, and that's a good thing. The club wont leave it alone and it keeps getting better with every added touch.

There are still some To-do's on the course.
- The club is planning to install more tee pads
- Recent severe weather brought down a tree or two. The club has been quick to do the cleanup to keep the fairways clear, but more is in the works to keep the property looking pristine.

One area that is sometimes tough for first time players is navigating between hole 10's basked to 11's tee pad. That transition is not so obvious; basically you have to follow the path across the creek/water behind hole 16's basket and walk a little ways to the left up the hill and stick to the path.

Most importantly, the elevation change here is real. It gets interesting from holes 11 through 17 with non-stop up and down terrain. Take your time, bring water. The back half stretch is as much about your shot selection as it is your endurance. I see this as a 'Pro', but some might disagree.

By the way, this course was featured in a recent YouTube video - for the Brent Anderson Memorial 'BAM' Tournament. You can check it out to get a better sense of the course as a couple of local pro's discuss the routes and strategies the players were taking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c75iSw2CfKc

Some final things to consider:

You may want to leave your cart behind and use a shoulder bag. You can play the course with a cart, but the elevation changes make it a challenge in a handful of places. I found that when I do bring the cart, that between 13's basket and 14's tee, after I cross the water on 13, I like to leave my cart at the bottom of the hill behind a tree over towards 14's fairway and just take what I need as after the tee you'll walk back down the same hill.

For summer time, I like to bring a face towel for sweat. The humidity in the Virginia woods can be tough on you - so do bring water

Clark's Run is private property and the property owners are very welcoming. The property owners and the LoCo club has asked the following:
- Please no smoking/drinking etc on the property
- Please don't leave trash behind
- There is a $5 donation drop box on the kiosk - this goes into the course upkeep and improvement projects
- The property is shared with mountain bikers, so please be considerate and on the lookout for them before you throw
------Mainly the bike loop skirts on the outer ring of the property, but it does intersect in a few places with the course
------Check out the new kiosk map for path info

This is all kind of common sense. The main thing (and most importantly) is the club wants to ensure everyone has a good time and no one puts the property owner's good will and keeping it open to all in jeopardy.

I may have taco'd a few DX plastic discs out there off the trees, but we always leave with a good laugh and had a good time. Hope you do as well!

This course is designed unbelievably well. It tests every aspect of your game and will ultimately make you a better player. The Loco guys have out done themselves with the course work from clearing fairways to building bridges THIS PLACE IS AMAZING

Cons? What cons GO PLAY THIS COURSE!!

This course is a disc golfers sanctuary. Set apart from the sounds and distractions of public parks and busy streets, you can find yourself alone playing in the serenity of majestic 80-100' trees that provide shade even during the hottest days of summer. Seriously, if you play during the week, you may find yourself with the entire course to yourself with only the sounds of birds and the company of an occasional deer or two. Happily, as a wooded course, there is virtually no poison ivy to speak of.

Shot diversity on this course is amazing. There is only one true hyzer bomb shot (hole 15 off the pad), otherwise the shots are mixed: left, right, straight, doglegs, up, down, short, long, water carry, and roll aways around putting circles. Bring your complete game because every type of shot can be useful here: forehands, backhands, tomahawks, thumbers, rollers, etc. Out out of bounds is only governed by open water (hole #2) and the namesake creek on several holes (i.e., Clark's Run) 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. If you get off the fairway too far, it's its own punishment. Discing down for control can lead to more scoring opportunities, but getting greedy with high speed discs can be punishing.

The property owners recently installed some signage directing traffic to the disc golf course parking area from New Valley Church Rd. The LoCo Disc Golf Club just installed an amazing property Map at the Kiosk with a full layout of the course as well as the youth course, Sacattersville. Parking is shared by mountain bike trail users. The mountain biking community doesn't use the property heavily so the occasional passing of a biker across a fairway is uncommon on weekends to rare on weekdays. A large brown kiosk in the parking area has a course open/closed sign, information and the #1 tee pad is found just past it to the left. If you aren't a member of the local club (LoCo Disc Golf Club), you are expected to donate $5/day to play. A blue donation box is mounted to the kiosk. A white lost and found return box is on the back side of the kiosk (nice).

Navigation is pretty clear cut with the exception of the transition from Hole 16 to hole 17. However, if you look for the white arrows mounted to the trees, you shouldn't have any problem navigating from basket to next tee. Walking trails are pretty clear as to which way to go.

Baskets are 28 chain disctacher pros. Pads are all uniform 5x12 cement and the surface is nicely finished for traction. Excellent matching benches can be found on every hole. Brooms on every Tee. Brand new permanent tee signs installed just before the first A Tier on May 5th 2022 capped off the final touches of this crown Jewel of Virginia.

Favorite hole is 12. 501' slight uphill to a fallen log, then a shotgun barrel straight, narrow fairway to the basket. Get off to either side and you'll need to go into scramble mode, FAST. One of the harder holes to score on IMHO. Most scenic hole is #10. Beautiful downhill shot to a basket that sits temptingly about 15' back from the creeks cut bank. Though there is no footbridge crossing from one side of the creek to the other, pause and take in the aesthetics of this hole. Gorgeous. Most challenging hole is the 633' #8. Start with two guardian trees located 40' past the tee box requires RHFH or RHBH flex to get beyond the clump of trees, then you need a shot to get past the next gap. Then you need to get down the last stretch of fairway and finish left uphill. It's a par 5 but the locals call it "8 on 8" for good reason. (Check out the stats from the A Tier. Hole 8 was the hardest hole of all.)

Bathroom is available, but not readily visible from the parking area.

This course is destination worthy and the added bonus for travelers is the 9 hole youth course (Scattersville Disc Golf Course) right next to the parking area. Great warm up course before you take on Clark's Run.

Fairways twisting up and down elevation changes and over and around the Clarks Run demand precision and placement.
This means that scoring is largely dependent on good golf, not elite distance. Being able to throw 225-275' extremely precisely on every line is a huge advantage.

A good, solid walk without being exhausting. I wouldn't bring a cart. Do bring lots of water in the summer.

The teepads are absolutely stellar. Design-wise, there's a great variety of shots, distances, and fairway tightness, and sometimes all of those in the same hole. People familiar with other John Biscoe designs will see his style unleashed. That's a good thing.

Alcohol/tobacco/drug ban means less litter.

Absolutely gorgeous surroundings.

Only one opportunity to really let a disc rip (hole 2); this is mitigated by considering the course in tandem with the other Loudoun course, Franklin Park, which is wide open.

Can be tough to navigate for first-timers.

A few holes have serious lost disc opportunities (obviously the water on hole 2, but also rough areas near the Clarks Run where underbrush is thick and dense).

UPDATE: the LoCo Disc Golf Club has done remarkable work addressing the underbrush and navigation. No obvious negatives to this course anymore.

The LoCo Disc Golf Club has built something really special here.