Girdwood, AK is a small town tucked into the mountains about 40 miles southeast of Anchorage. It used to be a mining community, but is now centered on the lavish Alyeska Ski Resort. The only way to get here by car is to drive the Seward Highway, which carves out a path where the towering Chugach Mountains meet the waters of the Turnagain Arm. I am pretty sure they call it the Turnagain Arm because you are going to "turn again" at every scenic viewpoint that has been thoughtfully constructed along the highway, to take another photo of this incredible landscape.

Girdwood DGC plays around the back portion of a multi-use park that sits a couple miles back from the highway. There is a porta potty at the parking lot and a kiosk that does not show a full course map, but does indicate where the course starts within the park.

The 18-hole course is relatively technical. The main obstacles in play here are the trunks of large, old-growth evergreen trees. The holes are designed so that on most of them, at least a couple of these trees are present to force some degree of shot shaping. It seemed like there was decent variety between hyzer, anhyzer, and straight shots required. The hole lengths range from about 200' to about 350'.

The baskets are all yellow banded DISCatchers. They look like they have been around a few years, but are all still in good shape.

This course has quite a few potential safety issues. For me the worst one was a hole (I think it was #9) where parked cars were very much in play. But several other issues exist depending on who else is in the park. Some of the fairways seemed close together. Walking paths can come into play on many holes. A few holes play along/across a drive in the back of the park that appears to be mainly for access to a trailhead. Two holes play across a sand volleyball court. A fenced-in baseball field is in play on one hole. I had an unfortunate tree kick and had to vault this fence to retrieve my disc.

The navigation and signage is also poor here. There are no "Next Tee" signs. Little arrows on the basket bands would go a long way. Some of the tees have a color sign showing hole number and a sketched layout of the hole. These didn't really help me much, as they did not shed any light on an intended line to the basket. They felt more like a sketch of a tee and basket with some random trees drawn in between. Many of the tees didn't even have this. Some just had a painted hole number, and some had no sign at all. Hole 2's sign was missing, so after playing just one hole I walked around for several minutes and ended up having to use UDisc to find the next tee location. The locals probably know where to go, but for tourists wanting to get a round in better signage would be a big improvement. Edit: I just noticed that there is a map uploaded here, and I think it is still generally correct. If you don't have UDisc, you should definitely use this map for navigation. I normally catch that when I'm playing, I'm blaming the fact that I was on vacation. If this were posted at the course I would raise my rating to 2.5.

The tees are natural, and do not have any other amenities like trash cans/etc.

Some holes have almost no obstacles between tee and basket. There are no water hazards. The distances are relatively short, and despite having incredible mountainous scenery on all sides the course itself is almost completely flat. The holes all started to blend together after a while - just 24ish hours (and no more disc golf) later I cannot remember many of them. The area is memorable, but the course in particular is not.

There are long walks between some holes, and a very long walk at the end of the round. I think it is about 1/4 mile from basket 18 back to your car.

I had good cell phone service here.

If you stay at the Alyeska Resort itself, as of this writing the resort map shows another course onsite. I personally asked a hotel employee at the on-site sporting goods store and he said that course is now extinct, and recommended this one instead.

I was between a 2.0 and 2.5 for this one. With better signage I would give the 2.5 despite my safety concerns, because I recognize the park is probably not busy often. Overall, Girdwood DGC is an unimpressive course in an impressive location. It is fine for local rec level players if few to no other people are in the park. With better signage it would be fine for visitors looking to get a round in. It certainly is not a destination level course.

Girdwood DGC exists in the midst of stately old growth forrest. Fairways that don't seem any longer than these trees are tall. The mountains stand on the horizons behind the trees helping to frame this marvelous landscape. I was there on a Wednesday morning, and was practically the only one there other than the park host and one other visitor. Even in August, the morning shade of the huge trees was pretty chilly. I had to stay moving to prevent shivers and chattering teeth. Bring a sweat shirt if you are getting there early, or have trouble keeping warm.

The course is fun, and has good DISCatcher baskets. 18 holes that are all par 3, and mostly short to medium length. The fairways slip between the trunks of giant trees. As long as you can place drives near the center of the fairly generous windows, dropping in a few birdie putts should be achievable. Plays fast and easy just as long as you don't have to search for the next hole for too long.

The grounds are pretty much completely flat, and no water lurking to swallow up errant throws. The rough is not as thick as most of the other courses I visited in Alaska. The park is pretty cool, and has several other recreational activities like baseball and volleyball.

The layout is a little funky. Definitely make sure you have the course map handy. There are not tee signs marking the start of several holes. Natural tee boxes are decent, but concrete, rubber or turf would be nice. Several of the fairways play across trails, or other parts of the park that may be full of people on nice weekend days or holidays. While the throws are fun and traverse terrific scenery, the course isn't incredibly challenging.

Reading the directions is a bit confusing, and Google Maps didn't make it obvious I was heading to the right place. It really is pretty easy to find though and the directions make sense when you find you destination. The intersection does have the two street signs that are indicated, though the streets aren't obvious. Quirky but it worked for me.

I liked Girdwood DGC a lot. Seeing the sunrise over the mountains as I drove alongside the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet is one of the most beautiful sights that I have witnessed in my lifetime. Maybe it was the haze from wildfire smoke, or just good timing, but the blazing pink sky reflecting off of the water managed to make the mountains look even more majestic.

The course isn't an all time favorite. It doesn't have any holes I would remember as signature shots. Still, it is a very special place, and worth taking a short trip to see if you have the opportunity. A great course for the player that is new to the game and learning the basics.

I was one shot under par on my only round played at Girdwood. Four birdies and three bogies. If you are balling out you could easily go bogey free and post a really nice score on this one.

- Free course with plenty of parking
- 18 holes
- High quality baskets
- Baskets are easy to see in the woods
- Outhouses on location
- Well landscaped fairways
- Quiet tranquil atmosphere
- Decent mix between short and medium/long holes
- Harvestable berries on the course
- Pet friendly course
- A couple ace run holes

- Natural tees
- Missing signs
- Navigation signs needed
- Walking trail and dirt road go through course
- Fairways lacked shape, sometimes obstructions
- Girdwood is a rainy place
- Flat course

Girdwood DGC has received a major face-lift since the last time I played the course. It went from a short 9 hole pitch and put course to a legit full 18. Most courses I've played in the greater municipality of Anchorage area have been either wooded and short or wide open and long, this course is sort of a compromise of both. The Girdwood DGC is a very tranquil woodsy setting with generally open straight fairways that are shaped with monstrous cottonwoods along the edges. Being in the forests of Girdwood totally reminds me of the forest moon of Endor.

There's a decent mix of hole lengths, but it's not a long course necessarily. I used my my mids and fairways off the tee mostly. Girdwood DGC is a wooded course that uses distance as more of a difficulty factor rather than tight technical lines. Beginners will appreciate how forgiving and throwable the fairways are, while seasoned vets will enjoy the length of most holes. The innocent looking fairways lure you in, but only when you come up short of the pin will you realize that some holes are longer than they appear. I blame the giant trees for messing up my sense of scale.

As far as negatives, there are a few things that could be improved. The natural tee pad thing kind of sucks, considering how much precipitation "The Wood" gets annually. Less than half the course had tee signs indicating distances. Finding basket 1 was easy, finding the tee pad was not. Navigation between holes on the front side was doable, where it transitioned to the other half of the course was a bit confusing. Soggy weather, park pedestrians walking through fairways, the sometimes merciless mosquitoes, and lack of elevation changes can't really be helped, but are cons nonetheless.

Girdwood DGC has instantly become one of my favorite courses (#2, behind Kincaid) in the state. I personally would much rather drive south to Girdwood from Anchorage than throw on the pay to play courses in town or drive north to throw the tight technical short courses. Most Alaskan courses don't harness the full potential of the awesome wilderness that surrounds our cities and towns, fortunately Girdwood DGC does.

Other Other thoughts:
The town of Girdwood, which is actually still part of the municipality of Anchorage, is home to some of the best restaurants in the state. I used to live there, so I should know. If you're traveling all the way out there, do yourself a favor and try some of their local cuisine. You can't go wrong with the following restaurants (in order of my most favorite to still really good):

The Bake Shop (breakfast & lunch)
Jack Sprats (gourmet lunch and dinner)
Chair 5 (pizza and beer)
Double Musky (lunch and dinner)

Seriously, I've been know to travel all the way out there from Anchorage for the grub alone. Along the way it's also common place to see mountain goats, beluga whales on incoming tides chasing salmon, and even the occasional bear.

Real baskets with the numbers facing the right way, marked tees with maps at most tees, interesting shots, reasonable distances.

Some safety concerns; throws across roads and areas that other park users are likely to be. Dirt tees are getting worn.

You'll have fun at this course. The love of throwing a disc accurately on different paths comes through in the design. Take on the responsibility to avoid throwing when your disc may hit or scare others.