Wow. I won't bother to revisit everything others have noted here, but this course is now easily my favorite in the central Ohio area.
-Great overall layout and use of elevation and the scenic park.
-Highly technical without needing to be overly long for no good reason. I really appreciated this aspect. Its a thoughtful creative design that I think could be just as challenging and fun for all levels of experience. Thats not an easy thing to pull off well.
-Solid tee pads and signage at each hole
-Remote location might help keep the traffic down.

-Not exactly a con, but the extra "G" hole and unmarked "20th" is just kind of weird to me.
-To get to 12, its a long hike. (Play "G" if you like and then head for the woods across the parking lot from G's basket. 12s Teepad is near a sign for the "Buckeye Grove" that is easy to spot.)
-Extra "Alphabet holes" start off between 12 and 13, but seem kind of forced, and have a TON of trees and some serious water hazards to consider. Enough to make it really difficult for beginners and probably worth skipping unless you are more experienced and are ready for a hike.
-"F" is 782ft kind of out of nowhere for a course with mostly 250-400ft-ish and seems unnecessary.
-The last hole in this alphabet series is labeled "GH" at the teepad but then "G" again at its elevated basket (so, a second "G" basket, different from the first one after 11... confusing, but thats how it is).
-This "GH" hole is elevated with a tall base pole. Thats a pretty fun addition I wish was utilized on one of the 1-18 holes instead, but thats nit picking at this point.
-20th hole is just a throwaway hole with no teepad signage that gets you back to the parking lot. Kind weird to include it on the scorecard is all.

-Make sure you look at the course map ahead of time and/or grab a scorecard from the bulletin board at the start (has the map on it)
-Teepad signage is not always at the short tee, just something to be aware of.
-I'd avoid playing the "alphabet holes" until you've played the primary course the entire way through and are comfortable with the layout. They are a little much if you are not used to playing more than 18 in a row and the hiking is a little more rough than the rest of the course.

-Nice variety of holes. The wooded holes were well-developed and there were clear lines to take. The open holes, while obviously not in the woods, still posed a challenge due to strategically placed mature trees.
-No real throwaway or gimme holes. Perhaps a more seasoned vet would disagree, but I thought every hole presented a good challenge.
-A few holes are very scenic. I loved the holes that roped around the snaking creek and up the hill. Very pretty in the late spring when I played it.
-Good use of elevation. There were several holes that required you to throw up hill or over a valley.
-Good signage for the tees (when you can locate them... more on that later)
-Addition of several extra holes is a nice alternative. The extra holes are also pretty long if you're wanting to air it out.

-While the signage was good for showing you where the actual hole was, the biggest complaint I had of this course was locating hole 12 from hole 11 and the signage for the extra holes. My friend and I spent easily 30 minutes trying to find hole 12. If you come here, do yourself a favor and print off the map or copy the image to your phone so you know where to go. There was no sign to show you, there was a random hole "G," but with the addition of actual holes, the hole "G" was misleading and we weren't sure to play it or not. Turns out you should play the hole "G" with a sign, and I imagine that will lead you to hole 12. Unfortunately we didn't know any better and wasted a lot of time.
-The extra holes.... I love me some extra holes, and they're good length to get some bombs in, but we did not like them. Hole "A" around the water was awesome, highly recommend you play that one, but on hole "B" and a few others, the trees were so dense it seemed like there was no fairway or anything to really throw at. And there is one extra hole that is super long, like 820' I want to say, and it's hard to know which direction you even need to throw. My friend and I almost threw in the completely wrong direction because we weren't sure what to do. Thankfully, some random guy helped us out. Again, my main complaint is figuring out where to go.
-Another thing about the extra holes, instead of cement teepads, they have a piece of carpet upside down. Would be nice to eventually put cement down, which I'm sure they will at some point, but it certainly was a con.

-Overall, this is probably the best course in Columbus that I've played. The standard 18 are great holes and compare to the other good courses around town.
-The extra holes... try them if you must, but if I ever go back, I'll certainly be skipping them all. Other than MAYBE "A," but the rest were not good, at least in my opinion.
-I gave this course a 4/5 mainly based upon the standard 18. I really enjoyed them so much that I didn't want to mark it down because I didn't like the added holes.
-I know I've bashed the added holes a lot, but part of the problem with them too is that their trails are not nearly as well defined. Try them out and work on that path so they're easier to navigate.

-THE STREET ADDRESS OF 5261 Columbus Pike IS INCORRECT!!! THE ACTUAL COURSE IS PROBABLY 12 MILES NORTH OF THAT ADDRESS. I know it also says the course is in Delaware State Park, but if you're going off the address alone, you will wonder where you are. Keep going north from 5261 Columbus Pike until you see Delaware State Park.

Edit 5/14/15: Saw it noted that they've added holes to 27, so I looked for info on Disc Golf Scene, Columbus Flyers, Facebook, and found something onMid Ohio. Added that link and the updated map.

Original Review: The family of Gordon Holton should be proud: this course is a gem in a beautiful park with majestic trees, a gorgeous lake, and rolling terrain that all come into play throughout your experience. Almost every one of the (20) holes at this disc golf course in (Ohio's) Delaware State Park feels different from the others. From the down-slope opener with a guarded basket - 25 feet in front of a twenty foot drop to the water below, through the fade shot back to the optional 20th (also used as the practice basket), you'll throw power drives up a 400 foot gap between tree rows, tricky, right-turning blind shots with nasty rough if you cut it too tight, and woods-threaders ... and everything in between.

The use of elevation is wonderful, but not overly taxing: you have a few shots where you'll be able to see the treacherous woods - valley - creek beds - etc. that could wreck your score, while at the same time be tempted by the fact that you can choose multiple lines to get across the space between you and your goal (I'm thinking of holes 11 through 13 and 16 through 18 here). There are water carries from a couple of the long tees (7 & 14). There are long tee holes over 430 feet (9, 10 & 13), if that's your cup of tea. And there are even some pretty risk/ reward opportunities, if you can hit the perfect line (2, 8, 16, for instance).

The park has been tremendously well-maintained the times I've visited, and the course has nice concrete tees (14 holes also have long tees), newer signage that's very easy to spot, quality DGA baskets in good repair, benches and trash cans where needed, abundant parking (four lots adjoin sections of the course), park 'restrooms' (OK, outhouses), and a nice kiosk with map and 'happenings' by hole 1. Even though the course meanders over many, many acres of the park space, it plays through fairly smoothly and quickly because there aren't too many long treks between holes

Intermediate to Advanced disc golfers will do well to break 60 for the 20 holes, but the course has attractions for players below and above those skill levels. It's a very well-balanced, fun experience. Well worth the trip, with even more quality courses (The Players' course at Alum Creek, and of course, the Brett Hambrick Memorial) fairly close by if you traveling into the area. The state park obviously has camping, boating, and hiking options, and you're really close to the north side of Columbus and all of its attractions.

The course can be pretty muddy in the spring, so come prepared for that. Though most of the paths to the next tees are intuitive and well worn in, you may need the map to find hole 4: it's out to the clearing at the dual ponds, and around the bend to the right. Then, I'm pretty sure they've done some extending of the pond left of the 7th fairway in between my two visits. It's unfortunate that they placed a park bench in line with the long tee shot. You will want to turn to your right after the 17th basket, and not head out by the parking lot looking for 18. There is the awkwardness of having a hole 'G' (for Gordon?) between 11 and 12, or if you skip it to play only 18, having the one long walk across the parking lot there. Finally, it's a little unusual to have the 'spare' 20th hole finish back to what arriving players will be warming up on as a practice basket.

I've only played three rounds at Gordon Holton, but already have a wonderful memory I'd like to share. On the 260 foot hole 8, I parked a glidey River seven feet past the pin. Not unusual, except for the fact that I had just released the disc a hair early and inadvertently made that shot through the gap in the V-shaped tree on the left side of the fairway! There couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 inches on either side of the disc as it slid through the air between those trunks. Could never have made a shot like that had I called for it. (Can you tell I love this game?)

Classic MOODG design. Tight lines through the woods that require both hyzer and anhyzer shots. Open holes still have large mature trees that pose threats to errant shots. Unlike Alum Creek all of the pin positions have cement tee pads. Numerous picturesque holes.

Some tee signs are missing. Flooding also has caused a sever out break of mosquitos.

Sunday doubles are always fun.

Every hole is unique here. I never felt like I was throwing the same shot off the tee on each hole. There are two sets of concrete tees with benches by many of them. Hole 1 is a great starting hole from either tee with the severe drop off towards the beach directly behind the basket. Some holes have some cool elevation changes. This course is great for experienced players or beginners. 3 is an awesome long tunnel shot. 12 is a great multi route hole with risk and reward coming into play. I like the mix of opener shots and wooded gap shots and tunnels here. It is a great balance. The signs for getting to the course once you are in Delaware State Park are great as well.

No tee signs on the long tees. Some of the signs are gone/damaged. The course could use a few more navigational arrows. Baskets do not catch the best. There are a lot of flat holes. Some of the longs feel like tweener holes and almost everyone will 3 them. This course can get very muddy.

I will definitely be coming back. One of the top 3 in the Columbus area up there with Hoover and Pickerington.

First hole. 3rd hole. 9th hole. Entire back 9.
2 bonus holes
Excellent maps and tee pads
Excellently placed foliage

tiring because of elevation changes and pace of play
LOTS of thorns
Large tree on 4 makes ace or 2 almost an impossible score

This is an amazing course with every obstacle available; rocks hills trees water and thorns
This course can be played all day and will never get boring
This course is fun to play with a large group because of all the different shot shapes that players are forced to create

- Very pretty and scenic park. Lots of old trees and lush green vegetation. The terrain is easily traversed and mostly flat. Good place for a disc golf cart.
- Extremely nice mixture of open air shots and a lot of technical shots around objects. The fairways on the more technical shots are thin enough to challenge the better player but still allow a lower level player to not feel overwhelmed. This course has left and right turning shots, under and around obstacles.
- The overall distance is good but seems low even though there are 4 holes over 400'. I will add that even though there are 4 holes below 250', those holes are mostly well balanced with trees to get around. Even the 170' hole is a challenge!
- Multiple Tees
- Concrete Tees are in excellent condition
- The Tee Maps are done very well and also give the direction to the Next Tee
- Baskets are in excellent condition
- Delaware Lake adds a nice water hazard, especially on Hole #1
- Excellent upkeep on the park. The grass is well mowed and even the wooded areas are kept clean and clear.
- Low traffic from non disc golfers and most likely from disc golfers alike. The course is secluded away from most other activities.
- Lots of benches!
- Entrance is marked by signs leading you to the disc golf course
- Very nice Kiosk with a map and scorecards
- The map is accurate and helpful
- Practice basket by the Kiosk also doubles as the basket for Hole #20
- Trash cans are located throughout the course
- Multiple parking lots
- Picnic tables to meet and greet throughout the course
- There are 3 bathrooms located throughout the course
- Amenities. The course has a playground and sand volleyball. But the park is HUGE. The park has kids nature events, camping (cottages etc...), laundry, basketball, horseshoe, lots of playgrounds, rental for about anything including golf discs, boating, fishing, swimming, hunting... The list goes on. So bring the family for a great day and play a round.

- The numbering system for the holes can be confusing. It would be much better if this could be redone in a complete numerical order.
- The course flows decently. You can park at Hole #1 and end Hole #20 right at the parking lot. But navigating the course can become difficult at times so bring a map. This will come in very handy around Hole #G.

- There are only a few elevation changes on a few holes but this certainly does add to this course. A few to note is that Hole #1 starts off with a slight downhill grade and Hole #12 throws uphill over a water hazard that is zigzagging back and forth on the fairway.
- This park has a very natural setting in beautiful Delaware State Park but it is located a decent drive from the highway.
- I hope that someone gets some new photo's up on DGCR for this course. It really looks MUCH different than the current pics.
- Many, MANY of the very nicely located trees that make some of these holes have so much character and challenge have a big red 'X' on them. I guess these are Ash trees soon to be cut down. This will GREATLY affect how this course is played. I can only hope that the state can afford to replace these trees. If the state cannot do this I foresee a few baskets being moved at the minimum. Very sad.
- This course certainly had some very challenging holes but this was offset by some very nice open holes with only a few trees to get around. Just a great mix.
- The most challenging hole is #12. Any errant hit in this tight fairway could drop you into the O.B. that is the water hazard all along the center of the fairway.
- My favorite hole is #14. I love the beautiful view over the water from the Long Tee!
- This was a fantastic course but I do not label this as a course to travel a long way to play, however, this course combined with some of the other courses located nearby would certainly be worth a long drive and make a great full day of disc golfing.

All tees are marked and holes are easy to find. but, i have probably played this course about 100 times, so a first timer may have some trouble. has a phenomenal variety of long, short, left curving, right curving, open and wooded holes. Course is challenging, but not frustrating. i, being thirteen can still achieve even par or better. my favorite hole may ctually be number one. 17, 18, 2, and three are also exellent

not many cons on this course. some people may say there are too many trees, but overall a great course

give this course a visit, it will be worth the trip!

Gordon is a complete course located on a expansive section of Delaware State park. The course has lefty and righty holes, elevation, and water shots. There are some long bomber holes and some shorter more technical holes. The dual sets of tees are both concrete of adequate length. The baskets are top quality. The course appears to be very well maintained. A lot of the wooded holes have tight lines to hit and low ceilings to stay under... these holes will frustrate less players, challenge better players, and make everyone's game better in the long run. The course went through a pretty major facelift to prepare for PDGA AM Worlds in the summer of 2010. The long concrete tees were installed and a slightly tweaked configuration was created (15 short tee played to 16's basket, and 17 had a new shorter tee position). Brand new tee signs are being installed as of Summer 2010. Restroom facilities are available by hole #1, as is a practice basket and course info board. The practice hole actually has a small concrete tee pad after hole #18 and can be played as the 20th hole on the course if desired.

Can be difficult to navigate in a couple spots your first time, so print a map and you shouldn't have any trouble. Transitions between some of the holes is somewhat long and you'll cover a decent bit of distance between holes. This really is a well designed, and it's a personal preference, but I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more bomber type holes vs. the technical ones.

The course goes by a couple different names, most commonly referred to as "Delaware" by the locals. The holes are numbered as #1-11, "G", #12-18, and lastly the practice basket hole "#20". The pictures on DGCR as of Aug 2010 that show the course without foliage are misleading for anyone playing in the Spring or Summer... it looks a lot different when the leaves are in. After the recent facelift I'd say this course probably qualifies as a destination course.

-Concrete tee pads (long and short on most holes)
-Great variety of shots
-Very challenging
-Good Baskets
-Never crowded
-Rustic

-Need more permanent signs
-Hard to follow if it's your first time

This course will make you throw everything in your bag and every type of shot. It was on this course that I was forced to learn how to throw rollers, flick and tomahawk shots. The course is well maintained. As mentioned earlier, tournaments are on Tuesday (singles) and Sunday (doubles) and usually bring in a fair number of pros, including Tyler of team Discraft. So expect this to be more of a five dollar lesson instead of an opportunity to make some cash. None of the holes are really pure luck, as some people have commented. Each hole has atleast one clear route, you just need to watch the pros, play the course a lot and really know your plastic. This course is not beginner friendly, but will force intermediate players to take their game to a new level as well as challenge advanced players. There is some poison oak on the course, put after playing it dozens of times, I have yet to get any on me. This is a beautiful and challenging course and deserves a look if you are in the Delaware area.

-Easy to find off Rt. 23. with plenty of parking, signage, tables and shade at Hole 1.
-State Park with concessions (discs even)
-Long/ Short with concrete tee pads
-Few holes punishing off the T (tunnel) while others offer plenty of Grip/ Rip
-Distance and control needed
-Rarely have to wait as the course is rarely crowed
-Benches

-Baskets could be better
-Have heard drainage in the late winter/ early spring can leave for some soggy feet
-Each hole is marked however they are marked w/ laminated paper with a couple holes missing singage
-#12 could be marked better

This course has taught me to hone my approach game and to control my drives. While some holes allow recovery after a bad drive the majority require placement off the tee.

Pick a lane and throw.

A few benches had been vandalized but painted over.

Need a trash can or 2 more on the course.

+Beautiful location.
+Wonderful park and grounds.
+Well kept and maintained course. +Challenging and technical play. +Elevation changes.
+Practically no 'gimmie' holes. +Multiple tee options.
+Friendly local players invested in the course and game.

There really isn't anything I didn't like...but...

-Transition between some holes can be tough.
-Sign posts are nice but hole descriptions are just printed paper under plastic.
-Predominately technical play may turn away some players.
-Bathrooms near first tee are your typical park style 'hole in the ground'.

This is definitley not a power players course as others have stated. Play here needs to be conrolled and deliberate. You can rip it on a few holes but most have tight fairways and narrow approaches. This course demands a different style of play compared to locations like BHM, Lobdell, and Glacier Ridge. It's a welcome and very enjoyable difference...even if you submerge an Aviar in the water on hole 1.

This course can be quite challenging especially from the pro tees. There are very few holes of great length (400+) but that's hardly a problem as hole design makes up for it.

All in all, this was a great course to play and my friends and I will be back again and again now that we've had the chance to try it out. Definitely one of the best in Central Ohio.

On a side note, the location being in Delaware State Park adds many benefits. The park has many amenities you can take advantage of should you desire.

Beautiful park and surrounding water areas. Good mix of shots available from the 20 holes. Some of the more open holes may appear "open" from the course map, but the tree canopies force you to keep your shots to 10' - 15' off the ground. A few holes have water in play, but only extremely errant shots need worry.

A few holes feature trees that force extremely narrow throws. Experienced pros may find this course too easy.

I've only played this course once thus far so I don't want to highlight to many cons for the sake of fairness. However, after a few more rounds I'm not sure I will come up with any more. This is a really premier course for central Ohio.

This course definitely deserves more attention by central Ohio disc golfers. It deserves more foot traffic indeed. I have played most of the other central Ohio courses and this is definitely in my top 3. Great work on this course and please, everyone, come visit this course. The park is a great walk and the holes are fun and fairly challenging.

+ aesthetically pleasing scenery throughout course.
+ Doesn't get crowded
+ Lots of fun wooded holes that require accuracy.
+ Plenty of hole variety with regards to lines that need to be taken to the pin.
+ Varying terrain
+ Concrete short/long tees in great condition
+ All the necessary park amenities

- A couple of the transitions between holes would be confusing if you just show up there and start playing.
- Extra hole at end shoots on practice basket,

If you are traveling through Central Ohio this course and Brent Hambrick Memorial are the two that most locals agree, myself included, you must play. Unlike Brent Hambrick there aren't really any holes on the 18 that are open. But course condition, layout quality, and challenge I find to be very similar.

The land that you play through gently changes elevation but it is apparent that you are not playing a flat course which I find wonderful. The scenery is ... serene. Lots and lots of trees which add challenge and visual beauty. The course plays along a lake which you can see from a handful of the holes. The water never really comes in play ... but you can lose a disc in there if you shank one and somehow don't find a tree along the way to the shore. Overall its a pleasant hike as is with all the joy of disc golf along the way.

Signage I can't really add to pros or cons. The signs are there but pretty ugly. Yet the information on them is good. I'd really love to see the signs remade.

On the matter of the transitions between holes, they have been covered in length on other reviews, but I do feel the need to say that they are indeed confusing at times. The two extra holes (between 11/12 and after 18) are nice and while I like them being there because who doesn't want to let one fly when they see another tee and basket, I think they add very little to the over all quality of the course. Both are less challenging than the rest of the course and their presence, especially the one between 11/12 is genuinely confusing to players new there and not in the know.

it's a very technical course. Not really a power long throw course, but many holes are wooded and the pin is very strategically placed.

Nice concrete tees, but some are short and require a run up, gets muddy with lots of rain

Two holes mixed in the middle, before 12 and the one after 18 (this one is actually throwing at the practice basket before hole one, but it makes for a good final hole) may throw you off, but the course is a really good challenge.

It looks like they are still working on the pro tees, I think I only spotted one on the course, around hole 9 if I remember correctly.

A new favorite, I hear they play doubles around 11am on Sundays

Great views and visually appealing. Set in Delaware State Park with a great view of the lake on many holes and coming into play on a few holes. A great layout that flows well with hole 18 ending close to hole 1. A variety of shots required including distance and control. Both short and long tees are marked with both tees creating challenge. Very creative in design and placement of pins and tees. With completion of concrete tee pads this course will definitely be in my top 3 for central Ohio. As of 11/1/08 the course has concrete tees for all short tee pads. Adequate parking at hole one with a practice basket adjacent to the lot as well. Additional parking can be found next to hole 14 and 15

not much to speak of here. If anything there are a lot of low ceiling shots. Many of the fairways play under tree limbs or through a corridor of trees. This is a great touch for some holes but the low ceiling gets to be very repetitive.

This course is well designed and is enjoyable playing from either set of tees. A PDGA c tier event was held at the course in June 2008. When all improvements are completed I could see this being a very popular tournament location. The course is 19 holes currently. After completing hole 11 play hole G and then continue on to hole 12. Shooting par from the longs is a great round and just staying under par from the shorts can be tough sometimes. Defeinitely a great destination that includes camping, a beach, and boat access. updated 7/1. All tees are completed with concrete installed. rating updated to a 4 from a 3.5 which says a lot considering it is only 1 of 2 that I rated 4 or higher. Doubles on Sundays at noon $5.