-Good baskets (DGUK Castles)
-Some fun shots and good use of the minimal features available (a couple of wooded gaps and some elevation)
-A good number of reasonable par 4s (something lacking in UK courses)
-A course well suited to the 900 rated player
-Some holes are absolutely transformed by the wind, making for a much more fun challenge
-It's free

-As noted by other reviewers, the flow is weird and everything is very poorly signposted. Parking at the cafe I found basket 11 first and used UDisc to locate the relevant tee to start from there, but it did involve hopping over a gate (that I think I was allowed to)
-The park has real post-apocalyptic/badlands vibes to me for whatever reason. It's very barren and largely featureless, on calm days I can't imagine there's much challenge
-Very few memorable holes, it's not somewhere I'm dreaming of going back to
-There's a lack of anything to draw in new players here, it's seemingly for the existing player base and presents as such (local knowledge probably would improve the experience of playing here)

I'm sure it serves the local club well, but I don't think it's been made with new/travelling players in mind

I reckon me and the Royal Berkshire Disc Golf Course didn't get off to the best of starts. I parked near the cafe and went into the cafe to pay for my parking. I asked the young lady if she knew where the disc golf was located? She looked at me like I had a third eye and finally told me to follow some path. I think she was directing me to the adventure miniature course. So I probably walked 5 km before I ever laid eyes on a basket and that basket was # 8. Luckily, I did have the excellent on-line map with me and figured out my way to # 1.

On the way to # 1 I figured that I might as well play 17 & 18. So I played the course as so; 17-18-1-2-3-4-5-6-16-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14 and 15. The signs are small poles with only the number. The whites are the longs and the reds are for the shorter recreational course. I wasn't always able to find the red poles. There seems to be nine red poles. The other nine red holes play from the white tees. There really aren't any tee pads but the dirt is starting to get bare in a few places. The baskets (so I read in a previous review) are a combination two brands I'm not familiar with but I had no problems with them. They all had a number on them which helped with the navigation.

From the whites, the course plays from 60 meters to 155 meters or roughly 200' to a long of about 500'. The reds have quite a few holes in the 185' range.

Owing to Europe's record setting heat spell this summer, the park was probably as dry and brown as you'll ever see it. It was great for rollers. Even the course's signature pond on # 10 was reduced to a muddy quagmire. I think I saw some hippos rolling around in there. The park is mostly open plains with some elevation and scattered groups of trees that are used to the greatest affect.

# 10 is the signature hole here with a great risk/reward to it. The basket is blind off the tee and your choice (not mine) is play up safe or carry over the water. The basket is only about 3-4 meters beyond the normal water line.

I liked # 1 a lot. It plays about 450' on a long sweeping anhyser with a Mando keeping you from cutting the corner. The basket sits right beside the archery course.

The course has a terrible flow. Because so many tees are some 50 meters from the previous basket, it seems as though I was always wandering around trying to find the small tee poles. Because they are small, they're difficult to spot. With the on-line map, which is very well done, navigation was difficult as I needed to check my map on most every hole. Without a map, navigation would be virtually impossible.

Too many blind holes over the hills.

No tee pads although in today's dry weather, the footing was fine.

Same with the baskets. I was fine with them but I think better players might complain.

The signage is sub-standard.

# 7 sign was broke off.

# 13's basket might be set a little too close to the neighbor's backyards.

I never found the # 9 basket.

# 1 and # 10 are nice holes. The rest are pretty standard issue. The equipment (baskets, tee pads and signage) is sub-par. Too much backtracking to reach the next tee.

Like the Lloyd Park Course I played yesterday in Croydon, there is no evidence here of any club involvement here. Not one bench or garbage can in sight anywhere. Putting some kind of next tee sign on the baskets would be a big help. Courses with a heavy club presence are just a little more user friendly. Royal Berks just seemed a little neglected to me.

- Designed at white course level (900 rated to par of 57) and is just about perfect for this skill level. Our tournament there came in at pretty much exactly 900 to par. There are some red level holes and some blue level holes evening each out.

- Fun mix of holes testing a range of shots

- Nice tee markers

- The 9 reconditioned homemade baskets. I was expecting to hate them but ended up loving putting on them.

- Friendly local club

- Cafe and activity center on site

- Gorgeous location in a 350 acre country park.

- Toilets at either end of the course.

- Red course tees playing to the same baskets are a good challenge to hone your short game and perfect for beginners

- huge potential at the course. I expect there to be a blue course layout to the same baskets shortly with almost all holes having more difficult potential tee positions. There is probably the chance to design a number of gold level holes there to the existing basket placements as well although not quite a full 18.

- Baskets, if you are a hard putting spin putter will not be your friend. The 9 old Essex baskets have smooth rims and hit the edge of these with a spin putt and you will be flying long, the 9 old Beanhill baskets will have some spit throughs from hard putts. Both will catch well to pitch putts.

- No tee pads, ground is starting to cut up.

- Signage - the course is still young and I will update this review over time but currently it would be very hard to play a round without a local. The teessigns are beautifully made but lack information, You can't see where the baskets are for many holes and the walk between holes in not intuitive in a big park.

- A couple of the holes have no real defined lines to play them, It's a case of throw into the or over the trees and hope to punch through or chip up for the putt. Hole 12 and 17 particularly guilty of this currently.

- Baskets are probably just a touch too close to OB on too many occasions through the course, there is OB within 4 meters on at least 6 of the holes although it does tend to be on the more attackable threes so wasn't a huge concern.

- A few too many blind baskets, either left or right or over the top of ridges.

- 18th was a bit anticlimactic after a great first hole.

- If you have a power hyzer forehand and backhand (~330+ pure hyzer lines) the white tees will play very easily for you.

- Dogwalkers, my gripe in every UK park...

overall I really enjoyed playing here and there is huge potential for an absolute destination course or courses.

At least 14 of the 18 holes have the opportunity to put in trickier tee positions to produce an 18 hole blue tee layout. There are another 300 acres of parkland and lakes to potentially play with.

It's a very well put together first course for the designers Russ Westwood and Martin Hough and offers a good challenge to the skill level they designed at. It is very well looked after considering the huge space and that it is all club done.

Signage is their next mission and straight away improving this aspect will put half a star onto my rating. Tee pads alongside that would be great.

There is a really fun mix of holes out there. My favourite was probably the 145 meter par 4 1st. It really made you think about your shot off the tee, an attackable line was possible for the two but risky, and the placement shot needed to be executed well to have a good look at a three. I walked away with a three and a four and felt content with that.

Notable mentions go to the iconic hole 10 pond hole, playing 90 meters across a pond with trees either side shaping the shot and hole 7 which is quite a rare hole in the UK. A 110 meter absolutely unobstructed shot across the field, sounds really boring on paper but when you are so used to playing tight and controlled lines it was nice to just open up the hyzer for once!

Hole 4 - Enjoyed this from the white tees, challenge was set to hit a semi island green but with safe layup option available, there are excellent options for blue and gold tees cutting back into the woods that could make this the best hole on the course. A real risk rewarder to top players.

For a better player this will be a real birdie fest course - my morning round of 51 was 969 rated, I would expect a thousand rated player to shoot above rating with the current tee setup as the hyzer line (either backhand or more predominantly forehand) was open on virtually every hole.

The potential Blue tees will go back into trees and make this a more technical course, I really look forward to these and once in with good signage and tees this will be comfortably a four star course.

A mixture of wide open holes, tight wooded holes and water crossings. Challenges all parts of your game. Risk and return routes on offer too.
All baskets in good condition, I'm reliably informed these are the old baskets from the Beanhill course.
Multiple tees (marked with stumps).

No "next tee" arrows, I was playing in competition however if I had been on a recreational round I think I would have got extremely lost and frustrated.
Some holes on the map look quite long, but in reality the tee post is much closer to the basket, so navigating by the map could be problematic.
Open land so the possibility of hitting pedestrians or dogs Is high. Didn't see any non competition related warning signs.

Hole 1 - Long par 4. Mando left of the first big tree. Two large OB'S bunkers guard the green.

Hole 2 - No real straight shot available due to low branches despite this bring a straight hole through the trees. No OB though.

Hole 3 - Nice open shot to the basket but, beware of thr pond 2 meters beyond.

Hole 4 - Odd hole. 2 streams both OB. 1st shot must clear the ditch infront of you or you are OB. If not play 2nd shot from the Red tee. Basket protected by trees.

Hole 5 - Basket is directly in front of the white tee but you view is blocked by trees. Choice of Left or Right lines. Don't get confused by basket located in the distance (at around 10 oclock), this is hole 14.

Hole 6 - Blind tee shot. Have a spotter on the edge of the trees. Basket is dogleg round to right

Hole 7 - Wide open tee shot across a flat meadow, basket is unsighted over the Ridge. Aim for the 4/5 low bushes which are at around 11 o'clock for best results.

Hole 8 - Downhill, tapers to a point with OB streams left and right. Could be reached with a putter if needed.

Hole 9 - Another Downhill, unsighted hole. Highly suggest spotter on the Ridge. Basket well protected with young trees.

Hole 10 - Most definitely the iconic hole for the course. Basket is blind off the white tee, straight over a large pond. Will you go straight over or play safe?

Hole 11 - Bizarre hole. No real route to take. 2nd shot virtually guaranteed to be played from long grass and probably under a tree.
Basket on top of a nipped of grass so an uphill putt a certainty.

Hole 12 - Tee off straight into a clump of thick hawthorn bushes with no sight of the basket. Don't really understand this hole. Almost seemed like an after thought.

Hole 13 - Nice tunnel run to a protected basket.
DO NOT RETRIEVE YOUR DISK OF IT GOES OVER THE FENCE.

Hole 14 - Shortish hole with protected basket and stream OB. Straight shot through the trees is possible.

Hole 15 - Mando left of the large tree makes this a difficult hole as you are aiming for an 8m gap before the stream OB.

Hole 16 - Ace run. Shot uphill, however for shorter throwers the risk of going left into really thick bushes and trees. Really like this hole.

Hole 17 - Looks a lot longer on the map. Aim of the short conifer bushes as basket behind them. Left and right routes available.

Hole 18 - Doesn't feel like an 18th. Nothing special to help remember or finish off you round.
Downhill from tee, basket tucked behind hawthorn bushes.

On the whole a really good course. A couple of tweeks and this could become superb.