Location, location, location! There are very few courses available within actual Pittsburgh city limits and this may be the only one readily available to reach on a bus line. As we consider how to continue growing our sport, these things have value and should be celebrated.

This was the first permanent disc golf course in Pittsburgh and that, in itself, is worth celebrating as well. I'll go boomer here for a second to say that too few appreciate history of anything anymore. There are plenty of better courses around now, but everyone in town should play Schenley now and then to appreciate the roots of where we have come from.

As for the disc golf here, well, it does leave something to be desired. It's an older style "park course". There is only one hole here that is of any considerable length. Many of these holes are small, but that gives you an opportunity to work on aspects of your golf game that don't get featured in as many other courses. You'll be driving mids and putters here more than any other course and getting used to throwing smaller speed discs off a tee is a benefit. Almost every fairway is pretty much lazer tight, too, so this is absolutely a course to go work on your short game. At this point, this is practically my "home course" and it has helped me a great deal in improving the accuracy of my lines. There are some really good holes here that probably don't get their props. The 5th Hole is a unique challenge. One of the longer holes on the course needs you to keep your drive straight. Left fades risk going out of bounds here. Then you have to get a midrange shot out around a big shrub to a tough pin. It is not an easy par. The 8th is a double mando that should be a birdie downhill, but needs a line to the right that can be hard to pull off. The 17th Hole is another good one, needing a drive uphill that lands in a good enough spot to ensure you can navigate the trees to the green for your par.

There are three sets of tees here. There is concrete on the White and Red setups. Blue tees may need some app navigation as a few are not that easy to locate if you are unfamiliar. You will find restrooms in the park, though there is not one sitting at the first hole or anywhere really close.

I don't know that the course was ever designed with the amount of use that it currently receives in mind. You could say that there is a positive in that statement and there is, but it also means that this can be one hectic course at times. The course switches back on itself continually and fairways run parallel. Many of these tees are sitting far too close to another hole's green. This effect is so bad that a few holes have warning signs asking you to not only wait until the group ahead of you has cleared the hole, but waiting until they clear the next tee as well. Many don't pay attention, so the risk of taking a disc to the dome is high on this course.

Those comments I made about location bleed into why this course can be tough to play as well. You will see more noobs playing this course than almost every other course in town combined. Again, that is a positive, but also a negative. You will most likely always be waiting behind other cards on this course. Many of those are not seasoned players. It's not unusual to see groups of 8 playing together, youth groups, etc, out here slowing down the course, or even just a lot of cards of novice players. This is the kind of course where the guys out blasting music and chugging beers are in full force. I LOVE that the course gets played and that's a positive to itself, but if you're coming here trying to get a good solid serious round in, this may be a frustrating place for you. Between the discs slapping trees on the fairways beside you and the packs of golfers, it can be hard to focus here. Absolutely not your quiet day in the park course. Any of these things are further increased by the general use of the park itself. There are plenty of non golfers here and many of them on the course. People picnicking, flying kites, laying out in the sun, you name it.

Keep an eye out for the infamous Schenley ChainHawk. There is a hawk that lives on this course and is not bothered by people at all. I have been as close as 10 feet from it sitting in a tree above my head.

This course can provide several layouts. There are three tee spots per hole - two concrete pads and one natural pad marked by a wood tie. There are also multiple pin placements per hole, so if they get moved around a decent amount, regulars can play significantly different layouts all the time.

The course provides a lot of elevation changes, especially once you get into the wooded hill area. It forces you to throw both up and down, and to avoid many trees while doing so.

Speaking of trees, there are many. Try not to hit them. But don't fear, there are a few open holes at the beginning of the course to get the accuracy figured out before navigating the forest.

To me, the course bordered on repetitive through most of the back stretch. There are a lot of holes crammed into a little space, so naturally the distances aren't too long. This made several holes appear to have the same "look" as a 200ish foot hole, either up or down, through moderate tree cover. As I touched also, the course lacked distance, outside of a hole or two in the very beginning.

Overall, this is a solid course. It is great for beginners, as the holes are not too long and it will force you to work on accuracy. For more advanced players, treat it as you would a Par 3 course in ball-golf, and go out there with only midranges and putters to work on the short game. Personally, I enjoyed the course, and if I was visiting again I would play it because it is the only course within downtown Pittsburgh.

+Concrete tee pads on White and Red
+Well maintained... hard to lose discs
+Nice view on #1 and #2
+#2 used to be a par 4, but now it's a challenging par 3
+Holes are clearly labeled
+Signs are in good condition and helpful
+Sometimes #15 is on a tower and that's kind of cool
+There's a water fountain at the pavilion down by the basket for 8 and 14
+Bathroom not to far from first tee up by the Schenley Oval (track)

-Several holes are variations on the same theme such as :
8, 14, 16 are all downhill through trees
-Hole #2 is the only hole that lets you open up and throw a bomb.
-You could play this course with nothing but a putter and you would still put up a good score.

First, I want to say that I love this course. It was my first course and it's my regular course. It's the only 18 hole course (that includes ball golf) in which I can close my eyes and visualize every single hole with immense detail. It was Schenley Park which got me hooked on this game. While the course doesn't cater to big drivers, the course lets you practice approaches and it lets you learn a lot about how your discs fly. For example, hole 4 is a short hole (only 160 ft) but off to the left is a steep hillside down to the road and OB. If you are RHBH and don't anticipate the fade on your disc, that's where you'll end up if you throw at the basket. Hole 13 with the top of the hillside pin is one of the trickiest holes as you throw through trees across a hillside on a double fall line that slopes down and to the left with the pin high and to the right but blocked by many large trees. You can get a lot of practice with approaches on this course and improve your short game. You might grab your first ace here too.
Admittedly, my personal bias probably added that last half star, but for what it is, it's a fantastic course. Challenging terrain is the only thing this course lacks, and for that, I understand why this course might be capped under 4 stars. But it IS a very good course for what it is, and thus my 3.5 rating.

Three tee locations per hole, with signage at both the reds and whites.

A few open, but mostly wooded, and a variety of elevation changes.

Multiple access points.

While each hole had multiple pin positions, most didn't seem much different from the others.

The bulk of the course sits on a small, wooded slope, so plenty of opportunities to yell "fore"!

This 30 year old course is set located in Schenley, a large public park sitting atop a large Pittsburgh hill, with the downtown easily viewable a few miles to the west, and tee-1 practically at the apogee.

The first few holes are mostly open, with the big and long downhill bomber being hole-2. Hole-6 leads you into the wooded section of course, where you'll spend the remainder of your time, until your launch your drive towards basket-18, guarded by white pines late, and with an oob skate rink fence not too far behind.

Holes 6-17 hits you with the entire spectrum of short control holes, with up-/down-/across-/up-n-over-slope shots, requiring left-/right-/no-turns, with, generally speaking, fair throwing lanes, except for the pinball machine which is hole-13.

With most holes being short, and tree deflections not causing too great of difficulties, this is a fine course for beginning and developing players, and can be fun, and offer some extra length/challenge from the blues, for thse with more experience/distance.

It's clean, great course for beginners, always full of players

The blue tees (longs) are none existent once in a while they will spray paint there tee box on the ground. The tee signs are old and in poor condition, holes 6-16 are the same shot just right down the middle.

Like Jack Benny, Schenley Disc Golf Course is 39. The question is, How do you keep a 39 year old course fresh and modern? Courses built in 1988 tend to be old, faded and outdated by now. Back in 88, the top players were maybe throwing 325'. I think Schenley has managed to age very gracefully. She's had some cosmetic surgery to alter her appearance, new baskets, new signage and the new blue tees.

Schenley Park is a massive city park. I discovered something new and exciting. Using google maps on my new phone, I can enter Schenley Park Disc Golf Course and it will lead me right to the first tee! You younger, more tech savvy guys probably knew that. No more driving around some huge park looking for the course. The area around the first tee is sweet with it's view of downtown. Very impressive! Take time to sit on one of the benches and take it all in.

There is a kiosk with course map and benches for enjoying the view. There are two sets of concrete tees and nice colored maps with the next tee arrowI. The baskets are DGA models with the greatest, most easy to read numbers ever. The numbers are orange on black and show up well from distances. They are inserted on what used to be the old school fiberglass tee signs. There is one of these easy to read numbers on the back of each tee sign. They saved me a few steps many times. Thank you for those numbers.

I played from the white tees. I say they probably play at a solid recreational level. However, I am a shaky recreational player so the Whites were a perfect challenging level for me. The shorter Reds looked to be beginner easy. I only had time to play from the whites.

The long Blues added a lot of distance, like on # 15, the white tees play 213' on this little uphill throw while the Blue tees make it a whopping 537'. So, do the Blues play at an Intermediate level or Championship level? Either way, having three distinct and different pads should keep players coming back time and time again.

The holes in the wooded area offer players Ace run after Ace run. Playing from the Whites, few of these were really easy but every one was Aceable.

Wow, my Cons are probably pretty petty. I believe the course can get busy. Not really a con but a compliment. Others have talked about it being slippery after a rain. I could believe that. As far as complaining about it being too difficult or too easy, if you can't pick a level of difficulty on this course, then I don't know what we can do to help you?

Might be a problem with a couple of the earlier holes that play near the street.

Also could be an issue on # 8 and # 12 where you are throwing over a park service road. I had to wait here for a park vehicle to pass.

Trivia question? What city has three professional sports team that all wear the same color combination? Obviously, the answer is Pittsburgh with it's famous yellow and black. My question then is why did the course designers install wonderful 8" orange/black numbers on the baskets? Why not go with the yellow and black? Just curious?

One more question? Hole 18? Did course redesigners consider having this hole play all the way around the hockey rink? Making it a true par 5? I don't know but that could be a 700' hole from the Blue tees. Just another idea?

I think Schenley is aging gracefully. I really liked playing her and would love to come back and try my luck on the Reds and the Blues.

And on another note, the Pirates ballpark, PNC field, is awesome with it's views of the downtown skyline. And while you're in Pittsburgh, have a heart clogging, Pittsburgh icon, a Primanti Brothers sandwich, gobs of meat served with cold slaw, cheese, french fries, tomato, bacon and an egg, all heaped between two thick slices of white bread. I thought my wife was going to puke!

This is only the third course I have played at though having played a large number of times elsewhere. My usual course to go to was in California, PA. That is a tough course mainly because of the wooded portion.

This course on the other hand, is great. The first 8 holes are pretty wide open, mainly in a field. The second hole is easily the longest of the course but it is just straight downhill. One of the only courses you are safe to "let it rip" on. Once you hit hole 9, you start falling into the wooded section. Though there are a lot of trees, you will find it easily navigable and will likely not lose any discs unless they go far out of sight.

The holes placement can be changed so it is not always the same course every time.

The hole layout maps are great. They really help you decipher what could be in the way.

Holes are very well marked and there is little difficulty moving from one hole to the next.

The park itself is beautiful. Make sure you take a good look at the skyline from hole one.

Others are very nice there. Its like a big community atmosphere. I have never had any problems with other golfers.

Alcohol is permitted if you are into that.

Dogs are also permitted.

Large amount of parking available

Not really a con of the course, but it can get a little crowded. The first two times I went there were a ton of people and some of the holes run side by side so you do need to pay a little attention to your surroundings.

If you are looking for a nice outing around Pittsburgh, go here. You are sure to enjoy it. And if you do happen to have some trouble finding a hole, just ask. Someone will be able to help you.

Happy discing!

Schenley is a Pittsburgh classic. The first permanent course in the area, designed and put in before I was born, this course has history. I was surprised that, as a Pittsburgh player, I had not been to Schenley that many times. I had not felt the need, as people often give it a bad reputation. Well, I didn't see it as a bad course.

The course plays through a classic and beautiful Pittsburgh park, featuring grassy, rolling hills, mature trees, and a beautiful skyline view on the first few holes. Note: Any skyline view of the beautiful city of Pittsburgh is worth it, and pictures never do it justice.

The first few holes play in a large valley, with the second hole being a 500 plus downhill crush, but after that hole, you will not need more than a putter and a midrange. The course will lead you winding through the side woods of the park, not far from the hustle and bustle of the urban environment, but provides some nice, woods-style golf.

Tee signs were helpful with all knowledge that is really needed, the distance to center, tee, and all three basket locations. The Mach-III baskets were in great shape, and although they are not my favorites, they definitely served their purpose, catching most shots that needed to be caught. Concrete tees for the reds and whites were a very nice touch.

This course is in one of the busiest parks that the Pittsburgh area has to offer. On a Thursday early afternoon, I was still weaving around picnickers, sunbathers, and more non-disc golfers. This could pose a major threat, as I saw many errant throws from some of the people who play the course.

The course is not only busy with other park goers, there were a lot of golfers this day too. It gets very busy, and a lot of the holes cross paths and/or are placed very close together.

This is not a pro style course. Or really a middle level player course. It is a perfect place to work on a technical, shot shaping mid/putter game, even for my rec-level arm. I pulled out my driver maybe three times, mostly just to get stability from an overstable disc, or to throw a thumber. This is a great place to come to show new players the game, as well as enjoy a good walk in the beautiful park and city, however, you will never see a tournament here, as the crowd, holes, and park would never allow it.

I enjoyed my rounds at Schenley. It would be a course that I recommend for people to play, maybe once, just for the experience and the history. It was a quick round for me, taking a total of two hours tops to play two full 18 hole rounds. For an older course, it is very nice. It uses the land provided very well, and I would play it again. I teetered between a two and a half and a three, but I had trouble rating a par 3 course any better than that, and with the rest of the small issues, I gave it a 2.5. I would still recommend it in a heart beat, as it is truly a classic.

Nice park with multiple pins and tees. well maintained and fairly easy to navigate once you get started.

Has very short holes. Was hard to find inside the park. Not very challenging but good for a beginner.

This was the first course I was able to card a negative score on.

I liked the course with the open fields then going into the woods! You got the best of both worlds. The opening holes are mostly open fields so bring a good driver. In the woods I would use Approach and Putting Disc to there max! I have to get back and play when all the trees in the wooded area are in full bloom that should make it harder!

There is not to much I did not like about this course!

You should go play Schen if you are in the Pittsburg area.

- 18 Holes
- Multiple tee positions
- Multiple pin positions (though only playing once, I have only played one)
- Two Concrete two pads (and one natural tee pad per hole... finding the third pad proved difficult.)
- Navigation was pretty easy, course signs were at both tee pads and some holes had signs indicating where the next tee was.
- Nice mix of wooded and open field holes
- Nice Mach 3 baskets that catch pretty well
- A number of benches spread throughout the course
- An absolute beautiful and large city park so amenities are not far, and bringing a family would not leave them to twiddle their thumbs, sports fields, playgrounds, and a pool were just some of the things I saw on my way in.

- I took a few beginners, and we played from the Red tees, and that course layout might be the shortest course I have ever played. Plenty of Ace runs, but that meant I played mostly with my putters.
- Though this park is well maintained, after the rain, the field and the woods were a bit of a swamp. Pretty slick conditions in the woods, and most of the tee pads had some level of mud and leaves matted on them making footing a bit uncertain.
- As I mentioned, two concrete pads for three tee boxes, the third box was natural, and was usually the blue box, meaning the longest throw had the worst footing.

This is a nice little course that definitely forces someone to practice upshots. If you are going to pull out your full game, you will probably be a bit disappointed. Have the right expectations and this course comes out looking pretty nice.

Nice short course with lots of ace opportunities. Beautiful views of Pittsburgh from tee #1. Worth stopping if in the area.

Being close to the city the park can get rather busy. Just watch out where your throwing your discs. Can be muddy on some holes if it rained recently. Some people don't have the patience to wait for you to move before throwing their discs. I had discs land @ my feet right next to my young children. I understand it can get crowded but have some courtesy for other people who are having to wait for people in front of them too.

I rather enjoyed this short little course. Going to have to make this a stop when I'm in the city.

-Nice Lay out in the park.
-I really like wooded holes.
-Nice Short lines with a few Ace run opportunities
-Concrete tees.

-Park itself can get really crowded at times.

Great view of the City Skyline by Hole 1.
I have Aced 16 and Just today chained out from the Red Tee on Hole 2.

If you park by Hole 10 and play the back 9 first, you finish right where you park.

1. 3 tee offs at each hole providing different difficulties.
2. Directions to the next tee at most holes.
3. Large concrete slabs at the start of each tee.
4. Good variety of distances throughout the holes.
5. Course was easy to find once you enter the park.

1. Most holes are straight shots not many left or right curve holes.
2. Some heavily treed holes making it difficult for new players
3. Could get pretty muddy after a rainy day

Overall a good course

Nice view from 1 -4. Some interesting shots once you go into the woods. Great elevation/tree shots. Very easy access when you are in the 'burg. Great food and drink nearby.

The course is a little worn around the edges. Some of the improvements (t-signs) are no longer as helpful due to changes and/or alternate pin placements. No need for a massive arm save one hole.

I'm lifetime PFDS #02; there at the start. The course got better from 1988 - 2005, then has been on a slow decline. Not sure why. Still a lot of fun and the bench on 13 still serves it's purpose.

- Some nice open holes
- Good tee boxes
- Good signage
- Baskets were in great shape
- In the woods
- It looked new; no garbage on the course

- Some holes were confusing
- In a crowded park

Good course for all levels.

I love this park and its location, so it quickly became one of my most played courses once I got wheels. Most of the holes are in the woods and so it makes for some interesting shots. A great place to bring a beginner. It is short enough that a single player can finish inside of an hour.

The park tends to be crowded and people management can be a concern. It's also very tightly placed so you need to beware of the other players around you (my eyebrow will never be the same). The holes are almost all short enough that a candy arm like myself can have a chance to birdie every hole.

This is the only course that I have played under par and have an ace on so it has some sentimental value with that. The central location is great and I love swinging through on a whim to play a quick round after work and still getting home early enough to make dinner!

I am rating this a 3.5 because Schenley really is a very good course. The holes progressively move into the woods and several holes have varying lines to the pin. The course starts out with some great open holes and goes into the wooded area around holes 6 and 8. Great mix of different shots.

Course has a great view of the Pittsburgh skyline. One of the more beautiful areas of Schenley.

The course can be very crowded on nice days when Pitt or CMU is in session. Often people will play in large groups and it can get backed up.

The ratings on here may be because of how short the course is. There aren't many 400+ ft holes.

I've always been impressed with the layout of this course. It is a great use of land

-Located in a huge, well-maintained park right outside of Oakland, only a few miles from downtown. The park has pretty much everything you could ask for with bike trails, walking trails, ball golf course (including an indoor golf virtual simulator of famous courses), tennis courts, playgrounds, soccer fields, skating rink, a pool and more. This is definitely a park you can bring your whole family to and everyone can find something they enjoy doing
-Bathrooms, water fountains, parking, garbage cans, and course map located near holes 1 and 18
- This is one of the best parks I've played as far as little chance to lose discs. Virtually impossible here, allowing for a more enjoyable round
-Great view of downtown Pittsburgh
-3 tees (red, white, and blue) and 3 pin locations, giving the course a great variety. White and blue have very nice long concrete tees and the baskets are Mach 3.
-Variety with open (1-6,18) and wooded (7-17) holes. Good mix of straight, hyzer, and anhyzer shots
-Good course to take a beginner to. Advanced and serious players may get bored with this course, but I feel an intermediate level/average player would enjoy it as well
-Multiple benches located throughout the course
-A lot of things to do in the city after your round

-Schenley Park is often highly populated throughout the day, which can make finding a parking space difficult and sometimes can slow down your round with multiple groups out playing at a time. Also, holes 1-5 play on a huge field where many non-golfers like to sprawl out, causing conflict. Holes 2-6, 12, and 18 play close to a road
-Finding the next tee can be confusing in the woods, as some the holes are very close together. This also can create problems with discs landing in opposite fairways. My first time playing, I threw at the wrong basket once or twice because it was hard to tell which basket belonged to which tee.
-Only a few holes really stood out to me in any way
-There can be awful traffic returning to the highways in the evenings

A lot of people refer to this course as a pitch and putt - I would agree with them as far as a few holes playing from the red tees. However, 7/18 holes are over 300 feet from the blue tees, none being under 200 feet, and only 2 holes are under 200 feet from the white tees. Also, the shortest wooded holes play through some tight lines, so it's not just an easy layup to the basket from the tee. I do have mixed feelings about this course, as there are some definite cons to playing here, but I still find it to be an enjoyable round. My point being that there aren't too many holes that are definite ace runs or throw-aways. To me, the wooded holes are still technical enough to make them fun, even if some of them are fairly short. The course only plays about 45 minutes for one person to play, so it is quick enough to get 2 rounds in.
The holes I especially enjoyed were:
2- A chance to really bomb your disc while getting a great view and often times fighting the wind on your shots
15- A long par 4 hole starting in the open then playing through the woods to an elevated basket
17- Plays along a tight path uphill to a tight pin location
18- Tee is on a hill and plays across the road to another hill

Nice 18-hole beginner friendly course in a heavily used city park.
- Being so close to a major city (5 minute drive from downtown), it's a great spot for a quick round after work, before a game, while in from out-of-town, etc.
- Multi-use park provides restrooms, water, other sporting facilities, etc.
- Easy to find - follow signs to the sporting oval and park on the road right near the large course map
- 3 tees (2 are concrete) and 3 pin locations provide for a lot of variety
- Mach 3 baskets in great shape with big number plates
- Tee signs have good hole map, show all tee/pin locations and distances to all pin locations
- Starts with some open holes and ends with (2/3 of the course) wooded holes
- Holes in the woods are challenging enough to give beginners a good sense of wooded disc golf, but are not so long that they would become super difficult or frustrating
- Good place to work on mid-ranges and short game for more seasoned players
- Low chance for lost discs - not much thick brush and the dead leaves are mostly packed and matted down
- Hole #2 is obviously fun to let it rip out over the downhill field
- Hole #17 was a fun uphill hyzer to a pin tucked in a little cutout in the treeline

- Heavy park use inevitably leads to conflict with non-discers - even though it was an overcast, rainy day, I had to wait for walkers crossing paths or hanging nearby fairways
- The majority of the wooded holes (7-17) feel like they were all jammed into the same 500' x 500' area of land - you're always near other tees or baskets and need to be very aware of shots from other holes headed your way
- Fairly muddy down in the low parts of the woods - I know I played in spring, but still
- Some of the early holes play right alongside the park road, so shots that hyzer out too far could end up meeting up with cars
- Difficult navigation - no next tee signs that I saw and with so many holes so close together, finding the next tee was not always easy
- Pretty repetitive - oh, another 200' hole in the woods?
- Don't think there is any indication of which pin position the basket is currently in - not a huge deal since you can almost always see the basket from the tee, but since all listed distances are to the "center of green", different pin locations can have a fairly significant effect - even a difference of 30-40 feet could be the difference between putter, mid-range, thumber/tomahawk, etc.

- Benches on a few holes
- Awesome view of the Pittsburgh skyline at the start of the course

This was a decent course for what it is - a simple, older design not meant for ultra-speed drivers. There were very few memorable or spectacular features and got pretty repetitive, but it's definitely a solid option for the downtown area or a quick practice round.