It can be Easy or Difficult
9 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -A moderate to heavy wooded course that meanders around a creek. The creek comes into play 8 of the 9 holes. There is upslope, downslope, elevated tee, gaps off tees, and guardian trees for the baskets. A few holes Criss cross the creek in succession.
-Short tees are short in distance, provide plenty of birdie opportunities and ace runs. Long tees have plenty of distance with difficulty off the tee, and challenging. I played both sets of tees two rounds. Both short and long tees are so different on each hole, you feel like you're playing two different set of courses.
-Tees are concrete and in decent shape. Baskets are older, but still catch well.
-Some short tee signs only had a hole number. Some long tee signs had hole number and distance.
-At the time I played the course it would have ranked #1 in difficulty for a 9-holer from the long tees only. It would be replaced by Lake Marshall the Lambs Course 11 days later.
-From both tees threw putter, fairway, and driver.
-Long open field from parking to 1st tee allows some throwing practice.
-Navigation is clockwise with painted rungs pointing to next short or long tee. Foot bridges to cross creek a handful of times.
-Beginner and Recreational will find the short tees enjoyable, the longs very difficult. Intermediate and Advanced will find a birdie festival on shorts and will be challenged on longs.
Cons: -High lost disc potential with heavy trees and brush. The creek isn't too bad, looking very careful you should be able to find a disc. The brush is very thick and high, lines a few fairways. On other holes just off fairway, rough high enough where you can walk pass your disc.
-On the long tees a few holes are alike. It was the first time on a 9-holer that I found a few holes not memorable a few days later. Holes 3 and 4 were comical.
-Tee signs not consistent some had distance some not, some only a hole number. A few broken. Some painted rungs for direction were faded away. There is no mapping of the course.
-There are walking trails on the course. Had to hold up a few times to let others pass.
-Any sustained or heavy rain very possible the creek could overflow and fairways to become muddy.
-The brush on No. 8 to the left was thick with huge bumble bees buzzing around. Spent a few moments looking for a disc. Gave myself a 30-foot rule no closer to the basket to get away from them. There were flowers in the brush.
Other Thoughts: Dunncroft-Castle Rock I've had my eye on for quite some time, its mention in my area, reading local comments the course seems to be popular in Richmond, and 12-18 months from now I could be making frequent visits to the course, as I volunteer my time just a few miles from there monthly. So, it was time to check it out. DCR is two 9-holers sharing the same basket or 18 tees and a 9-basket course. Long and short tees have totally different looks on each hole, compared to other 9'ers with two pads. Both rounds were fun and enjoyable, short tees attack the basket and long tees intense staying clear of trouble. A very good mix of disc golf on 2-9er's. The course itself is crustier with some scenery mixed in.
The short tee with the ease of the course would be a 2.0, the long tee with its difficulty latches on to a 4.0. But it's considered to be one course, so with the variety of disc golf, fun factor, enjoyment, ace runs and birdie pickups, difficulty, and that crusty/scenic mix my overall rating is anchored on a 3.5. Both rounds took a total of 65 mins with some disc searching.
Course Humor:
No. 3 and 4 from the longs look alike. Elevated, two pine tree gaps over the creek going back upslope. So, when I got up to the 4th tee at first glance my first thought was "I just played this hole" for a moment I thought I some how got turned around and was back on 3rd tee. I've never seen two back-to-back holes look so much alike in the woods.
Notable Basket Placement:
No. 5 basket is a roller into the creek if the grass is short.
Notable Holes:
No. 6 Par 3 long at 268 feet looks like the fairway has shifted left to right over the years, and used to be a straight away fairway? Straight ahead is heavy brush, trees and the creek running parallel to the fairway with the tee aimed at the obstacles. At about 160 feet the fairway meanders to the right, then angles back to the left towards the basket at 200 feet, at that point are heavy trees with a small fairway of about 20 feet wide all the way down to the basket. Scenic.
No. 8 Par 3 at 295 feet long is an elevated straight downhill until it reaches the creek at 200 feet, then gently doglegs left up to the basket. The fairway going down from the tee is peppered with pine trees in the middle and heavy trees both sides of fairway about 30 feet wide, need to pick a gap from the tee.
Signature Hole:
No. 2 Par 3 at 339 feet long is a downhill throw thru a gap of trees about 20 feet wide then opens at about 180 feet with two pine trees right in the middle where it opens, going either left or right of the two pines, then a downhill drop towards the creek and a slight dogleg right. The basket sits on a slight upslope, the creek is within C1 turning on an angle to the right of basket. Very scenic from both tees.
Trouble Hole:
No. 7 Par 3 at 345 long feet a level straight away from the tee with heavy brush and trees both sides of fairway about 20 feet wide all the way down 220 feet. The fairway opens and has a slight dogleg left. The creek meanders all the way down the left of fairway and crosses fairway at about 275 feet. The basket has guardian skinnies with a dry depression behind the basket about 15 feet. There's an open area 220 feet on the right and is blind from the tee. As a lefty I was able to hit the target after thinking I may have been short in the heavy brush. Righties a forehand would be nice for you. It's a good spot to approach the basket if you don't want to risk the creek.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
good neighborhood course
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Scenic course in a small setting with elevation coming on both sides of a creek with lots of tall grass and bushes.
Because of the elevation and the creek, there is a lot of visual challenge on the short holes.
Course is also very wooded, so flight lines are tight if not over the creek. And the slope is mostly always a factor. These elements give the small course its challenges.
There is a park trail that skirts along the edge of the course, and it has a lot of walkers and cyclists. So one never feels isolated. I played a Sunday late afternoon, and it was not too crowded even though I had to let 2 groups pass.
Cons: I understand from other reviews that the creek has copperhead snakes. It is also the case that one can lose a disc in that tall grass. So throw bright-colored discs to have a chance at recovery.
You are going down and then up and down and up the slopes through the creek bed over and over, and that repetition does get old pretty quickly.
Not being a strong thrower, I found myself laying up close to the creek and then throwing spike hyzers over the creek.
Both tees of #1 present curtains of trees from the get-go and are not very welcoming. However, it's the hardest hole on the course (in my opinion), so it doesn't get any worse really. Just different and better. At least from the red tees.
Other Thoughts: By the way, the red tee of #1 is very far from the blue tee of #1. Red is closer to the street at the edge of the cricket field.
To not interfere with the cricket play (or get hit!), take the park trail previously mentioned, which skirts along the edge of that field as well as the disc golf course. There is a spur trail to the blue tee of #1 from the park trail.
You have to come out again to the edge of the cricket field to get to the red tee from the blue tee of no. 1. Walk along the treeline edge. Or walk along the street from the parking lot to the red tee.
As others have noted earlier, it is not a destination course. However, if you are in the area for some other reason, it's a nice diversion and an enjoyable place to play.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
9 holes that get attention
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Nice paver tee pads
Good short tee beginner/practice layout
Bathrooms with water at the parking lot
Area is getting attention with walking stones across the creek and erosion prevention.
Long tees add a good bit of challenge on many holes, not just 60 extra feet.
Cons: Wish there were 9 more holes
Grass and growth has gotten bad in some spots but it's the middle of an extra rainy VA summer, not a lot that can be done there.
Other Thoughts: I first played this course back in the early 2000s when it was 18 holes and even though 9 holes were removed for the school construction, the course is in much better shape now than it was then. There's been the work on the tee pads, paths cleaned up and large stones added for crossing the creek. Looks like quite a few new trees have been planted. Park and course have been kept clean also and a nice option if you want to introduce kids to the game.
I like how the short tees set up in that even though most are open shots, they do require the player to hit a landing gap or zone, nice for the newer players that are starting to get 250' power because it makes them shape a shot to an area. A few short holes are 'technical' off the tee and is a good mix/introduction of that. For a 300'+ thrower, the shorts can all be played with a putter and are pretty fun as well great upshot practice.
The longs add a good amount of challenge to the holes adding not only distance but tight gaps and shape control. Off the fairways your scramble game will get a little bit of a work out but not tested too hard.
It's a nice option to have in this part of town which is further away from the more popular Richmond courses. It's also pretty easy to get too off 295 if you're looking for a quick round.
Also the large field between the parking lot serves as a cricket field for some of the Richmond leagues. Pretty fun to watch and there's a good view of it from the first tee. If they are playing you can take the nature path around the backside of the field to get to hole #1.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Ok, short, technical
9 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Will def give your technical skills a workout, or break in every disc you have. Many trees have recently been cut down or trimmed, so that helps with several of the approach shots. Nice baskets. Soccer field is nice to air out before or after you play, if not too many people are goofing off (50/50 chance). There are a couple of really fun shots, #2, #7 - #9, many are "aceable" but I don't really believe many of the ace grabs noted on several of the tee posts. It's a nice course to play if it's windy because it's all wooded or in a valley, so makes for a nice place to go if it's just stupid windy elsewhere. Typically not too busy
Cons: I realize, and have had it pointed out to me, I sound like a jerk in my reviews so I'll keep it to myself. This is a nice place, my advice is go play it and find out for yourself. Have fun, be respectful, help out the beginners, set a good example - all things I need to work on myself (and not write reviews in a foul mood!).
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.
BUG SPRAY
3 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: 1. Signs have par and distance along with bag holders.
2. Blue and White Tees
3. Tees are easy to spot
4. Trashcans
5. Shaded
Cons: 1. Bugs
2. These trees are heavily traveled so navigation from hole to hole can be tough.
3. Saw a copperhead when we played
4. Baskets are hard to spot
Other Thoughts: This course is a great one for beginners. I personally felt like the pars where too high except for hole 9. I enjoyed this course but I would not play it again in the summer without bug spray. For a quick 9 round I would recommend this course.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Not the best course ever, but still one of my favorites
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Varied terrain makes the play interesting and worthwhile for a short course.
Great soccer field for warming up in.
Real baskets, always a plus.
Short enough to play a quick round if short on time, or play through twice if you have more time.
Challenging, but not infuriating.
Brand new posts to hold bags as of March 2013. Very nice Eagle scout project! I think the tee markers were newer too.
Cons: Natural tees - they get muddy.
This most recent time I played it tons of local kids were using it as a biking trail - we had to call out a lot to warn them that we were throwing. ( A few of them were very slow to get out of the way)
Other Thoughts: I know some people are pretty down on short courses, but this is one of my favorites. I know the fairways are narrow, but it's a great place to hone your accuracy or work on rollers (on downhill holes) and hammers
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Narrow Course with Sneaky Creek
5 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Multiple tees on 6-7 holes makes it an enjoyable 18 hole loop if you play it twice.
Hole 2 is one of the best holes in the Richmond area...course is almost worth playing for this one approach shot!
Good hole length variety for a 9 hole course.
Soccer field before the first hole makes a nice warm-up practice area.
Cons: Only 9 holes.
Lack of hole variety...they all seem narrow, heavily wooded, and that annoying creek seems to swallow discs repeatedly. It is very well hidden on a lot of shots, but encroaches on almost every hole. And it smells pretty foul so retrieving discs is not fun. The second pass through the course was much nicer because I knew where the creek was, but this is definitely an annoyance on the first pass!
Tee areas are natural...they have large roots and the run-ups are sometimes limited to 1 step because of trees and benches.
Could not find the white tees on hole 9.
Other Thoughts: Its next to a middle school, and there are a lot of graffiti on the trees...typically mature graffiti penises.
Hole 7 is poorly designed...it plays straight down a creek, and there is no landing area on either side to lay up.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.
2 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Actual baskets are always a plus, solid lanes, water hazards, decent elevation change, marked tees complete with bag hangars, trash cans on site. Also, this is a great beginner course as it is short, entertaining, and it flows really well. It's very easy to follow, and it has some solid elevation change for such a short course.
Cons: Graffiti and natural tees are about the only downside. The graffiti doesn't bother me but, if you play with kids, there are a number of trees painted with giant dicks. As for the natural tees, they are especially bad for two reasons. A) There are roots grown up through them that require that you watch carefully on the run up. B) Some of the tees are situated so you can't run up. For example, one of the holes has the tee markers, and the box is literally like four feet deep and backs up to a bench, so you really have no room to work with.
Other Thoughts: All in all, this is an entertaining course, great for beginners. You won't really find a chance to open your arm up if you're a big driver, but it's a GREAT warmup course for Bryan or Gillies. Also, it's laid out well enough that it's easy to follow, and beginners do well here, as the holes aren't terribly long. This course is also a great place to practice placement, as some of the holes do require precision. The water hazard is entertaining...it's deep enough to be there, but not so deep that it swallows discs, and the creek definitely adds character to the course. The course was also quiet, and very clean. If you're in Richmond, Gillies, Bryan and Dorey are where it's at, but this is worth a quick trip if you want to warm up or strictly work on placement. As someone else mentioned, it's like playing putt-putt.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Old School...It's Old, by a School
1 Helpful / 5 Not
Pros: > Better than I expected, signs were well dressed with graffiti, but some of the info is actually good, you get the ace accounts, and who is in love with who. That's character people.
>Across a soccer field, which if empty, is GREAT to warm up in.
>A nice variety of length, not all short holes.
Cons: >Woods, ALL of it. It seems to be a Richmond area requirement of DG for all the courses to be in the woods.
>Natural Tees, always a negative.
>Sometimes confusing to get around.
Other Thoughts: Not as bad as I have read, not quite on the level of Gillies, but not too far off.
1 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Fun and Short... Like Putt Putt
4 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: -Great Beginner Course
-Incorporates small stream on several holes to make some interesting basket approaches
-Narrow fairways balance short holes
-Hard to lose a disc in either the woods or the stream
Cons: -Some fairways absurdly narrow
-Stream is often not visible from the tee and can be a source of surprise water penalties.
-Stream smells quite bad and detracts from the experience if you have to fish out a disc
Other Thoughts: Call this course what it is. A small nine-hole course that backs up to a small park. While a few holes require +200 ft shots to have an ideal lie, many of the holes feel like one is playing putt putt.
I have a special place in my heart for this type of course. With the openness of Bryan park, I would play this course if pressed for time or if I wanted to rest my arm and focus on finesse.
Unfortunately, the course over-rewards an accurate shot and over-penalizes a slightly inaccurate one. On many holes a 150 ft shot that hits a 6 ft wide window can set one up for a deuce, while a kick off a tree can have one looking at bogey or double. On the plus side, one could walk away from a round with a low-twenties score. On the negative, the difference between low twenties and upper thirties seems to turn on luck more than anything else.
I play this course because of its location near my in-laws. If it is down the road from you I can see why you might frequent it. It's worth playing at least once if you live in Richmond, and if one is craving a short game with intense finesse shots, this is the ticket. However, With other courses like Gilles Run and Bryan Park nearby, I can not imagine one wanting to play this course on a regular basis.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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3 / 202ft. 
5+ 
4/2/2014 
1/3/2014
Review By: HannibalRex 
This review was updated on 4/3/2014
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