Burnaby, BC

Robert Burnaby Park

2.795(based on 12 reviews)
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12 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.2 years 652 played 631 reviews
2.50 star(s)

30 Local Layout Options.

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

(2.513 Rating) A mixed wooded and park style course with big ole trees and moderate elevation movement.
- MA3 AND MA4 FRIENDLY - The course difficulty is set an ideal level to please the widest amount of players in my opinion. Some holes will be easy birds for skilled players, while a hole like (6) for example, will be a tough 3. My guess is that even par would net around an 850 rated round or so. Disc loss potential is moderate to low and the ace opportunities are many.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Of the 4 courses I played in the Vancouver metro area (Eastview, Little Mountain, Quilchena and here), this was the most beautiful of the bunch to me. Mammoth western cedars, douglas firs and hemlocks, made for such a serene environment to throw in. The landscape also has lots of moderate undulations and slope to it. Hole (10) is a really nice looking and fun downhill finish. I ended up scoring this aspect around 65 percentile among the 620 courses I've thrown as of this review.
- TEES AND BASKETS - Yea DISCatchers and Yea turf over big concrete tees.
- COURSE MAP - An up-to-date course map is posted next to the parking area. I highly recommend taking a picture of it to first timers.
- QUICK PLAY - I finished all 10 holes in 25 minutes. The course is confined to a small area. There is only one transition over 300 feet long, (5) to (6). Searching for discs is possible on a few holes, but the overgrowth is not epic bad anywhere that I noticed.
- 30 LAYOUTS - The notion of 30 local layouts could easily be a con, but there is no indication that they exist unless one has a specific disc golf app or follows the local club page. The local layouts are 18 holes and seemingly change weekly. I dig it.

Cons:

Space available for 18 holes, but not 18 holes.
- NO TEE SIGNS - Four of the five courses I've hit in British Columbia did not have proper tee signs, including this one. Burnaby also did not have numbers on the pads, which was present at the other three that didn't have tee signs. I was constantly checking my map when I played here, up until I ran into another group and joined them.
- NAVIGATION - Again, be sure and take a photo of the course map before heading to tee (1). I started on (6) and struggled getting around at first due to the no signage aspect.
- CROSSING FAIRWAYS - Holes (4) and (5) cross. I've always found crossing fairways to be a design flaw.
- HOLE VARIETY - I scored this aspect slightly below average as the variations are limited. No par 4s and the longest hole is less than 350 feet. A couple holes are guarded well, but most plays are lightly wooded with only a couple features to game plan around.

Other Thoughts:

Of the 4 Vancouver courses I played in the metro area, this was my favorite. Just eclipsing Little Mountain on my ledger. Despite this evaluation, I don't find Burnaby to be a destination course. It's a nice throw and all, but not having a full 18 is a substantial omission to be classified as such to me. If they were to ever get the greenlight to add 8 more holes, I would up my score over the 2.75 threshold for a 3.0 without question. Anyways, as is, solid a 2.5 level course to me. If included among my played niners, it would be 90 percentile among that grouping, but it sits just above 50 percentile among all the courses I've played. The course reminded me most of Silver Lake Excalibur among my 20 played Pacific Northwest courses. Other courses that come to mind include Jack Mattox near Chattanooga, Miami Whitewater near Cincinnati, Mills Park in East Tennessee and Miller Park in central Kentucky.
- THANK YOU - I was gifted a stamped club disc by a local player after I hit an ace on hole (3). Thank you Monica for the kind gesture and for letting me tag along for a few holes and for engaging on interesting discussions on the Vancouver disc golf scene.
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3 0
joelwpg
Experience: 15 years 92 played 21 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice quiet course, tucked away 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This Course is my favorite of the Vancouver courses. Located in a beautiful park this course does not even feel like you are in a city. Full of huge (Vancouver style) trees, it is always quiet here, and the course is great. The course plays up and down a hill, so most holes will have that slight up or down elevation. Finding my way through the first time was a little tricky, but the map helped.

Cons:

During winter, or when it rains this course can get very mucky. The ground around the final hole can be shoe swallowing deep muck. Unfortunately... it sometimes rains in Vancouver.

Other Thoughts:

Worth the trip! The walk in the park alone would be worth it and the course is fun and endlessly re-playable. There are also a few alternate courses here which are a lot of fun if you can find them :)
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4 0
djwinter
Experience: 16.8 years 46 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The Alternate Options are Key 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 20, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Setting: The Burnaby course has a very isolated feel in the middle of a large urban area. Once you leave the parking lot at the bottom of the hill beside Hwy 1, you really feel like you're out of the city and a little isolated. This course sees 1/4 of the players of any other courses in the Vancouver area, which really adds to the "quiet walk in the woods" feel that makes the course so enjoyable.

Course Layouts: If it's your first time to the park, playing the "official" 10 hole layout as noted on the kiosk in the parking lot is a good way to start. BUT, I highly recommend trying out some of the alternate layouts found either on the club website, or in the "Files/Links" tab on this site. Brett's 23 is my personal favorite. If you have a smart phone, preload the maps, if not, print off a few because navigation is challenging without a map or a local guide. Yes some of the alternate courses have overlapping, crisscrossing holes, and use the same baskets and tees as other holes, but since there is so little traffic on this course, interfering with other players is rarely an issue. The efforts of the Burnaby Club to create and make readily available all of these alternate layouts is truly amazing.

Playing the Course(s): The "official" 10 holes of the course are good, but aren't the best way to play at Robert Burnaby Park. If you consider all of the options provided with alternate maps, there is a fantastic variety of holes and shots to challenge experienced players, and to keep it basic for newer disc golfers. As the park is on a slight incline, there are some good up and down hill shots, as well as a few cross hill options. The park is quite heavily treed with some thick rough off of the fairways for the most part, but there are a few holes that are a little more wide open. Playing across the ravine, and onto the "island" green of hole #5 are pretty cool.

The Burnaby Club: In August '11, the course saw a significant facelift, seeing new or rejuvenated tee boxes, freshly painted and numbered baskets, and even some new holes. If you haven't played at Burnaby in a while, it's worth another trip because the Burnaby Club has put in some serious effort to get the full potential out of the land provided by the city, and I'm sure they'll keep up the good work.

Cons:

Navigation is an issue on the course, though a digital or printed map will help, it can still be an issue.

There is a lot of tree cover on the course which provides some technical challenging shots, but I feel this course is lacking a few wide open long holes to really stretch out the arm.

Unlike other nearby courses there are no playing fields in the park to practice or warm up. There are no official practice baskets either, but with the lack of traffic on the course, you can just pick any basket and not really worry.

Finally, outside of the hot summer months, this course is very mucky. Even on some of the grass fairways, deep thick mud can be an issue. Bring your gumboots between October and April for sure.

Other Thoughts:

At first look, this course seems average. BUT, take the time to check out some of the alternate course layouts posted on this site and the Robert Burnaby Disc Golf Club's website and commit to playing one or two of these options, and you'll enjoy yourself much more.

You'll enjoy how quiet and secluded the park feels. The local club members are always happy to show off their hard work, so don't be afraid to make friends and get a guided tour of some of the alternate options.
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4 0
Highball
Experience: 13.8 years 13 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Up in the woods! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

I liked the fact that this course was in the trees yet not so bad that I could not enjoy it. For the most part the tee pads were well kept and the baskets there all (but one) were high quality. The local players have made many different maps to play this course. 9, 15, 18 and more hole maps were tacked to the fence on the 1st tee pad.

Cons:

The one thing that stood out on this course was that if you did not have a map (and I ALWAYS print a map before I play a new course) you would be totally lost! Was not too crazy about the many different ways to play this course as you could be throwing at a basket that others are. They made due with what they have and for that I'll give them a A+.

Other Thoughts:

This was like taking a long walk up into the woods. Your up there and it is like nothing else is around you but miles of forest at times. That was a neat feeling. The throwing up and down hills was a new challenge and bit me a few times too. Over all I loved it and will play it every time I have the chance!
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10 0
cefire
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 24.8 years 1123 played 136 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 7, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Compared with area courses, the Robert Burnaby course has quite a bit to boast about. It is one of the few courses which can challenge players who are a bit more experienced and it has great potential as a safari or practice course.

Penalizing rough: The rough isn't really very thorny or so thick that you can't even get in, but it has enough teeth to adequately penalize shots that aren't thrown properly. You want to be on the fairways and you should be, because the holes are so short. If you miss, though, at least you'll have to really work to save a par.

Variety: Because of the hillsides and tree cover, you'll need a more varied bag of shots than say, Mundy. The distances aren't all that long but the uphill holes and those with low ceiling shots add a bit of additional technical challenge.

Safari Potential: The rolling hills and not too dense tree coverage makes for a nice safari practice course. I could definitely see taking a basket or two out here to add a little variety to the course on a summer afternoon.

Cons:

Navigation: Finding your way around this park can be quite challenging. When we entered the park, we parked in the incorrect parking lot but even from there and throughout our round, we found ourselves lost at several points with no available signage or numbering to help lead the way. There are several holes that look to be either newly removed or newly installed and it is very difficult to tell if the tee you are standing at actually leads to a basket or if it is possibly just a temporary hole. Likewise, we saw several homemade-looking baskets which had no tee's nearby.

Repetitiveness: The course overall makes great use of the hillsides at this park but you'll find that you will likely be playing several uphill holes in a row and then several downhill shots. Just a consequence of the available land rather than a fault of the current design but it is less than ideal.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, Robert Burnaby is definitely worth a play and besides the Langley course, might be the best in the area for players looking for a bit more challenge. The hole lengths might be short, but there are both fairway obstacles and serious rough to contend with - these are often not available at other nearby venues.
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4 2
theHip
Experience: 15 years 20 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Beautiful Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 6, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Very beautiful and picturesque.
All of the holes are generally really fun.
Hilly and some holes have lots of trees make for a fun challenge.

Cons:

Kind of easy.
A fun course like this makes you want more. If it were a 18 hole course I would for sure give it a higher rating.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoy this course. It's worth going out to play this one, and I will make sure I go out and play it more.
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4 0
Bobbily
Experience: 21.8 years 39 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wooded, serene, beautiful 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 29, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a beautiful little 9. Some of the holes are a little short, but with good obstacles and requiring some technique. # 9 is an absolutely outstanding hole. Can be played a variety of ways to add length. The park is stunning, and its never very busy. If you like peace and quiet with your golf, hit this up.
UPDATE: Mar/2010. Someone really worked hard on the tee pads, filling them in with gravel, and covering the gravel with some old carpet. The strategy has worked wonders (though who knows how long it will hold up). Teeing off is no longer a problem here. Also, there are white markings on the ground for alternate (longer) tee pads.

Cons:

Its only 9. 2 holes are too short. Highway noise can be annoying.

Other Thoughts:

Lets turn this into an 18! This park is enormous, complete with picnic tables, bbq pits, a seperate and enclosed off-leash dog park, and a community pool. Would be a wonderful place for a family bbq.
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8 0
maniak
Experience: 15.8 years 15 played 13 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Only reasonable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 22, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course plays up a big hill and down the other side and has a creek running right through the middle. See the map to get an idea.

Some reviewers have stated that they don't like the first four holes headed up hill. I would have to disagree. Even though they are short, it's fun to take an ace run without much consequence.

The 4 holes on the other side of the creek going downhill were fun to air out a few shots. Most of these holes had quick greens thanks to the slope of the hill. Missing a putt on the downhill holes could easily result in your disc sailing way past.

I played mid-day on a beautiful sunny August Saturday and we were one of two groups playing. This seems like one of the least busy courses in the Vancouver area. I love never having to wait.

The map at the kiosk by the parking lot is very accurate and aside from the tee box on hole four, we had no trouble navigating the course.

JR Stengele mentioned that a 20 hole layout is available. While I don't know the this layout I can tell there are many options available for safari golf here. These holes may better utilize the creek as a hazard.

Cons:

I think most other reviews have touched on this but my number one con here is the tee boxes. Some of them are so bumpy that you could easily roll an ankle.

Basket # 7 threw us off because it was not a yellow DISCatcher like the other 8 holes. It was plain gray and had a homemade basket attached. The basket is about twice as deep as a normal basket.

We couldn't find the actual tee pad for hole # four. It was nowhere to be found. We just teed off where the map said it should be.

There was no water fountains or amenities other than a kiosk with a map and picnic table at the first tee box.

Other Thoughts:

I think I would have rated this course 2.5 or even maybe a 3.0 if it had cement tee pads. Some of them were so bad that I didn't even use them. I would just tee off beside the tee pad.

Overall, it's a decent course. It is one of the hillier courses around here, and if you're in the neighborhood you should stop by.
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9 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Up And Down Course Where Dogs Might Be The Priority! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course sits in the very corner of a fairly large city park. The parking lot feels very isolated from the rest of the world even though a freeway is just a few hundred feet away. The course plays the first four holes up one side of the creek/ravine and then the last five down the hill around on the other side of this brushy ravine. The baskets are mostly OK but the teepads are very uneven natural ones. Numbers on top of the baskets could've helped me. If not that, even writing the # on the pole in Sharpie would have saved me some looking around. I think # 9 is easily the signature hole here. It's about 280 ft. downhill with the basket hidden behind a large cedar tree and another tree. There is a fairly small window to throw through on both sides of these trees and there's the ravine over on the left side. And you have to throw with a touch as the parking lot looms directly behind the basket.

Cons:

Some of the teepads are really terrible, # 1's especially. They could use some work. I got a little confused on # 5. I looked and couldn't find the basket where I thought it should be. I finally walked down and located the basket with # 5 on it and played to it. Then I played # 6 going back up the hill. Looking down from the # 7 teepad, the only basket I could find which made any sense was the same # 5 basket. Later looking back up the hill I saw the phantom basket I couldn't find before. I'm still not sure if it is the # 5 or the # 7 basket??? Somebody please Sharpie a # on those baskets for me. I believe this course would be very wet and muddy during much of the long winter BC months.

Other Thoughts:

It's fun throwing four out of the last five downhill. I wasn't too keen on playing the first four uphill. There seems to be a large expanse of park here to work with but it appears that the dog community has sunken their canine teeth into the larger part and aren't willing to share it with the disc golfers. There are dogs, dog signs and pooper scoopers stations located seemingly everywhere I went in this section of Mundy Park. In conclusion, I think much of this course has gone to the dogs!
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13 0
JR Stengele
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.9 years 251 played 191 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Robert Burnaby Park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

When entering Robert Burnaby Park you feel as if your pulling up the a campsite. The course is located on a hillside that is surrounded by massive Evergreens which makes the area feel very secluded. A small but ever present gully splits right up the middle of the course dividing the holes (5 on one side and four on the other) but doesn't come in to play unless your playing the local 20 hole course layout (which adds to the uniqueness but not difficulty).

Baskets are in good enough shape to still catch discs well although one basket that looks homemade probably needs a makeover.

Elevation was a major factor on the hole course. You find yourself throwing either uphill (5holes) or down (4 holes) so knowing which disc to use regarding stability is key to your shot selection. Because the course is fairly short (although holes #5 and #9 are longer) I found myself using a mid and putter for most of the holes. I also found that it catered to lefties for the sidearm.

Bathrooms are located at the very bottom near basket nine and tee one when you first come in and park. Additional parking located just above the bottom parking lot but much smaller. It has you starting on hole five rather than one.

Cons:

The course did a fantastic job making use of the land given to them. However, tee pads need some TLC. Even though I don't always find natural tee's to be a con, the fact that there are roots throughout some of the pads as well as short uneven footing makes for a bit of a challenge.

Signage could be somewhat better as well. The kiosk near hole one gives a quick overview which is great and very helpful but unless you have a picture phone getting from hole #4 to #5 might be a little confusing. Also, several locals play safari golf on their 20 hole layout which can be very confusing to first timers (especially when they are throwning at or over you to a hole that shouldn't really exist).

Last, with the exception of a few holes, the course is fairly short which makes it easy to score low and even have a chance for an ace or two (which some may not see as a con).

Other Thoughts:

I felt very fortunate to play when I did as my friend and I ran into two fantastic locals who were not only helpful but willing to let us play a round on their "local" 20 hole layout which was truly great. They had us playing all over Burnaby including across the gully multiple times which added quite the thrill.

I appreciate the time and effort spent here from the local club as they do a great job with the upkeep and truly making this course a great place to play.

Thanks Mark and Dennis for being so personable and keeping us entertained.
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1 7
Che Starr
Experience: 19.9 years 6 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Wet! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 2, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great elevation changes.
Beautiful scenery

Cons:

Don't go when it rains.
No flats, only hills.
Tee pad could use some help
Only 9 holes

Other Thoughts:

The day I went the course was so wet it was unusable. I was with newbies so they won't be playing ever again, too bad.
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3 7
dcookie
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Quiet Wooded Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 27, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A nice, quiet, wooded course with plenty of elevation change to make for some fun disc golf. I've been there several times on a summer evening and been the only disc golfer. Very fun course.

Cons:

Most holes are pretty short. Unpaived, unlevel tee pads with rocks and tree roots. Hole 7's basket needs to be replaced.
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