Fun and challenging
1 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Challenging both with length and/or accuracy. Great tee pads and signage. Always a nice clean park, great for families.
Cons: Parking can get tight near the first tee area. Theres more parking if you park near #9 tee and play the back 9 first.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
My Old Stomping Grounds Beneath the Pecan Trees
12 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: This long-standing course has endured for good reasons.
+ pleasant and well maintained city park incorporates old-growth trees, meandering creek and pond as natural obstacles for course
+ several holes test one's ability to throw for distance
+ good course for rollers
+ practice baskets available near parking lot
Cons: Lengthy walks on course compounded by poor directions.
- lack of both adequate tee signs and directions for determining layout while on the course
- several repetitive grip it and rip it throws without substantial obstacles
- a few lengthy walks between holes
Other Thoughts: INFO
Disc golf at Fritz Park is divided into two sections separated by deep, steep-banked Delaware Creek cutting through the park. On the north side of the creek, park land dedicated solely for disc golf use spreads out under a canopy of mature, pecan trees where two-thirds of the course is situated. On the south side of the creek, the middle third of the course winds its way around and shares the park with other prominent features such as ball fields, picnic areas, seasonal petting zoo and a children's safety town. This southern section expands into nooks and crannies along the woods and then broadens out to encompass a gently rolling hillside before returning players across the Delaware Creek bridge to rejoin and finish in the northern section.
Though the creek certainly presents challenging OB for a few holes and there's a small pond with a water fountain on one hole, mostly it's the large trees and distance which provide the majority of obstacles for this long-standing course. Two holes throw just under 500 feet, and the longest hole carries 701 feet uphill. All of the shorter <300 foot holes lie in the front nine while back nine holes play much longer, averaging over 100 ft. more per hole than those at the start of the course.
EVAL
Known as a good roller course thanks to its level ground and regular maintenance, Fritz's long, shaded and wide fairways measure one's ability to throw or roll far. This is less a finesse course and more a "drive for show" course. Along with being tasked to throw for distance, one must also avoid several water hazards at Fritz which can quickly swallow errant shots. One particular hole borders the creek in such a way that playing across it almost feels like playing an island green. In other spots on the back side of the course, hitting small gaps between trees will test one's accuracy and patience, too.
Despite its many trees, this course plays fairly open with lots of space to make shots. All baskets are visible from their respective tees with the exception of two holes. The wide gaps between trunks provide good alleys for making throws beneath tall trees, and elsewhere fairways open up entirely to expansive fields. This tends to make the course feel rather forgiving of drives which miss their mark since opportunities abound to catch up with a great second shot. Be careful not to waste too many drives, though, as the best chances for birdies occur on the earlier, shorter holes. Bad throws on the back nine will leave one scrambling just to save par.
This is my original home course where I learned to love and play the game. It's been like a familiar friend to me for 30+ years, so I am biased in my opinion of what I and many others considered for several decades as the best 9 hole course in the area. Then it permanently expanded in 2014 to a full 18 holes, making it even better. There may be more difficult or better designed courses in the area, but Fritz remains as one of my favorites. There's just enough water hazards and trees and OB to avoid while ripping shots to make for an interesting and challenging round. I'll always return to my old stomping grounds beneath the pecan trees, eager to best my previous marks on the course and perhaps finally sink that elusive birdie on #17 (previously configured as #8 and before that as original hole #3) where I've only hit chains in the past. I have lots of good memories associated with this course. Hopefully, I'll continue to make more long into the future.
NOTE
Fritz Park began as a 9-hole course in 1984, and was the fourth course with baskets installed in Texas after Fort Hood Army Base, Skyline in Dallas and Bartholomew in Austin. (Of those four only Bartholomew and Fritz still exist.) Occupying the land north of Delaware Creek, the course was bisected by a park road (since removed) that separated former signature hole #3 from the rest of the course. During the 1990's the course was temporarily lengthened by a mix of nine additional, sprawling holes set up across the creek for tournament play once or twice a year until a period when the Parks Dept. quit allowing the course to be lengthened for any reason.
In 2001 major redevelopment of the creek within the park closed the course for over a year and dramatically changed the layout such that only a few holes still resemble previous configurations. Fritz remained a 9-hole course until 2014 when the Parks Dept. allowed for the permanent installation of nine additional holes across the creek and throughout the southern half of the park. This new and current 18-hole layout differs from past temporary designs and actually flows in the opposite direction to those previous layouts in the southern half of the course.
The number plate on hole #1 honors the memory of Glenn Hale, and the number plate on hole #8 honors the memory of James Grider. Both are original members of the local club who helped design and build up the course and its popularity. James is also father to current professional disc golfer Nolan Grider.
LAYOUT
Course starts west of parking lot by bulletin board. The first five holes are all straight ahead shots. Play begins atop a slightly elevated tee on #1 and then travels down a lengthy fairway on #2 that borders neighborhood backyards and a line of trees closer to the green. (Note that #1-2 greens play close to meandering Delaware Creek which can be reached by overthrown shots and rollers wandering too far left.) On the other side of the tree line, tightly stacked holes #3-5 throw back and forth on former homesites facing Shady Grove Rd.
Cutting across #2's fairway leads to creekside holes #6-8 which risk throws over or near intimidating bends in the creek. Hole #7's far right side slope towards water is easily avoided, but stress-inducing drives on #6 & #8 flirt with potentially hazardous OB on direct routes over water. Wide lanes over land to the left of the fairway exist for those seeking a safer, alternate path on both those holes.
Across a bridge and up a walking path to the left, backside holes #9-14 continue through parkland on the other side of the creek which only really threatens nearby hole #9. The other holes leave the creek behind to pick up after a short walk past a petting zoo where #10 follows alongside a park road to reach an opening in woods near the park's south entrance. Holes #11-12 throw around the edge and beneath the shade of those woods with park boundary Oakdale Rd close by.
Holes #13-14 follow the spacious contour of a rolling hill just across the park road. Thereafter, a long walk returns players via that same bridge over the creek to the final four holes of the course. Hole #15 flies past a small pond toward another creekside green, and #16 turns around to throw into a corner of the park beside neighboring homes and street. Hole #17 crosses a long, wide expanse for a memorable penultimate challenge. Then hole #18 skips a tiny creek to loop back beside the parking lot.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.
A great course if you're visiting DFW!
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros:
+ Other reviewers have hit a lot of the high points (good signage, good flow, great use of water and trees, good teepads).
+ I will add one additional compliment regarding the signage: on the dogleg hole 10, the sign even indicates the distance to the turn. That's a player-friendly touch that I wish other courses would include.
+ This was my first visit - I was in town for business and booked a later flight so I could play a round somewhere near DFW airport. The first holes are Fritz aren't all that special - they're good (because of how they use the trees), but not great. Then you come to #6 - hugging the river. It's a beauty. All about risk/reward. If you have a dependable hyzer disc - use it!
+ Hole #8 is similar risk/reward with the water in play on the right and in front of you. But there's plenty of room to play safe (I aimed for the big tree close to the pin).
+ Hole #9 tests your ability to compensate for fade when you're throwing downhill. The hole looks innocent enough, but it can bite you hard (and leave you wet!).
+ Hole #10 is a terrific tester. If you can throw 300 of the tee, you're playing for par. If not, you're playing for bogey. Tough hole!
+ 11 is another dogleg - and it's easy to get boxed out trying to make your second shot. The doglegs are a nice challenge coming midway in the round. For the most part, the previous holes have been straight - and the challenge has been in navigating the trees and the water. Suddenly: doglegs!
+ 15 is a pretty hole. The water doesn't really come into play: it's more about figuring the line through the trees on the other side of the pond.
Cons:
- Others have written a lot about the long walks, and they're right. But if you're playing with a friend, these walks are a good chance to take account of your round, and give sh*t to one another.
- There are some unremarkable holes (3-5 come to mind). But to me they were outweighed by the goodness of the good holes.
- This is the kind of course that makes me wish for something like a "Par 3.5 hole" - At 500 ft, #2 is a bit long for a par 3, but it's pretty open and straight. The doglegs (10 and 11) are another thing though. Hole 10 requires 300ft straight shot to see the basket for your second shot - and even then you're in C2 with a narrow path. If you're at all short off the tee, you're playing for bogey 4. Maybe if I have the chance to play here again, I'll figure out the right strategies. Don't get me wrong: 10 and 11 are very good holes. But they're tough as Par 3's. Although they make me want to come back for another shot at them!
Other Thoughts:
If you're around the area, play Fritz Park. As I said, I'm a visitor - so there may be even better courses around. But if you're near DFW, it's a great and convenient course.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Oldest Course in Town, Hidden Gem
5 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Well maintained and mostly grassy fairways
Good cement tees
Good signage and next hole markers
A lot of old, large trees force lower ceiling and planned shots
Good baskets
Very cart friendly
Good after a rain
Good on a hot day with decent shade except a few holes.
Cons: A few of the new holes 4-6 aren't the greatest, just too short and are sharing the same area right next to each other, basically are just all par 2 holes.
Very long unshaded walks between holes 8-9---10 and 14---15
Mosquitos can be an issue in some areas
Static Basket locations
Short tees are dirt and some aren't marked
Other Thoughts: This was the oldest course in town and was a hidden 9 hole gem for a long time. The 18 hole expansion is fairly new and added some long and more difficult holes and a few more players as well but it also added a few ho hum holes that I wish were not crammed in where they are. It seems a few areas of the park could be have used better instead of piling 3 holes in a little square area with a few trees in it. I see missed opportunities for a couple of the holes to be over the large creek instead of just along side it. I have seen a few players skip 9-14 and just go to 15 to avoid the very long walks and some of the more difficult holes on the new part of the course because of this. A petting zoo, a seemingly unused dog park, and a baseball field all are in between the new and old parts of the course so I can appreciate the difficulties in planning the flow of the course but it does make for a hot hike back and forth in the sun to get to and from those holes.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Dog Show Pass Time
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Detailed welcome sign.
-Lots of shade.
-Practice baskets available.
-Not super busy considering the day and location.
-Concrete tee pads of good size.
-Goals are all old, but in very good shape.
-Challenging, but not stupid hard.
-Good tee signs on every hole.
-Well maintained park.
-There is a playground and a petting zoo to keep kids occupied while you play a round.
Cons: -Navigation is a bit tricky from 8 to 9, 9 to 10, 12 to 13, and 14 to 15. (Bring a map)
-Water at hole 8 is very deep which makes disc retrieval difficult if you end up there.
Other Thoughts: Me and a friend are from out of town, but we played here while his wife went to a dog show nearby.
I loved the parking area and welcome sign that had the entire layout plus up to date local club postings. We warmed up on the two practice baskets and waited for some locals to come through that we could possibly play with since the layout was unfamiliar. After 20 minutes wait, we went on and played it on our own.
The course itself is not super tough from an obstacle standpoint. The real challenge of this course is to be able to keep your drives low since low ceilings were abundant.
I think my most and least favorite hole was 6. I loved the challenge of either going over the creek or around. (We chose to go over, and paid for it.) While I did not play the hole well, I still loved the layout, view, and challenge it provided.
The course flowed pretty well until the end of hole 8. Without a map or a local, I would not have known where to go for hole 9. Finding hole 10 was similar, but at least there was a sign on the petting zoo showing the path to #10. Going from 12 to 13 was not too bad because there was a well worn path we could follow. 14 to 15 was tricky without a local or map.
The holes on the course reminded me of my favorite course (Munson), so I really enjoyed the round. I gave the course a 4 because it is very good. It would be better if there was some elevation change, and if the layout was more fluid. To be fair, there is not much that can be done on the elevation side since everything is flat here, and I am not sure how I would suggest to improve the flow since they did have to work around other park attractions.
I would definitely recommend playing if you are in the area. This would probably be my go to course if I lived close enough.
3/28/19: Bumped this course up to a 4.5 based on comparison to other courses.
6/10/20 Update:
Out of the 64 courses I have reviewed, this is where this course ranks along with similarly rated courses:
Rank-Course, Location
1-Munson Park, Denison, TX
2-Holston Creek DGC, Inman, SC
3-Shaver Recreation Center Championship, Seneca, SC
4-Noble DGC, Noble, OK
5-Selah Ranch - Creekside, Talco, TX
6-Fritz Park, Irving, TX
7-Shaver Recreation Center Original, Seneca, SC
8-Selah Ranch - Lakeside, Talco, TX
9-Tyger River DGC, Reidville, SC
10-N.E. Lions Park, Norman, OK
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Overlooked gem
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -- A detailed course map is between the parking lot the the No. 1 tee.
-- All holes have laminated signs attached to a nearby tree, letting you know where the pin is placed. It appears someone changes the sign when the basket position changes. Amazing!
-- Multiple tees for each hole. The long tees are concrete, and the short tees are natural.
-- Water is in play, to varying degrees on numerous holes. However, there are alternate paths to avoid or bail out on the water. This is part of an overall layout theme that gives you choices in terms of paths to most baskets. This course does not overly favor one style of throwing (RHBH, etc.).
-- Despite what previous reviews say, there are restrooms on site. They are located at the softball fields between holes 14 and 15.
-- Grass is usually mowed, so little worry about deep grass.
-- Nice tee pads.
-- Holes range in length from just under 250 feet to more than 700 feet, depending on the basket placements.
-- While there is not a huge amount of elevation, the course uses what there is. Some holes throw up hill, some throw down, and some do both.
-- Trash cans, while not at every hole, are scattered throughout. The same is true for benches and other places to sit, such as some cool tree stumps.
-- Lots of shade, definitely a good thing in Texas.
Cons: -- The biggest con is several long walks between holes (8-9, 9-10 and 14-15). After hole 8, you see a tee nearby and approach only to discover that you are tee 15. To reach hole 9, you turn right and cross the bridge and go up the hill. It's a long walk, but it's the shortest of the three long walks on this course. There is a sign on a tree right of the 8 basket to help direct you, but it would be better placed on the tree straight ahead as you approach hole 15.
-- Holes 3-5 (a right turn from the No. 2 basket as you head toward Shady Grove Road) are pretty close to each other. If the course is crowded, you are likely to have to wait on someone on another hole to throw before you can throw. Also, when you leave the No. 5 basket, you walk right in front of the No. 4 tee and then across the No. 2 fairway to reach the No. 6 tee.
-- If you end up in the water, especially on Nos. 6 and 7, good luck retrieving your disc.
Other Thoughts: -- The yellow arrows ziptied to the bottom of each basket pointing you to the next tee are no longer attached. Some are lying on the ground near the baskets, and others appear to be gone altogether.
-- My last two visits to Fritz were on weekdays, and it wasn't crowded. However, I have played on a Saturday and seen big crowds.
-- Fritz is about a 45-minute drive from my house, and I pass several other courses to get there. It is worth the drive.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Fritz Park
5 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Awesome course with solid teepads and great baskets. Fritz has great signage as well. There is a laminated sing by each hole providing a map, distance and points you in the right direction for the next tee. If you forget where to go there is also an arrow underneath the basket that tells you were to go along with written instructions. This course makes great use of the creek that flows throughout the park as it comes into play on multiple holes. Also, it make you put multiple shots together in order to shoot a good score.
Cons: As mentioned by many other reviews the walk to hole 10 was pretty long. As well as the walk back to 15. I thought holes 3-5 were in a tight area. The three fairways play right along each other which risks throwing in on other players.
Other Thoughts: I played this course from a few years ago as it as a 9 holer. At the time it was rated as one of the best 9 holers in the country. I think the designers have upped its game as this is an awesome course. You are challenged all the way through with holes that require different shots including RHFH holes. Fritz was my second course of the day and it was hot. The last half of the round was really tough with the extra length those holes provide.
Overall this is an awesome course and definitely worth the drive.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Much better as 18 hole course then old 9 holes.
2 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Nice concrete tee pads. Well maintained park. Great use of the land, trees, and water. Not an extremely long course and nothing close to a pitch and putt. Course makes you use a well variety of shots. Quality baskets - liked the arrows zip tied to the underneath of the baskets marking the way to the next tee. Park never seems to be pack, which makes for a nice experience.
Cons: Only negative things about this course is the two long walks between 9 and 10, behind the petting zoo and Safe City. Petting zoo is not an ideal place next to a disc golf course. The other long walk is between hole 14 and 15. Both walks are pretty well marked, it's just that fact that you have to walk that far. The only other negative thing about this course is the small little laminated hole layouts at the beginning of each hole. Hopefully the local club is working on better and permanent signage for the course.
Other Thoughts: Well worth playing if in the area. Much improve now with 18 holes. Some great courses in the area, but this one usually is never packed like some of the other great local courses in the area.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Gem of a Course
1 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Well maintained; Great use of OB to force you to place your shot well (front 9 especially); Good use of length vs. technicality; Good mix of water holes; Very technical holes on the back 9 that force you to hit two great shots to get a par; Not a very busy course
Cons: There are two very long walks on this park which are marked, but still can be difficult to find the next hole; Number 14 is almost impossible to get for weaker arms and is difficult to see the hole location; If your disc goes in the water don't bother going to look for it
Other Thoughts: Wind is a big factor at this park, especially over water; Generally a well marked course except for long walks; One bathroom near the baseball fields; 3-5 will stack up in a tournament situation
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
A solid, well-maintained course.
6 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: The kiosk next to the parking lot has a detailed course map. All holes have laminated signs, letting you know where the pin is placed.
The park is maintained by the city of Irving, so the grass is mowed and maintained nicely. No worry of playing a round in knee-deep grass.
Nice tee pads.
A solid variety of tee shots, including some with risky, but rewarding, over-water shots.
A nice variety of hole distances, from 250 to over 570 feet.
Chill locals.
Dog-friendly.
Trash cans between every few holes.
Cons: Holes 3-5 are very close to each other. A shanked drive will definitely end up in the fairway of another hole during this segment. Getting from hole 5 to 6 requires you to walk across hole 2's fairway, so be on the lookout for other players.
The walk from hole 8 to hole 9 is a bit long. You've gotta cross the bridge and then walk near the top of the hill to find the tee pad. If you think you've missed the tee, keep walking. You'll see it.
Hole 10 is pretty far away from hole 9. The "shortcut" is probably loaded with snakes during warmer months, so be careful.
No public restrooms, it seems. Only an issue if you're drinking a few brews during your round.
Other Thoughts: When I played my round here (Easter Sunday, around 5:00 p.m.), the park was full of pedestrians grilling in the middle of the course. Holes 10, 12, 13, 15 and 18 were unplayable because pedestrians were chillin' in the middle of fairways, grilling and drinking beers. I wouldn't have much of an issue with this, but there is ample room around the park to hang out, even with a large group of 30, a grill, coolers, etc. and not be smack-dab in the middle of a fairway.
The course was still fairly busy, with at least 6 or 7 other groups playing. They seemed to be locals, were very nice, and gave great directions for the holes that didn't point you in the next tee's direction. We were all a bit upset that 5 or 6 holes had packs of people hanging out in the middle of fairways.
I'll definitely be back, though. Fritz feels a lot like Leonard L. Woods (it's well-maintained and has good signage), but it actually provides some challenge.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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5+ 
6/22/2018 
6/21/2019
Review By: dgaficionado 
This review was updated on 8/12/2022
Hole #4 (Taken 4/2018) 
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