Burke Lake Park

Pros: Multiple tees and basket positions on every hole. Signage is present on every hole with current basket position. Very nice use of mandos on 5 and 16 (mandos could be added on 8, 13 and 15 that would make them more interesting and more technical). This course has a bit of everything that will test your accuracy and shot selection depending on the basket position. The people that maintain the course try to keep the positions in interesting positions. Elevation is mildly a factor throughout ...
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Pros:
Multiple tees and basket positions on every hole. Signage is present on every hole with current basket position. Very nice use of mandos on 5 and 16 (mandos could be added on 8, 13 and 15 that would make them more interesting and more technical). This course has a bit of everything that will test your accuracy and shot selection depending on the basket position. The people that maintain the course try to keep the positions in interesting positions. Elevation is mildly a factor throughout the course, most notably on low angulated uphill 9 and 15.

Cons:
The course is very compact with many holes running sub 250ft. Many of the holes also run side by side on every one which make it easy to overlap into another person's hole if your shot is off, you overshoot, or if you get an unlucky tree bounce. Some of the notable examples: Hole 1, which is short and that if you overshoot or get bounced will end up in the way of hole 3; Hole 13 which curves right can easily land in the direct path of hole 8 and if an unlucky bounce back into hole 12; With all the trees on Hole 15, it's possible to get an unlucky bounce into the path of hole 17. Also the long tees add an increase in technicality without adding too much distance due to the compactness of the course.

Also, the first half and the last half of this course run right next to a walking path around Burke Lake and often has a good amount of traffic on it during midday. It is possible to have your disc reflected into the path if your shot is off. Another issue is that sometimes walkers on the path will decide to do a little off-the-trail walking into the disc golf course. I've been here over 10x and have seen this happen twice, and though it will rarely happen, it can sometimes happen.
Although signage is great for showing the layout of the hole, there is currently limited signage directing traffic to the next hole. This is notably an issue on hole 6 to hole 7 as you have to go right back to the start and left to see it; hole 8 to hole 9 as you have to cross the street to get to hole 9; and a warning sign on hole 18 to be aware of hole 6 because in order to get to the big parking lot you have to directly cross into the throwing path of hole 6 which can sometimes be dangerous. Since the course has been around for so long, the path to many of the next holes are worn out and visible, but it still would be good to add more signage to direct the flow of traffic of players playing on the course.

IF you are NOT a resident in the area, this course costs money to play (it costs $$ to enter the park). Usually it is free during holidays and certain times of the day on weekdays where there will be no one at the gate but the gate will be open. Be aware of the cost and plan ahead if you intend to play here.

Other Thoughts:
I believe ratings and reviews are highly subjective. My review reflects my experience playing the course over the course of a year and with an intermediate level of playing experience. I understand that others may have a different view and different opinions. My review will attempt to be as unbiased as possible.

This course reflects its age. It's a 30+ year old course that plays like one. Back then discs and flight properties were different than are today, courses were few and there were less people playing. If anything I appreciate the fact that this older course has stood the test of time for more people of a newer generation to play in.

Other thoughts that are neither a pro or a con as they are subjective to the player and their preference on what they feel a disc golf course should be:

This course is short and highly technical. The only long open shots are on 9, 10 and 11. Every other hole has you selecting shots around trees or hitting precise lines and finishing accurately. There is a good variety of shots that reward good shot selection.
There are no water features and there is no significant elevation change in this course (though mild elevation is present). The course does though have a good selection of other challenges already mentioned above. A lot of complaints have been about course traffic both of players and of walkers along the Burke Lake trail. The only suggestion I would have to alleviate this would be to add signage next to the trail on the holes that are next to the trail: hole 2, 3, 4, 5, 15, 17, 18, and by the road behind basket 8 and 13. I would also add directional signage leading to the next basket on hole 6 to 7, 7 to 8, 8 to 9,15 to 16, 18 to start (and also a warning sign by the trees near hole 18 to be aware of hole 6).

In summary this course is a typical course of the era it was made. It will appeal to players who like technical ace runs due to its short nature and its very good use of the trees to force players to think about their shot selection. It has a little of everything while not being the best at any of them, which is typical of almost every course. Shots in tight corridors, dog legs, elevation, short open bombers and sharp corners are all throughout this course. As I stated above, there are a few things that can be done to make this course flow better and minimize player/pedestrian interaction and delays. As it is, the course is a decent course worth trying out, both fun in it's technicality and interesting in it's layout. Try it out and you may find something you like here. I certainly did and hope you will to.
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I have no idea why this course is rated highly. The park is beautiful, but there is a lot of other park activities that make this course a hazard to play. I almost hit a few other park goers with shots of the tees that were either walking aimlessly on the course or on paths that are too close to the pins. There was some nice holes, but all in all, not a very great course. A lot of the fairways were to close to each other, and there was also some tees that were not in very good spots that cou ...
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I have no idea why this course is rated highly. The park is beautiful, but there is a lot of other park activities that make this course a hazard to play. I almost hit a few other park goers with shots of the tees that were either walking aimlessly on the course or on paths that are too close to the pins. There was some nice holes, but all in all, not a very great course. A lot of the fairways were to close to each other, and there was also some tees that were not in very good spots that could leave you in danger from other golfers playing adjacent holes. The baskets could also use an upgrade, and course navigation could use some improvement with some "next hole" signs or directional arrows. And as an out-of-state golfer, paying $10 for parking at this park is not worth it to play this course. If I'm back in the area, I highly doubt I would consider playing this course again.
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Super easy, super open course. Very short holes even from the pro tees. $10 if you're not a Fairfax CO resident. IMO only worth playing if you are county resident and want to squeeze in a quick game. Played through twice from pro tees (not all holes have pro tees) in about an hour and a half. Tons of people at the park especially on weekends who like to wander through the disc golf course instead of staying on the hiking trails, adding to unnecessary hold ups and delays. Probably will not play a ...
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Super easy, super open course. Very short holes even from the pro tees. $10 if you're not a Fairfax CO resident. IMO only worth playing if you are county resident and want to squeeze in a quick game. Played through twice from pro tees (not all holes have pro tees) in about an hour and a half. Tons of people at the park especially on weekends who like to wander through the disc golf course instead of staying on the hiking trails, adding to unnecessary hold ups and delays. Probably will not play again when I'm in NOVA next as Seneca was same distance and far better. Good course for beginners, but that's about it. Super open even though there are trees. Near impossible to lose disc at this course.
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