Richard B. Russell State Park, Woods 9, near Elberton, GA

Basic Information

Course Location: Richard B. Russell State Park

Geographic Location: northeast of Elberton, GA (34.17591, -82.75538)

Date Visited: July 2022 (see comment below on recent construction)

Number of Holes: 18 hole "main" course plus an adjacent "Woods 9"

Course Length: 1679/1704 feet, par 27

Cost to Play: $9 ($5 park admission plus $4 disc golf fee)

Difficulty Level: recreational, medium

Carts: usable but expect some steep and rough areas

Potential to Lose Discs: medium due to dense woods

Park Information: https://gastateparks.org/RichardBRussell

DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=522

UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/lake-russell-state-park-Kve1

Course Walkabout Video: 

Driving Directions: From Elberton, take SR 77 north.  On the north side of Elberton, turn right on Ruckersville Road, SR 77C.  Take Ruckersville Rd. 7.9 miles to the park entrance, and turn right to enter the park.  Pay the fees at the park office and continue along the main park road another 0.5 miles to the gravel disc golf parking area on the right.  First tee for the Woods Nine is in the woods just west of the #16 basket on the main course, so you have to walk holes #18 and #17 "backward" if you just want to play the Woods Nine.  Alternatively, if you want to play all 27 holes, it is best to play the first 16 holes on the main course, then play the Woods Nine, then play the last 2 holes on the main course.

Course Constructions:

Tees: dirt with wooden frame, 1 per hole

Baskets: Innova Discatcher, 1 per hole; in good shape on my visit

Signage: course map at parking lot; tee sign on every hole

Amenities: benches at some tees, bleachers for spectators; restrooms and other amenities are available in the park but not at the disc golf course.

Summary Review: 3 Stars (out of 5)

Richard B. Russell State Park offers 27 holes of disc golf accessed from the common parking area given above.  The holes are grouped into a "main" 18 hole course and another 9 holes called the "Woods Nine."  One disc golf fee allows you to play all 27 holes.  The "main" course and the Woods Nine seemed different in almost every way to me, so I have chosen to review them separately.  This review covers just the Woods Nine, while the "main" 18 hole course will be covered in the next review.

True to its name, the Woods 9 traverses a rolling densely wooded plot of land.  Most holes are under 200 feet long, but every hole is fairly tight.  The area is exclusively devoted to disc golf, so outside intrusions from vehicles and pedestrians will be minimal.  I saw no major maintenance problems.  The next tee is always close to the previous basket, and I had no trouble following the course route.  A more durable tee surface would be preferred, and it would have been better to start and end this nine near the parking lot.  With its current route, the Woods Nine seems like an add-on to the main course.  Overall, the Woods Nine is a nice set of 9 holes, but nothing really sets it apart from your typical densely wooded 9 hole course.  It feels like someone added on 9 more wooded holes to provide a contrast to the 18 fairly open holes that were already there.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

Distances taken from course map.  Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.

Hole #W1: 180 feet, par 3

Comments: a tight but fairly flat opening hole.  A single medium-sized tree stands right in front of the basket if your disc makes it that far down the tight tree-lined corridor (mine didn't; not even close).  #W2 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #W2: 185 feet, par 3

Comments: another very tight hole, this one plays straight downhill until it doglegs sharply right.  The area around the basket is fairly open, so birdie is possible with an accurate tee shot.  #W3 tee is behind the basket and across the low area.

Hole #W3: 170/195 feet, par 3

Comments: this hole plays across a small swale, and the gaps in the trees are even narrower than on the first two holes.  #W4 tee is uphill to the left.

Hole #W4: 200 feet, par 3

Comments: this hole plays back across the same swale, but the tee and basket are at higher elevations.  The gaps in the trees are very narrow, and a nice wooden bridge affects your walking route but not your disc flight.  #W5 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #W5: 174 feet, par 3

Comments: another extremely tight hole, you will have to curve your tee shot to get it close to the basket, although you have some options as to which way you curve it.  This hole plays moderately uphill with a steep area just in front of the basket.  #W6 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #W6: 190 feet, par 3

Comments: another hole that plays across the swale, the hill that leads up to the basket is one of the steepest upslopes on this course.  #W7 tee is to the right.

Hole #W7: 160 feet, par 3

Comments: the next two holes are my two favorite holes on this course.  #W7 is a moderately downhill dogleg right that requires a left to right disc flight for the tee shot.  What before was a swale is now a narrow steep-sided gully.  The gully sits right in front of the basket, so you have to decide whether to attack the basket and flirt with the gully on the tee shot or lay up and try to make 3.  I like the strategy and risk/reward offered by this hole.  #W8 tee is to the left.

Hole #W8: 160 feet, par 3

Comments: this slightly uphill hole plays back across the gully, but it does so at a soft angle.  Thus, you have to make the same decision about whether to try to throw your tee shot across the gully to get it close to the basket.  The dense forest complicates your decision-making.  #W9 tee is uphill to the left.

Hole #W9: 260 feet, par 3

Comments: the longest hole on this course is one of the most open holes and one of the flattest holes.  It serves as a nice contrast to some of the shorter tighter holes, but it is also somewhat anticlimactic after the two previous holes.