Friday, April 7, 2023

Royston Wellness Park Disc Golf Course in Royston, GA

Basic Information

Course Location: Royston Wellness Park
Geographic Location: east side of Royston, GA (34.29172, -83.10148)
Date Visited: March 2023
Number of Holes: 9
Course Length: 2688/1540 feet, par 30/39
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: beginner for short tees; recreational, medium for long tees
Carts: should be fine here
Potential to Lose Discs: very low
Course Walkabout Video

Driving Directions: From the intersection of US 29 and SR 17 on the east side of Royston, take US 29 west about 300 feet to Skelton Street and turn right on Skelton St.  The entrance to Royston Wellness Park is about 500 feet ahead on the left.  Turn left to enter the park and park in the only parking lot at the end of the park road.  #1 tee is the blue (or red) post behind the course map sign.

Course Constructions:

Tees: 2 per hole, dirt or plastic pavers
Baskets: Discatcher, 1 per hole, older but in good shape on my visit
Signage: course map near parking lot; a few signs directing to the next tee
Amenities: restrooms, playground, picnic area, walking trail

Summary Review: 2.5 Stars (out of 5)

The disc golf course at Royston Wellness Park offers a pleasant but uninspiring half-round.  Set on rolling terrain, most of the holes are very open with minimal obstacles, but 3 of the holes are quite tight.  The two sets of tees make the course play quite differently.  From the forward red tees, the course is basically a putter park that is perfect for beginners.  From the back blue tees, the course is longer but still not too challenging.  Both tees need better construction, and the course needs better signage.  A paved walking path encircles the course, but due to good course routing it only intersects the disc golf course at a single point.  I did not have any trouble finding the next tee even though signs are minimal, but you may want to take a picture of the course map sign near the parking lot just in case.  They actually have enough space to put 9 more holes in here; those holes would best go outside the walking path.  The fairways had been recently cleared of leaf litter on my visit, and I saw no course maintenance issues.  The park gets a decent number of visitors, but I was the only person on the disc golf course when I came here on a Thursday afternoon.  Given its location just 12 miles from I-85, this course makes a nice add-on or quick leg-stretcher stop if you are in transit in northeast Georgia even though it is not a destination course.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

Distances taken from dgcoursereview.com; link provided above.  Picture sequence for each hole is 1) long/blue tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.

Hole #1: 262/187 feet, par 3/4
Comments: a gradually downhill hole that is completely wide open until you get within 20 feet of the basket.  The basket is surrounded by a nice grove of pine trees.  The red tee par seems too high on this hole, as it does on many of these holes, but it is borderline reasonable if you regard the red tees as a beginner's course or putter park.  #2 tee is to the left and back toward #1 tee.

Hole #2: 470/263 feet, par 4/5
Comments: another very open and slightly downhill hole.  A couple of large trees stand near the basket, and this hole is longer than the first hole.  #3 blue tee is to the left; #3 red tee is behind the basket.

Hole #3: 408/219 feet, par 3/4
Comments: a third consecutive very open hole.  A couple of large trees stand about 60 feet in front of the basket, but they can be avoided with a right to left disc flight.  #4 tee is behind the basket and to the left.

Hole #4: 228/170 feet, par 4/5
Comments: the next two holes are more wooded, and #4 is the tightest hole on this course, hence the high par for this hole's length.  This hole plays over a small hill, and the nice forest setting makes it my favorite hole on the course.  #5 tee is to the left.

Hole #5: 231/158 feet, par 3/4
Comments: the fairway is about twice as wide as the previous hole; otherwise these two holes are very similar.  #6 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #6: 295/133 feet, par 3/4
Comments: now the course breaks back out into the open.  This hole has no obstacles until you get within 50 feet of the basket, but a large cluster of trees surrounds the basket, forcing you to pick your angle of attack carefully.  #7 tee is behind the basket near the walking trail.

Hole #7: 230/109 feet, par 3/4
Comments: the most uphill hole on this course, and the only place where the asphalt walking path intersects the line of play.  Check for pedestrians before you throw if you are playing the blue tees.  This hole is the second tightest hole on this course, so an accurate throw is required to set up a birdie opportunity.  #8 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #8: 204/136 feet, par 4/5
Comments: very similar to the first hole, completely open at first with the basket in the same cluster of trees.  The basket for this hole sits atop a steep man-made dirt mound, which makes putting more interesting.  #9 tee is to the left near #8 tee.

Hole #9: 360/165 feet, par 3/4
Comments: a very open, slightly uphill hole with only a smattering of small trees near the fairway.  This basket is located beside #1 tee, so the course forms a true loop.  The parking lot is beyond the basket.