Lake D'Arbonne State Park Disc Golf Course in Northern Louisiana

Basic Information

Course Location: Lake D'Arbonne State Park

Geographic Location: west of Farmerville, LA (32.78094, -92.49258)

Date Visited: February 2025

Number of Holes: 18

Course Length: 5906 feet, par 63

Cost to Play: $3 park entrance fee
Difficulty Level: recreational, high

Carts: not advisable due to steep and rough terrain

Beginner Friendly? no, too wooded

Potential to Lose Discs: medium due to dense woods

Park Information: https://www.lastateparks.com/parks-preserves/lake-darbonne-state-park

DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/lake-darbonne-state-park.4138

UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/lake-d-arbonne-ei1A

Course Walkabout Video, Front 9:

Course Walkabout Video, Back 9:

Driving Directions: From Farmerville, take SR 2 west 5.5 miles to Evergreen Road and turn left on Evergreen Rd.  Drive Evergreen Rd. south 0.3 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and turn right at the first 2 park road intersections.  Park in the parking lot in front of the group camp building.  #1 tee is across the parking lot from the building; look for the trail sign below.

Course Constructions:

Tees: concrete, 1 per hole

Baskets: mach 3, 1 per hole

Signage: hole sign on each tee

Amenities: practice basket, group camp, 1 bench, other amenities elsewhere in the park

Summary Review: 2.5 Stars (out of 5)

The disc golf course at Lake D'Arbonne State Park occupies a compact heavily wooded plot of land in the northwest corner of the park near the park entrance.  While the terrain is not hilly by mountain standards, it has more elevation than you might expect for Louisiana.  The course includes 3 holes that measure more than 400 feet, including 2 600-foot par 5's that are short and open enough to be par 4's.  Other than those 3 holes, every hole is a heavily-wooded par 3 in the 250-300 foot range, give or take a few feet.  Thus, a little more hole variety would be nice.  Course signage and constructions are adequate to good.  Fairways on many holes coincide with hiking trails, and in many areas the course seems to have been laid out to coincide with pre-existing hiking trails and power lines.  While designing a course this way saves on construction labor, it doesn't make for the best disc golf, and it creates conflicts with walkers.  I had no real trouble following the course route.  Course maintenance was questionable on my visit: 1 basket was missing, a downed pine tree covered the 16th tee, and a thick layer of pine needles and leaf litter was everywhere, not to mention the underbrush.  Nevertheless, the fallen pine tree still had green needles, so it hadn't been down for too long.  Each hole has only 1 tee, 1 basket, and 1 possible basket position, which limits adaptability and re-playability.  Overall, you could definitely lay out an elite-level course in this park, but what is here right now falls short of that mark.  This is a decent course to play if you come to this park for other reasons such as to hike, fish, or camp.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

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

Hole #1: 318 feet, par 4

Comments: Welcome to the woods, where we will stay for the entire course.  This fairway follows an orange-blazed hiking trail, and while it is tight the trail is wide enough to drive a golf cart down.  More problematic are the 2 doglegs, first a moderate dogleg right then a slight dogleg left.  To actually get a disc to stay in this fairway will be a real challenge.  If you can get all the way around the first dogleg, you will have a chance at eagle.  To get to #2 tee, walk behind the basket and turn right on the power line corridor.

Hole #2: 369 feet, par 4

Comments: The next 4 holes play southwest down a power line corridor.  This hole is a slight dogleg right, and the basket is located 10 feet outside the power line corridor to the right.  The line through the trees into the basket is tight, but as with the previous hole if you can get your tee shot far enough down the power line corridor, eagle is a possibility.  Imagine an eagle-eagle start!  #3 tee is further southwest down the power line corridor.

Hole #3: 620 feet, par 5

Comments: The basket on this hole is on the left edge of the power line corridor, so just keep throwing your disc as far down the corridor as you can.  Straying from the power line corridor will probably require a recovery throw, but 2 very good throws could yield yet another eagle!  #4 tee is further southwest down the power line corridor.

Hole #4: 320 feet, par 3

Comments: The eagle run almost surely ends here.  This hole is similar to hole #2 but straighter with the basket not as far off of the power line corridor.  #5 tee is further southwest down the power line corridor.

Hole #5: 606 feet, par 5

Comments: similar to hole #3 but more downhill.  The basket was missing on this hole when I came here, so I used a stump under the power line as my "basket."  #6 tee is back up the fairway and in the woods to the left.

Hole #6: 232 feet, par 3

Comments: now we go from the power line corridor back to the hiking trail, this time a trail marked with white blazes.  The basket is located in a dense cluster of pine trees to the right of the trail, so you will need a left-to-right disc flight and a little luck to get near the basket in 1 throw.  #7 tee is to the left.

Hole #7: 240 feet, par 3

Comments: a downhill sweeping dogleg left, there are lots of small trees near the basket.  On the tee, I would focus on getting around the dogleg and hope I had a clear putt at birdie.  This hole would be better with fewer trees.  #8 tee is behind the basket and to the right.

Hole #8: 319 feet, par 4

Comments: a tight hole but with a well-defined fairway that plays down and up across a steep ravine.  There is a steep drop-off to the left of the basket, so don't miss left on your approach.  This would be my favorite hole on this course if it were a par 3.  #9 tee is uphill to the right.

Hole #9: 278 feet, par 3

Comments: a fairly tight uphill hole, the basket is to the left of the cleared corridor in a tight corner surrounded by lots of small trees.  As with hole #7, I would like this hole better with fewer trees.  #10 tee is several hundred feet away; walk uphill to the lodge parking lot, start heading out the entrance road, and look to the right.

Hole #10: 273 feet, par 3

Comments: The next 5 holes play down and up the same hillside in spaghetti fashion.  There are several hiking trails on this hillside, so you have to watch for walkers on all of these holes.  This hole is a gradual dogleg left that plays steeply downhill.  The basket is near the bottom of the ravine with a steep dropoff to the stream directly behind the basket; don't miss long!  #11 tee is to the right.

Hole #11: 271 feet, par 3

Comments: This hole is straighter but plays steeply back uphill.  A very slight left-to-right disc flight gives the best chance to get through the trees.  #12 tee is to the left.

Hole #12: 312 feet, par 3

Comments: steeply back downhill we go on this dogleg right.  The fairway is reasonably wide, but dense woods line either side of the fairway.  Due to the dogleg, the fairway also has a right-to-left cross-slope, so keeping your disc in the fairway is a challenge.  #13 tee is to the right.

Hole #13: 220 feet, par 3

Comments: you guessed it: straight back up the hill with the group lodge in the background.  This hole is a slight dogleg left, and the fairway is rather wide for a heavily-wooded hole.  Thus, if you can throw it accurate enough and far enough to get up the hill, a birdie opportunity should await.  #14 tee is to the left.

Hole #14: 225 feet, par 3

Comments: back down into the ravine one more time.  This hole is a slight dogleg right with the dogleg very close to the tee.  Large pine trees line either side of the fairway, so you will need an oddly-shaped and accurate disc flight to get close to the basket in 1 throw.  #15 tee is downhill and to the left.

Hole #15: 319 feet, par 4

Comments: a dogleg left that plays down and up across a ravine, this hole is similar to hole #8, but this ravine is more gradually sloped than the ravine on that hole.  The fairway is reasonably tight, and a hiking trail bridge gets you over the stream at the bottom of the ravine.  The gap between the trees in front of the basket is narrow, but because this hole is a par 4, birdie is still very achievable.  #16 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #16: 256 feet, par 3

Comments: very straight, very tight, very uphill, rather uninspiring.  #17 tee is a few hundred feet away.  Walk uphill to the park road behind the basket and turn left.  Where the park road forks, #17 tee is between the two forks.

Hole #17: 420 feet, par 4

Comments: the uphill climb continues to the highest point on the course.  The fairway coincides with a wide two-track hiking trail that doglegs moderately left.  The dogleg is almost 300 feet from the tee, so you might end up playing a couple of straight shots around the dogleg.  Dense woods preclude cutting the dogleg.  #18 tee is to the left.

Hole #18: 308 feet, par 3

Comments: Moderately downhill, this sharp dogleg left plays across a small stream twice.  The fairway is somewhat tight, and there are plenty of large trees near the basket.  Par is a good score on this challenging finishing hole.  To get to the parking lot, walk to the road behind the basket and turn right.

Nichols Green Park Disc Golf Course in Jacksonville, TX

Basic Information

Course Location: Nichols Green Park

Geographic Location: south side of Jacksonville, TX (31.94286, -95.24683)

Date Visited: February 2025

Number of Holes: 9

Course Length: 3518/2258 feet, par 29

Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, medium

Carts: should be fine

Beginner Friendly? yes, from the front tees

Potential to Lose Discs: low to medium due to some dense woods

Park Information: https://www.jacksonvilletx.org/185/Nichols-Green-Park

DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/nichols-green.4468

UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/nichols-green-JfL9

Course Walkabout Video:

Driving Directions: From downtown Jacksonville, take US 69 south 2 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, and park in either of the parking lots near the basketball court.  #1 long tee is at the south end of the basketball court.

Course Constructions:

Tees: 2 per hole; mostly dirt but a few are concrete

Baskets: 1 per hole, older single-chain baskets

Signage: hole sign on most tees

Amenities: restrooms (locked on my visit), basketball court, playground, picnic area

Summary Review: 2 Stars (out of 5)

The disc golf course at Nichols Green Park has more length than your usual 9 hole local park course, especially if you play from the back tees as most skilled and experienced players will.  The course mostly plays through a lightly wooded area.  There are only 3 or 4 holes where dense woods play any factor, and the closest thing this course has to a tight technical hole is hole #6.  This park has several unused wooded areas where they could add more holes if they wanted to.  There is some elevation but nothing too steep.  A paved walking path winds throughout the course, and there are several holes where you have to check for walkers before you throw.  The park entrance road also comes into play on 2 holes.  The course constructions are adequate for this kind of course but nothing more.  Course maintenance could be better: a couple of holes needed some underbrush removed when I came here.  Also, the course was somewhat muddy on my visit, but I came here after several days of rain.  In sum, this course is longer but not really any better than your typical 9 hole local park course.  It is the only course in Jacksonville, TX, and it gives local players a pleasant if unremarkable half-round close to home.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

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

Hole #1: 440/250 feet, par 3

Comments: The opening hole is a dogleg right that plays gradually downhill and across the park entrance road if you play from the long tee.  According to the tee sign, the road and points to the right of it are out-of-bounds, which forces you to keep your disc left and go around the dogleg.  There is dense woods to the left, so don't go too far left.  This is one of the more interesting and challenging holes on this course if you are playing from the back tee.  #2 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #2: 285/204 feet, par 3

Comments: a dogleg left that curves around the dense woods to the left.  You definitely don't want to throw into those woods, but there is plenty of room to the right.  To get to #3 tee, keep following the edge of the woods behind the basket.

Hole #3: 333/302 feet, par 3

Comments: the tee is located in a tight corner surrounded on 3 sides by dense woods, but the rest of the hole plays across a wide open and completely flat field.  Yawn.  #4 tee is to the left and back up the fairway.

Hole #4: 318/230 feet, par 3

Comments: this hole bends slightly right and plays across a small swale.  Patches of dense woods guard either side of the rather wide fairway, and there is also dense woods behind the basket.  Don't miss long!  #5 tee is to the right.

Hole #5: 361/247 feet, par 3

Comments: Dense woods line either side of the fairway, but the fairway is plenty wide to allow an accurate throw to pass.  Aim at the light green tree in the distance in the tee photo and bend your disc about 10 feet to the right.  A disc thrown into the woods will likely lead to bogey or worse.  For reasons I don't understand, this hole was the wettest/muddiest hole on this course when I came here.  #6 tee is a few hundred feet away.  Walk downhill behind the basket, turn left and walk a couple hundred feet on the asphalt walking path, then look to the left for the tee sign.

Hole #6: 297/162 feet, par 4

Comments: the tightest hole on this course is a slightly uphill dogleg left.  It needed some underbrush cleared when I came here.  There are 2 possible lines; both are tight and both require a right-to-left disc flight.  Of course the right line requires more of a bend to your disc flight than the left.  This hole is completely out of character with the rest of the mostly open course, so either it doesn't fit or it's a nice change of pace depending on your view of this hole.  I could like this hole if the underbrush was cleared and the trees were cut back to make the basket more accessible.  #7 tee is through the trees to the left.

Hole #7: 387/310 feet, par 3

Comments: this tee was unmarked, but I think I found roughly the right spot based on information online.  The most downhill hole on this course, this dogleg right requires you to hit a tunnel-like opening in the cedar trees that has sufficient width but low ceiling.  If you get through that opening, it's a straight and open shot to the basket.  Like the previous hole, this hole would be better if the trees were cut back and the underbrush removed.  #8 tee is on the walking path behind the basket.

Hole #8: 605/261 feet, par 4

Comments: The longest hole on this course is almost completely flat and almost completely open.  This hole and hole #3 are the most boring holes on this course.  #9 tee is down the walking trail behind the basket.

Hole #9: 492/292 feet, par 3

Comments: The final hole starts out very open, but a dogleg left and several patches of dense woods make for a tight approach.  Try a long straight throw just to the right of the dense woods on the left and then maneuver your approach using whatever disc flight looks most feasible.  Par would be a good score on this hole if you are playing from the back tee.  The parking lot is uphill to the right and behind the basket.