Perfect Day For Disc Golf At Brandywine Creek State Park, DE

^Hole #4 at Brandywine Creek State Park. Please Credit: Matt Lorelli/ Unofficial Networks

I won’t get into too much detail, but my life has been challenging lately. I’ve found myself back living with my parents near Philadelphia, PA, and I’m faced with a lot of unanswered questions about what my future holds.

There are few things that have helped me find peace over these last few months, but none more impactful that the sport of disc golf.

I’ve made it my mission to explore as many disc golf courses as possible in this region of the country, and returning to my home state of Delaware was an exciting opportunity for flingin’ discs and bangin’ chains.

I woke up on Sunday, July 10th with a little bit of extra pep in my step. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I had nothing but disc golf on my mind. It was a relief, to say the least.

^Credit: Jerry Hendricks

The 45-minute drive from my parents house to Brandywine Creek State Park, DE was a little bit frustrating (traveling anywhere in the east cost is grind), but I passed the time by getting into a heated argument with my brother about which animal would win in various hypothetical fights to the death.

Ya know, guy stuff.

Coming back to my home state of Delaware felt good. Us Delawareans represent our state with a sense of pride even though we’re often made fun of in pop culture (most notably in Wayne’s World).

Most of the state is extremely flat, but the little sliver of the state that borders Pennsylvania is actually home to quite a few hills. Such is the case at Brandywine Creek State Park.

The park has rolling hills with legacy stone walls built in the late 1800’s that add a rustic feel to the landscape.

The disc golf course itself is beautiful, and I loved how the course uses the magnificent stone walls at every possible opportunity.

Most notably, Hole 1 has players throw through a narrow gap off the tee pad with a beautiful stone wall running the right flank of the hole. In fact, my approach shot landed on top of the wall, miraculously bounced off, and landed within 3 feet of the basket. It was quite the unique experience.

^Hole #1 at Brandywine Creek State Park. Please Credit: Matt Lorelli/Unofficial Networks

The course uses a variety of downhill and uphill shots to challenge players of all skill levels. I enjoyed the downhill holes as I’m not a particularly long thrower, but the uphill holes were a fun challenge to test my strength.

Each hole has two basket options- short and long. I played the short holes, but I could see myself playing the longs in the future. I need to work on my release to maximize disc speed before I upgrade to the big boy baskets.

Unlike a lot of the courses in the region, Brandywine Creek is mostly absent of trees. I appreciated the change to an open prairie setting. It reminded me of courses back in the Midwest rather than the tight woods courses I’ve grown accustomed to playing since I moved back to PA.

^Hole #9 with the basket protected by stone wall. Please Credit: Matt Lorelli/Unofficial Networks

With than being said, Brandywine Creek is no walk in the park. Tight fairways, tricky hole positions, and long holes will challenge any player.

I shot +9 on my first round at Brandywine Creek. Again, I’m not a particularly good player, so I was actually pretty happy with that result. I was on fire with my putting, but I definitely need to work on my tee shots to maximize distance if I want to shoot better next time around.

I highly recommend that any disc golfer passing through the region check out Brandywine Creek State Park. It’s a unique experience with the old stone walls, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much fun the course is, especially on the downhill holes.