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The 10 Best Disc Golf Courses at Breweries
Let's par-tee!
I strode up to the cement landing pad, gripping a flat plastic circle in my hand. I surveyed the landscape, spying my gray target in the distance. Brimming with confidence, I took a deep breath, stepped back, and charged. Swinging my body to the left and pivoting forward in a semicircle, I arced like a shot putter, releasing my disc into the air. Up and up, it sailed past brush, birds, and blue sky. An adrenaline rush filled my lungs as I watched my disc sail straight…into the branches of a tree.
So, my first disc golf throw didn’t go exactly as planned. I bet your first homebrew batch didn’t turn out great, either!
A sport that has technically been around since the 1960s, disc golf experienced a surge in popularity during the global pandemic. According to UDisc, an app that tracks disc golf scores and statistics, people reported playing 11.7 million rounds in 2020, nearly three times the number from 2019. In UDisc’s most recent 2024 Disc Golf Growth Report, the group reported an astounding 21.9 million rounds played, with more than 1 million rounds scored each month of last year, a first for the app.
Undoubtedly, disc golf has become a thriving business. But more surprisingly, the sport has become a compulsive passion of brewers and craft beer drinkers across the country. Some breweries have even designed and built their own courses and hosted tournaments.
Once you think about it, disc golf and craft beer aren’t all that different.
Fervent communities drive these hobbies and industries, fueled by desire, a bit of sweat, and a sense of adventure.
Well, that and flirting with a borderline obsession.
In collaboration with the Disc Golf Pro Tour, we’re throwing a par-tee for the sport that’s all about flying discs and good vibes.
Imagine this: You’re out there, channeling your inner Hoppy Gilmore, yelling at your disc to “go to your home!” as it glides through the sky, and hopefully landing close enough to the basket that you can just “tap it in.” All while knowing you have a putt-y good beer waiting for you at the end of the course.
We’re showing you straight-up disc golf courses at actual breweries—not nearby, not within a few miles. For this piece, we’re talking about actual breweries, taprooms, brewpubs, and the like that have developed, maintain, and operate their own disc golf courses.
So grab your discs, fling a few, and then let these breweries sling you a couple of drafts after a day on the course.
Hop Culture’s Favorite Disc Golf Courses at Breweries
Sprinkle Valley Disc Golf Course – Austin Beerworks
10300 Springdale Rd, Austin, TX 78754
Photography courtesy of Austin Beerworks
When Austin Beerworks purchased sixty-four acres just on the city limits of Austin, Austin Beerworks Co-Founder Michael Graham had an idea.
“It was undeveloped land with a lot of neat topography and terrain—a cool creek through the middle and huge pecan and walnut trees—everything that would make a great disc golf course,” says Graham, who first started playing in high school in the early 2000s. (He now jokes that, “I’ve been into disc golf for longer than I’ve been into beer.”)
Tapping a great local designer named Mike Olse, Austin Beerworks turned the land from what Graham called a “jungle” into a top-tier course—Sprinkle Valley Disc Golf Course.
“It was a lot of hand tools and chainsaws cutting paths through the woods,” recalls Graham.
The eighteen-hole course, designed for beginners and intermediate players, features two nine-hole loops.
“You can play nine holes, then come sit in the air-conditioned taproom, have a cold water, Gatorade, or beer, then go back to do the next nine,” he explains. “Instead of having to slog eighteen holes in the sun.”
Already, people have taken notice. In 2023, Austin Beerworks was honored to host the U.S. Women’s Disc Golf Championships, an annual PDGA Pro Major tournament with 346 FPO players. Graham says the course was very well received.
When we spoke with Graham last year, he estimated that Austin Beerworks’ course had seen roughly 20,000 to 25,000 rounds in a little over twelve months.
If you do visit, Graham recommends drinking something a little lighter, like the Austin Beerworks German pilsner called Pearl Snap, “where a little slight buzz might make me loosen up and play a little better,” he says. Or a 5.9% ABV pale ale called Flavor Country “if I’m feeling something hoppy but don’t want the full ABV of a full IPA. … It’s just enough to get me through nine holes.”
Highland Brewing Disc Golf Course – Highland Brewing
12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Asheville, NC 28803
Photography courtesy of Highland Brewing
In 2020, Highland Brewing recognized that they were one of the few breweries in the country with forty acres of terrain available to create an excellent disc golf course.
Albeit it was a bunch of untamed land.
“It was a jungle,” says Highland Brewing VP of Facilities Brock Ashburn, who helped build and now maintains the brewery’s eighteen-hole course, designed by Disc Golf Design Group. “It took months of walking, hanging flags, and trying to cut a little path to the next spot.”
But the work paid off. Today, UDisc rates Highland Brewing’s course in the country’s top ten best brewery courses.
“Frankly, we should be higher,” exclaims Ashburn when we spoke with him last year. “And we will be!”
The brewery gets high marks for its gorgeous and sometimes challenging terrain. Ashburn speaks proudly of the two-person crew that spends at least twenty hours a week maintaining the property, bringing in wood chips from four different tree companies in the city, spreading them to reduce erosion, and weeding and mulching the grounds.
They get a little help from thirteen goats, who keep everything manicured, too.
Starting with only nine holes, Highland Brewing finished the back nine (what they call “The Dungeon” because it dips down into a valley you need to hike out of) after they saw how much people loved the course.
Ashburn says the response was “off the chain.”
Since they don’t charge a fee, Ashburn says it’s hard to tell exactly how many people have played the course; based on UDisc data, he estimates that around 35,000 to 40,000 players used the course last year.
“It’s a pretty big number,” he says, admitting that having a course right outside his front door has made him a bit of a disc golf fanatic. “I am thoroughly addicted!”
When it comes to the beer, Ashburn recommends heading out to the course with a 19.2-oz can of AVL IPA, saying, “Depending on how much you drink, it can easily carry [you through] your first nine holes.” For our two cents, we’d suggest Highland’s Trailbound, a hazy pale ale that gets you those crushable juicy notes you’d want on a sunny day, but with only a 5.8% ABV.
Live Oak Disc Golf Course – Live Oak Brewing Company
1615 Crozier Ln, Del Valle, TX 78617
Live Oak is one of our favorite breweries in Austin. The brewery eschews hype for quality. Many breweries have followed the trend of hazy IPAs and loaded-up stouts (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But Live Oak has stuck it out with head brewer Dusan Kwiatkowski making esoteric beers like grodziskie and rauchbier. The brewery’s kölsch landed a spot on our list of ”The 21 Best Beers We Drank in 2021.” While their Smoaktoberfest was one of our “20 Best Beers to Drink in Fall.”
Even if smoked beer isn’t your jam, Live Oak’s pilsner and hefeweizen are two of our favorite American representations of the style.
Combine those crushable beers with an eighteen-hole grass disc golf course that’s free to play, and you have a great day ahead of you.
Kwiatkowski helped design this course after Live Oak moved to a new, large property near the Austin airport in 2015. The disc golf course opened two years later as just a nine-hole course, expanded to thirteen a couple of years later, and now stands at eighteen holes.
Live Oak calls the course “tough as nails” on their website, noting “It’ll test your arm, your aim, and your determination.” But they add, “You’ll have a darn good time trying to beat it.”
Keep an eye out for some of this course’s events, too, such as a putting league and even playing disc golf under the stars.
Anderson Valley Brewing Company
17700 Boonville Rd, Boonville, CA 95415
One of the old-guard breweries in Northern California, Anderson Valley Brewing Company (AVBC) opened in 1987, when the country had only around twenty breweries in total.
We personally remember the first time we ever tried a gose, AVBC’s The Kimmie, the Yink, and the Holy Gose; it changed our lives.
And now we can drink it while flinging discs at AVBC’s eighteen-hole course at the taproom? Mind blown.
AVBC opened its course in 2002, meaning it has been offering discs and drafts to fans for over twenty years. Legendary. With all this in mind, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that AVBC also opened one of the first-ever eighteen-hole disc golf courses at a brewery in the entire world.
Northern California landscape means you’ll find plenty of tree hazards here along the entire par-three course.
von Trapp Disc Golf Course – von Trapp Brewing
700 Trapp Hill Rd, Stowe, VT 05672
Photography courtesy of von Trapp Brewery
Family is everything at von Trapp, the second-generation brewery that evolved from a family ski lodge opened in the 1950s.
When you’re drinking a beer after a hard day of snowshoeing or skiing and looking around at the beautiful mountains, you feel like you’re part of the von Trapp family legacy. And now you can add disc golf to that list of the resort’s endless activities.
The eighteen-hole disc golf course suits all levels, starting at the brewery and running through the forests and meadows around the grounds.
Originally a nine-hole course, von Trapp expanded after becoming a “big hit,” according to von Trapp Director and Executive Vice President Kristina von Trapp Frame.
“Both craft breweries and disc golf are welcoming and relaxing to guests,” she says.
The activity complements others already offered at von Trapp, including mountain biking and cross-country skiing. In fact, it was just a little more approachable and casual.
The eighteen-hole course winds through fields, wooded hillsides, and handmade wood bridges over streams, making it one of the most idyllic on this list.
“It’s the perfect way to enjoy nature, indulge in some friendly competition, and arrive back at our Bierhall restaurant … for some cold lagers and Austrian-inspired bites,” says von Trapp Frame.
If the natural beauty of this lodge in Stowe, VT, doesn’t entice you, then maybe the family’s story will.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the von Trapps?
Maybe in a little motion picture released in 1965 called “The Sound of Music.”
“It’s based on the book that my grandmother Maria [von Trapp] wrote,” says von Trapp Brewing Director and Executive Vice President Sam von Trapp.
Yes, these are the von Trapps, the very same who inspired the movie Sound of Music.
But if the film in all its Julie Andrews glory captured the von Trapps’ story of survival, the brewery today carries on a different legacy: What happens after the credits roll?
In 1938, the von Trapp family fled Austria, immigrating to the United States to escape the Nazis and Hitler-led Germany.
As professional singers, the von Trapps made a name for themselves, singing and traveling all around the U.S. and the world, eventually settling in Stowe because they “spent the summer here, fell in love with it, and bought a farm,” laughs Sam. “They really appreciated these beautiful views of the hilltop farms.”
In 1950, the von Trapps converted the family home into a hotel, Trapp Family Lodge, renting rooms to skiers who came to Stowe to enjoy the first chairlift for downhill skiing in the eastern United States and the second in the entire country.
During the ‘90s, Sam fell in love with craft beer. He cites Pete’s Wicked Ale as one of his go-tos at the time. “It’s funny because that often gets a smile from people when I bring up that [beer],” he says.
Sam tried to get his dad, Johannes von Trapp, to try some of those early craft ales, but he didn’t quite understand. “I see what you’re talking about, but where are the lagers?” Sam says he asked. “He was really wondering why lagers were so underrepresented in the craft beer scene back then, and he started thinking about creating his own brewery.”
So, despite the Great Recession in 2008, Johannes started the brewery with “cobbled together” equipment.
Today, the brewery specializes in Continental European lagers. One of their flagships and our favorites fits the bill after a round of disc golf—the helles.
“The helles is what my dad really had in mind for the beer he wanted to create,” explains Sam.
With roots from the Salzberg, Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, region, Johannes wanted to recreate the crisp, clean, time-honored lager you’d often find in this area.
In the late 2000s, very few breweries made only lagers, but von Trapp’s started to echo across the mountaintops.
So much so that Sam says John Kimmich, co-founder of The Alchemist, about three miles as the crow flies from von Trapp, offered Sam a trade. “A case of Heady Topper sixteen-ouncers for a case of our Helles twelve-ouncers,” Sam recalls. “Just because John really wanted to drink that crisp, clean beer!”
What sets von Trapp’s helles apart is the water, courtesy of a spring on the property that Sam discovered.
The spring gives water with a “perfect mineral profile for brewing these European styles of lager,” he says.
von Trapp Quality Manager Jack van Paepeghem explains that the brewery’s Stowe-bound spring-fed water is similar to what you might find in Plzen, Czech Republic. “That really sets the base for us to brew great, clean, easy-drinking lagers with no distractions, no harsh salt or mineral character,” he says. “It’s just the perfect base for everything else that follows.”
What follows is an award-winning lineup of fantastic lagers—helles, pilsner, kölsch, Vienna lager, dunkel, along with other seasonals like a radler, Oktoberfest, smoked dark lager, schwarzbier, and more.
Go to von Trapp if you’re looking to play a top-notch course in an incredible setting with a fantastic family story and legendary beers.
Editor’s Note: A day pass will cost you six bucks, unless you’re staying at the lodge, where the fee will be included. Also, take note that this course doesn’t rent out discs, so you can either bring your own or buy some at the Bierhall.
Norbrook Farm Disc Golf Course – Norbrook Farm Brewery
204 Stillman Hill Rd, Winsted, CT 06098
For two years in a row, UDisc, an app that tracks disc golf scores and stats, rated Norbrook Farm Disc Golf Course the highest-rated course at a brewery in the United States. The popular playing app cites the course’s “wooded New England charm” along with “signage, clear fairways, paver tees, pro-level baskets, and a course designed for experienced players” as some of the top reasons they ranked Norbrook Farm so highly.
Set on Norbrook Farm Brewery’s five hundred acres, the par-fifty-five disc golf course covers eighteen holes and three miles.
Beer-wise, Norbrook Farm Brewery’s tap list reflects its surroundings, specialising in farmhouse beers with a sense of place. For instance, Dennis Hill Estate Saison nods to the eponymous state park. Or Mount Pisgah, a “bold and solid” American IPA with Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, and El Dorado hops that’s just like the peak that rises above the brewery’s hometown of Colebrook, CT.
With free disc rentals and an enticing lineup of beers waiting for you after your throwing adventures, Norbrook Farm Disc Golf Course easily makes our top ten favorites.
Oakholm Disc Golf Course – Oakholm Brewing Company
80 Lake Rd, Brookfield, MA 01506
This eighteen-hole course at Oakholm Brewing Company is situated on forty acres of the Oakholm Farm Estate. The course evolved over the history of the brewery, which opened at the beginning of the global pandemic in 2020. To comply with safety standards, the brewery created an outdoor beer garden that overlooked the rural property. Patrons and fellow disc golf players started to suggest that the brewery integrate a course onto the land.
The disc golf component opened first as a nine-hole course in 2022, adding nine more holes a year later. With plenty of other disc golf courses in the area, Oakholm’s stands out because at the end of a round, you can post up and relax with a beer from the 10-bbl family-owned brewery.
The tap list covers a wide range of styles, from hoppy ales to fruited wheat beers and shandies to lagers. We suggest the Tractor Bier, an easy-drinking American lager hopped with Crystal and Saaz hops. Or the Take These Chances, a quenchable hazy with Columbus and Simcoe hops. The latter could be an inspiration for your next round of disc golf.
Brewery Ommegang Disc Golf Course
656 Co Hwy 33, Cooperstown, NY 13326
Located right in the upstate New York brewery’s backyard, Brewery Ommegang’s nine-hole disc golf course is entirely free to play. Winding through the brewery’s forest-filled property, the par-three course offers two tee boxes at each hole, so whether you’re a newbie or looking for a challenge, this course has it all for you. You play on a first-come, first-served basis, so throw some disc, sweat a bit, and then head to Ommegang’s taproom for a classic Three Philosophers, which, at 9.7% ABV, you’ll want to save for after the course, or Rare Vos amber ale with orange peel, grains of paradise, and coriander.
The Hazy Greens at DankHouse Brewing Company
161 Forry St, Newark, OH 43055
We first met Heather and Josh Lange, co-owners of DankHouse Brewing Company, back at our Columbus, OH, festival in 2018 (where they were a fan favorite). Spoiler alert: We loved them too. That year, we named them one of our ”12 Best New Breweries of 2018.”
Perhaps relatively unassuming, these Midwestern darlings make…well, pretty dank and extremely juicy beers, but also intensely fruited sours. Over the past seven years, we have tried a lot of New England IPAs and sours, so the fact that a Newark, Ohio-based brewery caught our attention says something about their beer.
What also caught our attention? The Hazy Greens at DankHouse, a nine-hole disc golf course that winds through the woods, or what DankHouse calls “an enchanted forest behind the dankest of houses.” Suitable for all players, The Hazy Greens also hosts tournaments and Friday Night Flights with glow-in-the-dark discs.
Honorable Mention:
Bevel Craft Brewing Putting Course – Bevel Craft Brewing
911 SE Armour Rd, Suite B, Bend, OR 97702
Photography courtesy of Bevel Brewing
More putting course than an actual full eighteen-hole course, Bevel’s two-basket practice area stands out because of the entire brewery package. Started by two former pro disc golfers, Bevel stands out in Bend, Oregon’s already stellar beer scene.
Founded by Nate and Valarie Doss, Bevel embraces the duo’s extensive travels as professional disc golfers. Between the two, the Doss duo boasts seven professional world championship titles and two junior world championship titles.
They’ve taken that excellence from professional sports into the taproom.
“We started this craft brewery to create a space where everyone feels welcome—just like in disc golf, where you’ll find a kid and a CEO putting around the same basket.”
The brewery also hosts the Central Oregon Brewery Disc Golf Invitational each October, a tournament specifically for those in the beer industry.
But make no mistake, this is a brewery.
Nate earned accolades from the Source Magazine’s Best of Central Oregon readers’ poll as “Best Brewer” an impressive four times. And the brewery itself also secured the title of “Best Local’s Hangout” for two consecutive years.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another brewery out there as devoted to discs and drafts as Bevel!
About The Author
Grace Lee-Weitz
Currently Drinking:
Fort Point Beer Co. KSA
Grace is the Senior Content Editor for Hop Culture and Untappd. She also organizes and produces the largest weeklong women, femme-identifying, and non-binary folx in craft beer festival in the country, Beers With(out) Beards, and the first-ever festival celebrating the colorful, vibrant voices in the queer community in craft beer, Queer Beer. An avid craft beer nerd Grace always found a way to work with beer. After graduating with a journalism degree from Northwestern University, she attended culinary school before working in restaurant management. She moonlighted as a brand ambassador at 3 Sheeps Brewing Co. on the weekends before moving into the beer industry full-time as an account coordinator at 5 Rabbit Cerveceria. Grace holds her Masters degree in the Food Studies program at NYU.
