Gators, Carnival Fun & Beach Baskets: Tampa Course Guide
Updated: 3 days ago
We've compiled a helpful guide on ten disc golf courses to play next time you're in Tampa, Florida. They're all within a 30 mile radius of the city and ranked. Find out how to get to the course, stuff worth exploring nearby and tips you should know before stepping on the first tee. Bug spray & stay away from gators - they bite too.
TOP PICK
PICNIC ISLAND DISC GOLF
A popular 18 hole course with a lot of Florida disc golfers saying its a great place to play, especially since there’s a hole on the beach. Picnic Island is a popular park, near the MacDill Air Force Base, with great views over the bay and across to St Petersburg. Two tee pads and two baskets for each hole but in summer mosquitos dominate reviews for the course . Also, watch out for other park users like dog walkers. The course is a mixture of beach, hills as well as wooded and open holes.
How to get there: The bad news is that it's not that easy unless you have a car. It’s about 25 mins from downtown Tampa via the Selmon Expressway or a little longer via the Bayshore Bvld. There is a bus that leaves from downtown but it could take more than 1.5 hours and you’ll have to get off and walk about 1.5 miles to the course.
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SHOWMEN'S DISC GOLF COURSE
This 18 hole course might not be for everyone but it does have a fun factor since it’s circus-themed and reuses a whole lot of old carnival equipment. Reviewers either rant about it or feel like they’re playing among a pile of junk. Either way, this is a unique experience or 1000 rated fun as one player notes. It’s $5 to play with two tees and baskets per hole and be wary of losing discs here…it happens a lot as there’s a dedicated lost and found Facebook page.
This course is on the east side of Tampa in Riverview. If you are driving and it’s open, there is a Manatee Viewing Centre just south of the course at Apollo Beach.
How to get there: Car is best with about a 25 minute ride to the course via the Selmon Expressway and US-41. Public transport will require multiple changes and could take more than two hours to cover the just over 10 miles distance from downtown.
CLIFF STEPHENS DISC GOLF
This 18 hole disc golf course in Clearwater gets a lot of recommendations but comes with a warning. A man was attacked by an alligator here trying to retrieve his disc from the water. It’s one of the oldest courses in Florida, the home course for both Ken Climo and Calvin Heimburg and gets great reviews for having lots of scenery and lots of wildlife. Make sure you have a sacrificial disc ready to throw over and around water to avoid another gator attack. If you have a car and are looking to eat after your round, the Chop N’ Smash is a popular food truck in town.
How to get there: Car is best and should take around 30 minutes via the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Buses, once again, are complicated, and could involve several changes and take more than two hours to cover the 18 miles to the park.
TOCOBAGA DISC GOLF COURSE
A challenging but beautiful 18 hole course in St Petersburg at the Maximo public park. This course gets a lot of good reviews online with challenging lines but still a lot of fun. The course is nearly 28 miles from downtown Tampa but if you have a car there are other things to do in the area including; The Salvador Dali Museum, the St Petersburg Pier is worth walking along to grab a bite or take a look at the world’s largest collection of autographed baseballs at the St Petersburg Museum of History.
How to get there: Maximo Park is best reached by car from central Tampa taking the I-275 expressway and then head south. Public transport involves two buses and some walking, going first into St Petersburg. You could rent a scooter or ebike in St Petersburg to cover the roughly six miles.
CYPRESS POINT DISC GOLF
This 18 hole Ken Climo designed course is in the Cypress Point Park out on the edge of Old Tampa Bay and near the Tampa International Airport. This is a feature, so I hope you like plane spotting and mosquitos. It also can get boggy, especially in summer, with stagnant water, hence the bugs. It’s a fairly flat course with some wooded holes that are a mixture of pine and palms. The beach is nice to take a dip after your round in the park.
How to get there: It’s in the metro area and reachable in around 15 minutes by car via I-275 S. On public transport, catch a HART bus number 30 and it’s a short walk to the park. There are also scooters and ebikes to rent.
TAYLOR PARK DISC GOLF COURSE
Their dedicated facebook page calls it the home of the Sandslugs and work is constantly being carried out to make this Largo waterfront course better. Taylor Park is Florida disc golf. Spanish moss, some trees in your way, some water to negotiate and some technical holes and sometimes there’s a gator. While people like this course, they really like the teepad signs! Aside from disc golf, you have Gulf beaches nearby as well as Florida Botanical Gardens, state parks and walks.
How to get there: The course is around 26 miles west of downtown Tampa and can be easily reached by car driving via the I-275 S. There are buses, but they could take up to 2 hours to get there via a Greyhound bus departing Tampa Bus Station and changing at St Petersburg with some walking involved.
OLDSMAR DISC GOLF COURSE
An 18 hole course in Sheffield Park in Oldsmar with different layouts but recommended for intermediate and experienced players. Someone online called it a sponge after rain and obviously if there is plenty of water around, take bug spray. Solid course with plenty of bird wildlife to see while you’re playing. One of the biggest markets on Florida’s West Coast, Oldsmar Flea Market is open during the weekend with hundreds of vendors selling everything from produce, gourmet food through to household items.
How to get there: By car, it can take anything from 30-45 minutes to cover the 19 miles from downtown Tampa. It will need two buses from the city centre to the Northwest Transit Centre and then another bus to Oldsmar with some walking to the course.
NORTH EAST COACHMAN PARK
This 18 hole short course is 1.8 miles or five minutes drive by car from Cliff Stephens Disc Golf course in Clearwater. Some wooded, shorter holes but those who play it say it's fun if pretty straight.
How to get there: Car is best and should take around 30 minutes via the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Buses, once again, are complicated, and could involve several changes and take more than two hours to get to cover the 18 miles to the park.
LIMONA DISC GOLF COURSE
Another shorter 18 hole course east of downtown Tampa in a small park in Brandon that has some elevation changes. It’s beginner friendly and well maintained according to reviews.
How to get there: Driving is relatively easy driving east on the Selmon Expressway and taking 15 minutes or so. Travelling by public transport to cover the 12.3 mile distance involves a bus from Marion Transit in the city centre to Brandon and transferring to another bus going to Brandonwood which could take over an hour.
USF RIVERFRONT PARK DISC GOLF
This shorter 18 hole course is on the grounds of the University of South Florida. Being on campus, it’s got restricted hours from 10am to 7pm and gets mixed reviews from upkeep to finding your way around. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, an African themed animal park with lots of roller coasters and rides is not far from the disc golf course.
How to get there: Having your own transport is better to cover the 13 miles but it is possible to get a bus from downtown via the Marion Centre. It might require some walking or changing buses. If you are driving the fastest way is north up the I-275.
