The Best Disc Golf Courses in Arkansas

Golf in Arkansas isn't only the ball-and-club kind. The state has become a serious disc golf destination — driven, like so much here, by the trail-and-parks boom in the northwest and by Hot Springs' championship-calibre course. Best of all, almost every course on this list is free to play, which makes disc golf the cheapest way to spend a good afternoon outdoors in the state. Here's where to throw, region by region.

Northwest Arkansas

The Bentonville–Fayetteville corridor is the beating heart of Arkansas disc golf, with pro-level courses woven into the same park network as the region's famous mountain-bike trails. You can ride in the morning and throw in the afternoon without moving your car far.

• Slaughter Pen (Bentonville) — a celebrated, well-designed course integrated right into the city's trail system; the flagship of NWA disc golf.
• Kessler Mountain (Fayetteville) — a rugged, wooded championship layout with real elevation; a proper test for confident players.
• Lake Fayetteville — a scenic, popular lakeside round that's friendlier for newer throwers.
• The Ball (Bentonville) — a compact, fun course that's easy to loop a couple of times.

Central Arkansas and Hot Springs

Central Arkansas holds the state's crown jewel. Cedar Glades near Hot Springs is a genuine destination course that hosts big events and rewards a special trip.

• Cedar Glades Park (Hot Springs) — the state's premier course and host to championship events; long, wooded and demanding, and worth the drive from anywhere.
• Burns Park (North Little Rock) — multiple courses inside one huge park, from beginner-friendly to championship.
• Disc Side of Heaven (Little Rock) — a well-loved central-Arkansas layout.

The River Valley around Fort Smith

You don't have to leave home to throw a good round. Fort Smith has two solid free courses, both easy to reach.

• Ben Geren Park (Fort Smith) — a solid local course inside the same regional park as the city's ball golf and walking trails.
• Chaffee Crossing (Fort Smith) — a newer course laid out on the historic fort grounds, with open and wooded holes.
• Carol Ann Cross Park (Fort Smith) — a shorter, relaxed course that's good for beginners and quick rounds.

Basic throwing technique

Two throws cover almost everything a beginner needs. The backhand is the standard drive: stand side-on to the target, reach the disc across your body, and pull it through in a straight line — think of starting a lawnmower or snapping a towel, using your whole body rather than just the arm. Keep the disc flat on release; the most common beginner error is releasing at an angle, which sends the disc veering off and diving into the ground. The forehand (or flick) is the useful second throw for shots that curve the other way. Don't chase distance early — a smooth, flat, controlled throw of 200 feet beats a wild heave into the trees every time.

Understanding disc types

Discs come in three broad families, and knowing the difference is most of the early learning curve. Drivers are thin and sharp-edged, built for maximum distance off the tee but harder to control — beginners should actually avoid the fastest ones at first. Mid-ranges are the workhorses: thicker, slower and far more accurate, they're the discs you'll use most and the ones to learn with. Putters are the thickest and slowest, thrown for short approaches and into the basket. Each disc also has flight numbers for speed, glide, turn and fade, but ignore all that at first — a controllable mid-range beats a fast driver you can't tame every single time.

Choosing your first discs

Start with three and no more: a putter, a mid-range and a single fairway driver (not a high-speed distance driver). You'll score better and learn faster with three discs you can control than with a bag of ten you can't. Look for a beginner-friendly starter disc set, which bundles exactly these three at a low price, or buy them individually in soft, grippy plastic. As your throws develop you can add discs that turn and fade in different ways, but the three-disc bag will serve you well for months — and it fits in a small shoulder bag you can throw over one arm.

Getting started and what to bring

You need almost nothing to begin — a driver, a mid-range and a putter will do, and you'll play better with those three than with a bagful of drivers you can't control yet. A starter set of beginner disc golf discs costs less than a single round of ball golf, so it's a genuinely cheap sport to try. Bring water, closed shoes for the wooded courses, and a small towel — Arkansas summers make for sweaty rounds.

More Arkansas disc golf worth the drive

The state's disc golf map runs far deeper than the flagships. Because nearly every course is free and tucked inside a public park, a road trip across Arkansas can string together a dozen rounds for the price of gas. These are more of the courses locals rate, region by region.

• Tanglewood (Bentonville) — a wooded, technical NWA course that complements the more open Slaughter Pen for a two-round Bentonville day.
• Memorial Park (Bentonville) — a shorter, beginner-friendly city course good for a warm-up or a family round.
• Northgate (Jonesboro) — the best-known course in northeast Arkansas, with a mix of open and wooded holes.
• Allsopp Park (Little Rock) — a rugged, hilly wooded course carved into a ravine right in the city; a real test of accuracy.
• Old Post Road (Russellville) — a solid River Valley course roughly halfway between Fort Smith and Little Rock, handy to break up the I-40 drive.

How a disc golf course works

If you've only played ball golf, the format will feel instantly familiar. Each hole has a tee pad and a target — a metal basket with hanging chains that catch the disc — and the aim is to get from tee to basket in the fewest throws. Holes carry a par (usually 3, occasionally 4 or 5 on the longer ones), and a full course is typically 18 holes, though many Arkansas parks run 9. You drive off the tee, throw your approach, and 'putt' into the basket from close range, exactly as you'd chip and putt in ball golf. Distances run anywhere from 150 feet on a short par-3 to 600-plus on a big par-4, so course length and the trees are what separate an easy round from a hard one.

Etiquette and safety

The unwritten rules mirror regular golf. Let faster groups play through, wait until the group ahead is clear before you throw, and shout a warning if a disc heads toward anyone. The player whose disc is furthest from the basket throws first, and you play from wherever your disc comes to rest. Pack out your trash, respect the park's other users — many Arkansas courses share space with walkers and mountain bikers — and never throw blind into a wooded fairway you can't see down. A little courtesy keeps these free public courses open and welcoming.

Best time to throw

Our take on the Arkansas golf season applies to discs too: spring and fall are prime, summer is playable if you start early or throw the shaded wooded courses, and mild winters mean you can throw year-round on dry days. Wooded courses like Kessler and Cedar Glades are actually better in winter, when the leaves are down and you can see the lines. If ball golf is more your thing, start with our guide to the best golf courses in Arkansas.