If you feel like you’ve already explored every corner of the city’s green spaces, there is a fast-growing outdoor escape you likely haven’t tried yet.
While New York City is famous for its concrete jungle, it is also home to a thriving, low-impact sport that is completely free to play.
Tucked away on the Brooklyn-Queens border, Highland Park currently hosts the city’s only permanent disc golf course. It is a rare urban oasis where you can trade the subway roar for the satisfying “ching” of a disc hitting a metal basket.
A high-impact workout that feels like a walk in the park
One of the biggest reasons disc golf is exploding in popularity is how it sneaks a workout into your weekend plans.
According to NYC Disc Golf Association, a single round of disc golf nets the average player roughly 3,800 steps.
Over a 93-minute round, you can expect to burn about 400 calories. It is the ultimate “slow fitness” trend: a way to get your heart rate up and clock some serious miles while catching views of the city.
Because the sport is multigenerational and low-impact, it is accessible to almost any fitness level.
Breaking down the barriers to entry
You don’t need an expensive membership or fancy gear to get started. Populace, a Brooklyn-born lifestyle brand, and the NYC Disc Golf Association (NYCDGA) are on a radical mission to make the sport approachable for every New Yorker.
The NYCDGA, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provides free loaner discs at their open play events so that gear is never a barrier to entry.
Their goal is ambitious but simple: to expand disc golf access until there is a course available in all five boroughs.
More than just a game
Beyond the scorecards, these courses act as vital environmental stewardship hubs. The NYCDGA regularly runs youth programming and community events that focus on native plantings and protecting our local parks.
In a city where space is a premium, disc golf offers a way to maximize our green spaces at a fraction of the cost of other sports facilities.
It is a community-driven movement that proves the best things in NYC—like a perfect afternoon in the park—really can be free.
How to visit
📍Highland Park, Queens
💸 100% free to play
🥏 Bring your own equipment or check nycdga.org for upcoming open play events with free loaner gear.
