My wifes company is taking me along for there biz trip so I will have about 3 days to play disc golf with my kiddo! Is there a club that covers the area? Are there any worth playing in the city limits? Wich courses are must plays that would be in a short driving distance from the city?

Calvert and Seneca on the north side. Talk to the VA boys about the best ones on the south side near Alexandria.

Seneca Creek State Park (http://pdga.com/course/courses_by_city.php?id=392)
and
Patapsco Valley State Park (http://pdga.com/course/courses_by_city.php?id=393)

In my opinion, these are the best two courses in Maryland. Seneca Creek is only 20 minutes (depending on traffic) northwest of the DC outer beltway. Patapsco is 45-60 minutes north, west of the Baltimore area....but worth every minute of the drive. :)
Don't forget your camera!

bluemont is generally the closest and best in nova but there is construction going on there so some holes have been pulled. unless you're venturing the hour or so south to spotsylvania (loriella, the grange, hawk hollow) i would stick with seneca. if you're stuck really close to dc then calvert is fine too. rockburn and patapsco are both excellent and in easy driving range too.

I travel to northern VA, nova is villanova people :), a few times a year for biz too. Seneca is your best choice. However, DC traffic is nasty. Try to get out of DC by 2PM at the latest. Also, enjoy a pint at Dogfish head brewery after your round and let traffic die down.

Seneca is one of the greatest/ most beautiful courses I've ever played. There are lots of trees. You will be amazed by the lack of trash out there!

Can't remember which one I played, but it was close enough to a subway stop to walk to (~10 minute walk, but seriously, that's nothing compared to all the walking between monuments and whatnot). I think it's off the green line...probably Calvert. It was enjoyable...not too difficult, not crazy easy from the pro tees.

that was calvert.

As someone who lives 5 minutes from Reagan National Airport, I've had a number of friends come crash and play some disc golf. If I were giving advice, I'd plan at least one day down South in Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania. The top courses down there are:

* John Biscoe's own Hawk Hollow -- 90 minutes away (27 holes of greatness -- lots of cows, so don't wear your nice shoes -- contact Biscoe for permission to play)
* Loriella Park -- barely 60 minutes from DC, and an amazing 18 holes; half open across rolling hills and half tight shots through trees. A beautiful place.
*Pratt Park -- I wouldn't recommend this one simply because signage is AWFUL and hard to find your way around -- its a great course if you can find a local to show you the holes. About 10 minutes from Loriella and also 60 minutes from D.C.
* The Grange (also private, but very open to guests if you call in advance -- two full 18 hole courses. 80 minutes south of DC.

I agree that Seneca (27 holes and a unique course -- lots of hills and big cedars; two meter rule is ALWAYS in effect there because of the trees. Lots of wildlife) is mandatory; Patapsco and Rockburn are also great courses.

Of the ones listed above, I find Seneca and Loriella to be the most relaxing to play -- they have good signage, lots of friendly locals, a good mix of holes, and are just very beautiful.

The other course I would encourage highly is Whispering Falls -- its less than 90 minutes NW of the city, and it is simply beautiful. Some of the best hiking and most scenic holes I've played anywhere in the country. Half the holes on the course would be "signature holes" somewhere else. It has a great variety of shots and is well worth the drive.

In three days of disc golf I would try to hit:
*Day one: Seneca and Whispering Falls
* Day two: Loriella and Hawk Hollow
* Day three: Rockburn and Patapsco

One more question for you though -- when you say "kiddo" how old a kid are you talking about? Depending on where you are in from, some of these courses may challenge your endurance more than you want. Pro-Par from the longs on several of these courses is in the 60s -- Patapsco in particular is all in the long pins right now, so just the holes alone are almost 10,000ft in total distance, plus all the hiking around. It can be a long day for children to try to play some of these places...

If you describe the skill level of you and your child, and where you are coming in from (and are used to playing), we can probably be more helpful. Have a great visit in D.C.

I would have to admit my kiddo is rated at a typical 17 month old skill level consisting of jogging stroller and constant snacks and beverages to keep her going :DI have taken her multiple time to courses like Rockwall, Cedar Hill and Crowley which all have Texas sized hills. As long as I can get a logging stroller through it safe I have to carry her stroller up and down a few hills so it not a problem unless you are crossing gorges or something. I don't know what my rental car status will be But I hope to make it to Seneca and Whispering Falls because I have heard several people mention them. I don't mind a challenge as long as it is not to crazy to take a jogging stroller on like stated before I am used to steep elevation playing around here but or interpretation of steep might be a little different unless you are familiar with dfw terrain. Thanks in advance for all the info I cant wait for this trip to happen. By the way are there any courses that I can use public transportation to get to. Realistically I plan a day maybe 2 to dedicate to playing some golf.

Trying to push a kid in a stroller at Whispering Falls would be practically impossible because of the terrain and elevation changes. There is also a 1/4 mile uphill commute along a narrow walking path from hole#12 to hole#13 which you'd have to carry the kid/stroller in your arms the entire way.

hawk hollow will also be non-stroller friendly, steep with several creek crossings.

Is Senica stroller friendly?

it's pretty steep in places but there are no water crossings and it is very well groomed so i would say yes.

calvert is a reasonable walk from the metro. i think that's the best you'll be able to do on that front.

The traffic in metro DC is rough. Don Q and I took Ian to Seneca when he was 10 months old in a jog stroller. I have to admit Seneca is the only course up there that I have seen. It is absolutely beautiful. It was too challenging for Don to handle. (The metro was too challenging for Don to handle also.) If you get a rental car, I would suggest parking it a t the park/ride at the metro stop (I can't remember which one it is on the red line, but either last one or next to last one.) Take the metro, then drive to Seneca. The couse is near a lake. There's an area with a play ground. There is an area where the kids can feed ducks. Plus, it is just a great walk in the park. If you can't get a rental car, then you might try one of the other courses...or just settle for throwing a putter back and forth on the Capital mall like all the others...no matter what I hope it will be a great experience.

I am sure it will be a great experience....I cant wait to find out all the details about where we are staying.

Whispering Falls -- stroller is a bad idea. You pretty much need cleats and a prayer to get up and down some of those hills - it is a new course, and doesn't have all the steps/ropes it will need to be accessible to more players. Way too dangerous for your toddler.

Seneca -- great place for a stroller. It's all hills, but the trails are wide and pretty well marked, the bridges are good, and none of the elevation would be dangerous.

Hawk Hollow - bad idea -- bridges aren't good enough yet for a stroller.

Pratt Park -- hills/trails are not stroller friendly

Loriella Park -- very nice and with wide trails, and good bridges, even in the woods.

Patapsco -- a little more challenging for the stroller, but I think this one would be doable. Also, everything is under big trees, so nice and shady for the stroller the whole round.

Clavert is (vaguely Metro accessible, but much easier to drive. Especially if you've got a child with you -- however, its a relatively flat, mostly-upshot course. So it's not really worth the trouble, in my opinion -- it's a decent place to practice second shots, midranges, driving-with-your-putter, etc. but it's not indicative of the kinds of world-class courses we have in the greater DC/VA/MD area.

So my suggestion, based on your limitations would be Seneca as your first priority, and Loriella and/or Patapsco as your secondary options, depending on what you are close to based on where you are staying in DC.