As the first permanent course in Cleveland, this Will Schusterick-designed layout offers plenty of choices, a good mix of open and wooded holes, and some annoyingly long walks.

The course provides a good start with the first seven holes on grassy fairways. The lines are mostly open and fair – with the exception of Hole #4 (see Cons) – allowing for a nice warm-up without being too punishing.

Elevation is gradual on most holes without being overly significant while still earning the moderately hilly description. The back nine introduces more hills that accompany a heavier dose of trees, especially on the long-to-long layout.

The new concrete teepads are excellent. They're adequate in width and length and most of them appeared to be built up slightly to minimize the accumulation of mud and erosion that affects footing.

There are red (short) and white (long) Prodigy baskets on nearly every hole, and the intention is that every hole will offer both options in the near future. Currently, only Hole #7 and Hole #11 have one basket, and this might change in the next couple weeks before the kickoff tournament.

Some neat designs and areas are utilized on the course. The long teepad on Hole #4 features a tunnel-like path in the woods. The long basket on Hole #10 is nearly concealed behind a small grove of thin trees, prompting creativity off the teepad. The short basket on Hole #14 is mounted onto a stump. The long teepad on Hole #16 is up a hill and demands accuracy as two large trees are just in front of the teepad. And the long-basket option on Hole #18 prompts a drive to the opening in the woods, then a shot (or two) to traverse through the woods, before popping back out into a clearing on the other side.

Navigation isn't instinctual, and several long treks between sections of the course are to blame. The first hike occurs after Hole #7, when there's a couple-minute walk on a paved sidewalk to Hole #8. After Hole #9, you must retrace your steps and walk past the fairway of Hole #7 to find Hole #10. After Hole #11, it's a several-minute walk to the next hole, and then three holes later, there's another several-minute journey to find Hole #15.

There are a few odd holes in the layout. While the distances and pars haven't been confirmed (to my knowledge), the medium options on Hole #4 are problematic. From long-to-long, the hole is 500 feet and shaped like a horseshoe, which seems like a legit par 4. The short-to-short option is about 200 feet on a straight line. However, the short-to-long and long-to-short are in the 350-foot range but require a nearly 90-degree turn. Those options are too short to be a par 4, but the fairway turn is too demanding to be a par 3.

In addition, a few holes have some difficult/unfair lines from the long teepads. A couple holes have an unreasonable fairway shape that when combined with the distance puts the par in the "tweener" range.

The course isn't quite finished with its amenities, but no points off for the lack of signs or navigational aids. If Schusterick's other local designs (including Westside and Edwards Park in northwest Georgia) are an accurate indication, the signage will be top-notch.

The course is also in a newness stage for condition. Several of the wooded fairways are rough, with uneven areas, ruts, tiny stumps and wood debris scattered about. Some of the more wooded holes have tons of branches piled up off the fairway.

The two-baskets, two-teepads design scheme has some positives and negatives. First, it's an excellent decision for the only course in the area to offer four choices, allowing for a wide range of skill levels to play Fletcher Park. The short track is about 4,000 feet; the two medium options are about 5,700 feet; and the longest version is around 7,400 feet. However, the multiple options compromise the designer's ability to offer the best possible layout. Instead of being able to simply pick the best spot for a teepad and basket, a total of 72 different holes had to be considered. Having played every layout at least once, in my view, the "best layout" at Fletcher Park would be a combination of all four layouts. Each layout has a few flawed holes due to being forced to offer four choices per hole.

There's no water on the course, though a creek is visible from a couple holes. If your drive goes too far left on Hole #5, you could find the water. Hole #8 is a newly-carved fairway that can get muddy and boggy after the rains. On Hole #13, the long teepad is positioned near a bend in the creek. On Hole #15, the short basket is to the right of a low area that can be swampy at times.

Fletcher Park is a solid course in a geographic area that was lacking in disc golf options. Traveling northeast from Chattanooga on I-75, there weren't any 18-hole courses in the 40 miles between Collegedale and Athens, and the few nine-hole options are private and not worth venturing to. The Cleveland community has embraced this addition, and as the caretakers put on the finishing touches, Fletcher Park shows much promise in the months to come.