With gnome figurines all around, the Gnome Home DGC brings a bit of magic to their layout while offering a consistent theme and a decent experience as a short and heavily wooded course in a private setting.

The course is definitely on the short and technical side. All but four holes are under 250 feet. Most of the fairways are narrow but typically straight and fair.

The most open holes at Gnome hole are a few of the longest. Hole #1 takes the cake at 305 feet, but the slightly downhill hole has trees on both sides of the fairway and a touch of technical accuracy is still required. Hole #14 is positioned in a clearing area in the woods and is 271 feet. Holes #17 and #18 are located in the field that greets you upon entrance to the course grounds.

Navigation was adequate. Several areas included well-marked paths to the next hole in the woods, but there are several hubs or path-crossing areas. Also, most of the baskets can be spotted from the teepad, so you're not throwing blindly down the fairway.

Most of the teepad areas are natural but they're usually in decent shape and flat. There are a few holes where there's carpet or gravel. The best teepad is the wooded, elevated platform on Hole #14. There's also a small colorfully painted number sign at each teepad, which is helpful if you get off course.

The rough wasn't too rough when I played. Even though there are plenty of trees to send your disc pinging off the fairway, the likelihood of losing a disc or having to organize a searching party was quite low.

While most of the gnome figurines are miniature, the King of the Gnomes is hanging out around the teepad for Hole #10 (see Media), which would be a great photo opportunity.

There's currently a ready and very playable product, and the owner is continuing to tweak and work on improving the layout.

The most glaring con of the Gnome Home course is the state of the baskets. Nearly every manufacturer is represented by a basket on the course. Some of the baskets are high-quality. However, a few of the baskets are simple with a single row of chains that are little more than large paper clips and are unlikely to catch well. There's also a Marksman basket on Hole #2. This con is understandable, however, on a private course where the owner is doing most of the labor and financing the creation by himself.

A few of the holes have trees positioned too close to the teepad, which could lead to an injury during one's run-up and drive. A couple times, I chickened out and delivered an incomplete throw due to concern over smashing my hand during my follow-through. And the natural teepads aren't perfect, obviously. A couple of the tee areas are short. During the winter months, several of them have a decent amount of leaves to contend with.

There were a few spots off the fairway where you might encounter briars but the brush wasn't thick in many places.

There are a few fairways on the back nine that cross over each other. Holes #12 and #14 use similar areas, and Holes #17 and #18 have intersecting fairways. Also, the owner moves baskets frequently, which might be why a few of the arrows attached to the basket and pointing to the "next tee" were incorrect.

Another slight drawback is that the limited space leads to a bit of redundancy. There are several holes that feel similar in design, and while I reflect on my round a week later, the holes that lacked unique aspects run together in my mind.

While the Gnome Home design is a work in progress, the course was an enjoyable play. If I lived near Tullahoma, I'd visit often while ignoring the gnome figurine at the course's entrance sporting a middle finger and a "Go Away" sign (see Media).

Gnome Home DGC receives a decent rating for now, but there's much potential for the layout, as it has the capacity for a 3.0- to 3.5-rated course as the owner continues to pour resources into his labor of love.