I pulled into Meeman-Shelby on a Sunday morning at about 9:40 , to a half full parking lot . Most times , that means there is a tournament or league doubles playing in the morning . If you are a traveler , you want to avoid these . The guys gathering for this were very nice , gave me some directions and turned me loose about 15 minutes ahead of them . The start of the East Course is to the far left as you are facing the shelter . The baskets are a mix of old yellow Discatchers and regular Machs . The tee pads are cement or carpet on top of cement , which were adequate . The tee pads were a little shorter , but they may have been from 40+ years ago . This is widely considered the oldest course in Tennessee ( 1978 ) . If you research it , that's the way I read it , too . The signage is faded but readable somewhat . There are 2 pins per hole on many ( I didn't see where on the signs which position the pin was in ) . The amenities include a nice water faucet to the left of the shelter . The shelter is mostly used by disc golf and has a bathroom in it . Trash cans and benches are throughout the course .There is a kiosk , that I originally thought was useless , but was shown the key to it and it makes sense . I won't go hole by hole , but I will try to guide you as the nice Sunday group guided me for the first few . left of the shelter , #1 wraps around the woods and brush to the tee's right . #2 is the tee that kind of stares you in the face when you are teeing off #1 straight ahead . #3 gets tricky . After playing #2 , the inclination is to go a bit right and pick up the next tee you see , but #3 is actually behind the #2 basket and in the woods . You will figure it out . Then the course starts to flow a little . You can use common sense to get where you are going from the on . The fairways are mostly short but tightly wooded . #7 goes over a gully . There is some elevation on this course , but it isn't extreme . Challenges aren't huge on this course , but the lines force some shot shaping . You might want to leave your bomber drivers , heck , maybe all of your drivers behind for a few of you . Pros & good Ams will need only Some good midranges and a putter . What it lacks in hole by hole challenge , it more than makes up for in fun . The lines change from hole to hole , encouraging creativity . This course is a fast play . I played the course solo in just over an hour . Disc Risk is low on this course . Even though most of the course is set on woods , only some areas of the forest floor will leave you temporarily looking for your disc . #18 is a nice finishing uphill shot . Since I didn't have an online map to print , I am going to guess that my favorite hole was #15 ? A downhill controlled drive that comes back uphill some at the end .

#1 Navigation . This course needs an online map , a couple of NEXT TEE signs , and maybe a bolt on the tee signs telling the golfer which pin position the basket is in so they don"t need to walk up the fairway to figure it out . #2 Bugs . Spray up in the summer and fall months . #3 Very short , and technical . Not really a con , but ,,,, also , make sure you complete your calls by the time you get close to the course . I lost coverage about 4 miles before .

A lot of history here . I found out from the players her that the original 18 hole course was actually made up of holes 1-9 of both the East AND West course . 2 courses in a free state park in Tennessee , 36 holes in all . Nice locals , course amenities . Perfect for a half day of play . You can even stretch it to a full day if you add Bud Hill right down the road . My recommendation : This is certainly a destination area . Meeman Shelby and Bud Hill are the reason I came to Memphis . Local , newbie , enthusiast , traveler , PLAY IT FOR SURE !!!!!

The Meeman-Shelby courses both play through some nice disc golf terrain consisting mostly of woods with mild to moderate elevation changes throughout. Elevation on the East course is a bit more subdued than the West. Both courses focus on par 3s with tight windows and lanes, and are overall similar in style. Both are solid examples of technical par 3-focused wooded courses.

The East course features lots of tight windows and lanes, with lines varied enough to keep things fresh despite the consistently constricted environment. Hole lengths are generally short enough to allow players of most skill levels to attempt them despite their technical nature.

Navigation is easy. The course is well worn in, minimizing the negative impact of rough.

Meeman-Shelby East is made up almost exclusively of tight par 3s: while the particular lines aren't repetitive, the overall style is. Holes mostly feel self-similar and can really run together, especially alongside the West course which is largely indistinguishable from the East. These limitations aren't surprising given the year the course first went in (1978!), but at this point their restrictive focus shows its age. I'm a fan of technical golf and the course still wore out its welcome a bit. More variety in hole lengths, pars, and styles of woodedness would be needed to elevate the course in my book. That said, it presents a great snapshot of course design forty years ago and is probably best left as-is.

The narrow focus on short and tight means bombers and newer players might get frustrated with the environment.

Some of the lines here are unrealistic if you don't have forehand/backhand versatility. While the shot variety is a pro, the pervading lack of shot flexibility is a con.

The Meeman-Shelby courses are fun, technical par 3 courses that are worth a visit but also don't offer much that a well-traveled player hasn't already seen. They're definitely worth a play through if you're visiting the excellent Bud Hill and have the extra time. I slightly preferred the West course, but the courses play quickly enough and aren't particularly fatiguing, so playing both is quite viable.

This course is great for both beginners and more advanced players.

-You don't need a bag full of discs to shoot well and most players can get by using only a mid-range and a putter

-Unlike some wooded courses the fairways are well defined and don't have an abundance of trees.

-Almost all holes have multiple routes open to get you to the basket.

-Course has good signage and benches & trash cans throughout.

-Course has good flow and it's easy to find your way to the next hole.

Not so much a reflection on the course itself--but--make sure to bring bug spray! Even with spray I had gnats circling my head often which got annoying real fast.

-The tee boxes were a little short compared to what I am used to.

-Some of the baskets are hard to locate since not all are DISCatchers.

-As mentioned in a some of the other reviews-- a few of the tee pads are carpet and lumpy.

The pros do outweigh the cons. Players who enjoy wooded courses will not be disappointed.

***note: the ball field mentioned in the directions is no longer there. You will see a large flat area where the field used to be but there is nothing left to indicate it was a once a ball field. I stopped at the park's Visitor's Center and was able to get a map and good directions to the first hole. There is a covered pavilion and restrooms on site.

Nice concise set up. Realistic par 3's Only half of a 36 hole course. VERY beautiful course. Stunning woodlands.

Lotta up hill, and down hill. Hiking is a must on this course. Walking to 10 and 15 is confusing, as you have to backtrack weirdly for each one, and each one passes the other.

This course is awesome. There is camping, and hiking, and all kinds of good stuff here. 36 holes total in the East and West course. Would be a great place to go with friends and have a weekend of awesomeness.

-Variety of shot shapes. You will have to be able to make your discs go in every different direction in order to score well here.

-Even though it is through a forest, the lines are more than fair. There isn't a hole where you can't make the disc fly all the way to the basket on. Good technical golf.

-Risk vs. reward is apparent on quite a few holes. Should you try for the birdie from the tee, a small mistake could knock you way off line and you will almost certainly make bogie.

-The tee-signs seemed to be accurate with telling the distances and showing the basket positions.

-Not much variety in hole distances. I believe there are 2 holes over 360', one of those being 380', and the other around 470' or so. The rest are all well within mid-range or putter drives for me.

-All wooded. No open shots at all unless you count the first half of hole 2. I like to throw drivers, and the woods plus short distances didn't make me even think about throwing one.

-A few teepads are carpet and are lumpy. Not the easiest to throw from.

My experience at this course was at the 2012 Dogwood Classic. The baskets were all in the long positions, so it probably played a bit tougher than normal. As it was, it was a great course for the tournament. I don't think there were any really low scores, but it certainly yielded some high ones. Par as an AM would move you up the leaderboard quite a bit.

There were bugs!! I got chased out of an area off a fairway (I believe left of #7) by hornets. Chiggers and mosquitoes are also prevalent here. I don't recall seeing any ticks, but I wouldn't doubt that those would be out there either.

Overall, it was a fun course. I would definitely play it again. I give it a rating of "Very Good."

A combination of technicality and length, Shelby Forest East, (or the "Beast" as the locals call it) requires an array of shots and skills from a player. Shots range from downhill putter drives with a drop-off behind the basket, to 360' drives through the woods, to a spike anhyzer/roller on hole 1.

There are public bathrooms and shelter, as well as chairs and benches on the majority of the holes.

Some of the teepads have some room for improvement. Hole 4 (I believe) is sawed off a good bit short, and is almost square in shape. Some of the other teepads are carpet. This creates some surface bumps on some of them, and makes for a slippery surface after a decent rain.

Some of the baskets are a bit gnarly. I'm not sure what model or brand they are, but I saw a lot of spit-outs at Dogwood 2011.

Bring your most potent bug juice. And be prepared to deal with some kamikaze gnats that tend to wait for your back-swing to dive-bomb your eyeballs.

Meeman-Shelby has a nice shelter with bathrooms by the start of the two courses. Water is available and there's a large bulletin board with a map of the two courses inside. Most of the holes have concrete tee pads and tee signs. Some of signs indicate there are multiple pin placements on the course.

The East course starts off with the only open shot, a wicked anhyzer to let you know it's going to be a challenging course. There's nice balance of hyzer and anhyzer shots here with multiple routes to the basket on some of the holes. Like the West course, this one is almost exclusively in the woods. The difference is the East course is longer, more technical and challenging. There's a good amount of elevation changes here on many of the shots.

This a very old course and back in the day there was only one course in this park. There are still some of the old tee signs from the original course which gives it a nostalgic feel.

Some tee signs are missing and I believe a few of the tee pads are carpet rather than concrete.

A lot of people mentioned navigation issues here, but I didn't really have a problem getting around here.

The basket on hole 2 is dangerously close to hole 9's tee pad.

Overall this is a fun and challenging nostalgic course and is the better of the two in my opinion. With two courses in one location it's definitely worth stopping here to play.

The course plays through a mostly flat forested area with a few nice elevation changes. There's less elevation than on the west course, but there are still some nice tricky greens and a few fun up and downhill holes. There's a really nice balance of hole shapes here that will make you hit all kinds of lines to score well. It felt pretty balanced between left and right turning holes. The woods are dense enough to have good punishment for errant shots, but the holes are still fair with reasonable lines.

Many holes had decent signs with the distance and hole layout, including multiple pins. The alternate placements changed up several holes quite a bit, and add some nice variety especially if they're changed up on a regular basis. The tees are concrete, and are a good size with ok texture. The baskets are mostly in nice shape and catch well.

There are some navigation issues here, especially with some holes having two signs (one for the original 18 hole course), some having one, and some having none at all. A few times it was unclear where to go next, and there were some blind holes where it would be nice to know where the basket is, or what pin placement is in use.

There are some erosion issues, especially in the hillier areas. This leads to some footing issues while walking, and would be pretty bad in wet weather. At times the course feels a little repetitive, a little more length variety would be nice to mix it up.

I really enjoyed playing here, especially with two courses on site. This is the better of the two, though the other course is worth playing too for the fun elevation changes. Beginners will probably find it a little punitive with thick rough. More experienced players will find some nice line shaping challenges and will need a balanced set of shots to score well.

This was a very fun course to play. Heavily wooded and pretty hilly. Made for a very fun round. Very well signed. I didn't have a problem with finding the next hole to play.

I don't really remember any negatives about this course. A couple of longer holes would have been better, but I understand you can only do so much with the land that you have and it could be very punishing with all those trees.

MS- East is an excellent technical wooded course. The first 2 holes are more open (but not gimmes) and then from #3-#18 you are in the woods. The holes are not repetitive, however, as they utilize different shot shapes and nicely incorporate the extra challenge of elevation on many holes. There are a lot of trees waiting to deflect your disc the wrong direction as you would expect, but there is always a reasonable fairway. The course is an older one, but this actually helps it as it has had plenty of time to mature.

Tees, baskets, and signs were adequate. Navigation was not a problem.

This is a nice, secluded course that is challenging yet fun. The disc golf courses are their own area of the park, so there is no interference with other park activities. There is the added bonus of 2 courses that begin from the same parking area (for36 total holes). Also at the parking lot is a detailed course map of the complex, a covered picnic pavilion, and nice restrooms.

This is an older style course, technical, but not real long. Once it goes in the woods on #3 it stays in the woods until you are finished, so there is not a lot of variety between open and wooded holes like you get at nearby Bud Hill. Also, I remember being amazed at how the mosquitoes would not go away, even in the pouring rain, so be sure to bring your bug spray!

The Meeman-Shelby courses are solid courses that will challenge players of all skill levels, but aren't too difficult for casual players and families who also come to the park for other things like camping, hiking, and fishing. It is also really nice that there are 36 holes all in one spot, and these courses are not too far from one of the best courses anywhere- Bud Hill, which complement each other very well.

I preferred the East course over the West, if you have to pick one. But I recommend both if you have the time.

Great course for those who love tight wooded shots with elevation changes.
-The course plays for right and left handers. At some holes you get thinking, "what line can i possibly hit here." it test your touch like no other course i have yet to play. the east course opens up with two "open" shots and then the next 16 will eat your disc alive if you throw poorly. quite a challenge and a lot of fun.

bugs in the summer will carry you off. a bit of a drive out to the middle of no where and then you have to go 8 more miles.

- Proximity to Bud Hill. You can easily play 3 courses in one day in this area. Bud Hills championship style "golf" course, and the two good, tight courses through the trees at this park.
- There is another course a few hundred yards away. Although I didn't get to play it because it was getting dark... I was told it was as nice as the east course.
- I love tight shots between the trees. Lot's of birdies to be had... possible ace runs... and lot's of punishment for bad shots.
- The fairways were definitely "fair", unlike other wooded courses I have played where great shots can yield a bogey.
- Although I had a guide (thanks again Wizard, from this site), I think this course would have been easily navigable... decent signage and good tee-pads.

- None really... Mosquitoes! Other than that... the course was cool. I didn't rank it higher because it isn't the most "epic" course I ever played. None of the holes are truly re-memorable as the coolest shot you ever took.

- Definitely play Bud Hill while in the area. Even though this park has two course, I think the Bud Hill course is more memorable.
- Food is far away... so bring it with you or go to the deli a few miles away from the park (if leaving the park go left). Chicken ranch wrap is the bomb.
- Memphis had some great stuff... really nice people. Extremely hospitable. Thanks again to everyone I met... I'm definitely coming back.
My Score: -3

Tremendous challenge with plenty of wooded holes and a great deal of up and down.

When they made it 36 holes it is very confusing. Some concrete tees and some that are old carpeting staked to the ground