Just off Exit 407 on I-40, which proclaims itself as "The Gateway to Adventure" leading to the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge entertainments, there's a new nine-hole course with decent design topped off with a really good finishing hole.

The Northview Optimist Park course has just added new concrete teepads, which are in excellent shape. There are parking options near the first tee that won't interfere with the course at all.

The first hole is a fun start with a gradual downhill throw that offers multiple options to navigate the few medium trees in the fairway. Throwing over the trees is definitely the most enjoyable line.

The available trees on several holes are well-utilized. The mini-forest around the Hole #3 basket provides a challenging ceiling to get close to the target. Hole #4 incorporates a huge evergreen near the teepad and several more trees that hide the basket and force an accurate line. The basket for Hole #5 is hidden behind a couple of bushy evergreens and requires precision, as drives that find those trees might be completely cut off from a direct route to the target.

Hole #8 offers a second teepad option to make that uphill hole over 500 feet and provide a legit par-4 option.

Hole #9 is the best designed hole on the course. While it's about 280 feet, it's downhill with a nearly impenetrable wall of trees on the right that you'll want to avoid. The basket is well-positioned in front of several evergreens, meaning that angle control and disc speed need to be regulated in order to set up the birdie putt. Drives that are too long risk fading left and being cut off by the trees, ending up in the trees or worse yet, bypassing the trees and ending up near the parking lot.

Navigation was good. The next teepad can usually be spotted from the previous basket. Also, the course itself is just a few minutes off the interstate and easy to locate.

A couple of the longer holes are fairly straight and uninteresting; they feel more like connecting Point A to Point B. Holes #2 and #6 are two of the longest holes and fairly open. These holes will appeal to the bigger arms. Meanwhile, Hole #8 is a better design, but it's the longest hole at about 370 feet and plays considerably uphill, making it a "tweener" hole for those without bomber distance.

The simple teepad signs include the hole number, but strangely, not the distance.

Several of the baskets are not visible from the teepad and there's no map on the teepad signs to provide guidance. My playing partner and I had to walk down a few of the fairways to locate the basket and determine the best route.

A few of the holes run near the park's walking path, so keeping an eye out for pedestrians is a must.

Holes #3 and #4 are near a cinder block building which could be an unintended obstacle for inaccurate throws.

Some disc golfers have reported that the course retains water after the rain, leading to muddy fairways in places.

Northview Optimist Park is an adequate design considering the limited land features. The layout does a good job using the available elevation and completing a loop back to the first hole without any bizarre transitions. Overall, the course doesn't offer much of a unique nature, but the classic closer is a fantastic design and makes up for a few of the ordinary holes.