Pros:
Veterans Golfplex sits on grounds owned and occupied by former members of our military ( Thank You For Your Service ) . It has kind of a clubhouse for them and a 9 hole ball golf course . Sharing the grounds is a 18 hole disc golf course . There are bathrooms in the clubhouse . The parking lot is small but I don't think a lot of people park here . There is a small tennis court near the lot . The whole course is fenced in ( you will be relieved to know that .
THE EQUIPMENT - The tee pads her are natural Some have been worn down enough so you know where to stand . The tee signs are informative enough , but the are portable , sitting on green wood frames . I will explain this in cons . The baskets are green Prodigy . They look fine and seem to catch well enough .
The Landscape . The area was mowed and landscaped enough when I was here . The course rolls and the elevation is utilized . There is a cement drainage ditch that divides the first 10 holes of the course and will come into play on some holes . There is a lake in the back of the course that will factor in with water carries on holes 12-14 .There are fairway trees what are useful to some of the hole and go from sparse to being a factor in throws .
THE HIGHLIGHTS - Some solid holes on the course . #2 is a gulley shot over one of the water ditches , with low hanging trees to force wide throws from either the right or the left . #7 depending if you find the tee , is a drive over a hill ( 325' ) , cutting through trees to a basket sitting on a lope . #12 is one of the water carries . Protected by a large bush and some nearby trees , you will have to hope your drive carries the water and misses the bush , which can deposit your disk into the lake . #14 was a short water carry through low hanging trees that can cause ricochets into the water . The basket is tucked into the left of the trees . #16 ( 364' ) has a bush near the middle of the fairway blocking the sight of the basket . You may have to carry the water if you are playing right to left . Still a nice looking hole with some length . #18 is worth mentioning . I never found the tee pad and had to safari it , but it is a long gulley shot ( 392' ) over one of the ditches , over a green and to the basket , which is flanked by large bushes on your right .
SIGNATURE HOLE - The signature hole has to be #13 ( 500' ) , a double water carry where you throw as far over to a bank as you safely can , then throw back over that same side with water on it , to a green that sits on a hill . There is tall netting on the right side of the green that will swallow up your approaches .
THE TIME - It took me 75 minutes to play it , but part of it was looking for tee pads . A solo local can play this in about an hour , and a foursome should be able to finish in 2 hours even .
DISC RISK - Low to moderate . The grounds ware well manicured , so if you stay out of the water , you will keep all of your discs .
EASY ON THE LEGS - Even though the course rolls , there is no heavy brush or large banks to climb off/on to . Your body can't be punished for errant drives , except to climb down those cement ditches ( advice : don't throw rollers close to holes with ditches ) .
Cons:
#1. NAVIGATION - It is lunacy here . Make sure you printed a map , or you might be out there a while . It seems like they move the portable tee signs around so they can cut grass , and never return all of them to the spot they are supposed to be in . You may have to safari a few holes like I did ( 6 , 7 , 11 , 18 , were some ) .
#2 LACK OF EQUIPMENT - The signage was all over the place in spots , natural tees , missing basket for #11 .
#3 HOURS OF OPERATION - The website on DGR had the hours posted as 10-5 from Tuesday thru Saturday . I showed up at 2:30 and was told that since no one was coming out to play , they were going to close up . He did relent , but if the hours are posted and they are already in a tight window ( I guess no after work rounds ) , they shouldn't close early .
SKETCHY SURROUNDINGS - The grounds are completely fenced in because they are in a suspect part of town . That means that outside of the fence , everyone is a suspect in something ( Partly kidding ) . Memphis has some shady areas , and this area qualifies . Don't stop before your round or after to go to the bathroom or get something to drink after leaving the fence .
DONATIONS - This left me confused . They talk about a donation box near tee 1 , and require you to check in before playing . When you come into the clubhouse , they decide how much to charge you for your round . They wanted $10 from me ( I had $6 in my pocket to put into the donation box ) . He told me to bring the other $4 back to him after the round . Kind of outrageous for a course with conditions like this . A good guy , a vet named Mike , that I talked to after my round , told me to just get in my car and forget about the other $4 . Thanks , Mike . So , forget about the donations . Bring your wallet with you to check in , think of a number between 5 and 20 , then pay it .
For a golf course there were no amenities . No benches , no trash cans ( carry out what you carry in ) . No shelter to sit after a round or kiosk . .
Other Thoughts:
II am always okay with pay to play courses , specifically one that have a flat and understandable rate . I am also okay with those course having restricted hours , given that the hours are playable under normal circumstances . These concerns will leave a bad taste in your mouth and not want you to return . BTW , there was someone playing solo on hole 9 after I had finished and was in the parking lot .The course has a better than average layout , and would leave you satisfied at least with the course if the tee signs were all at the pads , maybe having some directional arrows pointing to the next tees and had a basket for #11 instead of looking all over for it . This course still has a tremendous amount of potential Don't let my rant hide the fact that all of the members of the clubhouse and grounds are proud servicemen ( and women ) of our armed forces , and should be treated with the utmost respect .
MY RECOMMENDATION - Newbies and 1 disc players may want to cut their baby teeth on course that don't charge , at least until they can progress . Locals , especially the patriotic ones , might come here on a Saturday morning and toss a round or 2 . I'm afraid that intermediates and pros might have trouble keeping their cool over the course setup . Travelers might pick a more secure destination , like Bud Hill or Shelby Farms . Baggers can still get 2 for one by playing the Ace Run 9 hole side and be out of the area in an hour and 45 minutes or less . Otherwise , I might pass on by this course . Sorry