(2.347 Rating) An open layout with lots of water.
- HOLE LENGTH - At over 7,500 feet, Thunderchief is a mini beast of a course. Only four holes on this 18 hole course are listed as par 4s and it will no doubt challenge the longer throwers. Thunderchief should be a welcome treat to those wanting to throw holes in the 400 foot range.
- CHALLENGING - The Thunderchief is a bit more challenging than the Original Layout at Veteran's Park IMO, despite the similar difficulty ratings stated on DGCR to course par. Yes Thunderchief's more open, but its average hole length is a 150 feet more than the Original. Thunderchief also has unforgiving water hazards. Water comes into play NINE Times! (2), (5), (10), (11), (14), (15), (16), (17) and (18). Wind will also be a big factor here.
- WATER PLAYS - Honestly, if it weren't for the water plays, I would have been bored to death here. Obviously some players will absolutely hate this element, while others will have more of a love hate relationship with it. To me, there nothing more exhilarating than throwing ten dollars worth of property over the abyss. Without the beautiful water lines on (2), (11) and (14), I would have had this course rated as a 2.
- TEES - Well built 4 foot by 12 foot concrete tees. The extra length is definitely needed for these longer holes.
- LOCATION - There are three courses located in Veterans Park. The Original layout starts on the south side of the parking lot for Thunderchief and Music bend is located across the street of Veterans Memorial Blvd.

Way too many open shots.
- NAVIGATION - Not the easiest course to traverse and I was constantly pulling up the course map on my phone. No course map on site and the hole signage in minimalistic being small placards with a hole number and distance. Players will have to be within 35 feet to pick up the number. Some of the placards, which are mounted on 4x4 wood posts, were lying on the ground. Probably just a temporary issue. Another problem is that a couple holes have been tweaked. Most notably hole (7) where the placard says 447 feet and it's clearly an additional 300 feet longer. The placards distances on (16) and (18) are much longer than the it suggests as well.
- LOOSE DISC OPPS - As stated, lots of water on this course. I personally just barely threw one in on (2) and (11) and spent a few minutes trying to fish them out with a stick. The water looks fairly deep in spots, and if a player throws a disc well in, they'll probably be leaving a souvenir. Bring a floater.
- UNIQUENESS - An open field with several water features. Again, if it weren't for all the interesting water plays, this course would be a bore fest. Good hole distance variations, upper 200s to mid 700s. A few par 4s but no par 5s. Hardly any use of tree guarding at the baskets. There is one nice bending hole on (5) using the woods along the park's property edge.
- ELEVATION - I played the original layout just before Thundershief and held up hope until the very end that there would be something... Nope, the course is entirely flat.
- CHARACTER - Other than the basics of nice tees and adequate baskets, there really isn't any other extras on this layout. No extra tees, alternate basket locations or practice basket. Tee shading is horrible, players will bake out here during the summer. No course map or community board at one. This is however a trashcan and bench at (1) tee, but their appearances only occur 1 or 2 more times.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Despite the open layout, I'd be wary of bringing a beginners here as they'd probably throw one of your discs into the drink. In addition, pro and upper advanced players will find the difficultly in the open lines way to easy. The course probably caters best to intermediate players and low end advanced player looking to throw bombs.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - About average. Now doubt this course looks great in the summer with cut fairways, green trees and lots of water views. But during the winter, the course looks make an about face. Courses like Music Bend and the Original layout will hold their beauty better during the winter months due to their heavily wooded fairways..
- TIME PLAY - A bit longer than average due to the length but not as bad as one would expect. Figure around 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a foursome.
- WIND - I would advise against playing here on a windy day.
- HOLE 8 - A true head scratcher. There's a building in the middle of the line to the basket. Maybe it was built after the course was installed, but regardless, the hole needs to be re-designed.

I played with some locals on the original layout and asked about this course. There are definitely some players in town that really like this one but it's far from the local favorite. It definitely has its niche for the player that likes to go long, but other than those players, this course doesn't finds much use.

Great for the big arms that like to "air it out". It is adjacent and compliments the Original Vets course where distance and length of drives are not as important.

The layout surrounds a lake that creates some beautiful scenery and holes.

It's length can be difficult for beginners and even AM players where an occasional birdie is desired. They'll be rare on Thunderchief. The goal is more to not bogie, or worse!

Lack of shade during hotter month lessens available playing times for most.

Many drives are a bit repetitive and the terrain does not offer many natural challenges other than water.

The course is well maintained and allows dedicated players to "step up" their games in comparison to many of the other local courses. The 1-2-3 combo of Vets, Thunderchief, and Music Bend will allow the possibility of some awesome tournaments!