Knoxville, TN

Victor Ashe Park

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3.565(based on 57 reviews)
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23 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.8 years 694 played 680 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Holey Sycamorely 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

(3.503 Rating) A lightly wooded bombers course with a thrilling start.
- CHALLENGE - As of this review, I have finally played all the supposed top courses in the Knoxville area. I think this one is going to appease the top area players the most. The short layout here is already a healthy +5600 feet, and players throwing to the longest baskets will be in at well over 8000 feet. Players that can bomb are going to enjoy the ample opportunities to launch-em. I even enjoyed a hole like (5) where my 300-foot arm was able to card a deuce on a 380-foot hole. Much of the challenge here is length off the tee, but there are also a couple of wooded holes as well.
- SIGNATURE HOLE - Hole (1) out of the gates is awesome. A downhill water clear that will pump the hearts of every Rec and Intermediate level player. The green pops really well from the tee too as there are trees flanking the center portion of the landing area.
- THE SYCAMORE TREE - To the right of the long basket on hole (9), is the most awesome sycamore tree I've ever seen. It's got to be almost 5 feet wide at chest height. Probably 250 years old, or at least that's the number the online tree age calculator estimates. Normally the early settlers would have cut this one down long ago, but it's hollow on the inside. Thus the disease or termite damage it started suffering from over a hundred years ago likely saved it from a certain logging death. Seeing this tree was my favorite part of the whole course. At lot of course baggers are probably going to miss it though unfortunately if they play to the short basket on this hole.
- AMENITIES - I want to say there are at least 40 baskets on this course, and all of them are DISCatchers. There are at least two baskets on every hole. The first two make-up the short basket and long basket layouts. There are also some extra long baskets on a handful of holes. Like hole (3s) extra long basket for instance which is over 1000 feet from the tee. In addition to the baskets. The tees are concrete and of respectable size. There is seating at about half of the tee areas, there is a practice basket, shelters and restroom facilities.
- SIGNAGE - The tee signage is fantastic. Sheik looking 3 sided signs with all the info that's needed. Whomever is doing the signage in town is doing a fantastic job. Two thumbs up.
- HOLE VARIETY - Above average hove variety from my point of view. Sure the common element is bomb it long over open fields, but there are several other design elements. Slight ups, slight downs and modest valley shots. There are a few moderately wooded holes and also one heavily wooded line to end the round that was unfortunately too pinball. Only one water play, but there are several multi-play holes depending on the basket position chosen.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I read some positives and negatives on this in the prior reviews. My two cents is that this is an above average looking course. As noted, hole (1) is a signature looking beaut that most courses wish they could emulate. I thought (9) long looked mystical with the sycamore tree. The course was groomed, mowed and free of large branches when I played it too. Several times I felt a bit de-attached from the built environment. On the flipside, garbage was flowing out of every garbage can during my visit. I would assume that this was a temporary issue. I ended up scoring Victor Ashe 70 percentile overall for this category.

Cons:

Noodle arms need not apply
- NOT IDEAL FOR SHORT ARMS - I throw about 300 to 325 and I thought the shortest layout was infringing a touch on my ability to enjoy several holes. There is a lot on length on this course and several of the short layout holes are plus 350 foot par 3s. I just don't see how Novices and even some Recs can enjoy this unless they are hanging out with their buddies. Not a good beginners course in my opinion. The length is obviously one issue, but they'd likely lose all their discs on the first hole in the water.
- LAYOUT FLOW AND NAVIGATION - The gaps in the layout on this course are a bit much. At least four transitions are over 300 feet long. I got lost briefly after (5) as I headed to (15). The walk between (14) and (15) seemed like 1000 foot gap and I was already exhausted on this longer than normal layout. Due to the long transitions, the navigation suffers a bit as there are no extra aids to get players heading and staying in the correct direction. I pulled out my map several times.
- TIME PLAY - I was the first one out on the course at the break of dawn and it took me an hour and 24 minutes. That's well longer than the average course from my experience.

Other Thoughts:

Victor Ashe is a very respectable older course closing in on 20 years of service. It'll work best for those that can go long, but also can work for the casual local that's wanting stay away from responsibilities for as long as possible. I liked it and didn't like it. I liked using my driver on just about every hole, but I didn't like having zero birdie possibilities seven times prior to throwing my first shot from the tee. Victor Ashe needs better balance in my opinion to score higher in my heart. A course with this much money should be able to cater to a wider set of skill levels than just Intermediates and higher. A hole like (7) should not have both basket options at plus 400 feet. That's a waste of resources that will only appeal to Advanced level players and higher. Anyways, I'm scoring Victor a 3.5. Depending on tastes i could see many TRs rate it both a 3.0 and 4.0 as well. It sort-of reminds me of courses like Woodland south of Nashville and Indian Creek in Huntsville AL. I'm glad I played it, but it's not one I would play often if I lived in town. For those coming into Knoxville from out town, I would only recommend Victor Ashe highly to those that have a plus 300 foot arm and also enjoys lightly wooded courses. Everyone else should have Tommy Schumpert and The Claytons number one and two on their to-hit list.
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12 0
pmay5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.4 years 568 played 261 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bring your distance drivers and your best walking shoes 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 20, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great looking park in the suburbs of Knoxville.
Good concrete tee pads, one tee per hole, and two baskets on each hole.
Great new tee signs, replacing the older ones that are showing their age. The new signs have a hole layout, #, Pars and distance to both baskets. They are a unique style, wrapped around 3 sides of the 4X4 posts. I guess this helps to cut down on vandalism.
Mostly open course, with partial trees on the middle section and only 2 holes with heavy woods.
Practice basket and shelter at the start, away from most park activities, except the paved walking path.

Cons:

Let's start where the course starts, #1. A pond right in front of the tee that you have to carry with your first throw of the round (about 200'), oh and also avoid the trees in front of the tee and hit the gap in the trees on the other side, or else you're going to lose one as it rolls back down the bank on the far side.
There are a lot of long walks between holes here:
#2-#3 - it looks like the layout is trying to avoid crossing the walking path
#3-#4 - you have to walk more than the length of #4 downhill, then turn around, throw and walk uphill. The basket is hidden in a depression, I guess that was important.
#5-#6 - extra long walk here, to cross to the backside of the course, it feels like there was an original nine, then this gets you to the second nine. It seems there could have been a better design to access these other holes. Then #14-#15 is the return trip. Part of the reason I play is the exercise and walking, but most of these just seem like bad ideas.
Several of the holes on the backside just blend together in the large open area, #6,7,10,11 and 14.

Other Thoughts:

I have to agree with several other reviewers, Victor Ashe is the open course alternative to the wooded Tommy Schumpert. By my count, Ashe has 5 open holes, 11 partially open and just 2 wooded holes, a lot of space to throw here. Plenty of space for long walks here also, very cart friendly, in fact this should be the poster course for DG carts.
As I mentioned above, it feels like this started as an 9 hole course, 1-5, then 15-18 of the existing course. When more land, or funds, were acquired the second 9 were added, but not really integrated into the layout. Good thing they were added, because a couple of the best holes on the course are in this area, #9 and #12.
#9 is 299' Par 3 to the short basket, thick trees on the right off the tee, partial trees in the fairway, then a basket carved out of the woods.
#12 plays from an elevated tee, downhill to a clearing, the short basket is protected by a line of trees down the left, then small guardian trees. The long basket is across the field and plays as a Par 4.
#5 is a downhiller that you can throw out of sight. The elevation drop is so steep that you don't even see the basket, 378 feet away. The basket is in a wide open field, but there is a drainage ditch (rock covered) halfway down the right, if you miss that way. This is a hole where you want to throw multiple shots!!
#17 is another fun downhiller, that turns to the left and finishes with another wide open basket. After that, #18 is wooded the whole way, with a very protected basket (along with #13, these are the only tightly wooded holes).
It must be really nice to have these two quality courses just 5 miles apart. I imagine most Tournaments in Knoxville include rounds here and at Tommy Schumpert, what a great test of your skill and endurance. The balance of distance vs. accuracy on these 2 will earn your finish.
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13 0
autocrosscrx
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 7.3 years 27 played 27 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Relatively Open 18 hole course in East Tennessee 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 6, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Beautiful park. Holes 3-5 as the sun starts to drop is pretty much the quintessential Tennessee Valley setting.
- Multiple pins every hole.
- Course is relatively long and open, but still encourages a variety of shot shapes. There are some hyzer shots, there are some straight shots, there are some forehand/turnover shots. Those that don't have a ton of distance will have a chance at technical approach and scramble shots.
- Nice tee pads. Nice signage. Benches at several holes.

Cons:

- Layout. Hole 2 short to 3 and 3 short to 4 isn't intuitive and since holes 1-5 and 15-18 were the original nine, there is a long walk from 5 to 6 and 14 to 15. It isn't terrible, especially since it is usually busy on any nice day, but look at a map and pay attention to course signs.
- Course maintenance is hit or miss. If you catch it in the summer when the course hasn't been mowed in a few weeks, it can be miserable. I bailed on a round after 5 holes this summer because I was spending 5+ minutes every hole trying to find my discs that landed in the middle of the fairway.
- Can get swampy after a rain.
- Hole 1 is not very new/casual player friendly at all. Big water carry, a wall of trees on the other side, and fishermen likely on both sides. Of course, you can always skip this hole.
- Not everyone has the arm for a long course. If you like birdies and can't push a disk 300 feet in multiple shot shapes, you aren't going to have a ton of looks. If you are brand new player, you may get frustrated. I did not enjoy this course at all until I put in some time on some of the shorter courses around town.
- Holes 6-11 are pretty uninspiring. They aren't bad holes at all. They just aren't particularly memorable.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, it is a very good course. The local DG community tends to prefer other courses or find this course boring, but I think that is more of a comment on other courses in the area or their preferences for more wooded courses.

Beautiful park, room to see your discs fly, chances to throw some different shots, likely some chances to work on your approach game.

Hole #1 is the signature hole. Big water carry. Hole #3 gives you the chance to play a 1000 foot hole if you want. Hole #5 is a fun blind downhill shot. Hole #12 is this technical downhill shot. Hole #13 short has a distinct right gap or you can go left and hope you have distance control. Straight shot on hole 16 with woods on each side. Stand at the top of a hill and bomb 17. Hole 18 is your more traditional woods shot. I suppose the line would be a flexy RHFH with a strong finish, but I don't have that shot. Not much else. Very easy to take a 5 and ruin that chance at your PB if you get greedy.
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11 0
Canis Lupis
Experience: 14.5 years 54 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice way to spend a round 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Easy to find and navigate
-Well maintained
-Slight mix of woods with the open
-Dual pin locations make it easy to "add" difficulty
-Hard to lose a disc as it's pretty well maintained
-Each tee has the next hole direction clearly located
-For a muni course, this does not throw over or toward pedestrian paths.

Cons:

-Not particularly technical
-I'm not sure the distance markers are correct. I could be wrong, but it looked to me like they were vastly overstated.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed playing this course. It's nice to have a slightly more open course in this part of the country as opposed to always playing tight technical hallways surrounded by tick infested bramble
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3 2
Colonel Sanders
Experience: 16.4 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Open Bomber 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 12, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Located in a beautiful park with lots of people watching to do.
-two or three baskets on every hole

Cons:

-Very busy park
-Most of the tee pads are slick. I've seen a few people slip
-If the grass gets a little tall then it can get pretty wet in the mornings or after it rains.

Other Thoughts:

-This course is fantastic for bigger arms and for beginners alike because it is fairly open.
-Wind is usually the hallmark challenge of this course
-Make sure you check out the old tree on the long basket for hole 9!
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5 0
Grayson
Experience: 46.4 years 47 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bit long for my old arm! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Nice tee signs showing multiple basket placements with all desired information.
- mostly well-designed holes, although long!

Cons:

- Next tee navigation markings at baskets would be nice. I spent more time than desired seeking the next tee.
- Somewhere about hole 5-6-7-8, the multi baskets locations offered a view of several baskets (8 or 9) which made it difficult to determine which was which! Being an out-of-towner and without a local guide, navigation was a challenge. I wasn't sure if I consistently played the A, B, or C baskets.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, the park was nice and it seemed few expenses were spared in creating the course. Someone, or many, have put much time, money, and effort into the course. The course seemed to be constructed with more professional players in mind, so it wasn't as enjoyable for my old game. However, I can see it to be a favorite for many!
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2 2
Spike Hyzer 23
Experience: 31.3 years 92 played 88 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Old Rocky Top 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The first hole is a masterpiece over water downhill that requires some luck to get through to the green and I parked it. The course is also a masterpiece of design and great beauty from hole 7 through the finish, featuring a lot of well placed mature trees on the more long and open holes, and ragged and tightly packed woods on some of the slightly shorter holes.

Cons:

The second through sixth holes are fairly open and far too long. The older or advanced player will simply have two long throws to the basket and hope the second one is parked for par. Otherwise it will be a lot of bogies. Much of the course for the next few holes is also simply far too long for the average player, but the design is great.

There is too much crossover with other park users on holes 1-6, though it is fairly secluded after that.

It's very difficult to follow for the first six holes. There are a couple of long walks between holes and direction is uncertain. There is almost no way to know where to go after hole 6, as the tee for something like #15 is in direct view and you end up wondering where the hell the next 8 holes went. After you find #7 it is fairly easy to follow.

This signage wasn't bad but wasn't great.

Other Thoughts:

It's truly a beautiful park.
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2 5
akooler
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2014 disc adventure 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 15, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well maintained so it's easy to find your disc. Great beginner course. I shot a 47 my first and only outing.

Cons:

A lot of wide open shots with minimal difficulty. Finding hole 4 and hole 15 was kinda difficult.

Other Thoughts:

Over flowing trash cans. And a few missing tee signs.
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13 0
BogeyNoMore
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.4 years 512 played 183 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Just 5 min off I-75 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course in a pleasant, well maintained park in a nice neighborhood... others have mentioned overflowing trash cans, but it was spotless when I visited.
•Variety: Fairways are predominantly open and sparsely treed. Except for the moderately wooded final hole, the first 17 play lightly wooded, and don't require that much accuracy off the tee. Most pins are out in the open, but positioned so you'll have to work around a tree (or island of trees) on your approach to set up a putt, with a few pins nicely tucked away or well-guarded by stands of trees. Moderately rolling terrain comes into play on about half the holes, but not quite as often on putts and approaches. This combination of attributes allows for several lines to the pin off most tees, but seldom actually requires any specific routes. Nice mix of distances especially playing to the long pins. I wouldn't describe it as a bomber course, but it favors distance more than placement on all but a few holes.
• Equipment: Everything was generally in good condition. Spacious concrete tees were fairly grippy when wet. Yellow Innovas were easy to spot - long PVC poles enhance visibility on blind placements. Tee signs let you know when you've arrived. Map doesn't quite seem to scale, but getting around without it would be a bear.
• Aesthetics: Rolling hills dotted with trees are pleasing to the eye - still fairly green even in the winter. Several tees are bordered with landscaping stones at the back - provides a nice touch and helps keep sand from washing down onto the tees.
• Memorable holes: Starts with a nice water carry playing to a green ensconced by trees ready slap you down, denying your "would-be" park job...with a possible roll into the drink for a circle 4. Big arms will especially like holes 3 and 15 to the long pins, and 5 and 17 seemed particularly fun.
•Well suited to beginners (except for hole 1) and intermediate players, but probably not good for creating scoring separation among advanced players - although I think many will enjoy playing this course.
• Easy to play abbreviated rounds: play 1-5 + 15-18 = 9 holes... just don't walk to the far side of the park and skip holes 6-14.

Cons:

• Too forgiving of grip-lock and early release off the tee. I'm used to ending up in the bushes on shots like that and simply think many of the holes here make a par saving 2nd shot too easy.
• No feasible way for players who throw less than 250'or so to play hole 1. Most good water carries have some sort of bail-out route where short arms can still play if they concede a stroke or 2. The Alt Tee on the map looks like it would suffice, but I couldn't find it when I walked around to putt out. I suppose the designers simply thought this was too good a hole not to incorporate - I liked it but some will simply have to skip it.
• Navigation: JUST PRINT THE MAP!
Like many open layouts, navigation can be an issue and it's not always clear what pin you're throwing to. Course flow is more an oddity than an actual problem: holes 1-5 play through one section, then there's a decent walk to the "back of the park" where you'll find holes 6-14. To get to 15, you come back towards the section you started in. moving towards the parking lot. Really not bad once you get the hang of it, but it's certainly not intuitive.
• Two pins in the ground at the same time is nice for variety, but makes figuring out where to throw that much tougher - swear I saw 3 pins that all looked like they could be in play from certain tees.
• The biggest obstacle on many of the holes near the back of the park (holes 6-14) is the wide spread of long reaching, low-hanging branches which fill shooting lanes. But I only see these as being difficult for relatively inexperienced players: big arms can throw spike hyzers over the trees while placement players can typically hit the gaps (which aren't all that tight). That said, things could be tougher with spring/summer foliage filled in.

Other Thoughts:

One of the better open courses I've played, Victor Ashe is more fun than frustrating - likely why it's so popular. Course pix and overhead maps show plenty of trees, but the reality is the most heavily wooded holes on this course play on the perimeter of the woods (rather than playing through the woods), resulting in more forgiving fairways. You can often go fairly wide to one side to safely avoid trouble on the other.

Combinations of long/short pin placements to accommodate skill levels and make it a course you can play repeatedly and still find interesting. Plays like an entirely different course depending on whether you play to shorts or longs.

Literally a few minutes off I-75: easy to get to and worth a visit for course baggers. Not for those who like tight and technical, but if you enjoy a course that gives you a chance to air it out a bit, Victor Ashe is worth a visit. Even though I favor more technical courses VA's long pin placements, fun factor, and neat water carry bump a course that's "good" on paper to "very good" with discs in hand.

Playing on a Thursday? Then head to Puleo's Grille (about 3 miles from the course) for the weekly special: a quality burger & fries for $5... you'll be happy you did. This is not greasy fast food - it's a decent restaurant your wife would be happy to sit down at.
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1 3
ChronoDisc
Experience: 16.4 years 12 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Definitely worth it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

It is a beautiful park and is very well maintained. Nice tee boxes and signs at every hole. It was a good mix of holes with a nice variety of shots needed. It was a decent challenge as well. Definitely will be returning here.

Cons:

Trash cans were overflowing. Without the help of some locals I dont think we would have ever found some of the holes. We didnt feel like the signage quite accurately represented the holes such as the distance being off.

Other Thoughts:

Now that I know my way around the course the next play through will be even better.
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5 0
tjweig
Experience: 12 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

If you can, play it! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 19, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I've played Victor Ashe probably 20 times and really like this course. Is it the nicest/best course I've ever played? No. But I'd say it ranks better than many in most aspects. It sits in a really nice park. Huge teepads. Practice basket. Feild next to parking lot to warm up in when soccer games aren't going on. Multiple baskets on several holes. Almost all of the single basket holes have multiple placements. Tons of parking.

I think this course will challenge most mere mortals.

Cons:

The distance on this course isn't out of control, but for beginners or those who just can't throw too far, this course is tough. I don't see many beginners getting too many birdie looks on this course.

There are plenty of trash cans on this course, but most of the time they are overflowing.

Maybe this is just me, but there are a few basket placements that aren't reflected well in the signage. But for the most part signage is good.

If you're looking for a woods course, this isn't it. There are trees, you're just not in the woods.

Most reviews state the course layout is a big con. It doesn't bother me at all. The flow from hole to hole isn't seamless, but I've never once gotten frustrated because I had to walk a little bit from five to six, or from 14 to 15.

Other Thoughts:

I know not everyone can play this course during the week, but week days are far less crowded then weekends. And earlier in the day is almost always better. I've played this course before and been the only person out. I've also played it when its been extremely crowded. It'll take you a long time to play when its crowded.

This is a very spread out course, so you'll be doing some walking. I think they could fit in at least 9 more holes no problem.

This is a very nice park, and so there are a lot of people that aren't disc golfers that show up. They are usually smart enough to stay out of the way. Playing a course this open in a strong wind can be a bear, I've done it a few times.

The first hole is awesome, but I think most people skip it and just start on hole 2.
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11 0
DSCJNKY
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.2 years 709 played 132 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Rude Golfers Spoil the Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 19, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Great Golf. Victor Ashe has some great golf to be played... I can see why Will Schusterick and Kris Orrick have gotten so good... Victor Ashe has it all. Long open Holes, short technical Holes, elevation, a little water, punishing ruff, etc...
- Multiple Pin Placements. Every Hole seemed to have two or more pin placements that the baskets could rotate between, and 5 or 6 Holes that had two pins in the ground, giving the players options to play the Hole as Long or Short. This is a good touch that allows more advanced players the ability to play the Longs, while more recreational groups play may prefer to play the shorts. (However, see also Cons).
- Amenities. Victor Ashe has proper concrete tees, decent enough signage, benches on a few of holes (could have been more), and restrooms (on the other side of the park).

Cons:

- Rude Golfers. I have never before been to a course with players that had less etiquette than Victor Ashe. Groups of golfers were cutting the course left and right. For example, as we were finishing Hole 1, two groups raced over to Hole 2's tee and jumped in front of us??? This is probably common as beginners would be scared to play Hole 1.
Similarly, the tees for Holes 3 and 5 are close together so when there was a back-up on 3, groups would cut to Hole 5, which created more back-ups. And finally, since the back-up on 5 was bad (4 groups waiting), the group in the back of the line decided to skip to Hole 6... so as my 3-sum finished Hole 5, a five-pack was racing past us trying to beat us to the tee of 6. When we got to Hole 6, they were looking at us like, "We got here first".
- Speeds of Play. Because they have 2 pin positions on 5 or 6 of the Holes (Long and Short), and we were playing the longs... there was a lot of conflict between our group and the groups playing the shorts. It can become frustrating to always have the short groups running up on you every hole and wanting to play through. By the time we had finished the long pin positions, the group behind us had rushed through the short and raced over to the next tee-pad trying to get in front of us.

Bottom Line: The course is packed... there 5-sums on every hole... I'd love to let you play through... but, there's no where to go... So, you need to wait for your f-ing turn people.

Other Thoughts:

- Overall... Victor Ashe is definitely a championship level course. Big arm holes, technical placement holes, Par 4's, a testy water crossing, punishment for bad shots, lots of elevation, and lots of different types of shots required. It is definitely more Open than Wooded, but trees are a factor on almost every Hole and definitely force particular types of shots.
- My Score: 68 (on the Longs, Lefty)
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6 1
culinarywiz
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 36.2 years 316 played 67 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice bomber course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 7, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Huge concrete tee pads. This was a big plus for me. These pads were ideal for this long, relatively open course.

Nice bomber course. If you like to grip and rip this is the place for you. Very few plain holes. The elevation and scattered tree coverage kept each hole challenging and interesting.

Great elevation changes. These changes affected my disc selection on many holes.

Cool signature holes #1 and #12. As soon as you arrive you step up to hole #1 and realize you may be in for a real challenge today. I throw primarily LHBH and this pin is perched precariously close to a pond on a sweeping anny line (LHBH). There are multiple trees that force a precise toss to land safely on dry land. Hole 12 was a huge bomb from an elevated pad, over tree tops, to a pin approx. 550ft. ahead. Due to the raised pad, this hole was reachable. Loved watching my discs sail here. I tossed many discs off this tee.

Cons:

The course ran along more back yards than I had expected. Also, a walking path wound through much of the course. Even in the less than ideal weather, I had to wait a few times for walkers/runners. I can only assume in the spring and summer, this park will be very busy.

Not all pins were in play. Each hole sign detailed two pin placements. Many of them were blind. After realizing the long pin on #3 was missing (which totally sucked because I was looking forward to that 1100ft fairway), I began walking each hole prior to throwing. Many pins were missing - sometimes the long one and sometimes the short one. Many holes, both were present. The problem is you cannot tell from most pads. The signs do not detail this.

There has been plenty of rain lately, however, it is clear that low lying areas get marshy through the year.

Other Thoughts:

This was a fun course. I was initially hoping for a bit more seclusion, but the park is beautiful. Being early March, I missed out on most of the foliage. Hopefully I will make it back down when this course is in bloom and many of the fairways tighten up.

This course is clearly well maintained. There is a lot of ground to cover here and no area seemed run down or neglected.

Just a note, hole 16 has some very dense rough. Looked for 30 mins to find my drive. Keep in safe here.
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1 6
coolhand
Experience: 23 played 23 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 6, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

fun open course. big shots. some placement golf on a couple holes. good mix of left right. played here quite a bit when it was first built. they've made a few nice tweaks to it. easy 9 hole loop if you're in a hurry. back 9 is more difficult.

Cons:

too open i think. long walk back to 15.
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6 1
curveball4
Experience: 14.2 years 39 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Mix of everthing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Some holes are wide open, some are fairly wooded. Good mix of shots, places to bomb away & places to pull back & hit a line. Decent length holes for a noodle arm like mine but a few I can get there in one. Awesome concrete pads, nice & big, 2 hole locations. 1st hole over a lake. Nice practice basket by #1 tee

Cons:

A lot of walkers near a couple of the holes, city park so lots of people on weekends & evenings, not all golfers though. LONG walks between some of the holes, good exercise. 5-6 & 14-15 can get a person lost if it's their first time. There are bathrooms but they are at the other side of the park, none near the course. Grass isn't mowed as often as it should be, have come close to loosing disc in the fairway when grass was at it's highest

Other Thoughts:

A good to place to play, where I usually go. You will walk alot, bring plenty of water in the summer. Good variety of shots- wide open, some with many trees, #18 HEAVILY wooded. Would recommend to play, nice course in a nice area. Find a map online, you will need it your first time
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7 2
maynes35
Experience: 14.9 years 25 played 18 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Long throws, longer walks 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Just judging this course on the actual holes themselves is why I considered this "Very Good". The signs were great and having multiple basket locations is very cool. The tee pads were awesome, long and concrete (I hate bad tees, and these are great). The baskets were all nice. Very challenging course, which is nice from time to time, if you shoot even or under par (54) you're a really solid disc golfer. The surrounding area is nice and the disc golfers out there seemed to be nice.

Cons:

The flow from hole to hole is not so good. My goodness some of it doesn't make any sense. Even when you know where you're going it's still a really long walk #3 to #4 and #14 to #15 are really long and you could get lost of turn around before you reach the next tee. Areas off the fairway are extremely thick. I spent about an hour looking for discs and I'm a decent disc golfer. I wouldn't recommend playing this course alone because finding discs is a pain! Some holes are very long, so for newer players and beginners the 1100, and several 600+ foot holes are very rough! If you don't know where to look for the basket in it's different locations you will be just "throwing and hoping" you picked the right path. There is no indication of where to go from the basket to the next tee, which is rough when it is no where in sight.

Other Thoughts:

It was hard to decide on my rating, I thought about a 3.0 instead but the actual holes are pretty good disc golf holes. It seems like I had more "cons" than "pros" but the actual holes were all pretty good. If you know where you're going and no where the basket is, then you'll enjoy this course much more. Best of luck first timers to the course because you'll spend probably an hour or more looking for baskets, tee boxes and discs lost in the deep trees! It would be great if there was some indication of which location the baskets are in on that day.
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1 7
philman
Experience: 22.7 years 7 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

I thought this was a fun course in a nice park. There were a variety of shots and a chance to use multiple throws/discs. Very picturesque #1.

Cons:

Signage was not good. It was hard to find the next hole and it wasn't always logical.

Other Thoughts:

Grass was a little high but I don't fault the course or park for this. It was being cut at the time we were playing which was 10 am on a Friday morning. Not the time you expect a lot of people to be playing. I would definitely play this course again if I found myself in Knoxville.
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12 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.7 years 831 played 777 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 9, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a sprawling beautiful park with rolling hills, a small lake and lots of different types of flowering trees. We played in late spring, so the course was in full bloom and was a very nice setting for a round. The grass was very well maintained, with no muddy spots, and nicely mowed throughout. There was a walking path, but it was lightly used, and no other park features interfered with the course.

The course is fairly open on most holes, but the course is still challenging with lots of good hill shots, well placed small trees and bushes, and lots of length. Some holes did a good job of forcing right and left turning shots, and these seemed pretty balanced. The first hole is fantastic, with a reachable carry over water, and a tough sloped landing area and green, one of my favorite starting holes.

The tees here are fantastic, with huge concrete pads, nice signs with all pin positions and distances marked, and landscaping and retaining walls around most tee areas. The multiple pin positions really change up the course, often having a pretty large distance difference, and quite a few that changed the shot on the hole. The baskets seemed a little older, but were still in good shape.

Cons:

There are some spots where the flow of the course is not at all obvious, and a first time player will have to do some wandering to find the next tee. It would be fairly easy to put up some next tee signs to remedy this, as it's a bit frustrating. The multiple pin positions are great, but there needs to be a way to mark the current pin position as there are several blind holes where you have to walk the hole before you play it to know where the basket is.

The first hole is a lot of fun, and then the lake never comes into play again which was pretty disappointing. Overall, the course is a little too open, though the elevation and trees available were used well to add some challenge.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a beautiful setting for disc golf, and overall a fun course. Beginners will find it approachable, but long. More experienced players will probably enjoy this course, though it's not terribly challenging especially on a calm day. Big arms will enjoy the chance to really air it out on several holes here, especially with the huge concrete tees.

This is definitely a course I would recommend if you are in the area, especially in the spring. It's a lot of walking to play this course and you don't loop back to the parking lot, so on a warm day make sure you bring plenty of water.
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2 3
newsguru
Experience: 16.4 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Awesome, long course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 5, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Practice basket - Concrete pads - maps with pars - very helpful local disc golfers - Long, innovative holes - Multiple basket positions - Difficult holes - Quality baskets -

Cons:

Unclear which baskets are in which positions - Pars need to be increased on at least half of the holes - Easy to lose a disc if you're a beginner - Confusing layout (threw to wrong baskets more then once) - No directional signs to the next holes - Long walks between certain holes

Other Thoughts:

I try to play a new course every time I go on a trip and Victor Ashe was a delightful surprise in Knoxville. It was a nice change of pace after playing a bunch of sub-par short courses.

Victor Ashe doesn't suffer from what most course suffer from - which is a short boring course that doesn't mix up it's shots. The course demands accurate long drives and great second shots to even put you in position for a par putt. There are interesting long holes and short technical holes. There are blind holes and there's also a nice water hazard on 1.

I had a HORRIBLE game, but I still contend that half the holes' pars should be upped. The course is difficult to play if you're new.

Next time I'm in Knoxville, I'll play Victor Ashe at least 2 or 3 times. It takes an afternoon to play and it's a great place to play no matter the skill level.
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3 5
JimDK27
Experience: 15.4 years 35 played 11 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Really nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 24, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Really nice tees. Benches and trash cans at most tees.

Cons:

There a few long walks from previous hole to next tee.
Litter is a slight problem

Other Thoughts:

You can make it a nine whole very easily by going from 5 to 15. It is really a lot of fun and in a nice area. A lot of the trash was sitting on the ld of the trash cans, so I guess there are a lot of lazy people that play the course. The trash cans are about every other hole which make the litter a little ridiculous.
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