Germantown, TN

Johnson Road Park

3.475(based on 30 reviews)
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18 0
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.2 years 202 played 200 reviews
3.00 star(s)

I thought I knew what to expect…I was wrong lol

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Coming into to this one I thought it was going to be an old school southern woods course. Carving lines that are fairly tight in areas that flood easily in a multi use park…and I was right for about 5 holes.

You start out with some holes that are moderate length in the woods, and have elevated boardwalk paths winding through the holes for when I assume some of the holes get standing water.

I was rocking and rolling with my mids in the woods and then I walked across the parking lot to hole 6 and began drooling. There is something about a high risk shot with a dicey landing area that really gets me excited. You throw along the edge of the lake and the basket is near the top of a hill with about 30-40ft downhill to the water and in the pin position it was in the shot was about 340. Parked that sucker.

The next one you throw over the lake again in another spot with OB all around the green. You then get a few more wooded holes near the back of the park with the creek, paths and lake to contend with and end with 3 longer holes along the lake with significant elevation and I really enjoyed the shots.

My favorite I think was 16. You throw from the top of a hill on one side of the lake, carry the water for about 340 and the basket is on another hill opposite about 425 away.

The final hole has an elevated pin too, which was fun since it was the only one.

Baskets were Disccatchers and they had the old logo so I'm betting they are close to 20 years old, but only two i noticed were rusty and they still catch well.

Signs were decent, and showed both pin positions, though the map was pretty basic. You can often see the pin so that's not critical though.

Pads are concrete, and a few are just marked spots on the walking path. Not overly long unless they are the aforementioned path pads. In decent shape though and I was good with them.

Big benches made of some sort of PCV wood look material that is becoming more popular with parks.

Cons:

I would have loved to know which part of the course was original and what was added because I really like it but the feel is really uneven. The holes are all valid but the flow is all over the place. I could see different styles of players killing it on one section of the course and getting slapped around on another.

Navigation is mostly fine, but the walk between 5-6 and 16-17 are longer and can throw you off without a map.

The main issue that I have is how many times you cross the walking paths throwing. It's like half the holes, and though there wasn't much foot traffic at the end of the day on a Tuesday I bet there are times the middle holes a straight unplayable on a weekend or busy afternoon.

It's slotted into a busy park, so that is unavoidable to some degree but it's still a detractor.

Other Thoughts:

It's a pretty fun if not legendary course and if you want to test your mettle with a bunch of water shots it's a good test. Memphis isn't exactly a disc golf area, but the designers did a pretty good job with a kind of odd space.

It's the kind of park I walk in and always think about "that would be a fun place for a hole, but no parks department would allow it…" but they did allow it here. Can't imagine a league or tournament here unless you closed the walking path, but it's still very fun to play.
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1 1
samxyx
Experience: 5.8 years 31 played 30 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good course, water hazards galore 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2021 Played the course:once

Other Thoughts:

Fun course that wraps around 2 medium size, man made lakes. The fun comes with about 4 holes that require water carries or place the basket dangerously close to the water edge. If you want to bomb a disc across a lake and have it land on an angled hillside, then this is the course for you.
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1 1
Gazellejunky
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great course, unfortunate happening 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great mix of wooded shots and semi-open shots. This has been a great course to get away from my home courses and play something different. Beautiful homes and neighborhood to admire when playing this course.

Cons:

If you are a righty, practice your anhyzers and sidearm shots before tee off. The water here is hungry for RHBH throwers.
Last Saturday my family and I went and played a round at Johnson, when we returned to our cars, my mom's window was busted out and her purse stolen from the car. Bummer! Don't let the nice neighborhood and big mansions fool you - thieves are everywhere.

Other Thoughts:

Don't let my cons fool you into thinking to skip this course. This course is a great one to play. Just keep your belongings you don't want stolen at home.
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1 1
hc33brackley
Experience: 8 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The front nine is wonderful and technical in the woods.
Lots of parking.
Lots a variety in the layout and challenges of the holes.
Good tee pads, course decently maintained.

Cons:

Mostly flat (except for 1 or 2 holes).
Gratuitous amounts of water. I have lost several discs here.
No true Par 4s.

Other Thoughts:

Solid course, nothing really exceptional, but a few nice holes.
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6 0
lowrie4
Experience: 36 played 21 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Solid Course; Lots of Water 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 10, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Solid mixture of holes with a nice amount of woods, elevation and left-right/right-left variation
-Mostly well-defined fairways with clear shots to throw
-Navigation is easy as most every tee box is marked with a sign
-Concrete tee boxes on every hole
-Good use of water holes to force accurate shots

Cons:

-Several of the water holes have giant slopes from the basket down to the water, so an unlucky bounce and roll can cost you a disc, even on a great shot.
-Lots of joggers who are not very disc golf conscious
-A few tee signs have been stolen
-Water hazards everywhere makes it easy to lose discs
-Pars on tee signs are usually a stroke or two too high; play everything as a par 3
-No holes long enough to really have to throw high-speed drivers, everything was easily reachable with a teebird or roc

Other Thoughts:

Solid course in Germantown, TN. Fun to play every now and then, but there are definitely better courses in Memphis. If you're a beginner, go play liberty land. MAM is a better version of this course. Bud Hill is a classic disc golf course in the area. Shelby Forest has two wooded courses with better wooded holes than these. On its own Johnson Road is good, but there are certainly better courses in the Memphis area.
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2 1
Peyton Sparks
Experience: 9 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Water Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Challenging woods holes better hit your lines
-Fun risk/reward water holes
-Beginner tees on water holes
-Safe lake to swim for disks

Cons:

-Lots of runners/walkers/bikers
-Park rangers will kick you out of lake

Other Thoughts:

-Bring water disks
-Sign pars very generous play par3s
-Best course I've played in Memphis
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1 3
discblues
Experience: 42 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Better choice elsewhere 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 12, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Wooded holes nice, but short

Cons:

way too much walking between holes, layout of course not the best, people walking on the paths through fairways (I did get too shank a disk toward a game warden that was walking on the path, that was a plus).

Other Thoughts:

So far my least favorite course in the mid south.
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1 2
BIGHAFNER
Experience: 12.6 years 58 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Overlooked Gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 18, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-A wide variety of shots 10 wooded 8 open with water
-Very scenic park
-Big Teepads
-Multiple pin placements for every hole
-#6, #16, #17, and #9 are some great holes. They stuck out to me after the first time I played.
-Right in the middle of town

Cons:

-There aren't any courses that are very close except for The Grove, which isn't open all the time.
-Walkers can get in the way, but there usually aren't many out
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5 0
c_a_miller
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 299 played 207 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 10, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course is laid out on a very beautiful park, very scenic and a great place to have a disc golf course.

The course was very easy to find with the signs entering the park saying how to get to where you need to go. Signs at the holes were decent, they did their job and kept you from getting too lost.

The first few holes are in the woods. Your shots better be good or you will hit a tree and careen out of the fairway. The next holes play out around the pond with some very memorable pro-like holes.

All the baskets are in great in shape, there is a practice basket perched on a hill in the parking lot which is always a plus.

The locals seemed very nice and respectful of the course.

There are restrooms and a water fountain nearby which could come in handy in the hot Tennessee heat.

Cons:

A few of the holes played on the walking trail so being cautious of pedestrians is always a must. Expect a few delays at certain holes due to walkers.

The pond comes into play a lot at this course especially #16 where it is about a 225' over the water. Some might say this a pro others a con but if it does go in the water there may be no getting it back.

A few tee signs were missing and some tee pads are not well defined so navigation at only a few parts can be a bit of a problem.

Other Thoughts:

Memphis is not known to be a hot spot for disc golf but this course seems to take the cake when it comes to the best local courses. A very friendly environment plus a championship caliber course that will test the wit of even the most seasoned golfers.

Johnson Road Park is a definite course to go to if you are in the Memphis area.
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3 0
bjreagh
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.6 years 350 played 317 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 challenging holes of technical wooded holes and open shots over or around 2 small lakes. This course will test your mental game of both strategy and poise. The wooded holes are pretty standard and well-done with a good variety of shape and tree density. The course's signature, however, are the intimidating water holes that also utilize a good deal of elevation. One must decide on each tee how much of the water you want to come in to play and decide if that is the right time to risk/reward to gain a stroke on your opponents. The banks are pretty steep too, so how the disc lands adds to the challenge.

Alt. tees are still challenging and a couple of times may have been shorter and taken the water more out of play, but are not necessarily easier. I appreciate how the course goes with a mix of woods-water-woods-water.

Park is super nice and clean with several other park activities available. It is located in an upscale section of Memphis.

I would consider hole 17 where you play over a landscaped waterfall to be the signature hole- almost like something you would see on the PGA tour! It is good that this hole is near the end of the round so it is not spoiled early. It and #18 make for a great finish that can easily decide who wins and loses. I also really liked the hole over the culvert (#11) where you had to carefully place your drive for the approach and #13 that has the basket in the woods just over a small creek.

Cons:

This course was recently redesigned, and it seems they tried their best to maintain some holes, so a couple times there was some odd backtracking as holes played parallel (8-9, 12-13). #14 had an awkward (putter off the tee?) feel to it, not horrible, but it felt like a filler hole design.

Tee signs were missing on several holes. Odd for a course redesigned 3 years ago.

The water holes are good, but you play around both ponds counter-clockwise, so the water is always on your left- could have been nice to figure-8 around them both in order to get some shots with water on the right too. Also there are few to no flat spots on the water holes, so even a good shot has the chance of skipping or rolling down the hill to the pond.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a strong 3.5, around a 3.75 if I could give it. It is one of the more challenging courses in the Memphis (maybe 2nd to only Bud Hill). I agree with Warhammer's and Zman's review that the course is just missing something- a key element or wow factor that would put this in the 4+ category for me. Though for a public parks course it is still very good.

If you don't like losing your discs in water, then you probably will not want to play here.

( I wrote down the hole distances, but some of the signs were missing, and then I lost my list (!) before I got home. Maybe someone else can get some distances listed on this site.)
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6 0
pfpro
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 55 played 41 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Loved this water course! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 11, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- good mix of holes, plays in various parts of the park and utilizes woods, open, water excellently
- several ace runs, mixed with longer shots, staggered throughout the course
- this course is not overly long (I played two speed runs in 80 minutes), but it makes you think about your shot (especially by the water).
- the park itself is a great setting
- many of the baskets are on/ next to hills. This has been mentioned a con, but when I played it really made me think about risk/reward of going for it or laying up AND when laying up the type of upshot/approach.

Cons:

- the water - if you aree RHBH, you will be punished if you do not hit your shot. It runs counterclockwise around the lake. I throw thumbers, so personally, I loved this course/layout. The lake didn't look real friendly either - don't know how deep it is, but looked like it got non-wadeable pretty quick.

Other Thoughts:

- make sure you go to Johnson Park in Germantown and not Colliersville (if you're an out-of-tower like me). Google brings up that other one... (oops when you're on a time crunch...)
- I don't agree with the posted pars on the teepad signs. On this site it looks like they are all 3s. Per the signs, I got 3 eagles or the two rounds I played. I'm not that good, my shots were not that amazing (and I didn't ace). Maybe I could agree if they were in the long pin location, but they were all shorts when I played today. I think the signs should have different pars for the different pin locations.
- one note: I playd this after a night of rain and I thumb, so I tombstoned a lot of shots. Since the ground was soft I didn't have to deal with the downhill roll. If its dry, I could see this being a pain and making this a more difficult course...
- signature hole(s)... Hole 7, the only hole where you can't really lay up without throwing across water, and the basket is low on the hill between two walking paths. Hole 17 you throw across the waterfall.
- was in town on a business trip and got the tip to play this instead of Shelby (wanted to play both but rain, early dark and work got in the way). I would highly recommend playing this course - but bring your water discs.
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1 4
K_Woodcock
Experience: 13.1 years 12 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Pretty cool course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 18, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great in and out of the woods course. Some of the shots are pretty easy but you have to go over water so the Par is High.

Cons:

The signs are not great. Some don't point at the tee box and some are not even there.

Other Thoughts:

All together a good course.
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2 0
SirRaph
Experience: 74 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

A tremendously well-designed course, especially considering the land that was provided.

It's a beautiful piece of land, especially when the fountain and waterfall are running.

Wooded holes all have legitimate lines to attack, but are still punishing if a disc runs off course.
Open holes take advantage of the pond in the center of the park, as well as the concrete paths running its perimeter.

On-site (remarkably clean) bathrooms and a water fountain.

Cons:

The beginning handful of holes are a bit soggy after a good rain.

No real "air-it-out" drives required. But that's not a big deal, given that the vast majority of players will need to throw driver to sail the water on a couple of holes.

Other Thoughts:

I can see how some players may say that this course is lefty biased. But I shot it well and I'm a right-hander. Two of the holes over the water would be very difficult for a lefty, and so I think that it evens it out more or less.
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1 0
pchoukalas
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

johnson road park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

real technical course. It offers great skill shots in the woods and the hill around the water holes add a slight challenge to accurately place shots. Some great rear back and rip it holes with short have to have good aim shots. alternate pin placements is nice and not hard to tell which pin its on.

Cons:

Some property lines are near some holes which can be annoying having to go in people yards to get discs. Warm up hole is on a hill so you can not really warm up your long straight shots. during summer there can be heavy foot traffic around course, which can be a hazard and annoying.

Other Thoughts:

overall great course and has the potential to be a challenging course.
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3 0
Warhammer
Experience: 13.5 years 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Johnson Road Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 22, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course was well maintained and compact. You were never more than 4 or 5 minutes from a bathroom with water. The course makes good use of the woods in the park. There was plenty of room to take your time on the course as there were not a ton of people playing. There is a nice little practice pin where you park prior to play.

Cons:

I hated the way they utilized the water on the course. Virtually every hole where water came into play, the pin was on an incline, that sloped 45 degrees into the water. There were multiple times where we had a disc roll in excess of 50 feet into the water. The particularly bad holes were #7 and #17. The first has a 320 or so carry to the pin over water. There is no area to lay up in, so either you chance losing your disc in water, or you take the penalty strokes. #17 is similar, but there is a 10' strip where you can lay up. Either you are over a fence into someone's yard (to the right), or you risk losing your disc into the water. There is also a waterfall near the pin, so if you play right to stay away from the water, you can still wind up in it and find your way into the lake.

Other Thoughts:

I enjoyed my play on the course, but I felt that the layout left something to be desired. The wooded holes were nice, but a few felt as though "there's a spot here for the pin, let's put it here". The water holes were poor for the reasons stated above. However, the amenities were nice, particularly having my kids in tow, I didn't have to worry about a long trek to the bathroom and I could let them go to the bathroom while still maintaining sight lines to the bathrooms (I could let them go by themselves).

If you are a new player, I would recommend staying away from this course until you get better. For the intermediate players and up, this would be a good course.
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1 4
dirty8224
Experience: 14.7 years 13 played 9 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

GORGEOUS!!! The first 5 holes are in the woods and aren't as pretty but the last 13 are immaculate and look awesome with the lake background on almost every hole. Lots of different shots.

Cons:

WATER!!! I didn't lose any discs out there but a friend I was playing with threw 5 in the drink in one round.. Try not to early release if you throw RHBH.
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2 7
memphisrider93
Experience: 15 years 16 played 5 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great home course 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

I love the variety of holes between tight wooded shots, shots around and over the water and big clear drives. It provides an all around practice for all kinds of situations.

Cons:

The only thing i would say that is wrong with the course is if you throw one in the lake alot of the swimmers will not call and you shouldnt hold your breathe on getting a disc backunless you go in and get it yourself.

Other Thoughts:

The people that play at this course are super friendly and will usually let you play along with them.
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3 2
allenbosox
Experience: 14.8 years 20 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really enjoyed the wooded holes - cooler in the summer, more technically challenging than a long water flyover. Good, quiet neighborhood. Good signage. Make sure you check the sign at the tee for the direction from the pin to the next tee.

Cons:

All of the water holes either cross the water or have the water to the left, a big problem for most RHBH players. I didn't even notice the bag hangers until I got to the eighth tee. Look for somewhat obscure metal spikes in the trees. I really hope these don't harm the trees over time.

Other Thoughts:

Consider using a map and parking in the cul-de-sac near the 8th tee and playing 8-18, followed by 1-7. Not too far from Shelby Farms, making a nice morning/afternoon double-header.
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1 8
Bikeknut
Experience: 16.3 years 29 played 2 reviews
2.00 star(s)

too much hype 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 3, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The woods holes are great and well thought out. The course has nice benches, bathrooms and other amenities.

Cons:

Let's put baskets in strange places..make up some stupid OB's..and there you have it! If you have played disc golf at any real course...you will hate it! Seriously folks....someone was smoking the pipe on this one!

Other Thoughts:

Save your time..save your discs....save your gas....not the worst(Shelby Farms is!)..but not much better...It is like throwing your frisbee through a hula hoop!..about as much fun!
Oh...the locals will steal your discs from the water..and not give them back. I ran into a little punk at BUD HILL who was playing with my favorite TEEREX I threw into the waterfall...He scribbled my name out...told me someone? gave it to him....freaking dirtbags!
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5 1
volmed10
Experience: 15.2 years 18 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful Course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I rated this course as 4 stars since all of the additions and "amenities" have been added. Concrete tee pads, benches, tree hangers, bridges, signs, bathrooms, trash cans, etc. The benches and signs have been installed, and now some baskets have been installed at longer more challenging distances. Overall feel of the course is great, since it is located in one of the nicest parts of suburban Memphis. One of the few courses that allows glow golf as well.

Cons:

Extremely left hand biased course (cough, cough.... Nelly....). All of the longer water holes have the water on the left, which makes swimming a very easy possibility if your release is off a little. Also, during the summer, the first five holes are ridiculously wet and marshy so make sure you wear shoes that you don't mind getting filthy. Plus, some of the spoiled rich kids in the area obviously have nothing better to do than steal the hole signs, so if a sign is missing you know where it went.

Other Thoughts:

Great course with variable holes (open, hyser, anhyser, wooded), and the ability to play glow is great. Can be easily played with 2-4 discs.
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