Gautier, MS

Shepard State Park

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3.255(based on 20 reviews)
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2 0
Buford Calloway
Experience: 4.8 years 101 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Nice course! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 15, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

-I liked the layout. It's nice to play the front nine, end up back at the parking area and restrooms, then play the back nine. It also allows for easy nine-hole days.

-Just challenging enough to make you think about your shot, but easy enough for all levels to enjoy.

-I'm sure the bugs are horrific in the warmer months, but not year round. It can be a pain to have warm weather during Christmas break, but it allowed a us to enjoy a beautiful, sunny, 60° bug-free round. This is definitively the time to visit this course.

Cons:

-As noted in many reviews, I'm sure the bugs can be incessant most of the year.

-Though the "next tee" signs are great, this course could use maps for each hole at the tee, as well as multiple tee boxes.

-Nice concrete tee pads, but with all of the pine trees around, some brooms would also be useful.

Other Thoughts:

Thoroughly enjoyed the course; would love to play again sometime.
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3 0
noahsan
Experience: 8 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Really Enjoyed this Course! drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 7, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has a great layout and design, the course flows very well from hole to hole, making it very easy to locate the nest hole without much guesswork (I only got confused on one hole, and once I studied the map a bit, it was easy to figure out). The front 9 holes are pretty straightforward, giving you time to get warmed up, meanwhile the back 9 ramps up the difficulty and gives a couple of nice, challenging holes. The fairways were clear and the holes were very well-kept, and if you do go out-of-bounds, you can still find your discs will a little effort.

Cons:

The only con I can think of is the deer flies are horrendous! Please bring bug-spray, I was unlucky enough to be caught without any and I have the battle scars to go with my mistake!

Another slight con, but kind of worth noting, if it has rained a lot recently some of the holes can definitely get muddy. Being in a coastal area of south Mississippi, I guess this shouldn't be too shocking, but something to stay aware of.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, I had a blast, which is saying a lot since I was being devoured by deer flies the entire time due to my lack of bug spray! Learn from my mistake, stock up on bug-spray and have a blast playing this great course!
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2 1
apoelma
Experience: 6.6 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Love it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 25, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Clean and well kept.
Challenging
Secluded for hustle and bustle

Cons:

Bug spray is a must
A few holes are missing directional signs

Other Thoughts:

Excellent, tight course that forces you to shape shots. They just added 3 new holes in between 9 and 10. They are holes A, B, and C.
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1 4
cbr1000derek
Experience: 60 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Updated course. New tee spots. Clear throwing paths 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 21, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lots of different shots. Mix of woods and open. Mix of long and short. Different tee spots makes it fun for the whole family.

Cons:

Bugs during summer. Cost $3 to enter park and play disc golf. Thick under brush off the beaten path. Be weary of creatures the park is in a swamp.

Other Thoughts:

Fun course!
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1 4
AUfantastic
Premium Member
Experience: 28.8 years 176 played 17 reviews
2.50 star(s)

OK, but.... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 7, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

I actually liked the course overall, but there were some issues.

Cons:

SIGNAGE IS NEEDED. So frustrating to stumble around between holes just to find the next tee box. Actually broke any rhythm of trying to play a reasonable round. I thought there were a couple of holes that had design issues and no clear way to achieve a birdie even if you had the talent for all kinds of throws.

Other Thoughts:

Widen a couple of fairways just a bit. Reconsider pin locations on a couple or cut some trees and bushes for better access.
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8 1
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 755 played 414 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Old Yeller 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Easy to navigate, with yellow baskets and yellow next-tee signs, and nice map/scorecard.

Two nine-hole loops. Bathroom near tee-1.

Cons:

It was a tight race between Bud Light, Keystone, and Budweiser as to which was the favourite of the litterbugs.

Single row-of-chains baskets. $3 to enter park.

Other Thoughts:

Course is carved out of the pines, and in/out of the open space, of a near-seaside state park. With an average length of ~250', and most holes being of walking-path width, this is a course about touch and control. Attributes you should expect to find include:

Tee areas: About 1/3rd of the tees were 6'x'9' concrete trapezoids, the remainder natural. Basic signs. Benches at every hole.

Elevation: quite flat throughout, only a few holes having a modicum of change.

Distances: only a couple of holes require you to really cut loose, but even on these, you have a left-side tree/brush line to avoid. Over 3/4ths fall into the 165'-265' range.

Tightness: While a few holes are open, typically along the right side, most are broad-to-narrow walking-path widths, defined by tall, thin pines, and their supporting brush.

Shot-shapes: A couple dead-straight, a couple S-shapes, a few righties, but the majority being straight-then-fade-left.

Favourite hole(s): #17/#14. Two similar (mirror-image) holes, 300'/333', requiring elongated S-shapes within mid-width fairways defined by tall, thin trees.

Nice course to work on your touch-game.
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1 3
demamazins
Experience: 20.3 years 91 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Home Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is located within a state park. A heavily wooded course that will make or break a players score. Finesse shots are required to reach each hole while navigating fairways that are 10-15 feet in width. Favorite holes are 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 18. Bright colored discs are encouraged. This is a par 3 course.

Cons:

Some areas are overcome by water. Often tee-pads need to relocated for tee-offs when water creates an area that is unsuitable. Overgrowth needs to be trimmed.

Other Thoughts:

A par 3 course. Holes 3 and 16 play as a par 4. (56 = Par). The scorecard has correct distances but with incorrect Par listings.
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2 4
DiscCoulter09
Experience: 22.9 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wooded 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 11, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The design of the course is wonderful. It goes through a wooded area and uses the trees and water and surrounding areas wonderfully. Each whole is different and requires some skilled shots. They have recently put up signs to next wholes. This is wonderful.
In the summer time, be prepared for a lot of insects, bring lots of water, sunscreen and bug spray. #11 also is a water hole - must be able to throw 200 ft in the air to clear the water. Also, it is good to have a spotter on some wholes to locate discs when they don't land in the fairway.

Cons:

Not all tee pads are cement. They had some gravel ones, but have not maintained them at all. In the spring and summer, more keeping the course in shape would be nice.
Costs $3.00 to get into the park.

Other Thoughts:

Put in more teepads, gravel or pavement, but take time do it right.
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3 5
cmoney49
Experience: 10 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Mississippi swamp 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good difficult course. It has a lot of varying distances for the holes. I would suggest having a spotter for most hole because you can't see many baskets. If I am ever down there again i will play again.

Cons:

Bugs and fire ants. My dumb ass played in sandals, shorts and a tank top. I lost my favorite disc on hole 3 and was looking for it and stood on a tree and got stung by fire ants. Bring bug spray and wear shoes.

Other Thoughts:

Hole 11 was scary with having to throw over the swamp. I am from Maryland so I am not used to those elements.
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3 1
ohtobediscing
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 44.5 years 401 played 41 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sheparding the Flock 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 15, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a nice little course that borders a coastal marsh, with narrow, undergrowth-walled fairways and a number of small elevation changes that spice up the short game. Most of the front 9 traverses through a scattered southern pine forest with yupon, huckleberry and sweet bay undergrowth that likes to slap your disc down into the dense ground cover and hide it if you're off-fairway. #s 1 and 9 cross a creek hollow[open, but mucky in rainy season], and #s 2-5 and 16 use a corner of a field and the road cutback for the only "open" shots on the course. #7's basket sits on a 6' tall pyramidal pedestal. The back 9 throws over a swampy, reedy arm of the bay, crosses the creek hollow for a few holes, has more hardwood canopy and taller undergrowth, yet the fairways are a bit more open than the front 9. Lots of blind baskets, so grab a course map at the entrance station or have someone along who knows the course. For a couple of the holes a spotter would be appreciated. Route finding is decent as there are new next-tee signs near all the baskets. As a lefty I had to use forehand more than most courses, but found reasonable distances and enjoyable shot-shaping. Situated just off the gulf, its isolated from traffic routes and I've yet to ever see it crowded. Benches, and a scattering of garbage cans. Tee pads are an erratic mix of natural and cement.

Cons:

The ground cover is dense enough in any season to hide discs that land only a foot or two off the fairway.
Fall/winter/spring is a better time to play in terms of weather[heat, humidity], shrubbery, insects[mosquitoes, flies, giant garden spiders] and reptiles. Wear long pants for disc-hunting in the blackberry- and thorny vine-infested undergrowth.

Other Thoughts:

I took 6 kids under 12 and 3 adults, all newbies, during Christmas break when we were all gathered nearby. Only managed to play 9 holes but everyone had fun, and nobody got brained[though it was close a few times]. Playground is right by #9 hole, with bathroom[and drinking water] nearby. Nearest convenience store is 2 miles away. Bulldog Bayou DGC is about 3 miles away, and except for #s 1-4, a bit more noob-friendly.
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4 2
Osshane
Experience: 12.9 years 5 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Make You Holla Fo 3 Dolla 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 18, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Various shots are called for. It has a good mixture of short, medium, and long holes. Great course to play in the upcoming winter. The course is not crowded and provides a great family atmosphere. Newly cleaned up by myself and some friends.

Cons:

Bugs are very bad in the Summer and whenever else the feel like coming out so always have your bug spray for the woods. Easy to lose a disc if you go left or right as the woods are thick. I have been played there over 50 times and cleaned the course and have only seen one snake but they are present.

Other Thoughts:

Very nice course if you are in the area! Come check us out! Looking to start up league play on the Weekends or late afternoon. If interested email me at [email protected]
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1 4
Rebels44
Experience: 12.5 years 4 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Awesome 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 23, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Calls for different shots
Clean and well taken care of.
Tight as well as open holes.

Cons:

Mostly for right handers and im a lefty
Could be a little hard to follow holes

Other Thoughts:

Really fun course. Well worth 3 dollars. Could lose a disc if not careful.
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3 5
madmikesmith
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

cleaned-up! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

newly cleaned and cleared!!! low traffic area, somewhat challenging, nice scenery, small overall distance b/w holes

Cons:

bugs in the summer, thick brush, people littering!!!!

Other Thoughts:

i was recently given permission to clean up this coarse as its my local coarse.my friends and myself have cleaned up the front 9, cleared alot of the overgrowth, even upgraded some of the natural tee boxes. we've also started the back 9 but still have a couple of holes to finish. hopefully everyone will enjoy our efforts and try to keep it clean from litter!!!
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13 0
RussMB
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.4 years 131 played 110 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Disc Golf in Ole Miss 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 14, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Located in a State Park (Does cost 3$ to enter the park.) Well maintained, and taken care of. There is a campground, as well as hiking trails, and a host of other activities.
-Very friendly staff at the ranger station.
-Mixed shots: Predominately shaped wooded shots that play through dense tree-lined woods. Also includes wider fairway shots, and a couple open field shots. If you don't like tight woods, playing accuracy shots, and risk/reward holes, then this may not be the course for you.
-Course map & Scorecard available at the Ranger station
-The ranger told me they sell discs in the ranger station. (Though I didn't have time to go inside and shop)
-Restrooms at the start. (Located next to first tee)
-Good pin placements, but not balanced. Predominately Right-Handed pin placements.
-What's available at the Tee: Benches, Natural Tee pads with Markers, No tee signs.
-Navigation wasn't difficult, although a couple of holes were difficult to locate. (Namely #4. It's across the road, after the road turns left.) After that, everything follows a path in the woods.
-Navi cont... There are wooden signs that will point you towards the next tee pad.
-Varying shots are required here. It's a mixture of Distance shots, Doglegs, strategic approaches and some Risk/Reward shots.
-Accurate placement here is the key. VERY dense woods can cost one his or her disc. If this is your first time, it would behoove one to play more conservative. (I lost 3 discs the day I played here)
-Hole #11 is my favorite. It's a 210ft shot that throws across a watery marsh. You tee off from the path, then cross a bridge to get to the basket. Very scenic, and subject to the weather. I love it!

Cons:

Cons
-Could definitely use signs to mark the tee area, at least a bigger marker. (As mentioned above, some were difficult to locate). Second time navigation should be easier.
-There are quite a few blind shots, where you will need to walk the fairway to locate the basket.
-As you make your way to way to hole 9, you have cross fairway #2. A group walked out of the woods near the basket as I was getting ready to tee off.

These Issues are a part of the course. They fall into that "It is what it is" category. Though the park is located on the beautiful gulf shores of Mississippi, the woods can be very unfriendly.
-The woods are very dense and full of thorns, briars, and a tall grass that covers the ground. Locating an errant throw could be next to impossible. ...and will it will tear the snot out of your arms.
-Thick Mud and water make this course treacherous. A heavy rain will make it worse.
-Bugs, Snakes, and other wildlife will also be a factor. (Be prepared
- On the distance throws, I would recommend a spotter. Most of the baskets are blind, and if your throw goes into the woods, I hope you find your disc. All of my throws were good throws, but I lost track of them in the woods. This course consumed three of my discs. So, if you remember one thing, remember this: Stay out of the Woods!

Other Thoughts:

I was in Gulfport Mississippi for a funeral, and I had a window of free time. So I rushed over here to take in a round. This was the first thing I realized. If you are going to play here, it will be more enjoyed if you are non-rushed. I think that rushing lead to some of my problems. This course needs to be played with strategy and proper placement. I would recommend a conservative approach, as you will be playing in some rough terrain. After losing my two drivers, I toned down my drives and began driving with my putters and mids. I actually began to score very well, which helped my score. ...until I lost my roc!
The front 9 was more wide open and flat, with the last few holes going through the woods. The back 9 was what I was looking forward to, with the token hole being #11. (The teepad is about 10ft past the turn to cross the bridge). More treacherous terrain and some hill climbing. I enjoy going deep into the woods, and seeing amazing imagery. I did lose my Roc on hole #14. It's a long and narrow path that has a subtle "S" shape to it. I watched it land near the basket, but I never found it. I had to leave after #14 to return to the funeral activities, but I hope to return here again under better, non-rushed circumstances.
I would recommend wearing attire for muddy areas, with bugs. I wore my Nikes, but I would have preferred my Merrells. There weren't any food places or Gas stations near the park, but if you are coming from I-10, Highway 90 has a bunch of restaurants and gas stations. This place looks like it would be a great place to camp for the night, if you are so inclined. It's an hour from Mobile, and maybe just over an hour from New Orleans.
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4 2
Suic
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good in the Winter 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 16, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has a varied and generally challenging layout and sadly is one of the best on the MS coast. I played during the Winter and so didn't have much if any trouble with overgrown brush. Have I played better courses? Absolutely; but for this course being as off the beaten path as it is and with such a small staff to keep things up; I was pleasantly surprised at the hole variety.

Cons:

1)Recent rain will turn a decent number of the holes into marshland
2)Most of the course punishes non-accurate throws by forcing the thrower to take a trip into thick underbrush(only during the summer)

Other Thoughts:

I don't really feel that this deserves 4 stars, but I think the current overall average is much lower than this deserves. My real rating would be a 3.5 or 3.75 if that were possible.
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4 5
Matthew Gardner
Experience: 18.4 years 95 played 7 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Needs Attention 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

This course has good baskets and hole 11 is pretty cool and thats about it as far as pros.

Cons:

This course is way too grown up. Out of 18 holes there is maybe 2 or 3 with fairways over 2 feet. And if you dont throw at least 250 ft straight on most holes you may lose your disc. And even then you may lose it.

Other Thoughts:

If you play this course take BUG SPRAY or you will be carried off by the bugs here!
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4 0
gusc2375
Experience: 17.9 years 20 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Vaction course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 3, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course was very clean. Baskets are in very good shape. The score card did have a map it helps but is not the greatest. I really liked the fairways most were tight blind shots but if you walk the hole or have spotters disc lose is minimal. Hole 8 has an island rough this feature is some thing I haven't see used before nice feature. I liked the rough it was thick and made you chose accuracy over power. Not all the holes were the same 3, 15 16 were much more open with little rough in play.

Cons:

The course could use more trash cans. The tee pads were not all concrete. The Pad for 8 had big roots that could be a trip hazard. Hole 3, 5 cross a road be mindful when teeing off. Watch your disc full flight easy to lose disc in thick rough. The gap for 9 was very tight it could be a little wider and still be a hard shot.

Other Thoughts:

I liked this course a lot. Hole 11 over the swamp was my favorite, I have thrown over water before but not like this. I walked each hole before I played them, really helped me to get a feel for the shot. A little better map on scorecard would help. also look for arrow head shaped signs pointing the way to the next hole. This I would like to see on some other courses. the $3.00 is nothing to pay for such a good course. I would like to play this course more but I was on Vacation in the Biloxi MS area .
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6 0
Jager
Experience: 17.1 years 13 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

For the adventurous type 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 6, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good layout. Good distance on most holes. The front nine were great diving in and out of the woods.

Cons:

Back nine got a little deep. A lot of long narrow winding fairways with disc eating woods on each side. No maps, and almost every basket was not within view from the tee. Alot of exploring to navigate this course. Dirt tees with roots screwing up your throw.

Other Thoughts:

Bug spray is a must on this wood course. If you get off the fairway you will be burried in thorn bushes. Hole 11 was a thrill. It plays over a mud swamp and into a wooded cove. Bridge is necessary to get from tee to basket. Scared the crap out of my partner. The holes can get quite adventurous as you go deep into the woods. Luckily there are enough holes out of the woods to make this an enjoyable course.
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5 2
Ninja_Disc_Master
Experience: 15.8 years 39 played 30 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Welcome to the Jungle! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 12, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful scenery with nice baskets.

Cons:

Too many "Blind" shots to count with a high probability of a wayward shot into the "Jungle". The provided scorecard map is ineffective and only some of the trails to next tee is marked appropriately.

Other Thoughts:

Very challenging with a couple really cool holes. One of which was across a sizeable bayou swamp gap. If you're prepared to lose a disc at any given time I highly suggest this scenic course with a true natural feel.
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10 0
ninja-don
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.6 years 29 played 25 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bush Wackers Needed!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 19, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Nice DISCatcher chains. Place was well maintained considering the nominal amount of people they have to take care of this park. Just try to stay on the trails. Trail are very nice, and scenic. Over all I really enjoyed this course.

Cons:

Not all holes had concrete tee pads, 16 of the 18 holes are blind shots from the tee. You either have to play this course with someone who has been here before, or walk the hole before you throw. Most holes are narrow and if you put a disc of course (and you will) you will be "Bush Wacking" your way through some thick brush and tall grass, thorns, and other trees and growth to find your disc. Score card map is not that helpful. Posted pars on card are unrealistic.

(UPDATE)- I've heard horror stories about the bugs on this course, but the two times I've played I didn't have a problem. But the MS area is pretty bad for bugs in general, so bug spray is not a bad idea.

Other Thoughts:

Strongly suggest bringing you brightest colored disc and use spotters at least half way up the "fairway" (most likely just a trail) to spot where your disc may be "when" you put one in the trees. Might be a good idea to wear pants too if weather permits... there are some sharp plants of the trails.


(UPDATE)- I just played this course for the 2nd time and it was an awesome experience... once you've played this course once the map becomes much easier to navigate. The holes don't seem so hard because you "should" have a better idea where the baskets are. I still strongly suggest having a spotter so you won't be looking trough the tree as much.
If you do throw one or twenty into the trees, Don't give up... you'll probably find it with some effort... especially if you have a spotter to kind of gauge where it landed in the first place.
I'm going to raise my initial rating of 2.5 up to a 3.5 because I feel my first review may have been a little harsh due to the challenging nature of this course compared to my beginner arm.
This is my favorite course now. I plan to play it at least one more time before I move in a month.
It cost $3.00 per car to get into the park, they will give you scorecard with the course map on the flip side if you ask, or it will be next to the mail box at the toll booth house looking thing. WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!
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