Pros:
(1.724 Rating) A lightly wooded Recreational 9 hole course.
- RECREATIONAL FRIENDLY - Most newer Recreational players thru Beginners should be satisfied by the holes lengths and light obstacle challenges. There are a few fringe overgrowth areas, a pond and some very small creeks to avoid. There is generally ample bail out room to make the hazards manageable. Most fairways have one substantial obstacle to avoid, and this should be enough to keep newer players somewhat entertained and not overwhelmed.
- NIGHT GOLF - This would an ideal night golf course. Spacious fairways, only moderate overgrowth and few water hazards in play.
- QUICK PLAY - For a nine holer this one actually takes longer than normal. I finished in 40 minutes solo. I had estimated 30 before arriving and it made me late for my next round at Seven Oaks. Figure 80 minutes for a foursome.
- LOCATION - Perfect for course baggers as the course is not even a 5 minute drive off of the interstate.
Cons:
An underdeveloped 9 holer short on imagination.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - A touch below the average course. The seven par 3s from the back tees average 275 feet and are generally lightly wooded. There are also two open par 4s in the 500 foot range. I think the course difficulty would be perfect for those between a 800 and 850 rating. Those in the 900s will be very underwhelmed by this layout.
- WATER HAZARDS - Although it won't really make an impact on skilled players, Beginners thru newer Recreational players, that this course targets, will have to contend with a pond shot on hole (4). There is also a small creek to throw over on (1) and a few mini ditches that could get interesting immediately after heavy rains. All stated, I'm glad the water features exist and they are more of a benefit in my ratings than a subtraction.
- TEE AREA - Grass surfaces marked by two white stakes. By looking at the hole data on DGCR, there use to be two sets of both red and white stakes on every hole, however I only saw one pair of red stakes.
- CHAINS - Mach IIs I believe as I counted only 18 chains. Not the most generous basket obviously but at least they weren't Instep baskets which seem to populate almost every church course I've played.
- CHARACTER - Well below average. In addition to poor tees and baskets, there are no other extras or amenities.
- MAINTENANCE - The grass was a bit long when I showed up on an early morning May round.
- ELEVATION - The flattest course I've played is Nashville thus far (8 area courses as of this review). Less than 15 feet of change on every hole.
- UNIQUENESS - In addition to no elevation, the overall variety is below average. As stated, a lightly wooded layout. The holes generally require no shot shaping and can be attacked several different ways. Hole distances vary a little, roughly 225 feet to 325 feet for the par 3s and 500 feet for the par 4s. Hole (6) is a nice dogleg right bending hole. There are also a few water elements, but again their impact is not that overwhelming.
- NAVIGATION - Not the best but still manageable. I could not find a map online and there is none posted on site. As stated, there are large white stakes that indicate every hole. Most of these had a readable hole number on them but a couple did not. There are zero directional cues. I aimlessly walked around at least 5 minutes looking for stakes and had to make lots of guesses on where to head next. The only thing that makes the course navigation manageable is the general openness of the layout.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - A touch below average. Mostly just open fields. The pond on (4) obviously spices things up a bit. The pond that fronts the basket has a nice untouched appearance to it. I like the ending of hole (1) which has a nice creek protecting the basket. On the flipside, there's a lot of endless open areas. Also, manmade features such as roads, parking lots and buildings are in view almost the entire time.
- WIND - Calm on the morning I played, but probably not normally the case considering how open the course is.
Other Thoughts:
The Fellowship course is in a nice area and I think it will work as a utility course for those in the neighborhood and up to 5 miles away. There is no reason for those in other parts of the Nashville metro area to come here unless they feel the need to try out every course in town. So why then is someone from out of town like me straying here? Well, I had a round planned at Seven Oaks and I thought I could squeeze in a warm-up course since I was passing by here on I65. I got up at 4 AM to make this happen. Does that make me a course bagger?