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Cleveland, TN

Fletcher Park DGC

3.335(based on 3 reviews)
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14 0
wellsbranch250
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 10.3 years 659 played 639 reviews
3.50 star(s)

The Option Between A Birdie Fest Or Beat Down

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

(3.609 Rating) A 4 layout course with a good mix of everything.
- TWO TEES TWO BASKETS - I love it when courses have options. There are four easy to follow layouts here. Short to Short, Short to Long, Long to Short and Long to Long. Players will be able to choose from a sub 4,000 foot MA4 friendly layout, to a plus 7,000 foot MA1 level course. My threesome chose the Long to Short layout and I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of technical challenges and length.
- HOLE VARIETY - Due to the 4 layouts, the variety is really good. There are a handful of sub 200 foot ace runs from the shorts. The long layout meanwhile has several snakey wooded par 4s and there's even a soft par 5. Elevation change is present on many holes. There are some ups and some downs and a hole like long to long (13), goes both up first and then back down. Fairways break left and right, there are heavily wooded shots and openish plays. It's a great mix.
- RAW BEAUTY - This sprawling park has several nice elements to it. My favorite part was that several holes feel fully detached from the built environment with their thick in the woods characteristics. Even the more open holes had some grace with the rolling meadows of mowed grass. Overall, I scored this aspect 75 percentile.
- AMENITIES - The baskets are prodigy unfortunately, but still a nice second tier basket. The tees are big and concrete. I didn't measure them like I normally due, but I don't recall having any issues with them. As noted above, two tees and two baskets per hole. There were no benches yet, but I've seen pictures now with a few installed. Tee signs were also not in when I played it, but the long to long tee signs have been planted as of this review posting. The park also has restrooms and shelters with picnic tables.

Cons:

A well-executed course with very few blemishes.
- LAYOUT GAPS - Often times when courses are put into expansive parks like the one here at Fletcher, ideal fairway locations are chosen over adjacency. OK in my book, as long as the holes are good and that the gaps are less than 500 feet or so. Anyways, there are several big gaps here including (7 to 8), (9 to 10), (11 to 12) and (14 to 15). For this reason, some hole to hole transitions are not the easiest to figure out. Players will need a navigational app to follow along seamlessly. Hopefully a course map has been posted or it gets posted soon. I don't see how one figures it out without a map. The short to short layout, as expected, has significantly more gaps between holes, compared to the other layouts.
- YOUTH - Most of the wooded holes were very raw with small twigs and branches littering the ground. Low cut tree stumps to kick into and roots to trip over, are also present. It's going to take a few years for the holes in the woods to beat in. The parkstyle holes were in great shape however.

Other Thoughts:

Fletcher Park has the pedigree potential to become a top 3 course in the Chattanooga metro area. It's got everything a high quality course requires in its gameplay, beauty and amenities. It's basically just time and volunteer love that's needed to massage out the rough areas. As is, I found this course to be above the 3.25 level on my personal ledger. I upped my ratings on a few attributes as I assume by next summer the new course omissions will have been addressed. I don't think the course is destination worthy outside an hour's drive, but definitely a must hit for anyone who travels along I75 between Chattanooga and Knoxville. The 4 layout options will also attract return visits while still keeping it fresh. I had a tough time thinking of courses it reminded me of, as each layout will be slightly different. Ratings wise I have Fletcher at around the same caliber as courses such as Sharpe Springs in Nashville, Redan in Atlanta, George Ward in Birmingham and Victor Ashe in Knoxville. None of the noted are super close matches, but some elements from each, are here.
- BAGGERS UNITE - I bagged this course with RocketCityRedd and eric_vdberg. It was our first round at Fletcher for all of us. Tip of the cap to Eric for the casual round victory by a few throws and an enjoyable round discussing disc golf adventures.
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16 0
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.4 years 218 played 215 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Well put together track

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 2, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

I was lucky enough to qualify for a points series finale at this park and play two rounds here and unlucky enough to twist my torn up knee in round two and play very badly but will try not to let that taint my perception.

Fletcher is an interesting course as it has two sets of tees on every hole and two baskets(longer white and shorter red) on most holes. The first three holes are medium to long park style holes and the. The fourth is a deep bending dog leg par 4.

Then you play a little 270ft backhand with the creek to the left and a long uphill par 4. After one more open hole you dive into the woods and start playing up and down the hills in tightly wooded fashion with several par 4s mixed in.

Some tunnel shots and tricky mandos feature as well.

The final hole is a booming par 5 that requires a couple of bombs to get a birdie, but eagle is technically possible and I've seen it done but you need grey accuracy at 400ft + of power preferably rightly backhand.

Navigation is pretty easy, signs are only on long tees for now but look very nice. A few handmade benches around as well.

Cons:

It's going to be a great course but is still pretty raw in spots, the cut trees and stumps are somewhat easy to trip on and it's easy to get turned around in some spots. Walk to 9 is especially long and tricky.

There are also a few spots where I think they could lose a tree or two, for the length of the holes it's a bit tighter than I'd prefer. A lot of times you think you made the critical gap and then hit a hidden tree and end up with a briar wrapped around your ankle.

Other Thoughts:

Overall it's very good and I can see it even being a 4 once it's full broken in. It's got a lot to recommend it and I'm looking forward to seeing it in the spring again.
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14 0
Cerealman
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 588 played 179 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fickle Fletcher full of options

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2023 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As the first permanent course in Cleveland, this Will Schusterick-designed layout offers plenty of choices, a good mix of open and wooded holes, and some annoyingly long walks.

The course provides a good start with the first seven holes on grassy fairways. The lines are mostly open and fair – with the exception of Hole #4 (see Cons) – allowing for a nice warm-up without being too punishing.

Elevation is gradual on most holes without being overly significant while still earning the moderately hilly description. The back nine introduces more hills that accompany a heavier dose of trees, especially on the long-to-long layout.

The new concrete teepads are excellent. They're adequate in width and length and most of them appeared to be built up slightly to minimize the accumulation of mud and erosion that affects footing.

There are red (short) and white (long) Prodigy baskets on nearly every hole, and the intention is that every hole will offer both options in the near future. Currently, only Hole #7 and Hole #11 have one basket, and this might change in the next couple weeks before the kickoff tournament.

Some neat designs and areas are utilized on the course. The long teepad on Hole #4 features a tunnel-like path in the woods. The long basket on Hole #10 is nearly concealed behind a small grove of thin trees, prompting creativity off the teepad. The short basket on Hole #14 is mounted onto a stump. The long teepad on Hole #16 is up a hill and demands accuracy as two large trees are just in front of the teepad. And the long-basket option on Hole #18 prompts a drive to the opening in the woods, then a shot (or two) to traverse through the woods, before popping back out into a clearing on the other side.

Cons:

Navigation isn't instinctual, and several long treks between sections of the course are to blame. The first hike occurs after Hole #7, when there's a couple-minute walk on a paved sidewalk to Hole #8. After Hole #9, you must retrace your steps and walk past the fairway of Hole #7 to find Hole #10. After Hole #11, it's a several-minute walk to the next hole, and then three holes later, there's another several-minute journey to find Hole #15.

There are a few odd holes in the layout. While the distances and pars haven't been confirmed (to my knowledge), the medium options on Hole #4 are problematic. From long-to-long, the hole is 500 feet and shaped like a horseshoe, which seems like a legit par 4. The short-to-short option is about 200 feet on a straight line. However, the short-to-long and long-to-short are in the 350-foot range but require a nearly 90-degree turn. Those options are too short to be a par 4, but the fairway turn is too demanding to be a par 3.

In addition, a few holes have some difficult/unfair lines from the long teepads. A couple holes have an unreasonable fairway shape that when combined with the distance puts the par in the "tweener" range.

The course isn't quite finished with its amenities, but no points off for the lack of signs or navigational aids. If Schusterick's other local designs (including Westside and Edwards Park in northwest Georgia) are an accurate indication, the signage will be top-notch.

The course is also in a newness stage for condition. Several of the wooded fairways are rough, with uneven areas, ruts, tiny stumps and wood debris scattered about. Some of the more wooded holes have tons of branches piled up off the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

The two-baskets, two-teepads design scheme has some positives and negatives. First, it's an excellent decision for the only course in the area to offer four choices, allowing for a wide range of skill levels to play Fletcher Park. The short track is about 4,000 feet; the two medium options are about 5,700 feet; and the longest version is around 7,400 feet. However, the multiple options compromise the designer's ability to offer the best possible layout. Instead of being able to simply pick the best spot for a teepad and basket, a total of 72 different holes had to be considered. Having played every layout at least once, in my view, the "best layout" at Fletcher Park would be a combination of all four layouts. Each layout has a few flawed holes due to being forced to offer four choices per hole.

There's no water on the course, though a creek is visible from a couple holes. If your drive goes too far left on Hole #5, you could find the water. Hole #8 is a newly-carved fairway that can get muddy and boggy after the rains. On Hole #13, the long teepad is positioned near a bend in the creek. On Hole #15, the short basket is to the right of a low area that can be swampy at times.

Fletcher Park is a solid course in a geographic area that was lacking in disc golf options. Traveling northeast from Chattanooga on I-75, there weren't any 18-hole courses in the 40 miles between Collegedale and Athens, and the few nine-hole options are private and not worth venturing to. The Cleveland community has embraced this addition, and as the caretakers put on the finishing touches, Fletcher Park shows much promise in the months to come.
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