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Gattman Park reviews
12
0
Roll'em Out
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Dec 26, 2022
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
(2.192 Rating) (REVISED - revisited December 2022) A nice 9 holer in a well-kept city park.
- UPGRADED TO 18 TEES - I decided to make a second visit to Gattman as I had read that it became 18 holes. Sure enough, there are 18 tees now, but they only added one tee to each existing fairway, and not nine new fairways. So, if they want to claim 18 holes, fine, but it comes with a big asterisk. The new tees are labeled (10) thru (18). Some are longer and some are shorter and a handful are on slightly different lines. The extra tees are definitely a bonus, but it\'s not to the same level of adding 9 new fairways.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Gattman finds the perfect middle ground between not too easy and not too hard for the largest portion of the disc golf playing community. The course would even be ok to bring beginners here as the odds that they lose a disc are near impossible. The layout is mostly forgiving but also has just enough obstacles and length to keep MA2 level players entertained.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - About average. The park itself appears to be well-maintained. There are a bunch of nice big older trees that are located along the layout. The rolling landscape has touches of gracefulness to it. On the flipside there are some detractors. There\'s a chain-link fence along hole (4/13). There are a several utilitarian park structures and buildings in view and play. No water features or rock outcroppings to really make the layout engaging. There are also numerous houses along the backdrop of many holes. Although, these houses appear to be from an upper scale neighborhood, I\'d still prefer not to see someone\'s backyard.
- NAVIGATION - Although missing things like basket numbers and directional cues, traversing this course is not that difficult. The big reason it\'s easy to navigate is the course map nearby tee (1/10). The map only indicates the original (9), but the second nine follows the same loop and has numbered 4x4 posts near-by its counterpart. Descriptive tee signs are only present on (1) thru (9).
- QUICK PLAY - Running a solo 9-hole round here in 30 minutes should be achieved easily. Figure a group of four in around sixty minutes. I would double these figures for those throwing all 18 tees.
- UPGRADED TO 18 TEES - I decided to make a second visit to Gattman as I had read that it became 18 holes. Sure enough, there are 18 tees now, but they only added one tee to each existing fairway, and not nine new fairways. So, if they want to claim 18 holes, fine, but it comes with a big asterisk. The new tees are labeled (10) thru (18). Some are longer and some are shorter and a handful are on slightly different lines. The extra tees are definitely a bonus, but it\'s not to the same level of adding 9 new fairways.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Gattman finds the perfect middle ground between not too easy and not too hard for the largest portion of the disc golf playing community. The course would even be ok to bring beginners here as the odds that they lose a disc are near impossible. The layout is mostly forgiving but also has just enough obstacles and length to keep MA2 level players entertained.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - About average. The park itself appears to be well-maintained. There are a bunch of nice big older trees that are located along the layout. The rolling landscape has touches of gracefulness to it. On the flipside there are some detractors. There\'s a chain-link fence along hole (4/13). There are a several utilitarian park structures and buildings in view and play. No water features or rock outcroppings to really make the layout engaging. There are also numerous houses along the backdrop of many holes. Although, these houses appear to be from an upper scale neighborhood, I\'d still prefer not to see someone\'s backyard.
- NAVIGATION - Although missing things like basket numbers and directional cues, traversing this course is not that difficult. The big reason it\'s easy to navigate is the course map nearby tee (1/10). The map only indicates the original (9), but the second nine follows the same loop and has numbered 4x4 posts near-by its counterpart. Descriptive tee signs are only present on (1) thru (9).
- QUICK PLAY - Running a solo 9-hole round here in 30 minutes should be achieved easily. Figure a group of four in around sixty minutes. I would double these figures for those throwing all 18 tees.
Cons:
Only one moderate issue and a few less than ideal qualities.
- TEES - I had read this was upgraded to concrete. Unfortunately not the case. The tees are carpet and they are in terrible shape. Several are also a little uneven. I could see reviewers shaving off significant score for this inferior quality. If this were fixed, I would up my rating to a low 2.5.
- AMENTIES AND EXTRAS - In addition to poor tees, the course doesn\'t have too many extras or amenities. Just two tees and one basket placement per hole. No benches or places to stow a bag at the tees. No practice basket or community board postings. As stated in the pros, good course map and adequate hole signage on the first loop using actual tee shot photos. There is an ageing restroom facility and a nice shelter with picnic tables.
- HOLE VARIETY - Like most 9 fairway courses, Gattman Park lacks the diversity of a true 18 hole course. The lines to the baskets are generally lightly defined. There are two fairways that are basically completely open, (3/12) and (4/13). There are a couple mild elevation plays, the best being hole (1/10), which are pleasing 20 to 25 foot down shots. Also, hole (6/15) plays just over the top of a modest 15 to 20 foot high ridge. Hole (3) is a great hole to practice rollers on for those that can\'t throw 400 feet. The course is all par 3s and the distances vary from the mid 100s to the low 400s. Most of the holes play fairly straight and there is no water in play.
- NO ADVANCED CHALLENGE - Not as difficult as the DGCR rating suggests. The layout is kind-of a tweener between lightly and moderately wooded, thus its listing under the moderately wooded moniker inflates the rating a bit. MA2 level players should average around 1 to 2 down on this layout and MA1s should average around 4 down. Basket guarding is light and shot shaping is a mild requirement. The course is perfect for MA3s.
- TEES - I had read this was upgraded to concrete. Unfortunately not the case. The tees are carpet and they are in terrible shape. Several are also a little uneven. I could see reviewers shaving off significant score for this inferior quality. If this were fixed, I would up my rating to a low 2.5.
- AMENTIES AND EXTRAS - In addition to poor tees, the course doesn\'t have too many extras or amenities. Just two tees and one basket placement per hole. No benches or places to stow a bag at the tees. No practice basket or community board postings. As stated in the pros, good course map and adequate hole signage on the first loop using actual tee shot photos. There is an ageing restroom facility and a nice shelter with picnic tables.
- HOLE VARIETY - Like most 9 fairway courses, Gattman Park lacks the diversity of a true 18 hole course. The lines to the baskets are generally lightly defined. There are two fairways that are basically completely open, (3/12) and (4/13). There are a couple mild elevation plays, the best being hole (1/10), which are pleasing 20 to 25 foot down shots. Also, hole (6/15) plays just over the top of a modest 15 to 20 foot high ridge. Hole (3) is a great hole to practice rollers on for those that can\'t throw 400 feet. The course is all par 3s and the distances vary from the mid 100s to the low 400s. Most of the holes play fairly straight and there is no water in play.
- NO ADVANCED CHALLENGE - Not as difficult as the DGCR rating suggests. The layout is kind-of a tweener between lightly and moderately wooded, thus its listing under the moderately wooded moniker inflates the rating a bit. MA2 level players should average around 1 to 2 down on this layout and MA1s should average around 4 down. Basket guarding is light and shot shaping is a mild requirement. The course is perfect for MA3s.
Other Thoughts:
This is one of those courses that would be awesome to live within a couple miles of. Perfect for average skilled players, but also with just enough pizazz to appease most MA2s and perhaps even some MA1s. Not a destination course, but totally worth checking out for those in the Shoals area and on the south side of the Tennessee. For those looking for only the best in this region, I\'d say skip it. The course reminds me of places like Highland in Meridian Mississippi, Golden Bear in North Alabama, Jack Mattox in North Georgia and Mills Park in Gatlinburg Tennessee. I raised my rating three tenths of a point for the new tees and tweaked formula. A tweener 2.25 rated course to me overall.
