(2.600 Rating) An ultra tight woods course guarded by over 100 gnomes.
- ECLECTIC - First and foremost, the Gnome Home is a respectable heavily wooded course with fun technical gameplay. The vibe here however, is grand. There are more gnomes here than at the other 697 courses I've played… combined. I got a good chuckle seeing a damaged gnome with a steak knife jabbed through his back. I saw a grouping of gnomes that were packing heat and also some cuddly funlovin gnomes. There are two big lions marking the front of tee (11), which I found to be a nice touch. There are also several chill areas and spots to set a bag on. A course's atmosphere can go a long way when trying new places out, and this place has that.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - My second favorite thing about this course was the pleasing hike through wooded lines start to finish. Most of the holes I would define as heavily wooded, and there is a lot of serenity that comes along with that aspect. I wouldn't call any of the lines as bombshell looking, but just about all of them looked above average in the looks department. I went with 70-percentile for course beauty.
- HOLE VARIETY - The course landscape isn't blessed with much in elevation or water elements. However, parcels with established woods usually allows for a design to produce a lot of line intricacies. Fairways play straight, cut left and cut right. There are pinch points and gap options to consider many times. Distances range from the low 300s to the mid 100s, with most of them being in the 200s. (18) was the one openish play with the green between two swampish swales. I do wish there were a couple par 4 holes mixed in. Anyways, I scored this element at around 50-percentile.
- CHALLENGING - To score well, players are going to need pinpoint precision and a little bit of luck. My playing partner Redd and I, are both MA2s. He finished even and I finished 3 down. So with this knowledge, it felt like an upper MA3 level course. The baskets, which I'll touch on more below, will add a throw or two to everyone's score. A couple lines I thought were too luck based as well.

Layout flow
- CROSSING FAIRWAYS - I have never been a fan of holes that cross. I get it that on private courses that this is less of an issue, but I think there is enough acreage here to tweak the holes to phase out these problematic spots. I recall 4 instances where the gameplay interacts with itself. The most problematic area was basket (14) and (17) and tee (12), which are all in the same open area. Holes (4) and (9) also cross at near the mid fairway point.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - First time players will struggle unless they have a nav app. I personally got lucky and the owner joined for the first nine. Many of the baskets have directional cues attached to them which helps. Tee signage is limited to a hole number. The blind basket placements will often require 50 to 100-foot run-ups to locate.
- AMENITIES - I appreciated the many spools at the tees and the spaced out benches. The baskets, as alluded to above, are not the best. Our group had 5 or 6 spit outs during the round. The tees were generally level, but a natural surface. Protruding roots make a minor impact a few times. Basket placements do move on occasion and I don't recall seeing any extra tees. We did play one bonus hole between (7) and (8).
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Too constricting for players just starting out. MA4s will do just fine however and will likely love the course if they prefer wooded courses with a social atmosphere.
- TIME PLAY - Not a quickie course. More of a kick-back and relax kind of place. We spent 90 minutes here. I don't take off any rating score for this.

I'd definitely be interested in playing this course again if I were in the area with friends. Such a fun experience where one can immerse themselves into a natural gnome environment . A tough course to evaluate. It doesn't have the endless money like the big city parkstyle courses, but it's got way more interesting flavor. For now, I'm going with a high 2.5 with easy growth potential to a 3.0. Removing the crossing fairway and a tee signage upgrade would entice me to up my rating immediately. It reminded me of courses like Cedars of Lebanon south of Nashville, Medal of Honor in Mobile, Whispering Pines north of Tampa and Blue Angels Palmetto in Pensacola. For players that find themselves in Tullahoma, this is a much more unique experience over Sunrise Rotary. For those that prefer tranquil rounds in the woods, I highly recommend checking it out to those within an hour's drive.
- THANK YOU - Much thanks to the owner Jason for taking the time to show us around his property. The conversations and experience were very memorable. Although I have nearby Sunrise rated a hair higher than here currently, Jason and his labor of love makes this place much more welcoming and fun.

With gnome figurines all around, the Gnome Home DGC brings a bit of magic to their layout while offering a consistent theme and a decent experience as a short and heavily wooded course in a private setting.

The course is definitely on the short and technical side. All but four holes are under 250 feet. Most of the fairways are narrow but typically straight and fair.

The most open holes at Gnome hole are a few of the longest. Hole #1 takes the cake at 305 feet, but the slightly downhill hole has trees on both sides of the fairway and a touch of technical accuracy is still required. Hole #14 is positioned in a clearing area in the woods and is 271 feet. Holes #17 and #18 are located in the field that greets you upon entrance to the course grounds.

Navigation was adequate. Several areas included well-marked paths to the next hole in the woods, but there are several hubs or path-crossing areas. Also, most of the baskets can be spotted from the teepad, so you're not throwing blindly down the fairway.

Most of the teepad areas are natural but they're usually in decent shape and flat. There are a few holes where there's carpet or gravel. The best teepad is the wooded, elevated platform on Hole #14. There's also a small colorfully painted number sign at each teepad, which is helpful if you get off course.

The rough wasn't too rough when I played. Even though there are plenty of trees to send your disc pinging off the fairway, the likelihood of losing a disc or having to organize a searching party was quite low.

While most of the gnome figurines are miniature, the King of the Gnomes is hanging out around the teepad for Hole #10 (see Media), which would be a great photo opportunity.

There's currently a ready and very playable product, and the owner is continuing to tweak and work on improving the layout.

The most glaring con of the Gnome Home course is the state of the baskets. Nearly every manufacturer is represented by a basket on the course. Some of the baskets are high-quality. However, a few of the baskets are simple with a single row of chains that are little more than large paper clips and are unlikely to catch well. There's also a Marksman basket on Hole #2. This con is understandable, however, on a private course where the owner is doing most of the labor and financing the creation by himself.

A few of the holes have trees positioned too close to the teepad, which could lead to an injury during one's run-up and drive. A couple times, I chickened out and delivered an incomplete throw due to concern over smashing my hand during my follow-through. And the natural teepads aren't perfect, obviously. A couple of the tee areas are short. During the winter months, several of them have a decent amount of leaves to contend with.

There were a few spots off the fairway where you might encounter briars but the brush wasn't thick in many places.

There are a few fairways on the back nine that cross over each other. Holes #12 and #14 use similar areas, and Holes #17 and #18 have intersecting fairways. Also, the owner moves baskets frequently, which might be why a few of the arrows attached to the basket and pointing to the "next tee" were incorrect.

Another slight drawback is that the limited space leads to a bit of redundancy. There are several holes that feel similar in design, and while I reflect on my round a week later, the holes that lacked unique aspects run together in my mind.

While the Gnome Home design is a work in progress, the course was an enjoyable play. If I lived near Tullahoma, I'd visit often while ignoring the gnome figurine at the course's entrance sporting a middle finger and a "Go Away" sign (see Media).

Gnome Home DGC receives a decent rating for now, but there's much potential for the layout, as it has the capacity for a 3.0- to 3.5-rated course as the owner continues to pour resources into his labor of love.