Pros:
Inskip Park is a short, beginner friendly course. It may introduce new players to the game, but it falls far short when compared to every other course in the area.
- Course isn't intended to be difficult. It's a kid-friendly course. You see that immediately on #1, which features a 45-foot layout from the short tee.
- Course has some decent layouts. #6 is dogleg left that starts in the open and ends in the woods. Good risk/reward hole, especially if you're making an ace-run. #7 is the course's longest, and best hole, a 260-foot, downhill layout. If you don't keep it on the fairway, you might have to scramble to salvage par, or worse.
- Two open holes given you a couple more decent layouts: #5 is a 235-footer with a low ceiling created by the trees. If you want to avoid that, throw far left or right, and have your disc sweep back to the basket. #9 is a non-descript closing hole, only elevated with the big tree in front of the basket. A low shot or a skip shot will get you in putting range.
- Good for a quick round. I pulled into the parking lot early on a Sunday morning and left 20 minutes later. I also was able to carry my coffee and only two discs, so that was a plus too.
- Each hole has a picture drawn by a student, giving their interpretation of the hole layout. A very cool touch, and more accurate than some of the professional signs I've seen.
Cons:
Prior to my review, the locals had this course rated higher than Tommy Schumpert, Victor Ashe, and Morningside. Let that sink in.
- The course is good for what it is. The kids' layout is comically short. Take away #7, and the other eight holes average only 93 feet.
- There's a bit much thick growth along some fairways if this is targeted for kids. Having so many thorns, branches, shrubs for kids to climb through/around isn't going to endear newbies if they're getting scratched up.
- Navigation could be better. I figured out after the second hole to follow the smaller walking path. Again, if you're aiming for kids, make the whole experience easy. A couple next tee signs is all that's needed.
- Two 45-foot holes? I figured the 1500-foot layout was considered the kid-friendly layout, but apparently there needed to be a kiddier, friendlier layout.
- Playing on a Sunday morning, I was surprised by the piles of trash in the parking lot. Maybe just anecdotal evidence; but, a bad first impression nonetheless.
Other Thoughts:
For a course with only two holes longer than 185 feet (long layout), Inskip was decent. It's good practice for throwing putters or mid-range discs.
- There are plenty of other excellent courses in Knoxville. Tommy Schumpert is only 8 minutes away. My hotel was only 6 minutes from here, so it was great playing both early and being back by 8am.
- This course isn't close to a 3 rating unless you're using a 50 or 100-point scale. It's insulting to all the city's excellent courses to try and claim this is on their level.
- Is the course beginner-friendly? Yes. Does it achieve its goal of being easy? Yes. Does it compare to Tommy Schumpert, Victor Ashe, Morningside, Groves Park, or Claytons? I've played multiple 9-holers here that also far exceed this course's level. And that's why you don't overrate courses for sentimental reasons. It's an insult to other courses.
- Does it meet its goal of being a course for kids? It's a fair job. Is that justification for rating it higher than Knoxville's other courses? It could be worse. It could be 41-0.