+two Prodigy baskets on each hole; Orange are long placements and blue are shorter
+turf tee pads
+well-designed course, good variety of holes
+benches on just about every tee box
+excellent tee signs
+nice warm-up area with three practice baskets including the narrow model Prodigy marksman-type
+plenty of parking

-little bit of poison oak here and there
-might be a little too tough for beginners
-couple of the short baskets are in the fairway of the long baskets; not that big of a deal but I can see it bothering some perfectionists

Westside is a course that makes me proud to be a disc golfer. It's a place where I would take a news crew to show how great a disc golf course can be. When I got to hole 4 I knew this was a great course--it's a tunnel shot that advances up a steep hillside that requires great accuracy to achieve par and super accuracy to card the birdie 3 on the long placement par 4. Hole 10 was another favorite of mine which is a downhill righty anhyzer tunnel shot. Then there's the par 5 hole 12 which twists and turns its way up a hill with tons of trees on each side of the fairway. The last six holes, while good, aren't jaw-dropping, and that's the reason I'm my head I'm rating this one 4.5 instead of 5.0. If this website would allow it I'd surely rate this course 4 3/4 stars, or 4.70 if this website went to options of tenths of a point.

Tucked a few miles west of Rocky Face Mountain, the Westside Park is a hidden gem in Northwest Georgia. Already home to The Miracle Field (a handicapped-accessible, cushioned and synthetic baseball field you'll see on your left when entering the park), this park can now boast another apparent miracle: the best disc golf course around for miles.

When considering the attributes that make for a great course, one characteristic stands out for me: A top-notch course must offer a wide diversity of holes. That means a course design with short and long holes; open and wooded holes; easy and difficult holes; uphill, downhill and flat holes; as well as a number of non-straight holes.

Well, Westside DGC has all those bases covered.

In addition, Westside offers some fantastic amenities. Right near the first teepad is an awesome practice area with two orange Prodigy baskets and one green Prodigy Strikezone target. Each hole includes a nice wooded bench, a metal sign with a durable map of the hole, and excellent turf teepads. It seems little cost was spared in ensuring that this course would be professional in appearance.

Not only are the holes well-designed, but the diversity is woven throughout the course. There's no stretch where several of the holes seem similar. For example, Holes #11 through #13 are all par-4s, but they're very different, as Hole #11 is wide open and downhill, Hole #12 features a narrow, twisting uphill fairway that concludes with a steep hill, and Hole #13 includes lots of trees and a downhill, 90-degree angle turn. The course starts with three fairly open holes, allowing time for warming up. I appreciate courses that don't force navigating a tree-packed fairway immediately. But the next three holes feature a lot more timber, so be prepared.

On the holes with significantly different basket locations, the short baskets (blue) are well-situated to provide the Westside experience without the same level of difficulty.

Aesthetically, this is the nicest course in the area. The view from several of the teepads is fantastic (check out the DGCR photos!), plus every time I've played this course, the grass was mowed recently and the course conditions were outstanding.

The "traversability" of the course is good overall, though a little tough on several holes. The wooded holes still feature the remnants of ground-up timber, but this will likely improve with time. Also, the rough off the fairway on a few holes is very challenging and might force "pitch-outs" in spots. Navigation appears straight forward from hole to hole with several "Next Tee" signs aiding first-time visitors.

The most frustrating aspect of Westside's design is that the second basket was definitely an afterthought. For some holes, this isn't a problem, and the difference in direction and distance (and sometimes par) adds variety to the course. But for several holes, the lack of preliminary planning yields a line to the second basket that runs right by (or through!) the first basket. On a few holes, it's possible to land your disc in a spot that's less than 25 feet from each basket, which is far from ideal.

Since the signs were created before the addition of a second basket, the signs are no longer accurate. However, the distances on DGCR have been updated to reflect both baskets.

Holes #6 and #14 are fairly similar in design - both in the 160- to 210-foot range with the short basket about 40 feet in front of the long basket. However, don't be fooled by the distance; because of the tight lines and arduous rough, bogies are likely on these two holes if your drive departs from the fairway.

The walk back to the starting point after Hole #18 takes a couple minutes.

I vacillated between giving this gorgeous course a 4.0 or 4.5. In the end, I decided on the higher rating for three very unscientific reasons: One, Westside is better than the courses I've rated 4.0. Two, it's a 30-minute drive from my house. And three, I really, really, really like this course. Due to its excellent variety, fantastic amenities and enjoyable design, Westside DGC crushes the Chattanooga competition and earns its 4.5 rating.