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Whitley Branch Veterans Park reviews
13
0
Tidy, smart city golf course with a bonus mega elevation section 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 19, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
This is a fine play only 5 minutes off I75 between Knoxville and Lexington. I almost hate to ruin the surprise about this course but I know many of you are here for ALL the details. For all the spoiler-haters out there: STOP READING NOW. JUST TRUST ME THAT THIS COURSE IS WORTH GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY TO ENJOY.
OK, thanks to those brave enough to continue. Whitley Branch starts off as a pleasant city park course. Hole 1 has a nicely framed tee shot with 2 perfectly centered trees with a peek-a-boo gap to the basket that you must choose to fly either side to hit your line, very pretty. You'll then proceed through 4 holes that use a creek and walking paths to create semi-difficult lines through moderately tight trees. It's a classic intermediate level nice city park course.
Once you putt on 5, the surprise begins! The landscape opens up and changes DRAMATICALLY. I was stunned by the instant change in scenery! For the skier/snowboarders here, it was like viewing the back bowls of Vail or Snowbird for the first time ha!
Suddenly, the next 6 holes will have you traversing intense elevation in a largely open area. You'll have a few holes to rip long downhill drives (#7 and long #11) and some shorties (#8 and #10) to test your downhill control. #9 rivals Knoxville's Morningside #18 and Morristown's Panther Creek's #5 as the most intense uphill slog I've experienced to date.
After 11, we are transported back to your regularly scheduled moderately wooded city park golf. Hole 13 is beautiful with a nicely guarded green that forces a shot to test the OB creek left. Everything else is fairly short but definitely makes you think about what kind of line you'll need to get the birdie.
Most holes seem to have multiple pins for good variety. Hole 11 has 2 tees and 2 full-time baskets for a wildly different looks.
The use of walking paths and creeks for OB was nicely done. They not only framed holes well, but also put some OB immediately in play, not just for errant shots. As a short course, I appreciated the danger involved in some of these sub-200ft holes.
Brushed concrete tees were GIANT, signs and navigational aides were top-notch and highly informative. Maintenance was impeccable! You can tell they not only mow weekly, but also trim all the tree/creek/slope areas on the regular. Lots of pride on display in the upkeep of this park. Looked like some brand new restrooms and water fountains were installed by hole 1.
OK, thanks to those brave enough to continue. Whitley Branch starts off as a pleasant city park course. Hole 1 has a nicely framed tee shot with 2 perfectly centered trees with a peek-a-boo gap to the basket that you must choose to fly either side to hit your line, very pretty. You'll then proceed through 4 holes that use a creek and walking paths to create semi-difficult lines through moderately tight trees. It's a classic intermediate level nice city park course.
Once you putt on 5, the surprise begins! The landscape opens up and changes DRAMATICALLY. I was stunned by the instant change in scenery! For the skier/snowboarders here, it was like viewing the back bowls of Vail or Snowbird for the first time ha!
Suddenly, the next 6 holes will have you traversing intense elevation in a largely open area. You'll have a few holes to rip long downhill drives (#7 and long #11) and some shorties (#8 and #10) to test your downhill control. #9 rivals Knoxville's Morningside #18 and Morristown's Panther Creek's #5 as the most intense uphill slog I've experienced to date.
After 11, we are transported back to your regularly scheduled moderately wooded city park golf. Hole 13 is beautiful with a nicely guarded green that forces a shot to test the OB creek left. Everything else is fairly short but definitely makes you think about what kind of line you'll need to get the birdie.
Most holes seem to have multiple pins for good variety. Hole 11 has 2 tees and 2 full-time baskets for a wildly different looks.
The use of walking paths and creeks for OB was nicely done. They not only framed holes well, but also put some OB immediately in play, not just for errant shots. As a short course, I appreciated the danger involved in some of these sub-200ft holes.
Brushed concrete tees were GIANT, signs and navigational aides were top-notch and highly informative. Maintenance was impeccable! You can tell they not only mow weekly, but also trim all the tree/creek/slope areas on the regular. Lots of pride on display in the upkeep of this park. Looked like some brand new restrooms and water fountains were installed by hole 1.
Cons:
As previously stated, this is a fine course. However, it had a few issues that were a bit of a bummer:
-Shared Space: Walkers were prevalent. Although I saw some friendly folks out there, they definitely were in play and caused some occasional delays.
-Repetition on holes 13 through 17 (minor gripe): you can throw almost the same shot on these holes as distances and shapes were very close. I threw my LHFH gator on all of these holes with a similar outcome.
-A few navigation issues: The trek from 12 to 13 involves a long hike coupled with 2 fairways to cross. I completely understand the compromise to make this happen (to make the beautiful hole 13 exist) but it's a flow issue that would get really ugly in tournament play.
-Lack of distance: My 930ish rated self enjoyed the distances here, but they would get a bit boring for the big arms or for those who can dial in 225' putter shots.
-Shared Space: Walkers were prevalent. Although I saw some friendly folks out there, they definitely were in play and caused some occasional delays.
-Repetition on holes 13 through 17 (minor gripe): you can throw almost the same shot on these holes as distances and shapes were very close. I threw my LHFH gator on all of these holes with a similar outcome.
-A few navigation issues: The trek from 12 to 13 involves a long hike coupled with 2 fairways to cross. I completely understand the compromise to make this happen (to make the beautiful hole 13 exist) but it's a flow issue that would get really ugly in tournament play.
-Lack of distance: My 930ish rated self enjoyed the distances here, but they would get a bit boring for the big arms or for those who can dial in 225' putter shots.
Other Thoughts:
This is a quality well-maintained course that's 5 minutes off the highway. I rarely miss the opportunity to bag these kinds of courses. The nice thing about Whitley Branch is that I'll remember some of those cool drives I had on 7, 10, 11, and 13 and will definitely look forward to another appearance the next time I'm travelling this way. It's smartly designed and has a little bit of everything.
5
0
Pleasantly Suprised 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 8, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
Nice baskets and tee pads
Great use of property
Park is well maintained
Elevation changes are great
Bathrooms nearby
Great use of property
Park is well maintained
Elevation changes are great
Bathrooms nearby
Cons:
Several holes are near walking paths, including throwing over them
Rough can be really thick (baskets near park's edge run the risk of seeing your disc disappear over a fence into thick thorn patches)
Rough can be really thick (baskets near park's edge run the risk of seeing your disc disappear over a fence into thick thorn patches)
Other Thoughts:
Really loved this course. Was traveling for the area and decided to make a quick stop and I'm glad I did. I will happily go back.
