Morristown, TN

Rotary DGC

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3.475(based on 17 reviews)
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8 0
PastorofMuppets
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 4.7 years 129 played 115 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Mo' Baskets, Mo' Problems

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

What to Expect: Park style golf in a, we'll say "well seasoned" sports park that is definitely showing its signs of age. Course provides a nice combination of length, technical shots, and elevation. You will get a solid mix of opportunity to bomb the disc in the open areas as well as be forced to line shape on several other holes. Two separate layouts (single tee, permanent short and long pins) allow the player to choose their difficulty level.

Amenities: Large ample parking lot, multiple sports fields where you can warm up/practice, modern bathrooms, practice basket, occasional trash can on the course.

Tees/Signage/Baskets: As per usual HB Clark courses get this part right. Large textured concrete tee pads in great condition. Course map Kiosk near Hole #1 with course map and all relevant information. Tee signs are large, have all the relevant information for both the short and long pin positions, and have a full color hole map. Short Yellows are Discatchers in well loved but still good shape. Long Blue pins are Blue Prodigy (T2's I think?) in newer condition.

Design (PROS): It appears like the Short Yellow layout came first (If I had to guess) and the long Blues were added later. Something to keep in mind when assessing the assigned Par on both layouts. There is a solid use of elevation throughout (front 9 is more flat playing alongside the creek and more wooded, while the back 9 opens up more as it plays counterclockwise around the soccer fields). Challenging greens that are often tucked into woods inlets or provide some roll away potential. Course does a great job of providing a mix of open holes, two shot placement par 4's, and some tight technical lines. There are some "generous" Pars on a few holes, but they are often risk reward holes (like Hole #5) where you can just throw a simple short shot and hit the bisected fairway and play for an easy birdie, or you can try to mash a small wooded gap to play for the eagle. The use of two permanent baskets on each hole lets the player choose their own challenge, shorts, longs, or mix and match. Which really helps this course cater to all levels of skill. Two independent 9 hole loops as both Hole's #9 and #18 finish next to the parking lot.

Navigation: Very intuitive and easy to get around. Baskets have next tee arrows on them. And you can for the most part see the next tee from the previous basket.

Signature Hole: For me I would choose Hole #18. It isn't the hardest hole by any means but it was very pretty. (Of note this is the only hole where I saw two tee pads). The Yellow looked like a 350ish foot Par 3 to a basket on a side slope. The Blue position was a 775-800 foot Par 5 (soft but risk reward I guess), to an elevated green probably 35-45 feet in diameter and filled in with mulch. Not the most intimidating or difficult, but a nice finishing hole to stay in your memory.

Cons:

Drainage: The course, specifically the front 9 as it follows along the creek, was quite swampy and muddy. I did play after a pretty decent rain earlier in the week, but I can see this course having issues with draining well.

Design (CONS): Confusing mandos on Holes #4 and #5 that aren't marked well or at all. The tee signs do a poor job of specifying which tree the Mando is on as well, considering there are tons more trees in the actual fairway than depicted on the sign. Very soft Par 4's and 5's, specifically on the long blue pin layout. Whereas the short yellow pin layout will have a rather lengthy Par 3 on the same hole. There were spots where one hole was a 350 foot par 3 and then another would be a 350 par 4, or you would have a 400ish foot par 3 for the short pin and then a 500 foot par 4 for the long pin. Multiple tees are in danger of getting thrown at by the previous hole. Hole 6 brings in the chance to thrown into children playing if you miss your line and hyzer out early. If softball is being played while you are on Holes 2 or 3 you run the risk of catching a homer with your face. Almost exclusively RHBH holes. There are only 4 holes that even begin to shape left to right and they are all on the front 9. Some very horseshoe shaped holes that heavily reward the RHBH flare skip, but also leaves multiple holes unreachable from the tee despite being Par 3's.

Upkeep: Though I played right after a storm and this is only a minor con, there was tons of sticks/limbs/debris all over the course. Not sure if this is a result of that storm, or not consistent upkeep.

Baskets: The short yellow baskets are often right in the middle of the landing zone for the long blue baskets. This isn't a major con, but I can see how it would frustrate some players.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this course. Like a lot of HB Clark's park designs, there isn't anything mind blowingly spectacular about them, but there are also isn't a ton of bad designed holes or big misses. Just a solid park style course that provides a challenge to all skill levels, which is probably the main intention when designing. Just a really solid 18 hole course. Certainly worth the visit when in the area, or if you can make it to TN States. I was surprised to find there were so many courses here, and that were rated well, I wish I would have had time to play them all.
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14 0
autocrosscrx
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 27 played 27 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Frank Lorino Park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 6, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Others reviews touched on many of these.
- Good tee pads.
- Multiple baskets.
- Good use of elevation.
- Challenging greens often tucked into the woods.
- Variety of tight and open holes.
- Challenging to different skill levels.
- Practice baskets
- Public restrooms
- The are numerous ball fields at the park, so always a good place to practice some shots/warm up/test discs.
- Hole 1/9 and 10/18 finish up near the primary parking lot. You can also park at the next lot and pick up your round on Hole 4 or Hole 7.
- Easy to navigate. The baskets are marked to point to the next hole
- Doesn't look to be a ton of risk of losing a disc.

Cons:

- Even after 5 of so dry days, it was muddy/swampy in places. It might not be the best course to play after a rain.
- Hole 4 and 5 were confusing. The signs do a great job for pin locations, but only show a handful of trees on holes that may have 50 trees. Normally, this doesn't matter, but these holes specify mandos and nothing is marked as such. I couldn't really figured out how to play 4 as intended.
- If you care about par, the pars on the longs are softer than you'd typically find. The long baskets add challenge, but often look to be an easier than the short basket in relation to par. If you are playing yourself or your competition, this likely doesn't matter to you.

I had a few safety concerns:
- Several of the tees are in the firing line of the previous hole.
- Hole 6 is a fun little downhill throw. However, if you let your shot hyzer out, it could potentially get near children playing.
- Some guys were practicing slow pitch softball on the field next to hole 2 and 3. In the time I was playing the hole, they had hit 2 balls over the fence that landed near me.

Other Thoughts:

This course is part of the rotation for the Tennessee Disc Golf State Championships, which is an A Tier. I played the shorts as I have interest in playing that tourney as an am at some point. It was a beautiful 75 degree spring Sunday afternoon (albeit very windy) and there were maybe 4 groups on course, which was a very refreshing change from what I typically see in Knoxville as far as crowds.

I really enjoyed the course. There really isn't anything that is spectacular about the course. But there also isn't really anything bad about it, either. It is just a really solid 18 hole course.
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9 0
pmay5
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 480 played 245 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A fun course to play, with two baskets on every hole 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good large, concrete tees and tee signs on every hole. The tee signs are important because there are two baskets on every hole. The "two" courses are labeled Yellow and Blue, with Yellow DISCatchers in the short position and Blue Prodigy baskets in the long position, on every hole.
Large parking lot and three practice baskets at #1. #10 also starts from the same area, is you are only playing the back nine.
Rotary has some wide open holes, mostly open holes and even some wooded and tunnel shots. So you will find just about every type of hole.
Most of the front nine follows a creek, so they are mostly flat, then the back nine goes up and around the soccer fields, so elevation comes in to play on these.
Even though this is a large, multi-use park, the course stays away from the other uses with very few possible interactions.

Cons:

It looks like a lot of clearing has been done recently on the later back nine holes, so there are several branch piles, just off the fairways.
#4 - plays as a Par 4/5, from the tee there is a line of large trees bisecting the fairway at just 50-75' out, so you either have to pick a gap through these trees for max distance, or throw a safer hyzer through a gap, but lose distance. Not the kind of obstacle you want to see on a long hole.

Other Thoughts:

As mentioned above, one great tee pad, and two baskets on every hole. The Yellow DISCatchers are a White level course and the Prodigy baskets are a Blue, or Gold, level course. This is a great way to provide different challenges on the same course, yet they only need one tee pad and one set of signs per hole. There are a few holes where the yellow basket is right in the middle of the Blue fairway, but I don't see where that is any different from a random bush or tree in the fairway, and ... it was there before you threw!
The Blue baskets add 2200' and 14 strokes (Par) to the Yellow course, so they are a significant increase, especially on holes like #4,12,13,16 and 17. #18 primarily adds extra distance, and a cool elevated green.
The front 9 are mostly partially wooded holes, left and right turning holes, with some elevation, but not a lot. There is a small creek that goes down the middle of these holes, but only comes into play on a very errand shot. The back 9 opens with a couple of wide open holes, with #11 having the steepest uphill. Then #12 and #13 are partially wooded, both turning left. #14 has the tightest drive on the course, clear that and you're good. #15 is one of the best holes, straight ahead through a small gap, over a valley, then up to the basket. #16 is very similar, but with a wider fairway. #18 finishes wide open, with the only two tees on the course. The yellow hole is a Par 3, 340' to a basket on a sideslope. The Blue is 775', Par 5 (which may be a little generous), to a raised green (about Circle 1 in diameter) filled with mulch. Cool finishing hole.
The course does play primarily right to left, with only 4 truly left to right holes, all on the front 9. This is a consequence of the back 9 going clockwise around the soccer fields, with the holes laid out to throw away from those fields. It would be nice to see a little more variety on these.
I think most would agree this is the 2nd best course in the DG Hotspot of Morristown. The Blue course is still about 800' short of Panther Creek and lacking (thankfully) the very steep uphill section. This sure would be are great town to live in for Disc Golf, 4 solid 18 holers, then less than an hour from the Tri-Cities and Knoxville.
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8 0
BrotherDave
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.6 years 192 played 188 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Motown Blues 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 27, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Played to the Blue pins aka longs.

This is surprisingly a really neat course in a kind of rundown looking park. I don't mean the park is in a sketchy neighborhood or anything, just that the park is long in the tooth. But I digress.

The course is a good combo of length, technicality, and challenging terrain. Open holes require good power and wooded holes require good line shaping to score well and lots of holes require both. Although I played to the longs, many of my good drives that landed just a bit short of the Blue baskets were parking the Yellow baskets, if that gives you any indication of how the layouts differ. Basically the disc golf version of Wendy's chicken sandwich (yellow) vs the spicy chicken sandwich (blue).

This was my 1st time playing Prodigy baskets, I think they're T2's but not sure. The cylinder of woven inner chains definitely plays differently compared to the chain assemblies used by Discatchers, Veterans, etc. Most noticeably, these baskets hate left-side putts and also not crazy about right-side putts. Anything on the pole though it felt like you could jam putts with reckless abandon and it would catch. That's arguably a better test of accuracy so I'll call it a pro. I like these baskets but I could see others not.

There weren't a whole lot of redundant seeming holes, probably thanks to the hilly elevation change. For the most part, fairways felt like a good width and ratio of obstacle to air-space. Probably the best feature of the Blue layout are the greens, which were almost always in challenging locations and making good use of the terrain and slopes.

This course mixes open and wooded spaces very well and it's always fun to play courses that allow you to rip on a disc but still have to consider placement for the next shot so you can hit gaps.

Holes 9 and 18 finish at the parking lot so 9 hole loops are easy to play. Course flows fairly well and when in doubt, the tee signs do a great job of showing you where the next tee is.

Also not a lot of artificial OB to worry about other than the occasional soccer field or parking lot. It's always a plus to play a course that is nicely secluded from other park areas so your chance of running into other park goers is less.

Cons:

Some of these pars are strange. Some of the pars seem really soft, others really hard. Like hole 15 is a par 3 but absolutely unreachable from the tee. The biggest con I have is that some of the holes are a bit horseshoe shaped more than what's conventional. Hole 17 for example is such a sharp angle off the tee that really you have to throw an overstable skip shot to have any chance of getting a stroke on the field probably. It's just a bit too forced of an angle for me. Hole 2 is another example of a weird fairway shape. I'm not sure what the line is here but I know it's fairly unconventional. Probably a FH flex with a really OS disc, cut roller or something. Just be prepared to pull off some unorthodox throws. This hole is kind of masquerading as a dogleg par 4 but the first leg is too short so it's a par 3.

Brush piles. I felt like I cleared brush just as much as actually playing because regardless of good drives or bad, I frequently had to throw some limbs, branches, etc out of the way of my lie to get footing. Obviously this gets worse the farther off the fairway you go but either I have some terrible luck (possible) or there's just a ton of tree debris out there.

Occasionally you run alongside a parking lot or ball field but I think the designer did a pretty solid job of avoiding conflict.

Other Thoughts:

This is a course I need to play a few more times to really judge the design on most of the holes. First impressions are that I really like them. The long pins are definitely pushing more like Gold level than Blue level when you take into account the par although some holes like hole 4 are really easy for a par 5 it seems. But overall I'd say this is probably my 2nd favorite course of the Morristown four, just behind Panther Creek. It's close between it and Cherokee.
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4 5
Dollar26045
Experience: 22.8 years 150 played 6 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Blue Layout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2019 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

2 baskets on every hole. Play to the short basket for a better catching Target and a way better design.

Cons:

Everything. It truly appears to have been put in by someone who has never played a real disc golf course. Almost every hole is poorly thought out and not designed for the way a disc flies. Half of the Pars are also off. Tons of 450 Par 4's and 3's. Just no rhyme or reason to them.

Dangerous! The majority of the holes throw at the next tee box.

Prodigy baskets! Worst targets allowed at big events.

Other Thoughts:

They have the land and the fairways already cut out to make a great course. Unfortunately whoever is calling the shots does not have a disc golf mind.

Most of the courses in the area have bad designs, which is really a bummer because they have a great land.
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4 0
jjtwinnova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.7 years 246 played 97 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Let's Go-tary to Rotary 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 31, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course in Frank Lorino Park, known as Rotary DGC, is a great park style golf course in Morristown, Tennessee.

Each hole makes use of elevation changes, and there is a good mix of open holes, tight holes, left turning, right turning, short, long, etc.

Each hole has a nice tee sign with distance, par and a map, standard for the courses in the area. The fairways were well mowed, dense rough was kept at a minimum, and the greens were well groomed.

As of only a couple weeks ago, the course put in an additional 18 blue Prodigy baskets, playing as a more difficult layout than the Discatcher layout, meaning there are two pins on every single hole.

Continuing from that, talking to local players, there will soon be new tee signs going in to show these new pin positions, showing how the local community is working to constantly grow the quality of courses.

There were a few fun holes, specifically:
Hole 12 was a great dogleg left Par "4" at 355 feet, but super downhill allowing righties to throw a super hyzer, and lefties to throw a fun anhyzer over a cluster of trees.

Hole 18 is a fun downhill bomb, over 500 feet, playing to a mulch green, maybe 30 feet in diameter, and raised about 3 feet. A nice looking green, but to make it more fun, I would reccomend playing it as a second shot island, putting emphasis on accuracy rather than two "boring" hyzers.

Cons:

This course is in a public park, and you will see other park goers. There are some holes that play near soccer fields, baseball fields, and also some pavilions. In fact, some lady throwing a party at a pavilion called my father an A-hole when he told her to be careful with the flying discs. Smooth move lady.

A few of the holes didn't make much sense, where it would be a fun shot, but then the basket would be tucked around the corner in an awkward position, or there was an extra tree that made the hole less enjoyable.

Putting in the additional baskets is a huge addition to the course, but I don't think all of the holes needed a new pin position, as the other basket was put in a position that may not make the most sense, or turn a par 3 into a tweener hole.

No significant wow factor, sure, some holes were fun to play, but there was nothing I considered signature. Nothing wrong with a solid golf course, but it definitely could have been better.

Other Thoughts:

I liked the course here. It was fun, relaxing, and a great example of a park layout. Enjoyable, non-challenging, relaxing golf. Nothing spectacular, but extremely solid.

I would recommend this course to anybody looking for a fun round to end their day, and I would recommend this area for anybody looking to make a disc golf trip. You will enjoy the courses here!
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6 1
Bennybennybenny
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 305 played 287 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Throwin' by fields. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 26, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

-It's 2019, and sometimes in life you have to take a deep breath, clinch your fists, and start all over. This is not a pro, but just an introduction. You may very well get offended while reading this re-review. After I heard about the new long pins, I upvoted this course to a 4, now it's going back down to a 3. Get your tissues, take a deep breath, and possibly take that smoke break if it saves the agony of your fists when you punch the walls. I'll start off with the positives.

-There are dual sets of pins. Some of the new pins are fun. Hole 1 is a better hole with the new pin. It allows a rip but still requires good placement since the long pin is in the woods. Some of the other long pins are a positive improvement. #18 long is 775' and allows a huge crush, which I appreciated.

-The tee-signs are new and updated. They are accurate, and map out both pin positions.

-Course has some great elevation change that makes some of the holes fun to throw. #12 is a fun downhill hyzer bomb. #16 is a great uphill driver smash into the woods. The long pin is really fun because it requires a big shot to reach the landing zone, but if you get there, you'll have a good look for birdie on this par 4.

-The course map is adjusted. So that's also something to appreciate.

Cons:

-Some of the alt. pins are egregiously terrible as well as some of the short pins (read hole by hole review in the other thoughts). Many stupid ideas for holes that make you say "WTF Richard." If you play the better pin position on each hole, you'll play a pretty good layout, but you'll have a hell or high water option on a few holes here. Meaning that some holes here are awful regardless of which pin you play. Choose high water, and pray you can swim up fast enough.

-I thought along the the new pins, the par on some of the holes would be adjusted. Hole 3 is listed as a par 4. It's not. It's clear as day, a par 3. Hole 8 short is listed as a par 3. It's not. It's a par 4, it's not possible to reach. It's a dogleg right that goes steep uphill to the landing zone. There are other holes I could list here, but think I've made my point. Why make a downhill 370' footer with a slow fade a par 4 and an uphill dogleg right that's 375' a par 3?

-If you come for the first time, the entrance can be hard to navigate to get to the first hole. You'll just have to figure it out because you'll be able to see the parking lot by hole 1.

-No other cons. Some of the holes are just so bad to where it brings down my rating to a 3 when there are two pin placements on every hole. Some holes here are great, others are terrible. Before some of you trolls flood my DM and say something stupid like "Stop getting mad and get better at hitting the lines" know that many advanced and pro players that are probably better than you think that this course sucks because of the lines. Why don't you get better at throwing and stop running your mouth.

Other Thoughts:

-The truth is, there are million potential holes at any park with a disc golf course. That doesn't mean the best 9 or 18 will be selected. I get that. But the holes here that are bad could be a whole lot better. They are tweeners and cannot be reached, while others can be easily be eagled by advanced players if their putting game is on. Very inconsistent. I still enjoy some holes here and despise some. Here's a hole by hole. I'm sorry to spoil the surprise, but life still goes on.

Hole by hole:

#1: This hole is a wide open bomb to the short pin. You can rip it with hardly any risk. The long pin is further down and is about 75' into the woods. You'll want to be right of the short pin to have a good look at birdie if you play the long pin. Good starter.

#2: WTF is all you say at the long pin. Just play the short. The hole is a wide right to left hyzer to the short pin. The long pin was the second to last hole my card played and we all hated it. While the pin position on a small hill itself is cool, the line to get there is a question mark. Here's a question. Why tf would you design this? It's one of those holes that's not a par 3 or a par 4. It just sucks. You'd have to throw a perfect roller around the curve just to hope you have a shot at a 3.

#3: From the longs, you're transitioning from an impossible 1090 rated par 3 to an 800 rated "par 4." The hole itself is fun from either pin. You could throw a good sidearm under the big tree limb and be left with a challenging birdie putt to the short pin on the hill. Or you can play the long pin and try and throw a low and accurate drive off the tee to get down there. Very doable 2.

#4: Should be a par 4 from both pins. The tee-shot is around a wide cluster of trees, but they are avoidable. The short pin is to the right downhill making this a good par 4. The long pin is a par 5 is a bit further past and to the left. You'll throw past a row of trees, but they are avoidable. This is the better pin of the two.

#5: The short pin is a par 3 tucked right side into the woods. The long pin is a par 4 tucked right side into the woods. I LOVE the long pin. I was the only person on my card that birdied it. I threw a ballista on a slight hyzer line and let it hook left. This will leave you with a longer, yet more manageable upshot. I threw a truth and it came in the gap nicely. Brilliant par 4. The short pin is just meh.

#6: Not only is the pad in the way of hole 5's fairway, but you're facing a private property fence straight ahead. The short pin is the better of the two. I can throw an overstable putter or mid and have it turn. The long pin isn't terrible for the hole itself. But the pad needs to be moved out of the way of hole 5. I had to wait for the card in front of us to finish teeing off on this hole to tee off on hole 5.

#7: Pretty good hole either way. From the short you can throw a good forehand drive about 265' and have a look for birdie. The long pin has some trees far ahead to dodge, but it's still a pretty easy birdie since it's a par 4.

#8: I really hate this hole. There's no way to reach it from the short, so there's no way to birdie this so called par 3. The long is further up the hill and leaving you saying your prayers that you don't hit a tree and roll back down. The upshot is full of trees and they are spaced out everywhere. Only good thing about this hole is that it utilizes elevation very well.

#9: The short pin is the better of the two. It's to the left and out of the woods. Not entirely a fun hole, but it's way better than the long pin. The long pin is a 410' so called par 3. It's like hole 2. It's not a par 3 or 4. It just sucks. I backhanded an understable driver and it went over the path which is OB. The OB path is stupid too for this hole. If the pin were pushed back about 100', then we'd have a good challenging par 4 with an OB path not seeming so bad, since it would then serve a purpose. But it doesn't. It's just a stupid tweener that will penalize you if you try to reach it. You are set up to fail.

#10: The short is a wide open midrange throw. Very bland and makes you question if you're at the same course. The long pin is pretty cool. It's really long for a par 3 (450'). I double bogeyed hole 9 in the tournament and released my anger on this hole and got close enough to make a good birdie putt. So it's reachable, but it's very difficult because it's up about 20' on a hill.

#11: The short pin is effectively long because this hole is up a big hill. So that makes it a pretty challenging par 3. Many people dislike this hole since it's a site for soccer bystanders. I like it, and the long pin is guarded by pine trees tucked in the woods. Nice par 4.

#12: Back downhill. The short pin is neat in the middle of a cluster of trees. The long pin is further left, and in the woods. It's tempting to try and eagle the long pin since it's a par 4, but the cluster of trees are tall and if you hit them, you'll have to really work for birdie.

#13: And back to the cell we go. This hole is a skip hyzer shot into the woods guarded by trees you can't really see until you walk up. The long pin is really silly. There's no line once you're in the woods. Short par 4. Like only 400'. You're gonna get a par. Move on.

#14: Tight and a good bit downhill off the tee, the blue pin is straight ahead about 315' and out of the woods. The yellow is out and back in it. Not sure how I feel about the yellow. Blue pin is good.

#15: Another choke on the course. The fairway is bizarre and is a disappointment of a hole to the short pin. At least it's out in the open. The long pin is like 2 and 9. TERRIBLE! It's to the left and tucked in the woods. How do you reach this? You go in, back out, and back in again.

Guy on my card: "I want to see someone deuce this hole."

Me: *Throws a culverin and kicks left* "You not gonna see a 2."

#16: Freedom! Out of the cell! At least for me. I love this uphill hole! The short pin is 330' and plays about 420'. It's a fun hole to smash a drive on. The long pin is to the left and a bit further up. Challenging but very fair hole. My favorite one here.

#17: A bit odd, but better than I remembered it being. You ought to throw an overstable disc gently while avoiding the left side right off the pad. The long pin is weird but pretty cool imo. I birdied it. I threw a felon lightly off the tee and it landed right by the short pin. I threw a slight hyzer with a slammer and was right by the long pin. Don't know if that was luck, but it felt pretty great. Hard hole!

#18: Two tee pads. The long pad is legit. It's 775' to the long pin on the man made green. Should be a par 4 instead of a 5 but I guess the OB left side gives this hole its defense. I took a 4 and it felt like a par. I missed an easy putt. Such a great hole to bomb one on though. Great ending.

-Yeah. So there's more potential than this. Some of these holes are fun and make you appreciate the game of disc golf, and others here make you want to quit. I shot a 64 on the longs (-5). That was with eleven birdies. Yeah you heard me. Eleven. I made two bogeys and two doubles. My putting was weird. I missed easy putts and made hard putts. I got so pissed off on hole 9 to where I lost my focus and missed a 12' footer. I started off with four birdies and got hit hard by 8 and 9.

-A few holes just need to be different here. They aren't challenging, they are just downright bad. There is room for improvement. Rant over.
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4 0
dr.chainslove
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.9 years 330 played 42 reviews
4.00 star(s)

If the other Morristown courses had a baby... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 11, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Morristown is a wonderful area for disc golf--4 great courses sandwiched between Harmon Hills/Warriors and the stout Knoxville offerings. I've played a ton of HB Clark's courses and I think some of his best work resides in this area (Panther, Cherokee, Kiwanis, and Rotary). Rotary is a perfect blend between the short/technical Kiwanis and the long/super-elevation Cherokee.

Just like the other Morristown courses, you'll have top-notch signage, tees, baskets (discatchers), maintenance, and amenities. It looks like a ton of fairway trimming and mulching was recently done and the course looks and plays great. Like the others, Rotary also benefits from the figure-8 layout with 1 and 10 meeting back at the parking area.

Lot's of fun holes. Fun downhill bombers (1, 3, 12, 18) and tight tree lines (7, 8, 9, 14-17). 9 was a fun risk/reward option with the safe par line on the right or the crowded deuce line to the left.

18 isn't a great score-separation finishing hole, but it was a nice downhill grip-and-rip with a well designed raised island pin location.

The soccer fields are perfectly leveled with nice short Bermuda grass. Anyone who wants to get some "field work" accomplished would enjoy doing so here.

3 practice baskets right next to a nice covered pavilion at hole 1?! yep.

Cons:

As others have stated, this park will have plenty of non-discing revelers near the soccer fields. Although I think the lines on 11, 12, and 13 were out of the way, I understand how some would worry about altering their shot to avoid other users.

The 17 teepad dangerously hangs out on the right side of 16s fairway

First-timer beware: signage on #3 might suggest playing straight/left to #6's basket but the hole actually bends to the right.

10 and (arguably) 11 are your straightforward filler holes to help get you to the good stuff on the other side of the park.


Other Thoughts:

Trying to be rational, I'd say this course is a strong 3.5'er. However, the fun-factor and the great balance round Rotary up to 4 for me. To me, it's right in line with Cherokee and Kiwanis but really does offer the best of each. That considered, I'll give Rotary a sight bump above those two (although not near the Panther epicness level). Don't skip Rotary if you make it to this area!
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0 0
KCDISCDOG
Experience: 13.6 years 80 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Green mowed grass and trees!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 26, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

My favorite course in Morristown, or most anywhere for that matter. The course requires a well round game and mixture of throws. Distance, accuracy, hyzers and anhyzers even a roller. I really wish I had a forehand, but I make and take what I can with my righty backhand shots.I really like the challenges this course presents you it makes you play better. I moved from the KC area and am so glad to be able to walk up and play with out waiting on every hole. So the traffic is usually light-medium on this course. This course is always very well maintained.On site crew. This course is a real gem it makes a nice loop back to the parking area after 9 holes and your off again for the back 9. It has a flushing toilet in the summer near the parking. Never pass a chance to play this course.

Cons:

It is a multi use park, Ball games and soccer can sometimes be busy. Nothing has ever slowed me down over a few minutes to let a few people know I'm playing disc golf and you are on the course.Usually just hole 3 and 11.

Other Thoughts:

I wish I didn't live 35 miles away. T pads are pretty good. It has some good elevation change on a few throws. I would like to see a new placement or two on a couple holes where the room is available. My favorite holes are 4, 8, 13, 14. Have fun! I'm always ready to guide anyone around in the east Tennessee area.
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0 3
Nashvillian
Experience: 17 years 32 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Well designed course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course is very easy to play and Navigate
good mix of elevation and available trees
Lot more birdie ops than I expected being that I throw around 300. The elevation gave me chances and I ended up 2 up.

Cons:

Was a perfect day not many park goers but maybe because they have all the soccer fields closed.

Other Thoughts:

The first person I really played with was HB and this course was similar to Cedar Hill in Nashville.
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7 2
lammersk
Experience: 10.8 years 37 played 12 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Well Thought Out Course : Poorly Thought Out Location 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

A fairly easy course which has a variety of different layouts..

A number of pins appear to have wood hazards, but the reality is that most are easily handled because the trees have enough space between them and few low lying branches so that usually, even if you make a mistake, your disc will pass through the trees. The exceptions to this are 8 which has a somewhat tricky uphill right dogleg with the basket guarded by two big trees and possibly 15, with depression between the tee and basket with a number of trees.

The back nine looks like it might have the better pins if you can play them.

Cons:

Minor: Be careful on 4. The diagram shows the tee with a few trees in front and then the basket with a few trees in front. Once you throw the disc over the small rise in front of you, you walk up and across an open field you see a basket with trees in front of it. That is 5. 4 is off to the right down the tree line. I misplayed this (and it was my fault), but it's one of those relatively minor problems that always seem to happen the first time you play a course.

Major: Pin 11: Soccer games on both sides. I ended up purposefully throwing up to the left to make sure I didn't hit cars or people. This is in a very poorly thought out location.

Pins 12 & 13: Purposefully played left to stay away from the soccer field they bracketed. I most probably would not have hit the field throwing normally, but I just kept seeing a bad throw and a hefty gust of wind and . . .

Pin 14: Play through the woods into an open area with the basket in front of a soccer field. Played it short and left to make sure nothing happened.

Pin 15: Tees from next to a field into the woods. As I walked up, a soccer player ran past me into the woods. I spent the next few minutes intensely studying the diagram of the course until she walked past me coming back out. Then I looked into the little depression you're supposed to throw into and there was a bunch of kids in it. I ask them to clear and they did (nice kids) and then, just as I am throwing, another group of kids comes out of the woods. One group of kids on the left and another coming out on the right. I pulled up some and threw kind of blindly through the middle and hit a tree.

Pin 16: Tee very close to a field. People were standing on it and had items on it to keep them out of the grass. They were kind enough to move and then I had to get a few kids to move out of the way and then threw away from the field.

Other Thoughts:

This is a good course, if there's nothing going on but disc golf. I don't know who thought putting the course around the soccer fields was a good idea, but they were very, very wrong.

The frustrating thing was that there seemed to be more space out away from the fields. I don't know why they didn't move everything out 100 feet or so. Yes, that would have made it a more woodsy course and required the cutting of brush and trees, but they obviously cut some trees to clear elsewhere. Of course, nothing can fix 11 except only playing it when the fields are not in use.

Each hole here seems thoughtfully designed, however, the course as a whole has serious problems.
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4 0
Baysinger
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 93 played 55 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Test your skills at Rotary! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 27, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Wooded holes, open holes, short holes, long holes, uphill drives, downhill drives... this course has got it all. This is a great course to test your course on. You can go from par to 5 over in a matter of 2 holes so this is a great course to up your skill level on.
- As in all Morristown courses, tee pads and signage are great.
- Close to two other nice 18 hole courses.

Cons:

- If there is a soccer game going on.. you might as well call this 17 hole course. There is no way you can play hole 11 if a soccer game is going on unless you want to potentially peg someone with a disc because normally the croud will sit on the hill going up 11. Have seen a few people sitting along the other side of the soccer field going along hole 14 also but there is less of a chance of hitting someone there.
- Hole 7 and 8 seem like the pars should have been switched. 7 is a 400 ft par 4 with a slight uphill approach. Hole 8 on the other hand is a 375 ft par 3 with a much more steep uphill approach. What i am trying to say is that hole 8 seems to play a bit longer than 7 but par is one stroke less. All of the guys I play with seem to think the same about these two holes.
- Parking can sometimes be rough here because sometimes they keep the upper gates closed. Numerous times we have had to park at the baseball fields and walk up to the course. And if you get there real early (just after daylight) you may even have to pass up the park entrance and park at the church that is close by and walk down to the course. A lot of road trippers like to hit the courses early as to be able to play more holes in a day. I could see this being hell on someone from out of town to even find where the course starts. I know this is not a course design flaw but it is worth mentioning for anyone out of town who may hit this course.

Other Thoughts:

My list of cons seems longer than the pros but don't get me wrong... this is a great course! I had to nit-pick to have a list of cons. As far as going to play a new course that you have never played before... this is a great one to hit! Definitely take the time to road trip to this course.. you will not be dissapointed. Also, course maps / brochures available at all times would be a great addition to all the Morristown courses. Out of towners would really appreciate it.
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4 0
Slingtastic
Experience: 11.6 years 10 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great mix 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 10, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course has a great mix of open and wooded course with many technical holes.

They have super nice concrete tee pads and brand new Innova baskets with great signs at each pad and arrows on the basket pointing you to the next tee pad.


It's a happy mix of the Cherokee Park and Kiwanis course that we have in town because it's got the short, technical, wooded holes of the Kiwanis course and the long, open holes of Cherokee Park.

The grounds are super nice and kept up with trash cans on many holes. Though you still have the usual bottle or wrapper laying around from where people are to lazy to use the trash cans.

Cons:

With this being a newer course, the parks and rec are still working on ironing out the wrinkles as far as like wooded fairways being a little to overgrown and growing grass around certain boxes and fairways so it can get a little muddy.

During a busy weekend, the back nine can get crazy because they play mostly along the soccer fields so you have to be really careful about where you throw.

It would be nice if there were more bathrooms along the course and water fountains.

Holes 4, 5, and 6 kind of run close to one another so you have to keep an eye out especially while in 4 and 5's fairway and on 6's tee box.

If you miss a fairway in the woods during summer, be prepared to spend some time looking for your disc because the woods get super think and there are thorn bushes about every 5 feet.

The park closes at dusk so for now the opportunity of a glow round is out of the question.

Other Thoughts:

If the gates to hole 1 are closed you can park at the baseball field parking lot and walk about 500 ft to hole 1 basket. Or you could park at 4 and just start with hole 4 and end with 3 to end where you parked if by chance the baseball field gate is closed.

Holes 4, 13, 14, 15, and 17 require very accurate drives and approach shots or else you could get into some difficult shots.

Holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, and 18 are the open holes with the others being all wooded or mostly wooded.

Hole 13 to me is the hardest hole because it starts out open and then does a 90 degree into the woods about 175 ft from the box. It's literally like an L, and for a lefty like me who's a newbie it kicks my butt.

Hole 4 is also difficult because you have a wall of trees about 75 ft from the box with narrow gaps to hit then opens up into a super long fairway.

It's a very nice course to play because it's big enough to where you don't have to worry about other disc golfers on a majority of the holes (4, 5, and 6 are really the only ones where others come into play) so it's a pretty safe place to play.

Disc golf is starting to take off in Morristown and we even have the Tennessee State Championships coming in June so if you are in the area I would definitely suggest checking it out if you're wanting something more than the Kiwanis course but not as long as the Cherokee Park course.
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0 5
motownACEslinger
Experience: 14.8 years 10 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

pro 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 10, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great layout nice mix of open and woods a few ace runs but not many takes around 2 hour per foursome.

Cons:

Cons well the park service is very annoying always hassling you where you're going very strange for a city park and if you don't want to have to walk a 1/4 mile to hole 1 you will need to park at hole 4 it is the bottom parking lot they lock the gates to the skate park, soccer fields and disc golf course they have nice practice baskets at hole 1 but you have to park a 1/4 mile away very strange but the park service will park there company trucks at hole 1 one and play during the middle of the day and hold the vistors up
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2 5
jgrubb22
Experience: 25.1 years 39 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 9, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Wonderful course with a nice mixture of open and wooded holes. had nice teepads and signs for each hole. The practice area actually has 3 basket u can practice putting on.

Cons:

Only prob I had is hole 3 or 4 I believe there isnt a good line to throw at all. Should def take out a couple of trees for u to actually have a line to throw.

Other Thoughts:

The course is in a very nice park with parking everywhere. Might want to bring a stool with u cause I didnt c any benches to ait down on.
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3 3
rodneyp
Experience: 47 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

An Incomplete review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

I must be upfront and say that I only played the first 10 holes. Navigation wasn't too bad and I generally enjoyed most holes. It started going bad on 10.

Cons:

The major con is the unplayability of the back 9 when the soccer fields are in use. This completely ruined my view of this course. There seemed to be no thoughts as to the impact of soccer matches on the usability of the rest of the course. There is a tournament listed in a couple of weeks. This will be impossible to pull off if the soccer fields are in use. I definitely would have given a higher rating if not for the major problems with integration with other park guests.

Other Thoughts:

H.B. Clark's other morristown courses are among my favorites. I just can't believe this problem occurred.
Updated 11/7/12. After a second attempt to play all 18 holes I have revised my rating to reflect the whole course. I still see potential for problems with others utilizing the facilities, steps have been taken to work on the problem. I was not a fan of 17, no discernible fairway through to the basket. I did however enjoy the rest of the back 9. Particular favorites were 11-13. Please give this course a try, it is worth the effort.
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4 2
Chris A
Experience: 17.7 years 69 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Another great MoTown Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great use of land that was given. Long technically challenging par 4's. The flow of the course is really good. The course is listed as wooded, but most the woods holes have large open fairways.

Cons:

The flow is good, but some of the tee pads are extremely close to fairways and on at least 3 holes I could see this as a problem during a large event.

Other Thoughts:

Really looking forward to seeing this place in about 2 yrs after some tree trimming and solid play. Just like the other 2 H.B. Clark courses in this area he has really done a good job. Morristown has quickly become a DG destination!
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