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Black Branch Trail DGC reviews
11
1
Mixing disc golf and police! what could go wrong…
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 27, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
Was grabbing lunch in Fort O on the way back from working In Chatanooga and saw that there was a 9er close by and I decided to try it out.
One pro I'll add it that they seemed to have made the White baskets into a longer location and Red is now the shorter one, as that was an oddity others have noted.
You park at the front of the parking lot near the police station/civic building and the first tee is near the creek to your left. The pads are really great. Huge red turf affairs that even James Conrad wouldn't sneeze at. Signs by the pad denote the hole number and there are two baskets a red and a white Prodigy basket on each hole.
The creek runs through holes 1-2 and 7-9 and adds some challenge to a relatively flat course.
And one cool mildy elevated basket that is mounted on a large rock.
Plays quickly, only about 20/25 mins for a solo and I shot -4 to the longs with a mid a a putter neither of which I had ever thrown before. So it's not terribly difficult, but between the road/creek and buildings you could easily find some trouble.
One pro I'll add it that they seemed to have made the White baskets into a longer location and Red is now the shorter one, as that was an oddity others have noted.
You park at the front of the parking lot near the police station/civic building and the first tee is near the creek to your left. The pads are really great. Huge red turf affairs that even James Conrad wouldn't sneeze at. Signs by the pad denote the hole number and there are two baskets a red and a white Prodigy basket on each hole.
The creek runs through holes 1-2 and 7-9 and adds some challenge to a relatively flat course.
And one cool mildy elevated basket that is mounted on a large rock.
Plays quickly, only about 20/25 mins for a solo and I shot -4 to the longs with a mid a a putter neither of which I had ever thrown before. So it's not terribly difficult, but between the road/creek and buildings you could easily find some trouble.
Cons:
There is a police station there. By the disc golf course. Write your own punchline.
There are also a couple of spots where you could be on line or close and hit a building, as well as one spot that you come close to the parking lot where the police fleet it parked. Didn't love that.
Signs are super basic, only having the hole number, wold be nice to at least put distances and par.
It's not a bad little play honestly, but is somewhat basic, not terribly long and has a few little oddities.
There are also a couple of spots where you could be on line or close and hit a building, as well as one spot that you come close to the parking lot where the police fleet it parked. Didn't love that.
Signs are super basic, only having the hole number, wold be nice to at least put distances and par.
It's not a bad little play honestly, but is somewhat basic, not terribly long and has a few little oddities.
Other Thoughts:
It's actually got some fun shots, it's not my favorite style of course, and the setting is a touch strange. A little single note but the use of the creek and road OB, fantastic pads and double baskets it's definitely worth the stop for a bagger on the go.
13
0
Cerealman
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
15.9 years
593 played
179 reviews
Rolling out the red carpet
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Oct 20, 2023
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Marked with bright red turf teepads and dual baskets per hole, the Fort Oglethorpe disc golf course is a reasonable addition to the Greater Chattanooga landscape. Even with a slightly shoehorned design, the "Fort O" course gets the basics right and squeezes in several niceties within the nine-hole layout.
The first positive you might notice is the teepads. The red turf is easy to spot and most of the tee areas are slightly raised. The first teepad is placed under a couple of trees next to the sidewalk with a lovely rock wall lining the area. Hole #1 is one of the prettiest opening holes in the area.
Each basket has two baskets: a red and a white Prodigy T2. The distinction between the short and long basket isn't always significant length; in fact, only on three holes does the distance disparity exceed 50 feet. Instead, on several of the holes, the contrast is left-versus-right with a choice of lines offered.
The length of the course is ideal for recreational players: the short baskets average just over 200 feet per hole; the long baskets equate to an average of about 260 feet, though Hole #5 is the outlier at nearly 400 feet.
There are a few cool features with the basket placements that add some variety and a bit of challenge. The short basket for Hole #4 is elevated and mounted on a rock. The short basket for Hole #5 is elevated and attached to a wine barrel. The short basket for Hole #6 is only 187 feet, but it's hidden behind trees to the left, prompting a high hyzer throw or low skip shot to reach the bullseye. The short basket for Hole #7 sits atop a red fire hydrant and is maybe 15 feet in front of the creek. And both baskets for Hole #9 are just on the other side of the creek.
Navigation seemed fairly straight forward as the next teepad was usually easily spotted. Right now, the signage is minimal.
There's a blue practice basket not far from the start of the course. Parking is available near the Hole #9 baskets or in a parking lot not far from Holes #1 and #2.
The first positive you might notice is the teepads. The red turf is easy to spot and most of the tee areas are slightly raised. The first teepad is placed under a couple of trees next to the sidewalk with a lovely rock wall lining the area. Hole #1 is one of the prettiest opening holes in the area.
Each basket has two baskets: a red and a white Prodigy T2. The distinction between the short and long basket isn't always significant length; in fact, only on three holes does the distance disparity exceed 50 feet. Instead, on several of the holes, the contrast is left-versus-right with a choice of lines offered.
The length of the course is ideal for recreational players: the short baskets average just over 200 feet per hole; the long baskets equate to an average of about 260 feet, though Hole #5 is the outlier at nearly 400 feet.
There are a few cool features with the basket placements that add some variety and a bit of challenge. The short basket for Hole #4 is elevated and mounted on a rock. The short basket for Hole #5 is elevated and attached to a wine barrel. The short basket for Hole #6 is only 187 feet, but it's hidden behind trees to the left, prompting a high hyzer throw or low skip shot to reach the bullseye. The short basket for Hole #7 sits atop a red fire hydrant and is maybe 15 feet in front of the creek. And both baskets for Hole #9 are just on the other side of the creek.
Navigation seemed fairly straight forward as the next teepad was usually easily spotted. Right now, the signage is minimal.
There's a blue practice basket not far from the start of the course. Parking is available near the Hole #9 baskets or in a parking lot not far from Holes #1 and #2.
Cons:
With the low-lying terrain on the course, especially on the last three holes closest to the water, the course might be prone to miry conditions on several holes. The turf teepads are already retaining a noticeable amount of mud and crushed gravel, which may prove to be a consistent nuisance. Also, the teepads already have a couple irregularities instead of being perfectly flat.
A couple of the holes play close to city facilities. Hole #5 includes a tall chain link fenced area that serves as a right-side boundary and appears to belong to the police department. Hole #6 has a metal siding building with a gently sloping roof that will undoubtedly claim some wayward discs.
The fairways for Holes #3 and #4 appear to be recently created by removing a bunch of brush under the trees. There's still a decent amount of rutted ground and tree debris in this area, but no points off since the course just opened.
Only one hole (Hole #5, long) exceeds 300 feet, so higher-skilled disc golfers will likely employ mostly mid-ranges and putters without any opportunities to throw open bomber shots.
A couple of the holes play close to city facilities. Hole #5 includes a tall chain link fenced area that serves as a right-side boundary and appears to belong to the police department. Hole #6 has a metal siding building with a gently sloping roof that will undoubtedly claim some wayward discs.
The fairways for Holes #3 and #4 appear to be recently created by removing a bunch of brush under the trees. There's still a decent amount of rutted ground and tree debris in this area, but no points off since the course just opened.
Only one hole (Hole #5, long) exceeds 300 feet, so higher-skilled disc golfers will likely employ mostly mid-ranges and putters without any opportunities to throw open bomber shots.
Other Thoughts:
For recreational disc golf, the Fort O course pairs nicely with the nine-hole course at Jack Mattox Park, which is an easy 10-minute drive away.
