(2.893 Rating) An abandoned golf course layout that's lightly wooded and very long from the back tees.
- RAW BEAUTY - I wouldn't quite use words like charming or elegant to describe this one, but words like nice and pleasing seem appropriate. Lots of waters features in view from ponds to the backdrop of the Tennessee river. A really good stretch of wooded holes towards the end of the front nine. There are some elevated features using the mounds from the old ball golf course greens and tees, but IMO these features just aren't as appealing as natural elevation.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - This course should be able to appeal to a wide swath of players as there are two tees on a vast majority of the holes. The back tees are more than long enough for advanced players and the short tees are open enough for rec players.
- LENGTH - From the back tees, one of the longest courses in the state, pushing just beyond 9,500 feet if using all back basket placements. There are a few 500 foot par 3s and several par 4s. Players that like to grip-it and rip-it will really like this course.
- UNIQUENESS - The overall hole variety was a touch above average. As already stated, a few par 4s and several longer par 3s. I loved all the water usage. Several water clears and a couple parallel water plays makes for some really exhilarating action. I'd bring a floater here. Good use of the old ball golf courses elevated mounds for both tees and hole placements. There are also a few moderate to mild tunnel plays on (6) (7) and (8). I wish more holes were placed in this general area as there is room to do so.
- CHALLENGING - The back tees at McFarland are well above average difficulty due to the length. I think advanced players above a 950 rating could be able to average below par from the backs. However, a few lower rated players with a big arm (+425) may be able to do so as well. Rec players should be thoroughly challenged from the short tees.
- MAINTENANCE - With the ball golf course now being abandoned, it still appears that they keep the fairways in check.

A solid course with its greatest issues related mostly to site problems.
- DISC LOST OPPORTUNITY - If you decide to play tees above your skill level, you're going to risk leaving behind some plastic. There are a couple of 400 foot plus water clears from the back tees and the front tee requires at least one clear at around 275 feet.
- NAVIGATION - To be fair, I had a guide for this one so I probably wasn't the most observant. I don't recall much in the way of directional cues along the layout. Holes signage is sub-par and no course map was on site. The map on DGCR is very diagrammatic. The openish layout looks fairly traversable with an additional 10 to 15 minutes of recon for a first timer, but that's far from ideal.
- TEES - They are carpet but thankfully about the smoothest surface you could hope for on this material and there are in good repair. Still no match compared to concrete and some of the rubber mats I've played on.
- CHARACTER - In addition to sub-par tees, McFarland is lacking the amenities compared to established courses on everything but the 2 sets of tees and alternate basket locations. As stated, no on site course map, sub-par hole signage, no seating and no practice basket.
- LACK OF ELEVATION - McFarland is listed on DGCR as moderately hilly. I've played courses in other parts of the county that are listed as mostly flat and have almost twice as much elevation as this course. No hole varies by more than 20 feet. All the elevation on this course is derived from the abandoned tees and greens. Obviously better than nothing but this course has less elevation than neighboring courses, Veterans and Gattman.
- LACK OF SHOT SHAPING - Like every ball golf course conversion I've played on, you can expect a round with less than typical thought process on the tee. There were several holes out here where I just looked at the hole distance posted on the tee sign, and then quickly grabbed a disc and threw. Way too many holes can be attacked from a multitude of angles.
- TIME PLAY - A longer course that will eat up your day. A group of four players playing the back tees could easily be here for three hours.

I had the privilege playing my first round out here with two fellow DGCR reviewers, GMcAtee and Wericsson. Be sure and reach out to them if you head to Florence. Fun to throw with and they have lots disc golf historical knowledge. As for the course, McFarland is sort of a mixed bag of some really good things, some meh and some thoughts of what could be. Old ball golf course conversions always seem to be a mixed bag of sorts.

Short and long tee pads with multiple pin placements.
Old ball golf course with a good disc golf design utilizing the trees and ponds available.
Short pads and long pads play like two different courses.
Visitor center on site with bathroom and food/drinks available for purchase.
Very scenic views throughout the park.

Limited signage, posts with tee # and distance.
Distance can be a challenge for new and older players.
May not be a good course to bring your family to play.
Water could scare some players away.
Sometimes floods (next to Tennessee River).

This is my favorite course in the shoals because of the challenge from both short and long pad layouts. I would add .5 discs if it had better signage and tee pads.

McFarland Park DGC has a very pretty setting on land of an old ball golf course that is on a flat near the banks of the TN River opposite some picturesque cliffs (be sure to drive down the shoreline road after your round and admire the views). This area is a very nice place just to be outside and adding in disc golf is a bonus.

There are 18 holes and 2 sets of tees to cater to different skill levels. (The tees also helped me navigate as you at least knew which direction the hole is going.)

The design makes good use of just a portion of the land. (Using the entire golf course would have been insanely long, so thanks to the designer in starting from scratch and not just playing along the fairways of the old golf course- that would be boring.) There are some holes that play in the openness of the original golf course, some that play through the wooded areas bordering the old fairways, and others are in a more heavily wooded area by the old golf cart house. The course makes use of the old elevated greens on what would be an otherwise very flat course.

And there are ponds everywhere! Water is the main obstacle here. These holes are nicely designed to give players good risk/reward decisions- try to hit the line along the pond or play it out wide and safe, layup or go long, etc. There was always a safe play to avoid losing a disc, but it might make the next shot more difficult or may take an extra shot to hole out.

I appreciated the good variation in hole distance, 200'-600' (I only played 1 round from the shorter tees, so the longer tees would give even more variety and challenge.) There are several holes where the basket is reachable from the tee and many more where it will take 2-3 shots to get there.

Also nice was this was pretty much the only thing going on with this piece of land- no picnic tables, walking trails, playgrounds, etc. Just disc golf only here as those other things are in a different section of the park.

Unfortunately, this type of land does not dictate navigation- there are no obvious trails or paths. After finishing a hole you look around and think the next one could be just about anywhere. This makes for lots of walking the first time you play. I did manage to find every hole, but a map and/or more next tee signs would be very helpful. (Hole 3 was the worst for me as I made a huge circle finding several other tees and baskets in the process before I finally found 3 at the last place I looked.)

It was sometimes hard to find both tees (in fact there were a few long tees and one short tee I was unable to locate. I thought maybe a couple holes only had 1 tee, but according to the hole info on DGCR there should be two complete sets.) The tee markers were just short wooden posts with hole # and distance, though some were knocked down (or missing?) The tee areas were carpet and sometimes hard to see from a distance being flush with the ground.

Other than water, the open holes require very little accuracy and the wooded holes have several options and easy recovery for errant shots. There is just a bit of repetitiveness (not consecutive, but in the overall round.) For example, holes 9 and 18 are very similar just long open holes on the old golf fairways with a pond on the right and the basket placed up on the elevated green.

It was mid-summer and conditions were fine for me, but guessing from the looks of the land, the proximity to the river, and what others have said, I could see during very rainy/flooding times this course might be unplayable or, at the least, very soggy.

With some better navigational aids or a map and some nicer or better maintained tee signs this would be a really nice place to play. There is good bit of fair challenge that I enjoyed and would definitely play here again, especially now that I have an idea of where the tees and baskets are.

Holes 1 and 10 start next to each other. Each 9 does finish up near (but not exactly close to) the parking lot.

Park at the visitor center building on the right after entering the park. Tees for 1/10 are behind it towards the ponds, just look for the trail that goes to the kiosk.

It is worth a stop if you are in the area and is not too far from Veterans Lakeside Park for a nice day of 36 different holes.

- Great Baskets
- Very Peaceful
- Well Maintained
- Pro Tees vary greatly from Ams making it a very different course.
- Multiple pin locations that required different shots.
- A couple of scenery changes.

- Sometimes with enough rain the course will become flooded througout most of the holes. That's why it's no longer a ball course.
- Not enough signage. It's very difficult to find the next hole unless a local could tell you.
-Very likely that you could lose a disc because of so many water hazards. Also the hazards are very swampy which makes retrieval even tougher. Discs also don't seem to float as normal.
- Most of the holes vary but a few on the back 9 feel like the same straghtforward unchallenging shot which can seem redundant.
- Some of the holes are separated by a long distance.
- Not for beginners unless they're are willing to lose some frisbees.
- The signs for holes don't not show the par count.

Overall a fun course. A few of the holes seem tough to birdie and easy to par and that is speaking from the Am tees which I feel is bad course design. Though there are some very fun and interesting holes. The water can be scary at times especially in windy situations so I don't play as often as the other course here in Florence. Carpeted tees FYI.

The front 9 is great.
They changed up the course since they first built it, making the baskets shorter.
Water does come into play on quite a few holes, but no worries, you do have the option to lay up.

Water and it's long.
The back 9 is a litter harder and longer than the front, more water in play. You do have the option again of laying up but it takes more throws.
When your disc is lost in the water, it's lost. No need going in and getting it.

Great course to practice long throws and to overcome your fear of "disc in water syndrome."