I wrote a great review for Mills Park. Saved it in my drafts folder on my e-mail. A couple days later, my e-mail account switched servers and my draft was gone. So, this reason isn't going to be nearly as good as it should be. Fitting for this course.
- This park has so much untapped potential, and land for a great disc golf course. It just barely taps into it. Three really good holes, several so-so, and the rest is filler and/or safety concerns.
- I will say this: re-writing this review 5 weeks after playing the course, I have much fonder memories of the course than was my perception while playing. A rich, smooth aftertaste just like some of the moonshine that's offered at the distilleries in town.
- #1 & 2 give you a true mountain feel. The tee shot on #1 is one of the toughest opening hole tee shots I've played anywhere (out of 500+ played courses). Steep, downhill, with the layout doglegging back to the up and right. The fairway, and every RHBH shot, are sloped down to the left. Honestly, any shot in the fairway here is good. Not knowing the walking conditions on that first hill, you want the relief of not having to be scouting the woods on any of the sloped areas.
- So, #1 is a high-quality opening hole. 3 is a solid score. On #2, you 're essentially throwing over a valley, starting above, over a flat area, back up a hill to the basket on the other side. The short tee is a sharp dogleg right down in the valleyed area.
- #5 is a fine hole. Blind tee shot slightly uphill, before the second half of the fairway slopes sharply downhill to the basket. It's only 200 feet but it's far different from most holes you'll see anywhere. Throw too hard to clear the hill, and you could sail way past the basket (or fade sharp left). Keep in mind there's a park road, paths between basketball courts and football field, bathrooms, and the sixth tee that could all come into play. If the road is OB, this becomes an extremely intriguing layout.
- #6 is the true test here. First off, this hole is far longer than 215 feet (according to the lengths listed on UDisc). Its own interactive map shows the basket much further than that. A basically online measurement gives me a length in the 350-375-foot range. And it is steep uphill, sharp dogleg right for the first half of the hole, so you're looking at the 450-foot range realistically. Big arms may be looking at 3s. The rest of us are going to be happy with a 4. Outstanding challenge. Outstanding hole.
- Course map and tee signs are great. As for the rest of the course....

I don't think safety was given much thought here. Just like the overabundance of free samples of moonshine, wine, and hard cider in downtown Gatlinburg, safety doesn't seem like it's a top priority of local officials.
- Besides holes #1 & 9, every other hole has some safety concern involved, whether that's playing over/alongside park road, walking trails, blind tee shots, or simply a disc sailing slightly off line and interfering with other park activities.
- However, if you're playing this course when the high school next door is dismissing, hole #1 and 2 and 3 became a walking trail for students heading to the rec center. After waiting a couple minutes for the students to clear on #1, I finally teed off. Thinking things were clear, I then teed off on #2, only for round two of students to be crossing the fairway. I don't know who was more surprised: me coming across a student using the fairway as a path or the student expecting anyone else to be there.
- #3 - 5 play way too close (or over a park road). #1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 all offer blind tee shots where you may not see other people when first throwing. #7 & 8 play over/alongside a park trail.
- What's even more frustrating is seeing all this other ample space in the park that (from my perception on a Monday afternoon in February) didn't seem to be used. So. Much. Potential.
- I'm not sure if #9 is a bad layout or a dumb one. I couldn't see the basket from the tee. I didn't see a true fairway based on the tee sign. I saw a gap off to the side. Figured I'd throw through there to at least start my way up the hill. I throw and walk to my disc. And what do you know? I'm 5 feet from the basket. So, I shot a random gap and that was easier than the non-existent fairway. I have no clue how you're supposed to approach the short basket.
- Finishing #9, there is no safe way to get back to the first tee. First off, the hill is way too step. Even with my quality hiking boots, it was steep. I never saw a true path back, so I just walked #1 backwards to get back to the first tee and parking lot. I doubt that's the appropriate way to navigate.

I think the secret to Mills Park is when you play. On a Monday afternoon in February, and the park is mostly empty, this could be a great course. On a weekend, or in the Summer, this course might be unplayable. Even in February, I threw cautiously because I never knew what to expect.
- If this exact course existed without a park road and other safety issues in play, my perception would be the exact opposite. This would go from a frustrating course to a high rated, high fun-factor layout.
- #2 & 3, in theory, are fun holes to throw multiple discs on. Ace runs here. #4 offers the opportunity to throw skip shots off the road to the basket. Actually, let's say #2 - 5 are all holes to throw multiple tee shots assuming you have a spotter.
- There's got to be a better way to end this course than what is #9. It's such a bad hole. Even with the safety concerns on the other holes, and the fact I had a tap-in birdie putt, this is easily the worst hole on the course.
- Make a temporary 18-hole layout here for a tourney. Incorporate some of the land at the high school. Use land past at the other end of the park beyond the dog park. Find a way to use the cemetery's land, even if it's just for teeing off from the top of the hill. That could be a fun layout one weekend a year.
- I'm giving this a higher rating than I originally did. Thank the sweet aftertaste of this park giving me fond memories. That same positivity doesn't apply to Walters State. I still despise that course.

I went to Pigeon Forge with the family for a long weekend. My oldest son and I -- avid course baggers -- snuck off to play the only two public courses within 45 minutes of the area, both 9-hole tracks: Walters State and Mills Park. While each course has limitations, if you have to choose one, Mills Park is the one. (You can read my review of Walters State for a run-down of that course.)

+ Great scenery and aesthetic beauty, including the course itself, the park and high school campus the course plays through, and the surrounding mountains.

+ For a 9-hole course, you won't find many with the elevation and shot variety this one has to offer. Number 9 might be the most epic sub-200 foot hole I've ever played, on a 9-hole track or otherwise. It's only 165 feet, but it's basically straight down. (I'm terrible at judging elevation drops like this, but I've seen it described in previous reviews as a 40-foot drop and a 60-foot drop. I'd expect it's somewhere in that range.) There are trees lining both sides, so the shot is basically litter more than throwing a straight circle 2-ish putt. I nearly aced it and I imagine it's one of the most aced holes you'll find...for the simple reason that you'll want to empty your bag on this finishing hole.

+ Hole 1 is a good starting hole. It's about 250 feet, but plays much longer as it is a steep uphill.

+ Holes 3-7 are decent, with a mix of very short uphill and downhill holes, all between 175 and 265 feet. There are many ace runs and birdies to be had.

+ Course maps at the kiosk at the beginning of the course are helpful. Good tee signs, decent tees.

I tend to be a tough grader, especially on 9-hole tracks. Don't let my 1.5 rating scare you off (unless you have a serious aversion to gnats...but more on that in a second). As of this review (142 courses played and 137 reviews), this is my track record for "full" and "half" tracks:

90 full courses played (basically 18+)
3.36 average DGCR rating
3.10 my average rating

52 half tracks played (mostly 9's, but some 6's and 12's too)
1.98 average DGCR rating
1.40 my average rating

Of those 52 half tracks, I have Mills Park ranked 29. So, by rating and by rating, it's an average 9-hole course.

I would say Mills Park is above average in terms of aesthetics and its signature hole (see above), but it falls short in some areas...

- GNATS. First and foremost, if you don't like gnats -- if they really annoy you, you can't stand them getting in your eyes, etc. -- you might want to consider skipping Mills Park. I mean, they are really bad. I don't know if this is a year-round thing or just in the summer, but check the course conditions before you play. If "gnats" are mentioned, consider yourself warned.

- While hole 9 is awesome, and holes 1 and 3-7 are serviceable, holes 2 and 8 are big misses, in my opinion. Any time you have a 300-foot par 4, even if it's in the woods, you probably have a problem. There is no discernible line on hole 2, much less a fairway. You basically throw an air or roller shot as far as you can up the hill, then again down the hill to the basket. You're lucky if you don't hit a tree, regardless of how well you threw your shot. I just don't get what the design concept was or is for this hole.

- Hole 8 is not a good hole either. It plays uphill with an OB paved golf cart path winding through it. Obviously, you'll want to check traffic on the cart path before you throw. It's not so much of safety issue, but I just don't think it's a good spot for a disc golf hole.

- As much as I loved playing hole 9, getting from the tee to the basket by foot is a serious safety problem. When I played, the whole course was a little wet and slick from a recent rain. Not terrible, but not ideal. Well, hole 9 is so steep -- and all dirt -- with no stairs or even decent trees to hold on to -- that you're basically lucky if you don't slip and bust your butt. You're either going to get mud all over you or actually hurt yourself. I would suggest an alternate path be put in so that you don't walk down the steep slope and risk life and limb getting down.

- Very long walks in between holes 3 and 4 and hole 9 and the parking lot.

- While there is great elevation here and good variety in shot selection, it is very short and doesn't throw the challenge at you that you'd want out of an average 18-hole track.

Again, if you're on vacation in the area, this is your best bet (unless you're willing and able to drive a little further to the Knoxville area OR the self-proclaimed "Disc Golf Capital of Tennessee," Morristown, OR hit one of the most sought after destination courses in the Southeast, Harmon Hills). It's worth the stop...but don't forget your bug spray and wear sunglasses to keep the gnats away!

Nice concrete tees and good tee signs. Elevation changes on each hole. Bathroom on site.

Like most courses squeezed into the unused bits of a small park with a variety of sports fields, this course suffers from lots of potential to negatively interact with non-players. Picnic tables and/or walking paths are quite close to more than half the holes - #6 is particularly hazardous as the basket/table is blind from the tee, a downhill left-turner. Bit of a walk from basket #2 to tee #3, basket #9 to tee #1 - make sure you have a map beforehand.

Four holes are up-slope, not too steeply, four are down-slope, with #9 being practically straight down (be careful walking down the hill), and one is across an open valley to a wooded slope. Five holes require left turns, three require right turns, no turns being very sharp, and #9, as mentioned before, STRAIGHT down. Woods come into play nearly the entire length of #2 and the last half of #8, #1 is wide-open, the remainder have some trees to avoid. Your mid-ranges should get a lot of work, as several holes are short.

Ignoring the potential of conflict with non-players, I'd rate this course about 2.5, but with picnic tables/walking paths so close to over half the holes, the score has to be lowered.