1) Initial impression upon pulling into the course is a beautiful, well maintained course with lots of pavilions, port-o-potties, incredible views. Lots of parking space and appears to be a well utilized park.
2) There are multiple pin locations and most of the times I've visited, they are in different spots which I'm sure keeps the course fresh and adds to enjoyment of locals.
3) The course does have several roads running through it but there has rarely been any traffic that impacts play.
4) This course plays quickly even when it is packed with players (which is usually only for tournaments).
5) The course is recreational friendly, a little demanding for new players and something they could grow into, and very soft for better players. And I think this was the intention when they designed this course and it shows in the consistent way this course plays.
6) Major elevation changes on most holes that create fun and slightly challenging lines while not being too overbearing to walk. The walk from hole 6 to hole 7 is probably the worst.
7) Hole 6 will get a lot of love from woods fans, but I think hole #15 (as of the last time I played the course) the long Par 4 down the side slope of Naval Hill gets my vote for signature hole. It provides a decision on gap to hit off the tee to cut off distance to approach, stellar views of Nashville from the hill top, and really lets you open up and air one out down the hill.
8) Good concrete tees with grip (minus hole 4 tee pad which has a hump in the center and makes your run up awkward).
9) Good course signage showing the multiple pin locations and distances and arrows pointing to next tee.
10) Solid mix of elevated baskets that give shorter more wide open holes a little more challenge.
11) Pretty decent flow as the first 4 holes are lightly wooded and allow you to get dialed in before heading into the woods for 5 and 6, a brief break with an open hyzer on 7 before heading back into the woods for 8 and 9. The back 9 starts off with some short technical holes with elevated baskets before gradually easing you into longer open bomber holes then gradually winding down with shorter more technical holes to finish.

1) This course has been hit hard by storms over the recent months, bringing down multiple large mature trees that defined the identity of this course and some signature holes. The course is still great to play, but for those who have played it in the past, it is not nearly as picturesque or demanding as it used to be.
2) Fallen massive trees have destroyed original hole #9 and it is unplayable as of my latest visit. This course made up for that with using hole #19 as it's hole #18 and the course really doesn't suffer from losing #9 (despite being what I considered the hardest hole on the course).
3) Extremely thick rough. If you stray far off line you will get into some deep thick stuff with lost disc potential and usually only a pitch out to keep moving on.
4) There is no water available on the course, and with the elevation changes, you will be upset with yourself if you don't bring some with you.
5) There are a few holes that play alongside residential houses, protected by a fence and some thick brush, but there still is a chance to throw into their back yards making getting your disc back and adventure. As well as several fenced in Naval properties strewn throughout. It would take a terrible shot to land inside of, but it is still possible. And would probably be difficult to retrieve that disc as well.
6) Pretty long walk back to the parking lot from 18 compared to where you tee on hole #1
7) Minus a few of the longer holes on the back 9, you feel like you should be making birdie on every hole. This is a minor nit pick as this course appears to be designed for the recreational player.

If you want to take in some sights, get a mix of shot shapes and distances in, make some birdies, and not have to travel far off the interstate or from downtown Nashville, this course is a great one to stop in at. I won't wow you with it's difficulty or memorable holes, but it is definitely a solid course worth playing even if it has lost a lot of trees that once defined its identity.

The Naval Hill Disc Golf Course, tucked inside the City of Nashville's Shelby Park, is a great layout. It's played across and throughout a mostly open area featuring rolling grassy hills with a few wooded holes included in the design. Shelby Park has mature trees dotting the scenic landscape and lending themselves as willing obstacles to help shape the shots along the course. Views of the Cumberland River and glimpses of the Nashville skyline help set the tone to another of the area's many nice courses.

While many dramatic elevation shots could have been incorporated in the layout, the designer seemed to opt for more subtle changes by playing across the hills rather than strait up and down. Here the design paid off. There is a great mix of different less drastic elevation changes to keep it interesting without overusing a barrage of up/down down/up holes. With that said, there are some holes that take advantage of the hills. Perhaps the most fun was hole five which was a particularly good downhill shot bringing in a good use of elevation change. Although it could be considered a righty backhand friendly shot, there's hole eleven that is a conciliator with its right turning downhill shot with a punishing (and possibly irretrievable fence area) OB on the left.

Besides some artificial OB paths, roads, or the before mentioned fenced area, thoughtful uses of large mature trees and other natural features draw the course together nicely. Those who prefer a more wooded course will appreciate a time or where they can wet their whistle in the heart of the course with some tighter holes.

Plentiful parking is conveniently found near the beginning of the course. A course map kiosk, a practice basket, and a generous warm up area welcome you to the course while other amenities add to the overall enjoyment of the course. Typical tee signs lead the way around the course from the roomy concrete tees. Next tee indicators made managing navigation a snap. The always familiar DISCatcher baskets are employed and as usual, do the job. There is not a lot of places to take a bathroom break, but the parking lot did have a couple portable toilets available.

There is really not a lot to complain about here. It's a nice park, has above average equipment and features, and if mainly open/park style golf appeals to you, you will probably like this course. Anything else will be individual qualms and preferences.

For me personally, the course is on the bland side. There are a few holes with long positions (and this is purely a personal thing) that seemed long just for the sake of being long. I get the attraction of being able to "air it out" but sometimes I think holes like this are overrated. In my opinion, they should be reserved for landscapes that call for them by some dramatic landscape features or wow factors. And for me, being a wooded hole fan, the longer open holes had a yawn factor. The consolation is that long throwers will enjoy the holes, but the distance needed to profit on a couple of them is only obtainable by probably 20% of players leaving the other 80% bored or relatively unchallenged by the holes. But understandably, given the land available, these kinds of holes are necessary to create a diversified hole type throughout the course if not more importantly, the Nashville area. Again, this is purely a personal thing coming from a wooded course lover. Others will surly disagree and that's what makes having an area with diversified courses like Nashville so great.

Given the land available, there is a great use of resources here. As mentioned earlier I may not love open courses, but there are certainly folks who do and for them this will likely leave them well pleased. The park is in fantastic shape with what appears to be managed grass and general good maintenance. There are big and beautiful hardwood trees and just a general pleasant landscape.

Except for those who may not handle physical exertion or stand the heat on the hottest of days, this is a great disc golf course that should be enjoyed by all. For a little extra challenge, give it a shot on a windy day!

Naval Hill DGC is a nice course near downtown Nashville. It's situated on a large, mostly open hill above the Cumberland River, with views to the shipping yard across the river and to downtown Nashville's skyline. It one of the best urban park courses I've ever played. I also realized that my dream neighborhood surrounds the course. I don't know the name of the neighborhood, but they're building some mansions and you can walk to the disc golf course from your front door. If I win the lottery, I'm moving there.

+ The course is beautiful and well maintained -- and the views to the river and downtown Nashville are awesome. It's a gorgeous setting.

+ This is a fair, but challenging course that will test all skill levels. The variety is great, with all kinds of holes and obstacles to contend with: downhills, uphills, open, wooded, hyzers, anhyzers, an elevated basket, fast greens, long holes...it has it all.

+ The layout and use of land are top notch. The hill is huge and steep, but they managed to design holes crisscrossing two slopes, one towards the woods and neighborhood and the other bigger slope towards the river. The elevation is great -- a big plus for me.

+ Navigation was simple and intuitive and there are arrows on each basket pointing to the next tee.

+ The tee pads were big enough and in good shape.

+ This is an urban city park, yet I did not see any trash or vandalism anywhere. It's in perfect condition.

+ That extra hole! Why stop at 18 when you're on a great course?

I do have one big con: two holes are bordered by OB that could result in lost discs.

Hole 6 - This is a more wooded hole, with the basket across a small creek, 320 feet down the fairway and to the left (in the B pin position), or slightly to the right, on the same side of the creek, 230 feet away. When I played it, it was in the B position, so I just tried to groove a drive up the middle on the same side of the creek. When I walked down to my disc, I saw a house right on the edge of the fairway, near where the A pin placement would have been, with a big No Trespassing sign on it. I'm sure lots of discs fly into that backyard.

Hole 14 - This is a long hole (391' or 423', depending on the pin placement) playing across the side of the hill with a large OB area to the immediate right. As long and open as this hole is, it's very easy to flip your drive over and land OB. That's not the problem. The problem is, it's an abandoned naval facility behind a barbed wire fence. I did just that on my drive and assumed my brand new disc was gone. After I finished the round, I drove down to the road on the river bank where the front entrance to the naval facility is. I walked around and found a big gap in the fence that someone had cut. I was able to slip in and retrieve my disc. There's a sign that says that the facility is under surveillance, so do this at your own risk. It probably would be better to move this basket placement a little further up the hill (there's space to do this), so that the risk of flipping it over and landing behind the fence wasn't so great.

- Most of the course is very open. It's a nice change of pace from the heavily wooded North Carolina courses I'm used to, but a few too many unobstructed holes for my taste.

This course is a must-play if you're in Nashville.

- Bulletin board with course map
- Mature trees in a well maintained park
- Tee signs indicate pin position (most holes)
- Next tee signs aid in navigation
- Well textured concrete tee pads
- Good use of elevation
- Good use of available park land

These are all minor and don't really detract from course play
- Several tee pads elevated
- Several tee pads have cracked broken edges
- Some tee signs/next tee signs damaged

A great course for recreational to advanced play. Enough length and difficulty to keep good players occupied but not too much trouble for the rest of us to get into. A great course for a casual round.

Most of the issues with this course are minor and cosmetic. The lack of real "rough" means the course probably won't ever be challenging for top level pros but that doesn't detract from how enjoyable the course is.

That being said the use of the land is terrific. They took what from the surface looks like a few open acres in a metro park and managed to manufacture interesting lines and placement shots with the minimal trees available. Kudos to the local club/designer.

If you're in the area and have already hit up Seven Oaks and Cedar Hill definitely give Naval Hill a try! Great group of courses in metro Nashville.

I've waited forever for this course and it did not disappoint. Exactly the high quality I expected from Shelby Park. As soon as I parked and walked up I knew it was going to be nice. Pretty little putting practice circle with a bulletin board for local events. Concrete tee pads and signs are all brand new and nice. I like how the tee signs are low and out of the way but very descriptive. Baskets are suhweet and catch discs nicely. Each hole has a sign on the bottom that tells you where the next tee is located, which I found to be of great help the first time I played through. As a matter of fact the whole course flows very nicely and I never found myself really wondering where to go next. The open holes are gorgeous. True "disc golf" holes. Multiple shot lines and multiple pin positions for each hole. Excellent use of the elevation and terrain. Roads determine OB on a lot of the front nine and there are a few fences to contend with on the back nine.

The wooded holes are a great challenge as they tend to be shorter but much more control is necessary for that birdie shot.

There are multiple pin positions for each basket and just about every time I come out here something is different but it's always marked on the sign and easy to follow, which is nice. A few benches are scattered throughout right where you need them most.

Well, it's a new course so the rough is ROUGH. And I mean rough. I mean don't even throw anywhere near the woods on any hole or you will regret it. There also tends to be lots of garbage due to lack of garbage cans, though I believe a lot of it is from drive through traffic as well. And at Hole 11/12 there is a Turd Research Facility that stinks to high heaven and almost makes me throw up in my mouth. It was really hot out there the other day and I felt like I could taste it.

Naval Hill is Nashville's newest disc golf course. Located in East Nashville's Shelby Park, this course is extremely close to both downtown and East Nashville's excellent 5 Points area. Keep that in mind if you're in the mood for some pizza and beers after the round! I've seen other reviewers complain about the area but believe me, I've lived here for 8+ years, it's been gentrified 10 times over. If you want to completely avoid driving through the ghetto you can just take Shelby down to 17th and take a right. Takes you directly to Hole 1. If your still scared you should probably just go hide in a cave somewhere.

This course utilizes the land its built on perfectly. The views of the Nashville skyline are awesome! Despite being a rather open course, the layout makes it feel much more challenging and interesting. There are many holes that take advantage of the elevation changes the landscape offers. The pads and signage that are installed are high quality and all the baskets are brand new.

There's a lot of walking up and down large hills. The pathway from 8's basket plops you right into 9's fairway.

The course feels predominately left to right. Holes 11-18 are currently temp. with carpet tees and hand drawn signs.

For the space given by the city of Nashville, I would say this is an extremely well conceived course. Several holes cause you to sweat- several high risk/reward type shots.

I also enjoyed walking up to a tee-box and thinking, "that's a great pin placement".

For a rather "open" type park, they really managed to create diversity in difficulty and shot placement.

Great baskets, great concrete tee boxes, good signage.

Not all the teeboxes are finished.

A few times, I found myself walking way up or across a hill, to get to the next tee.

I think this course has great promise and potential.