- Nice park. The bulk of the course is away from other park activities.
- Challenging tournament level course.
- Lots of variety of shots and several very unique holes.
- Fantastic use of elevation.

- No shorter layouts. The course isn't very beginner friendly and is arguably not MA2/3/4 friendly.
- Navigation is a touch tricky. Finish the first hole and you see an arrow that takes you to a tee pad. But that is hole 11. There are also arrows that take you to a path to left and would have you walking a very long time to around hole 7. Hole 2 is to the right of hole 11. Things get a little simpler once you get past hole 2.
- There are a few misleading tee signs. Hole 2 looks like a big hyzer on the sign and it is a straight shot. Hole 10 looks like a big forehand or turnover and it is a just a gentle bleed right at the end of the shot.
- Grueling walk with all the uphill shots and mostly blind shots.

This is a tough course for me to rate. I objectively know that it is a very good course. But i did not enjoy it. I played this course early in my disc golf career and I wasn't ready for it. So this revisit several years later was effectively like a first round there for me. First rounds can be frustrating, but this one was one of the most frustrating rounds of my life.

The wooded portion of the course was absolutely covered with leaves, several inches deep. I slipped and slid all day trying to go up and down hills. Also, the terrain is very rocky and uneven and would be a massive trip hazard even if you could see where you were walking. To add to that, the combination of leaves and blind shots meant that a round with a buddy was close to 4 hours, with probably half of that looking for not particularly poorly thrown discs. Add in the lack of fairways and the massive elevation changes and there were a few holes where I was throwing 4+ before I even had an idea where the basket was located. I threw a handful of shots exactly as I planned and ended up in jail because I simply didn't know where I was throwing. I generally love wooded golf, but it was a great relief to get out of the woods and to the open holes.

I think this is a course that you have to play a few times to truly enjoy. It is obviously a very challenging course and for the most part, I enjoyed the shots where I knew what I wanted to accomplish. As a semi-local, I'm sure I'll be back and update my review.

Update: I played here again. Without total leaf coverage, the fairways were discernable and navigation was significantly easier. I still ran into a few holes (most notably 3) where I executed a shot well and put myself in a significantly worse position because I guessed wrong on pin location. Even though some parts are wonderful (the 3 holes where you throw out of the woods into the open are some of my favorite holes anywhere), I found the round frustrating. I'm holding my 4 star rating because I feel like it is a 3.5 star course if you don't know it well and it is a 4.5 star course if it is part of your regular rotation.

The Panther Creek disc golf course is a gold level design. The course winds through a predominantly wooded section of the park. Though it does open up on a few holes or parts of a few holes. The course generally stays away from any other park activities, with the main entrance road being your only real concern on a couple holes.

The baskets here are Innova Discatchers with the yellow top bands. The bands are starting to fade a bit but still stood out nicely in the shade of the woods. Definitely a plus on a course of this length and topography. They were all mounted nice and level and caught great. All had the hole # in black on the band, facing the intended angle of approach. One pin position per hole.

The signage is nicely done here. There's a large sign at each tee showing a basic hole layout, next tee arrow, hole #, par and distance. All the info you need. There were also many next tee signs, though many were missing. There's a kiosk by the first hole with a nice large course map with pars and distances listed as well.

The concrete tee pads are all adequately sized and have excellent grip. One tee pad per hole.

The design of this course is top notch for the most part. You'll be required to execute left and right bending shot shapes as well as threading the needle down some tight lines in the woods. The elevation usage here is done tremendously. You play up, down and across the slopes pretty much the whole round, but it gives you a chance to catch your breath unlike a lot of courses having this much up and down play.

The course is permanent and free to play. Shocking to see for a course of this caliber. I also like the fact that the course can be played as either 1 through 9 or 10 through 18, with the 2 sections ending near the parking area. This would be a much better option for newer players or if you're short on time.

The tee pads, while still level and intact, are starting to erode away around quite a few of the ones in the woods. It seemed more pronounced on the front 9, but I suppose there's more wooded holes on that section.

The design for hole 10 wasn't my favorite. It plays pretty massively uphill for 2/3 of the hole before turning probably 70 degrees to the right, into the woods and back down the hill. It's been mentioned in a previous review already, but it's just kind of a weird hole. I liked the rest of the course design, just didn't care for this one much.

The hole map for hole 10 is also a bit deceiving looking. It seems to bend much more to the right than it indicates on the map.

Though the course is not by any other park activitiies per se, there are trails through the woods so people will end up walking the fairways or crossing fairways from time to time. Not really a con, just something to be aware of.

There were a few too many open holes for my liking, especially to finish the round. 4 of the last 5 are pretty much wide open shots. Just kind of a lackluster ending to an otherwise technical round.

I'd be nice if they eventually added some shorter tees to accomodate the vast majority of players who can't throw 500'. At least on some of the holes.

I'd definitely recommend this course to any above average players coming to the area. This is definitely not a beginner or really even intermedite level course. But that's not what it was designed for. There's other courses in the area geared more toward players of that skill level. Hell, this course is above my skill level, but it was still very fun and I knew what I was getting myself into.

With that being said, I was expecting more teeth out of this cat after reading all the reviews. Don't get me wrong, it's hilly and tiring for sure. It's just not as brutal as I was expecting. I suppose in the heat of the summer or it not being the first course played on this road trip might change my opinion. But that's just how it felt to me. Loved the design for the most part and would gladly play it again though.

Beautiful area with a surprising amount of options, and seemingly really solid ones at that. But this is clearly the biggest, baddest course of the bunch in Morristown.

Championship level course, lots of distance, huge elevation changes, if this is what you are looking for, Panther Creek has it.
Good, large, concrete tee pads.
Good tee signs, all the necessary information and a hole layout.
Disc Golf exclusive part of the park, should be no other interactions. (You do have to cross the park road once, then again when you are done.)
All the DISCatchers are all in good shape.
5 Par 5s, 7 Par 4s and 6 Par 3s. Total Par 71, much like a golf course.
Restrooms and plenty of parking at the start, you even have a 4-500' field to cross to the practice basket and First tee, if you want to warm up.
#1 and #10 start very near the Practice basket, so you can play either 9. Or, there are layouts for a "flat" nine and a "hilly" nine.

Only one set of tees and baskets. So if you go to Panther Creek, you are playing the Championship layout. I debated whether I wanted to play a 9600' layout, through the woods and with large elevation, but decided I had to see what it was like.
Very few benches on the course (if I missed some, my bad), I do remember the picnic table at the top of the hill after #5 and #11, but don't recall too many others.
Several of the holes did have some strange lines to hit:
#6 - top of the hill tee, downhill, then sharp turn to the left, straighten it out, then further left to the basket, all in thick woods.
#13 - open tee shot to begin, then you have to pick a tight line through scattered trees, before the fairway drops down and crosses an open field, 590' Par 4.
#16 - a gradual downhill Par 3 at 365', open off the tee, then low ceiling trees most of the way, turning right to the basket protected behind more trees. It seems like one set of the tree obstacles would be enough, but both sets?
Pretty steep drop off from the tee pad on #9. Be careful on your follow-thru.

No doubt about it, I am not a Championship level player. I struggled at PC, came away with no birdies, and just tried to survive the uphill holes. But I'm glad to say I've played it, and all the other courses in Morristown, on the same day. I started at Kiwanis as a "warmup", then played PC before it warmed up too much.
So why am I reviewing a C-level course, a layout well above my game? I read some of the other recent reviews for PC and realized that some of the Cons others saw were not just faults with my game, others felt they were Cons also. Primarily the design of some of the holes, not too many, but enough to affect the rating.
There definitely are some memorable holes, a lot more interesting than playing a 9000' + course laid out on a golf course:
The large, rock covered green for #3, was pretty cool.
#4 is an awesome hole, after clearing the trees and reaching the top of the hill, the downhill approach shot of 350' was a blast on this 660' Par 4.
After playing #8 at Fox Chase, I thought I had found possibly the Steepest Uphill Hole in Disc Golf, then I played #5 here, 520' with the last 400' or so straight up and in the woods, this is my nominee for that title.
#10 is one of those, tunnel tee shot, uphill through a clearing, then turning right and downhill through the woods to the basket, 750' Par 5 hole. Every course has one of those, don't they? An awesome layout!
I thought I would never reach the green on #11, through the woods, sidehill lies, for the first half, then up the main hill to the basket behind ferns, also large rocks most of the way up. It plays much longer than its 620' length.
After coming off the hill on #13, and crossing the entrance road, #14 let's you catch your breath with a mostly open, gradual uphill Par 4.
#15 gives you an awesome hilltop tee, across a wide open valley, then tightens down through a wooded tunnel to the basket.
I normally like to see a challenging, tough finishing hole, #17 fits that bill here. #18 is a rather soft, mostly open, 365' Par 3. It shouldn't produce much score variance, but the Championship level players will need to birdie that to keep pace.
If you want to see how your game stacks up versus a very high level, don't bring your cart, but give Panther Creek a try, you'll be glad you accepted the challenge.
With this being the last of my Morristown, TN reviews, I have to agree with this town being named one of the Best Disc Golf Small Towns in the world. Four 3.0 and above courses, all with #1 and #10 starting from the same area (in case you only have time for 9), in this small town. Plus, with the Tri-Cities and Knoxville courses only 30-45 minutes away, Morristown should be in strong consideration as a Disc Golf Mecca!!

Long, tough with a good mixed of woods and open shots as well as uphill and downhill. Provided some fun epic bomber shots.

Navigation was easy with directional markers on most holes.

Park facilities were very good. Good practice/warmup area.

Several field holes would require regular mowing. Holes 7 and 10 share the same field which was Unmanageably long today.

Very tough to play blind since most baskets were not visible from the tee and a couple not visible after 2 throws.

Tee pads had a lot of drop offs around them. Mostly the back of the pads.

1 or 2 broken signs but still there.

Probably more like a 4.25, save for the couple of unmown holes. I really liked it. It is a very tough walk though. Par is Probably slightly elevated maybe 69 or 68 would be more accurate . Pretty Much all of the par 5s are basically hard par 4s. Par 4s are generally gettable except hole 5 which plays straight uphill. Par 3s are all a tough 2 except maybe hole 2.

There's something I've noticed a difference in some of the newer high-caliber courses that I absolutely love: fairways that follow the real flight patterns of a disc. Like, perfectly. Flex and everything. It's one thing to have a dogleg, or an obstacle to get around, but those fairways that you can just pure the whole way down with the right throw. It's truly the best part of the game short of an ace. This is what Panther Creek can deliver. IF you can execute!

This course is challenging, but soooooo rewarding. The best part of a championship course is when you nail a drive, maybe a couple on a long hole, and see the birdie in front of you- just 50-60ft away.

The elevation on this course is pretty wonderfully used. There are some long downhills (#4 might be in my top 10 holes just because of the huge anny I landed right on the green from the top of the hill). The uphills can be incredibly steep (#5 was probably one of my least favorite holes of the course).

The rough. Is. ROUGH. I lost three discs in the waist-to-chest high grass. After looking for over 45 minutes. I don't mind being punished for throwing off the fairway, but I don't like losing my disc for it (unless it's water, then I understand and chose to take that risk)

Thee pads are little small, but that's already been addressed in other reviews.

But here's the real hold back of this course: The luck factor. On many of the holes, there's just a few too many trees to complete the clean line to the basket. You can throw a pure drive 300ft only to dink off a tree on the line the rest of the fairway ushered you towards. It would be different if it was a small gap, or a cluster that forces you to choose right or left, but a full army of guardian trees on a course like this adds strokes to an already high-par round.

Panther Creek could be one of the country's top courses with a tad more maintenance and a few trees cut. There was so much land cleared for this course, that an obvious investment has been made. I can't wait to see it on the National Tour, or whatever that's turned into nowadays. It's just a matter of time until we see this course on Jomez or CCDG. I can't wait for that!

Panther Creek doesn't let up! Come prepared to sock it out in a tough, grueling, hit for hit round. I would love to play it again in winter when there's less greenery, and the grass is shorter. Until then, totally worth a trip!

(4.155 Rating) Championship style course with intense elevation changes. Beginners thru novice level players are advised to stay clear.
- UNIQUENESS - I'm a big fan of monster courses that require course management and test all aspects of my game. Panther creeks delivers these aspects better than just about every course I've ever played to date (289 courses played as of this review.) A par 71 with numerous shot planning par 4s and par 5s. Sign me up. Hole (9) is an awesome downhill bomb-it without worry par 4 that looks out over a section of the park. There is only a few things more exhilarating than bombing 400 foot drives for a player that typically throws in the 325 foot range. Hole (4s) high left twisting lane threw the trees is as clear a day, but can you hit it. A standard FH or BH throw just won't cut it on this hole. Several holes dogleg in both directions. Insane up and down plays, see the pro for elevation below. The only missing element on this course is water. Also, the last five holes and especially Hole (18) are an uninspiring way to finish a layout.
- ELEVATION - Epic, the most elevation I've ever played in a course. From analyzing the topography map, it appears that holes (5) and (11) both just eclipse the 100 foot mark. Both are uphill and throwing from this fairway slope will play much different than flat terrain. Several downhill plays between 40 and 80 feet down but unfortunately no true top of the world plays. Hole (9) is close to this notice, but the grade change on this hole isn't enough to qualify in my book.
- CHALLENGING - A very demanding course that will have advanced players coming back for more. Currently I'd place this course in my top ten most difficult but a ways back from courses like Roy G in Austin or Jack McLean in Tallahassee. I see intermediates averaging 5 or 6 over here and 960 advanced players average par. Players that are balanced between power and accuracy will win the battles against players that are one trick ponies.
- RAW BEAUTY - Words like awe-inspiring, breathtaking and majestically terrifying seem appropriate. currently in my personal Top Ten, along with courses I've played named, Lake Claiborne, Rollin Ridge, New World, Inverness, Mahr Park and Harmon Hills. Hole (1) starts off pretty bland, but once I entered the woods it was golden for like a dozen straight holes. Hole (11) is has herculean beauty to it. Rock face after rock face on a 30 degree slope (that's the incline of typical stairs).
- CHARACTER - Above average but one of the weaker links on this course. Concrete tees, but probably too small for the intended audience, see cons Tees. There is a nice pregame area complete with benches, course map, community board and practice basket. The baskets are DISCatches are can be seen very well in these thick woods compared to other baskets choices. There are restrooms and shelters in the park, although unfortunately not very close to tee (1). I saw discs at the main park office building but it was closed.....on a Saturday?!? Missing items include multi tees and alternate basket locations. The course also needs a lot more seating, see cons, Seating.
- PICNIC TABLE ON TOP - There is only one pit stop area on the entire course. There's a picnic table located at the course's highpoint between tees (6) and (12). No doubt the best location if they only had one picnic table to use.
- NAVIGATION - Pretty good for a younger course and I only looked at my picture of the map once which was after hole (13). A bunch of laminated letter sized navigational cues between holes and also intuitive paths as well. Hole signage show next tee direction and the course map is just detailed enough to get a general sense of where a player is.

I love epic courses, but Panther Creek will have to deliver more than just that aspect to go higher in my personal favoritism and in my rankings.
- TERRAIN - Players that have bad knees or ankles need to stay clear of this course. There are tons of rocks and roots to stub a toe or twist an ankle on. It is not logical to bring a disc golf cart here. A player that does will regret it. The course is also very energy draining. I don't advise playing Harmon Hills and Sugar Hollow the same day like I did before coming here.
- SEATING - One picnic table on the entire layout, a combo use for tee (6) and (12). Considering that the Zuca will need to stay in the car for this one, players will constantly find themselves looking for rocks to take a break at. It's not acceptable for this course to have been in the ground this long and be this elevated and not have more seating.
- SIGNAGE - Better than average, but for a newer championship style course, the course map and hole signage are disappointing. The signs at first glance look detailed, but it's just textured shapes. They are ineffective in aiding to plan a line. First time players will often have to choose between running up fairways to check for baskets or throwing blind and saving energy on what is likely a very elevated walk. I do realize that's it's difficult to produce signage for moderate and heavily wooded courses but I've seen it done much better before.
- TEES - 5 foot by 12 foot concrete pads would be more than adequate for 90 percent of the courses out there. However, for this to be a championship style course they need to be larger. In addition, the tees need some serious reinforcement along the sides. Several holes have the base of the slab exposed due to erosion. Tee (11) has already cracked in two. Without re-shoring the sides, I could see 3 or 4 more tees cracked by the end of the year.
- FORGIVENESS - A couple lines appear bordering on the line of unfairness, namely (6) see cons below. Regardless, of the line to the basket, missing the chosen line and resulting ricochet can have disastrous consequences. On my drive on (10) I sliced into an impenetrable overgrowth area on the right. Not a good place to be and I lost my disc. This is just one example of numerous places not to throw a disc. In addition, due to the rocky slope terrain, death rolls and damage to plastic is very likely going to occur.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Way too difficult for beginners and perhaps some recreational players as well. If you haven't played over a hundred rounds of disc golf, this course will eat you alive. A saw a family playing out here and I felt impelled to tell them that this is not the course to bring a 5 year old to play. I held off. There is only one set of tees and they seem about upper middle advanced skill aligned.
- HOLE 6 - As I was climbing the 100 foot uphill hole (5), I kept thinking to myself that I was now going to get a signature downhill play where I could observe a 400 to 500 run to the basket 100 feet below. Standing on tee (6) was a major disappointment. A 400 foot poke and hope blind 90 degree bending par 3. The lane in the beginning of the tee shot is well defined, it just narrows and narrows and then dissolves into no lane about 250 feet down fairway.
- NO EPIC DOWNHILL PAR 3 - There are six par 3s. Three of them are downhill. None of these 3 baskets can be seen from the tee. This was a surprising omission as every other extreme course I've played always gave me one of these signature looks. I did like the RHFH 'S' line on (12), I just wish that I could been seen my park job from up top.
- TIME PLAY - Panther Creek is going to take a chunk out of your day. This one took me over 90 minutes solo. I could see a group of four seasoned players playing at around 3 1/2 hours.

An instant favorite of mine. I could argue with myself that Panther Creek is most extreme course I've ever played. No doubt it's in my top 4 most extreme courses I've ever played along with Inverness, Mahr Park and Austin Ridge Bible Church. There are five main reasons I have two of those three courses rated slightly higher than Panther Creek and it's tees, seating, design, multi tees and water plays, but also a few other minor things as well. Panther does however offer a touch more length and uniqueness with the amount of par 4s and 5s, which was awesome. Despite the epicness of the layout, there will be some that hate this course due to the punishment it can deliver. So be warned beginning players, this course will continue to kick you, even while you are still down.