Hendersonville, TN

Sanders Ferry Park

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3.515(based on 37 reviews)
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9 0
PastorofMuppets
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 4.8 years 150 played 118 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Wide Open Spaces

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 23, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

What to Expect: A scenic lakeside course that is mostly wide open and features slight rolling hills, light tree cover, and some very long holes depending on pin position.

Amenities: Ample parking, multiple shelter houses, modern bathrooms and port o johns throughout, plenty of benches along the course, practice basket near Hole #1 and parking lot, trash cans spread throughout park.

Tees/Signage/Baskets: Large textured concrete tee pads (only slight knock is some of them are sloped a little instead of being completely flat which I could see making rainy day run ups slippery). Large Course Map Kiosk with all relevant information, Tee signs have all relevant information and contain a hole map with (on some holes) A,B, and C possible pin positions. (Again, slight knock for not having an indicator on the signs for which pin is in use, but the course is mostly wide open so it isn't too difficult to tell). Baskets are aging Discatchers some in better shape than others. There were a few baskets that were leaning and one appeared to have been tried to be pulled out of the ground as the concrete foundation was ripped up and leaning.

Water Features: Holes #14 and #15 are fun to throw, have a great view, and both have smartly added alternate tee pads for shorter arms and those not wanting to risk their plastic. #15 is a "scary" drive onto a peninsula, but you really have to get on one to go long into the lake on the backside.

Elevation: Probably the biggest saving grace for this course from a design standpoint is the rolling hills. It makes otherwise extremely bland open field shots and gives them some definition and challenge. Coupled with the length and alternate pins, this good but not overwhelming feature makes this course just interesting enough.

Extras: Some really scenic views of the lake worth noting on Holes #3-#7 and then again from Holes #11-#17 for those who like to take pictures. Course is divided into two 9 hole loops for those only looking to get in half a round. This is relevant because this course is quite long, especially if the pins are in the long pin locations.

Cons:

Open Hyzers: As noted, the majority of this course consists of quite open (one or two trees) to completely wide open (no trees) holes. This gets very old quickly, especially on the front side of the course after you finish Hole #3. The scenery is nice, and there are rolling hills and clumps of trees to break up the "open field" but it can get very boring very quickly. Couple the length with the fact there are very few Par 4's (that aren't just throw far into field, throw far into field, putt) and this course can have you wanting to head for the car after the front 9.

Safety Issues: The tee for Hole #4 is directly in the fairway line of Hole #3, Holes #11 through #13 are a disaster with walking paths strewn throughout and a forced walk back through the fairway of Hole #11 to get to Hole #12. The rolling hills also lend to some blind shots where you have to walk quite a ways to ensure no one, golfers or park goers, are at risk in the blind spots.

Lost Discs: High lost disc potential with all the water holes, this is mitigated by the alternate tee pads provided.

Design: The course design leaves a lot to be desired. With lack of pin indicators on the sign, lots of "hill" induced blind shots, and long distances used for mostly Par 3's you end up playing a LOT of stock safe hyzers. Being in the Nashville area this course has some heavy hitter competition for play and will be compared against the others nearby. A non memorable front 9 with mostly open hyzers with no imagination or technicality needed is a poor start. Multiple holes play into each other, at or through park shelters, walking paths, and a basketball court. With a mostly open park, I can't understand why the design would play towards where people are located unless purposefully trying to use existing structures to break up the openness. But there is a right way to do that, and this course isn't that.

Wind: Not really a knock as much as a warning. This course is basically on a peninsula that juts out into a lake. There will almost always be wind. Be prepared as super windy days can become majorly frustrating.

Drainage: There are multiple low spots that flood with rain. The day we played there was a virtual lake between Hole #5 and Hole #6 and made playing them and not landing in water an issue.

Poop: As I'm certain probably most every reviewer has stated below, this course is covered in poop. The geese here must hate disc golfers because they tried to cover the entire course and every surface possible.

Other Thoughts:

This is just an ok course. It doesn't wow you and the lines don't challenge you to the point you want to keep coming back to get revenge on it. The quality just isn't there to compete with the other courses in the area. While possibly worth playing once while in the area (preferably on vacation, RV'ng, or Camping maybe) it is certainly not a destination course. I had played Cedar Hill the morning before hitting this on our way home and the let down after playing Cedar Hill and then playing this was real. I was ready to go home halfway through but stayed to give it a fair chance. Again, not a bad course at all, just not memorable, and not worth a dedicated trip.
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5 0
njgrosser
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 46 played 36 reviews
2.50 star(s)

I Hope You Like Wind... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 3, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Multiple Pin Placements: Even though they aren't great (see below), there are multiple pin placements on most holes to add some variety to regulars of this park.

Concrete Tee Pads and Signs: The tee pads are big and in good shape, and the signs for each hole do a good job of showing where the baskets are if you can't explicitly see them from the tee.

Scenic: The park itself is pretty scenic. The lake views are nice. We even saw some wildlife on the edges of the lake.

Cons:

Hole Design: This is one of the least imaginative course designs I've played, especially in the Nashville area. Over half the holes, especially in the front 9, are extremely open throws with no real difficulty to them. There are several times where holes are playing into each other; in other cases, park shelters, walking paths, and a basketball court come into play. This is inexcusable with the amount of open land remaining in this park. The park has some trees and wooded areas, but they also were poorly utilized in the course design.

Wind: The park is situated on a peninsula of the lake, meaning it. is. always. windy. A little wind is not usually a problem; however, the winds here range from a challenge to a huge frustration. It makes approaches and putts especially difficult, and will have a negative effect on your score during gustier days.

Baskets: The baskets are pretty old, and the chains could use some work. There were a couple times where I had a chainbanger that would have caught in a newer basket, but bounced off of these chains and not into the basket.

Water Holes: This is a personal con and not a universal opinion, but I do not understand the allure of a 200' throw over a lake, especially with the unpredictable winds you see at this park. That being said, for this course, it feels odd having an extremely basic, easy layout for the majority of the course, only to be thrown two bombs over the lake for #14 and #15. They do have alternate tees where the water is less in play, which is nice.

The "Lake" Between #5 and #6: I'm not sure why this happens, but there is a ton of standing water between the fairways of #5 and #6. We actually ended up teeing off from about 30' to the left of #5 to avoid the water. Based on the mud in the area, it looks like it was significantly bigger recently than it was today, and today it was borderline problematic. I'm not sure how this looks in the summer, but in the wettest parts of spring it may make these holes unplayable.

Poop: There was poop everywhere. I think most of it was from geese, but some of it may have been from pets. Just be careful when you're out there.

Other Thoughts:

This course is definitely not one of the "destination courses" in Nashville. It is on the end of a peninsula in Hendersonville, making it tough to get to from anywhere south of the lake/river. I would consider it a "beginner" course based on the overall course design, but the wind and the two water throws can increase the difficulty substantially.

To me, it just doesn't match up to the quality of several other courses in the area, and if you are not near Hendersonville, it's not really worth playing often. If you are looking for a beginner-friendly course, there are better courses more easily accessible from the downtown Nashville area.
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4 4
ShopTom.com
Experience: 15.9 years 33 played 15 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A tale of two courses. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

The first half of the course is great with logical flow, shot selection, maintenance, and comfort. Our groups lefty was very happy to have an advantage on a couple holes at our skill level. Not crowded, safe and scenic drive.

Cons:

The second half of the course is a lot of criss cross walking with no pay off. The water holes are an interesting twist, but not worth the effort in the end.

Other Thoughts:

Play the first 9 twice and skip the other side of the tracks! Signs were updated with paper inserts which greatly helps when they match the course.
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10 0
bjreagh
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.7 years 350 played 321 reviews
2.50 star(s)

DG on the lake 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 12, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Very scenic course as the park is surrounded by water. There are views of the lake from almost every hole, and water comes into play on a few of them, including 2 that require over-the-water shots.

Good signs. Picnic shelter near the parking area and restrooms.

Cons:

People often fish and picnic on the landing areas of the 2 over-the-water holes. (Locals don't seem to realize they are in the way and are about to be hit in the head with a hard fast projectile!)

The bad thing about throwing over the water is the long walks around the inlets to get to the basket. #16 and #17 teepads are next to each other, meaning you have to walk back up 16 after you play 16 to get to 17.

I believe this is a course that started out as 9 and later became 18. 18 holes is great but the flow is just not the same as it would have been if all 18 were planned from the beginning.

Other Thoughts:

Pretty course. Not too difficult.

The course as a whole is not too thrilling for me to play, but it is not a bad course either.

Others are rating it very high, but I don't see this course nearly on the same level as others close by like Cedar Hill.

Keep in mind a 2.5 rating is still a good course to play, just not a "must play in the US" type course.
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