1) Beautiful park that is very well maintained. There are adequate benches, trash cans, and signage throughout the course. Has modern restrooms and ample parking. A course that you can certainly tell right away the local club takes immense pride in and keeps in stellar shape.

2) Course signage is unique and very well done. Full color hole map depicting the multiple pin locations (sometime up to 4 different locations on a hole) and providing the distance and line to each. Course sign and hole signs are each framed with stained wood like a painting hanging on your wall and adds a nice, high status feel to the course.

3) Newer orange Prodigy baskets on the main holes (a couple alternate holes have the old DGA baskets). Large and ample concrete tee pads, some of which are maticulously landscaped around with mulch and flowers in some cases, adding that "special" feel to playing this course.

4) A solid mix of tight heavily wooded holes with a few wide open holes that mesh well together, giving you a break from carving lines the entire time.

5) Very intuitive layout without a ton of walking between holes, next tee signs are a plenty and you can play the course without a map if needed.

6) Two water carry holes that smartly provide an entire alternate hole that allows newer players to skip throwing over the water entirely. 3a and 9a.

7) The course smartly and intentionally, with change of pin location, can bridge the gap between recreational play and advanced to pro play. This course can be a fun challenge, or a brutal demanding beast based on where they decide to put the baskets. That flexibility is a great thing to have at your disposal.

8) Clear walking paths, most mulched completely out, and the "immediate" rough on both sides of the fairway is cleared out on the wooded holes while some of the deeper rough is probably intentionally left thicker.

9) The wooded holes rank very high on aesthetic beauty (but the open holes blandness kind of pulls down the overall course beauty). Holes #1, #9 and #18 are some of the most majestic wooded holes from a visual (and difficulty) standpoint and are top notch for starting/finishing holes as well. Look at some of the pictures posted on here for reference as I can't put into words well enough what the photos can.

10) Very little elevation, but what exists is utilized extremely well, especially when it comes to the low ceiling woods tunnel holes. This course forces you to throw low line drives, and rarely is the hole straight, asking you if you know how your disc flies and exactly when it likes to turn or fade. The shot shaping required helps this course rate very high for me.

1) No pin location indicators on the tee signs, and as the pin locations change randomly, it can be difficult to know where you are playing to without walking the fairways to find what location the pin is in.

2) The open holes are really bland and bring this course down from being rated as Phenomenal. Although they are all a little different, tight OB here or there, green tucked into a wooded inlet, etc they just don't rate or compare close to the wooded holes. Hole 4,6, for sure and holes 7,11,12,14, and 15 to a lesser extent feel like normal park golf, and in this case a different course entirely. I know they can only work with the property they have, but it's a shame there isn't more woods to work with.

3) The wooded holes set the bar so high that you are left either feeling disappointed by some of the open holes, or relieved by the open holes and getting out of the tight woods. Strange con really, because I think it's glorious that way, but if you are one of the people who dislike open bomber holes, just under half this course will be underwhelming and forgettable.

4) BITING CREATURES: While enjoying the beauty do not overlook the signs posted everywhere (especially the last 4 holes or so) that warn of biting creatures. Bees, mosquitos, wasps, hornets, snakes, and probably a Sasquatch or two are out there waiting to get intimate with you in a biblical sense. Be warned.

5) No multi-shot holes or decision making for landing zones as everything here is a Par 3. While excellent in the woods, this course could have benefited from some two shot, skill intensive gap hitting Par 4's.

I still remember the first time I played this course back in 2020 and being awestruck at how well maintained and beautiful it was (especially compared to everything else I had played up to that point). All the little nuances that the club added (framed tee pad signs, landscaped tee pads, mulched out fairways, putting an ace run hole right next to the main pavilion where everyone can watch you throw it). This course blew me away back then and showed me what "amazing" park courses be and still be free to play. Now 3 years later and having played a lot more courses, this course still holds up as excellent. If it were not for the lack of woods forcing multiple bland open holes, this course would rival anything else in TN for the best course there. Definitely worth a trip to experience, especially if you pair it with Barfield Crescent not far away when in the Murphysboro area.

Quiet, can be a parking lot full of cars and you might not see another person on the course. Great, varied terrain, water shot if you want to (sometimes it plays slightly unfair depending on the pin position as overhang trees can too easily swat discs in the water) but there is an alternate tee/pin if you don't. Just a nice course. Deserves its 4 stars.

Some holes are really hard to 3 let alone birdy.

Slowly becoming my favorite course in middle Tennessee. Always improving and just a good layout/mature area.

Variety - I feel like every hole is so unique at this course. There are only two or three that felt similar. I love the different feel of every hole. I also enjoy that they have a lot of the trademark holes of a good course, the long bomber, the tight woods, the water hole, the downhill hole, a hole where you have to go over the top.

Woods - I love wooded courses and this one seemed to have just the right amount of woods. I really enjoyed holes 16-18 and I felt they had true fairways but they were still tight. This course does a good job of having long challenging holes, (1&2 in the longs, 16&17).

Location - Part of why this course is awesome is because they picked an awesome place to put it. This course is at a multi-purpose park but I can't think of any holes where there is any interference. Very well designed. Teepads/signs are all very good. The land the course is built on is just beautiful.

Difficulty - The difficulty on this course is varying, and I really appreciate that. A perfect example is hole 3. There is an alternate that plays over water that is a fairly short shot, but you have to make a gap or your disc will fall in the water. 3a however is probably only a 200-225 shot but it has such a tight fairway, albeit a very clear one, that it is a challenging 3. There are also plenty of holes that are long, wooded, and even a hole that forces you to go over the top. It has it all, woods, water, tight fairways, doglegs, distance, elevation.

Traffic - I don't know if this is fair to list as a con, but this course is always packed. There is only one other course within about an hour and this one is always slammed.

These are the differences I'd need to see to give this a 4.5-5, I think this is an incredible course.

Distance - I'd like to see a few wooded holes that were a little bit longer. I really liked the wooded holes but I wish they had a few more long tight tunnels.

Alternate pins - There were a few, but I wish they had more alternate pins that changed the hole completely. For example, hole 1 has alternate pins but it just makes it a little bit harder with the same starting shot. I enjoy the alternate pins they do have but I'd like a few more that were a little creative.

Mosquitoes - There is literally nothing the course can do about this. I'm leaving this purely as a warning.

My cons are very nit picky. I would give this course a 4.25, I wish it was a little bit longer and had a few changes, but I love this course. Very good course, second best in the Nashville area in my opinion (Cedar is #1 in my book). I think the local club has done an amazing job with this course. Very very good course. I also agree that it could have a little more elevation, but I think they do a great job with what they have.

Parking area is good. The course is well maintained. Tees are some of the best in the area. Holes are adapted to most skill levels offering some short and some long throws to be made. Multiple basket placements makes it more fun to play.

Popularity of this course means that it can be very busy especially on weekends. Signs some are good and some are just not good. Can be a bit confusing to find the next hole. Some areas are almost too thick to wade through if you land in the rough.

Target 1: Throwing a decent anhyzer here will get you set up nice for the next throw where you could birdie.

Target 2: Though it is pretty much a straight inline throw if you hyzer here it can get you into trouble and make the disc hard to locate.

Target 3: Over water requires a decent hyzer throw some canopy can interfere you'll need waders if your throw don't make it. There's an alternate target non-water here too.

Target 4: Open throw here but as the seasons progress and foliage thickens hyzers will send you into a field of mess. Anhyzer too.much and your into rough wooded area. Distance driver is good to throw on this one.

Target 5: Target B requires a well placed anhyzer to reach it. If you makea bad throw here the rough isn't what punishes you as much as the trees blocking the way. Fairway driver or good midrange throw can set you up for a birdie.

Target 6: Allows you to throw long but much like #5 a hyzer will land you in the field which isn't a good place to be as the weather warms. Anhyzer can put youover a fenced area which make disc recovery a memorial experience. Distance driver good choice here.

Target 7: Begins open and abruptly funnels into woods with the target placed just inside the wooded area. Distance driver or faiway driver can reach this one but has the disc spins down trees come into play too.

Target 8: Well wooded targets although basically two paths to both target placements if you are going for the shorter distance then use an understable midrange and take the same path for the longer target.

Target 9: Big over the water throw likely the most challenging target on this course. Large rocks guard the face of the target. It gives an appearance of being.fairly open but there is enough wood and canopy hazards to interfere. Some times the deep sink hole here is without water other times its like a pond of mud. A flat stable throw with a distance driver will get you there but expect a birdie at best or use alternate tee.

Target 10: Distance or Fairway driver will reach here. Targets require holding a slight hyzer line. Just enough wood to deflect a disc that strays of line.

Target 11: Mostly open dog leg right with target unguarded as well. Off the tee to the right is woods and runs opposite and parallel to #10. Gravel access road is part of the fairway here too. Some use rollers here others keep throwing. Either way an anhyzer is needed to reach the target.

Target 12: An island of trees and rough guard the shorter distance target. The longer target is more open. Distance drivers work well here. Setting the throw to hyzer or follow the line of a gravel access road which curves along the right side of this target will help you get to the shorter target. Using a driver going left of the island with an slight anhyzer throw is a better choice for the long range target.

Target 13: Thirteen has a sharp dog leg right which requires a throw through a funnel of woods on each side of the fairway. The trees are tall so going over them is not really an option. Add to this that the.distance to the funnel area requires a disc to break early into an anhyzer. Some choose to try to cut over the edge of the right most trees. Others try to place the disc at the mouth of the funnel the use the second throw as a birdie attempt. Yet many try to work through with an anhyzer. The best throw I've witnessed here was using a slight anhyzer but throwing higher towards the left side of the funnel. This allowed the disc to slow and breal early into an anhyzer which glided through the funnel and onto the fairway on the otherside. It left the thrower with about a 50 ft. Putt to the target.

Target 14: Mostly open and straight. Distance or FW driver can reach.

Target 15: This is a favorite of many. An elevated tee offers a great throwing view to a wide open to the shorter target. You really get a graphic look athow your disc reacts when you throw as the complete unobstructed glide can be observed. The longer target offers a par 4 is only obstructed by the small island of tree in the middle of the fairway and just behind the shorter target. Use your snipper disc and let loose on 15.

Target 16: Narrow fairway that begins open then doglegs right and the target becomes more wooded. Requires a good throw with an anhyzer to get you in range of the target. Using the first throw to set up for a better approach throw is a.safe bet.

Target 17:
Straight and narrow fairway that is well wooded. Use of a distance driver with slow hyzer should land the disc close to the target.

Target 18: The final target again is well wooded and using an understable driver that glides late into a hyzer can find it's way home.

Really there are too many good points to this course to even focus on the negative ones. Overall it is an excellent course to play and offers a fair enough challenge to keep you coming back for even more fun and depending on how your throw is the day you play it can issue some punishment as well.

Multiple pin placements w/ great signage, well maintained, great variety, benches on every hole.

Located in a swamp so it can be soggy at times, and the mosquitoes in the summer keeps me from coming here all the time. I actually think they're attracted to deet.

I really like this course. I rank it #2 in the Nashville area to Cedar Hill. There as been a lot of work done since I last played a year or so ago, and its really improved footing and appearance. Its a challenge, but its fair.

18 hole course (plus 2 "alternate" holes) through a mostly dedicated section of a county park
- Terrific variety of hole settings ranging from short ones in the woods (200 ft or so), some medium ones and some longer open ones (up to 600 ft)
- Mix of straight, left, right, gradual or sharp turns, etc. - you need a wide arsenal of shots to score well here
- Nice concrete tee pads on each hole
- Multiple basket locations on the majority of the holes should allow for variety for regular players - significant distance can be added to some if the basket is in the long position
- Tee signs have hole map, distance, par and show each basket position - pole is marked with current location
- A lot of different types of obstacles - water/ponds, trees, cornfield, rocks, etc. create a nice-looking course
- The 2 holes that have water carries (3 and 9) have complete alternate holes (3a and 9a) that are easy to find and provide a nice option for young/new players or if you're just not in the mood to flirt with a lost disc
- Some real cool holes - #1 is a medium length wooded tunnel with a neat tiered/stepped area at the end, #3 is a scary hyzer over a pond, #4 and #5 has a cornfield as a boundary on the left for most of the fairway, #15 is a big, open downhill shot from atop a mound
- Planks/boards in some of the wooded areas appear to help if the course gets messy (it was pretty dry when I played)
- Practice basket in the middle of a "practice field" allows for warm-up
- Benches and trash cans found throughout the course
- Finish on #18 puts you right back at the parking lot
- Big bulletin board/kiosk for posting flyers, tournaments, etc.
- Set way back in the park, but signs guide you right to the parking lot next to the practice basket and hole #1

- Baskets are solid, but easily blend in on the wooded holes - had to walk up close to find them on a few holes
- The rough was pretty "sharp" (har-de-har) making for some not-so-fun retrievals of discs gone astray
- Not much elevation change, which would add some challenges, especially on the open holes
- Navigation was a bit tough in a couple spots (I think going from 2 to 3 and 3 to 4 had me hunting a bit)

- Tee signs in course pictures have been replaced by better, more accurate full color signs
- Course map available online is not on the kiosk - it does have an older, less accurate/descriptive map, so bring a copy of the online one or have it up on your phone to help with navigation
- Out near holes 14 and 15 were a couple historical/informative signs about the region and agriculture

This was another terrific course that added to my awesome opinion of the Nashville DG scene. This one will really test your skills, as there is not much room for error. I'll definitely be back to this one if I can.

Love how the course has several different obstacles and hazards. Love the use of the water obstacles, use of large boulders and rocks around the course, and literally love the corn fields and open areas.

Not many cons except for the few inacurate markings of baskets.

Really good course one of my favorites. Love to play over and over again. The hazards in a few of the holes are fun and interesting. Definitely enjoyable course.

This course has an awesome layout. Easy navagation. Plenty of risk/reward. Decent signage. Well manicured. Nice and quiet area of the park with little to no interaction with other park patrons. I had heard plenty of good things about the course and was not disappointed at all.

I am a big fan of water shots. Unfortunetly on this day, the water was almost completely dried up. Other than that, there was a lot of spider webs. I probably walked through a couple dozen of them.lol

All though I lost the very first disc that I had ever found, I still had a most excellent time.

Sharp Springs is a solid all-around course with a fun layout and great variation in design features. The course has Mach baskets with multiple positions on 12 of the holes, single position concrete tee pads that are in good shape, and nice, new color tee signs that depict hole locations and distance along with an indicator for current pin position.

The variation of the layout is one of my favorite things about Sharp Springs. The course takes you in and out of the woods providing both open and technical lines, gives you a good mix of left/right/straight fairways, and offers a good variety in distance ranging from 193ft to 600+ft. The course flows well from hole to hole but navigation can be tricky in a couple of spots if you aren't familiar with the layout (detailed map is available on the links tab, would recommend for first timers). The wooded holes have fair fairways, and the more open holes have fairways that are shaped by cornfields, fencing , tree lines, and out-of-bounds, which helps add to the aesthetic appeal and challenge of the open areas. The terrain is mostly flat with minimal elevations located throughout the course.

The stair-stepped green/approach on the first hole is a nice feature, and utilization of the water on 3 and 9 makes a couple of really neat golf holes. Hole 13 was very interesting as well, especially the small clearing in the trees for visibility of the basket location, very tempting (but high risk) to shoot for the tiny gap. There is a practice area/basket for warming up before your round, and the course appears to be kept up very well. The extra holes/tees on #3 and #9 are a great feature for beginners and unseasoned players who may not be able to make the shots from the long pads.

-The rough is very thick in some parts of the course, easy to lose discs.
-Mosquitos were terrible, even with spray.
-A couple of flat/low areas retain water.
-Minor navigation issues-Use map.

The course is fun and offers a variety of challenges for players of all skill levels. I would consider this course to be one of the top 3 in the Nashville area, definitely worth the stop if you are in the area.

This course has a outstanding layout compared to Barfield Crescent down the road. Very good mixture of wooded holes and open holes. Some holes have beautiful scenery that makes you just sit back and enjoy sometimes. The wooded holes are tricky but not impossible. Seems like they take very good care of the course as far as cutting away tree limbs, maintenance of holes and tees, etc. Will be challenging for the beginner and even the pro's. Benches at every other hole and also trash cans.

Not many cons except kids usually blare their music when coming into the parking area so its hard to tune it out on hole #1 and #12 but those are very small problems. Bugs are heavy during spring and summer so spray some OFF on you.

This is my favorite course in TN so far and its 10 minutes from my house. I love to come here just about every other day and let 'er rip! I would recommend this course to anyone if your in the area or even a out of towner. You wont be disappointed at all!

Lots of variety. NIce blend of long distance drives and short tight woodsy shots.
Beautiful clean course that is fun with challenges. Excellent water shots with alternates for scaredy cats. The pads and signs are pretty good and there are some benches and trash cans.

Being the only place to play in Smyrna this place is usually packed on a good nice day, so be prepared for patience. You also have your typical Tennessee course issues like nature and weather. It gets very hot and sticky here in the Summer and the ticks, mosquitoes and other critters are definitely a factor. Fall and late winter are perfect though.

My first ace was on number 9 over the swamp thing, which was my favorite hole that I would tell people about all the time. Lord of the Rings looking shot. It congratulated me for complimenting and promoting it with so much high praise I think.
I live very close to Cedar Hill and frequent all of the great courses in the area and this one sticks out as my favorite. I love Seven Oaks but there are too many woods and you don't get to pull out the drivers enough for my liking. I call this place Seven Oaks on steroids.

List of my favorite MIddle TN. courses:
1. Sharp Springs has everything all of our courses offer in one course.
2. Cedar Hill-.
3. Crockett Park-
4. Seven Oaks-
5. Barfield-

Lots of challenge and variety. Good concrete tee pads. Signs showing hole layout and multiple basket positions. There are heavily wooded holes, and holes with wide open fairways so you can really air it out. Most of the open hole have basket placements that are in wooded areas to add to the challenge. There are a few ace possibilities, but for the most part you need to earn everything you get. Course is located in a huge park. Lots of running, walking and biking opportunities. Course is separated from the rest of the park activities.

Shule can be thick and nasty in spots. Signs are old and could use an upgrade. Baskets are also older and could use some colors to help them stand out.

There are some really good holes on this course. 4 stands out to me as it is about a 200' shot over a large pond. The wind caught my Roc today and caused a nice splash down. Damn! I'm sure some pond-rat will enjoy the lightly beaten KC Pro donation. Hole 10 tees off from a hill, goes through the trees, over a small pond and into some large rocks at about 220'. Just a sweet ace run with some risk added in if you nail a tree or miss your line. There is also some risk if you hit the rocks and roll towards the water.

Overall this is just a real strong, varied course. Lots of woods, lefts and rights. Typical of the very good courses in the Nashville area. If you live in the South and rate the Charlotte area as the best there is, then don't sleep on Nashville courses. This course is typical of the quality you can expect.

March 2012 Update - Played this course again finally. Some very nice work has been done. Some drainage and erosion issues have been fixed with a very nice landscaping job on the #1 hole. They still have huge concrete pads, but it looks like some improved signs have been added. Everything is very clean and well kept. Still some nasty rough that can eat discs, but this course is tough and fair all the way around. Great mix of tight, fun wooded holes and longer open holes. But even the open holes play around heavily wooded areas so you are forced to hit lines and make shots.

The pond shot is actually about 275' or so to the pin. You need to clear about 200' of water and make it through a few trees to get to the basket. A really fun shot.

A few of the holes seem like they've added some longer, tougher alternate basket positions. Nice change if you want to see what you're really made of. I'd highly recommend this course to anyone lucky enough to be in the Nashville area.

LOTS of variety out here. Shots into the woods/ shots out of the woods/2 water hazards/corn hazards. Nice benches and concrete tee pads at every hole. Beautiful course.

The only con I can think of are the small crappy tee signs but they gave us a good idea of where the next basket was so no big deal. Also, I would have liked a tee sign at 3a.

This course was a lot of fun and well worth the drive. We played through twice before noon and only saw 2 other people the whole morning. Also, I have seen people in the reviews having trouble finding 3a (the water hazard). If you take an immediate right after basket 2 you will see a trail that crosses the road. The tee for 3a is right next to the water to the left of the park signage. Also, the mosquitos were not near as big a problem as I thought they would be by reading the other reviews. Just grab some bug spray and it's a non-issue.

Extremely well maintained, the locals should be proud of themselves. They were also friendly while we slow played until they could pass on the next hole. Info signs are always greatly appreciated even if they are paper.

My score was lousy, but it wasn't your fault! I expect to do much better next time through when I have an idea what is going on. Minor navigation issues as expected from the other reviews so no stress there.

Based on the prior reviews I chose this course while traveling by and was impressed. The variety of shots needed was challenging and enjoyable at my average skill level. I will go out of my way to play this course again.

Love the wooded holes reminds me of playing back home. Love the elevation changes not so many by the beach. I like the mix of open and wooded holes.

some holes can be hard to find.
lol not sure how much i liked the tight shot through the hole in the woods.

Lost brand new T-Bone on whole 9, what an awful bounce off a tree.

I played this course once and got lost. i hated it. But i went back yesterday for the first time in 4 months and absolutely loved it! theres some amazing wooded holes that have plenty of lines to the basket. and some open holes where long bombs are needed. hole 9 isdefinitely the signature hole! almost brought a tear to my eye lol i didnt want to leave it. hole 13 will make you laugh out loud. you can lay up or shoot a lazer straight shot through a tunnel that starts 50 ft away and is literally 4 ft wide! hole 15 will give you a great ace run being 270 ft down hill and wide open.plenty of benches and trashcans. helpful locals and great use of land. my new fav. course!

cons. hard to find hole 4 but once found the other holes just flow. during summer lots of thorn bushes! dont wana shank one. tons of mosquitos! and no where to park on busy days.

Beautiful and well maintained course. About half wooded and half wide open holes allow for variety. Not busy during the week. Concrete tees and hole maps every hole. It's a very peaceful place to play.

Some holes require practically threading a needle to drive, so luck can come into play. Next hole indicators are present near the pins, but sometimes difficult to find. There are a few places to lose a disc if you're not careful, including a private highly secured fence on the right on hole 6 or 7 that definitely does not allow trespassers. There's plenty of room to the left to play it safe though.

Watch out for hole 9, it's a big pond between you and the pin, surrounded by trees. There is an alternate hole 9 without water, for the less experienced and less adventurous players like myself. I played in the fall, so while I didn't have the corn rows to contend with, leaves covered the ground in the woods making it a little difficult to find a disc. I found myself wanting to mulligan about every hole just because it was so fun. Depending how many discs you have, you may need to use all or most of them because a variety of shots are required. I've been playing for 3 months and I shot a 62.

Tons of recent rennovations. Great course set up; hard to get lost.

Discs can be lost a bit more easily. Many thick trees, water hazards, bushes... etc.

Well shaded... Bring bug spray or you'll be sorry

this is my hometown course love hole 9 and alt 3 is my fav. this course is the best in the area ive heard lots of people comment on it thinking the same thing i also am the one who started putting bottle caps in the trails a friend from WI told me it was on a course there hope it catches on !

the water on 3 havent got the guts up to drive it the bugs in summertime maybe the city will spray it might help

looking to play with whoever, would like to learn more about the diff shots you can do havent been playing all that long

A lot of doglegs and well-placed baskets make for good strategy on a relatively flat course. Maybe 6 of the holes can be considered primarily open - the rest cut relatively tight paths through the woods. Even the open holes make good use of tree lines to force your direction. It's not simply a matter of staying straight on this course. There are times when it's essential to get to a specific side of the fairway. This is especially important for relatively short drivers like myself. Lots of favorites to choose from - the wooded first hole takes a gentle uphill curve right, and makes good use of a small gulley. The eighth is a fun wooded downhill, with the basket cut tight to the left behind a huge rock. The 9th has a 180ft carry across a pond, but there's an interesting set of layup options for the easily intimidated. And no matter what you choose, you're left trying to reach the basket through a small rocky rise. The 14th has a couple hundred feet of open ground from the tee, but the basket is crowded by a small grove of trees that require a sharp hyzer, or fantastic luck and aim, to get the disc close. The 16th-18th return to the woods, and require strong straight throws. Good tee boxes throughout (though the hole descriptions are just OK), and except for #3, it's pretty easy to figure your way around. I agree with those who commend the maintenance. My wife and youngest daughter played and walked with us, and as far as they were concerned there were plenty of park benches to watch and wait from.

The double mandos on 3 (the easy non-water option) and 5 seem to be more of a novelty than anything else. There isn't any advantage if you go left or right of the opening, so there's no issue for the better players. The mandos primarily play as a threat to weaker wilder golfers, and they are set just tight enough to cause frustration. That doesn't seem like the best use of a mando to me.

There aren't any alternate tees for different skill levels (except at the water holes), but the course is short enough that this isn't much an issue. My son and I didn't look very hard for the water tee on #3, but I wish we had. We just played the first tee we came across. There's another basket for #3 across a paved road, but I'm guessing this is not the basket that serves the water crossing - kind of hard to tell without further investigation. 40 degree weather for us, so bugs weren't an issue. There are double baskets on 15 - and it can play either less than 300ft or more than 700ft across an almost entirely open field. My son and I played the short hole both times - we couldn't pass up our only real chance for a birdie. The longer version didn't look like anything special to us - just a long haul across the field.