A short (but not overly short) and wooded (but not overly wooded) 9-holer that makes for a good warm-up or wind-down.

Shepherd has decent amenities, with concrete tees, fine baskets, and tee signs that include a verbal description of the hole shape. The terrain is also pretty good, with some short hills and plenty of well-carved woods to introduce challenge, but a couple of holes that feel a little more open. Other than the (3)-(4) and (4)-(5) transitions, navigation was pretty easy and intuitive.

The gameplay is a difficult recreational-level challenge. The woods will require accuracy, but the distance is short enough that it's still accessible to non-advanced players. The course opens with simple RHBH hyzers, but in the second half requires touchy tunnel shots and a right turn. The elevation definitely plays in to the mix, as a birdie drive will need to have decent angle control to stay parked and not make for an awkward straddle putt. (The elevation will also challenge you to see how comfortable you are at putting on non-flat ground.) I didn't really get in trouble here, but I think it would be fairly scramble-able.

Overall, Shepherd is a pleasant little course. It's got a little meat on the bones that make it not a total birdie fest, but there's definitely the possibility of trying to post a great round as well. As noted above, I think this would be a great course to warm up for or cool off from a day of disc golf--interesting, but not exhausting.

The first and main con is definitely the maintenance here. Two baskets were missing when I played, which really sucks some joy out of a short course; they should ask East Brainerd for two of theirs. (UPDATE: Baskets have been replaced, which is a nice surprise!) I can't remember which ones, but at least two tee signs were gone or unreadable as well. Overgrowth looks like it could be an issue in the summer months if you ricocheted off a tree.

The baskets and tee sign situation also made for a little bit of tricky navigation in the (3)-(6) range. I found the basket to (4) before the tee. Then, it was a long, unmarked walk to (5), then a short backtrack to (6), which wouldn't have been an issue except that there was no sign to look for.

I have a couple of gripes with the design as well. (4) is the main offender, a dogleg so sharp that you'll need to play for a tree ricochet to be parked. The shape of the turn on (6) also seemed a little off to me, but not as bad.

There are also some safety things. I very nearly clunked the building, which is definitely in range of a reasonable shot on (7). On (8) you'll need to watch for walkers. In terms of the player's own safety, there are lots of tree roots and slippery pine straw hills that could easily roll an ankle.

It's also worth pointing out in the cons that this is a limited course. Nothing over 300' constricts the gameplay possibilities quite a bit. It's good for what it is, but it's not disc golf wonderland.

Shepherd is one of those nine-hole courses that is just fine but doesn't have much uniqueness. It's like having three crystals of sugar placed on your tongue--faintly sweet, but not a memorable experience. Come and play some simple woods holes, then move along to an 18-hole course to actually have your game challenged.

(2.123 Rating) An entertaining short and technical 9 hole course.
- TEES - For a nine holer, really nice tees. Concrete and 5 feet wide by 12 feet long and all of them were in great condition. Tee (2) however did have the back of the pad's foundation exposed.
- RAW BEAUTY - Above average. Seven of the nine shots are fully wooded and pleasurable to play. Not 5 star looks on these holes but I'd give them a solid 3 overall. There is a chain link fence from the dog park that comes in view but its impact was minimal. Hole (7) and (8) were the only slightly below average looking holes.
- ELEVATION - Every hole on this 9 hole course has some elevation to it. Nothing all that major but every hole varies between 10 and 25 feet. Hole (3) was my favorite being a 20 to 25 foot down shot pocketing to the right.
- SHOT SHAPING - Just about every tee shot has a defined line that will require the disc to move. (4) is an insanely difficult uphill left bender where it seems to border on fairness.
- QUICK PLAY - Like just about every 9 hole course, it seems like you can get in and out on this course in 30 minutes solo. Figure a group of four in less than an hour.

A solid 9 that most will wish it were18.
- NAVIGATION - Mostly not too bad but it could be much better. I spent about five minutes looking for tee (5). There is no course map on site and the one on DGCR is particularly confusing on the (4) to (5) transition. Backtrack back down (4s) fairway for about a hundred feet and there's a 6 foot wide unmarked tunnel pathway. The course could really use a few well placed directional cues.
- CHARACTER - The basic are good. Nice Chainstar baskets and solid tees as stated in the pros. However after nailing these two items, everything else comes up short. For starters, the hole signage is almost useless. No extra tees or alternate basket locations or practice basket. No seating at the tees either.
- UNIQUENESS - Not to be confused with shot shaping (see pros), Shepherd lacks the diversity of your average 18 hole course. There are no water features other than dry washes and elevation as mentioned above, is limited to 25 feet on any one given hole. There are no dogleg holes or par 4's or 5's. There is one big left bending shot, but no shot however bends that much in the opposite direction. The only time I didn't throw RHBH was on (3) where I flicked one.
- FORGIVENESS - Not all that bad but missing your shot can be quite punishing on a few areas of this course. The overgrowth can be thick but its generally not oppressive.
- SHORT - Wow, the longest hole out here is 270 feet. Many players will need nothing more than a midrange unless they throw half effort drivers for large arcing plays.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - Although I didn't shoot well, I still feel that this course seems most appropriate for rec level players. In addition to the short length, the lanes are adequately spaced for those rated over 850. Figure the average rec player will shoot around par out here. Advanced players shooting this course will probable average 5 to 6 down.

A fun little 9 that will entertain those that live within a few miles. I have it rated about 1/4 point higher than two other 9s I've played in the area, Portland Park and 9 on Top. Unfortunately Shepherd is not going to test a players skills like that of The Sinks or Camp Jordan, but I'd be willing to bet that the purpose for this course was to be more rec friendly, mission accomplished. The course will work well for those newer to the game and build up a player's skill so they can go play the before mentioned courses. In all however, this is not a destination course for those outside of town unless they are trying rack up as many courses as possible.

Another course to add to the Chattanooga flying disc scene. Great use of the land and lots of elevation changes. The course has a very wooded and technical feel. Although it's only 9 holes, you feel like you've played more because of the distance and all of the hills. All of the baskets are in great condition and it looks like the developers are going to lay concrete in the tee box areas soon. I really liked that I got to throw up hills, down hills, and a few flat and open shots. Variation is key.

Although things look ready for concrete to be poured, the task has yet to be done. This makes it very inconvenient when the best spot to tee of from for each hole is virtually unusable. I either had to shorten my run up or throw side arm. Also, the are no signs so I had to walk ahead of each hole to see what direction the hole was in. The course also crosses a walking path on a few holes. This isn't a huge problem because there usually aren't that many people out, but it is something to be aware of. I also found the course to be a little difficult to find from the directions posted. The first tee is located near the road to the far left of the Rec Center.

Like I said, just another course to add to the bag of courses popping up around Chattanooga. Not as good as The Sinks, but a good technically challenging course none the less. Very similar to The Sinks, in that most holes have a tight fairway with trees on either side. Hole 6 is a great opportunity to let your mid range coast down a large hill.

Great woodsy outdoor setting. Very challenging

No tee pads, No tee pads and no tee pads. Very easy to lose a disc if you happen to fall into the "I'm not quite as accurate as Dave Feldberg" category. All holes are wooded.

Ignore the random groups of kids from the Recreation Center who run through the fairways. Less than perfect throws are punished...sevenfold!

Nice use of terrain, Plenty of hills to climb to work on that cardio!

Bad location, unruly kids who yell racial comments at you from the rec. center. NO TEE PADS.

I wish that there could have been some holes at Shepherd that WEREN'T on the side of a steep hill. There seems to be plenty of land and room for a course that could have it all. Instead there was an obvious attempt to recreate the Sinks. The best courses that I have played on in Texas, Colorado and other states have a good mixture of both open holes and ones that are surrounded by trees. There have been numerous consecutive days that were warm enough to pour the concrete to get the tee pads ready yet still... no tee pads~!

This nine-hole course in the woods will ensure you get some exercise, as several of the holes are located on the side of a hill.

The diversity of holes is decent.

The fairways / pin placements favor a right-handed player.

The traffic is low -- you might be the only one at the course.

There are no tee pads yet.

The "tee boxes" are marked with a couple pieces of wood spray-painted orange -- they may be difficult to locate.

Hole #9 is full of trees -- there really isn't a fairway on the final hole.

If your shots tend to stray from the fairway like mine do, wearing long pants is a good idea to combat the woods and brush.

The holes aren't that long -- good players will find plenty of birdie opportunities if they can avoid the many trees.

Hole #1 begins near the road -- my group searched for a couple minutes before finding the first tee.