Just a few minutes off of I-59, the seven-hole layout at Thames Elementary School is an ideal stop if you're driving through Hattiesburg on the weekend and looking to bag a course quickly.

Thames offers a couple of nice amenities that not every elementary school course offers. First, there's a pleasant sign at the start of the course, complete with the map and rules of disc golf. Also, each hole has a nice teepad made of brick pavers. The teepads aren't long but more than adequate for a short run-up.

The course length is well-suited for its audience, which is typically elementary school children. The holes average about 150 feet and the three shortest holes are slightly uphill.

The course isn't too difficult to navigate, though you'll likely be able to see several baskets from any spot on the course. Each teepad is marked with a red post in the ground indicating the hole number.

The last few holes involve avoiding a tree or two, and the final hole requires some shot shaping unless you get bold trying to hit the gap between a few trees and branches.

The course is packed into a corner of the school grounds that includes a chain link fence for the border. It's possible to overshoot Hole #3 and end up in a neighbor's yard. Also, even though it involves minor backtracking, the designer wisely made the last three holes in the same direction in order to avoid errant throws into the road.

The first two holes are wide open and flat. And there isn't much variance in the design as most of the holes require simply throwing a putter straight.

The course isn't likely to garner repeat customers unless you're chasing aces. I finished the course in about 12 minutes and even the high potential for an ace wasn't enough to entice me to play a second round.

The course isn't available when school is in session.

This is one of the courses that gets a low rating because of its simplicity. It's a solid course for the intended audience.

great sign at beginning of course with map that talks about the course level and intended user. excellent new baskets. great tee pads. easy navigation. elevation used. very beginner friendly. number 7 is a particularly nice hole with an uphill hard right turn around a large tree/bush

only 7 holes. no other amenities. limited access (school property so couldn't play while in session). not much challenge for experienced player.

This is a beautiful new course at an elementary school. everything is top notch. It is designed as a novice course and as such all the holes are short (none over 200 feet) For me it was a one disc (putter) challenge and I had fun playing the course. nice place for an experienced player to work with your putter and a great place to take a new or younger player. no real chance of losing a disc. I struggled again with what number to give as a rating. with only 7 holes and not much challenge or variety of distance you might think low rating but the course is a well designed novice course and this is clearly noted on the sign. so for it's intended use you could give it a high rating. I settled somewhere in the middle with a 3. in conclusion it was a fun little course and I would definitely play it again