The turf tee pads are incredible. I've played on these during heavy rainfall and haven't even come close to slipping or losing traction.

The grass is cut regularly and the course is very clean overall. There are some really nice landscaping features such as rock steps, rocks in lieu of mulch on some of the greens and around teepads, and ledges that make for a clean and aesthetically pleasing look.

There is good flow to the course--the walkthrough of it is fluid, especially considering the lay of the land.

I think the back 9 gets pinned as being too open because people are just thinking about it in comparison to the very technical and wooded front 9. And although it is open in some spots, it still makes great use of the land. There's road OB, water OB, tall grass OB/rough - depending on if it's a tournament, and the baskets could not have been placed any better. You'll find them tucked into wooded pockets, on hills, in between boulders, and even on the edge of plateaus (both natural and man-made).

The par 4s on the back 9 are reasonably distanced. Someone with 500 feet of power isn't likely to have an easy look at an eagle 2 on these holes and at the same time someone with around 350 feet of power is still going to have a look at a birdie 3 after 2 good throws.

People who spin putt or putt with some authority will favor these Prodigy baskets as they are very taut and densely chained. Putts that pass through and spit out the back is something you will never see on these baskets.

On the flipside, these Prodigy baskets are again very stiff so people who push putt or don't putt very hard will see some spit-outs on a regular basis.

The fairways. They aren't exactly fair on a lot of the front 9. You can throw what looks and feels like a perfect shot and somewhere on that seemingly perfect line is a number of trees you're likely to hit. Some of the long pins are reachable from the tee, but only with incredible luck.

Some people like that a pro and an am can unsurprisingly shoot the same score on the front 9 as this element of randomness and luck is apparent, but IMO this is more a characteristic of a recreational course, and I don't think that's what the course was intended to be. I think that's why I was initially frustrated when I played here the first time. The Claytons has so many elements of a truly professional course with the course design, baskets, teepads, and incredible landscaping being a testament to this. It just doesn't seem to make sense that some of the holes on the front 9 would have such dense and punishing fairways.

I think the course has the potential to be something great, and it isn't far off, but again in my opinion some fine tuning needs to take place in those woods.

Beautiful course on wonderful hilly terrain that's open to the public and free to play. Located on corporate property (owned by Clayton Homes) - be respectful of the people conducting business here. Your behavior is on display for them to see, hear, and smell (as well as visiting customers and business partners). Don't do anything to make them regret giving us this gem of a course.

• Disc Play: Wonderfully balanced with a front nine that's woodsy and technical - forces you to hit a legit line without ever feeling poke'n'prayish. Back nine screams, "Bombs away, let it rip!" Elevation is well-utilized throughout: uphill, downhill, over gullies, up or down plateaus, pins on/near slopes. Posted distances seem accurate, but many holes play shorter/longer due to elevation changes. Several drop-offs and gullies positioned to create add'l trouble on bad kicks, early fades or squirrely turnovers, with sufficient holes playing flat enough to keep it from feeling like it's only about the elevation.

Plenty of variety in terms of fairways shapes, distances, elevation, type... very well-rounded and nicely thought out.

• Dual pins are well-suited to a pretty much the full range of players. On the front nine, the dual pins are located such that playing to one or the other usually changes the type of shot you'll throw off the tee. Kudos for not always making the short pin easier to get to. Back 9 is so open, it's hard for the longs not to be a longer version of the same shot off the tee, but the placements make use of different pockets of trees and/or elevation to make subsequent shots very different. Noodle arms may find even the shorts a bit daunting on a few of the back nine.

• Equipment: Everything is top notch, wonderfully executed, and in great shape. Nice sized concrete tees. Full time dual Prodigy baskets (pale blue = short, pale green = long)... never played on them before but I loved 'em - nice chain assemblies catch great, and deep baskets for no bounce outs. Easily visible in the woods or open fairways. Color tee signs overhead of hole layout with distances and locations of both pins. Benches at every tee.

• Routing/Nav: Quite good on the whole, but there were a few spots where I needed the map (9 to 10, and 11 to 12, plus a couple more times on the back 9). That said, tee signs clearly let you know if you made it to the right spot.

• Aesthetics: Very scenic and serene. Feels completely civilized, yet removed enough to feel a bit away from it all. Truly a nice walk through woods and lush green fields where you just happen to be keeping score. Stones retaining walls around several tees and pins add eye appeal and reduce erosion to keep the course looking nicer for longer.

• Memorable holes: 18 is an epic finishing hole. 400+ ft from an elevated tee over a Little River to a generous landing zone. From the elevated tee, the water carry isn't really an issue (even for my noodle arm)... but can you hit the gap in the trees to make it across? Leafy sentinels ensure the landing zone is only accessed with a reasonable amount of accuracy - not super tight, but definitely enough to make you pause for a moment on the tee. What direction did you say that wind was blowin'? A 2nd (shorter) tee serves as a drop zone/novice tee, eliminating the risk (along with the thrill).

• Drains well. Plenty of rain the night before, nary a swampy area the next morning.

• Fun Factor: Yes... yes indeed.

Few, far between, and fairly minor.
• Front 9 has some muddy spots that can be very slippery when wet (more a heads up than a con).
• Back 9 has some long walks to next tee (see Other Thoughts).
• 11 short feels like a filler hole. However, 11 long is a monster where you're bound to give it all you got... plays too close to parking lot for a max "oomph" shot IMHO.
• The only thing missing are scorecards w/map... everything else feels so complete, their absence seems conspicuous.

Like tight and technical? You'll love The Claytons.
Like to bomb? You'll love The Claytons.
Like a course that's well balanced ? You'll love The Claytons.
Like a course that's flat? You'll hate The Claytons.

Be prepared for a hike. The back nine is massive, and sprawls across quite an expanse of hilly terrain. Given the openness of these holes (plus a 2nd set of pins), it's somewhat necessary to spread things out to provide a reasonably safe buffer around the tees. Point is, there's simply no way to rush through it, but you'll want to take your time to enjoy this gem.

I found mixing short and long pins appropriately challenged my skill, playing 6 longs of the front 9. There's simply no need for noodle arms to play to longs on the back unless they just feel like throwing more.

This is what happens when a course designer who cares enough to do the little things right (and obviously the big ones, too) gets the proper funding. So well-executed, so polished, so complete, it's an absolute pleasure to play. Most definitely an excellent course, and would make a splendid venue for upper level sanctioned events.

This comes in just a tick below the other courses filling the 4.5 slot in my bag. Maybe I'm a crusty old bastard, but I don't throw the word "phenomenal" around unless a course really wows me. That said, can't fault anyone else for feeling that way.
Call it a 4.25 if you will and give my Destination Worthy stamp.

Turf tee boxes double baskets, The course is nicely blended with woods and long drive open holes. Very well maintained. Great for beginners and seasoned players.

Since this course is so new and highly rated there is a lot of traffic.

Each hole has a short distance basket and a long distance basket making the course great for veterans or beginners . The baskets are color coded making the easy to see and identify. There are nice benches at each hole in case you need to sit down. Tee pads are permanent and most have carpeting. Well laid out with a variety of shots available. Plenty of parking available.

The course is a little confusing the first time playing.

The kiosk is nice and has a large map of the course but it would be eb great if there were small course maps available that you could take with you.
This course was very busy when we played, however, everyone we spoke to was very nice.
There were several discarded food and beverage containers around the course. Hopefully, this does not become a problem.

-Amenities. Probably the nicest teepads I've played on. Two baskets different colored baskets per hole, two tees on a couple holes (15 and 18). Kiosk with map. Good color signs with good information (route, distance, next tee etc., no suggested par). Pretty easy and consistent navigation (the next tee is always near or past the long basket)

-Good variation of hole types on the front nine. Valley shots, uphill, downhill, left, right, multiple shot holes when playing the longs with mostly defined landing zones.

The back nine plays to a totally different skill set. They are mostly big, open holes, but some still require good shot placement (10 long, 11 long, 14 long, 15 long to long, 16 short)

-Extras. There is an elevated basket on the front nine, hole 18 is a shot over the creek, baskets on mounds, about 1/3 of the holes have fast greens. Boulders placed around baskets (1 short, 10 short).

-A couple holes on the front lack defined fairways, specifically hole 3 and hole 5. It's not that there were too many trees, they just have trees in unfortunate places, not golf shots that I have for sure. Both these holes also have some randomness involved in the land zone location for the long baskets.

-The back nine didn't really impress me. Hole 11 long has you playing over the corner parking lot, there was nothing to define a landing zone on this hole so the shortest distance is to take a hyzer over the lot. The majority of the variation on the back was that the baskets were placed on the edge of terraces. There weren't very many holes that had any bottlenecking along the fairways. Only 12, 14, 15, 16 and maybe 18 had any sort of bottleneck. Everything else was open tee, open basket.

-I didn't really understand the placement of the short tee on 18. It's a good challenge to the long basket, but the short basket was 80'-100' from the short tee and wide open. It ended up being the signature hole from the long tee (biggest elevation change on the course and a creek to cross) and a bad hole from short to short.

-A couple filler holes: 11, 12, 16 long, 17.

I played a round to the shorts and a round to the longs (including long tees).The Claytons is the best course in the Knoxville area, and I consider it an excellent course. It is accessible to multiple levels of skill, it has a great mix of holes, and a championship length, but I wasn't blown away by the golf.

-Turf Tees. This is the first time I have played on turf and I have to say, I'm a fan. Great traction without your feet sticking.
-Two prodigy baskets per hole. The chains on these baskets are very heavy and the inner chains are linked together like a net. Make sure you give your putter some juice when you throw.
-blue = amateur
-green = pro
-Well designed (except for the transition from 9-10). Wooded front 9 and wide open back 9. The "two basket per hole" thing works really well. It gives you the option to have two completely different rounds on the same course the same day. Just make sure you've got enough gas left for those pro baskets on the wide open back nine.

Very few cons for me that really don't take away from the experience of the course.
-Hole transition from back 9 to the front 9 is a little weird. You have to cross the road north of the parking lot and follow an unmarked path to hole 10, which is tucked in the woods.
-This is a championship level course and I can see amateurs getting a little frustrated with the trees on the front 9. They do a good job as far as keeping the distance on the back 9 within reason, though.

I had a great time playing this course and I can see it becoming my go-to for introducing my friends to Knoxville disc golf. It definitely provides a challenge for those of us who like to torture ourselves with 400+ foot wooded shots and 700+ foot open bombs, but it also offers a good tie for new players too. I took my family out here for their first disc golf round ever, and they are hooked. I definitely recommend The Claytons to anyone interested in taking a disc golf trip to the Knoxville area.

Beautiful course. The front nine is completely different from the back nine. Having 2 baskets on every hole is very nice. I played 36 holes and it was like playing 2 different courses.

Baskets are still stiff. They will break in quickly with all the traffic the course is getting

Mix of trees (front 9) and open (back 9).
Two baskets with distinctly different lines (and distances)
New Prodigy baskets (2 practice baskets)
Elevation shots on several holes
Awesome tee pads and excellent signage

Had a little trouble navigating course the first time through.
Had to swim for my disc in the creek on 18

Edit: Have moved from the area so haven't played lately. Friends say the course lost the front 9. This obviously would greatly lower my rating.
Worth the 1.5 hour drive from Chattanooga. Greatly enjoyed the different basket positions as well as the wooded and open shots.

Amazing course layout, two nice permanent Prodigy baskets on each hole, varied hole types, the nicest tee pads I have ever seen

Not 100% finished, still some trees to take down on the front. The back 9 could use a bit more work, just aesthetics.

As I said, the only problem I had with this course was that it wasn't 100% polished yet. With a bit more time and work, this will be one of the top courses in the country. It's a must-play if possible.

Turf teepads, two baskets per hole, ingenious design, amazing landscaping, a bench on every teepad, great mix of wooded/open holes, long or short course-you decide. Lots of $ went into this course, and it shows.

There may be a couple holes on the back nine with some weeds, but as long as you dont try to bite off more than you can chew of the fairways you should not have a problem.

I may be slightly biased because i havent played a huge amount of courses. I have played almost all east tennessee has to offer, also richmond hill in asheville, and a course in wy. Regardless, this is by far the most diverse, well designed, and generally comfortable course i have played on yet.