A neighborhood nook boasting nine well-designed holes.

-Amenities: Good tee signs, concrete tees, solid baskets, course map. All the basics.

-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Really good mix of several types of holes out here. There are a couple of drive-as-far-as-you-can holes, some basic par-3 shapes like hyzers and downhill touch shots, and several par-4s with turns in the fairways that will value placement golf. The style is open, as fairways are entirely clear fields with thick woods bordering that, while obviously fairways, are also more forgiving than woods fairways, and occasionally feature a gap either at the start or end of the hole. (The only exception is hole (8), an ace run with sporadic trees requiring a creative approach.) As a player who favors multi-shot holes, I found Trace Creek to be one of my favorite niners, especially with distances on the shorter side that allowed a 300' thrower to have a birdie opportunity on each hole.

-Rec-Friendly: The length and wide fairways make Trace Creek a good fit for newer players. I think it's a great course to introduce someone to what advanced-level shot-shaping disc golf looks like while still being fun and birdieable.

-"Friendly": My label for the combination of well-kept, easy to play, and hard to lose discs.

Location and scope.

-Location: The park is located out behind a new subdivision, with no parking lot. Currently, it's no problem to park on the street, but that could possibly change as the townhouses fill up with residents. Even at the closest parking location, it's a solid quarter to half mile to get to the first tee, which is a mild inconvenience (though it is a nice walk).

-Walkers: Some walking trails end in fairways, including one that is blind from the tee on hole (4). Be extra cautious not to bean someone if you play here.

-Scope: Trace Creek is short enough that more advanced players will find it very easy, at least to posted par. The par-3s would mostly be upshots, and the par-4s would be a tweener length dispensing easy birdies but rarely offering an eagle opportunity. I think this is by design, as it seems to be aimed at newer players, but it is something to note. Some of the holes are also just boring, like hole (6) that should probably be labeled as a par-2.

I really enjoyed Trace Creek, but I recognize that its appeal is limited and the terrain, while no eyesore, is open and not super thrilling. It's brilliant for rec players, but overall I'm giving it a Decent thanks to weak holes like (1), (6), and (9).

This is the strangest setting for a community park that I have seen in some time . The little park is in a brand new subdivision and is so obscure , you may never see the entrance . If you can find a small bridge to park on or around , there is a cement path that slopes down and eventually takes you over a wooden bridge ( Union Bridge ) built in 1930 , which is cool . The path snakes around until you come to a kiosk with a course map on it . You want to take a picture of it ,or you might miss the turn . There is a path directly behind the kiosk that leads to a small bridge to cross the creek . There were no bathrooms that I saw at this park . Trace Creek is a 2 year old 9 hole disc golf course .
-- THE EQUIPMENT -- There are large level 4 1/2 ' X 9' turf tees on each hole . There were tall posts in the ground to post tee signs on , and originally said there were none , until I came to hole 5 . From holes 5-9 there are nice informative tee signs . I am not sure why there aren't any for 1-4 . ( ? ) . Yellow banded prodigy baskets are used . The kiosk at the beginning of the course shows a nice map . There are benches near the kiosk , and some half cut wood logs are about 50 yards down a cement path .
-- THE LANDSCAPE -- A creek runs alongside of the front 4 holes of Trace Creek , but it shouldn't come into play . This is a flat course . The most elevation you'll see on any hole is a basket perched on a man made hill about 3 or 4 feet high . The fairways were mowed and trees cut back when I was here . The rough is very punishing , so if you go off the fairway on a bad drive , you might have to look around a while . The overgrowth near the tree lines aren't much better . I would recommend using your brightest discs , or ones you don't care a lot about . The fairways are a good width .
-- THE HIGHLIGHTS -- Hole #1 starts you off with a straight drive ( 360' ) to a basket tucked just off to the right . #5 ( 467' ) is a doorway drive across a small creek to a fairway that opens up some . #3 is worth mentioning . It is a double dogleg right that makes you throw through a doorway over a small gravel hill to the basket sitting on the right .
-- SIGNATURE HOLE -- #4 ( 516' ) .A dogleg left , it takes you through a narrowing fairway where you have to throw enough past the hole to be able to come back to the basket which is sitting behind you on the right and on a small hill .
There were a couple of groups here on a Sunday morning . It's a nice park and the locals are cordial . It's a nice secluded section of a subdivision that gives you an area to relax after a round .

#1 -- Wish Listed --The elements that make a strong course are lacking or underutilized . The creek wasn't ever really in the design , there is no elevation , and no woods .
#2 DISC RISK -- Medium to higher . The rough sits high here . Far too many courses are going with the idea that you should suffer while struggling to find your prized disc in large sections of overgrowth . It can be just as bad if you chuck a drive in the trees while trying to make a dogleg . Your game will be more of just trying to keep it in the fairway , than going for a good score . That being said , I hope that the Rec Department doesn't let this overgrowth take over .
#3 Target Audience -- Trace Creek has some length at 3095' total . Set up as something appealing to the community , I don't see a lot of newbies or locals playing here and spending half the time looking for a driver just off the fairway . I would have thought the course would have been designed with families and casual players in mind .
#4 Discovery And Walks -- Not much in the way of signs pointing you to this park . Just a cement path . And it is a long walk to tee one . Bring water .
I hope they add the tee signs for 1 thru 4 . Missing signs or baskets detract from a course and make it bush league . The existing signs look great .

There are some residents that choose to run the cement paths that are outside the course boundaries , but the course sits by itself and shouldn't attract anyone besides players . I could see someone hosting a Community Challenge with local families . The length might attract a ringer like " Aunt Paige " ( Pierce ) , who happened to come for a visit . Might want to play this challenge in early spring or late fall . This 9 hole course is one of several courses that have filled the void of not having disc golf in West Nashville . What a way for a brand new neighborhood to introduce disc golf .
MY RECOMMENDATION -- Its a nice park and the park board seems like they are really trying . The fairways are wide enough , and a large family with short armed drives might be okay with the course . Newbies , intros and 1 disc players might want to go to a more open course down the road . Locals and residents will think this course is fine . Intermediates and AMS might not like long drives being stuck in high grass . This would be practice for a pro , and only if they live down the road . Not far off of I-40 , and a good leg stretch for a traveler that doesn't want to exert much energy . A great pickup of a course for the Bagger . Short courses like Cottonwood , Liberty and Fellowship Bible Church make for grabbing up to 4 courses in the span of a long morning or afternoon . If In The Area , It Might Be Worth Checking Out . If not , YOU CAN PASS THIS ONE UP

A Course in West Nashville: That side of Nashville is severely lacking in disc golf courses, so it's nice that there is finally one over there. West Nashville could really use a quality 18-holer, but this at least gives the residents over there an option.

Good Baskets: They are Prodigy baskets (I don't know the type, sorry) with yellow bands that catch discs well and are reasonably visible.

Informative Tee Signs: The tee signs do a great job here of showing the shape of the hole, along with any obstacles.

Quality Turf Teepads: I don't know how long they'll last, but currently the turf tee pads are nice.

Varied Distances: Although there is no elevation change (slight con),the holes do range from about 160' to just over 500', with some decent hole designs.

Rough: If you don't hit the mowed grass, you either have to deal with weeds that are a couple feet tall, or extremely thick rough beyond that. There is also a creek (the namesake creek) that runs through the park that can swallow discs if you miss too far to the right on the way out (it has one of mine in it somewhere). The rough is so thick that I think it takes a bit of enjoyment out of the course for a beginner; if you can't consistently hit the fairway, you will spend more time searching for your discs than playing.

No Elevation: I mentioned this a bit when talking about the hole lengths, but there isn't any elevation change to speak of. Not the biggest con in the world, but some hills could have spiced the layout up a bit.

Course Location: This course is located in the Stephens Valley Subdivision near the Loveless Cafe. You have to park at the end of Meriwether Blvd near Glenrock Drive, then take a walking path to the course. I guess it is technically a public course, but it doesn't really feel like it.

Fun Factor: See my "other thoughts" below.

Ultimately, I didn't really enjoy playing this course. The layout has a couple fun hole designs (Hole 4 and Hole 5 were the highlights for me), but most of the holes were fairly straight, routine layouts with extremely unforgiving rough on the edges. The rough would discourage beginner players from coming back, and the design isn't good enough to keep experienced players coming back also. If I lived in the neighborhood and could walk there, I would maybe feel a little differently about it, but even with it being the closest course to my house, I think my time is better spent driving a few extra minutes to get to Cedar Hill, Naval Hill, Crockett, or any other 18-hole course "close" to West Nashville. I would probably even drive the extra 10-15 minutes for 9-hole courses in Ashland City and Franklin (Liberty Park) then play this again, especially in the summer while the rough is excruciating. Maybe this will ultimately be a winter-only course for me, but only time will tell.