Kingfisher is a recent addition to the Rome disc golf scene, which has seen three new courses added in the last year. But Kingfisher is different than other regional courses; first, it's the only niner in Rome, plus it's in an urban setting and is quite wooded in comparison to the more familiar tracks.

Kingfisher does a good job of squeezing in nine reasonable holes on a patch of land surrounding the Etowah River. While six of the nine holes are less than 250 feet, there are enough trees creating narrow gaps to provide a challenge, especially with some rough areas waiting to consume wayward shots.

The huge sign near the basket of Hole #1 is well done. In addition, each hole includes turf teepads and a sign indicating distance.

The variety is pretty good with some more open throws combined with a couple poke-and-hope challenges.

The first six holes are fairly flat, but once you cross the bridge, you get a taste of elevation as Hole #7 includes a gradual downhill line and Hole #9 is an up-the-hill ace run.

Once you find the first hole, the navigation is fairly straight forward until you finish Hole #6 and then you get to hike across the Etowah River bridge. The Silver Creek Trail is a popular walking track that bisects the course but shouldn't come into play. Hole #1 and Holes #5 through #9 are on the right side as you face the course and Holes #2 through #4 are on the left.

The flow of traffic is a drawback to the course. The huge sign is at the end of Hole #1, prompting walks down the first fairway. Also, the last three holes play on the other side of the river, forcing a short walk on the bridge and then a several-minute return trip after finishing the course.

The course included considerable tree cover on numerous holes, which can provide shade but also lead to a wetter, muddier ground after rains. Combined with its proximity to the river, this course will likely require a few sunny days to dry out properly. Also, several of the turf teepads were magnets for leaves, mowed grasses and other minor debris.

There's no parking next to the course. The most ideal spot is the parking lot on the corner of East 1st Avenue and East 4th Street, which then requires walking down a dead-end road and over the railroad tracks to find Hole #1.

There are a few problem areas to be aware of on the course. A swampy area exists between the fairways of Holes #1 and #5. The rough on both sides of Hole #3 is a menace to consider. Also, on the left side of the woods on Hole #2 is an area that is allegedly utilized by the homeless population. I think my errant drive on this hole startled an individual.

The Kingfisher course is nestled into a nice strip near the river. The holes are picturesque and the lovely wooded area allows one to forget that they're just a few stone throws away from the downtown Rome area.

The UDisc description of Kingfisher is a bit verbose and pretentious. That said, it's a nice course in an unexpected area. The designer did a fantastic job fitting in nine holes with the land available.

Rome is kind of a weird area for disc golf, they had one of the earliest courses I knew about but other than the Berry College courses didn't have much of a presence until Shannon and to a lesser extent Shorter added their courses in the last several years.

This area has long been a haven for the Rome homeless community and other than the walking trail along the railroad bridge I didn't know there was much land back here. The Prodigy guys somehow brokered this deal to get a course in and got a decent amount of good holes. Most are in between 200-260 with one little 140ft chip shot and a pair of 350ish holes to give your arm the mildest of workouts.

Many holes are moderately wooded with dense rough on either side and a couple of them like 2 and especially 5 are very tight with lines you need to be quite precise with.

After hole 6 you cross the railroad bridge and ply the final 3 holes on that side and they have some elevation and on hole 7 the river could possibly come into play on a bad rollaway.

Pads are all turf in the style that has become the norm for most Prodigy installed courses and the green H frame tee signs are very accurate and easy to see from a distance.

The baskets are Yellow T2s, which I had not seen before. It honestly looks pretty good and is easier to see in the woods than their classic green baskets.

This is a fun course that isn't a big workout so people who aren't in shape to play a long and grueling 18 will likely enjoy it and if you are brisk a 30 minute play is certainly achievable.

I probably wouldn't come up here to just play it, but if you were going to lunch on broad street or using it to warm up before playing Berry or Shannon it's a good option.

The plot of land is small and cut off by the railroad tracks on one side and the river on the other so many holes have to be short. It's also still pretty fresh and though it shows signs of regular play, the rough is is still quite dense and has a lot of debris in it.

The course isn't long, but some of the holes are tight enough or have punishing drop offs that I could see a newer or low control player having a rough time on a few holes.

There have been homeless people living back here for a long time and that is still the case. We saw at least one person just off the second fairway. They didn't attempt to interact with us but it's good to know someone is there.

It's honestly better for it but the long walk across the old railroad bridge to the final 3 holes could be a turnoff for some people. Also the fact that you finish just about as far from the recommended parking area as possible isn't ideal.

I'm kind of split on this one in a way, it's pretty fun and aspects of the design are very solid. I don't know that you could do much more with it than be a solid learning course and getting skilled on low to mid distance shaping shots, but it is fun enough to me that I can't give it a worse rating than a 2.

Having said that I don't think any design in this property could be pushed over a 3.

It's decently fun though and I'd rather play it than Darlington or Shorter.