Pros:
The Arkabutla Lake Recreation Dept. , The scenery and the accompanying monstrosity Swampy Hollow next door , tricked me into a high review . Actually , as you come into the park , you will fall for it right away . A picturesque lake above the course , a well taken care of park and course , and a kind of serene feel make this a nice 18 hole tour . On the right side of the road , you will see a nice kiosk in the first parking lot on your right . It looks like any aces recorded on the backs on the basket #s are recorded during the years and added to some of the kiosk information . I thought this was a great idea . The course has nice cement tee pads ( I prefer them a little longer ) , good chainstar baskets with numbers at the top that are in good shape , and feature great signs at every hole . Even though much of the course fairways are pretty open , some are short and a little more technical ( #3 , #9 . #13 & #14 especially and #15 & #18 , The park has a decent sized bathroom at the #6 or 7 Tee . Benches are close to many of the holes . You won't get lost on this course . It runs almost in a crazy bow tie flow . A map was on the kiosk ,You can also pull it off of the Arkabutla Lake . The Disc Risk on this course is only relevant maybe if there is a lot of water in the cement drain to the left of 4 , and maybe if you pull your drive left on I think 5 and 6 , where you could be in some standing water or thick rough . The first tee starts to the left and front of the lot . It follows the length of the road for 3 holes , Hole 2 being a little longer at 347' and #3 a short 213 protected by trees all around the fairway and front of the basket . #4 will now take you away from the road with a drainage ditch to the left of the fairway , a large tree about 150' in front of the hole , and open ground on the left ( 419' ) . #5 runs close to a dropoff with some nasty wet muck on the left , then on #6 you move right to a hyzer short toss , where if your hyzer fails , you can end up in the muck again ( 246' ) #7 is a 391' drive toward the road , #8 is shorter but into trees with canopies . #9 is a tighter throw with trees on the right and left and will take you back to your car , in case you want to load up on water or end your round . #10 Throws along the road but in the opposite direction as #1 , #11 is a 300' drive that ends near a clump of trees and close to the road you came in on . You cross that road to get to #12 and will stay on that side for the next 3 holes . #12 is a straight shot 384' that;s basket sits with its back to the woods . You pass through to the right of the ttrees to get to tees 13 & 14 , which are out and back technical woods shots . #15 takes you back across the road and is a tight line 256' toss with the OB road on the left and large brush decorating the right . #16 tee is beyond and to the right and is a 621' hole that first takes you over a hill and then downhill to the basket that has a large tree with wide branches about 60' in front of it ( par 3 ? What The !? ) . You climb back up the hill to the right of you and go a little backwards to a tee that will descend that hill a 2nd time ( these are the only 2 holes that have any elevation to speak of ) 370' to a fairway that starts to close up on the left with large trees and has a large bush/tree line to your right . #18 is 279' and plays under a canopy of scattered trees in the fairway and plays close to a bridge and a discharge ditch that protect the basket . I would only normally rate a course like this with little or no elevation , little tree protection or woods , and a somewhat vanilla design , but this area is just so nice ,making the course seem more fun than it should be . A good arm with any control at all should score well on this course , This is still a good course for them or a pro to hone their game . Rec players , newbies , older players , locals will all enjoy this course . Signature hole would maybe be #16 the 621' bomber hole .
Cons:
#1 The course doesn't look like it drains real well since it is so flat . You might be a little muddy after or during some wet weather . #2 Missing that string of awesome holes , or even elevation . #3 Bugs . They will have your skin for lunch if you don't bring spray in warm or hot weather . #4 Maybe adding some trees ? Not absolutely necessary , but .
Other Thoughts:
What you have here is a good disc golf course in a park with a large lake and a lot of activities such as kayaking , trail riding or hiking , etc. The views are incredible , a great place to bring food and eat in between rounds . The course poses enough of a challenge to keep most interested and the parks department looks like they are serious in keeping up the quality of the course . My Recommendation : If anywhere near the Memphis area , or in northeast Mississippi PLAY THIS COURSE .It is by no means a destination course , but It is close to other decent courses ( Lattimers Cantral , Ole Miss , MAM Army Depot ) and even though the course is a little out of the way , the park and drive on the lake are worth the trip .