Pros:
Secret City DGC at Carl Yearwood Park is a 9 hole disc golf course set in a nice city park in Oak Ridge .The park looks pretty well manicured . After looking at the previous reviews and determining by now that the rating given this course ( 2.97 ) , and knowing long by now that Knoxville rates its courses too high , I wasn't sure what I would see . After pulling in the park , you feel compelled to park next to a nice picnic shelter at the end . There are bathrooms here . There is a kiosk there , but no real direction as to where the course starts . You may want to print a map on this one . The course will eventually follow itself and you may be able to navigate it without one , but your map will point you to hole #1 , which is across the parking lot and behind the skate park toward the trees .The course runs clockwise around most of the perimeter of the park , I notice right away that although the wood tee boxes are basically dirt ( they must have been mulch at one time ) , there are several lengths or positions , blue , which is shorter , white is intermediate and red is the longer . Not meant to confuse you , but I don't think that the longest hole on the course seemed 300' . Still , the course also has different pin positions . which is a plus , especially for the locals . I don't know how often they change the pins , but I like the thought . The baskets are the old Lightnings , typical for a small park setting where you would otherwise have trouble picking up seeing the basket in a woods or at twilight . The signage looked a little worn , but still informative , with hole # , distance , and a picture of the fairway. All of what little woods there are in this small park is utilized , and park users will probably not interfere with the course after hole 3 or 4 . #1 is a short flick shot through a tree line bearing right to left with the basket being guarded by a set of trees . You will notice that trees come into play on every hole . You will have to walk through bushes to your right and back about 100' to get to the next tee . #2 is a short drive down a fairway with trees here and there to the basket in front . #3 will take you towards a fence line breaking right to left . . The basket is set kind of wedged in to the the front of the brush . #4 is a throw across a fairly dry creek to a basket sitting on a tiny hill grade . There is no real alley to throw to , just keep your disc low so a ricochet doesn't go into the thick rough . #5 was a tight fairway shot , ( pin position was on the left for me today ) guarded by brush and trees . #6 had the tee pad in the beginning of the wooded area and throwing out into the open . #7 was an interesting hole . You kind of throw from the open into the trees slightly uphill , to the pin which could sit a little down and to the left , or on the level and into the open on the right , providing you don't clip a tree . #8 is a + 250' drive into a tight nook in some bush , with the pin sitting either in front of the creek or just behind it . Nice pin placement . The last tee pad ( #9 ) is back and to the right of #8's basket . It is a short downhill toss , breaking right to left to one of 2 baskets on this hole . They have the short basket set just beyond the creek , and 30' further down , they have a foot bridge with a hanging basket over the creek next to it . I thought that this was a colorful finishing hole . The course is a short play , under 30 minutes for me , and easy on the body since there is little elevation . There is some fun factor here in these holes . A great starter course for newbies , good for casuals and families , and okay for better players to work on their short game and putting , This course praises accuracy and punishes lack of control . I had a lot of fun during my round . I don't know if there was anything I would call a signature hole , but I liked the downhill #9 , with the hanging basket over the small creek .
Cons:
The course does a good job & doesn't present itself to be something it is not but it has some cons . #1 . Tee boxes . I like that it has multiple tees , but most don't make much of a difference and are dirt . #2 Mud factor . It would be a non play if it rains . A decent piece of this course is dirt , along with the tee pads , which could fill up with water . #3 maybe park users wandering around the first few holes . Be careful . When in doubt , wait or skip the hole . #4 navigation ? It would be hard to park and find the first tee right off , sometimes even with a map . #5 some holes which have no real path to the basket . This might also be twisted into a pro . Be accurate ( or lucky ) . #6 . The rough can be rough in some areas and a ricochet off the many trees dotting the fairways can turn off the travelers and especially the local casuals and newbies if they spend a lot of time looking for or even losing a disc . Not necessarily a con since the park can't help it , but the course is pretty flat . The design uses what they can , but ,,,,,, .
Other Thoughts:
Secret City is never going to be a destination course , but I don't think it was ever intended for it to be . You can spend a whole day going up Hwy 95 and play 2 9 hole courses , then The Mounds and Woods ( only 3 miles away ) , and finish your day here . A picnic area sits at the end of this course so make the overall loser drive over and grab an early dinner before playing this final course , or right after . The course looks like it wants to appeal to everyone , making the lines to the basket tight or even non existent for the better players , but mixing fun short holes and multiple tees and pin positions for casuals or newbies . Whatever the case , the course still resonates fun , and looks like it is never crowded . If I lived in Oak Ridge , this would be a good after dinner round for me . The Recreation Dept at Oak Ridge looks like they try to make it work here , and it works for me . Thank You , Oak Ridge , for allowing me to play Carl Yearwood and keeping an interest in disc golf . My recommendation : GROUP THIS FUN COURSE AND COMBINE IT WITH OTHER COURSES AND PLAY IT IF IN OAK RIDGE , AND A MUST PLAY IF A RESIDENT , NEWBIE OR CASUAL .