Pros:
Shelby Farms is a more than multi use park sitting on the outskirts of the Memphis area . Make sure that you drive through and take in all of what this park offers . It has riding stables , 100 acres to let your dog swim or run , a dock and large lake to fish , and many other extras . There are plenty of signs that will point you towards the disc golf course . You will do a double-take when you near a road corner and encounter ,,,,,,,,,,,,Bison . WHAT THE !?!?!?! They sit or stand close to the fence line , too . There are nice bathrooms at the administration building just down the road , and a Port O Let near the start of the course . an okay amount of parking close to hole #1 . If you can't park there , several spots are open 50 yards away at the top of the hill .
THE EQUIPMENT - There is a nice kiosk with map near hole 1 . Take a picture of it , or print the online map , but don't depend on it . I think the course has been changed some since the printing . Instead , the parks department mows a short path going from hole to hole that make the course easier to follow ( Thanks ) . The tee pads are mostly concrete , but some are still framed in wood and not poured . A few are still natural . On the cement ones , there are dedications to people on the pads , which I thought is a classy move . There are no tee signs to speak of here . Maybe they are still trying to finalize the hole designs ? . The baskets are good yellow banded Discatchers . I saw no trash cans specifically for the course , so carry out what you carry in .
THE LANDSCAPE - The course sits on a nice piece of land It plays park-style though . No woods holes , and mostly open with maybe a few trees to make your disc bend once in a while . There is a pond that comes into play on #4 . I would consider the elevation here to be rolling . about every hole has some type of elevation , but it slowly develops . There are paths cut out of the grass that will guide you from place to place , which helps . The course grounds look well taken care of .
THE HIGHLIGHTS - #1 was a good starter hole ( 320 ) . You throw from a tighter canopied box out to the fairway , with a forest line on your immediate right . The basket sits on the right at the very end . #2 ( 608' ) is the longest hole . The also follows the forest line , with the green on the right . #4 lists the distance at 210' ( wrong ) . It is a water carry along a pond . You can get as greedy as you can stand . Carry longer over the water to land closer to the green . #11 ( listed at 357' ) has a large tree with spread out branches right in the center and halfway up the fairway , forcing choices to try to throw under or to the left or right of the tree . #18 was an okay finishing hole , bending you to the right , to the basket on a sloping hill , with the basket on the top of it and guarded by a small group of trees . If you like to just open up your arm , or you have the arm to just bomb drives , you will love your time here .
SIGNATURE HOLE - #2 would qualify . The fairway starts level , then slowly descends to the green , a small grove of trees around the basket .
BISON - You might get a glimpse of the bison at the back end of the course at maybe hole 15 ( look down the hill ) . What course can you see something like that on ?!
THE TIME - It took me 65 minutes to play the almost 7000' Shelby Farm course . A foursome that is familiar at all with the course will finish this in about 20 hours .
DISC RISK - Disc risk is low . If you can keep it out of the brush on your right for the first couple of holes and out of the water on #4 , you will go home with the same amount of discs that you came with .
I am not sure how popular the course is , but there were a couple of groups playing during my round . The park is clean and there are a couple of picnic areas with tables for you to rest if not taken by the park goers .
Cons:
#1 Navigation . You are going solely on whether the parks department cuts paths showing you where to go . I would still suggest the map for tricky areas like 6-7 and 7-8 .
#2 Equipment - Finishing the cement tee pads would be great . Tee signs are a must , too , along with updated maps/kiosks . This is a first class park . Making the disc golf course look great would just add to it .
#3 Course Design - This park is huge . I am in the dark as to why they had to put the course here . There are some woods to the right of hole 2 and in the back of 3 . They could have put a couple of long technical ones in there , and extend the length of a could of the front 9 holes . A lot of the holes are straight ahead with possibly a tree or 2 in the way . I can only think that they were targeting disc golf groups that don't want longer more technical holes .
#4 Lack Of Amenities - A few benches and some trash cans at every other hole would go a long way . Even a shelter for disc golfers near 18s basket or the 1st tee would enhance experiences .
Bring bug spray . The bugs are nastiest in the first 4 holes , and you don't swing back around to your car until your round is finished .
The course has very little shade and no benches to roast , I mean rest . Make sure you bring water with you .
The course is in the open , which will make it windy . This can be a pro or a con , depending on who you are .
Other Thoughts:
Before or after your round , you must drive around this park . I only with they had something this nice within a 100 mile radius from me . When you have an icon of a park like this , and want to add disc golf as an activity , you might want to make it as first class as everything else . The course is still fairly new ( 2019 ) , but 2 years is plenty to decide what the final product should look like and start to progress towards it . Don't be afraid to stop into the main office near the lake and tell them thanks , and offer maybe a suggestion or 2 . The park Homepage in DGR , also says that you can pick up score sheets , maps , and buy discs at the Boathouse . Don't forget to have someone take your picture with the bison .
MY RECOMENDATION - This is a destination park ,,,, minus a destination course . It's still a worthwhile play . It's long , but a good course for families that come to the park with maybe 1 or 2 members that play some , mixed with family members that don't . A good course for newbies and 1 disc players , because of disc risk being low and learning to throw farther . Locals should enjoy both the park and the course . Intermediates and pros won't be impressed , but will like that they can try out new discs and unload some long drives . Not far off of I-40 , this is a gem of a course for a traveler coming to or from Memphis , and course baggers . If just to get a load of this park , PLAY IT !