(2.347 Rating) An open layout with lots of water.
- HOLE LENGTH - At over 7,500 feet, Thunderchief is a mini beast of a course. Only four holes on this 18 hole course are listed as par 4s and it will no doubt challenge the longer throwers. Thunderchief should be a welcome treat to those wanting to throw holes in the 400 foot range.
- CHALLENGING - The Thunderchief is a bit more challenging than the Original Layout at Veteran's Park IMO, despite the similar difficulty ratings stated on DGCR to course par. Yes Thunderchief's more open, but its average hole length is a 150 feet more than the Original. Thunderchief also has unforgiving water hazards. Water comes into play NINE Times! (2), (5), (10), (11), (14), (15), (16), (17) and (18). Wind will also be a big factor here.
- WATER PLAYS - Honestly, if it weren't for the water plays, I would have been bored to death here. Obviously some players will absolutely hate this element, while others will have more of a love hate relationship with it. To me, there nothing more exhilarating than throwing ten dollars worth of property over the abyss. Without the beautiful water lines on (2), (11) and (14), I would have had this course rated as a 2.
- TEES - Well built 4 foot by 12 foot concrete tees. The extra length is definitely needed for these longer holes.
- LOCATION - There are three courses located in Veterans Park. The Original layout starts on the south side of the parking lot for Thunderchief and Music bend is located across the street of Veterans Memorial Blvd.

Way too many open shots.
- NAVIGATION - Not the easiest course to traverse and I was constantly pulling up the course map on my phone. No course map on site and the hole signage in minimalistic being small placards with a hole number and distance. Players will have to be within 35 feet to pick up the number. Some of the placards, which are mounted on 4x4 wood posts, were lying on the ground. Probably just a temporary issue. Another problem is that a couple holes have been tweaked. Most notably hole (7) where the placard says 447 feet and it's clearly an additional 300 feet longer. The placards distances on (16) and (18) are much longer than the it suggests as well.
- LOOSE DISC OPPS - As stated, lots of water on this course. I personally just barely threw one in on (2) and (11) and spent a few minutes trying to fish them out with a stick. The water looks fairly deep in spots, and if a player throws a disc well in, they'll probably be leaving a souvenir. Bring a floater.
- UNIQUENESS - An open field with several water features. Again, if it weren't for all the interesting water plays, this course would be a bore fest. Good hole distance variations, upper 200s to mid 700s. A few par 4s but no par 5s. Hardly any use of tree guarding at the baskets. There is one nice bending hole on (5) using the woods along the park's property edge.
- ELEVATION - I played the original layout just before Thundershief and held up hope until the very end that there would be something... Nope, the course is entirely flat.
- CHARACTER - Other than the basics of nice tees and adequate baskets, there really isn't any other extras on this layout. No extra tees, alternate basket locations or practice basket. Tee shading is horrible, players will bake out here during the summer. No course map or community board at one. This is however a trashcan and bench at (1) tee, but their appearances only occur 1 or 2 more times.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Despite the open layout, I'd be wary of bringing a beginners here as they'd probably throw one of your discs into the drink. In addition, pro and upper advanced players will find the difficultly in the open lines way to easy. The course probably caters best to intermediate players and low end advanced player looking to throw bombs.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - About average. Now doubt this course looks great in the summer with cut fairways, green trees and lots of water views. But during the winter, the course looks make an about face. Courses like Music Bend and the Original layout will hold their beauty better during the winter months due to their heavily wooded fairways..
- TIME PLAY - A bit longer than average due to the length but not as bad as one would expect. Figure around 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a foursome.
- WIND - I would advise against playing here on a windy day.
- HOLE 8 - A true head scratcher. There's a building in the middle of the line to the basket. Maybe it was built after the course was installed, but regardless, the hole needs to be re-designed.

I played with some locals on the original layout and asked about this course. There are definitely some players in town that really like this one but it's far from the local favorite. It definitely has its niche for the player that likes to go long, but other than those players, this course doesn't finds much use.

+ Course name is bad ass "Thunderchief"
+ Concrete tee pads and Mach lll baskets.
+ Beautifully manicured turf.
+ Good balance of right and left hand throws.
+ Many holes to grip and rip on. Many of the holes measure 400ft plus.
+ Park roadways and many water holes make for definite OB.
+ Though very open most baskets guarded by trees or shrubs.
+ Two other courses -Veterans Park Original and Music Bend within walking distance.
+ Bathroom on site.

- Because this is a multi use park the biggest con of this course is how congested and busy the park becomes during prime throwing hours. Best to play on weekday mornings.
- Many holes play alongside or over park roadways.
- A few holes play through low-lying areas resulting in standing water and uncut turf when wet.
- Course does not loop back during round so pack for 18.

At first glance this course seems to be very open. However with the abundance of water and park roadways it is actually quite technical. Furthermore most holes have some type of tree or object to shape shots around. I really enjoyed throwing this course and will definitely revisit when in the area. Moreover, with the two other courses on site -Veterans Original and Music Bend, Tupelo, MS is becoming a great disc golf destination. If you love tearing up the sky Thunderchief is the place for you.

Side note: With the birthplace of Elvis Presley being right next to the course one cannot help but sense the ghost of Elvis wandering the fairways. I believe he would have been a big fan of the game.

Thunderchief is the perfect course in the Tupelo mecca to practice distance and accuracy actually throwing at baskets. With an AVERAGE hole length of 392 feet, it's no joke. Pro's and upper am's will enjoy the challenge of not only having to throw far, but also shape shots on a few holes. Such as the 420 ft. #7. The whole right side is trees and brush so a long turnover is a must. It's a challenge unless you have elite power, and even then it's no gimme. But that's what makes it fun!

Water water everywhere. Which is a turnoff for some. But with the lack of vegetation, this stands as the only real obstacle to avoid. Lack of benches. There's one on 1, and one on 16. That's it. During the perfect days to play, the fairways and greens are LITTERED with pedestrians, joggers, fishermen. Unless you're there early, it could be tough to finish a round in a decent amount of time, if at all. Unless, you're pretty serious about the game, or just want the experience, I'd say you wouldn't enjoy TC.

All in all, the course is solid, and has grown to be in my top 5. It's made me a better golfer, and is a great place to enjoy a round with friends or individually. Along with The Original and now Music Bend, a full 54 holes can be played at one park in a day, easy. Come stretch your arm out at Thunderchief!

Great for the big arms that like to "air it out". It is adjacent and compliments the Original Vets course where distance and length of drives are not as important.

The layout surrounds a lake that creates some beautiful scenery and holes.

It's length can be difficult for beginners and even AM players where an occasional birdie is desired. They'll be rare on Thunderchief. The goal is more to not bogie, or worse!

Lack of shade during hotter month lessens available playing times for most.

Many drives are a bit repetitive and the terrain does not offer many natural challenges other than water.

The course is well maintained and allows dedicated players to "step up" their games in comparison to many of the other local courses. The 1-2-3 combo of Vets, Thunderchief, and Music Bend will allow the possibility of some awesome tournaments!

Big arms will like airing it out on this mostly open and flat course. Basket placement and use of OBs still keep this course a challenge. Benches and trashcans spread throughout the park.

Bring sunscreen because there isn't much chance to find shade. Hole 4 was a swamp days after the rain had stopped, and many holes were still soggy. Ams will feel intimidated by the holes that play by the water.

This course is a nice compliment to the original course which is very hilly and wooded. Hole 17 is the signature hole which is an approx 250' shot over one lake then another 100-150 feet to the basket which backs up to another lake. This course is still being worked on but is playable now.

A new course in Tupelo, which is quickly becoming a DG destination. Good baskets, nice park, tees are mostly in good shape some are concrete, some not. Signs are pretty good also, some benches are available but not every hole. A longer more open course that will suit the better player and will intimidate the more inexperienced. Well thought out design that used the property wisely.

Does not loop back after 9 holes but does for the 18. No shade to speak of, I imagine in the summer months this will be the biggest complaint. Bathrooms at the old Course which is not far from hole 1 of the new course, but no more that I am aware of.

I am not a young golfer and not a long arm off tee, but I still enjoyed my round and managed to play around even the day I played. Some OBs and water hazards make you aware of placing your shots to score well. Windy days could play havoc with your game on this long, open course, but if you have some knowledge and play smart you can still navigate it with a decent score. I can see the local TDs tightening up some of the bail out areas and then this bad boy could really have some bite in it. Overall an enjoyable course,especially if you like to air it out.