Joe Wheeler State Park

An intermediate level course with lots of shop shaping opportunities. PROS: + RAW BEAUTY + Definitely one of the better looking courses in Alabama. Being located right off the banks of the Tenne ... show more ›

An intermediate level course with lots of shop shaping opportunities.

PROS:
+ RAW BEAUTY + Definitely one of the better looking courses in Alabama. Being located right off the banks of the Tennessee River, some of the views from this layout are stunning. In addition, the natural fauna will blow away just about and city park course. I saw a big buck hopping along (16) as I approached the basket. Of the 233 courses I've played as of this review, Joe Wheeler State Park is in my top 25 in terms of beauty.
+ CHALLENGING + There are lots of bending tight lines to hit on this layout. I appreciated the amount of thought I had to put into my throws. A few shots seemingly feel unreachable, namely (4), but who knows, maybe I'm not good enough. Although tighter, the length is very approachable to intermediate level players and probably some veterans rec players as well. I think 900 rated players will finish around even or so, but their scores will vary drastically. I'm an intermediate level player and I could easily see myself throwing a round 5 over and 5 down. This course will probably get more difficult during summer peak overgrowth.
+ ELEVATION + Joe Wheeler has some of the best elevation in Alabama north of Birmingham, I've played them all. Lots of holes change in the 20 to 30 foot range and a couple are in the 40 foot range. I do wish however that there was a better downhill play. From checking topoquest.com, it seems like a 50 to 60 footer would have been possible within the course's footprint.
+ VARIETY + A bit above average. Lots of crafty technical plays bending in all sorts of directions. There are three par 4s and two of these have a bit of a dog leg left in them. Not too many opportunities to let one rip for the bigger arms but those that max out at 350, they will have several driver plays. The biggest omission I found was not introducing the water on any of the holes. Standing on (16) tee looking north there is a mini water inlet with some rock features. It could have been the signature shot. Maybe the park's design directive was to avoid water. Other missing items include a Par 5, dogleg right and an open shot.
+ SHOT SHAPING + Hitting some of these lines is exhilarating. I was shocked to run it clean to the basket on (6) where the line is a subtle double move with a width under six feet in spots. Veteran players who crave technical courses will love these lines.
+ NAVIGATION + Pretty good for a heavily wooded course. Course map, tee signs, some directional cues and intuitive pathways between holes. There were scorecards with course maps print on them available at the course map as well. I do hope that when the tee signs are redone that they include next tee directions.

CONS:
No major flaws of substance with Joe Wheeler but there are several reasons why this course falls just short of a B in my rating style.
- TEES - As of this review the pads are flat, but they are carpet and only four feet wide and ten feet long. Upgrading these to concrete alone would probably incline me to up the courses rating to a 3.5.
- NO MULTI TEES - Since the course has only installed carpet tees to this point, I'm baffled as to why a second set of tees weren't installed. Cost in minimal and room is available. An extra set of tees will make this course appealing to more skill levels.
- CHARACTER - The course has a nice start but lacks the pleasantries that are present at the established courses. In addition to sub-par tees the baskets look cheap, IMO they most closely resemble mach 2s. These baskets don't have the same heavy chains like the baskets that populate top courses. There is however a nice course map and ok flimsy plastic hole signage. The hole signage's is sometimes lacking artistic accuracy, but in fairness it's rare to see perfection on heavily wooded courses. I shot down the wrong lane on (6) due to the inaccurate signage, so I re-thru . As for items that I hope will appear in the future, they include adding alternate basket locations, duel tees, a practice area and some more seating at the tees.
- BEGINNER FRIENDLY - Players that don't have 50 to 100 rounds in the bag should avoid playing this course unless they are a gluten for punishment. Errant shots with a bad ricochet could mean a lost disc or a perilous retrieval effort.
- OVERGROWTH - I played in winter when it wasn't so bad but I can image this place gets quite overgrown during the summer. There's extensive thicket out here. I wouldn't be surprised if there's lots of poison ivy as well, although I didn't see any.
- PAY TO PLAY - Park fee is $4, worth it IMO for this course.
- TERRAIN - I would not call this course cart friendly. way to many nooks and tree stubs to make rolling around a cart an enjoyable experience. Not the best course for those will knee joint pain or walking difficulties

OTHER THOUGHTS:
Joe Wheeler is among my favorites in North Alabama. Very similar to Alabama state courses Monte Sano, The Eagle and Flying Dragon, but with more elevation. For those is the Nashville area, it's very similar to Cane Ridge, although that course is a slightly a better example of the same style. It wouldn't take much for me to up the rating to a B as it's a very strong B- in its young state. I hope to come back in a year or so and see concrete tees or a second set of tees. Alternate basket would be great too.
- TIME PLAY - I finished my winter round in just over an hour and I spent some significant time searching for discs. I think Joe Wheeler will fall right around average in time length to play. Figure a group of four will be in at around 120 to 150 minutes.

Amazing course, gotta love all the wooded holes, nice and secluded. Didnt see a single person on the course in the evening. Carpeted pads but they are nice and level. The campground has some awe ... show more ›

Amazing course, gotta love all the wooded holes, nice and secluded. Didnt see a single person on the course in the evening. Carpeted pads but they are nice and level. The campground has some awesome primitive camping sites, the road to primitive is a little treacherous but we made it fine in a 95 saturn with not much clearance just watch out for the ruts. There is paved roads to the electric sites. Best course we've played in Alabama. Beautiful glimpses of the lake through the trees without getting in danger zone of hitting it. Geodes and pre-geodes lay all over which makes for fun exploration as you play or search for a disc. Since you have to pay you might as well enjoy the heavily wooded campground for a little bit more.

Drove up from Birmingham to play this course and it was worth it. State Park is beautiful. The course is in great location overlooking Wheeler Lake, lots of wild flowers in bloom, great views of the r ... show more ›

Drove up from Birmingham to play this course and it was worth it. State Park is beautiful. The course is in great location overlooking Wheeler Lake, lots of wild flowers in bloom, great views of the river, a pleasure just to walk this course. Relatively short and heavily wooded. Good bit of elevation change but still very walkable. Some dog legs are pretty severe and several play right to left. Good mix of holes that you can birdie with others where you are happy to make par. Very enjoyable and fun to play, I highly recommend this course. With McFarland and Veterans near by you have 3 different styles of courses to play. Great lodging at reasonable prices in the park. Don't miss the marina and restaurant. If you have non disc golfers with you they will find a TON of stuff to do.. Play grounds and picnic areas adjacent to hole 1. This is a GREAT addition to disc golf in Alabama.