Basic Information
Course Location: Warriors' Path State Park
Geographic Location: southeast of Kingsport, TN (36.49113, -82.47705)
Date Visited: October 2023
Number of Holes: 18
Course Length: 6150/5735 feet, par 61/59
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: intermediate
Difficulty Level: intermediate
Carts: would be hard to use due to steep and rough terrain
Potential to Lose Discs: medium due to dense woods
Park Information: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/warriors-path
DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/warriors-path-state-park-cliffside.13826
Course Walkabout Video, Front 9: (coming September 20)
Course Walkabout Video, Back 9: (coming September 27)
Driving Directions: In northeast Tennessee, take I-81 to SR 36 (exit 59). Exit and go north on SR 36. Drive SR 36 north 1.3 miles to Hemlock Road and turn right on Hemlock Rd. Drive Hemlock Rd. east 1.6 miles to the state park entrance on the right. Turn softly right to enter the park. Drive the main park road 1.1 miles to the boat ramp parking lot and the adjacent parking lot for the Cliffside Disc Golf Course and the Overlook Trail. Park here. #1 tee is beside the trailhead for the Overlook Trail. Note: do NOT follow signs in the park for "disc golf course;" they lead to the parking lot for the park's Lakefront Course.
Course Constructions:
Tees: concrete or astroturf, 1 per hole but a few holes have 2
Baskets: white Discatcher, 1 per hole but a few holes have 2, like new on my visit
Signage: course map at the start of the Lakefront course, hole sign on each tee, signs at most baskets pointing to next tee
Amenities: benches on some holes, hiking trails, other amenities elsewhere in the park
Summary Review: 5 Stars (out of 5)
Warriors' Path State Park has 2 18 hole disc golf courses: the Cliffside Course and the Lakefront Course. I rank both courses as intermediate in difficulty, but the Cliffside Course is mostly heavily wooded while the Lakefront Course is more open. This review considers only the Cliffside Course; the Lakefront Course is the subject of the next review.
The Cliffside Course gets its name from its location on the bluffs overlooking the South Fork Holston River. While there are no "cliffs" directly on the course, a short detour near basket #3 and tee #4 will take you to this park's clifftop river overlook. The course consists of 9 of the park's original 27 holes plus 9 new holes built closer to the overlook. This course makes good use of elevation, and while most of the course is heavily wooded there are a few fairly open holes. The course has a nice mix of long and short holes. There are no official trails or roads on the course that create safety hazards, but I did encounter some bird watchers wandering around the course. There were 2 other groups playing the course when I came here on a chilly Tuesday afternoon, and the course maintenance was flawless. The thought occurred to me that adding some shorter tees or baskets would make the course more beginner-friendly, but there isn't much to dislike here unless you don't like heavily wooded courses. Bring your A game, spend a whole day here, and have a great pair of rounds, one on each course.
Hole-by-Hole Review
Distances taken from hole signs. Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.
Hole #1: 400 feet, par 4
Comments: we start with a relatively long uphill hole that is a slight dogleg right. The fairway is plenty wide, but dense woods line either side of the fairway. The fairway is paved with large gravel, which makes it feel like a utility corridor even though there are no power lines overhead. Tree limbs overhanging the corridor create a moderately high ceiling. The basket is about 20 feet off the corridor to the right, which adds to the challenge. #2 tee is to the left.
Hole #2: 518 feet, par 4
Comments: a slight variation on hole #1, this hole is another slight dogleg right. This hole continues up the gravel-paved corridor, but it is more flat than hole #1. #3 tee is in the woods to the left.
Hole #3: 290 feet, par 3
Comments: now we head into the dense woods for a super tight dogleg left that plays across a gentle swale. There is a little bit of open space near the basket, but it will take an accurate right-to-left throw with good distance to get to the open space. #4 tee is a couple hundred feet away. To get there, walk behind the basket to the head of a ravine, turn left to descend steps to reach #4 basket, then walk back up #4 fairway to get to the tee. There are plans to build some new steps to avoid walking back up the fairway.
Hole #4: 180 feet, par 3
Comments: the shortest hole on this course, this hole plays slightly uphill along the bottom of a "half-pipe" with steep rock outcrop-adorned walls. This "half-pipe" looks like a rock cut from an old road or railroad bed. There is only 1 tree at the bottom of the "half-pipe," so this hole is aceable. While definitely not the hardest hole, this may be the most unique and fun hole on this course. To get to #5 tee, walk up the steps behind the basket and turn left.
Hole #5: 385 feet, par 4
Comments: short for a par 4, this is a tight, heavily wooded, uphill hole. 2 very accurate throws will be needed to get close to the basket and set-up a birdie opportunity. #6 tee is to the right and back toward #5 tee.
Hole #6: 240 feet, par 3
Comments: now we head the opposite direction and go back downhill for this short dogleg left. The fairway is tight, but the ceiling is generous, so an accurate right-to-left throw will set up a birdie opportunity. #7 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #7: 300 feet, par 3
Comments: the third consecutive very tight hole plays down and up across a gentle swale. This hole is too much poke-and-pray for my liking. #8 tee is in the clearing behind the basket.
Hole #8: 518/400 feet, par 4/3 (pictures are of the long basket)
Comments: now we break out of the woods into a surprisingly large clearing for the first hole with 2 baskets and the first hole on this course from among the original 27. The tee shot plays gradually downhill out of a chute surrounded by dense woods. The short basket makes this hole a slight dogleg left, while the long basket makes it straight but with a pair of pine trees directly in front of the basket. This hole is a nice challenge and a nice change of pace from the previous few holes. #9 tee is in the woods to the left and back toward the tee.
Hole #9: 209 feet, par 3
Comments: gradually uphill and a slight dogleg right, this hole has a generous fairway for a heavily wooded hole. A couple of large trees guard the front right side of the basket, but this is one of the most uninspiring holes on this course. #10 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #10: 219/189 feet, par 3 (pictures are of the left basket)
Comments: one of the steepest uphill holes on this course, the fairway is fairly generous. The shorter right basket demands just a slight left-to-right disc flight to attack, but a cluster of cedar trees blocks a direct line to the longer left basket. #11 tee is behind the left basket.
Hole #11: 277/215 feet, par 3 (pictures are of the long basket)
Comments: a gradually uphill hole that plays through a pine planting, the short basket is in a somewhat open area, but the long basket is tucked in a tight corner with dense woods on 3 sides. #12 tee is to the left and back toward the tee.
Hole #12: 400 feet, par 4
Comments: another tight pine planting hole, this hole is a double slight dogleg, first right then left. The gradual downhill makes this hole play a little shorter than the distance, but the tight and doglegged fairway makes this hole a worthy par 4. #13 tee is to the right.
Hole #13: 285 feet, par 3
Comments: a fairly flat and very straight but very tight hole, maybe the tightest on this course. The fairway does get a little wider as you get close to the basket, but it will take an arrow-straight throw to get that far. #14 tee is to the right.
Hole #14: 325 feet, par 3
Comments: similar to hole #13 but not quite as tight and a slight dogleg right. #15 tee is to the left.
Hole #15: 295 feet, par 3
Comments: one of the most downhill holes on this course, you have to thread your disc through a smattering of red cedar trees, but there are a couple of possible lines that will get you through. If you can get through the trees, you should have a birdie opportunity. #16 tee is to the left in the middle of the field; the tee behind the wooden wall to the right is the tee for hole #4 on the Lakefront Course. The routes for the 2 courses cross only here, so if you wanted to play all 36 holes you could play holes #4 through #18 and #1 through #3 on the Lakefront Course and then finish your round on this course.
Hole #16: 224 feet, par 3
Comments: this hole starts in the clearing, but it quickly heads into the woods, descends, and doglegs right. Dense brush lies just beyond the basket, so don't miss long. #17 tee is to the right.
Hole #17: 485/280 feet, par 4/3 (pictures are of the short basket)
Comments: the last truly open hole, the short basket lies just in the woods to the left of the clearing. The long basket lies further up the clearing on the right. The openness is nice after all of the heavily wooded holes. #18 tee is to the left.
Hole #18: 600 feet, par 4
Comments: a real bear of a finishing hole. The double dogleg fairway has reasonable width, but dense woods line either side and the ceiling is somewhat low. You will need 2 very good throws to have a chance at birdie here. The parking lot is down the trail behind the basket.
