Shepard State Park Disc Golf Course in Gautier, MS

Basic Information

Course Location: Shepard State Park

Geographic Location: Gautier, MS (30.37583, -88.62966)

Date Visited: February 2025

Number of Holes: 18 numbered holes + 5 bonus holes

Course Length: 5834 feet, par 70

Cost to Play: $5 park entrance fee
Difficulty Level: recreational, medium

Carts: should be OK here

Potential to Lose Discs: medium to high due to dense woods and a forced marsh carry

Park Information: https://shepardstatepark.com/

DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/shepard-state-park.91

UDisc Page: https://udisc.com/courses/shepard-state-park-dgc-YDgH

Course Walkabout Video, Front 9: (coming December 12)

Course Walkabout Video, Middle/Bonus/Alphabet 5: (coming December 19)
Course Walkabout Video, Back 9: (coming December 26)

Driving Directions: In southeast Mississippi, take I-10 to Gautier-Vancleave Road (exit 61).  Exit and go south on Gautier-Vancleave Rd.  Drive Gautier-Vancleave Rd. south 3.2 miles to US 90 and turn left on US 90.  Drive US 90 east 2.4 miles to Oak Street; there is a traffic light at this intersection.  Turn right on Oak St., then 2 blocks later turn left on Graveline Road.  Drive Graveline Rd. 1.2 narrow and winding miles to the signed park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee at the park office to obtain a code to open the park gate, then drive the main park road 0.3 miles to the parking lot for the athletic field, dogpark, and Marshwalk on the left.  Park in this lot.  #1 tee is to the right/northeast of the restroom building.

Course Constructions:

Tees: 1 per hole; mostly concrete, but 4 of the bonus holes have unmarked tees

Baskets: 1 per hole; yellow Discatcher except for the bonus holes

Signage: hole number and distance on poles at some tees, plastic arrow on basket pointing toward next tee

Amenities: restrooms, picnic area, playground, playing field, hiking trails, other amenities elsewhere in the park

Summary Review: 3 Stars (out of 5)

The disc golf course at Shepard State Park occupies a mostly flat and heavily wooded plot of land.  Despite the dense woods, many of the fairways have reasonable width, and the short length of most holes makes the course attackable for most players.  The 5 bonus/lettered holes in the middle of the course are somewhat controversial because they have no established tee pads and thus have somewhat of a safari feel.  If you don't enjoy choosing your own tees, the 5 lettered holes are easy to skip: #10 tee is only a few hundred feet away from #9 basket.  The entire course needs better signage.  Roads and hiking trails are very much in play on several holes.  Only 1 hole brings the salt marsh into play, and the thought occurred to me that the course would be more scenic and more challenging if the marsh came into play more often.  As is, the large number of short tight wooded holes with sharp doglegs makes the course feel a little repetitive, and some of the challenges presented may not be of the fun variety.  Also, the lack of multiple tees or multiple basket positions limits the course's replay value.  The course is somewhat popular in spite of the park entrance fee: I saw 3 other groups playing the course when I came here on a Thursday afternoon.  I have read that bugs and course maintenance are problems here, but both of those items were fine when I came here in early February.  Overall, I enjoyed my round at Shepard State Park, but the repetition and lack of tee/basket options limit how high I can rate this course.

Hole-by-Hole Review 

Distances taken from dgcoursereview.com; link provided above.  Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.

Hole #1: 203 feet, par 3

Comments: a reasonably open hole to start, a cluster of medium-sized trees stands directly in front of the basket.  There is room to go around the trees on either side.  The right option provides a wider gap to hit, but an accurate throw on the tighter left line will be rewarded with a more direct route to the basket and therefore a higher probability of birdie.  The strategy and execution required here make this one of my favorite holes on this course.  #2 tee is behind the basket and to the right, at the edge of the playing field.

Hole #2: 375 feet, par 3

Comments: after one of the most interesting holes comes one of the most boring holes on this course: a long throw over a wide open athletic/soccer field.  You can't see the basket from the tee: it is just into the woods about 20 feet right of the tall pine tree directly across the field.  Aiming at the tall pine tree lets you approach the basket from the left and get around a smaller tree directly in front of the basket.  #3 tee is behind the basket, across Navaho Road, and to the left.

Hole #3: 397 feet, par 3

Comments: another long hole; this time the fairway coincides with dirt/gravel Navaho Road.  (Aside: the road and hiking trail names at this park form a phonetic alphabet with Navaho as the "n.")  The basket is in a grove of tall pine trees about 30 feet left of the road.  The optimal strategy is to stay with the road until you get almost level with the basket and then putt through the trees.  Avoid the dense woods to the right of the road.  #4 tee is behind the basket and across Cherokee Road.

Hole #4: 232 feet, par 3

Comments: a sweeping dogleg left that again plays across a park road, this time Cherokee Road.  You can't see the basket from the tee: it is behind the dense woods to the left of the road.  A dense grove of small pine trees guards the basket, so you need a controlled right-to-left disc flight that hopefully gets a good ricochet off of those small pine trees you can't see.  This hole favors luck over skill in my view.  #5 tee is down the wooded trail behind the basket.

Hole #5: 186 feet, par 3

Comments: you throw across a park road for a third consecutive hole; fortunately these roads only access the group campground and thus are seldom used.  Again the basket is hidden by trees: it is behind the trees to the right of the clearing across the road.  There is a decent amount of room left of the basket, so an accurate left-to-right throw should yield a birdie opportunity on this hole.  #6 tee is to the left, back on the previous (south) side of Cherokee Road.

Hole #6: 198 feet, par 3

Comments: now we start a series of short tight holes carved through the dense forest.  The pine trees form a tight fairway on this slight dogleg left, and a right-to-left disc flight will be needed to get close to the basket in 1 throw.  Any disc that goes into the dense woods will be tough to find much less play.  #7 tee is to the right.

Hole #7: 179 feet, par 3

Comments: a sharp dogleg right, the sharpness of the dogleg makes it tough to get near the basket in 1 throw despite this hole's length.  Placing the basket atop a pyramid seems like a good idea, but it makes it harder to make a long birdie putt.  This hole may be too frustrating to be a fun challenge.  #8 tee is behind the basket.

Hole #8: 256 feet, par 3

Comments: another sharp dogleg right, at least the fairway is wide enough to give you a little room to maneuver a disc.  This hole is also longer, so again it may be too frustrating to be a fun challenge.  #9 tee is behind the basket and to the left.

Hole #9: 180 feet, par 3

Comments: a short but very tight hole that plays across a small stream.  The basket is labeled "A" even though it is definitely hole #9's basket.  The pedestrian bridge is in the perfect place to try to bounce or roll a disc toward the basket and set-up a birdie opportunity that way.  Hole A tee is to the right past the platform; #10 tee is a couple hundred feet to the left across Mohawk Road if you want to skip the bonus/middle/lettered 5 holes.

Hole A: 222 feet, par 3

Comments: it's nice to be out of the dense forest, but several large trees still keep the fairway tight.  The basket is mislabeled; this is a trend on the lettered holes.  Also, some limbs create a low ceiling, so you will need a low and accurate throw to set-up a birdie opportunity.  Note that the Marshwalk to the right of the basket is this park's most popular amenity, so watch for pedestrians.  There is no marked tee for Hole B; I started to the left near the parking lot.

Hole B: 264 feet, par 3

Comments: similar to the previous hole but tighter and with a lower ceiling.  There is no marked tee for Hole C; I started to the left on the dirt road.

Hole C: 280 feet, par 3

Comments: the first part of the fairway coincides with dirt/gravel Mohawk Road, so this hole feels more open than the previous few holes.  Yet the basket is in a very tight spot at the edge of the clearing, and you will need to maneuver your disc around a large live oak tree to get close to the basket.  The basket is an old single-chain basket that is marked with a "4."  This hole is a more fair challenge than some of the previous numbered holes.  There is no marked tee for Hole D; I started near a picnic area at the dirt road's cul de sac.

Hole D: 178 feet, par 3

Comments: another tight hole with a low ceiling.  Try a slight left-to-right disc flight and hope for a good ricochet off of the pine trees in front of the basket.  The old single-chain basket is atop a 6 foot pole and labeled "16."  There is no marked tee for Hole E; I started behind the basket and to the left in the picnic area.

Hole E: 211 feet, par 3

Comments: a tight dogleg right with dirt/gravel Mohawk Road on the left.  A magnolia tree makes for a low ceiling, and a low and accurate throw will be needed to set-up a birdie opportunity.  The old single-chain basket has no obvious markings.  #10 tee is behind the basket at the edge of the woods.

Hole #10: 217 feet, par 3

Comments: now back on an official tee and back in the dense woods, this short dogleg left is the first hole with any noticeable elevation: the basket is about 7 feet below the tee.  Dense woods near the salt marsh sit just beyond the basket, so account for the downslope and don't overthrow.  Part of this fairway coincides with the Romeo Trail used by hikers, so watch for pedestrians.  #11 tee is down the trail to the right.

Hole #11: 370 feet, par 4

Comments: the tee shot plays directly across the salt marsh.  While it is less than 150 feet to clear the marsh, many trees stand on the other side of the marsh, and the gaps between the trees are very tight.  Thus, a bad ricochet will likely yield a lost disc in the marsh.  If you do clear the marsh, the super tight fairway doglegs right and heads slightly uphill to the basket.  This is the most memorable hole on this course, and it is a worthy par 4 in spite of its short length.  #12 tee is to the left.

Hole #12: 187 feet, par 3

Comments: a sharp dogleg left with more trees in the fairway than most players will be comfortable with.  A probably unnecessary mandatory (mando) guards the left side of the fairway while dense woods guards the right.  This hole is similar to the short wooded doglegs in the second half of the front nine.  #13 tee is to the left.

Hole #13: 168 feet, par 3

Comments: a very tight dogleg right, but the dogleg is not as sharp as on some previous holes.  This hole does have some elevation: a small swale followed by a small ridge.  Yet the real issue is the tightness, and a very accurate left-to-right throw will be required to attack the basket directly.  #14 tee is to the left and across the Romeo Trail footbridge.

Hole #14: 330 feet, par 3

Comments: the fairway is wider and straighter than previous holes, but dense woods line either side of the fairway.  The basket is located just into the woods to the left of the main corridor.  You want to get as far up the corridor as possible with your tee shot to give the shortest birdie attempt, but don't sacrifice accuracy and end up in the rough.  #15 tee is behind the basket and to the right.

Hole #15: 243 feet, par 3

Comments: a slight dogleg left that plays down what appears to be a shallow drainage channel.  The fairway is plenty wide to accommodate a slight right-to-left disc flight, so a well-executed tee shot should set-up a birdie opportunity.  #16 tee is to the left on the same side of Navaho Road.

Hole #16: 442 feet, par 3

Comments: the longest hole on this course has a straight fairway with a row of pine trees guarding the entire right side and dense woods guarding the entire left side.  Obviously missing right is better than missing left, but the fairway is wide enough that a good throw will stay between the trees.  While not my favorite hole, at least it's not a short tight dogleg.  #17 tee is to the left beside the dog park.

Hole #17: 288 feet, par 3

Comments: a gradual dogleg left, the fairway starts out rather wide but gets tight close to the basket.  Thus, you don't want to get too aggressive.  The fairway also coincides in part with the Tango Trail for hikers, so watch for pedestrians.  #18 tee is to the right.

Hole #18: 228 feet, par 3

Comments: another heavily wooded dogleg right, but the fairway is not as tight as on some previous holes.  Also, this hole is short enough that a throw that curves just the right amount left-to-right will set-up a closing birdie opportunity.  The parking lot is behind the basket and down the park road to the left.