Pros:
+ As the title of this review implies, there is water OB everywhere at this course. Ten of the eighteen holes have the player throw over a stream or creek, which makes for some fun risky golf.
+ Most of the course plays within the woods to challenge the players' control and aim through the tight fairways.
+ Both the silver (short) and blue (long) layouts have their own tee sign indicating the distance and par with a diagram of the hole ahead with the next tee direction and any OB specifically marked, and most have their own seating/benches.
+ A few nice elevation challenges add some texture to this otherwise flat course.
+ Short distances so the course can be played in a hurry if a golfer has time restrictions.
Cons:
- As the title of this review implies, there is water everywhere at this course. Some of the fairways were squishy messes during my session in early December.
- Most of the course plays within woods that are not altogether well maintained. A few deadfall trees here and there plus overgrowth in the middle of some fairways subtract from the experience.
- Trash, broken chairs, and discarded industrial equipment visible- especially among holes seven through eleven.
- The tee pads are lumpy rubber. They do not feel sturdy or flat beneath my feet. Some holes have no tee pads at all. Those tee zones are simply rocks or mud behind an embedded plank of wood.
- Some tee signs are missing as well.
- Short distances so the course can be unsatisfying if a golfer has expectations.
Other Thoughts:
My favorite hole at this course would have to be either 15 or 16. It was so nice to play among some evergreen trees after playing through nothing but deciduous trees up until that point. The fairways of those two holes were actual grass instead of mud or rock. I think I liked 16 slightly better because its pin was defended by a bunker and a few guardian trees.
My least favorite hole at this course might be hole 10 because of its combination of winding stream OB and scattered tree-dodging. It felt the least cohesive to me as far as disc golf goes: almost as though the tees and basket were plopped near the water just because they could.
As for the course as a whole, Wolfe Woods is a puzzle.
Everything positive I can think of is negated by that very aspect's downside. The fun water hazards are negated by that very water seeping into the ground everywhere around it and making a muddy mess of the fairways. The challenging wooded holes are negated by their brevity and sometimes under-kept condition.
I did like some of the elevation changes such as the fun downhill of hole 4 and the gentle uphill of hole 11, but I wish that the tee areas had better material (or any material at all for some tee zones) so that I could get more footing to power through them. Most of the streams and creeks are peaceful to watch and listen to, but the rest of the forest is tiny, cramped, and has some garbage plainly visible- especially during the back nine.
This is not a bad course. But it is also not a great course. It is neither dazzling nor dull. It neither invigorates nor nauseates. I neither loved it nor hated it, which is why I feel confident in my rating.
I can still reluctantly recommend this course, however, because I imagine that it will probably be a bit more enjoyable in the hotter months when the ground is not as soggy. I think the tacticians out there would get a lot more enjoyment out of this course than the power throwers, though. The woods are a little bit demanding when it comes to their lines and whether or not they wish to forgive a bad throw.
The short distances for the holes compensate for that, somewhat, with the absolute longest on offer being 425 feet at hole 4's blue (long) tee, so more experienced players might not feel like wasting their time in the first place.
Bottom line: Play at Wolfe Woods as a warm-up for the other course just up the hill and across the parking lot or if you wish to practice throwing through semi-dense forest and over a bunch of waterways.