Pros:
1) Course has some of the best maintenance I have seen to date. I have played a lot of courses (good and bad) and this course is probably in the best shape. It is clean, there is not a lot of visible garbage, woodchips are used very well to cover bare areas and wash out areas. Simply put when you play this course you will actually see park workers (how often does this happen at your local course?) Like others have said it is apparent this is a combined effort of the Park District as well as the local guys who are passionate about disc golf.
2) Bryant Lake has by far the best landscaping work I have seen. It has a ton of timbers to retain some hills ( a 4 tier wall guarding #7 basket is awesome and intimidating, those timber walls also become a tough obstacle if you are to end up on the wrong side of it. It may bounce off the walls to providing you with a harder shot than you would have had if there were no timber walls. Your disc would nestle up closer to your intended target . . . but not now. I like the added challenege these walls add. It isn't just about the timber walls however, the flatstone walkway from #5 tee looks great . . .it doesn't change the play at all but it makes you feel like you are certainly in a well taken care of park. The path to #6 tee is also pretty cool with timber steps. This type of thing is what makes this course great . . . as opposed to simply walking through the tall weeds on a compacted bare soil path!
Boulder wall protecting baskets and also preventing erosion are all over this course too. The entrance to the course by the main sign is well landscaped and really gets you excited to play the course.
3) The amenities are awesome . . . scorecards and pencils are available at the pay box, an awesome sign with course diagrahm and other postings is normally an ugly thing all filled with cobwebs and the signs all faded, but not here . . . it is top notch. There is a well built restroom on hole #14 which is an added bonus to this course. It is not even an eyesore like most porto-potties.
4) Awesome, large, grippy, dual concrete tees. These are some of the best tees around. They all have mulch surrounding them where the normal wear areas show up. This course defines tee complex as opposed to teeing area!
5) Benches on every hole make for a place to sit or a convenient place to set your bag. Garbage cans at every tee also keep this course looking spotless.
6) Erosion and compaction control mats are used in several places that would otherwise be bare dirt. It is awesome to see this sort of thing show up . . . it may be expensive but it is the kind of thing that will advance course construction into the future. These mats allow for turf to grow right through the mesh holes in the wire mat. The protect the plant and buffer the weight of everyone walking across it to help keep the turf alive and growing. They are a bit slippery in the area with less turf and when they are wet so be careful . . . and they will also provide some interesting bounces for you. More often than not you will get a good skip off of these mats so knowing where they are can be helpful.
6) Here comes that word again . . . Green "Complexes" It isnt just a basket on a hill . . . it is a green complex. There is a lot of landscaping around the baskets, mulch is used in almost all circumstances.
7) Signature hole: #17 awesome 542' downhiller. It isn't like throwing off a skihill but it does have quite a bit of elevation to get some good distance out of your disc. It also isn't just a downhiller . . . it also has another tiered timber wall to protect the basket. If you are short of the wall you will have a tough time making the putt as it is up 6 feet from the ground level and still about 30-40' away. A rollaway here could be devastating!
8)Dual baskets are a novelty but you have to know he course to know where they currently are. Its nice but it is also a negative.
9) Some scenic views of Bryant Lake. The rest of the course is also very picturesqe in its surroundings. The rolling hills and wooded perimters make for a nice feel. The elevation change on #17 is also pretty cool. Just a very nice course that fits well in its natural surroundings.
10) Course is also very well mown. The fairways are clean and they have some pretty healthy turf too. It isn;t just a big weed patch of clover and miscellaneous weeds.
Cons:
1) Course could use a few directional signs . . . for the most part you can fn your way but for a beginner it might be tough to find a few of your next tees.
2) Stairs leading down from #17 could use a bigger tread. It is very steep and the treads are very close together. I am sure they did what the could with the terrain and slope, but a properly designed stairway is important for the safety on the course.
3) Not really a beginner friendly despite i it not being in dead tight punishing woods. It has more of an open feel with well placed trees and obstacles. The green complexes will certainly cause some frustration for some of the beginners. The distance of the short tees is also a tough task for a beginner discer. I recommend starting somewhere else until you have more control over your disc and then coming to play one of the better courses in MN.
4) Dual baskets in play can be confusing for people. I threw my approach on the first hole to the short basket before realizing the other basket was also in play. I thouhgt it was for another hole until I walked right past it to go to 2 tee. #6 is also very confusing as you can see both baskets from the tee.I do not have an answer for this but I do not think leaving dual baskets in the ground is necessary and can mostly provide frustration rather than enjoyment.
5) Sand piles on Hole #7 are a little annoying . . . is that really the only place that can go????
6) A few of the holes early on are kindof boring. they don't have much for obstacles and are simple open prairie shots. It is only real early in the round though and the rest of the course does not have one of those simple boring open holes.
Other Thoughts:
I am glad I waited to post my review after a little time. I think I hd some high high expectations for this course because it was ranked 8th before I left for MN. I played it and thought, that is the 8th best course in the country???? I think my expectations were built to high . . . but in the end after reading the reviews I think I just wasn't as attentive to the quality on this course. I forgot to write alot of stuff down that I remembered when doing my review. I also played with a friend so that most certainly distracted me. In the end I feel it is a 4.5 disc course for sure at least because of all of the money and maintenance that has gone into the course. I do not feel it will remain at the top of the list though because it simply doesnt have every aspect needed to stay up there. Sure it has a lot of good holes including 1 for sure signature (#17). It also have some awesome landscaping and all the amenities needed to be a top tier course. It also however does not have that ever present challenge. The course is balanced but the lack of tight tight woods on some holes keeps me from giving it a top tier vote but 4.5 is still very good and one of the top 5 courses I have played too date.
I do think this course and Blue Ribbon Pines are sure models for disc golf course development in MN and other places for the future. The pay to play models invoked here are certainly going to keep pushing these courses forward and also encourage other courses to do the same. I would never mind having to pay $3 -5 per day to play disc golf especially if it includes all the things this course has. I really did enjoy this course and will go back for sure. I am happy to say I go to MN at least 2-3 times a year so look out folks I will play. I am also glad I got to play this course before Blue Ribbon Pines because I would have certainly been affected by the awesomeness of that course that I would not have been objective about this course.
Hole 16 is being changed slightly with the teepad being moved over to the left and then a channel with a low ceiling on it throwing to a basket protected by a massive rock!