Pros:
+ Tee signs have a color and shape of their own, distinct from the two other layouts that share many of the same fairways, so the player always knows which sign to refer to.
+ Next tee signs, while not plentiful, are a welcomed sight and point the way.
+ The whole course has that eerie and energizing 'lost forest' feel by limiting what you can see around you. The player will likely forget that there is a ski hill nearby!
+ There are very many rocky hills to add to the challenge: some steep and some steady.
+ Trees everywhere force the player to focus on aim and accuracy rather than brute force.
Cons:
- Most of the tee areas were muddy messes during my session.
- A few of the tee signs were flat-out missing. Holes 14 and 18 come to mind as examples of this.
- Trees everywhere cause most of the holes to feel samey and repetitive.
- Some of the next tee signs were broken or altogether missing in places where they could really be helpful. I did not see one between holes 9-10 or 16-17, and I found the sign between 2-3 shattered and discarded on the ground. I got lost twice here as a result of the lack of signage.
- Deadfall trees are very prevalent. A few holes felt as though I was playing in the rough from start to finish.
- Very many exposed roots, hidden tree stumps and slippery leaves on rocks. Walk with caution.
Other Thoughts:
My favorite hole at this course was definitely 8. I liked 17, too, but I liked 8 more because of how deceptively simple it is. The short distance of the hole tricks you into thinking that it won't be so hard, but the sheer height of the cliff throws that notion on its ear. 8 is a fun challenge to overcome.
My least favorite hole here could be the very first one. It felt plain and underwhelming to me.
As for the course as a whole, Campgaw Green is a course that, to my mind, has yet to reach its stride. This isn't to say that the course is bad. The venue is pretty with a dynamic landscape of rocky hills and trees. I played in early December. I can just imagine what it looks like in spring and summer.
The course is a good challenge, but the endless forest does feel repetitive after a while. Hills and oaks continue as far as the eye can see. While it is, indeed, pretty, it becomes commonplace before long. However, I would rather see the trees stay where they are instead of having them mindlessly chopped down just to carve out a perfect fairway.
Yes, this is definitely wooded disc golf with a few hybrid holes thrown into the mix among holes 11 and 14. I would sooner recommend this course to the accurate tacticians out there before the power arms for obvious reasons. Granted, though, all can have a good time here because it is disc golf, after all. And I do want to say that I did have fun with what is available, but there is still so much more to do.
Tee pads would be a great start. I think it would be a good thing to have something solid for the players to tee off on instead of mud in the days following a rain.
Another good addition would be sturdier signage. The 'current tee' signs will probably be fine as they are for a while longer, but the 'next tee' signs should get an upgrade.
In closing: Campgaw Green is a decent course that takes the player through many variations of the wooded disc golf experience. There are hills to conquer and hundreds of trees to avoid. There are even some stand-out holes for sure, but the monotony of everything else coupled with the soggy tee areas and absent signage may dampen the fun for some.
Go throw at Campgaw if you like an uphill battle.