Pros:
This is a professionally-designed brand new course (June 2016) in an area of lightly wooded meadow behind the Cypresswood subdivision clubhouse.
- Brand new baskets, good size concrete tee pads, and colorful signs with hole information.
- Practice basket next to large parking area.
- The layout is easy to follow thanks to mowed pathways. Great map at the parking area if you need it.
- There are plenty of large shade trees, but enough open space to still have options off the tee.
- The rough doesn't really punish errant shots, so it's still possible to save par most of the time.
- A couple of left-to-right holes, a couple of right-to-left, and a couple tunnel shots make for some variety.
- Longer than most 9-hole courses in the area (hole avg is 350'), which makes a nice challenge.
- No other activities to interfere with the course. No walking path, no playground to throw around.
Cons:
- While there is variety in the direction of the holes, the tree/grass terrain is repetitive. This is more due to the land than the design. All but #7 have tall grass on either side serving as rough, and a few trees to force your choice of lines. A few guardian trees near the baskets mark the greens. 6 and 7 use the more wooded area well but the other holes are too similar to really earn a higher rating.
- The tall grass can make it difficult to find a disc that goes off the fairway. Just another reason to stay on the fairway.
- It appears that some holes get swampy after a rain (dried mud near #6 and #7), but I played a couple days after a storm and it was totally dry.
- No benches or trash cans
Other Thoughts:
- A little long for beginners, perfect for Rec/Int, a bit short for Adv/Open. I think that's probably what they were going for.
- No real danger of losing a disc, unless you flip it over on #3 and go into the bayou. There's also a barbed wire fence on the right of #7 which indicates private property. Don't throw your disc under/over/through that and you're fine. It's a bit deep in the rough so shouldn't be an issue.
- Fairways will be mowed weekly according to the employee we met during our rounds. The Cypresswood HOA is clearly interested in keeping this course in good condition. He also mentioned future plans for alternate tees and/or basket positions.