Pros:
A good mix between tight woods and somewhat open holes. It's part of the great 3-course Druid Hill Disc Golf complex. There's good elevation changes across the entire course. There are gorgeous trees on Holes 6-10, and these 5 holes are great.
Cons:
June 2023 Edit: There's a lot less 'legacy' trash on this course than there used to be! The original course and the Forest Drive course have almost no trash on them. Prior to this area being a course, it was a dumping ground for the adjacent neighborhood. A lot of the trash on the back has been cleaned up, including on the steep hillside. Most of the trash on 6-10 is from local residents who drive onto Beechwood drive to eat, and then throw their trash out the window. It's the DGers who clean it up!
Other Thoughts:
Of the 3 courses that make up Druid Hill, Hillway is probably the lesser of the three. It has some short holes and is a mostly wooded, technical course. I like technical courses and I like elevation, so Hillway is a course I like a lot. I give it a 3.5 for the hills and woods but most players probably won't go that high.
Hillway is a newer course that bucks the trend of being as stretched out and long as possible. The longer holes are on 6-10, which play near (but not super close) to Reistertown Rd. I find these holes to be some of the best on the course. The trees are huge and gorgeous. Holes 13 and 14 are the 2 most challenging woods holes and have an OB creek/swail that separates them. The OB makes both of these holes very tough.
When you play original Druid or Forest Drive, it's easy to forget you're in a pretty sketchy part of Baltimore. When you play Hillway, you're kinda reminded that you're in a sketchy part of Baltimore. It's not unsafe and there's NO reason to not play it.
I love Hillway but when I go to Druid with friends, they'd rather play the other 2 courses. If you have a big arm, Hillway might be a bit short and may not be as challenging. I think the technical nature of Hillway makes it a challenge for anyone. In Nov of 2021, I wrote that "in time the local DGers will remove Hillway's trash and ratings will go up." Well, they have removed a lot of it, especially on the back.
Druid Hill is a gem and Hillway is a positive contribution to it. Norm Eckstein is a Baltimore (and Maryland) Disc Golf legend and hero.