Pros:
*One of the most technically challenging courses I've played. In short: the course makes creative use of elevation and any other natural features the land provides. It forces a variety of different throws, using a variety of different discs to get the job done. It also demands a higher level of physical fitness than front range courses.
*Several holes had beautiful natural fairways leading up to the basket, usually on a slope perpendicular to the initial direction of the drive, and with trees crowding the entrance to the fairway, adding difficulty. A variety of forehand and backhand throws are all but mandatory here.
*Only one or two holes give you a straight line at the basket (and even those have complicating factors precluding anything too straightforward). You're constantly forced to lean on the disc's natural hyzer (or anhyzer) movement, usually with no good option besides putting a lot of air under the disc to allow for enough turn and/or fade to get you where you need to be. This is something I don't get to practice on any of my home courses.
*Most of the blind drives feature a mini-basket displayed prominently in-line between the tee and the basket, providing guidance on where to aim.
*I didn't feel like the final stretch was monotonous at all, as others have complained. I quite enjoyed it, and I found dealing with the huge elevation drops quite challenging (then again, maybe people complain *because* it's so challenging? And if it's not that hard, why isn't anyone scoring aces? ).
I had to learn quickly that on an average length hole (say, 230 ft), a large elevation drop (between 40 and 90 vertical ft) changes EVERYTHING. It plays more like a short 120 ft hole, but one that requires all the contol and none of the power you would expect.
Cons:
Not much to complain about without picking nits, and pretty much all of these problems stop being relevant once you've played the course a few times.
*Navigating some of the blind holes can be tough for first timers, but the course did take measures (like the mini-baskets) to mitigate it.
*Several holes had steep drop-offs immediately past the basket that weren't apparent from afar, constituting unfairly severe penalties for near misses in the wrong direction.
*Though there are clearly visible signs marking each teepad, they are handmade, and discerning the meaning of each sign isn't always obvious, notably on holes with separate "high" and "low" tees. It's unclear which tee is more challenging, aka which to consider "pro" and which is "am."
Other Thoughts:
This course perfectly illustrates a reoccurring debate I've been having with friends: is it better to throw a tomahawk over everything to get the lowest possible score on a round at all costs, or is it better to face challenging, closed, or curving lines head-on, aiming to navigate them "properly" with finesse? Personally I fall squarely into the latter camp, as I think nailing a challenging line with a memorable shot is what it's about. I can fondly recall lots of great shots I'm proud of, but I don't have anything enduring or interesting to say about any of my lowest scoring rounds.
I had lots of fun playing this course on a day that probably shouldn't have been nearly so much fun. The course was under 6+" of melting snow, and what wasn't snow was probably mud slicks, but I didn't have any trouble walking between holes or finding errant drives. Finding traction on the snowed-in tee pads was a different story, though. Run-ups were all but impossible without slipping and sliding during your wind-up or release.
After dropping off my signed waiver form, I was planning on playing a couple holes before deciding whether to leave a donation, as I sort of expected to get sick of fighting the conditions after a hole or two. But a local dude arrived and ended up taking me through all 18, and of course by the end all that mattered was changing into warm and dry clothes, and I forgot to go back and leave a donation. I feel awful about it, since the owner of the land was extremely nice over the phone, and the course itself is great fun. Of course if he even noticed he's way too chill to say anything about it, which to me only makes it worse. Don't let yourself make the same mistake I did!
If nothing else, at least it's an excuse to make it a point to come back for another round the next time I'm anywhere near this part of the state!
A very commendable and truly DG guidebook quality review. Thank you ninjalectual! Also, the constructive criticism was just that, constructive. I purchased a laminator, work to improve signage is in progress, and hopefully signage at Redtail will be a relic issue for the 2016 summer season.