Pros:
Multiple permanent baskets on many holes with clever system for indicating which is in play at the tee.
Excellent concrete tee pads / excellent baskets / excellent markers at the tees.
Beautiful setting with Eagle River and mountain backdrop
Good mix of holes requiring lots of different types of shots.
Previous reviews mention there are too many wide open shots - maybe the course has a new layout (played in May 2021) but I only count 3 that are wide open and I like having a few of them.
There are some cool signature holes with mandos that make you break out all your throws.
Cons:
There are tons of ankle breaker ground squirrel?/chip monk? holes.
Minimal elevation change, but 14 and 15 make good use of the little bit of elevation available.
The course makes good use of the trees it does have, but there aren't enough to help much if it is windy. And from what I understand, it is very often windy. I played in 15-20 mph wind which made it extra challenging - especially on the 4 or 5 holes where you can go in the river.
Nice welcome sign to the course, but it really needs a course map.
Other Thoughts:
The course was relatively easy to follow for a first timer. There were "next tee" markers at many of the baskets. and it was pretty easy to find the next tee following the path worn in the grass. Two exceptions were hole 10 and hole 11. After 10, we wandered around and found 17 then 14 and finally 15 and just went ahead and played from there. Friendly locals helped us out later - from the basket at 9, backtrack toward 9's tee pad and veer off slightly to the left for 10. It is also easy to miss 11 as from the basket at 10, it seems like 12 is the next hole.
The river and the mountains make for exceptional backdrops.
Yes, it is relatively flat, but that may be a nice change of pace as most of the nearby courses have tons of elevation.
There is easy, ample parking. There was a port-a-potty in the parking lot.
The layout doesn't have any crossing fairways or other potentially dangerous situations.