Pros:
This basically sums up my experience here at La Cygne Disc Golf. I was playing my fourth course this day on this, a chilly, wet miserable day. As I finished hole # 8 of this less than stellar 9 hole course, I looked way over where my car was parked by the tennis courts, then looked at the # 9 basket 325' away in the opposite direction from my car and asked myself this question, "Self, Do you want to trudge another 325' over to that basket and then have to trudge all the way back to my rented vehicle just for the thrill of playing this open boring-ass looking hole?" No freaking way was my answer.
And this was after playing a couple of holes that I liked. # 5 and # 6 were
both short 220' rec holes playing through the trees that were enjoyable. But then Mr. Designer had to wreck my short-lived euphoric state by then placing the # 7 tee pad in a ridiculous spot as far back as humanly possible and also making for another long and unneeded walkout.
La Cygne Park is a rather large park with tennis courts, swimming pool, skateboard park, pretty wooded picnic areas and large open expanse of grass. Unfortunately, for disc golf aficionados worldwide, he decided to build much of his course out in these boring open areas.
Hole 1 starts on the far side of the tennis courts, close to the Marais Des Cygnes River which roughly translates to, "Handy place to take a leak." The tee pads are natural and big surprise! Overgrown. Some pads do have a front board. The baskets are Disc Nation brand. Hole # 1 is 300' and open. Hole # 2 is another open 325'. # 3 is 325' but there a couple of trees on your left. # 4 plays 260' with the park road on your right. Then you finally enter the wooded picnic area for some real disc golf.
Cons:
Not an inspiring design. Starts with two boring open holes.
Silly long backtrack to get to the # 7 tee.
# 9 plays 320' in opposite direction from the starting point.
Starts on far side of park by river and finished on the far other side of the park.
Natural tee pads aren't that awesome.
Park is flat.
Disc Nation baskets are pretty cool.
Other Thoughts:
I think this park would have been a great setting to design a shorter recreational course playing mostly through the wooded area. There's room there for 6 or 7 nice holes here. Throw in a longer hole or two which actually flows and then looping back to the start would have been easy. I'm a regular John J. Houck when it comes to constructively critiquing other people's course designs. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy my leak in the river!