Pros:
1) Nice turf in the open holes and the wooded holes have a fair amount of leaves to cover the bare soil. Also there are areas that are covered in a creeping euonymous which is an evergreen. It actually makes the course look better because in the winter it gets a nice dark purple color to it. It wont stand up to too much traffic, but all in all the ground on this course is in pretty good shape, both in wooded areas and in the open turfed areas.
2) Brand New DGA baskets with the # plates. The plates are always facing the tee too which is often overlooked when baskets get installed.
3) Nice sized concrete teepads. This course could get away without concrete if it needed to because most of the holes are short and fairly level areas, but it is still nice to play on concrete in my opinion.
4) There is a shelter and a sign with a nice diagram of the course at the beginning of the course. There also is a practice basket right by the main sign. Plenty of parking available in the gravel lot across from Tee #1.
5) Tee signs are the same setup as Lovers Lane and what would appear to be the same as other courses in the Bowlng Green area. The signs have Hole #, par, and distance and a general layout. The diagram coul be better but it does give enough information for a first timer.
6) As I mentioned before the Creeping Euonymous is a cool feature of this course because it creates a nice effect and looks like a carpet. It also it beginning to creep up some of the trees in the woods. This is just a cool thing, it doesnt make the course better, but I can appreciate something like this as a horticulturist and this is my review so it gets entered here!!
7) Nice variety in shot shaping. There is generally only 1 line per hole (in the wooded areas) and these lines go both ways and sometimes allow for a straight line shot too. The more open holes allow for you to execute the shot however you want to because they are so open.
8) There is a real nice mix of foliage density here. The first two holes are wide open, then the third hole is open fairway all the way to the 30' circle. Then you enter the tight woods and you do not come out until hole #12. #13 is open but does have some trees in the fairway that you need to navigate. #14 shoots back through the open area with the basket tucked back into the woods again and is a tough little green area. Play #15, 16 and 17 in the woods again, and head back to the open for the closing hole! Very nice variety.
9) Elevation is gradual and rolling and is an asset to this course. There arent dramatic rises or falls but the rolling terrain is enough to make you think about the shot. It is simply the typical Kentucky landscape!
10) Somewhat beginner friendly because it is so short. This would be one of the better wooded courses to take a beginner to let them see just what wooded courses play like. A true beginner might not want to play here, but once they get the hang of their throwing technique, this course would be a good first step from a wide open course.
11) The river was dry when I played it in winter, but it would be nice to hear that water trickling down in summer. I do not know how often water is in this creek, but it is hardly in play unless you catch a really bad ricochet off a tree.
Cons:
1) Finding some of the baskets in summer might be tough and the tee sign diagram would not be enough to help you find them.
2) A little too much luck required to do well on this course because there are a couple holes with no defined fairway. Most of the wooded holes and clear and defined, but there are at least 2 or 3 holes that have no clear line.
3) Signs in the open are faded, if you look very closely you can still see where the distance stickers were, but they coul use some touchup work to make them more visible.
4) First two holes are very open and plain but at the same time this is a negative it does offer you the chance to get your arm lose before heading into the woods.
5) Grafitti on the new basket on #3. Number plate has been painted.
6) No benches on this course and the garbage is available with a 5 gallon pail, sure to lose som of the garbage that gets put into them because they are just hanging from the tee posts.
7) A little bit of a lack of variety of distance. SInce the course is so short already. The distance isnt a huge factor because many of the shots require midrange distance tee shots. Pick the most appropriate disc for the shot and worry about distance later.
8) Wooded holes have some area that have a little too much underbrush. There are also section of vines which can always be frustrating when thrown off the fairway. You are VERY likely to end up there from time to time because of how tight things are, so be prepared to throw around or over some underbrush.
Other Thoughts:
I had a good time here and I am not so sure why it is rated as low as 2.5 discs. There is enough here to justify a 3 disc rating (and almost enough for a 3.5 (more like 3.25 IMO)at least. The only thing they could do to make this course better would be to expand some of the holes but the property would not allow for that. Regardless this is still a decent course and I would come here often if I lived in the area. For my Milwaukee Listeners this is a lot like a Valley View when you are used to playing Dretzka or Brown Deer. They both are fun but for different reasons. I like short courses as it gives you the chance to execute shots and make a lot of birdies if done correctly. I shot -8 on my first round ever. That isnt a real representation of this course however, because I think I really executed some great shots here to score that well. It wasn't luck I just really pulled off some great shots. I almost aced hole #15 which is one of the hardest holes on the course. It held an anny all the way to the basket and clinked off the front of the basket. I still made birdie but my score could have been 1 better if it was 6 inches higher.