Technical work mixed in with distance (and just pure DISTANCE in one case). Excellent variety. I threw pretty much everything I knew how to throw, from a thumb roller to a big spike hyzer.

Generally, distance is carefully chosen to be just long enough to make shaping/accuracy a challenge for any given shape, but there are a couple sub-200 holes and one 800+ foot monster. Overall, though, it feels like having power will help more in terms of letting you use less of it and play slower discs, rather than being a decisive factor in its own right as at a more open course.

Vertical control is a substantial part of the challenge on several holes, which is unusual here in flat old pine country. Some other Huntsville courses feature more elevation change, but this one stands out for its ceiling and/or "floor" shots.

Facilities-wise, this one does well with most holes having concrete tees (some of which look like death on a pale pony, but only one of which was actually problematic - corner cracked off and sticking up) and all having clear tee signs. Baskets have wind flags, next tee indicators are present in most of the places you need them, and benches and trashcans are provided at reasonable intervals. There is a map onsite, though it does have a few issues (below). Several inexplicable streams contribute to an overall pleasing appearance, but there isn't enough water to lose a disc.

Somebody plainly thought about par, as there aren't any of what a friend calls "automatic par 3s" or fake par 4s (at the overall intermediate level of the course, of course - pros/arm-strong advanced players might quibble about par on both 8 and 15).

Elevation is overall unremarkable, but... welcome to Huntsville. Holes A and B are relatively uninteresting, and are pretty transparent about just being there to ease the flow. Unfortunately, hole A actually introduces a bit of an issue, as it appears to be a logical place to go from hole 11. Don't do that. Hole C is actually a respectable enough finishing hole, but still, I can understand playing eighteen and leaving it at that.

The baskets are Mach IIIs which have seen better times, and the flags are getting too faded to stand out from a distance. A couple tees were dirt/mud instead of concrete. The map is a bit confusing, as it shows a since-removed basketball court, and does not include holes A-C. The sign to the left of the map is in fact hole 1 still, though, despite the lack of basketball.

The intrinsics (land, design, etc.) are all here for this to be a 4.0 course, but it's held back by things like the few dirt tees and the baskets. Overall, though, it's a near-peer to the other "big boy" courses in Huntsville (Indian Creek and UAH), but with more of a technical focus and less pure distance; on the other hand, it isn't as woody as Monte Sano, but is longer (and frankly better overall).

If you don't already have access to the arsenal, there is a way to get a visitor badge, but they change the process every few months lately.

(3.311 Rating) (REVISED - replayed July 2023) A moderately wooded challenging layout.
- RAW BEAUTY - A semi secluded landscape that's among the better looking courses in the area. There's a cool 5 to 10-foot deep gorging creek running along holes (3), (4) and (14). There are lots of older trees and a multitude of tree species. Very few manmade structures are in view along the layout. The one exception is the low use road in view and play along (9), (10) (11) (15) and (B). Parts of the course have backdrop views of Huntsville Mountain on the eastern horizon.
- AMENITIES AND EXTRAS - A touch above average. Seven holes have multiple pins in place and Hole (8) has an additional front tee due to the length. New DISCatcher baskets on all 21 holes with the extra baskets being the old MachIIIs. There's a course map and community board at tee (1), but two holes have been added since its posting. The tees are satisfactory. They are old concrete pads and they are being eaten away from moss and algae growing in the pores. Most of them have turf laid over them now. Surprisingly very grippy and most are tree shaded. About half of the tees have seating areas. At the course entry, there is a porta-potty and shelter with picnic tables.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - This course manages to find the perfect middle ground between too easy and too hard. On my first play here, my group of 3 had one MA3, one MA2 and one MA1 level player, and I think we all enjoyed the layout. The holes with the extra baskets makes the width of the skill level appeal even better.
- CHALLENGING - Playing Redstone to the all long positions reads as an upper MA2 level course. The par 3s out here average less than 300 feet in length and vary from under 200 feet to over 350 feet. Several holes require some well thought out lines. Hole (11) in particular has several lines to the basket but all the lines require the throw to be precisely thrown as intended. Hole (8) is a monster. A par 5 that will exceed 1,100 feet in length when in the far basket position. The fairway on (8) is plenty wide, around 50 feet, but considering how far a player will want to bomb it down there, being offline could definitely occur. I once made this mistake by over rotating on a flick shot and ended up in the so apply named "Valley of Death". It cost me 2 throws to get out.
- HOLE VARIETY - Above average. As stated above, a monster par 5. There is also a short par 4 on (15), several 350-foot par 3s and also a few technical short ace runs. Several holes break to the left, but unfortunately only one or two make a modest break to the right. There is the possibility of water in play of the creek variety, but if it hasn't rained within the last 24 hours, like on all of my visits, the creek will likely be dry. Elevation is present, but it's mostly subdued (see cons, elevation). Players looking for some good elevation in Huntsville should check out Mastin Lake or V-Rock.
- NAVIGATION - Overall not too bad, but there are some issues. As noted, the course map on site is not up to date for the 21-hole format. Second, holes labeled (A), (B) and (C) are not sequentially placed after hole (18), or in a three-hole loop. Hole (A) is after (13), (B) is after (17) and (C) is after (18). There are several numbered short 4x4 yellow wood posts indicating the direction to the next tee, but they need to be repainted.

An older course needing perhaps a few small updates, but otherwise great.
- MISC MINOR THINGS - The tee signs are old and could use a replacement. During the summer the grass can get long in a weeks time without a cut. As noted above, the concrete tees could use an overhaul and the navigational markers need fresh paint.
- NOT A QUICK PLAY - This one is going to take a chunk out of the day. I did a three-sum in two hours and four solo rounds with about a 70-minute average. In addition, players that do not have a base access badge, will need to get one.
- ACCESS - Not having military clearance can make accessing this course difficult. I was fortunate to have a sponsor on my first play here and didn't have any issues to get on base. Access procedures for the base have changed twice in the 6 years I've lived here. Unbadged players currently need to go to the visitor's center at Gate 9. You will need to submit a valid ID (I used my driver's license) and undergo a background check. This takes about 20 minutes if it's not busy. Players that pass the background check, will be issued a badge that's good for 12 months. At this point, one can finally go thru the guard gates which is less than a mile drive away. Also, I have had my car searched on 3 of my last 4 visits.
- LACK OF ELEVATION - Despite being located at the base of Weeden Mountain which rises nearly 600 feet above and along the west side of the course, little was done to encroach the course further up the slope. The max grade change on any hole out here is less than 20 feet. I was expecting a lot more considering its location.

Several people I have met in Huntsville consider Redstone to be the city's top course. Although I personally have it rated as the city's 3rd top course, I have it in a near ratings tie to both Monte Sano (2nd) and UAH (4th). All three of these courses offer something different. UAH is longer and more open. Monte Sano is heavily wooded and Redstone is a mix of the two. For the State of Alabama, I'd say Redstone is just outside the top ten having played about 90 percent of the Alabama courses as of this review revision. I'd drop my rating for the course to the 3.25 level if we could rate by quarters of a point. Regardless, still a fine course to check out if in the area. Reminds me of places such as Freeman Lake Park in Kentucky, Northtown near Austin Texas and parts of Boundary Waters near Atlanta.
- THANK YOU - Mr Butlertron and Wife hooked me up and got me access for my first appearance out here. Thankfully the base access rules have changed, so I can now get reliable access here.

The course at Redstone Arsenal has a nice variety of short, medium, long, wooded, open and technical holes. The majority of the course plays in the woods with only a couple holes that are mostly open.

About a third of the holes have multiple pin placements here. It looks like they really change the shot and help to keep the course fresh.

There are plenty of birdie opportunities here, but none of them are gimmie birdies. Accuracy is necessary to get your birdies here.

In certain places, navigating this course is difficult. If I hadn't been playing with people who knew the layout, I would have got lost a few times.

The area around hole 2's pad, 3's pin, 14's pad and 18's pin is very congested. During a tournament it could be dangerous to have so many pads and pins in such a small area.

This course seems to heavily favor right handed players. Most holes are straight and hyzer shots with only a few turnovers.

I like this course a lot and it seems like the most balanced course in Huntsville in terms of open vs. wooded and long vs. short. Great course for rec players to sharpen their game and pro's to tear up.

If some of the cons I mention above are addressed (particularly the navigation issue), this course could easily be a 4 or 4.5