(2.9)
- An intermediate-level challenge with a diversity of hole types, shaping, and significant elevation change.
- Scenic views are in abundance on the university campus.
- Both backhand and forehand distance are necessary to score well here.

- A few shaky or "course flow" holes
- Ample lost disc/rollaway potential
- Weird niche; not a pro-level course, but also extremely unfriendly to beginners

I was surprised to see no reviews for this relatively new course located slightly over an hour from the ATL metro. The redesign to 18 has been a rousing success.

Background: At the time of this review, I am a 917 rated player with 375 golf distance backhand and a weak forehand. I have played 62 different courses, located mostly in the American Southeast. I am right-handed and will write this review from such a perspective.

Hole Breakdown:
1. A relatively open, slightly downhill hole that plays around 275 with minimal obstacles except a large, thick tree that stops the wide RHBH hyzer play. A straight shot or a forehand are easier ways to reach the pin. Relatively unobstructed and tame green.
2. Wide RHBH hyzer play over a lake. Plays a little over 300. The basket is at the foot of an extremely steep hill, and missed putts can often result in rollaways into the OB lake (although the lake is shallow and discs should be easily retrievable). Nice scenery with the fountain in the background.
3. This hole is ROUGH. I understand why it exists (primarily for flow reasons), but this one is no fun. You throw uphill along an incredibly steep ridge (sloping downward from right to left) for the entirety of this par 4. If you try to bomb a backhand turnover and it stalls out and doesn't turn....it's going in the lake. Goodbye flippy undertaker. There's rollaway potential on every shot, and if it gets on edge, it could go down 150+ feet towards the lake. I've taken to just laying up with a putter off the tee here, as the risk of a huge number isn't worth it.
4. Downhill putter shot onto a dangerous sloped green. A low, skipping forehand is the play. Backhand can work, but the gap is narrower and foliage could swat down your shot. The hard part here, of course, is putting on the brakes.
5. Another hole I'm not much of a fan of. The only real way to the basket is an uphill chop forehand through a narrow gap. This one could really be improved by cleaning up some of the lower-hanging branches and trees in the fairway to make another viable lane or two. If you don't get through the main gap, you'll likely have about a 150 foot flick approach down a steep grade....and the main gap can't be more than 15 feet across. I guess you could always take a RHBH hyzer and attempt to just make the gap.
6. Uphill left to right shot needing a quick right bite at the end. For this reason, forehand is preferred- it's hard to get that type of movement on a nose-up backhand. Probably plays around 250-275. A mando is in place to protect a campus building. If you don't make the main gap, you'll probably be at least 125 out and having foliage to deal with to save your par. Holes 2-6 all have very dangerous greens, but I personally find this one the scariest.
7. Shot over a creek with a hill to the left shaping the fairway and two trees with long, scraggly branches swatting down shots on the right side. Plays around 275. There's a wide RHBH hyzer route, but it's pretty skinny. Forehand hyzer is the move, although I personally throw the turnover. One of the few relatively flat holes on the course.
8. Short, extremely uphill par 4 with almost no obstacles. Undoubtedly the easiest hole on the course, anyone with 275+ power should have no trouble getting the bird here. If you have 450+, you're thinking eagle here. The only danger here is a massive, 250+ foot rollaway down the hill. I've never seen that happen, and I honestly don't really want to think about it. Oof.
9. A scenic shot over the lake. 270 should clear safely, plays around 285. A large tree to the right of the basket keeps RHBH hyzers from swinging too wide. Similar to hole 1, except with the added element of the water. Also one of the few holes with little to no elevation change.
10. Stock RHBH hyzer into a sloped green. Plays around 325. The curvature of the hill here makes forcing a forehand tricky. Lake is close enough to where a real shank will get dunked, but there isn't water near the target landing area.
11. Long left-to-right hole with a sloped green. Also plays around 325. Basket isn't visible from the pad. If you don't have the forehand power, roller and turnover are viable options here, but beware- there are some really unsavory thorn bushes to the left of the basket. Yowza!
12. Another long left-to-right hole that goes down into a natural bowl then up again at the end. The green is tricky- it's on top of a 10-foot ridge and there's an OB parking lot about 25 feet behind the basket. Fairway is relatively open, but there are a lot of scraggly tree branches that swat down shots. I have consistently had success here throwing a BH roller.
13. Short, slightly downhill putter shot playing around 250. Green is very protected by an OB road on the left and 2 trees and a fence on the right, making the RHBH hyzer a tricky option. Wide forehand skipping off the road is the best option, as the fence to the right of the basket can also catch a shot to the right. A straight or turnover shot can also work, but is more finicky.
14. Double mando about 30 feet from the tee and 10 feet wide with significant right-to-left movement. Pull out your most overstable disc, throw a righty hyzer or lefty forehand, and skip it up to the pin. Plays about 200.
15. Straight RHBH shot with a mando on the left, plays about 265. Righty midrange hyzer with a little flex is the move here, as there's little danger out to the right. If your disc hyzers out too early, there's a large, branchy tree to the left that you could end up behind. If you end up here, you'll be about 75 feet away and will have almost zero chance at saving par.
16. Definitely the signature hole of this course, and one of my favorite aesthetic holes. Trees and foliage line the left side of this downhill hole, but there's room to the right to swing out a RHBH hyzer with a midrange. The view from the hole makes your disc look like it's soaring out above the mountains! Probably plays around 275, and it's better to miss short- there are trees behind the pin to the right.
17. Relatively open, short hole that's uphill and plays in the 250-260 range. The problem here is that the green is elevated and the landing zone is pretty tight. If you release your RHBH hyzer early, you'll end up down the hill and in the OB road. Forehand is preferred to keep things off the OB.
18. Plays along the same ridge on the left side of the fairway leading down to an OB road. Fairway starts relatively open, but chokes down pretty fast, with the aforementioned ridge running along the left and large green trees lining the right. The difference here is that you'll need about 350 of power here to throw a forehand up the fairway and next to the pin. If you try the backhand, it's better to overturn it- similar to hole 3, if it stalls out, it's likely going OB. Laying up with a midrange to where the fairway pinches down leaves a very manageable FH hyzer upshot.

Tips/Other Observations:'
- You really do need both forehand and backhand off the tee to score well here. I know this sounds weird, but the forehand holes are really hard to force a backhand on and the backhand holes are really hard to force a forehand on. If you play here, you'll see what I mean.
- Pads are turf, baskets are Discatchers. The turf pads are new and are grippier than some of the more worn-in ones around the Atlanta area (like Etowah). Discatchers are great, as usual. There is no practice basket, but the course doesn't seem too busy, so practicing on 1 should be ok.
- This isn't a beginner-friendly course. Pretty much all the holes require 250+ power to reach and there's a large amount of lost disc potential with the lake.
- Flow isn't extremely intuitive. There are few long walks between holes, but you'll likely need UDisc to help you, especially when going from 14 to 15.
- One of the major knocks against this course is that I don't think they have a public restroom. The university does seem to let you park for free, thankfully.
- I have never played this course while school is in session. However, the only holes where there may be some pedestrians are 1, 2, and 13, I would think.
- Waleska is tiny and the town is basically the university. As a result, there isn't much for dining, entertainment, etc. nearby.
- I'm tempted to say the course is cart friendly because it's mostly grass, but there are a ton of hills you'll have to lug the thing up and down. I'd leave it at home.
- The university is really pretty, and there's a number of wonderful views throughout. My favorites are from the 8 basket and from the 16 pad.
- Kudos to Trainhopper for getting this one in!

"God bless America, and God bless the backhand turnover."