Pros:
Let me start by saying I was here in winter, as it sounds like this course has a dark side (literally, due to the dense woods) in spring and summer. But playing in winter, this place is awesome! Here's some reasons why:
- Parking is abundant right by the start and finish.
- The rare grass areas (really only on #1, 2, 17, and 18) seem well mowed by the park.
- Many holes play near a paved walking path, but they seem well-distanced from the path so that you don't really have to worry about pedestrians.
- The tee signs are very good and are always positioned between the short and long tees, making each easy to find.
- Long concrete tees (though a few are oriented a bit off).
- Close to interstate 66 so you can add it into road trips pretty easily.
- Even with all the leaves down, the walking paths between holes are worn in enough that they're still pretty obvious in most cases. I only needed to reference the map a few times even as a first time visitor.
- Combo map/scorecards are provided in a box at the course map kiosk by #1. That's the first time I've ever seen this, and you gotta love that level of care!
- The wild terrain provides for extreme variety both topographically and in overall tree density. You have everything from ugly dense woods (#5 and #14 come to mind) to moderately wooded (like #3 and #4) to open bomb opportunities (#2 and #17). And that's combined with downhill, uphill, valley crosses, tunnels, cross-slopes, a ridge cross, and multiple doglegs.
- #1 is an awesome starting hole: downhill with a narrow, gently leftward curving tunnel through to the basket in an open green beyond. It looks really daunting from the tee, but if you nail that tunnel right off the bat it feels really gratifying and you have a high chance for an opening birdie on this par 4.
- #2 is perhaps my favorite: a bomb across the field into an uphill, wooded slope with the basket around 75-100ft up that slope. Those who can bomb it 400ft+ could have an eagle opportunity, and even though I can't do that, it still feels like a cool, unique hole.
Cons:
- Some might argue that a lot of the pars are set too high, in other words that many of the par 4's should be 3's and some of the par 5's should be 4's. After thinking about it for far too long, I eventually decided that they're appropriately set for the course year-round: yes it's easier to play in winter and if you have great accuracy and the ability to bomb it you might rack up birdies, but hey who doesn't love seeing your precise throws get rewarded with low scoring right? Also, during the summer this place looks like it would have extremely dense foliage which would make the pars seem challenging for intermediate and advanced players.
- #6 is one of the most bizarre holes I've ever played: it requires you to cross or skirt around a deep, rocky depression just short of the hole, all the while trying to make a sharp right turn (sorry, I don't call it anhyzer cuz some people are lefties...) through dense woods. I managed to scramble par thanks to a miraculous approach shot, but I could easily see many making double bogey here.
- #14 just kind of sucks. Unlike virtually every other hole there is no real fairway, just dense trees ahead of you. And its so far off through the dense woods you can't see where to aim your shots. Eventually you're forced to cross a rocky ridge, and the baskets just behind it. Really aggravating hole compared to the rest.
- The rocks may beat up your discs, and the mud gets really really slippery in some areas. The walk down #1 seems particularly treacherous when wet.
Other Thoughts:
- Be prepared to take a hike, literally. Never played a course that felt so much like I was on the Appalachian Trail! The hills, woods, and view of the river off #13 are all gorgeous.
- Clearly this is a heavily wooded monster of a course, but it feels like it should still be manageable for the average rec player from the short tees due to its par choices. It requires precision, and if you have it you'll likely see a number of birdie opportunities, even from the long tees. Most holes have a single line option from the tee, but if you hit it, the pars are set so that your success will likely be rewarded with a really satisfying birdie rather than with a toughly earned par.
- The only thing really missing here is water hazards. Add even just one water hazard in and this is easily a 4.5 star course.