Pros:
- Course is set in a large park, with sloping fields in between a reservoir of water and a dense pine forest. Fishing and dog walking could possibly interfere, but otherwise it's DG only.
- Holes in the forested area provide a ton of different shots, with tight lanes in spots and large trees in others. Follows the usual pattern of tight/short and mature/longer to keep a constant level of difficulty, but some of the lines are very challenging. Tunnels are tight but fair, and longer holes need good accuracy and line shaping thanks to the trees. Good mix of left, straight, and right shots, some are extreme.
- The fields with scattered mature trees do a good job of keeping things tough. Distance is a major factor on a lot of holes, and there are usually well placed trees to take away lanes and force shot selection off the tee and on approach. Holes that border the forest also force some lines, including a long hyzer-only hole and a shorter anny route (RHBH). Two holes play into and out of the forest, and both have tight windows.
- Water is definitely in play on a few holes, in a big way. Three holes in particular; where you get water on the left, water behind the basket, and water on the right. The hole with water on the left has a clear RHBH anny route, or a tough hyzer route. The hole with water in the back is short and tantalzing, with little safe room behind the pin. The hole with water on the right is a good gut check for distance and accuracy. Awesome.
- Decent elevation changes here and there; there are a few holes with pretty respectable elevation changes, but mostly it's just sloping terrain. About 2/3 of the course falls into the sloping category, hole #8 is the most extreme.
- A few well protected baskets, some with trees of all sizes, and others with close proximity to the water. Accuracy is definitely needed close to the pins, or scores can balloon.
- Great signage where present, good tees, good baskets. Navigation is a little tricky in spots, the map in front is a big help the first time through.
Cons:
- A few holes are by the park's road, including traffic. It does well to serve as OB on a few holes, but it can be distracting and an eyesore.
- While there is a fantastic variety of hole lengths (with plenty of bombers), this is a perfect example of short/tight and long/open. If any hole were to be a par 4 here, it would be due to length and pretty much length alone. A few exceptions might be #5 or #8, or maybe #18 thanks to the water.
- Terrain is pretty flat overall, there aren't any exciting shots due to elevation. It is great for making holes much harder (#8) or easier (#6), but it won't take your breath away by any means.
Other Thoughts:
- This course has fantastic balance, in lots of ways. The three different sections of the park give a lot of different looks, and is set up well to keep switching between them. The different lines and shots that are present throughout each part are very good as well. Plenty of spots where the obvious hyzer, anhyzer, or dead straight shot is a necessity.
- Lots and lots of different pin positions must make this course a constant challenge as well. Big differences on many, many holes in terms of lines and difficulty. I would say that the difference is big enough where a casual player might find the long pins a little too difficult, and a seasoned player might find the short pins a bit too easy.