- Water hazards. A medium-sized pond comes into play on three of the holes. One of them is a diagonal shot across the body of water, another one has a basket close to the shore that could potentially punish a downhill drive with too much distance, and the third is the...
- ISLAND HOLE! There's a tiny island in the middle of the lake (you get over to it by a bridge). Should you choose to play the pro tee, you get to drive off the island and clear two pine trees while trying to send your disc uphill to the basket. Fantastic! This hole is really worth the drive; I promise.
- Great use of alternate tees. Rec tees are satisfying for beginners, while the pro ones are more challenging and have more risk-reward. For example, water doesn't really come into play on the 3 rec tees, which is nice if you're a noob and not really keen on seeing your brand new discs go into the drink.
- Nice signage. I've never actually seen a Houck sign before in person and they're really nice. Scorecards and pencils are also provided at the first hole.
- The course utilizes elevation well with both uphill and downhill drives. For only nine holes, you run into a lot of blind shots. The terrain also varies on the course from hardwoods, to open grass, to a thick grove of evergreen trees. In fact, holes 2-3 feel like you're playing more on a Christmas tree farm than a disc golf course! The views throughout the course are spectacular and the lawns are nicely manicured.

- This isn't a weenie course. Lengths on the advanced tees hover around 400 feet on average and involve tons of doglegs. Like any good institution of higher education, the course makes you think about your shots!

- Navigation is definitely a con. While there is a map, the layout isn't very intuitive, as getting from hole to hole can be tricky for first timers. The biggest challenge is the hike from 3 to 4.
- Perhaps the biggest shortcoming with the course is that it doesn't loop around. 1 and 9 are a good hike from one another, but you kind of see why when you play the course.
- Only 9 holes. This tends to be a trend in Central PA - especially around Altoona. I understand the economics and logistics, but man could this course be special if it had more holes - especially more technical ones.
- Parking close to the first hole may be an issue when students are in for the academic year. Student pedestrian traffic across the campus/course may also be problematic.
- Some buildings and roads could come into play, but this I suppose is typical with college courses.
- A lot of the par 4's could probably get away with being par 3's. They are the more challenging holes, after all.

Of the handful of collegiate disc golf courses I've played, this is definitely the best. I'd give it a 3.25, but since that's not possible, I'm going to round down with a 3 -- although it's a 3 worth visiting. It does a good job of being part of the campus without having buildings and walkways being overly intrusive. It's just a downright pretty course, too! Despite some shortcomings, the 9 holes here really have you craving for 18. I think it's really neat that the student government bought this course for the university, its students, and the public good. Makes you feel hopeful about more springing up in the future! If you're traveling through Central PA along US-22, make a stop here. You may be 'blessed' with a good score...