Pros:
Va-Du-Mar is the name, disc golf is the game. Lucky for me the golfing is better than the funky name. I really enjoyed playing this course, and think it is one of the best in the state. I liked the combination of challenging and fun throws. The elevation changes are on nearly every hole, varying in degree from steep to slight. The fairways range from wide open on a couple, to carving place to place and turning tight corners through dense woods. Playing the long tees adds an extra punch. Two tees on each hole make the distance more manageable from the shorts, but doesn't take away all of the difficulty. Pin placements are regularly near water, on the edge of a hill, or both. Chances to crank some long drives, but accuracy is important over distance mostly. Fairways can be very tough but are balanced left/right and nicely defined.
I especially liked hole 7 and 11, both are steep downhill drives. 7 is a shorter birdie hole if you keep it down the middle, and 11 is very lengthy with a dogleg left at the bottom of the hill. 14 and 17 are open drives, but require long throws over marshy retention holes.
The tee pads were all concrete, all the baskets were there and numbered, and the long tees now have signs marking distances and basic hole map. Also, large yellow arrows help guide the transitions between holes in a few spots. The bridges crossing the water were all sturdy and nice. Overall the layout great fun and not too hard to figure out.
Cons:
The most obvious fault was the total lack of benches at any point in the round. Didn't see many trash cans either. A map might be helpful, but I really didn't have too much trouble navigating the course. I played the day after the snow fell, and there were slick, muddy spots, but not too bad. Still, the steep hill sides could get dicey, so be careful. Water is present on many holes, and though several of my throws were in the creek, all discs were retrieved. Bad rolls and tree ricochets may be expected, due to terrain features.
Other Thoughts:
Winter canopy on the trees might have helped me some, but this course still kicked my tail. The 20 mph cold wind definitely played a part, and so did the water. My short game was not sharp, and I was way over par. I still had an awesome time! I might have been too generous and over-rated by a half star, but to make up for the 3.36 average rating from previous reviews. The course is killer, meriting a solid 4 minimum. Install benches and a few trash cans, and a 4.5 could be justifiable in my opinion. I never played the old layout, but the current one is great. I'm ready to sound the awesome course alert. Serious disc golfers, this one is worth making the trip. Sort of reminds me of Bowers Park in Tuscaloosa, AL.