Pros:
Beautiful course on wonderful hilly terrain that's open to the public and free to play. Located on corporate property (owned by Clayton Homes) - be respectful of the people conducting business here. Your behavior is on display for them to see, hear, and smell (as well as visiting customers and business partners). Don't do anything to make them regret giving us this gem of a course.
• Disc Play: Wonderfully balanced with a front nine that's woodsy and technical - forces you to hit a legit line without ever feeling poke'n'prayish. Back nine screams, "Bombs away, let it rip!" Elevation is well-utilized throughout: uphill, downhill, over gullies, up or down plateaus, pins on/near slopes. Posted distances seem accurate, but many holes play shorter/longer due to elevation changes. Several drop-offs and gullies positioned to create add'l trouble on bad kicks, early fades or squirrely turnovers, with sufficient holes playing flat enough to keep it from feeling like it's only about the elevation.
Plenty of variety in terms of fairways shapes, distances, elevation, type... very well-rounded and nicely thought out.
• Dual pins are well-suited to a pretty much the full range of players. On the front nine, the dual pins are located such that playing to one or the other usually changes the type of shot you'll throw off the tee. Kudos for not always making the short pin easier to get to. Back 9 is so open, it's hard for the longs not to be a longer version of the same shot off the tee, but the placements make use of different pockets of trees and/or elevation to make subsequent shots very different. Noodle arms may find even the shorts a bit daunting on a few of the back nine.
• Equipment: Everything is top notch, wonderfully executed, and in great shape. Nice sized concrete tees. Full time dual Prodigy baskets (pale blue = short, pale green = long)... never played on them before but I loved 'em - nice chain assemblies catch great, and deep baskets for no bounce outs. Easily visible in the woods or open fairways. Color tee signs overhead of hole layout with distances and locations of both pins. Benches at every tee.
• Routing/Nav: Quite good on the whole, but there were a few spots where I needed the map (9 to 10, and 11 to 12, plus a couple more times on the back 9). That said, tee signs clearly let you know if you made it to the right spot.
• Aesthetics: Very scenic and serene. Feels completely civilized, yet removed enough to feel a bit away from it all. Truly a nice walk through woods and lush green fields where you just happen to be keeping score. Stones retaining walls around several tees and pins add eye appeal and reduce erosion to keep the course looking nicer for longer.
• Memorable holes: 18 is an epic finishing hole. 400+ ft from an elevated tee over a Little River to a generous landing zone. From the elevated tee, the water carry isn't really an issue (even for my noodle arm)... but can you hit the gap in the trees to make it across? Leafy sentinels ensure the landing zone is only accessed with a reasonable amount of accuracy - not super tight, but definitely enough to make you pause for a moment on the tee. What direction did you say that wind was blowin'? A 2nd (shorter) tee serves as a drop zone/novice tee, eliminating the risk (along with the thrill).
• Drains well. Plenty of rain the night before, nary a swampy area the next morning.
• Fun Factor: Yes... yes indeed.
Cons:
Few, far between, and fairly minor.
• Front 9 has some muddy spots that can be very slippery when wet (more a heads up than a con).
• Back 9 has some long walks to next tee (see Other Thoughts).
• 11 short feels like a filler hole. However, 11 long is a monster where you're bound to give it all you got... plays too close to parking lot for a max "oomph" shot IMHO.
• The only thing missing are scorecards w/map... everything else feels so complete, their absence seems conspicuous.
Other Thoughts:
Like tight and technical? You'll love The Claytons.
Like to bomb? You'll love The Claytons.
Like a course that's well balanced ? You'll love The Claytons.
Like a course that's flat? You'll hate The Claytons.
Be prepared for a hike. The back nine is massive, and sprawls across quite an expanse of hilly terrain. Given the openness of these holes (plus a 2nd set of pins), it's somewhat necessary to spread things out to provide a reasonably safe buffer around the tees. Point is, there's simply no way to rush through it, but you'll want to take your time to enjoy this gem.
I found mixing short and long pins appropriately challenged my skill, playing 6 longs of the front 9. There's simply no need for noodle arms to play to longs on the back unless they just feel like throwing more.
This is what happens when a course designer who cares enough to do the little things right (and obviously the big ones, too) gets the proper funding. So well-executed, so polished, so complete, it's an absolute pleasure to play. Most definitely an excellent course, and would make a splendid venue for upper level sanctioned events.
This comes in just a tick below the other courses filling the 4.5 slot in my bag. Maybe I'm a crusty old bastard, but I don't throw the word "phenomenal" around unless a course really wows me. That said, can't fault anyone else for feeling that way.
Call it a 4.25 if you will and give my Destination Worthy stamp.