Pros:
18 hole course that plays across some open fields and through the woods of a....not quite sure what to call this place - a "tourist destination" in the most general sense?
- Nice setting - you're welcomed by nice, groomed open fields with thick, wooded, "hills" in the background - a couple small buildings line the front of the property
- Plenty of parking, since this property also has a couple stores/museums/activities/etc.
- Scorecards with map/course rules available
- Very nice colorful tee signs (showing hole par and length) and course map, located right near the edge of the parking lot
- Tee signs showed 2 "par and distances", so I'm assuming there are plans for 2 basket positions
- Trash cans at nearly every tee
- Terrific, large "next tee" signs right near each basket, making navigation pretty easy
- Carpeted tee pads with wooden frames
- OB lines a few holes (pavement or creek in the front part) - nowhere you wouldn't be able to retrieve your disc
- This course will challenge you physically - it has a decent amount of length and a decent amount of elevation change in the back part of the course - the climb from 7 through 9 gives you a workout
- Good variety of settings - if you like open bomber holes, you'll get some - if you like tight wooded holes, you'll get some
- Open field holes aside, you even get decent elevation change within holes back in the woods - hole #6 you throw up and through an elevated gap, holes #10, 12 and 15 (I think) have you throwing uphill, while holes #9, 13, 14 and 16 have you throwing downhill
- Good mix of left and right holes - tight, but fair fairways in the woods require you to hit lines with hyzers, annys, forehands, etc.
- Thick brush will punish poor throws, making it really important to play safe back in the woods
- A few really nice, memorable holes - hole #6 was a cool blind tee shot up through a gap where you need to get some distance to avoid landing on a steep slope and leveled concert seating on the right (OB), making for a nice OH shot line; hole #9 was a really fun downhill tunnel through the woods, so hit your line with a putter or mid and watch it fly; holes #13 and 14 were cool little RFBH anny lines requiring precision that will reward you with birdie attempts; hole #16 was a fun ace run, pitching downhill out of a treeline into a open field with a very low/recessed basket
Cons:
- Orange baskets really blended in with the background on the wooded holes, making them tough to spot in early fall
- The tee signs are well made and meant to be very detailed - they looked very nice but I didn't feel they did a great job representing the lines, fairway paths, etc. - you'll have to walk up a few fairways to know where you're throwing (I honestly didn't know if the tee was "facing" in front of me or in back of me on a couple)
- If there are in fact 2 basket positions, the hole map doesn't show any difference, which either will make them incorrect, or if "extensions" of the current hole on the same line (i.e. - the line shown on the sign works "zoomed out" or "zoomed in", they will not be as good as variety created if there were 2 positions that created different lines
- I like carpet tee pads in general, but many of these were bumpy and uneven
- Fairways 4 and 5 were a sloppy mess
- Most open field holes were really boring - #1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were nothing more than throwing across an open field with no obstacles - #17 and 18 were somewhat open, but at least had a dogleg right and an early low ceiling, respectively - maybe there could be some obstacles worked in, but they might want to keep the nice, flat fields in the front of the property - they really take away from some awesome golf back in the woods
- Hole # 9 - really fun to throw from, but this is not a safe/easy traverse up or down, as indicated by the hand ropes up near the tee - while there were "steps" built in with branches/boards on the bottom half, many were loose or slippery - be careful on your way down this fairway - I'm sure it will get better over time
Other Thoughts:
- Look for the gift store on the left as you walk towards the buildings from the parking lot - no clear indication where you need to pay
- There were a couple brooms out there to sweep the pads, but a few more would help on some of the deep wooded holes with a lot of leaf cover
- A couple benches out in the woods, but I think they were for the walking trails, as they weren't right near the tees
- Had to pause a couple times for vehicle traffic on the front, open holes - just keep a look out near the property roads
- Some sort of groundwork going on from tee #2, so I teed off from further up the fairway
- Tee sign distance on #8 seemed way off - shows 428'/448' - couldn't have been any more than 300'
This course was alright. A lot of good things, but a lot of things that need some work or will get better over time. The apparent plan for 2 basket locations (or 2 tees?) should create some real nice variety. I wouldn't pass up Cedar Hill, Seven Oaks or Sharp Springs for this right now, but since I'm only around once a year, I'd like to come back and hopefully see some improvements in the next couple years - I see a lot of potential here and already love most of the wooded section.