Pros:
When I got word that I had a work trip to Salt Lake City, I was excited to drive up to Ogden to play a Worlds course. Then James Conrad made the greatest shot in disc golf history and I could not *wait* to play it. Even from those impossibly lofty expectations, The Fort didn't disappoint. For fellow disc golf travelers and course baggers like me, if you have one day for disc golf, I implore you to forego the SLC courses (at least the courses as of the summer of 2021) and drive up to Ogden to play The Fort. It's well worth it.
+ This is such a unique setting for a disc golf course. After the epic Conrad vs McBeth battle for the ages at the 2021 Worlds, it feels like hallowed ground. It has a Wild West, desert feel. The course is sandy and dusty with cacti for rough and a valley stream running through it. Mountains surround the area and add to the grandiose backdrop.
+ You want signature holes? The Fort has signature holes. For me, the honor goes to #16 from the Gold Tee, a top-of-the-world, panoramic view with an island green, Lake just behind it, and mountains overlooking it. This is where Conrad sealed the victory in the Worlds playoff. It's way tougher than it looks on TV, of course, especially if you strictly follow the OB rules. I was proud to make the green, even if it skipped out to the left by about a foot. I made the circle's edge putt for birdie (and my highlight of the day); if I'd been playing Pro Worlds, I'd be putting for 3 from the drop zone. You can make a case for 17 or 18 (in the Worlds layout, not the regular layout) being signature holes too, both par 4 holes playing over water from the tee. You simply cannot beat the finishing stretch of holes, 16-18. Is there a better stretch of 3 holes in the world?!
+ Tremendous variety, challenge, complexity, and uniqueness on this course: par 4's and 5's, several water carries (lakes and rivers), several death putt greens on the water's edge, open holes to bomb their still require precision, and technical, wooded holes that punish missed lines. This is what disc golf is supposed to look like: mentally and physically challenging (and interesting) in a unique and beautiful location. I never felt like there was a lull in the course. Each hole is just so different from the one preceding it.
+ Not only does the course challenge your accuracy between the trees, it challenges you up and down (going over or under obstacles), including making a triple mando to access the green for hole #10.
+ Alluded to earlier, but great use of risk/reward elements from tee shots to putts.
+ Simple navigation with well marked holes and tee signs for the Blue and Gold layouts. There's also a Red layout if the Blues and Golds are too tough.
+ There's a pro shop right next to the 18th green (in the regular layout, not the Worlds layout). Stop in and get a souvenir disc, shirt, or hat!
Cons:
As I said, this is what disc golf is all about. I had to adjust my ratings for my previous top 5 courses to accommodate The Fort. I really don't have a legitimate "con" to the course, just one element of other near-perfect courses that this one mostly lacks: elevation. Besides the epic downhill tee shot from #16, there isn't much elevation here. That said, this course has a lot of elements (particularly unique water obstacle holes) that the other near-perfect courses I've played lack.
Other Thoughts:
Bottom line: this is a destination, must-play course. Put it on your bucket list!