Pros:
"The Players Course" is a beautiful 18-holer on the banks of Alum Lake. The course features mostly technical holes that will certainly challenge different elements in your game. A good chunk of holes play right along the shores of the lake, offering a few memorable water shots.
Most holes have two sets of concrete tees, as well as two baskets. While I'm really not a fan of a two Basket system, the baskets themselves were nice Innova's, and easy to spot due to their color.
The surrounding area is really beautiful. A lot of holes give you a clear, panoramic view of Alum Lake. Water was crystal clear when I played.
If you enjoy technical courses rather than bomber courses, you're in the right place. Tons of holes that test your accuracy.
Plenty of amenities around the course. Benches and trash cans are plentiful. There's also a permanent restroom behind #7's basket.
Navigation from hole to hole is pretty easy for the most part. Fresh tape on the bottom of the baskets guides the way. Some holes have wooded signs as well.
#6 is up there with some of the most intimidating holes I've played so far. The fairway is actually a beach, with crashing waves and everything. The basket sits on a steep embankment right on the edge of the water. Definetly a scary hole if your disc tends to cut right.
For a weekday morning, there was a pretty good amount of players here. Glad to see a solid course like this get a lot of players active out here.
Cons:
Well, there aren't any tee signs. And that's a huge negative in my book. With a 2 Basket design, it's really important to have a descriptive tee sign that shows where you're throwing to.
There aren't really any holes that you can't use your big boy arm on. The course plays through wooded areas on almost every hole.
Having a few pin placements with a slope and water behind are cool. But when you have 4,5,6, etc. it gets pretty old. Many approach shots forced you to play it safe and layup. It'll get old pretty quick.
There were definetly some long walks in between holes. #1 seems completely out of place and away from the rest of the course. Not sure what the deal is there.
A couple of fairways are too close together. #2 and #8 almost overlap each other. #12 and #13 (I think) also were way too close to each other.
Couldn't play #15 because there was a car parked on the "Island" where the basket is. The pin sits right in the middle of the roadway.
16-18 were really forced in there to make 18 holes. Not a fun way to end the round.
Other Thoughts:
I think The Players DGC would have been more enjoyable with descriptive tee signs. Many holes I was just throwing kind of blindly down a chute of trees. Made for a few frustrating experiences.
This might be a bit harsh, but the whole two Basket system is just plain stupid. It'll confuse the hell out of you sometimes. Just seems like a waste of money, time, and effort.
This would be a strong 3.5 if they swapped the second set of baskets for new tee signs. While the course was beautiful, it got confusing at some points.
With all that being said, I give The Players DGC a 2.5/5.0. The pros and cons just about even out, making it a pretty average course. Thanks for reading!