Pros:
Much as the Tumwater section of the Wenatchee River would frighten my kayaking persona as I drove by, so Trojan Park gave me the willies the few times I saw the course before playing it. Fortunately, for the sake of both my mind and my wallet, I waited long enough to have the experience to control my drives well, THE CRITICAL ASPECT to having a good round here.
The course abuts both the Columbia River[you'll never notice] and Hwy 30[tough to ignore on 5-7 and 10,11], and borders on being both beautiful and treacherous. Formerly the site of the Trojan nuclear power plant, the skyline was once dominated by a 500' cooling tower[imploded in 2006]: the irregularly-shaped pond, the basis of so much water-angst here, was storage area for cycling the tower's waters.
With mature trees, finely manicured grounds, and the low slanting sunlight of early morning/late afternoon, Trojan has a very dreamy, estate-like feeling, as if you might be playing on a multi-millionaire's private links. There's lots of under-the-canopy drives early[rollers!] and late[hyzers!], with the open drives [6-14] having the greatest water-risk. Large percentages of the fairways or sides of these holes are step-in-over-your-head deep water; the width of the lake arms render floaters useless too.
The only holes of any great length are #5[two drives] and #s 8 & 13[drive & longish upshot], and the same three holes + #s 10 & 14 are the only holes with little shade. There's a swath of disc-hunting undergrowth outlying the fairways right of 5, 12 & 13 and left of 15-18.
But that's summer, and those perfect sunny days that happen randomly the rest of the year. Winter, with its riverside fogs and endless drizzles, can be muddy, oppressive, mentally disturbing, and filled with government-financed lies, like your own private Chernobyl.
The course winds in an oblong infinity symbol[a nod to Oppenheimer], the tees are cement and baskets are good, and there's benches and trashcans to be found at the start/end, and along those long walks between 8-9 and 12-13.
Cons:
Navigation/signage: One can only hope that the Worlds notoriety also brings an urge to make this course discernable for the general public/course baggers. Grabbing a map at the info board north of the park entrance road is imperative.
Stay home, kids & newbs--you'll wet your pants[and everything else] on this course. Not for the timid, twitchy or hydrophobic.
In good weather fisherfolk can be found on 1, 3, 9, 18----oh hell, you shouldn't bother to try to play here on summer weekends/holidays, or salmon/steelhead season in the fall.
Other Thoughts:
On Hwy 30 there's the Goble Tavern 1 mi. south, and Rainier with bars and stores 2 mi. north. Camping 1 mi. north at Prescott State Park. Yankton, Rainier and McCormick courses nearby, and all should be played for different reasons.