Pros:
+ Some elevation obstacles give the course a fun challenging texture.
+ Very many open holes to allow for power shots.
+ Nearly every next tee is visibly close to the previous pin to allow for ease of navigation.
+ While not very numerous, the wooded and hybrid holes will present a decent challenge requiring accurate placement.
+ Beautiful quiet countryside venue. From start to finish, it felt as though I was playing in a good friend's rural backyard complete with the occasional rusty piece of unknown machinery and abandoned farm house.
+ The course is very well maintained. This may have been because I played in early spring, but the fairways were clean and visibly discernible from the rough.
+ (update July 8, 2018) There is a really cool practice tee area that I did not encounter my first time around. Take the path to the left of tee 1, and there is what can only be called a "training ground" complete with trees and a decently long fairway!
Cons:
- When I went, there was no signage at all. After I found the first tee and started playing, I never saw a single diagram indicating the layout of the hole or the par. There were wooden posts with colors and distances at their top indicating which were the short and long tees, but that's all I could find. There were no 'next tee' signs, either. But, like I said in the pros, the holes are mostly so close together that there really is no need for them.
- The tee pads need a bit of work. Some are simple patches of dirt marked by two shallow vertical posts whereas others are rubber mats anchored to the ground.
- The course risks feeling monotonous in the second half with its parade of open holes 10, 11, and 14 - 17.
- The lack of truly wooded holes might turn off some players who prefer challenge through placement.
- (update July 8, 2018) The prohibitively tall grasses bordering fairways during the summer months turn many of the open holes into de facto tunnel shots. If your throw veers too far off course, you may as well say goodbye to that disc.
Other Thoughts:
Alexandria Twp Park has a mix of open, wooded, and hybrid holes. Everyone will find at least one hole that they liked more than the others. For me, that was hole 12 with its downhill tee into the woods. The pin was kind of close to a stream, which added a nice touch of danger to the hole.
Some players prefer wide open spaces to open up and let loose. There is plenty of that here- with and without elevation.
Some players prefer tighter spaces that emphasize dodging trees and exercising precision. This course can satisfy that, too- with and without elevation.
The course as a whole doesn't do anything extraordinary, and I don't remember being particularly struck by any of the holes. However, I get the feeling that it isn't meant to dazzle anybody. The course feels more like a fine place to gather with friends taking it easy, socializing, and practicing all the different kinds of shots.
If you are in northwestern New Jersey, stop by, take in the relaxing atmosphere, play a round or two of disc golf and just relax.
(update July 8, 2018) Alexandria Twp Park plays like two different courses between the winter and summer months. When I played back on April 7, most of the tall grasses were mowed, and finding any wild throws was easy. Recently, in early July, there were tall grasses in places that definitely didn't have them before. Perhaps I was simply lucky back in April or unlucky in July. Still, if you do play here during the summer bring either extra discs or extra anti-tick spray. (Or just be extra-accurate...!)