Pros:
This course gets high marks in every category. To me, a great DG course should not be all technical or all bombing runs, but mix them both by combining distance, terrain and vegetation use.
For those who say this course isn't technical, there are some tunnel shots, some narrow fairways and... hey, there is a technique to making a par of 3 on holes over 450 feet.
Arcadia #2 does this very, very well! Let's start at the top:
Parking is great and close. You can park in the park's lot immediately at #1 tee pad, or you can park along the long street on the other side by #8. #1 goes alongside a soccer field, so you have plenty of flat, open space to warm up.
The grass is VERY well cared for, and the thickest in the field was 3-4 inches, with a super short mow down the center of each fairway and hole to hole. I took the map from this site with me but did not need it once.
The teepads are concrete. The baskets are in excellent shape, and the trees, when in play, are pruned specifically for the hole. When you get to #2, you'll see what I mean.
There is shade, but few holes play in the trees. You can step off the holes to rest under trees almost anywhere on the course.
The flow of the course is easy to follow, with #1 starting at the parking lot, and #18 finishing just on the other side of the lot.
The course is LONG, make no mistake. There are a few holes that are pretty uninspiring bombing runs, but arm fatigue and shooting par 3 on 400+ ft holes are part of the game too, right?
Most of the holes play around, behind, or next to trees, rather than through them. Many holes are deceptively tough, with the well mown grass making the hole look wide open, but the trees are fairly close on each side.
This is a challenge to play. You'd best bring your arm, because at almost 7000 feet, your finesse shots will come after a drive, not off the tee.
The length of this course doesn't mean that it's all boom and no touch. You need control of your shots, and a wide selection of left, right, sharp angles, and straight finishes to complete Arcadia #2.
I highly recommend this course. I hope the Dallas locals appreciate tall, straight trees with room to shoot under them, green grass even in the 100 degree summer, and a disc golf course that's so well planned and so well maintained. It's a huge notch up, and made for a happy trip through Fort Worth!
Cons:
I did not see any water fountains or bathrooms. However, there's a Wal Mart very close by.
There's poison ivy out, but you'd have to pooch your shots up pretty bad to get over into it. I'm highly reactive and didn't get so much as an itch.
Other Thoughts:
The "disc eater" holes didn't seem like that big a deal to me, but being LHBH helped that a lot. #15 and 17 do run along a creek, but it's less than waist deep.