Pros:
- Sweet layout! Set inside a spacious park in Crowley, this is a really well-designed course that incorporates the available landscape very judiciously. From wide-open bombs to threading needles through tight lines, this course has something for everyone. In addition to a big arm, you'll need flicks, anhyzers, hyzer-bombs, and (if you're feeling lucky) rollers to go home even on this par 3 course. The often extreme elevation changes require you to consider the line of every shot and the wind adds an extra degree of difficulty what may at first appear to be fairly straightforward (a.k.a. "easy") holes. Pin placements are easy enough for beginners, but the alternate (long) tees, foliage, natural OB, and man-made obstacles provide a huge challenge for experienced players trying to tame this course.
- Solid equipment! Baskets are in excellent shape and are pretty forgiving, teepads are grippy concrete, and the signage at both primary and alternate tees provide great point-of-reference. There are also restrooms, tables, and pavilions available for you to rest your laurels on should you find yourself beat down by this long par 54.
- Scenic! This course offers many picturesque holes set atop hills that run along a creek/mini-river. The course designers really did their job in providing an experience that makes you not only want to come back and do it again, but also leaving enough of an impression to cause any peanut-gallery non-players to want to join you on your next round. Bicentennial Park is really worth getting out of the house for.
- Plenty of parking and a score of alternative activities available for non-disc golfers and the kiddos to do while you're playing your round. Between soccer, picnicking, tree-climbing, and creek exploration, guaranteed your young'uns won't be bored here.
Cons:
- Windy. Texas can be really windy by nature and the wide-open holes showcase that by making errant shots pay dearly if not timed or thrown right. It wasn't too awful bad when I played but I can see it getting fairly ridiculous. Coupled with the elevation changes the wind can turn "an easy par" into a round-ruining double-par bogey (quadruple bogey) pretty easily if you go on tilt and can't cope.
- Navigation. Luckily I played with a local who plays regularly so it wasn't too hard finding where to go next, but we often found ourselves referring to the course map on DGCR in order to find the next hole. The alternate tees, while a nice option, sometimes make it a little confusing.
- Missing baskets. When we tee'd off on #14 we got up to where the basket was "supposed" to be only to find it MIA with no explanation. Not sure if it was stolen or damaged and out for repairs, but it certainly didn't provide any relief from our confused navigation.
- Weird pin placements. There weren't many of these, but #18 sticks out as one. Running parallel to the creek, you have to shoot for a basket that's all-but burrowed underneath a walking bridge. Seems not only odd, but a skosh dangerous for pedestrians. Chuckers need to be extra vigilant here....kids are plentiful.
- No topless Hooters girls frolicking along the #8 fairway.
Other Thoughts:
I was fortunate enough to have played with zbangerbeast, the local course wizard who was nice enough to come out and give me lessons on how to traverse my way through this gem of a course nestled just south of Fort Worth. Playing Bicentennial DGC made me regret even more the fact that I didn't get into disc golf before I got transferred to the east coast. If you're lucky enough to live in the DFW area (or are simply traveling through), I would definitely recommend making the trek to Crowley. It might not end up in your favorites (though depending on your experience it could be the bomb), I think you'll find this course not only challenging, but rewarding as well.