Pros:
-well maintained (though I'm sure it's tough to keep that way... thank you!) and in perfect conditions when I played
-well designed, with appealing and helpful tee signs giving elevation change in addition to distance; makes very good use of its uphill and downhill shots, the beautiful trees, and also a creek bed (or two) running through the course - I've played courses with elevation and wooded courses, but nothing with this combination of the two
-good tee pads (not the super long ones, but I didn't have any problem with run-up)
-amazingly beautiful terrain! and plenty of shady trees
-will use every shot in your bag even if you don't get off the fairways; if you do, even more shots are needed for the scramble; I like overhands and used a couple, but I was very pleased that there are few opportunities to laugh at the course designer by going over the top; I recall one hole (3) where an overhand might have worked through a gap in the leafy canopy, but the risk/reward balance leaned way too heavily on the risk side, and my Leopard got me pin-high just fine
*I'd be interested to see a backhand or forehand dominant player here;
-holes, while "thematic," were never repetitive; someone asked me how many "wow holes" there were, but I can only think of two or three that were not "wow" in some way; all seemed fair to me and presented a particular challenge; fairways were not excessively narrow or so full of trees that there was no line; none of the holes seemed like fillers
I could describe each hole, but I'll spare you:
2: test your finesse downhill game with a wooded downhill shot
6: long hole where a par 3 feels like a birdie; significantly downhill, out of a tunnel into a right turning fairway to a creek bed (almost totally dry when I was there)
7: uphill par 4 with strategically placed "doh!" trees and the basket placed behind some initial guardian trees and then some closer trees on the green
8: another tweener that's called a par 3; initial mild downhill, then dogleg to another creek crossing fairway/tunnel
13: par 4 initially running along creek (running water here) with a nice landing zone, then across a fairly open stretch to a wooded hillside green
16: very makeable shot over a ravine; not a ridiculous ravine, but there is a rope to help you get up to the green if you need it
Summary: This is very good terrain for a course and great use of both its woods and elevation. This is not just a course where someone bought some baskets for his backyard. This is clearly not Jaysin's first design, and it was clear to me that he both takes pride in this course and understands what it takes to challenge disc golfers. He told me that par is a 1000-rated round, and I would be hard pressed to disagree.
Cons:
-not a ton of amenities, though I didn't look real hard (e.g. restrooms in the middle of the course)
-I walked ahead on at least 3 holes to see the basket even with the signs
-navigation was aided by signs on most holes, but not all; I had the map on my phone, and trails were quite clear, so I had no problems with navigation
-terrain is rough in places; I'm guessing this is typical of the Ozarks in slightly higher elevation; this course has a decent amount of shale with some limestone as well, as opposed to larger creeks and rivers with grassy hillsides
-shoe choice is important! My all-terrain cross trainers were fine, but I can see many players preferring hiking boots here
-relative scarcity of grassy fairways/greens means discs get some bumps and bruises; this is a great course for Z/Champion plastic
-I'm really searching for cons, so laugh if you must: there were a few mosquitoes but I could count them on my fingers and maybe a few toes; really not bad at all during my June round, so I didn't break out the bug spray and still didn't get a bite
Other Thoughts:
I don't usually review courses after only playing once, but I had to make an exception after getting a good round in and sizing up this new course. Often I breeze through a course the first time, but I took my time and gave this one my best shot. I'm in my lower 30s, in decent shape, and love the outdoors. The terrain of this course was a big part of why I loved it so much, but, yes, it is very physically demanding and you should bring snacks/water aplenty. I can also see why safety can be a concern and why a waiver is required. As far as my skill level, I'm an intermediate player with a decent all around game. I shot a 62 (4 over) on this course with one mulligan and am very proud of that score. I left a few strokes out there, but I bet I would average at least 3-6 strokes higher with multiple rounds. I brought my A-game and got some good bounces. I saved par on 6 with a Polecat throw-in to follow a scrappy Firebird thumber from the bushes. A hero Buzzz forehand saved par on 8 by hitting a cool downhill to uphill line across the creek bed. I'll stop there, but I was very fortunate on several holes to bounce back into the fairway or to have decent lines from bad spots. My point is that it could have been lots worse. These repeated opportunities/requirements for difficult shots made it a very challenging but rewarding round.
Thanks to other reviews and to conversations with a local player, I knew what I was getting into. 20oz Powerade, 1L water, and some other snacks were enough to get me through the round in 2.5-3 hours. I did find myself resting more than usual between holes, and snacked/hydrated way more than usual during a round. It was tiring, but well worth it. As a side note, the course homepage made it easy to reserve a tee time and also to sign the waiver before playing.
As I said, every shot in your bag will be used and tested. A local told me to leave the drivers at home, but I used a speed 13 (hole 5) and a speed 10 (hole 6) and was glad to have a couple in the bag. Other than that, fairways, midranges, and putters ruled the day. My Comet and Leopard were frequent flyers, and my Polecat and Buzzz were indispensable in the scramble game. As I mentioned earlier, my Firebird was useful on a couple overhand tee shots and for a couple scrambles. I played the Pink 9-hole course before playing the Blue course, and that provided the perfect opportunity to warm up my arm and get a small foretaste of the sloped/wooded terrain.
Rating discussion: I am fundamentally opposed to giving perfect scores, but part of the reason I'm writing this review is that I was already telling myself it was the best course I've played after finishing hole 2. That didn't change at any point during the round. I would probably give it a 4.8, because navigation is not perfect (although I didn't get lost) and it may not have the amenities some disc golfers desire. Nevertheless, this is really a special course. On the day I played, I can't imagine how conditions could have been better in terms of both nature and upkeep. I had no problem with the safety, navigation, or anything else, and the cons only amount to this being a more tiring 18 than most of us are used to. I'm comfortable saying this was the most fun I've had playing disc golf, and this was my 89th course played. This isn't a course for your "afternoon in the park" round, but WOW it's a blast!