Pros:
Cabin Creek is a private, pay to play course between Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, located on over thirty acres of land used primarily for paintball, which includes the paintball obstacles in a clever way to add interest to the DG holes. But the Disc Golf is not neglected in any way.
The design incorporates the clearings, elevations, obstacles, and natural elements to create interesting, challenging, and fun lines of flight for all levels of players.
Though Novice and Rec players may not score well here, it's very much worth the effort, just for the unique experience.
The first time I played here was in the spring, with flowers blooming, and the weather was just perfect. The owner was awesome: she provided a great map w/ tips, mowed some fairways ahead of me (!), and checked twice to make sure I wasn't getting lost...which is amazing.
There's plenty of parking, a port-o-let, and usually extra paintball pellets lying around!
As far as the DG play, you start out with a 300 foot hyzer (rhbh) around the pine trees toward the entry drive, then a straight open second hole usually out the full length of a football field. Now that you're loose, you need to shape shots downhill to the right, and near the creek, uphill through the trees a couple of times, and over the main paintball battle arena.
After a blind, shorter (285) hyzer #7, the very cool, uphill #8 basket is behind a barricade 'castle'. If the ninth basket is in the long position, you've got a challenging dogleg left, followed by a precision-required, shorter #10.
The eleventh is a pretty downhill shot off the small rolling bluff, threading through some sparse trees, and landing at the basket snuggled in the bend of the creek.
(Jumping ahead) I really enjoy the challenge of parking the downhill #16 through the trees and just a few feet past the creek bed. # 17 plays over an open field where they sometimes have inflatable paintball obstacles, and into a grove of saplings for the pin, which sits between the creek on your left, and some potentially marshy wetlands on your right.
Then you have to shoot through the trees, up over the bluff and back into the open field near the parking area for a really different final hole.
This course will use all the shots in your bag, ranges from 184' to 505', goes left, middle and right, up and downhill, and has open bombs and threaded needle shots. Adequate concrete tee pads and multiple pin positions really help with the replay factor.
Cons:
Since the disc golfer in this family has gotten a little older, so have the baskets, which are quality, but beginning to show their age. On the positive side, I noticed my second time there that some had three (!) layers of chains, and the baskets were deep and forgiving.
They work very hard here to make sure DG players have a great time, and to keep the course in as good a condition as possible, but this is an established, older course now, and, seeing limited DG use, isn't always as pristine as courses that get daily traffic. I am absolutely not complaining, but want to make sure expectations aren't up there for a perfectly groomed fairway all the time.
I know from personal experience that the folks here work very hard to get things ready ahead of visitors if they schedule the course open for disc golf play.
As far as the layout and the enjoyment factor at Cabin Creek, it's very difficult to list any 'cons', at least as far as I am concerned. Well, maybe just a couple: It's fairly far out from town (and therefore about an hour from my home), and isn't open for disc golf every day.
Other Thoughts:
You should know that I've only played here twice, and am near the end of my first year playing. I usually want to play a course five times before writing a review, but this is a special place.
Play is by appointment on specified days sporadically throughout the year. Please visit the GCFDA website forums, where you can find further info.
The owners usually only ask for $5, and you need to sign a waiver (probably derived from the paintball, and only to be sure they are protected, not because you have much - or any - chance of getting hurt).
If you ever get the opportunity to play this course, it's worth it!!