Pros:
*** If you don't read anything else: Play when park and the zoo are not being used heavily ( go for early mornings, evenings, off-season). This is a good course, but too much zoo and park traffic will make for a bad experience ***
+ Very good signage; indicates lengths, and whether you're shooting at a shared basket (this is helpful reassurance when you're using a basket a second time)
+ Hole #4 is a great risk/reward whether you're playing for eagle (across both water segments) or playing for birdie (by using the intermediate landing area). Even if you're playing for par, you have to push as far forward along the shore as you dare, in order to improve your approach. And regardless of your strategy, any approach that's short or left on the will be wet
+ Hole #6 is short a short ace run across just a little bit of water. The real challenge is not hitting the branches protecting the hanging basket (you'll play this same basket from the opposite side on #14)
+ Following a couple of long and wooded holes, Hole #9 offers a nice bit of relief: a shorter par 3 with the hole clearly visible in an open area
+ Hole #10 features an elevated mound - the real difficulty is the low area in front of the basket that collects short rollaways. Throwing long is safe: there's 15 feet of clearing behind the basket, and you won't be putting up at such an elevation. Just make sure you hit your putt
+ Hole #15 brings the water back in play, with the best shot being a RHFH that's high enough to clear the tall grasses in front of the pin (Look for the flag marking the basket)
+ Hole #16's water challenge is less dramatic than #4, but it's devious. Clear the obvious water between tee and green - but be aware that the water runs all the way along the left side of the green, and a shot that's too high and fades left will probably get wet. There's a drop zone marked by a low post straight across the water
Cons:
- No teepads. Teeing areas are generally short and a few are uneven. Watch for the occasional root which could cause a trip on your runup
- A little tough to navigate the first time through, especially from #6 to #7. The uDisc map is ok, but has errors. I fixed the pars on uDisc, but the map still needs some work. The Zoo website includes a printable map that was very helpful to indicate pars, distances, shared baskets and water holes. Print and carry that map the first time through
- The first and last few holes are a bit dull. They're not bad, but they're pretty open and they lack the design elements found elsewhere on the course (water, elevated basket, mound, wooded doglegs, etc)
- I personally didn't like the long holes going through the pavilion areas (#7 and #8 on the way out and #12 on the way back). You're throwing across roads, through picnic areas and over fences
Other Thoughts:
~ Roads and paved paths are OB. There's a notice on the kiosk before the first tee. Figure out ahead of time how you want to treat pavilions, garbage cans, fences and other man-made structures You can play different ways, so I suggest you just make a clear ruling for your group before teeing off
~ We paired this up with nearby Ockie Wisting Park for a great morning of disc golf. We played this one first to be ahead of the zoo and park crowd