Having heard the Buzz(z) about Coyote Trace, and coming up on my course #200, I decided to make this stop one to share a Sunday with friends, and could not have been more happy that I did. Eric Parr humbly states that he hasn't been playing disc golf all that long, has never designed a course before, and admits that this baby is often actually too challenging for his game. But he had a fantastic canvas of Kentucky land on which to build a course, he got help from, and actually listened to, some folks who really understand the uniqueness of disc flight, and combined that with his history of ball golf to paint a masterpiece.
Intentionally laying out holes with multiple stages of flight, he and his friends have built a true par-65 disc golf course that will challenge Advanced players, while staying enjoyable for all levels from Recreational through Open. Though it only opened last July, this course feels 'weathered in' as if it's been here for a few years already. The paths are well worn in, and easy to follow (he talks you through the layout, is willing to guide, and provides a map, to go along with the excellent signage, next tee arrows, flagged path markers, and logical flow).
The fairways are all fair, and you can see the multiple options of flight lines it will take to score well...but can you execute the shots? What struck me most, though, was the beauty of the terrain, and the amount of work already put in to this course. There are an almost unbelievable quantity of the needed amenities here, from huge, log-boxed, level, mulched tee boxes, split log benches and stools, many, many bridges and steps to cross the creek beds, disc retrieving poles near pond(s) and steep-banked creek beds, red stakes to easily spot the OB hazards where needed, 18 fantastic DisCatcher baskets (plus one for practice, and a sport for the ace run extra hole 9W) and even a couple of places where logs have been placed to 'fence in' an overly punitive roll away putt.
Most of the holes have gut-check greens and pin positions, like an elevated basket on a slope, or a basket position near the joining of two creeks. And the variety...superb! I remember thinking to myself by about the eighth hole, that he'd covered every type of shot, and we weren't even half done. But what struck us almost every step of the way, was the beauty here, from open hillsides down to an angled, cedar-bordered fairway, through the little, rocky 'waterfall' spillways in the creek beds, and back up through (mostly) forgiving woods to picturesque, ridge-running lanes. Numerous times, you'll take a brief gasp at the beautiful shot you get a chance to throw, over a wide ravine, hoping for the placement shot that will set you up for the next part of the fairway.
I could easily make this my longest review to date, but in an effort to be brief, I'll just point out that this is only my third 5.0 rated course in 182 reviews. I give 5's not for perfection, but for courses that could not realistically be scored lower that 4.5, and have gone above and beyond. They're adding tees here to have a fun, shorter layout, and some tees will obviously create an even more brutal Gold layout. There are 2 and sometimes 3 basket positions per hole. If I had to sum this up, and at the risk of sacrilege, I really felt this course is a beautiful blend of Lincoln Ridge and Idlewild. And if that doesn't get you planning a road trip, I'm not sure what will!