Pros:
This course is one of the more eccentric I've seen. It hearkens me back to holes from Brackets bluff in Davidson, NC. I knew the course would be fun the moment I walked up to the first tee. "Wait, the hole is way down there?...sweet!"
"Way down there" or "way up there" I found myself thinking the whole round. This course has some of, if not THE, most elevation change I've ever played. I felt like I needed a hiking stick in several spots, which could be a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it. Be careful out there because you could slip. Some rubber cleats would be an asset to have while playing here.
I mentioned eccentricities but never expanded, allow me to do so. I'll start by mentioning the basket colors. They have a bright orange color scheme. Many courses don't steer from the traditional yellow DISCatchers or similar. The orange baskets are easy to see and fit in well in the atmosphere of the course. One hole is perched atop 3 tractor tires, one is hanging from an artificial tree branch and a third is behind a bamboo wall (someone has been to Winthrop). My favorite hole, however, was hole 7. It looks like you're standing in the middle of a creek and shooting straight up the middle. The basket is actually in the creek. That hole is something I'll remember for a long time, more so than the somewhat gimmicky basket tricks.
The amenities were great on this course. Every hole had benches (that I remember) and usually a well constructed tee pad with retainer walls.
There are lots of ace opportunities out here, which would be one of the things keeping me coming back. I have no doubt nearly every hole out there has been aced at some point.
Cons:
Most of the holes are extremely short but allow the elevation changes to create the distance. I found myself playing the majority of the holes with a putter. For what it's worth, that doesn't make a course excellent in my book.
I mentioned gimmicky baskets in the pros. I think some of the basket placements were unnecessary and take a little away from the experience. Not that they aren't cool, it just felt too intentional. If it were me, I'd get rid of the bamboo wall, and choose either the hanging basket or the tire basket and get rid of the other.
Hole 20 was actually pretty cool and probably the other hole I'll remember from the course, but it was brought down by hole 19. Hole 19 felt like a connector hole, not really having it's own character but merely serving the purpose of getting you to hole 20. And in the case of 19, if the parking lot is in use it is unplayable. Hole 5 also felt like a connector hole, utilizing the road that is cut out near the river as the fairway. One of the only flat holes on the course and it felt out of place.
Sometimes the elevation changes lead to blind shots/ non-golf shots/ lost discs. Playing for the first time by myself, I found myself wincing at the thought of throwing some of the holes, not knowing where my disc will end up. Hole 4 is unplayable in my opinion. First, you can't see the pin from the tee box, in fact you have to walk all the way to the stairs at the bottom before seeing it, then walk back up the steep hill to "throw" the shot. Really you're just dropping the disc off the cliff and hoping you don't hit anyone on hole 5.
Navigation wasn't a huge issue in terms of finding the next basket, but there were spots where you have to cross over fairways to get to the next hole, and I always consider that a flaw.
Be prepared to walk the course twice if this is your first time playing. Many of the holes are blind shots and you'll need to walk the hole to find the basket. Slightly takes away from the experience. For the locals, this wouldn't matter at all.
There are ample opportunities to lose a disc, in fact I lost one myself on hole 1. The mountain swallowed it whole it seems and trying to hike around on the steep slope to find it was difficult.
There is only 2 holes I would consider "open". Out of 20, that is far too few to consider this a well rounded course, thus the lower rating.(remember guys, I'm judging this against every other course I've played). There was plenty of every shot type other than that, but nearly 0 holes that required a driver. As I stated, I used my putter on what seemed like 80% of holes.
Other Thoughts:
Don't let my cons get you down. I have to judge every course I play with any other course in the nation. This course is certainly fun and unique, but doesn't offer many of the things I look for in a world class course. That doesn't mean you shouldn't play it, you should indeed! It's certainly a fun time and has holes you'll remember for a long time, but if you're looking for a course to challenge every aspect of your game, this one isn't it. Tight and precise putter shots, rinse wash and repeat with a little bit of spice added in the form of basket placements. I hope the locals understand I'm not trying to tear the course apart, it was very fun and I'll be back!