Pros:
1) Initial impressions are a solid "almost" entirely disc golf dedicated park. Lots of mature old growth trees, well manicured, ample parking near Hole #1, in the middle of the course by a shelter house with bathrooms, and at the top of the course near the adjacent Mesker Woods course. Park definitely shows it's age but has a strong club presence that keeps its very clean and taken care of.
2) All tee pads are textured concrete and in good shape for their age, newly installed tee signs show all relevant information and color photo of hole, most holes have a long and short tee pad, new Prodigy baskets installed throughout the course. There are multiple layouts to choose from including the long AM worlds layout from 2022 that incorporates both Mesker Park and portions of Mesker Woods nearby which allows you to choose the level at which you want to challenge yourself.
3) Short layout is very beginner friendly and a wonderful course to get someone started as the distances and lines needed to hit aren't overwhelming but still provide a nice challenge. Very scoreable and can be played quickly. Great first course and probably one of the reasons Evansville has such a strong community of juniors and female disc golfers.
4) Long layout ups the difficulty in both distances and lines in a moderately wooded setting. While still very scoreable, the challenge presented is noticeably higher. This layout definitely favors the RHBH so if you are a sidearm player or only LHBH and want to work on your turnover woods game, try this layout.
5) Very solid use of elevation change, tricky greens with roll away potential, and smart placement of tee pads where at least one tree blocks the preferred easy line. There are a couple access roads that snake through the park that provide a sort of natural OB to help shape holes and increase the difficulty as well.
6) There are some extremely picturesque holes on this course due to the old rock masonry bridges strewn throughout.
7) Multiple ace runs throughout, especially from the short tees.
8) Though it doesn't have a Pro shop on site, Busler's Gas station less than half a mile down the road provides a lost and found for discs found on the two mesker courses, as well as a large shop for brand new discs and accessories including Bags, carts, baskets, etc. A very impressive selection indeed.
Cons:
1) This course, while extremely fun, is on the lower end of difficulty and feels like it is a holdover from the era of 7 speed drivers being the fastest discs on the market. There is very little in the way of remaining space to expand the course. It however will remain as a great beginner/recreational course for years to come.
2) The Zoo, yes there is a zoo enclosure down the entire side of 16's fairway. Discs sent over the fence may take some effort to get back as there are signs posted everywhere not to climb the fence. The Zoo crew does occasionally check the property and try to return discs, but there is no promise you will get yours back. This is compounded by the fact that this hole plays 395 ft downhill the entire way, sloping left to right towards the Zoo fence and almost requiring a RHBH hyzer directly at or over the fence at the start of the flight.
3) There is some very thick underbrush that divides the center and sides of the course. Full of thorns and poison ivy and it does come into play on a few holes if you take a tree kick. This is only a small negative as it adds difficulty to the course, but nobody likes being buried in the nasty stuff if they can help it.
4) Very compact course on a small piece of property, well loved and often full of people. Fairways run very close to one another and there is always something or someone to be watching out for. Several blind shots that you will need to ensure the coast is clear before throwing from the tee.
5) Not the best course to play after the leaves fall. There is so many trees that the fairways are usually covered in a dense coating of leaves making finding discs in the winter months extremely difficult. Lost many discs over the years in the middle of fairways only to be reunited later on by good samaritans.
Other Thoughts:
Overall a VERY solid course for all skill levels. Good enough to be selected as an AM worlds course and held up well to the top amateurs in the world. Benefits from sitting on the same property as Mesker Woods (a more challenging even more densely wooded course) and gives you a two for one special if you come visit. Evansville definitely has a lot going for it with multiple very good to excellent courses with a short driving distance. If Evansville isn't on your radar for a disc golf trip, it should be. There are different levels of difficulty and style of play all over the area and most are done extremely well.