Pros:
What a perfect course to round out the perfect road trip, one that includes the likes of Nockamixon State Park and Iron Hill. At first, I was worried that Muddy Run would not be the course for me. I don't throw very far, and the 9,000 feet from the Gold's scared me. I was dead wrong, because this course was well worth it.
The park itself was very nice. All the grass was mowed, the lake on site looked beautiful, and the other onsite activities looked well kept too.
The tee signs at this course are possibly the best I had ever seen. They were absolutely huge, way bigger than I had ever seen, something I could not tell from the pictures. They had local bird information, a different bird for each hole, and the usual suspects, distance, par, and a map that was an aerial view from google maps. I also really liked the way that it added distance to certain parts of the fairway, a nice helpful hint for choosing your disc.
The tee pads were grippy and long concrete, with two tees on most holes. The baskets were new Mach V's, with tall orange flags on top of the basket helping you see the basket from far away. These baskets were very nice and catchy, as well as visible. There were also some nice wooden benches for you to rest on after a long, grueling hole.
Being pretty new, the whole place is in tip-top shape. Baskets are shiny silver, tees are uncracked, signs are not faded. That makes a lot of people happy, including me.
The course design itself was quite fantastic. The elevation that the course uses is magnificent. It had a perfectly good mix of downhill and uphill holes, shots that forced a hyzer, turnover, forehand, anhyzer, s-curve, and absolutely everything in between.
The gold tees were amazing, but the silver tees did look very nice. They offered shorter holes, but still challenging, while providing different looks at the baskets.
Navigation was a breeze, with the next tees never too far out of site. 18 finished not too far from the parking lot that you start at.
There were many holes that I would say are feature holes. Hole 2 and 16 were absolutely amazing downhill crushes, with a need for accuracy on two, and more distance on 16. These are two holes you could sit at, and throw discs on all day long.
Cons:
The cons for this course most certainly do not outweigh the pros, as Muddy Run is absolutely amazing. I can not stress that enough.
The first con for me is the filler holes. Hole 7 is a wide open 413 foot par 3, which mostly just needs either a crush off the tee for a birdie, or two midranges and a tap in putt. I see it as not much of a chance for a score separator. Hole 9 was a 300 foot toss to a gap in the trees. Not much of a challenge for the 2, but if you miss the gap, it is still an easy cleanup for 3.
The walk was grueling. Definitely not a con for me, so don't take points off, but it isn't something to approach without a water. That can be purchased at the snack bar on site.
No trash cans on the course, and if you take my suggestion of bringing lots of water, you will have to carry your trash out. Please don't be that guy who litters. It's not cool.
The fence surrounding the property had a prison/confinement vibe. Barbed wire, with a gate at the front. I was a little intimidated, as I would not fare well in a possible hunger games type scenario. Especially after that walk.
Other Thoughts:
For me, there is not much keeping me from a five disc rating. The course sees a lot of love, a lot of care, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears from the disc golfers who play it.
If you are within the area of Lancaster, PA, this course is definitely a must play. I was absolutely blow away with the course, and there is a definite interest in travelling back here to play it again!