Pros:
Shady Oaks in North Bonneville is a beautiful 18 hole disc golf course located directly off Highway 14 near mile marker 37. The course is located in City Park between the post office and city hall. Tee one can be located near the volleyball court and gazebo along the walking path. The course terrain has gentle rolling hills throughout, and is completely grass with blackberry bushes scattered along the sides of fairways periodically. Massive Oaks and other native foliage tower along the fairways, making the course nice and shady during those hotter summer months. The scenery at this course is breathtaking! Due to its remote location near the Columbia River Gorge, everything is plush green. The mountains which surround the course trap the clouds within the valley early in the morning, and slowly creep out as the sun burns them off, giving the course a mystical feeling.
The design of the course is very well thought out, especially with the land they had provided for them. Holes vary in length, ranging from 198-424 feet, with the majority of holes having tight fairways. There are however several holes that are wide open, but still have some sort of obstacle in the way near the pin. Pin placement was well thought out, and the Mach 5 baskets they have in place are in great shape and are well taken care of. For being installed in 2006, Shady Oaks seems much newer than that due to how well maintained this course is. It offers a lot of challenge to all amateur levels, but would still be a lot of fun to play on for a pro.
Cons:
Navigation around the course is somewhat confusing, so bringing a map is essential for first timers. There are wooden posts indicating what tee your on, but with so many sticking out of the ground about two feet up, it isn't always completely obvious which one you go to next. Holes # 3-6 are located on the other side of the park which takes away from the course flow. Although I did enjoy these holes, they were completely soaked with standing water, making those four holes a bit of a chore. NOTE: Make sure you look on the wall of city hall after putting out on pin #2 to see where to go regarding hole #3, as it is located under the bridge to the left.
Tee pads are natural and work for now, but eventually they will continue to erode, leaving large muddy divots. It would be great to see some rubber mats put down, as they are not permanent, and could be relocated at any time. It would make for much better footing during those rainy months, which happen more often than not in the northwest!
Last, holes #10-12 were quite close to one another, which made crossing fairways quite easy, especially if the course was crowded. I enjoyed these holes, but felt that on a busy day they would be quite dangerous considering they are the longest holes on the course and yet they have some of the tightest fairways.
Other Thoughts:
Shady Oaks Course in North Bonneville is only about 40 minutes from Portland, and well worth the drive. When the courses are busy during those beautiful sunny days in Portland, this course is the perfect place to get away from the heat and the crowds. This course is quite technical at times and focuses on accuracy rather that power for the most part, rewarding players with multiple birdie opportunities if you show control in your game by hitting the lines given. Well worth a stop!