Pros:
- Fly18 tees in good condition, but some of them at the beginning are cut in half, so they're really short
- nice tables near a few holes, made from bottlecaps
- the course is mowed often because it is also used as a 5k cross country course every Tuesday night
- the wooded holes are tight and will teach you to hit your lines
- it's only an hour and a half from Maple Hill, Pyramids and Marshall Street
Cons:
- the first half of the course is extremely short, the second half much longer. There is no balance to the course
- there isn't just one type of basket, there are multiple types and colors (red, blue, yellow, silver), so don't expect to know exactly what you're looking for when you step on a tee
- no tee signs
- MANY people walking their dogs in the park. You have to wait before throwing often, and dogs will sometimes go after your discs, so be careful when you throw.
- navigation isn't too bad, but can be a little tricky at some points because two paths look equally worn
Other Thoughts:
I took pictures for this course which I will post in about a week, when I can get them off my camera.
The course starts near the picnic table and second billboard, across the field from where you park.
Some of the holes on the front are very short, but they're still fun and creative. I think that the short holes are much more fun and quality holes than the wide open, long ones on the back 9 where you just throw across a field.
I was extremely disappointed when I found out that most of the old Hospital buildings had been torn down. To me, that was the allure of this course, to be playing through the grounds of a super old mental institution. I'm from Traverse City, MI, and pushing to get a course put in at the old Traverse City State Hospital, to get a course with just that vibe. Something unique.
There is a shop called Village Ski & Sports on Main St in Northampton that sells discs, but they're all way overpriced ($20+ for star plastic, $13 for DX), so don't bother going there if you're not desperate.
There is a cafe in Northampton that's called Lhasa Cafe (it's Tibetan cuisine) that is amazing. It's exotic, inexpensive and really good. How many places do you know of where you can eat Yak?
Northampton is a neat little town and there are definitely some chicas to look at, at Smith College... but as for the course, it was actually unimpressive. It's a okay course, but the one thing that distinguished it from every other average course in that nation is no longer there (the old Hospital buildings). Worth a trip if you're in the area, or worth going to every once in a while if you live in New England, but not a course that will develop your game too much.