Pros:
* Terrainimus Maximus!!
* Balanced design (not overly lefty or righty friendly)
* Good mix of up, down, and sidehill throws
* BEAUTIFUL scenic woods trails that happen to have tees and baskets
*Good baskets (placement and catchability)
*Risk reward opportunities
*Almost every hole requires thinking and planning
*Fair flight paths that test your abiiity to shape shots
*Nice tee pads
*Good signage
*logical flow, easy to navigate
*well maintained
*good facilities in the rest of the park with entertainment for the non-disc golfers
*good recovery possibilties when you get off line (not choked with scrub brush)
Cons:
*no garbage cans on course (but this could be a pro)
*you might need a hiking stick and a mountain goat to carry your bag
*rubber tee pads get slick when it's humid and rainy.
*alternate tee pads and/or alternate basket locations??
Other Thoughts:
Bag used/needed: carried 16 discs, used all of them
Impression: This course is exactly what woods courses should be like in the hills and mountains of Northeastern U.S.: tight, technical, fair, clean, logical, intellectually challenging and fun. I had to hit a lot of good shots and get some good bounces to break par here, and I consider it to be one of my best rounds of the year.
As an outsider, I don't think there is as much difference between the front and back nines as the previous reviewers noted, but that might be because there are now solid tee boxes on both nines. Both nines have some longer holes, shorter holes, uphill holes, downhill holes, lefty/flick friendly lines, righty backhand friendly lines, ROLL AWAY basket placements, risk/reward opportunities, etc. etc. etc. I couldn't relax at all, I had to think about every shot... which is how it should be in the woods. There was only one time I felt unfaired upon at the tee (hole 16), but that was because the best route needed a strong righty forehand uphill drive, which I can no longer throw with my 52 yr. old shoulder. A lack of a shot due to lack of skills... yeah, that's on me, not on the hole design, which did have a very narrow backhand alley available if I dared to use it.
This is a mature course in a mature forest, and thus not all that frustrating. What undergrowth there was has been hacked away, the piles of dead sticks are well away from the fairways and baskets, the lines are clean as long as you hit them and if you don't you are not very likely to lose your disc as a result.
This park is very VERY pretty, and a nice place to hang out either before or after your round (picnic tables, benches, bathroom facilities, beach, lake, trails, etc.)
This course is right up there with Hyzer Creek and the Highlands of Conway as one of my favorite woods courses so far. I highly recommend playing here.
On a scale of 0 (horrible) to 5 (heavenly):
Scenery: 5
Ease of navigation: 5
Tee pads: 4
Baskets (catchability): 4
Baskets (location): 5
Variety: 5
Bomb factor: 2
Risk/reward opportunities: 4
Fairness: 4
Use of terrain: 5
Amenities: 4
Beginner friendliness: 3
Non-disc golfer opportunities for fun: 4
About the reviewer: I've been playing for over 20 years, and playing seriously since 2007. I throw RHBH predominantly, with a wide arsenal of other shots that I use when I need them; my drives average about 320 feet +/- 30 feet on flat ground. My PDGA rating hovers around 900, which means on good days I shoot a few below par, on bad days a few above.
About my preferences: In my opinion the perfect disc golf course is an interesting walk in a natural space, with a wide variety of challenging but fair opportunities that test ALL of your shot making skills regardless of which hand you favor for throwing discs. I am happiest when I have to think my way from tee to basket hole after hole after hole and have to weigh risks versus rewards. In my opinion the worst disc golf courses have nothing to offer but holes that a) only test of how far you can throw b) only favor one particular type of throw on the majority of holes
c) feature "plinko" lines choked with obstacles where luck is more important than skill d) are so short that a putter is all you need e) are so wide open that the only challenge is one of judging distance f) feature lines that discs were never meant to travel (such as a hole with two 90 degree doglegs in opposite directions) g) force you to lose a few discs if you dare to play. I am saddest when I feel bored or cheated by a hole.