Pros:
The best part of playing the Desert Fox Disc Golf Course is that you get to experience Paul B. Johnson State Park. However, the course itself left me feeling a little disappointed, especially since I made a 2 hour drive for a day trip and was not staying overnight. My 3 star review is on the very generous side as this is a borderline 2.0 -2.5 stars were it not for the great scenery of the park and the potential that is still there for an above average course.
It would have been helpful if the park had signage directing you to the course (hole 1), but we had to drive aimlessly through the park until we finally saw the "Desert Fox" sign.
According to the I-Phone app "U-Disc", the course has 23 holes, as is reflected by the electronic scorecard. However, we only found 18 holes and this was confirmed by the map we printed and actually playing the course. I highly recommend using a map, as the path from hole to hole is not always entirely clear. I think the old course design had 23 holes; prior to the addition of the 9 hole Little fox course.
The first thing I noticed when we started (02/07/2015) was that the level of the lake was very low. Hole # 1 had a nice downhill shot with the basket being near the lake. Be careful of the water's edge, as even though I did not throw in the water, the ground under my feet was extremely soft and I was sinking a little. Note to self to only play this course wearing old shoes, as there is a huge potential to get them muddy and/or wet.
Hole # 2 feature a slight uphill that we had to play through a smokescreen, as the park regularly burns pine needles and leaves to keep the undergrowth at bay. Note to self to bring an extra towel to wipe the soot off my disc from all the recently burned areas on multiple fairways and greens.
Several holes have multiple tees (pro tee & amateur tee) to offer a bit more of a challenge. The baskets are showing their age and many are a bit rusty. However, the chains were all intact and functioned properly.
Hole # 4 is the signature hole and usually throws out to a small peninsula. However, with the water being so low, my throw was over a vast expanse of smelly, shoe swallowing, disc grabbing mud. Note to self to always bring my 18 foot telescopic pole to retrieve discs from water and/or mud.
The park's huge lake comes into play on multiple holes as it borders fairways, pins, forces water carry (when water is not low), and emphasizing precise disc placement.
I actually enjoyed the wood sections that forced you to throw within a narrow corridor of trees. Any off target shots were immediately punished with ricochets off of trees and/or discs entangled in thick blood drawing briars.
All in all it was a good day, and if I ever found myself camping here, I would be sure to play this course again. However, I don't foresee any road trips here solely for the purpose of playing this mediocre course.