Pros:
-- This course really stands out for its variety. This is accomplished in three ways: overall hole variety (long, short, open, tight, left, right, etc...), multiple tees on every hole, and 3 pin placements on most/all holes. In terms of shot variety, this course pretty much has everything, except maybe a 350+ foot open bomber. Holes 1 and 17 play right along the ocean down the beach. Several holes are tunnel shots, some that open up into longer, open portions of the fairway and some are shorter and ride the tight tunnel all the way down to the basket. There are some open shots that you can power also, but none are completely open and they all demand accuracy and placement. There are right curves, left curves, gentle and sharp curves. I throw just about every shot in my bag when playing here. The design is just spectacular, and on many holes, the different pin placements can really add/remove difficulty and make you take a completely different approach at the hole.
-- Probably my favorite thing about this course is the demand for strategy. Just about every hole has different lines and different ways to tackle it, all with different risk/reward payoffs. The first time I played I had a much more aggressive mindset, which often did not work out well for me and got me into deep trouble. The second time I was a lot smarter (think playing "tournament golf") and played for placement. I was rewarded many times for the conservative (though not easy) shot and felt this course really stretched me to think about every hole strategically, in contrast to other courses where you step to the tee, see the obvious line, and launch.
-- Did I mention the multiple tees and 3 pin placements? Oh yeah, that's pretty cool. However, on some courses this can be a pain, as you are left guessing on some holes where the pin is, which placement is in, maybe only having a map at the long tee but not the short, etc.... The signs on this course are outstanding. Every short and long tee has a course map, showing both tee location distances, all pin placements, distances, and - importantly - which pin placement is currently installed. There were also arrows hanging from many baskets showing the direction to the next tee. These things made this course much easier to navigate, as without signs it would be a nightmare.
-- Pads are great. Big and concrete. Baskets are wonderful and catch very well.
-- Bathrooms available about halfway through and water available at a few points as well if you look for it. This course can take a while, so in the Florida heat, these are both very welcome.
Cons:
-- There are parts of this course that I think just feed off of eating discs. There is a good amount of very thick underbrush on several holes, and the big palms have an uncanny ability to grab a disc out of the air and never, ever let it go. There really isn't much water to contend with (other than the beach holes, but in those cases, the water seems pretty clear so a quick swim in the ocean should usually get your disc back) but the vegetation can make up for that quickly. The first time I played I lost a lot of plastic and spent a lot of time looking. Hole 2 was especially my nemesis that day, so be very careful about throwing long/left into the thick stuff or playing a high approach near the palm trees. My second round here I was a lot smarter (also read in the pros about the need to play smart here) and kept myself in much better shape.
-- Sun. There are a lot of holes here where a lot of the fairway isn't very shaded. On a hot, sunny day, you better have a lot of water and sunscreen.
-- Bugs. The first time I played (Oct), they were pretty bad but not unbearable I think I also had bug spray, which I would recommend. When I just played (Feb), I barely noticed any bugs here but may have just gotten lucky (I did, however, get eaten alive at Cypress Point later that day).
Other Thoughts:
I really love this course. It is challenging, but also rewarding. More than anything, I love how it will force a seasoned golfer to really think through the risk/reward of every hole and carefully place shots with a long-term view in mind. Newer players shouldn't find this course too daunting either, unless they have consistent accuracy issues and find themselves in the thick stuff a lot. I think this course, along with Cypress Point, are two truly pro-caliber courses in the Tampa Bay area. Both are similar in how they mix length with strategy and placement and, as I said in my review of Cypress, they are the kind of courses that I'd love to watch a top touring pro attack.