Pros:
Like the 18, this course has all nice (new) concrete pads, good baskets and ornate signs with hole distance and par in addition to a hole map.
This course plays on a rolling hills in a mix of prairie, woods, and field with scattered mature trees.
The locals told me beforehand that this 9 was harder than the 18 holes on the main course. Yeah right, I thought. Turns out, they were telling the truth.
This is like a souped up version of the old 18. The tree routes are tighter, and fairways a bit narrower, and the hyzers more extreme. At least half the baskets on this bunch at blind off the tee, usually around a sharp curve uphill or downhill.
The first few holes of this course weave through the scattered trees of the more open area, for a variety of lines and canopy shots, but its once you venture into the woods/prairie area that this course kicks it up a notch. The rough is long grass, with several strategically placed trees to constrict your lines and make shot placement important, if you want to land on the mowed fairways.
The course throws some interesting challenges at you in here. On one hole, you are constricted off the tee by two bushy pine trees, which you are forced to throw between before emerging into the fairway, which winds and curves over a hill. It makes it awkward to drive, since you have to bend it just to get one towards the basket.
Another hole has two trees framing the sides of the fairway, followed by a a large wide tree what occupies the center of the fairway, creating a chokepoint, beyond which the basket is on a downhill slope for a tricky putt.
This 9-hole loop is more interesting, and more difficult than the 18 hole it sits next to, because it throws a few more tricks at you, and is less forgiving. This course is (3.25), Better than Good, almost Very Good.
Cons:
Unfortunately, this course also shares some of the same glaring flaws as its more mature big brother, specifically the ridiculous hole maps. They look cool, but do a terrible job telling you the hole layout. Unfortunately, in this case, with less open obvious shots than the 18, good hole maps are even more important, and this shortcoming is that much more annoying.
But thats a dead horse. Though this course offers 3 very good holes, the rest are just solid. Comparing it to other 9 holers I've rated higher, it doesnt stack up, so I can't quite call it very good, but this course isnt quite Very Good.
Other Thoughts:
You can play this course with the 18 holes for a loop of 27 very easily. After hole 12, you will see the tee for hole 2 of this 9 on the right. start there, and just play hole 1 after 9. It'll spit you right back next to Tee 13 to resume the main course.
On the holes with long grass, its a good idea to have a spotter, as discs can get lost in the long stuff.