Pros:
Combination of park style and deep woods holes, with elevation changes, rocks, streams, steep rollaways, old rock walls and slippery greens. Balance of bomber and technical challenges. Well worth playing if you're in the area
+ New paver teepads and very good signage showing local supporters with clear maps. Brooms on many tees. Good DisCatchers. Tape on basket spokes and excellent next hole navigation, with only one tricky transition around the tennis/pickleball courts
+ For the most part, the holes are really good. There are "park" sections at the beginning and end of the layout. They're mostly flat, but they're shaped to take advantage of trees and wooded borders. Hole #5 is straight and long (almost 400') with a clear grassy fairway - but it's a lane between trees on the sides much of the way. Holes #15 and #17 are largely open, but are shaped to reward left-to-right shaping. Hole #18 is a 500'+ par 4 closer that plays out of a short chute and across the back of a wide open rugby field. But the signature feature is a tight gap through woods to reach the protected basket. The gap is maybe 18' across and it's at the edge of C2. Everything depends on lining yourself up to make that gap - or goodbye, par
+ The best part of the layout is the deeply-wooded holes (hole #3 gives you a taste, but then the run of #7 - #14 provide a range of technical challenges). This section of the course incorporates steep slopes down to the creek. Although you don't have to cross water anywhere, several fairways and greens are designed to incorporate the slopes to create substantial rollaway threats. Holes #8 and #12 feature an old rock wall (one has it off the tee, the other protecting the green). Holes #11 and #12 are opposite doglegs through tight gaps. #12 might be the best and most exacting hole on the course: 285' par 3 with a left-turning dogleg that plays through a valley in the middle. Narrow gaps off the tee and into the green
Cons:
- There's a paved walking/running trail parallel to the first few holes, and crossing #5. You may have to wait for traffic to clear. There are other hiking and walking trails near a few holes, but they don't seem to affect play. The open areas on the later holes might have other park users, and #18 crosses behind the playing area of a rugby field
- This is more particular to some players, but the layout includes a handful of long par 3 "tweeners" pushing up towards 400'. They're good holes and they're fair - but noodle arms might get discouraged early in the round. When you enter the woods in Hole #7, the course becomes shorter and much more technical - so frustration with hitting trees will replace concerns about not throwing far enough
Other Thoughts:
~ Deep in the woods, I was reminded of New England-style courses that I've played in Connecticut (Nichols, Killingworth, Mohegan) and Vermont (Brewster Ridge. In fact, Shenantaha #12 is as championship caliber as almost anything at Brewster)
~ Shenantaha provides an all-around challenge: backhand and forehand, some bombers, and a lot of technical shots to consider narrow lanes, elevation change, landing angle and groundplay (you can't help but feel a little relief when you come out of the woods to play #15). Intermediate players will be able to scramble their way through. But in order to score,you need a big arm for the open stuff and you need a hell of a lot of precision for the wooded, technical stuff.