Pros:
This course was my second stop of the morning , ( Moraine was first ) , and after playing a round here at Slippery Rock , I am not sure what to think . I will evaluate this from throwing 16 of my 18 drives from the golds ( White on 1 & 18 ) . The campus itself is a busy place . I was there at 8:45 on a Saturday morning and there were many cars parked in the lots with students all over the place . I can't imagine what it is like during the week when school is in session . Anyway , I was told that I did not need a parking pass during the weekends . I needed a little help finding the first tee , as I parked right up next to the tee for #2 . As far as campus courses go , and I have played many ) , this one is considered one of the best , IMO . Once your bearings are straight and you have your course map in your hands , which I am SURE YOU PRINTED , you can begin . All of the tees from the longs or mids are rubber or cement . The Innova baskets are more than adequate , tee signs are good . Some of the areas around campus have directional signs trying to keep you on course . One of the nicer qualities of this course ? having it divided up into out and back six hole stints , where you can park , play and finish up after 6 , 12 or 18 hole rounds , and mix or match your favorite sections . The course is well manicured , water coming into play on several holes , mainly 1,4, and 18 . To keep this course on campus , the course designers did a very good job . They were creative in both the tee areas and especially pin placement . great examples are #1 , with the pin guarded by a large hanging tree to the immediate right and water in front and to the left , or #2 with a creek to the left and the parking lot to the right, or #14 that sits on the side of a hill . If you are in the Pittsburgh area , this is a great course to couple with Moraine . It gives a completely different feel , with Moraine being very technical and mostly woods , and Slippery Rock a bomber course that is mostly open . The course utilizes all of its elevation , mostly after #6 . Many risk-reward opportunities are on this course . Fences , parking lots , roads , water , You will also battle elements . Since most of the course is open , the wind will add another challenge for you . Signature hole ? I liked several holes equally . #4 , over the lake , hyzer around a clump of trees with OB road on the left and the lake to your right . #7 par 5 . Straight drive forward with fence coming into play constantly on your right , then straight up a steep hill to a basket placement on the top of a hill . #12 long downhill bomber that seems cut into sections , with dorms on the far right and a kind of plateau for a green .#17 par 4 .a 750' drive that will take you a little to your right , at the bottom of what looks like a small ski or large sled hill ( don't throw to the top , the basket sits beyond the woods in front of you ) then throw through about 70' of woods , out the back end to a clearing where the basket sits , or 18 par 4 , an obstructed drive to a door shot approach over water to a basket with water to the left , in the front and also behind it ( 500' ) . You shouldn't lose a disc on this course as long as you can take the water out of play on a few of the holes ( or you throw it on the dorm roof with a big crank on #12 ) .
Cons:
Several cons to this course .
#1 The risk of clubbing some poor unsuspecting student , especially on holes 2-5 and 12 comes into play .#5 is a blind shot that wraps around a building Be attentive . Don't give the campus reasons to close off part of or all of this course .
#2 cars . A gust of wind on your drives can easily nail a car on a few of these holes .
#3 Navigation . I had to have help to find hole #4s teepad , had to look around for #5's tee . Without a map , you might have to look for #7 up the hill beyond the parking lot ( long walk ) .12 basket to 13 tee pad , 17 basket to 18 tee . You are getting my point .
#4. Parking . Make sure you have permission to play and receive a permit during the week . A $50 ticket will ruin your round .
#5 Wind . This is just an unavoidable barrier with wide open courses . The wind can be fierce . I took a 6 on hole #7 because the wind took my '10 putt and deposited it 20' away . No benches or trash cans , so carry out what you bring in .
Other Thoughts:
It don't want to make it look like I am picking on this course . Even though I am surprised that The course I played hosted the Worlds ( 2015 ) , I still consider this a fantastic campus course . Typical campus courses are much shorter , very vanilla and more attractive to the casual playing student looking to get an after school 80 minute round with his buddy . This is more of a showcase , and the Slippery Rock name gets passed around to many in the disc golf know . By having a few younger high school students coming onto campus to play a round or 2 , they even might have enrolled in this nice campus after touring the grounds and talking to a couple of the students . Beautiful campus , great course design , nice area . My recommendation : PLAY IT .