Pros:
-Perfect mixture of right and left finishing shots, with varied distances for both finishes as well (something that is often overlooked on courses)
-Scenic views on many of the holes, with Pikes Peak and the Rockies in the background
-Fountain Creek rages through the entire course, providing an excellent "pucker factor" for many shots
-Very visible baskets (Salient Liberties) which are important for the middle ten holes which are fairly wooded
-Good use of the property, which minimum crossing of fairways on a very thin piece of land
Cons:
-No concrete teepads yet...will likely be some time before they put in as input from the local club members will dictate where they are placed
-No teesigns, yet...these will be in place before the concrete pads, thanks to the generosity of the local parks department
-Holes 2 and 3 are right up against the local jail and impound lot; nothing to be done about that (there is plenty of buffer so no actual danger) but it does give a bit of creep factor
-Lots of dead wood and live weeds that will be slowly cleared out through various workdays; for now pants or long socks are a must
-the most scenic "top of the world" hole crosses fairways with another hole, which is unfortunate but plenty safe as everyone/everything is in view
-3 holes are currently out of play due to a Red-Tailed Hawk nesting area in the fairways...this could be considered a PRO as it shows the clubs commitment to environmental protection
Other Thoughts:
I am humbly honored to have been able to arrange the deal that got the baskets for this course, as well as putting them in with Fishy. I also did my fair share of picking up trash around the previously abandoned property. This course, which is now officially open for play, is a realization of 2 and a half years of politicking and hard work by a select few members of the local club. Seeing it put in is a real treat to be sure.
With that in mind, this course will not realize it's full potential for at least another year. The club takes a lot of pride in this new course and another soon-to-be-placed course, so the work will be put in. It is currently still a great play (my best score with baskets is 2 over par, and I was quite happy with it, to give you a hint at the challenge) and is easy to navigate even without a guide or teesigns.
This course will be a real showcase by summer of 2016, and will make a great one-two punch with the nearby Widefield.