Pros:
18 well-designed holes with dual tees (White & Blue) and dual DISCatcher 28s (Red & Gold/yellow). Each fairway plays 4 different ways at any given time, (72 options) thus catering to various skill-levels.
Clean, modern restrooms. Ample tourney parking. Multi-purpose field by parking lot for warming up. Practice basket on west end of parking, near hole #01.
Most of the course flows very well and has great directional signage, including arrows under many of the pins, and stand-alone 4"x4" posts with arrows to tees. (NavPosts)
Logs outline many of the fairways and transitions for easier navigation.
Cons:
It took longer than expected to begin installing the concrete tee pads. As of 05-03-2020, 27 of 36 tee pads have been poured and are ready for play.
Some minor flow issues from 8 (parking lot) to 9 and a long walk from 18 back to 1.
As of this writing, most hanging vines and bramble piles have been removed, but several large logs and stumps remain.
People sometimes forget which basket they are throwing for. I cannot fault the course for this. Pay attention to which basket you are throwing for (Red or Gold), and you'll be fine.
The sprinkler system may come on mid day (on holes on or around the pond)
Other Thoughts:
Carved from very thick woods, Palmetto Trails dgc was designed specifically to test a tournament-level competitor. Power can help, but the name of the game at Palmetto Trails, is to keep it in the fairways and hit the landing zones when necessary. 11 of the holes have fairly different looks from White to Blue tees. It is this designer's opinion that nearly all fairways @ PT are a fair challenge.
11 of the holes have widely varying pin positions (in height, or different fairways to pins) 11 par 4s. 1 par 5. 72 hole options. (Not including Green tees).
The park's southern border (Getford rd) is centered by a stocked pond surrounded by an asphalt track, which would also allow easy flow for a showcase-round gallery on holes 6-10 & 18.
Hole breakdowns:
#01: (par 3) Blue & White tees along grassy slope. Red pin drops off at steep angle. Gold pin sits low, but flag is visible.
#02: (par 4) Elevated Blue tee into woods tunnel across creek. White tee across bridge. (Will move left & up on mound in phase 2) Narrow fairway opens up, the splits left to Red pin and right to Gold pin.
#03: (par 4) Blue tees under (or over) oaken arch to fairly open fairway. (DO NOT GO RIGHT off the fairway!) White tees from different fairway to left. Tighter inside line to Red pin, outside line to Gold.
#04: (par 4) Blue tee (still needs adjustments) flex a flippy disc for an S-curve. White tee straight to left fade to set up 2nd shot. Red pin moved to right, with Palmetto hazard in front. Gold pin has 3 distinct attack lanes.
#05: (par 4) B&W have a left & right lane option. Right lane is a mid or putter to very specific landing zone, to set up 150-175' finesse approaches to pins. Left lane allows a bit more power to set up slow right turn to Red and right then left to Gold.
#06: (par 3) B&W tee in line, but Red & Gold have completely different fairways.
Red = tight turnover in the woods. Gold= sweeping turnover uphill. (Nasty rough to left on Gold fwy)
#07. (easy par 4) Very quick (but safe) transition from #06 Red to #07 White tee in the woods. Blue tee at NW corner of track, throwing N into woods tunnel to more open landing area. O.B.string on left.
(String will move left into woods more. It is deemed O.B.because this designer didn't want people throwing from the creek, which is managed by a somewhat strict water management board.
Some interestingly angled trees provide nicely framed approach shots. Baskets are stacked on the same pole. (Simply no room for a different quality pin position on this fairway)
#08: (par 3) White tee requires hyzer flip to Red, hyzer window to elevated Gold. Aggressive attack on Gold will likely park Red, with long, uphill return. Blue tee requires 'S-hook' flex to Red, tall turn-over in woods to elevated Gold. Blue to Gold is actually the shortest of the 4 options on #08.
#09: (par 4) Walk from #08 & parking, west across bridge to track (clockwise) past 7 & 6 to #09 Blue tee.
B tees from near track downward into woods into one of 2 lanes going right. Walk past Blue tee to palms, the left & down into woods for the White tee, where they can also shoot for 1 of 2 lanes.
Red pin is ahead to left, Gold ahead to right.
#10: (par 3) Temp tees are on flat ground throwing near the NE corner of the pond. White does not have to carry water to Red pin. White to Gold carries a bit of water. Blue to Red can stay over land on a flick to Red, but a RHBH can get you to Red or Gold. The pins are on a very steep grade, which can cause rollaways. (We hope to place large poles at lake's edge to prevent rollaways to water (O.B.)
#11: (par 4) B&W are stacked on RH hyzer line, but have different looks to the LH hyzer line. Left lane aligns with Red pin. Right lane aligns with Gold pin.
#12: (par 4) Blue tee requires a slight L-R flex shot to the LZ. White tee has 2 lanes turning right to LZ.
Left side is clear to both pins. Right side is "Scramble-ville") has several options to pins that will change, depending upon where you land.
#13: (par 4) Moderately open fairway in the woods to LZ. Red pin down fairway to Right. Gold pin has several approaches to left, fading a bit right. Red pin also has a back-door alley for those that blow past the main entrance.
#14: (par 3) Short wooded fairways Blue to left, White to right. W-R=easy slow turn mid or putter. W-G= L to R flex back. B-R= arching wooded turnover. B-G= tight gap neutral hyzer.
#15 (par 5) Blue RH turnover out of tunnel, clearing then back into woods. White tee is just outside tunnel. A solid LZ landing is near the Green tee. 2nd shot navigates tight left turn to clearing. Left and long of the island of trees will give you a straight shot to the Red pin. But if you stay right, to make the hard right turn, you might turn too early into the woods. Gold pin approaches through horizontal oak branches, forcing you to pick an approach height. (Scenic!)
#16: (par 4) Blue requires slow left turn RH hyzer flip or anny flick to LZ on Gold fairway. An accurate hyzer flick will get you on the Red Fairway. A RHBHr may also turn one over into the Red fairway, but may also throw into the Gold fairway, which allows a throw onto the Red, in the early stages.
The Red fairway also allows a shorter, but much tighter, route to the Gold pin.
#17: (par 4) Dead straight fairway. The left side of the fairway can eat discs rather easily. Red to right. Gold straight ahead.
#18: (par 3) At the SE corner of the pond. White tee (crosses track) doesn't have to carry water, but can.
Blue tee must carry water to Red pin. Must carry more water to Gold pin.
A set of 3 cypress trees divide the line between the Red & Gold.
Final synopsis: I feel that Palmetto Trails dgc will become 'the course to beat'. PT's 72 fairway options will allow you to pick & choose whatever sort of game you want to play.