Pros:
This is a long course on a former ball golf course with a lot of great trees throughout and a serious challenge for your average/rec player.
Overall, I'd have to agree with the other reviews posted so far so I won't go over too many things that have already been said.
-First off, I'm just really happy that this land got repurposed for disc golf by parks and rec... thats a great sign that they are aware of the growing draw, and will hopefully continue to support the sport.
-The park is definitely a very pretty location and I can't wait to see it all in bloom.
-Easy to get to off of Interstate 70 and in an area of town that needed more courses.
-Concrete tees are nicely done w two positions and some benches have been put in as of mid Feb.
-The park looks great in general, and wildflowers have been planted all over (according to park staff) that will be popping up in spring.
-When the old putting greens have been used as new pin placements it just feels cool.
-Plenty of challenging shots, need to work around trees in MANY places, and chances to work a few different skills (rollers and thumbers especially)
-Great exercise if you'd like to get a good hike in!
-The course is long. You probably aren't going to get par. Just hang on and enjoy the ride, lol.
Cons:
-A lot of my frustration with this course comes mostly from design problems and missed opportunities. There were some very strange decisions made, imo, that hurt the experience of playing here.
-When you pull into the parking lot, there is a bulletin board at the end of the parking lot. If looking at this board, the practice basket is about 100yds behind you, down a hill, and to the right. It sits on a former putting green, so actually looks like its part of the course... you'd never expect it to be a location for practice.
-Hole #1 is actually probably 300yds beyond the bulletin board, over and around a hill (completely out of sight) and to the left along a walking path. So, in the complete opposite direction from the practice basket with close to a 1/4mile between them!
- I way prefer a practice basket that is inn close proximity to tee #1 and used as a "next up" waiting position when courses are busy. Who wants to use a practice basket during peak hours with the parking lot and a big walk between you and #1, watching cars pile in and groups walk over to #1 ahead of you?
-There is plenty of unused space along this walk for a practice basket, even right behind the bulletin board! I just don't get it.
-The only real hill at Walnut Hills is here near the parking lot. But its barely used. All that land you walk past to your right on the way to hole #1 is occupied by two picnic tables and could have been used for an interesting start/turnaround at 9/end of the course.
-Why the course wasn't set up so that the current practice green is the eventual #18 seems like a big miss.
-There are several confusing places on the course where it is very easy to get lost. I'm hoping there are going to be "next tee" signage.
-The signage at the tees is going to be a plaque embedded in the concrete. (update, these are going in now, Late Feb and do look really great!)
-This plaque system seems like a really cool idea, and would be if the course weren't inherently confusing. In this case, I'd rather have an actual post that could be easily seen from a distance. There are a couple of tees that are in former bunkers, for instance, and you can't see them until you are right on top of them.
-Its clear the course was designed to avoid just being all wide open shots in former fairways, and instead uses the tree lines that were formerly BETWEEN those ball golf fairways to add difficulty. But, in some cases (#7), its kind of ridiculously difficult right now until it gets properly trimmed up. (Like I said, get ready to ROLL!)
-The course also misses out using the area of land closer to the tennis courts and the driveway in. This area has some really great old growth trees and seems to be to have more logical and fun DG land use possibilities.
-I would have tried to avoid following the back portion of the land (along a row of apartments) and oriented the course more back and forth to and from the main hill and parking lot for a more interesting layout.
-And, finally, can get pretty swampy after a rain. Most of the course is in a low area compared to some of the surrounding neighborhood, so be prepared for that.
Other Thoughts:
-A map of the course at the parking lot is critical.
-I can see the argument here for a longer course for bigger arms to enjoy, but I ultimately agree with Sisyphus' take on it in a previous review... I don't see it as that much of a technical or difficult course for your advance/open player, its just extra long.
-Overall, I'd say that Walnut is basically a super sized Griggs when it could have been another Hambick or Holton.
-I currently have a love/hate relationship with this course. I want to love it, but its just... not that much fun... right now. I don't need it to be easy, but it only has maybe 3 holes that I find interesting (3, 4, 9), and the more you play it, the more the rest of it starts to get kind of boring. I initially was really excited with this, but the shine is starting to wear off... will update later in the spring when the parks dept has a chance to get it finished and its flowering and see what I think then.