Pros:
Good wooded course that has tight but fair fairways through dense woods. A big river borders the right fairway of a few of the holes. This river isn't really in play unless you truly slice your drive or get tree knocked, but it's so visible from the tees and plays with your head just enough to make you doubt youself..... The wild wide river adds beauty but is rather shallow so disc retrieval is not too difficult. Big wide gravel tee pads that are good for me, I am 6'3" so I enjoy the space to really X-step. Baskets in good shape. Land was used to its maximum potential. Good use of minimal elevation available. There are lefty,righty, and plenty of holes with multiple options. I like a course that makes you think a little. In a nutshell plenty of challenging wooded fairways that lead to a nice basket location. A really nice intriguing technical par 3 course. Perfectly designed scorewise as I earned my birdies, was satisfied with the pars and the bogeys were due to my errors. Thats solid design in my book. The stone fairways and greens are odd but do a great job of minimizing the muddy conditions in this floodplain course...I got over it and tried to imagine the course w/o stones and it would rate far lower due to excessive mud. I kind of began to like the stones as they made it easier to locate greens and fairways. The bookend holes at the far expanses of the park 3 and 11 are both tight but rewarding tunnel drives. 3 legitimate ace runs (9,12,16) that you will most likely 3 but in your mind you know you could have aced. Longest hole is a gradual left bending J hole (15) that I swear is designed specifically for my destroyer but I can't seem to hit the line....addictive. Plenty of fun holes and not one boring open hole in these woods. Stroller and disc cart friendly...rare to say that about a woods course.
Cons:
Hole #1 plays too close to a backyard. Course shares fairway space with a walking trail at many points. Its in a mostly flat wooded floodplain. The course was built well but the land is adjacent to a big river so it is flat and lacks any mind blowing elevation. There are no truly wide open holes to break up the forrested challenge. Some wet muddy areas, but not too bad. No bathrooms or kiosks. The stones are a bit odd and unconventional but the positives of eliminating mud in the floodplain and reducing maintenance is understandeable. One criss cross of fairways. Also there were a few natural fairways that were not used that seemed to follow the course. Often times found myself backtracking to tees and thus walking in the fairway...but the holes made the walkback worthwhile. No tee signs but it's pretty straightforward and the spray painted hints are adequate for navigation. Some steps would be a nice addition for hole 9-10 to reduce erosion and promote safety.
Other Thoughts:
I have raised my score for this course but still have one minor suggestion that I think would improve the course. I think a golden opportunity for a signature hole is being missed and instead theres a crossing fairway and a difficult elevated tee area. I would move the tee for hole 10 down and to the right of the fairway for hole 9. This would eliminate the crossing fairway and would give this course what it needs. Beautiful twin fairways with big sweeping routes R or L. One over the streambed and the other over the path. I would also move the basket back and closer to the concrete structure to add distance and character to the hole while tempting both routes. I'd even go so far as to have a Bearclaws mural put on that structure. Sorry guys I am a dreamer I can't help it! I had a hard time finding the course. Stroudsburg is a confusing little city and the course is a bit further ouside the city proper than I had envisioned. Considering all the outdoor activities in the Pocono region it really puzzles me that disc golf has not taken a hold in the region. Probably the best option for disc golf in the Pocono region.