Pros:
+ Practice area by hole1. Lost disc boxes by holes 12 and after 18.
+ The whole course plays in a sprawling park with healthy hills, flourishing fields and tricky tree traps.
+ Two tee areas per hole have solid and sturdy concrete slabs, and each pad has its own tee sign with an abundance of information.
+ Wooden signs below the baskets point the way next, and additional signage along the way guides players to the longer walks, but...
Cons:
- ...The reason why those extra signs are necessary in the first place is to help navigate the somewhat confusing layout.
- Safety hazards present in the form of exposed roots, narrow trails and steep paths.
- During my visit, there was broken glass and trash strewn about the course.
- That nasty rough on some holes will gobble up your disc, never to be seen again.
Other Thoughts:
I liked playing hole3 the most because of that deep valley. I had to make sure I threw far and high enough or risk a nasty rollaway. (I had a nasty rollaway!) I liked hole14 the least because it was the flattest, straightest and most wide open to my mind. Hole16 was nice to look at because at a certain point there is a bendy woodsy part of the fairway with a view of hills in the distance, which caused me to relentingly say aloud, "Okay, this is... kinda cool."
Is it called Laurel Hill or Giles Run? I saw signs for both as I was driving. I'll call it Giles Run. I don't think I've ever played a course quite like Giles Run with the layout so broken up into segments. An above average amount of intermediary walking happens here. Players will take lengthy strolls from hole2 to 3, then from hole5 to 6, then from 7 to 8, then 16 to 17. That can get kind of confusing, can't it? Even with all of the aiding signage you can't help but wonder why it's like this. Plus, if you're unsteady on your feet or accident prone, there are some steep inclines and narrow rocky passages that require your full attention.
Giles makes up for that by treating the player to a nice blend of scenery and challenge. It doesn't excel in one or the other, but the good combination of both makes them seem better for it. An example of that is hole5. It's a mostly wide open grassy field but the downhill throw is lovely, and it's got a nice pond at the bottom. They would be okay on their own, but in tandem they make the other better. That's smart fairway design/land usage.
About the fairways, though. Some of them feel a copy-pasted. Few courses can avoid this, and Giles in not immune to it, either. Holes10 and 11 played like the same hole twice in a row. Holes12 through 15 felt pretty similar to one other as well. And the course as a whole relies a bit too much on 'wide tunnels' or 'open tunnels.' Holes2, 3, 4 and 7 are as tight as it gets here. So it you're looking for precision challenges, this course won't scratch the itch. No, overall, I think this course would appeal more to the big arm players. But the wide tunnels might feel a bit constrictive to them, ironically.
Still, the challenges on offer at Giles Run rely on keeping out of the nasty rough and consistently delivering your throws. That's disc golf in a nutshell, isn't it? As for Giles Run in a nutshell: it's fun. The infrastructure is solid. The fairways are clear, if repetitive. The navigation is a little exasperating, but it's not so bad. Give it a try sometime and enjoy the views.
Sidenote: if the aggressively tiny parking lot by hole1 is full, there is a much larger parking lot by hole12. (Make sure your car's parking brake works!)