Pros:
-DeLaveaga. Where to start. This magnificent property has to be the St. Andrews of disc golf, being home to one of the oldest courses and one of the oldest tournaments in the game. I would venture to say that this has to be the most well-known course in the sport of disc golf.
-The Scenery. DeLaveaga Park, at first glance, seems better suited for a nature hike than for a disc golf course. The thick woods, steep canyons, and panoramic views are incredible but it must have taken a lot of creativity and imagination to envision and then carry out the construction of a disc golf course on this property. Enter Tom Schot.
-I'm not too well-versed regarding the history of DeLaveaga and which holes remain from Schot's original routing, but nevertheless the present routing is world-class. Every single hole has a unique character. Particularly well known holes include Gravity, The Refrigerator Hole, I-5, and of course the Top of the World. It's the sign of a fantastic course when multiple of its holes are imitated by designers at dozens of other courses.
-It's needless to describe any hole in detail as Youtube can take care of that, but my personal favorites were #3, #6, #8, #11, #12, #13, #16, #17, #19, #25, and #27. Wow. That's a lot.
-The incredible variety of holes requires a player to use their entire arsenal of shots. It's not a wide open course that only requires a few overstable discs. It's also not a heavily wooded course that only requires your straightest fliers. DeLaveaga includes both of these types as well as a handful of "Type Z" one-of-a-kind holes that will leave you drawing a blank deciding what is the most effective shot. These types of holes are what elevate courses from excellent to outstanding.
-Putting is a challenge. Most greens are ridden with obstacles: large trees, downed logs, roots, low hanging tree branches, and of course, steep canyons that are more than willing to make you exclaim "I just got DeLa'd!" Being comfortable manipulating your style of putt is a certain stroke-saver.
-The course strikes an unmatched balance between challenge and forgiveness. A score of Even par with all long baskets is traditionally rated 995-1000 in the Masters Cup. It's the only par three course on the professional tour, but remains a player favorite. Ricky Wysocki, Matt Bell, Sarah Hokom, and Madison Walker are among the touring professionals that have named DeLa their favorite course. In addition, the fact that it is a par three course makes it a favorite of players all over the skill spectrum. Even a novice player can have fun making a few pars in a row.
-Large concrete tees, Mach X baskets, excellent tee signs, and super size benches adjacent to every tee box are just a token of evidence of the hours and hours of hard work put into this course by the local community. A small pro shop with discs for sale is on-site as well.
Cons:
-Chance of lost discs. A slight mis-release or a bad kick off of a tree can easily send you down into a canyon. Holes #8a, #9, #12, #15, and especially #26a pose the greatest risks.
-Poison oak. Stay on the fairway, and you should be A-OK, but send one down a ravine, and, well, best of luck.
-Crossing fairways - Holes #5 & #6 and holes #13 and #16 share fairways. In addition, errant drives from #27 pose a risk for several holes and the parking lot.
-These things can and do make for a miserable round at many courses. However, they add to the charm and experience of DeLaveaga.
Other Thoughts:
-This course has lost a lot of trees in the last five years. In fact, a large portion of one of the huge oaks guarding the #15 basket has just fallen (as of Jul 2019). It's nice to see that new trees have been planted in several spots. I don't know how many trees have failed due to environmental factors as opposed to contact from discs, but I'd like to see some of the trees in high-impact areas be protected with wraps or screens.
-Almost every hole has an alternate basket position, which helps ease the wear and tear on parts of the course. While it's a bit disappointing to come to an iconic hole and find the basket in the secondary position, the lines are fun and well thought-out.
-The elevation change is not as extreme as it is made out to be. The only large hill on the course is climbed on #1 - #2, and #25 - #26. The rest of the layout is of only moderate elevation change unless you find yourself at the bottom of a canyon searching for a disc.
-This is an incredible course. Very few courses can boast being on public park property, having land used exclusively for disc golf, and being among the world's finest. DeLaveaga checks all three boxes.