Pros:
-Located in a nice city Park, and this is Ken Climo's home course.
-Tees & Baskets: Brand new, highly detailed signs, Maps, Distance, and next Tee info. Very nice tee signs; Concrete Pads, Practice basket at start, and Multiple Tees & alt pins.
-Porto's, Garbage cans, picnic tables and benches located throughout the park
-Mostly Flat with some nice variations in the terrain. Florida is primarily flat, so the somewhat hilly nature of the front 9 is a pleasant surprise.
-Billboard with map at the start. (Worth revisiting the map, when transitioning to hole #10)
-A beginner could play here, but it may become frustrating. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. Beginners/Casual players will want to play the water hazards conservatively.
-The course plays through some sparse woods. The front 9 is open enough to offer multiple lines, but the trees will make you consider your throw and your line. The back 9 is more open with Water Hazzards,(be mindful of the gators) as well as longer distances. Most of the holes avg between 250-350. With 3 over 400ft, and one almost 700ft.
-The trees along the front 9 add offers nice shade to the park
-3 Bonus holes: Baskets A,B, and C are located between 16 and 17
-Great pin placements that offer up a nice challenge, with healthy distances.
-Front 9 is more strategic and in the woods, while the back 9 is in a more open area with longer distances.
-The water hazards offer a healthy risk/reward. From the long tees it's a straight water carry, from the shorts the water is more of a lateral hazard.
-The figure 8 layout, offers players a quick round on either the front or back 9 that both play back to the parking lot.
-The park was clean and very well maintained.
-This is a busy course; odds are that hooking up with a local shouldn't be an issue.
FWIW:
-Located very close to Clearwater Disc Golf store.
-The Path that runs along 1, 10, 17, and 18, will take you past Brighthouse Field to NE Coachman.
Cons:
-(been drastically improved with the new signs) Navigation may have some issues if you are a first timer. I would still recommend printing off the map from this website before you play here. It can be easy to get turned around on your first visit.
-Walking paths weave through out the back 9, so make sure your shot is clear before throwing.
-This is also a park, so there can be other activities going on as well as park goers walking around the park. It is a really nice scenic park.
Other Thoughts:
Clear Water has a variety of courses, offering something for everyone. Cliff Stephens is well worth your time if you are in the area. It will not disappoint! I really had a good time here, and I felt that I was given a fun and challenging experience. It's not terribly difficult, but it will still challenge you on accuracy and distance. There is a major differences in the long tees and the short tees. The Short tee's still offer a challenge, while the long tee's require much more accuracy at longer distances. Neither tee is exempt from water hazards! Water WILL be a factor! The water is more of a lateral hazard from the shorts, while the long tee's require a healthy water carry.
It's easy walking so footwear can be casual, and it's located in the middle of town where there are a bunch of restaurants and gas stations nearby. One problem that I did run into was with my GPS. According to Clearwater Discs, they told me that they put in new bridges and that they haven't updated the maps. So you may want to have a street map handy if you come to town.