Pros:
- Eighteen holes of seriously fun, moderately hilly/wooded disc golf, with a beginner-to-intermediate level design hitting on all cylinders. The property is choice for this brand of disc golf, and the designers should be commended for their take on it.
- Elevation used to utmost potential. Woods used to utmost potential. Got my heart racing in multiple spots on the course. From the long tees, holes # 3, 5, 12, 15, and 16 all provide some wow factor. Deadwood is a masterclass in all the things one can do to make compelling and exciting use of wooded elevation. Deuce- or- die holes mixed with tough tests; score well when the opportunity arises before the harder holes catch up with you. From the shorts, a much more digestible deuce-or-die layout still provides a solid mix of challenges for newer or younger players, as well as seasoned discers looking for aces or putter rounds.
- Great mix of hole length. The longer longs are true tests, while even some of the shortest shorts have legitimate blow-up hole potential. All the lines are there to be executed, one just has to hit them to score well. Punishment off the fairway is fair and commensurate with perhaps the exception of the grassy bog area off to the right on hole #18. Perhaps, the same could be said for hole #11's wooded/boggy rough.
- Natural vibe. A huge boulder (hole 7), cows huddling in the shade just off the fairway, baby raccoons, fungi, etc. This course is gorgeous, and unfortunately the course pictures do not do it justice. I would've updated but did not have my phone for the round. I thoroughly enjoyed my round out here, from a "looking at nature" aspect.
- Fast, fun greens: especially hole #15 but also #'s 2, 3, 11, 18 all have rollaway or blow-past potential. "Risk vs. Reward" is the name of the game out here when balancing between aggressive putting in order to score well and the fast greens' unforgiving terrain.
- Well-worn, obvious fairways and rough that's fair but not brutal. The worn-in look to the course gave it almost a ball golf sort of vibe (in the best possible way); in that, it felt professional and well-executed, with an established look.
- Red blue and silver baskets are easy to pick out with their bright colors. Benches, signs, concrete tees, and lidded trash cans throughout. A rope after 18's basket so you don't bust your ass going downhill.
Cons:
- Hiking paths intersect the course in a couple of places (especially #18).
- Concrete tee partially washed out with sand on one of the holes (#10, iirc?). A few of the wooded frames are deteriorating, which may necessitate future maintenance to prevent erosion around the tee pads. Otherwise, tees are nice level concrete and add greatly to the course.
- No signs on the short tees. A niggling issue.
- I wonder how the flies are out here during the midst of summer, what with the cows immediately adjacent and the boggy/wooded land. Seems an ideal deer & horsefly breeding ground...
Other Thoughts:
- $4 out-of-county day passes; $20/year is a steal of a deal. Free in-co.
- Camping, lake, kayaking, hiking, etc. on-site. Cade Lake looks like a fun stop for camping with disc golf. I'm curious if the camping is legit...this could be a great place to stop while traveling.
- Every hole is meaningful with little or no filler or fluff. I spent my round (thrown from the long tees) saying to myself, "Oh, well, now this must be the signature hole...wait no, this is obviously the signature hole, oh, this one is the signature SHORT hole, oh DAMN, THIS is the signature hole... " Quite the unexpected pleasure.