Pros:
There is good signage and ample tee pads on this course. The course plays through a beautiful arboretum and has many trees of various species. The grounds are well taken care of and the front 9 was litter free, always a plus. The front 9 offers shorter holes while the back 9 offers holes with more length and even a couple of holes that are fairly open. There is a water threat on this course that if anything else it will keep you on your toes. Of course there are plenty of trees that provide a good amount of shade as well as provide you many obstacles to throw around. The trees make the front 9 challenging for the holes being shorter in distance than the back 9, but they do have lines that you can hit if you know where to look.
Memorable holes for me were #3 where you throw across a little pond, and it had water upon my visit, #4 had a elevated tee box with trees protecting the pin. Also holes #10 and #11 were good holes as well as #17 which was a longer hole and had a ditch that was full which made you decide if you wanted to layup and be safe or rip it and risk the chance of being wet.
Cons:
Finding #3's tee from #2's basket was confusing upon my visit and we had to scout ahead and found where it was. Hint go across the road and it is up by the pond. Wind could be a problem on the back 9 so factor this in before you throw. Holes #18 and #1 were close to the parking lot, if the arboretum was busy it might affect the hyzer line for a RHBH thrower. There is the potential to hit someone on a walking path that would be in the arboretum looking at the trees, please pay attention. I don't remember there being any trashcans on any of the holes. There was one by a picnic bench that was next to the parking lot however.
There is not a good area to cross the creek if it is full, and a bridge of some kind would be nice. The drainage ditch was full upon my visit and I had to cross the draw to get to my drive on #10 and then again to throw my second shot. I was up to my calf in water, and it might be down when you play but something to cross without getting wet would be a nice option.
Other Thoughts:
This is not a destination course by any means, but if you are close to the area I think its worth your time to play this course. More challenging than its cross town counterpart Forest Park and more fun in my opinion. I would suggest playing this course before the arboretum gets a lot of visitors. We played about 11am on a Sunday morning and there was only 1 walker on the front 9 our whole round. Also playing with a local or following another group might be helpful for a first timer.
I enjoyed what this course had to offer. It made me think about lines before I threw and there was enough trees to challenge your shots, as well as just the right amount of water threat. If you enjoy a nice, quiet, and challenging round then give this course a try. Just play before the arboretum is full and you should do just fine.