Pros:
Uniform tees, baskets, & completely intact, informative signage.
24 holes.
Intuitave use of (significant) elevation changes, and a beautiful course flow. Nice mix of blind drives, up/downhill and dogleg right/left holes.
This course is incredibly picturesque when the leaves are changing, but there are A LOT of leaves, and they are quite adept at swallowing discs in October.
Very little non-DG traffic.
The twin bays are but a mile away, and there can be some significantly windy days.
Cons:
Busy. Very, very busy. The parking lot for this course is almost always full, and often cars are lined up both sides along the approaching road. It is not uncommon to see 3-4 groups waiting to tee of at #1. Plan to play this course either early in the morning, or plan to not be anywhere else very soon.
Last 4 holes or so are fairly uninspired. More of a way to get you back to the car than anything worthwhile or challenging.
No bathrooms.
No water holes.
Other Thoughts:
I was very lucky to have moved to TC the year following my disc golf introduction, and to have this as my local. There used to be another beautiful 24 hole course at Timberlee in Leelanau county that alleviated the traffic here, but now Hickory is the only game in town, until Mt Holiday steps up and installs 9 more baskets.
***Update: Mt Holiday (Carly's Playground) now has 18 holes. Dual tees and dual basket positions. Finally!! ***
Stopping at Tilley's Party Store is a big Mando. Great disc selections, often with custom local stamps for you collectors out there, and the fellas at the counter are usually willing to chew the fat with you if there aren't other customers.
Although there is a large body of water close by, I have played this course on many sweltering hot days. Hope for at least a little wind, as TC is usually 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding area and a dead calm day can be dreadful. Ample water is a must.
This is a great course to use as a base for a longer visit. TC is a resort town, with tons of hotels, and between Kalkaska, Kingsley, Maple City, and Acme, there are 4 courses (plus one stinker, NMC) within 20 or so miles, with another 3 more lurking just outside.
We played the nicely redesigned Mt. Holiday after this, and were the only ones on the property, while Hickory was packed. ***update: Even now with 18 baskets, Carly's was empty when we played it. ***
The simple fact is, Hickory Hills is absolutely the best course north of Clare, MI.