Pros:
Driving all the way across Nebraska on I-80 is totally worth it, as long as you bookend the trip with Hummel in Omaha and Leaning Rock, about 3 miles across the state line into Wyoming. Playing this course will make it clear you're moving out of the Great Plains and into Rocky Mountain territory.
I chose to park at the rest area and take the short walk to start at hole 8, which was nice and conveniently close to the Interstate and gas stations. If I had it to do over, I would have parked closer to the first hole and started at the beginning. If you do start from the rest area, park at in the few spaces at the end of the lot, and walk to the left side of the giant teepee toward the bluff. Hole 7's basket will be visible next to hole 8's tee on the left.
I loved the terrain of this course, but it has heavy trees on many holes, and the hike is more intense than most courses. The hills are often rocky with tricky footing, so wear appropriate footwear.
The tees have good rubber mats framed out, and are nice and level. There are signs, and the new Dynamic targets are great. I like the arrows built into the rungs of the lower basket that point toward the next tee.
I only played one round, and the good news is my mid range Roc was flying great. I was surprised at how well it carried in the elevation, and how straight it flew. I parked several holes and made 5 birdies. The bad news is I probably didn't throw it enough. All of the birdies were wiped out by a double bogey and a triple bogey, and 8 other bogies piled on along the way leaving me with a +8 (63).
The only par 4 hole is number 6, and all others are par 3. A few of the holes are clearly visible from the tee and have a fairly good line through the trees. Many of the others are longer and have pins that are hidden amongst the pines and harder to access. The balance of fun short holes and longer, more technical holes is well matched, but there is little in between here.
I liked the tee shot over the tree tops on hole 1, it was a great opening throw, without a lot of interference if you keep it out of the trees. Holes 5 and 7 are really fun short holes with cool views and interesting throws from tee to basket. 5 is a line over a low area to a basket on the edge of a steep drop. 7 starts at the top of the bluff and the basket is at the bottom, taking a drastic drop on the way down.
Get the birdies where you can, because the difficult holes can eat up strokes in a hurry. Hole 6 is the par 4, and it requires two good throws just to get in range of the pin, which could still be out of sight. 8 and 9 both have slippery pin positions, but at least you can see where you are aiming for.
I felt like I made a good drive on 11, and it was ok, but I still had to scout around to find the basket after locating my disc. Tough pin to get to in 3 shots. 13 was a cool hole, and mid range will get you in position for birdie at either pin as long as you hit the line. 15 is reachable, but the pin is again in a precarious spot, and the line has to be nearly perfect to get through the trees that guard it. 16 has a similar feel to 13 and is also a cool tee shot.
17 and 18 were similar as short and easily visible, but uphill with some really cool pin locations. Hitting the line is crucial, because if you're not under basket the approach can be very tricky.
Cons:
Landscape has tremendous ups and downs, and going from a to b is no walk in the park in some cases. The woods are thick and so is the rough in places. I spent about 20 minutes looking for a disc that sailed into the tall grass under the trees to the right on hole 9.
If you aren't familiar with the layout, you may want to take the time to walk a few holes before throwing, just to find out where the pin is at. Having a spotter may come in handy at times.
Not beginner friendly. I played 5 courses on this 5 day trip, and this was the only one that made me sort of glad I left my old dog at home. He probably would have loved it and done fine, but the footing is pretty bad in places, and he isn't a pup anymore.
Bring water and sunscreen, this one could take a while.
Other Thoughts:
I think Leaning Rock DGC is great. Some of the holes were a bit dinky, and some were really ferocious. Some may think a few of the fairways aren't fair. They're not wrong, but I enjoy a good challenge.
The sign at hole 1 says money raised will go toward installing another 18 hole course. If that happens, I will be back to check that one out too.
If you like mountainous terrain and don't mind playing difficult layouts, then I would tell you to play here if you can. It isn't perfect, but I haven't seen many courses that are comparable to this one so far.