Extremely playable. My expectation for a new course is that it will be rough around the edges, and there will be a high potential for lost discs, especially for a predominantly wooded course like Neatman. This wasn't the case at all. Clearly, time and thought had been spent designing/clearing fairways and making the rough punishing but not deadly.

Splendid use of elevation. The designer did an excellent job designing a mix of downhill and uphill holes that include substantial elevation changes. 1, 2, 10, 12 and 18 are all examples of Neatman's biggest strength.

Risk and reward. This course makes you think about how aggressive you want to be, whether because of elevation or tight fairways with punishing rough. 8 and 16 are both gettable twos with great shots, but they can quickly become fives if you end up off the fairway. Similarly, a more aggressive play on 6 has a higher potential of hitting the overhanging limb down the fairway and becoming at best a pitch up par and at worst a 4. Obviously, the biggest risk-reward factor is the use of elevation. The course has a unique combination of holes where the elevation risk-reward factor is off the tee (2, 4, 12, 15) and/or on the green (4, 6, 9, 13, 14, 18). Each of these holes presents a more conservative play and a more aggressive choice, depending on your skill level and disposition. There are at least a few holes where conceding birdie and playing for par is probably the best play for a majority of players, and many more where trying to be super aggressive off the tee or from a bad lie on your second shot can be disastrous.

Signature holes: Several instant classic layouts that would be on my dream 18. Hole 1 is an amazing starting hole par 4 because of the downhill first shot to a pretty specific landing zone followed by a straight shot to the basket. Hole 2 is a super fun downhill run that will test your stomach, especially if you miss your line. Hole 15 is a tight par 4 that, while downhill and relatively short, can be quite challenging and rewarding. On the right card on the right day, I think there could be a 2 (not as sure about this, but I think a great shot could get in the circle), a 3, a 4, and a 5. For example, I ended up next to the tee pad for the next hole and had to take my medicine and get a 5. 18 is special--Valley hole par four where you have the opportunity to bomb. Quite honestly, I could play 1 and 18 all day and be in disc golf heaven.

Variety: Mostly a wooded course, but 7, 9, 11 and 18 all allow for open shots, and each of these holes allows players depending on skill level to throw faster discs (gotta imagine 7 is one of those holes where many players throw putters and many throw drivers).

A few very short holes that don't necessarily fit. The most glaring of these is 17, which is super simple, but a few other layouts like 13 fall into this category. What saves these holes is elevation. What should be a super easy hole becomes more complex and still forces you to make decisions. 12 is a prime example of this as a hole that seems laughable based on the distance becomes more challenging because it is steeply uphill.

I wasn't in love with 11. It is a fine hole, and I like that it is relatively open, but it didn't jump off the page to me. I wanted a signature par 5, but this wasn't quite it.

Teepads. I thought they were going to bother me on the first hole, but they ended up being a minor distraction, and quite honestly, standstill isn't a bad play on some holes. I think my biggest issue was that I just wasn't used to them.

Stuff that doesn't influence my rating. I'm not taking points off, but these things may negatively impact your experience. It is in the country and was a 55-minute drive from the western part of Greensboro. It costs $5 to play (technically, you don't have to pay that after signing up, but hopefully, you will). You have to sign up in advance to play though they seem pretty good about having availability. And yeah, there is an electric fence that you cross over several times, so don't just show up.

Wow. Neatman is amazing. I'm not quite willing to give it a five because there are some minor flaws, but it is close. I strongly recommend that you visit if at all possible. There are multiple other courses in the area worth checking out but probably not worth planning a trip around (Armfield Civic Center and Horizons, for example), but combining them with Neatman would make for a great day of disc golf.