Pros:
< Yes, that's who this course is intended for.
• Variety: Excellent - Very well to moderately wooded for the most part, with just a few holes open enough to strike some balance. All sorts of fairway shapes, with a bunch of them playing to landing spots. Distances range from short enough for noodle arms to ace (with some downhill help); to full oomph.. followed by another full oomph. White, blue and gold tees are challenging, more challenging, and you better have a cannon. The difference between gold and white tees is huge on some holes. Many legit par 4's and a few 5's. 3 pin locations on each hole, some providing very different approach lanes.
• Elevation: BIG TIME - Elevation is the theme throughout the course, employed in every way imaginable. Uphills, downhills, rollaways, elevated baskets, precarious pin placements, and even some fairways that slope left or right. I can't recall a course where topography can affect your round in so many ways. Terrain often makes runups on your 2nd or 3rd shot difficult, placing a premium on being able to stand and deliver at times. The hills can definitely take their toll on you physically, especially on a course this long. Nothing really prevents you from pulling a cart here, but I honestly think you'd regret it.
• Challenge: Phenomenal - Truly championship caliber. You'll be forced to make all sorts of decisions about angle, lines, and speed coming in as you approach the basket. Several holes really make you think about what the ground is doing where you want to land, and what you need to do to land softly without sliding/rolling away. Does a great job of challenging you off the tee, in the fairway, on approaches, and inside C1-C2. Requires distance and finesse to score well.
• Equipment: Excellent - Concrete tees are grippy, spacious and level. Yellow Discatchers are easy to see from a distance - excellent choice for this course! Some of the best tee signs I've seen provide current pin location, distance to all 3 pins, net elevation change from tee to pin, and if you look closely, points you toward the next tee. Gold, Blue and white tees each have their own sign. Benches at most (if not all holes). Clean bathrooms with running water, as well as a large pavilion with picnic tables convenient to parking.
• Aesthetics: Excellent - I found the front 9 particularly eye-appealing, perhaps because it's more open than the back, with longer site lines and vistas. A few pin placements are ensconced in handsome stonework, dressing things up and combatting erosion. The back nine is nice hike through mature woods. I bet this place is a stunner dressed in fall colors.
• Fun-Factor: Excellent - Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the shot variety and way it made me think my way through the round really hit my sweet spot.
• Memorable holes: You'll have your favorites. 1, 5, 6, 9, 11 & 18 stood out to me.
• Routing/Nav: Good /very good - Pay attention to the "Next Tee" arrows on the tee signs. Also Next Tee signs in a few key spot to help you along. Tee markers are easy to spot from a distance, but there are a few spots where the first tee you see may not be the next hole. Finding the next tee is usually pretty easy, but course is pretty spread out, so expect some long walks. Front 9 loops reasonably close to parking.
Cons:
• Holes this long, hilly and wooded mean you'll want to scout ahead... on holes this long and hilly. Even with signs showing pin's current position, I still needed to look a while to spot the yellow chastity belt.
• Given the distance, terrain and woods, it's quite possible to throw on players out of your sight line (or be the player getting thrown on). There's just no way of knowing who's over the next rise, or around the next bend, and you can't scout every fairway.
• Drainage: Not a big problem, but the course's ability to hold water in a few spots might make you rethink the order in which you play the area courses the day after a good soaking.
• Blind shots: Personally, I don't mind ' em and think they're part of the "Championship Caliber Package." But, if you don't like 'em, you'll hate NoBo. That's a fact.
• Chance of disc loss: far from the worst I've played, but... bad kicks, around a turn, down a hill...
Run with the big dogs and you might get bit.
• (Admittedly nit picky): Even though they're different lengths, employ elevation differently, and you're shaping different lines... the entire back 9 plays through mature woods, and "feels" just a bit repetitive toward the end. Whereas front 9 has a few holes that open up enough create a welcome change of pace...at least IMO.
Other Thoughts:
Truly an epic course, rivalling Moraine and Deer Lakes for best in The 'Burgh. On a road trip that included Idlewild, Mt Airy and Lincoln Ridge: NoBo's the one that stood out to my son (who's played some pretty standout courses himself).
Toboggan-esque in terms of the how much climbing/descending you do over 18 holes... with similar distance, and more trees - which perhaps makes it more challenging considering the lines are tighter than Toboggan (but the rough's not as bad). Would DEFINITELY require at least a couple of practice rounds for visiting tourney players to card a good 1st round.
Someone put some real thought into designing this course. Then put some $$$ into it, and it shows.
Nice, large park, in nice part of town. Only about 10 minutes away from a bunch of suburban eatery chains.