Pros:
The campus parking ( park in designated visitor spots to avoid trouble or a ticket from campus police ) is accessible from several angles . You can park way out on the campus side where holes 1-3 and 9 generally are , or park in the visitor lot like I did , between holes 3 and 4 , on the opposite end of campus . When school is in session , you can maybe pop in to use the bathroom . Otherwise , you are on your own , at least until you can use a local restaurant bathroom .
THE EQUIPMENT -- You can catch a break if you want , by teeing off in some places where there is a driveway or sidewalk . If teeing off from the tee signs , you are going to be teeing off from the grass . The tee signs are big , white and have green lettering and backing . They are informative enough , with hole number , par distance and flight path . I couldn't find the sign for #1 ( more in cons ) , but the other 8 were accounted for . The baskets are light red banded Discatchers .
THE LANDSCAPE -- The course plays in the front yards of the buildings and campus , or in the middle of it . The course was mowed and the trees/bushes were trimmed like you would expect out of a college campus .The course runs counter clockwise from the start . There are some trees on the lawns that serve as obstacles , not much shot shaping here . There is a pond in the middle of campus that you might partially have to throw over on hole 2 , but it is not really an obstacle since it is right in front of the tee pad and the hole is 117' . There is a large drainage ditch down the right side of hole 3 , but it shouldn't come into play much unless you griplock your drive or wind gets it . I think you should be able to retrieve your disc , anyway . Elevation is NO factor here . Aside from a 2 foot gulley on #2 and a couple of declines that might total 2' , you have baskets perched on short hills for planted bushes . There will be some walking involved between holes 1-2 , 3-4 and 9 to the car .
THE HIGHLIGHTS -- No highlights holes here , but a couple worth mentioning . Hole 3 ( 345' ) has road on the left as OB , and a drainage ditch on a downslope on the right . The basket is guarded by a large tree in front of it with limbs that hang so low , line drive will be swatted down . You may want to skip your shot under the tree . #9 is an okay finishing hole , throwing across the street , with a bush/tree line on the right and the basket flanked by trees under a canopy ( 250' )
DISC RISK -- Low here . You have to try to land your disc in water , and the trees and brush are not the type to swallow discs . Other that maybe having your driver catch up in the tree on #2 , you will leave the course with your same amount of discs .
THE TIME -- After finding a place to tee off from hole 4 ( I started at a different spot ) it took me under 30 minutes to play the course . A group of 4 will go through this in under an hour .
The Campus is wonderful looking , and you will have the course to yourself on the weekends .
Cons:
#1 Safety -- Some of the holes , like 4 & 5 , play right on the lawn of a couple of buildings #s 1 , 2 , and 9 throw along or close to walkways . Aren't the students in for a surprise when they lookup from their books that they are carrying , just in time for a " PUTTER WAKEUP CALL " . This course is better suited for play on the weekend or when school is not in session .
#2 Navigation/Fragmentation -- without a map ( now online ) you are lost . The course has little flow and only makes some sense for holes 5-9 . 1,2,and 3 play close enough together , that with some wandering around , you will find the signs . #4 sits by itself . Then look for the sign for 5 down the road . No NEXT TEE signs . How about putting some tape on the basket rungs to show where the next tee is ?
#3 Equipment Fail -- Natural tees , and not knowing where to tee off from when close to the sign , because there are no toe boards , bricks in the ground, or even worn dirt to show you where to start . and a missing sign , plus a couple of slightly vandalized signs . Still readable , it looks like one was shot with a gun ( I think #5 ) Yikes !
#4 Challenge-- Not a challenge at all , minus hole 3 , but I think it was originally intended for the students to blow off a little steam , or bond with classmates after classes . A midrange and putter will suffice for most .
Not a con , but one of the baskets was actually in the pete moss of the landscaped bushes on 5 , and the #2 basket sat on a hill with nice bushes on it . Dean Wormer will be upset if he gets a big bill from whoever does the landscaping here .
Bring water . There is literally no shade on this course .
Other Thoughts:
It takes some courage for a college to put a disc golf course on its grounds . On one hand , you give the students an option to stay on campus a little longer , meet other students , and even have a fun league on certain evenings .A course can also introduce itself to prospective students and the local community by luring them onto their nice campus , saying " Hi We're Here " . On the other hand , administration will hear it if a student gets hit hard with a disc , or there is an argument over how close a disc came to someone , or if they are sunning on the front lawn of the college .Making just a few changes to the course design could go a long way , providing this small campus has some extra land somewhere .
Introducing the game of Disc Golf to the curious is never a bad thing .
MY RECOMMENDATION -- Not any oomph in it for the locals , or anybody past being a casual player to attend . They will be better served going down the road and playing Sawyer Ludwig . This campus course is best suited for the attending student , maybe a local family wanting to throw a few holes after dinner , or an intro player learning how to drive or putt . There are better options to play for the traveler going down or up Rt 23 , but an easy grab for the Course Collector. OTHERWISE , YOU MAY WANT TO PASS THIS COURSE ON BY !