Pros:
Lord almighty--what a course! So worth the 2.5 hour drive.
Perhaps it's petty to list this first, but those orange DISCatchers are delicious. I can only imagine how well they stand out in the foliage-rich seasons.
Signage is superb here, from the tee signs to the next tee signs. I played in about 2 inches of snow and was worried about navigation issues; however, I had few problems. With the snow down, it was hard to tell how well the tees and fairways were kept, but I didn't have any issues when I played.
Orange Crush is about as technical as they come. One may say "too technical," but I'll get to that later. Nearly every shot has a very tight and specific line to get to the basket. No lucky shots here, folks. If you can't thread narrow fairways on a variety of routes, you'll have a sore throat from cursing. These 18 holes definitely reward skill and punish you if you're depending on luck. Also, as my scorecard showed, there's an element of risk/reward often times on the approaches. I never had such a bipolar scorecard, with birdies on some holes and double/triple bogies on others.
Slight hyzer/anhyzer doglegs, sharp hyzer/anhyzer doglegs, and S-shots define a lot of the lines on the front nine. Holes 1 and 8 do a good job of utilizing stone pillars to elevate the basket about 10 feet above the ground, making putting more interesting. Thus, the theme with the front nine is navigating a variety of tight lines.
The name of the game on the back nine is elevation and I mean BIG elevation. Holes 13 (named "the descent") and 14 (named "the ascent") clear ultra steep ravines to get to the basket, but what makes them incredible is the distance along with the elevation change. Hole #10 is another monster, as you need to navigate a narrow 600+ ft corridor with hardwoods looking to deflect even the most perfect shot. They're as beautiful as they are demoralizing!
Cons:
As I said before, the entire course is uber technical. The super narrow fairways and steep ravines gave me flashbacks to the Paw Paw courses. Needless to say, there's no open shots here. It'd be nice to have about 4-5 wide open bomb shots (for super long drives or rollers) to help you restore confidence in your game between the wooded holes. This lack of terrain variety, simply, is what makes this a 4 and not a 5 star course.
The course is much a test on your mental game as it is your physical game. Expect a strong arm, as many holes exceed 350ft. What's most taxing, however, is the steep hikes up and downhill (and the walk from the front nine to the back nine). Wear good shoes and get in shape if you wanna play here!
I also had issues finding hole #2 initially, but once I found it, I had no issues with any other holes in terms of navigation.
Other Thoughts:
Man, this would be a heck of a place for tournaments. I'd love to see the pros play at the annual Seth Burton Memorial sometime. You obviously need a well-packed bag, a clean mind, and a short memory to succeed here. This course destroyed me when I played (the snow didn't help, either) but I still really enjoyed the layout. I'd love to get back here and try it out in the summer.
It's probably the best course I've ever played when it comes to combining elevation and technicality. As stated before, what separates it from the greats is the lack of variety on terrain and shot selection (few opportunities for rollers, thumbers, etc.).