Pros:
1. Variety. While overall pretty bland, there is a good mix of tee shot types required (upshots will be pretty standard given the sparsity of trees and obstacles). As a RHBH player, there were several holes that demanded anhyzers of varying distances from me, as well as hyzers and some where a straight-on shot is your best option. Hole #1 is a cool opener, requiring a RHBH anny and presenting the only significant elevation change on the course. Holes #4 and #14 both play over 400' and let you rip a good drive. The hole lengths vary from 168' to 426', with most falling in the 225'-300' range.
2. Signage. There are descriptive and colorful tee signs at each hole (blue for the "Front 9," red for the "Back 9"). The tees are marked with large colored 4 x 4 posts that are easy to find, and the dual colors help since this is a 9-basket course with 18 tees (not just alternate tees for each hole; the different tees attempt to change things up as best as possible).
3. Navigation. "Next Tee" signs are abundant, but can be slightly confusing since there is only 1 sign after each basket (that is, with only 9 baskets and 18 tees, the signs will indicate something like 3 and 12 --->, but the respective tees won't necessarily be in that EXACT direction; just look for the colored posts). As I started the Back 9, I ran into a local (Chris, who also had some helpful insights into the course design, restrictions on the layout, and plans for future layouts), which helped a lot in navigating the final holes, but it wouldn't have been too much of an issue without a local.
4. Baskets. Nice new baskets that catch well and haven't been vandalized.
Cons:
1. Bland. Most of the holes (despite the lightly wooded location) just have zero "wow" factor and could benefit from some tweaking in the final pin positions (I understand that permanent locations will be finalized at a later date, so there's hope that some more challenging pin placements can be put in). Granted, most of the blandness comes from the terrain itself---it's just completely flat, and even with abundant trees you can't really visualize a top-notch course existing in this park. This course would benefit immensely from some man-made obstacles like mounds or a few small ponds. Even a mando (which I usually am opposed to, unless it's for safety reasons or to avoid conflict with other park activities or ending up on private property) could add some much-needed spice to this course. Despite the crazy amount of trees at this park (you'll see cool little clusters of trees dotting the fairways), there aren't any really trick pin locations tucked into these areas. Every basket is visible from the tee, and while helpful, I think a truly blind hole (or two) could be designed to add some variety.
2. Tees. Currently there are natural tees, which are designated by blue posts for the Front 9 and red posts for the Back 9 (again, you are only playing to 9 baskets; the Front and Back play to the same pins respectively). The posts at the tees are more than 15' apart, and currently there is no designated "tee boundary" between these posts, which leaves a VERY generous area to tee from (have you ever noticed a tee that, if it was just 5 feet more off to the side, would give you an ideal shot?...at Perkins, you have a very wide tee area to choose from, so this could lead to some questionable "legal" tee shots and/or foot faults. I understand that concrete tees are planned and will be proposed (and perhaps a 1/2-disc increase in my rating will occur after such), but I can only comment on the current state of the tees, which are too wide. The tee for #11 is awkwardly close to the road and didn't provide much of a run-up (though not much is needed on this 235' hole).
3. Maintenance. The tees are obviously not maintained in the winter months (most were slushy when I played, and those that weren't were pretty muddy, but since there's such a generous tee width this allows you to tee of from whatever area is most comfortable for you). There were also no trash cans on the tees, and given how GB courses are treated by the public, I anticipate litter will be a problem in the near future.
4. Navigation. There are a few areas where the walk to the next tee is awkward, specifically from #6 to #7 and likewise from #15 to #16; these holes require backtracking up close to the just-played fairway. Depending on how busy this course is and the fact that you could have 2 groups playing to the same basket while you attempt to walk to the next tee, this could be an issue.
5. Signage. The distances on some of the signs are questionable, but not really an issue since all baskets are visible from the tee. If you can gauge what disc you need based on the line(s) you can see, you won't need to rely on the tee signs other than as an aide to your round.
6. Bathrooms were locked. This is probably a seasonal thing, as GB Park restrooms are always open during normal park hours in the on-season. Just be aware that if you play here in the off-season, the convenience of having a restroom nearby is NOT an amenity included in winter DG.
Other Thoughts:
This course is yet another Eagle Scout project, and while it's cool to see Scouts incorporating DG more and more into their projects, I can't help but feel that these courses could benefit from more input from experienced players or local pros. I would love to see some pin locations changed out here to present a bit more challenge; that is, more baskets in proximity to the abundant mature trees scattered around this park. It's nice to see clear lines to the hole, and even here it's obvious when you can just throw a simple hyzer around some sparse obstacles or whether you'll need to work on your anny, but there just aren't any real landing areas or risky greens. It felt as though any shanked shot off the tee had an equal shot at par as a well-placed shot, and really the only way to combat this downfall would be to plant a lot more foliage (we're good on the trees, but big bushy shrubs are lacking and could really change things up out here). Thanks to Chris for playing the Back 9 with me and providing me with some insider knowledge on the design process and describing some of the expected bureaucratic red-tape that was encountered. I will definitely up my rating once proper tees are installed and maybe some landscaping is done. This course definitely has potential, but even with a lot of work I don't see this being a "must-play" course for any traveling DGers. It's simply too flat and lacking any natural obstacles.