Pros:
I've been hearing some excitement about this new course in Florence, and had to give it a whirl. Turns out it's worth the hype. It's already the best nine hole course in Northern Kentucky, and definitely comparable to the really top notch Mason Sports Park near Kings Island, in Ohio. When you pull into the park, you're impressed with the amenities, woods, views, and elevation. Then you hike down the paved path, expecting more, and... well, it starts with an open field shot. Hmmm. Easy peasy, that's a threesie! But wait, give it a second, because hole 2 is beautiful: it crosses the stream (ignore Egon's important safety tip) to a green cut nicely into the wall of woods. Follow that up with a lane hole with a green bordering the stream, long, repeat the challenge on 4, and start thinking ahead to the mound top shot on 5.
Likely a signature pair of holes, you climb a 60 foot high mound (Feel the Berm!), and toss across to a second, with all rollaway if you don't spike it down Just So. Then you go halfway down that mound to the hillside 6th tee and throw to the third mound. This one feels shorter (by that I mean shorter, less distant, as well as lower elevation), but has the same fun challenge. Finish up with a downslope lane shot with more creek long and right, then the ace run 8th across the creek, and back out to the beginning field for the much longer hole 9.
With perfect, level, concrete tees, awesome yellow Mach V's with deep cages, and the hint of top notch signage on its way to go on the varnished, capped signposts, the park department here has spent some money on us. The massive bridge across the creek appears to be there for the paved path (that does NOT come into play for the DG course), but serves well when the water runs high.
Overall, a good course to challenge recreational to intermediate skill levels, and to get a surprisingly decent workout up and down those mounds!
Cons:
The course layout and flow is fine, and the challenges are, as well, but I thought it odd to have adjacent, similar holes three times in a nine hole run (1&9, 3&4, 5&6). The rough is thick & unforgiving near the green on 2, and to the sides of 3, 4 & 9, though I expect, based on the relatively heavy play this course is already getting, that we'll see it tamed sooner rather than later.
I really only have one complaint, and that is that the seventh teepad is blind and at the foot of the hill, on the left side, where overthrows on 6 will come fading in hard. Eventually it's gonna spell trouble. Of course, the park might put up a net like Minneapolis' Bryant Lake Park did to protect folks teeing off on hole 11...
Other Thoughts:
It's funny that my first experience with manmade hills in a park (Terramont) was just a couple of weeks ago on a trip to see my folks in Texas. Just as that is unique to the Houston region, South Fork's three mounds are unique course features here around Cincinnati.
Reviewer Background as of this writing: played 312 courses and written 294 reviews, via skills hovering around a 900 rating, with folks ranging from age 7 to 87, so I try to write reviews helpful to all.