Pros:
-amazing land, amazing layout
-some of the most fun and most challenging holes in DFW
-ravine with a creek is heavily used, OB and drop zones, easy disc retrieval
-great mix of longer open-ish holes, shorter wooded holes, and longer wooded holes!
-many tees have concrete pads imprinted with hole info
-remaining natural tees are level, in good condition, and have temp signs with distances
-a mix of baskets but all are serviceable
-port-o-john behind the house near hole 1
-great group of regular players at the weekend minis
-the course is always evolving and improving
Cons:
The main cons here are the usual things associated with private courses: lack of permanent signs and navigation, limited access, some older baskets, etc. Matt does a great job with the maintenance and he's put in a lot of work in the 2016 season to clear out areas that used to be full of brush. The course is very playable but the rough is still quite rough in most places.
There are the occasional navigation signs but the course would be difficult to follow without a map or a guide your first time. Luckily, you'll rarely be in that situation.
The course is extremely challenging but fair. Between tight woods and the OB creek and drop offs, you can pick up a lot of extra strokes quickly if you're off your game. Not a con for me but a warning that the course may not be enjoyable for the recreational player.
I love when a course designer is reticent to remove trees. Matt says no more trees will come down but there are a few that I wouldn't mind seeing disappear. One or two in particular on hole 15.
Other Thoughts:
Matt Jara needs to be congratulated not only for creating a masterpiece of a course but also for making it available for disc golfers to play (with permission and a waiver signature). The design makes phenomenal use of the land, which has excellent terrain for exciting and challenging golf. The ravine and creek come into play heavily on the front 9 and hole 18. The back 9 features some monster wooded holes, both short and long. The 3 additional holes are the most open, finally giving you some room to work with and on holes 20 and 21, the opportunity to grip and rip a long open drive.
Some of the most memorable shots on the course are the ones near or crossing the creek. Hole 1 plays slightly downhill with the ravine along the right. The basket is perched at the edge of a peninsula with the creek in the ravine on the right and a steep slope behind the basket. You can play it safe or go for the green but it's OB off the ledge on the right and beyond a fence on the left. Holes 5, 6, 7, and 18 all throw across the creek/ravine but each one has a different twist so you don't feel like you're throwing the same shot over the creek. Another cool thing about the ravine/creek holes: disc retrieval is actually really easy so don't worry too much about losing a disc. I also really like hole 10: a big anhyzer shot over a pond with a green protected by mature trees. Hole 15 is a beast that starts very tight then opens up a bit but the fairway remains narrow the length of the hole (600'? I can't remember). Hole 17 is a long straight teeshot that eventually curves right as it funnels into a narrow gap in dense woods. Hole 13 might be the smallest gap with the fewest options I've seen off a tee. A comically tight fairway but the line is there.
This is the most fun I have had playing golf in DFW and my new favorite course in town. The Jaranator may a little rough around the edges but it is easily on par with most of the best courses in Texas. I can't think of any aspects of the game that this course will not test, though all out distance is the least emphasized with only 2 real crushers and few opportunities for big distance lines on the other longer holes. I have to give another shout out to Matt Jara also: besides creating a stellar course, he's a great guy and a wonderful host. The Jaranator is a playground for the serious golfer and proof that a course can be both a formidable challenge and a blast to play.
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