Pros:
Water Works is set in a very well maintained and beautiful city park just north of downtown KC and gives great views of the city. From what I can gather, this course is always evolving and the local club scene is very active in organizing events and works days to keep it in top shape. The park is only a few miles off main highways I-70 and I-35, and is easy to spot with a park sign right at the turn into the entrance. There is a decent amount of parking (but probably does get crowded on the busiest days), a porta-john, and local club information located near the first tee. There were a ton of people playing this course the day I was there, but I didn't have any problems with congestion. Very friendly and helpful locals made my navigation easy, but a course map could come in handy in a few spots. For the most part though, navigation flows natural and the next tees are easy to spot. This is definitely one of the most picturesque and well taken care of courses that I've played, with benches (and sometimes even rows of benches) and garbage cans at every tee. I didn't see any trash during my round. Also, the landscaping for this course is great, with the laid out bricks, wood, and mulch around the tees and greens. I really enjoyed the peace sign and star for 4 and 6!
Very nice wooden tee signs sport big hole numbers and show you the different pin positions and the lengths and for each one. There is only one tee (concrete) per hole, but they are perfect in length and condition. Mach 3 baskets in fine shape with numbered flags on top that make it much easier to spot them with all the elevation. Four pin positions on each hole give a great variety.
Elevation is the main technical aspect of this course and it is used tremendously. There is elevation change on all but a few holes, greatly incorporating the challenge for your drives, upshots, and putts in different ways for each hole. A lot of downhill, uphill, down then uphill, rolling hills, playing on a slope, etc. There is a lot of risk and reward type shots because of the elevation. The course greatly incorporates many trees as well, which give you multiple lines on most holes. While there isn't a huge variation in distances, the elevation changes make each hole unique, not making it seem repetitive. Great variety of anhyzer, hyzer, and straight shots.
Cons:
-Could use next tee signs and arrows on the tee signs, but since this course is so highly populated, you may be able to follow another group
Other Thoughts:
The fun factor is so high at Water Works as you get to experience every type of shot. The park is in pristine shape and this was definitely one of the most enjoyable courses that I've played. There wasn't one boring hole, but these are the ones I enjoyed most:
1- One of the most scenic and fun holes I've played. Gives a great view of the city and the rolling hills and different pin positions will always give you a different experience. Multiple trees to contend with give you many different lines to choose as well.
6-Beautiful looking tunnel shot. Has enough elevation to the pin to give a risk/reward type putt.
8- Downhill blind shot that gives you your best chance at an ace
13-Pretty extreme downhill and uphill with multiple lines through the trees. I got "waterworked" on this hole.
Took an hour and a half for two of us to play.