Pros:
1. The course was so majestic and quiet. No crowds, or freeways, or noisy from roads or players. Just you, the wind, and nature. Private course that doesnt get traffic.
2. When you arrive there is tons of parking that is strategically placed near hole 1 and and many of the middle hols so you can always go back to the car for drinks or food during the round.
3. Views, WOW. The course is littered with views. The property contains 550 acres and with that much room, you get the opportunity to check out the entire valley in all directions. Gives you many opportunities to take scenic pictures and golf from spots that some only dream of.
4. Unique Teepads! Sure most of the holes have natural pads, but the ones that dont are unique, especially when your teeing off of rock structures or boulders. Very cool and thrilling all in one.
5. Course comes with a guide. The host was very nice and accommodating to me. I literally asked to play the course 3 months out from the date I wanted and he made it happen. He was very nice to open the facillity for all players that day and guide first timers through. Playing the round with the guide/course designer made it very easy to play the course. I understand why there are no signs here. Once you play the course and feel the flow of it, its very easy to follow and signs arent necessary on a private course. Also layed out the land micely for my group showing us the lines and were there might be poison oak or spots you should avoid.
6. Flow of the course is very smooth and it all connects with no long hikes between holes. Some holes require long walks, but thats only because your throwing a few top of the world style shots.
7. Signature holes. The course has half a dozen that will stick in your head and that are very memorable. Some courses don't have any, but Birds has quite a few and there terrific to play.
8. Honest play. The course has its share of water hazards, tree hazards, OB lines, roll aways, large revines that will suck your disc in if you turn it over, and massive cliffs to keep all players honest. Well placed baskets keep most players honest and offer the true risk and reward option if you go for it. I witnessed all hazards come into play over a round. Brutal.
9. All the holes have baskets on this private course and they were in good shape. No complainents. I even liked the hanging basket after the Par 5 hole, good addition.
10. Good mixture of Length. Holes range from the high 100's to 700+ in feet. It was nice to see a Par 5 and two Par 4's on the course. Those holes were well structured and very challenging. I never felt like a hole was just there as a filler hole. All the holes had there own challenges and were fun.
11. Score, this course offered plenty of birdies. Even some of the longer holes were birdie oppotunities with the elevation drops on a few holes. Sure there are long 400+ foot par 3's that might not be reachable by some players, but it didnt mean you couldn't finish under par with a solid round of golf played. Good scores are possible.
12. Course had a good mixture of elevation and wooded holes. I want to say that three quarters of the holes had elevation changes and that a third of the holes were wooded. There were very few flat holes on the course, and if they were flat then they were wooded or had tight wooded lines. Keeps many players honest and wanting more.
13. If planned in advance I'm sure camping during certain weekends, or tourneys, or matchplay events would be possible and there is plenty of room to do so.
14. Land, is amazing to have a course with a stream, rolling hills, woods, massive rock structures, and a private road. The course is maintained pretty good. With the owner and local disc golfers helping out at times the course gets a good weed wacking and mow every once and awhile. The Fall and Spring bring amazing colors to the property. The summer brings plenty of wildlife. The course is maintained as best as it could be with all the land it has. No complainents there.
15. Free to play. The course doesnt ask for a fee to play it and thats very cool. If you want to donate something then do, but your not required.
16. Midway thru the course there is a good area to chill with plenty of chairs and shade. The course had plenty of benches throughout to sit on and plenty of shade on the course. The sun will not beat you down here. Course is probably 20 miles from the coast.
16. Course is one of those courses you need to play the entire day at. Plan to be there the hole day, especially to make it worth your wild since its not open a lot.
17. Course is very clean, no trash or garbage littered around.
18 will add more..............on an update
Cons:
I didnt feel like there was any cons for the actual course. Here are a few things that might be good to make awhere before people show up:
1. gravel road into course is a little rough and can be hard on cars. Recommend SUV or trucks when coming to course.
2. Pack your own trash out.
3. Nature is your latrine and a well designated spot would be cool in case you camped.
4. Bring lots of food and water when showing up. None are available on site or nearby.
5. Pretty much pack like your going camping if your coming for the day and are from out of town.
6. I would like to maybe see a calender posted somewhere online of future dates the course might be open or be put on an email list that get dates the course will be open for play.
7. Have the option to rent the course for the day.
8. Maybe a lost disc bin somewhere on the course in case you find a disc out there. (There was a hole where we actually found a few discs, would of came in handy if we werent playing with the owner)
9. Once the course does get settled in, maps would be cool if large groups show up on certain days.
10. On open days maybe sell drinks there, would help with any future costs for the course.
Other Thoughts:
There was alot of hype heading to the course and for me personally it held up to what I was expecting. I went with others and most of them didnt like the course as much as I did. Mostly because of the length I believe which is lame. I cannot wait to go back and play it again especially after hearing that the course is still evolving 8 years after its birth. With new structures going in on the property, certain holes will be retired and others birthed. The Host Caleb was fantastic and cool in general, easy going. He was very patient and accommodating. I showed up late to play and didnt think I was going to finish the course in time, but with Caleb's smart planning and smart guiding we did complete the round in around 4 hours with plenty of breaks for pictures and drinks in the round. If you come to play this course I would drive a truck or SUV or if you have to bring a car make sure its not weighed down. The property has a road you take for like a mile up a hill to where you park, but its not paved and is gravel. The drive can be rough going up and down. If your coming from North of the course via the 101 freeway, the exit before the course Myers First I believe it is has a Market and deli. I would stock up there before heading into the course. The course has a private gate and bridge you have to cross/access to get on the property. Once on you definitely dont want to go anywhere to get supplies. The drive from the freeway is like 6 miles to hole 1 and can take some time do to alot of turns and tight roads. I will be back here with friends and family. My group and I donated some cash and plastic to the course guide Kaleb. We hope this helps with any future renovations. I have played over 250 courses in the state of California and this course is definitely in the top 5 in the state. Its in my top 3, where it falls I will be the only one who knows.