Pros:
Beautiful scenery, quiet course, clean air and grounds
Well-maintained bathroom
Playground for the rugrats
Cons:
No signage. None.
Some VERY short holes
*update*: They added tee pads recently (see below)
Please give us a course map and some signage!
Other Thoughts:
*update*: This course has recently changed layouts. Another hole has been added to the first section (drives through the field), and one of the "short woodsy" holes on the back 4 have been removed. Also, the last 3 holes are played in a triangle through a more open forested area than the previous 100-feet-or-less-but-I-can't-see-the-pin-cuz-of-the-dense-brush layout.
These changes, plus the addition of concrete tee pads, have made this course a lot more fun. It still plays like two courses (long drives through the field for the first 5, then put your driver away and rock that mid-range game for the last 4). The changes to this course warrant a bump in rating.
The last three holes were kinda hard to puzzle out what went where, but with a little scouting you can figure it out.
Add some signage and maps, and you've got yourself a very nice course, BBR.
*6-20-10 review: Black Butte Ranch offers golf, tennis, hiking, biking, etc., and this small course seems like an afterthought. The first thing that you will notice is there are no tee pads - not even boards, or a cleared-off area to show you where to tee from. I did not see any information regarding the course map, and if it weren't for the small hand-drawn map found in "Files" on this site, I would have had no direction.
The first hole tees from the drinking fountain at the playground. The first three holes are huck-it-far material-you play through a field of tall grass (which can become a swamp if there has been any rain).
Holes 4-9 involve playing through the short trees. You won't use a driver past hole 4. Many of these holes are incredibly short. It may seem Par 3 for some of these are generous, but since you have virtually no clear path, you will probably need all 3 shots.
This course seemed very unusual. The dense trees you have to shoot through make the last half a game of luck. A higher rating would be warranted if they would add some maps & some tee pads (is it tough to put in some boards?). That being said, it is a beautiful and peaceful short course, and worth a stop on your way to Hyzer or COCC.