Pros:
Central Valley is a well-designed 18-hole course set in a nice patch of land that is ideal for disc golf. Just the parking lot is shared by Greenway and horse trail users, so it is great that the course area is 100% dedicated to disc golf, with 0 interference from other activities. The setting is rural and has a farm-like feel to it than city park.
There is a balance of open holes, wooded holes, and some that are part open/part wooded. Distances range from 210'-750' with several in the 400's. Most holes can be attacked in a variety of ways, but having the ability to throw left, straight, and right will allow you to try the most ideal shots (in other words having a FH and BH shot will be an advantage.)
It is not an extremely difficult course (making it playable and enjoyable to a wide range of skill levels), however, there are aspects of many of the holes that make it play harder than it looks. Elevation is not huge, but what is here is used to the max, like uphill low ceiling shots and baskets on downslopes. The fairways are fair and many are generous, but a wide fairway can be a clever trick. Being on the more ideal side of the fairway may mean the difference between par and bogey- which is a characteristic of well-planned hole design.
Though a brand new course, the grassy fairways are neatly mowed and well-defined, bordered by a longer cut of taller weeds or dense woods. The wooded holes are cleared out with wood chips on many of the fairways, and look more broken in than its age. There has been great care in planning and maintenance before the course installed baskets and was made playable.
The old standing silo is a featured landmark giving the course a bit of unique character.
Cons:
Some of the open holes (1,2,17,18) have little challenge other than rough and length.
Tall grass lining the fairway looks nice, just know that a disc in there may take some time to find, and doesn't really penalize one's score. I would guess in a tournament setting, that playing the long grass as O.B. would be likely, and I would have no problem with that.
It is one big 18-hole trek, so it is not convenient to revisit your vehicle mid-round. No drinking water or permanent restrooms (just a port-a-pottie).
Right now there are no tee signs and the tees are natural marked by flags and stakes, but I am confident that the plan to install these things will happen soon. As it is, course is still totally playable though and navigation is easy with mowed paths from basket to tee and next tee signs posted.
Many of the holes look like they have room for a 2nd or alternate basket location, that would be an added bonus in the future.
No practice/warm-up basket.
Other Thoughts:
I personally have never been more excited about a new course than this one. It is now the closest course to me and I love it, and I will be playing here all the time. In fact, when I first visited the neighboring greenway a few years ago and saw the land, my first thought was how ideal the land was for a disc golf course. And it is evident that others thought the same thing- so a huge thank you to the city and the course designers and everybody involved in making this happen! I actually had just imagined it being a lower level open 9-holer in the fields, so to have a diverse 18 that plays in the woods also was a huge surprise.
This is not the most epic course I have ever played, but it offers really good golf for intermediate and advanced players. Not a destination course, but worth a stop for out-of-towners if in the area, or driving down I-840.
Baskets 17 and 18 are what you see when you pull in. Tee #1 is down the hill at the end of the lot past the picnic tables and bike rack.