Pros:
18 holes cleverly wedged in to a long, narrow strip of land
+ Good signage and baskets, poured tees, very cart-friendly
+ Nice touches, like the slightly-raised basket on #17 and "junior" tee placements on the majority of holes
+ I love the looming threat of the creek. The layout puts it to the left side on the opening holes of the front nine, and to the right on the opening holes of the back nine
+ The course is pretty flat, especially the back nine. That makes the elevated back tee on #16 a real surprise, featuring a fun shot through a gap
Cons:
- I like having multiple tees, but they're not consistent on this course. Some holes have "regular" and "junior" tees, some have "regular" and "long," some have only "regular." Hole #16 doesn't have a "regular" (but it does have a "lazy" tee). There are some multiple pin positions. Several holes have it all: five or six different configurations and different pars. I'm sure you get to know and love this course for all it's variety, but for the first-time visitor reading each tee sign and deciding what the hell you're doing is an adventure
- Mandos, mandos, mandos. There are a LOT of "traffic control mandos" on this course because of the narrow strips of land struggling to allow for out-and-back loops. The mandos take away a lot of lines because of the need to avoid throwing at oncoming traffic
Other Thoughts:
You gotta know when to stop designing. The desire to make 18 holes and to provide different looks on many holes got the best of the designers here - and there's too much being stuffed into too little space. If I were a regular, I'd probably love this course because of the different tees and basket placements. I'd get used to the narrow confines of the holes, and I'd know where the sneaky OB lines are on Monster Alley (plus, I'd love to say "Monster Alley").
But as a first time visitor, the signs showing all the possible combinations are confusing, a lot of holes feel hemmed in by mandos, and much of the last third of the course feels like safari, where we're just making holes up as we go along.
This land would provide for an excellent 12 or 13 hole course, but there would be lots of walking between the holes, and you'd probably have to make a long layout that doesn't loop back on itself nicely. So as much as I admire all the cleverness and effort fitting these 18 into a long narrow strip with a creek on one side and backyards on the other, I think the designers let enthusiasm get the best of them.
It's a fun play and worth a visit - the good outweighs the bad. Just be prepared to struggle a bit figuring out the course as you're playing it.