Pros:
- Long and challenging.
- 3 sets of tees ranging from 9,010' to 10,449' in total distance. Shortest hole is #15 and is 270' from all tees. Longest is hole #18 and is 880 from white tee, 930 from blue, and 999 from gold.
- Elevation changes worked well into the design.
- The course loops back to the parking lot after hole 9 so you can grab something from your car after 9 holes if you need to.
- The map and scorecard are very helpful. The scorecard is very nicely laid out just like a good golf course scorecard.
Cons:
- At this point, the course can only be played between late Oct. and mid-spring. The rest of the year the course is overgrown and unplayable.
-Beware of thorns! They grow in the fairways and are tough to see while walking. It is easy to step right on a thorn bush and have a thorn go right into your shoe. There are also trees with 4"+ long thorns.
-It is a tough course to walk. It is a long walk that seems like it is uphill a lot, and you have to walk carefully while watching for thorns. Be light on your feet.
-There are no teeboxes right now, some of the holes are carpet, most are natural marked by two flags the color of the tee you are playing.
Other Thoughts:
This course plays like a golf course. The drive isn't nearly as important as the approach. A bad drive still gets punished, and a bad approach after a great drive can ruin your score on a hole.
The fact that this is a true par-70 design puts this course among the best for me. High par courses are hard to come by, and we have a good one here in Jonesboro, AR. The pros and the layout of this course far outweigh the cons. I love to play golf, and this course is as close as you are going to get to playing golf with discs.
The course is mostly open, with a few holes tight to balance it out, specifically hole 18, one of the most difficult holes I have ever played that I consider a fair hole. The open nature of the course is what gives the approach shots the most importance. You will have to place those in just the right place to get a putt for birdie. To make those approach shots easier, you have to place your drive in the correct place in the fairway to give you the best possible angle to the basket.
You can't see the basket from the tee on most holes, and on a lot you can't even see it from where you are making your approach. Elevation changes and trees strategically designed around are the cause for all the blind throws. This makes it very tough to play the first time through, and still is a challenge to your game even when you know where everything is on the course. Even though there are a lot of blind landings, I have yet to lose a disc here, so don't worry too much about that.
If you go into a round on this course thinking you will play for pars and take birdies as they come, then you will likely leave with few/if any birdies. You have to be in attack mode with your approaches to have a look at birdie on any given hole. You also might come away scratching your head wondering how you ended up so far over par, and that would be because you went 3 or 4 over on 17 and 18 combined.
Take a breath on the par-3s. They are the only holes where you can mentally recharge. The par-4s and -5s have your mind in a constant state of trying to figure out how to play and attack the hole.
For non-members, the course is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays for a $5 fee. The fee gives access to both courses on the property all day. Memberships are available to get access at any time at the price of $50 annually.
I love the sign that is at the beginning of the course. It looks like it was stolen from Bethpage Black golf course, adjusted slightly, and placed on this course because it fits just as well. Google "warning sign at bethpage black" if you haven't seen it.
Favorite holes:
18: 999, 930, or 880 ft. Par-5. Very difficult, have to be precise. OB lurking left, impossible to escape woods on right. It is downhill, so you feel like you should be able to throw a bomb, but be ready for the consequences if it isn't perfect. Even after a good drive, you still have to execute 2 more perfect throws in order to get a birdie or par. The fairway is wide enough that it looks easy, but it ain't!
16: 855, 755, or 660 ft. Par-5. Completely opposite of hole 18. The distance of this hole along with the downhill nature make it feel like one that you should be able to get to in 2 and possibly eagle, but ther is a pond short of the basket and enough trees in the way that make you think twice about that. The layup isn't a piece of cake either with the contours of the ground. Great risk/reward hole.
4: 627, 576, or 510 ft. Par-4. There are a few ways to attack this hole, and the drive is one of the more difficult ones. You have to commit to a path and hit it precisely in order to get far enough to an open area to have an approach to the basket.