Pros:
-The first pro about Earlewood is if you live in Columbia and cant drive very far, this course is the funnest to play in the area. Starting at hole 1 you know this course is going to have a treat in store for you.
-The course features holes that are moderately wooded, open, and heavily wooded. Hole 1 is what I would consider "moderately wooded" due to the trees located in the fairway. Not hard to miss them, but there are still trees. Hole 14 is an example of an open hole. A 200ft straight shot that, while having trees on either side, is very easy just to stay in the fairway for that easy bird, and it's even an ace run. Hole 18 is the most heavily wooded hole, but it's also one of the most fun. It's one of the longest holes, so if you're trying to put power in your drive make sure you watch where it goes because it can be very tedious to find.
-Elevation changes are abundant within Earlewood. Some holes you throw uphill, such as hole 7, and some holes you throw downhill, such as hole 18. They are just tremendously fun to play and if you get a lot of glide on one of those downhill holes it's definitely a blast to see. Hole 18 rivals that of R.L. Smith and Robbins as best downhill finishing hole for me.
-If you are new to disc golf, like I was when I first played here, you will love it. It's not hard to find the next teebox, holes are not too difficult with the pars they're set at, and you always have a chance at making a good run at the hole. Be wary of rollers though!
-The teepads are all concrete, and the baskets are the old Mach 1 baskets, although they catch very well and seem to fit the park.
-Restrooms and water fountains near hole 12, which is greatly appreciated!
Cons:
-It is not in the best of neighborhoods as far as I can tell. My buddy and I were playing hole 10 and there was a guy just sitting right off the fairway with his shirt off looking out of it. I assume he was homeless. Not all homeless people are bad, however, and this has not affected the rating at all.
-There are hardly any trashcans and no benches besides the occasional tree stump.
-If you are trying to play through a group ahead of you, I would just skip the hole they're on. Countless times I've had to sit there and wait for groups of 3, 4, 5 and once even a whole family of about 15 to play without them asking if we (2 of us) wanted to play through. I asked a group of 3 if we could play through, and you'd think I had asked them to commit treason on the king the way they looked at me. Again, this didn't affect my rating, just trying to let you all know.
-Pedestrian filled. It's close to two baseball fields, and when there are tournaments you cant even play some of the holes. Kids and adults alike just running around or sitting on the fairway.
-When there are mandos (hole 2 is the only one I know of) they're hard to spot. I didn't even realize hole 2 had a mando until my fifth time playing there. I think the lack of mandos makes it dangerous as well. I about clobbered someone on a shanked drive from hole 1. I was trying to go right of the trees, and even though I did go right, it was way way right. A mando would have prevented me from doing as such.
-If you do shank a drive, such as hole 5, be prepared to get dirty. To the left of hole 5 is a deep treacherous ravine and even in the dry summer days it can be a challenge.
-Hole 17 has great potential, however the grounding lines (?) that are right in front of the teebox really frustrate me.
Other Thoughts:
Very fun course within the Columbia area. It has its flaws, however it's still an amazing course.
My favorite holes are hole 4 (easy bird and an ace run, even with a simple overhand shot), Hole 8 is a wonderful and difficult shot; right off the teebox there are two trees you have to sneak your way past, but once you do (and you miss all the other trees) it's wonderful to play. I have to throw at least three drives if no one is behind me. Hole 16 and Hole 18 are good holes if you want to watch your drive soar!