Pros:
1) Initial Impressions: Quick easy dip off I-24 to a very well maintained park style property. Plenty of restrooms, parking, covered pavilions, a pond for fishing etc. The grass is well maintained, Ft. Massac building sitting on the hill watching over you, a camp grounds on site, great views of the Ohio River, trash free, mowed grass, and well maintained. As this is government owned property, I was expecting it to be well kept, but we actually ran into two maint. crew on a golf cart changing out trash, restocking the bathrooms and they even stopped to chat with us asking how we liked the course. Though I had played here many times, it was a solid first impression for my friends in my group playing for the first time.
2) Concrete tee pads in good shape, a little on the narrow/small side (I'd say 3 feet wide by 6 feet long) but they are flush with the ground and allow for longer unimpeded runups. Discatcher baskets that show their age but still caught well for us.
3) I would consider this course moderately wooded, with clever hole design that make use of the existing trees on nearly every shot. There is very little in the way of underbrush that comes into play as most of the course is immaculately kept, cleared out, and just covered in large mature trees.
4) Solid use of elevation change where it was available. There is a section of the course this is an enormous bowl shape and though it makes 4 holes very similar throwing back and forth across this bowl, the course manages to vastly change the distances required and use trees to force different angles off the tee to provide enough variety that you remember each hole on it's own for its unique characteristics.
5) There are some (at first glance) holes that look like there is no clear line and just a jumble of trees. Holes 2 and 15 get a bad rap for this. It's only after you walk down the fairway and look back at the tee do you see all the openings, or play those holes a few times. In my opinion they are difficult yes, but not impossible, and not designed without a lot of thought put in.
6) This course caters to both big arms and noodles. There are multiple holes where the distance requires a big arm to reach the basket, but the mature trees and low hanging branches make the lines for big power very difficult. Whereas if you play the safer shorter placement shots, you won't make birdie, but you will ensure an easy par.
7) The course further doubles down on trying to be a course for the mass spectrum of skill level by containing some very long and shot technical par 3's but also including some shorter risk/reward par 4's and even a Par 5 in the 800 foot range. There is a solid mix of birdies to be made here and fun and challenge can be had by all levels.
8) There are a couple ace runs on this course (Hole 3 and 4 by the campground) a pair of holes down by the riverside, and 16 and 17 (though much harder to ace, the distance is there).
Cons:
1) Course signage does exist but is very lacking in execution. Utilize U-Disc or take a picture of the course map at Hole #1, you will need it. Tee signs are nothing more than Hole # and distance, and there are several occasions where the tee sign isn't oriented in the direction you should be throwing. There is no "next" hole indication or signage anywhere on a course that twists and zags all over the property with several switchbacks which leads to my next Con.
2) Navigation is dreadful on this course without a course map handy or U-Disc. And even then, there are so many blind tee shots and decent length walks between holes that (even for me who'd played here multiple times) you will be scratching your head on where to go.
3) Some holes on the course are close together. There are a couple holes that play very close to each and you have to cross over their fairways to get to where you are headed. There are a couple occasions where you can see multiple baskets, and coupled with the lack of information on the tee signs, it is difficult to know which basket you are supposed to throw to.
4) This course is prone to flooding. There are 3-4 holes on the backside of the course near the riverside that show obvious signs of high water, driftwood, sand/silt, etc So it might be a good idea to see if the River is in flood stage before venturing to play here.
5) Safety. This is a well loved and massively utilized park. It seems like everywhere you go on this course there is a risk of hitting a park goer, from birthday parties in the open pavilions, to bikers and joggers on the trail and main road, to cars parked at the Fort or driving along the road, to campers in the camp ground, dog walkers, other players on the disc golf course, etc This course is busy, and while serene and mostly beautiful, you will spend a considerable amount of energy making sure the fairways are clear before throwing.
Other Thoughts:
This course excels and is hurt by the same thing, being government property. It means that it is well maintained, but it also means that as a historical site, little can be changed. I'm sure signage could be improved but I've heard the local club had to petition to get a giant tree cut down and removed that had fallen across a fairway making the hole unplayable. This course does get a lot of play and I'm certain any complaint beyond the design itself the local club has heard and is trying to address, and some I think their hands are tied on. This is almost a destination course level, but slightly misses the mark unless you want to piggy back camping here, are a history nut and want to tour the fort or love watching barges go down the river. Otherwise, pair this course with Paducah's Stuart Nelson just a few short miles down the road across the Ohio on the KY side and make a day trip out of it.