Pros:
Course has fantastic terrain and plenty of signature looks from the tees. Really great shaping here. A truly rolling terrain on several holes, and while the elevation changes aren't huge, the designers utilized it at every opportunity. I won't bore you with a play-by-play here, but rather run down a few of my favourite holes.
The first three holes cut some wide, worn paths through standard Mid-Michigan forestry. #2 has a deceiving slope following the right side of the fairway, but once you come upon the pin, you realize the drop off isn't that bad. A lot of hidden dangers lurk just outside the rough at Goldenrod, and it was interesting that this once it was actually the opposite - looking dangerous from afar, but truly un-troublesome.
#5 is a spectacularly designed: a small ridge to throw off of, with a narrow strait before you, opening to reveal a twisting, undulating fairway, with a fairly disastrous slope on the right and thick shoal on the left, just beyond which is a drop off to a stagnant pond below. Control over power is valued here, as you want to cut through the strait and drop your disc to set up your approach around the left shoal that blinds your view of the pin. A great technical look with crazy risk/reward - this is one of the best holes at Goldenrod.
#10 and #11 are twin visions to behold. The former is a cutthroat anhyzer through some pretty dense trees, but with plenty of lines to choose from, and good landing spots no matter what your choice. If you can somehow weave your way through and birdie this behemoth, I think it would be equal parts skill and luck that would help you achieve it. Gotta love that type of balance from a hole. The latter of the two is an awesome ace run from atop the biggest hill at Goldenrod, but be wary - if you overshoot here you will be in trouble. Hidden from your view at the tee pad is a steep descent into a riverbed just beyond and to the left of the pin. Use a spotter or you will be searching if you go in. Another great example of Goldenrod's risk/reward factor.
#12 starts a loop around a big bullfrog pond, and the "hidden dangers" abound again. Seems like every time you walk up on your disc, water is glistening in the sun behind the shoal. This loop contains six holes, two of which really stand out. #13 is an insanely narrow and sharp anhyzer with water on both sides. The rough is fairly thick here so I think you're OK in terms of going into the drink, but I would definitely recommend a spotter for this one, probably about halfway down the fairway, so they have a sight line on both the tee and basket. It's seriously like a 75 or 80 degree angle. #16 is the sister hole of #5, although buried in the woods. Two ridges dance up and down, with the pin located atop the one furthest to the right. Multiple lines again exist here, and a huge rollaway is possible if you miss on your approach. A very memorable hole.
#18 finally frees you from the foliage, although there is a patch on your approach. The practice basket has been made into a playoff hole, which is beyond cool! A dirt tee is on the far hill next to a charcoal grill, and creates a nice downhill bomb with a picket fence as your main obstacle, should your round end tied. I wish more courses had this; a great touch!
Cons:
The only con to state here are the tee pads. They are rubber, so slippage is very easy even if they are cleaned off and dry. I could see on a couple of holes that these were actually placed over some older gravel tees. Pretty sure I would've preferred the gravel! We ended up just throwing from the dirt which worked out well. Of course concrete is best, but even if someone just came and removed these it would be an improvement. These terrible tees knock this 4-star course down to a 3.5 for me - little things like this really differentiate the best courses from the rest, and unfortunately Goldenrod's tees knock it down a notch.
I can totally see mosquitoes being a problem here as well, since the majourity of water hazards are indeed stagnant ponds, but with the drought conditions going on this summer, this was a non-issue. Maybe if I played through when they were rampant it would knock another half-disc off of my rating... I could see this course being like Willow in that regard.
Another possible con could be the sameness of the course. It all plays through the same standard set of Mid-Michigan woods, and has a very similar feel to, say, Holly Woods for example. But while the land the course is built on is fairly static, I think the designers did a great job in breaking up the terrain, so no deduction here. In fact, I think this is a PRO rather than a CON for me.
Other Thoughts:
Overall, this is a wonderfully designed course and it's been treated as such. You can tell Goldenrod is really worn in but not destroyed at all. There were plenty of benches and trash cans, and I thought the course was fairly clean. Some of the previous reviews state that it can be very busy, and I can see why. Most of the underbrush is gone and as a result the fairways are mainly dirt, but this does not affect your round at all. Layout is concise and really easy to follow; no chance of skipping a hole or doubling back. What really blew me away were the multitude of lines available on every hole and the overall shaping of the holes themselves. Really, really well designed, and you can tell it is only getting better with age. Very well done, and darn near champion caliber IMO. Recommend Discin'!