Pros:
-safe, well built tee pads on every hole (#14 is slightly elevated and wood because of existing roots that would have been destroyed by a cement pad)
-quality pin positions on every hole
-every type of hole imaginable (long, short, open, wooded, uphill, downhill, left, right, etc)
-very nice tee signs
-small brooms are attached to EVERY tee sign for cleaning sand off the tees
-easy to follow, course flows nicely
-multiple entry/exit points (after 8, 15, and all 24) if you want to play a short round, or skip some holes
-trash cans are abundant
-many benches and places to rest
-no long walks between holes
-the local pro shop, Tilley's Party Store, is just down the street from the course and they have a great selection of discs and other merch
Cons:
-one set of tees
-only one pin position per hole
-can be very crowded (this is Hick's biggest downfall) in the summer, especially during Cherry Festival due to lots of use by local teens
-lots of mosquitos, so bring your bug spray
-no water holes (there is a small creek that runs just inside the treeline on hole 23, but it doesn't ever come into play unless you throw a really shitty shot)
Other Thoughts:
This course is my home course, its the course that I started playing disc golf on, so I'm a little biased... but all in all it's still sitting at #14 in my top 25 courses (of 241 that i've played) after playing most of the best courses in the nation. The only thing that really bugs me about it is that there aren't multiple tees or at the very least, multiple pin positions. Hickory Hills would be among the elite courses in the country if we were just able to change it up every once in a while.
And its missing a lake, or water of some sort. If there were one or two decent water holes on this course it would have a little bit of everything! Oh, and on the note of water, there are lots of hills to walk and it'll take a group of 4 a good two hours (+/- 30 mins) to play, so bring water of your own so you don't get dehydrated.
give me a call when you come to town and i'll happily meet you out there for a round! (231.590.0878)