Pros:
- Beautiful park that appeared to be well maintained at all levels. Very scenic both inside the woods, and out in the open.
- Seemed like a lot of other people use this area for fishing, jogging, and such, but are separate from the disc golf area.
- Nice mix of wide open holes with strategically placed trees, lightly wooded areas that beg for a full power shot, and densely wooded areas that require pinpoint accuracy. Good use of trees off the fairways to punish errant shots, without using thick rough to do it.
- Very good use of elevation changes throughout this course. This goes for the open areas, as well as the forest. I was especially impressed at multiple elevation changes within individual holes. That is, you could have both an upshot and a downshot to get to the pin. Very enjoyable.
- The longer forest holes, complete with elevation changes and long doglegs, are truly first class. One of the only times I actually looked to see what the par is, as these holes legitimately merit a pro par above 3.
- Good mix of hole length and difficulty. The shorter holes still make you work for it.
- Complete mix of left, straight, and right shots, usually both uphill and downhill for all.
- Open holes also provide their own challenges. Hole 1 is as easy as it will get. The 1001' hole has an undulating fairway that could force a second shot out of a small valley. Distance and accuracy are important, even out in the open.
- Island greens are a nice touch, with well marked OOB signs, and drop zones for shots that land out of play. Just getting within approach range is not enough on these holes; they demand near perfection to score low.
- Water is in play on many holes, mostly because of the small creek that runs throughout. It is clean and clear, thanks to the stones and logs that prevent mud and erosion from entering the creek. The amount of time spent on this aspect of the course is obvious; it is both visually appealing and useful. Many bridges make crossing a breeze.
- The seclusion aspect was phenomenal. Large course layout, bountiful forests, and even secluded open areas (it's true!) really allow you to get lost in the game itself, and focus on the hole you are on.
- Excellent hole signage, listing all possible basket locations and distances.
- Multiple baskets were a nice touch. I wish I had known about them going in, but that's my own fault. I don't know who would want to go for the shorter basket, but it provides additional variety from round to round.
- Good tees, good baskets
- I liked the distance markers on the fairway of Hole 15, so you get to see how far you got the drive out there, and how far you have to go. Probably the most professional hole I have every played.
Cons:
- One spot was a little tricky to navigate, even with the course map. Had to backtrack on 11's fairway to get to 17, possible blast zone if you aren't paying attention.
- I think the fairway grass was a little long at times, but that might have been because of an upcoming tournament. Only a con becuase it was covered in dew, and I ended up with some soaked shoes.
Other Thoughts:
- "Remember, a "5" is considered the ultimate. There is absolutely nothing that could be done to improve the course. It is perfect in every possible way."
- For as limited as my courses played list is, I have no qualms rating this course the max number of discs. I am glad I got to play this one before reviewing any other courses, Idlewild puts things in perspective.
- This course had holes that reminded me of many of holes in Illinois... laid end to end. Holes like 6, 10, and 18 absolutely rocked my world. I am getting teary-eyed writing this review; I know it will be a long, long, time before I get to experience anything like it.
- The forest itself was gorgeous, with grass fairways throughout. The tree canopy was not intrusive at all, and most (but not all) windows to shoot through were large enough to not be too frustrating.
- I teed off at 8 AM on this course, so it was probably as empty as it will ever be. I got the impression that it would have still been ultra secluded, on a hole by hole basis, even had it been packed. And, even if it was completely overrun, I would gladly sit back and eagerly wait my turn on each hole.
- I can see how some people may say this course is too hard... good. Go somewhere else. Even though I won't be playing it anytime soon, do other people a favor and play at a pitch n' putt. These holes force you to make long, accurate shots, and will reward you greatly if you can do it. Seeing a full length drive fly through the forest, evading tree after tree, and fading exactly where you want it to IS A PRIVILEGE NOT A RIGHT.