Pros:
Inverness Disc Golf Park is a beautiful championship level wooded course located in a pristine nature preserve. Upon arrival, my initial reaction was that I certainly didn't feel like I was in Birmingham (which technically I wasn't, but close enough).
When I walked up to the first hole, I knew I was in for a challenge. I read the tee sign (which was very descriptive and informative) and realized I was looking at a 573 or 518 feet to the pin. The initial shot was going to be 250' to get to the top of a hill and then I had the rest of the hole to play.
Well, after playing two holes from the blue tees, I realized that I didn't have the time, patience or skill to have an enjoyable round from the blue pads. So, I switched to the reds. Even from the reds, I found a nice variety of sweet ace run holes and holes that required distance and placement. Also, the greens were definitely treacherous from either pad. I had many hot shots that stood up and rolled on me.
The Hardware:
+Descriptive tee signs showing distances for two tee pads and two pin locations. Also, every pad had its own tee sign.
+Very large, flat, grippy, trapezoidal tee pads. I didn't bust out my tape measure, but I would estimate they were 12' long by 5' in the front and 7' in the back. I'm a big fan of trapezoidal pads because they a)look neat and b)give players ample room/angles to run up.
+Discatcher baskets. Can't say enough about Discatchers. They are visible and they catch. What else can you ask for?
+There were signs that lead me to my next hole as well as marks on the trees that kept me on the path.
The Terrain:
+Rolling wooded hills with a creek running through the course. To be honest, this is may be the most naturally beautiful, serene course I've played (Holler in the Hills is battling for the top spot as well). I think it really helps that I played the course at 7:00 AM on a Sunday morning after approximately 38 feet of rain. I don't know how active the creek usually is, but that morning it was rushing. It really added to the serene ambiance.
The Layout:
+The layout really utilized the land. There was a lot of variety of uphills, downhills, left-turns, right turns, dog legs, ace runs, placement shots.
+I loved the risk/reward scenarios as well as the runaway greens. Again, I played the shorts after hole 2, but my favorite throw by far was hole 5. It is a 310' downhill shot with creek behind the basket. Perfect placement for an ace run. I threw an Elite-X Comet which sailed just right of the basket directly into the creek. (I was able to retrieve it). That's the perfect kind of hole that tempts you to go for it while your head is telling you not to.
+Often times when I play a wooded course (or an open course), midway through a round I start to get that repetitive feeling where holes kind of blend together. This was not the case at Inverness.
Cons:
The Hardware:
-I didn't see a main information sign near hole 1. After reading some other reviews, I get the feeling that it's coming, just hasn't been installed yet.
-There was nothing on the signs that showed which pin location the baskets were in. Mostly this wasn't a big issue, but a few holes it would have been nice on.
The Terrain:
-I guess this could be a con for some people, but the terrain is treacherous. It will wear you out going up and down the hills. Also, on the Sunday morning I was there, it was more humid than a swamp tater stir fry. Personally, these are not true cons that impact how I rate the course, but some people will want to know it.
-Definitely not a stroller friendly course. So Moms and Dads, leave the Graco in the car.
The Layout:
-There isn't really an opportunity to just air it out without consequence of hitting a tree. My arm is weak though, so I don't really care about that.
-Definitely not a beginner friendly course.
Other Thoughts:
I really thought Inverness was a great course. I had such a blast playing it. It really is a brutal course, but it also affords plenty of opportunities to reward.
And to say I was going to play George Ward that morning. Luckily, a friend texted me saying me to be wary of bums and hypodermic needles there, so I made the longer drive.
If you are passing through Birmingham, you must play this course.