Pros:
A consummate woods course with hills and privacy.
-Amenities: Numbered DISCatchers, concrete tees, excellent signs with maps, next tee arrows. Multiple pin positions on a lot of holes. Course kiosk, practice basket, and the second course on site (which I didn't have time to play, sadly).
-Setting: This is what I would expect a good state park course to be. Maintenance is pretty good, the woods are lush and secluded, and there are amenities in a couple of parking lots. Plenty of activities for families if you're the kind of player that does both. The only surprising aspect is that you only get lake views on hole (10) and nowhere else.
-Elevation: Ups, downs, and valleys. It's not on every hole, but distinctive on quite a few. Especially well used for the par-3s.
-Woods Fairways: Pretty well defined throughout, despite the thickness of the pines. Lines are fair, and of varying width so it doesn't get too old.
-Difficulty: For me, this is a really nice slot of difficulty around the intermediate level. The course looks scary, but the fairways are such that it's very possible to play mostly clean. A good balance of risk/reward that requires you to know the bag but can still offer up birdies.
-Shot Shaping/Gameplay: Twelve varied par-3s in the woods followed by six varied par-4s and -5s in the woods. Each hole out here requires some kind finesse with angles and power, as they tend to be somewhat straight but with fairway bends and/or slopes that necessitate pushing tree lines to make it to the end. I divide the course into three - the first third are basically straight, the second third are more quirky with weirder gaps, and the last third are simply long. Scrambling is very doable from a lot of points out here. This is one of the rare courses where I thought the par-3s as a whole matched up to the multi-shot holes, as the latter were pretty straightforward other than elevation changes. Smart course management will go a long way towards cutting bogeys while still giving yourself the occasional birdie putt.
Cons:
-Poison Plants: The undergrowth is noticeable in several parts of the course, and includes copious three-leaf shrubs.
-Invasive Limbs: Some fairways need one or two selective branches trimmed, IMO. These are branches that look like they've grown in since the course was built - not giant obstacles, but really annoying if you happen to hit them.
-No Pin Indicators: With the multiple pin positions sometimes playing blind, a simple pin indicator on the tees would be much appreciated. I parked one hole only to discover that the pin was in the turnover position instead of the hyzer position.
-Line Variety: As one previous reviewer mentioned, most of the holes are a variation on straight, with no dramatic or creative curves to speak of. Traveling, I threw the course with two pretty neutral fairways and two approach discs, and there were only a couple of times I really wanted something different. Very few jaw-dropping holes.
-Pace: I wish the progression of holes mixed the variety throughout. As is, the different sections of the course create a segmented experience. The most notable issue, as pointed out by many, is that the final six holes are all multi-shot, and there are zero par-4s or -5s prior to then. Along with the fatigue factors of swampy weather and hills, this made it feel like the round ground to a complete stop around hole (14) or so.
Other Thoughts:
Whitetail reminded me of most of the other top-notch all-wooded courses I've played. It's got pleasing lines in a pleasing environment with pleasing elevation and variety. That said, there were definitely a few detractors, and I just didn't see this course having the pizazz that my true top courses possess. It's an Excellent course that was well worth the detour from I-20.
~Similar Courses: IDGC Headrick (Appling, GA); Chester State Park - Advanced (Chester, SC); wooded portions of Langley Pond (Burnettown, SC); Cane Creek Park (Waxhaw, NC); Fort Yargo State Park (Winder, GA).